,,life ,,of ,,emanuel ,,swedenborg4 ,,together ,,with ,a ,,brief ,,synopsis ,,of ,,his ,,writings1 ,,both ,,philosophical ,,and ,,theological4 ,,by ,,william ,,white4 ,illustration ,,philadelphia ,j4 ,b4 ,,lippincott ,,co4 #ahhj4 ,,preface4 ,during the few past years many biographies of ,swedenborg have been offered to the public4 ,dr4 ,tafel1 of ,tbingen1 in #ahci1 collected into one volume the testimonies of ,swedenborg's personal friends1 his letters1 and various documents relating to him which were scattered through many volumes4 ,this 8,book of ,documents0 was translated into ,english1 and edited by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,smithson1 of ,manchester1 in #ahda2 and was again reprinted in ,america and re-edited by ,professor ,bush1 of ,new ,york1 in #ahdg4 ,from this 8,book of ,documents10 all the biographies which have appeared1 have been more or less indebted4 ,nathanael ,hobart1 of ,boston1 arranged these documents into a connected biographical form1 interspersed with judicious remarks of his own1 and published it as a 8,life of ,swedenborg40 ,this 8,life0 has passed through three editions1 and well deserves the success it has attained4 ,in #ahdi1 ,elihu ,rich published1 in ,london1 8,a ,biographical ,sketch of ,emanuel ,swedenborg40 ,the edition was exhausted in the course of a few months1 and the work has not since been reprinted4 ,in the same year1 ,j4 ,j4 ,g4 ,wilkinson produced his 8,emanuel ,swedenborg3 a ,biography10 a work which1 alike for its artistic excellence as a biography1 and the originality and poetic beauty of its thought1 has1 ,i believe1 no equal in the ,english language4 ,the comparative silence of our literary critics1 in reference to this work1 proves that any one who cares to appreciate what is best in the world1 had better not be content to trust solely to their eyes4 ,from the quotations ,i have made in the course of the following narrative1 the reader will be able to appreciate a few of the good things contained in this ,biography by ,wilkinson4 ,in #ahed1 ,edwin ,paxton ,hood published 8,swedenborg3 ,a ,biography and an ,exposition10 a work which has been the means of introducing ,swedenborg to a large circle hitherto almost ignorant of his existence4 ,in the same year1 ,woodbury ,m4 ,fernald published1 in ,boston1 ,mass41 8,a ,compendium of the ,theological and ,spiritual ,writings of ,swedenborg10 to which an excellent life of the ,author was prefixed1 compiled in great part from previous biographies4 ,in other forms1 many sketches of the life of ,swedenborg have been published4 ,the ,rev4 ,o4 ,p4 ,hiller gives an excellent little biography in his volume of 8,gems from ,swedenborg40 ,emerson tells the story of his life1 in his own way1 in 8,representative ,men20 and a ,lecture by ,george ,dawson1 on ,swedenborg1 is now circulating1 as a tract1 by thousands throughout the land4 ,all these things evidence a growing interest in the greatest teacher of modern times4 ,the present work does not enter into competition with anything that has before been written4 ,it pretends to nothing but simplicity1 and would be ranked as a hand-book1 a guide1 a directory4 ,if it should lead any to form an acquaintance with the writings of 8the most unknown man in the world10 as ,mr4 ,fernald calls ,swedenborg1 and ,i may add1 the most abused man in the world1 my end will be gained4 ,i believe the day is not far distant when it will be the greatest reproach of these times that the works of ,swedenborg lay in our midst1 and only a few men cared for them4 ,happily this number is steadily increasing2 and1 by and by1 we may expect a general acknowledgment of the fact1 that ,swedenborg was1 without exception1 the most gifted and extraordinary man that has ever lived4 #cf ,,bloomsbury ,,street1 ,,london4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,chapter ,i4 ,birth and ,parentage4 ,swedenborg's ,first ,ideas of ,religion1 and his ,scholastic ,life4 #ba ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,travels1 ,becomes ,author1 and is crossed in ,love4 #bf ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,travels again4 ,publishes five ,scientific ,pamphlets1 and 8,miscellaneous ,observations40 ,returns ,home and enters on the ,duties of his ,assessorship4 ,writes his 8,opera ,philosophica et ,mineralia10 and goes abroad to publish it4 #ce ,,chapter ,,iv4 8,opera ,philosophica et ,mineralia40 #dj ,,chapter ,v4 ,doings and ,travels4 #dg ,,chapter ,,vi4 8,the ,economy of the ,animal ,kingdom10 and 8,the ,animal ,kingdom40 #ea ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,his ,life1 as a ,man of ,science1 ends4 #eg ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,his ,spiritual ,sight opened1 and the ,conditions of his ,seership4 #fb ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,prepares for his ,new ,office4 ,resigns his ,assessorship4 ,his 8,adversaria40 ,his 8,spiritual ,diary40 ,the death of ,polheim4 #gc ,,chapter ,x4 8,the ,arcana ,clestia40 #gh ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,anecdotes4 #hi ,,chapter ,,xii4 8,the ,last ,judgment40 #ie ,,chapter ,,xiii4 8,heaven and ,hell40 #ajb ,,chapter ,,xiv4 8,the ,white ,horse40 8,the ,earths in the ,universe40 8,the ,new ,jerusalem and its ,heavenly ,doctrine40 #acj ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,anecdotes4 #acf ,,chapter ,,xvi4 8,doctrine of the ,lord2 ,the ,sacred ,scripture2 ,faith2 and ,life40 #adb ,,chapter ,,xvii4 8,the ,divine ,love and the ,divine ,wisdom40 8,the ,continuation of the last ,judgment40 #aea ,,chapter ,,xviii4 8,angelic ,wisdom concerning the ,divine ,providence40 #aei ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,life in ,amsterdam4 ,character of the ,dutch4 ,meets ,dr4 ,beyer4 ,republishes his 8,new ,method of ,finding the ,longitudes40 8,the ,apocalypse explained40 #afi ,,chapter ,,xx4 8,apocalypse ,revealed40 #agc ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,travels4 ,habits4 ,anecdotes4 #ahj ,,chapter ,,xxii4 8,conjugial ,love40 #aia ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,attacked by ,dr4 ,ekebom4 ,visits ,france4 ,letter to ,hartley1 and ,hartley's opinion of ,swedenborg4 #bjd ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 8,brief ,exposition of the ,doctrines of the ,new ,church10 and the 8,intercourse between the ,soul and the ,body40 #baj ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,persecution4 ,letter to the ,academy of ,sciences4 ,leaves ,stockholm for the last time4 #bai ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,swedenborg in ,intercourse with ,general ,tuxen and ,paulus ab ,indagine4 ,his reply to ,dr4 ,ernesti4 ,letter to the ,landgrave of ,hesse ,darmstadt4 #bbg ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 8,the ,true ,christian ,religion40 #bcf ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,anecdotes and ,traits of ,character4 #bef ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,last ,days on ,earth4 #bfb ,,life ,,and ,,writings ,,of ,,emanuel ,,swedenborg4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,his ,birth and ,parentage--,his first ideas of ,religion1 and his ,scholastic ,life4 ,authors are never wiser than when they trust to time for justice4 ,the poor thinker1 neglected by his age1 unseen amid the glare of mere show and pageantry1 need not fret himself4 ,time will roll on1 the false and meretricious will sink into forgetfulness1 while his true words will become accepted1 and his thoughts the stars by which wise men guide their course across the dark ocean of life4 ,it was the lot of ,emanuel ,swedenborg to be cast on a shallow1 sceptical1 and perverse age4 ,living a life of the utmost purity1 and teaching truths which we esteem it our great felicity to know1 he had but poor thanks so far as fame and disciples went4 ,but the dawn of his day of justice is approaching4 ,his name1 which in past times has too often been used to point a sarcasm at whatever is visionary and transcendental1 has of late years been slowly rising into estimation4 ,here and there1 one eminent man after another has spoken some brave words in honor and admiration of the great ,swede4 ,slowly1 but surely1 his writings are claiming attention2 his disciples1 though still few1 are quietly earnest and enthusiastic1 and ever and anon there is seen in the newspaper or periodical1 the name of ,swedenborg mentioned with respect1 if not with reverence4 ,considerable curiosity exists in large circles to know more of him1 of what he did1 what were his doctrines1 and the nature and number of his books4 ,to satisfy1 in some measure1 these queries and if possible to incite a desire for an intimate personal acquaintance with the writings of ,swedenborg1 is the purpose of the present work4 ,emanuel ,swedenborg was born at ,stockholm1 on the #bith ,jan41 #afhh4 ,the year is a memorable one1 as being that in which outraged ,england drove the faithless ,stuarts from the throne4 ,his father's name was ,jesper ,swedberg1 and his mother's1 ,sarah ,behm2 both descended from families of worth and usefulness in ,sweden4 ,his father1 at the time of his birth1 was chaplain to a regiment of cavalry4 ,after passing through several offices1 one of which was a professorship of theology in the ,university of ,upsal1 ,jesper ,swedberg was1 in the year #agai1 elevated to the bishoprick of ,skara in ,west ,gothland4 ,his character stood high in ,sweden4 ,simple1 patriotic1 and honest1 he was1 without being brilliant1 a learned and industrious man4 ,he wrote much1 and published occasionally1 as the following extract from his diary proves3 8,i can scarcely believe that anybody in ,sweden has written so much as ,i have done2 since1 ,i think1 ten carts could scarcely carry away what ,i have written and printed at my own expense1 and yet there is much1 yea nearly as much1 not printed40 ,of the professions of his sons1 he wisely remarks2 8,i have kept my sons to that profession to which ,god has given them inclination and liking3 ,i have not brought up one to the clerical office1 although many parents do this inconsiderately1 and in a manner not justifiable1 by which the ,christian ,church and the clerical order suffer not a little1 and are brought into contempt40 ,writing in his diary forty years after ,emanuel's birth1 he says3 8,emanuel1 my son's name1 signifies #8,god with us1' a name which should constantly remind him of the nearness of ,god1 and of that interior1 holy1 and mysterious connection1 in which1 through faith1 we stand with our good and gracious ,god4 ,and blessed be the ,lord's name6 ,god has1 to this hour1 been with him2 and may ,god be further with him1 until he is eternally united with ,him in his kingdom40 ,of ,swedenborg's childhood we have little record4 ,in a letter which1 late in life1 he addressed to ,dr4 ,beyer1 he remarks2 8,with regard to what passed in the earliest part of my life1 about which you wish to be informed3 from my fourth to my tenth year1 my thoughts were constantly engrossed by reflections on ,god1 on salvation1 and on the spiritual affections of man4 ,i often revealed things in my discourse which filled my parents with astonishment1 and made them declare at times1 that certainly the angels spoke through my mouth4 ,from my sixth to my twelfth year1 it was my greatest delight to converse with the clergy concerning faith2 to whom ,i often observed1 that charity or love is the life of faith2 and that this vivifying charity or love is no other than the love of one's neighbor2 that ,god vouchsafes this faith to every one2 but that it is adopted by those only who practise that charity4 ,i knew of no other faith or belief at that time1 than that ,god is the ,creator and ,preserver of ,nature2 that ,he endues men with understanding1 good inclinations1 and other gifts derived from these4 ,i knew nothing at that time of the systematic or dogmatic kind of faith1 that ,god the ,father imputes the righteousness or merits of the ,son to whomsoever1 and at whatever time1 ,he wills1 even to the impenitent4 ,and had ,i heard of such a faith1 it would have been then1 as now1 perfectly unintelligible to me40 ,this confession very vividly shadows forth the future man4 ,we see how earnestly his sound1 practical mind perceived and clung to the real and substantial in theology4 ,his experience of the doctrine of justification by faith alone1 finds parallels in the lives and experience of many eminent men4 ,it was not until after many years' preaching1 that the fact of the existence of such a doctrine was presented to the mind of ,dr4 ,chalmers1 to whom also it was quite unintelligible2 yet1 overcome by the sphere of learning and prestige with which the doctrine was environed1 ,chalmers yielded assent to it1 and fancied1 as thousands do1 he believed what by no possibility he could ever understand4 ,swedenborg was too single-eyed in his pursuit of truth to be led aside by authority1 however imposing2 and often1 in the following narrative1 we shall have to observe with what independence1 yet with what humility and simplicity1 he recorded the truths which it was his mission to reveal4 ,this excellent son of good ,bishop ,swedberg received the best education that the times and his country could afford4 ,in his twenty-second year1 at the ,university of ,upsal1 he took his degree of ,doctor in philosophy4 ,the dissertation which he wrote for his degree was afterwards published4 ,it consisted of a selection of sentences from ,seneca1 ,publius ,syrus ,mimus1 and other ,latin writers1 enriched by comments of his own1 and notes illustrating the obscurities of the ,latin text4 ,this work was so highly thought of1 as to occasion a poetic eulogy1 written in ,greek1 to be inscribed to its author4 ,swedenborg dedicated this1 his first literary production1 to his father1 in a prelude full of veneration and love4 ,its length alone prevents our gratifying the reader with the perusal of this beautiful tribute of filial affection4 ,among his many virtues1 it should not be accounted the least1 that ,swedenborg was a loving1 dutiful son4 ,the same year he published1 in a work of his father's1 a ,latin version of the twelfth chapter of ,ecclesiastes1 which proved1 in a high degree1 his mastery of the ,latin language4 ,in #agaj1 was finished the strictly scholastic period of ,swedenborg's life4 ,he had now reached manhood1 and must live as a man among men4 ,his youth manifests less precocity than solid and regular development of mind4 ,the record of his life at this time1 evidences a common-sense appreciation of life and its duties1 an honest love of virtue1 and a desire to be useful in his day and generation4 ,the sequel will show that his day of life was not unworthy of its dawn4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,travels--,becomes ,author--,is crossed in ,love4 ,having completed his university education1 ,swedenborg entered on his travels4 ,in his journal1 he thus briefly describes a four years' absence from ,sweden4 8,in the year #agaj ,i set out for ,gottenburg1 that ,i might be conveyed1 by ship1 thence to ,london4 ,on the voyage1 my life was in danger four times3 first on some shoals1 toward which we were driven by a storm1 until we were within a quarter of a mile from the raging breakers1 and we thought we should all perish4 ,afterwards we narrowly escaped some ,danish pirates under ,french colors2 and the next evening we were fired into from a ,british ship1 which mistook us for the same pirates1 but without much damage4 ,lastly1 in ,london itself1 ,i was exposed to a more serious danger4 ,while we were entering the harbor1 some of our countrymen came to us in a boat1 and persuaded me to go with them into the city4 ,now it was known in ,london that an epidemic was raging in ,sweden1 and therefore all who arrived from ,sweden were forbidden to leave their ships for six weeks1 or forty days2 so ,i1 having transgressed this law1 was very near being hanged1 and was only freed under the condition that1 if any one attempted the same thing again1 he should not escape the gallows4 8,at ,london and ,oxford ,i tarried about a year4 ,then ,i went to ,holland and saw its chief cities4 ,at ,utrecht ,i tarried a long time1 while ,congress was sitting and ambassadors were gathering there from nearly all the courts of ,europe4 ,thence ,i went into ,france1 and passed through ,brussels and ,valenciennes to ,paris4 ,here and at ,versailles ,i spent a year4 ,at the end of this time ,i hastened1 by public coach1 to ,hamburg1 and thence to ,pomerania and ,greifswalde1 where ,i remained some time1 while ,charles the ,twelfth was coming from ,bender to ,stralsund4 ,when the siege began1 ,i departed in a small vessel1 together with a lady named ,feif1 and by ,divine ,providence was restored to my own country after more than four years' absence40 ,while traveling he was not idle2 for we find that in #agae1 while at ,greifswalde1 he published an oration on the return of ,charles ,,xii4 from ,turkey1 and a small volume of ,latin prose fables4 ,on his return to ,sweden1 he issued1 at ,skara1 a little book of poems1 written for the most part during his journeyings4 ,these have been republished at various times2 but1 as poems1 much cannot be said of them4 ,wilkinson1 in his 8,biography of ,swedenborg10 remarks3 8,these poems display fancy1 but a controlled imagination4 ,if we may convey to the ,english reader such a notion of ,latin verses1 they remind one of the ,pope school1 in which there is generally some theme1 or moral1 governing the flights of the ,muse40 ,indeed1 it was well that ,swedenborg was but slightly endowed with the poetic faculty4 ,much of his future mission lay in fields which require the coolest and calmest of minds to describe2 the sight and contemplation of which1 would have sent a ,shaksperian or ,byronic temperament into extatic frenzies4 ,swedenborg1 himself the son of a bishop1 was connected with high and influential families in ,sweden4 ,one of his sisters was married to ,eric ,benzelius1 afterwards ,archbishop of ,upsal2 and another to ,lars ,benzelstierna1 governor of a province4 ,other members of the family held high and responsible offices in the kingdom4 ,a young man thus situated would find little difficulty in settling for life in a sphere of usefulness adapted to all his tastes4 ,while on his travels on the ,continent he wrote letters to ,eric ,benzelius1 detailing every novelty in mathematics1 astronomy1 and mechanics1 which came under his observation2 besides sending home models of all such inventions as he thought might be useful to his country4 ,these letters and services won for him considerable notice2 and on his return to ,sweden1 he assumed the editorship of a new periodical work1 entitled 8,ddalus ,hyperboreus40 ,among the contributors to this magazine1 was the celebrated mathematician1 ,christopher ,polheim1 who has been called the ,swedish ,archimedes4 ,swedenborg's connection with ,polheim seems to have led to his appointment to the office of ,assessor of the ,board of ,mines1 which he held with distinguished honor for many years4 ,in the year #agaf1 ,polheim invited him to go with him to ,lund1 on a visit to ,charles ,,xii41 who had just escaped from ,stralsund4 ,he was very kindly received by the ,king1 and obtained from him his official appointment as ,assessor4 ,he was to assist ,polheim in his undertakings1 to have a seat in the ,college of ,mines1 and to give his advice1 especially when any business of a mathematical nature was on hand4 ,charles seems to have at once discerned the rare abilities of ,swedenborg1 and with a desire of uniting him in still closer bonds of amity with his favorite ,polheim1 he advised ,polheim to give him his daughter in marriage4 ,to this proposal ,swedenborg appears to have been in nowise averse4 ,he lived with ,polheim1 at once as his coadjutor1 and as his pupil in mathematics2 and having thus constant opportunities of seeing the fair ,emerentia1 ,polheim's second daughter1 had become enamored of her graces4 ,in one of his letters1 he remarks3 8,polheim's eldest daughter is promised to a page of the king's4 ,i wonder what people say of this in relation to myself4 ,his second daughter is1 in my opinion1 much the handsomest40 ,the attachment1 however1 was not mutual1 and the lady would not allow herself to be betrothed4 ,her father1 who deeply loved ,swedenborg1 caused a written agreement to be drawn up1 promising his daughter at some future day4 ,this document1 ,emerentia1 from filial obedience signed2 but1 as ladies generally do1 when forced to love in this way1 took to sighs and sadness1 which so affected her brother with sorrow1 that he secretly purloined the agreement from ,swedenborg4 ,the paper was soon missed2 for ,swedenborg read it over frequently1 and1 in his grief at its loss1 besought ,polheim to replace it by a new one4 ,but as ,swedenborg now discovered the pain which he gave to the object of his affections1 he at once relinquished all claim to her hand1 and left her father's house4 ,this was his last1 as it was his first endeavor after marriage4 ,in after years1 when jocosely asked whether he had ever been desirous of marrying1 he answered3 8,in my youth ,i was once on the road to matrimony40 ,and on being asked what was the obstacle1 with his characteristic simplicity he said3 8,she would not have me40 ,considering the studious and abstracted life which he eventually led1 it is not to be regretted that he remained unwedded4 ,that he was no harsh despiser of the sex1 we know well from his writings2 and that his life was in agreement with his books1 we also know4 ,the loveliest descriptions of female grace and beauty we have ever met with1 are contained in his works1 chiefly in his treatise on 8,conjugial ,love40 ,m4 ,sandell1 a member of the ,royal ,academy of ,sciences in ,sweden1 who pronounced a magnificent eulogium on his fellow-member1 ,swedenborg1 shortly after his death1 says3 8,though ,swedenborg was never married1 it was not owing to any indifference toward the sex2 for he esteemed the company of a fine1 intelligent woman as one of the most agreeable of pleasures2 but his profound studies rendered expedient for him the quiet of a single life40 ,swedenborg seems to have had much intercourse with the ,king4 ,in one of his letters1 he says3 8,i found his ,majesty very gracious to me2 more so than ,i could expect4 ,this is a good omen for the future4 ,every day ,i laid mathematical subjects before his ,majesty1 who allowed everything to please him4 ,when the eclipse took place1 ,i had his ,majesty out to see it1 and we reasoned much thereupon4 ,he again spoke of my #8,ddalus1' and remarked upon my not continuing it2 for which ,i pleaded want of means4 ,this he does not like to hear of2 so ,i hope to have some assistance shortly40 ,but assistance did not come1 and 8,ddalus0 went the way of many such undertakings4 ,talking of mathematics one day1 ,charles remarked that 8he who knew nothing of mathematics1 did not deserve to be considered a rational man20 a sentiment which ,swedenborg thought 8truly worthy of a king40#a ,charles ,,xii4 was now engaged in the siege of ,frederickshall1 and ,swedenborg's aid was called in4 ,he very ingeniously planned rolling machines1 by which two galleys1 five large boats1 and a sloop1 were conveyed from ,stromstadt to ,iderfjol1 overland2 a distance of fourteen miles4 ,under cover of these vessels1 ,charles was enabled to transport his heavy artillery under the very walls of ,frederickshall2 but it availed little1 for at the siege of this town1 on ,november #cj1 #agah1 7old style17 this inveterate warrior received the fatal blow which ended his troublous and eventful career4 ,he was struck in the head with a cannon ball1 and though death must have been instantaneous1 he was found with his right hand firmly grasping the handle of his sword2 so prompt was he to put himself in an attitude of defence4 8,his fall was destined to a barren strand1 ,a petty fortress and a dubious hand2 ,he left a name at which the world grew pale1 ,to point a moral or adorn a tale40 ,in #agai the ,swedberg family were ennobled by ,queen ,ulrica ,eleonora1 and ,swedenborg from that time took his place with the nobles of the equestrian order1 in the triennial ,assemblies of the ,states4 ,this distinction conferred little else than a change of name4 ,he was neither a ,count nor a ,baron1 as has very commonly been supposed4 ,emanuel ,swedenborg was rapidly winning for himself the name of a deep thinker and a ready writer4 ,in #agag he published 8,an ,introduction to ,algebra10 under the title of 8,the ,art of the ,rules40 ,it was highly praised for its clearness1 and the order and force of its examples4 ,the first portion of the work1 however1 was all that was published4 ,the second1 containing the first account given in ,sweden of the differential and integral calculus1 still remains in ,,ms4 ,his second publication this year was1 8,attempts to find the ,longitude of ,places by ,lunar ,observations40 ,both works were written in ,swedish4 ,in #agai four works proceeded from his increasingly fertile pen4 8,a ,proposal for a ,decimal ,system of ,money and ,measures20 8,a ,treatise on the ,motion and ,position of the ,earth and ,planets20 8,proofs derived from ,appearances in ,sweden1 of the ,depth of the ,sea1 and the greater ,force of the ,tides in the ,ancient ,world20 and 8,on ,docks1 ,sluices1 and ,salt ,works40 ,his work on the ,decimal system of coinage and measures was republished in #agie4 ,swedenborg's ideas on this and most other subjects were far ahead of the times in which he lived4 ,in one of his letters he thus alludes to the discouragements he met with on this account4 8,it is a little discouraging to me to be advised to relinquish my views1 as among the novelties the country can not bear4 ,for my part1 ,i desire all possible novelties2 aye1 a novelty for every day in the year2 for in every age there is an abundance of persons who follow the beaten track1 and remain in the old way2 while there are not more than from six to ten in a century who bring forward innovations founded on argument and reason40 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,travels again--,publishes five ,scientific ,pamphlets and 8,miscellaneous ,observations0--,returns ,home and enters on the duty of his ,assessorship--,writes his 8,opera ,philosophica et ,mineralia10 and goes abroad to publish it4 ,in the spring of #agba1 ,swedenborg visited ,holland a second time1 and chose ,amsterdam as a place of publication for the following five little works3--8,some ,specimens of a ,work on the ,principles of ,natural ,philosophy1 comprising ,new ,attempts to ,explain the ,phenomena of ,chemistry and ,physics by ,geometry20 8,new ,observations and ,discoveries respecting ,iron and ,fire1 and particularly respecting the ,elemental ,nature of ,fire1 together with a new construction of ,stoves20 8,a ,new ,method of finding the ,longitude of ,places1 on ,land or at ,sea1 by ,lunar ,observations20 8,a ,new ,mechanical ,plan of constructing ,docks and ,dykes20 and 8,a ,mode of ,discovering the ,powers of ,vessels by the application of ,mechanical ,principles40 ,the titles of these pamphlets prove that their author was no ordinary man4 ,but the publication of them was not his only object in this visit to the continent4 ,it was his desire to improve his practical knowledge of mining1 to enable him the better to fulfill his duties as ,assessor4 ,for this purpose he left ,amsterdam for ,leipsic1 passing through ,aix-la-,chapelle1 ,liege1 and ,cologne1 and visiting the different mines and smelting works which lay in his route4 ,at ,leipsic he published1 in #agbb1 8,miscellaneous ,observations connected with the ,physical ,sciences10 ,parts ,i4 to ,,iii42 and at ,hamburg1 in the same year1 ,part ,,iv41 principally on minerals1 iron1 and the stalactites in ,beaumann's cavern4 ,the reigning ,duke of ,brunswick1 ,louis ,rudolph1 most hospitably received ,swedenborg1 defrayed his traveling expenses1 and on his departure1 testified his admiration of the young savant by presenting him with a gold medallion1 and a weighty silver goblet4 ,in return for these favors1 ,swedenborg dedicated ,part ,,iv4 of his 8,miscellaneous ,observations0 to him4 ,in speaking of the foregoing works1 it is difficult1 in the few words to which we must limit ourselves1 to do them the justice which their originality and daring speculation deserve4 ,as ,wilkinson remarks1 8the fortress of mineral truth was the first which he approached1 and with the most guarded preparation4 ,his method was furnished by geometry and mechanics2 the laws of the pure sciences were to be the interpreters of the facts of chemistry and physics4 ,the beginning of nature1 says he1 is identical with the beginning of geometry2 the origin of natural particles is due to mathematical points1 just as is the origin of lines1 forms1 and the whole of geometry3 because everything in nature is geometrical1 everything in geometry is natural4 ,carrying out this theory1 he seeks to define the laws of chemical essence and combination1 by the truths of mathematics40 ,mr4 ,strutt1 the translator of these works into ,english1 says3 8,this extraordinary attempt to bring invisible things to light1 has been thoroughly justified by the success which has attended ,dalton's hypothesis1 in an age better prepared for its application2 and by the equally remarkable fact that the definitions given of solids1 acids1 and alkalies1 have gradually approximated very near indeed to those which result from ,swedenborg's hypothesis4 ,we say nothing here of a latent connection between the principle on which it is founded1 and some of the results obtained by ,berzelius1 whose fame1 as a chemist1 is as wide as the civilized world40 ,it need only be added that ,m4 ,dumas1 the ,french chemist1 ascribes to these works by ,swedenborg1 the origin of the modern science of crystallography4 ,he says1 8,it is to him we are indebted for the first idea of making cubes1 tetrahedrons1 pyramids1 and the different crystalline forms1 by the grouping of spherical particles2 and it is an idea which has been renewed by several distinguished men1 ,wollaston in particular40 ,after an absence of fifteen months1 ,swedenborg returned to his home in ,stockholm1 at midsummer1 #agbb4 ,he now for the first time entered fully upon the duties of his ,assessorship2 having deferred doing so until his knowledge of metallurgy had become sufficiently practical and extensive4 ,at this time he published an anonymous pamphlet 8,on the ,depreciation and ,rise of the ,swedish ,currency40 ,the currency seems to have been a favorite subject with ,swedenborg2 and in his senatorial capacity1 it engaged much of his attention4 ,the pamphlet seems to have been much thought of1 for we find that it was republished at ,upsal in #agga4 ,there are few productions of this kind that will endure a revival forty-nine years after their first publication4 ,the tenor of ,swedenborg's life for eleven years after this1 seems to have flowed quietly on in the regular fulfilment of the duties of his office4 ,it may be supposed that he had become tired of writing and publishing scientific works1 and that for a time he wished to rest from this kind of labor4 ,his abilities were appreciated by his countrymen1 for we find that he was solicited to accept the ,professorship of mathematics in the ,university of ,upsal1 in #agbd4 ,he declined the honor4 ,it appears that he had a distaste for the unpractical and merely speculative character of the pure mathematician4 ,we find him writing to his brother-in-law in this strain3--8,i wonder at ,messieurs the mathematicians having lost all heart and spirit to realize that fine design of yours for an astronomical observatory4 ,it is the fatality of mathematicians to remain chiefly in theory4 ,i have often thought it would be a capital thing1 if1 to each ten mathematicians1 one good practical man were added1 to lead the rest to market3 he would be of more use and mark than all the ten40 ,in #agbi1 ,swedenborg became a member of the ,royal ,academy of ,science at ,stockholm4 ,discontinuing the pamphlet style of publication1 ,swedenborg now centered his thoughts upon the production of a much larger and more laborious work than he had hitherto attempted4 ,it was entitled 8,opera ,philosophica et ,mineralia40 ,in order to secure its proper publication1 he went abroad1 for the third time1 in ,may1 #agcc4 ,after spending five months in ,germany1 seeing everything note-worthy1 he commenced the printing of his work at ,leipsic1 in the month of ,october4 ,in the course of the year #agcd1 the whole was finished in three handsome folio volumes1 enriched with numerous copper-plates1 and an engraved likeness of the author4 ,at this time he was again a visitor at the court of the ,duke of ,brunswick1 who munificently defrayed the cost of his expensive publication4 ,the volumes were published at ,leipsic and ,dresden4 ,at the same time he issued a little work called 8,a ,philosophical ,argument on the ,infinite1 and the ,final ,cause of ,creation2 and on the ,mechanism of the ,intercourse between the ,soul and the ,body40 ,it may be regarded as a supplement to the foregoing4 ,his work being finished1 he left ,leipsic for ,cassel1 and passing homewards through ,gotha1 ,brunswick1 and ,hamburg1 arrived at ,stockholm in ,july1 #agcd4 ,it is to be remembered that in this journey he had still the duties of his office in view4 ,he visited mines everywhere1 studied their modes of working1 and sought continually to make himself useful to his country4 ,it now becomes necessary to speak of his great volumes of philosophical and mineral works4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,opera ,philosophica et ,mineralia4 ,in attempting to give the reader an idea of the contents and aims of this great work1 within the compass of a few paragraphs1 one feels extreme difficulty in knowing where or how to begin4 ,it starts so many topics1 is so full of the deepest scientific truth1 speculates so boldly1 and reaches to such heights of subtle thought1 that we must necessarily confine ourselves to a very superficial view1 and the enumeration of a few of its prominent features4 ,as before said1 the work occupies three large folio volumes4 ,of the second and third of these1 it does not lie in our province to say much4 ,both are strictly practical works2 one on iron1 and the other on copper and brass4 ,they are evidences of ,swedenborg's ardent devotion to the duties of his office2 and as a testimony to the worth of the books themselves1 it need only be said1 that portions of them have been repeatedly reprinted1 and that they are held in high estimation by those who study metallurgy as a science1 or follow it as a profession4 ,the publication of the secrets of trade and manufacture in these volumes1 was not relished by the narrow-minded and selfish4 ,of such the author observes3--8,there are persons who love to hold their knowledge for themselves alone1 and to be the reputed possessors and guardians of secrets4 ,people of this kind grudge the public everything1 and if any discovery1 by which art and science will be benefited1 comes to light1 they regard it askance1 with scowling visages1 and probably denounce the discoverer as a babbler who lets out mysteries4 ,but why should such secrets be grudged to the public8 ,why withhold from this enlightened age8 ,whatever is worthy to be known1 should by all means be brought to the great and general market of the world4 ,unless we do this1 we can neither grow wiser nor happier with time40 ,these are true1 liberal1 and noble words4 ,but it is the first volume which is the greatest and most important of the three4 ,it has recently been translated into ,english by the ,rev4 ,augustus ,clissold1 and published in two considerable octavos4 ,it is entitled 8,principia2 or the ,first ,principles of ,natural ,things1 being ,new ,attempts toward a ,philosophical ,explanation of the ,elementary ,world40 ,in this volume an attempt is made to explain the generation of the elements1 the creation of matter1 and the nature of the occult forces playing within nature4 ,to pronounce an absolute opinion upon such a work would be highly hazardous2 for positive science at present1 affords no sufficient data to test many of its highest reasonings4 ,so far1 however1 as such tests have been granted1 they serve to manifest the fact that among speculative natural philosophers1 ,swedenborg is second to none4 ,grres1 an eminent ,german philosopher1 speaking of the 8,principia10 remarks3--8,it is a production indicative of profound thought in all its parts1 and not unworthy of being placed by the side of ,newton's mathematical #8,principia of ,natural ,philosophy4'0 ,we will now adduce a few proofs of the truth of this assertion4 ,humboldt1 in his 8,kosmos10 remarks3 8,that great and enthusiastic although cautious observer1 ,sir ,william ,herschel1 was the first to sound the depths of heaven1 in order to determine the limits and form of the starry system we inhabit40 ,the discovery of the place of our sun and system in the ,milky ,way1 is certainly due to ,herschel1 but ,swedenborg has a prior claim to the honor4 ,in the 8,principia10 written four years before ,herschel was born1 the statement of our sun's position in the heavens was explicitly made1 with the method by which the fact was observed4 ,but this is not all4 ,the changes observed in the planetary orbits1 seemed at one time to warrant the belief in a final destruction of all things through the falling of creation into chaos4 ,after awhile1 however1 ,la ,grange brought forward his beautiful theory1 by which was established the doctrine1 that though the solar system is liable to certain mutations in the form and eccentricity of its orbits in very long periods1 yet in consequence of a certain relation which prevails in the system1 between the masses1 orbital axes1 and eccentricities1 in time all orbits return again to what they originally were1 oscillating between very narrow limits4 ,this discovery of a cyclar return1 confirmed by the most eminent astronomers1 is pronounced by ,professor ,playfair to be1 8next to ,newton's discovery of the elliptical orbits of the planets1--without doubt the noblest truth in physical astronomy40 ,this discovery has also to be claimed for ,swedenborg4 ,in his 8,principia10 the fact of this cyclar mutation and return of the planets to order1 is repeatedly stated1 and with great accuracy and plainness4 ,want of space alone forbids several quotations in proof4 ,it need only be noted that the 8,principia0 was published forty-four years before ,la ,grange announced his famous theory4 ,again1 the doctrine of the translatory or progressive motion of the stars along the ,milky ,way1 and their streaming out at the northern end1 and in at the southern2 diverging at the northern end in every direction1 while at the southern end they converge at every point1--one of the most magnificent truths of modern astronomy1--is clearly set forth in this wonderful work of ,swedenborg's1 years before the full fact had dawned upon the scientific world4 ,again1 the sublime doctrine of the cosmical arrangement of the stars1 or of the clustering of stars into distinct systems1 forming starry systems1 as planets do solar systems1 generally attributed to ,kant1 ,mitchell1 and one or two others1 was promulgated by ,swedenborg in the 8,principia10 when ,kant1 the first of the acknowledged propounders of the theory1 was a boy of ten years of age4 ,the first enunciation of the nebular hypothesis1 is also to be referred to ,swedenborg's 8,principia40 ,indeed ,la ,place1 to whom the hypothesis is generally attributed1 indirectly owed some of his ideas on the subject to ,swedenborg4 ,la ,place owned that ,buffon was the first that suggested the theory of the origin of the planets and their satellites from the sun4 ,now ,buffon was acquainted with ,swedenborg's 8,principia10 as is evident from the fact that an eminent ,london bookseller recently sold a copy of the 8,principia0 containing ,buffon's autograph4#b ,it need only be added1 that1 fifteen years before ,buffon published his theory1 and seventy-five years before ,la ,place offered his own to the public1 ,swedenborg had propounded his version of the nebular hypothesis in the 8,principia40 ,it is true that ,la ,place and ,swedenborg differ on several points2 but recent science and experiment have tended to prove that1 wherein they differ1 ,swedenborg's theories are the most accurate4 ,while advancing these high claims for ,swedenborg1 in astronomical science and theory1 it is but right to remove from the public mind an erroneous idea1 which1 like his titles of ,baron and ,count1 has no foundation in fact4 ,we allude to his common repute as the announcer of the existence of the seventh planet1 ,uranus1 discovered by ,herschel in #agha4 ,that he announced the existence of this planet long before its actual discovery1 has been stated innumerable times1 at home and abroad2 and ,emerson in his lecture on the ,mystic1 takes opportunity to be witty in regretting that he did not discover the eighth4 ,the mistake has arisen from ,swedenborg's talking of a seventh planet in 8,the ,worship and ,love of ,god10 a book of his yet to be noticed4 ,now the belief in the existence of a seventh planet was entertained by most of the astronomers of his day1 and even so far back as ,kepler1 in #aehd4 ,swedenborg1 in speaking as he did1 only expressed a general idea4 ,astronomers observing the wide space between the orbits of ,mars and ,jupiter conjectured that some planet must roll between4 ,the after discovery of numerous asteroids between these orbits1 gave some show of truth to their conjectures4 ,it was of this supposed planet between ,mars and ,jupiter1 and not of ,uranus1 7afterwards discovered by ,sir ,william ,herschel17 that ,swedenborg spoke4 ,in magnetism1 as in astronomy1 the 8,principia0 is no less rich in original thought and discovery4 ,it was not until the close of the eighteenth century that the position of the magnetic equator was discovered to be different from that of the geographical4 ,after observations confirmed the fact that the mean latitudinal positions of the magnetic poles and equators1 are identical with those of the earth's ecliptic and ecliptical poles4 ,this fact1 over which there has been much congratulation1 was set forth in the 8,principia0 many years before it was confirmed by actual observation4 ,again1 the fact that the southern magnetic pole has a longer axis from the center of the magnetic equator1 than the northern1 and hence occupies a higher latitudinal position2 and1 as a consequence1 that the revolution of the north magnetic pole is quicker than that of the southern2 also that the south magnetic pole possesses a greater attractive force than the north1--facts not suspected till the investigations of ,hansteen in #ahai1 and only fully confirmed by observation very recently1--were all proclaimed in the 8,principia0 nearly a century before positive science had embraced them in her domain4 ,swedenborg also takes precedence of all other discoverers in the announcement of the identity of the magnetic streams forming the aurora1 and those influencing the magnetic needle4 ,so full is the 8,principia0 of truths respecting magnetism1--which the world generally supposes to be a novelty of the present day--that we could not imagine a greater pleasure or surprise awaiting any one devoted to the prosecution of magnetic science1 than the perusal of this commonly supposed old-fashioned and antiquated 8,principia0 of speculative science4 ,we will now say a few words on the great chemical truths which the 8,principia0 revealed4 ,in #agcd1 not a whisper had been breathed regarding the composite nature of the atmosphere4 ,the earliest date which can be assigned for the practical discovery of the two-fold nature of atmospheric air1 is #aggb-d1 the date of ,priestley's celebrated experiments4 ,but we find in the 8,principia10 that ,swedenborg sets forth the following facts3--that pure and dry atmospheric air is a compound of two constituents2 that these constituents are combined in unequal proportions2 that the element greatest in quantity is the extinguisher of combustion2 and lastly1 that the element greatest in quantity is a constituent of water as well as of air4 ,the merest tyro in science will1 at a glance1 perceive the importance and extent of ground which these propositions cover1 and how profound must have been that genius1 which1 in the midst of the deepest scientific darkness1 could draw from nature these deep and choice truths4 ,but this was not all4 ,water as well as air yielded to him the secret of its constitution4 ,in ,swedenborg's day1 the whole world thought and spoke of water as an element1 and even after the composite nature of air was revealed1 water maintained its elemental character up to #aghc1 when the discovery was almost simultaneously made by ,watt1 ,priestley1 ,cavendish1 and ,lavoisier1 that water1 like air1 is a result of the combination of two gases4 ,now in the 8,principia10 written fifty years before1 we are expressly told that pure water is a compound substance1 and the particulars and quantities of the two elements in its composition are correctly given4 ,there are many other truths in modern science which the 8,principia0 anticipates2 such as the atomic theory1 and the identity of electricity and lightning2 but we must draw to a close4 ,enough has been said to show the high merits of the book1 and to prove how worthy it is of the study and attention of all true lovers of science4 ,the publication of the 8,principia0 gained for its author great reputation1 and his friendship and correspondence were eagerly courted by all the philosophers of his day4 ,in ,december1 #agcd1 the ,academy of ,sciences at ,st4 ,petersburg appointed him one of their corresponding members4 ,the ,pope honored the work by placing it in that noble catalogue of books1 the ,index ,expurgatorius1 in #agci4 ,it may be very pertinently asked1 how it happens that a work abounding in such important doctrines and theories should be so little known4 ,the neglect is easily accounted for in the great subsequent fame of its author as a religious visionary4 ,his later reputation effectually out-shone that which he so deservedly won in his younger days2 and few1 even of his own disciples1 until recently1 thought of lifting from the dusty shelves those great books of scientific theory1 which1 of themselves1 established for their author a place among the greatest of men4 ,the 8,principia10 as its translator truly says1 8is a book for the future20 and taking these words in their full import1 it would be hardly possible to pronounce a higher panegyric4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,doings and ,travels4 ,from #agcd to #agcf1 ,swedenborg remained at home4 ,in ,july1 #agce1 his father died2 and a year after1 ,swedenborg went abroad1 as he states in his diary1 8for a sojourn of three or four years1 to write and publish a certain book40 ,during his absence he resigned half of his official salary to his substitutes4 ,his father having left him some money1 he was the better able to do so4 ,he journeyed through ,denmark1 ,hanover1 and ,holland1 and arrived at ,rotterdam during the fair4 ,observing the amusements of the people1 mountebanks1 shows1 etc41 he took occasion to moralize thus upon the character and prosperity of the ,dutch4 8,here at ,rotterdam1 it has suggested itself to me to inquire why it is that ,god has blessed a people so barbarous and boorish as the ,dutch1 with such a fertile and luxuriant soil2 that ,he has preserved them1 for so long a course of years1 from all misfortune2 that ,he has raised them up in commerce above all other nations2 and made their provinces the mart and emporium of the wealth of ,europe and the world4 ,on consideration1 the first and principal cause of these circumstances appears to be1 that ,holland is a republic1 which form of government is more pleasing to ,god than an absolute monarchy4 ,in a republic1 no veneration or worship is paid to any man1 but the highest and lowest think themselves equal to kings and emperors2 as may be seen from the characteristic bearing of every one in ,holland4 ,the only one whom they worship is ,god4 ,and when ,god alone is worshiped1 and men are not adored instead of ,him1 such worship is most acceptable to ,him4 ,then again1 in ,holland1 there is the greatest liberty4 ,none are slaves1 but all are as lords and masters under the government of the most high ,god2 and the consequence is1 that they do not depress their manliness either by shame or fear1 but always preserve a firm and sound mind in a sound body2 and with a free spirit1 and an erect countenance1 commit themselves and their property to ,god1 who alone ought to govern all things4 ,it is not so in absolute monarchies1 where men are educated to simulation and dissimulation2 where they learn to have one thing concealed in the breast1 and to bring forth another upon the tongue2 where their minds1 by inveterate custom1 become so false and counterfeit1 that1 in divine worship itself1 their words differ from their thoughts1 and they proffer their flattery and deceit to ,god himself1 which certainly must be most displeasing to ,him4 ,this seems to be the reason why the ,dutch are more prosperous in their undertakings than other nations40 ,then1 with rare discrimination1 he adds1 8but their worshiping mammon as a ,deity1 and caring for nothing but gold1 is a thing which is not compatible with long prosperity40 ,the silent and uninfluential place which ,holland now fills in ,europe1 places the seal of truth on these quiet lines4 ,the ,roman ,catholic ,church seems to have attracted much of his attention in his travels1 and the grossness and sensuality of its priesthood were strongly remarked upon4 8,the monks10 says he1 8at ,roye1 are fat and corpulent1 and an army of such fellows might be banished without loss to the ,state4 ,they fill their bellies1 take all they can get1 and give the poor nothing but fine words and blessings2 and yet they are willing to take from the poor all their substance for nothing4 ,what is the good of bare-footed ,franciscans80 ,in ,paris1 he spent a year and a half4 ,there also he was amazed at the clerical riot and corruption4 8,it is found10 he observes1 8that the tax which they term the diximes1 yields annually thirty-two millions sterling2 and that the ,parisians spend two-thirds of this amount over their own city4 ,one-fifth of the whole possessions of the kingdom is in the hands of the clerical order4 ,if this condition of things last long1 the ruin of the empire will be speedy40 ,he little dreamed of the fearful verification which these words would receive4 ,his journal in ,paris reveals the fact of his hearty enjoyment of sight-seeing and amusements4 ,visits to churches1 monasteries1 palaces1 gardens1 museums1 and theatres1 evidence with what zest he drank the cup of life1 and with what interest he looked upon men and their affairs4 ,in this respect we do well to compare ,swedenborg with many whom the world in its ignorance associate with him4 ,at no period of his life was he a cold self-righteous ascetic1 looking abroad upon men with a bitter and accusing scowl4 ,at no time did he insult his ,maker with upbraidings that his fate was to live in an evil world1 and with a wicked generation4 ,he received life with thankfulness1 partook temperately of all its lawful pleasures1 did his duty1 and took care while living with the world to keep himself unspotted from its evil4 ,this social discipline was one of the ,divine means by which he was fitted for the full performance of his future mission4 ,we are not informed of the nature of the work which he at this time went abroad to write and publish4 ,from his manuscripts1 however1 it appears that he was preparing materials and disciplining his mind for his great work1 the 8,animal ,kingdom10 by writing short papers on various physiological subjects4 ,many of these papers have been translated and published under the title of 8,posthumous ,tracts40 ,leaving ,paris in ,march1 #agch1 ,swedenborg directed his steps toward ,italy1 and after visiting its principal cities1 arrived at ,rome on the #beth ,september4 ,mr4 ,rich1 in his 8,biography of ,swedenborg10 remarks1--8,this visit should be a memorable one1 for it brought the church of the past and the future into a singular communion with each other2--,rome in the still atmosphere and fading light of autumn1 with all its trophies of ,pagan art1 and its hoary traditions2 and ,swedenborg1 the predestined ,seer of the last ages1 whose eye was just kindling with the light of inspiration4 ,we should lose all faith in the instinctive prescience of the human spirit when great events are at hand1 if we might not believe that a presentiment of something in the shadowy distance1 connecting his future with the strange mystery of the city1 did not cross1 for a moment1 the mind of ,swedenborg1 when he entered the once holy and revered metropolis of the faith40 ,after a sojourn of five months1 ,swedenborg left ,rome on the #aeth of ,february1 #agci1 varying his homeward route4 ,his journal from the #agth of ,march1 #agci1 when he was at ,genoa1 is a blank1 and his after wanderings we can only conjecture4 8,it is most probable10 says ,wilkinson1 8that he deposited the manuscript of the 8,economy of the ,animal ,kingdom10 at ,amsterdam1 on his way from ,leipsic to ,sweden1 in #agdj2 that he lived in his own country from #agdj or #agda till #agdd1 and in the latter year went again to ,holland1 and from thence came to ,england1 where we meet him in #agde40 ,in #agdj-da1 ,swedenborg published at ,amsterdam his 8,economy of the ,animal ,kingdom20 and in #agdd-de1 the 8,animal ,kingdom10 ,parts ,i4 and ,,ii4 at the ,hague1 and ,part ,,iii4 in ,london4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the 8,economy of the ,animal ,kingdom10 and the 8,animal ,kingdom40 ,in the 8,animal ,kingdom10 ,swedenborg referred solely to the human body1 it being the microcosm1 or representative of all inferior systems4 ,in the 8,economy of the ,animal ,kingdom10 he treats of the blood1 and the organs which contain it2 the coincidence of the motion of the brain with the respiration of the lungs2 and of the human soul4 ,the method pursued in this work is admirable4 ,a careful series of extracts1 containing facts from the best anatomists1 is prefixed to each chapter1 and thence is deduced the author's theory4 ,it would be very difficult indeed to present1 in an abstract1 the substance of these quotations1 and without this1 7which would be inconsistent with our limits17 the theories could not be fairly understood or appreciated4 ,his demonstration of the coincidence of the motion of the brain with the respiration of the lungs1 is well worthy of notice4 ,wilkinson1 speaking of this in his 8,biography of ,swedenborg10 says3 8,let any reader think for a moment of what he experiences when he breathes1 and attends to the act4 ,he will find that his whole frame heaves and subsides at the time2 face1 chest1 stomach1 and limbs1 are all actuated by his respiration4 ,his sense is1 that not only his lungs but his entire body breathes4 ,now mark what ,swedenborg elicited from this fact4 ,if the whole man breathes or heaves1 so also do the organs which he contains1 for they are necessarily drawn outwards by the rising of the surface2 therefore they all breathe4 ,what do they breathe8 ,two elements are omnipresent in them1 the blood-vessels and the nerves2 the one giving them pabulum1 the other life4 ,they draw then into themselves blood1 and life or nervous spirit4 ,each does this according to its own form2 each1 therefore1 has a free individuality like the whole man2 each takes its food1 the blood1 when it chooses2 each wills into itself the life according to its desires4 ,the man is made up of manlike parts2 his freedom is an aggregate of a host of atomic1 organical freedoms4 ,the heart does not cram them with its blood1 but each1 like the man itself1 takes what it thinks right4 8,but1 furthermore1 thought commences and corresponds with respiration4 ,the reader has before attended to the presence of the heaving over the body2 now let him feel his thoughts1 and he will see that they too heave with the mass4 ,when he entertains a long thought he draws a long breath2 when he thinks quickly1 his breath vibrates with rapid alternations2 when the tempest of anger shakes his mind1 his breath is tumultuous2 when his soul is deep and tranquil1 so is his respiration2 when success inflates him1 his lungs are as tumid as his conceits4 ,let him make trial of the contrary3 let him endeavor to think in long stretches at the same time that he breathes in fits1 and he will find that it is impossible2 that in this case the chopping lungs will needs mince his thoughts4 ,now the mind dwells in the brain1 and it is the brain1 therefore1 which shares the varying fortunes of the breathing4 ,it is strange that this correspondence between the states of the brain or mind1 and the lungs1 has not been admitted into science2 for it holds in every case1 at every moment4 ,in truth it is so unfailing1 and so near to the center of sense1 that this has made it difficult to regard it as an object2 for if you only try to think upon the breathing1 in consequence of the fixation of thought1 you stop the breath that very moment1 and only recommence it when the thought can no longer hold1 that is to say1 when the brain has need to expire4 ,now ,swedenborg1 with amazing observation and sagacity1 has made a regular study of this ratio between the respiration and the thoughts and emotions2 he shows in detail that the two correspond exactly1 and moreover that their correspondence is one of the long-sought links between the soul and the body1 whereby every thought is represented and carried out momentaneously in the expanse of the human frame4 ,it is difficult to give a more plain or excellent reason of the tie between the body and the soul1 than that the latter finds the body absolutely to its mind2 while on the other hand1 the living body clings to the soul1 because it wants a friendly superior life to infuse and direct its life40 ,the 8,animal ,kingdom10 written after the same plan as the 8,economy10 treats of the organs of the abdomen1 of those of the chest1 and of the skin4 ,swedenborg1 in setting forth his plan of operation1 in which he announces his intention to examine1 physically and philosophically1 the whole anatomy of the body1 and lastly of the soul1 and of its state in the body1 says3 8,from this summary or plan1 the reader may see that the end ,i propose to myself in the work1 is a knowledge of the soul1 since this knowledge will constitute the crown of my studies4 ,this1 then1 my labors intend1 and thither they aim4 ,to accomplish this grand end1 ,i enter the circus1 designing to consider and examine thoroughly the whole world of microcosm which the soul inhabits2 for ,i think it vain to seek her anywhere but in her own kingdom4 ,i am1 therefore1 resolved to allow myself no respite1 until ,i have run through the whole field to the very goal1 or until ,i have traversed the universal animal kingdom to the soul4 ,thus ,i hope that by bending my course inward continually1 ,i shall open all the doors that lead to her1 and at length contemplate the soul herself1 by the ,divine permission40 ,one of his manuscripts repeats this design in these words3 8,i have gone through anatomy with the single end of investigating the soul4 ,it will be a satisfaction to me if my labors be of any use to the anatomical and medical world1 but a still greater satisfaction if ,i afford any light towards the investigation of the soul40 ,in striving to compass such high spiritual knowledge1 by merely natural means1 he necessarily failed4 ,in one of his books1 written several years after1 when a brighter light had dawned upon his mind1 he says3 8,many in the learned world have laboured in investigating the soul1 but as they knew nothing of the spiritual world1 and of the state of man after death1 they could not do otherwise than construct hypotheses1 not respecting the soul's nature1 or its operation on the body4 ,of the soul's nature1 they could have no other idea than as of something most pure in ether1 and of its continent as of ether4 ,now having such a conception of the soul1 and yet knowing that the soul acts on the body1 and produces everything in it that has relation to sense and motion1 therefore they labored1 as we before observed1 to investigate the soul's operation on the body1 which some said was effected by influx1 and some by harmony4 ,but these means discovered nothing in which the mind desirous of seeing the ground of things1 can acquiesce40 ,we have in these sentences the cause of the fruitlessness of his own labors at this period1 in their highest aims4 ,they formed1 however1 a part of that providential discipline which was fitting him for his future office4 ,fruitless though these works necessarily were1 in their highest aim1 yet in lower ends they are treasure-houses of thought and suggestion4 ,taking for his basis the dry facts of the anatomists1 he proceeds to clothe them with life and comeliness4 ,he shows how part is bound to part in the human system1 and fills the cold details of science with a warm and human interest4 ,emerson well says3 8,the #8,animal ,kingdom' is a book of wonderful merits4 ,it was written with the highest end1 to put science and soul1 so long estranged from each other1 at one again4 ,it was the anatomist's account of the human body in the highest style of poetry2 and nothing can exceed the bold and brilliant treatment of a subject usually so dry and repulsive40 ,it was hardly possible for books to be ushered into the world to die more quietly than did these physiological treatises4 ,slightly noticed in a few catalogues and reviews of that day1 they were laid on the shelf1 and reposed in dust and forgetfulness for a full century4 ,called to other thoughts and higher labors1 their author was arrested midway in his plans2 and ceasing to exist behind his books1 and by his life1 conversation1 and activity1 to keep up the public interest1 the world soon forgot their existence4 ,but their worth has been their preservative2 and now we behold their resurrection1 and slow1 but certain1 growth into acceptance and fame4 ,translated by ,wilkinson1 and enriched by him with prefaces which ,emerson describes as 8throwing all the contemporary philosophy of ,england into the shade10 they are now placed before the world1 and1 in their excellence serve to manifest the profound understanding and genius of their author4 ,in #agde1 ,swedenborg terminated his long series of scientific works1 by the publication1 in ,london1 of 8,the ,worship and ,love of ,god40 ,this book is an embodiment1 in a story1 of its author's scientific doctrines4 ,in a connected narrative1 it treats of the origin of the earth1 the birth1 infancy1 and love1 of ,adam2 and of the soul in its state of integrity1 in the image of ,god4 ,it is a book of which little need be said1 as it was probably written as much for an exercise of fancy1 as with any serious intent4 ,cast into shade1 as it is1 by the brighter light of his after knowledge1 it remains to mark the point of intellectual development at which ,swedenborg had at this time arrived2 and in this respect it will always have a strong interest to those who delight in tracing the growth and education of his mind4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,his ,life1 as a ,man of ,science1 ends4 ,the biographer of ,swedenborg can feel no difficulty in distributing under proper heads the principal events of his life4 ,it divides itself so distinctly into two parts1 at this juncture1 that1 between his past and his future there is what he himself would call a 8discrete degree40 ,in #agde1 when the merely scientific phase of ,swedenborg's life closed1 he had arrived at the mature age of fifty-seven years4 ,as we have seen1 he had1 from early manhood1 united an active and practical1 with a deeply philosophic1 life4 ,an earnest student of nature1 he had never become so engrossed in thought as to forget the end of all thought--the improvement and the happiness of mankind4 ,his long series of scientific works had gained him a wide-spread reputation1 and wherever he went1 he was hailed as a friend and brother by the thoughtful and philosophical4 ,in ,sweden1 as before said1 he was well connected2 and had he been desirous to live at home1 and immerse himself in the cares and politics of his country1 he might have reached the highest offices and honors which royalty could confer4 ,at the age of fifty-seven1 with ,swedenborg's attainments1 success1 and fame1 a worldly man might have been content4 ,such a one would1 probably1 have taken his ease1 reposed upon the past1 and have been content with the competence of comfort and reputation which he had attained4 ,but ,swedenborg was a man of a very different character4 ,love of ease formed no part of his constitution1 and if he had not been led by the hand of ,providence to the contemplation of the spiritual world and its glorious realities1 he would1 to the end of his life1 have remained a zealous and single-eyed seeker after the truths of the natural world4 ,the annals of science do not furnish an instance of any one who surpassed ,swedenborg in that humility of spirit1 and that simple desire for truth1 which is the crowning grace and glory of the true philosopher4 ,although1 at times1 he propounded views which he knew were antagonistic to the ideas of some of the leading savans of his time1 yet we never find him getting angry or attempting to scold the world into belief with him4 ,he simply lays down what he believes to be the truth2 and with the most charming modesty trusts for its acceptance among men1 to its agreement with reason and facts4 ,full of this trustful spirit we find him saying in the 8,principia30 8,in writing the present work1 ,i have not aimed at the applause of the learned world1 nor at the acquisition of a name or popularity4 ,to me1 it is a matter of indifference whether ,i win the favorable opinion of every one1 or of no one2 whether ,i gain much or no commendation4 ,such things are not objects of regard to one whose mind is bent on truth and true philosophy4 ,should ,i1 therefore1 gain the assent or approbation of others1 ,i shall receive it only as a confirmation of my having pursued the truth4 ,i have no wish to persuade any one to lay aside the principles of those illustrious and talented authors who have adorned the world1 and in place of their principles to adopt mine4 ,for this reason it is1 that ,i have not made mention so much as of one of them1 or even hinted at his name1 lest ,i should injure his feelings1 or seem to impugn his sentiments1 or to derogate from the praise which others bestow upon him4 ,if the principles ,i have advanced have more of truth in them than those which are advocated by others2 if they are truly philosophical1 and accordant with the phenomena of nature1 the assent of the public will follow in due time1 of its own accord2 and in this case should ,i fail to gain the assent of those whose minds1 being prepossessed by other principles1 can no longer exercise an impartial judgment1 still ,i have those with me who are able to distinguish the true from the untrue1 if not in the present1 at least in some future age4 ,truth is unique1 and will speak for itself4 ,should any one undertake to impugn my sentiments1 ,i have no wish to oppose him2 but in case he desire it1 ,i shall be happy to explain my principles and my reasons more at large4 ,what need1 however1 is there of words8 ,let the thing speak for itself4 ,if what ,i have said be true1 why should ,i be eager to defend it8 ,surely truth can defend itself4 ,if what ,i have said be false1 it would be a degrading and silly task to defend it4 ,why then should ,i make myself an enemy of any one1 or place myself in opposition to any one80 ,and again1 in the 8,economy10 he remarks3 8,of what consequence is it to me that ,i should persuade any one to embrace my opinions8 ,let his own reason persuade him4 ,i do not undertake this work for the sake of honor or emolument2 both of which ,i shun rather than seek1 because they disquiet the mind1 and because ,i am content with my lot2 but for the sake of truth1 which alone is immortal40 ,these are long extracts1 but they are well worthy of citation1 alike for their own intrinsic truth and beauty1 and for the illustration they afford of the spirit and sentiments of their author4 ,the little thought he gave in after years to his scientific writings1 and the little care he seemed to have lest the world should forget them1 is very evident from his subsequent writings1 in which they are scarcely alluded to4 ,some of the friends he made in the latter portion of his life1 appear to have had very faint ideas of the extent of his achievements in natural science4 ,count ,hopken1 a very intimate friend of his1 for many years1 remarks3 8,swedenborg made surprising discoveries in anatomy1 which are recorded somewhere in certain literary ,transactions40 ,thus it appears that he was entirely ignorant of the existence of ,swedenborg's great work1 the 8,animal ,kingdom40 ,what stronger proof could be given than this1 of the sincerity with which the foregoing extracts were penned1 in which he commits his works to the care of the ,god of truth1 in humble acquiescence in whatever verdict his justice might pronounce4 ,great and manifold were the merits of these scientific works2 yet we should1 perhaps1 do well to look upon them1 as their author seems to have done1 as school-boy exercises4 ,through the severe training and development of the whole powers of his mind1 by the composition of these works1 his ,divine ,master was fitting him to gaze upon the awful realities of the spiritual world1 and to become a worthy exponent of the hidden wisdom of the ,holy ,scripture4 ,it must1 necessarily1 be a matter of interest with many to know what were the religious opinions of ,swedenborg at this period of his history4 ,occupying himself so intensely with natural science1 it was hardly to be expected that theology could receive much of his attention4 ,among his posthumous papers1 however1 we find a little treatise on faith and good works1 in which he comes to the wise conclusion that 8there is no love to ,god if there be none to the neighbor20 or that 8there is no faith if there be no works20 and therefore1 that 8faith without works is a phrase involving a contradiction40 ,throughout all his scientific writings we find a simple and open assent to the primary truths of religion1 and a constant endeavor to confirm some truth of religious doctrine by the natural facts which came under his notice4 ,his religious views up to this time were generally such as the ,christian world held1 with here and there a quiet dissent as to particular points1 and a strong tendency to eschew the merely theoretical and mystical belief1 for the practical and active4 ,we have his own testimony to the fact1 that dogmatic and systematic theology formed no part of his otherwise extensive reading2 and thus he came to the study of the ,word of ,god unperverted by the sophisms of creed-makers4 ,of the gentle and earnest piety of his soul1 we have striking proof in his 8,rules of ,life30 #a4 ,often to read and meditate on the ,word of ,god4 #b4 ,to submit everything to the will of ,divine ,providence4 #c4 ,to observe in everything a propriety of behaviour1 and to keep the conscience clear4 #d4 ,to discharge with fidelity the functions of my employment1 and the duties of my office1 and to render myself in all things useful to society4 ,more need not be said on this head than that he kept these vows4 ,we now close the first book of ,swedenborg's life1 and open the second4 ,emphatically his was a double life4 ,so rich in thought and action were both parts1 that either would have been reckoned sufficient to render him a remarkable man4 ,the one life was an orderly and regular growth out of the other3 the first was a providential preparation for the second4 ,carefully disciplined by thought and investigation in the outer world1 through a long series of laborious years1 the curtain which separated the seen from the unseen was1 for him1 drawn aside1 and his prepared eyes saw in clear sunlight those mysteries of life and spirit1 which the best and wisest of men have most ardently desired to see4 ,let us1 then1 leave ,swedenborg the ,man of ,science1 and turn to him as the ,servant of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the worthy exponent of the spiritual sense of the ,word of ,god1 and the announcer of the ,new ,era in which reason and faith are to be at one1 and men everywhere friends and brothers4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,his ,spiritual ,sight opened1 and the ,conditions of his ,seership4 ,we will now proceed1 without circumlocution1 to lay before our readers1 in all its fullness1 the claim which ,swedenborg made1 at this period1 to open intercourse with the spiritual world1 under the sanction and protection of the ,lord4 ,this assumption runs through the whole of his after life1 and without a clear idea of its nature and conditions1 we shall be unable rightly to appreciate aught else that follows4 ,in one of his letters1 he says1 8,i have been called to a holy office by the ,lord himself1 who most graciously manifested himself to me1 his servant1 in the year #agdc1 when he opened my sight to a view of the spiritual world1 and granted me the privilege of conversing with spirits and angels1 which ,i enjoy to this day4 ,from that time1 ,i began to print and publish various arcana that have been seen by me1 or revealed to me2 as respecting heaven and hell1 the state of man after death1 the true worship of ,god1 the spiritual sense of the ,word1 with many other most important matters conducive to salvation and true wisdom40 ,again1 in the preface to his work entitled1 8,arcana ,clestia10 he writes3 8,of the ,lord's ,divine mercy1 it has been granted me now for several years to be constantly and uninterruptedly in company with spirits and angels1 hearing them converse with each other1 and conversing with them4 ,hence it has been permitted me to hear and see stupendous things in the other life1 which have never before come to the knowledge of any man1 nor entered his imagination4 ,i have there been instructed concerning different kinds of spirits1 and the state of souls after death2 concerning hell1 or the lamentable state of the unfaithful2 concerning heaven1 or the most happy state of the faithful2 and particularly concerning the doctrine of faith which is acknowledged throughout all heaven40 ,we are aware that these pretensions will be received by many with ridicule1 and by some with contempt1 arising from a distaste for spiritual subjects2 while by a few they will be treated with respectful attention4 ,all that we ask1 is1 a little patience2 and to readers of every class1 we would say1--,do not be hasty2 do not prejudge the matter2 condemn not till you are conversant with the whole circumstances of the case4 ,swedenborg's claim1 we admit1 does appear startling2 but to greet its announcement with the laugh of scepticism1 and to deny its validity1 as many do1 without an attempt at examination1 is anything but philosophical--is anything but righteous4 ,no reader of this sketch can have failed to perceive the high philosophical genius1 and perfect truthfulness of ,swedenborg2 and all must agree with us in believing that wilful deception was an impossibility with such a man4 ,no explanation of what ,swedenborg himself calls the opening of his spiritual sight1 can be offered1 that is more transparently ridiculous than that of imposture4 ,the degree of vehemence with which some have preferred this charge against him1 may be taken as an accurate index of their ignorance of the man1 or of their inability to discern a truthful and earnest spirit4 ,no denial of the possibility of such spiritual vision as is claimed by ,swedenborg1 can be accepted from the ,christian4 ,such denial is alone the privilege of the professed materialist4 ,we all know how much of our loved and common faith rests on claims that are quite as startling as those of ,swedenborg4 ,from the visions of ,abraham to those of ,john in ,patmos1 the whole ,scriptural narrative is interwoven with supernatural incident4 ,now1 how is it that we yield such ready faith to whatever is related in ,scripture1 however marvelous1 and have so much wonder to spare over the unbelieving ,jews8 ,the ,rev4 ,o4 ,prescott ,hiller1 in a short memoir of ,swedenborg1 prefixed to a collection of 8,gems0 from his writings1 has some very apposite remarks on this subject4 ,he says3 8,swedenborg states that there are three heavens2 so does ,paul1 for he speaks of the #8third heaven4' ,swedenborg affirms1 calmly1 that his spiritual senses were opened and elevated in such a manner that he might have a perception of that state of existence1 and see and hear what is there4 ,so does ,paul4 ,swedenborg states that he had1 in spirit1 been permitted to behold the ,lord3 so does ,paul3--#8,have ,i not seen1' said he1 #8,jesus ,christ our ,lord8' 7#a ,cor4 ix4 #a47 ,thus parallel are the cases4 ,but1 exclaims the prejudiced observer3 #8,paul6 ,paul6 ,paul was an apostle6 ,paul was one of the founders of the ,christian ,church6 ,paul lived eighteen hundred years ago6 ,there are no visions now-a-days6 ,the case is entirely different6' ,to these exclamations it may be replied3 ,your last remark is but a begging of the question under consideration4 ,we affirm that though indeed unfrequent1 yet there are occasionally spiritual visions in these times1 as well as in former1 and that there is good and very strong testimony that a remarkable case of the kind exists in the instance of this philosopher1 ,swedenborg1 not by any means on account of his own declaration merely1 but from the nature of the truths and statements brought forth by him1 of which our own minds1 enlightened1 we trust1 by reason and ,god's ,word1 are the judges4 ,the burden of proof--it may be continued in answer--falls upon you to show by what law of ,divine order1 by what change in the character and structure of man's mind1 a spiritual vision can not exist now1 as well as in the time of ,paul1--in the eighteenth or nineteenth1 as well as in the first century4 ,the truth is1 antiquity has a wonderful charm for the mind1 and a great power over it3 #8distance lends enchantment to the view4' ,it is not difficult to believe anything1 however wonderful1 to have taken place in that misty and mysterious region1 the distant past2 but now in these dull1 common times1 to believe such strange things to be capable of happening1 seems absurd4 ,but do you not suppose that those times1 to the men then living1 appeared as dull and common-place as our times to us8 ,did not the regardless rain fall on ,paul's head1 as well as on yours and mine8 and this very sun and moon light his steps as well as ours8 ,did not ,paul1 do you think1 rise often in the morning with a heavy heart1 and after breakfast1 go forth to his duties1 or sit down to write his epistles1 sad and oppressed in spirit1 dejected at the thought of the heavy responsibilities upon him1 and awed with the idea that he must address the ,athenians to-morrow8 ,and when at length he stood before them and began1 did they not ask3 #8,who is this8' ,think you that gaping crowd knew anything about any great and celebrated ,paul1 whose name has become so familiar to our ears8 ,they had not heard of such a person4 #8,and some said1 ,what will this babbler say8 others1 ,he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods2 because he preached to them ,jesus1 and the resurrection4 ,and when they heard of the resurrection of the dead1 some mocked2 and others said1 ,we will hear thee again of this matter4 ,howbeit certain men clave unto him1 and believed2 among whom was ,dionysius the ,areopagite1 and a woman named ,damaris1 and others with them4' 7,acts xvii4 #af-cd47 ,here we have a picture of human nature1 as it was1 and as it still is4 ,a new person comes forward1 a stranger1 unheard of before1 and utters strange ideas1 something new and unusual1 something different from what men have been accustomed to hear1 and think of1 and believe2 most of the hearers jeer and mock1 and turn away1 calling him a babbler2 some are rather pleased at some things they have heard1 but the interest has not taken sufficient hold of them to make them anxious to pursue the subject farther just now1 and they go away and forget what they have heard2 a few1 whose minds were in a receptive state1 whose hearts had been prepared1 perhaps1 by torturing doubts1 and secret meditations1 and by trials and sufferings of spirit--these at once perceive and seize upon the truths they have heard1 clasp them to their bosoms as something long looked for1 as precious treasure1 and go away rejoicing in their new faith1 and resolved to sell all they have and follow the ,lord4 ,gradually the truth spreads2 these few tell what they have heard to others1 their friends1 who they know have been troubled with similar doubts and difficulties4 ,by and by these believers meet together and form a little congregation1 and appoint the ablest of their number to preach to them in regard to these new truths1 both for their own fuller instruction and for the information of strangers4 ,years roll away4 ,it becomes an established religious society4 ,similar societies in neighboring cities league with them2 and they form a ,general ,church1 which begins to have a name--the #8,christian ,church4' ,ages roll on1 and this becomes a vast establishment1 extending over whole nations1 and reaching to distant quarters of the globe4 ,this ,paul1 who was once a nameless preacher1 #8a babbler1' and #8mad1' is now looked back upon with the utmost veneration2 his words are oracles of truth2 whatever he affirmed1 whether in regard to himself or others1 is implicitly believed4 ,custom1 general acceptance1 the belief of ages1 undoubting confidence in the opinions of our parents and friends1 all go to render the mind perfectly ready to believe those things4 ,faith is now an easy and natural thing1 and we wonder at those strange and hard-hearted unbelievers of ,paul's own time1 who had the glorious opportunity of listening to him with their own ears4 #8,oh6 that we could have enjoyed such an opportunity1' exclaim many1 #8how gladly would we have listened6' 8,but these persons know not what they say1 nor the nature of the human mind4 ,if they are so anxious to have such an opportunity1 so ready to be tested1 and to show that they would have discernment enough to see genuine truth1 though heard for the first time1 and to acknowledge a great teacher and apostle1 though yet unknown to the world--that opportunity is now before them4 ,a ,paul is again preaching to the ,athenians and to the world4 ,a great teacher is again uttering new and sublime truths4 ,the ,lord ,himself has come a second time1 not in ,person1 but in ,spirit2 not as the #8,word made flesh1' as before1 but as the essential ,word1 by the opening of the interior truth--the spiritual sense--which it contains4 ,those who believe1 that1 had they been on earth1 they would have acknowledged the ,lord at ,his ,first ,coming1 or would have readily received the teachings of ,his ,apostles1 have now the opportunity of making trial of their faith2 of showing whether they are able to overcome the inveteracy of custom1 the natural opposition of prejudice1 the fear of public opinion1 the love of the world and its powers and pleasures1 7all which difficulties the first ,christians had to encounter17 whether1 in the face of all these1 they can1 looking for the truth with a single eye1 discern it now at its feeble dawn2 and1 advancing steadily and earnestly towards it1 be among the first to hail the rising day40 ,what more can be said on the subject8 ,the ,christian has no choice but to acknowledge1 or refute1 ,swedenborg's claims on the ground of their own intrinsic merit4 ,swedenborg was gifted with peculiar powers of respiration4 ,from early childhood1 when on his knees at prayer1 and afterwards when engaged in profound meditation1 he found that his natural respiration was for the time suspended4 ,as we have seen in his work on the 8,animal ,kingdom10 his attention to the correspondence between thought and respiration had been of long continuance1--probably from the fact that his own system supplied him with such constant illustrations of its nature4 ,this power of suspended respiration under deep thought1 common to all men1 was preternaturally developed in ,swedenborg4 ,at this period he discovered the use to which these peculiar powers of his were to be applied2 for he writes3 8,my respiration has been so formed by the ,lord1 as to enable me to breathe inwardly for a long period of time1 without the aid of the external air2 my respiration being directed within1 and my outward senses1 as well as actions1 still continuing in their vigor1 which is only possible with persons who have been so formed by the ,lord4 ,i have also been instructed that my breathing was so directed1 without my being aware of it1 in order to enable me to be with spirits1 and to speak with them40 ,those who have studied mesmerism and clairvoyance know many facts that confirm and illustrate this position of ,swedenborg's with regard to respiration2 and it is quite evident that the ,hindoo ,yogi are capable of a similar state4 ,there is this great difference1 however1 between such instances and the case of ,swedenborg1 that his powers were natural1 and continuous in their exercise1 and not sought after and induced by himself2 while theirs are only occasional1 and are frequently brought about by artificial means4 ,swedenborg's intromission into the spiritual world was a gradual process2 and for this reason the date of his illumination is variously given1 ranging between #agdc and #agde4 ,it appears1 however1 that he came into the full exercise of his spiritual seership while living in ,london4 ,of late years it has become common to talk of ,swedenborg as a clairvoyant1 to associate him with mesmeric subjects1 and make him a kinsman of ,french and ,american spiritualists1 such as ,cahagnet1 and ,andrew ,jackson ,davis4 ,this mistake is made through ignorance4 ,it is a law of the spiritual world that every man is associated with his like4 ,supposing1 therefore1 that any man's spiritual sight were opened1 he would come into conjunction only with spirits like himself2 that is1 with those who would echo his own ideas and opinions1 and repeat his own feelings4 ,it is evident1 then1 that in such a case the nature of the revelations are entirely dependent upon the character of the revelator1 and in all cases must be suspiciously received by the lover of truth4 ,now ,swedenborg claims to have been under the special protection of the ,lord1 and to have received the doctrines he promulgated directly from ,him1 and not in any case from spirits4 ,of course1 every one will decide for himself as to how far he can receive this assertion2 but it is well that all should be informed of the precise character of ,swedenborg's claim1 and of his own testimony as to the source of his information4 ,in his ,diary1 written about this time1 he says1 that 8spirits narrate things wholly false1 and lie4 ,when spirits begin to speak with man1 care should be taken not to believe them2 for almost everything they say is made up by them1 and they lie2 so that if it were permitted them to relate what heaven is1 and how things are in heaven1 they would tell so many falsehoods1 and with such strong assertion1 that man would be astonished2 wherefore it was not permitted me1 when spirits were speaking1 to have any belief in what they stated4 ,they love to feign4 ,whatever may be the topic spoken of1 they think they know it1 and form different opinions about it1 altogether as if they knew2 and if man then listens and believes1 they insist1 and in various ways deceive and seduce40 ,any one who has paid attention to the phenomena of spirit-rapping1 and to the communications received through clairvoyants from the world of spirits1 and has observed the very ,babel of contradictions uttered by these 8mediums10 will be able to appreciate the truth of the passage we have quoted1 as well as our desire to draw a broad and distinct line between such and ,swedenborg4 ,it is a very natural question1 and one often put by those unconversant with the nature of spiritual intercourse1 how it happens that such a man as ,swedenborg1 sitting quietly in his chair1 could see and speak with angels and spirits1 and travel through vast spaces in the spiritual world4 ,it is thus3 ,space and time are attributes of matter alone4 ,their appearances do1 indeed1 exist in the spiritual world1 but not as the fixed and mensurable things of our material sphere4 ,did not our subject forbid digression1 it would be easy to bring this truth down to the comprehension of every one1 by reference to a few items of experience which must at some time have fallen to the lot of all4 ,we are all1 as to our minds1 in constant1 though insensible1 communion with spirits2 and from them we receive thoughts and feelings of every kind4 ,a good man and a wicked man may be1 as to the body1 in the same room1 while between their minds there may be the wide gulf that separated ,dives and ,lazarus4 ,now if the spiritual sight of these two men were opened1 where would they be8 ,one would be in heaven1 and the other in hell2 and that1 too1 without either moving from the place where he stood4 ,it was in virtue of this principle of the spirit's perfect independence of space1 that ,swedenborg1 under the ,divine guidance and protection1 was led through spiritual societies of all kinds3 and in his various works we have the record of the wondrous things thus heard and seen4 ,again1 it may be asked3 ,what is the nature of this spiritual sight so often referred to8 ,in the words of ,paul we answer3 8,there is a natural body1 and there is a spiritual body20 and1 as a consequence1 there is a natural sight1 and there is a spiritual sight4 ,the natural body lives from the spiritual body1 and derives its form and parts from it4 ,the natural body is the instrument of the spiritual body1 and through it as a medium1 it is enabled to exist in this lower world1 and in constant contact with matter4 ,now it is possible for the spiritual body to be raised partially above the natural body1 without causing death1 or the entire withdrawal of its life from the natural body4 ,this partial withdrawal of the spiritual body1 and the enjoyment of sight in the spiritual world1 is what is meant by the opening of the spiritual sight4 ,time forbids us to draw upon the innumerable illustrations of this fact which the history of the past and the experience of the present1 in conjunction with the ,word of ,god1 afford4 ,let one instance from the ,bible suffice4 ,in #b ,kings1 vii4 #h-ag1 we read that ,elisha1 compassed about with horses1 chariots1 and a great host1 sent by the king of ,syria to seize him1 was on a mountain with his servant1 who1 full of terror1 exclaimed3 8,alas6 my master1 how shall we do8 ,and he answered1 ,fear not1 for they that be with us are more than they that be with them4 ,and ,elisha prayed and said1 ,lord1 ,i pray thee open his eyes1 that he may see4 ,and the ,lord opened the eyes of the young man1 and he saw3 and behold1 the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about ,elisha40 ,here is a case quite to the point4 ,the natural eyes of the young man were already open2 for how otherwise could he have seen the ,syrian host1 and have been afraid8 ,elisha prayed that his eyes might be opened4 ,what eyes8 ,why1 clearly1 the eyes of his spiritual body2 which done1 he was enabled to perceive the heavenly guardianship which was extended over his master4 ,every one will now understand what we mean1 when we shall have occasion to speak of the opening of man's spiritual sight4 ,having thus defined the conditions of ,swedenborg's spiritual vision1 and cleared away some questions which1 if answered1 would have impeded our narrative1 we will now proceed with our history4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,prepares for his ,new ,office--,resigns his ,assessorship--,his 8,adversaria0--,his 8,spiritual ,diary0--,the ,death of ,polheim4 ,called to a high and holy office1 ,swedenborg set about preparing himself for the fulfilment of its duties4 ,leaving ,london in the beginning of ,july1 #agde1 he took ship for ,sweden1 where he arrived on the #gth of ,august4 ,on this voyage1 his spiritual intercourse was suspended4 ,he lived quietly at home during #agdf2 probably in the performance and enjoyment of the settled routine of his ,assessorship1 and in earnest meditation on the heavenly arcana now fully opened to his view4 ,in #agdg1 in order that he might be more at liberty to devote himself to the mission to which the ,lord had called him1 he asked leave of ,king ,frederick to retire from his ,assessorship1 and that he might enjoy1 during life1 as a retiring pension1 half of his official salary2 requesting1 at the same time1 that no addition to his rank or title might be conferred upon him4 ,the ,king yielded to his wishes2 but in consideration of his long and faithful service of thirty-one years1 continued to him the whole of his salary4 ,meanwhile1 he learned ,hebrew1 and read the ,bible through several times in its original languages4 ,like all true students1 he read and thought with pen in hand2 and as the hidden and ,divine wisdom of the ,word was opened to him1 he embodied in 8,adversaria10 or notes1 the truths thus revealed4 ,these ,adversaria extend over the historical books of the ,old ,testament1 and several of the prophets4 ,they have all been printed of late years1 from their author's original ,latin manuscript1 by that indefatigable and learned ,newchurchman1 ,dr4 ,tafel1 of ,tbingen4 ,they have not yet been translated into ,english1 probably because they were not published by ,swedenborg himself1 and are only to be regarded as preparatory studies for future works4 ,they also abound with indistinct views on many subjects1 which subsequent knowledge rendered clear4 ,as records of their author's spiritual progress1 as well as for the many valuable facts which they contain1 it is to be hoped that the day is not far distant when the 8,adversaria0 will appear in an ,english dress4 ,we cannot spare anything which serves to illustrate the mental history of such a man as ,swedenborg4 ,in #agdg1 he ceased writing his 8,adversaria10 and commenced a ,spiritual ,diary1 which he continued for twenty years4 ,this ,diary1 written also in ,latin1 7as all his theological works were17 has been lately published by ,dr4 ,tafel in ten closely printed octavos4 ,two volumes have been translated and published in ,england and ,america1 and the remainder will probably soon follow4 ,it will hardly be necessary for us to go into a detailed account of the principles and facts scattered throughout its long and miscellaneous record4 ,we shall meet with all the leading ideas in noticing the books published by himself1 and laid before the world as matured and finished productions4 ,it may be said1 however1 that the 8,diary10 as a work1 is perfectly unique2 for in no literature can we find its counterpart4 ,we have in it1 for twenty years1 an almost daily record of ,swedenborg's spiritual states and temptations2 his interviews and conversations with angels1 spirits1 and devils2 and accounts of their pleasures1 punishments1 and thoughts4 ,no one who makes an intimate acquaintance with this 8,diary10 will ever after allow a shadow of doubt to cross his mind as to the candor and truth of ,swedenborg2 for in every page1 he will perceive that quiet and solemn earnestness which belongs alone to the upright and honest in heart4 ,in its whole range of experience1 he will detect no vanity1 shuffling1 double-dealing1 or anything inconsistent with his published works2 but all as straightforward1 open1 and unreserved1 as truth itself4 ,although written in the quietude of his own study1 and for his own eye and use alone1 he could not have been more ingenuous and sincere had the whole universe been looking down upon its pages4 ,on the page of history1 the 8,diary0 throws some wondrous light4 ,in it1 we read of interviews with many of the famous men of ancient and modern times4 ,from some names which the world has learned to revere1 the mask of excellence is quite torn away1 while the infamy of others is proved to have been but judgment from appearance1 and from scandal4 ,any one who is infected with the spiritual disease of hero-worship1 should read the 8,spiritual ,diary40 ,he will there discover that the most dazzling intellect fades into moping idiocy and insanity1 when it lacks the sterling heart1 and honest aim2 and that goodness alone is the life and soul of true wisdom4 ,he will also learn why it is so4 ,we would here say a word upon a jest started by ,emerson1 7and which has re-appeared under many forms17 to the effect that all the souls with whom ,swedenborg held converse1 talked ,swedenborgese4 ,in reply1 we would ask1 how they could speak in any other way8 ,swedenborg did not profess to be a mimic2 and if ,cicero or anybody else spoke with him in the spiritual world and in the spiritual language1 ,swedenborg1 in translating the speech into his own simple diction1 would1 of course1 seize the substance1 and care nothing for the form4 ,that the language was not ,cicero's1 might be true2 but if the ideas were1 what matter8 ,the subject would hardly be worth mentioning1 did we not see the jest receiving a wide currency2 but a few words of common sense are all that are necessary to take the life out of it4 ,there is no work with which we are acquainted1 that can give its readers a better idea of the reality of the future life1 than the 8,spiritual ,diary40 ,no other book1 we know1 can so stir up a man to set his mind1 or spiritual house1 in order here1 so that he may be spared the turmoil and sorrow which otherwise he will encounter beyond the tomb4 ,in its pages1 the life after death is portrayed in all its stern reality2 not as a vague dream1 or a shadowy vision1 of which the mind can form no fixed idea4 ,we read of the awful states induced in the other life1 by evil habits contracted in this2 from loose speech1 jesting upon sacred subjects1 indulgence in idleness and luxury1 down to blacker crimes4 ,we learn from sight1 as it were1 how evil is its own torment1 and how goodness is its own sweet and rich reward2 and in view of the momentous issues of what we too often regard as the trifles of life1 we feel impelled to make our peace and heaven here1 that we may bear them with us into the ,hereafter4 ,such high uses does the 8,spiritual ,diary0 subserve4 ,the 8,diary0 is1 however1 a work not suited for an early student of ,swedenborg4 ,the principles upon which it is written1 not being understood1 a young reader could hardly fail to form erroneous ideas from it1 and misjudge the work itself4 ,it is only after some acquaintance with the spiritual laws expounded in ,swedenborg's theological writings1 that it can be read with profit4 ,incidents1 which1 at first sight1 might appear ridiculous and irrational1 are brought within the pale of reason and belief when the laws upon which they are founded are understood2 and as effects1 not causes1 constitute the burden of the 8,diary10 the need of this caution will be apparent4 ,when1 however1 the laws of spiritual life are understood1 the 8,diary0 becomes a work of peculiar and most profitable instruction4 ,while ,swedenborg was living in ,sweden1 in #agea1 his old friend and coadjutor1 ,polheim1 died2 and ,swedenborg was favored with a view of both sides of his grave4 ,writing in his 8,spiritual ,diary10 he says3 8,polheim died on ,monday1 and spoke with me on ,thursday4 ,i was invited to the funeral4 ,he saw the hearse1 the attendants1 and the whole procession4 ,he also saw them let down the coffin into the grave1 and conversed with me while it was going on1 asking me why they buried him1 when he was alive4 ,and when the priest pronounced that he would rise again at the day of judgment1 he asked why this was1 when he had already risen4 ,he wondered that such a belief should prevail1 considering that he was even now alive2 he also wondered at the belief in the resurrection of the body1 for he said he felt that he was in the body3 with other remarks40 ,such a relation will seem strange1 very strange to many4 ,but have patience4 ,when the laws and principles upon which such phenomena take place1 are comprehended1 all their strangeness and improbability will straightway disappear4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,the ,arcana ,clestia4 ,it was about the middle of #agdi1 that ,swedenborg made his first appearance as a theologian1 by the publication of the first volume of the 8,arcana ,clestia40 ,at the beginning of #agej1 we find his publisher1 ,john ,lewis1 of ,paternoster ,row1 announcing the issue of the second volume1 in cheap numbers1 both in ,english and ,latin4 ,the issue continued in volumes till #agef1 when the work was completed in eight good sized quartos4 ,his publisher states in one of his advertisements1 that though he is 8positively forbid to discover the author's name1 yet he hopes to be excused for mentioning his benign and generous qualities40 ,he avers that 8this gentleman1 with indefatigable pains and labor1 spent one whole year in studying and writing out the first volume of the #8,arcana1' was at the expense of #bjj to print it1 and advanced #bjj more for the printing of the second2 and when he had done this1 he gave express orders that all the money that should arise in the sale1 should be given towards the charge of the propagation of the gospel4 ,he is so far from desiring to make a gain of his labors1 that he will not receive one farthing back of the #djj he has expended2 and for that reason his works will come exceedingly cheap to the public40 ,the 8,arcana ,clestia0 is an exposition of the books of ,genesis and ,exodus1 with intervening chapters which describe the wonders of the future life4 ,at the outset1 it will be necessary to state that ,swedenborg believed the ,bible to be the ,word of ,god4 8,well1 what ,christian does not believe so80 it may be asked4 ,few expressions pass more glibly over the lips of religious people1 than the short phrase1 8the word of ,god20 but how many take time to consider its infinite meaning8 ,the ,word of ,god--a production of the infinite ,father of all1 the ,creator and ,sustainer of the universe1--must be infinitely superior to any human composition2 and1 like ,god's other volume1 the book of nature1 must yield up fresh wonders to every investigator2 and the more it is searched into1 the more real unceasing beauties of wisdom and design1 till at length the strained intellect of man finds its truest wisdom lies in the deepest humility and adoration4 ,thus logically thinking1 we experience a serious reverse when we turn to the opinions expressed regarding the ,word by even its most reverential commentators4 ,at no period of history has the ,bible been submitted to more earnest study than in these times2 but the results have been in the highest degree meagre and unworthy1 when placed in comparison with the same exercise of mind on the subjects of natural creation4 ,we have most elaborate and minute criticisms on the sacred text2 we have treatises on the animals1 the insects1 and the vegetables mentioned in the hallowed record2 we have books filled with descriptions of domestic life among the ,jews1 their customs1 and their language2 the prophecies have been subjected to all manner of ingenious interpretation1 but after all1 with the poorest spiritual results1 and such as can in no wise excite a deeper respect1 or a warmer love1 for ,god's holy ,word1 than was entertained centuries ago1 when such learning was a rarer thing4 ,yet if we believe that ,god inspired this ,book1 can we for a moment suppose that it should have no other end than the narration of the history of a petty people1 and the enunciation of dark prophecies1 which the acutest of men pronounce impenetrable mysteries1 and which the daring and the foolish turn to all manner of profane purposes in political soothsayings8 ,if the ,bible be indeed the ,word of ,god1 it must contain within itself much more than the majority of ,christians suppose2 otherwise it presents a most startling anomaly when viewed in comparison with the other ,divine work1 the natural universe4 ,the assumption1 then1 with which ,swedenborg starts1 is1 that the ,scripture is in very truth the ,word of ,god2 that every syllable and expression therein are ,his2 that ,moses1 ,david1 the prophets1 and the ,evangelists1 were simply the inspired penmen1 who wrote implicitly according to ,divine dictation4 ,he teaches1 moreover1 that the ,word does not belong to men alone1 but is the possession likewise of the angels of heaven1 to whom it wears different forms according to the degree of their love and intelligence4 ,in general1 it may be said to have three senses1 or meanings2 first1 a celestial sense1 apprehended by the celestial or highest angels2 secondly1 a spiritual sense1 apprehended by a lower range of angelic minds1 the spiritual2 and thirdly1 a natural sense1 with which we are all familiar1 written down to the comprehension of the lowest1 most worldly1 and sensual of men--the ,jews4 ,these three senses make one by correspondence2 although diverse1 they are still harmonious1 and connected by one divine life4 ,the ,word1 moreover1 we are taught1 has worn different garments1 or varied natural senses1 at different eras4 ,the first church1 ,adam1 or the primeval race of men1 did not possess a written ,word1 but were gifted with a perception of spiritual essences4 ,nature was literally spread before them as an open book4 ,to them1 ,nature was the expression of the ,divine ,wisdom2 and they saw in every beast of the forest1 in every flower of the field1 and in every scene of creation1 evidence of the ,divine presence1 and material emblems of spiritual and heavenly things4 ,as men declined from purity1 and1 together with their innocence1 lost their wisdom and their powers of celestial perception1 a written ,word became necessary1 accommodated to the changed state of the new spiritual church called ,noah4 ,in time1 this ,word had also to be withdrawn1 for its purity and language transcended the apprehension of a falling and sensualised world4 ,yet this ,ancient ,word1 ,swedenborg tells us1 is not lost1 but still exists in ,tartary1 probably as an unvalued treasure1 which may be restored to the church in due season4 ,to this ,ancient ,word1 we have two allusions in the ,jewish ,scriptures2 the first in ,numbers xxi4 #ad1 where we read3 8,wherefore it is said in the book of the ,wars of ,jehovah20 and the second in ,joshua x4 #ac3 8,is not this written in the book of ,jasher80 ,the book of the ,wars of ,jehovah1 and the book of ,jasher1 forming parts of the ,ancient ,word1 became unintelligible from being written in high correspondential and emblematic language2 and uninteresting because not associated with the personal and worldly interests of men4 ,the ,jewish ,scriptures were then written4 ,the ,divine ,wisdom clothed itself in such words1 histories1 and laws1 as the earthly-minded ,jews could love and reverence1 and thus be kept1 in some measure1 in connection with heaven1 and in the possession of the most general and leading truths of religion4 ,the ,gospels1 added in the course of time to the ,jewish ,word1 served still further to preserve the church in union with heaven and the ,lord4 ,but now we see that mankind having in the course of centuries re-ascended to a higher degree of intellectual life1 begin to be dissatisfied with the ,scriptures1 to arraign the truth of science against them1 to wonder how it is possible that such writings can be the ,word of ,god1 and to ask1 with ,emerson1 8,what have ,i to do with jasper and sardonyx1 beryl and chalcedony1 what with arks and passovers1 ephahs1 heave-offerings1 and unleavened bread2 what with chariots of fire1 and ephods2 what with lepers and emerods2 what with dragons crowned and horned1 behemoth and unicorn80 ,but the ,lord anticipates all man's wants2 and1 caring above all things for his spiritual well-being1 never permits him to live without a witness of ,his love and designs towards him4 ,by ,his ,word1 the ,lord reveals himself to man2 and without it1 man could know nothing of ,god1 of heaven and hell1 and of a life after death4 ,how necessary then it is that man be preserved from falling into contempt of its teachings2 and yet if it contains no other than a literal sense1 what can a ,christian say in reply to such questionings as those above quoted8 and what tenable theory can be advanced to meet the objections of the sceptic drawn from geology1 astronomy1 and many other sciences which clash with the letter of ,scripture8 ,in the 8,arcana ,clestia10 we find a solution of all such doubts in the clear manifestation of the ,divine authorship of the ,word1 through the revelation of its spiritual sense1 whereby reason and faith are perfectly conjoined2 and man1 while here below1 is fed with angels' food4 ,but it is not to be concluded from this that ,swedenborg in any way slights or undervalues the literal sense of the ,word4 ,far from it4 ,he says3 8,the literal sense of the ,word is the basis1 the continent1 and the firmament of its spiritual and celestial senses2 and hence in it the divine truth is in its fulness1 its sanctity1 and its power2 therefore the doctrine of the church should be drawn from the literal sense1 and confirmed thereby40 ,from this1 every one will see that no mysticism can be sheltered under a belief in the spiritual sense of the ,word2 for1 from the literal sense1 determined by the severest criticism1 all doctrine must be drawn1 and all creeds tested4 ,swedenborg also teaches1 that by means of the literal sense1 men enjoy conjunction with the ,lord2 for ,his divine spirit is with all who read his ,word devoutly4 ,to promote this divine communion1 the letter of ,scripture has been so framed as to possess a universal interest4 ,the child reads the ,bible1 and is delighted with its charming stories2 the simple cottager loves it and prizes it as he prizes no other book2 the poet draws from it his richest inspirations2 and the man of learning1 who has gathered knowledge from all times and lands1 turns to its hallowed page1 and in the light of its divine wisdom sees himself but a child in knowledge4 ,though the ,scriptures are thus marvellously adapted1 in the literal sense1 to the tastes1 feelings1 and necessities of men of all grades and states1 yet1 as before said1 many portions of them do1 in our days1 require to be vindicated from the charge of being inconsistent with science--from the charge of insignificance1 and dealing in petty details4 ,they need1 in fine1 to be elevated from mere history1 poetry1 and obsolete law1 into practical use and connection with the daily life and conduct of every man and woman2 so that they may be to us1 in very deed1 the ,word of ,god1 as truly as they were to the ,jews three thousand years ago4 ,let us now see how1 in the 8,arcana ,clestia10 all this is effected4 8,from the posterity of the most ,ancient ,church1 ,moses received what he wrote concerning the creation1 the ,garden of ,eden1 etc41 down to the time of ,abraham10 writes ,swedenborg4 ,describing the method by which the people of that church expressed themselves1 he adds3 8,when they mentioned earthly and worldly things1 they thought of the spiritual and celestial things which they represented2 so that they not only expressed themselves by representatives1 but also reduced their thoughts into a kind of series1 as of historical particulars1 in order to give them more life2 and in this they found their greatest delight40 ,understanding this fully1 we shall not be surprised to learn that the first eleven chapters of ,genesis are purely allegorical2 written not as a description of the creation of the material world1 and its fortunes1 but as a description of the internal life of the earliest people1 of the development of their minds up to celestial perfection1 and then of their gradual declension from purity1 their love of the evil and the false1 and finally the destruction of their souls1 symbolized by the deluge overspreading the face of the whole earth4 ,these chapters were thus written by the ,lord in accommodation to the tastes of the men of the ,ancient ,church1 who1 as we read1 had 8their greatest delight in the expression of spiritual and celestial things in a series of historical particulars20 just as1 in after times1 ,he clothed ,his ,wisdom in ,jewish history and law1 so that ,he might be with the ,jews1 and preserve within them some small remains of spiritual life4 ,what a relief to the mind1 torn and troubled with the thousand doubts which science has cast upon the early chapters of ,genesis1 is the acceptation of the truth of their entirely allegorical signification6 ,and how plainly1 in their spiritual sense1 do we find testimony of their divine authorship6 ,it should not be forgotten that the doctrine of the symbolical nature of these chapters1 was set forth by ,swedenborg long before science had demonstrated that their merely literal sense was wholly irreconcilable with the facts of nature2 thus quite independently of any external pressure or necessity4 ,it must be known to every one that geology--the science which1 above all others1 has brought the most weighty objections against the six days' creation1 and the deluge of the whole earth by a flood which covered the tops of the highest mountains1--is a new science4 ,at the time when ,swedenborg wrote1 it was entirely undeveloped4 ,the reconciling of the literal sense of these chapters with the facts of geology1 has perplexed more minds1 and engaged more intellect1 than did ever perpetual motion and the squaring of the circle4 ,the amount of speculation which has been expended upon this theme1 is immense1 as every one at all acquainted with the religious history of the last fifty years is aware2 and still the labor is vigorously prosecuted4 ,we have no inclination to undervalue the motives that prompt to it4 ,for all sincere lovers of the ,word of ,god we entertain the deepest respect1 and rejoice to think that their faith in the ,bible remains unshaken amid such fiery trials4 ,yet if ,christians were wise and unprejudiced1 they would turn to ,swedenborg's 8,arcana ,clestia10 and there find all that heart or mind could wish4 ,its readers1 who have been many1 7and yet1 when compared with the wide world of ,christendom1 insignificantly few17 have had1 during all these seasons of doubt1 the fullest peace2 and have been ready to welcome every truth of science1 however militating against the literal sense of the early chapters of ,genesis2 and all the while have remained such lovers of the ,word as none but believers in its spiritual sense can be4 ,we believe that the religious world will1 in process of time1 when all methods of reconciling the letter of ,scripture with geology shall have manifestly failed1 finally turn to ,swedenborg2 and when the heavenly truth glowing in his pages shall beam upon their opened sight1 they will wonder why they did not read his luminous volumes sooner4 ,from the ,call of ,abram1 the ,word is to be looked upon as a narration of historical events4 ,yet while1 as history1 it possesses a great charm and interest to every mind1 from its matchless and beautiful simplicity1 we cannot see what claim it could have to the title of the ,word of ,god1 did it not contain within itself1 as ,swedenborg abundantly demonstrates1 a spiritual sense1 universally applicable to men in all states1 times1 and situations4 ,in the highest or celestial sense1 the ,word refers solely to the ,lord1 and is a description of his nature and attributes1 of his assumption of corrupt humanity1 and the process of its glorification4 ,man being formed in the ,lord's image and likeness1 whatever treats of ,him1 is1 in a secondary sense1 or in a lower degree1 descriptive of man1 his nature and regeneration4 ,this secondary application of the ,word forms its spiritual sense1 which when understood1 transforms ,genesis and ,exodus from mere history and dull ceremonial law1 into a ,divine revelation of the laws of spiritual life1 pregnant with practical benefit to all men1 because applicable to every incident and thought of life4 ,time and space would alike fail were we to attempt to give the most general outline of the multitude of spiritual truths which are unveiled in the course of the exposition of ,genesis and ,exodus2 and not of these two books alone1 but of passages from all parts of the ,word1 which are drawn upon to illustrate and confirm the truth of the interpretation4 ,as ,wilkinson says1 8,consider1 gentle reader1 twelve goodly #hvo volumes in ,english1 written with such continued power that it seems as if eating1 drinking1 and sleeping1 had never intervened between the penman and his page1 so unbroken is the subject1 and so complete the sense4 ,add to the other health and harmony of this unflagging man1 a memory of the most extraordinary grasp1 which enabled him to administer the details of an intellect ranging through all truth on the one hand1 and through the whole field of ,scripture illustration and text upon the other4 ,then take into account the unity of the work from first to last2 the constant reference that binds all parts of it together1 and shows the caution with which each strong affirmation is at first set down4 ,observe also the felicity of phrase1 the happiness of mind1 the easy greatness1 which shine along and dignify those serious pages4 ,remark also1 that the author does not deal in generalities1 but sentence for sentence1 and word for word1 he translates his text into spiritual meaning1 and criticises and supports himself with nearly every parallel text in the sacred writings40 ,the earnest reader of the 8,arcana0 will never question the reality of ,swedenborg's mission4 ,he would as soon question the reality of the world1 or his own existence4 ,this is a strong assertion1 a stranger to the work will perhaps say2 but it is only a stranger to these wondrous volumes that will say so2 for every one at all familiar with them will agree with us4 ,we never take down a volume of the 8,arcana0 to read1 without feeling more and more assured that ,swedenborg was an anointed servant of the ,lord4 ,the depths of spiritual experience he reveals1 his insight into the inmost recesses of the heart1 his explanation of the causes of thoughts1 and the origin of our various desires and inclinations1 of lowness of spirits1 of pleasant and dull moods1 in short1 of all spiritual trials and temptations1 with the heavenly ends they are permitted to serve1 together with a thousand other matters which it concerns us all to know1 are of such a nature that we cannot but feel that such knowledge must have been derived from a ,divine source1 and that unless his stand-point had been most peculiar1 and providentially appointed1 it would have been impossible for him to have written as he has4 ,to speak of the 8,arcana0 as it deserves1 would1 to one unacquainted with it1 appear like exaggeration1 while every reader would feel that we had fallen far short of the truth in many points4 ,no criticism1 however reverential1 can adequately express the innumerable and marvellous excellencies of the work2 and should this feeble testimony to its worth excite any one to read and study it1--and it is a work which should be studied1 if read at all1--we know that he will say1 as the ,queen of ,sheba said of ,solomon1 8,it was a true report that ,i heard of thy acts and of thy wisdom4 ,howbeit ,i believed not the words1 until ,i came1 and mine eyes had seen it3 and behold the half was not told me40 ,we have not spoken of those chapters which come between the expositions of ,scripture1 because the subjects therein treated of will recur in notices of his other books4 ,they serve to diversify the work1 and to relieve the mind tasked with the deep thought involved in the spiritual expositions1 by the contemplation of some of the leading facts of the future life4 ,the 8,arcana ,clestia0 was translated into ,english by the late venerable ,john ,clowes1 a clergyman of the ,established ,church in ,manchester1 and a most cordial receiver and preacher of the doctrines of the ,new ,church4 ,it is published in twelve octavo volumes1 with an index prepared by ,swedenborg himself1 which forms a thirteenth volume4 ,this index has been greatly extended by ,elihu ,rich1 filling two large octavos4 ,several editions of the 8,arcana0 have also been published in ,america2 and the sale1 considering the size and cost of the work1 has been in both countries very considerable4 ,it is a work which will in coming days run through many cheap editions2 and when that time shall come1 many will wonder why such a treasury of spiritual wisdom lay so long in our midst1 and yet men thought so little of it4 ,but the world is approaching ,swedenborg as fast as steady progress will permit4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,anecdotes4 ,of ,swedenborg's external life1 during the composition of the 8,arcana ,clestia10 we know little4 ,from his 8,spiritual ,diary10 we incidentally learn that he was in ,stockholm on the #bc;d of ,july1 #agef4 ,a revolution had been attempted1 and the leaders of the conspiracy1 ,count ,brahe and ,baron ,horn1 were executed on that day4 ,swedenborg writes of ,brahe thus3--8,brahe was beheaded at ten o'clock in the morning1 and spoke with me at ten at night2 that is to say1 twelve hours after his execution4 ,he was with me almost without interruption for several days4 ,in two days' time1 he began to return to his former life1 which consisted in loving worldly things2 and after three days1 he became as he was before in the world1 and was carried into the evils that he had made his own before he died40 7,s4 ,diary1 #ejii47 ,robsahm1 a friend of ,swedenborg's1 probably alludes to this circumstance1 when he writes3 8,one day as a criminal was led to the place of execution to be beheaded1 ,i was by the side of ,swedenborg1 and asked him how such a person felt at the time of his execution4 ,he answered3 #8,when a man lays his head on the block1 he loses all sensation4 ,when he first comes into the spiritual world1 and finds that he is living1 he is seized with the fear of his expected death1 tries to escape1 and is very much frightened4 ,at such a moment no one thinks of anything but the happiness of heaven1 or the misery of hell4 ,soon the good spirits come to him1 and instruct him where he is1 and he is then left to follow his own inclinations1 which soon lead him to the place where he remains for ever4'0 ,it appears that whatever happens at the hour of death1 is carried into the other life1 and the state is continued for some time4 ,thus we read in the 8,spiritual ,diary0 of a person who had been reduced by melancholy to despair1 until being instigated by diabolical spirits1 he destroyed himself1 by thrusting a knife into his body4 8,this spirit came to me10 writes ,swedenborg1 8complaining that he was miserably treated by evil spirits4 ,he was seen by me1 holding a knife in his hand1 as though he would plunge it into his breast4 ,with this knife he labored very hard1 as wishing rather to cast it from him1 but in vain40 ,it soon became widely known that ,swedenborg had intercourse with spirits2 and many and various were the demands made upon him1 for information of one kind and another4 ,the ,queen of ,sweden asked him whether his spiritual intercourse was a science or art that could be communicated to others4 ,he said3 8,no1 it is the gift of the ,lord40 8,can you then10 said she1 8speak with every one deceased1 or only with certain persons80 ,he answered1 8,i can not converse with all1 but only with such as ,i have known in this world1 with all royal and princely persons1 with all renowned heroes1 or great and learned men1 whom ,i have known1 either personally1 or from their actions or writings2 consequently with all of whom ,i could form an idea2 for it may be supposed that a person whom ,i never knew1 and of whom ,i could form no idea1 ,i neither could or would wish to speak with40 ,the ,prince of ,prussia was brother to the ,queen of ,sweden1 and shortly after his death1 ,swedenborg being at court1 the ,queen perceiving him said3 8,well1 ,mr4 ,assessor1 have you seen my brother80 ,he answered1 8,no40 ,whereupon she replied3 8,if you should see him1 remember me to him40 ,in saying this1 she did but jest4 ,eight days afterwards1 ,swedenborg came again to court1 but so early that the ,queen had not left her apartment called the white room1 where she was conversing with her maids of honor1 and other ladies of the court4 ,swedenborg did not wait for the ,queen's coming out1 but entered directly into her apartment1 and whispered in her ear4 ,the ,queen1 struck with astonishment1 was taken ill1 and did not recover for some time4 ,after she was come to herself1 she said to those about her3 8,there is only ,god and my brother who can know what he has just told me40 ,she owned that he had spoken of her last correspondence with the prince1 the subject of which was known to themselves alone4 ,the following is narrated by ,j4 ,h4 ,jung ,stilling3--8,about the year #aggj1 there was a merchant in ,elberfeld with whom1 during seven years of my residence there1 ,i lived in close intimacy4 ,he spoke little2 but what he said was like golden fruit on a salver of silver4 ,he would not have dared for all the world to have told a falsehood4 ,his business requiring him to take a journey to ,amsterdam1 where ,swedenborg at that time resided1 and having heard and read much of this strange individual1 he formed the intention of visiting him4 ,he therefore called upon him1 and found a very venerable looking1 friendly old man1 who received him politely1 and requested him to be seated4 ,explaining his errand1 and expressing his deep admiration of ,swedenborg's writings1 he desired that he would give him a proof of his intercourse with the unseen world4 ,swedenborg said3 #8,why not8 ,most willingly4' ,the merchant then proceeded to tell that he had formerly a friend1 who studied divinity at ,duisburg1 where he fell into a consumption1 of which he died4 ,visiting this friend a short time before his decease1 they conversed together on an important topic4 ,the question he then put to ,swedenborg1 was3 #8,can you learn from the student what was the subject of our discourse at that time8' ,swedenborg replied3 #8,we will see2 what was the name of your friend8' ,the merchant told his name1 and ,swedenborg then requested him to call in a few days4 ,some days after1 the merchant went again to see ,swedenborg1 in anxious expectation4 ,the old gentleman met him with a smile1 and said3 #8,i have spoken with your friend2 the subject of your discourse was the restitution of all things4' ,he then related to the merchant1 with the greatest precision1 what he1 and what his deceased friend1 had maintained4 ,the merchant turned pale2 for this proof was powerful and invincible4 ,he inquired further3 #8,how fares it with my friend8 ,is he in a state of blessedness8' ,swedenborg answered3 #8,no1 he is not in heaven2 he is still in the world of spirits1 and torments himself continually with the idea of the restitution of all things4' ,he ejaculated3 #8,my ,god6 ,what6 in the other world8' ,swedenborg replied3 #8,certainly2 a man takes with him his favorite inclinations and opinions1 and it is very difficult to be divested of them4 ,we ought1 therefore1 to lay them aside here4' ,the merchant took his leave1 perfectly convinced1 and returned to ,elberfeld40 ,an ambassador from ,holland1 named ,martville1 died at ,stockholm4 ,after his death1 a considerable sum of money was demanded of his widow in payment of a debt4 ,she felt certain the debt had been paid1 but was unable to find the receipt for the money4 ,being advised to consult ,swedenborg1 who1 she was told could converse with the dead whenever he pleased1 she adopted the advice1 more from curiosity than from a belief in his powers4 ,the lady called on ,swedenborg and told him her trouble2 and he promised if he met her husband in the spiritual world1 he would inquire of him about the matter4 ,eight days afterwards ,martville appeared to his wife in a dream1 and mentioned to her a private place in his cabinet1 where she would not only find the receipt1 but also a hair pin set with twenty brilliants which had been given up as lost4 ,this happened about two o'clock in the morning4 ,full of joy1 she arose and found them in the place designated4 ,she returned again to rest1 and slept till nine o'clock4 ,about eleven ,swedenborg was announced4 ,his first remark1 before ,madame had time to speak1 was1 that he had1 during the preceding night1 seen several spirits1 and among others her late husband4 ,he had wished to converse with him1 but ,martville excused himself on the ground that he must go to discover to his wife something of importance4 ,this account1 attested by the lady herself1 was noised through all ,stockholm4 ,it may be added that ,madame desired to make ,swedenborg a handsome present for his services1 which he1 of course1 declined4 ,sometimes ,swedenborg's announcements of the states of the departed alarmed his auditors4 ,we read of a case of this kind which took place on a voyage from ,gottenburg to ,london4 ,the vessel staying at ,oresound1 the ,swedish ,consul invited the officers of the custom house1 together with several of the first people of the town1 all anxious to see and know ,swedenborg1 to dine with him at his house4 ,being all seated at table1 and none of them taking the liberty of addressing ,swedenborg1 who likewise was silent1 the ,consul thought it incumbent on him to break silence1 and asked ,swedenborg1 as he could see and speak with the dead1 whether he had seen ,christian ,,vi41 ,king of ,denmark1 after his decease4 ,to this he replied in the affirmative2 adding1 that when he saw him the first time1 he was accompanied by a bishop or other prelate1 who humbly begged the ,king's pardon for the many errors into which he had led him by his counsels4 ,a son of the deceased prelate happened to be present at the table3 the ,consul therefore fearing that ,swedenborg might say something further to the disadvantage of the father1 interrupted him1 saying3 8,sir1 this is his son60 ,swedenborg replied3 8,it may be1 but what ,i am saying is true40 ,such anecdotes might be greatly multiplied1 but space forbids4 ,no one1 perhaps1 has a lower idea of the worth of these stories1 as testimonies to ,swedenborg's veracity1 than the writer2 yet they could not well be omitted from an account of his life4 ,gossip spread them far and wide in his own day1 as is evidenced by the various forms in which they have come down to us2 and any biographer would fail in his duty did he not show how the common world of men dealt with1 and regarded ,swedenborg4 ,these anecdotes also in some degree manifest what a kind1 affable1 simple1 and honest man ,swedenborg was4 ,having finished the 8,arcana ,clestia10 ,swedenborg's pen yet knew no rest4 ,in #ageh he published in ,london the five following works3--#a4 ,an ,account of the ,last ,judgment and the ,destruction of ,babylon2 showing that all the predictions in the ,apocalypse are at this day fulfilled2 being a relation of things heard and seen4 #b4 ,concerning ,heaven and its wonders1 and concerning ,hell1 being a relation of things heard and seen4 #c4 ,on the ,white ,horse mentioned in the ,apocalypse4 #d4 ,on the ,planets in our solar system1 and on those in the ,heavens2 with an account of their inhabitants1 and of their spirits and angels4 #e4 ,on the ,new ,jerusalem and its ,heavenly ,doctrines1 as revealed from heaven4 ,let us now examine these works in order4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,the ,last ,judgment4 ,to the early reader of ,swedenborg's writings1 few of his declarations appear stranger1 at first1 than his affirmation that the ,last ,judgment is past1 that it took place in #ageg4 ,yet although startling at first1 it is a doctrine which1 on closer acquaintance1 readily comes within the grasp of reason and common sense2 and we discover that all its early strangeness was owing to our having looked at it through the mist of prejudice and preconceived opinion4 ,the treatise on the ,last ,judgment1 7although1 as to size1 only a pamphlet17 is a most effective and masterly exposition of the nature of the end of the church1 the new heavens1 and the new earth of the ,apocalypse4 ,in the first place1 it is shown that the day of the ,last ,judgment does not mean that of the destruction of the world2 for neither the visible heaven nor the habitable earth will perish1 but both will remain forever4 ,the reason is that the heaven of angels is formed from the human race1 all angels having lived the life of men1 and none having been so created2 and as the perfection of heaven increases to eternity with the increase of regenerate men from the world1 it follows that the earth will never cease to exist1 nor men to live and be born upon it4 ,the world is the seminary of heaven4 ,heaven depends upon the world for its growth1 increase1 and perfection4 ,heaven could not exist without worlds4 ,heaven being formed from the human race1 so likewise is ,hell2 all devils and satans having at one time been men on this or some other earth4 8,that is not first which is spiritual1 but that which is natural40 ,these doctrines1 it will be seen1 militate against what are called orthodox opinions1 which teach that angels were created before the world1 and that no man can go to heaven or to hell before the time of the ,last ,judgment2 when the souls of men having returned into their bodies1 the visible world will be burned up2 the sun and moon be quenched in nature's night2 and the stars1 each surrounded with its own system of worlds1 having first fallen upon this speck of a globe1 are to be wiped out of existence4 ,these common but crude and unscriptural ideas have afforded the best subjects for scoffing at the ,christian religion which the skeptic could desire4 ,for he triumphantly asks1 ,how can so vast a heaven1 and so many stars1 with sun and moon1 be destroyed and dissipated8 ,and how can the stars fall from heaven upon the earth1 when they are larger than the earth8 ,how can men's bodies1 eaten up by worms1 consumed by putrefaction1 scattered to all winds1 absorbed by vegetation1 and again incorporated into other men's systems1 be re-collected for their souls8 ,what is this day of ,judgment8 ,and has it not been expected for ages in vain8 ,together with many other such questions1 all pertinent1 but to which the church can give no rational answer4 ,and yet ignorance on such subjects cannot be excused2 for men might have known from the ,word that heaven and hell are from mankind1 and that man is raised up and lives immediately after death4 ,information on these subjects might have been obtained from the ,lord's words to the thief upon the cross1 8,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,to-day shalt thou be with me in ,paradise20 and from those which he spoke concerning the rich man and ,lazarus1 that the one went to hell1 and spoke with ,abraham1 and that the other went to heaven2 and what the ,lord told the ,pharisees respecting the resurrection1 that 8,god is not the ,god of the dead1 but of the living40 ,and then we see how inconsistent men are with themselves on these subjects4 ,a worthy church-member1 who is a firm believer in the burning up of the world1 and the resurrection of the dead at the ,last ,judgment1 comes to his death-bed1 and straightway all his doctrine passes into forgetfulness2 and he talks of going home to glory in heaven1 and being within a few hours of the angels4 ,he dies2 and his friends1 as orthodox as himself1 think of him as happy in heaven2 and yet they profess to believe in the resurrection of his corrupt and diseased body4 ,what strange inconsistency is this6 ,but it is one of the marks of error1 that it is always inconsistent with itself4 ,the leading fact in ,swedenborg's doctrine of the ,last ,judgment1 is1 that it takes place in the spiritual world1 where all men congregate after death4 ,a judgment takes place in the world of spirits whenever a church comes to its end2 that is1 when its charity1 and consequently its faith is dead1 and all things that remain are mere empty forms of life4 ,a judgment took place at the end of the ,jewish church4 ,for proof of this1 we need only turn to the ,gospel of ,john1 7xii4 #ca17 where ,jesus said3 8,now is the judgment of this world3 now shall the prince of this world be cast out40 ,we all know there was at that time no visible judgment in the natural world4 ,everything went on as before2 yet1 we learn from the ,lord's own lips1 that a judgment was effected4 ,it is a great mistake1 and one which even the best of men labor under1 to suppose that the soul of man exists alone1 and independent of any influences but those that are external to him1 and of which he is conscious4 ,we would ask1 ,who ever saw a grain of matter independent of the law of gravitation1--that cause which binds it to kindred matter with a bond as indestructible as its own existence8 ,it is the same with men's souls4 ,no man lives independent of spiritual association4 ,place a man in the middle of some distant and desolate island2 yet he is not alone4 ,around his soul are the spirits of those who have left the world before him1 who love as he loves1 and think as he thinks4 ,the minds of men and spirits are most closely and intimately conjoined2 for in the universe of mind1 as in the universe of matter1 there is no such thing as isolation and independency4 ,and what can be more philosophical than such a doctrine8 ,the laws of matter represent the laws of spirit2 in every particular there exists a perfect correspondence4 ,as matter is everywhere bound to matter1 and compacted in firm communion1 so likewise are the minds of men to be regarded as a universe of atoms1 bound together by loves and affections4 ,in meditating on this subject1 we must remember that spirit knows nothing of material space4 ,the church had been declining from the days of the ,apostles4 ,men had forsaken the pure spirit of the gospel1 and had sought to hide their evils of life by doctrines and creeds formed from their own darkened understandings4 ,the popedom had arisen2 and in the black night of the dark ages1 had established its fearful assumptions1 and blasphemously invoked the name of the ,highest to sanctify its crimes4 ,the ,reformation1 the last flicker of an expiring candle1 had indeed established free thought1 but it failed in its highest aims2 and in the erroneous doctrine of justification by faith alone1 had deadened the consciences of men1 and extinguished all aspirations after spiritual life4 ,last and worst of all1 ,atheism reared its horrid front1 and openly manifested itself2 yet what of it was open and confessed1 was as nothing to what lay concealed even under the vestments of the church4 ,toward the middle of the last century1 ,christendom had reached its lowest point of degradation2 and any one who is anxious to test this affirmation of ,swedenborg's1 need only turn to the history and literature of that period1 and observe the selfishness1 the negation and ridicule of everything pure and spiritual1 the gross ignorance1 the licentiousness and intemperance1 and in fact the reduction of humanity to its lowest and most bestial condition4 ,he will then understand the cry of the good1 at that time1 in the world of spirits1 8,how long1 ,o ,lord1 holy and true1 dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth80 ,it is to be noted that from the time of the ,lord's advent1 when he effected the ,judgment upon the ,jewish church1 there had been pouring into the world of spirits1 in countless myriads1 the souls of those who were full of evils and falsities1 and who1 collecting around terrestrial humanity1 lay as thick clouds between it and heaven4 ,forming themselves into societies by spiritual affinities1 the reformed churches were in the middle2 the ,romanists around them2 the ,mahommedans in a still outer ring2 and the various ,gentile nations constituted a vast circumference2 while beyond all1 lay the appearance of a sea as a boundary4 ,of the states of those associations1 we have a most graphic picture in ,swedenborg's treatise2 and no where else out of the ,apocalypse1 do we find a more thorough exposure of the internal atheism of the priests of ,rome1 their blasphemies and subtlety4 ,but the time of the end had come2 the world groaned to be delivered2 and the eyes of ,swedenborg were favored to behold the process of the great redemption4 ,the vast concourse of these spirits1 formed into societies1 is what is meant in the ,revelation by the first heaven and the first earth which passed away4 ,the manner in which these societies were dissolved1 ,swedenborg describes as follows3--8,visitation was made by angels1 and admonition given1 and the good were singled out and separated by the heavenly ministers1 agreeable to the ,lord's words1 #8,he shall send his angels1 and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds1 from one end of heaven to the other2' and again1 #8,all nations shall be gathered together before the ,son of ,man2 and he shall separate them one from another1 as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats1 and he shall set the sheep on the right hand1 and the goats on the left4'0 ,then followed destruction4 ,there were great earthquakes1 and a vehement wind1 which swept all before it4 ,then gulfs yawned1 and seas appeared1 into which the wicked threw themselves1 and were drawn to their place in hell4 8,then10 says ,swedenborg1 8,i saw angelic spirits in great numbers rising from below1 and received into heaven4 ,they were the sheep who had been kept and guarded by the ,lord1 and who are understood in the ,word by the bodies of saints which arose from their sepulchres and went into the holy city2 and by the souls of those slain for the testimony of ,jesus1 and who were watching2 and by those who were of the first resurrection4 8,after this1 there was joy in heaven1 and light in the world of spirits1 such as was not before2 and the interposing clouds between heaven and mankind being removed1 a similar light also then arose on men in the world1 giving them new enlightenment40 ,such was the ,last ,judgment4 ,its centenary draws nigh2 and how fruitful in good to mankind has been that century which is now drawing to a close6 ,it is unnecessary to repeat the hackneyed phrases which tell of the progress of the world during the last hundred years4 ,every newspaper speaks of it4 ,everybody with open eyes observes it4 ,it has become the universal opinion that the world is moving onwards and upwards2 yet how few understand why the world is so moving4 ,men have yet to learn that effects can no more take place without adequate causes in the universe of mind than in the universe of matter4 ,nowhere out of ,swedenborg can we find a description of those spiritual causes which are changing society and revolutionizing the whole world4 ,we1 who live in the dawn of the new era1 can form1 even in our highest states1 but a faint conception of its coming glory4 ,yet we see in the wonderful movements of our age1 in its growing benevolence1 in its increasing intelligence and thoughtfulness1 and in the prodigious advances that are making in every department of science and art1 so many indubitable signs that the former things have passed away1 and that the ,lord is making all things new4 ,every one knows that in the ,scripture1 the second coming of the ,lord is described as simultaneous with the ,last ,judgment4 ,we will hereafter endeavor to prove that the ,lord has indeed come1 and will describe the manner of his coming4 ,the reception of the doctrine of the ,last ,judgment is somewhat difficult1 because the comprehension of it demands the understanding of many principles and spiritual laws unknown to the world at large1 yet most worthy of any amount of labor requisite to master them4 ,the remembrance of this fact will serve as an apology for any appearance of unfounded assumption in the outline of the doctrine we have given4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,heaven and ,hell4 ,the treatise on ,heaven and ,hell is among the most charming of ,swedenborg's writings4 ,its subjects possess a universal attraction2 for1 what believer in the immortality of man has not1 at times1 longed to penetrate the awful mysteries of the unseen world8 ,and there is nothing unreasonable in the desire4 ,true it is1 that1 until ,swedenborg came1 any but the most general knowledge of the nature of the future life had been withdrawn from mankind since the days of primeval innocence2 yet not from anything hurtful in the knowledge itself1 but simply because the sublime facts of the future state transcended the apprehension of men immersed in worldly loves and cares1 and denying and ridiculing every idea which was not an object of sensual perception4 ,for this reason the ,lord said to his disciples3 8,i have yet many things to say unto you1 but ye can not bear them now40 7,john xvi4 #ab47 ,we frequently see this inability to 8bear0 things spiritual and divine1 manifested in our own experience4 ,we offer ,swedenborg's treatise1 for perusal1 to some man of science1 full of self-confidence1 with the laws and facts of the universe at his finger's ends2 or to some deeply-read theologian4 ,the title page is read1--8,heaven and its ,wonders1 the ,world of ,spirits1 and ,hell2 being a relation of things heard and seen40 ,it is enough4 8,what nonsense6 ,what foolishness6 ,the lunatic6 ,what could he know of heaven or hell8 ,how could he get there8 ,the impostor6 ,none but a fool could write such a book60 ,and so on4 ,the title page settles the whole question4 ,now what can be said in reply to these railers1 of whom the world is full8 ,how can one argue with1 and combat1 such inveterate prejudice8 ,yet these people are professing ,christians4 ,they profess to believe there is a heaven and a hell4 ,but1 does not their condemnation of ,swedenborg betray a lurking infidelity in their hearts8 ,if they really possessed a living faith in the existence of heaven and hell1 it could not appear to them so utterly preposterous that some account of their nature might in these times have been revealed1 through the abounding mercy of the ,lord4 ,but the world now contains many who are willing to receive1 and able to understand1 the truths of the future life4 ,the ,lord1 who never allows his children to lack any good thing1 has1 in due season1 given them1 through ,swedenborg1 this precious and delightful volume4 ,let us briefly enumerate its important statements4 ,the spiritual world divides itself into three great regions1--,heaven1 the ,world of ,spirits1 and ,hell4 ,heaven is formed of all who have loved the ,lord on earth by living a life in accordance with his laws4 ,the laws of spiritual life are known1 more or less perfectly1 in all nations1 even among the heathen4 ,the lowest of the ,gentiles have some faint rays of the light of spiritual truth2 and if they live in obedience thereto1 regeneration1 and consequently1 heaven1 is attainable by them4 ,yet heaven has its degrees of bliss4 ,good persons of every variety of character pass into it4 ,but the promiscuous association of these different kinds of character would not be orderly1 and could not be blissful4 ,by the law of spiritual gravitation1 7from which the law of natural gravitation is but a derivation1 and of which it is a type and image17 all who possess similar affections and intelligence are drawn together1 and co-ordinated in the most blissful harmony4 ,the infinite variety of heaven thus arranges itself1 in general1 into two kingdoms2 specifically into three heavens2 and in particular1 into innumerable societies4 ,the two kingdoms are respectively called celestial and spiritual4 ,the angels forming the celestial kingdom are characterized by their exceeding love of the ,lord and of goodness2 and the angels who form the spiritual kingdom are distinguished by their exceeding love of their neighbor and of truth4 ,the celestial angels are immensely wiser than the spiritual1 and their blessedness is ineffable4 ,specifically there are three heavens1 perfectly distinct1 called the first heaven1 the second or middle heaven1 and the third or highest heaven2 or they may be called external1 internal1 and inmost2 or natural1 spiritual1 and celestial4 ,of these three heavens the highest or third1 together with the internal of the first or lowest heaven1 forms the celestial kingdom2 and the middle or second1 together with the external of the first or lowest heaven1 forms the spiritual kingdom4 ,these three heavens and two kingdoms1 arising out of the varieties of the human mind1 are not arbitrary distinctions4 ,the external1 first1 or natural heaven1 is formed of those who1 from a principle of obedience and duty1 live in accordance with the ,divine will4 ,the second1 spiritual1 or middle heaven1 is formed of such as love truth1 delight in things intellectual1 and at the same time are in disinterested love to the neighbor4 ,the inmost1 third1 or celestial heaven1 is formed of those who1 full of love to the ,lord1 are in innocence4 ,these celestial angels1 gifted with the highest wisdom and peace1 yet full of humility1 indefinitely exceed all beneath them in beauty and wisdom4 ,the existence and order of the three heavens was represented by the courts of the ,jewish temple4 ,the celebrated ,oberlin1 a diligent reader of ,swedenborg1 had a plan of the courts of the temple hung upon the walls of his church1 by which he taught his hearers1 that1 according to their humility1 piety1 fidelity1 and love of being useful to each other1 would be their elevation in the ,lord's kingdom1 either to the first1 second1 or third heaven4 ,we think that no one1 in whom reign the heavenly principles of 8love0 to the ,lord and the neighbor2 8joy0 in duty under all circumstances2 8peace0 in every change of state2 8long-suffering0 under all provocations2 8gentleness0 of behaviour2 8goodness0 of disposition1 ever manifesting itself in good actions2 8faith0 or truth1 believed1 loved1 and thence trusted in2 8meekness0 in doing and in suffering2 8temperance0 both in external and internal delights1 ,gal4 v4 #bb1 would be an unwilling inhabitant of such a heaven as ,swedenborg describes4 ,is not this at least presumptive evidence that he has spoken truly8 ,the three heavens are further subdivided into innumerable societies1 some smaller1 and some larger2 some consisting of myriads of angels1 and some of hundreds4 ,their association into societies1 is a result of similarity of character1 which similarity is imaged in their faces2 and a general likeness of countenance is observed among the angels who form one society4 ,all who are in similar love know each other1 just as men in the world know their kindred1 relations1 and friends2 and thus1 as it were1 spontaneously associated1 they feel at home and in freedom1 and thence in the full delight of their life4 ,from this it also follows that angels who differ much are far apart2 and few depart out of their own society into another1 because to go out from their own society is like going out of themselves1 or out of their own life1 and passing into another which is not so agreeable4 ,nevertheless all the societies of heaven are bound together in one perfect form1 which is strictly human4 ,all angels are in the human form1 and are just such men and women as they were on earth1 except that they have rejected the material body4 ,that we should have to write and enforce such truisms--for such they must appear to a mind really rational1--is owing to the strange and ridiculous fancies that are commonly entertained on this subject4 ,we often hear the departed talked of as shades1 and thought of as minds without forms1 or mere thinking principles composed of some sort of ethereal vapor2 and when artists draw them1 we see perhaps an exquisitely beautiful human form1 but disfigured with large feathery wings1 which1 having no adequate muscles1 would have no power of motion4 ,none of these vague1 shadowy1 and erroneous ideas do we find in the ,bible4 ,the angels seen by ,abraham1 ,lot1 ,manoah1 the prophets1 and the ,lord's disciples1 were all seen as men1 and talked with as men4 ,our author writes thus explicitly on this subject4 8,the angelic form is in every respect human2 angels have faces1 eyes1 ears1 breasts1 arms1 hands1 and feet2 they see1 hear1 and converse with each other2 and1 in a word1 no external attribute of man is wanting1 except the natural body40 ,and now comes a doctrine which on a first view may appear very mystical1 and yet when pondered over1 and understood1 commends itself to our belief by a thousand irresistible evidences drawn from analogy1 and confirmed by right reason4 ,it is1 that every society of heaven is in the human form2 and that the universal heaven1 viewed collectively1 is also in the human form2 and is called by ,swedenborg the ,grand or ,greatest ,maximus ,man4 ,wilkinson well expresses this sublime truth4 8,heaven10 he says1 8is supremely human--nay more1 it is one man4 ,as the members of the body make one person1 so before ,god1 all good men make one humanity3 every society of the angels is a heavenly man in a lesser form1 and every angel in a least4 ,the reason is1 that ,god himself1 7the ,lord ,jesus ,christ17 is a ,divine ,man1 and ,he shapes ,his heaven into ,his own image and likeness1 even as ,he made ,adam4 ,the oneness of heaven comes from ,god's unity3 its manhood from ,his humanity4 ,heaven has1 therefore1 all the members1 organs1 and viscera of a man2 its angel inhabitants1 every one1 are in some province of the ,grand ,man4 ,indefinite myriads of us go to a fibre of its humanity4 ,some are in the province of the brain2 some in that of the lungs2 some in that of the heart2 some in that of the belly2 some are in the legs and arms2 and all1 wherever humanized1 that is to say1 located in humanity1 perform spiritually the offices of that part of the body whereto they correspond4 ,they all work together1 however spaced apparently1 just as the parts of a single man4 ,their space is but their palpable liberty1 and they touch the human atoms1 more closely1 by offices which unite them in ,god1 than the contiguous fibres of our flesh40 ,every society of heaven also increases in number daily1 and as it increases1 it becomes more perfect2 and from its perfection the universal heaven becomes more perfect1 because heaven is composed of societies4 ,since increasing numbers make heaven more perfect1 it is evident how much they are deceived who believe that heaven will be closed when it becomes full4 ,on the contrary1 heaven will never be closed1 for the greater its fullness1 the greater its perfection2 and therefore the angels desire nothing more earnestly than to receive new comers4 ,this part of our subject would require considerable expansion to make it intelligible to minds that have never meditated on these high themes1 and whose theological education has perverted all perception of the truth on these matters4 ,the subject is enticing1 but our limits command restraint4 ,it was a remark of a profane wit and epicure that 8as to heaven1 he had no great longing1 as he could not see what great pleasure there could be in sitting on a cloud and singing psalms to eternity40 ,we have in this expression a thought which we know to be common to many minds1 but respect for the externals of religion forbids its expression4 ,the general belief respecting the nature of life in heaven1 is so vague1 and contains so much of clouds and psalm-singing1 that it is not to be wondered at that some free and daring spirits should openly avow their preference for the more substantial realities of this life4 ,and is it not a pity that the divine glories and delights of the heavenly life should become so veiled in mystery as to lose their attraction1 and cease to be desirable8 ,with the exception of the church's ignorance of the humanity1 unity1 and divinity of its ,saviour and ,lord1 no surer evidence could be adduced of its consummation1 than its inability to answer the simplest child's questions as to the nature of life in heaven4 ,let us be thankful that man's utmost wants1 in this respect1 are satisfied in the writings of that ,new ,church which the ,lord is now raising up1 and of which ,swedenborg was the divinely-appointed herald4 ,the sun of heaven is the ,lord4 ,the light of heaven is the divine truth1 and its heat the divine love2 both proceeding from the ,lord as a sun4 ,the sun of this world is not seen in heaven4 ,nature commences from the sun of this world1 and everything which is produced from it1 and subsists by it1 is called natural2 but the spiritual world in which heaven is1 is above nature1 and entirely distinct from it1 although it is ever to be remembered that nature is a derivation from spirit1 and communicates with spirit by correspondences4 ,we shall have more to say on this conjunction yet perfect separation1 between nature and spirit1 when we come to speak of the doctrine of degrees4 ,the sun of heaven1 or the divine sphere of glory surrounding the ,lord1 the 8light which no man can approach unto10 #a ,tim4 vi4 #f1 appears variously to the angels of heaven according to their states of love and intelligence4 ,to the angels of the third heaven1 the sun appears fiery and flaming2 to the angels of the second heaven1 white and brilliant2 while to those of the first heaven its light is more subdued and veiled with clouds1 yet at intervals bursting forth and pouring his glorious radiance upon them4 ,although the ,lord is thus seen by the angels as a sun above them1 yet at times ,he appears in their midst1 in an angelic form1 and with a resplendent countenance4 ,what tongue can describe the rapt adoration and ineffable joy which must thrill angelic bosoms on these occasions6 ,heaven has its times and its seasons1 but they are not like those of earth4 ,in heaven there is no winter and no night4 ,the times and seasons of heaven are consequences of the variations of the states of angelic minds4 ,while to all appearance they are objective as on earth1 they are in reality strictly subjective4 ,the external changes of light and heat correspond to the internal changes of love and wisdom in the angelic mind4 ,now as the angels are sometimes in a state of intense love1 and sometimes in a state of love not so intense1 morning1 noon1 evening1 and twilight1 exist in heaven as the external emblems of these changes4 ,without such changes life would lose its zest4 ,eternal uniformity would be eternal dullness4 ,since angels are men1 and live together in society like men on earth1 therefore they have garments1 houses1 and other things similar to those which exist on earth1 but of course infinitely more beautiful and perfect4 ,the garments of the angels correspond to their intelligence4 ,the garments of some glitter as with flame1 and those of others are resplendent as with light2 others are of various colors1 and some white and opaque4 ,the angels of the inmost heaven are naked because they are in innocence1 and nakedness corresponds to innocence4 ,it is because garments represent states of wisdom that they are so much spoken of in the ,word1 in relation to the church and good men4 ,thus in ,isaiah liii4 #a1 8,awake1 put on strength1 ,o ,zion2 put on thy beautiful garments1 ,o ,jerusalem40 ,and in ,ezekiel xv4 #aj1 the ,lord says of his church3 8,i girded thee about with fine linen1 and covered thee with silk40 ,and in the ,apocalypse iii4 #d1 #e1 it is said3 8,they who have not defiled their garments1 shall walk with ,me in white1 for they are worthy4 ,he that overcometh1 the same shall be clothed in white raiment40 ,what a depth of meaning appears in these passages when we remember the spiritual signification of garments6 8,the garments of the angels10 writes ,swedenborg1 8do not merely appear to be garments1 but they really are garments2 for they not only see them1 but feel them1 and have different ones1 which they take off and put on1 laying aside those which are not in use1 and resuming them when they come into use again4 ,that they are clothed with a variety of garments1 ,i have witnessed a thousand times2 and when ,i inquired whence they obtained them1 they told me #8from the ,lord1' and that they receive them as gifts1 and that they are sometimes clothed without knowing how4 ,they also said that their garments are changed according to the changes of their state40 ,since there are societies in heaven1 and the angels live as men1 it follows that they have habitations1 various1 like all else in heaven1 according to the degree of love and wisdom in which they are principled4 ,no words are like ,swedenborg's own on this subject4 8,whenever ,i have conversed with the angels mouth to mouth1 ,i have been present with them in their habitations1 which are exactly like the habitations on earth called houses1 but more beautiful4 ,they contain chambers1 parlors conclavia1 and bed-chambers1 in great numbers2 courts also1 and around them gardens1 shrubberies1 and fields4 ,where the angels are consociated their habitations are contiguous1 or near to each other1 and arranged in the form of a city1 with streets1 ways1 and squares1 exactly like the cities on our earth4 8,i have seen palaces in heaven1 magnificent beyond description4 ,their upper parts were refulgent as if they were pure gold1 and their lower parts as if they were precious stones3 some were more splendid than others1 and the splendor without was equaled by the magnificence within4 ,the apartments were ornamented with decorations which neither language nor science can adequately describe4 ,on the south were paradises1 in which all things were similarly resplendent2 for in some places the leaves of the trees were like silver1 and the fruits like gold1 while the colors of the flowers which were arranged in beds1 appeared like rainbows2 at the boundaries appeared other palaces1 which terminated the view4 ,such is the architecture of heaven that one might say it is the very art itself2 nor is this to be wondered at1 because the art itself is from heaven4 ,the angels said that such things1 and innumerable others still more perfect1 are presented before their eyes by the ,lord1 but that nevertheless they delight their minds more than their eyes1 because in everything they see correspondences of things divine4 8,the angels who constitute the ,lord's celestial kingdom1 dwell for the most part in elevated places1 or mountains2 those who form the spiritual kingdom1 on hills2 but those who are in the lowest parts of heaven1 in places which appear as rocks4 ,there are also angels who do not live consociated1 but separate4 ,these dwell in the midst of heaven1 and are the best of the angels4 8,the houses in which the angels dwell1 are not constructed by hand1 like houses in the world1 but are given them freely by the ,lord1 according to their reception of good and truth4 ,all things whatsoever which the angels possess1 they hold as gifts from the ,lord2 and they are supplied with everything they need40 ,we thus learn that in heaven there are not external1 physical1 or mental occupations to support bodily wants1 as in this world4 ,it was said above that the angels have not wings1 as is commonly supposed4 ,their power of progression far exceeds anything that wings could supply4 ,they have no idea of space1 such as we have in the world4 ,all who are of like disposition spontaneously associate together in the spiritual world4 ,it thus follows that those are near each other who are in a similar state1 and distant who are in a dissimilar state2 and that what appears to be space in heaven is merely an external appearance1 representative of internal differences of mind4 ,from this cause alone the heavens are distinct from each other1 and each society of heaven1 and every individual in each society4 ,hence also the hells are altogether separated from the heavens4 ,from the same cause1 any one in the spiritual world appears to be present if another intensely desires his presence2 for from that desire he sees him in thought1 and puts himself in his state4 ,again one person is removed from another in proportion as he holds him in aversion2 for all aversion is from contrariety of the affections and disagreement of the thoughts2 therefore many who appear together in one place in the spiritual world1 so long as they agree1 separate as soon as they disagree4 ,further3 when any one goes from one place to another1 whether it be in his own city1 in the courts1 or the gardens1 or to others out of his own city1 he arrives sooner when he has a strong desire to be there1 and later when his desire is less strong2 the way itself being lengthened or shortened according to his desire of arrival4 ,hence again it is evident that distances1 and consequently spaces1 exist with the angels altogether according to the state of their minds4 ,these principles settle that often asked question1 8,shall we know each other in the future life80 ,we shall1 if we are in the same state as to love and truth2 but if in different states1 we shall not1 but shall be separate2 and1 moreover1 we shall have no desire for acquaintance4 ,the only friendships in heaven are those formed on the ground of similarity of character4 ,if this similarity does not exist1--with the exception perhaps of a short meeting in the world of spirits--death is an everlasting1 though in such case not a mournful1 farewell4 ,there are governments in heaven1 various according to the varied classes of mind which compose the heavenly societies4 ,the government of mutual love is the only government which exists in heaven4 ,governors in heaven are distinguished by love and wisdom more than others1 and by willing well to all from love2 and knowing1 from their superior wisdom1 how to realize the good they purpose4 ,they do not domineer1 and command imperiously1 but minister and serve3 not making themselves greater than others1 but less2 for they put their own good last1 and the good of their society first3 nevertheless they enjoy honor and glory2 for they dwell in the midst of their society1 in a more elevated situation than others1 and inhabit magnificent palaces2 but they accept glory and honor1 not for the sake of themselves1 but for the sake of obedience2 for all in heaven know that they enjoy honor and glory from the ,lord1 and that1 therefore they ought to be obeyed4 ,these are the things which are meant by the ,lord's words to his disciples3 8,whosoever will be chief among you1 let him be your servant2 even as the ,son of ,man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister40 ,matthew xx4 #bg1 #bh4 8,he that is greatest among you1 let him be as the younger3 and he that is chief1 as he that doth serve40 ,luke xxii4 #bf4 ,a similar government prevails also in every house in heaven2 for in every house there is a master1 and there are servants1 the master loving the servants1 and the servants loving the master1 so that they serve each other from love4 ,the master teaches the servants how they ought to live1 and directs what they ought to do1 while the servants obey1 and perform their duties4 ,divine worship performed in heaven1 is much the same in externals1 as on earth4 ,in the heavens1 as on earth1 there are doctrines1 preachings1 and temples4 ,as the angels have houses and palaces1 so also they have temples in which preaching is performed4 ,such things exist in heaven because the angels are continually perfecting in wisdom and love4 ,but real divine worship in the heavens does not consist1 any more than on earth1 in frequenting temples1 and hearing sermons1 but in a life of love and usefulness2 sermons and prayers being only means whereby the mind is enlightened to perform its various duties4 8,to work is to pray10 is a heavenly precept which we should all do well to engrave upon our hearts4 ,the sermons of heaven are fraught with such wisdom that nothing of the kind in the world can be compared with them4 ,they are all drawn from the ,word4 ,the same ,bible that we read here1 the angels read in heaven2 but to them it is a very different book from what it is to us4 ,where we read and think of earthly and material things1 they read and think of spiritual and divine things4 ,to them its spiritual and celestial senses are as open as the natural sense is to us4 ,from the ,word they derive their highest wisdom2 and through continual converse with it1 they grow wiser and wiser day by day4 ,the ,word is the wisdom of the ,lord1 and eternity can not exhaust it4 ,all infants go to heaven1 whether born within the church or out of it2 whether of pious parents or wicked ones4 ,when infants die1 they are still infants in the other life4 ,they are not angels1 but become angels4 ,every one1 on his decease1 is in a similar state of life to that in which he was in the world2 an infant in the state of infancy1 a boy in a state of boyhood1 and a youth1 a man1 or an old man1 in the state of youth1 of manhood1 or of age2 but the state of every one is afterwards changed4 ,as soon as infants are raised from the dead1 which takes place immediately after decease1 they are carried up into heaven1 and delivered to the care of angels of the female sex1 who in the life of the body loved infants tenderly1 and at the same time loved ,god4 ,by these good angels1 they are educated and brought up until they attain a suitable age1 when they are transferred to other teachers4 ,they grow up and become young men and women2 are instructed in wisdom1 and trained in the duties of the heavenly life3 and when their character is fully developed1 they become settled in some society1 either of the celestial or spiritual kingdom1 in agreement with their inherited genius or disposition4 ,what a delightful faith is this6 ,do not its beauty and rationality prove its truthfulness8 ,many persons imagine that infants are forever infants in heaven1 and that there is indeed something infantile about all angels4 ,this idea probably arises from the pictures which are frequently seen1 in which angels are drawn as infants4 ,but this is a great mistake4 ,children in heaven grow up into young men and women1 and the aged return to the freshness of early manhood4 ,they who are in heaven are continually advancing to the spring-time of life1 and the more thousands of years they live1 the more delightful and happy is the spring to which they attain2 and this progression goes on to eternity4 ,good women who have died old and worn out with age1 after a succession of years come more and more into the flower of youth1 and into a beauty which exceeds all the conceptions of beauty which can be formed from what the eye has seen4 ,in a word1 to grow old in heaven is to grow young4 ,it is worthy of note1 that the human form of every man after death1 is beautiful in proportion as his love and practice of divine truths is interior4 ,the angels of the inmost heaven are consequently the most beautiful1 because their love of truth is the deepest1 and their lives are the most perfect4 8,i have seen10 says ,swedenborg1 8the faces of angels of the third heaven1 which were so beautiful1 that no painter1 with the utmost power of art1 could depict even a thousandth part of their light and life2 but the faces of the angels of the lowest heaven may1 in some measure1 be adequately depicted40 ,it is believed by many in the world that heaven is a place of idleness1 full of refined sensual delights1 of pleasant sights and harmonious sounds2 in short1 some such place as a laborious tradesman1 struggling for a fortune1 fancies he shall enjoy when his gains shall have enabled him to 8retire40 ,but this is a great mistake4 ,man's nature remains the same in heaven as on earth2 and who has not felt that his happiest moments are not those of mere pleasure and idleness1 but those in which he was rendering himself most eminently useful8 ,happiness is as little consonant with idleness in heaven as on earth4 ,jesus himself said3 8,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work40 ,john v4 #ag4 ,the angels are employed4 ,all the delights of heaven are conjoined with uses1 and are inherent in them4 ,in proportion to an angel's usefulness1 is his bliss4 ,some spirits1 we read1 conceived the opinion that heavenly happiness consisted in a life of ease1 and in being served by others2 but they were told that happiness by no means consists in mere rest from employment1 because every one would then desire to take away the happiness of others to promote his own2 and since all would have the same desire1 none would be happy2 that such a life would not be active but indolent1 and that indolence makes life torpid2 and that without activity there can be no happiness1 and that cessation from employment is only for the sake of recreation1 that a man may return1 with new vigor1 to the activity of his life4 ,they who entertained the idea that heavenly joy consists in a life of indolence1 and sucking in eternal delight without employment1 were allowed some experience of such a life2 and they perceived that it is most sorrowful1 and that all joy being destroyed1 they would after a time loathe and nauseate it4 ,some spirits who believed that heavenly joy consists solely in praising and celebrating ,god1 were instructed that to praise and celebrate ,god is not properly an active life2 and that ,god has no need of praise and celebration4 ,the ,lord's will is that all should perform uses2 and the angels testify that in the performance of good works is the highest freedom1 conjoined with ineffable delights4 ,from all this it follows that heaven is full of employments1 in comparison with which those of the world are few4 ,there are societies whose occupation consists in taking care of infants2 other societies1 whose employment is to instruct and educate them as they grow up2 others which in like manner instruct and educate the young2 others which instruct the simply good from the ,christian world1 and lead them in the ways of heaven2 others which perform the same office to ,gentile nations2 others which defend novitiate spirits1 or those who are newly arrived from the world1 from the infestations of evil spirits2 some also are attendant on those who are preparing in the world of spirits for heaven2 and some are present with those who are in hell1 to restrain them from tormenting each other beyond limit3 there are also others who attend those who are being raised from the dead4 ,in general1 angels of every society are sent to men1 that they may guard them1 and withdraw them from evil affections and consequent evil thoughts1 and inspire them with good affections1 so far as they are willing to receive them4 ,all these employments are performed by the ,lord through their instrumentality2 and hence it is that by angels in the ,word1 in its internal sense1 are not meant angels1 but something of the ,lord2 and for the same reason1 angels in the ,word are called gods4 ,these employments of the angels are their general employments1 but every one has his own particular duty2 for every general use is composed of innumerable others1 which are called mediate1 ministering1 and subservient uses4 ,but in heaven there are so many offices that it is impossible to enumerate them on account of their multitude4 ,all angels feel delight in their employment derived from the love of use1 and none from the love of self or of gain2 nor is any one influenced by the love of gain for the sake of his maintenance1 because all the necessaries of life are freely given them2 their habitations1 their clothes1 their food4 ,it is ,de ,quincey1 we think1 who accuses ,swedenborg of sensualizing heaven1 and reducing its sublime glories to the common order of things in this world4 ,the assertion could only have been made through want of personal acquaintance with the writings of ,swedenborg4 ,no one can use the words1 ,isaiah lxiv4 #d1 quoted by the ,apostle1 #a ,cor4 ii4 #i3 8,eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 neither have entered into the heart of man1 the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love him10 with more fervor and truth than the ,new ,church preacher4 ,everywhere we are told by ,swedenborg1 that the joys and delights of heaven transcend the highest power of language to express2 everywhere we are told that our highest ideas formed from natural things1 fall indefinitely short of the common realities of the heavenly life4 ,yet we also learn that the common humanities and pleasures of this life are not lost in the next2 and that as men and women we carry with us to our eternal home every faculty of thought and affection which we possess here4 ,in this most rational doctrine there is gain every way4 ,in thinking of heaven we know we can never overrate its bliss1 think as we will2 and yet with this idea is associated nothing of dreamy vagueness4 ,we feel that as we live well we are but walking onwards to a pleasant home1 in which all that is truest and best in this life will go with us4 ,what stronger incentive can a man have to a pure and religious life than this divine faith4 ,entertaining it1 with what feeling may he1 at the close of life1 utter the poet's words1-- 8,draw near1 sweet death2 ,come raise me into life60 ,the condition of admission into heaven is the possession of a soul whose existence is a continual fulfillment of those two commandments on which the ,lord says1 8hang all the law and the prophets0--love to ,god1 and love to man4 ,to enter heaven1 we must habitually place self last1 and our neighbor first2 and unless we can do this1 we can never know eternal bliss4 ,now we are born into this world selfish2 and hence it is truly said we are hereditarily depraved4 ,it is the ,divine will to take all to heaven4 ,to do this1 it is necessary that we should be divested of our corrupt hereditary nature2 as the ,lord said to ,nicodemus3 8,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god40 ,this regeneration of mind1 this change from a supreme love of self1 to a supreme love of ,god and our neighbor1 is1 of necessity1 a gradual work4 ,it is not accomplished in a day1 nor in a month1 nor in a year4 ,like all ,divine works1 it proceeds gradually1 step by step2 8first the blade1 then the ear1 after that the full corn in the ear40 ,the regeneration of man is a ,divine work1 and as the ,divine end in the creation of man was the formation of heaven out of the human race1 the ,lord's providence is unceasingly exerted to draw man out of evil1 by all means consonant with the maintenance of the inalienable freedom of his will4 ,it thus follows that the ,lord1 in all his dealings with man1 has respect solely to his eternal state1 and amid all the apparent accidents and vicissitudes of life1 he is present1 bending them and making them all conduce to man's everlasting peace4 ,life in this world1 its cares1 trials1 pleasures1 comforts1 friendships1 sympathies1 and affections1 form the divinely-appointed regenerative process2 and those who will only believe this great truth1 and submit to the ,divine leading1 will encounter nothing in life but what is good for them2 and existence here1 however bitter and painful at times1 will resolve itself into a series of lessons devised by infinite wisdom to uproot all latent and known evils1 transforming the patient sufferer into a true child of ,god4 ,the ,lord permits one man to be rich1 powerful1 and famous1 and another to be afflicted with disease and perplexed with poverty2 one to have a settled and calm peace of mind1 while another is tried and tormented with doubts and anxieties2 nor for any ultimate purpose on earth1 but solely as a means of spiritual regeneration1--as a means of making man happy in the eternal life to come4 ,all man's states are under the minute guardianship of the ,lord2 and each day comes round with its circle of pleasant and unpleasant occurrences1 often1 apparently1 the result of accident and chance1 but in truth all provided of the ,divine ,providence for the eradication of evil1 and the growth and nurture of goodness4 ,there is no trial encountered1 no circumstance met1 or cross endured1 but has its eternal issue2 and man's conduct in relation to it is looked upon by the ,lord with a love and interest infinitely transcending our highest conception4 ,all has been foreseen2 and these daily recurring tasks are appointed by that wisdom which guides the stars in their courses1 and by that love which requires eternity to satisfy the ardor with which it would bless4 ,with what dignity does such a faith clothe existence6 ,what earnestness and celestial patience must it infuse into life6 ,from all that has now been said1 it will be very evident that heaven is not a gift of immediate ,divine mercy1 to be obtained by a verbal confession of faith at the hour of death4 ,if man could be saved by immediate mercy1 all would be saved2 even the inhabitants of hell1 and hell itself would not exist2 because the ,lord is ,mercy itself1 ,love itself1 and ,good itself1 and wills the salvation of all1 and the damnation of no one4 ,but man's spirit is substantial2 and if formed to evil1 to change it would be equivalent to annihilation4 8,the angels declare that it were easier to change a bat into a dove1 or an owl into a bird of paradise1 than to change an infernal spirit into an angel of heaven40 8,ample experience10 writes ,swedenborg1 8enables me to testify that it is impossible to implant the life of heaven in those who have led an opposite life in the world4 ,there were some who believed that they should easily receive divine truths after death1 when they heard them from the angels2 and that they would believe them then1 amend their lives1 and be received into heaven2 and the experiment was made on great numbers of them1 in order that they might be convinced that repentance is not possible after death4 ,some understood the truths they heard1 and seemed to receive them2 but as soon as they returned to the life of their love1 they rejected them1 and even argued against them4 ,some rejected them instantly1 from entire unwillingness to hear them2 but others were desirous that the life of the love they had contracted in the world1 might be taken away from them2 and that angelic life1 the life of heaven1 might be infused in its place4 ,this was permitted2 but when the life of their love was taken away1 they lay as if dead1 and deprived of all their faculties4 ,from this it was manifest that no one's life can possibly be changed after death1 that evil life can not be changed into good life1 nor the life of an infernal into that of an angel2 because every spirit is from head to foot of the same quality as his love1 and therefore of the same quality as his life2 and consequently to transmute his life into its opposite is to destroy him altogether40 ,all this goes to confirm the ,lord's declaration before quoted1 8,except a man be born again1 he can not see the kingdom of ,god40 ,on no other terms can heavenly bliss be gained4 ,we now come to speak of the ,world of ,spirits1 which ,swedenborg thus defines3 8,the world of spirits is neither heaven nor hell1 but an intermediate place or state between both1 into which man enters immediately after death2 and then after a certain period1 the duration of which is determined by the quality of his life in the world1 he is either elevated into heaven1 or cast into hell4 8,the spirits in the world of spirits are immensely numerous1 because that world is the general assembly of all immediately after their resurrection1 and all are examined there and prepared for their final abode2 but the length of their sojourn in that world is not in all cases the same4 ,some only enter it1 and are immediately taken up into heaven1 or cast down into hell2 some remain there a few weeks1 and others several years1 but none 7since the ,last ,judgment17 more than thirty years40 ,a belief in the existence of an intermediate state has been entertained in all times and churches1 except among ,protestants1 who1 in their anxiety to divest themselves of every remnant of ,popery1 rejected the doctrine entirely1 through aversion to the follies of ,purgatory4 ,a return to the truth is however slowly taking place2 not a few ,protestant divines having expressed their faith in the existence of ,hades1 or the intermediate state alluded to in the literal sense of ,scripture4 ,but the world of spirits is not to be thought of as a revived idea of ,purgatory4 ,the soul of no man is changed in the world of spirits4 8,as the tree falls so it lies40 ,the discipline of this life is perfected at death1 and its opportunities never return4 ,the world of spirits is a place where the externals of man are brought into correspondence with his internals2 for no one1 either in heaven or in hell1 is allowed to have a divided mind1 understanding one thing and willing another4 ,what any one wills1 he must understand1 and what he understands he must will2 therefore he who wills good in heaven1 must understand truth2 and he who wills evil in hell1 must understand falsities4 ,on this account also1 falses are removed from the good in the world of spirits1 and there are given them truths which agree and harmonize with their good2 but truths are removed from the evil1 and they take to themselves falses which agree and harmonize with their evil4 ,let us explain this subject further4 ,we suppose the generality of our readers will admit that countless thousands of good men and women among the ,mahommedans1 ,chinese1 ,hindoos1 and all the heathen nations1 who live according to the measure of their light1 are saved and taken to heaven4 ,but it is very evident that they can not go to heaven carrying with them false notions on religious subjects1 and knowing nothing of that good ,lord into whose kingdom they are about to pass4 ,they must be instructed4 ,they must have errors removed from their minds1 and truths implanted in their stead4 ,time is required to effect these changes1 and the world of spirits is the school in which the process is accomplished4 ,instruction in truth is readily received by the simply good2 and after being enlightened and purified from falsity1 they are led to their eternal homes among the blessed--to those of a disposition and order of mind like themselves4 ,then1 again1 among ,christians1 there are many who die with slight failings pertaining to them1 with infirmities of temper1 with bad habits of one kind and another2 yet who are really sound-hearted and good men4 ,their lot can not be hell2 yet with these flaws in their character1 their presence in heaven could not be pleasant1 because their state of mind is at variance with the perfect order and peace of heaven4 ,such1 then1 remain in the world of spirits1 passing through trials1 and temptations1 and sufferings1 until they reject all that is disorderly and impure4 ,the processes by which this removal of external evils is accomplished1 are frequently extremely painful1 and extend over many years4 ,their removal might with less difficulty have been accomplished in the present life4 ,the ,lord warns us of this in these words3 8,agree with thine adversary quickly1 while thou art in the way with him2 lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge1 and the judge deliver thee to the officer1 and thou be cast into prison4 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing40 ,matthew v4 #be1 #bf4 ,our adversary is the truth4 ,truth is ever an adversary to the evil4 ,elijah the prophet represented the ,divine ,truth4 ,when he approached the wicked ,ahab1 ,ahab cried3 8,hast thou found me1 ,o mine enemy80 8,in the way with him0 is in the present life2 and the 8prison0 is the world of spirits1 often so called in the ,word1 out of which we shall not be delivered until entirely divested of selfish affections1 and false principles of thought4 ,how practical1 thus viewed1 becomes our ,lord's advice6 ,but without a knowledge of the world of spirits1 and the spiritual sense of ,scripture1 it is quite mystical and unintelligible4 ,there are many in the ,christian world who have confirmed their minds in false ideas on many religious doctrines4 ,with such erroneous ideas they can not enter heaven1 where truth alone prevails4 ,they therefore remain in the world of spirits until1 through instruction1 they see and reject the false persuasions they had contracted on earth4 ,in some cases1 where false doctrine has been deeply reasoned upon1 and ground1 as it were1 into the mind1 the process of its removal and rejection is attended with deep and prolonged suffering4 ,as the good reject all false ideas in the world of spirits1 so the evil cast off all true ones4 ,it may be asked1 ,why8 ,why should bad be made worse8 ,bad is not made worse4 ,it is for the peace of the evil themselves that they should be divested of all truth4 ,the presence of truth with the wicked only adds to their torment by the continual protest it makes against their sin4 ,it is also well that the evil lose all truth1 for the sake of the good1 whom they might trouble and disturb through the power that truth would afford them to assume an angelic appearance2 to become wolves in sheep's clothing2 or as ,paul states it1 8,satan transforming himself into an angel of light40 ,hypocrites1 who have used truth to subserve their own selfish ends1 remain longer than others in the world of spirits1 and endure much suffering ere they allow their means of subtlety and mischief to depart from them4 ,the process of divesting the evil of the truths they possess1 is described by the ,lord in these words3 8,take heed1 therefore1 how ye hear3 for whosoever hath1 to him shall be given2 and whosoever hath not1 from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have40 ,luke viii4 #ah4 ,what is heard is truth4 ,the good alone have truth1 for their goodness loves truth1 and cherishes it4 ,truth thus loved1 multiplies2 therefore it is said1 8more shall be given40 ,the bad may have truth in their memory1 may use it for selfish purposes1 and talk much about it2 nevertheless it is not theirs4 ,their internal evil hates it4 8,every one that doeth evil hateth the light20 and in the future life the truth which he seemed to have1 is taken from him4 ,how just1 and at the same time how merciful1 is this judgment6 ,hell is the congregation of all evil spirits4 ,as there are many heavens1 so likewise there are many hells4 ,as the inhabitants of heaven are arranged from similarity of goodness and truth1 so the inhabitants of hell are arranged from similarity of evil and falsity4 ,the hells are arranged so distinctly according to the differences of evil1 that nothing more orderly and distinct can be conceived4 ,the ,lord1 speaking through ,david1 says3 ,psalm lxxxvi4 #ac3 8,thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell40 ,thus from ,scripture we derive a direct proof1 if proof were wanted1 of the gradations of evil4 ,there are several other texts to the same effect4 ,the scenery of hell1 like that of heaven1 is in perfect correspondence with the states of those there4 ,it is an outbirth from the minds of its inhabitants2 and as they are deformed and full of every pollution1 so their scenery is full of horrors and things abominable4 8,in hell there is no sun1 but the inhabitants roam in darkness corresponding to themselves1 for they are darkness3 their light is artificial1 as of coal fires1 meteors1 ignes fatui1 and the lights of night4 ,they inhabit scenery of which they are the souls1 as bogs1 fens1 tangled forests1 caverns1 dreary deserts1 charred and ruined cities4 ,in the milder hells1 there appear1 as it were1 rude cottages1 which are in some cases contiguous1 and resemble the streets and lanes of a city4 ,within the houses infernal spirits are engaged in continual quarrels1 enmities1 blows1 and violences1 while the streets and lanes are full of robberies and depredations4 ,the inhabitants are at continual war1 hating and tormenting one another1 and the cruelties they practice are indescribable40 8,it is impossible to give a description of the horrible forms of the spirits of hell4 ,no two are alike1 although there is a general likeness in those who are in the same evil4 ,they are forms of contempt of others1 of menace against those who do not pay them respect1 of hatreds of various kinds1 and of revenge2 and in these forms1 outrage and cruelty are transparent from within2 but when others commend1 venerate1 and worship them1 their faces are drawn up1 and have an appearance of gladness arising from delight4 ,some of their faces are direful and void of life1 like corpses2 some are black1 and others fiery1 like torches2 others are disfigured by pimples1 warts1 and ulcers2 and frequently no face appears1 but instead of a face something hairy and bony1 and sometimes nothing but teeth4 ,their bodies are monstrous1 and their speech is the speech of anger1 of hatred1 of revenge2 for every one speaks from his own false1 and the tone of his voice is from his own evil4 ,in a word they are all images of their own hell40 8,and does ,swedenborg relate such horrors80 some may ask4 ,for facts1 we answer1 ,swedenborg is not to blame4 ,like the ,israelites of old1 we would fain have our prophets 8speak unto us smooth things40 ,let us rid ourselves of all morbid delicacy1 and seek to know the truth4 ,we should all do well to peruse with patience those pages wherein our author narrates the horrors of hell1 so that we may see1 shun1 and detest the evils which make hell4 ,it is well that every man should know whither his lust1 his pride1 his avarice1 or anger1 is leading him4 ,if he shudder1 it is for his eternal good4 ,the universal hell1 like heaven1 is as one man1--not of beauty1 as heaven1 but a hideous monster4 ,in its collective capacity1 it is the ,devil and ,satan2 the ,devil is the name of its evil1 and ,satan is the name of its falsity4 ,there is no individual evil spirit ruling hell1 and bearing either of those names4 ,an enlightened view of ,scripture confirms this doctrine in every point1 and rids us of the innumerable absurdities which the commonly received theory in regard to the ,devil involves4 ,there is no spirit in hell who was not once a man on earth4 ,there is no spirit in hell who was ever an angel in heaven4 ,the ,lord himself rules the hells1 and by all means possible restrains their violence and mitigates their suffering4 ,some people believe that ,god turns away his face from man1 rejects him1 and casts him into hell1 and that he is angry with him on account of his evils2 and others go still further1 and affirm that ,god punishes man1 and brings evil upon him4 ,they also confirm this opinion from the literal sense of the ,word1 in which expressions occur that appear to sustain it4 ,but these opinions are formed through ignorance of the real sense of these passages1 and from a blind neglect of others1 the literal sense of which teaches that ,god is goodness and mercy itself1 and that fury is not in him4 ,isaiah xxvii4 #d4 ,true doctrine declares that the ,lord never turns away his face from man1 never rejects him1 never casts any one into hell1 and is never angry4 ,the ,lord is continually withdrawing man from evil and leading him to good2 but man's freedom is never taken away4 ,if man will love evil and will do perversely1 the ,lord does not prevent4 ,that man should go to hell is at variance with the ,divine design2 but to infringe man's freedom would be to destroy his life and take from him all that is human1 reducing him to the level of a machine or a brute4 ,those who are in hell1 cast themselves down thither1 and keep themselves where they are4 8,this is10 as ,wilkinson says1 8he last dogma of free will1--that of a finite being perpetuating for ever his own evil1 standing fast to selfishness without end1 excluding ,omnipotence in all its dispensations1 and making the #8will not' into an everlasting #8cannot1' to maintain itself out of heaven1 and contrary to heaven40 ,this is a very brief abstract of the leading ideas in ,swedenborg's wondrous treatise on ,heaven and ,hell4 ,we are well aware how far short it falls of doing full justice to the work4 ,let us hope that what has been said may induce some to make a personal acquaintance with it2 and then they will understand the difficulties we labor under in condensing within a few pages its multitudinous facts and closely linked logic4 ,it remains only to add1 that the treatise on ,heaven and ,hell has been translated into ,english1 ,french1 and ,german4 ,the ,english editions have been many1 and in some cases large4 ,the latest may be accepted as a sign of the times1 being in the form of an eighteen-penny volume1 a second edition of which has been called for4 ,we lay no claim to the gift of prophecy1 but we feel certain that the time is coming when ,swedenborg's 8,heaven and ,hell0 will be the most popular and extensively read of religious books4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the ,white ,horse--,the ,earths in the ,universe--,the ,new ,jerusalem and its ,heavenly ,doctrine4 #a4 ,the treatise on the ,white ,horse mentioned in the ,apocalypse1 forms a tract of about twenty pages4 ,it is an exposition of the spiritual sense of ,revelation xix4 #aa-af4 ,it is shown that by the heavens being opened1 the ,white ,horse1 and its rider1 are represented the ,lord and his ,word1 and the quality of those to whom the internal truth of the ,word is revealed4 ,the particulars of the text are all gone into and expounded1 and copious references made to the ,arcana ,clestia for fuller details4 ,it is to be noted that voluminous as are ,swedenborg's theological works1 that they form one harmonious whole bound together in the unity of truth1 and mutually confirming each other4 ,literature1 we believe1 contains no example of so great a mass of writing permeated with such a consistent spirit1 and so little affected by the author's humors and fluctuations of mood4 ,so far does this uniform spirit extend1 that1 had it been possible1 we might imagine his many volumes had been struck out of thought in one short day1 instead of being written continuously through a course of nearly thirty years4 ,in this small treatise we have a list of the books in our ,bible which form the true ,word of ,god4 ,they are1 in the ,old ,testament1 the five books of ,moses2 the book of ,joshua2 the book of ,judges2 the two books of ,samuel2 the two books of ,kings2 the ,psalms of ,david2 the ,prophets1 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 the ,lamentations1 ,ezekiel1 ,daniel1 ,hosea1 ,joel1 ,amos1 ,obadiah1 ,jonah1 ,micah1 ,nahum1 ,habakkuk1 ,zephaniah1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 ,malachi2 and1 in the ,new ,testament1 the four ,evangelists1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john2 and the ,revelation4 ,the rest have not the internal sense1 and are not to be regarded as a part of the inspired ,word4 ,we shall have to speak of the plenary inspiration of the ,word1 when we come to ,swedenborg's treatise on the ,sacred ,scripture1 and show how broad is the line of distinction between the ,word of ,god and the writings of men4 ,it requires but a slight acquaintance with the doctrine of correspondences1 to perceive that this distinction between the books contained within the covers of the authorized version of the ,bible is not arbitrary2 that it is a distinction as marked and visible as that between ,god and man1 or nature and art4 ,apart1 however1 from the doctrine of correspondences1 the distinction may be sustained by the authority of the ,jews1 and the indirect testimony of many of the ,fathers of the ,christian ,church1 coupled with numerous natural reasons founded on a critical examination of style1 etc4 8,the book of ,job10 says ,swedenborg1 8was a book of the ,ancient ,church10 and therefore1 with the exception of the first chapters of ,genesis1 is the oldest portion of the ,bible4 ,it has a kind of internal sense1 but not like that of the ,word4 ,the exclusion of the ,epistles from the ,books of the ,word1 is perhaps1 to a new reader1 the most startling of ,swedenborg's announcements4 ,for this exclusion and its reasons1 we will simply quote his own words4 ,writing to ,dr4 ,beyer1 he says3 8,with regard to the writings of ,st4 ,paul1 and the other ,apostles1 ,i have not given them a place in my #8,arcana ,clestia1' because they are dogmatic writings merely1 and are not written in the style of the ,word1 as are those of the ,prophets1 of ,david1 of the ,evangelists1 and of the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john4 ,the style of the ,word consists throughout in correspondences1 and thence effects immediate communication with heaven2 but the style of these dogmatic writings is quite different1 having1 indeed1 communication with heaven1 but only mediately or indirectly4 ,the reason why the ,apostles wrote in this style1 was1 that the ,first ,christian ,church was then to begin through them2 consequently1 the same style as is used in the ,word would not have been proper for such doctrinal tenets1 which required plain and simple language1 suited to the capacities of all readers4 ,nevertheless1 the writings of the ,apostles are very good books for the ,church1 inasmuch as they insist on the doctrine of charity1 and faith from charity1 as strongly as the ,lord himself has done in the ,gospels1 and the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john1 as will appear evidently to any one who studies these writings with attention40 #b4 ,the treatise on the 8,earths in the ,universe0 is formed from several of those portions of the 8,arcana ,clestia10 occurring between the chapters1 expository of the spiritual sense of ,genesis and ,exodus4 ,it forms a pamphlet of about fifty pages4 ,many and prolonged have been the discussions as to whether other planets are1 like our own1 the abodes of human beings4 ,great as has been the progress of astronomical science1 the learned are yet far from being unanimous on the question1 as is evident from the recent controversy between ,prof4 ,whewell and ,sir ,david ,brewster4 ,swedenborg does not entertain us with prolix reasonings as to whether or not the earths of the universe are inhabited4 ,that was a question far too trivial for his masculine understanding4 ,he saw that these vast spaces were not formed by the ,lord1 except for the highest end1 the creation of a heaven of intelligent human beings1 capable of satisfying the infinite desires of ,divine ,love4 ,the earths of the universe are peopled even as our own globe1 or are in course of preparation for it4 ,any other view than this is unworthy of acceptance1 and dishonorable to the highest truths of reason and revelation4 ,swedenborg was permitted to see1 and hold converse with1 the inhabitants of other earths2 and most interesting are his relations concerning them4 ,wilkinson aptly remarks that the work now under consideration 8may be characterized as a ,report on the ,religion of the ,universe40 ,swedenborg tells us that the dwellers in these distant spheres think of the ,lord and worship him4 ,he describes the quality of their love and wisdom1 and how they conduct themselves toward each other4 ,it is a pleasant thought that the people of this world are the worst of humanity1 the most sensual1 and the least abounding in true intelligence and spirituality4 ,in other words there is sin1 and its consequent suffering1 arising from the same cause as with us2 but it is not so deep nor so wide spread4 ,the fact of the ,divine ,incarnation is likewise known in other worlds1 and is regarded as the great truth of faith4 ,swedenborg affirms that the moon is inhabited4 ,we know that even those scientific men who hold to the doctrine of a plurality of worlds1 do not believe in the habitability of the moon2 because1 say they1 it lacks alike water and atmosphere4 ,to say that it has no atmosphere is very unphilosophical4 ,the atmosphere may not be of the same density as that of our earth2 but that it should have no sphere or aura around it1 we cannot for a moment believe4 ,swedenborg tells us that the ,lunarians are dwarfs1 like boys of seven years old1 with robust bodies and pleasant countenances4 ,they do not speak from their lungs1 on account of the attenuated nature of their atmosphere1 but from a quantity of air collected in the abdomen4 ,it is but just to state that ,swedenborg speaks of ,saturn as the outermost planet of the solar system1 he not being permitted to anticipate ,herschel or ,neptune4 ,an opponent might make merry over this1 and say3 8,don't you see that ,swedenborg was but a dreamer8 ,how could he know aught of the inhabitants of other earths when he did not even know that beyond ,saturn rolled two immense worlds80 ,we reply1 that it would have been disorderly for him to have become possessed of such knowledge by spiritual means4 8,but how so80 ,because it would have compelled belief in the spiritual doctrines he taught1 without due thought and examination1 as soon as science had established the existence of these orbs2 because miracles and prophecy are not permitted in these times1 for they force and destroy man's freedom4 ,how easy it would be for the ,lord to witness to the truth of ,his ,word by supernatural signs in the natural world6 ,yet he does not1 although belief in his ,word1 and life according to it1 is essential to man's highest happiness4 ,belief so induced would be worthless1 because compelled4 ,it may be said that this is mere special pleading2 but it is not so4 ,the laws laid down in a later work of ,swedenborg's1 on the 8,divine ,providence10 fortify1 in a most rational manner1 the truth as we have endeavoured to set it forth4 ,it is also to be remarked that natural truth must be discovered by its appropriate means1--natural investigation4 ,it was necessary that ,swedenborg should be skilled in all natural science previous to his illumination1 so that he might possess a basis for many spiritual facts which could neither have been expressed nor made intelligible without at the same time giving their correspondence in nature4 ,it would have been altogether contrary to the ,divine order to have taken ,swedenborg in his early youth and ignorance1 and1 making him a seer1 have communicated natural truth to him in a supernatural manner4 #c4 8,the ,new ,jerusalem and its ,heavenly ,doctrine0 is a brief exposition of the leading truths of the ,new ,church4 ,after each of its chapters follow references1 7in some cases more extensive than the chapter itself17 to the 8,arcana ,clestia40 ,these references1 so numerous in ,swedenborg's writings1 do not form a dry and unreadable index1 but may be looked on as a series of precepts pertaining to moral and spiritual life4 ,were we gathering a volume of gems of thought1 we should find an abundance to suit our purposes in these references4 ,this work has been printed as a cheap pamphlet4 ,we know of no other work which could more appropriately be placed in the hands of a stranger desiring to know1 without much reading1 the nature of those doctrines which ,swedenborg was commissioned to reveal to the world4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,anecdotes4 ,the trite observation that the lives of literary men are devoid of those incidents which make up a stirring and lively biography1 applies with great truth to the career of ,swedenborg4 ,his quiet and unostentatious life afforded but few materials for anecdotes2 hence we have but faint traces of his outward course4 ,while writing the works we have just noticed1 from #agdg to #ageh1 the principal portion of his time must have been passed in ,london4 ,few men in those days were capable of sympathy or communion with the elevated and spiritualized mind of ,swedenborg4 ,yet though living as it were alone1 he could not have been melancholy or desolate4 ,under the care and guidance of the ,lord1 favored with the company and converse of angels1 and enjoying the consciousness of fulfilling high and holy duties1 he had every reason to be the cheerful and contented man that contemporary testimony represents him4 ,his evenings he used often to spend with his printer1 ,mr4 ,hart1 of ,poppin's court1 ,fleet street4 ,mrs4 ,lewis1 his publisher's wife1 knew him1 and 8thought him a good and sensible man1 but too apt to spiritualize things40 ,beyond a few particulars such as these1 we know nothing of his private life4 ,on the #aith of ,july1 #agei1 we find ,swedenborg at ,gottenburg4 ,here occurred the following circumstance1 of which ,immanuel ,kant1 the celebrated transcendentalist1 is the narrator4 8,on ,saturday1 at #d o'clock1 ,p4 ,m410 says ,kant1 8when ,swedenborg arrived at ,gottenburg from ,england1 ,mr4 ,william ,castel invited him to his house1 together with a party of fifteen persons4 ,about #f o'clock1 ,swedenborg went out1 and after a short interval returned to the company1 quite pale and alarmed4 ,he stated that a dangerous fire had just broken out in ,stockholm1 at ,sundermalm1 7distant three hundred miles from ,gottenburg17 and that it was spreading very fast4 ,he was restless1 and went out often4 ,he said that the house of one of his friends1 whom he named1 was already in ashes1 and that his own was in danger4 ,at #h o'clock1 after he had been out again1 he joyfully exclaimed3 #8,thank ,god6 the fire is extinguished the third door from my house4' ,this news occasioned great commotion among the company4 ,it was announced to the governor the same evening4 ,the next morning1 ,swedenborg was sent for by the governor1 who questioned him concerning the disaster4 ,swedenborg described the fire precisely1 how it had begun1 in what manner it had ceased1 and how long it had continued4 ,on the same day the news was spread through the city2 and as the governor had thought it worthy of attention1 the consternation was considerably increased1 as many were in trouble on account of their friends and property1 which might have been involved in the disaster4 ,on ,monday evening1 a messenger arrived at ,gottenburg1 who was despatched during the time of the fire4 ,in the letters brought by him1 the fire was described precisely in the manner stated by ,swedenborg4 ,on ,tuesday morning1 a royal courier arrived at the governor's with the melancholy intelligence of the fire1 of the loss it had occasioned1 and of the houses damaged and ruined1 not in the least differing from that which ,swedenborg had given the moment it had ceased3 the fire had been extinguished at #h o'clock4 8,what10 continues ,kant1 8can be brought forward against the authenticity of this occurrence8 ,my friend who wrote this to me1 has not only examined the circumstances of this extraordinary case at ,stockholm1 but also1 about two months ago1 at ,gottenburg1 where he is acquainted with the most respectable houses1 and where he could obtain the most authentic and complete information1 as the greatest part of the inhabitants1 who are still alive1 were witnesses to the memorable occurrence40 ,this narrative is taken from a letter written by ,kant1 in #agfh1 to ,charlotte de ,knobloch1 a lady of quality4 ,kant1 it may be remarked1 was no adherent of ,swedenborg's4 ,two years before writing this letter1 he had attacked him in a small work entitled1 8,dreams of the ,great ,seer ,illustrated by ,dreams of ,metaphysics40 ,received from such a source1 we can entertain no doubt as to the truth of the story4 ,at home1 in ,stockholm1 ,swedenborg did not fail to excite much curiosity and attention1 and his conduct and deportment were carefully watched4 ,it was observed that he seldom went to church1 or received the sacrament4 ,this was owing partly to the contrariety of the ,lutheran doctrine to his own views1 and partly1 ,robsahm says1 to the disease of the stone1 which troubled him4 ,in #agfj1 two bishops1 his relations1 remonstrated with him in a friendly manner upon his remissness4 ,he answered1 that1 religious observances were not so necessary for him as for others1 as he was associated with angels4 ,they then represented that his example would be valuable1 by which argument he suffered himself to be persuaded4 ,a few days previously to receiving the sacrament1 he asked his old domestics to whom he should resort for the purpose1 for 8he was not much acquainted with the different preachers40 ,the elder chaplain was mentioned4 ,swedenborg objected that 8he was a passionate man and a fiery zealot1 and that he had heard him thundering from the pulpit with little satisfaction40 ,the assistant chaplain was then proposed1 who was not so popular with the congregation4 ,swedenborg said1 8,i prefer him to the other1 for ,i hear that he speaks what he thinks1 and by this means has lost the good-will of his people1 as generally happens in this world40 ,accordingly he took the sacrament from this curate4 8,in general10 says ,robsahm1 8,swedenborg would not enter into dispute on matters of religion4 ,if he was necessitated to defend himself1 he did it with mildness and in a few words2 but if any one would not be convinced1 and became warm in argument1 he retired1 saying1 #8,read my writings attentively and without prejudice2 they will answer you in my stead1 and will afford you reason to change your ideas and opinions on such things4' 8,he used1 at first1 freely to speak of his visions and spiritual explications of the ,scriptures2 but as this displeased the clergy1 who proclaimed him a heretic and madman1 he resolved to be less communicative of his knowledge in company1 or1 at least1 more cautious1 lest the censorious should have room to blame what they could not comprehend like himself4 ,i once10 says ,robsahm1 8addressed the rector of the parish where he lived1 an old and respected clergyman1 asking him what he thought of ,swedenborg's visions and explanations of the ,bible4 ,the venerable man answered3 #8,god alone can judge of this2 but ,i can not think him to be such a person as many do2 ,i have myself conversed with him1 and in company where we have been together1 and ,i have found him to be a good and a holy man4' 8,it was remarkable that ,swedenborg never endeavored to persuade any person to receive his opinions4 ,he was in nowise led by that self-love which is observable in those who publish new opinions concerning church doctrines2 neither did he seek to make many proselytes1 not even communicating his thoughts and sentiments1 except to those whom he thought virtuous1 disposed to hear them with moderation1 capable of comprehending them1 and lovers of truth4 8,it is a very singular circumstance10 continues ,robsahm1 8that all who have read the writings of ,swedenborg1 with a desire to refute them1 have finished the attempt by adhering to his sentiments40 ,this assertion must be received1 however1 with qualification4 ,though busied with the composition of his works1 and immersed in spiritual contemplations1 ,swedenborg was not forgetful of the world and of his duties to his country4 ,in #agfa he took part in the ,swedish ,diet or ,parliament4 ,three of his memorials or addresses to the ,diet1 are preserved4 ,in the first of these he congratulates the ,house upon its meetings1 and counsels the redress of all grievances which cause disaffection4 ,in the second he advocates an alliance with ,france instead of ,england from prudential motives1 at the same time strongly protesting against the evil of despotic governments1 and the danger to liberty in the extension of the ,roman ,catholic faith4 ,the third memorial is on the subject of finance4 ,count ,hopken1 the ,swedish prime minister at that time1 leaves on record that 8the most solid memorials1 and the best penned1 at the ,diet of #agfa1 on matters of finance1 were presented by ,swedenborg2 in one of which he refuted a large work in #dto on the same subject1 quoted the corresponding passages of it1 and all in less than one sheet40 ,he was likewise a member of the secret committee of the ,diet1 an office to which only the most sage and virtuous were elected4 ,consider1 reader1 for a moment1 the dignity1 the wisdom1 and the abounding common sense which must have permeated the whole being of ,swedenborg1 to enable him to live down the obloquy attached to the name of a 8ghost-seer10 and be received with high favor and acceptance by men of the world1 sceptical and sensual6 ,soon afterwards ,swedenborg left ,stockholm2 and we find him in ,july1 #agfb1 at ,amsterdam4 ,jung ,stilling received from a friend the following interesting anecdote respecting him at this time4 8,i was in ,amsterdam10 says he1 8in #agfb1 in a company in which ,swedenborg was present1 on the very day that ,peter ,,iii41 ,emperor of ,russia1 died4 ,in the midst of our conversation his countenance changed1 and it was evident that his soul was no longer there1 and that something extraordinary was passing in him4 ,as soon as he came to himself again1 he was asked what had happened to him4 ,he would not at first communicate it2 but at length1 after having been repeatedly pressed1 he said3 #8,this very hour1 the ,emperor ,peter ,,iii4 has died in his prison1' mentioning at the same time the manner of his death4 #8,gentlemen will please to note down the day1 that they may be able to compare it with the intelligence of his death in the newspapers4' ,the newspapers subsequently announced the ,emperor's death as having taken place on that day40 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,doctrines of the ,lord--,the ,sacred ,scripture1 ,faith1 and ,life4 ,in #agfc1 ,swedenborg published1 at ,amsterdam1 the following works3--#a4 ,the ,doctrine of the ,new ,jerusalem respecting the ,lord2 #b4 ,the ,sacred ,scripture2 #c4 ,faith2 #d4 ,life2 #e4 ,continuation respecting the ,last ,judgment and the ,destruction of ,babylon2 and #f4 ,angelic ,wisdom concerning the ,divine ,love and the ,divine ,wisdom4 ,we will now speak of these works seriatim4 #a4 ,the ,doctrine of the ,new ,jerusalem concerning the ,lord1 is a small treatise3 but within its limits is concentrated so much light and rationality1 that we might say the question it deals with was finally settled1 did we not too well know the perversity and pertinacity of theological error1 in closing the mind against the perception of truth1 though it were manifested with angelic wisdom4 ,the great truth in the treatise is the ,supreme ,divinity of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,this truth is brought forth from the collation of nearly every passage of ,scripture which1 in the literal sense1 bears upon the subject4 ,it is shown1 by an invincible logic1 that there is but one ,god2 and that1 in the ,bible itself1 the doctrine of three persons in the ,godhead is not to be found4 ,it is then shown that ,god the ,lord1 in the fullness of time1 came to earth1 and put on human nature1 or became incarnate4 ,the object sought to be effected by the incarnation1 was the salvation of man4 ,from the days of ,adam1 mankind had been treading a downward path4 ,through wickedness1 all true faith and spirituality had perished4 ,hell had drawn near to men1 even to the possession of their bodies1 as we read in the ,gospels4 ,isaiah describes the state of mankind thus3 8,hell hath enlarged herself1 and opened her mouth without measure40 ,humanity was thus hastening to destruction1 and final extinction4 ,but the ,lord ,jehovah interposed4 ,clothing himself with an arm of flesh1 he met the powers of hell on their own ground2 and rendering himself accessible to their attacks1 in a series of the most direful temptation-combats1 ,he reduced ,hell to order1 and redeemed mankind forever from the absolute dominion of devils4 ,but this was not all4 ,the human nature that the ,lord had assumed1 full of hereditary corruption1 was taken from the race of ,jewish kings1 the most depraved and perverted to be found on earth4 ,he purified1 glorified1 and made it divine1 ascending with it to heaven4 ,the new influences flowing through the medium of this ,divine ,humanity1 are called the ,holy ,spirit4 ,of the truth of this we have the most convincing proof in ,john vii4 #ci1 where it is said1 8the ,holy ,ghost was not yet1 because ,jesus was not yet glorified40 ,from this it is very evident that the ,trinity is not1 as commonly taught1 a ,trinity of persons1 but of principles4 ,in ourselves we see a finite image of this ,divine and ,infinite ,trinity4 ,the soul of man may be taken as the representative of ,jehovah2 his body represents the ,divine ,humanity1 or ,jesus ,christ2 and his action or influence on others corresponds to the ,holy ,spirit4 ,regarded in this light1 that most mystical and incomprehensible dogma of three ,persons1 and yet one ,god1 is annihilated1 and we come into the enjoyment of a faith at once scriptural1 intelligible1 and rational4 ,it is impossible for us here to go into the details of this doctrine1 or give even an outline of its proofs4 ,to an earnest seeker after truth we can conceive no pleasure exceeding an acquaintance with this treatise on the ,lord4 ,if1 especially1 he has vexed and worn himself in reading the profitless controversies and lucubrations of learned divines on the ,trinity1 his fretted and heated mind will experience a spiritual relief similar to the natural one which results when patience has become exhausted in vain endeavors to unfasten a lock1 and a skilled mechanic draws near1 takes the work out of our hands1 and with dexterity and ease accomplishes the task in a moment4 ,swedenborg lays his hand on the tangled mass of mysticism and perverted ,scripture1 and straightway the ,gordian knot is untied4 ,the simplicity of explanation fills us with amazement1 and we wonder that it was never done before4 #b4 ,the ,doctrine of the ,new ,jerusalem respecting the ,sacred ,scripture1 next demands our attention4 ,the primary truth of this treatise is1 that the ,sacred ,scripture1 or the ,word1 is ,divine ,truth itself1 thus the ,lord himself4 ,let us see how this can be4 ,we are too apt to abstract books from their authors1 and to regard them as matters impersonal1--as type and paper merely4 ,now this is a childish error1 and a proof of the loose and external way in which we are accustomed to think4 ,when ,i speak1 or write1 ,i manifest spiritual influences2 and the force of these influences is proportionate to my earnestness1 and their effect is proportionate to the state of reception of my hearers4 ,words are thus perceived to be the representatives of spiritual forces4 ,the action of spirit on spirit is inappreciable by the senses2 but could we look behind the veil of nature when a crowd or a congregation is swayed hither and thither by the speech of one man1 we should see that the influence exerted was as real and actual as muscular force4 ,from this we learn that words are not mere sounds1 but are the sheaths or cases of spiritual life1 and on this ground we at once see the force of the ,lord's declaration1 8,the words that ,i speak unto you1 they are spirit1 and they are life40 ,john vi4 #fc4 ,when we think of the ,lord's words1 we must conjoin with the thought an idea of the ,divine ,nature and ,attributes4 ,the ,lord's speech being the manifestation of ,his life1 must partake of its every quality1 thus of infinity and of independence of time1 and consequently of adaptation to every possible condition of mind1 for infinity includes all4 ,bearing these facts in mind1 we can easily perceive how true it is that the ,word is the ,lord ,himself4 ,but while the ,word in its inmost is the ,lord1 and is thus infinite1 yet as apprehended by man1 who is finite1 it necessarily wears a finite aspect4 ,it is plain that as man's ideas become sensualized and bound down to matter1 his view of the ,divine ,truth1 or ,word1 must involve many illusions2 true1 certainly1 in relation to him1 but very far removed from the absolute ,divine ,truth4 ,now the literal sense of the ,word1 as we read it in our ,bibles1 is the presentation1 if we may so phrase it1 of the aspect of the ,lord to the natural man1 whose senses constitute his court of appeal4 ,the ,jews1 to whom the ,word in its literal sense was delivered1 were just such men4 ,above this natural state of mind1 there are two marked grades of intelligence--the spiritual and celestial4 ,to these1 the ,lord's words bear a far wider meaning1 and are more fully instinct with the glory of the ,divine ,wisdom1 and the warmth of the ,divine ,love4 ,it is thus said that the ,word of ,god has three senses--the natural1 the spiritual1 and the celestial4 ,we attribute these senses to the ,word3 more correctly we should charge them to the universal human mind1 whose capacity of reception they express4 ,to no two men1 or angels1 does the ,lord1--or in fact anything1--bear precisely the same appearance1 or suggest the same meaning4 ,these three grades1 separated by discrete degrees1 make up the universe of humanity2 and the enlightened eye of the true philosopher may trace in every object of external creation an image and representation of them4 ,but space forbids further explanation on this head2 our author's reasoning is1 moreover1 so closely linked as to admit of no curtailment4 ,suffice to say1 that after demonstrating the existence of an internal sense in the ,scripture1 he proceeds to show the many uses of the literal sense1 and1 at the same time1 the manifold abuses to which it is liable1 when the laws by which it is written are not understood4 ,accepting the sublime philosophy of this treatise1 we find in it a perfect refuge from the attacks of the sceptic1 and discover a thousand reasons for one we had before1 for loving ,god's ,holy ,book1 trusting in its wisdom1 and committing our lives to its guidance4 #c4 ,the ,doctrine of ,faith of the ,new ,jerusalem1 may be best understood by a few extracts from the treatise itself4 ,swedenborg writes3 8,the idea attached to the term faith at the present day is this1 that it consists in thinking a thing to be so1 because it is taught by the church1 and because it does not fall within the scope of the understanding4 ,for it is usual with those who inculcate it1 to say1 #8,you must believe1 and not doubt4' ,if you answer3 #8,i do not comprehend it1' it is replied3 #8,that is the very circumstance which makes a doctrine an object of faith4' ,thus the faith of the present day is a faith in what is not known1 and may be called a blind faith3 and as being the dictate of one person abiding in the mind of another1 it is a historical faith4 ,but this is not spiritual faith4 8,genuine faith is an acknowledgment that a thing is so1 because it is true4 ,for he who is in genuine faith thinks and speaks to this effect3--#8,this is true2 and therefore ,i believe it4' ,for faith is the assurance with which we embrace that which is true2 and that which is true is the proper object of faith4 ,a person of this character1 also1 if he does not comprehend a sentiment1 and see its truth1 will say3 #8,i do not know whether this is true or not2 therefore ,i do not yet believe it4 ,how can ,i believe what ,i do not comprehend8 ,perhaps it may be false4' 8,but the common language is1 that nobody can comprehend things of a spiritual or theological nature1 because they transcend our natural faculties4 ,spiritual truths1 however1 are as capable of being comprehended as natural truths4 ,the reason that spiritual things admit of being comprehended1 is1 because man1 as to his understanding1 is capable of being elevated into the light of heaven1 in which light no other objects appear than such as are spiritual4 8,hence now it is that those who are in the spiritual affection of truth1 enjoy an internal acknowledgment of it4 ,as the angels are in that affection1 they utterly reject the tenet that the understanding ought to be kept in subjection to faith3 for they say1 #8,how can you believe a thing1 when you do not see whether it is true or not8' ,and should any one affirm that what he advances must nevertheless be believed1 they reply3 #8,do you think yourself a ,god1 that ,i am to believe you8 or that ,i am mad1 that ,i should believe an assertion in which ,i do not see any truth8 ,if ,i must believe it1 cause me to see it4' ,the dogmatizer is thus constrained to retire4 ,indeed1 the wisdom of the angels consists solely in this1 that they see and comprehend what they think4 8,there is a spiritual idea of which few have any knowledge1 which enters by influx into the minds of those who are in the affection of truth1 and dictates interiorly whether the thing which they are hearing or reading is true or not4 ,in this idea are those who read the ,word in illumination from the ,lord4 ,to be in illumination is to be in perception4 ,those who are in this illumination are said to be taught of ,jehovah1 and of them it is said in ,jeremiah3 #8,behold1 the days come that ,i will make a new covenant3--this shall be the covenant1--,i will put my law in their inward parts1 and write it in their hearts2 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor1 and every man his brother1 saying1 ,know ye the ,lord2 for they shall all know me4' xxxi4 #ca1 #cc1 #cd4 8,from these considerations it is plain that faith and truth are one4 ,this also is the reason that the ancients1 who were more accustomed to think of truth from affection than the moderns1 instead of faith used the word truth3 and for the same reason1 in the ,hebrew language1 truth and faith are expressed by one and the same word1 amuna1 or amen4 8,if any one thinks with himself1 or says to another1 #8,who can have that internal acknowledgment of truth which is faith8 ,i can not4' ,i will tell him how he may4 ,shun evils as sins1 and apply to the ,lord2 then you will have as much as you desire40 ,such then is the ,new ,church doctrine of faith4 ,faith is the perception and acknowledgment of truth from a right understanding of it4 ,true faith is something that grows4 ,it is not the gift of a moment4 ,it is attained by leading a good life1 and through obedience to the truth so far as we know it4 ,in the course of time we find that a pure life is clearing our spiritual vision1 and extending its range4 ,spiritual truths which we had laid up in our memories1 and perhaps fancied that we had believed1 are brought forth1 are seen in new and striking light1 are elevated into the understanding1 and are in reality believed4 ,thus a living faith is attained4 ,this doctrine finds a ,divine seal in these words of the ,lord3 8,if any man will do his will1 he shall know of the doctrine1 whether it be of ,god40 ,john vii4 #ag4 ,the remainder of this little treatise is taken up with an exposure of the fallacies involved in the common doctrines of faith prevailing in the ,protestant and ,roman ,catholic churches4 ,faith separated from charity1 is proved to have no existence1 because evil can by no possibility love truth4 ,spiritual and ,divine ,truth may1 it is true1 be reasoned upon1 defended1 and expounded1 by wicked men1 for the promotion of their own selfish ends2 but internally they are in deep hatred and denial of them1 and in the other life their detestation of them causes them to cast them forth even from the memory4 ,thus the wicked have no faith and no truth4 #d4 ,the treatise on the ,doctrine of ,life is a brief and compendious exposition of the nature of that life which leads to heaven and happiness4 ,in the first place1 it asserts that all religion has relation to life1 and that the life of religion is to do good2 agreeable to the ,lord's saying3 8,he that hath my commandments and keepeth them1 he it is that loveth me40 ,john xiii4 #ag4 ,it is then shown that no one can do good1 which is really good1 from himself1 as is taught in ,john1 where we read3 8,a man can receive nothing1 except it be given him from heaven10 iii4 #bg2 and again3 8,he that abideth in me1 and ,i in him1 the same bringeth forth much fruit2 for without me ye can do nothing20--8,he that abideth in me1 and ,i in him1 the same bringeth forth much fruit10 signifies that all good is from the ,lord2 fruit signifies good3 8without me ye can do nothing10 signifies that no one can do good from himself4 ,now1 it may be asked1 8,why can a man not do good of himself80 ,for this simple reason1 that1 as there is no goodness out of the ,lord1 if man does good1 his power and disposition to do it must1 in all certainty1 be derived from the ,lord alone4 ,man1 in his highest state1 is but a medium for the manifestation of the ,divine ,life or ,goodness4 ,yet while only a medium1 he must act in freedom1 as of himself4 ,the appearance is that the good he does is self-originated1 and born of his own will2 and this appearance can never be removed1 because on it depends his freedom of action4 ,man must subdue all tendencies to spiritual pride arising therefrom1 by habitual reference to the truth that the ,lord is all in all2 and that if he has done good1 or been useful1 he has been indebted for the motive as well as for the wisdom1 to the ,divine ,mercy alone2 as ,paul said to the ,philippians3 8,for it is ,god which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure40 ii4 #ae4 ,while thus saved by the ,divine ,mercy1 through a good life1 and brought into spiritual health by obedience to divine laws1 man has no reason whatever to boast1 or to take credit to himself for his bliss and salvation4 ,the advocates of justification and salvation by faith alone1 charge spiritual pride and merit1 as a necessity1 upon all who believe that heaven and its happiness are attained through the regenerative influence of a good life2 but this accusation falls to the ground when it is acknowledged that the power to lead a good life is the continual gift and inspiration of ,god4 ,if man would only think truly1 he would see that humility is the acknowledgment of the grand primal truth of existence1 that nothing we have or can do that is good1 is of ourselves1 but solely of the ,lord2 and that just as we are left to ourselves and our own wisdom1 we do evil1 and perpetrate folly and mischief4 ,salvation through a good life1 when thus rightly stated and understood1 is seen to involve nothing of merit1 but only the strongest reasons for gratitude1 humility1 and worship4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,the ,divine ,love and ,divine ,wisdom--,the ,continuation of the ,last ,judgment4 ,the treatise on the ,divine ,love and ,wisdom1 is a book which1 when mastered1 affords a key to the whole philosophy of the ,new ,church1 and to a rational understanding of all the writings of ,swedenborg4 ,when we say this1 it will be easily understood that it is not a book to be read in a few hours1 or hastily glanced over4 ,every page is pregnant with thought1 and many of its paragraphs might be expanded into volumes4 ,it is a book which1 full of thought on the deepest subjects1 demands an exercise of like thought on the part of its reader2 and if he has patience1 and a simple love of truth for its own sake1 happy will he be when he has made himself familiar with the divine thoughts which1 like stars1 gem every page of this matchless treatise4 ,the book is divided into five ,parts4 ,the ,first ,part sets forth1 in the simplest language1 the doctrine of the ,divine ,nature4 ,the ,lord's essence is shown to be ,infinite ,love1 and its manifestation to be ,infinite ,wisdom4 ,it is proved that the ,divine ,love is the only life in the universe1 and that in ,god 8all things live1 move1 and have their being40 ,the ,lord is also proved to be very and essential ,man1 yet above and independent of all space and time1 filling all spaces of the universe without space1 and all time without time2 and being in the greatest and the least things evermore the same4 ,these statements may appear inconsequential1 but in our limited space1 we can not explain more fully4 ,we could not give the proofs satisfactorily1 without quoting the volume itself4 ,argument is so linked to argument1 that they hardly admit of separation4 ,the ,second ,part of the work treats of the sun of heaven1 and the sun of our world4 ,it is shown that from the ,lord flows a ,divine ,sphere1 which appears in the spiritual world as a sun4 ,from its heat1 angels and man have their love1 and from its light their wisdom1 thus their life4 ,this sun is not ,god1 but it is the first proceeding from the ,divine ,love and the ,divine ,wisdom of ,god-,man4 ,by means of this sun the ,lord created the universe and all things in it4 ,the sun of the natural world is pure fire1 and therefore dead2 and since nature derives its origin from that sun1 it also is dead4 ,without two suns1 the one living and the other dead1 there could be no creation4 ,the end of creation is1 that all things may return to the ,creator1 and conjunction may exist in its ultimates4 ,part ,third declares that in the spiritual world there are atmospheres1 waters and earths1 as in the natural world2 but that the former are spiritual1 whereas the latter are natural4 ,we are then introduced to the doctrine of degrees--a doctrine which must be studied and understood1 before any one can with justice speak of ,swedenborg2 for it is a doctrine which lies at the basis of that peerless spiritual philosophy of which he was the promulgator4 ,all that we can do here in the way of exposition1 is to quote the heads of his articles which express the truth far more lucidly than we could do4 8,there are three degrees of ,love and wisdom1 and thence degrees of heat and light1 and degrees of atmosphere4 ,degrees are of two kinds1 degrees of altitude and degrees of latitude4 ,the degrees of altitude are homogeneous1 and one derived from the other in a series1 like end1 cause1 and effect4 ,the first degree is in all the subsequent degrees4 ,all perfections increase and ascend with degrees1 and according to degrees4 ,in successive order the first degree constitutes the highest1 and the third the lowest2 but in simultaneous order1 the first degree constitutes the inmost1 and the third the outmost4 ,the ultimate degree is the complex1 continent1 and basis1 of the prior degrees4 ,the degrees of altitude in their ultimate1 are in their fullness and power4 ,there are degrees of both kinds in the greatest and least of all created things4 ,there are three infinite and uncreated degrees of altitude in the ,lord1 and three finite and created degrees in man4 ,these three degrees of altitude are in every man from his birth1 and may be opened successively1 and as they are opened1 a man is in the ,lord1 and the ,lord in him4 ,spiritual light flows into man by three degrees1 but not spiritual heat1 except so far as he avoids evils as sins1 and looks to the ,lord4 ,if the superior or spiritual degree is not opened in a man1 he becomes natural and sensual4 ,the natural degree of the human mind1 considered in itself1 is continuous1 but by correspondence with the two superior degrees1 while it is elevated1 it appears as if it were discrete4 8,the natural mind1 being the tegument and continent of the higher degrees of the human mind1 is a re-agent2 and if the superior degrees are not opened1 it acts against them1 but if they are opened1 it acts with them4 ,the abuse of the faculties which are proper to man1 called rationality and liberty1 is the origin of evil4 ,a bad man may enjoy these two faculties as well as a good man2 but a bad man abuses them to confirm evils and falses1 while a good man uses them to confirm goods and truths4 ,evils and falses1 when confirmed1 remain2 and become parts of a man's love and life4 ,the things which become parts of a man's love and thence of his life1 are communicated hereditarily to his offspring4 8,all these evils and consequent falses1 both hereditary and acquired1 reside in the natural mind4 ,evils and falses are entirely opposed to goods and truths2 because evils and falses are diabolical and infernal1 and goods and truths are divine and heavenly4 ,the natural mind1 which is in evils and falses1 is a form and image of hell1 and descends by three degrees4 ,these three degrees of the natural mind1 which is an image and form of hell1 are opposed to the three degrees of the spiritual mind1 which is a form and image of heaven3 thus the natural mind which is a hell1 is in complete opposition to the spiritual mind which is a heaven4 ,all things of the three degrees of the natural mind1 are included in works1 which are performed by acts of the body40 ,part ,fourth teaches that the ,lord from eternity1 who is ,jehovah1 created the universe and all things therein from ,himself1 and not from nothing2 this would not have been possible if the ,lord were not a ,divine ,man2 ,he from himself producing the sun of the spiritual world1 and by it creating all things4 ,in the substances and matters of which earths consist1 there is nothing of the ,divine in itself2 but still they are from the ,divine in itself4 ,all created things in the created universe1 viewed from uses1 represent man in an image2 this testifies that ,god is ,man4 ,all things created by the ,lord are uses2 and they are uses in the order1 degree1 and respect1 in which they have relation to man1 and by man to the ,lord their ,creator4 ,evil uses were not created by the ,lord1 but originated together with hell1 after man's fall4 ,the visible things in the created universe testify that nature has produced nothing1 and does produce nothing2 but that the ,divine has produced and does produce all things from ,himself1 and through the spiritual world4 ,part ,fifth is devoted to a description of man's spiritual nature4 ,it is shown that 8the ,lord has formed and created in man two receptacles and habitations for ,himself1 called the will and the understanding2 the will for ,his ,divine ,love1 and the understanding for ,his ,divine ,wisdom4 ,the will and understanding are in the brains1 in the whole and every part thereof1 and thence in the body1 in the whole and every part thereof4 ,there is a correspondence of the will with the heart1 and of the understanding with the lungs2 and all things that can be known of the will and understanding1 or of love and wisdom1 consequently all that can be known of man's soul1 may be known from the correspondence of the heart with the will1 and of the understanding with the lungs40 ,there are many volumes in the world whose thinly spun thought1 spread over page after page1 it would be easy to condense into one brief paragraph2 but the treatise on the ,divine ,love and ,wisdom is not such a work4 ,it is one of those rare books which suggest and expand thought1 but can bear no abridgment or compression4 ,we have well studied it1 but do not expect to finish it during our life on earth4 ,time was1 when1 immersed in man made systems of faith1 and wont to walk abroad in the green fields and woods1 by the sea-side1 and on the mountains--we found it difficult1 nay we should rather say impossible1 to see the ,god we read of in our books1 and thought of in our chamber1 to be the same kind ,father to whom those wide and beauteous scenes owed their existence4 ,justification by faith--,jerusalem--the ,jews--ephod and teraphim--the ,temple1 and the sacrifice--seemed to have no connection with the landscape1 the wind1 the falling rain1 the flowing river1 and the broad and limitless ocean4 ,we knew it should not be so4 ,if the ,bible were ,god's book1 it must have some closer affinity with his great work of nature4 ,we knew that one ,lord was over all1 and that this disunity should by no means exist4 ,much mental pain and travail were our portion4 ,the easy soothsayings of ,atheism beguiled us4 ,we 8wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way1 and found no city 7doctrine7 to dwell in40 ,we longed for the rest of ,zion4 ,we sighed not in vain4 ,the divine philosophy of this precious book was revealed to us1 and we knew the blessing of a faith which finds a confirmation in every item and phase of creation1 and makes the ,bible and nature evermore at one1 each confirming and illustrating the other4 ,it gave to life new aims and aspects4 ,it brought a mental peace we had never hoped to enjoy1 and we went on our journey of life rejoicing4 8,the ,continuation of the ,last ,judgment10 is a small pamphlet forming a supplement to the treatise on the ,last ,judgment1 with which it is now generally published4 ,it contains a very interesting account of the ,last ,judgment upon the ,reformed4 ,by the ,reformed1 upon whom the ,last ,judgment was effected1 ,swedenborg means those who professed a belief in ,god1 read the ,word1 heard sermons1 partook of the sacrament of the ,supper1 yet lived in all manner of evils4 ,living like ,christians in externals1 and outwardly in unity with heaven1 while inwardly united with hell1 they were permitted after death to form societies1 and to live as in the world2 and by arts unknown in the world1 to cause splendid appearances1 and by this means to persuade themselves and others that they were in heaven4 ,from this outward appearance1 therefore1 they called their societies heavens4 ,the heavens and the lands in which they dwelt1 are understood by the 8former heaven1 and the former earth1 which passed away40 ,rev4 xxi4 #g4 ,at the time of the ,last ,judgment1 the hypocrisy of these spirits was revealed in the light of heaven1 and the simple good with whom they had associated1 separated themselves with horror from them4 ,no longer able to simulate ,christian lives1 they rushed with delight into evils and crimes of every description1 openly appeared as devils1 and found for themselves the hells corresponding to their loves4 ,at the same time all the splendid appearances they had made for themselves vanished away2 their palaces were turned into vile huts2 their gardens into stagnant pools2 their temples into piles of rubbish2 and the hills on which they dwelt1 into heaps of gravel1 in correspondence with their depraved dispositions and lusts4 8,after the ,judgment was effected10 writes ,swedenborg1 8there was joy in heaven1 and also light in the world of spirits1 such as was not before4 ,a similar light also then arose on men in the world1 giving them new enlightenment4 ,i then saw angelic spirits1 in great numbers1 rising from below1 and elevated into heaven4 ,they were the sheep there reserved1 and guarded by the ,lord for ages back1 lest they should come into the malignant sphere of the dragonists1 and their charity be suffocated4 ,these are they who are understood in the ,word by those who went forth from the sepulchers2 also by the souls of those slain for the testimony of ,jesus1 who were watching2 and by those who are of the first resurrection40 ,after this follows a description of many things seen in the spiritual world4 ,he writes3 8,there are lands in the spiritual world1 just as in the natural world3 there are hills and mountains1 plains and valleys1 also fountains and rivers1 lakes and seas2 there are paradises1 and gardens and groves1 and woods1 and palaces1 and houses2 there are writings1 and books1 functions1 functiones1 and employments2 there are precious stones1 gold and silver2 in short1 there are all the things1 in general and in particular1 which exist in the natural world2 but in the heavens all these things are infinitely more perfect40 ,he then describes 8the noble ,english nation0 in the spiritual world2 the more excellent of whom are in the centre of all ,christians1 because they have interior intellectual light4 ,this light they derive from the liberty they enjoy of thinking1 and thence of speaking and writing4 ,the ,dutch are then described1 and then the ,papists1 and the ,popish saints4 ,the ,mohammedans1 the ,africans1 and the ,gentiles follow2 and finally the ,jews1 the ,quakers1 and the ,moravians4 ,the description of all these people1 as they appear beyond the grave1 has an interest of a most absorbing kind2 and the light thrown by ,swedenborg on their internal character1 serves to show cause for much that happens in the external world1 otherwise difficult of explanation4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,angelic ,wisdom ,concerning the ,divine ,providence4 ,still living in ,amsterdam1 ,swedenborg published1 in #agfd1 his work entitled 8,angelic ,wisdom ,concerning the ,divine ,providence40 ,its purpose is to 8assert eternal ,providence1 ,and justify the ways of ,god to man40 ,in the first place1 it is shown that the ,divine ,providence is the government of the ,love and the ,wisdom of the ,lord4 ,this ,providence has for its sole end the formation of a heaven from the human race1 and thus has respect only to what is infinite and eternal4 ,in the ,divine sight1 things temporal and natural are of no importance except so far as they contribute to man's salvation4 ,although the ,lord thus wills and works for man's eternal happiness1 yet1 after all1 heaven can only be attained through man's coperation4 ,the ,lord ever performs his share of the work1 but man too often fails to do his4 ,weeping over ,jerusalem1 the ,lord exclaimed3 8,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 thou that killest the prophets1 and stonest them that are sent unto thee1 how often would ,i have gathered thy children together1 even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings1 and ye would not60 ,matthew xxiii4 #cg4 ,how powerfully and tenderly is here expressed the ,divine willingness to save1 and how pointedly and decisively is man's misery attributed to his own obstinacy4 ,as the ,lord ,jesus is another place says3 8,ye will not come to me that ye might have life40 ,john v4 #dj4 ,in all the operations of the ,divine ,providence1 human freedom is respected4 ,the ,lord forces no man to do what is good1 or believe what is true4 ,he drives none to heaven4 ,it is of the ,divine ,providence that whatsoever a man hears1 sees1 thinks1 speaks1 and does1 should appear altogether as his own4 ,without this appearance1 men would have no reception of ,divine ,truth1 no determination to do good1 no appropriation of love and wisdom or of charity and faith1 and thence no conjunction with the ,lord2 consequently no reformation and regeneration1 and thereby salvation4 ,without this appearance1 it is evident there could be no repentance and no faith2 and man would not be man1 but void of rational life like a beast4 ,it is plain1 then1 that in order that man may be saved1 he must be induced to live a good life by means which in nowise trench upon this appearance of free and independent life4 ,regeneration is effected by man's removing evils from his external life1 as of himself2 yet1 knowing that all good and truth is from the ,lord1 he acknowledges1 as a consequence1 that all power to remove these evils is derived from the ,lord alone4 ,intensely as the ,lord desires that man should shun evils and lead a holy life in obedience to his commandments1 yet ,he only seeks to win man to peace and heaven by means which do not infringe upon his freedom4 ,it is a law of ,his ,divine ,providence1 that man should not be forced by external means to think and will1 and so to believe and love the things which are of religion4 ,it has been asked by atheists1 8,if there be a ,god1 why does he not write so on the sun1 and so save men from unbelief80 ,swedenborg answers this question most satisfactorily1 by showing that miracles1 signs1 visions1 conversations with the dead1 threats1 and punishments1 are totally ineffective to produce that state of love and spiritual life which make true happiness and heaven2 because these force1 and destroy the rationality and liberty which constitute the inmost life of humanity1 and by the exercise of which1 man can alone be delivered from evil4 ,let us read ,swedenborg's testimony on miracles4 ,he writes3 8,that such is the nature of miracles1 may plainly appear from those wrought before the ,jewish and ,israelitish people4 ,although they saw so many miracles in ,egypt1 afterwards at the ,red ,sea1 others in the ,desert1 and especially upon ,mount ,sinai1 when the law was promulgated1 yet1 in the space of a month1 when ,moses tarried upon that mountain1 they made themselves a golden calf1 and acknowledged it for ,jehovah who brought them out of the land of ,egypt4 ,the same also may appear from the miracles wrought afterwards in the land of ,canaan1 notwithstanding which the people so often departed from the worship that was commanded2 and from the miracles which the ,lord wrought before them when he was in the world1 notwithstanding which they crucified him4 ,the reason why miracles were wrought among the ,jews and ,israelites was1 because they were altogether external men1 and were introduced into the land of ,canaan merely that they might represent a church and its internal principles by the external things of worship2 and a wicked man may be representative1 as well as a good man4 ,the external things of worship among them were rituals1 all which signified spiritual and celestial things4 ,even ,aaron1 although he made the golden calf1 and conducted the worship of it1 could1 nevertheless1 represent the ,lord and his work of salvation4 ,and as they could not1 by the internal principles of worship1 be led to represent these things1 therefore they were led1 yea forced and compelled1 to do it by miracles4 ,the reason why they could not be brought to such representation by the internal principles of worship was1 because they did not acknowledge the ,lord1 although the whole ,word1 which was among them1 treats of ,him only2 and he who does not acknowledge the ,lord1 can not receive any internal worship4 ,but after the ,lord manifested himself1 and was received and acknowledged in the churches as the eternal ,god1 miracles ceased4 8,the effect of miracles upon the good1 however1 is different from what it is upon the wicked4 ,the good do not desire miracles1 but they believe the miracles which are recorded in the ,word2 and if they hear anything of a miracle1 they attend no otherwise to it than as a light argument which confirms their faith2 for they think from the ,word1 consequently from the ,lord1 and not from a miracle4 ,it is otherwise with the wicked3 they indeed may be driven and forced into faith1 and even into worship and piety1 but only for a short time2 for their evils being shut in1 the inclinations thereto1 and the delights thence derived1 continually act against the external of their worship and piety2 and in order that these evils may escape from confinement and break out1 they think about the miracle1 and at length call it a delusion1 or an artifice1 or an operation of nature1 and so return into their evils2 and he who returns into his evils after worship1 profanes the truths and goods of worship1 and the lot of profaners after death is the worst of all4 ,besides1 if miracles were to be wrought before those who do not believe in consequence of the miracles recorded in the ,word1 they must be continually performed1 and constantly presented to their view4 ,from these considerations1 the reason may appear why miracles are not performed at this day40 ,it is thus seen that the ,lord will not force a man to lead a good life2 because1 in forcing him1 his humanity would be destroyed1 and all that makes life worthy and manly would be lost1 seeing that the exercise of rationality and liberty would be annihilated4 ,it is a law of the ,divine ,providence1 that a man should be led and taught from the ,lord out of heaven by the ,word1 and by doctrine and preaching from the ,word1 and this in all appearance as from himself4 ,the ,lord1 as we have before seen1 is the ,word2 and when man reads the ,word1 he brings his thought into contact with the ,divine ,wisdom1 and when he obeys its teachings he is in very truth led by the ,lord4 ,yet we all see that this teaching and leading of the ,lord is effected without any violation of man's freedom1 for he is led and taught in externals to all appearance as of himself4 ,it is a law of the ,divine ,providence that a man should not perceive and feel anything of the operation of the ,divine ,providence1 but yet should know and acknowledge it4 ,if a man perceived and felt the operation of the ,divine ,providence1 he would not act from liberty according to reason1 nor would anything appear to him as his own4 ,it would also be the same if he foreknew events4 8,the reason why it is not granted man to foreknow events1 is1 that he may be able to act from liberty according to reason2 also1 that there is nothing that a man revolves in his reason which is not from a desire that it may come into effect by thought4 ,if1 therefore1 he knew the effect or event from divine prediction1 reason would become quiescent1 and with reason love2 for love1 with reason1 terminates in the effect1 and from that begins anew4 ,it is the very delight of reason1 that from love in the thought it may see the effect1--not in the effect1 but before it1 or not in the present1 but in the future4 ,hence a man has what is called ,hope1 which in reason increases and decreases1 as it sees or expects the event4 ,this delight is fulfilled in the event1 but afterwards is obliterated with the thought concerning the event2 and it would be the same with an event foreknown40 ,the whole zest of life would be dissipated could man foreknow the future4 ,while the operation of the ,divine ,providence is thus veiled from man's eyes1 and it appears to him that he is alone in the world1 and that on his small prudence hangs all things1--if he would be wise he must not be led by appearances1 but rising above them1 acknowledge the truth 8that self-derived prudence is nothing1 and only appears as if it were something1 and ought so to appear2 but that the ,divine ,providence in things most singular is universal40 ,and because our life and intelligence are momentarily derived from the ,lord1 it follows as a necessary consequence1 that all which we do that is orderly and effective1 is done by the ,lord1 through our yielding ourselves to ,him as ,his instruments4 ,it is often urged as a reason against believing in an overruling and universal ,divine ,providence1 that the world is full of evil and wickedness2 and if there be an omnipotent ,god1 he would surely never suffer such things to exist4 ,swedenborg enters very fully into this question4 ,the reasons why ,adam was permitted to fall1 and ,cain to slay ,abel2 ,solomon to establish idolatrous worship1 and many kings after him to profane the holy things of the church1 the ,jews to crucify the ,lord2 why impiety is allowed to exist1 and the impious and profligate to be promoted to riches and honors1 while the worshipers of ,god and the doers of righteousness remain in contempt and poverty2 why wars are permitted1 men slaughtered1 the property of the innocent destroyed1 and victories go with force and not with justice2 why the earth is permitted to remain covered with idolatries1 and the ,christian religion to occupy so small a place1 and even there to be deeply corrupted and devastated with heresies1--are stated at length and most satisfactorily4 ,it is made plain1 that1 were the ,lord to interfere and prevent such evils by force1 it would defeat the end for which ,he created man1 namely1 salvation and eternal life in heaven4 ,now as man can only be regenerated and enter heaven through the free exercise of his understanding and free choice of his will1 any external interference of the ,divine ,providence with outward circumstances would suspend the action of man's faculties2 would1 in short1 dehumanise the race1 and leave only animals to be dealt with4 ,it is not of the ,lord's will1 indeed1 that evil should exist2 and ,his ,providence is unceasingly exerted to modify and mitigate it1 alike in its origin and in its effect2 but1 since to prevent its manifestation would be to take from man all that makes him man1 its permission is a necessity4 ,it was said that the ,providence of the ,lord is unceasingly exerted to modify and mitigate evil1 alike in its origin and in its effects4 ,swedenborg very beautifully and amply illustrates this truth1 and shows that the ,divine ,providence is equally with the wicked and the good4 ,the wicked man1 of his own free choice1 continually plunges himself more and more deeply into evil2 because as he wills and does evil1 he introduces himself more and more deeply into infernal societies4 ,but the ,lord1 by a thousand invisible means1 continually withdraws him from evil2 and where a cure or complete prevention is impossible1 mitigates his fearful fate by providing circumstances and situations in life which serve to lead the evil into less hurtful developments4 ,the operation of the ,divine ,providence in saving man begins at his birth1 and continues to the end of his life4 ,the ,lord sees what a man is1 and what he desires to be1 consequently what he will be2 therefore the ,lord foresees his state after death1 and provides for it from his birth to the end of his life2 with the wicked ,he provides by permitting and continually withdrawing them from evils2 with the good ,he provides by leading them to good4 ,thus the ,divine ,providence is continually in the effort to save men2 but more cannot be saved than desire to be saved4 ,those who acknowledge ,god and are led by ,him1 desire to be saved2 and those who do not acknowledge ,god1 but guide themselves1 do not desire to be saved3 for the latter do not think of eternal life and salvation1 but the former do4 ,this the ,lord sees2 but still ,he leads them according to the laws of ,his ,divine ,providence1 against which ,he cannot act1 for to act against them would be to act against ,himself4 ,now1 as the ,lord foresees the states of all after death1 and knows the places of those who are not willing to be saved1 ,he1 as far as is consistent with human freedom1 labors to soften man's evil2 and if ,he cannot lead him to heaven1 still preserves him from sinking to the lowest hell4 ,from this it follows that every man may be reformed1 that there is no such thing as predestination1 and that it is a man's own fault if he is not saved4 ,all are created for heaven1 and none for hell2 and if man sink into perdition1 he does so through his own obstinacy1 and through the deliberate choice of a life of evil4 ,as saith the ,apostle3 8,the ,lord is long-suffering to usward1 not willing that any should perish1 but that all should come to repentance40 #b ,peter iii4 #i4 ,and the ,lord himself says3 8,fear not1 little flock2 it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom40 ,luke xii4 #cb4 ,such1 in brief1 are a few of the principles in the treatise on the ,divine ,providence4 ,nothing but a perusal of the work can give an adequate idea of its multiplicity of details1 from the laws which regulate the affairs of kingdoms1 to those which govern games of chance2 and all expounded with a lucidity of thought1 which finds few parallels in works on such recondite themes4 ,no book in the whole circle of literature more satisfactorily disposes of the objections against religion1 current among secularists and worldlings4 ,the inward temptations and doubts of the devout heart1 and the weariness1 cares1 and fret of life1 are shown in its pages to be all permitted by that ,divine ,love which suffers not a sparrow to fall unheeded2 and the minutest incidents of life are seen to be forever encircled by that ,omniscience1 which knows how most effectually to guard us from evil and draw us into the holy courts of heaven4 ,any view which we take of the ,divine ,providence that does not recognize this life as a beginning1 a progress1 and not a consummation1 is necessarily erroneous4 ,life here is but a discipline1 an apprenticeship4 ,it is a school wherein we are scholars1 learning such lessons as will fit us for uses in a higher and eternal sphere4 ,were life consummated by what men call death1 we might have reason to complain that the comforts and pleasures of existence were so unequally distributed2 and the natural man might exclaim with the ,psalmist3 8,i was envious at the foolish1 when ,i saw the prosperity of the wicked4 ,they are not in trouble as other men2 neither are they plagued like other men4 ,their eyes stand out with fatness3 they have more than heart could wish4 ,behold1 these are the ungodly who prosper in the world2 they increase in riches40 ,but when we look at the matter from higher grounds1 and in the light of the ,divine wisdom1 or as the ,psalmist did when he said3 8,i went into the sanctuary of ,god2 then understood ,i their end3 how are they brought into desolation as in a moment6 they are utterly consumed with terrors30--8,the evil doers shall be cut off2 but those that wait upon the ,lord1 they shall inherit the earth3 for yet a little while1 and the wicked shall not be2 yea thou shalt diligently consider his place1 and it shall not be3 for the ,lord loveth judgment1 and forsaketh not his saints20--then we obtain a right view of the matter1 and find an all-sufficient reason for being patient and not fretting ourselves4 ,hard though our lot in life may seem1 let us remember that 8,the vain and fleeting things of earth1 7,though counted vain1 alas6 by few17 ,in his esteem are nothing worth1 ,who keeps eternal ends in view40 ,or1 as ,cowper says3 8,the path of sorrow and that path alone1 ,leads to the land where sorrow is unknown4 ,no traveler ever reached that blest abode ,who found not thorns and briers in his road40 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,life in ,amsterdam--,character of the ,dutch--,meets ,dr4 ,beyer--,republishes his 8,new ,method of ,finding the ,longitudes0--,the ,apocalypse ,explained4 ,it is very trying to the biographer of ,swedenborg that he can find so little to narrate of his outward life4 ,of his life in ,amsterdam we have no particulars whatever4 ,no ,boswell was there to note down his sayings1 describe his doings1 his company1 and conduct4 ,but had even a ,boswell been there1 we fear he would have found but little to note4 ,quiet days in his study1 calm reserve toward all around1 musing1 solitary rambles in the streets1 would supply but few incidents for the pen of the biographer4 ,we must be content to know that1 from out his quiet study in ,amsterdam1 proceeded books destined to be centers of spiritual light to the church and to the world4 ,swedenborg liked the ,dutch1 and with good reason1 for he was favored to know them in that land where the secrets of all hearts are unveiled4 ,he reports that the ,dutch1 above all other people1 are under the influence of the spiritual love of trade1 valuing it for its uses1 and regarding money only as a means to these uses1 and not1 like the ,jews1 as the final end4 ,they are1 moreover1 inflexible in their obedience to the truth1 when known2 and in many other respects are an estimable people4 ,it is probable that ,swedenborg returned home toward the end of #agfd2 for in the first half of the next year1 we find him in ,stockholm4 ,soon1 however1 he set out upon new travels2 and in #agfe1 while at ,gottenburg1 waiting for a vessel to ,england1 he accidentally 7as men say7 met with ,dr4 ,beyer1 ,professor of ,greek1 and a member of the ,consistory of ,gottenburg4 ,having heard that ,swedenborg was mad1 he was surprised to hear him talk sensibly1 and manifest no symptom of his suspected infirmity4 ,he therefore invited ,swedenborg to dine with him the following day1 in company with ,dr4 ,rosen4 ,after dinner1 ,dr4 ,beyer expressed a desire to hear from himself a full account of his doctrines2 upon which ,swedenborg1 animated by the request1 spoke so clearly1 and in so wonderful a manner1 that the ,doctor and his friend were quite astonished4 ,they gave him no interruption2 but when he ceased1 ,dr4 ,beyer requested ,swedenborg to meet him the next day at ,mr4 ,wenngren's and to bring with him a paper1 containing the substance of his conversation1 in order that he might consider it more attentively4 ,swedenborg came the day following1 according to promise2 and1 taking the paper out of his pocket1 in the presence of the other two gentlemen1 he trembled1 and appeared much affected1 the tears flowing down his cheeks4 ,presenting the paper to ,dr4 ,beyer1 8,sir10 said he1 8from this day the ,lord has introduced you into the society of angels1 and you are now surrounded by them40 ,they were all greatly affected4 ,he then took his leave1 and the next day embarked for ,england4 ,dr4 ,beyer sent immediately for ,swedenborg's writings1 and soon became deeply engrossed in their study4 ,in order to arrange their subjects more distinctly in his mind1 he set about compiling an ,index to them2 which as he prepared it1 he sent1 sheet by sheet1 to ,amsterdam to be printed4 ,he was thirteen years in compiling the work1 and on the day he sent off the last sheet corrected1 he sickened1 took to his bed1 and in a few days departed to the spiritual world4 ,the result of ,dr4 ,beyer's study of ,swedenborg's writings1 was a firm belief in their doctrines1 and an open and enlightened advocacy of them1 declaring in the public ,consistory his full assent to them4 ,as might naturally be expected1 he suffered much obloquy and persecution for his adherence to the truth2 but he was consoled in having the firm friendship of ,swedenborg1 and in being favored with receiving from him many letters1 sympathizing with him in his trials1 and answering many of his questions on doctrinal and psychological matters4 ,swedenborg did not make a long stay in ,england2 but after a few weeks1 or perhaps months1 proceeded to ,holland1 spending the winter of #agfe-ff at ,amsterdam4 ,there1 in the spring of #agff1 he republished 7it is supposed by the solicitation of friends17 his youthful work on a 8,new ,method of ,finding the ,longitudes40 8,this method10 as he informed the ,swedish ,archbishop1 ,menander1 8of calculating the ephemerides by pairs of stars1 several persons in foreign countries were then employing1 who had experienced great advantage by the observations made according to it for a series of years40 ,from the time of the completion of the ,arcana ,clestia1 in #agef1 ,swedenborg had been gradually composing an extensive work on the ,apocalypse4 ,the exposition was continued as far as the tenth verse of the nineteenth chapter1 filling four large quarto volumes4 ,he then laid the work aside--thinking1 probably1 that it was too voluminous and elaborate--and commenced anew1 but on a considerably reduced scale4 ,the former ,exposition1 a clearly written manuscript1 ready for the printer1 after sustaining a narrow escape from burning1 7the house of a gentleman who had it for perusal having caught fire17 was published in the original ,latin1 in four quarto volumes1 in #agij1 eighteen years after the author's death4 ,it was translated into ,english and printed in six octavos1 under the title of the ,apocalypse ,explained1 in #ahae4 ,it is a most valuable work1 and one that could not well be spared from the ,swedenborg ,library4 ,within its pages are several distinct treatises on very important subjects1 which1 if extracted1 would form complete and excellent books of themselves4 ,the exposition of the spiritual sense of the text is very copiously illustrated by parallel passages from other parts of the ,word2 and thus it must ever be a most useful work to the ,new ,church preacher1 as affording him a ready key to the internal sense of the ,scriptures4 ,the shorter exposition ,swedenborg himself published at ,amsterdam1 in #agff1 under the title of the ,apocalypse ,revealed4 ,as was his custom1 he distributed copies of the work widely1 sending it to the universities and superior clergy1 and to many eminent persons in ,england1 ,holland1 ,germany1 ,france1 and ,sweden4 ,we will now make a few notes on some of the most remarkable features of ,swedenborg's exposition of that strange and mysterious book1 the ,apocalypse4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,the ,apocalypse ,revealed4 ,every one who is acquainted with theological literature1 knows that innumerable volumes of speculation have been written in attempted explanation of the ,apocalypse4 ,he is aware that expositors have differed about it from the earliest times2 that ,protestants have found ,catholicism the subject of all its denunciations1 and that ,catholics have discovered that ,paganism and ,protestant heresy were in reality the matters alluded to2 that sceptics have proved that it refers to none of these creeds1 but is a worthless astrological treatise2 and that many good ,christians1 vexed and wearied with this endless contest of opinion1 have wished the book expunged from the canon of ,scripture1 as altogether incomprehensible1 and a mere breeder of strife4 ,and still the controversy goes on4 ,the press swarms with volumes and pamphlets1 all professing to have found the key to the mystery1 informing the world of the future destiny of ,europe1 of the result of its wars and battles1 the precise month of the fall of the ,papacy1 and the time of the descent of the ,new ,jerusalem1 the ,second ,advent1 and the restoration of the ,jews to ,canaan1 and1 so far as the political arrangement of the kingdoms of the earth is concerned1 almost superseding the necessity of newspapers to the credulous believer4 ,wise men generally now turn a deaf ear to these soothsayings1 convinced by long and repeated experience of their utter futility1 and thinking shrewdly enough that had the ,divine ,providence intended that man should know the future1 the foreknowledge would have been communicated intelligibly and not through the medium of mysteries interpreted by men more conspicuous for temerity than for any endowment of wisdom or common sense above their fellows4 8,it is a part of this prophecy10 as ,sir ,isaac ,newton remarks1--and the same principle is applicable to all prophecies1--8that it should not be understood before the last age of the world2 and therefore it makes for the credit of the prophecy that it is not yet about #agaj understood4 ,the folly of interpreters has been1 to foretell times and things by this prophecy1 as if ,god designed to make them prophets4 ,by this rashness1 they have not only exposed themselves1 but brought the prophecy also into contempt4 ,the design of ,god was much otherwise4 ,he gave this1 and other prophecies of the ,old ,testament1 not to gratify men's curiosity by enabling them to foreknow things1 but that1 after they were fulfilled1 they might be interpreted by the events2 and his own ,providence1 not the interpreters1 be then manifested thereby to the world4 ,for the event of things1 predicted many ages before1 will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by ,providence4 ,for1 as the few and obscure prophecies concerning ,christ's first coming1 were for setting up the ,christian religion1 which all nations have since corrupted2 so the many and clear prophecies concerning the things to be done at ,christ's second coming1 are not only for predicting but also for effecting a recovery and re-establishment of the long-lost truth1 and setting up a kingdom wherein dwells righteousness4 ,the event will prove the ,apocalypse2 and this prophecy1 thus proved and understood1 will open the old prophets2 and all together will make known the true religion1 and establish it40 ,with no claim to superior understanding or acuteness did ,swedenborg present his exposition of this mysterious book to the world4 ,he humbly declares that the mysteries of the ,apocalypse are totally beyond the power of human intellect to unravel1 and that whatever of truth is to be found in his work1 owed its existence to the immediate illustration of his mind by the ,lord4 ,we shall presently show what powerful reason there was for this protestation on his part4 ,the ,apocalypse1 we are taught1 is a portion of the ,divine ,word4 ,it was dictated directly by the ,lord1--,john1 in ,patmos1 being simply an amanuensis4 ,the ,apocalypse is a prophetic book1 descriptive of the decline and consummation of the ,christian ,church1 and the establishment of the new and spiritual dispensation signified by 8the ,new ,jerusalem descending from ,god out of heaven40 ,being a prophetic book1 it would have been at variance with the laws of the ,divine ,providence for man to have understood its prophecies until after the events it described were past2 for1 as we have seen1 a knowledge of the future would take from man all freedom of action1 all inclination to labor1 and the whole hope and pleasure of life4 ,therefore it was that the ,apocalypse remained a sealed book until the ,christian ,church had reached its consummation1 and the ,last ,judgment was effected1 in #ageg1 when the ,lord graciously opened the eyes of ,swedenborg and manifested to him1 in clear light1 the deep mysteries of this prophecy4 ,wilkinson1 in his admirable ,biography1 well says3 8,a volume1 unless it were a reprint1 would not give an analysis of the ,apocalypse ,revealed4 ,when we say that the commentary takes the text word by word1 and translates it into spirit1 we still convey but a slender idea of what is done4 ,our own first impressions on reading the work will not soon be forgotten4 ,following the writer through the long breadths and flights of this vast empyrean1 we were momently in anxious fear that to sustain a context of such was impossible4 ,each fresh chapter seemed like a space that mortal wing must not attempt2 and yet the fear was groundless1 for our guide sailed onward with a tranquil motion as if he knew the stars4 ,history and common sense1 panting and grasping science1 philosophy in its better part1 above all1 the confidence in a ,divine support and a supernal mission1 appeared to be covertly and unexpectedly present1 to annihilate difficulties1 and pave the skyey way of this humble voyager4 ,and when we had again alighted from that perusal which strained every faculty to the utmost1 it was as though we had been there before1 so entire was the impression of self-evidence that was left upon the mind4 ,genesis and the ,revelation were closely at one in this marvellous ,apocalypse--thenceforth the most open of the ,bible pages3 the two ends of the ,scripture called to each other2 an arch of ,divine light spanned the river of the ,word1 and the original ,eden blossomed anew in the midst of the street of the holy city40 ,the ,rev4 ,o4 ,p4 ,hiller1 in his ,memoir of ,swedenborg1 writes3 8,in the ,apocalypse ,revealed1 the mysterious book is taken up and examined chapter by chapter1 verse by verse1 word by word1 in the same manner as was done with the books of ,genesis and ,exodus in the ,arcana ,clestia2 and the interior meaning1 the spiritual sense1 of every part1 set forth in such a manner as to present a clear1 connected1 and rational meaning throughout the whole book1 from the first chapter to the last4 ,and what is especially to be remarked1 the spiritual sense of this book1 the last of the ,new ,testament1 is shown to be founded on the same principles1 and discovered by the same rules of interpretation1 as the spiritual sense of the books of ,genesis and ,exodus1 the first of the ,old ,testament1 written1 as they were1 by other hands1 and more than fifteen hundred years before2 a strong proof1 certainly1 that however varied the human instruments there was ,one ,divine ,author of the whole4 ,thus1 with any particular word1 for instance1 occurring in the book of ,genesis1 and declared to have a certain spiritual signification1--when that word occurs in the book of ,revelation1 it is shown to have the same signification2 and this holds good in all cases4 ,and1 moreover1 while all these various significations1 taken together1 make in the book of ,genesis a complete spiritual sense1 so in the book of ,revelation they make their own complete spiritual sense4 ,now it will be readily seen1 that such a coincidence would be altogether unaccountable1 nay1 impossible1 unless there really existed such a spiritual sense in the ,word of ,god3 and it is1 indeed1 this uniform spiritual sense1 full of high and heavenly truth1 that raises the holy volume infinitely above all other works of history or morals2 and the existence of such a sense is the strongest proof of the ,divine character of those writings which we call the ,sacred ,scriptures4 ,and truly1 had ,swedenborg done only this1 he would have deserved the gratitude of all who seriously revere the ,word of ,god1 for thus bringing a new and most powerful argument from internal evidence1 in favor of the inspiration and divinity of the sacred volume40 ,well1 then1 might ,swedenborg disclaim the authorship of the ideas in the ,apocalypse ,revealed1 and ask3 8,what man can draw such things from himself80 ,those who tell us that ,swedenborg was self-deceived1 must either know very little of what they speak about1 or must be quite as ignorant of the capacity of the human mind and its powers of invention4 ,for ourselves1 we could as readily believe that ,swedenborg created the world1 as we could believe that the spiritual sense of the ,apocalypse1 and of the whole ,word1 was a fiction of his brain4 ,were the spiritual sense of the ,word such a fiction1 then it must be said that there lived a man in the last century1 with an intellect and creative faculty1 compared with which those of all the philosophers and poets of past and present time combined1 were as nothing4 ,we leave revilers of ,swedenborg to make their choice2 either to admit the existence of the spiritual sense of the ,word2 or1 denying its existence1 and pronouncing ,swedenborg's discovery either a delusion or an imposture1 to admit that ,swedenborg was a man wholly unique--a genius infinitely surpassing any which the world has ever known1 and endowed with a power of invention which the mind of a nation incarnate in one man could never hope to rival4 ,but it will never come to such a pass4 ,anyone who will take the trouble candidly to examine the subject1 will become convinced of the spiritual sense of the ,word1 and of the truth of ,swedenborg's revelations regarding it4 ,the denial and mockery of them can only coexist with an ignorance1 more or less profound1 of their nature2 or1 worse still1 from a hatred of the truth1 grounded in the life and love of evil4 ,the spiritual sense of the ,word is no invention4 ,it is a discovery1--accomplished by ,divine means1 however1--just as the finding of ,australia was a discovery2 and we shall believe in its existence if we become practically acquainted with it through reverent thought and study2 even as ,we should know ,australia best1 did we go there4 ,it may be said3 8,well1 suppose the spiritual sense of the ,apocalypse does describe the fall of the ,christian ,church1 and the inauguration of the ,new ,church2 and typifies the doctrine of justification by faith alone by the ,dragon2 and the ,romanists and their lust of dominion and atrocious deeds by ,babylon and the great ,harlot sitting upon many waters2 what then8 ,it is true such descriptions must ever have a certain interest1 but not sufficient to render them subjects of universal study in all ages1 and worthily forming a part of that ,divine ,book which is read by angels in heaven1 as well as by men on earth40 ,the objection is a sound one so far as it goes1 but it is made in ignorance of a great but very simple truth1 namely1 that all that is true of a church is true of an individual4 ,the trust in mere truth in the intellect1 and the lust of power and glory1--the former signified by the ,dragon1 and the latter by ,babylon1--are evils which exist in all minds to a greater or less degree2 and the ,divine description of their nature and awful consequences may be thought of apart from any idea of ,geneva or ,rome4 ,the ,apocalypse being a divine work1 has infinite applications1 and will be read to eternity in spheres where the names of ,romanist and ,protestant are unknown2 and in societies of glorified spirits1 compared with whose number and influence this world is insignificant4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,travels--,habits--,anecdotes4 ,in ,april1 #agff1 ,swedenborg again visited ,england in order to observe the effect of his writings upon the ,english people4 ,of this visit we have no account1 except in reference to its conclusion1 in ,september of the same year1 when he returned to ,stockholm4 ,mr4 ,springer1 the ,swedish ,consul in ,london1 an old friend of ,swedenborg's1 has left the following interesting record of some incidents connected with his return4 8,swedenborg was about to depart for ,sweden1 and desired me to procure him a good captain1 which ,i did4 ,i made the agreement with a person named ,dixon4 ,swedenborg's effects were carried on board the vessel1 and as his apartments were at some distance from the port1 we took1 for that night1 a chamber at an inn near it1 because the captain of the vessel was to come and fetch him in the morning4 ,swedenborg went to bed2 and ,i went to sit in another room1 with the master of the house1 with whom ,i was conversing4 ,we both heard a remarkable noise1 and could not apprehend what it could be1 and therefore drew near to a door1 where there was a little window that looked into the chamber where ,swedenborg lay4 ,we saw him with his arms raised toward heaven1 and his body appeared to tremble4 ,he spoke much for the space of half an hour1 but we could understand nothing of what he said1 except that when he let his hands fall down1 we heard him say with a loud voice1 #8,my ,god6' ,but we could not hear what he said more4 ,he remained afterwards very quietly in his bed4 ,i entered into his chamber with the master of the house1 and asked him if he was ill4 #8,no1' said he2 #8but ,i have had a long discourse with some of the heavenly friends1 and am at this time in a great perspiration4' ,and as his effects were embarked on board the vessel1 he asked the master of the house to let him have a shirt2 he then went again to bed1 and slept till morning4 8,when the captain of the vessel came to fetch ,swedenborg1 ,i took my leave of him1 and wished him a happy voyage4 ,i then asked the captain if he was provided with good and necessary provisions4 ,he answered me1 that he had as much as was needful for the voyage4 ,on this1 ,swedenborg said3 #8,my friend1 we shall not need a great quantity3 for this day week we shall1 by the aid of ,god1 enter the port of ,stockholm at two o'clock4' ,it happened exactly as he foretold1 as ,dixon informed me2 saying1 that a violent gale accelerated the voyage1 that the wind was favorable at every turn of the vessel1 and that he never in all his life had so prosperous a voyage40 ,arriving at ,stockholm on the #hth of ,september1 ,swedenborg resided in the ,sudermalm1 the southern suburb of the city4 ,robsahm tells us3 8,his house was built and arranged after his own taste2 the apartments were rather small1 but suitable for himself4 ,although he was a man of most profound learning1 no other books were seen in his study than the ,hebrew and ,greek ,bible1 together with his own indexes to his works1 whereby he saved himself the trouble1 when referring to different passages1 of going through all he had before written4 8,adjoining the house was a rather large garden1 in the midst of which he had a summer-house1 or pavilion4 ,there were four doors to the apartment1 which formed a square1 and was occasionally turned1 in an instant1 into an octagon1 by means of four other doors that belonged to it4 ,one of these doors shut with a secret lock1 which being opened1 there appeared a glass door placed opposite a fine green hedge1 where a bird was seen in a cage4 ,this new spectacle produced an agreeable surprise of a second garden to the person who opened the door1 which ,swedenborg used to say was more agreeable than the first4 ,at the entrance of the garden there was a parterre1 well covered with flowers1 which he was very fond of4 ,he derived no other advantage from the garden1 for he gave the whole produce of it to the gardener who waited on him2 so also that of a very excellent greenhouse1 in which he took much pleasure4 8,the gardener and his wife were the only servants he had2 of the latter he never desired other service than that of making his bed1 and of bringing water into his apartment4 ,he generally made his own coffee on the fire in his study1 and took much of it1 well sweetened4 ,when at home1 his dinner consisted of a small loaf put into boiled milk1 and at that time he neither drank wine nor any spirituous liquor1 nor did he take any supper4 ,though he was very sparing in his eating and drinking1 yet he would sometimes1 when in company1 take a glass of wine1 but was always in one equal temper of mind1 and cheerful4 8,he had a fire constantly kept up in his study1 from autumn1 throughout the winter1 until spring2 but his bedroom1 contrary to the usual custom in ,sweden1 was always cold2 and according as the cold was more or less severe1 he made use of three1 or four1 blankets4 ,when he awoke1 he went into his study1 where there were always live coals1 on which he laid wood1 with birch-bark1 having a number of small bundles ready for use1 and to make a quick fire before he sat down to write4 8,in his parlor was a table of black marble1 on which1 one would have supposed1 at first sight1 that a hand of cards had been carelessly thrown1 the imitation being so perfect4 ,he made a present of this table to the ,royal ,college of ,mines1 who preserve it with great care4 ,this room was neat and genteel1 but furnished in a plain style4 8,his wardrobe was simple1 yet suitable to the season4 ,he wore in winter a fur gown2 and when at home1 in summer1 a morning robe4 8,he spoke very distinctly4 ,when he began to talk in company1 every one was silent1 as well from the pleasure they had in hearing his discourse1 as from a sense of his well known great erudition1 which he did not show but on occasions in which he found himself compelled to prove his assertions1 or the little weight of the arguments of some with whom he conversed4 ,besides the learned languages1 in which he was well versed1 he understood the ,french1 ,english1 ,dutch1 ,german1 and ,italian40 ,we are thankful indeed for these details1 trifling though they are4 ,they evince the quiet practical character of ,swedenborg1 and the strong common sense which guarded him from all extravagance and eccentricity4 ,from the gardener's wife1 ,robsahm received the following statement3--8,entering one day1 after dinner1 into ,swedenborg's chamber1 ,i saw his eyes like unto a most bright flame4 ,i drew back1 saying1 #8,in the name of goodness1 ,sir1 what has happened extraordinary to you8 for you have a very peculiar appearance4' #8,what kind of look have ,i8' answered he4 ,i then told him what struck me4 #8,well1 well1' replied he1 which was his favorite expression1 #8don't be frightened1 the ,lord has so disposed my eyes1 that by them spirits may see what is in our world4'0 ,in a short time this appearance passed away1 as he said it would4 8,i know10 said she to ,robsahm1 8when he has conversed with heavenly spirits1 for there is a pleasure and calm satisfaction in his countenance1 which charm those who see it2 but after he has conversed with evil spirits1 he has a sorrowful look40 ,concerning his temptations1 they said that their master1 in the night1 often spoke aloud1 when evil spirits were with him1 which they could easily hear1 their room being adjoining4 ,when asked what caused his disturbance in the night1 he answered that it had been permitted the evil spirits to blaspheme1 and that he had spoken against them zealously4 ,it happened often that1 weeping bitterly1 he cried with a loud voice1 and prayed to the ,lord that he might not be forsaken in his temptation1 when they assailed him4 ,his words were1 #8,lord help me6 ,lord1 my ,god1 do not forsake me6' ,those who saw him in these states1 supposed he was sick2 but when delivered from them1 he returned thanks to ,god1 and said to those who were troubled for him1 #8,god be eternally praised6 ,comfort yourselves1 my friends1 all has passed away2 and be assured that nothing happens to me but what the ,lord permits1 who never lays a burden on us more weighty than we are able to bear4' ,once it was remarkable that after such a state he went to bed1 and did not rise for several days and nights4 ,this gave his domestics much uneasiness1 and they consulted together1 and supposed he was dead4 ,they intended to break open the door1 or to call their neighbors4 ,at last the gardener went to the window1 and discovered1 to his great joy1 that his master was alive1 and turning in his bed4 ,the next day he rang the bell4 ,the woman went in1 and related her own and her husband's uneasiness for him4 ,he told her with a cheerful countenance1 that he had been very well1 and had wanted nothing4 ,the following anecdote1 narrated to ,robsahm by the gardener's wife1 places ,swedenborg's moral courage in a strong light1 and shows the use of judicious plain speaking4 ,bishop ,halenius1 the successor of ,swedenborg's father1 paying ,swedenborg a visit one day1 the conversation turned on the nature of common sermons4 ,swedenborg said to the bishop1 8,you insert things that are false in yours20 on this1 the bishop told the gardener1 who was present1 to retire1 but ,swedenborg commanded him to stay4 ,the conversation went on1 and both turned over the ,hebrew and ,greek ,bibles1 to show the texts that were agreeable to their assertions4 ,at length the interview ended1 by some observations intended as reproaches to the bishop on his avarice and various unjust actions2 8,you have already prepared yourself a place in hell10 said ,swedenborg3 8but10 added he1 8,i predict that some months hence you will be attacked with a grievous illness1 during which time the ,lord will seek to convert you4 ,if you then open your heart to his holy inspirations1 your conversion will take place4 ,when this happens1 write to me for my theological works1 and ,i will send them to you40 ,some months after1 an officer from the province and bishopric of ,skara visited ,swedenborg4 ,on being asked how bishop ,halenius was1 he replied3 8,he has been very ill1 but at present he is quite recovered1 and has become altogether another person1 being now a practicer of what is good1 full of probity1 and returns sometimes three or four-fold of the property which he had before unjustly taken into his possession40 ,from that time to the hour of his death1 he was one of the greatest supporters of the doctrine of the ,new ,church of the ,lord1 and declared openly1 that the theological writings of ,swedenborg were the most precious treasures given for the welfare of mankind4 ,what a blessed result was this of the few severe but really kind words of ,swedenborg1 spoken in season6 ,in ,stockholm1 ,swedenborg was very accessible1 and visitors sought his advice for all purposes4 ,widows went to him to inquire about the state of their husbands in the other world2 and others fancying him a wizard1 beset him with questions about lost and stolen property4 ,notwithstanding the number and frequency of these visits1 from people of all ranks1 he would never receive any particular ones1 and more especially those of females1 without one of his domestics being present4 ,he also required his visitors to speak in the language of the country1 saying1 8,i will have witnesses of my discourse and conduct1 that all pretensions to malicious assertions and scandal may be taken away40 ,he had probably suffered from the tongues of busybodies3 it would have been strange if he had not2 and it was prudent for him to take this effectual plan to cut away the foundation of all idle and malicious gossip4 ,nicholas ,collin1 a young clergyman1 at this time visited ,swedenborg1 and thus pleasantly narrates his interview4 8,in #agfe1 ,i went to reside at ,stockholm1 where ,i continued for nearly three years4 ,during that time1 ,swedenborg was a great object of public attention in the metropolis1 and his extraordinary character was a frequent topic of discussion4 ,he resided at his house in the southern suburbs1 which was in a pleasant situation1 neat and convenient1 with a spacious garden and other appendages4 ,there he received company4 ,not seldom he also appeared in company1 and mixed in private society2 sufficient opportunities were therefore given to observe him4 ,i collected much information from several respectable persons who had conversed with him2 which was the more easy1 as ,i lived the whole time as a private tutor in the family of ,dr4 ,celsius1 a gentleman of distinguished talents1 who afterwards became bishop of ,scania4 ,he1 and many of the eminent persons that frequented his house1 knew ,swedenborg well4 8,in the summer of #agff1 ,i waited on him at his house4 ,introducing myself with an apology for the freedom ,i took1 ,i assured him that it was not in the least from youthful presumption4 ,i was then twenty1 but had a strong desire to converse with a character so celebrated4 ,he received me very kindly4 ,it being early in the afternoon1 delicate coffee1 without eatables1 was served1 agreeable to the ,swedish custom2 he was also1 like pensive men in general1 fond of this beverage4 ,we conversed for nearly three hours2 principally on the nature of human souls1 and their states in the invisible world2 discussing the principal theories of psychology by various authors4 ,he asserted positively1 as he often does in his works1 that he had intercourse with spirits of deceased persons4 ,i presumed1 therefore1 to request of him1 as a great favor1 to procure me an interview with my brother1 who had departed this life a few months before1 a young clergyman1 and esteemed for his devotion1 erudition1 and virtue4 ,he answered1 that ,god1 having for good and wise purposes separated the world of spirits from ours1 a communication is never granted without cogent reasons2 and asked what my motives were4 ,i confessed that ,i had none besides gratifying brotherly affection1 and an ardent wish to explore scenes so sublime and interesting to a serious mind4 ,he replied1 that my motives were good1 but not sufficient2 but that if any important spiritual or temporal concern of mine had been the case1 he would then have solicited permission from those angels who regulate these matters4 ,he showed me his garden4 ,it had an agreeable building1 a wing of which was a kind of temple1 to which he often retired for contemplation2 its dim religious light rendering it suitable for such a purpose4 8,we parted with mutual satisfaction2 and he presented by me1 to the said ,dr4 ,celsius1 an elegant copy of his ,apocalypsis ,revelata1 then lately printed in ,amsterdam40 ,swedenborg was of a very mild temper1 upright1 just1 and incapable of perverting the truth4 ,robsahm1 one day1 asked him if a certain preacher1 lately deceased1 and greatly esteemed in ,stockholm for his flowery sermons1 had a place in heaven4 8,no10 said ,swedenborg1 8he went directly into the abyss2 for he left his devotion in the pulpit3 he was not pious1 but a hypocrite2 proud and greatly vain of the gifts he had received from nature1 and the goods of fortune he was continually seeking to acquire4 ,truly10 continued he1 8false appearances will stand us in no stead hereafter2 they are all separated from man at his decease2 the mask then falls from him2 and it is then made manifest to all1 whether he is inwardly good or evil40 ,the exact month of ,swedenborg's next foreign travel is uncertain2 but just before he undertook it1 ,robsahm met him in his carriage1 and asked him how he could venture to take a voyage to ,london1 at the age of eighty1 and expressed a fear lest he should not see him again4 8,be not uneasy1 my friend10 said he1 8if you live1 we shall see one another again1 for ,i have yet another voyage of this kind to make40 ,at ,elsinore1 on these voyages1 he frequently visited ,m4 ,rahling1 the ,swedish ,consul1 and during this transit1 he made the acquaintance of ,general ,tuxen1 at the ,consul's table4 ,the ,general asked him how a man might be certain whether he was on the road to salvation or not4 ,swedenborg answered1 8,that is very easy4 ,a man need only examine himself and his thoughts by the ,ten ,commandments2 as1 for instance1 whether he loves and fears ,god2 whether he is happy in seeing the welfare of others1 and does not envy them2 whether on having received a great injury from others1 which may have excited him to anger and to meditate revenge1 he afterwards changes his sentiments1 because ,god has said that vengeance is ,his1 and so on2 then he may rest assured that he is on the road to heaven3 but when he discovers himself actuated by contrary sentiments1 he may know that he is on the road to hell40 ,this led ,tuxen to think of himself1 as well as others2 and he asked ,swedenborg whether he had seen ,king ,frederick ,v4 of ,denmark1 deceased in #agff1 adding that though some human frailty attached to him1 yet he had certain hopes that he was happy4 ,swedenborg said1 8,yes1 ,i have seen him1 and he is well off2 and not only he1 but all the kings of the house of ,oldenburg1 who are associated together4 ,this is not the happy case with our ,swedish kings40 ,swedenborg then told him that he had seen no one so splendidly ministered to in the world of spirits as the ,empress ,elizabeth of ,russia1 who died in #agfb4 ,as ,tuxen expressed astonishment at this1 ,swedenborg continued3 8,i can also tell you the reason1 which few would surmise4 ,with all her faults1 she had a good heart1 and a certain consideration in her negligence4 ,this induced her to put off signing many papers that were from time to time presented to her1 and which at last so accumulated that she could not examine them1 but was obliged to sign as many as possible on the representation of her ministers2 after which she would retire to her closet1 fall on her knees1 and beg ,god's forgiveness1 if she1 against her will1 had signed anything that was wrong40 ,at the conclusion of this interesting interview1 ,swedenborg went on board his vessel1 leaving a firm friend and future disciple in ,general ,tuxen4 ,some years after1 ,tuxen wrote3 8,i thank our ,lord1 the ,god of heaven1 that ,i have been acquainted with this great man and his writings4 ,i esteem this as the greatest blessing ,i ever experienced in this life1 and hope ,i shall profit by it in working out my salvation40 ,swedenborg's stay in ,london at this time must have been brief2 for on the #bhth of ,november1 #agfh1 we meet him again in ,amsterdam1 whither he had gone to print another important work1 8,conjugial ,love1 and its chaste ,delights2 also ,adulterous ,love and its insane ,pleasures40 ,this book he published with his name1 as written 8by ,emanuel ,swedenborg1 a ,swede40 ,this is the first of his theological works to which he affixed his name4 ,his reason for giving it in this instance1 is said to have been1 that no other person might be censured for writing on this delicate subject4 ,we will now examine the contents of this wondrous book4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,conjugial ,love4 ,a wise man might well suspect the soundness of any system of morals which did not take into careful consideration the conjugial relation4 ,marriage--the most important event in life1 the relation which occupies the whole thought of one sex1 and the most serious regards of the other1 the institution around which all that is highest find holiest in life groups itself1 family1 home1 all that human hearts hold dear--must ever hold a prominent place in a true code of moral and spiritual laws4 ,how then could the subject be omitted from the heavenly writings of the ,new ,jerusalem8 or how could its apostle forget or pass it by4 ,swedenborg1 in his treatise on ,conjugial ,love1 first speaks of marriages in heaven4 ,he shows that a man lives a man after death1 and that a woman lives a woman2 and since it was ordained from creation that the woman should be for the man1 and the man for the woman1 and thus that each should be the other's1--and since that love is innate in both1 it follows that there are marriages in heaven as well as on earth4 ,marriage in the heavens is the conjunction of two into one mind4 ,the mind of man consists of two parts1 the understanding and the will4 ,when these two parts act in unity1 they are called one mind4 ,the understanding is predominant in man1 and the will in woman2 but in the marriage of minds there is no predominance1 for the will of the wife becomes also the will of the husband1 and the understanding of the husband is also that of the wife2 because each loves to will and to think as the other wills and thinks1 and thus they will and think mutually and reciprocally4 ,hence their conjunction2 so that in heaven1 two married partners are not called two1 but one angel4 ,when this conjunction of minds descends into the inferior principles which are of the body1 it is perceived and felt as love1 and that love is conjugial love4 ,to this doctrine of marriage in heaven will arise an objection from the ,lord's words to the ,sadducees1 when they asked ,him whose wife1 in the resurrection1 a woman should be1 who had been married in succession to seven brethren4 ,the ,lord replied3 8,the children of this world marry1 and are given in marriage2 but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead1 neither marry nor are given in marriage40--,luke xx4 #cd1 #ce4 ,to understand this reply1 we must bear in mind the nature of the question4 ,a woman had been married1 quite in accordance with worldly usage1 to seven husbands4 ,of course1 nothing of this kind takes place in heaven2 for1 as the ,lord says1 there 8neither can they die any more40 ,after that fashion indeed there is no marrying or giving in marriage in heaven4 ,in truth1 marriages1 such as they are in heaven1 could never have been comprehended by the gross and carnal-minded ,jews2 and had the ,lord entered into detail1 ,he would have been as grossly misapprehended by them as when ,he said1 8,destroy this temple1 and in three days ,i will raise it up40 ,and they said3 8,forty and six years was this temple in building1 and wilt thou rear it up in three days80 not knowing that he 8spake of the temple of his body40 ,john ii4 #ai-ba4 ,now ,swedenborg very plainly shows that ,christians think as naturally of marriage as the ,jews did of the temple1 if they suppose that the true marriage of minds does not take place in heaven1 or that it was any but the carnal and sensual connections of earth that the ,lord declared had no place in eternity4 ,in the spiritual sense of the ,lord's words1 by the marriage that does not take place in heaven1 is meant the spiritual marriage1 or union of goodness and truth in the mind2 in other words1 regeneration3 this must be accomplished in this life1 or not at all4 ,when the spiritual sense of the ,word is understood1 this interpretation becomes manifest as the only true and rational mode of understanding the text2 and all the rest of ,scripture goes to confirm it4 ,moreover it is true that there is no marriage in heaven in the exact sense of the word4 ,partners are born into this world1 and by life in it are disciplined for each other4 ,separate1 they are but parts of one whole2 and in each there is a continual longing for unition4 ,seen by the eye of ,omniscience1 they are ever married2 they are one1 however divided they may be by space or circumstances4 ,their meeting in heaven and recognition of each other is only the external completion of what had before in essentials been effected4 ,and in this sense it may be said that there are no marriages in heaven2 for all are married1 in reality1 before they reach heaven4 ,marriages on earth1 ,swedenborg teaches1 are at this day entered upon so generally from merely worldly and sensual motives1 and with so little regard for similarity of mind1 that1 save in few cases1 they are not maintained and perpetuated in the other life4 ,married partners commonly meet after death2 but as their internal differences of mind are manifested1 they separate2 for no married partners can be received into heaven1 except such as have been interiorly united1 or are capable of being so united into one2 which is understood by the ,lord's words3 8,they are no longer two1 but one flesh40 ,such as are thus separated--possibly both very good people--meet1 in due time1 congenial partners1 whose souls incline to union with their own1 so that they no longer wish to be two lives1 but one4 ,the meeting of young partners in heaven is thus charmingly described3--8,the divine providence of the ,lord extends to everything1 even to the minutest particulars concerning marriages1 because all the delights of heaven spring from the delights of conjugial love1 as sweet waters from the fountain head4 ,on this account it is provided that conjugial pairs be born1 and these pairs are continually educated to their several marriages under the ,lord's auspices1 neither the boy nor the girl knowing anything of the matter2 and after a stated time1 when both of them become marriageable1 they meet in some place as by chance1 and see each other1 and in this case they instantly know1 as by a kind of instinct1 that they are pairs2 and by a kind of inward dictate1 think within themselves--the youth that she is mine1 and the virgin that he is mine2 and when this thought has existed some time in the mind of each1 they accost each other from a deliberate purpose1 and betroth themselves4 ,it is said as by chance1 by instinct1 and by dictate1 and the meaning is by ,divine ,providence3 since1 while the ,divine ,providence is unknown1 it has such an appearance2 for the ,lord opens internal similitudes1 that they may see each other40 ,we are now led by ,swedenborg1 and introduced to a knowledge of the nature of conjugial love1 and shown in what consists its essential blessedness4 ,he shows that this love originates in the marriage of goodness and truth4 ,every one who has experienced anything of regeneration1 knows that there is no bliss so intense1 no joy so extatic1 as that arising from well-doing1 and submission to the will of the ,lord4 ,when right is done because it is right1 when truth in the understanding is carried into action1 then good is inseminated in the will by the ,lord1 and conjoining itself to truth in the understanding1 the soul overflows with the sweetest peace1 and the most interior delight4 ,the conjunction of goodness and truth is the heavenly marriage1 to which the ,lord compares the kingdom of heaven2 and ,he says that it is not here1 nor there1 but within us4 ,under the symbols of marriage and love1 the regeneration of the soul is continually described in the ,word2 and the meeting of ,jacob and ,rachel at the well1 when 8,jacob kissed ,rachel10 and for very joy1 8lifted up his voice and wept10 beautifully typifies the meeting of goodness and truth1 and the gladness resulting from their approaching union4 ,it was said that in man the understanding predominates1 and in woman the will4 ,in the mind of each1 then1 it is evident1 there never can be a perfect marriage1 seeing that individual minds are in themselves imperfect1 the balance of the will and intellect being in no case equal4 ,the mental perfection or wholeness of man then necessitates marriage4 ,truth loves good1 and good loves truth2 and so the will and the understanding ever long for conjunction4 ,it is plain1 then1 that in man there must always be an unsatisfied desire1 if he remain by himself2 and so1 also1 to even a greater degree1 with the woman4 ,this insatiable desire for conjunction of soul1 can not well appear in its strength in this life for many reasons2 nor can it receive here its full satisfaction1 as it will in eternity4 ,true conjugial love can exist only between two2 and in polygamists and adulterers it is utterly destroyed4 ,again1 it can only exist with the regenerate1 with those who love the ,lord and their neighbor1 and delight in keeping the divine commandments4 ,in proportion as married partners so live1 they become more and more closely and interiorly conjoined2 and their minds flowing into one1 their peace1 joy1 and bliss are ineffably increased4 ,with the wicked there is no conjugial love4 ,their life1 being internally evil1 conceals the deepest hatred2 and the apparent affection which they may display in the world1 arises either from sensual love1 or worldly expediency4 ,be it well noted by all1 that marriage can yield real happiness only to the religious--to those who love ,god and honor ,his laws4 ,it is impossible for us to give1 even by way of catalogue1 a view of the details into which the treatise on ,conjugial ,love enters4 ,it is so richly studded with great principles1 that no condensation is possible4 ,it is thus with all of ,swedenborg's books2 so that an exhaustive review is impossible4 ,he never treats his readers to long moralizings that can be condensed into one paragraph2 but all his writings are crowded with thought1 so that one is prompted not to condensation1 but to expansion4 ,this excuse1 which we have had to present on previous occasions1 must form our apology for the following extracts1 selected as illustrations of some of the leading truths in this treatise4 ,the ,delights of ,conjugial ,love4--8,as conjugial love is the foundation love of all good loves1 and as it is inscribed on all the parts and principles of man1 even to the most particular1 it follows that its delights exceed the delights of all other loves1 and also that it gives delight to the other loves1 according to its presence and conjunction with them2 for it expands the inmost principles of the mind1 and at the same time the inmost principles of the body1 as the most delightful current of its fountain flows through and opens them4 ,the reason why all delights1 from first to last1 are collated into this love1 is on account of the superior excellence of its use1 which is the propagation of the human race1 and thence of the angelic heaven2 and as this use was the chief end of creation1 it follows that all the beatitudes1 satisfactions1 delights1 pleasantnesses1 and pleasures1 which the ,lord the ,creator could possibly confer upon man1 are collated into this love40--n4 #fh4 ,love truly ,conjugial is essential ,chastity4--8,the reasons are1 #a4 ,because it is from the ,lord1 and corresponds to the marriage of the ,lord and the church4 #b4 ,because it descends from the marriage of good and truth4 #c4 ,because it is spiritual1 in proportion as the church exists with man4 #d4 ,because it is the foundation love1 and head of all celestial and spiritual loves4 #e4 ,because it is the orderly seminary of the human race1 and thereby of the angelic heaven4 #f4 ,because on this account it also exists with the angels of heaven1 and gives birth with them to spiritual offspring1 which are love and wisdom4 #g4 ,and because its uses are thus more excellent than the other uses of creation4 ,from these considerations1 it follows that love truly conjugial1 viewed from its origin and its essence1 is pure and holy1 so that it may be called purity and holiness1 consequently1 essential chastity40--n4 #adc4 ,conjugial ,love in ,ancient ,times4--8,i have been informed by the angels1 that those who lived in the most ancient times1 live at this day in the heavens1 in separate houses1 families1 and nations1 as they lived on earth1 and that scarce any one of a house is wanting2 and that the reason is1 because they were principled in love truly conjugial2 and that hence their children inherited inclinations to the conjugial principles of good and truth1 and were easily initiated into it more and more interiorly by education received from their parents1 and afterwards as from themselves1 when they became capable of judging for themselves1 were introduced into it by the ,lord40--n4 #bje4 ,marriage elevates ,humanity to its ,highest ,form4--8,the most perfect and noble human form results from the conjunction of two forms1 by marriage1 so as to become one form2 thus from two fleshes becoming one flesh according to creation4 ,in such a case the man's mind is elevated into superior light1 and the wife's into superior heat40--n4 #bja4 ,the ,children of ,good ,parents4--8,children born of parents who are principled in love truly conjugial1 derive from their parents the conjugial principle of good and truth1 by virtue whereof they have an inclination and faculty1 if sons1 to perceive the things appertaining to wisdom1 and if daughters1 to love those things which wisdom teaches4 ,hence a superior suitableness and facility to grow wise1 is inherited by those who are born from such a marriage1 and also to imbibe the things relating to the church and heaven40--n4 #bjb-d4 ,the capacity of women to perform the duties of men1 and men those of women1 is thus spoken of4 8,the wife can not enter into the duties proper to the man1 nor on the other hand the man into the duties proper to the wife1 because they differ like wisdom and the love thereof1 or like understanding and the will thereof4 ,in the duties proper to the man1 the primary agent is the understanding1 thought1 and wisdom2 whereas in the duties proper to the wife1 the primary agent is will1 affection1 and love2 and the wife from the latter principles performs her duties1 and the man from the former performs his2 wherefore their duties1 from the nature of them1 are diverse1 but still conjunctive in a successive series4 ,it is believed by many that women can perform the duties of men1 if they were initiated therein like boys1 at an early age4 ,they may indeed be initiated into the exercise of such duties1 but not into the judgment1 on which the rectitude interiorly depends2 wherefore those women who have been initiated into the duties of men1 are bound1 in matters of judgment1 to consult men1 and then1 if they are left to their own disposal1 they select from the counsels of men what favors their own particular love4 ,it is also supposed by some1 that women are equally capable with men of elevating the intellectual vision1 and into the same sphere of life1 and of viewing things in the same altitude2 and they have been led into this opinion by the writings of certain learned authoresses2 but these writings1 when examined in the spiritual world1 in the presence of the authoresses1 were found to be the productions1 not of judgment and wisdom1 but of ingenuity and wit2 and what proceeds from these two latter principles1 on account of the elegance and neatness of style in which it is written1 has the appearance of sublimity and erudition2 yet only in the eyes of those who call all ingenuity by the name of wisdom4 ,in like manner1 men can not enter into the duties of women1 and perform them aright1 because they are not in the affections of women1 which are altogether distinct from the affections of men4 ,as the affections and perceptions of the male and female sex are thus distinct by creation1 and consequently by nature1 therefore1 among the statutes given to the sons of ,israel1 this was also ordained3 #8,a woman shall not put on the garment of a man1 neither shall a man put on the garment of a woman2 because this is an abomination4' ,deut4 xxii4 #e4 ,the reason is1 because all in the spiritual world are clothed according to their affections2 and the affections of the woman and the man can not be united1 except as subsisting between two1 and in no case as subsisting in one40--n4 #age4 ,the latter portion of the treatise on ,conjugial ,love is devoted to the melancholy subject of the disorders of the married life1 to coldnesses and quarrels1 separations and divorces2 and finally to adulteries1 fornications1 and all the abuses of the sexual relations4 ,of this it would be out of place to speak here1 except to remark1 that it follows1 as a consequence of the fact that conjugial love makes man's highest bliss and purest heaven1 that its violations and abuses must needs lead to the bitterest misery and deepest hell4 ,this portion of the treatise has subjected ,swedenborg to some gross calumny1 which1 if sincere1 could only have arisen from a very superficial acquaintance with the principles of its author4 ,and yet it is hardly possible for a man to write on such subjects1 without provoking the censure of the sickly virtuous and the hypocritically pure4 ,religious people too generally treat the dire sexual evils which infest and corrupt society with silence and aversion2 passing them by as the priest and the ,levite did the wounded traveler4 ,when the spirit of ,jesus more fully actuates the church1 and the love of the neighbor prompts to heal the world's evils by all efficient means1 then1 we have no doubt1 ,swedenborg on ,scortatory ,love will be taken into council4 ,we have used the term 8conjugial10 after ,swedenborg1 who generally uses the ,latin adjective conjugialis1 in preference to conjugalis1 perhaps because softer in sound4 ,interspersed between the various chapters of the treatise1 are memorable relations of scenes which the author beheld in the spiritual world1 and conversations which he had with spirits and angels on the subject of conjugial love4 ,many of these possess the most fascinating interest1 and convey at the same time the most profound and beautiful truths4 ,one interview which he had with two angels of the third heaven is so beautiful that we present it at length4 8,one morning ,i was looking upwards into heaven1 and ,i saw over me three expanses1 one above another4 ,i wondered at first what all this meant2 and presently there was heard from heaven a voice as of a trumpet1 saying1 #8,we have perceived1 and now see1 that thou art meditating concerning conjugial love4 ,we are aware that no one on earth at present knows what true conjugial love is in its origin and essence4 ,yet it is of importance that it should be known4 ,with us in the heavens1 especially in the third heaven1 our heavenly delights are principally derived from conjugial love2 wherefore in consequence of leave granted us1 we will send down to thee a conjugial pair for thy inspection and observation3' and lo6 instantly there appeared a chariot descending from the third or highest heaven2 in which there was seen one angel2 but as it approached there were seen therein two4 ,the chariot1 at a distance1 glittered before my eyes like a diamond1 and to it were harnessed young horses white as snow2 and those who sat in the chariot held in their hands two turtle doves4444 ,when they came nearer1 lo6 it was a husband and his wife2 and they said1 #8,we are a conjugial pair2 we have lived blessed in heaven from the first age of the world1 which is called by you the golden age1 and during that time in the same perpetual flower of youth in which thou seest us at this day4 ,i viewed each attentively1 because ,i perceived that they represented conjugial love in its life and its adorning2 in its life in their faces1 and in its adorning in their raiment4444 ,the husband appeared of a middle age between manhood and youth2 from his eyes darted forth sparkling light derived from the wisdom of love2 by virtue of which light his face was radiant from its inmost ground2 and in consequence of such radiance1 the skin had a kind of refulgence in the outermost surface1 whereby his whole face was one resplendent comeliness4 ,he was dressed in an upper robe which reached down to his feet1 and underneath it was a vesture of hyacinthine blue1 girded about with a golden girdle1 upon which were three precious stones1 two sapphires on the sides1 and a carbuncle in the middle2 his stockings were of bright shining linen1 with threads of silver interwoven2 and his shoes were of velvet3 such was the representative form of conjugial love with the husband4 ,but with the wife it was this2 her face was seen by me1 and it was not seen2 it was seen as essential beauty1 and it was not seen because this beauty was inexpressible2 for in her face there was a splendor of flaming light1 such as the angels of the third heaven enjoy1 and this light made my sight dim2 so that ,i was lost in astonishment3 she1 observing this1 addressed me1 saying1 #8,what dost thou see8' ,i replied1 #8,i see nothing but conjugial love and the form thereof2 but ,i see1 and ,i do not see4' ,hereupon she turned herself obliquely from her husband2 and then ,i was enabled to view her attentively4 ,her eyes were bright and sparkling from the light of her own heaven1 which light1 as was said1 is of a flaming quality1 which it derives from the love of wisdom2 for in that heaven wives love their husbands from their wisdom and in their wisdom3 and husbands love their wives from that love of wisdom and in it1 as directed towards themselves2 and thus they are united4 ,this was the origin of her beauty2 which was such that it would be impossible for any painter to imitate and exhibit it in its form1 for he has no colors bright and vivid enough to express its lustre2 nor is it in the power of his art to depict such beauty4 ,her hair was adjusted in becoming order so as to correspond with her beauty2 and in it were inserted diadems of flowers3 she had a necklace of carbuncles1 from which hung a rosary of chrysolites2 and she had bracelets of pearl3 her upper robe was scarlet1 and underneath it was a stomacher of purple1 fastened in front with clasps of rubies4 ,but what surprised me was1 that the colors varied according to her aspect in regard to her husband1 and also according thereto were sometimes more glittering1 and sometimes less2 in mutual aspect more1 and in oblique aspect less4 ,when ,i had made these observations1 they again discoursed with me2 and when the husband spoke1 he spoke at the same time as from his wife2 and when the wife spoke1 she spoke at the same time as from her husband2 such was the union of their minds from whence speech flows2 and on this occasion ,i also heard the sound or tone of voice of conjugial love2 inwardly it was simultaneous1 and it likewise proceeded from the delights of a state of innocence and peace4 ,at length they said1 #8,we are recalled2 we must depart3' and instantly they appeared again conveyed in a chariot as before4 ,the way by which they were conveyed was a paved way through flowering shrubberies1 from the beds of which rose olive and orange trees laden with fruit4 ,when they approached their own heaven they were met by several virgins1 who welcomed and introduced them40 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,attacked by ,dr4 ,ekebom--,visits ,france--,letter to ,hartley1 and ,hartley's ,opinion of ,swedenborg4 ,in the spring of #agfi1 ,swedenborg published at ,amsterdam1 ,a ,brief ,exposition of the ,doctrine of the ,new ,church1 8in which work10 he says1 writing to ,dr4 ,beyer1 8are fully shown the errors of the existing doctrines of justification by faith alone1 and of the imputation of the righteousness or merits of ,jesus ,christ40 ,he sent the little book to all the clergy throughout ,holland1 and to the most eminent in ,germany2 but1 on second thought1 sent only one copy to ,sweden1 to ,dr4 ,beyer1 requesting him to keep it to himself1 for true divinity in ,sweden was in a wintry state4 ,swedenborg's long preservation from attack and controversy1 at this time came to an end4 ,on the #bb;d of ,march1 #agfi1 ,dr4 ,ekebom1 ,dean of the ,theological faculty of ,gottenburg1 laid before the ,consistory there a series of objections against ,swedenborg's theological writings1 laden with untruth1 and full of personal invective4 ,the ,dean branded his doctrine 8as in the highest degree heretical1 and1 on points the most tender to every ,christian1 ,socinian40 ,he stated1 further1 that he 8did not know ,assessor ,swedenborg's religious system1 and should take no pains to come at the knowledge of it40 ,as for ,swedenborg's chief works1 he 8did not possess them1 and had neither read nor seen them40 ,swedenborg's written reply1 transmitted from ,holland1 was mild and effectual4 ,he cited his writings themselves1 and proved that1 according to ,scripture1 the ,apostolic ,creed1 and whatever was not self-contradictory in the orthodoxy of the churches1 his doctrine was anything but heretical4 ,but the self-acknowledged ignorance and prejudice of the ,dean were not to be removed by anything he might say4 8,was not this10 to quote ,swedenborg's own words1 8to be blind in the forehead1 and to have eyes behind1 and even those covered with a film8 ,to see and decide upon writings in such a fashion1 can any secular or ecclesiastical judge regard as otherwise than criminal80 ,about the end of ,may1 or the beginning of ,june1 ,swedenborg left ,amsterdam for ,paris1 8with a design which10 in writing to ,dr4 ,beyer1 he says1 8must not be made public beforehand40 ,we hardly understand the remark1 except that he anticipated some difficulty with regard to the object of his journey1--the publication of another little work1 entitled1 8,the ,intercourse ,between the ,soul and the ,body10 in the ,french capital4 ,on his arrival in ,paris1 ,swedenborg submitted his tract to ,m4 ,chevreuil1 ,censor ,royal1 who1 having read it1 informed him that a tacit permission to publish would be granted1 on condition1 as was customary in the case of doubtful books1 that the title should say1 8printed at ,london10 or 8at ,amsterdam40 ,this1 ,swedenborg's nice sense of truth and honor could not submit to1 and he abandoned his intention of publishing it in ,paris4 ,his enemies in ,gottenburg then circulated a report that he had been ordered to quit ,paris1 which he1 in a letter to ,dr4 ,beyer1 pronounced a direct falsehood1 and appealed for the truth of the case to the ,swedish ,ambassador to ,france4 8,rumor also10 writes ,wilkinson1 8has been busy with ,swedenborg upon this journey4 ,the ,french #8,universal ,biography' connects him with an artist1--,elie1--who1 it is alleged1 supplied him with money1 and furthered his presumed designs4 ,indeed1 he has been accused of a league with the illumins1 and with a certain politico-theological freemasonry1 centuries old1 but always invisible1 which was to overturn society1 and foster revolutions all over the world4 ,we can only say that our researches have not elicited these particulars1 and that every authentic document shows that ,swedenborg stood always upon his own basis1 accepted money from no one1 and was just what he appeared--a theological missionary1 and nothing more40 ,the short visit to ,paris was terminated by his departure for ,london1 where1 unfettered by censors1 he published his little book--8,the ,intercourse ,between the ,soul and the ,body40 ,one of ,swedenborg's warmest and most intelligent ,english friends1 was the ,rev4 ,thomas ,hartley1 ,a4 ,m41 rector of ,winwick1 ,northamptonshire1--himself an author1 and assistant translator of the first ,english edition of 8,heaven and ,hell40 ,at this time he wrote to ,swedenborg1 fearing that he might be in want of money1 and offering to supply his needs2 also requesting an account of his past life and connections1 as a means of refuting calumnies4 ,in his reply1 ,swedenborg satisfied him on these points4 ,he says to ,mr4 ,hartley3 8,i take pleasure in the friendship you express for me in your letter1 and return you sincere thanks for the same3 but as to the praises you bestow upon me1 ,i only receive them as tokens of your love of the truths contained in my writings1 and so refer them to the ,lord and ,saviour1 from whom is all truth1 because he is the ,truth4 ,john xiv4 #f4 8,i live on terms of familiarity and friendship with all the bishops of my country1 who are ten in number2 as also with the sixteen senators1 and the rest of the nobility2 for they know that ,i am in fellowship with angels4 ,the ,king and ,queen also1 and the three princes1 their sons1 show me much favor4 ,i was once invited by the ,king and ,queen to dine at their table1--an honor which is1 in general1 granted only to the nobility of the highest rank2 and likewise1 since1 with the hereditary ,prince4 ,they all wished for my return home1--so far am ,i from being in any danger of persecution in my own country1 as you seem to apprehend1 and so kindly wish to provide against2 and should anything of the kind befall me elsewhere1 it can not hurt me4 ,but ,i regard all that ,i have mentioned as matters of little moment2 for1 what far exceeds them1 ,i have been called to a holy office by the ,lord himself1 who most graciously manifested himself in person to me1 his servant1 in the year #agdc2 when he opened my sight to the view of the spiritual world1 and granted me the privilege of conversing with spirits and angels1 which ,i enjoy to this day4 ,i am a ,fellow1 by invitation1 of the ,royal ,academy of ,sciences at ,stockholm3 but ,i have never sought admission into any other ,literary ,society1 as ,i belong to an angelic society1 wherein things relating to heaven and the soul are the only subjects of discourse and entertainment2 whereas the things which occupy the attention of our ,literary ,societies are such as relate to the world and the body4 ,as for the world's wealth1 ,i have what is sufficient1 and more ,i neither seek nor wish for4 ,your letter has drawn the mention of these things from me1 with the view1 as you suggest1 that any ill-grounded prejudices may be removed4 ,farewell6 and from my heart ,i wish you all felicity in this world and in the next2 which ,i make no doubt of your attaining1 if you look and pray to our ,lord4--,e4 ,swedenborg40 ,dated1 ,london1 #agfi4 ,mr4 ,hartley1 in #agha1 when far advanced in years1 thus gives his opinion of ,swedenborg3-- 8,the great ,swedenborg was a man of uncommon humility4 ,he was of a catholic spirit1 and loved all good men of every church1 making at the same time all candid allowance for the innocence of involuntary error4 ,however self-denying in his own person1 as to gratifications and indulgences1 even within the bounds of moderation1 yet nothing severe1 nothing of the precisian1 appeared in him2 but on the contrary1 an inward serenity and complacency of mind were manifest in the sweetness of his looks and outward demeanor4 ,it may reasonably be supposed that ,i have weighed the character of our illustrious author in the scale of my best judgment1 from the personal knowledge ,i had of him1 from the best information ,i could procure respecting him1 and from a diligent perusal of his writings2 and according thereto1 ,i have found him to be the sound divine1 the good man1 the deep philosopher1 the universal scholar1 and the polite gentleman2 and ,i further believe1 that he had a high degree of illumination from the spirit of ,god1 was commissioned by ,him as an extraordinary messenger to the world1 and had communication with angels and the spiritual world far beyond any since the time of the ,apostles4 ,as such1 ,i offer his character to the world1 solemnly declaring1 that1 to the best of my knowledge1 ,i am not herein led by any partiality or private views whatever1 being now dead to every worldly interest1 and accounting myself as unworthy of any higher character than that of a penitent sinner40 ,two others of ,swedenborg's ,english friends were ,dr4 ,messiter and ,dr4 ,hamp1 who had been preceptor to ,george ,i4 ,from a letter of ,dr4 ,messiter's1 we extract the following remarks on ,swedenborg's character3-- 8,i have had the honor of being frequently admitted to ,swedenborg's company1 when in ,london1 and to converse with him on various points of learning1 and ,i will venture to affirm that there are no parts of mathematical1 philosophical1 or medical knowledge1 nay1 ,i believe ,i might justly say1 of human literature1 to which he is in the least a stranger2 yet so totally insensible is he of his own merit1 that ,i am confident he does not know that he has any2 and as he himself somewhere says of the angels1 he always turns his head away on the slightest encomium40 ,swedenborg's stay in ,england at this time does not seem to have been longer than sufficed for the transaction of his business2 for in ,september1 #agfi1 he sailed for ,stockholm1 arriving there at the beginning of ,october4 ,but we must now suspend the narrative of his life to offer a few remarks on his little works1--8,a ,brief ,exposition of the ,doctrine of the ,new ,church10 and 8,the ,intercourse ,between the ,soul and the ,body40 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 8,brief ,exposition of the ,doctrines of the ,new ,church10 and 8,the ,intercourse between the ,soul and the ,body40 8,the ,brief ,exposition of the ,doctrines of the ,new ,church0 is an exposition effected by means of comparisons between the doctrines of the ,new ,church and those of ,catholics and ,protestants4 ,the work is avowedly only a sketch1 and the precursor of a larger book--8,the ,true ,christian ,religion0--a work of some years1 which will shortly demand our attention4 ,the ,catholic doctrinals are taken from the records of the ,council of ,trent2 and the ,protestant from the ,formula ,concordi1 composed by persons attached to the ,augsburg ,confession4 ,the disagreements between the tenets of the ,old and ,new ,churches are considered under twenty-five ,articles1 the heads of which we will condense and present to the reader4 ,the ,churches which1 by the ,reformation1 separated themselves from the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 differ in various points of doctrine2 but they all agree in the ,articles concerning a ,trinity of ,persons in the ,godhead1 original sin from ,adam1 imputation of the merit of ,christ1 and justification by faith alone4 ,the ,roman ,catholics1 before the ,reformation1 held and taught exactly the same things as the ,reformed did after it1 in respect to these points2 only with this difference1 that they conjoined faith with charity or good works4 ,the leading ,reformers1 ,luther1 ,melancthon1 and ,calvin1 retained all the tenets concerning a ,trinity of ,persons in the ,godhead1 original sin1 imputation of the merits of ,christ1 and justification by faith1 just as they were1 and had been1 among the ,roman ,catholics2 but they separated charity or good works from that faith1 and declared at the same time that they were not of a saving efficacy1 with a view to be totally severed from the ,roman ,catholics as to the very essentials of the ,church1 which are faith and charity4 ,nevertheless the leading ,reformers adjoined good works1 and even conjoined them to their faith1 but in man as a passive subject2 whereas the ,roman ,catholics conjoin them in man as an active subject2 and notwithstanding this1 there is actually a conformity between the one and the other as to faith1 works1 and merit4 ,the whole system of theology in the ,christian ,world1 at this day1 is founded on an idea of three ,gods1 arising from the doctrine of a ,trinity of ,persons1 and when this doctrine is rejected1 then all the tenets of the aforesaid theology fall to pieces4 ,the truth of this must be apparent to every one4 ,the ,doctrine of a ,trinity of ,persons in the ,divine ,being1 is the key-stone of ,roman ,catholic and ,protestant theology4 ,if this ,doctrine be false1 the whole structure totters to its fall4 ,when the faith in three ,gods is rejected1 then it is possible to receive the true and saving faith1 which is a faith in ,one ,god1 united with good works4 ,this faith is in ,god the ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 and in its simple form is as follows3 #a4 ,that there is ,one ,god1 in whom is a ,divine ,trinity1 and that ,he is the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #b4 ,that saving faith is to believe in ,him4 #c4 ,that evils ought to be shunned1 because they are of the devil and from the devil4 #d4 ,that good works ought to be done1 because they are of ,god and from ,god4 #e4 ,that they ought to be done by man as of himself1 but with a belief that they are from the ,lord1 operating in him and by him4 ,the faith of the present day has separated religion from the ,church1 since religion consists in the acknowledgment of ,one ,god1 and in the worship of ,him from faith grounded in charity2 but the faith of the present ,church cannot be conjoined with charity1 and produce any fruits which are good works1 because imputation supplies everything1 remits guilt1 justifies1 sanctifies1 regenerates2 imparts the life of heaven1 and thus salvation2 and all this freely1 without any works of man4 ,in this case1 what is charity1 which ought to be united with faith1 but something vain and superfluous1 and a mere addition and supplement to imputation1 and justification1 to which1 nevertheless1 it adds no weight or value8 ,from this faith results a worship of the mouth and not of the life4 ,now the ,lord accepts the worship of the mouth in proportion as it proceeds from the worship of the life4 ,the doctrine of the present ,church is interwoven with many paradoxes1 which are to be embraced by faith4 ,therefore its tenets gain admission into the memory only1 and not at all into the understanding1 which is superior to the memory1 but merely into confirmations below it4 ,thus the tenets of the present ,church cannot be learned or retained without great difficulty1 nor can they be preached or taught without using great care and caution to conceal their nakedness1 because sound reason neither discerns nor perceives them4 ,the doctrine of the faith of the present ,church ascribes to ,god human passions and infirmities2 as1 that ,he beheld man from anger1 that ,he required to be reconciled1 that ,he is reconciled through the love ,he bore towards the ,son1 and by ,his intercession2 and that ,he required to be appeased by the sight of ,his ,son's sufferings1 and thus to be brought back to mercy2 and that ,he imputes the righteousness of ,his ,son to an unrighteous man who supplicates it from faith alone2 and that thus from an enemy ,he makes him a friend1 and from a child of wrath a child of grace3--all which dogmas are the opposite of the truth1 and repulsive to every wise man4 ,the faith of the present ,church has produced monstrous births2 for instance1 instantaneous salvation by an immediate act of mercy2 predestination2 the notion that ,god has no respect unto the actions of men1 but unto faith alone2 that there is no connection between charity and faith2 that man in conversion is like a stock2 with many more heresies of the same kind2 likewise concerning the sacraments of ,baptism and the ,holy ,supper1 as to the advantages reasonably to be expected from them1 when considered according to the doctrine of justification by faith alone2 as also with regard to the person of ,christ3 and that heresies1 from the first ages to the present day1 have sprung up from no other source than from the doctrine founded on the idea of three ,divine ,persons or ,gods4 ,the last state of the present church1 when it is at an end1 is meant by the consummation of the age1 and the coming of the ,lord at that period4 ,matt4 xxiv4 #c4 ,the infestation from falses1 and thence the consummation of every truth1 or the desolation which at this day prevails in the ,christian ,churches1 is meant by the great affliction1 such as was not from the beginning of the world1 nor ever shall be3 ,matt4 xxiv4 #ba3 and that there would be neither love nor faith1 nor the knowledge of good and truth1 in the last time of the ,christian ,church1 is understood by these words in the same chapter of ,matthew3 8,after the affliction of those days1 the sun shall be darkened1 and the moon shall not give her light1 and the stars shall fall from heaven1 and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken10 verse #bi4 ,they who are in the present justifying faith1 are meant by the he-goats in ,daniel and ,matthew2 and they who have confirmed themselves therein1 are meant in the ,apocalypse by the dragon and his two beasts1 and by the locusts2 and this same faith1 when confirmed1 is there meant by the great city which is spiritually called ,sodom and ,egypt1 where the two witnesses were slain2 as also by the pit of the abyss1 whence the locusts issued4 ,unless a ,new ,church be established by the ,lord1 no one can be saved4 ,this is meant by these words3 8,unless those days should be shortened1 there should no flesh be saved40 ,matt4 xxiv4 #bb4 ,the reason why no flesh could be saved1 unless those days should be shortened1 is1 because the faith of the present ,church is founded on the idea of three ,gods1 and with this idea no one can enter heaven4 ,not that all who are believers in the doctrine of a tripersonal ,god are lost2 but that1 unless a ,new ,church were provided by the ,lord1 and spiritual truth revealed1 man1 wanting truth1 could never become regenerate1 could never enter heaven1 and thus the end of his creation would be defeated4 ,in spite1 however1 of false doctrine1 men are saved by the laying hold1 as it were1 of the truths leading to a good life1 which exist in the most corrupt faiths1 and goodness always contains an internal acknowledgment and love of truth1 although false doctrine may fill the memory4 ,yet it is true1 nevertheless1 that false doctrine perverts1 discourages1 and in the end destroys all inclinations to live well4 ,for this reason1 then1 the ,first ,christian ,church has come to its end1 or has been consummated2 and the ,lord is raising up a ,new ,church1 endowed with truth capable of leading the world in the way of life1 and to heaven4 ,the opening and rejection of the tenets of the faith of the present ,church1 and the revelation and reception of the tenets of the faith of the ,new ,church1 is meant by these words in the ,apocalypse3--8,he that sat upon the throne said1 ,behold ,i make all things new2 and ,he said unto me1 ,write2 for these words are true and faithful40 xxi4 #e4 ,the ,new ,church about to be established by the ,lord1 is the ,new ,jerusalem1 treated of in chapters xxi4 and xxii41 which is there called the ,bride and the ,wife of the ,lamb4 ,such1 briefly expressed1 are the heads or leading ideas of the little work1 8,a ,brief ,exposition of the ,doctrines of the ,new ,church10 a treatise which1 as ,wilkinson truly remarks1 8is unequaled among ,swedenborg's works for its destructive logic40 8,the ,intercourse ,between the ,soul and the ,body10 is a small treatise designed to illustrate a subject which has puzzled many minds from time immemorial4 ,various have been the theories of philosophers on this subject2 but few could satisfy the intelligent mind1 or explain the varied phenomena of being4 ,swedenborg1 in many of his previous works1 had1 with greater or less fullness1 explained the nature of the soul's union with the body1 and this treatise is1 to some extent1 but a repetition of what he had elsewhere written1--cleared1 however1 from extraneous matter4 ,his view of the subject is simple and intelligible1 as is all truth4 ,the soul of man is a spiritual substance1 of the same form as his body2 transfusing all the body's tissues1 and wearing the body as a garment1 even as the body wears its clothes4 ,the body lives from the soul4 ,in itself1 the body is dead and without sensation1 as is evident when the man leaves it at death2 it then returns to its inorganic elements4 ,as the body is diseased or injured1 the soul is more or less deprived of its power of action in the natural world1 but the soul itself is uninjured4 ,we see an illustration of this in the use of spectacles4 ,man's external organ of sight is defective1 and he cannot see objects distinctly4 ,glasses are put before his eyes1 and he sees as well as ever4 ,now it is certain the glasses in themselves do not restore his sight4 ,they merely complete the defective organ1 and the eye of the spiritual man uses them as a means to look forth into the material world4 ,observation and meditation will supply a multitude of confirmations of this doctrine of the spiritual body animating and transfusing the material4 ,at death the spiritual body lays down the material1 and makes its appearance in its higher sphere4 ,whether it is beautiful or deformed1 depends upon the man's conduct on earth4 ,if the soul has loved goodness and truth1 it is a beautiful human form1 and increases in grace and loveliness to eternity in heaven2 if1 on the other hand1 it has lived in evil and hated truth1 it is deformed and hideous1 and finds its place in hell1 the abode of all that is ugly and abominable4 ,but from this it is not to be concluded that the soul has life in itself4 ,like the body1 it also is dead1 and is only a form receptive of life from the ,one ,only ,infinite ,life1 in whom the whole universe lives1 moves1 and has its being1--the ,lord4 ,the material body is proximately sustained by the light and heat of the material sun4 ,the spiritual body of man is sustained by the light and heat of the spiritual ,sun1 which is the circumambient sphere of the ,divine ,love and ,wisdom4 ,from this spiritual ,sun1 our natural sun exists1 even as our material bodies live from our spiritual bodies4 ,but all alike exist and subsist from the ,lord alone4 ,such1 in a few words1 is the leading idea of this little treatise4 ,for the details1 the charming confirmation and the able and simple refutation of the doctrines of ,leibnitz and other philosophers1 who have treated on the same subject1 we can only refer to the book itself4 ,we append the concluding paragraph of the treatise1 as a delightful specimen of spiritual analogy3-- 8,i was once asked1 how ,i1 who was previously a philosopher1 became a theologian2 and ,i answered1 #8,in the same manner that fishermen became the disciples and apostles of the ,lord3 and that ,i also from my youth had been a spiritual fisherman4' ,on this1 he asked1 #8,what is a spiritual fisherman8' ,i replied1--#8,a fisherman1 in the spiritual sense of the ,word1 signifies a man who investigates and teaches natural truths1 and afterwards spiritual truths in a rational manner4' ,on his inquiring1 #8,how is this demonstrated8' ,i said1 #8,from these passages of the ,word3 #8,and the waters shall fail from the sea1 and the rivers shall be wasted and dried up4 ,the fishers also shall mourn1 and all they that cast a hook into the brook shall lament4' ,isaiah xix4 #e1 #h4 ,and in another place it is said1 respecting the sea1 whose waters were healed1 #8,the fishers shall stand upon it1 from ,engedi even unto ,eneglaim2 they shall be present to spread forth nets2 their fish shall be according to their kinds1 as the fish of the great sea1 exceeding many4' ,ezekiel xlvii4 #aj4 ,and in another place1 #8,behold ,i will send for many fishers1 saith ,jehovah1 and they shall fish them4' ,jeremiah xvi4 #af4 ,hence it is evident why the ,lord chose fishermen for his disciples1 and said1 #8,follow me1 and ,i will make you fishers of men2' ,matthew iv4 #ah1 #ai2 ,mark i4 #af1 #ag2 and why he said to ,peter after he had caught a multitude of fishes1 #8,henceforth thou shalt catch men4' ,luke v4 #i1 #aj4 ,i afterwards demonstrated the origin of this signification of fishermen from the ,apocalypse ,revealed2 namely1 that since water signifies natural truths1 as does also a river1 a fish signifies those who are in possession of natural truths2 and thence fishermen1 those who investigate and teach truth4 ,on hearing this1 my interrogator said1 #8,now ,i can understand why the ,lord called and chose fishermen to be his disciples2 and therefore ,i do not wonder that he has also chosen you1 since1 as you have observed1 you were from early youth a fisherman in a spiritual sense1 that is1 an investigator of natural truths2 and the reason that you are now become an investigator of spiritual truths1 is because they are founded in the former4' ,to this he added1 being a man of reason1 that #8the ,lord alone knows who is the proper person to apprehend and teach the truths of ,his ,new ,church1 whether one of the primates1 or one of their domestic servants4 ,besides1' he continued1 #8what ,christian theologian does not study philosophy in the schools1 before he is inaugurated a theologian4' ,at length he said1 #8,since you are become a theologian1 explain what is your theology4' ,i answered1 #8,these are its two principles1 ,god is one1 and there is a conjunction of charity and faith4' ,to which he replied1 #8,who denies these principles8' ,i rejoined1 #8,the theology of the present day1 when interiorly examined4'0 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,persecution--,letter to the ,academy of ,sciences--,leaves ,stockholm for the last time4 ,on ,swedenborg's arrival in ,stockholm1 he found that the long peace he had enjoyed from external interference and persecution was at an end4 ,the first manifestation of hostility took place in the seizure of some copies of his treatise on ,conjugial ,love1 at ,norkjoping1 which he had sent from ,england1 intending to present them to his countrymen4 ,the ground of their seizure was1 a law prohibiting the introduction of any works into ,sweden at variance with the ,lutheran faith4 ,the seizure having taken place in the diocese of his nephew ,filenius1 he naturally turned to him for explanation and redress4 ,filenius thereon embraced and kissed his uncle1 and assured him that he would fulfill all his desires1 and procure the restoration of his books4 ,but his actions were the reverse of his words2 for he was1 in fact1 the prompter of the seizure1 and secretly did all he could to insure their confiscation4 ,by and by ,swedenborg discovered the hypocrisy1 and remonstrated with ,filenius2 whereupon he dropped the mask1 and insisted on the books undergoing clerical revision before they could be surrendered4 ,swedenborg urged that as his treatise was not theological1 but chiefly moral1 its revisal by the clergy was absurd1 and that such censorship would pave the way for a dark age in ,sweden4 ,but ,filenius was unmoved2 and ,swedenborg1 now fully convinced of his double dealing1 likened him1 as he well might1 to ,judas ,iscariot1 and said that 8he who spoke lies1 lied also in his life40 ,having brought some copies of his treatise on ,conjugial ,love with him to ,sweden1 he presented them to many of the ,senators1 the ,bishops1 and the royal family4 ,he had no fear of the result of free and open criticism4 ,but worse things lay in store4 ,dean ,ekebom1 of ,gottenburg1 was indignant that ,doctors ,beyer and ,rosen should have embraced ,swedenborg's views1 and the clerical deputies from that town were instructed to complain of ,swedenborg and his disciples to the ,diet4 ,they found in bishop ,filenius1 then ,president of the ,house of ,clergy1 a willing instrument to further their designs4 ,they plotted to have ,swedenborg put upon his trial1 presuming that when questioned he would openly assert his divine commission and powers of spiritual intercourse1 and then they would pronounce him insane1 and have him committed to a mad-house4 ,count ,hopken revealed to ,swedenborg this cunning device of his enemies1 and advised him to fly the kingdom4 ,at this news1 ,swedenborg was much afflicted2 and going into his garden1 he fell on his knees1 and prayed to the ,lord to direct him what to do4 ,after this prayer1 he received the consolatory answer that no evil should touch him4 ,and so it turned out4 ,his inoffensive bearing1 his rank and connections1 all tended to intimidate his adversaries1 and prevent the execution of their designed outrage4 ,had he been a farmer's or a tradesman's son1 instead of being a bishop's1 his fate might have been very different4 ,bishop ,filenius1 however1 succeeded in gaining the appointment of a committee of the ,house of ,clergy on the ,swedenborgian case4 ,its deliberations were kept secret4 ,nothing came of it that was unfavorable to ,swedenborg4 ,they disregarded the charges of ,filenius1 and spoke 8very handsomely and reasonably of ,swedenborg40 ,filenius gained one point1 however1 in the presentation of a memorial to the king1 requesting the attention of the ,chancellor of ,justice to the troubles at ,gottenburg4 ,to this request the king yielded2 and the members of the ,consistory of ,gottenburg were commanded to send in an unequivocal representation of the light in which they regarded ,swedenborg's principles4 ,on ,january #b;d1 #aggj1 ,dr4 ,beyer1 as one of the members of the ,consistory1 rose1 and gave his bold and honest testimony in favor of ,swedenborg and his writings4 ,he said3 8,convinced by experience1 ,i must in the first place observe1 that no man is competent to give a just and suitable judgment on those writings1 who has not read them2 or who has read them superficially1 or with a determination in his heart to reject them1 after having perused1 without examination1 some detached parts only2 neither is he competent1 who rejects them as soon as he finds anything that militates against those doctrines which he has long cherished and acknowledged as true1 and of which perhaps he is but too blindly enamored2 nor is he competent1 who is an ardent1 yet undiscriminating biblical scholar1 who1 in explaining the meaning of the ,scriptures1 confines his ideas to the literal expression or signification only3 and1 lastly1 neither is he competent1 who has altogether devoted himself to sensual indulgences1 and the love of the world40 ,he then entered into the details of ,new ,church doctrine1 and concluded in these words3 8,in obedience1 therefore1 to your ,majesty's most gracious command1 that ,i should deliver a full and positive declaration respecting the writings of ,swedenborg1 ,i do acknowledge it to be my duty to declare1 in all humble confidence1 that as far as ,i have proceeded in the study of them1 and agreeably to the gift granted to me for investigation and judgment1 ,i have found in them nothing but what closely coincides with the words of the ,lord himself1 and that they shine with a light truly divine40 ,these were noble and brave words to speak in the midst of enemies4 ,the debate on his doctrines dragged its slow length along4 ,his enemies1 full of spite1 were yet full of fear1 and seemed to dread the result of an open attack upon ,swedenborg4 ,still the petty persecution continued1 until1 at last1 ,may #ajth1 #aggj1 ,swedenborg took up his pen and addressed himself directly to the king4 ,in this letter1 he complains that he had met with usage the like of which had been offered to none since the establishment of ,christianity in ,sweden1 and much less since there had existed liberty of conscience4 ,he recapitulated his grievances4 ,he said that he had been attacked1 calumniated1 and menaced1 without the opportunity of defending himself2 though truth itself had answered for him4 ,he reminded his ,majesty of their former interview4 ,with great simplicity1 he says3 8,i have already informed your ,majesty1 and beseech you to call it to mind1 that the ,lord our ,saviour manifested himself to me in a sensible personal appearance2 that he has commanded me to write what has been already written1 and what ,i have still to write2 that ,he was afterwards graciously pleased to endow me with the privilege of conversing with angels and spirits1 and of being in fellowship with them4 ,i have already declared this more than once to your ,majesty in the presence of all the royal family1 when they were graciously pleased to invite me to their table1 with five senators1 and several other persons2 this was the only subject discoursed of during the repast4 ,of this ,i also spoke afterwards to several other senators2 and more openly to their ,excellencies ,count de ,tessin1 ,count ,bonde1 and ,count ,hopken1 who are still alive1 and were satisfied with the truth of it4 ,i have declared the same in ,england1 ,holland1 ,germany1 ,denmark1 and at ,paris1 to kings1 princes1 and other particular persons1 as well as to those in this kingdom4 ,if the common report is to be believed1 the ,chancellor has declared that what ,i have been reciting are untruths1 although the very truth4 ,to say that they cannot believe and give credit to such things1 therein will ,i excuse them2 for it is not in my power to place others in the same state in which ,god has placed me1 so as to be able to convince them1 by their own eyes and ears of the truth of those deeds and things ,i publicly have made known4 ,i have no ability to capacitate them to converse with angels and spirits1 neither to work miracles to dispose or force their understandings to comprehend what ,i say4 ,when my writings are read with attention and cool reflection1 7in which many things are to be met with1 heretofore unknown17 it is easy enough to conclude1 that ,i could not come to such a knowledge but by a real vision1 and by conversing with those who are in the spiritual world4 ,this knowledge is given to me from our ,saviour1 not for any private merit of mine1 but for the great concern of all ,christians' salvation and happiness2 and as such1 how can any one venture to assert that it is false8 ,that these things may appear such as many have had no conception of1 and which1 of consequence1 they can not easily credit1 has nothing remarkable in it1 for scarcely anything is known respecting them40 ,he concluded by throwing himself upon the king's protection1 and requesting him to command for himself the opinion of the clergy on the case2 also the production of various documents that had been produced at ,gottenburg and elsewhere2 in order that he1 and those maligned together with him1 might be heard in their defence1 this being their right and privilege4 ,he protested1 that the only advice he had given to ,doctors ,beyer and ,rosen1 was to address themselves to our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 as a means to heavenly good and blessedness2 for ,he only has all power in heaven and on earth4 ,matthew xxviii4 #ah4 ,were this doctrine of the ,supreme ,divinity of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ taken away1 he averred that he would rather live in ,tartary than in ,christendom4 ,had the ,consistory declared this doctrine heretical1 it must have led to many strange issues4 ,but the ,consistory came to no decision1 and their report on ,swedenborg's writings was never written4 ,a short time before ,swedenborg left ,stockholm for the last time1 the king said to him3 8,the ,consistory has been silent on my letters and your works20 and1 putting his hand on ,swedenborg's shoulder1 he added1 8,we may conclude that they have found nothing reprehensible in them1 and that you have written in conformity to the truth40 ,throughout all this affair1 ,swedenborg remained perfectly calm2 and1 though a very old man1 worked on as industriously as ever4 ,it might seem1 from what has been said1 that the controversy had terminated entirely in his favor4 ,but it was not so1 as he1 in the following year1 #agga1 found out2 for then it appeared that his adversaries had succeeded in obtaining a strict prohibition against the importation of his writings into ,sweden4 ,it was his intention to send in a formal complaint to the ,states ,general1 appealing against this prohibition2 but it does not appear whether he fulfilled his intention1 or not4 ,finally1 he addressed a letter to the ,universities of ,upsal1 ,lund1 and ,abo1 asserting that each of the estates of the kingdom ought to have its own ,consistory1 and ought not to acknowledge the exclusive authority of that of ,gottenburg4 ,he declared that religious matters belong to others as well as the priests4 ,thus ends our account of this affair4 ,it may be said to be the only thing approaching to persecution that ,swedenborg endured2 and considering the many heterodox opinions that he broached1 we can not but think that he had1 on the whole1 but little to complain of4 ,many who have followed him in the propagation of the new theology1 have not gone so far1 yet have fared worse4 ,the gentleness and simple prudence which1 during so many years1 shielded him from interference1 we can not too highly admire4 ,but1 above all1 we must be struck with the remarkable providence of the ,lord1 shown in his protection3 the ,divine promise was truly kept1 that he should not be harmed4 ,his old associates of the ,royal ,academy of ,sciences at ,stockholm1 received1 at this time1 his last communication4 ,he wrote them a letter explaining some of the correspondences of ,scripture1 and their origin4 ,in it1 he says3 8,the science of correspondences was esteemed1 by the ancients1 the science of sciences1 and constituted their wisdom2 it would surely be of importance for some one of your society to devote his attention to it4 ,should it be desired1 ,i am willing to unfold the meaning of the ,egyptian hieroglyphics1 which are nothing else but correspondences2 these being discovered and proved from the ,word1 in the ,apocalypse ,revealed2 and to publish their explications1 is a work which no other person could accomplish40 ,we have no record as to how the ,academy received this proposal4 ,a copy of this letter was sent to ,mr4 ,hartley1 and ,swedenborg desired that he and his friends would think over the subject4 ,the letter is now published as an appendix to his treatise on the ,white ,horse4 ,swedenborg now prepared to leave ,stockholm for another journey4 ,writing under date of ,july #bc;d1 #aggj1 to ,dr4 ,beyer1 he says3 8,as ,i am going1 in a few days1 to ,amsterdam1 ,i shall take my leave of you in this letter1 hoping that our ,saviour will support you in good health1 preserve you from further violence1 and bless your thoughts40 ,robsahm tells us that1 on the day that ,swedenborg departed1 he called on him1 and 8,i then asked him10 says he1 8if we should meet again4 ,he answered me in a tender and touching manner3 #8,i do not know whether ,i shall return2 but ,i am assured ,i shall not die before ,i have finished the publication of the book entitled the ,true ,christian ,religion2 and for which only ,i am now about to depart4 ,but should we not see one another again in this lower world1 we shall meet in the presence of the ,lord our ,heavenly ,father1 if so be that we observe to do his commandments4' ,he then took a cheerful leave1 and started on his last journey1 with the apparent vigor of a man of thirty years of age1 although he was then eighty-two4 ,he took ship for ,amsterdam1 leaving his native land1 never again1 in the body1 to return40 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,swedenborg in intercourse with ,general ,tuxen and ,paulus ab ,indagine--,his reply to ,dr4 ,ernesti--,letter to the ,landgrave of ,hesse ,darmstadt4 ,on the voyage to ,amsterdam1 the ship that carried ,swedenborg being detained1 by adverse winds1 off ,elsinore1 ,general ,tuxen1 hearing that ,swedenborg was in the offing1 determined to improve the opportunity2 and1 taking a boat1 went off to see him4 ,introduced by the captain into the cabin1 he found ,swedenborg seated in an undress1--his elbows on the table1 and his hands supporting his face1 which was turned towards the door1--his eyes open and much elevated4 ,the ,general at once addressed him4 ,at this1 he recovered himself1 7for he had been in a state of vision17 rose with some confusion1 advanced a few steps in visible uncertainty1 and then bade him welcome1 asking whence he came4 ,tuxen replied that he had come with an invitation from his wife and himself1 to request him to favor them with his company at their house2 to which he immediately consented1 and dressed himself alertly4 ,the ,general's wife1 who was indisposed1 received him in the house1 and requested his excuse if in any respect she should fall short of her wishes to entertain him3 adding that for thirty years she had been afflicted with a painful disease4 ,swedenborg politely kissed her hand1 and answered1 8,let us not speak of this2 only acquiesce in the will of ,god1 and it will pass away1 and you will return to the same health and beauty as when you were fifteen years old40 ,the lady made some reply1 to which he rejoined1 8,yes1 in a few weeks40 ,from which they concluded him to mean that diseases which have their foundation in the mind1 and are supported by infirmities of the body1 do not disappear immediately after death4 8,being then together10 says ,tuxen1 8in company with my wife1 my now deceased daughter1 and three or four young ladies1 my relations1 he entertained them very politely1 and with much attention1 on indifferent subjects1 on favourite dogs and cats that were in the room1 which caressed him1 and jumped on his knee1 showing their little tricks4 ,during these trifling discourses1--mixed with singular questions1 all of which he obligingly answered1 whether they concerned this or the other world1--,i took occasion to say that ,i was sorry ,i had no better company to amuse him than a sickly wife and her young girls3 he replied1 #8,and is not this very good company8 ,i was always very partial to ladies' society4' ,after some little pause1 he cast his eyes on a harpsichord1 and asked whether we were lovers of music1 and who played upon it4 ,i told him we were all lovers of it1 and that my wife in her youth had practiced1 as she had a fine voice1 perhaps better than any in ,denmark1 as several persons of distinction1 who had heard the best singers in ,france1 ,england1 and ,italy1 had assured her2 and that my daughter also played with pretty good taste4 ,on this ,swedenborg desired her to play4 ,she then performed a difficult and celebrated sonata1 to which he beat the measure with his foot on the sofa on which he sat2 and when finished1 he said1 #8,bravo6 very fine4' ,she then played another by ,rutini2 and when she had played a few minutes1 he said1 #8,this is by an ,italian1 but the first was not4' ,this finished1 he said1 #8,bravo6 you play very well4 ,do you not also sing8' ,she answered1 #8,i sing1 but have not a very good voice1 though fond of singing1 and would sing if my mother would accompany me4' ,he requested my wife to join1 to which she assented1 and they sang a few ,italian duettos1 and some ,french airs1 each in her respective taste1 to which he beat time1 and afterwards paid many compliments to my wife1 on account of her taste and fine voice1 which she had preserved notwithstanding so long an illness4 ,i took the liberty of saying to him1 that since in his writings he always declared that at all times there were good and evil spirits of the other world present with man2 might ,i then be bold to ask1 whether now1 while my wife and daughter were singing1 there had been any from the other world present with us8 ,to this he answered1 #8,yes1 certainly2' and on my inquiring who they were1 and whether ,i had known them1 he said it was the ,danish royal family1 and he mentioned ,christian ,,vi41 ,sophia ,magdalena1 and ,frederick ,v41 who1 through his eyes1 had seen and heard it4 ,i do not positively recollect whether he also mentioned the late beloved ,queen ,louisa among them4 ,after this he retired40 ,during this visit to ,general ,tuxen1 in the course of other conversation1 ,tuxen produced an autobiographical letter which ,swedenborg had written to ,hartley1 and which began1 8,i was born in the year #afhi40 ,swedenborg told him that he was not born in that year1 as mentioned1 but in the preceding4 ,tuxen asked him if this was an error of the press4 ,he said 8,no20 and added1 8you may remember in reading my writings to have seen it stated in many parts1 that every cipher or number has in the spiritual sense a certain correspondence or signification4 ,now10 said he1 8when ,i put the true year in that letter1 an angel present told me to write the year #afhi1 as much more suitable to myself than the other2 #8and you observe1' added the angel1 #8that with us time and space are nothing4'0 ,we give these anecdotes as ,tuxen relates them4 ,every one1 however1 will know from his private experience how little absolute dependence is to be placed upon narrations of conversations1 or actions1 by even the most truthful4 ,sir ,walter ,raleigh1 while writing his ,history of the ,world1 was led to think of the errors into which he might be led1 by observing that an affray beneath his prison wall was variously described by several eye-witnesses4 ,if the occurrences of the present are so liable to misstatement1 what sort of faith can we place in the history of the past8 ,wilkinson1 commenting on this anecdote of the date of ,swedenborg's birth1 remarks1 in his usual keen style3 8,we have here a reason for that modification of events according to a context1 of which the ,gospel histories1 so often discrepant from each other1 furnish numerous instances4 ,manifestly it is the plan of the context which regards the events from its own point of view1 and paints the narrative in its own colors4 ,it is what all historians do in a lesser way1 bending the history to ideas1 or shaping it with an artistic force4 ,taking a certain larger block of time as a period of birth1 it is hieroglyphically truthful to play down upon any date contained in the block1 according to the subject and signification4 ,there are many kinds of truth besides black and white2 and generally1 figurative truths require latitude of phrase4 ,at the same time it must be confessed that one would like to know when the writing is pure history1 and when it is a base of history1 made use of for symbolical purposes1 and touched1 in part1 by spirit4 ,literal people are apt to be offended otherwise1 and we sympathize with them40 ,swedenborg arrived in ,amsterdam some time in ,september1 #aggj1 and straightway set about printing his manuscript of the 8,true ,christian ,religion40 ,from two letters of a gentleman1 named ,d4 ,paulus ab ,indagine1 who seems to have been on familiar terms with ,swedenborg1 we select the following passages1 illustrative of this period of his life4 ,he writes3--8,you asked me what this venerable old man1 ,swedenborg1 is now doing4 ,this ,i can tell you2 he eats and drinks very moderately1 but keeps his chamber rather long1 and thirteen hours appear to be not too much for him4#c ,when ,i informed him that his work #8,on the ,earths in the ,universe' had been translated and published1 he was much delighted1 and his eyes1 which are always smiling1 became still more brilliant4 ,he is now indefatigably at work2 yea1 ,i must say that he labors in a most astonishing and superhuman manner at his new work4 ,only think6 for every printed sheet1 #dto1 he has to procure four sheets of manuscript2 he now prints two sheets every week1 and corrects them himself1 and consequently he has to write eight sheets every week2 and what appears to me utterly inconceivable1 he has not a single line beforehand in store4#d ,his work is to consist1 as he himself states1 of about eighty sheets in print4 ,the title of this work is the following3--#8,true ,christian ,religion1 ,containing the ,universal ,theology of the ,new ,church1 ,predicted by the ,lord in ,daniel viii4 #ac1 #ad1 and in the ,apocalypse1 xxi4 #a1 #b2 ,by ,emanuel ,swedenborg1 ,servant of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,i could not1 in my open manner1 conceal my astonishment that he should put himself upon the title page as the servant of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,but he replied3 #8,i have asked1 and have not only received permission1 but have been ordered to do so4' ,it is astonishing with what confidence the old gentleman speaks of the spiritual world1 of the angels1 and of ,god himself4 ,if ,i were only to give you the substance of our last conversation1 it would fill many pages4 ,he spoke of naturalists1 those who ascribe all things to nature1 whom he had seen shortly after death1 and amongst them were even many theologians1 or such1 at least1 as had made theology their profession in this life4 ,he told me things which made me shudder1 but which1 however1 ,i pass by1 in order not to be over-hasty in my judgment respecting him4 ,i will willingly admit that ,i know not what to make of him2 he is a problem that ,i can not solve4 ,i sincerely wish that upright men1 whom ,god has placed as watchmen upon the walls of ,zion1 had some time since occupied themselves with this man4 8,i can not forbear to tell you something new about ,swedenborg4 ,last ,thursday ,i paid him a visit1 and found him1 as usual1 writing4 ,he told me that he had been in conversation that same morning1 for three hours1 with the deceased king of ,sweden4 ,he had seen him already on ,wednesday2 but as he observed that he was deeply engaged in conversation with the queen1 who is still living1 he would not disturb him4 ,i allowed him to continue1 but at length asked him how it was possible for a person who is still in the land of the living1 to be met with in the world of spirits4 ,he replied1 that it was not the queen herself1 but her spiritus familiaris1 or her familiar spirit4 ,i asked him what that might be2 for ,i had neither heard from him anything respecting appearances of that kind1 nor had ,i read anything about them4 ,he then informed me that every man has either his good or bad spirit1 who is not only constantly with him1 but sometimes a little removed from him1 and appears in the world of spirits4 ,but of this1 the man still living knows nothing2 the spirit1 however1 knows everything4 ,this familiar spirit has everything in accordance with his companion on earth2 he has1 in the world of spirits1 the same figure1 the same countenance1 and the same tone of voice1 and wears also similar garments2 in a word1 this familiar spirit of the queen1 said ,swedenborg1 appeared exactly as he had so often seen the queen herself at ,stockholm1 and had heard her speak4 ,in order to allay my astonishment1 he added that ,dr4 ,ernesti1 of ,leipsic1 had appeared to him1 in a similar manner1 in the world of spirits1 and that he had held a long disputation with him4 ,what will the learned professor say1 when he comes to hear of it8 ,probably he will say that the old man is in his second childhood2 he will only laugh at it1 and who can be surprised8 ,i have often wondered at myself1 how ,i could refrain from laughing1 when ,i was hearing such extraordinary things from him4 ,and what is more1 ,i have often heard him relate the same things in a numerous company of ladies and gentlemen1 when ,i well knew there were mockers amongst them2 but1 to my great astonishment1 not a single person thought of laughing4 ,whilst he is speaking1 it is as though every person who hears him were charmed1 and compelled to believe him4 ,he is by no means reserved and recluse1 but open-hearted and accessible to all4 ,whoever invites him as his guest1 may expect to see him4 ,a certain young gentleman invited him last week to be his guest1 and1 although he was not acquainted with him1 he appeared at his table1 where he met ,jewish and ,portuguese gentlemen1 with whom he freely conversed1 without distinction4 ,whoever is curious to see him1 has no difficulty2 it is only necessary to go to his house1 and he allows anybody to approach him4 ,it can easily be conceived1 however1 that the numerous visits1 to which he is liable1 deprive him of much time40 ,about this time1 ,dr4 ,ernesti attacked ,swedenborg in his ,bibliotheca ,theologica1 and1 in reply1 ,swedenborg published a single leaf1 which1 in its decisive sharpness1 is truly effective4 ,it is as follows3-- 8,i have read what ,dr4 ,ernesti has written about me4 ,it consists of mere personalities4 ,i do not in it observe a grain of reason against anything in my writings4 ,as it is against the laws of honesty to assail any one with such poisoned weapons1 ,i think it beneath me to bandy words with that illustrious man4 ,i will not cast back calumnies by calumnies4 ,to do this1 ,i should be even with the dogs1 which bark and bite1 or with the lowest drabs1 which throw street mud in each other's faces in their brawls4 ,read1 if you will1 what ,i have written in my books1 and afterwards conclude1 but from reason1 respecting my revelation40 ,the ,landgrave of ,hesse ,darmstadt now wrote to ,swedenborg1 requesting information on several subjects4 ,swedenborg having doubt as to the genuineness of the epistle1 did not at first reply to it1 until his misgivings were set aside by ,m4 ,venator1 the minister of that prince4 ,in his reply to the ,landgrave1 he says3 8,the ,lord our ,saviour had foretold that ,he would come again into the world1 and that he would establish there a ,new ,church4 ,but as ,he cannot come again into the world in person1 it was necessary that ,he should do it by means of a man1 who should not only receive the doctrine of this ,new ,church in his understanding1 but also publish it by printing2 and as the ,lord had prepared me for this office from my infancy1 ,he has manifested ,himself in person before me1 ,his servant1 and sent me to fill it40 ,the ,landgrave again wrote to ,swedenborg1 inquiring about the 8miracle0 of his intercourse with the ,queen of ,sweden's brother1 and ,swedenborg answered that the story was true1 but 8not a miracle40 ,he also wrote to ,m4 ,venator1 8that such matters ought1 by no means1 to be considered miracles3 they are only testimonies that ,i have been introduced by the ,lord into the spiritual world1 and that ,i have been in association with angels and spirits1 in order that the ,church1 which until now had remained in ignorance concerning that world1 may know that heaven and hell exist in reality1 and that man lives after death1 a man1 as before2 and that thus there may be no more doubt as to his immortality4 ,deign1 ,i pray you1 to satisfy his ,highness1 that these are not miracles1 but only testimonies that ,i converse with angels and spirits4 ,you may see in the #8,true ,christian ,religion' that there are no more miracles at this time2 and the reason why4 ,it is1 that they who do not believe because they see no miracles1 might easily1 by them1 be led into fanaticism40 ,writing of miracles1 ,swedenborg remarks in another place1 8,instead of miracles1 there has taken place1 at the present day1 an open manifestation of the ,lord himself1 an intromission into the spiritual world1 and with it1 illumination by immediate light from the ,lord in whatever relates to the interior things of the ,church1 but principally an opening of the spiritual sense of the ,word1 in which the ,lord is present in his own ,divine light4 ,these revelations are not miracles1 because every man1 as to his spirit1 is in the spiritual world1 without separation from his body in the natural world4 ,as to myself1 indeed1 my presence in the spiritual world is attended with a certain separation1 but only as to the intellectual part of my mind1 not as to the will part4 ,this manifestation of the ,lord1 and intromission into the spiritual world1 is more excellent than all miracles2 but it has not been granted to any one since the creation of the world1 as it has been to me4 ,the men of the golden age1 indeed1 conversed with angels2 but it was not granted to them to be in any other light than what was natural4 ,to me1 however1 it has been granted to be in both spiritual and natural light at the same time2 and hereby ,i have been privileged to see the wonderful things of heaven1 to be in company with angels1 just as ,i am with men1 and at the same time to pursue truths in the light of truth1 and thus to perceive and be gifted with them1 consequently to be led by the ,lord40 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,the ,true ,christian ,religion4 ,in the early part of #agga1 ,swedenborg published his 8,true ,christian ,religion1 or1 ,universal ,theology of the ,new ,church20 and in ,august of the same year took ship1 and left ,amsterdam for ,london4 ,let us now turn to the consideration of his last great work1--a summary of the doctrines he was commissioned to teach4 8,the ,true ,christian ,religion1 containing the ,universal ,theology of the ,new ,church10 the last work published by ,swedenborg1 may be looked upon as the summary of his spiritual thought1 his theological labors1 his heavenly message to mankind4 ,in its ninth ,english edition1 it forms a large octavo volume of #hae pages1 and is a complete body of divinity4 ,it is divided into fifteen chapters1 a ,supplement treating of the states of ,luther1 ,calvin1 and ,melancthon1 the ,dutch1 ,english1 ,germans1 ,papists1 ,romish saints1 ,mahommedans1 and the ,africans1 in the spiritual world2 and seventy-seven memorable relations of scenes and representations witnessed in that world1 interspersed between the various chapters2 altogether forming a volume unique in literature1 ancient or modern4 ,at the risk of an occasional repetition of what has before been said1 let us take a rapid survey of the contents of this massive and marvellous work4 ,chapter ,i4 treats of ,god the ,creator1 ,his ,unity1 the ,divine ,esse which is ,jehovah1 ,his ,infinity or ,his ,immensity and ,eternity1 the ,essence of ,god which is ,his ,divine ,love and ,wisdom1 ,his ,omnipotence1 ,omniscience1 and ,omnipresence1 and of the creation of the universe4 ,on these sublime subjects1 themes on which1 for ages1 the weary reason of man has exerted itself with the poorest results1 ,swedenborg1 with a mathematical exactness1 sets forth the true doctrine2 and with a simplicity of logic which at every step calls the ,word of ,god1 and the reason and common sense of man1 to witness2 leading the reader to wonder why truths so simple1 so soul-satisfying1 should have been hidden from human eyes so long4 ,whilst elucidating subjects commonly supposed to transcend human ideas1 and yet which humanity is ever restless to discover1--reverence is in nowise deprived of its exercise4 ,it is a great mistake1 yet a common one1 to associate mystery with true reverence2 to talk of 8ignorance0 as 8the mother of devotion40 ,let any one ask himself whether the reverence of ,sir ,isaac ,newton for that ,god whose operations in the universe he was favored to discover1 was inferior to that of an ignorant devotee1 or an illiterate peasant4 ,no4 ,a knowledge of ,god and ,his attributes is no destroyer of faith1 reverence1 or devotion1 but the reverse4 ,our knowledge of ,him1 however extended1 is but the enlargement of a circle1 which1 as it is enlarged1 expands our conception of the infinity beyond4 ,hence it is that whilst this chapter on ,god the ,creator1 goes into details which are the death of mysticism1 the truths which it opens to the mind lead to an intelligent and reverential love1 to which ignorance can never attain4 ,chapter ,,ii4 is devoted to the consideration of the ,lord the ,redeemer4 ,it tells how ,jehovah ,god descended and assumed humanity1 that ,he might redeem and save mankind2 and how the humanity was united to the ,divinity1 and thus ,god was made man1 and man ,god1 in one ,person2 that ,redemption consisted in bringing the hells into subjection1 and the heavens into order1 and in thus preparing the way for a new spiritual ,church2 and how1 without such ,redemption1 neither could men have been saved1 nor could the angels have remained in a state of integrity4 ,thus ,redemption was a work purely divine1 and could not have been effected but by ,god ,incarnate4 ,the passion of the cross was in itself alone not ,redemption1 but was the last temptation the ,lord endured in ,his ,humanity2 and it was the means of the glorification of that humanity4 ,hence it is a fundamental error of the ,church to believe the passion of the cross to be ,redemption itself2 and this error1 together with that relating to three ,divine ,persons from eternity1 has perverted the whole system of ,christian theology4 ,chapter ,,iii4 sets forth the doctrine of the ,holy ,spirit and the ,divine ,operation4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the ,divine ,truth1 and also the ,divine ,virtue and ,operation1 proceeding from the ,one ,god1 in whom there is the ,divine ,trinity1 thus from the ,lord ,god the ,saviour1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,divine ,virtue and ,operation in and on humanity1 signified by the ,holy ,spirit1 consists1 in general1 in reformation and regeneration2 and1 in proportion as these are effected1 in renovation1 vivification1 sanctification1 and justification2 and in proportion as these are effected1 in purification from evils1 remission of sins1 and finally salvation4 ,the ,holy ,spirit being the efflux of ,jehovah through the glorified humanity1 did not exist until after the incarnation4 ,hence it is nowhere said in the ,old ,testament1 that the prophets spoke from the ,holy ,spirit1 but from ,jehovah ,god4 ,we have a beautiful and irresistible confirmation of this truth in these words1 8for the ,holy ,spirit was not yet1 because that ,jesus was not yet glorified40 ,john vii4 #ci4 ,in this chapter he also speaks of the ,trinity4 ,there is a ,divine ,trinity1 consisting of ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit2 and these three are the three ,essentials of ,one ,god1--which make a ,one1 like soul1 body1 and operation in man4 ,to conceive of a ,trinity of ,divine persons from eternity1 is to think of three ,gods2 and no amount of word-playing and creed-making can prevent the mind from falling into ,tritheism1 as long as a ,trinity of persons and not of essentials is spoken and thought of4 ,a ,trinity of persons was unknown in the ,apostolic ,church4 ,the doctrine was first broached by the ,council of ,nice1 and thence received into the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and thus propagated among the ,reformed ,churches4 ,the ,nicene and ,athanasian doctrines concerning a ,trinity1 have1 together1 given rise to a faith which has entirely perverted the ,christian ,church2 and hence has come that 8abomination of desolation1 and that affliction1 such as was not in all the world1 neither shall be10 which the ,lord has foretold in ,daniel1 the ,evangelists1 and the ,revelation4 ,for when the ,church ceases to know its ,god1 the central point of all faith and doctrine1 all subsidiary points must necessarily become involved in darkness4 ,and thus it is that the ,athanasian creed has given rise to so many absurd notions about ,god1 and hence1 also1 to an innumerable brood of heresies and phantasies on every point of doctrine and life1 so much so1 that had not the ,lord effected a ,last ,judgment in #ageg1 and established a ,new ,heaven and a ,new ,church1 no flesh could have been saved4 ,the 8healing of the nations10 the new life1 light and heat1 that have coursed through humanity during the past century1 attest the working of ,omnipotence for the salvation and restoration of what is most valuable and precious in man4 ,chapter ,,iv4 is an exposition of the nature of the ,sacred ,scripture1 or the ,word of the ,lord1 proving it to be the ,divine ,truth itself4 ,the spiritual sense of the ,word1 and the means by which it is unfolded1 together with the law of its composition1 are explained at length1 and with great perspicuity4 ,it is shown that the spiritual sense is in all and every part of the ,word1 that hence it is divinely inspired1 and is holy in every syllable4 ,nevertheless the literal sense is not to be disregarded4 ,it is the basis1 the continent1 and the firmament of the spiritual sense2 in it the ,divine ,truth is in its fullness1 its sanctity1 and its power2 from it the doctrine of the ,church is to be drawn and confirmed2 and by it conjunction with the ,lord and consociation with the angels is effected4 ,the ,word is in all the heavens1 and the wisdom of the angels is thence derived4 ,the ,church exists from the ,word1 and the quality of the ,church with man is according to his understanding of the ,word4 ,the marriage of ,goodness and ,truth1 and of the ,lord and the ,church1 is in every part of the ,word4 ,men may collect and imbibe heretical opinions from the letter of the ,word2 but it is hurtful to confirm such opinions4 ,many things in the ,word are appearances of truth1 in which genuine truths lie concealed2 and many fallacies arise from the taking of these appearances of truth for genuine or absolute truth4 ,the literal sense of the ,word is a guard to the genuine truths contained in it1 and in the ,word is represented by cherubs4 ,to the wicked1 it is a mercy that spiritual truth is thus hidden2 for if known and not obeyed1 it is profaned1 and profanation involves the deepest suffering and distress4 ,the ,lord1 during his abode in the world1 fulfilled all things contained in the ,word1 and was thus made the ,word1 that is1 the ,divine ,truth1 even in ultimates4 ,previous to the ,word which the world now possesses1 there was a ,word which is lost1 but is preserved in heaven among the angels who lived as men in those times1 and is also extant among certain nations in ,great ,tartary1 who1 however1 have probably no true idea of the treasure they possess4 ,by means of the ,word1 light is communicated to those who are out of the pale of the ,church1 and are not in possession of the ,word4 ,this is effected outwardly by the communications of commerce1 with those nations who have the ,word2 and internally and insensibly by that community of soul which makes humanity appear before the ,lord as one man4 ,there is no thought conceived1 no deed done1 but which radiates from soul to soul1 and produces effects of which the doer is not conscious4 ,thus it is that the ,church--composed of the men who read1 love1 and obey the ,word--benefits the world1 and conjoins it with heaven and the ,lord4 ,without the ,word1 no one would have any knowledge of ,god1 of heaven and hell1 or of a life after death1 and much less of the ,lord4 ,the multiplicity of points involved in these statements1 receive1 in this chapter on the ,sacred ,scripture1 most copious illustrations1 both from the ,word itself1 and from the common experience of mankind4 ,in reading this chapter1 every candid person will feel that1 strange and novel as many of the statements are1 he is not dealing with a mere theorizer2 and that facts and even ,revelation itself must be done away1 ere the doctrine of the ,sacred ,scripture here revealed can be overthrown or proved erroneous4 ,chapter ,v4 explains the ,decalogue1 or the ,ten ,commandments1 as to their external and internal sense4 ,the ,decalogue1 in the ,israelitish ,church1 was the very essence of holiness1 and from it the ark and the tabernacle derived their sanctity4 ,in the ,ten ,commandments are contained all things which relate to love to ,god1 and love towards our neighbor4 ,in its literal sense1 the ,decalogue contains general precepts of doctrine and life1 but in its spiritual and celestial sense it contains all precepts universally4 ,swedenborg then takes up each commandment singly1 and gives an exposition of its literal1 spiritual1 and celestial application2 and when he has done this1 we perceive that these ,ten ,commandments1 which every school-boy repeats and feels he understands1 nevertheless contain all precepts1 and are such as may afford guidance to the wisest angel1 and that man can never outgrow them4 ,taking1 for instance1 the ,seventh ,commandment1 7the eighth1 according to the common numbering17 8,thou shalt not steal10 he explains it in the natural sense1 after the common acceptation4 ,in the spiritual sense1 he shows that to steal means to deprive others of the truths which they embrace in faith1 in teaching doctrines known to be false1 or teaching for the sake of gain2 and in destroying in others1 either by word or deed1 those truths which lead to salvation4 ,in the celestial sense1 to steal is to take away divine power from the ,lord1 to be vain1 to be proud1 to arrogate to ourselves the merit and righteousness which are the divine gifts4 ,all who do such things1 notwithstanding their seeming adoration of ,god1 do not trust in ,him1 but in themselves2 and likewise do not believe in ,god1 but in themselves2 they steal from ,god2 they are spiritual thieves2 and every one who knows his own heart1 must know how often he must refer to this commandment1 in order to govern his life1 and restrain his thoughts1 before he can know perfect obedience1 and be in truth a child of ,god4 ,as with this commandment1 so with all4 ,we need to think of them every day1 and to use them in all our states4 ,if we purpose to lead a true and happy life1 we must cherish them as constant companions4 ,chapter ,,vi4 treats of ,faith4 ,faith1 it is said1 is first in regard to time1 and charity is first in regard to end2 that is1 the use of faith is to lead to charity4 ,a saving faith is a faith in the ,lord ,god the ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 because ,he is the visible ,god in whom is the invisible4 ,faith1 in general1 consists in a belief that the ,lord will save all who live a good life and believe aright2 and a man receives this faith in consequence of approaching the ,lord1 learning truths from the ,word1 and living a life in conformity with them4 ,faith without charity is not faith1 and charity without faith is not charity2 and neither faith nor charity has any life in it but from the ,lord4 ,although a man has power given him to procure for himself faith and charity1 and the life of faith and charity1 yet nothing of faith1 charity1 or the life of either1 is from man1 but from the ,lord alone4 ,charity and faith are together in good works2 for charity consists in willing what is good1 and good works consist in doing what is good1 from and under the influence of a good will2 and both charity and faith are merely mental and perishable things1 unless they are determined to works1 and coexist in them1 whenever there is opportunity4 ,the wicked have no faith1 because wickedness is of hell1 and faith is of heaven1 and all the truth of faith is derived from heaven4 ,faith cannot dwell with evil1 for evil is like fire1--infernal fire being the love of evil1 which consumes faith like stubble1 and reduces it and all that belongs to it to ashes4 ,evil dwells in darkness1 and faith in light2 and evil by means of the falsehood which it loves1 extinguishes faith1 as darkness does light4 ,and because the world is at this day full of evil1 7notwithstanding the morality of life1 and the rationality with which faith is spoken and written about17 of true faith there is almost none1 because of goodness there is almost none4 ,chapter ,,vii4 discourses of love towards our neighbor1 and good works4 ,it is introduced by the statement that there are three universal loves1 the love of heaven1 the love of the world1 and the love of self4 ,these three loves1 when they are in right subordination1 make a man perfect2 but when they are not in right subordination1 they pervert and invert him4 ,the love of self and of the world are not in themselves evil4 ,when the love of heaven1 that is1 the love of ,god1 of goodness and truth1 is supreme in the mind1 and the world is loved as a means to do good1 and self is cared for that uses to the neighbor may be performed1--then the love of self and of the world are orderly and justifiable4 ,but when the love of ,god and heaven is dethroned1 and the love of self or of the world rules1 and a man is religious and just only so far as religion and justice conduce to self-interest and thus ,god and justice and all things holy are put to vile uses1 then the soul of man is inverted1--is a form of hell2 and in the light of heaven appears bestial1 ugly1 and deformed4 ,every individual man is the neighbor whom we ought to love1 but according to the quality of his goodness or his life4 ,man considered collectively1 that is1 as a lesser or larger society1 and considered under the idea of compound societies1 that is1 as our country1--is the neighbor that ought to be loved4 ,the ,church is our neighbor1 to be loved in a still higher degree1 and the ,lord's kingdom is our neighbor to be loved in the highest degree4 ,to love the neighbor is not to love his person1 but the good which is in him4 ,charity itself consists in acting justly and faithfully in whatever office1 business1 and employment a person is engaged1 and with whomsoever he has any connection4 ,eleemosynary acts of charity consist in giving to the poor1 and relieving the indigent1 but with prudence4 ,there are public1 domestic1 and private duties of charity4 ,public duties of charity are1 more especially1 the payment of imposts and taxes4 ,these are paid with different feelings by those who are spiritual and by those who are natural3 those who are spiritual pay them out of good will1 because they are collected for the preservation and protection of their country and the church1 and as a provision for the proper officers and governors1 who must receive their salaries out of the public treasury1 therefore those who consider their country and the church as their neighbor1 pay such debts cheerfully and with a willing mind1 and consider it a wicked act either to withhold them or to use any deceit in the payment2 whereas those who do not esteem their country and the church as their neighbor1 pay such debts with a reluctant and unwilling mind1 and1 as often as they have an opportunity1 withhold them1 or use some fraud in the payment2 for they regard only their own house and their own flesh as their neighbor4 ,the domestic duties of charity are of several kinds1 as those of a husband to his wife1 and of a wife to her husband2 of parents to their children1 and of children to their parents2 likewise of a master and mistress to their servants1 and of servants to their master and mistress4 ,there are so many duties relating to the education of children1 and the government of families1 that it would require a volume to enumerate them4 ,as to what particularly regards the duties of parents to their children1 there is an intrinsic difference in this respect with those who are under the influence of charity1 and with those who are not1 although externally the duties may appear similar4 ,with those who are under the influence of charity1 parental affection is joined with love toward their neighbor and love to ,god1 and such parents love their children according to their morals1 virtues1 pursuits1 and qualifications for the service of the public2 but with those who are not under the influence of charity1 there is no conjunction of charity with parental affection2 the consequence is1 that such parents frequently love wicked1 immoral1 and crafty children1 more than those who are good1 moral1 and prudent2 and thus prefer such as are unserviceable to the public1 before such as are serviceable4 ,private duties of charity are also of several kinds1 such as paying wages to workmen1 returning borrowed money1 observing agreements1 keeping pledges1 and other transactions of a like nature1 some of which are duties grounded in statute law1 some in civil law1 and some in moral law4 ,these duties1 also1 are discharged from different motives by those who are under the influence of charity1 and by those who are not2 by the former they are discharged faithfully and justly1 for the law of charity requires that a man should so act in all his dealings1 with whomsoever he may have any connection2 but these duties are discharged in a totally different manner by those who are not influenced by charity4 ,then there are convivial recreations of charity1 which consist of dinners and suppers and social intercourse4 ,every one knows that dinner and supper parties are in general use1 and are given to promote various ends2 by many on account of friendship1 relationship1 mirth1 gain1 recompense1 and for party purposes of corruption2 among the great they are given on account of their dignity2 and in the palaces of kings1 for the display of splendor and magnificence4 ,but dinners and suppers of charity are given only by those who are influenced by mutual love grounded in a similarity of faith4 ,among ,christians in the ,primitive ,church1 dinners and suppers had this end alone in view1 and were called feasts1 being instituted that they might meet together in cordial joy and friendly union4 ,at table1 the guests conversed together on various subjects1 domestic and civil1 but particularly on such as concerned the ,church2 and as these feasts were feasts of charity1 their conversation on every subject was influenced by charity1 with all its joys and delights4 ,the spiritual sphere which prevailed on such occasions1 was a sphere of love to the ,lord and toward the neighbor1 which exhilarated every mind1 softened the tone of every expression1 and communicated to all the senses a festivity from the heart2 for from every man there emanates a spiritual sphere1 derived from the affection of his love and corresponding thought1 which inwardly affects those in his company1 particularly at the time of convivial recreations4 ,the first part of charity consists in putting away evils1 and the second in doing actions that are useful to our neighbor4 ,it is believed by many1 at the present day1 that charity consists only in doing good1 and that while a man is doing good1 he does no evil2 consequently1 that the first part of charity is to do good1 and the second not to do evil3 but the case is altogether the reverse1 it being the first part of charity to put away evil1 and the second to do good4 ,for it is a universal law in the spiritual world1 and thence too in the natural world1 that so far as a person wills no evil1 he wills what is good2 consequently1 so far as he turns himself away from hell1 whence all evil ascends1 he turns himself toward heaven1 whence all good descends2 and1 therefore1 so far as any one rejects the devil1 he is accepted by the ,lord4 ,in performing the exercises of charity1 a man does not ascribe merit to works1 so long as he believes that all good is from the ,lord4 ,moral life1 if it is at the same time spiritual life1 is charity4 ,the friendship of love1 contracted with a person without regard to his spiritual quality1 is detrimental after death4 ,the friendship of love1 among the wicked1 is intestine hatred toward each other4 ,there is spurious charity1 hypocritical charity1 and dead charity4 ,there can be no such thing as genuine charity1 which is living1 unless it make one with faith1 and unless both in conjunction look to the ,lord4 ,spurious charity is such as is the charity of those who hold to faith alone for salvation1 and who say charity is of no account in leading to heaven4 ,such charity as these may have is spurious1 because not spiritual1 and merely performed from selfish and worldly motives4 ,hypocritical charity is predicable of those who1 in public or private worship1 bow themselves almost to the ground before ,god1 pour forth long prayers with great devotion1 put on a sanctified appearance1 kiss crucifixes and bones of the dead1 and kneel at sepulchers1 and there mutter words expressive of holy veneration toward ,god1 and yet1 in their hearts nourish self-worship1 and seek to be adored like so many deities4 ,dead charity is predicable of those whose faith is dead1 since the quality of charity depends on the quality of faith4 ,faith is dead in all who are without works1 and in those who believe not in ,god1 but in living and dead men1 and worship idols as if they were holy in themselves1 after the practice of the old ,gentiles4 ,chapter ,,viii4 is devoted to the vexed question of ,free-,determination1 or ,free-,will4 ,the doctrines of the ,church1 as commonly held1 are first stated1 and then the ,new ,church doctrine on the question is explained under the following heads3--,the two trees in the garden of ,eden1 one of life1 and the other of the knowledge of good and evil1 signify the free-will which man enjoys in respect to spiritual things4 ,man is not life1 but a recipient of life from ,god4 ,man1 during his abode in the world1 is held in the midst between heaven and hell1 and thus in a spiritual equilibrium1 which constitutes free will4 ,from the permission of evil1 which every man experiences in his internal man1 it is evident that man has free-will in spiritual things4 ,without free-will in spiritual things1 the ,word would not be of any use1 consequently the ,church would be a nonentity4 ,without free-will in spiritual things1 man would have nothing which would enable him to conjoin himself by reciprocation with the ,lord2 and consequently there would be no imputation1 but mere predestination1 which is detestable4 ,without free-will in spiritual things1 ,god would be chargeable as the cause of evil4 ,every spiritual principle of the ,church that is admitted and received in freedom1 remains1 but not otherwise4 ,the human will and understanding enjoy this free-will2 but the commission of evil1 both in the spiritual and natural worlds1 is restrained by laws1 or else society in both would perish4 ,if men were destitute of free-will in spiritual things1 it would be possible for all men throughout the whole world1 in a single day1 to be induced to believe in the ,lord2 but this would be in vain1 because nothing remains with man which is not freely received4 ,miracles are not performed at the present day because they deprive man of free-will4 ,chapter ,,ix4 treats of ,repentance4 ,it is shown1 in the first place1 that repentance is the first constituent of the ,church in man1 and that in proportion as a man practices it1 his sins are removed2 and as they are removed1 they are forgiven or remitted4 ,contrition1 in the sense of a mere lip-confession of being a sinner1 and of being involved in the guilt of ,adam1 without self-examination1 is not repentance4 ,every man is born with a propensity to evils of all kinds1 and unless he remove them1 in part1 by repentance1 he remains in them2 and whoever remains in them can not be saved4 ,the knowledge of sin1 and the discovery of some particular sin in one's self1 is the beginning of repentance4 ,actual repentance consists in a man's examining himself1 knowing and acknowledging his sins1 supplicating the ,lord1 and beginning a new life4 ,true repentance consists in a man's examining not only the actions of his life1 but also the intentions of his will4 ,those also do the work of repentance1 who1 though they do not examine themselves1 abstain from evils because they are sins2 and this kind of repentance is done by those who perform works of charity from a religious motive4 ,in repentance1 confession ought to be made before the ,lord ,god the ,saviour1 and at the same time supplication for help1 and power to resist evils4 ,actual repentance is an easy duty to those who occasionally practice it1 but it meets with violent opposition from those who never practiced it4 ,he that never did the work of repentance1 and never looked into1 and examined1 himself1 comes at last not to know the nature either of damnatory evil or saving good4 ,chapter ,x4 describes the nature of ,reformation and ,regeneration4 ,unless a man be born again1 and1 as it were1 created anew1 he can not enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,this new birth1 or creation1 is effected by the ,lord alone1 through the medium of charity and faith1 during man's coperation4 ,since all are redeemed1 all have a capacity to be regenerated1 every one according to his state4 ,the several stages of man's regeneration answer to his natural conception1 gestation in the womb1 birth1 and education4 ,the first act of the new birth1 which is an act of the understanding1 is called reformation2 and the second1 which is an act of the will1 and thence of the understanding1 is called regeneration4 ,the internal man is first to be reformed1 and by it the external1 and thus the man is regenerated4 ,when this takes place1 there arises a combat between the internal and external man1 and then whichever conquers has dominion over the other4 ,the regenerate man has a new will and understanding4 ,a regenerate man is in communion with the angels of heaven1 and an unregenerate man is in communion with the spirits of hell4 ,in proportion as a man is regenerated1 his sins are removed2 and this removal is what is meant by remission of sins4 ,regeneration1 can not be effected without free-will in spiritual things4 ,regeneration is not attainable without truths by which faith is formed1 and with which charity conjoins itself4 ,chapter ,,xi4 is devoted to a description of what imputation is1 and what it is not4 ,it is shown that imputation1 and the faith of the present church1 which alone is said to justify1 are a one4 ,the imputation which belongs to the faith of the present time is two fold1 the one part relating to the merit of ,christ1 and the other to salvation as its consequence4 ,the faith which is imputative of the merit and righteousness of ,christ the ,redeemer1 first took its rise from the decrees of the ,council of ,nice1 concerning three divine persons from eternity2 and1 from that time to the present1 has been received by the whole ,christian world4 ,faith imputative of the merit of ,christ1 was not known in the ,apostolic ,church1 which preceded the ,council of ,nice1 and is neither declared nor signified in any part of the ,word4 ,an imputation of the merits and righteousness of ,christ is impossible4 ,there is such a thing as imputation1 but then it is an imputation of good and evil1 and at the same time of faith4 ,the faith and imputation of the ,new ,church can not be together with the faith and imputation of the former ,church2 and1 in case they were together1 such a collision and conflict would ensue1 that every principle of the ,church in man would perish4 ,the ,lord imputes good to every man1 and hell imputes evil to every man4 ,faith1 with whatever principle it conjoins itself1 passes sentence accordingly2 if a true faith conjoins itself with goodness1 the sentence is for eternal life1 but if faith conjoins itself with evil1 the sentence is for eternal death4 ,thought is imputed to no one1 but will4 ,chapter ,,xii4 is a luminous exposition of the uses of ,baptism4 ,without a knowledge of the spiritual sense of the ,word1 it is shown no one can know what the two sacraments1 ,baptism and the ,holy ,supper1 involve and effect4 ,the washing which is called baptism1 signifies spiritual washing1 which is a purification from evils and falses1 and thus regeneration4 ,as circumcision of the heart was represented by circumcision of the foreskin1 baptism was instituted in lieu of it1 to the end that an internal ,church might succeed the external1 in which all and everything was a figure of the internal ,church4 ,the first use of baptism is introduction into the ,christian ,church1 and at the same time insertion among ,christians in the spiritual world4 ,the second use of baptism is1 that the ,christian may know and acknowledge the ,lord ,jesus ,christ the ,redeemer and ,saviour1 and may follow ,him4 ,the third and final use of baptism is1 that man may be regenerated4 ,by the baptism of ,john1 a way was prepared that ,jehovah the ,lord might come down into the world1 and accomplish the work of redemption4 ,chapter ,,xiii4 is taken up with a like description of the uses of the ,holy ,supper4 ,it is shown that it is impossible for any one1 without an acquaintance with the correspondences of natural things with spiritual1 to know the uses and benefits of the ,holy ,supper4 ,an acquaintance with correspondences serves to discover the signification of the ,lord's flesh and blood1 and that the bread and wine signify the same2 namely1 that the ,lord's flesh and the bread signify the divine good of ,his love1 and likewise all the good of charity1 and that ,his blood and the wine signify the divine truth of ,his wisdom1 and likewise all the truth of faith1 and that to eat signifies to appropriate4 ,by understanding this1 it may clearly be comprehended1 that the ,holy ,supper contains1 both universally and particularly1 all things of the ,church1 and all things of heaven4 ,in the ,holy ,supper the ,lord is entirely present1 with the whole of ,his redemption4 ,the ,lord is present1 and opens heaven to those who approach the ,holy ,supper worthily2 and ,he is also present with those who approach it unworthily1 but does not open heaven to them2 consequently1 as baptism is an introduction into the ,church1 so the ,holy ,supper is an introduction into heaven4 ,those approach the ,holy ,supper worthily1 who are under the influence of faith toward the ,lord1 and of charity toward their neighbor1 thus1 who are regenerate4 ,those who approach the ,holy ,supper worthily1 are in the ,lord1 and ,he in them2 consequently1 conjunction with the ,lord is effected by the ,holy ,supper4 ,the ,holy ,supper is1 to the worthy receivers1 as a signing and sealing that they are sons of ,god4 ,chapter ,,xiv41 concluding the doctrinal portion of the work1 describes the consummation of the age1 the coming of the ,lord1 and the new heaven and the ,new ,church4 ,the consummation of the age is the last time or end of the ,church4 ,the present day is the last time of the ,christian ,church1 which the ,lord foretold and described in the ,gospels1 and in the ,revelation4 ,this last time of the ,christian ,church1 is the very night in which the former ,churches have set4 ,after this night1 morning succeeds2 and the coming of the ,lord is this morning4 ,the coming of the ,lord is not a coming to destroy the visible heaven and the habitable earth1 and to create a new heaven and a new earth1 according to the opinions which many1 from not understanding the spiritual sense of the ,word1 have hitherto entertained4 ,this1 which is the second coming of the ,lord1 is for the sake of separating the evil from the good1 that those who have believed and who do believe in ,him1 may be saved2 and that there may be formed of them a new angelic heaven1 and a ,new ,church on earth2 and without this coming no flesh could be saved4 ,this second coming of the ,lord is not a coming in person1 but in the ,word1 which is from ,him1 and is ,himself4 ,this second coming of the ,lord is effected by the instrumentality of a man1 before whom ,he has manifested ,himself in person1 and whom ,he has filled with ,his spirit1 to teach from ,him the doctrines of the ,new ,church by means of the ,word4 ,this is meant by the new heaven and the new earth1 and the ,new ,jerusalem descending out of heaven1 spoken of in the ,revelation4 ,this ,new ,church is the crown of all the ,churches which have existed1 to this time1 on the earth4 ,on all these subjects ,swedenborg discourses at length1 and in a style which1 for its combined simplicity and purity1 we believe1 is unmatched in theological literature4 ,wilkinson says truly of the volume1 that1 8viewed as a digest1 it shows a presence of mind1 an administration of materials1 and a faculty of handling1 of an extraordinary kind4 ,there is old age in it in the sense of ripeness4 ,if the intellectualist misses there somewhat of the range of discourse1 it is compensated by a certain triteness of wisdom4 ,as a polemic1 not only against the errors of the ,churches1 but against the evil lives and self-excusings of ,christians1 the work is unrivaled4 ,the criticisms of doctrine1 with which it abounds1 are masterly in the extreme2 and were it compared with any similar body of theology1 we feel no doubt that the palm of coherency1 vigor1 and comprehensiveness1 would easily fall to ,swedenborg1 upon the verdict of judges of whatever ,church40 ,we have said nothing of the seventy-six memorable relations strewn through the pages of the 8,true ,christian ,religion10 because the limits to which we are confined forbid anything approaching to an adequate description of them4 ,they are a great trouble to new readers of ,swedenborg1 and many who love and delight in the doctrinal teachings of the work1 pass over1 unread1 the memorable relations1 and try not to think of them4 ,but this is only for a time4 ,they are only strange and incomprehensible because the principles upon which they are written are not apprehended4 ,the ,indian king1 who was told that in northern lands water became solid1 so that his elephants might walk on it1 laughed1 and was an unbeliever4 ,but1 had the law or principle by which water becomes ice1 been made plain to him1 his laughter and his unbelief would have ceased4 ,so it is with those who are shocked with ,swedenborg's relations of things heard and seen in the spiritual world4 ,let but the great law of correspondence be understood1 and the most marvelous of the relations straightway attain an interest and reality1 which none but those who have studied them under the bright light of correspondences can understand1 or easily believe possible4 ,a memorable relation1 which was to the writer of this1 at one time1 a thing to cause pity for the man that wrote it1 is now the pleasant and practical study of a ,sunday afternoon4 ,he knows that his experience in this respect is paralleled by that of most ,newchurchmen4 ,count ,hopken1 in a letter to ,general ,tuxen1 says1 8,i once represented1 in rather a serious manner1 to this venerable man1 7,swedenborg71 that ,i thought he would do better not to mix his beautiful writings with so many memorable relations of things heard and seen in the spiritual world1 concerning the states of men after death1--of which ignorance makes a jest and derision4 ,but he answered me1 that this did not depend on him2 that he was too old to sport with spiritual things1 and too much concerned for his eternal happiness to give into foolish notions2 assuring me1 on his hopes of salvation1 that no imagination produced in him his revelations1 which were true1 and derived from what he had heard and seen40 8,the ,true ,christian ,religion0 was the last work ,swedenborg published2 it was a worthy conclusion of his grand labors4 ,among his papers1 at his decease1 was found an incomplete 8,coronis0 or ,appendix to the work4 ,this has been translated and published1 and contains an elucidation of several interesting points4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,anecdotes and ,traits of ,character4 ,swedenborg arrived in ,london1 from ,amsterdam1 in ,august1 #agga1 and took up his abode in lodgings he had before occupied in the house of ,shearsmith1 a peruke maker1 at #bf ,great ,bath street1 ,cold ,bath fields4 ,from ,shearsmith we learn several interesting items of intelligence regarding ,swedenborg's habits and mode of life4 ,the dress that he generally wore when he went out to visit1 was a suit of black velvet1 7made after an old fashion17 a pair of long ruffles1 a curiously hilted sword1 and a gold-headed cane4 ,in his later years he became less and less attentive to the concerns of the world4 ,when walking abroad1 he seemed to be engaged in spiritual communion1 and took little notice of things and people in the streets4 ,when he went out in ,stockholm1 without the observation of his domestics1 some singularity in his dress would often betray his abstraction4 ,once when he dined with ,robsahm's father1 he appeared with one shoe-buckle of plain silver1 and the other set with precious stones1--greatly to the amusement of some ladies of the party4 ,when he lodged with ,bergstrom1 he usually walked out after breakfast1 dressed neatly in velvet1 and made a good appearance4 ,in ,sweden his dress was simple1 but neat and convenient3 during winter1 he was clad in a garment of reindeer skins2 and1 in summer1 in a study gown3 8both well worn1 as became a philosopher10 according to ,robsahm4 ,mr4 ,servant was one of the earliest and most affectionate receivers of ,new ,church doctrine4 ,before he received the truths of the ,new ,church1 he was once passing along ,st4 ,john's street1 ,london1 when he met an old gentleman1 of a dignified and most venerable appearance1 whose deeply thoughtful1 yet mildly expressive countenance1 added to something very unusual in his general air1 attracted his attention very forcibly4 ,he turned round1 therefore1 to take another view of the stranger1 who also turned around and looked at him4 ,this was ,swedenborg2 but it was not until some years afterward1 on seeing his portrait1 that he became aware that the dignified and venerable old gentleman was the author of those works he now so sincerely loved1 and so earnestly studied4 ,in person1 ,swedenborg was about #e feet #i inches high1 rather thin1 and of a brown complexion4 ,his eyes were of a brownish grey1 nearly hazel1 and rather small4 ,he had always a cheerful smile upon his countenance4 ,when ,collin visited him1 he was thin and pale1 but still retained traces of beauty1 and had something very pleasing in his physiognomy1 and a dignity in his erect stature4 ,ab ,indagine tells us his eyes were always smiling2 and ,robsahm1 that his 8countenance was always illuminated by the light of his uncommon genius40 ,his manners were those of a nobleman and gentleman of the last century4 ,he was somewhat reserved1 but complaisant2 accessible to all1 and had something very loving and taking in his demeanor4 ,personally1 he left good impressions behind him wherever he appeared4 ,he did not understand the ,english language sufficiently well to hold a running conversation in it2 and moreover he had an impediment in his speech4 ,he was well acquainted1 however1 with the principal modern languages1 and1 of course1 was thoroughly familiar with ,greek and ,latin1 and had a sufficient knowledge of ,hebrew4 ,all authorities agree that his speech1 though not facile1 was impressive4 ,he spoke with deliberation1 and when his voice was heard1 it was a signal for silence in others1 while the slowness of his delivery increased the curiosity of the listeners4 ,he entered into no disputes on matters of religion1 but when obliged to defend himself1 he did it mildly and briefly2 and if any one insisted upon argument1 and became warm against him1 he retired1 with a recommendation to them to read his writings4 ,one day1 when ,mr4 ,cookworthy1 a member of the ,society of ,friends1 was with ,swedenborg in his lodging1 a person present objected to something he said1 and argued the point in his own way2 but ,swedenborg only replied1 8,i receive information from the angels on such things40 ,one day1 when dining with some ,swedish clergy in ,london1 a polemic tried to controvert the doctrine concerning the ,lord1 and the nature of our duty to ,him2 when1 according to ,mr4 ,burkhardt1 8,swedenborg overthrew the tenets of his opponent1 who appeared but a child to him in knowledge40 ,swedenborg was practically a vegetarian4 ,shearsmith said he sometimes ate a few eels1 and his servant informs us that he once had some pigeon pie2 but his usual diet was bread and butter1 milk and coffee1 almonds and raisins1 vegetables1 biscuits1 cakes1 and gingerbread4 ,the gingerbread he used to take out with him into the area of ,cold ,bath square1 7now covered with houses17 and distribute it among the children as they played around him4 ,he was a water-drinker1 but occasionally1 when in company1 drank one or two glasses of wine1 but never more4 ,he took no supper4 ,of coffee he was a great drinker1 which he took very sweet1 and without milk4 ,at his house in ,stockholm1 he had a fire during winter almost constantly in his study1 at which he made his own coffee and drank it often1 both during the day and in the night4 ,from the commencement of his illumination1 ,swedenborg was very particular as to his diet2 and his ,diary contains many references to his food1 and to the spiritual association which various kinds of nutriment induced4 ,in one place we read under the heading of 8the ,stink of ,intemperance10 8,one evening ,i took a great meal of milk and bread1 more than the spirits considered good for me4 ,on this occasion they dwelt upon intemperance1 and accused me of it40 ,indeed1 on the first opening of his spiritual sight1 in ,london1 in #agdc1 when being very hungry from much exercise1 he ate with great appetite1 the spiritual stranger who appeared1 saluted him with the words1 8,eat not so much40 ,in his treatise on ,heaven and ,hell1 n4 #bii1 he writes3 8,it has also been granted me to know the origin of the anxiety1 grief of mind1 and interior sadness1 called melancholy1 with which man is afflicted4 ,there are certain spirits who are not yet in conjunction with hell1 being yet in their first state1 who love undigested and malignant substances1 such as food when it lies corrupting in the stomach4 ,they consequently are present where such substances are to be found in man1 because these are delightful to them2 and they there converse with one another from their own evil affection4 ,the affection contained in their discourse thence enters the man by influx2 and if it is opposed to the man's affection1 he experiences melancholy1 sadness1 and anxiety2 whereas if it agrees with his affection1 he becomes gay and cheerful4 ,hence was made manifest to me the origin of the persuasion entertained by some who do not know what conscience is1 by reason that they have none1 when they attribute its pangs to a disordered state of the stomach40 ,of the killing and eating the flesh of animals1 he writes thus in the ,arcana ,clestia1 n4 #ajjb4 8,eating the flesh of animals1 considered in itself1 is something profane2 for the people of the most ancient time on no account ate the flesh of any beast or fowl1 but only grain1 especially bread made of wheat1 also the fruits of trees1 pulse1 milk1 and what is produced from milk1 as butter4 ,to kill animals and to eat their flesh1 was to them unlawful1 and seemed as something bestial2 and they were content with the uses and services which they rendered1 as appears also from ,genesis i4 #bi1 #cj4 ,but in succeeding times1 when man began to grow fierce as a beast1 yea fiercer1 then first they began to kill animals1 and to eat their flesh4 ,and because man was such1 this was permitted1 and at this day also is permitted2 and so far as man does it from conscience1 so far is it lawful1 for his conscience is formed of all those things which he thinks to be true1 and so thinks to be lawful3 wherefore also1 at this day1 no one is by any means condemned for this1 that he eats flesh40 ,swedenborg took snuff1 as was the custom in his day4 ,some of his manuscripts yet bear traces of the dingy powder4 ,shearsmith gives the same account of ,swedenborg's habits of sleep1 as his gardener at ,stockholm4 ,he had no regard for times and seasons1 days or nights1 only taking rest as he felt disposed4 ,this was naturally to be expected1 considering the peculiarities of his seership4 ,at first1 ,shearsmith was greatly alarmed1 by reason of his talking day and night4 ,sometimes he would be writing1 and then he would be1 as it were1 holding a conversation with several persons4 ,but as ,swedenborg spoke in a language ,shearsmith did not understand1 he could make nothing of it4 ,shearsmith was nevertheless well pleased with his lodger4 ,his servant told ,mr4 ,peckitt1 after ,swedenborg's death1 that 8he was a good-natured man1 and that he was a blessing to the house1 for they had harmony and good business whilst he was with them40 ,a short time before his death1 he lay for some weeks in a trance1 without any sustenance4 ,swedenborg's pension preserved him from all pecuniary cares4 ,yet in his ,diary we read3 8,i have now been for thirty-three months in a state in which my mind is withdrawn from bodily affairs1 and hence can be present in the societies of the spiritual and celestial4 ,yet whenever ,i am intent upon worldly matters1 or have cares and desires about money1 7such as caused me to write a letter to-day17 ,i lapse into a bodily state2 and the spirits1 as they inform me1 cannot speak with me1 but say they are in a manner absent4 ,this shows me that spirits cannot speak with a man who dwells upon worldly and bodily cares2 for the things of his body draw down his ideas1 and drown them in the body4--,march #d1 #agdh40 ,this experience is worthy of record4 ,most of us1 in our own way1 know the truth of it1 from heart experience4 ,whatever his motives were1 he would receive back no proceeds from the sale of his theological works1 but dedicated the whole to religious subscriptions4 ,to beggars he seldom gave anything4 ,in his writings1 he in several places protests against the sham charity which satisfies itself by mere alms-giving4 ,he tells us that habitual beggars lead vicious and impious lives1 and that to give them money is rather to curse than to bless them4 ,swedenborg did not lend money2 for that1 he said1 is the way to lose it2 besides1 as he remarks1 he required it nearly all to pay the expenses of his traveling and printing4 ,in his later years1 ,swedenborg had no library but his ,bible1 in various editions1 and his own manuscripts4 ,what need had he of the books of men1 when he knew the heavens1--and the glorified authors of earth1 in states of wisdom they never dreamed of here8 ,swedenborg seldom went to church2 for1 as he said1 he 8had no peace in the church1 on account of spirits1 who contradicted what the preacher said1 especially when he spoke of ,three ,persons in the ,godhead1 which amounted in reality to three ,gods40 ,swedenborg's long and arduous labors on earth were now ended4 ,let us approach his death-bed with reverence1 and observe how a good man can die4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,last ,days on ,earth4 ,on ,christmas eve1 #agga1 a stroke of apoplexy deprived ,swedenborg of his speech1 and lamed one side4 ,he lay afterwards in a lethargic state for more than three weeks1 taking no sustenance beyond a little tea without milk1 and cold water occasionally1 and once a little currant jelly4 ,at the end of that time1 he recovered his speech and health somewhat1 and ate and drank as usual4 ,mr4 ,hartley and ,dr4 ,messiter at this time visited him1 and asking him if he was comforted with the society of angels1 as before1 he answered that he was4 ,they then asked him to declare whether all that he had written was strictly true1 or whether any part or parts were to be excepted4 8,i have written10 answered ,swedenborg1 with a degree of warmth1 8nothing but the truth1 as you will have more and more confirmed to you all the days of your life1 provided you keep close to the ,lord1 and faithfully serve ,him alone1 by shunning evils of all kinds as sins against ,him1 and diligently searching ,his ,word1 which1 from beginning to end1 bears incontestable witness to the truth of the doctrines ,i have delivered to the world40 ,at this time ,swedenborg seemed to love privacy1 and saw but little company4 ,his old friend1 ,springer1 the ,swedish ,consul in ,london1 called upon him a week or two before his decease4 ,springer asked him when he believed that the ,new ,jerusalem1 or the ,new ,church of the ,lord1 would be manifested1 and if this manifestation would take place in the four quarters of the world4 ,swedenborg replied3 8,no mortal can declare the time1 no1 not even the celestial angels2 it is known solely to the ,lord4 ,read the ,revelation1 chapter xxi4 #b1 and ,zechariah1 chapter xiv4 #i1 and you will find that it is not to be doubted that the ,new ,jerusalem1 mentioned in the ,apocalypse1 which denotes a new and purer state of the ,christian ,church1 than has hitherto existed1 will manifest itself to all the earth40 ,about this time1 says ,springer1 ,swedenborg told him that his spiritual sight was withdrawn1 after he had been favored with it for so long a course of years4 ,this1 of which the world knew nothing1 and for which it cared nothing1 it was the greatest affliction to him to lose4 ,he could not endure the blindness1 but cried out repeatedly1 8,o my ,god6 hast thou then forsaken thy servant at last80 ,he continued for several days in this condition1 but it was the last of his trials3 he recovered his precious sight1 and was happy4 ,about this time he wrote a note1 in ,latin1 to the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley1 to the following effect3-- 8,,great ,,bath ,,street1 ,,cold ,,bath ,,fields1 ,february1 #aggb4 8,,sir1--,i have been informed1 in the world of spirits1 that you have a strong desire to converse with me4 ,i shall be happy to see you1 if you will favor me with a visit4 8,i am1 sir1 your humble servant1 8,,emanuel ,,swedenborg40 ,when the note was handed to ,mr4 ,wesley1 he was in company with some of his preachers1 arranging their preaching circuits for the year4 ,wesley read the note aloud1 and frankly confessed that he had been strongly actuated by a desire to meet ,swedenborg1 but he had revealed his wish to no one4 ,he wrote for answer1 that he was then occupied in preparing for a six months' journey1 but would wait upon ,swedenborg on his return to ,london4 ,swedenborg1 in reply1 stated that the proposed visit would be too late1 as he should go into the world of spirits on the #bith day of the next month1 7,march17 never more to return4 ,wesley did not call1 and they never met4 ,had he been wise1 he would2 in spite of engagements1 have embraced this opportunity of conversing with that wonderful man1 after an invitation of such a character4 ,had they met1 ,methodism might have been a different thing from what it is4 ,but let us believe that all such seeming accidents are overruled for the best4 ,the authority for this anecdote is the ,rev4 ,samuel ,smith1 a ,methodist preacher1 who was present when ,wesley received ,swedenborg's letter4 ,it excited his curiosity to know something of the writings of so remarkable a man2 and the result was1 a firm conviction of the rationality and truth of the heavenly doctrine promulgated in them1 and a zealous activity in their diffusion1 throughout the remainder of his life4 ,mr4 ,bergstrom1 the landlord of the ,king's ,arms tavern in ,wellclose square1 at whose house ,swedenborg had once lodged1 called to see him in his last days4 ,swedenborg told him1 that since it had pleased the ,lord to take away the use of his arm by palsy1 his body was good for nothing but to be put under ground4 ,mr4 ,bergstrom asked him whether he would receive the ,sacrament4 ,somebody present at the time proposed sending for the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mathesius1 a minister of the ,swedish ,church4 ,swedenborg at once declined having that gentleman1 for he had sent abroad a report that ,swedenborg was out of his senses4 7,mathesius himself1 in later years1 became deranged47 ,the ,rev4 ,arvid ,ferelius1 another ,swedish clergyman1 with whom ,swedenborg was on the best terms1 and who had visited him frequently in his illness1 was then sent for4 ,ferelius observed to him1 that 8as many persons thought he had endeavored only to make himself a name1 or acquire celebrity in the world1 by the publication of his new theological system1 he should now be ready1 in order to show justice to the world1 to recant either the whole or a part of what he had written1 since he had now nothing more to expect from the world which he was so soon to leave forever40 ,upon hearing these words1 ,swedenborg raised himself half upright in his bed1 and placing his sound hand upon his breast1 said1 with great zeal and emphasis1 8,as true as you see me before you1 so true is everything which ,i have written4 ,i could say more1 were ,i permitted4 ,when you come into eternity1 you will see all things as ,i have stated and described them2 and we shall have much discourse about them with each other40 ,ferelius then asked him if he would take the ,lord's ,holy ,supper4 ,he replied1 8,you mean well1 but ,i1 being a member of the other world1 do not need it4 ,however1 to show the connection and union between the church in heaven and the church on earth1 ,i will gladly take it40 ,he then asked ,ferelius if he had read his views on the ,sacrament4 ,before administering the ,sacrament1 ,ferelius inquired whether he confessed himself to be a sinner4 8,certainly10 said ,swedenborg1 8so long as ,i carry about with me this sinful body40 ,with deep and affecting devotion1 with folded hands1 and with his head uncovered1 he confessed his own unworthiness1 and received the ,holy ,supper4 ,he then presented ,ferelius with a copy of his ,arcana ,clestia1 expressing his gratitude to him for his kind attentions4 ,he knew that his end was near4 ,he told the people of the house on what day he should die1 and ,shearsmith's servant remarked1 8he was as pleased as ,i should have been1 if ,i was going to have a holiday1 or going to some merrymaking40 ,his faculties were clear to the last4 ,on ,sunday1 the #bith day of ,march1 #aggb1 hearing the clock strike1 he asked his landlady and her maid1 who were both sitting at his bed-side1 what o'clock it was2 and upon being answered it was five o'clock1 he said1 8,it is well2 ,i thank you2 ,god bless you20 and in a little moment after1 he gently departed4 ,he was then #hd years1 #h weeks1 and five days1 old4 ,his body was taken to the undertaker's1 where it lay in state2 and then was1 on the #eth day of ,april1 deposited in three coffins1 in the vault of the ,swedish ,church1 in ,prince's square1 ,radcliffe ,highway1 with all the ceremonies of the ,lutheran faith1--the service being performed by the ,rev4 ,arvid ,ferelius4 ,there the body still lies4 ,no stone1 or inscription marks the spot4 ,swedenborg of all men1 least requires monumental commemoration4 ,every year enshrines his memory in increasing numbers of grateful hearts2--grateful to him1 as a medium1 whereby the ,infinite ,wisdom and ,goodness might reach its end in blessing mankind by the advent of spiritual truth1 and leading them within the gates of the ,holy ,city1 ,new ,jerusalem4 ,,footnotes #a ,the following account of ,charles ,,xii41 written by ,emanuel ,swedenborg1 was printed in the 8,gentleman's ,magazine10 for ,september1 #aged4 ,it is a portion of a letter which ,swedenborg wrote to ,m4 ,nordberg1 while the latter was engaged in writing his 8,life of ,charles ,,xii410 in which work the letter appeared at full length4 ,it is too long to be quoted here2 the following extracts contain the pith of it4 ,it may be proper to observe1 that it was written by the author prior to his being called to the sacred office which occupied the last twenty-nine years of his life4 ,this accounts for his speaking of the celebrated ,swedish hero with so much greater respect than he is known to have afterwards entertained for his memory4 8,having been frequently admitted to the honor of hearing his late most excellent ,majesty1 ,charles ,,xii4 discourse on mathematical subjects1 ,i presume an account of a new arithmetic invented by him1 may merit the attention of my readers4 8,his ,majesty observed then1 that the denary arithmetic1 universally received and practiced1 was most probably derived from the original method of counting on the fingers2 that illiterate people of old1 when they had run through the fingers of both hands1 repeated new periods over and over again1 and every time spread open both hands2 which being done ten times1 they distinguished each step by proper marks1 as by joining two1 three1 or four fingers4 ,afterwards1 when this method of numeration on the fingers came to be expressed by proper characters1 it soon became firmly and universally established1 and so the denary calculus has been retained to this day4 ,but surely1 were a solid geometrician1 thoroughly versed in the abstract nature and fundamentals of numbers1 to set his mind upon introducing a still more useful calculus into the world1 instead of ten1 he would select such a perfect square1 or cube number1 as by continual bisection1 or halving1 would at length terminate in unity1 and be better adapted to the subdivisions of measures1 weights1 coins1 etc4 8,thus intent on a new arithmetic1 the hero pitched upon the number eight1 as most fit for the purpose1 since it could not only be halved continually down to unity1 without a fraction1 but contained within it the square of #b1 and was itself the cube thereof1 and was also applicable to the received denomination of several sorts of weights and coins1 rising to #af and #cb1 the double and quadruple of #h4 ,upon these first considerations1 he was pleased to command me to draw up an essay on an octonary calculus1 which ,i completed in a few days1 with its application to the received divisions1 coins1 measures1 and weights1 a disquisition on cubes and squares1 and a new and easy way of extracting roots1 all illustrated with examples4 8,his ,majesty having cast his eye twice or thrice over it1 and observing1 perhaps from some hints in the essay1 that the denary calculus had several advantages not always attended to1 he did not at that time seem absolutely to approve of the octonary3 or1 it is likely he might conceive1 that though it seemed easy in theory1 yet it might prove difficult to introduce it to practice4 ,be this as it may1 he insisted on fixing upon some other that was both a cube and a square number1 referrible to #h1 and divisible down to unity by bisection4 ,this could be no other than #fd1 the cube of #d1 and square of #h1 divisible down to unity without a fraction4 8,i immediately presumed to object that such a number would be too prolix1 as it rises through a series of entirely distinct and different numbers1 up to #fd1 and then again to its duplicate #d1jif1 and on to its triplicate #bfb1add1 before the fourth step commences2 so that the difficulty of such a calculus would be incredible1 not only in addition and subtraction1 but to a still higher degree in multiplication and division2 for the memory must necessarily retain in the multiplication table1 #c1ifi distinct products of the #fc numbers of the first step multiplied into one another2 whereas only #di are necessary in the octonary1 and but #ha are required in the denary arithmetic2 which last is difficult to be remembered and applied in practice1 by some capacities4 ,but the stronger my objections were1 the more resolute was his royal mind upon attempting such a calculus4 ,obstructions made him eagerly aspire ,all to surmount1 and nobly soar the higher4 ,he insisted that the alleged difficulties might be overbalanced by very many advantages4 8,a few days after this ,i was called before his ,majesty1 who1 resuming the subject1 demanded if ,i had made a trial4 ,i still urging my former objections1 he reached me a paper written with his own hand1 in new characters and terms of denomination1 the perusal of which1 he was pleased1 at my entreaty1 to grant me2 wherein1 to my great surprise1 ,i found not only new characters and numbers1 7the one almost naturally expressive of the other7 in a continued series to #fd1 so ranged as easily to be remembered1 but also new denominations1 so contrived by pairs1 as to be easily extended to myriads by a continued variation of the character and denomination4 ,and further casting my eye on several new methods of his for addition and multiplication by this calculus1 either artificially contrived1 or else inherent in the characters of the numbers themselves1 ,i was struck with the profoundest admiration of the force of his ,majesty's genius1 and with such strange amazement1 as obliged me to esteem this eminent personage1 not my rival1 but by far my superior in my own art4 ,and having the original still in my custody1 at a proper time ,i may publish it1 as it highly deserves2 whereby it will appear with what discerning skill he was endowed1 or how deeply he penetrated into the obscurest recesses of the arithmetical science4 8,besides1 his eminent talents in calculation further appear by his frequently working and solving the most difficult numerical problems1 barely by thought and memory2 in which operations others are obliged to take great pains and tedious labor4 8,having duly weighed the vast advantages arising from mathematical and arithmetical knowledge in most occasions of human life1 he frequently used it as an adage1 that he who is ignorant of numbers is scarce half a man4 8,while he was at ,bender1 he composed a complete volume of military exercises1 highly esteemed by those who are best skilled in the art of war40 #b ,the bookseller referred to was ,mr4 ,bohn1 of ,henrietta street1 ,covent ,garden4 #c ,it is not to be supposed that this time was wasted in sleep4 ,in his meditations and spiritual intercourse1 he1 no doubt1 loved the seclusion of his quiet chamber4 #d ,this is quite a mistake4 ,his work he had in contemplation for some years4 ,it is probable the revisal1 alterations1 and additions in the ,,ms and in the proofs1 led ,paulus into this misconception4