MASTER EGA TIVE NO. 92-804 MICROFILMED 1992 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES/NEW YORK as part of the "Foundations of Western Civilization Preservation Project" Funded by the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES Reproductions may not be made without permission from Columbia University Library COPYRIGHT STATEMENT The copyright law of the United States ~ Title 17, United States Code ~ concerns the making of photocopies or oth( reproductions of copyrighted material... Columbia Universit}^ Library reserves the right to refuse t accept a copy order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the would involve violation of the copyright law. AUTHOR: DAA RETT, REV. JAMIN [FISK] TITLE: LECTURES ON THE NEW SPENSATION,... PLACE: WYORK M^ A m M M^ • 55 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT Master Negative # _ 32'^^1Lbjl^ BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET Original Material as Filmed - Existing Bibliographic Record JO 6..9^B -.B arret t, i"S£y. 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THE THEOLOGICAL WRITINGS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBOIIG: ITDLISIIKD BY THE Itnuriam .Stochnborg frittting anb ^ublisHng ^miv, AND FOR SALE AT THEUl DF.rOSlTORY, NO. 47 BI"' "" tWMTCl^ XTFAX' \'oi>K- 92) &.^^ 211 DIVINE liOV: One Tliia work, as its i ctrning tlic operntions r-reation of tlio iiniver:* tiun. It (XjtlaiiB Hit* t men ami angols, any external meaus to think and will, and po to believe and love, tli.' thin'T's whi<'h are of religion, hut that \ut should lead and souu-tinios force hhnself to it ; tluit a man slioidd he h'd and taught from the LR0NIS. AND A COPIOUS INDKX. One vol. 8vo., pp. 982. Price. ^1.10. This volume contains a summary of all the principal docti'ines of the New Church, signified by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse. It ia di- : [SKK BKCK OI VOIVMK.] 2 -FORa EXCH A Ni u E . ^/ 3 LECTURES ON THE NEW DISPENSATION, CALLED THE NEW JERUSALEM. B Y B. F. BARRETT. True doctnne is like a lantern in the dark, and like a guide po.t in tlie ways. SWEOKNBORG. FIFTH THOUSAND. NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY THE MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA ASSOCIATION OP THE NEW CHURCH. FOR SALE BY E. MENDEVHALL, WALNUT ST., CIxNCINNATI ; OTIS CLAPP, 23 SCHOOL ST., BOSTON ; WILLIAM MC GEORGE, 47 BIBLE HOUSE, NEW YORK 1 855. PREFACE TO THE STEREOTYPE EDITION. V I ? ,i It is just ten years since these Lectures were first offered to the public in a printed form. They have been favorably received, and, it is thought, have subserved, in some degree, the interests of the Lord's true Church on earth. For this, their author feels a sincere and devout gratitude ; and the best acknowledgment which he knows how to render to his Divine Master for the blessing with which He has been pleased to crown his humble labors, is, to issue this new edition of the work, conscious as he is of its imperfections and deficiencies. He is the more encouraged to do this by the favorable opinion of the usefulness of the volume, which has been expressed by some of his brethren, especially by the "Michigan and Northern Indiana Asso- ciation of the New Church," who, at their annual meeting, Feb. 7, 1851, adopted the following resolutions : »* Resolved, That this Association approves and adopts the proposition of the Acting Committee relative to the stereotyping and printing of an edition of Barrett's Lectures, and hereby authorize the Book Board to draw upon the Treasurer for such sum as may be necessary to carry it into effect. " Resolvedy That, in case the collections by the Treasurer be sufficient to warrant the same, the Book Board be authorized and instructed to place copies of said work in every township and other public library within our limits." After these very encouraging Resolutions, there remained nothing for the author to say or do, but to revise and correct the Lectures at the request of his brethren in Michigan and Northern Indiana. In doing this, he has added some new matter — the first Lecture being almost entirely new — and omitted some of the old ; and so condensed the whole as to reduce somewhat the size of the volume. But while he has sought to retain nothing that seemed absolutely superfluous, he has scrupulously guarded against omitting anything which could add to the interest or value of the work. And as a regard to use has governed him in all the corrections, omissions, and additions that he has made, he trusts that the work will be found, on the whole, more (m) 281983 ,'l IT PREFACE. PREFACE. worthy the approbation of the members of the New Church, and more serviceable to the high and holy cause which it is its great purpose to promote. The ten years which have elapsed since the publication of the first edition, and during which period the author has been engaged in publicly teaching the doctrines of the New Church, as revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg, have served but to strengthen in his mind the conviction of the truth, beauty, importance, heavenly origin, and ultimate triumph of these doctrines. And to be instrumental, though in never so humble a degree, in disseminating these beautiful and heavenly truths, is his highest ambition, as it is his purest delight. These Lectures lay no claim to originality. They contain nothing which is not already well known to all who are familiar with the writings of the Swedish Seer. And as it was not for such persons that they were originally prepared, but for those who have little or no knowledge of these writings, so it is chiefly for this latter class that they are now offered in their present form. The writer desires to be regarded only as a medium of the truth which they contain. And if the truth has suffered some obscuration from a want of transparency in the medium, it may, for that very reason, be better adapted to the mental vision of those for whom this volume is more particularly de- signed ; as the light of the sun may be better suited to the state of some eyes, for being moderated and dimmed by passing through col- ored glasses. If these Lectures should prove useful in preparing the minds of any for the admission of clearer and stronger light, the hopes of their author will be fully realized. The aim of the writer has been, not merely to give his opinion, or any other man's speculations^ upon the subjects here treated ; but simply to unfold and elucidate some of the leading doctrines of the New Church as revealed in the theo- logical writings of Swedenborg. And if this has been done in a style that some may deem ungraceful and homely, he has no apology to offer ; but would simply remark, that, in his opinion, the truths of the New Jerusalem are so grand and momentous, that they require not the graces of rhetoric, nor any other human adornments, to enhance their beauty or their power. No one of much elevation of mind, who looks attentively on the present aspect of the Christian Church, can fail to perceive that there are "famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." He cannot fail to perceive, that " the body of Christ " is rent limb from limb with intestine feuds. The Church is everywhere in " great tribulation." On all sides we hear of " wars and rumors of wars." Brother betrayeth brother to death, and the father the son. Christian faith has been separated from Christian charity, and brotherly love nowhere abounds. Men professing the religion of Christ, are seen to I > k be sensual, selfish, and worldly minded. And when we examine closely the religious doctrines which are generally received and acknowledged as fundamental, we find them deeply imbued with that sensualism which has maintained its grasp upon the human mind ever since the Fall, and which forms the basis of the reigning philosophy of our times. The consequence of all this is, that religion has nearly lost its hold upon the minds of multitudes. A deep-rooted skepticism is apparent everywhere. And even among men professedly religious, there seems to be but little faith in spiritual things. But in this " Consummation of the Age " there appeareth " the sign of the Son of Man in the clouds." Amidst the surrounding gloom, " a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun " has already dawned upon the world. The Holy City, New Jerusalem, is seen " coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." As yet, not many have surveyed its length, and breadth, and bight, because not many have the " golden reed to measure the city." Not many yet have seen the glory of God that shines therein, because there are not many who desire to " walk in the light of it." " The light shineth in darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not." The Lord, at his second advent, is standing in our midst, but the eyes of men are " holden, that they should not know Him." The writings of the New Church are eminently pure and spiritual. They contain the truths of the internal sense of the Word which the angels receive, and which, when received by men, are calculated to make them like the angels. They are addressed to us as rational and spiritual beings. They open to our view the spiritual world, and unfold the great laws of spiritual life. And because the truths which are contained in these writings are thus spiritual in their character, they are often called dark and mystical ; for so they appear to those whose minds are imbued with the doctrines of sensuaHsm. Spiritual truths must needs appear dark and mystical to persons who have no faith in the reality of a spiritual world, and no love for spiritual things. The charge of mysticism, which is often brought against these writings, is itself a sufficient commentary upon the spiritual state of those who make it. " Unto you (who are the Lord's true disciples) it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God ; but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables." Among the theological writers of the present day, there are few of any acknowledged merit, who do not perceive and lament the desola- tion that reigns in Zion. Still they do not generally see, and are un- willing to admit, that there exists any necessity for further revelations. Many seem to thirst for purer truth than is commonly taught, but they also thirst for the reputation of being its discoverers. It is difficult for them to receive revealed truth, because they will then fail of that worldly honor for which they pant. "How can ye believe, who receive I VI PREFACE. PREFACE. vn honor one from another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only ] " They urge the necessity of destroying all creeds and formularies of faith, and returning to the purity of primitive Chris- tianity. And by what light would they return 1 By the light of self- derived intelligence — the same delusive ignis fatuus which has con- ducted the Church to her present " land of darkness." Vain expecta- tion ! For if it be through the lust and pride of self-intelligence, that the sunlight of heaven has been extinguished in the Church, can we rely on the same blind guide to lead us back to truth and duty 1 The mind of man, in itself, is opaque. The Divine Mind alone is lumin- ous — the light of the world. Can the human mind, therefore, unaided by truth revealed from Heaven, ever disperse the clouds which its own reasonings have induced, and which now darken its sky by shutting out the beams of heaven's own sun 1 Never. Besides, the Divine Providence never retreats. Its course is onward. The earth rolls not back on her axis to find the morning, nor retrograde in her orbit to find the spring ; but forward forever. And as well might the silver- haired man of eighty — blind, palsied, and leprous — by the simple eflfort of his will, return to the freshness and bloom of youth, without a dis- solution of his material body, as could the Church — blind as she is from the accumulated falses of eighteen centuries — palsied in every limb — leprous and ulcerated at the heart's core — of herself return to the freshness and bloom of her youth, without a medicine from the Great Physician to unseal her blind eyes, or a voice from the Lord, saying, " Rise and walk." She can never hope for a radical cure, without a New Dispensation of truth from Heaven. The whole history of God's dealing with mankind is proof of this. When the Jewish Church was consummated through falsifying the Word, and holding fast the traditions of men, the Lord did not leave it to reason its way back to the innocence of Eden, and the true mean- ing of Moses and the Prophets ; but He made a New Dispensation of his own truth to men. He came into the world, not to destroy or abrogate the law previously delivered, but rather to explain its mean- ing and show how it had been perverted. " I am not come," he eays, "to destroy, but to fulfill," for "not one jot or title of the law shall fail." He told the Jews that they had misunderstood and falsified the Word. " Ye do err," said Jesus to the unbelieving Sadducees, " no/ knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." Even so is it now. The Lord has not left the Church, in its blind and vastated condition, to find its way back to primitive Christianity and the purity of the Gospel by human reasonings : but in infinite love and mercy to mankind, and infinite compassion for our blindness. He has condescended to make a further revelation of truth, by unfolding, in the spiritual sense of his Word, deeper treasures of wisdom than the world has ever dreamed of. In the truths of this revelation, which are Himself — His own divine proceeding beams of light — He has come again into the world J according to his promise. This revelation acquaints us with the true nature of divine inspiration, and shows wherein consists the divinity of the Word ; and that, however party-colored, multiform, and appa- rently contradictory, are some portions of it in the literal sense, in the spiritual sense it is one and uniform — like the Lord's vesture, woven without seam from top to bottom. It is this revelation of the spir- itual sense of the Word through the obscurity or cloud of the letter, which is claimed to be that predicted and glorious appearing of the Son of Man " upon the clouds of heaven." But whether those who examine, will be able to acknowledge the claims of the New Church, must ever depend on the state of mind in which they undertake the investigation. If one enter upon this ex- amination under the persuasion that he is already in possession of all truth — who, therefore, regards himself as spiritually "rich and in- creased in goods" — to him the writings of Swedenborg will appear any thing but luminous. Regarding his present views as an infalli- ble test of truth, whatever does not conform to these he sets down as ^^re/ore false, and of course rejects. His examination is not insti- tuted for the purpose of seeing whether his present views be conform- able to the truth, but whether the views which he pretends to examine be conformable to his own. Such an one is not in that humble, do- cile, child-like frame of mind, which is favorable to the reception of truth, or to the fair investigation of any subject. And before he can be made wiser by the truths of the New Church; or before he can see that they are truths, he must be willing to become a fool in his own estimation. He must be willing to go and sell all that he hath. "Ver- ily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." But to all earnest, humble, independent, sincere seekers after truth, I have no caution to submit. They are aflfectionately solicited to ex- amine the writings of Swedenborg /or themselves — seriously — pa- tiently — prayerfully — thoroughly. The New Church shrinks not from the severest investigation of her doctrines. She is willing — nay, she desires — that philosophy and science, talent and learning, acute penetration and sound logic, humility and meekness, freedom and independence — in a word, that all the treasures of wisdom and all the noblest faculties of the human mind, be brought to the investiga- tion of her writings. Truth is its own witness. It fears not the most searching inquest, but ever seeketh to be seen in its own resplendent brightness. Much misrepresentation has gone abroad in respect to the doctrines of the New Church. I may say that the popular impression in regard to these doctrines, is very remote from the truth. Many who oppose and ridicule them, would find upon careful examination, that what they had opposed and ridiculed, were not the doctrines of the New Church, but vm PREFACE. only some grotesque caricature of them — the creation of their own or of others' minds. The enemies of truth have sometimes brought forward garbled extracts from the writings of Swedenborg, which, when taken out from their proper connection, cannot be rightly under- stood ; and which have doubtless been the occasion of prejudicing the minds of some innocent and well-disposed persons against the New Church. But honest people must see that such a course is extremely unfair. Stone, and mortar, and rough lath-boards, may be indispens- able in building a royal mansion ; but neither of these could be con- sidered a very fair specimen of the king's palace. And before one allows a prejudice to enter his mind against the writings of the New Church, on account of some extracts that may have offended him, he would do well to consider what may be, and what indeed has been, done in regard to the Sacred Scripture. The sneering infidel has collected passages from the Word, which, when misunderstood, or understood in their strictly literal sense, appear trivial, obscene, irrational, and altogether unworthy the Divine Mind. And would it be fair to judge the Sacred Volume by these garbled extracts misunderstood ? If so, the argument of the infidel were indeed triumphant. Yet, (strange to say !) this is precisely what some professing Christians allow them- selves to do in regard to the writings of the New Church. If the doctrines revealed through Swedenborg be true, then, cer- tainly, they are of paramount importance. And if there be even a possibility of their being true, then they deserve a thorough examina- tion. Multitudes of deep-thinking men — and among them some of the purest and best minds of the age — after giving them such an examination, have with one voice declared, " One thing we know, that, whereas we were blind, now we see." The strongest evidence that these doctrines are all true and from heaven, is, after all, to be found in their purifying and regenerating power; in the searching influence which they exercise over the heart ; in their efficacy as experienced in the renewal of the inner life ; in the sweet, gentle, heavenly peace which they diffuse through all the chambers of the soul. They explore the hidden recesses of the mind, they unveil the latent springs of action and reveal to us the evil quality of our hearts with amazing clearness; and at the same time they teach us how to get rid of our evils, as we had never been taught before. Could these doctrines do this — could they open the eyes of the spiritually blind — could they unstop the ears of the spiritually deaf — could they make the lame walk, the leprous clean, and raise to newness of life the spiritually dead, if they were from hell 1 " Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ]" This New Revelation comes to men without the attestation of out- ward miracles. It addresses them as beings possessing a rational faculty, and capable, therefore, of judging between truth and false- hood, without any external* signs to force belief. It comes a great PREFACE. IX light from Heaven, manifesting the internal quality of the Church and the world. It sits in judgment upon all forms of religious error. It prostrates all idols of silver and gold, the work of men's hands. It strips off the feeble disguises of mere form, parade, and external sanc- tity, and lays bare the interior, ruling loves of men. Yet it cometh " not to condemn the world," but that the world through its agency may be saved — saved from the evil loves and false persuasions which enslave the human soul. And as the field of true science enlarges— as thought becomes more free — as inquiry upon all subjects becomes more bold and searching — a voice, louder and still louder, comes up from the thinking men of Christendom, calling for rationality in religion as well as in every thing else ; — calling for such principles of biblical interpretation, as shaUshow the Scripture to be indeed the Word of God. And no where but in the writings of the New Church, will it be found that this call is fully answered. Nearly one hundred years have already elapsed since Swedenborg ♦ began to write. And although the world has ever since been rapidly advancing in knowledge, yet it is a remarkable fact that his writings were never so much sought after, nor so extensively circulated and read, both in our own country and in Europe, as at the present time. New editions of his works are in constant progress of publication, to satisfy the continually increasing demand for them. Not a few men of reputed piety and learning are known to read them extensively, and to take from them (generally without any acknowledgment of their source) the very truths which gain for them their chief glory. Here then is a problem not easy of solution, if the writings of Swe- denborg be the offspring either of imposture or delusion. That this volume of Lectures may be instrumental in leading some minds to a careful perusal of these writings, and that the Lord Jesus Christ may open their eyes to see, and their hearts to acknowledge, Him, in the glorious truths of the New Jerusalem, is the sincere and earnest prayer of their author. B. F. B. Cincinnati, January 28, 1852. 1 CONTENTS. PAGE. Introductory Remarks, with a sketch of the Life, Writings, and Character of Emanuel Swedenborg, 3 The " End of the World," or Consummation of the Age, .... 32 The Second Coming of the Lord, 61 The Sacred Scripture — Necessity of admitting a Spiritual Sense, 81 The Sacred Scripture — Proofs of the existence of a Spiritual Sense, 106 The Sacred Scripture — Science of Correspondences, the true Key to the Spiritual Sense, 131 The Sacred Scripture — Key to the Spiritual Sense applied, and its importance exemplified, 169 The Trinity, and true Object ©f Religious Worship, 186 The Glorification of the Son of Man, involving the true Doc- trine of the Atonement and Regeneration, 216 The Resurrection, with a brief view of the Spiritual World,. . 246 Swedenborg's intromission into the Spiritual World — its pos- sibility proved from the Scripture, 284 Swedenborg's intercourse with the Spiritual World, and his Mem- orabilia, 304 EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES. The Works of Swedenborg quoted in the following pages are : A. C, which stand for Arcana Coelestia. II Ap. Ex., A. R., T. C R., XI. ri., D. S. S., D. L. W., « D. L., (( (( it (t (S it ti cc « it (t (( (( €t Apocalypse Explained. Apocalypse Revealed. True Christian Religion. Conjugial Love. Heaven and Hell. Doctrine Concerning the Sacred Scripture. Divine Love and Wisdom. Doctrine of the Lord. A. C. James, Stereotyper, Cincinnati. DOCTRINES OF THE NEW CHRISTIAN CHURCH. LECTURE I. INTRODUCTORr REMARKS WITH A SKETCH OF THE LIFE, WRITINGS, AND CHARACTER OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. «« A man sent of God." — Johrtf i. 6. This earth of herself is cold and dark. All the warmth and light she has, come down from the beneficent sun, without whose quickening beams not a blade of grass could grow and not a crea- ture draw the breath of life. Wherever she turns her face direct towards this bountiful giver of light and heat, she receives there- from an expression of activity and joy; life circulates through every vein, and her smiles of beauty are reflected in ten thousand forms. But where her face is turned away from the great orb of day, there the shades of darkness brood— there cease the pulsa- tion's of life, and nought but sadness and gloom overspread her ice- bound surface. Thus it is with man. Of himself he hath neither goodness nor truth, love nor wisdom. All that he receives of these comes down to him from the beneficent Lord of life, who is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and the only source of goodness and truth to men. The most ancient men of our earth perceived this, and from the heart acknowledged it. And so long as they thus kept their faces turned towards the Lord, the only Fountain of life and light to their minds, and remained in the inward acknowledgment that all their love and wisdom were derived from Him alone, fife, love and joy circulated through every avenue of their souls ; the har- mony and peace of heaven reigned within; fragrant thoughts and pure affections sprang up, and grew and blossomed spontaneously; and the minds of men were as the garden of Eden, the paradise of .3 \ 4 EMANUEL SWEDENBOKO. God. The truth needed no other witness than her own resplen- dent brightness, because men had eyes to see. They were in love with all that is good, and therefore they could perceive all that is true ; for goodness and truth are always in agreement. Man was then a living soul, created in the image and likeness of God ; for the truly human principles of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, had then absolute dominion over all the inferior prin- ciples of his mind — '* over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.*' But when man began to turn his face away from the Lord, and to cease acknowledging Him as the Fountain of all the wisdom and intelligence of angels and men, and began to regard himself as the source of goodness and truth, then the heavenly order of his mind began to be inverted, and the light that was in him to be changed to darkness. And the more he continued to love him- self, and to regard his wisdom as his own and originating in himself, so much the more did he turn his face away from the light of the Sun of heaven, to the darkness of self-derived intelligence ; until at last his primitive state became completely inverted. His affec- tions, which were originally directed towards the Lord and the things of heaven, became withdrawn from these and turned to- ward self and the world. And when in this manner he came to regard himself as God, knowing good and evil, then the heavens became black as sackcloth of hair ; for he had extinguished in his mind the only true light, and liis affections became fast bound in the frosts of selfishness. Thus did man's blooming paradise become transformed into a desert. Thus did his aflections and thoughts, which once bore the freshness and fragrance of heaven, lose their life and perfume when deprived of the blessed beams of heaven's own Sun. And thus was man driven out from the garden of Eden, where the Lord God placed him and caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. This was the Fall — the fall of man ; a fall from his primitive and exalted state of innocence, simplicity, truth and love. It is because of this inverted state of man's affections — because the image and likeness of God in human breasts has been thus marred, that genuine truth has now so few attractions, and appears so unlovely to the world. Because man has fallen from his original state of supreme love to the Lord, into an infernal state I.' EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 5 of self-love, therefore truth has no beauty or attractions for him, for it is not in agreement with his perverted affections ; therefore it is, and has ever been, since the Fall, despised and rejected of men, having no form nor comeliness to the natural mind, and when it is seen, " there is no beauty that it should be desired." Hence it is that every ray of truth which has been sent from heaven to bless mankind — to enlighten and guide men out of their fallen state — has gained admittance into the world only by a persevering and often painful and protracted contest. It has often had to fight its way through racks and faggots — through dungeons and chains. The Lord's prophets have been stoned and spit upon. The noblest messengers of truth to man have been treated with scorn and con- tumely. And when He who is the Light of the world — the very Truth itself — became flesh and dwelt among men. He was des- pised and rejected, and at last killed as a malefactor. And when He performed deeds that no other man could do, and spake as never man spake, it was said of Him, ** He hath a devil and is mad, why hear ye Him ? " Yes — so lost were men to truth and love, so perverted were the principles of humanity in their breasts, that, when their original, divine Archetype appeared, they knew Him not, and put him to an ignominious death. But Truth itself — absolute Truth can never die. In the lan- guage of a distinguished German author, ''It is eternal, like the infinitely wise and gracious God. Men may disregard it for a time, until the period arrives when its rays, according to the determina- tion of Heaven, shall irresistibly break through the mists of preju- dice, and, like Aurora and the opening day, shed a beneficent light clear and unextinguishable over the generations of men."* Looking, therefore, at the present and past state of the world, and seeing how it has fared with truth generally at its first unfolding, and with every new dispensation of truth in particular, we ought not to be surprised that the New Dispensation of truth which has been made to the world through that distinguished servant of the Lord, Emanuel Swedenborg, is not suddenly embraced, nor at once seen to be truth. We ought not to be surprised, but rather to expect, that the pure truths of the New Jerusalem, since they are opposed to the impurity of men's natural loves, will meet with opposition, misrepresentation, scorn and contempt. Such is the present state of what is called the Christian world, that it is to be expected men * Organon of Homoeopathic Medicine, by Samuel Hahnemann, p. 44. 6 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. will sit in judgment on these truths, who know little or noth- ing about them ; and that base fabrications and false statements with regard to them, will be circulated by persons who may think, as Paul thought, when engaged in hauling Christian men and women to prison, that they are doing God service. But the ignorance, bigotry, and wholesale abuse, which are among the characteristics of an unthinking and frivolous age, are fast disappearing before the dawning light of a better era. Within the last half century a spirit of free and fearless inquiry into everything has been strikingly manifest; and rigid investiga- tion and severe analysis are everywhere beginning to take the place of crude conjecture and groundless assertion. ** If evei there were a period, (says a late English author,) in which the members of the Christian church were called upon * to believe not every spirit, but to try the spirits, whether they be of God, * to prove all things and to hold fast that which is good,' the pres ent assuredly is one. The disposition to inquiry that has been awakened, the spread of education, the increasing desire of knowl- edge, and the extraordinary progress of the sciences, however sometimes exaggerated, have been sufficient to lead many sober and reflecting minds to contemplate, as not improbable, a new aspect in the history of the world ; and when we connect these circum- stances with the disregard of human authority in matters of reli- gion, the asserted right of private judgment, the conflicting views which are entertained even upon the most important principles of Christianity, it will be granted, I presume, that, if ever learning, sound judgment, piety and diligence were required in the clergy, they are assuredly most requisite now. When to this we add, that among a considerable portion of the Christian community, there prevails a variety of expectations with respect to prophe- cies in Scripture, the fulfillment of which many believe to be not far distant, there is, assuredly, the more particular reason, why the Christian community should be on its guard, lest any enthu- siast should avail himself of these expectations, and delude both himself and his followers ; more especially as, under the circum- stances we have mentioned, the probability is that enthusiasts would arise, and that many, consequently, would be deluded. It is remarkable that the introduction of new dispensations by the Almighty seems, in general, to have given occasion for opposite and rival claims to the truth. When Moses wrought miracles before Pharoah, counter miracles were said to be wrought by the I \ EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 7 Mao-i. When Christ cast out devils from the possessed, similar claims to miraculous power were asserted to exist among the Phar- isees. When Christ assumed the character of King of the Jews, rival pretensions were made by others. ** Before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody, to whom a num- ber of men, about four hundred, joined themselves, who were slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee, in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed."— (Acts v. 36.) At the second coming of Christ into the world, we are told, it should be the same ; '' for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.' '—(Mat. xxiv. 22.) Thus at the end of the old and the beginning of new dis- pensations, arise false and true prophets in every direction ; whence pretensions of both kinds become so mixed up one with the other, that, unless possessed of a clear spiritual discernment, a person runs the risk of receiving the false as the true, or the true as the false, or of rejecting indiscriminately both together; and so in order to avoid the snare of enthusiasm, of falling into the pit of infidelity."— ( Clissdd's Letter to the Archbishop of Dublin,) Although the truths of the New Jerusalem are of such a char- acter, thatl when rationally received, they are their own witness, testifying whence they came and whither they conduct, still it is natural for those who are yet unacquainted with them, to desire some knowledge of the life and character of Emanuel Sweden- BORG, who was the divinely appointed human agent in communi- cating these truths to mankind. And since this desire is lawful as it is natural, I shall devote the remainder of the present lecture to a brief notice of this great and truly extraordinary man. The world is fast coming to acknowledge that Swedenborg was, in- deed, an extraordinary man. *' Time," says a writer in one of our ablest American periodicals, (The Southern Quarterly Review for October, 1846,) '* is beginning to pass a just judgment on the char- acter of that extraordinary man, Emanuel Swedenborg,— certainly one of the most gifted geniuses that ever appeared on the face of the earth. Seventy-four years have elapsed since his death. This period has constituted the mere sunrise of his fame — the dawn of a meridian splendor that is yet to bless the nations. The fame of Bacon, Newton, and Locke — of Milton, and Shakspeare, and 8 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 9 Scott, pales and grows dim before the brighter glory that clus- ters around the name and acts of this renowned individual. They acquired distinction for the splendor of their success in particular departments of inquiry, and in certain spheres of intellectual la- bor ; but it was reserved for the more fortunate and celebrated Swede to master, not one science, but the whole circle of arts and sciences, and to understand and reveal the great connecting links that subsist between mind and matter, time and eternity, man and his Maker, in a far clearer manner than any of the most gifted and inspired of his predecessors." The childhood and youth of eminent men are usually among the most interesting portions of their lives. Unhappily for us, the ma- terials for this period of Swedenborg's history are very meagre. The most that we are able to gather, is, that he was born in Stock- holm, Sweden, January 29, 1688. His father, Jasper Swedberg, was bishop of Skara in West Gothland, and is described as a tal- ented, learned, and eminently pious man, and of an amiable pri- vate character. Few men ever entertained a more profound reve- rence than he, for God, the Holy Scripture, the Christian Sabbath, and all the institutions and ordinances of religion. He even went to the Bible for directions in regard to naming his children ; and not Unding there ** a single example," as he says, '' in which chil- dren have received the names of their parents or forefathers," he scrupulously avoided giving his own children family names. Nor would he give them heathenish or unmeaning names, but names from the Bible, and such as seemed likely to awaken in them pious thoughts and feelings. *' I have the full conviction," says he, "that only such names should be given to children as awaken the fear of God in them, and keep them mindful of propriety and vir- tue." And when Emanuel was about forty years of age, the good old bishop, contemplating his son^s pious and useful life, writes thus : " Emanuel, my son's name, signifies ' God with us ' — a name which should constantly remind him of the nearness of God, and of that interior, holy, and mysterious connection, in which, through faith, we stand with our good and gracious God. And blessed be the Lord's name! God has to this hour indeed been with him; and may God be further with him, until he is eternally united with him in His kingdom.'^ The bishop's views of education were greatly in advance of those of his own times. He believed that every man is endowed by the Creator with certain capacities which fit him for some r»articular employment, and that it is the wisdom of parents not to strive to counteract the designs of Providence — not to endeavor to make their sons lawyers, doctors or ministers, when possibly the Creator intended them for quite a different sphere of use,— but rather to watch the native tendencies of their children's mmds, and to allow and encourage them to pursue that particular occupa- tion for which they seem to have been created. Accordingly he says : '' I have kept my sons to that [profession] to which God has given them inclination and liking ; and I have not brought up one to the clerical office, althoughmany parents do this inconsiderately, and in a manner not justifiable, by which the Church, and also the clerical [order] suffer not a little, and are brought into contempt." Thus was Swedenborg born and nurtured under the most aus- picious influences. He inherited talents of the first order— an excellent memory, keen perceptions, and a most clear judgment The greatest care is said to have been bestowed on his early edu- cation. His youth was marked by uncommon assiduity and per- severance in the study of philosophy, mathematics, natural history, chemistry and anatomy, together with the ancient and modem languages. And the moral influences that surrounded him were of the benignest character. He was cradled in a sphere of heav- enly love and wisdom. His earliest lessons were lessons of piety and virtue. The very atmosphere which he breathed from his infancy was the atmosphere of religion. And so encompassed was he with heavenly influences from his birth, that it seemed as if the angels talked to him and were his companions while yet a child Writing on one occasion to a friend who inquired of him what had passed in the earlier part of his hfe,he says: « From my fourth to my tenth year my thoughts were constantly engrossed by reflecting upon God, on salvation, and on the spiritual aff-ections of man. I often revealed things in my discourse which filled my parents with astonishment, and made them declare at times that certainly the angels spoke through my mouth. From my sixth to my twelfth year, it was my greatest delight to converse with the clergy concerning faith; to whom I often observed, that charity or love was the life of faith, and that this vivifying charity or love was no other than the love of one's neighbor ; that God vouchsafes this faith to every one, but that it is adopted by those only who practice that charity." In early life, Swedenborg's mind was preserved in a remarkable degree from false theological doctrines, and from the trammeling 10 EMANUEL SWEDENBORO. EMANUEL SWEDENBORO. 11 influence of the commentaries and biblical criticisms in use at that period. And those who are acquainted with the principles of spiritual interpretation which he was made the instrument in unfolding, will readily perceive the great importance of this, and the disadvantage it would have been to him if his mind had been early imbued with the dogmas of the church in which he was born. The following is what he himself says upon this subject : " I was prohibited reading dogmatic and systematic theology before heaven was opened to me, by reason that unfounded opinions and inventions might thereby have insinuated themselves, which, with diffi- culty could afterward have been extirpated. Wherefore, when heaven was opened to me, it was necessary first to learn the Hebrew language, as well as the correspondences of which the whole Bible is composed, which led me to read the Word of God over many times. And, inas- much as the Word is the source whence all theology must be derived, I was thereby enabled to receive instruction from the Lord who is the Word." Swedenborg was educated at the university of Upsal in Swe- den, where he pursued with distinguished honor and success the learned languages, mathematics and natural philosophy, which were his favorite studies ; and where also he graduated, receiving the degree of doctor of philosophy at the age of twenty-two. Hav- ing now fairly entered the path to useful and extensive learning, with an ardent thirst for, and with vmsurpassed powers of acquiring, knowledge, he advanced with a speed and success rarely if ever equaled. The first few years after leaving the university were spent in travels in England, Holland, France and Germany. During his absence he visited the principal universities of these countries, and his mind was constantly occupied in treasuring up useful knowl- edge. In 1714 we find him again in Sweden ; and in two years after, at the age of twenty-eight, he was appointed by Charles XII, Assessor Extraordinary in the Royal Metallic College. The appointment to this office, which was one of the most important in the kingdom of Sweden, is evidence of Swedenborg's singular and unequaled merits at this early age, and of the king's high con- sideration and confidence. Being anxious to prosecute his scien- tific researches for a time longer, and especially to perfect himself in the science of metallurgy, he did not enter on the actual duties of Assessor until six years after his appointment, most of which time was spent in various universities and in journeys to different J parts of Europe, to examine the principal mines and ^^^eltmg ^orks - so anxious was he to discharge in the most faithful and perfect manner the duties of every station. The diploma appomt- ino- him to this office, states, - that the king had a particular re- cra°rd to the knowledge possessed by Swedenborg in the science of mechanics, and that his pleasure was that he should accompany and assist Polheim in constructing his mechanical works." He remained in the office of Assessor of the Metallic College until 1747 when he resigned it on account of other more important dutiel, which claimed his attention. - My sole view,'' he says, -m this resignation, was, that I might be more at liberty to devote myself to that new function to which the Lord had called me. On resigning my office, a higher degree of rank was oflfered me ; but this I utterly declined, lest it should be the occasion of inspiring me with pride." , ^ r k In 1718, two years after his appointment to the office ot Asses- sor he gave to the world the first fruits of his inventh^e genius and great abilities in a work called -Daedalus Hyperboreus,'' consistino- of essays and observations on the mathematical and physical "sciences. And now he commences a philosophical career, the grandeur and extent of which is but just beginnmg to be ap- preciated by some of the learned and scientific men of our own times. He had a perfect passion for philosophical pursuits. He had fallen in love with the sciences, and he wooed them in so comely and engaging a manner, that they all came to him like a troop of virgins and cUsped their arms lovingly around his neck. His mind was a great artesian well, from which the truths of sci- ence came gushing up in a constant, fresh and living stream for nearly thirty years. We are absolutely amazed at the huge heap which this man wrote upon philosophical subjects ; and still more amazed are we at the variety of subjects treated by him, and at the extensive learning, the varied and accurate scientific knowl- edge the deep and comprehensive wisdom, the microscopic and telescopic reach of thought, the keen penetration and profound philosophical acumen indicated in the masterly manner m which he handled whatever he undertook. Not a department of natural science did he leave untouched. Earth, air, water, fire, the am- mal kingdom, and especially the human body, were each and all interrogated by him, and their hidden mysteries explored with an acuteness and penetration unequaled by any other philosopher before or since his time. No man ever questioned nature so clearly, 12 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 13 and withal so lovingly as he. No wonder she could not resist the importunities of such a suiter. How could she help answer- ing his questions ? Nor was he a man to do his work by the halves. He went throufrh with whatever investio^ations he under- took. He persevered, until his penetrating and comprehensive intellect became more or less conversant with nearly every subject within the wide range of human inquiry. Astronomy, cosmog- ony, geology, mineralogy, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, math- ematics, mechanics — with all these he was perfectly familiar, per- fectly at home. And not only so, but he wrote valuable treatises on them, which have received high praise from the few who have read them and are qualified to judge of their merits. The limits of a single lecture will allow me to do little more o than give a dry catalogue of the works which Swedenborg wrote before he turned his attention to the subject of theology. The following are the English titles of his published scientific works : ** The Art of the Rules, or an Introduction to Algebra. ** A Proposal for fixing the value of Coins, and determining the Measures of Sweden, so as to suppress fractions and facilitate calculations. *' A Treatise on the Position of the Earth and the Planets. '*A Treatise on the height of the Tides, and the greater Flux and Reflux of the Sea in former ages ; with proofs furnished by various appearances in Sweden. **A Sketch of a Work on the Principles of Natural Things, or New Attempts at explaining the Phenomena of Chemistry and Physics on geometrical principles. ** New Observations and Discoveries respecting Iron and Fire, especially respecting the elementary nature of Fire ; with a new mode of constructing chimneys. **A New Method of finding the Longitude of places on Land and Sea by lunar observations. ** A Mode of constructing Dry Docks for Shipping. **A new Mode of constructing Dykes to exclude Inundations of the Sea or of Rivers. ** Miscellaneous Observations on Natural Things, particularly on Minerals, Fire and the Strata of Mountains. ** The Principles of Natural Things, or New Attempts at a philo- sophical explanation of the Phenomena of the Elementary World. ** The Subterranean or Mineral Kingdom, or a Treatise on Iron*' (a work which treats of the various methods employed in different i 4 I I parts of Europe for the liquefaction of iron and converting it into steel ; of iron ore, and the examination of it ; and also of sev- eral experiments and chemical preparations made with iron and its vitriol — illustrated with a great number of fine copper engravings.) " A Treatise on Copper and Brass" (a work which treats of the various methods adopted in different parts of Europe for the lique- faction of copper, the method of separating it from silver, convert- ing- it into brass and other metals — illustrated also with many copper engravmgs.j " The Economy of the Animal Kingdom " — In two parts ; the first of which treats of the blood, the arteries, the veins and the heart ; and the second of the motion of the brain, of the cortical substance, and of the human soul. , , • , "The Animal Kingdom " — in three parts; the first of which treats of the viscera of the abdomen, the second of the viscera of the thorax, and the third of the organs of sense. Besides these, there are still other works of his m manuscript, which are now in course of publication in London under the direction and superintendence of a society of learned and scientific gentlemen of that city. And all who have taken pains to examine his philosoph- ical productions with much care, have confessed themselves deeply impressed with the profound philosophic spirit that pervades them all, and with the orderly, penetrating, comprehensive and severely analytical character of their author's mind. The followincr testimonial to the literary and scientific merits of Swedenborg appeared in a London paper a few years ago, and is from the pen of a highly gifted member of the Royal Society, who is probably better acquainted with, and better qualified to judge of, his philosophical works than any other man now living. _ "He was," says this writer, " deeply versed in every science — a first-rate mechanician and mathematician — one of the pro- foundest physiologists (Haller says of his voluminous anatomical works, that they are sua el omnino mirifica) — ^ great military engineer conducting battles and sieges for Charles XII -a great astronomer - the ablest financier in the Royal Diet of Sweden - the first metallurgist of his time, and the writer of vast works which, even at this day, are of sterling authority on mining and metals. Then he was a poet, and a master of ancient and modern lancruaaes ; and a metaphysician who had gone through all the lon° mlzes of reflective philosophy, and done besides, what meta- physicians seldom do. for he had found his way out of the mazes 14 EMANUEL SWEDENBORQ. and got back to reality again. In short, as far as the natural sci- ences go (and we include among them the science of mind) it is much more difficult to say what he was noty than what he wa^y The whole of Swedenborg*s works, when published, including both his philosophical and theological writings, will probably amount to upwards of seventy volumes — more than half of these in royal octavo form, embracing from three to five hundred pages each. Was ever such a herculean task in the way of writing per- formed by one man? It almost makes an ordinary head dizzy to think of it. He wrote in Latin. All the works on theology published by himself were translated into English several years ago ; but his philosophical works remained untranslated until 1843. And this, probably, is one reason why so little has been said or known of them by scientific men. Within the last few years, some nine or ten octavo volumes of his scientific works have issued from the London press in an elegant English translation. These works, almost totally unknown before, have come before the English and American public with all the freshness, and I might say with all the claims, of new and original compositions. And the scientific men of both countries, who are not too wise in their own conceit to o-ive them a calm perusal, have been almost struck dumb with amazement, that such works should have remained so long in obscurity, or wrapped in the garb of a dead and foreign language. When the translation of the Animal Kingdom appeared, a writer in a London Medical Journal (the Forceps) for 1844, expressed himself in this wise concerning that work : " This is the most remarkable theory of the human body that has ever fallen into our hands; and by Emanuel Swedenborg too! A man whom we had always been taught to regard either as a fool, a madman, or an impostor, or perhaps an undefinable compound of all the three. Wonders it seems never will cease, and therefore it were better, hence- forward, to look out for them, and make them into ordinary things in that way. " We have carefully read through both volumes of this work, and have gained much philosophical insight from it into the chains of ends and causes that govern in the human organism. What has the world been doing for the past century, to let this great system slumber on the shelf, and to run after a host of little blue-bottles of hypotheses, which were never framed to live for more than a short part of a single seasoni It is clear that it yet ' knows nothing of its greatest men.' The fact is, it has been making money, or trying to make it, and grubbing after EMANUEL SWEDENBORQ. 15 worthless reputation, until it has lost its eyesight for the stars of heaven and the sun that is shining above it. " Emanuel Swedenborg's doctrine," continues the same writer, " is altogether the widest thing of the kind which medical literature affords, and cast into an artistical shape of consummate beauty. Under the rich drapery of ornament that diversifies his pages, there runs a frame-work of the truest reasoning. The book is a perfect mine ot principles, far exceeding in intellectual wealth, and surpassing in eleva- tion, the finest efforts of Lord Bacon's genius. It treats of the lofti- est subjects without abstruseness, being all ultimately referable to the common sense of mankind. Unlike the German transcendentalists, this gifted Swede fulfills both the requisites of the true philosopher, he is one to whom the lowest things ascend, and the highest descend, who is the equal and kindly brother of all. " We opened this book with surprise, a surprise grounded upon the name and fame of the author, and upon the daring affirmative stand which he takes in limine ; we close it with a deep-laid wonder, and with an anxious wish that it may not appeal in vain to a profession which may gain so much, both morally, intellectually and scientifically from the priceless truths contained in its pages." Such is the testimony of an impartial judge to the merits of the * 'Animal Kingdom.' ' And it would be easy to cite more of the same nature. In his Principia, another of his recently translated philosophical works, Swedenborg propounds the doctrine of the translatory mo- tion of the whole starry heavens, and even points out the exact situation of our solar system among the stars ; and astronomical observation has since confirmed the correctness of his teaching on both these points. Speaking of these sublime discoveries, a sci- entific writer in a late English periodical says : « To Swedenborg is due, therefore, the merit of first propounding these mighty truths to the world. In no single work of his day is there found even a conjecture of such cosmical changes, and transla- tory motions, as those which the scientific world have since detected by their instruments; yet the whole of the phenomena was not only affirmed to exist, but a complete theory, by which they can be ex- plained, was pubHshed to the world, at the beginning of the last cen- tury, in the Principia of Emanuel Swedenborg. The same facts were not conjectured till Herschell's time, nor admitted till so recent a date as the last thirty years. One hundred years previous to this admission, and fifty years preceding the conjecture, this eminent philosopher had tracea his finger along the galaxy; and, as if inspired with that pro- phetic spirit which springs from true genius, had boldly prophesied to a 16 EMANUEL 6WEDENB0RG. 17 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. subsequent age the exact character of the milky stream; and '.n Ian guage as lofty as it is beautiful, as eminently true as it was prophetic, aas said, when pointing to the milky stream — " Here lies the chain and magnetic course of the whole of our side- rial heaven." — p. 237. " These striking agreements between Swedenborg's theoretical Principia, and the facts of observation, are not mere coincidences^ but are the positive results flowing from the application of the new formula he invented, and which he based on actual experiment and geometry. And these results flow as directly from his formula, as the revolutionary motions of the planetary system from Newton's formula of gravitation, or the situation and velocity of a new planet from the formula of Le- verrier or Adams." And justly enough does this writer remark that these sublime discoveries are sufficient * 'alone, and apart from the many [in the same work] yet to be reported in subsequent articles, to stamp immortality on this work of genius.** This is the work (the Principia) of which Professor Goerres, of Germany — himself a Roman Catholic — says, in a critical notice, '' It contains a rich treasure of enlarged and profound observations on nature —is a production indicative of profound thought in all its parts, and not unworthy of being placed by the side of New- ton's Mathematical Principia of Natural Philosophy." In the translation of Cramer's Elements of the Art of Assay- mg Metals, by Dr. Cromwell Mortimer, Secretary of the Royal Society of London in 1764, we find the following testimonial : " For the sake of such as understand Latin, we must not pass by that magnificent and laborious work of Emanuel Swedenborg, entitled Principia Rerum Naturalium, in three tomes, folio : in the second and third tomes of which — [these embrace his mineral kingdom] — he has given the best accounts, not only of the method and newest improve- ments in metallic works in all places beyond the seas, but also those in England and our colonies in America, with drafts of the furnaces and instruments employed. It is to be wished we had extracts from this work in English." Mr. Patterson, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, in a letter to a friend who had loaned him a copy of the Principia, says : ** The work of Swedenborg which you were so kind as to put into my hands, is an extraordinary pro- duction of one of the most extraordinary men, certainly, that has ever lived." And after stating, among other things, that he ^ I should like to peruse it farther before he expressed his opinion of it, **a thing/' he adds, **not to be done in few words," he con- tinues : ** This much, however, I can truly say, that the air of mysticism which is generally thought to pervade Baron Sweden- borg's ethical and theological writings, has prevented philosophers from paying that attention to his physical productions of which I now see that they are worthy. Many of the experiments and observa- tions on magnetism, presented in this work, are believed to be of muck more modern date, and are unjustly ascribed to much more recent writers J ^ There is the fullest evidence that other important discoveries were anticipated by Swedenborg, the merit of which has been claimed by other writers. The London Cyclopedia, under the article ''Swedenborg," says: *' In the two works entitled (Eco- nomia Regni Animalis, and Regnum Animale, the author made many important discoveries in anatomy and in the circulation of the blood ; but, owing to the little pains taken to circulate his phi- losophical and scientific writings, those discoveries are not gene- rally known to belong to him." In a work entitled " The Institutions of Physiology," by Blu- menbach, the author, treating of the brain, says, *' that, after birth it undergoes a constant and gentle motion, correspondent with res- piration ; so that when the lungs shrink in expiration, the brain rises a little, but when the chest expands, it again subsides." And in a note he adds, '* that Daniel Schlichting first accurately described this phenomenon in 1744." But it is now known that Swedenborg iKid fully demonstrated, and accurately described, this correspon- dent action in that part of his CEconomia Regni Animalis published in 1740, which treats of the coincidence of motion between the brain and the lungs. In another part of the same Institutions of Physiology, when speaking of the causes of the motion of the blood, Blumenbach remarks : *' When the blood is expelled from the contracted cavi- ties, a vacuum takes place, into which, according to the common laws of derivation, the neighboring blood must rush, being pre- vented, by means of the valves, from regurgitating." In a note this discovery is attributed to Dr. Wilson. But it now appears that the same principle was known to Swedenborg long before, and is applied by him in the CEconomia Regni Animalis, to account for the motion of the blood, as any one may see who will read the section of that work on the circulation of the blood in the foetus 2 18 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. And in anatomy, the first discovery and description of a pas- sage of communication between the two lateral ventricles of the brain, was claimed by the celebrated anatomist. Dr. Monro, of Ed- inburgh, and the merit of the discovery has since been awarded him by succeeding anatomists. In his work entitled " Observa- tions on the Structure and Functions of the Nervous System," the Doctor says, that he demonstrated this foramen to his pupils as early as the year 1753. Now anyone who will look into Sweden- borg's Regnum Animale, page 207, may there find a description of the foramen here spoken of. And this work was published by Swedenborg some eight or ten years before the time that Dr. Monro says he demonstrated this foramen to his pupils. I do not affirm that these men first drew their discoveries from the writings of Swedenborg, and then claimed them as their own. But the fact stands thus, that the discoveries here claimed were made by Swedenborg years before, as his philosophical works themselves do plainly testify. The second part of Swedenborg's work on iron and the preparation of steel, which abounds with valuable information, was deemed by the authors of the magnificent description of arts and trades which are carried on at Paris, to be of so much consequence that thev translated and inserted the whole of it in their collection oi the best things written on these subjects. These facts and testimonials suffice to show that Swedenboro-'s philosophical works are valuable as well as voluminous ; that he not only wrote rapidly, but thought profoundly. And yet they give but a fiiint idea of the real value of these works, for their chief value lies in their principles and not in their details ; and they are, as an English reviewer has justly remarked, -a perfect view of principles." And every year, and every onward step in the proo-- ress of science, tends to establish more and more firmly the truth of these principles. No man ever understood better than Swedenborg, and no man ever possessed in a higher degree than he, the intellectual and moral qualities requisite for the investigation of high truths. He saw that all truth, of whatever order or degree, comes from God and flows most easily into hearts that are purest and most devoted to high and noble ends. In his Prologue to the Animal Kingdom pointmg out the way, and the only way, to principles or scientific truths, " which appears to be open to us earth-born men," after speaking of the importance of - exploring all the truths which form EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. ' h 10 the one truth" we are seeking, of 'Maying the broadest founda- tion," and of adding to other requisites *♦ an innate love of truth, an eager desire of exploring it, and a delight in finding it," he adds: ** Above all it behooves the mind to be pure, and to respect uni- versal ends, as the happiness of the human race, and thereby the glory of God ; truth is then infused into our minds from its heaven ; whence, as from its proper fountain, it all emanates." Swedenborg was no mere speculator in knowledge, no theorizer, no lover nor seeker after vague hypothesis. Random speculation he never could endure. His clear mathematical mind could repose nowhere but in substantial realities. He will ever have the solid ground to stand and act upon ; and whenever he climbs, the rounds of his ladder must be always strong as iron. Experience, facts, geometry — these must form the basis of his conclusions, and be the support of every edifice that he essays to rear. These are his guiding lights — his rectifying stars — in all his philosophical jour- neyings. Thus in that profound and magnificent chapter of the Principia, " on the true Philosopher," he says : *' Now the means which more especially conduce to a knowledge truly philosophi- cal, are three in number — experience, geometry, and the fac- ulty OF REASONING." And after adverting to his own attempt to explain philosophically the hitherto secret operations of elemental nature, he adds : "In such an ocean I should not venture to spread my sail, without having experience and geometry continually present to guide my hand and watch the helm. With these to assist and direct me, I may hope for a prosperous voyage over the trackless deep. Let these, therefore, be my two stars to enlighten and guide me on the way." And not only will he have experience and geometry to build upon, but in his manner of building you see everywhere displayed the hand of a master. He knows how to use facts and the experi- ence of other men. His processes are as natural and methodical as his foundation is solid. His reasoning is clear and cogent — always severely inductive and analytical. He had an intensl) aver- sion to the synthetic mode of reasoning, L e. reasoning from hypo- thesis ; and in the first chapter of his Animal Kingdom he pours forth a torrent of indignant scorn of what he terms, *' those mis- shapen ofifspring, the monsters of hypothesis." **They are con- ceived," he says, '* they are born, they grow to maturity, they grow old, at last they die. But from the ashes of each, new ones arise ; and every hydra-head that is lopped oflp by the youthful Hercules 20 EMANUEL SWEDENBORO. acred fire are contaminated. All these thing/ flow from thl :;tS:f;!-^^ -"^^^ ''- ^^^^' -^ ^^^ propWor realt" But his aversion to the synthetical was more than equaled bv his love of the analytical method of reasoning. "Analysis" he says, "commences its web of ratiocination from factt eSs and phenomena which have entered through the bodily senses and 2-ts to causes and causes of causes. If the monum she fthe ii.ind] essays to construct, may be compared with a palace a man sK>n, or a pyramid, she may be said now to lay the fo'u nda i'o„ ^st" hen to ra.se the walls, and surrounding the edifice with ladders a"d scaffolds, gradually to carry it to the" roof or summit. £ ' X'eZZ't^r' ''^•^'''* °f -^^y«'«' founds and rears e rZ\ ' "' '" ^" atnjosphere too high for her, which won, Dut on the solid "round/' mott *^'f./*"''°"« ""'^'y'i^al method of reasoning, is nowhere more beautifully exemplified than in his own works .ht'f « ! T """"'"^ °^ "'^ ^'^'^P'''^' o^ sensualist, or materialist in hi 2 r^' v*"*^ '^ "°"''"» ''^"-' heartless or SS' m His philosophv. You never mepf in h\^ r^o • / "^^*^> that shocks or'chills the finest reSu"s:ibX "1' '"^''"^ evermore thoroughly imbued with the relStLen^thTnl "" none ever had a profounder veneration for%he D ^ I'tt 7 alr;;iCh?w^,;r;t^:;2t:rTdt "r-^ ^^--^^ greets yo„ everywhere in his wrlti^ fi^ tht ptretTar den of flowers. It is the verv life-bloor! nf i;. u-i !_ ° immrfs t^ w „ ■ , '' o' "IS philosophy, and miparts to it a perennial warmth, freshness, fragrance and vi^r Himself one of the devoutest philosophers, he is continual '^ spiring the same sentiment in his readers annarJfl '°"'/""^'^.'°- conscious of it. However he discourses upon nlT^ T\ '"'"^ and effects. God seems to be in Tht Z:^ifr:^ EMANUEL SWEDENBORO. 21 f permits you for a moment to lose sight of Deity, as the primary hvmg, and ever present Cause of all effects in nature. Yet there is an utter absence of all religious cant, and of all cant phrases. He utters never a word as if to let you see what a reli- gious man he is. You feel that all he says flows forth spontane- ously from a profoundly humble and reverential spirit ; and you cannot read him much without having your own soul drawn into sympathy with his — without becoming more devout and rever- ential yourself. An undevout philosopher was to his mind an impossibility — a contradiction in terms. "Without the utmost reverence for the Supreme Being/' he says in the Principia, -no one can be a complete and truly learned philosopher. True philosophy and contempt of the Deity are two opposites. Veneration for the Infinite Being can never be separated from philosophy ; for he who fancies himself wise whilst his wisdom does not teach him to ac- knowledge a Divine and Infinite Being, that is, he who thinks he can possess any wisdom without a knowledge and veneration of the Deity, has not even a particle of wisdom.'' And he was himself a living and practical illustration of the truth of his own sayings, that "true philosophy leads to the most profound admiration and adoration of the Deity ;" and " the more profound is any man's wisdom, the more profound will be his veneration of the Deity." Coupled with this profound veneration of the Deity, we recognize in Swedenborg a humility not less profound nor less indicative o'f the true Christian philosopher. He claimed no merit to himself for any of his discoveries, but habitually ascribed all the honor and all the glory to Him who is the Light of all minds — the very Truth Itself. ^ Regarding all natural science simply as a means of becom- ing wise, and living in the constant acknowledgment that all true wisdom is from the Lord, he may be said to have belonged in a preeminent degree to that class of persons, of whom he speaks in his Economy of the Animal Kingdom, as being " in pursuit of genmne wisdom." " They reckon the sciences and the mechanic arts," he says, "only among the ministers of wisdom, and they learn them as helps to its attainment, not that they may be reputed wise on account of their possessing them. They modestly restrain the external mind in its tendency to be elated and puffed up, be- cause they perceive the sciences to form an ocean of which the> can only catch a few drops. They look at no one with a scornful brow or the spirit of superiority, nor do they arrogate any of their 22 BMAKCBL SWEDENBORG. attainments to themselves. Thev refer all fn th. v^ u them as mfts from Him irc^rl V f ^o the Deity, and regard from its ftunta T wZ^ ^" -^^"^ ^'f^^ ^^^ - '* Thp T crA 1. • ^^^^'^^^"^^y ^^e says m another of his works • for ever, one w.o lov';^ti.rrX'^^-^^:^^^^^^^^^^^^ ''^^'^.; from the Lord, the Lord being the Way a d the Trutr. ' "" " loving all men wkh a brotheVs lot heTal atkeTr' '^'""'^'' praises and censures of all Tl ! J indifferent tothe which operate w.th LlV' 7""^ """''^'^ considerations achievemVn h no t i Sir^ail "1, T '^""^ P'^^P' '" ^-«' scorn beneath his 1:%': ll' sTm "rVthV^T ^''' sake. He had an eve sinHe to .»,!/ ^'"— f^""! for its own devotion and sin.lene!s of he,r? r.' v ''' P"''"*^^ '' ^"'^ * else had sufficient Xaet^f.rX.Xr^'^l-. ^'°*<^ of a name or poDularitv Tn r,,^ % • "^ acquisition I Win the favoX:So::r:;: rerr:r-:Serr''^^ the (Economia he saj " O wh,t '''""°'°P''y-" ^"'^ ''^'"° '" should persuade anvonVt k '""sequence is it to me that I son persulde him ^ dn "^ T^^ ""^ ""'"'""^ ' ^' ^^' °^- rea- or eLlIent both ofllufT^' '^'' ""^"^ '°' '''^ ^""ke of honor disquiet the minH Ju ^ '''"" "''^'' '''"'" ^«'^k, because thev -ost perfect ordeVoJ It"" '^ ""'""'^' ''°'* "'' ^'^ P""- ^ the J^c^thriSr :";'"^";'y ^^-'-' »an. This is sufficiently did not stand .If "['""'"' °^ "^^ Pbilosophical works. He d.d not stand aloof from the affairs of men, nor look down v^ith EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 23 . disdain upon the concerns of this lower \vorld, as if they were be- neath his regard. On the contrary he applied the force of his inventive genius to improve the economies and to increase the comforts and conveniences of social life. He did not deem it be- neath the dignity of a philosopher to write treatises on the Swedish currency, the construction of chimneys, docks, and dykes, the smelting of iron and copper, nor to make drafts of furnaces\vith his own hands. Nor did he feel as if it were stooping to do these things ; and it was not. We all feel as if he were the truer philoso- pher—the greater man — for this; and we cannot help loving him more sincerely on account of it. He regarded use as the end of all doctrine, all science, and all learning, and w^as himself the most beautiful exemplification of his heavenly doctrine of uses. He was not at all miserly, therefore, in respect to his intellectual pos- sessions, but always liberal and expansive as the air. Consequently, his mind was not a mere treasure-house, or depository of dead learn- ing, but, like the great laboratory of nature, it made every speck of knowledge subserve some useful end. Like some rich and beau- tiful garden, ever swept with vernal breezes, and moistened with vernal showers, and warmed with the beams of a tropical sun, it was full of green and living things, which grew, and blossomed, and bore fruit perpetually, shedding their fragrance on all around ; and this, because his mind was ever open to the Lord's love ever receptive of the warmth of the spiritual Sun. In the garden of his soul, it was always summer time. Swedenborg was also a considerate man — remarkably so. The utmost wisdom and moderation were conspicuous in all he said or did. Not blind to the evils and abuses in society ; — no man ever saw them more clearly than he. But he did not pounce upon them with savage ferocity, as if they were things to be dispersed or slaughtered as you would slay a pack of wolves. He was too wise a man for this. He beheld the abuses of his own govern- ment, and was ever among the foremost to correct them ; but he never did, and never would, lend his breath to fan the flame of discontent in the hearts of his countrymen. He knew there were always people enough to do this, and that it is f^ir easier to excite than to allay discontent — far easier to discover than to repair faults. Writing to the estates of Sweden at the opening of the general Diet in 1761, he says : " It is indeed easy everywhere to find fault, whether it be in the government of a state or in the conduct of a private individual ; but if 24 EMANUEL SWEDENBORO. we should judge of a government only from its faults, it would be ex- ac ly as .f we pa>d attention only to the faults or imperfections of a c.fzen, which could not fail to redound to his great prejudice to his certain and inevitable injury. prejuaice. to his " If there existed in the world a government perfectly celestial composed of men of really angelic understanding/even that goveri rnent would not be altogether exempt from errf; or defec Tand tf these were denounced and exaggerated, there would be a risk of sap p.ng Its foundations and undermining it with evil speaking • and those discontents, which, by little and little, might be introduced^ould soon excite a desire for change or overthrow, even among the best inten- tioned and well-disposed men." Swedenborg was a man of serene temper, of simple and unpre- tending manners, of an amiable disposition, quiet deportment, and possessing a large, generous and truly catholic spirit. And he sustained, throughout the whole course of his eventful life a cha- racter for wisdom, sobriety, truth, integrity, unsullied virtue, and an ardent devotion to high and useful ends, such as few if any besides him ever sustained. Nor was his merely the wisdom of thil world, bat wisdom which cometh down from above -wisdom drawn from the depths of that Divine Word, which he loved revered and studied wiih such deep and untiring devotion. Doubt- less ,t IS in this, viz : his uneqaled devotion to tlie study of that rue Light which enlighteneth every man," that the secret of his extraordinary illumination lies ; for he tells us that he " was led to read the Word of God over many times," and immediately adds: "Inasmuch as the Word of God is the source whence all theology must be derived, I was thereby enabled to receive instruc- tion from the Lord, who is the Word." In harmony with this, is the first among those beautiful rules of life which he prescribed tor the regulation of his own conduct, and which were found inter- spersed among his manuscripts after his death. These rules are : o' 1' ^° ^''^°*^'^" ""'' ""''^it'^te well on the Word of the Lord. of n- D 7^^ '■^''""^'^ ''"'' contented under the dispensations of Divine Providence. ti'n "J° "'""''*' '" everything a propriety of behavior, and always to keep the conscience clear and void of offense. 4. « To obey what is ordained : — to discharge with fidelity the func- tions of my employment and the duties of my office, and to render myself in all things useful to society." . "« to render How few, how brief, how simple are these rules ! Yet what volumes of wisdom do they contain ! How worthy to be inscribed EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 25 i in letters of gold on the door-posts of every man's house — engra- ven in characters of living light on the tablet of every human heart ! And how admirably, too, were these rules illustrated in their author's own life ! The testimony of his cotemporaries and acquaintance to the remarkable purity and excellence of his char- acter, as well as to his great learning, is most ample, some of which permit me here to adduce. Dr. Messiter, an eminent physician of London and a personal acquaintance of Swedenborg's, says of him in a letter to one of the professors in the university of Glasgow, *a can with truth assert, that he is truly amiable in his morals, most learned and humble in his discourse, and superlatively aflfable, humane and courteous in his behavior, and this joined with a solidity of understanding and penetration far above the level of an ordinary genius." °And again, in a letter to Dr. Hamilton, of Edinburgh, this same gentle- man says of him: ** There are no parts of mathematical, philo- sophical, or medical knowledge, nay, I believe I might justly say, of human literature, to which he is in the least a stranger ; yet so totally insensible is he of his own merit, that I am confident he does not know that he has any; and, as himself somewhere says of the angels, he always turns his head away on the slightest encomium." General Christian Tuxen, another personal acquaintance of Swe- denborg's, and the King of Denmark's Commissioner of War at Elsineur, speaks of him, in a letter to Mr. Nordenksjold, as '* Our late benefactor, and in truth, not only ours, but that of all man- kind;" and he adds : '* For my part, I thank our Lord the God of heaven, that I have been acquainted with this great man and his writings. I esteem this as the greatest blessing I ever experienced in this life." The Rev. Dr. Hartley, who was on terms of intimacy with him for several years, and who is said to have been himself ** a man of the deepest piety," speaks of him thus : " The great Swedenborg was a man of uncommon humility. He was of a catholic spirit, and loved all good men of every church, ma- king at the same time all candid allowance for the innocence of invol- untary error. However self-denying in his own person, as to gratifi- cations and indulgences, even within the bounds of moderation, yet nothing severe, nothing of the precisian, appeared in him, but, on the contrary, an inward serenity and complacency of mind were manifest in the sweetness of his looks and outward demeanor. It may reason- 3 26 EMAKUEL 6WEDEXB0RG. ab y be supposed that I have weighed the character of our illustriou. author m the scale of my best judgment, from the personal knowledge LI. „ °1 f ' r "'" '"'' i"f«™ation I could procure respecting him and from a d.l.gent perusal of his writings ; and according d.ereto have found h>m to be the sound divine, the good man, the deep phi- losopher the v.n.versal scholar, and the polite gentleman ; and [ further beheve, that he had a high degree of illumination from the Spiri of God was commissioned by him as an extraordinary messenger to the world, and had communication with angels and the spiritual world far beyond any since the time of the apostles. As such, I offer his char- acter to the world, solemnly declaring that, to the best of my knowl- edge, I am not herein led by any partiality or private views whatever being much dead to every worldly interest, and accounting myself la unworthy of any higher character than that of a penitent" sfnuer" Carl Robsam, the director of the bank of Sweden, who also knew Swedenborg well, and was often at his house, says of him • " He loved truth and justice in all his feelings and actions. He was not only a learned man and a gentleman after the manner of the times but a man so distinguished for wisdom as to be celebrated throughout 1-urope; and also possessed a propriety of manners that rendered him everywhere an honored and acceptable companion. Thus he continued to old age serene, cheerful and agreeable, with a countenance always Illuminated by the light of his uncommon genius." Count Andrew Van Hopken, the prime minister of Sweden, and one of the institutors of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences speaks of him, in a letter to General Tuxen, as '• a pattern of sin' cerity, of virtue and piety;" and says : « I have not only known him these "two and forty years, but have alsn for some time daily frequented his company. And I do not r!Iollect liT T\ "'''. ""' •"*" "^ """"^ """""^'y ^'^tuous character ZlZ^ft°\V ''"''y^'=°"t«"»«'^, never fretful or morose, although throughout his life his soul was occupied with sublime thoughts and peculations. He was a true philosopher and lived like one • he labored diligently, lived frugally without sordidness; he traveled fre! quently, and his travels cost him no more than if he had lived at home He was gifted with a most happy genius, and a fitness for every science' which made him shine in all those he embraced. He wafw ho^," contradiction, probably the most learned man in my country " Another cotemporary and acquaintance of Swedenbor-'s savs ot him : ^ V* "He was of such a nature that he could impose on no one- he always spoke the truth in every little matter, and would no"have mpn! any evasion though his life had been at stake " "^^ EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 27 I \ Such we find to be the uniform testimony yielded by Sweden- borg's cotemporaries and acquaintance to his unexampled wis- dom, learning, genius and virtue. Well, then, might Counsellor Sandal, in his eulogy on the character of this man, pronounced before the Royal Academy of Sciences of Stockholm, October 7th, 1772, exclaim, as if oppressed with the dignity of his subject, *' But if there are some countenances, of which, as the painters assure us, it is extremely difficult to give an exact likeness, how diffi- cult then must it be to delineate that of a vast and sublime genius," like Swedenborg ! " who, being endowed with a strength of faculty truly extraordinary,'* *' opened for himself a way of his own'' to the profoundest secrets of nature, " without ever straying from sound morals and true piety." Little as Swedenborg's great principles were understood in his own day, (they have scarcely begun to be understood yet) and imperfectly as the grand scope of his philosophy was apprehend- ed, he was nevertheless regarded by his cotemporaries as one of the greatest men of his times. He lived on terms of familiarity and friendship with the king and nobility of Sweden, and was, at an early age, honored by an appointment to one of the highest and most important offices in the kingdom. After the death of Charles, the queen began to shower her favors upon the then youthful sage, and the next year conferred on him a title of nobility, and changed his name from Swedberg to Swedenborg, on account of the em- inent services which he had rendered his country. This entitled him to a seat in the Triennial Assemblies of the States of the Realm. He received, during his life, many marked demonstrations of the high esteem in which he was held by the scholars of his time, for his genius and learning. His name was enrolled amon^ the academicians of Upsal, Stockholm and St. Petersburgh. His society was sought by the learned men of his own and of foreign countries, many of whom were anxious to open a correspondence with him, and to consult him on intricate subjects. He was offer- ed the professorship of pure mathematics in the university of Up- sal, in 1724, the Consistory urging that his acceptance of the of- fice would redound greatly to the advantage of the students, and to the honor of the university. But this ofifer he declined. At the time he resigned his office of Assessor in the Roval Metallic Col- lege, he was oflfered a higher degree of rank, and other privileges under the government, all of which he refused. He traveled much, and in the course of his life made not less than eight 28 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 29 journeys into other parts of Europe, chiefly into England, Holland, France, Germany and Italy ; and it is said that his letters, while abroad, to the Swedish Royal Academy, of which he was a mem- ber, prove that few persons know how to turn their travels to such useful account. He was never married. Such was Emanuel Swedenborg. Such the man, who, it is be- lieved, was especially prepared and ordained of God for one of the sublimest of human missions. And if Infinite Wisdom ever de- signed to reveal unto men the arcana of the spiritual world and the spiritual sense of the Holy Scripture, and if a human instru- ment were needed for this purpose, I ask if it be possible to find, in the whole catalogue of great names with which history presents us, one in all respects so worthy of this high office — one so well qualified in mind and heart — as the renowned individual whose character I have here faintly sketched ? Where shall we look for one whom the Father of lights would have been more likely to choose ? Where one, whose character bears more conspicuouslv the im- press of heaven — whose lamp seemed lighted at a purer fire, or whose heart, from childhood's blossoming years, clung closer to the bosom of his God ? In 1743, at the ripe age of fifty-four, Swedenborg relinquished his philosophical pursuits, and devoted himself for the remainder of his life — a period of twenty-seven years — exclusively to Theoloo-y. At this time commenced what is termed his Illumination. From his own account, it appears that this new function was not one of his own seeking, but one to which he felt himself called by a voice which he dared 7iot disobey. In a letter written near the close of his life to the Rev. Dr. Hartley, who desired from him some particulars of his history, he thus speaks of this great and important change in his life. After a brief answer to the Doctor's inquiries concern- ing his birth, family, offices, honors, &c., he adds : "But I regard all that I have mentioned as matters of respectively little moment ; for, what far exceeds them, I have been called to a holy office by the Lord Himself, who most graciously manifested Him- self to me, his servant, in the year 1743, when he opened my sight to a view of the spiritual world, and granted me the privilege of convers- ing with spirits and angels, which T enjoy to this day. From that time I began to print and publish various arcana that have been seen by me, or revealed to me, as respecting heaven and hell, the state of man after death, the true worship of God, the spiritual sense of the t \' Word, with many other matters conducive to salvation and true wis- dom." In many parts of his writings he reiterates the same thing here affirmed, and often in the most emphatic and solemn manner. In a letter to the king of Sweden, on the subject of the persecution he had received from some of the clergy on account of his writings, he remarks with characteristic simplicity and boldness : " When my writings are read with attention and cool reflection, (in which many things are to be met with hitherto unknown) it is easy enough to conclude that I could not come to such knowledge but by a real vision and converse with those who are in the spiritual world. I am ready to testify with the most solemn oath that can be offered in this matter, that I have said nothing but essential and real truth, without any mixture of deception. This knowledge is given to me by our Saviour, not for any particular merit of mine, but for the great concern of all Christians' salvation and happiness." And in declarations of this sort did he persist till the last mo- ment of his earthly existence. The Swedish clergyman who visit- ed him just before his death, (which occurred in London, March 29, 1772, and was occasioned by a paralytic stroke) urged him to recant either the whole of what he had written, or such parts as were not true, telling him that '* he had now nothing more to ex- pect from the world which he was so soon about to leave forever." '* Upon hearing these words from me," he says, '* Swedenborg raised himself halC up in his bed, and placing his sound hand upon his breast, said with great zeal and emphasis, ' As true as you see me before you, so true is everything that I have written ; and I could have said more, had I been permitted. When you come into eternity, you will see all things as I have stated and described them, and we shall have much to discourse about with each other.' " Swedenborg was able, during his lifetime, to give to several persons (and among them the queen of Sweden) satisfactory evi- dence of his having seen and conversed with the spirits of their deceased friends. This evidence consisted in his stating things which were known to these persons, but which it was impossible he could have learned in any other way than by actual converse with the spirits of their departed friends. A writer in the South- ern Quarterly Review, in a well-penned article already referred to, after giving several instances of this sort, and adding that '^it would be easy to multiply cases equally remarkable," slys : *' If there is any force in human testimony at all, we have just as 28 EMANUEL SWEDENBORO. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. 29 journeys into other parts of Europe, chiefly into England, Holland, France, Germany and Italy ; and it is said that his letters, while abroad, to the Swedish Royal Academy, of which he was a mem- ber, prove that few persons know how to turn their travels to such useful account. He was never married. Such was Emanuel Swedenborg. Such the man, who, it is be- lieved, was especially prepared and ordained of God for one of the sublimest of human missions. And if Infinite Wisdom ever de- signed to reveal unto men the arcana of the spiritual world and the spiritual sense of the Holy Scripture, and if a human instru- ment were needed for this purpose, I ask if it be possible to find, in the whole catalogue of great names with which history presents us, one in all respects so worthy of this high office — one so well qualified in mind and heart — as the renowned individual whose character I have here faintly sketched ? Where shall we look for one whom the Father of lights would have been more likely to choose ? Where one, whose character bears more conspicuously the im- press of heaven — whose lamp seemed lighted at a purer fire, or whose heart, from childhood's blossoming years, clung closer to the bosom of his God ? In 1743, at the ripe age of fifty-four, Swedenborg relinquished his philosophical pursuits, and devoted himself for the remainder of his life — a period of twenty-seven years — exclusively to Theology. At this time commenced what is termed his Illumination. From his own account, it appears that this new function was not one of his own seeking, but one to which he felt himself called by a voice which he dared not disobey. In a letter w^ritten near the close of his life to the Rev. Dr. Hartley, who desired from him some particulars of his history, he thus speaks of this great and important change in his life. After a brief answer to the Doctor's inquiries concern- ing his birth, family, offices, honors, (fee, he adds : "But I regard all that I have mentioned as matters of respectively little moment ; for, what far exceeds them, I have been called to a holy office by the Lord Himself, who most graciously manifested Him- self to me, his servant, in the year 1743, when he opened my sight to a view of the spiritual world, and granted me the privilege of convers- ing with spirits and angels, which I enjoy to this day. From that time I began to print and publish various arcana that have been seen by me, or revealed to me, as respecting heaven and hell, the state of man after death, the true worship of God, the spiritual sense of the \ \ Word, with many other matters conducive to salvation and true wis- dom." In many parts of his writings he reiterates the same thing here affirmed, and often in the most emphatic and solemn manner. In a letter to the king of Sweden, on the subject of the persecution he had received from some of the clergy on account of his writings, he remarks with characteristic simplicity and boldness : " When my writings are read with attention and cool reflection, (in which many things are to be met with hitherto unknown) it is easy enough to conclude that I could not come to such knowledge but by a real vision and converse with those who are in the spiritual world. I am ready to testify with the most solemn oath that can be ofl^ered in this matter, that I have said nothing but essential and real truth, without any mixture of deception. This knowledge is given to me by our Saviour, not for any particular merit of mine, butfor the great concern of all Christians' salvation and happiness." And in declarations of this sort did he persist till the last mo- ment of his earthly existence. The Swedish clergyman who visit- ed him just before his death, (which occurred in London, March 29, 1772, and was occasioned by a paralytic stroke) urged him to recant either the whole of what he had written, or such parts as were not true, telling him that ** he had now nothing more to ex- pect from the world which he was so soon about to leave forever.** *'Upon hearing these w^ords from me," he says, '* Swedenborg raised himself halt up in his bed, and placing his sound hand upon his breast, said with great zeal and emphasis, * As true as you see me before you, so true is everything that I have written ; and I could have said more, had I been permitted. When you come into eternity, you will see all things as I have stated and described them, and we shall have much to discourse about with each other.' " Swedenborg was able, during his lifetime, to give to several persons (and among them the queen of Sweden) satisfactory evi- dence of his having seen and conversed with the spirits of their deceased friends. This evidence consisted in his stating things which were known to these persons, but which it was impossible he could have learned in any other way than by actual converse with the spirits of their departed friends. A writer in the South- ern Quarterly Review, in a well-penned article already referred to, after giving several instances of this sort, and adding that *' it would be easy to multiply cases equally remarkable,** says : '* If there is any force in human testimony at all, we have just as 30 EMANUEL SWEDEXBORG. EMANUEL 6WEDENB0RG. 31 much authority for believing that Swedenborg had intercourse with the spiritual world, as we have for believing that Victoria is the present reigning queen of Great Britain." But it deserves to be remarked here, that Swedenborg himself never appeals to any cases of this nature to authenticate his claims ; but uniformly to the intrinsic truth and rationality of his teachinos. The amount which he wrote on Theology is prodigious. The whole would probably make not far from thirty-five volumes, royal octavo, of five hundred pages each. The largest portion of this — considerably more than half — is devoted to an unfolding of the internal or spiritual sense of the Sacred Scripture. He takes the same bold afl&rmative stand in his Theology as in his Philosophy ; everywhere displaying the same dignified calmness and compo- sure, the same absence of all anxiety as to the reception his wri- tings will receive, the same unconcern as to what opinion may be formed of himself, and whether what he says will be believed or not. Nor do w^e anywhere discover the least sign of a personal ambition in him to acquire a name, or to become the founder or leader of a sect. So far from this, the Rev. Dr. Hartley says : ** His voluminous writings in divinity continued almost to the end of his life to be anonymous publications ; and I have some reason to think that it was owing to my remonstrance with him on this subject, that he was induced to prefix his name to his last work." And Mr. Robsam savs : **It was remarkable that Swedenboro* never attempted to make proselytes, nor ever pressed upon any one his explanations of the Word." Equally free, too, does he seem to have been from the ordinary natural love of the world. The London publisher of the first two volumes of the Arcana Ccelestia, after stating that the author had been to an expense of four hun- dred pounds in writing and publishing this work, adds : ** He gave express orders that all the money that should arise in the sale of this large work should be given towards the charge of the propa- gation of the Gospel. He is so far from desiring to make a gain of his labors, that he will not receive one farthing back of the four hundred pounds he has expended." In a sketch of this remarkable man's life, I am aware that a brief view of his theological system should be embraced. But as it is my purpose in the course of lectures to which this is merely introductory, to unfold and explain some of the leading doctrines of the New Theology, I deem it unnecessary now to say more 1 than this : that it is a complete system — beautiful, grand, harmo- nious, and coherent throughout ; that it gives us the most elevated and cheering views of the Lord and the Holy Scripture, as well as of death and the resurrection — of human and of angelic life. As Swedenborg himself w^as the farthest possible remove from a bigot or a sectary, so his writings everywhere breathe a large, comprehensive, loving, and truly catholic spirit — forming in this respect a striking contrast to most other writings on theology. He uniformly addresses himself to our rational intuitions, never at- tempting to force his convictions upon us in a dogmatical way, nor threateninjr us with vials of eternal wrath if we refuse to believe him ; — never seeming to expect or desire us to accept what he says merely because he says it, nor to yield our assent to anything but the truth rationally perceived. *' At this day," he says, " faith will be established and confirmed in the New Church, only by the Word itself and by the truths it reveals — truths which appear in light'' to all truth-loving and truth-seeking minds. He shows always the profoundest respect for the individual conscience, and for this great Protestant principle — the right of private judgment in matters of religious faith ; and insists that no one can go to heaven except he be ** led in freedom according to reason." And while he never exalts reason above Revelation, he never degrades Rev- elation by interpreting it in such a manner as makes it contradict, or do violence to, an enlightened reason. He shows, too, that all true doctrine is practical, leading to a life of charity and usefulness, and that this is the end for which it was given ; and heaven, as well as the highest worship of the Lord, according to his teach- incr, '' consists in a life of uses." It was in view of this practical character of his teachings, that the prime minister of Sweden, speaking on one occasion to the king respecting this New Theology, was led to remark : ** This religion, in preference and in a higher deo-ree than any other, must produce the most honest and indus- trious subjects ; for this religion places properly the worship of God in USES." Such, in general, is the nature, spirit, design, and tendency, of the new system of doctrinal theology which Emanuel Swedenborg was made the instrument in unfolding so clearly and beautifully from the Word of the Lord ; and the leading doctrines of which will form the topics of my succeeding lectures. i THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. 33 LECTURE U. THE "END OF THE WORLD, OR CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. " For the first heaven aud the first earth were passed away." — Rev. xxi. 1. It has long been the prevailing belief of the Christian church, that this natural world, with all things appertaining to it, will, at some future time, be utterly destroyed ; that then will be the gen- eral judgment, when the Son of Man will be seen coming in person upon the natural clouds, with all the holy angels with Him. And at different periods of the church there have arisen ** false Christs, and false prophets,'' who have assumed to be able to foretell the precise time when this event would take place. But thus far their predictions have proved all untrue. The sun and the stars con- tinue to shine, and the earth moves on her orbit as orderly and undisturbed as ever. I shall not stop to remark upon the exceedingly irrational and unphilosophical character of this opinion about ** the end of the world." I will only say that it is highly improbable such an event, in the sense in which the Church has commonly understood it, will ever take place ; for it would be a manifest departure from all that is known of the laws of order, progress, reproduction and preservation in the natural world. The prevailing belief of the Church upon this subject, has doubtless originated partly in the mistranslation, and consequent misunderstanding, of that phrase in the Evannrelists, commonlv rendered "the end of the world ; '* and it has been confirmed by other passages of Scripture understood accordinsj: to their literal sense, such as that in Rev. xxi. 1 . The Greek words t; ovvtixiia tov atwvoj (A^ sunteleia ton aionos) mean, not the end of the world, as is read in the common English version, but the Consummation of the Age. This is admitted by every good classical scholar, of whatever religious sect. Atwf i^Aion) means an age, a life, or any full period, whether long or short ; and ffDvrlXfta (^sunteleia) means the end, consummation, or finishing of that period. Now, according to the teachings of Swedenborg, this natural world is never to be destroyed ; but the Consummation of the Age 32 1 I mentioned in the New Testament, denotes the end or consummation of the first Christian Church. Thus he says : " The consummation of the Age is the last time or end of the Church. " On this earth there have been several churches, and all in the course of time have been consummated; and after their consummation, new ones have existed; and thus even to the present time. " The church is consummated by various things, especially by such as make the false appear as true; and when that appears true, then the good which, in itself is good, and is called spiritual good, is not any more given: the good, which is then believed to be good, is only the natural good, which moral life produces. The causes that truth, and together with it good, are consummated, are principally the two natu- ral loves, which are called love of self and love of the world, which are diametrically opposite to the two spiritual loves. The love of self, when it is predominant, is opposed to love to God; and the love of the world, when it is predominant, is opposed to love toward the neighbor. The love of self is, to wish well to one's self alone, and to no other ex- cept for the sake of self; likewise the love of the world; and these two loves, when they are indulged, spread themselves like a mortification through the body, and successively consume the whole of it. That such love has invaded churches, is manifestly evident from Babylon and the description of it. Gen. xi. 1 to 9; Isaiah xiii.,xiv.,xlvii; Jer. i., and Dan. ii. 31 to 47; iii. 1 to 7, and the following verses; v., vi. 8 to the end; vii. 1 to 14; and in Rev. xvii. and xviii.,from the beginning to the end of each."— T. C. R., 754. "At this day is the last time of the Christian Church, which is foretold and described by the Lord in the Evangelists, and in the Revelation. " That all those things which the Lord spoke with the disciples, (Matt, xxiv., Mark xiii., Luke xxi.,) were said concerning the last time of the Christian Church, is very manifest from the Revelation, where the like things are foretold concerning the consummation of the age, and concerning his coming; which all are particularly explained in the Apocalypse Revealed, published in the year 1776. Now, because those things which the Lord said concerning the consummation of the age, and concerning his coming, before the disciples, coincide with those which He afterward revealed in the Revelation by John, concerning the same things, it is clearly manifest that He meant no other con- summation than that of the present Christian Church. Besides, it is also prophesied in Daniel concerning the end of this church; where fore the Lord says, ' When ye see the abomination of desolation fore told by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place; whoso readeth let him observe it well."— (Matt. xxiv. 15.) In like manner also in 34 THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. 35 the other prophets. That the Christian Church, such as it is at this day, is consummated and vastated to such a degree, cannot be seen by those on earth, who have confirmed themselves in its falses; the rea- son is, because a confirmation of the false is a denial of the true; wherefore, it, as it were, veils the understanding, and thereby prevents the entrance of anything else, which might pull up the cords and stakes, with which it has built and formed its system, as a strong tent. — lb. 758. It will be borne in mind that these things were said by Sweden- borg concerning the church as it was more than seventy years a<^o. Doubtless, as one eflect of the New Dispensation, ihe minds of men generally have been much enlightened upon religious, as upon all other subjects ; so that the doctrines, and consequently the state of the Christian Church, have undergone a very consid- erable modification since the time Swedenborg wrote. Yet with all the change for the better which has taken place in the Church within the last half century, there are many pious people who even now mourn over the desolation of Zion ; men who see clearly that her pristine glory has departed from the Church, and who, in anx- ious expectation of some new and saving power — with eyes long- ino- to see her salvation — are, like Simeon of old, ** waiting- for the consolation of Israel. *' Indeed, there is a pretty general percep- tion and acknowledgment among Christians and anti-Christians of the present day, that the Church is in a broken, distracted, and forlorn condition. The power of the pulpit — of religion — of the Church — of the Bible — is acknowledged to be sadly deficient — almost gone ; and most significant allusions are frequently made to this fact, in the current literature of the day. To cite only a few passages indicative of the general perception, and the deep and wide-spread feeling on this subject, among the best class of minds. " I think," says the Rev. R. W. Emerson, " no man can go with his thoughts about him into one of our churches, without feeling that what hold the public worship had on men is gone, or going. It has lost its grasp on the affection of the good, and the fear of the bad. In the country, neighborhoods, half parishes are signing off — to use the local term. It is already beginning to indicate character and religion to withdraw from the religious meetings. I have heard a devout person, who prized the Sabbath, say in bitterness of heart, * On Sundays it seems wicked to go to church.' And the motive that holds the best there, is now only a hope and a waiting." — Address before the Theologi- cal School at Cambridge, Mass., 1838. Another of New England's earnest divines, seeing the lack of the genuine Christian spirit, and mourning over the desolation of 1 the churches around him — mourning that there are so many men ** who look up and are not fed, because they ask bread from heaven, and water from the rock," — **men, who, with throbbing hearts, pray for the spirit of healing to come upon the waters, which other than angels have long kept in trouble ; men who have lain long time sick of theology, nothing bettered by many physicians," breaks forth in the following strain of deep and earnest feeling : " May God send us some new manifestation of the Christian faith; that shall stir men's hearts as they were never stirred; some new Word which shall teach us what we are, and renew us all in the image of God ; some better life, that shall fulfill the Hebrew prophecy, and pour out the spirit of God on young men and maidens, and old men and children; which shall realize the word of Christ and send the Com- forter, who shall reveal all needed things." — A Discourse on the Tran- stent and Permanent in Christianity, by Rev. T. Parker, 1841. The Rev. Dr. Bushnell, an eminent orthodox divine, of Hartford, (Connecticut,) in his *' Christian Nurture," says: *' Sometimes Christian parents fail of success in the religious train- ing of their children, because the church counteracts their efforts and example. The church makes a bad atmosphere about the house and the poison comes in at the doors and windows. It is rent by divisions, burnt up by fanaticism, frozen by the chill of a worldly spirit, petrified in a rigid and dead orthodoxy. It makes no element of genial warmth and love about the child, according to the intention of Christ in its appointment, but gives to religion, rather, a forbidding aspect, and thus, instead of assisting the parent, becomes one of the worst impedi- ments to his success. What kind of element the world makes about the child is of little consequence; for here there is no pretense of piety. But when the school of Christ itself becomes an element of sin and death, the child's baptism becomes as great a fiction as the church itself, and the arrangements of divine mercy fail of their intended power." The Rev. J. W. Brooks, vicar of Clareborough, England, says : " I am most firmly persuaded that we are living in that awful period designated in Scripture, as the last time, and the last days. Every suc- ceeding year serves to increase the evidence on this head, and to give clearness, and precision, and intensity to those signs which already have been noticed by commentators. Even worldly men are so affected by the signs of our times, as to feel seriously persuaded that some tre- mendous crisis is at hand. It therefore more especially behooves the professing people of God to be upon the watch-tower, and to observe what is passing around them, and be prepared for the future, that the day may not overtake them as a thief in the night." — Elements of Prophetical Interpretation, page 480. i 36 THE CONSUMMATION OP THE AGE. "As to Christianity, doubtless its action is not expended, yei must every one have observed that the Christian religion at present affords neither base nor circumspection to modern aspirations after moral verity. * * Mind seems as it were to be getting loose upon space. It reposes on no religious ultimates. Those even who have the deepest, the most immovable conviction, that in revelation is to be found the only true moral substratum of humanity throughout all its modifications, perceive, at the same time, the incommensurateness of Christianty, under its present developments, to embrace and to form a rest for the new mental developments of society. " These believing men look for, and would promote, an enlargement of the gospel faith. Whether among Hebrews, Christians, and we miffht add Paffans, the mind in all ages of the world has had its moral and religious holdings on Biblical revealed truths, more or less purely, or more or less corruptly conceived. It is only now that a new pheno- menon seems to be emerging — that these holdings seem to he giving way, " The remedy to this, on the one hand luxuriant, and on the other barren, demoralization of the understanding, can consist only in a fresh opening out of Christianity till it be brought into its own proper supe- rior relationship to the spirit of the age." — Blackwood's Magazine, Another English periodical says : " Then when the spiritual had encroached upon the civil, and had become itself civil and secular, good men rose up against it, and bad men joined them; and in the struggle religion was destroyed. With religious obligation fell also the obligation of all laws; for no laws have any strength but that which is derived from God. And though by a providence from God, such as no other nation has experienced, somethincr of both these obligations was once more establislied in this country over the hearts and lives of men, both were so weakened and corrupted that religion soon gave way, and nothing but human and worldly considerations were left to keep men in their line of duty. " Hence our vices and faithlessness, our avarice and hard-hearted- ness, our neglect of the poor beneath us; our secularized clergy, our political dissenters, our abuse of ecclesiastical patronage; our foolish, vulgar exclusiveness, which has severed every class of society from those above and below it; our disrespect to governors; our disobedi- ence to parents; our self-indulgence, and vanity, and extravagance, which has encumbered our states with debt. Hence our morals de- graded into utilitarianism — our philosophy become sensualism — our politics debased into economy — our sciences confined to matter — our reason misinterpreted to mean logic — and our piety stripped from truth and made matter of empty form, or of emptier feeling. We have lost sight of the spiritual, and can see nothing hut the material. The Church was sacrificed, and nothing but the State could be seen; and now the state also must soon be lost." — Lon. Quar, Rev., Sept, 1840. THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. 37 And the same writer, speaking of society as it exists at present in a country which illustrates better than any other, perhaps, the real state of the Christian Church, says : •' It is now lying like a long buried corpse, which the air has not yet reached, and its lineaments seem perfect, and the body sound; but if it should please God in his anger by some shock to lay it bare, it will crumble to dust. Let the State withhold its artificial support from the Church, and with the exception of that large portion which is beginning to be impregnated and held together by a true revivifying spirit, the body which calls itself the Church will fall to pieces." — Ibid, p. 245. Bishop Warburton, in his letters to his friend Bishop Kurd, written during the latter half of the last century, used language like the following : " If you live, you will effect what T attempted, to make revelation understood, which we are ignorant of to a degree that will hereafter ap- pear amazing to you. " The divine lyre is almost silenced — the great moralities, the mea- sures of duty, and the distinctions between the true and false in real life seem to be dissolved or dissolving among us. A true taste, it must be confessed, is wanting, but far more a true faith. This, as you say, is an age of real darkness, or at least of false lights. If you should die in the present state of things, darkness will he the hurier of the dead ; there will not be light enough left to see and appre- hend our loss." The Rev. Dr. Arnold, the distinguished master of the Rugby School, and one of the best thinkers and best men that the Anglican Church can boast of, writes to the Rev. Mr. Blackstone thus : *' I believe that the ' day of the Lord is coming,' that it is the termi- nation of one of the grea.toiuviT (Ages,) of the human race — whether the final one of all or not, that I believe no created being knows or can know." And to the Rev. Mr. Tucker : " As parties, the high churchmen, the evangelicals, and the dissen- ters, seem to me almost equally bad.'^^ And to the Rev. T. E. Tyler : " The Church, as it note stands, no human power can save." These are the honest confessions of honest minds ; and it would be easy to fill a volume with extracts from the various theological and ethical writers of the day, similar to those just quoted. There are multitudes on both continents whose hearts respond to the sen- timents here uttered. And what does this indicate but a prettv ti i( 38 Tmc CONSUMMATION OF THE AOK. wide-Spread acknowledgment, even among Churchmen themselves, that ** the glory has departed from Israel" — that *' beauty has fled from the daughter of Zion,'* and that ** the abomination of desola- tion spoken of by Daniel the prophet** has indeed fallen upon the Church ? If there be ground and reason for what these writers say concerning the Church as it now is, then we can, without much difficulty, believe what Swedenborg said of the Church at the time he wrote. We can believe that the first Christian Dispensation had been lived out, and that the Church established under it, had con- sequently come to an end. But by the spiritual consummation of the Church is not to be understood the destruction or abandonment of the external thinors belonging thereto — its places and forms of worship, and religious ordinances. All these may be preserved, and everything belong- ing to the externals of religion be most scrupulously observed, while the spirit of Christianity — the essential, living principles of a true Church — genuine charity and faith — may be wholly want- ing. The symbols of Christianity — the outward signs of a church — have ever existed since its establishment. But do we not know that the outside of a church may appear beautiful as a whited se- pulchre, while dead men's bones and all uncleanness are within ? This was the case with the Jewish Church at the time of its consum- mation. None were more remarkable for their external piety and religious devotion than the Scribes and Pharisees of old. They made broad their phylacteries, and enlarged the borders of their garments, and made long prayers. Yet what severe denunciations did the Lord utter against them ! (See Mat. xxiii.) It is the motive that determines the quality of men's deeds. If they are done for show, and thus from a selfish motive, their inter- nal quality is corrupt, however good the deeds may be in appear- ance. Therefore the persons who do them may be a Church outwardly, but not inwardly y hence not really ; i. e. they may have faith, charity, piety, and worship in their outward life, which ap- pears before men, but nothing of these in their hearts or inward life, which appears before God. Like the Jews at the time of the Lord's advent, they may make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, while within they are full of extortion and excess. They may pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, but omit the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith : and while building the tombs of the prophets, and garnishing the sepulchres of the righteous, they may be witnesses unto themselves, THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. 31* by virtue of their internal quality, that they are the children of them that killed the prophets. We see, therefore, that the external form of a church may exist, after the internal principles of heavenly life have become extin- guished. Its body may remain awhile, after its spirit has fled. — When the fountain ceases to flow, the excavation which received and contained the water, does not suddenly disappear. The spiri- tual fig-tree is a fig-lree still, though it bear no fruit : yet ever is it accursed of God, while it brings forth nothing "but leaves only." What we mean by the consummation of the Church, must now be well understood. When the leading doctrines of the Christian relili>.) 58 THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. THE CONSUMMATION OP THE AGE. 59 others, who may be in the same false doctrines, yet in ike good of life, can receive genuine truth, for this proceeds from good and always leads to good ; these therefore are ** taken.*' Perhaps by this time our minds are prepared to understand the true explanation of that text in Matthew, which saith, "immedi- ately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.*' — (Matt. xxiv. 29.) The true spiritual import of this language is revealed by the Science of Correspondences. The natural stars are fixed and luminous bodies ; yet so far away in the deep blue vault of heaven, that they shed down upon us no warmth, and scarcely any light. Yet, little specks as they are, they are useful as beacons to guide the pilgrim through the wilderness, and the mariner across the pathless deep ; they, therefore, correspond to the knowledges of good and truth derived from the Word ; such, for example, as children or even grown people may have in their minds, who have committed some plain texts of Scripture to memory, but without understanding anything more than their literal sense. These knowl- edges of truth lie, as it were, like little stars far away in the deep blue vault of the mind, yet fixed and luminous, but without affectinof the will with the warmth of love, or the understandinof with the light of wisdom. Yet very useful are these knowl- edges. They serve as beacon-lights in our pilgrimage through the mazy wilderness of doubt, and in the n^^A^time of our voyage across the trackless ocean of life. The moon gives more light, yet no warmth. It therefore corresponds to faith in the mind, unaccom- panied by the warmth of love ; i. e., an understanding enlightened by the truth, yet wanting the love of doing as the truth requires. But the sun sheds down not only a clear light, but a vivifying heat. It therefore corresponds to the human mind, or the church, in which goodness and truth, or charity and faith are perfectly united, like the heat and light of the natural sun — as is the case with every one who has a clear understanding of what is true, united with a warm love of what is good. When used with the moon, it denotes love to the Lord ; and the moon denotes charity towards the neighbor.* When, therefore, genuine charity has departed from the church, and genuine faith, and even the knowledges of what genuine good and genuine truth are, the church has then spiritually come to its * For a complete and extended explanation of this text according to cor- respondences, see A. C. 4060, by Swedenborg. end; and this prophecy, in its spiritual sense, is fulfilled: **The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.'' Here, then, I rest the argument for the *' Consummation of the Ao-e," as denoting the spiritual end of the first Christian Church ; an argument based not upon more human reasonings, but upon the eternal and immutable testimony of the Word of God. Briefly to recapitulate the main points in the argument : 1. It is not in the order of Divine Providence that the precise manner in which a prophecy is to be fulfilled, should be under- stood before its fulfillment. Therefore, we conclude that the prophecy concerning the ** consummation of the Age'' will not be fulfilled in precisely the same manner that the Church has expected. 2. The prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Lord's first advent, and the end of the Jewish Church, were not under- stood until after their fulfillment. Therefore it is reasonable to Buppose that the prophecies in the New Testament concerning the Lord's second appearing and the "consummation of the Age" would not be understood until after their fulfillment. 3. The language which foretells the consummation of the Jew- ish Church, and describes the accompanying circumstances of that event, is similar to that found in the New Testament, where the consummation of the Age is spoken of. Therefore this latter must refer to the consummation of the first Christian Church. 4. The principle of literal interpretation, the appplication of which to many parts of Scripture, especially to Rev. xxi. 1, has led to the belief that this natural earth is to be destroyed and a new earth created, cannot be applied to the rest of this chapter in the Apocalypse, without driving us to the most absurd conclusions. Therefore we conclude that this principle is unsound, and that earth is not to be understood in its literal sense. 6. Earth and land are used in other parts of the Word evi- dently to denote the Church. Therefore in this chapter of the Apocalypse the earth must signify the Church. 6. Words which in their natural sense denote time or portions of time, as morning, night, &c., are employed in the Old Testament to denote certain states of the Church. Therefore, since AkZ^v {Age) means a full period of time, the consummation of the Age must denote a full and consummated state of the first Christian Church ; and in the gospel of Luke this state is called '"night:* 60 THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE. I leave the subject here for your reflection and further examina- tion. Judge ye whether the doctrine of the New Church on this subject, as herein presented, be estabUshed by a deceitful hand- ling of the Word of God, or by a consistent, sound and rational exegesis. If according to the latter, then we may be living in tlie time of the Lord^s second coming. For it is said that He will come upon men ** unawares," and '' as a thief," and that it shall not be known *' when the time is." And as he once stood in person among the Jews and they knew Him not, so even now, spiritual^ ly^ in the genuine truth concerning Himself and the Church un- folded in his Word — He may be in our midst at his second com- ing, and we know Him not. Therefore, let every one examine foi himself in the fear of God, and in the love of truth ; for not only **in such an hour," but, perchance, in such a maimer as we think not, the Son of Man may come. " Watch therefore ; lest coming suddenly. He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all. Watch." LECTURE III, THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. A < wieA bill hey see the Son of Man coming in the clouds." — J/arfc xiii. 26. ^ dAiD m ftiy la^; lecture, that there is a pretty general perception &,mong the enKjhv.<.vvcd and best men of our day, that '' the glory has departed from Israel" — that '* beauty has fled from the daughter of Zion." Diere is a pretty general acknowledgment that'^the church is not i^r and comely in her aspect — " beautiful as a bride adomea tor her husband." Has not Christendom, because of her unchristi&h deeds, and still more unchristian doc- trines, become the reproach and derision of the Gentiles ? Has not religion, even in Christian oountries, become, in the minds of many, alm'ost synonymous with t/lgotry, narrow-mindedness, morbid melancholy, and h}T)Ocriticai ^ant ? If it has not, then people do not think as they talk. We near it almost everywhere confessed, that the Christian church — tnt great body of those professing the religion of Christ — is unchrisiiftii ; that its heart does not throb with the love of the only Lora atrd Saviour, nor does the life of genuine charity and faith circulate warm through its veins. And among those who are determinea lo be honest, and true to their deep convictions, many in their hearts are taking up this lamenta- tion concerning Zion : -How has the gold become dim ! How is the most fine gold changed ! How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel ! " Notwithstanding all this, I am well aware, that, to most minds, the assertions, that the consummation of the Age foretold in the Evangelists has already found its fulfillment in the consummated sta'e of the first Christian Church, and that we are really living at a time which ^vitnesses the fulfillment of that other prophecy con- cerning the second appearing of the Lord upon the clouds of heaven, must sound very strange — almost like the ravings of a madman. It ;?eems very strange to most people, that so many great and learned men as there have been in the church, should so long have remained under a misapprehension as to the true import of these texts. ^^^^ 62 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. And did it not sound strange to Jewish ears, when the humble Gahlean (as the Lord appeared to them) stood up in their syna- gogue and said, ** This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears — ' The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recover- ing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord/ " While the Hebrew prophecies concerning the end of the Jewish Church and Messiah's advent, were finding their fulfillment before the eyes of that peo- ple, they did not know it ; nor were they more ready to believe it when the truth was told them, than Christians now-a-days are to believe that the prophecy concerning the Lord's second advent has found its fulfillment. In my last lecture I showed that *' the consummation of the Age," spoken of in the New Testament, denotes a consummated state of the first Christian Church ; i. e. a state of so httle genuine charity, and of such general darkness in respect to spiritual things, that it may be truly said in reference to the church, '* The sun is darkened, and the moon has withdrawn her light, and the stars have fallen from heaven ; " —in a word, that the Church has spiritually come to its end. In order, therefore, that a New Church may exist upon earth, when such a consummated state of the former Church takes place, it is necessary that there be a new revelation, or a new dis- pensation of divine truth to men. Now, we maintain, that the Church instituted by our Lord at his first advent, has spiritually come to its end ; and that a new dis- pensation of truth has been made to the world in the theoloo-ical writings of Emanuel Swedenborg ; and this revelation or new'^dis- pensation is claimed by the New Church, and is also repeatedly declared m these writings, to be what is signified by that second and glorious appearing of the Son of Man upon the clouds of heaven, foretold in the Evanorelists. o Whether this claim be suflaciently well-founded or not, is a question which it is not my province to decide for others. I would have each one settle this question for himself, by a diligent and faithful exercise of the faculties which God has given him, taking heed that he be not deceived. And I may here add, that every year, men of acute penetration, sound learning, and humble spirit, are settling this question m their own minds beyond a doubt ; — ^ settling it, too, in that way which the spirit of true religion, as well THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 6::J )i i as of sound philosophy, dictates — by honest, patient, prayerful, and thorough examination. Nor is it my purpose now, to prove that the theological writings of Swedenborg are of such a character as justly entitles them to the claim of being regarded as a fulfillment of the prophecies con- cerning the second coming of the Lord. I design only to show, that the doctrine revealed for the New Church concerning the Lord's second advent, is in strict agreement with enlight(^ned reason, and the teachings of Scripture. This doctrine is, that the prophecies referring to this event are to have not a literal but a spiritual fulfillment ; i. e. that the second appearing of the Lord is not to be in person, or in a manner agreeing with the strict letter of the text in which it is foretold ; but that it is to be in the power and glory of the spiritual sense of the Word ~ His own truth unfolded to a more interior degree, and in a more luminous manner than ever before. Is this the true doctrine concerning the second cominrr of the Lord ? is the question we are now to consider. Although different opinions have been entertained by Christians respecting the nature or manner of the second advent, I shall notice here only the one which has been most prevalent.* This is the opinion, that the prophecy concerning the Lord's second appear- ing "upon the clouds of heaven,'' was intended to have an outward and literal fulfillment ; and that, accordingly, at some future time, this material universe will be utterly destroyed — the light of the sun will be extinguished, the stars will fall from their heavenly spheres, and then the Lord will appear in person upon the natural clouds, and visible to the natural eyes of men. This, I may say, has been the general, and almost universal faith of the Christian Church upon this subject. It appears to have been the faith of the Apostles themselves. And Paul speaks as if he expected it to take place during his lifetime, or that of some of his contemporaries; for, referring to this event, he says : *' Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air " (L Thes. iv. 17). But we know that this event, according to the literal import of the language, did not take place during the days of the apostles. It is * For a faithful and elaborate examination of each of the theories on this subject, the reader is referred to an able work on " the Plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures," by Rev. S. Noble — Lect. iv. ^4 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. possible, however, that Paul may have attached a spiritual meaning to this lanooiafre as he used it. But if he did not, then it is cer- tain that he was mistaken in regard to the time of the second advent. And was he not just as liable to be mistaken in regard to the man- ner, as in regard to the time of this event ? Now — setting aside the current belief of the Christian Church on this subject for so many centuries — I see not how it is possible for any candid and reflecting man to read with attention those chapters wherein the second appearing of the Lord is foretold, without having serious doubts awakened in his mind, whether this prophecy was ever intended to be literally fulfilled. He can hardly help doubting whether the prophetic announcement immediately preceding this, respecting the extinction of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars from heaven, were intended to receive a literal accomplishment. And if he doubt whether this ought to be understood and interpreted literally, he cannot help doubting whether that which immediately follows, concerning the second appearing of the Lord upon the clouds, was designed to be under- stood accordinof to the letter. Besides, we know that the prophecies concerning the Lord's first advent, were fulfilled in a manner quite diflerent from what the Jewish church expected. So Uttle did that church understand the ti-ue meaning of their own Scriptures, that when He came who was therein prophesied of, his character and advent were so different from what they had vainly imagined, that they treated Him as an impostor — condemned and crucified Him as a malefactor. Why, then, should we not expect that the prophecy concerning the Lord's second appearing would be as much misunderstood until after that event, as were those relating to his first advent ? Judging from the past, it were reasonable to suppose that, when He makes his second appearance, it would be in some manner different from the general expectation of the Christian Church — so dilBferent, indeed, that He would not at first be generally known or acknowledged ; nay, that He would be rejected, mocked, and spit upon by Chris- tians, as at his first advent He was by Jews. Then, in the chapters containing the prophecy in question, we are commanded by the Lord himself to '' watch," lest we be de- ceived. " For there shall arise," He says, '• false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders ; insomuch, that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matt, xxiv, 24.) And again: "Take heed that no man deceive you: for THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 55 Z^e maty." ""' " ""^ '^"' '"^"^' ^ ^ "^^"^^ ' ^"^ '^^^ de- Now, if our Saviour had intended the prophecy concerning his second commg to be understood and fulfilled according to the ftri import of the letter, what possible need were there of^," 'ri Wn d. "^"To i"^ ^'""'"'^ • ^" "'"' *=^^^' ^'^^ ^-^'^ -nen have been deceived ? How were it possible for impostors to practice the.r arts of deception ? For, who could ascend upon the natu al c ouds and invest himself with a brilliant halo, and' hu app ^ a the Lord commg in His glory? This, surely, is not in thf'pow of any mortal. Is .t not plain, then, that the Lord never intended to teach m this prophecy that his second coming is to he in person and upon the natural clouds ? For, had this bee°n His meaninTHe' certamly would not have counseled men to take heed lest th^; be deceived. It were not possible for ''false Christs " to appear in this manner ; and hence, there were no opportunity for deception to be practiced upon any one. -^ i i^ " It is, therefore, manifest that the Lord never intended His sec- ond advent to be m a form addressed to the outward corporeal vi- W.. o! *° *' T °' *'' ™"'-'° *^ understanding and the hearts of men ; for, upon no other hypothesis are we able to see how false Christs could appear, "and deceive many " But in respect to the things which are addressed to the human understanding, we know that men are liable to be deceived. Wc know that they often have been deceived. We know that falsehood sometunes robes itself in the guise of truth. We know that there have been many religious impostors and fanatics - many preUnd- ers to divme revelations, and many teachers of false doctrines mce the time of the Lord's first advent ; and not a few innocent- minded persons have been deceived and misled by them. And thus have been fulfilled these words of the Lord : " For false Chnsts and false prophets shall arise, and shall show sio-ns and wonders, to seduce, if possible, even the elect." '^ The Lord's caution, therefore, to take heed lest we be deceived in regard to his second appearing, may be taken as proof positive that this advent of Himself is not to be in a form addressed to the otau,ard but to the inward sense -to the mind; for, in respect to the things addressed to our understanding, we are liable lo be de- ceived. Hence the reason of the command to " watch " and "take heed lest we accept false Christs for the true one. And we rvaicA, not when we ignorantly oppose and blindly reject whatever i 66 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 67 assumes to be a new revelation ; but when we faithfully exercise the rational powers that God has given us, in examining and judging the merits of that which claims to be an authorized reve- lation of heavenly truth. Unless we do tkzis watch, we are in danger, on the one hand, of accepting the wildest ravings of fa- naticism for the veritable teachings of the Word of God ; or, on the other, of rejecting the Truth Itself, whenever it may please God to reveal it. It deserves also to be remarked in this connection, that there have been many excellent and eminent men in the church, who have beheved that more hght is yet to break forth out of the Sa- cred Volume — that there is to be some further revelation, to assist the Christian world in rightly understanding the Holy Scripture. And not a few have believed that such a revelation would accom- pany, or immediately precede, the second coming of the Lord. It was the expectation of the primitive church, that, before the sec- ond coming, some precursor would appear — some divinely author- ized expounder of the Scripture, especially the prophetical parts ; and a similar expectation has been encouraged by writers of more recent date. Thus, Dr. Burnett, in his Sacred Theory of tlie Earth, remarks : "Put some divine person may appear before the second coming of our Saviour, as these [Eiias and John the Baptist] did before His first coming ; and, by giving a new light and life to the Christian doctrine, may dissipate the mists of error, and abolish all those lit- tle (] ) controversies amongst good men, and the divisions and ani- mosities that spring from them; enlarging their spirits by greater discoveries, and uniting them all in the bonds of love and charity.'* — Vol. 2, p. 52. Mr. Benson, in his Hulsean Lectures, says : " Darkness is upon the face of the prophetic creation, and the spirit of God must move, ere it can be broken and dispersed ; and we must either wait for some inspired interpreter to unravel its intri- cacy, or sit down in contented expectation for that period of bles- sedness, in which the difficulties of Christianity shall be swallowed up in the glory of the second coming of the Lord, as the seeming inconsistencies of the Jewish scheme were illuminated by the bright- ness of His first." — p. 138. Mr. Pearson, in his Prophetical Character of the Apocalypse, remarks : i I r " From considering the peculiar character of these prophecies, we may derive reasonable ground for believing that God would vouchsafe some future revelation of His will, in which the indistinct parts of them would be more completely cleared up." — p. 32- Mr. Myers, in his Introduction to the ** Conciones Basilicae," says : " What we desire is, a Newtonian theory of prophecy, which shall explain them all. And why should we not look forward to some theological Newton, who may be permitted to throw the light o^ chastened reason on the firmament of prophecy, and be hailed as a divinely sent teacher of the church in the mysteries of the future? Surely, one chief means of disciplining the mind, and preparing the way for such an expounder of holy things, is a strong conviction that, on the whole, previous expounders have failed.''^ — p. 15. Professor Gaussen, a distinguished German writer and theolo- gian, looking forward with joyful anticipations to the second cominf>- of the Lord, as to an event which would be accompanied by a bet- ter understanding of the Sacred Volume, remarks : "As it happens in the long-concealed depths of those crystalline caverns into which torches are carried, the rising of the day of Je- sus Christ, inundating all things in its glory, will penetrate all the Scriptures with its light, and there revealing to us on every side diamonds never before perceived, will make them blaze resplendent with a thousand fires. Then the beauty, the wisdom, the propor- tion, and the harmony of all their revelations will be manifest. The history of the past should make us already anticipate that of the future ; and we can judge by facts already accomplished, of the splendor of the light which is to be poured for us upon the Scriptures, at the second coming of Christ." — Theopneusty, p. 337. Boston Edition. And I might cite numerous pages from different theological writ- ers, of similar purport. And in all these extracts we discover a pretty plain foreshadowing of the truth. They prove conclusive- ly, that some such divinely authorized interpreter of the Scripture as the herald of the New Jerusalem claims to be, has not been wholly unlooked for by the men of the first Christian Church. They show us that there have been those who have not only felt the need of a new revelation, but who have confidently looked for ic, and believed that it would be granted; — a revelation which would unlock the Divine Oracles, and pour new light and beauty on the sacred page ; and that this revelation would be intimately connected with the second coming of the Lord. 68 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 69 Now Swedenborg says that the second coming of the Lord " is not a coming in person^ but in the Word which is from Him, and is Himself. '"^ [T. C. R., 776.] He also teaches that the Word contains everywhere a spiritual sense, which is to the sense of the . letter what the soul of man is to the body. Consequently this spiritual senee is the real Word, as the soul or spirit is the real man. The literal sense, considered by itself apart from the spirit- ual, is not the Word, as the body of a man when the spirit has departed from it is not the man. Accordingly Swedenborg fur- ther says, that ** the spiritual sense is the essential Word." There- fore the unfolding and revealing of this spiritual sense would be ? comino" of the true and essential Word to the minds of men. Fo; men would then have a right understanding of the Word ; ant^ not before we understand it aright, can the real Word be said tr have come to us. It is to us a false Word, so long as we misun derstand and misinterpret its meaning. And the endless contro- versies that have been carried on in the church, and the endless variety of opinions that have been and still exist among biblic^> scholars, in regard to the meaning of the Divine Word, combine tc show that it must be misunderstood and misinterpreted by a large portion of Christendom at least ; for where there are a numbej of conflicting expositions, they certainly cannot all — cannot more than one — be right. They may, however, all be wrong. Ye^ all who read the Word reverently, under the influence of the spirii of truth, receive therefrom, by influx, so much of its spiritual sens<> as makes it to them the Word of Life. In the texts which speak of the second coming of the Lord, Hf» is called the Son of Man ; and it is said that He would be see? ** coming upon the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." ^ Now according to Swedenborg, this prophecy finds its fulfillment in the unfolding and revealing of the spiritual sense of the SacreJ Scripture, which is a coming of the real and essential Word to the imderstandings and hearts of those who are prepared to receive it The Son of Man, he says, denotes the Lord in respect to tht Word, or the divine Truth, which is from Him and is Himself. The douch denote the literal sense of the Word, in which the gen- uine truth lies more or less obscured. They are called the dou(h of heaven, because heavenly things— all good and true princi- ples — all that makes the life and delight of heaven — dwell within or underneath the letter. Consequently, the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, denotes the coming to human minds thus to the church — of that higher and purer form of truth, which has hitherto been concealed as it were in a cloud. In other words, it denotes the unfolding and revealing of the spiritual sense of the Word through the obscurity or dowd of the letter. And because, in the internal sense of the Word, truth is of a more clear, con- sistent, and luminous character, and consequently is more power- ful and efi'ective in its regenerating mfluence (for the more clearly any truth is seen the more it afl'ects us), therefore this coming is said to be " with power and great glory." This is a summary exposition of the prophecy, according to Swedenborg's exegesis. Is this the true interpretation of the text ? In other words, is it one which is supported and confirmed by the Scripture itself? We appeal "to the law and to the testimony." First, then, it appears evident from the repeated declarations of this faithful and true Witness, that the Lord is the Word, or Divine Truth. In the gospel of John it is written : *' In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him [i. e., in the Word] was life ; and the life was the li<.ht of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. [This] was the True Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." [i. 1, 4, 59.] It is also said that this Word, or Light, *' was in the world, and the world knew Him not;" that '* He became flesh and dwelt among men," &c. Now we learn from this, that God, who came into this natural world in a personal form, and manifested Himself to men as the Lord Jesus Christ, is The Word ; and also that He, or the Word, is the lioht of all men, yet shining in darkness. And that natural light and darkness are not here referred to, but spiritual, i. e. the light of truth which illustrates, and the darkness of error which obscures the human understanding, must be obvious to every one. In another passage of John's gospel it is written, that Jesus said : "As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." (ix. 5.) And again, when the people inquired : " Who is this Son of Man ? " the Lord's answer was : " Yet a Uttle while is the Light with you. Walk while ye have the Light, lest dark- ness come upon you : for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light** Here we have the testimony of the Lord Himself, that the Son 70 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 71 of Man is the Light ; by which is evidently meant not natural but spiritual light, or Divine Truth. Again : It is recorded in the same gospel, that Jesus saith : "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him ; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (xii. 46, 48.) Again we read : "And Jesus said, for judgment I am come into this world, that they who see not might see, and that they who see might be made bUnd." (ix. 39.) Now, from one of these passages we learn that the Lord Him- self came for judgment ; and in the other it is said that His Word shall judge men. The unavoidable inference, therefore, is, that the Lord is the Word, or the Divine Tnith itself. It is said also in other places, that the Lord " came down from heaven," (John vi. 38) ; that, " He who cometh from above is above all," &c. (iii. 31). And when the people, on one occasion, told Jesus that '* bread from heaven," or "manna," was given to their fathers to eat in the desert, and asked Him, "What sign showest tk(m then, that we may see and believe thee ? What dost thou work ?"*' He saith to them in reply: " I am the Hving bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall hve forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drink- eth my blood, hath eternal Ufe ; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. This is that bread which came down from heaven : not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead : he that eateth of this bread shall hve forever." (vi. 51—59.) But the Jews, un- derstanding these words of the Lord m their strictly hteral sense, "strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat ? " And even the disciples, " when they heard it, said, This is an hard saying ; who can hear it ? " Then the Lord tells them, by way of explanation, " It is the Spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words thai I speak unto you are spirit ojid are lifer (v. 63.) Here, then, is divine testimony that the Lord's words are spirit and life ; and further, that they are what is signified by the t ilesh and blood of the Son of Man, and also by the living bread which came down from heaven, which the Lord declares to be Himself. . , But there are other texts which aflFord incontrovertible evidence that the Son of Man so often mentioned in the New Testament, signifies the Word, or the Lord Himself in respect to the principle of Divine Truth. We all know that Divine Truth is not, and from its very nature cannot be, confined to time or place. In itself considered, it is the same now that it always has been, and always will be -the same with the angels in heaven as with men on earth. It differs in dif- ferent individuals, it is true, on account of the difference m theu- moral quality or state of reception ; for it is well known that the same truth, falling into different minds, will receive a different com- plexion, corresponding to the difference hi the form or quahty of those minds. But, absolutely considered, Divine Truth is un- changeable ; the same in heaven and on earth ; the same yester- dav, to-day and forever. Now we read in the gospel of John, that " No »an hath as- cended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, ev'en the Son of Man who is in heaven." (iii. 13.) These are the Lord's own words, while he was upon earth. And can it, therefore be supposed that the Son of Man here signifies that natura or material person, which the Lord derived from the mother Mary ' Certainly not ; for in respect to that. He had not previ- ously been in heaven, and, of course, could not have come down from heaven. Neither could it be said of Him in this natura sense, that He was in heaven while pronouncing these words But if we understand the Divine Truth to be here signified by the Son of Man, the interpretation of the passage becomes easy and mtelh- ffible • for Truth, as we have remarked, is not controlled by L limitations of time or space. It is the rule of life for angels and men, and is, therefore, at the same time m heaven and on A<^ain • The Son of Man is frequently spoken of in the Evange- lists °as coming to judge the world. To cite but a single passage of this kind ; " The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all iudcment unto the Son ; and hath also given him authority to execute" judgment, because he is the Son of Man." (John v. 22, 27.) But in the same gospel the Lord says : " He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him ; the Word that 72 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. I have spoken, the same shall judge him in tire last day/' (John xii. 48.) Can anything be more demonstrative than this? It is said in chapter 5th, and often elsewhere, that the Son of Man shall judge the world ; and here the Lord declares that it is His Word which shall judge men. Whence we conclude that the Son of Man is the Word, or the Divine Truth, and signifies this when used in Scripture. Indeed, this is distinctly affirmed by the Lord Him- self in one passage, where He says: **I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.*' (John xiv. 6.) I cannot leave this part of the subject without directing the attention of the reader to one other text, which is found in Reve- lation xix. It is this : ** I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse ; and He that sat on him is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth He judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. And He had a name written which no man knew but He Himself ; and He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood ; and His name is called The Word of God.'' K'ow it is a fact, which may seem a little remarkable to those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word, that, in every passage where the Lord's second coming is spoken of, except this in the Revelation, He is called the Son of Man ; and in this pas- sage. He whom the Revelator saw sitting upon a white horse, and followed by the armies of heaven, is called The Word of God. According to the Science of Correspondences, which will be ex- plained in a future lecture, to sit or ride upon a white horse, when predicated of the Lord, signifies to illustrate the minds of men, or to impart imto them a clear understanding of the truth. This is done by means of the Word in its spiritual sense, which is now unfold- ed, and is what is signified by heaven being opened. " By heaven being seen open," says Swedenborg, " is signified a revelation from the Lord, and consequent manifestation, as will be seen presently ; by a horse is meant the understanding of the Word, and by a white horse the interior understanding or meaning of the Word ; and as this is signified by a white horse, and as tlie spirit- ual sense is the interior meaning of the Word, therefore, that sense is hereby sicrnified by a white horse. The reason why this is the coming of the Lord, is, because by that sense it manifestly appears that the Lord is the Word, and that the Word treats of Him alone, and that He is the God of heaven and earth, and that from Him alone the New Church has its existence. Every one who does not think beyond the sense of Ihe letter, believes that, when the last THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 73 judgment shall come to pass, the Lord will appear in the clouds of heaven, with the angels and a sound of trumpets ; still, that this is not meant, but that He will appear in the Word, may be seen in the explanation above, n. 24, 692 ; and the Lord appears manifestly in the spiritual sense of the Word ; from that sense, indeed, it is discovered not only that He is the Word, i. e., Divine Truth itself, but that He is the inmost of the Word, and thence the all thereof, and also that He is the one God, in whom there is a trinity, con- sequently the only God of heaven and earth ; and, moreover, that He came into the world to glorify his humanity, i. e.y to make it divine." (A. R. 820.) The Son of Man, then, is used in the New Testament to denote the Lord in respect to the Word, or Divine Truth. But the true meanino- of the Word lies not in the literal but in the spiritual sense. Consequently a second coming of the Son of Man would signify a coming of this spiritual sense to the understandings and hearts of men ; or a more luminous exhibition of Divine Truth to the church, than what appears in the literal sense of Scripture. It would sio-nify a clearer and fuller unfolding of God's Truth, than was vouchsafed to the first Christian Church. A revelation, therefore, of the spiritual sense of the Word, and of the great, fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion, which have been misunderstood m the church — such a revelation, indeed, as the one made through Swedenborg claims to be, would, according to the testimony of the Bible, be a real coming of the real Son of Man. But it is said in the Evangelists that the Son of Man will be seen coming in the clouds, or in the clouds of heaven. And in the Revelation — a book, which, in its spiritual sense, treats of the con- summation of the first Christian Church, and of the Lord's second advent to establish a New Church, called the New Jerusalem — we read: ** Behold, He cometh with clouds.'' (i. 7.) And again, in another chapter of the same book: **And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud sat one like unto the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth ; and the earth was reaped." (xiv. 14, 16.) Now if any one affirm that the second coming of the Lord is to be in person, and upon the natural clouds, and if he maintain this position upon the ground that the Sacred Scripture, in its obvious and literal sense, so teaches, then it may also be maintained, upon the authority of this same witness, that He will come as a literal reaper, with a sharp sickle in His hand, which he will thrust into the ripe harvest of the earth. 74 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. and lUeraUy reap ; or, as is said in a following verse, ''gather th^ clusters of the vine of the earth." For the Sacred Scripture does as really teach the one as the other. But, rightly interpreted, it teaches neither ; however it may appear, to the apprehension of natural men, to teach both. We will now endeavor to ascertain the true Scripture meaning of this word clouds ; and then we shall see why the Lord's second advent is said to be in or upon the clouds — sometimes the clouds of heaven. If the Son of Man is to be understood spiritually, as denoting the Lord in respect to the divine truth which proceeds from Him and is Himself, then it is manifest that clouds must also have a spiritual meaning; for Divine Truth, surely, could not come upon the Hteral clouds in our atmosphere. What then are we to understand by clouds in this passage ? According to Swedenborg the term clouds is employed to denote, in correspondential language, the Ht- eral sense of the Word, whereby the spiritual sense, or the genuine truth, is more or less obscured ; consequently the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds, denotes the manifestation to human minds of the spiritual sense of the Word in or upon the clouds of the letter. They are called in Matthew, the clouds of heaven, because within or underneath them is concealed the bright light of heaven's own Sun — those pure laws of heavenly order and hfe, which men, in their natural state, are not prepared to understand or obey. It is in mercy to man, therefore, that the Lord has veiled in clouds the genuine truth of his Word. How far is this signification of clouds supported by reason and Scripture ? Let us see. In familiar discourse, nothing is more common than to hear people say of a subject which is yet unintelligible to them, that it is misty, cloudy, or enveloped in a cloud. This is often said of the WTitings of Swedenborg, by persons who are but ill-informed of their real character, or who have not studied them sufficiently to comprehend their meaning. But when the truth breaks in upon the mind, and the subject not well understood before becomes clear and intelligible, then it is said that the mist is blown away, or the cloud that hung around it has disappeared. Now the obscurity or cloudiness of a subject may arise from one of two causes ; either from the impropriety of the language — the unsuitableness of the terms employed by the speaker or writer, or from our own imper- fect knowedge of the language, and ignorance of the true meaning * THE SECOND COMINO OF THE LORD. O of the terms made use of. Thus the cloud may either be in the mind— in tlie ignorance of the other person, who has failed to clotlie liis subject in appropriate language, or it may be in ourselves —in our own ignorance of the proper meaning of his language. If our difficulty in understanding the subject arise from the former of these two causes, then it can be removed and the subject be made clear to our minds, only by some further explanation, or by the use of different and more appropriate terms. But if its obscurity arise from the latter cause, then, since the cloud is within ourselves, it will disappear when our ignorance shall have disappeared, or when we shall have learned the meaning of the terms employed. Then the very words, which before were meaningless, and, like a dense cloud, concealed from our minds the truth in relation to the subject which they were employed to elucidate, become significant and full of meaning. Then these very words are luminous, and the truth appears in or upon the clouds. Now if we will carry to the Word the consideration here pre- sented, we shall be able to see that the cloud, or the whole cause of its obscurity and unintelligibleness, lies within ourselves - in our icmorance of the style in which the Word is composed, and of the t^e meaning of the language there employed. That the lan- jnia-re of the Word is without imperfection, and perfectly appropriate to the subjects treated of, is evident from the wisdom and perfection of its Author. When men shall have learned the true meaning of this language, and thus shall have removed the cloud of ignorance from their own minds, then even the letter of the Word, which before appeared so cloudy and dark, will be bright and lummous with the truth that beams within. Then will appear the Son ot Man in the clouds of heaven. . We see, then, that the familiar language of men furnishes pre- sumptive evidence at least, in favor of the spiritual signification of douds as given in the writings of Swedenborg. Turn now to the testimony of Scripture. We know that Jehovah is often spoken of in the Sacred Volume as being encompassed with clouds, as dwelling in clouds, as riding upon the clouds, &c. Thus it is written in Psalms: " Smg unto God, sing praises to his name, extol Him that rideth upon the clouds* by his name Jah, and rejoice before Him." (Ixvm. i.) . This word, ninny {gneraboth,) which, In our common English version. Is rendered AraBer,., properly Bignifies the evening, ; i. e. something respectively dark or obscure. 76 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 77 ^Vgain, in Isaiah : "Behold Jehovah rideth npon a cloud swiftly/' (xix. 1.) And in Deut. : "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun who rideth in the heavens, and in liis magnificence upon the clouds."* (xxxiii. 26.) And in Psalms, it is said, " Jehovah maketh the clouds Ids chariot." (civ. 3.) Now do such passages as these convey, I will not say a rational, but an intelligible idea, if clouds be understood literally, as referring to the watery particles in our atmosphere ? Certainly not. But if they be understood to denote the literal sense of the Word, then the meaning of these texts is plain. For since the spiritual sense of the Word — the sense in which the angels understand it — is magnificent in comparison with its hteral sense, and since the spir- itual sense rests upon the literal with which it also corresponds, and through the medium of which genuine truth is conveyed to human minds, therefore it is said in Deuteronomy, that God rideth " in his magnificence upon the clouds." To ride, when predicated of the Lord, signifies to enhghten the human mind. And to ride upon the clouds Avould therefore signify to enlighten the mind by means of spiritual truth, communicated through the medium of the literal sense of the W^ord. Hence also may be seen what is signified by Jehovah making i\iQ clouds his chariot — which would be wholly unintelligible wnthout the spiritual sense. The literal sense of the Sacred Volume is the vehicle for conveying to our minds things celestial and divine — the love and wisdom of God. Hence the cloud of the letter becomes most truly the chariot of Jehovah. Again in Lamentations ; " How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his an^er, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel!" ( ii. 1.) Israel and the daughter of Zion evidently signify the Church. And when the beauty of Israel is cast down to the earth, i. e., when the Church is immersed in falses and evils, then it does not see the spiritual sense of the Word, nor acknowledge that there is any such sense ; and by resting wholly in the sense of the letter, it remains in compartive darkness as if under a thick cloud. Thus it is that " the Lord covers the daughter of Zion with a cloud." So also in Joel, where the coming of the Lord and the end of the former Church are treated of, it is said that it shall be " a day il^ * This is the true meaning of the Hebrew word Q'pni^ (shehaqim), whic U translated shj in our common version. Indeed, the same word is translate clouds in other places, as in Psalms xx.wi. 5, cviii. 4. h lated I of clouds and of thick darkness." ( ii. 2.) No one can suppose that natural clouds and darkness are here meant : but this lam^ua^-e is used in reference to the state of the Jewish Church at the time of the Lord's advent. By day is denoted state. And the state of that Church was indeed one *' of clouds and thick darkness," for it was immersed in gross falses which darken the understanding, but which it had, nevertheless, confirmed by some appearances of truth in the letter of the Word. Take another text from Psalms ; *' God's strength is in the clouds." ( Ixviii. 34.) What intelligible idea can be derived from these words, if clouds be understood hterally, as denoting the vapor that floats in our atmosphere ? None whatever. But in the wri- tings of Swedenborg we are shown that Divine Truth in the letter of the Word is in its ultimate and fullest form — hence in its strength. The Word of God in its hteral sense is brought down and accommodated to the lowest states of men in the natural world; and it must be first obeyed in this lowest or literal sense ; other- wise the Lord can have no power to remove our evils. For example, take the precept " Thou shalt not steal." This has a spiritual as well as a literal sense. But until man keeps this precept literally, the Lord cannot remove from his mind the evil which is condemned by its spiritual sense. Moreover by means of the literal sense. Divine Truth can descend to men and affect them in their lowest states. Through this medium the Lord hath power or '' strength " to reach and save, if they are willing to be saved, even the worst of men. Thus He hath all power on earth as well as in heaven. Hence we may see why it is said that '' God's strength is in the clouds." But Divine Truth cannot descend lower than the state of the natural man, nor than the literal sense of the Word, which is adapt- ed to his state. It terminates in the literal sense, and rests upon it like a house upon its foundation. Accordingly it is said in Psalms, *' For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy Truth [ reachcth] unto the clouds." ( cviii. 4.) Now would it not be absurd to speak of Divine Truth extending to the natural clouds ? But by means of the immutable law of correspondence, it does reach even to the letter of the Word, which is the spiritual import of clouds. Then again we find, that, on various important occasions, when truths of an exalted character were to be announced, the revelation, accord in o^ to the Sacred Record, was made from the clouds. And 78 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. 79 this was done to represent, as it does by correspondence, the man- ner in which all divine truth is communicated to man. It is uttered from the clouds. The Lord, who is the inmost, soul and hfe of all Scripture — the very Truth Itself — addresses man through the medium of the literal sense of the Word, thus from the clouds. Hence when the Decalogue was given on mount Sinai, we read that *' the Lord said to Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud:' And so "it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount.*' ( Ex. xix. 9, 25.) Now if we regard the thick cloud here mentioned as the symbol of the Word in its literal sense, from, or through the medium of which the Lord comes and communicates to our minds pure spiritual truth, how beautiful and expressive does the language become. Ao-ain : when Moses was called up into the mount to receive the tables of the law, it is written that *' a cloud covered the mount. And the o-lory of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days : and the seventh day He called imto Moses out of the midst of the cloud:' (Ex. xxiv. 15, 16.) Again: when the children of Israel were journeying through the wilderness, we are told that ** Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way." ( Ex. xiii. 21.) By these words, in their spiritual sense, is denoted the comparative cloudi- ness or obscurity of truth, previous to our regeneration, or while the Lord is leading us through the spiritual wilderness, and con- ducting us to that heavenly state of mind which is denoted by Canaan. He does not permit his truth to shine upon us with noon- day splendor, for He sees that we could not bear it. It would reveal such a mountain of evil within us, that we should be dis- heartened and crushed beneath the weight. He, therefore, mercifully tempers his truth to our state — veils and softens its eflPulgence with a cloud. And throughout our regeneration we must look con- tinually to Him in the cloud. We must keep the Lord as mani- fested in the flesh, or his truth as revealed through the letter of Scripture, continually before us. Thus the literal sense of the Word, irradiated by the genuine Divine Truth within, is the ^Ular of cloud by day in which the Lord goeth before to lead us on our heavenly way. These passages may suffice to show us, not only that clo^ids are used in a symbolic or spiritual sense in the Scripture, but that the spiritual meaning of the term must be what Swedenborg has de- \ \ r clared. And if this be well estabUshed, it is clear that the nature of the Lord's second advent can be jione other than that taught in the writings of the New Church. The argument presented in this lectui'e is brief and simple. Summarily stated it is this : 1. The repeated command of the Lord himself to ** Watch" lest we be deceived in regard to his second advent — lest we mis- take some false Christ for the true one — is proof positive that the general belief of Christians in regard to the manner of His second appearing cannot be correct ; because no impostor could simulate this kind of advent, and consequently no one would be in danger of being ** deceived." 2. There have been great and good men in every age of the Church, who have believed that some further revelation, similar to that alledged to have been made through Swedenborg, would be vouchsafed to the Christian world, to help us to a right understand- ing of the Sacred Scripture ; and that this revelation would be in- timately connected in some way with the second coming of the Lord. 3. The Son of Man is evidently used in the New Testament to denote the Lord in respect to the Divine Truth, which is Himself. And wherever the Lord's second coming is spoken of. He is called the Son of Man, except in Revelation xix. 13, where " His name is called the Word of God." From this we infer that the predicted second coming of the Lord is not to be a personal but a spiritual commcy : a coming to His church of a better understanding of the Word — a coming of its genuine spiritual meanmg. 4. It is manifest from many texts of Scripture that clouds, when mentioned therein, are not to be understood in their literal sense, but as denoting the apparent truths in the letter of the Word ; which letter softens, tempers, and veils the resplendent truth of the internal or spiritual sense, as natural clouds do the light of the sun. And this is why the Lord's coming is said to be in the clouds of heaven. Such is the doctrine of the New Church concerning the Lord's second appearing, and such is some of the testimony on which it rests. A doctrine at once beautiful, intelligible, rational, scriptural, and in harmony with all we know of the order of Providence, and of the operations of the Divine Love. It is a coming of the Lord to human minds in the power and glory of His own Divine Truth ; 80 THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD. SO that man, by means of greater light, may attain to liighcr de- grees of purity and love, and to a more intimate consociation with the angels, and conjunction with the Lord. It is such a coming as to reveal, in an eminent degree, the love, and wisdom, and glory of God. Sublimely beautiful and interesting is this second appearing of the Son of Man ! Powerful and glorious are the truths of the in- ternal sense of the Word now revealed ! For they show us that the Lord's words are indeed spirit and life ; that the Sacred Scrip- ture is not dead, but hath a livmg Divine Soul, and, when rightly understood, is in perfect agreement with itself, with enlightened reason, and with all true science. This spiritual sense or soul of the Divine Word is the hfe and soul of all true knowledge ; — the great Sun at th« centre of the intellectual and moral world, from which all enduring systems of government, philosophy, morals, and religion, must receive their light and warmth, and according to whose guiding wisdom they must proceed, if they contmue to re- volve. It comes, too — this glorious truth — with mighty power ; with power to save men's souls from the dominion of evil loves and false persuasions ; with power to renovate the desert church, and make her rejoice and blossom as the rose. Already the moun- tain mists are beginning to dissolve and disappear before the rising Sun. Already have science, philosophy, government, art, felt the power of the second coming : and more and more are the healing influences of the New Dispensation to be seen and felt in the spiritual renovation of the church. Well, then, may *' the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say. Come. And let him that is athirst, Come. And whosoever will, let him take water of life freely. He that testifieth these things saith. Surely I come quickly ; Amen. Even so : come. Lord Jesus." LECTURE IV. THE SACRED SCRIPTURE — NECESSITT OF ADMITTING A SPIRITUAL SENSE. "A book written within and on the backside - aealed with seven seals."- JZer. t. i. In the last lecture I presented the doctrine of the New Church concerning the Lord's second coming, and some of the evi- dence that goes to support it. And I think it must be ob- vious, from the testimony adduced, that this coming, according to the Sacred Oracles themselves, is not to be in person, nor on the natural clouds, but in the power and great glory of the spiritual sense of the Divine Word. I think it has been made evi- dent that clmds, when mentioned in the Scripture, do not signify the watery particles in our atmosphere, but the apparent truths in the literal sense of the Word ; which truths, to the understandmg of the natural man, obscure the light of the spiritual sense, as natural clouds obscure the brightness of the sun. Hence the rea- son why it is said, that - clouds are round about Jehovah," and that '* upon all the glory there shall be a covering." And hence the comino- of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, denotes a more clelr and luminons exhibition of Divine Truth ; or a revelation of the internal sense of the Word through the clouds of the letter But some, perhaps, are ready to ask, Why should there have been any cloud about the Holy Oracles ? Why did the Lord place this covering upon the internal glory of His Word ? Why was it 1 1 noL composed in such a manner that the genuine truth could be readily perceived by every one ? And why, /would ask, was not this natural world so constituted, that a child or an ignorant savage, might comprehend its inteiior structure and understand all its laws, at a glance of the eye ? Why do so many things in the universe around us appear different from what they really are ? Why does not a flash of lightning re- veal to every beholder the nature and laws of the electric fluid? Or those flickering pencils of hght that dance in our northern sky, why do they not proclaim the cause of the aurora borealis ? Why 82 THE SACRED SCRIPTURE. does the color of trees and flowers appear to be one of their own inherent properties, when in reaUty all their color belongs to the sun ? Why do the sun, moon, and stars appear to rise and go round our earth once in twenty-four hours, when in reality they do not ? Why should the God of nature delude His intelligent creatures with such fallacies, and so often suffer the appearance of things to contradict the reality ? Answer me these questions, and I will tell you why there is a cloud or covering upon all the glory of God's Word ; for He who gave the Word, made and governs the world also ; and the same laws of order therefore, which ap- pertain to the one, belong also to the other. Many things in the Word appear diflPerent from what they really are, just as they do in the volume of nature. And this obvious answer to the ques- tion why there exist such fallacies in nature — viz : that it is ac- cording to divine order, because the world could not have been constituted otherwise than it is, and be Goo's world, is the ri