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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

1944

EMERSON wrote : " Swedenborg, of all men in the
recent ages, stands eminently for the translator of nature
into thought."

:manuel Swedenborg
His Life, Teachings, and Influence
BY
GEORGE TROBRIDGE

^ '

•I ..»

V M

i

EMANUEL SWEDENBORQ
(Prom an original Oil Painting)

LONDON
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HEAVEN AND HELL
THINGS HEARD AND SEEN
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AND NEW YORK

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

HIS LIFE, TEACHINGS
AND INFLUENCE

15 Y
GEORGE TROBRIDGE
Author of " The Letter and the Spirit,'^ " The Foundations of Philosophy,'"
' ' Swedenborg and Modern Thought, " etc.

SECOND EDITION REVISED

" Swedenborg, of all men in the recent ages, stands eminently for thc translator of nature
into thought." — Emerson

LONDON
FREDERICK WARNE & COMPANY
AND NEW YORK ¦

Mhz^3 T14-I

CONTENTS

Preface . . ...
CHAPTER I. Religion in the Eighteenth Century
II. Swedenborg's Ancestry and Early Life
III. Scientific Studies and Practical Undertakings
IV. Swedenborg the Philosopher .
V. Later Philosophical Works
VI. Between Two Worlds
VII. Seer and Theologian
VIII. Theological Teachings
IX. Spiritual Philosophy
X. Expository Works
XI. " Things Heard and Seen "
XII. Reception of Teachings
XIII. Swedenborg's Science .
XIV. Swedenborg as Politician
XV. Personal Characteristics
XVI. Signs of Seership
XVII. Testimonies
Appendix. Swedenborg and his Gardener Folks

page
vii

5
14
22 30 39 48
55
61
68 7788 95
104no
118 127136

PREFACE
An increasing interest in the teachings of Swedenborg is indicated by the
sale, within the past two years, of some forty thousand copies of the six
penny editions of three of his works,^ issued by the publishers of the present
volume. Many readers of these will probably be curious to know something
of the man himself ; so it has been thought well to follow the books above
referred to with an account of his life, in a similar handy form.
There are several biographies of Swedenborg extant, but these are not
always accessible to the general reader. Moreover, it is many years since
the last appeared in this country, and in the interval a considerable
amount of new material has been brought to light. In the years 1875-77,
Dr R. L. Tafel's very important Documents concerning Swedenborg ^ were
given to the world ; a collection embracing every procurable item of authentic
information, gathered with indefatigable industry in Sweden, England,
Germany, America, and other countries. It is a truly monumental work,
and has been largely utilised by the present writer. It is not only a mine
of origina] information, but provides the means of correcting many current
misconceptions concerning this remarkable man.
To give an adequate account of Swedenborg's life and teachings in so
limited a space is manifestly impossible. As man of science, engineer,
politician, philosopher, moraUst, seer, and theologian, he presents so many
aspects, that a single volume can offer little more than an outline sketch of
his career. The interested reader can fill in the outline himself from the
great mass of material which is at his service. Only as he does so will he
be able to form a just judgment of the man ; for as Locke says : "He that
judges without informing himself to the utmost that he is capable, cannot
acquit himself of judging amiss." The majority of critics of Swedenborg
do not trouble to thus inform themselves ; hence the caricatures that are
often presented as likenesses.
The present biography differs from former ones in this respect, that more
particulars are given of Swedenborg's early Ufe, his travels, personal char-
1 Heaven and Hell, The Divine Providence, and God, Creation, Man.
^ Three volumes, The Swedenborg Society, i Bloomsbury Street. London, W.C.
vii

viu PREFACE

acteristics, and political activities. The aim has been to present a portrait
of the whole man, and not to dwell too exclusively on one aspect of his life's
work. By most persons Swedenborg is regarded as a dreamy mystic, instead
of the real, live, practical man that he actually was. This little sketch may
help to remove that impression.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
In revising this work for re-printing, opportunity has been taken to make
some slight alterations in the text, and to correct a few unimportant errors
and oversights as to matters of fact, which have been brought to the author's
notice.

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

CHAPTER I
RELIGION IN THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY
There are those who profess to
beheve in a gradual evolution of
political, social, and religious life,
which places each successive genera
tion on a higher platform than its
predecessors. The present inherits
the accumulated wisdom of the past ;
the living have the advantage of
studying the faults and failures of
their forefathers ; while knowledge
is ever growing wider, and moral
forces are visibly augmenting. So,
at least, it seems in our time, and
some are disposed to conclude that
it always must have been so : but
history does not support the con
clusion. The eighteenth century was
not morally superior to the seven
teenth nor intellectually to the six
teenth ; the art and hterature of the
Romans were immeasurably inferior
to those of the Greeks upon which
they were founded ; and, in our own
country, the later Gothic styles
of architecture, notwithstanding the
extraordinary skill and science they
display, are marked by degradation
and not improvement.
The progress of mankind, whether
in art, hterature, morals or rehgion,
has always been like the ebb and flow
of the tide. There are times when
knowledge increases suddenly and
enormously, and the march of civili
sation advances like the inrush of a

strong spring tide ; wave after wave
of some mighty impulse Hfts
humanity to unwonted heights of
attainment : but the force is spent
as rapidly as it arose, the tide falls
back to its farthest limit, and the
shores of life are seen dreary and
desolate. Or the rising tide may
be one of evil influences. At certain
periods, waves of iniquity and un
belief sweep over society, mounting
ever higher and higher until the solid
ground of righteousnses and judg
ment threatens to give way from
under us : then the floods of wicked
ness are stayed by some new in
spiration of humanity ; the arm of
the Lord is stretched out, and the
tide of evil is slowly but surely rolled
back. Such is the course of human
progress as revealed in history.
The rise and fall of religious
systems is more remarkable, and less
easily explained, than the fluctua
tions of civihsation. The arts will
flourish under encouraging circum
stances, and die out through the
influence of political changes or
religious ideas ; but religion will die
out under what appear to be most
favouring conditions, and will revive
slowly and imperceptibly in spite of
contempt and opposition. Great re
ligious changes by no means conform
to the law of steady and gradual
evolution. Catastrophe may not
come in geological processes, but it
certainly marks the development of
the rehgious hfe of the race.
One of the great periods of spiritual

EM AN V EL SWEDENBORG

catastrophe was the time of the
Incarnation. Except that the
Lord had shortened those days, we
are told, no flesh could have bsen
saved. 1 The civilised world was
immersed in heathenism or vain
philosophy, with the exception of
the Jewish nation, and their religion
had become a lifeless ceremonialism.
Righteousness seemed to have per
ished from the earth, and wickedness
flaunted itself openly among high
and low. Even the pious Pharisee,
who thanked God that he was not as
other men were, was declared by
Him who reads the hearts of men to
be a whited sepulchre, full of dead
men's bones and all uncleanness.
The law which he professed to honour
had been so overlaid with vain
traditions as to hide the founda
tion of truth and righteousness upon
which it rested. Living faith there
was not, within the Jewish church
or without it, except with a little
remnant who looked for the coming
Redeemer. The last times of the
Jewish dispensation had come ; its
candlestick was removed out of its
place, to make room for a more
worthy vehicle of the Divine
light. The new lamp burned low for
many generations, and few living in
the first two centuries would have
believed that before long its rays
v/ould reach to the farthest confines
of the Roman Empire. But the
httle one in time became a thousand ;
the tiny seed developed into a great
and spreading tree. By the despised
Christian religion, though in a much
corrupted and imperfect form, society
was remodelled, new ideals were
estabhshed, and the world was raised
once more from its lost condition.
The centuries passed ; Christianity
became more and more corrupted
and gradually lost its hold upon
mankind, until in the eighteenth
century rehgion in Europe had be-
1 Mark xiii, 20.

come almost extinct. Another
period of social and rehgious catas
trophe had arrived. Christianity
was still formally professed, but had
ceased to be a controUing power in
either national, social or individual
life. International jealousies, and
the personal ambition of rulers, pro
voked continual wars ; pohticians
were corrupt and self-seeking ; while
unbehef and immorality were rife
among all classes of society. Eng
land was not perhaps worse than
other countries, but it is painful to
read of the doings of our recent pro
genitors. There is no sadder chapter
in Green's Short History than the
opening chapter of " Modem Eng
land," which deals with this period.
" Never," he says, " had religion
seemed at a lower ebb. The pro
gress of free inquiry, the aversion
from theological strife which had
been left by the Civil Wars, the new
political and material channels
opened to human energj', had pro
duced a general indifference to all
questions of religious speculation
or rehgious life." " There was a
re\'olt against religion and against
churches in both the extremes of
Enghsh society. In the higher
circles of society " everyone laughs,'
said Montesquieu on his visit to
England, ' if one talks of rehgion.' "
And the revolt was not against re
ligious teaching alone, — the cultured
intellect refusing to accept any longer
the irrational dogmas of theologians ;
but against the restraints of rehgion.
Unbelief and immorahty were united
in an unholy bond : and the fruit of
their union was an unblushing dis
play of vice from the highest in the
state to the lowest. " At the other
end of the social scale lay the masses
of the poor. They were ignorant
and brutal to a degree which it is
hard to conceive, for the increase of
population which followed on the
growth of towns and the develop
ment of commerce had been met by

RELIGION IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

no effort for their rehgious or educa
tional improvement. Not a new
parish had been created. . . .The
rural peasantry, who were fast being
reduced to pauperism by the abuse
of the poor laws, were left without
much moral or religious training of
any sort. . . . Within the towns
things were worse. There was no
effective police ; and in the great
outbreaks the mob of London or
Birmingham burnt houses, flung open
prisons, and sacked and pillaged at
their will. The criminal classes
gathered boldness and numbers in
the face of ruthless laws which only
testified to the terror of society,
laws which made it a capital crime
to cut down a cherry-tree, and which
strung up twenty young thieves
of a morning in front of New
gate ; while the introduction of gin
gave a new impetus to drunkenness."
Archbishop Seeker, writing in
1738, thus sums up the case :
" An open and professed disre
gard of religion is become, through a
variety of causes, the distinguishing
character of the present age. Indeed,
it hath aheady brought in such dis
soluteness and contempt of principle
in the higher part of the world, and
such profligate intemperance and
fearlessness of committing crimes in
the lower, as must, if this mighty
torrent of iniquity stops not, become
absolutely fatal. And God knows,
far from stopping, it receives, through
the designs of some persons and the
inconsiderateness of others, a con
tinual increase."
What were the church and the
government doing all the time ?
" In Walpole's day the Enghsh
clergy were the idlest and most
hfeless in the world." " The system
of pluralities turned the wealthier
and more learned of the priesthood
into absentees, while the bulk of
them were indolent, poor, and with
out social consideration. A shrewd,
if prejudiced, observer brands the

English^clergy of the day as the most
lifeless m Europe, ' the most remiss
of their labours in private, and the
least severe in their ' lives.' " "A
large number of prelates were mere
Whig partisans with no higher aim
than that of promotion. The levees
of the ministers were crowded with
lawn sleeves. A Welsh bishop
avowed that he had seen his diocese
but once, and habitually resided at
the lakes of Westmoreland." Many
of the clergy richly deserved the
poet's satire :
" They hunt good hvings and abhor
good lives."
So much for the Church. It lived
upon , the people but not for the
people ; and the government was
much the same. There was no
proper representation of the people,
nor were their interests considered
in legislation, except in so far as the
consideration of them might advance
the position of some ambitious states
man. All were for place and power,
and shameless bribery was the way
to these. Corruption was " the great
engine of politics." Every man had
his price, and every constituency
also. The House of Commons
" ceased in any real or effective
sense to be a representative body at
all." " Great towns like Manchester
or Birmingham remained without a
member, while members still sat for
boroughs, which, like Old Sarum,
had actually vanished from the face
of the earth. . . Out of a population
of eight millions, only a hundred and
sixty thousand were electors at
all. . . . Purchase was becoming
more and more the means of entering
Parhament. Seats were bought and
sold in the open market at a price
which rose to four thousand pounds,
and we can hardly wonder that a
reformer could aUege without a
chance of denial, ' This House is
not a representative of the people of

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Great Britian. It is the representa
tive of nominal boroughs, of ruined
and exterminated towns, of noble
famihes, of wealthy individuals, of
foreign potentates.' "
So general was corruption and
vice among politicians, that the ab
sence of them in the conduct of a
single individual made him conspicu
ous among his fellows. WiUiam
Pitt is described as " the one states
man whose aims were unselfish, whose
hands were clean, whose life was
pure and full of tender affection for
wife and child." " In the midst of
a society critical, polite, indifferent,
simple even to the affectation of
simplicity, witty and amusing but
absolutely prosaic, cool of heart
and of head, sceptical of virtue and
enthusiasm, sceptical above all of
itseh, Pitt stood absolutely alone;"
It was not England only that had
fallen to this deplorable condition.
Matters in France were even worse,
and were rapidly leading towards
the Revolution ; other countries also
were in a state of disintegration,
politically, morally and inteUectu-
ally. Everywhere violence, im
morahty, insincerity and unbehef
prevailed, with an almost total lack
of zeal for righteousness. It was an
age, as Carlyle says, of formulce and
simulacra ; a century " spendthrift,
fraudulent, bankrupt . . . utterly in
solvent. ... A century opulent in
accumulated falsities, — sad opulence,
descending on it by inheritance, al
ways at compound interest, and
alwa_ys largely increased by fresh
acquirement on such immensity of
standing capital ; — opulent in that
bad way as never century before
was ! Which had no longer the
consciousness of being false, so false
had it grown ; and was so steeped
in falsity, and unpregnated with it
to the very bone, that— in fact, the
measure of the thing was fuU." i
1 Frederick the Great, Book I. chap. i.
sec. 2.

" There was need," he continues,
" once more of a Divine Revela
tion to the torpid frivolous child
ren of men, if they were not to,
sink altogether into the ape con
dition." It was at this time, when the de
gradation was at its very lowest,
that Swedenborg came with the
announcement of such a new re
velation. He proclaimed that the
end of the first Christian dispensation
had come, the Church having become
thoroughly corrupt both in doctrine
and in life, and that a renovation was
about to take place. " There is
not," he said, " a single genuine
truth at this time remaining in the
Church " ; 1 "the hght of truth de
rived from the Word is weU-nigh
extinguished " ; ^ "so that at this
day there is scarcely any faith,
because there is not any charity. It
is the consummation of the age." '
Again he ^vrites : " The church at
this day is founded on opinion and
not on conduct. He who beheves
otherwise than the church teaches,
is cast out of its communion and his
character defamed ; but he who
thieves (if he does not do so fla
grantly), lies, betrays, and commits
adultery, is yet called a Christian, if
only he frequents a place of worship
and talks piously." *
The darkest hour is before the
dawn. While proclaiming the cor
ruption of current Christianity,
Swedenborg announced that the
Lord " is also at this day accom
plishing a redemption, by establish
ing a new heaven, and la5ring the
foundation of a new church, with a
view to make salvation possible to
mankind.'' ^ The means of this
great work were a general judgment
in the World of Spirits, for the pur-
1 True Christian Religion, Xo. 758.
^ Ibid, No. 271.
^ Arcane Ccelestia, No. ^^qS
* Ibid., No. 4689.
^ True Christian Religion, No. 182.

RELIGION IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

pose of removing the evil influences
that were pressing upon this world
with ever-increasing intensity, and of
making way for the influx of truth
and righteousness ; the opening of
the interior sense of the Holy
Scriptures, that true doctrine might
be rationally discerned ; and the
revelation of the nature and char
acter of hfe in heaven, hell, and the
intermediate state. Swedenborg de
clared himself to be the divinely
chosen herald of a new dispensation,
and that, as such, he was not only
admitted to the society of angels and
spirits, but directly instructed by the
Lord in the doctrines of the New
Church which was to rise out of the
ruins of the fallen one.
This extraordinary claim is suffi
cient with many to mark the man as
deluded, and to prevent them from
examining his teachings. But such
an attitude is foohsh, unless we can
be quite certain that no prophet of
the Lord will ever again appear
among men. If we refuse to listen to
him, we can form no opinion, either
good or bad, of his claims ; if, how
ever, we bring our reason and judg
ment to bear upon his hfe and
writings, we shall surely be able to
decide between the ravings or
drivelhngs of insanity and the un-
fol dings of the Divine.

CHAPTER II
swedenborg's ANCESTRY AND EARLY
LIFE
Wonder has been expressed at
Swedenborg's turning from natural
science to theology in middle life ;
heredity might have had something
to do with his interest in both sub
jects. His father was an eminent
Lutheran bishop, and so he was
reared in a theological atmosphere;
while his grandfathers on Jjoth sides
of the familv were connected with

the great mining industry of Sweden.
Daniel Isaacsson, the father of
Bishop Swedberg, was a member of
a peasant family at Fahlun, and rose
from comparative poverty to afflu
ence by a successful mining venture.
Albrecht Behm, Swedenborg's ma
ternal grandfather, occupied a simi
lar position at the Board of Mines to
that which he himself held later.^
Jesper Swedberg was the second
son of Daniel Isaacsson, and was
born in 1653. His parents, who
were pious people, devoted him to
the Church, and he was ordained in
1682. He was appointed in that
year chaplain of the horse' guards,
court chaplain in 1688, dean and
pastor of Vingaker in 1690, professor
in Upsala University in 1692, dean
of Upsala in 1694, and Bishop of
Skara in 1702 ; which last office he
held for thirty-three years. He was
a man of upright and pious hfe, an
indefatigable worker and an en
thusiastic reformer ; one, in fact,
whose exemplary conduct and un
tiring zeal made him conspicuous
among his less earnest and more
careless brethren. " If he had hved
a few hundred years earlier," wrote
one of his contemporaries, " he might
have increased the numberof Swedish
saints ... his learning, industry,
exemplary life, good intentions, and
zeal for God's glory deserve to be
venerated even by a more enlightened
century." He was active in the
cause of education, whether as army
chaplain, when he offered a premium
to every soldier who leamed to read,
or later as professor of theology,
1 The variety of names in the same
family is explained by the custom of
taking names from the family seat in
place of the usual patronymic, and
the change of title brought about by the
ennoblement of the Swedberg family.
The sons of Daniel Isaacsson called them
selves Swedberg from the name of their
homestead, " Sweden " ; while Swedberg
was again changed to Swedenborg when
the bishop's family was ennobled by
Queen Ulrica Eleonora in 1719.

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

and afterwards rector, in Upsala
University. He endeavoured to re
form the teaching in the public
schools, composing and editing
many text-books himself ; and in
every way exerted himself to pro
mote the advancement of learn
ing. Although Sweden was a Protestant
country the study of the Bible had
fallen into desuetude in those lax
times. Bibles, indeed, were some
what expensive luxuries, a high price
being charged for them by the
privileged publishers. Swedberg set
himself to remedy this, and to pro
vide a cheap edition that all might
possess ; but, although he obtained
the royal sanction, and expended a
considerable sum of money himself
in preparing such an edition, the
power of vested interests was too
strong, and the project fell through.
His labours in connection with the
revision of the Swedish translation
of the Bible also came to naught ;
while his attempted improvement of
the Swedish hymn and psalm book
only brought upon him a charge of
heresy, and led to the suppression
of the work. In every direction he
seems to have been thwarted by the
jealousy, apathy, and stolid conser
vatism of those who should have
been his supporters and helpers in
good works. Nevertheless, he per
severed in his laudable efforts to the
end of his long life.
Swedberg's religion was of an
eminently practical character. In
the Lutheran Church, as in other
Protestant bodies, faith had been
elevated to such pre-eminence that
good works were disparaged, and
morality suffered in consequence ;
Swedberg held that true faith could
not be dissociated from a life of
charity and active usefulness. He
complained that " many contented
themselves with the first and second
paragraphs of the ' great faith '
{stor-tron), but that they would have

nothing to do with the third para
graph with ' sanctification and a
holy life.' " " ' Faith of the head,'
[hjdrne iron— i.e. brain faith) and
' devil's faith ' with him were syn
onymous." He was a fearless
preacher, denouncing the short
comings of those in high places, as
weh as the peccadiUos of humble
sinners; being especiaUy severe
against the neglect of religious duties
by the former, and the scandalous
abuse of their rights of church pat
ronage. His catholicity was remarkable,
considering the age in which he
lived ; he was wilhng to see what
was good in all the Churches, and,
during a visit to England, eagerly
discussed the question of Christian
unity with Bishop Fell of Oxford.
In Roman Cathohc countries he ad
mired the care given to the poor
and the devotion of high-bom per
sons to the sick and destitute ; in
his own land he gave a word of
approval to the earnestness of the
Pietists, although he did not agree
with all their tenets and practices.
He is described by Counsellor Sandels
as " a man full of zeal but ^vithout
bigotry." His personal tastes were simple
and easily satisfied. He had a fair
share of this world's goods, but died
poor, as he had expended large
sums in printing and publishing, and
other disinterested works, and be
sides had had severe losses b}' several
fires. His books for the most part were
unsuccessful, and he complains that
he has rooms full of unsold copies ;
remarking, with melancholy humour,
that, after his death, they would
probably be used by the women for
their cakes.
It is not surprising that, to an
earnest and de\'out man like Bishop
Swedberg, the spiritual world should
ha^'e seemed \'er3' real and near at
hand. He had an assured faith in

SWEDENBORG'S ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE

the presence of angels among men,
and of the helpful offices they fulfil
as " ministering spirits, sent forth
to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation." ^ He hved in the
society of his " guardian angel,"
with whom, he declared, he was able
to converse at times. He believed
that he had other spiritual in
timations on different occasions,
and seems to have been possessed of
powers of hypnotic healing. Not
long after his ordination, he tells us
that he heard mysterious voices
singing in the church, which con
vinced him of the presence of angelic
visitors, and caused him to feel more
strongly than ever before the sacred
ness of the calhng to which he had
devoted himself. All these matters
have a bearing on the still more ex
traordinary experiences of his son,
Emanuel ; the idea of the intimate
relations that subsist between the
physical and the spiritual worlds was
no doubt familiar to the latter from
his father's teaching.
Such was the father of the subject
of our sketch. Of his mother we
do not hear much ; she was doubt
less pretty fully occupied with house
hold cares, having borne nine children
during her twelve years of married
life. She died at thirty years of age,
when Emanuel was only eight.
Strangely little is known of
Swedenborg's childhood. He was
born at Stockholm on the 29th of
January 1688, and was the second
son, and third child of his parents.
Beyond these meagre facts, all that
we can learn of this period of his life
is from a letter addressed by him, in
1769, to his friend, Dr Beyer, Pro
fessor of Greek in Gothenburg
University. In this he says : " From
my fourth to my tenth year I was
constantly engaged in thought upon
God, salvation, and the spiritual
experiences of men ; and several
times I revealed things at which my
' Heb. i. 14.

father and mother wondered ; say
ing, that angels must be speaking
through me. From my sixth to my
twelfth year I used to delight in
conversing with clergymen about
faith, saying that the life of faith is
love, and that the love which im
parts life is love to the neighbour ;
also that God gives faith to every
one, but that those only receive it
who practise that love. I knew of
no other faith at that time, than that
God is the Creator and Preserver of
nature, that He imparts understand
ing and a good disposition to men,
and several other things that follow
thence. I knew nothing at that
time of that learned faith which
teaches that God the. Father imputes
the righteousness of His Son to
whomsoever, and at such times, as
He chooses, even to those who have
not repented and have not reformed
their lives. And had I heard of such
a faith, it would have been then, as
it is now, above my compre
hension." 1
If direct information is wanting
as to the childhood of Swedenborg,
we may fill up the blank to some
extent from our imaginations, build
ing upon a knowledge of the family
circumstances at different periods.
At the time of his birth, his father
was exercising the functions of Court
chaplain at Stockholm. In the
Swedish capital, then, the first three
or four years of the child's life were
spent, and he doubtless carried away
impressions of the busy city, with
its lofty buildings, its rushing flood
of deep green waters coming down
from Lake Maelar, its shipping, its
military displays, and the coming
and going of royalty and nobility in
their summer carriages or winter
sleighs, to the quiet rural home of
Vingaker, to which the family re
moved in 1692. Here, for a few
brief months, he revelled, as all
1 Documents concerning Swedenborg, vol.
ii. p. 279.

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

children do, in the flowery fields and
dehghtful farmyards, and was petted
by the good people of the parish, who
were also overwhelmingly kind to his
father. The next ten years of his life were
passed in Upsala, his parents re
siding in the cathedral square ; and
here his early education was re
ceived. His tutor was Johannes
Moraeus, afterwards Dr Moraeus, a
cousin on his mother's side, but we
hear little of his studies. Counsellor
Sandels speaks of " the thoughtful
care which was bestowed on his
education," and that he speaks truly
we cannot doubt, knowing what we
do of the father.
Upsala, where the free, happy days
of his boyhood were passed, was at
that time a city of some five thousand
inhabitants, and its cathedral was
reckoned the finest Gothic building
in the north of Europe. Within its
walls many monarchs had been
crowned in days of yore, and many
also lay buried there. We can fancy
the lad wandering through the aisles
and meditating upon vanished great
ness ; or listening with the other
members of the family to the daily
service, in which the father often took
part. This service was not so cold
and lifeless as Protestant services
were, at this period, in some other
countries, for the Lutheran church
retained many of the less objection
able usages of Rome. A portrait of
Jesper Swedberg shows him sitting
at a table with a foho Bible before
him opened at a doubtless favourite
text, I Cor. xvi. 22, " If any man love
not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him
be Anathema Maran-atha " ; while
above the precious Book hangs a
crucifix. Through an open door,
over which stands a cross, we have
a vista of a church interior terminat
ing in an altar with lights burning
before it, and an altar-piece above.
Such things would shock many a
modern Protestant.

We can imagine the mterest with
which Emanuel would watch the
building of his father's " large new
stone house " in the square ; ^ and
the impression made upon his youth
ful mind by the terrible fire which,
shortly after it was finished, de
stroyed not only the new house, but
many other buildings, including the
grand cathedral itself.
Another circumstance that must
have left its mark upon his memory
was the death of his mother two
years earher ; ^ and this sad event
was followed by the loss of his elder
brother a few weeks later. Of the
remaining children (seven besides
himself), his sister Anna, sixteen
months his senior, seems to have
been his favourite. Before she had
completed her seventeenth year, she
was married to Dr Ericus Benzelius,
Librarian to the University of Up
sala ; but she was not lost to her
fond brother. It was about this
time that he entered upon his coUege
1 The account of the building of this
house given in the Swedish BiographisU
Lexicon (quoted in Documents, vol. i.
p. 123) throws a very pleasing light upon
the character of Swedenborg's father.
" It is interesting," says the writer, " to
hear him speak about the building of this
new house. ' I know, and I can testify —
for I was always present — that not the
least work was done, that not a stone was
raised, with sighs or a troubled mind, but
all was done cheerfully and gladly. No
complaint, no hard or disagreeable word
was heard, no scoldings and no oaths
were uttered.' When the house was
finished in the autumn of 1698, he in
augurated it by inviting and entertaining
all the poor of the town. He and his
wife and children waited upon them.
Everything was done in an orderly
manner, and this feast of charity was
concluded with singing, praver, thanks
giving, and mutual blessing." We may
assume that Swedenborg, who was then
ten years of age, took his share in this
kindly entertainment.
2 His father married again about a year
and a half after the death of his first wife,
so that the " dear mother " referred to in
subsequent correspondence (see p. 18) is
his stepmother.

SWEDENBORG'S ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE

course, and the probability is, though
direct evidence is wanting, that he
resided with her until he left the
University in 1709 ; for his father
removed to Skara in 1702, on his
appointment to the bishopric. We
know practically nothing of his
doings during these years. He cer
tainly did not waste his time ; but
there is no record of his having
gained any important distinction.
Counsellor Sandels says that he
made " the best use of advantages
enjoyed, comparatively, by few,"
and describes the academical dis
putation which he published, with
the permission of the authorities, on
leaving his alma mater, as " a clever
work for a youth." One thing he
had learnt ; to write passable Latin
verse. After leaving the University
he published some of his efforts in
that direction, which manifested,
says Sandels, " a remarkable readi
ness of wit, and showed that he had
made a good use of his time in youth."
He continued to exercise this faculty
for some years, and was looked upon
in his family circle as something of a
poet. Having done with tutors, lectures
and class-books, he retired for a
time to Brunsbo, the episcopal re
sidence near Skara, where he began
to make plans for an extended
foreign tour. The difficulty seems
to have been to raise the means, his
father having httle wealth and
many responsibilities, and being
withal somewhat " near." Under
date of 13th July 1709, he writes to
his brother-in-law Benzelius, begging
his assistance in carrying out his
project.^ He also desired his re
commendation to some English
college where he might improve
himself in mathematics, physics and
natural history. He proposed to
prepare for his own use a summary
^ Swedenborg's correspondence with
Benzelius will be found in Dr R. L. Tafel's
Documents, vol. i, pp, 200-344,

of the principal discoveries in mathe
matics during the recent centuries,
to which he would add anything
new he might learn in his travels.
In this same letter he teUs his
brother-in-law that he has acquired
the art of bookbinding from a man
who had been working for his father.
I mention this as characteristic of
his industrious and practical nature.
Wherever he went in his later travels
he endeavoured to gain a knowledge
of useful trades. Writing from
London in 1711, he says : " I also
tum my lodgings to some use, and
change them often ; at first I was
at a watchmaker's, afterwards at a
cabinet-maker's, and now I am at a
mathematical instrument maker's ;
from them I steal their trades, which
some day will be of use to me." He
learnt to make brass instruments ;
and at Leyden, later, to grind glass
for lenses, etc., that he might furnish
himself with appliances that he could
not afford to buy. His brother-in-
law had commissioned him, when in
England, to procure some globes for
the University hbrary at Upsala,
but these proving too expensive,
and difficult to convey safely, he was
asked to obtain the printed sheets
that they might be mounted in
Sweden. The makers, however, re
fused to supply them ; so young
Swedberg applied himself to learn
engraving, and prepared the sheets
himself. But we are anticipating. It was
a full year after his apphcation to
Benzehus for assistance that he was
enabled to start upon his travels —
a year of disappointment and im
patient waiting for something to
turn up. Not a happy time for
one of Emanuel's active disposition ;
especially when he met with dis
couragement in his favourite studies
at home. The busy, practical bishop
was probably as little appreciative of
mathematics as he was of meta
physics ; and certainly he would look

10

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

with disapproval on a life of idleness,
or of no definite occupation, in a
young man of twenty-two. There
can be no doubt the son was unhappy.
On the 6th of March 1710, he writes
to Benzelius, the one great friend of
his early life :
" I have little desire to remain
here much longer ; for I am wasting
almost my whole time. Still, I have
made such progress in music, that I
have been able several times to take
the place of our organist ; but for all
my other studies this place affords
me very little opportunitj' ; and they
are not at all appreciated by those
who ought to encourage me in
them." Some relief from this unsatis
factory mode of life was found in
a short visit to the great Swedish
engineer and inventor, Christopher
Polhammar (afterwards known by
his title of nobility, Polhem). With
him the youth was in his element,
and Polhammar appreciated his
capacity. He wrote to Benzelius :
" We were pleased and satisfied
with one another . . . ; especially
when I found him able to assist me
in the mechanical undertaking which
I have in hand, and in making the
necessary experiments ; in this matter
I am more indebted to him than he
is to me. Moreover, I value more
highly a quick and intelligent person,
with whom I can enjoy the discussion
of subjects on which I possess some
little knowledge, than I do a few
weeks' board and lodging."
In the autumn of 1710, we find
young Swedberg in London ; and,
from this date, his occasional letters
to Dr Benzelius give us a brief but
interesting account of his doings for
the five years of his absence from
Sweden. 1
His journey to London was not
without perils, his life having been
in danger four different times. The
' See Documents Coiiceiiiing Swedenborg,
vol, i. pp. 206-238.

vessel in which he sailed was nearly
wrecked on approaching the Enghsh
coast ; then they were boarded by
pirates ; the next evening they were
fired into by a British guardship,
being mistaken for the same pirates ;
and, finally, after arriving safely in
the Thames, Swedberg narrowly
escaped hanging for breaking the
strict quarantine regulations, estab
lished on account of the existence of
the plague in Sweden.
His first letter to Benzelius from
London is of great interest, and re
veals not only his " immoderate
desire " (to borrow his own expres
sion from a later letter) for study,
but the remarkable breadth of his
sympathies. " I study Newton dailj-," he says,
" and am very anxious to see and
hear him.' I have provided myself
with a smaU stock of books for the
study of mathematics, and also with
a certain number of instruments,
which are both a help and an orna
ment in the study of science ; such
as, an astronomical tube, quadrants
of several kinds, prisms, microscopes,
artificial scales, and earner ce ohscurce
by WiUiam Hunt and Thomas
Everard, which I admire and which
you too will admire. I hope that
after settling my accounts, I may
have sufficient money left to purchase
an air-pump."
Among other items of information
in this letter is that " the magnificent
St Paul's cathedral was finished a
few days ago in all its parts." In its
virginal purity, before the smoke of
the great city had had time to ob
scure the beauty of its details, it
doubtless impressed him mightily.
But he was more impressed at West
minster ; not by the architecture,
1 It does not appear that this desire
was e\:er gratified, but he made- the ac
quaintance in England of many nota
bilities, including Flamstead, Halley and
Woodward, by the last named of whom
lie was introduced to \arious members of
the Royal Society, and other learned men.

SWEDENBORG'S ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE

II

aowever, upon which he does not
remark. " In examining the royal
monuments in Westminster Abbey,"
tie says, " I happened to see the
tomb of Casaubon ; when I was in
spired with such a love for this
hterary hero,, that I kissed his tomb,
and dedicated to his manes, under
the marble " — some' Latin verses,
which it is not necessary to quote.
" The town," he continues, " is
distracted by internal dissensions
between the Anglican and Presby
terian churches ; they are incensed
against each other with almost
deadly hatred. The torch and trum
pet of this tumult is Doctor Sache-
verell, whose name is heard from
every mouth and at every corner ;
and respecting whom every book
shop displays pamphlets."
Of his studies in England, mathe
matics and astronomy seem to have
absorbed most of his interest. " I
visit daily," he wirtes (April 1711),
" the best mathematicians here in
town. I have been with Flam steed,
who is considered the best astrono
mer in England, and who is con
stantly taking observations." In a
letter written at the end of 1711, or
at the beginning of 1712, he reports
conversations he has had with Flam-
steed, and sends a list of the latter's
pubUcations, for which Benzelius had
asked. He also speaks enthusiastic
ally of his own growing knowledge
and hopes of attainment.
" With regard to astronomy," he
says, " I have made such progress
in it, as to have discovered much
which I think will be useful in its
study. Although in the beginning
it made my brain ache, yet long
speculations are now no longer
difficult for me. I examined closely
all propositions for finding the ter
restrial longitude, but could not find
a single one ; I have therefore
originated a method by means of
the moon, which is unerring, and I
am certain that it is the best which

has yet been advanced. In a short
time I will inform the Royal Society
that I have a proposition to make
on this subject, stating my points.
If it is favourably received by these
gentlemen, I shall publish it here ;
if not, in France. I have also dis
covered many new methods for
observing the planets, the moon,
and the stars ; that which concerns
the moon and its parallaxes, dia
meter, and inequality, I will pubhsh
whenever an opportunity arises. I
am now busy working my way
through algebra and the higher
geometry, and I intend to make
such progress in it, as to be able in
time to continue Polhammar's dis
coveries." The youn,g student's scientific and
literary friends in Sweden often
availed themselves of his assistance
while he was abroad. At one time
it is to procure some out-of-the-way
books for the university library ; at
another, to purchase scientific in
struments, or to ascertain the most
approved method of using these.
For his brother-in-law he obtained
lenses for a twenty-four-foot tele
scope, a microscope, and many
books, to procure which latter he had
to ransack the bookshops and at
tend auction sales ; not, for him, an
uncongenial task. The Literary
Society of Upsala, also, gave him a
number of commissions and instruc
tions, through one of its members.
Professor Elfvius, especially enjoin
ing him to watch Flamsteed's method ,
of taking observations, the nature
of his instruments, etc., etc. After
detaihng numerous other requests,
the professor concludes one of his
letters :
" I recommend the above, and
everything else that may be of use
in our mathematical studies, to Mr
Swedberg's great desire of acquiring
knowledge," etc.^
1 One interesting point upon which
Elfvius desired information was as to

12

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Mr Swedberg good-naturedly ful
filled his friends' commissions to the
best of his ability, and added to the
obUgations they thus incurred by
volunteering further information and
suggestions of his own. He advised
the purchase of the Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society, also
John Lowth's (? Lowthrop's) digest
of the same, Harris' Lexicon of the
Sciences and Arts, The Memoirs of
Literature, several of Sir Isaac New
ton's works, and other books. He
mentions the publication of Grabe's
Septuagint, and one or two other theo
logical works ; but this is almost the
only indication that he took any
interest in theology at that time. As
a reUef from his severer studies, he
continued to write poetrv, and did
not despise the study of Enghsh
models. He mentions as " eminent
Enghsh poets, that are well worth
reading for the sake of their imagina
tion alone," Dryden, Spenser, Waller,
Milton, Cowley, Beaumont and
Fletcher, Shakespeare, Ben Jonson,
Oldham, Benham, Phihp (? Ambrose
PhiUps), Smith, and others ; so that
for a foreigner he must have had a
considerable acquaintance with
English literature.
The young man spent nearly two
years m London and Oxford, losing
no opportunity of acquiring know
ledge. His travels and studies must
have involved considerable expense,
which his father does not seem to
have been too generous in providing
,for. He was, in fact, at this time,
spending all avaihable money on his
own enterprises, and so had httle
what Englishmen thought of Newton's
Prtnupia, which had been before the
public something more than twenty years
at that time. He himself was not pre
pared to accept the theorv of gra^¦itation
3l^^';.f T^^t°,him to be ¦¦''a mere abl
straction and an absurdity," Swcd-
^Itl ""fP^y ^''^s v^'-y guarded, " In this
Z.ht ;. 1 '"?*''• " '^° Englishman
ought to be consulted, quia ccBcutit in suis
- .e^ because ho is blind about his own-
yet It would be criminal to doubt them "

consideration for the lonely and
penurious student. As a dutiful son,
Emanuel does not chide loudly, but
he raises a mild complaint from
time to time. " I am on short
allowance," he tells Benzelius (April;
1711), " and am not permitted to
purchase anything on credit." He
writes nine months later : "I have
longed very much to see the Bodleian
Library, since I saw the little one at
Zion College ; but I am kept back
here for ' want of money.' I wonder
my father does not show greater care
for me, than to have let me hve now
for more than sixteen months upon
250 rixdalers ; ^ weU Imowing that
I promised in a letter not to incom-.
mode him by drawing for money;*'
and jret none has been forthcoming
for the last three or four months. U
is hard to hve without food or drink
like some poor drudge in Schonen."
Again : " Your great kindness, and
your favour, of which I have had so
many proofs, make me beUeve that
your advice and your letters will
induce my father to be so favour
able towards me, as to send me
the funds which are necessary for
a young man, and which wiU infuse
into me new spirit for the prosecu
tion of my studies. Believe me, 1
desure and strive to be an honour to
my father's house and yours, much
more strongly than you yourself
can wish and endeavour."
It is to be regretted that these
letters are so few and far between ;
many are evidenth- missing. Writ
ing from Paris in August 1713, he
refers to a letter he had sent from
Holland, whither he went from
England, but which is not forth
coming. All that we hear of his
stay m that countr\- is from a short
reference in this Paris letter.
" During my sta^' in Holland I
was most of the time in Utrecht,
where the Diet met, and where I was
in great favour with Ambassador
' Something less than /50.

SWEDENBORG'S ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE

13

Pahnqist, who had me every day
at his house ; every day, also, I had
discussions on algebra with him.
He is a good mathematician, and a
great algebraist. He wished me not
to go away ; and, therefore, I intend
next year to return to Leyden, where
they have a splendid observatory,
and the finest brass quadrant I have
ever seen ; it cost 2000 new guilders.
They are continually making new
observations. I will ask permission
from the university to take obser
vations there for two or three
months, which I shaU easily obtain ;
Pahnqist said the same."
Of his doings in Paris, also, we
have but a very meagre record. He
met there De La Hire, Varrignon,
the Abbe Bignon (a member of the
Academy and afterwards Royal
Librarian), besides other notables.
He observes that :
" Between the mathematicians
here and the Enghsh there is great
emulation and jealousy. Halley, of
Oxford, told me that he was the first
who examined the variation of the
pendulum under the equator ; they
keep silence about this here ; the
astronomers here also maintain that
Cassini's paper was written before
Halley made his expedition to the
Island of St Helena, and so forth."
In Paris and its neighbourhood he
spent nearly a year. On leaving, he
posted to Hamburg via LiUe, and
thence into Pomerania, at that time
a Swedish province. We hear of
him, in his next letter, at Rostock ;
from which place he sends his
brother-in-law a long list of inven
tions he has either completed or
projected. One wonders what some
of these were like, and whether the
young inventor anticipated the
mechanical contrivances of the pre
sent age in the same way as, in later
years, he anticipated scientific
theories that are usually regarded as
strictly modem.
The first of these inventions was

" the plan of a certain ship, which
with its men was to go under the
surface of the sea, wherever it
chooses, and do great damage to the
fleet of the enemy." Another was
a device for raising ships with their
cargoes by means of sluices, where
there is no fall of water. Yet
another, which from description
seems hke an incipient steam engine,
for setting mill wheels in motion
under similar circumstances — i.e.
when falling water was not avail
able ; " the wheel will nevertheless
revolve by means of the fire, which
will put the water in motion." A
magazine air-gun to discharge sixty
or seventy shots in succession with
out reloading, and a flying machine,
were further projects of his active
brain. The idea of a flying machine
he returned to again later ; but
Polhem seems to have thrown cold
water on his schemes, expressing his
opinion that " with respect to flying
by artificial means, there is perhaps
the same difficulty as in making a
perpetuum mobile or gold by artificial
means ; although, at first sight, it
seems as easy to be done as it is
desirable." His method for finding the ter
restrial longitude by means of the
moon he regarded as the most im
portant of his early discoveries.
Though it was not taken up sym
pathetically by the learned of his
day, he always insisted that it was
" the only one that can be given,
that it is also the easiest, and in
fact the right one." His confidence
in it was so great that he republished
his pamphlet several times between
1718 and 1766 both in Swedish and
in Latin.
In this Rostock letter, he expresses
a very great desire to return home
to Sweden ; nevertheless he re
mained in Pomerania for another
nine months, most of the time at the
httle university town of Greifswalde.
What kept him there, unless it was

14

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

the presence of the king at Stralsund,
and a hope that possibly his services
might in some way be called upon,
it is hard to say ; for he had a very
poor opinion of the university and
its faculty. " There is nothing of
much interest," he said, "to be
found in Greifswalde, which — you
will excuse me for saying — is quite
a paltry university. Papke is the
professor of mathematics, fit for any
thing rather than for this science."
At Greifswalde young Swedberg
printed a collection of poetical fables
in Latin, dealing with the political
affairs of his time, under the title of
" Camena Borea cum Heroum et
Heroidum factis ludens : sive FabellcB
Ovidianis similes sub variis nomini-
bus." He had been employed upon
this for some time as a mental re
creation. The young student's long wander
ings were drawing to an end. We
can only regret that more of his
correspondence at this time, and his
own journal especially, have not
been preserved to us. His few
letters to Benzelius, from which I
have drawn so largely, are full of
interest, not only for their record
of his studies and achievements, but
for the revelation they give of his
personal character. A writer has
said that he could " discover no
friendships in Swedenborg's life."
But for Benzelius he certainly enter
tained a very warm regard, and he
was deeply attached to his sister
Anna ; every letter expresses his
affection to both, and to his " little
brother " (nephew) Eric. A very
characteristic touch is found in the
letter from Rostock (6th September
1714). He writes : " I have a great
longing to see little brother Eric
again ; perhaps he will be able to
make a triangle, or to draw one for
me, when I give him a httle ruler."
" Little brother Eric " was nine
years old at this time. His interest
in the child continued, for a few years

later he wrote : " I hear that his
love for mechanics and drawing con
tinues. If he can give the shp to his
preceptor, I should hke to induce him
to follow me ; when I would try in
every way to promote his weUare,
to instmct him in mathematics and
other things, should it be desired."
It appears that " httle brother Eric "
did follow his uncle, entermg the
Board of Mines under his auspices
in 1726. On the 13th July 1725, his
father writes to Swedenborg : " 1
acknowledge with all due respect
the favour which you have shown
toward my Ericus, and which he has
received in so many ways from you
in Stockholm, both by instraction
in physics and mathematics, and
more recently by a new present."
Eric was now twenty years of age.
But we are again anticipating
events. Emanuel's stay at Greifs
walde was cut short by the arrival
of the allied enemies of Sweden be
fore Stralsund, only fifteen miles
distant, where .the king was shut
up. " When the siege was about
to commence," he says, " I suc
ceeded, under the Divine Providence,
in obtaining a passage home in a
yacht, in company vrith Madame
Feif (presumably the mfe of the
Councillor of War), after having
been abroad for more than four
years " (nearly five, in fact). Warm
work was in prospect around
Stralsund, making its neighbourhood
unfitted for ladies or students.

CHAPTER III
scientific studies and practical
undertakings
Another period of weary waiting
and discouragement foUowed young
Swedberg's return to his native
country. Full of new ideas and
enthusiasm, he thought that some
career would surely open to hhu now.

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AND PRACTICAL UNDERTAKINGS 15

I He had many schemes for his
icountry's good, and the enlargement
lof his own reputation, and was by
:no means idle ; but his efforts to
! advance the material welfare of
¦Sweden, and to raise her scientific
status among the nations, were
blocked at all points by vested
; interests, indifference, and want of
funds, in the same way as his father's
attempts at educational and ecclesi
astical reforms were frustrated.
His very first undertaking was in
connection with his new method of
finding the longitude. " The day
after to-morrow," he writes to
Benzelius, under date, 9th August
1715, " I will travel to the Kinnekulle
[mountain], to select a spot for a
small observatory, where I intend,
towards winter, to make some ob
servations respecting our horizon,
and to lay a foundation for those
observations, by which my invention
on the longitude of places may be
confirmed. He visited the Board of Mines, and
observed that the models " are going
to ruin as time advances. After six
or ten years they will only be good
for fire-wood, unless I choose to pre
vent that destiny by means of a
little brass, a little ink, and some
paper." Ten years later, when he
had a share in the responsibility for
the property of the Board, he ap-
phed for and obtained an appro
priation of fifty silver dalers for the
repairs of these models, showing that
his concern was not simply that of
an outside critic.
After his sojourn in more advanced
and enlightened countries, he natur
ally felt the backwardness of his
own. He had two great schemes to
remedy this. One was the forma
tion of a " Society for Learning and
Science," a sort of Swedish Royal
Society ; the other was the founda
tion of a Chair of Mechanics at the
University of Upsala. He hammered
away at this latter idea for years.

but without success. His first sug
gestion was that the existing pro
fessors should give up a seventh part
of their emoluments, so as to afford
an incomfe of 3000 silver dalers for
the support of the new faculty. This
proposal naturally met with op
position, and the enthusiastic student
afterwards explained that he had
meant it more in jest than in earnest ;
but he had another suggestion ready,
which was to reduce the number of
professorships in other subjects by
not filling up vacancies. " It could
be done with the greatest ease," he
said, " by dispensing with some of
the professorships that are least
necessary — e.g., in course of time one
professorship might be spared both
from theology and medicine, and the
professorship of Oriental languages
might be transferred either to a pro
fessorship of theology, or to the
professorship of Greek ; so also that
of morals might be transferred to the
professorship of history ; especially
as there are few universities where
there are so many professorships
estabhshed." ^
The bent of Swedenborg's mind
was always practical, both as a man
of science and as a religious teacher ;
he could not understand how any
one could contentedly rest in mere
theory. At the time we are now
dealing with, his brother-in-law,
Benzelius, was exerting himself to
get an astronomical observatory
established at Upsala, and received
his warm support in the matter.
Other people, however, were not so
enthusiastic. " I wonder at your
friends, the mathematicians," he
wrote, *' who have lost all energy
and desire to follow up so clever a
design, as the one you pointed out
to them for the building of an astro
nomical observatory. It is a fatality
with mathematicians that they re
main mostly in theory. I have
thought that it would be a profit-
' Documents, vol. i. p. 254.

i6

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

able thing if to ten mathematicians
there was added one thoroughly
practical man, by whom the others
could be led to market ; in which
case this one man would gain more
renown and be of more use than all
the ten together." ^
A young man of this disposition
could not rest unoccupied. While
awaiting the course of events, he
started a scientific and technical
journal, under the title of " Daedalus
Hyperboreus." By advice of Ben
zelius he dedicated it to the King,
Charles XII., who professed much
interest in the work. First, how
ever, the means of publishing it had
to be found, and he appealed to
Benzelius to intercede with his
father for assistance. He always
seemed afraid to approach the latter
with demands for money ; and, as
he was now nearly twenty-eight, the
Bishop might well think that it was
time he shifted for himself. Thus
he wrote to his mediator :
" A single word from you to my
father about me will be worth
more than twenty thousand remon
strances from me. You can without
any comment inform him - of my
enterprise, of my zeal in my studies ;
and that he need not imagine that
in future I shall waste my time and,
at the same time, his money. One
word from another is worth more
than a thousand from me. He
knows very well that you have the
kindness to interest yourself in my
behalf ; but he knows too, that 1
am still more interested in my own
behalf. For this reason he will dis
trust me more than you, my dear
brother." 2
All this while the Bishop was
using his influence with the King
and Court to find his son some em
ployment. But Charles was too
busy with other matters, and it was
not until the end of the year 1716
' Documents, vol. i. pp. 262 and 263.
^ Ibid. vol. i. p. 241.

that young Swedberg was appointed'
" Extraordinary Assessor " at the
Board of Mines, the Department of
State responsible for the supervision
of the great mining industries of
Sweden. His fitness for the post
was attested by Polhem in a letter to
Benzelius dated the loth December
1715. " I find," the great inventor
wrote, " that young Swedberg is a
ready mathematician, and possesses
much aptitude for the mechanical
sciences ; and if he continues as he
has begun, he will, in course of time,
be able to be of greater use to the
King and to his country in this than
in anything else." ^ In another letter,
he speaks of " his readiness of re
sources," and " his other good
qualities." ^
It seems that the King offered
the young man three posts to choose
from, before he was finaUy gazetted
to the Board of Mines. Though no
salary was attached to the office he
accepted until he attained to the
full Assessorship, he found the work
congenial, and two years later re
fused the Professorship of Astronomy
in the University of Upsala, assigning
as his reasons : " (i) I already have
an honourable post. (2) In this post
I can be of use to my country, and
indeed of more practical use them in
any other position. (3) I thus de
cline a faculty which does not agree
with my tastes and my turn of
mind, by both of which I am led to
mechanics, and will be in future to
chemistry ; and our Board " (he is
writing confidentially to his brother-
in-law) " is noted for having assessors
who know very httle on these sub
jects ; for this reason I will en
deavour to supply this deficiency,
and I hope that my labours in this'
direction will be as profitable to
them, as their own may be in
another." ^
' Documents, vol. i. p. 244.
' Ibid, vol. i, p. 252.
' Ibid., vol. i. p. 293

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AND PRACTICAL UNDERTAKINGS 17

There were ulterior reasons, also,
for in a later letter he writes :
" I hope I shall be able to be as
useful in the post which has been
entrusted to me, and also to secure
for myself as many advantages ; my
present position being only a step
to a higher one, while at Upsala I
should have nothing more to ex
pect ; moreover, I do not believe
that the King would like me to give
up my present position. With re
gard to the Board, I will try most
diligently to make myself at home
in mechanics, physics, and chemistry,
and, at all events, to lay a proper
foundation for everything, when I
hope no one will have any longer a
desire to charge me with having
entered the Board, as one enthely
unworthy." *
During the early part of his career
at the Board of Mines, he was de
tached at times for special services
with his friend and patron Christo
pher Polhem. The most important
of these was the exploit connected
with the siege of Frederickshald in
1718, when two galleys, five large
boats, and one sloop were trans
ported overland from Stromstad to
the Iddefjord, a distance of fourteen
English miles, under Swedberg's
direction.^ Other works were the
construction of the great dock at
Carlscrona, and the scheme for con
necting the North Sea and the
Baltic by a canal ; which under
taking, however, was never com
pleted, owing to the death of the
¦King, at whose private expense it
was to be executed.
' The intercourse of young Swedberg
vith Polhem was of a very friendly
character ; so much so that the
after, on the recommendation of
'he King, promised him his eldest
laughter in marriage. From a letter
' Documents, vol. i. p. 297.
2 Particulars of this undertaking are
iven in Dr R. L. Tafel's Documents,
ol. i. p. 554.

of Swedberg's to his brother-in-law,
Benzelius, it appears that they were
actually engaged ; but in the end
she was married to another. There
was a younger sister, however, to
whom the young man became
strongly attached, and who in due
course was formally betrothed to
him. The damsel, it seems, was not
consulted, or, at any rate, the match
was arranged for her ; and it proved
that she did not really care for her
fiance. Discovering this, the latter
renounced his claim, and vowed he
would never allow his thoughts to
settle upon any woman again ; which
vow he rehgiously observed. He left
Polhem's house, and for some time
ceased to communicate with any of
the family.
It was a painful affair to both
sides, as appears from a letter of
Polhem's to Benzehus, in which he
speaks of the interruption of his
correspondence with his protege,
and mentions the fact that three of
his letters had been returned to him
unopened. " I must beg you," he
says, " to offer him [Emanuel] my
greeting, . . . and also to ask him.
to favour me with one of his welcome
letters, which are so much the more
acceptable in our house, as he has
given us sufficient cause to love him
as our own son." ^
The disappointed lover was evi
dently in a state of great dejection
at this time. The hght of his life
had gone out, and everything looked
gloomy in consequence. He writes
to Benzelius (October 1718) :
" Among all my brothers and
relatives there is not one who has
entertained a kind feehng towards
me, except yourself ; and in this I
was confirmed by a letter which my
brother wrote to my father about
my journey abroad. If I can in any
way show a due sense of gratitude,
I wiU always do so. Brother [in
law] Unge does not hold his hands
1 Documents, vol. i. p. 306.

i8

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

away from anyone ; at least he has
estranged from me my dear father
and my dear mother's affections
for the last four years ; still this
will probably not be to his advan
tage." 1
Even his scientific pursuits were
bringing him no satisfaction. He is
discouraged " to find that [his]
mathematical discoveries were con
sidered as novelties which the
country could not stand. I wish,"
he adds, " I had some more of these
novelties, ay, a novelty in literary
matters for every day in the year,
so that the world might find pleasure
in them. There are enough in one
century who plod on in the old
beaten track, while there are scarcely
six or ten in a whole century, who
are able to generate novelties which
are based upon argument and
reason." ^
Among the novelties, which his
lethargic fellow - countrymen were
slow to adopt, were his plan for an
astronomical observatory, and the
foundation of a professorship of
mechanics, already mentioned ; a
scheme for the extensive manufac
ture of salt in Sweden ; a new slow-
combustion stove ; a new method
of discovering mineral veins ; a
decimal system of coinage and
measures, etc. " Speculations and
arts like these," he says, " are left
to starve in Sweden, where they are
looked upon by a set of political
blockheads as scholastic matters,
which must remain in the back
ground, while their own supposed
refined ideas and their intrigues
occupy the foreground." ^
In another letter he writes : "It
seems to me there is little reward
for the trouble of advancing the
cause of science ; partly on account
of the lack of funds, which prevents
our going as far into it as we ought.

' Documents, vol, i, p,
" Ibid., vol, i. p. 294,
^ Ibid., vol. i. p, 309.

304-

and partly also on account of the
jealousy which is excited against
those who busy themselves more
than other persons with a given
subject. Whenever a country leans
towards barbarism, it is vain for one
or two persons to try to keep it
upright." 1
In sending Benzelius his treatise
on the decimal system, he renews
his complaint of neglect and lack ol
appreciation. "This is the last,"
he vows, " that I wiU publish my
self, because quotidiana et domestic
vilescunt, and because I have aheady
worked myself poor by them. 1
have been singing long enough ; let
us see whether anyone will come
forward, and hand me some bread
in return." Despairing of recog
nition at home he proposes to go
abroad and seek his fortune as a
mining engineer. " For he is no
thing short of a fool," he exclaims,
" who is independent and at hberty
to do as he pleases, and sees an op
portunity for himseh abroad, and yet
remains at home in darkness and
cold, where the Furies, Envy and
Pluto have taken up their abode,
and dispose the rewards, and where
labours such as I have performed
are rewarded with misery. The only
thing I would desire until that time
come, is bene latere {i.e. to find a
sequestered place where I can live
secluded from the world) ; I
think I may find such a comer in
the end, either at Starbo or at Skin-
(skatte) berg." 2 (At these places he
had a partnership in mines and iron
works, inherited from his mother's
and stepmother's families.)
It was not empty honours that the
young man sought ; for he and hK
brothers and sisters had been en
nobled by Queen Ulrica Eleonori
some six months before this melani
choly letter was wiitten. This
^ Dociinu-nts. vol. i, p. 301.
^Letter to Eiic Benzelius, ist Decemfo
1719, Documents, vol. i. p. 316.

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AND PRACTICAL UNDERTAKINGS 19

honour gave him, as the eldest
son, a seat in the House of Nobles
in the Swedish Parliament ; and
was signalised in the usual way by
a change in the family name from
Swedberg to Swedenborg, by which
name we shall hereafter know him.
If it was honour he sought, he
might have been satisfied with the
distinguished favour shown him by
Sweden's famous king, Charles XII.
He had frequent and intimate inter
course with his Majesty, who con
descended to read his " Daedalus,"
to discuss mathematics with him, and
to accept his personal assistance in
various ways. He writes from
Wenersbofg, on the 14th September
1718 :
" Every day I had some mathe
matical matters for his Majesty,
who deigned to be pleased with all
of them. 'When the eclipse took
place, I took His Majesty out to see
it, and talked much to him about it.
This, however, is a mere beginning.
I hope in time to be able to do some
thing in this quarter for the ad
vancement of science ; but I do not
wish to bring anything forward now,
except what is of immediate use.
His -Majesty found considerable fault
with me for not having continued
my DcBdalus (which ceased with the
sixth number), but I pleaded want
of means ; of which he does not like
to hear. I expect some assistance
for it very soon." ^
These fond hopes were never
reahsed. The King was busy with
warlike enterprises, and these, too,
were brought to a sudden end by
his death at the siege of Frederick
shald on the 30th of the following
November. The loss of his royal patron, his
unfortunate love affair, his estrange
ment from his family, and the in
difference of nearly everyone to his
aims and interests, may well have
produced a melancholy state of
mind. He did not emigrate, how

ever, as he threatened, but in the
summer of 1721 he started up(5n a
lengthened foreign tour, his osten
sible object being to study the mines
and manufactures of other countries,
that he might render still higher
services to his own in his appointed
office. His original plan was to visit
Holland, England, France, Italy,
Hungary and Germany ; but the
tour was chiefly confined to Holland
and the German States. He visited
ah the mines in Saxony and the
Hartz mountains, and was enter
tained in a princely manner by Duke
Ludwig Rudolph of Brunswick-
Luneburg, who not only paid all his
expenses, but presented him on
parting with a gold medal and a
large silver coffee-pot, besides be
stowing upon him other marks of
favour. While on this tour he published
several scientific and speculative
works : at Amsterdam a treatise on
chemistry and physics,^ Observations
on Iron and Fire,^ a work on the
construction of docks and dykes,
and a second edition of his New
Method of finding the Longitude ; *
at Leipsic " Miscellaneous Observa
tions " on geology, meneralogy, etc.*
It speaks for the backward condition
of things in Sweden that Swedenborg
found it necessary to publish most
of his works abroad ; partly on ac
count of expense, partly that they
might be better printed, and partly
to escape the criticism of the Press
Censor, whose views were apt to
be narrow. When he published his
treatise on Algebra (the first in the
Swedish language) he questioned his
' Prodromus Principiorum Rerum
Naturalium, etc,
' Nova Observaia et Inventa circa Ferrum
et Ignem, etc.
^ Artificia nova mechanica Receptacula
Navalia et Aggeres Aquaticos construendi,
etc. * Miscellanea Observata circa Res
Naiurales, etc.

20

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

brother-in-law as to whether there
was anyone in Upsala who knew
enough of the subject to read his
proofs for him !
In July 1722, we find Swedenborg
at home again, full of new projects
for enhancing the material prosperity
of his native land ; projects to be
met as before with scant encourage
ment and not a little active opposi
tion from interested parties, easy
going conservatives, and jealous
officials. Among the latter must
be reckoned Urban Hjarne, Vice-
President of the Board of Mines,
who had an old quarrel with Sweden
borg's father, and made the young
man uncomfortable at times in
consequence. As the outcome of his studies and
observations abroad Swedenborg laid
before the Board, and also before
the King direct, proposals for in
creasing the yield of copper from the
ore, for improvements in the manu
facture of steel, and to abolish the
foolish distinction made between
the " noble " and " ignoble " metals,
so as to give encouragement to the
manufacture of iron, " the interests
of copper being protected at the ex
pense of the iron interest." On
these, as on other such matters, he
held large and liberal views, as wit
ness his opinion of trade secrets.
Speaking of the difficulty he some
times had in gathering information
abroad, he writes to Benzelius :
" According to my simple notions,
there ought to be no secrets at ah
in metallurgy ; for without such
knowledge it is impossible for any
one to investigate nature." ^
On the 15th July 1724, Sweden
borg, being then thirty-six years of
age, was appointed an ordinary
assessor of the Board of Mines, with
a salary of 800 silver dalers. It was
not until 1730, however, that he
received the fuU salary of 1200 dalers,
so that he was but meanly paid for
1 Documents, vol. i. p, 336.

his great services. From the records
of the Board he^appears to have been
assiduous in his duties, and the value
of his labours was recognised on
several occasions by his coUeagues.
But his official work was only a
small part of his employment ; he
was constantly gathering material"
for further publications, and by the
beginning of 1733 he had the manu
script of several important scientific
and philosophical works ready for
the press. He petitioned for nine
months leave of absence that he
might get them printed at Dresden
and Leipsic, which was granted by
Royal Decree.
The works in question were his
Opera Philosophica et Mineralia,
three heavy foho volumes con
taining numerous copper-plates, and
also a treatise on The Infinite. An
analysis of these works would be out
of place here, even if the present
writer felt himself capable of dealing
with them ; but a brief account of
them will be found in Dr Wilkinson's
Biographical Sketch, pp. 28-34
(Edition 1886), in the same writer's
Popular Sketch of Swedenborg's
Philosophical Works (which, how
ever, is out of print), and in Wor
cester's Life and Mission of Sweden
borg. The first part of the Opera
Philosophica, entitled. Principia
Rerum Naturalium, etc., was trans
lated into Enghsh by the Rev,
Augustus Clissold, M.A., a clergy
man of the Church of England, and
pubhshed in two volumes in 1846;
and the treatise on The Infinite has
also appeared in an Enghsh dress.
Portions of the second part of the
Opera Philosophica dealing with
the manufacture of iron and steel
were translated and printed during
Swedenborg's lifetime both in France
and Germany.
The pubhcation of these works
Mon for Swedenborg a European
reputation, and brought hun into
correspondence with some of the

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AND PRACTICAL UNDERTAKINGS 21

leading scientists and philosophers
of the day. The Academy of
Sciences of St Petersburg invited
him to become a corresponding
member in 1734, and he was one of
the first elected members of the
Royal Academy of Sciences in his
own country. In the course of his
journeyings he visited again his
former patron, the Duke of Bruns
wick, who received him cordially, and
undertook the whole cpst of publica
tion of the Opera Philosophica.
Swedenborg has left us a somewhat
detailed account of the journey he
undertook for the purpose of pub
lishing these works ; a matter-of-
fact document, but presenting many
points of interest. It proves the
truth of what Councillor Sandels
said,i that " nothing ever escaped
him that merited the attention of a
traveller." " It would be too prolix," says
Swedenborg, " to mention all the
learned men I visited, and with
whom I became acquainted during
these journeys, since I never missed
an opportunity of doing so, nor of
seeing and examining libraries,
collections, and other objects of
interest." ^
His observations extend from such
important matters as the fortifica
tions of a town, to the method of
constructing fences in Schonen.
Wherever he goes he visits the
libraries, museums, picture gaUeries,
churches, monasteries, asylums,
theatres, and especiaUy manufac
tories. He has remarks upon min
ing ; blast furnaces ; vitriol, arsenic,
and sulphur works ; naval archi
tecture ; copper and tin manufac
tures ; paper mills ; plate glass and
mirrors ; as well as upon anatoiny,
astronomy, magnetism, hydrostatics,
literature, and the social condition
of the people among whom he finds
1 Sandels' Eulogium, Documents, vol. i.
p. 20.
2 Documents, vol. ii, p. 6.

himself. Some of his observations
are worth quoting.
" At Anclam," he says, " I saw
for the first time the Brandenburg
soldiers [Frederick the Great's fam
ous Grenadiers]. . . . The men are
tall and slender, and they march
erectly. . . . They go through their
drill with the greatest promptness
and regularity ; but their manner is
perhaps a little theatrical. Their
hne is remarkably regular, the men
being of the same height and age ;
the faces of all turn in one direction.
. . . The whole squadron is like a
machine placed there, and moving
instantaneously at the pleasure of
the machinist. Not even the slight
est inaccuracy can be detected. If
they displayed the same uniformity
in battle as in drill, they would con
quer Alexander's army, and subject
a great part of Europe to Prussia,
but  "
What lay behind this " but " we
cannot guess ; we gather, however,
from some of his observations, that
Swedenborg did not altogether be
lieve in the Brandenburgers. In
describing their dress, he remarks
on its closely fitting to their legs
and arms, so as not to embarrass
them, in attack or in flight. We
must remember that he was a Swede,
and had known Charles XII.
His acquaintance with this
monarch taught him how culture
and science languish under a military
regime. The condition of the Royal
Library in Berlin, therefore, could
have given him little surprise. The
books, he says, were " mostly old ;
not many are purchased at the
present time, no money being ob
tainable for this purpose." He re
marks that most of the books are
old in the Ambrosian Library at
Milan, in the 'Vatican, and in the
Library of San Lorenzo, Florence,
also, but without the same explana
tion. He was essentially a modern
man, whose nature was to look for-

22

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

ward rather than backward, and so
he took little interest in things from
an antiquarian point of view. He
was inspired by the new-born love
of science and free thought, and was
eager to study their latest develop
ments. Hence he cared little for
missals and breviaries, rare editions
and " black letters " ; the Ambrosian
Library, he said, " is of little value,
as it contains only old books." He
made one exception, however, in
favour of Biblical codices, which he
examined with interest.
In matters of religion he was
particularly observant, visiting
churches, both Catholic and Pro
testant, orthodox and unorthodox ;
conversing with priests, monks, and
laymen ; and regarding with charit
able, though critical eyes, all develop
ments of the religious instinct. He
frequently remarks on the impres-
siveness of the Roman ritual, at the
same time noting its sensuous
character. Swedenborg's father had
been accused of pietism ; he himseh
was fully ahve to the evils of forced
religious sentiment. " The town "
(of Copenhagen), he remarks, " is
infected with pietism or quakerism ;
and they are crazed enough to believe
that it is well-pleasing to God to do
away with oneself and others ; of
which many instances are on re
cord." In many ways Swedenborg showed
a broader and more open mind than
his father. The latter looked with
little favour on the stage, and com
plained to the King on one occasion
that money was being paid to actors
and actresses, which might have
been devoted to the restoration of
his ruined cathedral. Swedenborg,
on the other hand, continually
visited the theatres and opera-houses,
and criticised the performances there.
He even descends to such details as
to tell us that the best harlequins
come from Bergamo. Still he was
in no sense a man of pleasure ;

wherever he went he had humanity
in view, and, in a sense, the theatre
was as sacred to him as the church.
It must be admitted that our hero
was not a connoisseur of art. His
remarks on painting and sculpture
show a want of appreciation of what
is admirable in art. This attitude
he shared with most of his contem
poraries ; or, indeed, derived from
them, for his judgment was chiefly
formed by reading, and the taste of
the time was false in the extreme.
He was a man of his time, also,
in that he showed httle appreciation
of natural scenery. He teUs us of
the hidden wealth of the mountains,
but not of their outward glory and
majesty ; he describes his journeys
by sea and river, but never a word
of the dancing waves and changing
light that give endless variety to the
one, or the windings that bring ever
new beauties to view on the other;
he notes the careful construction of
the fences, but sees not the flowers
of the field that they enclose ; he
is struck by "an extraordinarily
fine illumination " at Leghorn, but
disregards the rising and the setting
of the sun. His thoughts were en
gaged -with the nature and origin of
things rather than their appear
ances ; he was full of awe and
reverence for the wonders of creation,
but his aesthetic faculty was dormant
or untrained. He was at this period
essentially a man of science and
practical affairs ; though ne'wl
faculties were rapidly developing!
within him. ;

CHAPTER IV i
swedenborg THE PHILOSOPHER !
During the middle period of Sweden
borg's life, he was chiefly interested
in philosophical speculations ; these
were based upon an extraordinarily;
wide knowledge of natural science,

SWEDENBORG THE PHILOSOPHER

23

HjHis investigations ranged from the
tipomposition of matter to the seat of
ithe soul in the human body, and
uhis science embraced mathematics,
t chemistry, physics, mechanics,
iiljastronomy, metaUurgy, geology,
ilimagnetism and anatomy. Nor was
|his knowledge a mere smattering ;
tof several of these subjects he may
|be said to have acquainted himself
J with all that was to be known in his
5 time. His speculations were daring
-and profound. In his Principia, to
; which reference has been made above,
jhe put forth an elaborate theory of
. the origin of things, and propounded
J the nebular hypothesis many years
- before its suggestion by Kant,
r Herschel and Laplace. In the works
which we are now about to consider,
, he rose to higher themes and strove
, to fathom the mystery of the human
soul, and its relation to its instru-
, ment, the body ; at the same time
touching upon many other profound
subjects. To this middle period belong three
works. The Economy of the Animal
Kingdom, The Animal Kingdom, and
The Worship and Love of God. Be
fore considering their contents, we
will follow him in the journeys he
undertook to gather material and
to publish these works, of which
journeys we fortunately possess some
brief but most interesting records. ^
On the loth of July 1736, he left
Stockholm, travelhng by way of
Norkoping and Helsingborg to
Copenhagen, where he spent some
time, and met many learned and
otherwise noted persons, some of
whom were acquainted with his
previous works and gratified him by
speaking favourably of them. There,
and elsewhere, he visited many
places of interest, such as the great
dry dock then in process of con
struction at Copenhagen, porcelain
works at Hamburg, etc., etc. Al
though he was preparing for flights
^ See Documents, vol. ii. p. 75 et seq.

into the highest regions of human
thought, he maintained his old
interest in the practical affairs of
life, as he did, indeed, to the very
end of his career.
An important note announces that
he has commenced the study of
Christian von Wolf's philosophical
works ; and he remarks with evident
satisfaction that the author seems
to make reference to himself in one
of them. 'He had made the ac-
. quaintance of Wolf shortly before
this, and the two philosophers cor
responded from time to time.
We get a curious bit of informa
tion concerning Osnabriick, a town
which contained three Roman
Catholic and two Evangehcal
churches, to the effect that " they
have alternately a CathoUc and an
Evangelical bishop " ; an extra
ordinary and impossible arrange
ment, it would seem.
At Amsterdam he is struck by the
avarice of the people — " the whole
town breathed of nothing but gain " ;
and he speculates as to the cause
of the wonderful prosperity of the
Dutch. When in Rotterdam, a few
days later, he wrote in his journal as
follows : — " I here considered why
it was that it has pleased our Lord
to bless such an uncouth and avari
cious people with such a splendid
country ; why He has preserved
them for such a long time from all
misfortunes ; has caused them to
surpass all other nations in commerce
and enterprise ; and made their
country a place whither most of the
riches not only of Europe, but also of
other places flow. The principal
cause seems to me to have been that
it is a republic, wherein the Lord
delights more than in monarchical
countries ; as appears also from
Rome. The result is that no one
deems himself obhged and in duty
bound to accord honour and venera
tion to any human being, but con
siders the low as well as the high to

24

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

be of the same worth and conse
quence as a king and emperor ; as
is also shown by the native bent and
disposition of everyone in Holland.
The only one for whom they entertain
a feeling of veneration is the Lord,
putting no trust in flesh ; and when
the Highest is revered most, and no
human being is in His place, it is
most pleasing to the Lord. Besides,
each enjoys his own free will, and
from this his worship of 'God flows,
for each is, as it were, his own king
and ruler under the government of
the Highest ; and from this it follows
again that they do not, out of fear,
timidity, and excess of caution, lose
their courage and their independent
rational thought, but in full freedom
and without being borne down, they
are able to fix their souls upon, and
elevate them to, the honour of the
Highest, who is unwilling to share
His worship with any other. At all
events, those minds that are borne
down by a sovereign power are
brought up in flattery and falsity ;
they learn how to speak and act
differently from what they think ;
and when this condition has become
inrooted by habit, it engenders a
sort of second nature, so that even
in the worship of God such persons
speak differently from what they
think, and extend their flattering
ways to the Lord Himself, which
must be highly displeasing to Him.
This seems to me the reason why
they above other nations enjoy a
perfect blessing ; their worshipping
mammon for their God, and striving
only after money, does not seem to
be consistent with a constant bless
ing ; still there may be ten among a
thousand or among ten thousand,
who ward off punishment from the
others, and cause them to be parti
cipants with themselves of temporal
blessings." Remarkable sentiments these for
one who had enjoyed the confidence
of several monarchs, and to whom

" Their Majesties at Carlsberg " had
been " very gracious " only a few
weeks before, on his taking leave of
them to proceed on this same
journey; whose father, moreover,
has been a staunch upholder of the
" divine right " : but Swedenborg
always formed his own judgments,
and did not fear to express them.
From Amsterdam our traveller
went to Rotterdam, Dort, and Ant
werp ; thence by " treckschuy,"
(canal boat) to Bmssels, a portion of
the journey which roused him to
unwonted enthusiasm. " It was a
splendid and most beautiful trip,
During the whole journey we had
plantations of trees on both sides;
people also were more civilised, so
that in contrast with their poUteness
the boorishness and heaviness of the
Dutch became very evident." It
was doubtless pleasant travelling,
the " treckschuy t " being a capacious
vessel, " forty eUs long, and six ells
wide, with five rooms — i.e., cabin,
kitchen, and other apartments,"
while " on the forward deck was an
awning, under which people could
sit." Among his fellow-passengers were
two monks, one of whom " stood on
deck for four hours in one position,
and during the whole of this tune
said his prayers devoutly." Sweden
borg viewed this, as it would seem
to most, excessive piety with his
accustomed charity. He presumed
that the prayers were for those
travelling in the boat, and re
marked : " Such pravers must cer
tainly be agreeable to" God, so far as
they proceed from an honest and
pure heart, and are offered with
genuine devotion, and not in the
spirit of the Pharisees."
While he was prepared to find
good in everyone and in every
church, he did not shut his eyes
to ugly facts that came under his
notice. He speaks approvingly on
several occasions of the sphit of

SWEDENBORG THE PHILOSOPHER

25

devotion apparent in the Roman
CathoUc churches ; but he cannot
help observing the contrast between
the wealth of the Church and the
wretchedness of the people. " Every
where," he says (he is in France
now), " the convents, churches, and
monks are wealthiest and possess
most land. The monks are fat,
puffed up, and prosperous ; a whole
proud army might be formed of
them without theh being missed ;
most of them lead a lazy life ; they
try more and more to make all
subject to them ; they give nothing
to the poor except words and
blessings, and, on the other hand,
insist on having everything from the
indigent for nothing. Of what use
are these Franciscan monks ? Others
again are slim, lean, supple ; they
prefer walking to riding on horse
back or in a carriage ; they are
wiUing that others should enjoy
themselves with them, are witty and
quick at repartee, etc." Peronne, he
teUs us, " has many large and hand
some churches," but " the houses are
miserable ; the convents magnificent ;
the people poor and wretched." Roye,
also, " is a miserable town."
Later in his journal he explains
the cause of the general poverty, and
gives some statistics of the ecclesi
astical bodies. " I understood," he
said, " that the great revenue of
France obtained by the system of
taxation caUed tithing, amounts to
32 miUions [livres], or nearly 192
tons of gold, and that Paris on ac
count of its rents contributes nearly
two-thirds of that sum. In the
country towns this tax, it is said,
is not properly collected, as the
rents are reported at a lower figure
than they amount to in reaUty, so
that scarcely three per cent, is
collected. I am told besides that
the ecclesiastical order possesses one-
fifth of aU the property in the State,
and that the country wiU be ruined
if this goes on much longer."

" In France there are 14,777 con
vents and from 300,000 to 400,000
members of rehgious orders, who
possess 9000 palaces or mansions ;
1356 abbots, 567 abbesses, 13,000
prioresses, 15,000 chaplains, 140,000
pastors and curates, 18 archbishops,
and 112 bishops. 776 abbots and 280
abbesses are appointed by the king.
There are also 16 heads of orders."
With all this apparatus, rehgion
does not appear to have had much
influence in public or private affairs.
In enumerating the various depart
ments of the State, he tells us that
" The Comte de Maurepas, Secretary
of State, transacts almost everything
that concerns the affairs of the in
terior and the exterior, except what
has reference to war ; the Comte de
Florintin that which concerns re
ligion, which is very little." Of the
kind of theology in vogue we get an
idea from an entry in his journal
dated 17th October 1736. " I was
in the Sorbonne, and heard their
disputations in theology, which were
carried on pretty well . . . ; the
whole discussion consisted of syl
logisms." He visited many churches
, and monasteries ; heard the king's
chaplain preach, who " gesticulated
like an actor, yet preached in a
very superior style " ; discussed the
adoration of saints with an abbe ;
visited the hospitals ; attended the
opening of Parhament ; and lost
no opportunity of studying the life
and religion of the people. He was
frequently at the opera and theatres,
comments upon the pieces, and
mentions the distinguished actors
and actresses who took part in them.
In the midst of all this, his mind
was deeply occupied with his new
works. Pacing in front of the Hotel
de la Duchesse, he speculates on the
form of the particles of the at
mosphere. On the 6th September,
he writes : " I made the first draft to
the introduction of the Transactions
— viz. that the soul of wisdom is the

26

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

knowledge and acknowledgment of
the Supreme Being." The next day
" I treated on the subject that ' now
is the time to explore nature from its
effects.' " He is referring to the
passage in The Economy of the Animal
Kingdom, in which, after speaking
of the wonderful accumulation of
scientific knowledge in modern times
that was waiting for some sound
theory to unify and interpret it, he
exclaims : " The time is at hand
when we may quit the harbour and
sail for the open sea. The materials
are ready ; shall we not build the
edifice ? The harvest is waiting ;
shall we not put in the sickle ? The
produce of the garden is rife and
ripe ; shall we fail to collect if for
use ? Let us enjoy the provided
banquet — that is to say, from the
experience with which we are en
riched, let us eUcit wisdom. . . .
But to branch out into this region is
like embarking on a shoreless ocean
that environs the world. It is easy
to quit the land, or to loose the horses
from the starting-post ; but to attain
the end or reach the goal is a labour
for Hercules. Nevertheless we are
bound to attempt the abyss, though
as yet we must needs proceed like
young birds that, with the feeble
strokes of their new-fledged wings,
first essay their strength, and from
their nests try the air, the new' world,
into which they are to enter."
The goal towards which out author
thus buoyantly, and somewhat self-
confidently, directed his steps, was
nothing less than the discovery of
the soul. " I intend," he says, " to
examine, physically and philosophi
cally, the whole anatomy of the
body. . . . The end I propose to
myself in the work is a knowledge
of the soul ; since this knowledge
will constitute the crown of my
studies. ... In order therefore to
follow up the investigation, and to
solve the difficulty, I have chosen
to approach by the analytic way ;

and I think I am the first who has
taken this course professedly.
" To accomplish this grand end I
enter the circus, designing to con
sider and examine thoroughly the
whole world or microcosm which the
soul inhabits ; for I think it is in
vain to seek her anywhere but in her
own kingdom. . .
" I am resolved to allow myself
no respite, until I have mn through
the whole field to the very goal, or
until I have traversed the universal
animal kingdom to the soul. Thus
I hope, that by bending my course
inwards continually, I shaU open all
the doors that lead to her, and ai
length contemplate the soul herself:
by the Divine permission."
To attain the necessary knowledge
of human anatomy was the principal
object of his long sojourn abroad at
this time. In Holland, France, and
Italy he pursued his studies, reading
up the best authorities in Ubraries,
attending lectures and demonstra
tions, and using, to some extent,
the scalpel himself. He preferred in
general, however, to accept the
teaching of the great anatomists as
to the facts, and to base his theories
on their conclusions, for reasons ex
plained in the following extract : —
" In the experimental knowledge
of anatomy our way has been pointed
out by men of the greatest and most
cultivated talents, such as Eus-
tachius, Malpighi, Ruysch, Leeuwen-
hoek, Harvey, Morgagni, Vieussens,
Lancisi, Winslow, Ridley, Boerhaave,
Wepfer, Heister, Steno, Valsalva,
Duverney, Nuck, Barthohn, Bidloo,
and Verheyen, whose discoveries, far
from consisting of fallacious, vague,
and empty speculations, will for ever
continue to be of practical use to
posterity. " Assisted by the studies and
elaborate writings of these illustrious
men, and fortified by their authority,
I have resloved to commence and
complete my design — that is to say,

SWEDENBORG THE PHILOSOPHER

27

to open some part of those things,
•which it is generally supposed Nature
I has involved in obscurity. Here and
there I have taken the liberty of
throwing in the results of my own
experience ; but this only sparingly,
for on deeply considering the matter,
I deemed it better to make use of
the facts supplied by others. Indeed
there are some that seem born for
experimental observation, and en
dowed with a sharper insight than
others, as if they possessed naturally
a finer acumen ; such are Eus-
tachius, Ruysch, Leeuwenhoek, Lan
cisi, etc. There are others again
who enjoy a natural faculty for con
templating facts already discovered,
and eliciting their causes. Both are
peculiar gifts and are seldom united
in the same person. Besides I found
when intently occupied in exploring
the secrets of the human body, that
as soon as I discovered anything that
had not been observed before, I
began (seduced probably by self-
love) to grow blind t@ the most acute
lucubrations and researches of others,
and to originate a whole series of
inductive arguments from my parti
cular discovery alone ; and conse
quently to be incapacitated to view
and comprehend, as accurately as the
subject required, the idea of univer-
sals in individuals, and of individuals
under universals. Nay, when I es
sayed to form principles from these
discoveries, I thought I could detect
in various other phenomena much
to confirm their truth, although in
reality they were fairly susceptible
of no construction of the kind. I
therefore laid aside my instruments
adn restraining my desire for making
observations, determined rather to
rely on the researches of others than
to trust to my own." ^
With this digression we turn again
to the journal of Swedenborg's
travels. He left Paris at three
^ The Economy of The Animal Kingdom.
Introduction, Nos. 17 and 18.

o'clock on a March morning in 1738,
and travelled by diligence and
" treckschuy t " (canal boat), to
Lyons, attentively observing every
thing on the road. Ten days later
he started for Turin by way of Mont
Cenis, an arduous journey in those
days, and at that season of the
year. " We had to undergo great
fatigue," he writes, " and our lives
were endangered by the snow which
had fallen the previous night, which
was so deep that our mules had fairly
to swim in it, and we were obliged
to dismount. It was fortunate that
our party consisted of twelve persons
besides six monks of the Carmelite
order, and that we had an attendance
of from fifty to sixty porters who
paved a way for us." There was no
Mont Cenis tunnel then !
He encountered other dangers
during his Italian tour. On the
journey from Turin to Milan he was
abandoned by his vetturino, and com
pelled to travel in the sole company
of another who was somewhat of a,
desperado. This man flourished a
stiletto from time to time in a threat
ening manner, and would probably
have used it had he thought Sweden
borg worth robbing. On a sea
journey from Leghorn to Genoa, he
was again in danger from Algerian
pirates. He was in Turin at Easter, 1738,
and witnessed the Maundy Thurs
day and Good Friday processions.
On the former day, he says : "I
saw their magnificent processions,
of which I counted nine ; altogether
there were from twenty to thirty.
They had a great number of large
wax tapers ; six flogged themselves
so that the blood streamed from their
bodies ; others bore a cross of con
siderable weight ; others had their
arms stretched out ; others, again,
bore the insignia of crucifixion ;
lastly, a machine furnished with a
large number of candles was carried,
on which Christ was represented life-

28

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

size in various positions, together
with Mary. ... On Good Friday
evening they have another great
procession, with a machine, on which
are Christ lying in a shroud, the head
of John the Baptist, and Mary with
a sword through her heart."
Swedeborg met with plenty of
such outward signs of the Christian
profession, but Christian morality
was not so apparent among the
people. In Milan he visited the
Ospedale Maggiore, " one of the finest
and largest in existence." " The
service in the hospital," he tells us,
" is performed entirely by bastards ;
for foundlings in great numbers are
received in a drawer. . . . There are
special halls for the wounded, for
there is a great number of them, on
account of the many (attempted)
assassinations." He speaks highly
of the general arrangements of the
place. He also visited the principal
monasteries. " One which belongs
to the order of Ambrosius, is splen
didly decorated with paintings ; one
of these in the hall upstairs may be
caUed a real chef-d'oeuvre ; if you are
twelve or fifteen steps removed from
it, it is impossible to think otherwise
than that it stands out from the
wall." Swedenborg shared the very
common idea that realism is the
highest achievement of art. " In the
garden a fig-tree was pointed out,
where, it is said, Augustine was con
verted 1400 years ago. Each of the
fathers has his domestic and valet de
chambre ; for they all belong to the
aristocracy." At the " large convent for young
ladies," he tells us, " I conversed in
the parlour with two nuns ; I saw
their procession and bought their
flowers [kindly man ! ] ; a young
person was also led into the parlour."
On leaving Milan, he joined com
pany with five Carmehte monks who
were about to visit Venice on their
way to Rome. They can hardly

have entered into aU his proceedings,]
for at Verona, as at other places, hei
visited the opera. He is enthusiastic
in his description of what he saw.
" A new theatre," he says, " has been
built with a hundred and forty
boxes. In respect to the shifting of
scenes in the theatre, with their
decorations, which all represent
beautiful places and other fine
prospects, all in respect to the
singing and dancing, they surpass
the French opera to such a degree,
that it seems to be mere child's play
in comparison with them."
Of the public buildings he seemed
to prefer the modern to the ancient,
and speaks more of the precious
materials of the latter than of the
art displayed in their construction.
Thus, at Pisa, he teUs us : " Much
marble is displayed in chapels,
churches, and also in some private
houses. Their cathedral is entirely
of marble on the outside ; in the in
terior are many handsome pictures,
sculptures, and ornaments " ; the
cathedral of Florence he describes as
haidng " a dome which is of marble
on the outside and cost eighteen
miUions [of francs]." " Close by,"
he says, " is the Church of S.
Giovanni Battista, where are sculp
tures in marble, and statues in
bronze." He brought to architec
ture the eye of the geologist rather
than that of the connoisseur. At
Padua, he remarks, " the town hall
and the other public buildings are old-
fashioned " ; while of the churches
at Vicenza, we learn that the " more
recent " churches are especiaUy cele
brated for their architecture. His
favourite sculptor seems to have
been Bernini. He admires the
frescoes in the church of Santa
Croce in Florence, because they are
" so lifeUke, that they seem to be in
relief." '\\'e note again his apparent insensi-
bihty to the grandeur and beauty of
natural scenery. On his journey

SWEDENBORG THE PHILOSOPHER

29

from Florence to Leghorn, he ob
serves that " the road was fine,
fiut there were mountains on both
i^sides " (!) And yet this man was
,not without imagination, as the works
|he wrote' at this period evince ; his
[imagination, however, was fed by
,his knowledge of natural science and
'of classical literature, rather than
,by outward impressions from the
beauties of creation.
If " the proper study of mankind
is man," Swedenborg certainly ful
filled his duty in this respect. While
he was busy investigating the in
ternal economy of the human frame,
he was observing with equal dili
gence the life of the body politic,
and we have many notes on social,
political, and religious affairs. At
Florence he " witnessed the conse
cration of seven nuns ; they were in
white from top to toe. The arch
bishop performed the ceremony,
and changed his head-covering five
times ; he addressed questions to
them, and they answered him in
musical cadence ; he lay down on
the floor under a black cover for a
long time ; afterwards they received
rings, as well as crowns and other
things, partook of the sacrament,
and then went out in procession with
crowns on their heads. Many ladies
in bridal array were present, and
fine music was played." Two days
later (9th September 1738), he
writes : "I witnessed for the third
time, in a convent, the consecration
of nuns ; the ceremonies differed."
He teUs us of a remarkable monastery
in Rome ; "its Fathers are called
Hierosolymi ; twelve of them are
confined during the whole year ;
they obtain their food through a
trap-door ; one day in the year they
come out : the others meanwhile
drive about in carriages."
He describes relics and other
treasures in the churches in a matter-
of-fact way, without raising any
"question of their authenticity or

value as aids to devotion. Thus, in
the church of S. Giovanni in
Laterano, he tells us : " Many relics
are near the altar : the heads of
Peter and Paul, under a rich taber
nacle or shrine ; a famous column
of metal filled with stones from the
sepulchre of Christ." In Rome, also,
he " saw the prison of St Peter and
St Paul ; the door through which
the former is said to have been led
out by an angel ; the stone pillar
to which he was bound ; the spring
which issued close to it ; the opening
through which he obtained his food,
etc." Swedenborg had special op
portunities for seeing what was to
be seen in Rome, through the in
fluence of his countryman. Count
Nils Bjelke, Chamberlain to the
Pope, and a Senator of Rome. When,
in later life, he wrote much about the
Roman Catholic Church, he did not
depend on mere hearsay.
It was not only ecclesiastical
matters that interested him, how
ever. At Leghorn he vi.sited the
galleys, and in Venice joined the ex
pedition which accompanied the
Doge when he performed the annual
ceremony of " wedding the Adriatic."
The diary of this journey ends
abruptly on the 17th of March 1739,
but from other sources we learn that
Swedenborg returned to Paris about
the middle of May. Of his doings
from that date until the 3rd Novem
ber 1740, when he reported himself
again at the Board of Mines, we know
very little, except that in the interval
he pubhshed his CEconomia Regni
Animalis at Amsterdam.
In the early part of 1743, Sweden
borg again applied to the King for
leave of absence to go abroad to
publish a new work. His application
was " graciously entertained," but a
point of order required that it should
first be submitted to the Board of
Mines. Accordingly on the 17th of
June he addressed a letter to the
governing body, which is important

36

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

to us for several reasons. ^ It shows
that at this period he had no idea of
his future mission, no intention of
devoting himself to theology, and
that the allurements of worldly
honour were still before him. " I
can assure you," he writes, " that I
should a thousand times prefer to
stay at home in my native country,
where it would be a pleasure to me
to serve on so illustrious a Board,
and to contribute my own small
share to the public good ; at the
same time to watch opportunities
for improving my condition, and
attend to the httle poverty I have
acquired, and thus live at home and
have pleasant times, which, as long
as my health and means with God's
help continue, nothing would dis
turb — than to travel abroad, ex
posing myself, at my own by no
means inconsiderable expense, to
danger and vexation, especially in
these unquiet times, and undergoing
severe brain work and other hard
labour with the probability of meet
ing in the end with more unfavour
able than favourable judgrnents.
But notwithstanding all this, I am
influenced interiorly by the desire
and longing to produce during my
lifetime something real, which may
be of use in the general scientific
world and also to posterity, and in
this way to be useful to and even to
please my native country ; and, if
my wishes are reahsed, to obtain
honour for it. . . . It is my own chief
desire to bring this work to a close,
and to return to my country, to my
office, and to my property, where I
shall, in tranquillity and ease, con
tinue my larger work, the Regnum
Miner ale, and thus be of actual use
to the public at large in those matters
which properly belong the the Royal
Board." Swedenborg started on his new
journey in July 1743 ; his itinerary,
1 The letter is printed in full in Dr R. L.
Tafel's Documents, vol. i. pp. 458, 459.

however, does not extend beyond
the 20th August, and contains littlt
of special interest. He met many
persons of note, and at Hamburg
was presented to Prince Augustusi
and Prince Adolphus Frederic, the
recently elected Crown Prince ol
Sweden. The latter was pleased to
look at the manuscript of Sweden
borg's new book, and the reviews oi
his former one. At the various
places our author visited, he in
spected the churches, fortifications,
water works, pubhc buildings, etc;,
as was his wont.
The new work, the Regnum Ani-
male— a.t least Parts I. and II. of it-
was published at the Hague in 1744,'
We must reserve more particular
notice of it, and of the other two
works mentioned above, for the next
chapter.

CHAPTER V
LATER PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS
Swedenborg's anatomical studies
began in early life. In 1719 he sub
mitted a portion of his dissertation
on " The anatomy of our most subtk
nature, showing that our moving and
living force consists of tremulations"
to the Royal Medical CoUege. In
the preparation of this treatise (the
manuscript of which is stiU preserved
in the Diocesan hbrary of Linkoping),
he says : " I made myself thoroughly
acquainted with the anatomy of the
nerves and membranes " ; and he
claims to have " proved the harmony
which exists between it and the
interesting geometry of tremula
tions." ' He retrurned to his
studies of the structure of the human
body again and again, and between
1 A third part was published in London
in 1745 ; and an immense amount of
matter was prepared for further portions,
but left unpublished.
' Letter to Benzelius, Documents, vol. i.
p. 310.

LATER PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS

31

the years 1734 and 1744 accumulated
'a great mass of material for his
^philosophical treatises.
\ His object, as I have said, was to
;search into the causes of things, —
;to discover, if possible, where the
living force resides that regulates the
economy of the animal kingdom ; for
the animal kingdom of Swedenborg
is the kingdom presided over by
the soul in the human body, that
wonderful organism which responds
to every command and suggestion
of the indwelUng spirit. Where this
living essence resides, and what is
its nature, were the objects of his
ardent quest.
" I am strongly persuaded," he
says, " that the essence and nature
of the soul, its influx into the body,
and the reciprocal action of the
body, can never come to demon
stration unless with these doctrines
[he is referring to some suggestion
of Locke's] is combined a knowledge
of anatomy, pathology, and psy
chology, yea even of physics, and
especially of the auras of the world ;
and that unless our labours mount
from experience, we shall in every
new age have to build new systems,
which in their turn will tumble to
the ground, without the possibility
of being rebuilt.
" This, and no other, is the reason
that, with diligent study and intense
application, I have investigated the
anatomy of the body in all its parts.
In doing this, I may perhaps have
gone beyond the ordinary limits of
inquiry, so that but few of my
readers may be able distinctly to
understand me. Thus far, however,
I have felt bound to venture, for I
have resolved, cost what it may, to
trace out the nature of the human
soul." 1
A word as to Swedenborg's philo
sophic method. Dr J. J. Garth
Wilkinson in his introduction to The
' The Economy of the Animal Kingdom,
Part II. Nos. 213, 214.

Economy calls Swedenborg the
" Synthesis of Aristotle and Bacon."
"The ascending method of Bacon and
the descending one of Aristotle," he
says, " are, in fact, both realised by
Swedenborg, and being connected at
either end, they form a legitimate
and widening spiral, revolving from
the senses to the mind and from the
mind to the senses." In a paper
read before the Swedish Academy of
Sciences, on the 14th December 1740,
Swedenborg explains and defends
his method. He writes :
" There are two ways by which
to trace out those things in nature
which lie either open before us, or
are hidden from our eyes — viz. the
a priori, which is also called the
synthetical method, and the a pos
teriori, or the analytical method.
Both are necessary in reflecting upon
and tracing out one and the same
thing : for in order to do so there is
required both light a priori, and ex
perience a posteriori. Now, while
the learned among the ancients
followed the former light as remotely
and profoundly as they possibly
could, those at a later period were
induced not to accept anything as
witness, unless it was confirmed by
experience. Hence also some of the
leamed at the present day seem to
have agreed to let thought rest, and
to make experiments which would
appeal to the senses ; yet they did
so with the hope and intent that some
day experience would be connected
with theory : for experience deprived
of an insight into the nature of things
is knowledge without learning, and
a foundation without a building to
rest upon it. The observations of
the outward senses merely furnish
data and give information about
things which the understanding ought
to investigate, and concerning which
it ought to form its judgments ;
such also is the distinctive quality
of a rational being whose superiority
over brute animals consists in being

32

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

able to exercise its understanding in
matters acquired bj' experience.
" For the purpose of reaching this
noble end, the learned scientific men
of these later times have collected
and accumulated such an abundant
and invaluable treasure of experi
ments and facts, that we seem likely
to be able soon to advance a step
beyond, and to trace out the secret
properties of nature ex posteriori, or
by the analytical method, and thus
to meet our learned forefathers who
reached the same goal a priori, and
with their help to climb up a higher
Parnassus than they were able to do
in their times." ^
Swedenborg's method " evidently
is the inductive and synthetic method
combined. Commencing by obser
vation, his mind seized upon certain
high philosophical axioms ; and
from them reasoned downwards to
the nature and uses of particular
objects. Perhaps it is the only
attempt the world has seen (with
the exception of the unsuccessful
efforts of Comte) at rising upwards
to purely philosophical ideas from
positive and concrete facts." ^
By such means, then, our author
entered upon his momentous quest.
He was conscious that he would
have few to follow him, as appears
from the words of Seneca which he
prefixed as a motto to The Economy :
" He is born to serve but few, who
thinks of the people of his own age.
Many thousands of years, many
generations of men are yet to come :
look to these, though for some cause
silence has been imposed on all of
your own day ; there will come those
who may judge without offence and
without favour."
Swedenborg was not indifferent
to the appreciation of his contem-
1 Documents, vol. i. pp, 568, 569.
2 Historical and Critical View of Specu
lative Philosophy of Europe in the Nine
teenth Century, by J. D, Morell, vol. i,
p, 320.

poraries, but few have aUowed tha;
praise of men to influence them so;
httle. " Of what consequence," he;
asks, "is it to me that I should:
persuade anyone to embrace my:
opinions ? Let his own reason per
suade him. I do not undertake this
work for the sake of honour or
emolument, — both of which I shun
rather than seek, because they dis
quiet the mind, and because I am
content with my lot, — but for the
sake of trath, which alone is im
mortal." 1
The Economy of the Animal King
dom consists of two parts, the first
of which was published in 1740, and
the second in the following year.
Part I. deals with the composition,
and circulation of the blood, and ]
with fcetal life. It contains also a ;
division setting forth the elements \
of a system of " Rational Psy
chology," in which we have an ex
position of the doctrine of series and
degrees, which, in its developed
form, plays such an important part
in Swedenborg's later spiritual phil
osophy. Part II. treats, in three
chapters, of (i) the motion of the
brain, (2) its cortical substance, and
(3) the human soul. Dr Spurgin, a
former president of the Royal CoUege
of Physicians, declared the last
chapter to be "a production un
paralleled for exceUence in the whole
compass of human philosophy " ;
and S. T. Coleridge spoke in terms
of the highest praise of some parts
of the work. It was undoubtedly a
profound and suggestive treatise,
but it failed in its ultimate aim. Its
author looked to find the soul in the
inmost recesses and subtlest essences
of the body ; but, not being there, it
was not to be found, and he had
to confess his failure.
" Nothing," he wrote, " is farther
removed from the human under
standing than what at the same
1 The Economy of the Animal Kingdom,
Part II. No, 218.

LATER PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS

33

ime is really present to it ; and
fiat nothing is more present to it
han what is universal, prior, and
uperior ; since this enters into
very particular, and into everything
josterior and inferior. What is
Qore omnipresent than the Deity, —
n Him we live and move and have
)ur being, — and yet what is more re-
note from the sphere of the under
standing ? " So with the human
,oul ; its presence in the body is
nanifest ; but it cannot be found
jy searching in matter, any more
•.han God can.
Our ardent philosopher was never-
;heless not dismayed. He was dis-
;atisfied with his present work, but
le would search yet more deeply.
3e continued to study and write in
Preparation for a still more important
A'ork, the original plan of which em-
oraced seventeen parts, dealing, more
or less, with the anatomy of the
;Afhole body, and putting forth many
Dhilosophical suggestions. He pub
lished two parts at the Hague in
1744, as we have aheady mentioned,
ind a third in London in the foUow-
'ng year. The work was never
:ompleted for reasons that will
bresently appear, though a great
inass of valuable manuscript was
Drepared for further parts, some of
which have since been translated
md published.
\ In the prologue he says : " Not
Very long since I pubhshed The
pconomy of the Animal Kingdom,
1 . . and before traversing the whole
lield in detail, I made a rapid passage
;o the soul and put forth an essay
respecting it. But on considering
he matter more deeply, I found that
i had directed my course thither
both too hastily and too fast, — after
laving explored "the blood only and
its peculiar organs. I took the step
impelled by an ardent desire for
jcnowledge." The Animal Kingdom,
hen, was to remedy the defects
'ind supply the deficiencies of The

Economy. What was Swedenborg's
object in writing these works ? He
was anything but a barren specu
lator, as we have seen,— he aimed at
practical ends in all his labours.
What, then, did he desire to accom
plish by these high philosophical
studies ? Secure in his own faith
in God and spiritual things, he was
appalled at the prevalent material
ism of his time. There were many
then, as now, who tried to persuade
themselves that God was an abstrac
tion, and the soul a theological as
sumption. The existence of God he
never allowed himself to question,
but in regard to the soul, he hoped
to demonstrate that the brain, in
stead of secreting thought as the
liver secretes bile, was the temple of
the indwelling spirit ; which, how
ever, he half believed, was in some
way a sublimated form of matter.
To those who deprecated such
peering into spiritual mysteries, who
held that " all those things which
transcend our present state are
matters for faith and not for in
tellect," he replied : " I grant this ;
nor would I persuade anyone who
comprehends these high truths by
faith, to attempt to comprehend
them by his intellect : let him ab
stain from my books. . . . But these
pages of mine are written with a
view to those only who never believe
anything but what they can receive
with the intellect ; consequently
who boldly invalidate and are fain
to deny the existence of all super-
eminent things, sublimer than them
selves, — as the soul itself, and what
foUows therefrom ; its life, im
mortality, heaven, etc. . . . For
these persons only I am anxious ;
and, as I said before, for them indite,
and to them I dedicate my work.
For when I shall have demonstrated
truths themselves by the analytic
method, I hope that those debasing
shadows, or material clouds, which
darken ihe sacred temple of the

34

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

mind will be dispersed, and that
thus at last, under the favour of
God, who is the Sun of Wisdom, an
access will be opened and a way laid
down to faith."
Swedenborg's scientific and philo
sophical works are said to have
had a large sale, and he placed them
freely at the service of those who
" possess understanding, and are in
terested in such subjects " ; ^ but
they do not seem to have exercised
any striking influence on the thought
of his time. Kant was surprised to
find himself largely in agreement
with Swedenborg, and expressed
annoyance at the discovery. His
jealousy caused him to issue a
pamphlet in 1766, throwing ridicule
upon Swedenborg's claims to spiritual
intercourse, in which he says :
" The system of Swedenborg is un
fortunately very similar to my own
philosophy. It is not impossible
that my rational views may be con
sidered absurd by reason of that
affinity. As to the offensive com
parison, I declare, we must either
suppose greater intelligence and truth
at the basis of Swedenborg's writings
than first impressions excite, or that
it is a mere accident when he coin
cides with my system, — a lusus
naturce. Such a wonderful agree
ment exists between his doctrines
and the deepest results of reason,
that there is no other alternative
whereby the correspondence can be
explained." Though there is evidence that some
of Swedenborg's contemporaries as
similated and worked upon his
ideas,^ we meet with no frank ac
knowledgment of his services to
philosophy until our own time. To
aU appearance, these great and
laborious works were forgotten as
soon as published.
1 See letter to an unknown " Councillor
of Chancery,'' dated the i6th September
1745, Documents , vol, i, p. 369.
* See chap. xiii. Swedenborg's Science.

With another short extract wf
must take leave of The Animi
Kingdom. The interest of this pas
sage is its anticipation of the doctrine
of Correspondences, which, as wj
shaU see, became one of the founda
tion principles of the author's
theological system.
" In our Doctrine of Representa
tions and Correspondences," he says,
" we shall treat of both these sym-
bohcal and typical representations,
and of the astonishing things which
occur, I wiU not say in the living
body only, but throughout nature,
and which correspond so entirely to
supreme and spiritual things that,
one would swear that the physical'
world is purely symbolical of the
spiritual world, — insomuch that il
we choose to express any natural
truth in physical and definite vocal
terms, and to convert them into
the corresponding spiritual terms, we
shall by this means ehcit a spiritual
truth in place of the physical truth;
although no mortal could have
predicted that anything of the kind
could possibly arise by bare hteral
transposition ; inasmuch as the one
precept, considered separately from
the other, appears to have abso
lutely no relation to it." ^
The Animal Kingdom, as I have
said, \\d& never completed ; but
in 1745 Swedenborg pubhshed
another most remarkable book,
entitled The Worship and Love i,
God. It is a httle difficult to
understand the meaning and inten
tion of this work ; but the \risdoni
and beauty embodied in it are un
mistakable. Dr \Mlkinson regards
it as " an expectant da\'-dream ol
his theology, abundant in cham-
ing details, and crowded \vith signi
ficance," " an allegory of a six days'
work " ; the Rev. T. ]\I. Gorman,
who issued the most recent Englisl
edition,''^ insists that it is. to Ix
' Parti, Note, p, 451.
2 Kegan Paul. Trench & Co., 1885. Thl

LATER PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS

35

accepted Uterally as an account, of
the method and order of creation.
Few, I think, wiU be found to agree
with the latter, as there is evidence
of a playful fancy about the book.
Swedenborg himself said that it was
written " under the leadership of
the understanding, and according
to the thread of reason," and, in
reply to a querist who asked him liow
the book was to be regarded, stated
that: " It was certainly founded on
truth, but somewhat of egotism had
introduced itself into it, as he had
made a playful use in it of the Latin
language, on account of his having
been ridiculed for the simplicity of
his Latin style in later years. For
this reason he did not regard it as
equal to his other works." ^ It
does not properly belong to the
category either of his scientific or
his theological works, but holds a
distinct place of its own.
A summary of its contents can
give no idea of the book itself ;
indeed, it might lead the reader to
think it a worthless production.
Nevertheless, I risk this possible
injustice to the author ; guarding
against it by adding such selections
as wiU convey some idea of its
literary charm and extraordinary
depth of wisdom. Most readers of
the book would be struck by the
mixture of childhke simplicity, and
profound penetration which it ex
hibits. It essays to give an account of
creation, on evolutionary lines ; first
describing the birth of the planets
from the sun by a process that
anticipated the later nebular theory
of Laplace and Kant.^ Our own
translation only embraces the portion of
the work pubhshed by Swedenborg — -viz.
Parts I. and II. A third part, unfinished,
has not yet been pubhshed.
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 710.
^ Swedenborg's claim to be considered
the originator of the nebular hypothesis
is discussed in chapter xiii.

earth, when it had at length broken
free from the nebdlous ring which
surrounded the sun, and from which
it had its origin, was graduaUy pre
pared for the advent of life, the
germs of which existed as " small
eggs collected at its surface, or small
seeds of its future triple kingdom
— viz. the mineral, the vegetable,
and the animal. These seeds or be
ginnings lay as yet unseparated in
their rudiments, one folded up in
another, namely, the vegetable
kingdom in the mineral kingdom,
which was to be the matrix, and
in the vegetable kingdom, which
was to serve as a nurse or nourisher,
the animal kingdom ; for each after
wards was to come forth distinctly
from its coverings. Thus the
present contained the past, and what
was to come lay concealed in each,
for one thing involved another in a
continual series ; by which means
this earth, from its continued aus
pices, was perpetually in a kind of
birth." 1
The earth, we are told, gradually
receded from the sun, its annual
and diurnal rotations occup3dng an
increasing length of time as it re
moved farther and farther from the
parent orb. At the time when life
first appeared, the year was no
longer than our present month, and
the day not more than two hours in
duration. The effect of this rapid
rotation was to equahse the climate,
the seasons merging into one another
so as to form a perpetual spring.
These halcyon days are described in
a passage which may serve as an
example of the poetic style of the
book. " The proximate atmosphere
itself, or air, breathed the most
grateful temperature in consequence
of receiving so copious a light and
alternate heat, and at the same time,
1 P. 18. (All references are to the
Enghsh edition of 1885, Kegan Paul,
Trench & Co.)

36

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

being warmed by fruitful dews ex
haled from the bosom of the earth ;
for as yet there was no furious wind,
no Boreas to disturb the air with
his stormy whirlwind ; nor as yet
did the smallest cloud intercept the
splendour of the sun and of the
stars ; but the face of everything
was serene, and zephyrs only, with
their gentle tannings, appeased the
murmurs of the winds." ^
The earliest forms of vegetable
life were herbs and lowly flowers,
which clothed the surface of the
earth with beauty ; after these,
shrubs and plants ; and finally, trees.
From the vegetable world pro
ceeded the primal forms of animal
life, the earUest being insects ; from
the shrubs were produced eggs which
were nourished among their branches ,
and eventually hatched into birds ;
while the quadrupeds " were in hke
manner produced from viviparous
forests," the branching horns of
many of them indicating their
arboreal origin I Lastly came man,
the product of the Tree of Life,
" which bore a small egg, the most
precious of all others, in which, as
in a jewel, nature concealed herself
with her highest powers and stores,
to become the initiaments of the
most consummate body."
The first man, according to this
strange fancy, did not appear on the
earth of full stature, but as a helpless
infant. From his birth he was at
tended by angelic ministrants, who
instructed him in the order of his
life, and in celestial wisdom. A
great part of the first division of
the book is occupied with a descrip
tion of this heavenly education ;
while Part II. describes the birth of
Eve and the marriage of the first
born. Have I disgusted the reader with
such childish speculations ? I trust
not, for he will lose much if he allows
the prejudice they may arouse to
' P. 22.

debar him from a perusal of the
book. Should he overcome his re
pugnance and proceed to read, he
will soon be lost in amazement at
the brilliancy and profundity of the
thoughts that clothe this narrative,
Before introducing him to some
of these, I must quote one more
short passage of great beauty, de
scribing the attitude of nature on
the eve of the first human birthday
" It was midnight, and the con
stellations of heaven, as if also about
to applaud, did now shine not only
with brightness, but also glittered
with a kind of flaming beam ; they
were also ardent to prevent • their
setting, but the day-dawn, hastening
to its rising, dimmed their lustre,
and instantly opened the gates of
day for the sun." ^
Written at the transitional period
of Swedenborg's life. The Worshif
and Love of God gathers up many of
the ideas found in his earher works,
and reaches forward to the high
truths which he was henceforth to
expound. Geometry is stiU to him
the most fascinating of sciences, and
in a suggestive note he retums to his
" doctrine of forms," classifying
geometric forms in an ascending
series from angular forms, "the
form proper to earthly substances,"
through circular, spherical, and spiral,
to the vortical, the geometry of the
heavens. 2 From the doctrine of
forms he ascends to ¦ that of order
and degrees, and laj-s the foundation
for one of the main principles of
his later spiritual philosophy. The
doctrine of Correspondences, which
¦we saw was foreshadowed in Tk
Animal Kingdom, is here further ¦
developed and more clearly stated.
We read :
"Such is the estabhshed corre
spondence, that by natural and mora!
truths, by means of the transposi
tions only of the expressions tiiat
signify natural things, we are in-
' P- 59- » Note, pp. 6-7.

LATER PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS

37

troduced into spiritual truths, and
joice versa, and thus, as it were, from
one Paradise into another. For the
;sake of illustration, let one or two
^examples suffice, as first. Light re-
'veals the quality of its object, but the
'quality of the object appears according
to the state of the light, wherefore the
object is not always such as it ap
pears. . . . Now if instead of light
we take inteUigence, the quality of
the object of which is the truth of
a thing ; since inteUigence is uni
versally allowed to be spiritual light,
this conclusion follows : Intelligence
discovers the truth of a thing, but the
truth of a thing appears according to
the state of the intelligence ; wherefore
that is not always true which is sup
posed to be true," etc.^
Again :
" Nothing in any case exists in
nature which does not in a type
resemble its origin, or soul ; and as
this origin is from heaven (for all
uses, as was said, are ends designed
by heaven), therefore things natural
and things celestial must of necessity
agree with each other, according to
the order first induced, or the most
perfect order ; and this in such a
manner, that it is aUowable to take
a view of one from the other ; for if
we unfold natural things, and in their
place transcribe celestial or spiritual
things, congruous things result." ^
Those familiar with Swedenborg's
remarkable work on The Divine Lome
and Wisdom, published eighteen
years later, will recognise the germs
of many of the profound ideas it
embodies in the work before us.
An exhaustive comparison is out of
the question, but I may point out
some of the more striking of these
anticipations. That all Ufe is spiritual, that spirit
is substance, and that, as the origin
of all things, God Himseh is the only
true and real substance, is clearly
taught in a note (page 76) :

1 Note, p. 107.

Note, p. 141.

" The soul is so real a substance,
that all the substances of the body,
which enjoy active life, are from it,
and are called substances, but com
pounded ones ; for every compound
is only an aggregate of its simple
substances ; nor is anything truly a
substance but the Supreme, which
is therefore called a simple sub
stance." Another great principle, that no
substance is without form is stated
in so many words in a note on page
81. (Most of these great philo
sophical principles are discussed in
notes, which might justly be re
garded as the most valuable part of
the book.)
" Whether we speak of forms or
substances, it amounts to the same
thing, since no substance produced
from God is given without a form,
whence it derives its faculties of
acting, and its qualities."
That creation is an emanation
from God as the essential substance,
and not a making of something out
of nothing is strongly insisted upon
in both works. In the earlier one
we read :
" From what has no being it is
impossible for anything to exist,
and out of nothing, nothing can be
made." 1
A leading proposition in The
Divine Love and Wisdom is that
" the love or will is the very life of
man." In The Worship and Love
of God, we read : " Without love
there is no life, and the life is of
such a quality as is the love." ^
The essential connection between
goodness and truth, and the influ
ence of the will upon perception
and belief, are demonstrated in both
works. " AU traths," we read in
The Worship and Love, " concentrate
in goodness, consequently expand
themselves, as it were, into circum
ferences from goodness, as from a
centre." ^ Again : " Our loves . . .
' P. r27. 2 p_ 15^. r. p g6_

38

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

hold the reins, and excite and govern
our minds ; by them we are drawn,
and then we follow." ^
In both books, too, it is taught
that all life and wisdom are derived,
and that the way to true philosophy
is to keep the mind open to influences
from within and above.
" There are only two ways of ac
cess to thy mind — -viz. from above,
and from beneath ; the way from
above is through the soul and its
temple ; this way is sacred. . . .
This way is open only to the Lord of
h.ght, and to His love ; but the
latter, or inferior way, is the only
one through which he [the prince of
this world] can creep, and exert his
influences." '
" Our minds are such as to be
capable of turning two ways, as upon
hinges — viz. inwards and outwards,
or upwards and downwards ; for
there are, as it were, two ways
or places of reception, of two
guests." ^
Materialists cannot see spiritual
truth because they persistently look
downwards and outwards, instead of
upwards and inwards. " They suffer
themselves to be con-vinced by
nothing, but by the testimony of the
external senses ; and what is wonder
ful, they reject from their belief the
clearest agencies and effects, unless
they see them also in a substance ;
wherefore when they look into truth
from this connection and order, the
chain snaps asunder, at its first link,
and thus their new view remains fixed
in mere earthly objects, or in matters
which are born from the ultimate
form." *
Turning again to the narrative
part of this book, Adam is instructed
in the nature of true wisdom by
heavenly inteUigences ; and the folly
of attempting to solve Divine
mysteries by " natural " reason is
represented to him in a striking

1 P. 123.
^ Pp. no and IU.

• p. 167.
'P. 231.

allegory. The leader of the celestial
" wisdoms " teaches him that
" supreme things, or things superior
in order, flow in into inferior things,
and these into ultimate things, but
not vice versa ; hence inferior things
derive their powers and perfections,
or thence flow aU the qualities and
abilities of inferior things. When
this order is estabhshed, then there
is nothing so complicated and abs-
trase which is not explained and
unfolded, for it is the hght itself
which sees, and the living force itself
which acts. . But it is altogether
otherwise if this order be inverted,
that is, if hberty be given to nature
to break in, without leave, into
the higher and sacred recesses of
life." 1
The Worship and Love of God
is full of profound and brilUant
thoughts, but we can only cull one
or two more of aphoristic char
acter. " We really here live and walk
as little universes, and carry both
heaven and the world, consequently
the kingdom of God, in our
selves." 2
" Love, when it is ardent, desires
nothing more vehemently, or seeks
more intently, than such a connec
tion of its nature — viz. that it may
be another's not its o^^^:l, and con
ceiving that only to be its own which
is reflected from another into it
seh." 3
" What is Ufe ? Is it not to
understand what is true, and to
relish what is good ? " ¦*
" Life has ordained nature to be a
consort with itself, and to exercise
power accordingly." ^
" Let us not, then, I praj', im
merse our rational views in empty
sophisms, or rather in mere shades,
. . . bjr asking, whether our minds
and souls are material, or whether

IP. 144-
' Pp, 194-105.
" P. 142.

= P. 165.
¦¦ P. 179-

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

39

they are extended, so as to fill spaces,
and whether their activities are
to be measured by times or the
¦velocities of times, and the like ; for
matter is only an expression, the
attributes and predicates of which
ought to be defined absolutely to all
sense and apprehension, before it
can be demonstrated according to
what understanding those forms
and their activities are to be per
ceived." 1
The reader will be able to form
some opinion from these extracts
of the high philosophy of this little
book. In point of theology it is
more or less orthodox — the doctrine
of a personal Trinity seems to be
accepted, and even that of sub
stitution, which afterwards its author
so strongly repudiated. Sweden
borg had as yet no clear ideas of the
mission he was to fulfil as a religious
reformer ; his aim in this and his
other philosophical works seems to
have been to establish the Divine
origin of creation and the reality of
spiritual things. That he was alive
to the necessity of reform in the
Church, however, appears from the
allegorical description of her con
dition at the conclusion of Part I.
The " Heavenly Wisdom " declares
to Adam that the goal of life is that
" full opportunity may be given of
enjoying our Love {i.e. God), and this
for ever."
" If thou wilt enter into life keep
the commandments," said Jesus ;
this is the narrow path which the
churches in Swedenborg's day re
fused to follow, trusting to climb up
some other way to the realms of
bliss. It was Swedenborg's mission
to declare once more : " Irhis is the
way, walk ye in it I " ^
1 Note, pp. 94-95.
^ Isaiah xxx. 21.

CHAPTER VI
between two worlds
The Worship and Love of God was
published, as we have said, in 1745 ;
in 1749 appea,red the first volume of
Arcana Ccelestia. A more complete
contrast than that which these two
works afford could scarcely be
imagined. The poetic diction of the
former has been discarded for a level
unrhetorical prose ; philosophical
speculation has given place to con
fident assertion in regard to spiritual
matters, though without a trace of
egotism ; while theological ortho
doxy is superseded by the widely
different system of doctrine usually
associated with the author's name.
The same subject — the creation, and
the early history of the human race —
is dealt with in both books, but the
treatment is totally different. In
the earlier work, the story of the
creation is accepted as literal history,
though interpreted somewhat freely
in accordance with the speculative
ideas of the author ; in the new book
it is regarded as a Divine allegory,
the only consistent interpretation
of which is shown to be spiritual.
Whence has come this remarkable
change ? The explanation is given
by Swedenborg in the concluding
paragraph of the Introduction to the
Arcana Ccelestia. After asserting
that the Sacred Scriptures contain a
spiritual sense, he proceeds :
" That this is really the case, in
respect to the Word, it is impossible
for any mortal to know, however,
except from the Lord. Wherefore it
is expedient here to premise, that, of
the Lord's divine mercy, it has been
granted me, now for several years,
to be constantly and uninterruptedly
in company with spirits and angels,
hearing them converse with each
other, and conversing with them.
Hence it has been permitted me to
hear and see things in another life

40

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

which are astonishing and which
have never before come to the know
ledge of any man, nor entered into
his imagination. I have thus been
instructed concerning different kinds
of spirits, and the state of souls after
death, — concerning hell, or the lamen
table state of the unfaithful, — con
cerning heaven, or the most happy
state of the faithful, — and particu
larly concerning the doctrine of faith
which is acknowledged throughout
all heaven : on which subjects, by
the divine mercy of the Lord, more
¦wiU be said in the following pages."
By many persons this extra
ordinary claim is regarded as an
indication of mental aberration ;
but few who 'have given serious
study to the author's subsequent
writings hesitate to accept it fully.
In no other way can they account for
the wonderful spiritual insight which
these works display. I do not pro
pose to discuss the validity of the
claim here, but invite the reader's
attention to the most remarkable
psychological revelation ever given
to men, — the record, in Swedenborg's
own words, of the gradual opening
of his spiritual sight.
Granting the possibility of such an
intromission into the world of spirit,
we should scarcely expect it to occur
suddenly, without preparation, and
without premonitory signs. If we
accept Swedenborg's own statements,
such preparation and such signs were
not wanting. He tells us, indeed,
that he had been prepared from his
earhest youth for the holy office to
which God had called him ; ^ but it
was not until 1743 that he began to
have direct intimations of the great
change that was about to come over
him. When in the early part of that
year he made application to the
Board of Mines for leave of absence
to go abroad and publish his Regnum
Animate, it is evident that he
had no thought of sych a revolu-
I ' Documents, vol. ii. p. 138,

tionary change m the order of his
hfe.^ In conversation with Carl Roh-
sahm many years later, he re
marked : " I, for my own part, had
never expected to come into that
spiritual state, in which I am now;
but the Lord selected me for this
work, and for reveaUng the spiritual
meaning of the Sacred Scriptures,
which He had promised in the pro
phets and in the Book of Revelation.
My purpose previously had been to
explore nature, chemistry, and the
sciences of mining and anatomy." ^
In a letter to the Rev. Thomas
Hartley, written towards the close
of his life, Swedenborg assigns the
year 1743 as the date of the opening
of his spiritual sight. This was prob
ably the earliest direct intimation
he received of his call ; but it was in
April 1745, as he teUs us in several
places, that he was fuUy admitted
to intercourse with angels and spirits,
speaking -with them as man -with
man. There is no doubt that the
process was a gradual one ; in
Heaven and Hell, No. 130, we read :
" I was elevated into heaven in
teriorly by degrees, and in proportion
as I was elevated my understanding
was elevated, so that I was at length
enabled to perceive things which at
first I did not perceive, and, finaUy,
such things as it had been impossible
for me to comprehend " ; and in the
Spiritual Diary, No. 2951, we are
told of remarkable dreams and
visions, extraordinary hghts seen
and voices heard, and, finally, direct
speech with " a certain spirit."
Again, in the Adversaria, No, 183,
he says : "At first I had dreams
during a number of years, when I
leamed something of their real
signification." Swedenborg kept a private diary
of his experiences during a part of
this tune, the very existence of which
^ See above, p. 30.
^ Documents, vol. i. p. 35.

BETWEEN' TWO WORLDS

41

"was unknown until 1858, when the
, manuscript was acquired by the
Royal Library of Stotkholm. It had
been in the possession of Professor
Scheringsson, of Westeras, who died
in 1849 in his ninetieth year, and had
lain for nearly ten years more un
noticed among his papers. The Royal
¦ Librarian, Mr G. E. Klemming, pub
lished the diary in 1859, under the
title of Swedenborg' s Dreams, 1744,
with some other Memoranda from
' his Hand ; and caused much excite
ment thereby among the disciples of
the seer. By some its authenticity
was questioned, others doubted the
wisdom and justice of publishing so
private a record ; but the genuine
ness of the decument is now fairly
established, and its value as a unique
psychological study is held to justify
the revelation of such intimate self-
confidences, notwithstanding the op
portunity some of the entries have
given for unfriendly criticism. A
trarislation of this diary, with ex
planatory notes, wiU be found in
Dr R. L. Tafel's Documents, vol. ii.
pp. 134 to 219.
Let us reverently examine this
solemn record, recognising the fact
that " we are penetrating the inner
secrets of a man's hfe deeper and
more completely, perhaps, than has
been done in the case of any other
man that ever lived." Though the
diary only covers the short period
from the 24th March 1744 to the 27th
October of the same year, embracing
however a brief record of some earlier
dreams, we have a most complete
picture of a soul laid bare. No
priest ever- heard a more sincere
confession, or pronounced pardon to
a more hurnble penitent. We have
seen how upright and blameless be
fore the world this man's life had
been ; yet he cast himself before his
Lord as the vUest and most un
worthy of mortals. If he had not
been guilty of flagrant sin, he knew
'hat the love of evil still lurked

within him, as within us all, ready
to be stirred into act by temptation ;
and that wayward thoughts prompted
to lust, to pride, to self-confidence.
The deepest evils are not those that
appear outwardly, as insidious and
fatal diseases often lurk in an ap
parently healthy body. Only by
severe temptations can interior evils
be extirpated, and such temptations
Swedenborg underwent.
" I found," he writes (April 7 x 8 i),
" that I was more unworthy than
others and the greatest sinner,
for this reason, that our Lord has
granted me to penetrate by thought
into certain things more deeply than
many others ; and the very source
of sin lies in the thoughts I am
carrying out ; so that my sins have
on that account a deeper foundation
than those of many others ; and in
this I found my unworthiuess and
my sins greater than those of other
men." He regarded intellectual pride as
one of his besetting faults. " I
saw a bookshop," he writes under
the same date, " and immediately
the thought struck me that my work
would have more effect than that of
others ; yet I checked myself at
once ; for one serves another, and
our Lord has more than a thousand
ways by which to prepare a man,
so that each and every book must be
left to its own merits, as a means
near or remote, according to the
rational condition of every man.
StiU arrogance at once crops up :
may God control it, for the power
is in His hands 1 " On another
occasion he had been attending a
lecture at the Royal College of
^ The dates are thus given in the
Diary. His record is of the night-time,
during which apparently most of these
experiences came to him : in the day-time
he was as other men. " All the while,"
he says, " I was in society constantly
as before, and no one could observe
the least change in me " (Documents,
vol. ii. p. 166),

42

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Surgeons in London, " when I was
rash enough," he says, " to think
that I should be mentioned as one
of those who understood anatomy
best ; I was glad, however, that this
was not done."
On April 8 x 9 we read : "I en
treated Christ's mercy for cherishing
so much pride and arrogance, by
which I flatter myself." He con
fesses (April 13 X 14) that "I am
inclined to boast of my work." Some
months later (October 6x7) he
writes : " Afterwards I lighted upon
these thoughts, and received this
instruction — viz. that all love for
whatever object, as, for instance, for
the work upon which I am now en
gaged — whenever such an object is
loved (for its own sake), and not as
a medium for the only love, which
is to God and Jesus Christ, is a
meretricious love."
He acknowledges on several oc
casions that he is inclined to resist
God's will and choose his own course.
" There was something in me (April
10 X 11) that prevented my submit
ting myself to God's -grace as I ought
to have done, thus suffering Him to
do with me according to His good
pleasure." He felt that a change
was coming over his life, and that a
new and higher work lay before him.
He was reluctant, however, to give up
his philosophical studies, in which
he took such dehght, and on which
he was inclined to rest his fame :
and yet he saw that such a sacrifice
would have to be made, if he accepted
the mission offered to him.
We can guess something of the
straggle that was going on in his
mind, and can understand his
suddenly breaking off his work upon
the Regnum Animate. He had, by
that time, given up his own -will and
submitted to what he believed to be
the Divine difection.
InteUectual pride was not the only
form of temptation that assailed
him. The inmost depths of his soul

were so disturbed by such thoughts,
that he came to feel that he was
" only evil and that continuaUy."
In the Diary for April 11 x 12, he
writes : "I perceived in myself . . .
that in every particular thought, and
even in that which we consider pure,
an infinite quantity of sin and im
purity is contained, and likewise in
every desire which enters from the
body into the thoughts ; these spring
from great roots. Although, there
fore, a thought may appear pure, it,
nevertheless, is a fact that a person
may think in a certain way from
timidity, hypocrisy, and many other
causes, as may also be traced out by
an exploration of the thoughts ; so
that on this account man is so much
the more unable to free himseh from
sin, and there is not a single thought
which is not very much alloyed with
uncleanness and impurity. ... I
have, indeed, observed that our
whole wiU into which we are bom,
and which is ruled by the body and
introduces thought, is opposed to
the Spirit . . . and hence it is that
we are dead to everything good, but
to everything evil we are inchned
from ourselves."
Even his very virtues were a source
of temptation. " While I was think
ing," he writes, " as is often the case,
suppose someone should consider
me a saint, and on that account
think highly of me ; nay, suppose,
as is done by some simple-minded
people, he should not only revere
but also adore me as one whom he
considers a holy man or a saint ; in
this case I found that in the zeal in
which I was, I was willing to inflict
upon him the greatest possible pain,
rather than that sin should be laid
upon him. I saw also that I must
entreat the Lord \\ith the most
earnest prayers, not to have any
share in so damnable a sin, which
would then be laid to my charge."
Like St Paul, he experienced the
conflict which arises between the

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

43

?flesh and the spirit under stress of
severe temptation ; and he believed
^that his temptations came from an
'outside source. He even felt at
times that malign spirits had taken
possession of him, and were en-
fdeavouring to force him to the com-
' mission of evil " which he would
'not " ; but he never lost faith or
'courage, and prayed vehemently for
Meliverance from his tormentors. He
'realised, also, that his prayers were
¦answered, and often rose from the
¦: depths of despondency to heights of
iconscious victory. After a period of
'"most severe temptation," so that
he could scarcely control the un
godly thoughts that arose in his
mind he wrote :
" Yet I can affirm, that I never
was of better courage than to-day,
and that I was not in the least faint
hearted and pained as on previous
days, although the temptation was
most severe. The reason is, that our
Lord has given me this strong faith
and confidence, that He helps me for
the sake of Jesus Christ and accord
ing to His own promise ; so that I
then experienced what effect such
faith has."
Feehng himself to be under the
hand of God, he submitted patiently
to his trials and disciplined himself
with the severity of a mediaeval
saint. " The whole day of the 9th
[April]," he says, " I spent in prayer,
in songs of praise, in reading God's
Word, and fasting ; except in the
morning when I was otherwise
occupied." If he was often in a state of gloom
and depression, he had his times of
exaltation also. " I experienced so
much of the Lord's grace," he wrote
(April 7x8), " when I resolved to
keep my thoughts in a state of
purity, as to feel an inmost joy. . . .
I was not allowed to mention the
large measure of grace which had
fallen to my lot ; for I perceived
that on the one hand it could serve

no other purpose than to set people
thinking about me either favourably
or unfavourably, according to their
disposition towards me ; and on the
other hand, it would not be pro
ductive of any use, if the glorification
of God's grace served to encourage
my own self-love.
" The best comparison I could
make of myself was with a peasant
elevated to power as a prince or
king, so that he could have whatever
his heart desired ; and yet there was
something in him which desired to
teach him that he himself knew
nothing. By this comparison, how
ever, it is seen that' it is Thy hand,
O God, which causes this great joy."
On the night of Easter Sunday,
after distressing dreams and severe
temptations, " I awoke and slept
again many times ; and all I dreamt
was in answer to my thoughts ; yet
so, that in everything there was such
life and glory, that I can give no
description of it ; for it was all
heavenly ; clear to me at the time
but afterwards inexpressible. In
short, I was in heaven, and heard a
language, which no human tongue
can utter with its inherent hfe, nor
the glory and inmost delight result
ing from it. . . . Both in mind and
body I had a sensation of such in
describable dehght, that had it been
more intense, the body would have
been, as it were, dissolved in pure
bliss." On the following day, he says :
" My thoughts were more profound
and beautiful than they had ever
been before." At night he had
strange experiences. Violent tremors
shook him, and he was thrown out
of bed upon his face. He heard a
sound like the concourse of many
winds. " I wondered what all this
meant, and then spoke, as if I were
awake. I noticed, however, that
these words were put into my
mouth : ' O Thou Almighty Jesus
Christ, who of Thy great mercy

44

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

deignest to come to so great a sinner,
make me worthy of this grace 1 ' I
lifted up my hands, and prayed,
when a hand came and strongly
pressed my hands ; I then continued
my prayer, and said : ' O Thou, who
hast promised to receive all sinners.
Thou canst not otherwise than keep
Thy word ! ' I lay on His bosom,
and looked at Him face to face. It
was a countenance with a holy ex
pression, and so that it cannot be
described ; it was also smihng, and
I really believe that His countenance
was such during His life upon earth.
He addressed me and asked, if I had
a certificate of health ? I answered,
' 0 Lord, Thou knowest this better
than I ' ; when He said, ' Do it
then ! ' — This, as I perceived in my
mind, signified, ' Love me reaUy, or
do as thou hast promised.' O God,
impart to me grace for this 1 I per
ceived that I could not do this by
my own strength. . . . About day
break, I fell asleep again, and then
had continually in my thought, how
Christ conjoins Himself to mankind ;
holy thoughts came, but they were of
such a nature as to be unfathomable ;
for I cannot express with my pen
the least part of those things which
happened. I only know that I have
had such thoughts."
On the night of April 9 x 10, he
says, " I slept very tranquilly. At
three or four o'clock I awoke and
lay awake, but in a kind of vision.
I could look up and be observant
whenever I chose, so that I was not
otherwise than awake, and yet in the
spirit there was an inward gladness
which diffused itself over the whole
body. AU seemed in a wonderful
and transcendent manner to ap
proach and conspire ; to rise up as
it were and nestle in infinitude as a
centre, where Love itself was."
On the morning of the nth April,
he says : "I was in my usual state
of internal gladness, which was,
nevertheless, attended with a pang."

On the night of April 14 x 15 " the
Spirit came with its heavenly and
almost ecstatic life in so high a
degree, and'permitted me, as it were,
to rise higher and higher in it, that if
I had ascended still higher, I should
have been dissolved in this real life
of joy."
The result of aU these experiences
was to bring him to a state of pro
found humihty. Again and again
he prays for this grace, or gives
thanks for having attained some
thing of it. Describing one of his
temptations, he says : " This have I
learned, that the only thing in this
state— and I do not know any other
— ^is, in aU humihty to thank God
for His grace, and to pray for it, and
to recognise our own unworthiness,
and God's infinite grace." " Very
often," he says again, " I burst into
tears, not of sorrow, but of inmost
joy at our Lord's deigning to be so
gracious ' to so unworthy a sinner ;
for the sum of aU I found to be this,
that the only thing needful is to cast
one's seh in all humihty on our
Lord's grace, to recognise one's own
unworthiness, and to thank God
in humility for His grace."
To do God's wUl became the de
sire of his heart. " I have for my
motto," he -writes, " God's will be
done ; I am Thine and not mine ;
as therefore I have given myseU from
myself to the Lord, He may dispose
of me after His own pleasure."
Again : "I prayed to God that I
might not be mj? owm, but that God
might please to let me be His."
Describing a \Tision, in which he saw
a profusion of gold, he says : " It
denotes that the Lord, who disposs
all things, gives me in spiritual and
worldly matters all that I need,
whenever like a' child I cast my care
upon Him." In aU his work he
recognises himself " simply as an
instrument." His^consciousness of the Divine
leading became stronger as time

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

45

advanced. In the very last day's
' entry (October 26 x 27)] we read :
" May God Mead me in the right
way I Christ said that I must
not undertake anything -without
Him." He looked for direct teach
ing when he should be duly pre
pared. " I saw also in a -vision,"
he writes (October 12 x 13), " how
some beautiful bread was presented
to me on a plate. — ^This was a
prediction that the Lord Himself
wiU instruct me, as soon as I have
attained that state in which I shall
know nothing, and in which all my
preconceived notions -will be re
moved from me ; which is the first
state of learning : or, in other
words, that I must first become a
child, and that then I shall be able
to be nurtured in knowledge, as is
being the case with me now." " I
discovered," he says, under the same
date, that " I am in such a state
that I know nothing on this subject "
{i.e. on rehgion) ; and, on the
previous day, he tells us : "I have
no knowledge about religion, but
have lost all." It was necessary
that he should be emptied of all seh-
wiU and preconceived ideas, before
he could become a fitting instrument
for the work before him.
Thus end aU his worldly ambitions,
and learned studies ; a fortnight
later he has abandoned the work on
which he was engaged and for which
he had made such extensive plans
and preparations.
These dreams and -visions were
often accompanied by violent
tremors, prostration, trances, sweat
ings, and on one occasion, at least,
by swooning. During their continu
ance he enjoyed preternatural sleep,
often lasting from ten to thirteen
hours. Doubtless the system was
exhausted by the strain put upon
it — ^for all this time he was doing
hard literary work during the day —
and Nature asserted her demands.
We cannot wonder, either, that he

became so absorbed as sometimes to
pass his friends in the street, and not
return their salutations.
These things, the reader will be
inclined to say, are common experi
ences with all enthusiasts. Granted ;
but then Swedenborg was not an
enthusiast, and there were aspects
of his case that differed from these
common experiences. Far from be
ing a -victim of rehgious excitement,
we find him watching and studying
his own case with the eye of a
scientific observer. He was well
aware that people are sometimes
led away by emotion to imagine all
kinds of things, and was careful to
guard himself against such extra
vagances. He observes (October
6x7) " how easily human beings
may be led astray by other kinds
of spirits {i.e. evil spirits), who re
present themselves to men according
to the quality of the love of each."
Of one of his visions, he remarks :
" Our Lord knows best what all this
means " ; and, again : " God grant
that I do not mistake in this ; I
believe I do not." After a night of
horrid dreams and bodily tremors,
he says : "I began thinking whether
all this was not mere phantasy " ;
so it is e-vident that he was not a
prey to his own imaginations.
Swedenborg^ case is indeed
unique. We can understand a
monk or a nun, or even a Protestant
enthusiast, dreaming dreams and
seeing -visions ; but for a man living
an active life in the world, a mathe
matician and logician, and a devotee
of natural science, to succumb to
mental illusions seems most unlikely.
Nor do we hear of any sudden " con
version " to account for the change
that came over him. Were these
experiences, then, an indication of
mental disorder ? If they were, we
again have a case absolutely unique,
for at the time these strange events
were happening he was engaged in
writing and publishing philosophical

46

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

works which have been acknowledged
by some of the most biiUiant in
tellects of our time as revealing
astounding mental powers ; and he
continued to write and pubhsh for
nearly thirty years other works,
which are thoroughly sane and con
sistent, and, to those who have most
carefully examined them, bear evi
dence of more than mortal wisdom.
I leave the case in the hands of
sceptics to explain as they can.
¦Whatever we may think of his
mental condition, there is something
touching and beautiful in the thought
of this middle-aged philosopher thus
renouncing his life's ambitions, arid
in childhke obedience to what he
believed to be a call from God,
turning his back upon the wisdom
of the world' which had been as
meat and drink to him. A friend
of kings and princes, and an in
tellectual prince himself, we see him
now, a stranger in a strange land,
all alone in the darkness of the night,
pouring out his soul in prayer to
God, and singing simple hymns,
such as he had probably learnt at
his mother's knee.^ It is, indeed,
a remarkable picture.
A word as to the theology of these
seh-revelations. Swedenborg was
educated in the evangelical doctrines
of the Lutheran church, and does
not seem to have questioned their
adequacy until middle hfe, excepting
on the subject of faith alone, on
which his father also held broader
views than most of his clerical
brethren. This diary shows that the
son still held by his early teaching.
The doctrine of a personal Trinity
appears again and again,; the dis
tinctive offices of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost, Ijeing
accepted in a strictly orthodox
manner. He prays to God for
Christ's sake, and pleads the blood
1 A favourite one was " Jesus Is my
best of friends," printed in Dr R. L.
Tafel's Documents, vol. ii. p. 1127.

and merits of the Saviour. He
deprecates the allowing of the under
standing to be mixed up with matters
of faith, averring that " faith is
separated from our understanding
and resides above it." ^
All these ideas were greafly
modified in a few years' time.
Sings of coming change appear al
ready, particularly in his -views of
the nature and unity of God, and
the supreme Divinity of Jesus
Christ. In an early entry, we read :
" Christ, in whom dwells the fulness
of the Godhead, must alone be
addressed in prayer. ... He is
omnipotent, and the only Mediator."
And, again, a prayer, quoted above, ,
was put into his mouth, beginning: i
" 0 thou Almighty Jesus Christ."
At this time he had no clear
idea of the mission to which he was
to be called, but several passages
show that he had some foreshadow-
.ing of it. On April 21 x 22 he writes ;
" Because it seemed to me I was
so far separated from God that 1
could not yet think of Him in a
sufficiently -vi-vid manner, I came
into a state of doubt whether I
should not direct my journey home
wards ; a crowd of involved reasons
then came, and my body was seized
¦with a trerhor. Yet I gathered
courage and perceived that I had
come [to Holland] to do that which
was best of all, and that I had
received a talent for the promotion
of God's glory ; I saw that aU had
helped together to this end ; that
the Spirit had been -with me from
my youth for this very purpose;
wherefore I considered myself un
worthy of life unless I foUowed the
straight direction. I then smUed at
the other seducing thoughts ; and
' After his full enhghtenment, he had
a vision of a magnificent temple in heaven,
over the portal of which was written:
" Now it is aUowable to enter intellectually
into the mysteries of faith," and he con
stantly insists that faith is impossible
where reason is ignored.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

47

thus at luxury, riches, and dis
tinction, which I had pursued."
On September 29 x 30, he had
a vision of a most beautiful palace,
and " was told that it was re
solved in the society that I should
become an immortal member of it,
which no one ever before had been,
unless he had died." He seemed
to be living in the gable end of that
palace. — " This signified that what
I had written there with God's
help, was of such a nature that it
would lead me on further and that
I should see still more glorious
things." At times he was in doubt as to
what lay before him. " All this,"
he writes (April 28x29), "it
seems to me, represents that I
must employ my remaining time in
writing upon that which is higher,
and not upon worldly things which
are far below ; and, indeed, that I
must write about that which con
cerns the very centre of all, and that
which concerns Christ. May God
be so gracious as to enlighten me
respecting my duty ; for I am still
in some obscurity as to the direction
whither I am to turn."
An extraordinary message came
to him on April 25 x 26. " It was
represented to me in a certain
maimer that I was not to con
taminate myself by reading other
books treating on theology and
similar subjects ; because all this
I have from the Word of God and
the Holy Spirit." A significant
comment upon this is the remark
of Pastor Ferelius, who, on the
occasion of a -visit to him in his old
age, found him " sitting and writing
at a round table in the middle of
the room, with the Hebrew Bible
before him, which constituted his
whole library."
This remarkable diary ends with
the entry of October 26 x 27 ;
but we have further experiences
related in other places. The most

important of these is the account
given by Carl Robsahm, from
Swedenborg's own description, of
the appearance of the Lord to the
latter, some time in April 1745.
There is no need to quote the parti
culars, which have already appeared
in several former biographies ; but
the concluding part of the account
is important as it marks the turning-
point in our author's life. Whether
the vision was an illusion or not, it
definitely determined the character
of his succeeding years.
A man appeared to him at an
inn, and somewhat alarmed him.
" I went home," he said ; " and
during the night the same man
revealed himself to me again, but
I was not frightened now. He
then said that He was the Lord
God, the Creator of the world, and
the Redeemer, and that He had
chosen me to explain to men the
spiritual sense of the Scripture, and
that He Himself would explain to
me what I should write on this
subject ; that same night also were
opened to me, so that I became
thoroughly convinced of their
reality, the world of spirits, heaven,
and hell, and I recognised there
many acquaintances of every con
dition of life. From that day I
gave up the study of all worldly
science, and laboured in spiritual
things, according as the Lord had
commanded me to write. After
wards the Lord opened, daily very
often, the eyes of my spirit, so
that, in the middle of the day,
I could see into the other world,
and in a state of perfect wakeful
ness converse with angels and
spirits." It is not sufficient to answer to
this : " The man must have been
mad," unless we are prepared to
say that God never did or could
communicate His wiU directly to
any man. // Swedenborg was thus
favoured, we shall certainly find

48

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

e-vidence of it in his works, and
to these we must turn for the
only rational solution of the ques
tion.

CHAPTER VII
SEER AND THEOLOGIAN
We have further insight into the
development of Swedenborg's mind
and life, at the transition period,
in his Adversaria, a note-book of
Biblical studies, written between
1745 and 1747, and in his Spiritual
Diary which records his experi
ences from day to day among the
inhabitants of the spiritual world.
Neither of these works was pub
hshed by himself, so we cannot
regard them in the same way as his
other writings. 1 They were in
tended for his own private use ; but,
read with proper discretion, and in
the light of his authoritative teach
ings, they are full of interest, and
help us to understand his later
works. Some uncertainty is still
apparent in the theological -views
embodied in these records, but
there is e-vidence of growing know
ledge and of full confidence in his
Di-vine mission.
The Adversaria, says Dr R. L.
Tafel, " marks the second step which
Swedenborg took in the investi
gation of the Di-vine Word. The
exploration of the merely hteral
sense he did not carry farther than
the third chapter of Genesis. . . .
He returned to the first chapter of
Genesis with a -view of discovering
there, not the creation of the natural
world, but the creation and es-
1 Recent investigations show that the
printed Latin text of the Spiritual Diai-v
is very imperfect, in some cases serious
errors having crept in. The author's mean
ing is often misconstn-cd, and quite need
lessly obscured. The manuscript has now
been phototyped, and a new edition will
probably be produced before long.

tablishment of the Kingdom of
God. " He now recognised the existence
of an interior sense in the Word of
God, in the foUowing words, ' That
in the Mosaic account of creation,
there is everywhere a double meaning
of the words — viz. a spiritual as
weU as a natural, appears clearly
to the apprehension of every man
from the tree of life and the tree
of knowledge in the midst of the
garden : for life and knowledge are
spiritual, and yet are attributed to
a tree, for this reason, that what
soever originates in the ultimate
parts of nature, on account of
deri-ving its origin from heaven,
involves something celestial in what ,
is terrestrial, or something spiritual
in what is natural ; and it does so
on this ground, that everything that
is represented in the Di-vine mind, ¦
cannot but be carried out in reahty
in the ultimate parts of nature, and
be formed there according to the
idea of heaven. There results hence
a correspondence of aU things, which,
¦with the Divine permission, we shall
follow out in its proper series ' "
{Adversaria, i. No. 23).^
" The Adversaria furnishes an
example of Swedenborg's amazing
industry. It fills nine considerable
volumes in Dr J. Tafel's edition,^
and the whole was -written -within
two years.
About this time also our author
was engaged upon his copious
Biblical indices, which occupy some
two thousand pages of MS., and
contain besides a concordance of
passages for ready reference, a
dictionary of correspondences, and
other notes.* He further prepared
an index to the Adversaria and to
' Documents, vol, ii. pp. 951 and 952,
2 Published at Tubingen by Dr
Immanuel Tafel, Professor of Philosophy
and Librarian to the University, between ,
1842 and 1854.
^ These are now being reproduced in
phototype facsimile.

SEER AND THEOLOGIAN

49

the Spiritual Diary, fiUing in this
manner close upon a thousand pages
more. All this was preparatory to
future works.
The Spiritual Diary contains a
detailed account of Swedenborg's
experiences in the spiritual world,
together with many statements of
doctrine. The record extends from
Febraary 1747 to 29th April 1765 ;
but the entries are not regular, and
many are without date. The early
portion, moreover (up to 9th October
1747), is missing, and the nature of
its contents is only known to us
from the author's index.
The character of the Spiritual
Diary is very different from the
Dream-Book aheady referred to. In
stead of terrorising dreams and
incomprehensible, or dimly com
prehended, -visions we have a sober
account of things seen and heard,
extraordinary enough in some cases,
but no longer perplexing to the
beholder and auditor. It is a
traveUer's description of an unknown
country. To most uninitiated readers the
Spiritual Diary will seem strange
and unconvincing. Surely, they -will
say, the man must be romancing, if
he is not beside himself. But it
goes -without saying that any account
of such experiences must seem in
credible to most persons, and more
or less strange to all. To under
stand them, we need some ac
quaintance with the author's
spiritual philosophy. It is un
fortunate that many persons have
drawn their limited knowledge of
Swedenborg from his private diaries,
which they had not the capacity to
understand from ignorance of his
systematic teachings. So they have
concluded that he is erratic and
visionary, and that there is little to
be learnt from him. Studied with
proper doctrinal aids, these re
markable records are full of interest,
and worthy of attentive considera

tion. The reader who is wiUing to
accept such aid, and to set aside his
prejudices, will have the realities of
the spirit life presented to him more
forcibly and reasonably than the
imagination of Dante or Milton
could portray them. Let him re
member, however, that what he
reads are private memoranda of
extraordinary experiences, not fully
understood by the subject xif them,
and he wiU be in a position to form
a reasonable opinion on the matter.
But a just judgment of the man
and his teachings must be based on
his kno^vra life and pubhshed works,
and to the further consideration
of the latter we shall shortly pro
ceed. Swedenborg retairied his position
as Assessor of the Royal Board of
Mines until the middle of 1747,
when he retired on a pension of
half his salary. The documents
relating to his retirement, which
have been preserved to us, are
of great importance as e'vidence
of his undoubted sanity and
mental capability at the time he
was undergoing the remarkable
experiences we have just been con
sidering. The Board of Mines in Sweden
borg's time consisted of a president,
who always belonged to the highest
order of nobility, two councillors
of mines, and about six assessors,
of whom Swedenborg was one. In
the spring of 1747 one of the coun
cillors retired, and Swedenborg was
unanimously recommended as his
successor by his coUeagues. Instead
of accepting the position, he ad
dressed a memorial to the King in
the following terms. The memorial
is dated the 2nd June 1747 :
" Most mighty and most gracious
King, — Your Royal Majesty's Board
of Mines, at your behest, have
sent in their humble proposition
with regard to the vacant place of
CounciUor of Mines on their Board

50

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

and they have most humbly pro
posed me for this office in primo
loco ; but as I feel it incumbent on
me to finish the work on which I
am now engaged, I would most
humbly ask Your Royal Majesty
to select another in my place for
this position, and most graciously
release me from office. . . .
" It is my humble wish, that you
graciously release me from office,
but without bestowing upon me any
higher rank ; which I most earnestly
beseech you not to do. I further
pray that I may receive half of my
salary, and that you will graciously
grant me leave to go abroad, to
some place where I may finish the
important work on which I am now
engaged. " I remain with deep respect, my
most gracious Sovereign, Your
Royal Majesty's most humble and
dutiful subject,
" Eman. Swedenborg."
A Royal Decree releasing Sweden
borg from his office, " which he has
hitherto filled with renown," was
issued on the 12th June, and on the
15th was handed in to the Board.
" All the members of the Royal
Board regretted losing so worthy
a colleague, and they asked the
Assessor kindly to continue attending
the sessions of the Board, until all
those cases should be adjudicated
that had been commenced during
his attendance at the Board, to
which the Assessor kindly assented. "^
The final leave-taking was on the
17th Juty. In the minutes for that
day, the following entry appears : —
" Assessor Swedenborg, who in
tends as soon as possible to commence
his new journeys abroad, came up
for the purpose of taking leave of the
Royal Board. He thanked all those
at the Royal Board for the favour
and kindness he had received from
them during his connexion with the
' Minutes of Board, 15th June 1747.

Board, and commended himself to
their further friendly remembrances.
" The Royal Board thanked the
Assessor for the minute care and
fidehty with which)he had attended
to the duties of (his office as an
Assessor up to the present time ; 1
they wished him a prosperous
journey and a happy return ; after
which he left."
Thus ended Swedenborg's long
connection with the Board of Mines.
His reason for retiring while still
in the full vigour of life was not only
that he might have more time to
devote to his new work, but that
his mind might not be distracted
unnecessarily by worldly concerns;
for the spiritual influences by which
he was now guided were withdrawn
in the degree in which he allowed
himseh to be immersed in worldly
concerns.^ He writies in his
Spiritual Diary (4th March 1748) :
" Whereas now I have been al
most three years, or thirty-three
months, in that state in which,
my mind being withdrawn from
corporeal things, I could be in the
societies of spiritual and celestial
[spirits], and yet be like another
man in the society of men, without
any difference, which spirits also
wondered at ; — -when, hbwever, I
intensely adhered to worldly things
in thought, as when I had care
concerning necessary expenses, about
which I this day ¦wrote a letter, so
that my mind was for some time
detained therewith, I fell, as it were,
into a corporeal state, so that the
spirits could not converse with me,
1 No one has insisted more strongly
than Swedenborg on the necessity of an
active life in the world to a healthy
religious condition, and as a preventive
of the delusions sometimes induced by
evil spirits ; but his own case was ab
normal, as he al-ways maintained. He did
not retire from the world tha,t he might
give himself to lonely contemplation or to
secure his own salvation ; but because
he felt himself called to a great mission,
which required his whole energies.

SEER AND THEOLOGIAN

51

as they also said, because they were
as though absent [from me]. A
case rather similar occurred before ;
whence I am enabled to know that
spirits cannot speak with a man
who is much devoted to worldly and
corporeal cares ; — ^for bodily concerns
draw down, as it were, the ideas of
the mind and immerse them in
corporeal things."
Swedenborg did not remain long in
his own country after his retirement,
though there is no record of the date
when he commenced his new journey.
He was in Holland, as a memor
andum of accounts in his common
place-book shows, in November 1747,
and remained there until October
1748. A further memorandum re
cords that he " took lodgings [in
London] on the 23rd of November
1748, for six shillings per week for
half-a-year ; if the rooms are taken
for a whole year there is a deduction
made of thirty- two shilhngs, so that
the whole rent amounts to fourteen
pounds " ; ^ a modest sum for a noble
philosopher and friend of kings to pay.
The object of Swedenborg's com
ing to London was to arrange for the
pubhcation of the first volume of
Arcana Ccelestia, an exposition of
the spiritual sense of Genesis and
Exodus. The work was issued
anonymously, by John Lewis of
Paternoster Row, and, it is to be
feared, feU very flat on the market.
From an undated entry in the
Spiritual Diary (No. 4422), we learn
that only four copies were sold in
two months ; but this was only to
be expected in such a careless a.nd
sceptical age. The book also being
published in Latin, only appealed
to the learned, who would not be
hkely to lend a ready ear to the
lucubrations of an anonymous
foreigner. The few who did read,
however, must have been astonished
at what met their eyes. They had
surely never seen the like before.
' Documents, vol. i. p. 386.

A brief preface maintained the
spiritual character of the Holy
Scriptures, and showed that without
a knowledge of their internal mean
ing they were like " a body without
a soul." " It is impossible," the
author continued, " whilst the mind
abides in the literal sense only, to see
that it is full of such spiritual con
tents. Thus, in the first chapters of
Genesis, nothing is discoverable from
the literal sense, but that they treat
of the creation of the world, and of
the garden of Eden which is called
Paradise, and also of Adam as the
first-created man ; and scarcely a
single person supposes them to re
late to anything besides. But that
they contain arcana which were
never heretofore revealed, will suf
ficiently appear from the following
pages ; where it will be seen that
the first chapter of Genesis, in its
internal sense, treats of the New
Creation of man, or of his Re
generation, in general, and specifi
cally of the most ancient church ;
and this in such a manner, that there
is not a single syllable which does not
represent, signify, and involve some
thing spiritual."
As we shall discuss the contents
of the Arcana Ccelestia in another
place, there is no need to say more
here, further than to point out the
striking difference between the char
acter of its statements, and those
contained in the Diaries, Adversaria,
etc. Here there is no uncertainty,
hesitancy, or doubt ; but a calm un
folding of what the writer beheved
to be positive tmth. We notice a
change in some of the terms em
ployed, which are now crystaUised
into the forms they will hold through
out the long series of subsequent
works. Thus, the appellation of
the Divine Saviour in The Worship
and Love of God was the " Only Be
gotten " or " Son of God " ; in the
early part of the Spiritual Diary,
as in the greater part of the Adver-

52

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

saria, it is " God-Messiah," whereas
in Arcana Ccelestia and aU later
works the term " Lord " is used,
corresponding to Jehovah of the
Old Testament, and intended to
imply that in Jesus Christ " dwells
all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily " 1 (Col. ii. 9). In commenc
ing the exposition of the internal
sense of Genesis, he writes : "In
the following work, by the Lord is
solely meant Jesus Christ, the Saviour
of the world, who is called the Lord ;
¦without other names. He is ac
knowledged and adored as the Lord
throughout all heaven, because he
has all power in heaven and earth."
(No. 14). This doctrine of the ex
clusive Divinity of Jesus Christ is
the keynote to all of Swedenborg's
theology. Mr Worcester remarks that " the
1 The gradual clarifying of Swedenborg's
ideas in regard to the Deity, and also on
other important doctrines,' is strikingly
shown in a lengthy note (No. 165) in Dr
R. L. Tafel's Document', (vol. ii. pp. 1096-
H13). Here we read: "In the Diary
for 1744 the Son of God is almost con
stantly called Christ. And here it must
be observed that before October 1744,
when Swedenborg began writing his work
on The Worship and Love of God, he al
ways spoke of the Lord as ' Christ.' In
that work, and also in the Adversaria up
to Genesis, chapter iv., he called Him the
' Only Begotten of the Highest,' or ' of
God ' ; from chapter iv. to chapter xxxiv.
' Messiah ' ; and through the rest of the
Adversaria, ' God-Messiah.' This ap
pellation he continued to use in the
Spiritual Diary, until January 11, 1748
(No. 460). From that date until
January 21 (No. 467) he speaks of ' Jesus
Christ,' and ' our Saviour ' in connection
with 'God-Messiah.' From January 21
(No. 489) to February 5 (No 641) he
uses the terms ' Jesus Christ,' ' Saviour of
the World,' and the ' Only Lord ' (Do-
minus Vnicus) ; he also speaks of ' our
Lord' (No, 568), of the 'Lord God'
No. 612), and of the ' Lord Jesus '
(No. 617), alternating these terms with
the Lord ' from January 26 (No. 564)
From February 5 (No. 641) he uses the
term Lord exclusively; although on
February 9th (No. 689) the expressiSn the
word of God-Messiah ' occurs once more "

style of the Arcana differs materiaUy
from that of the earher Adversaria.
It is no longer that of an explorer,
just discovering, or about to discover,
or just hearing things entirely new
to him. It is now that of a master,
fuU to overflowing with knowledge
that had become familiar to him,
and that lay broadly and clearly
under his -view, from which he had
only to choose what would be most
inteUigible and most useful to his
readers. He no longer doubts
whether what he -writes is quite
correct and is to be printed. It is
apparent that he is writing and
printing under clearly recognised
authority. Yet the careful student
finds some minor points, though
marveUously few, in which the
author's later experience of twenty
years developed additional clearness
and shght modification." ^
A second volume of Arcana
Ccelestia was issued in 1750, in parts,
both in Latin and Enghsh, and was
announced in a lengthy advertise
ment by the publisher. ^ " This
work," he said, " is intended to be
such an exposition of the whole
Bible as was never attempted in
any language before. The autlior
is a leamed foreigner, who wrote and
printed the first volume of the same
work but last year, all in Latin,
which may be seen at my shop in
Paternoster Row, as above men
tioned. . . . This, then, may be said
of our author. He has stmck out a
ne-w path through this deep abyss,
which no man ever trod before ;
he has left all the commentators
and expositors to stand on their own
footing ; he neither meddles nor
interferes with anv of them ; his
thoughts are all his own ; and the
ingenious and subhme turn he has
' The Life and Mission of Emanuel
Swedenborg, by Benjamin Worcester.
Boston: Roberts Bros., 1892, p. 272.
2 For a copy of this advertisement see
Documents, vol. ii. pp. 492-497.

SEER AND THEOLOGIAN

53

given to everything in the Scrip
tures, he has copied from no man ;
and therefore, even in this respect,
he has some title to the regard of the
ingenious and learned world."
The work, we are told, was printed
in " a grand and pompous manner,"
and sold at an extremely low price.
" It is the generous author's absolute
command that it should be so, who,
it is plain, wants neither purse nor
spirit to carry on his laudable under
taking." Notwithstanding small encourage
ment in the way of sales, the publi
cation went on year by year until the
work was completed in eight quarto
volumes in the year 1756. The
English translation, however, was
not confined to the second volume.
Meanwhile Swedenborg was gather
ing new experience, and planning
further works. He resided for the
most part in Stockholm, sending his
manuscript from time to time to
Mr Lewis in London. He took an
active part in the parliament of his
native country, and went about as
usual among his friends, few, if any,
knowing of his extraordinary ex
periences, or guessing that he was
the author of these strange Latin
tomes. In 1758, he again journeyed to
London, where he pubhshed four
smaU works. The Earths in the
Universe, The Last Judgment, The
New Jerusalem and its Heavenly
Doctrine, a treatise On the White
Horse of ihe Apocalypse, and a larger
one, perhaps the best known of all
his writings, on Heaven and Hell.
All these were remarkable works,
and excited considerable interest
and curiosity. Between 1757 and
1759, he also wrote a voluminous
exposition of the Book of Revelation,
on similar hues to the Arcana
Ccelestia, under the title of The
Apocalypse Explained. The work
was never entirely completed, and
was replaced later (in 1766) by a |

smaller^one entitled The Apocalypse
Revealed. In its English form the
earlier work fills six large octavo
volumes, and is treasured by students
of Swedenborg as a work of great
value. In the spring of 1762, this wonder
ful old man, now seventy-four years
of age, set out on another expedition,
this time to Amsterdam, to which
city he was about to transfer his
publishing ; probably, suggests Dr
Tafel, because of the rejection of his
teaching by the clergy and the
leading men of England. At any-
rate, he published nothing further
in England beyond a pamphlet on
The Intercourse of the Soul and the
Body, which appeared in 1769.
At Amsterdam were published
the following works : — In 1763, The
Doctrine of the New Jerusalem re
specting the Lord, the Sacred Scripture,
Life, and Faith, in four separate
treatises ; Continuation concerning
the Last Judgment and the Spiritual
World ; and Angelic Wisdom re
specting the Divine Love and the
Divine Wisdom. In 1764 appeared
Angelic Wisdom respecting the Divine
Providence ; in 1766, The Apocalypse
Revealed ; in 1768, The Delights of
Wisdom concerning Conjugial Love,
the first of the theological works to
which Swedenborg attached his
name ; in 1769, A Brief Exposition
of the Doctrine of the New Church,
signified by the New Jerusalem in the
Revelation ; and, last, though not
least, in 1771, The True Christian
Religion.^ Two other publications of a dif
ferent character may be mentioned
as belonging to this period, which
show that, with his transcendental
studies, he had not ceased to take
an interest in mundane affairs. The
Transactions of the Swedish Royal
Academy of Sciences for April,
May, and June 1763, contain a
1 All these treatises, like his other
theological works, were written in Latin.

54

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

paper by Swedenborg on the in
laying of marble ; and in 1766,
our author republished in Amster
dam his New Method of finding
the Longitude of Places on Land and
at Sea.
These publications necessitated
many journeys between Sweden and
Holland, or England, which were
undertaken quite alone and without
mishap from his seventy-fourth to
his eighty-fourth years. Nothing
but a strong conviction of his Divine
mission could have induced him, at
such a time of life, to risk the perils
and discomforts of travel by sea and
land, and to endure the loneliness of
a life of protracted exile. When he
started on his last expedition he was
in his eighty-third year, yet he
fearlessly undertook the journey,
confident that God would protect
him and preserve his life until his
work was finished. He lived to see
his True Christian Religion delivered
from the press, and to write an ap
pendix to it, as well as one or two
other brief papers. For some
reason, possibly at the invitation of
English receivers 'of his teachings,
of whom there was now a small but
growing number scattered up and
down the country, he crossed over
to London in July 1771, and re
mained there to the close of his life.
When once it became known that
Swedenborg was the author of these
remarkable books, and that he pro
fessed to have open intercourse with
spirits and angels, he became the
object of much interest and curi
osity. " Unexpectedly to every
body," wrote Jung-Stilling, " this
intelligent, learned, and pious man
began to have intercourse with
spirits. He made no secret of this,
but frequently at table, even in
large companies, and in the midst
of the most rational and scientific
conversations, would say, ' On this
point I conversed not long ago with
the apostle Paul, with Luther, or

some other deceased person.' It
can easily be imagined that the
persons present opened their mouths
and eyes, and wondered whether he
was in his sound senses. StiU oc
casionally he has furnished proofs,
against which no objection can be
raised. The veracity of these re
lations has been impugned, and the
good gentleman has even been
charged with imposture ; but this
charge I deny emphatically. Sweden
borg was no impostor, but a pious
Christian man." 1 When questioned,
he spoke freely of his experiences,
but never obtruded them on others.
The Rev. Nicholas Colhn, Rector of
the- Swedish Church in Philadelphia,
stated that in Stockholm, "no one
presumed to doubt that he held
some kind of supernatural inter
course with the Spiritual World,"
and, indeed, many had had striking
evidence of the fact.^ He con
stantly asserted his Di-vine com
mission, fearless of the ridicule that
his claim sometimes brought upon
him. Count Hopken once asked
Swedenborg why he had published
what so many regarded as mere
visions and fictions, and which led
them to despise the admirable
doctrines contained in his works.
" I was commanded by the Lord
to write and publish them," replied
Swedenborg ; "do not suppose that,
without such a positive order, I
should have thought of publishing
things which I well knew many
would regard as falsehoods, and
which would bring ridicule upon
myself." ^ Even to the King he
insisted upon the truth of his as
severations. In a memorial dated
the loth May 1770, protesting
against the ban that had been placed
upon his books by the Consistory of
Gothenburg, he \\-rote : " That our

vol.

1 Documents
487. 2 See chap xn-, S('!,y))s of Seership
^ Documents, vol. i. p. 66.

pp. 486 and

THEOLOGICAL TEACHINGS

55

Saviour visibly revealed Himself
before me, and commanded me to
do what I have done, and what I
have still to do ; and that thereupon
He permitted me to have intercourse
with angels and spirits, I have de-
cleared before the whole of Christen
dom, as well in England, Holland,
Germany, and Denmark, as in
France and Spain, and also on
various occasions in this country
before their Royal Majesties, and
especially when I enjoyed the grace
to eat at their table, in the presence
of the whole royal family, and also
of five senators and others ; at
which time my mission constituted
the sole topic of conversation." ^
To Count Tessin he said that
" God had granted him revelations
of this kind, that he might lead
the world away from darkness
and error, which of late had in
creased to such a degree, that the
very existence of God was in effect
denied." 2
But Swedenborg did not trust to
mere asseverations to convince the
world of the truth of his doctrines
and -visions. In the same memorial
to the King to which we have
referred above, he appeals to his
critics' reason, and truthfully says
that in his writings " much may
be found which has never before
been discovered except by real
-vision, and intercourse with those
who are in the spiritual world. . . .
That our Sa-viour permits me to
experience this, is not on my own
account but for the sake of a sublime
interest which concerns the eternal
weUare of all Christians."*
There can be no question of the
seriousness of Swedenborg's claim.
He told Count Hopken that "he
was too old to sport -with spiritual
things, and too much concerned for
his eternal happiness to yield to such
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 375.
2 Ibid., vol. ii p. 399-
3 Ibid., vol. ii. pp. 375, 376-

foolish notions, assuring him, on his
hopes of salvation, that imagination
produced in him none of his re
velations, which were true, and from
what he had heard and seen." '
In his Spiritual Diary (No. 102)
Swedenborg tells us that spirits
spoke of him as " strange, wonderful,
unaccountable " ; it is no wonder
that he should appear so to men
on earth, and that many should find
it impossible to beheve in his ex
periences. Let them put. these on
one side, then, for the present, and
bring their reason and intelligence
to bear upon the doctrines he
taught. Perhaps, when the truth of
these makes itself felt, the visions
will seem more possible, indeed,
inevitable.

CHAPTER VIII
theological teachings
To appreciate the theological re
formation that Swedenborg insti
tuted, we must consider the state
of the current theology of his day.
" Towards the middle of the [eigh
teenth] century,"says Leslie Stephen,
" the decay of the old schools of
theology was becoming complete " ;
the creed of orthodoxy was practi
cally dead, having proved itself
" incapable of satisfying the instincts
of various classes of the population,
and the perception of its logical de
fects was the consequence, not the
cause, of the gradual break-up."
Swedenborg was as fully alive to the
moral insufficiency of the theology,
of his time as to its logical defects :
and set himseh (acting, as he beheved,
under a Di'vine injunction) to re-
habiUtate it in both respects. Two
oft- quoted aphorisms of his will
suffice to convey an idea of the
position he takes : " AU religion
has relation to life, and the life of
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 409.

56

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

religion is to do good " ; i " Now it
is allowable to enter intellectually
into the mysteries of faith." ^ He
propounded a rational theology as
the groundwork and motive power
of a good and useful life.
Though faith was practically dead
in the eighteenth century, dogma
sur-vived, and the current dogmas of
the Protestant sects were these (the
Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox
Churches maintained the same with
sundry additions) : — The Godhead
was held to consist of three Divine
Persons, each by Himself God
and Lord, and to each of whom
distinctive offices belonged. The
Father was regarded as the embodi
ment of Divine justice, and in nature
was stern, demanding, and awful ;
the Son looked upon mankind with
eyes of pity, and desired to save
them from the wrath of His Father ;
while the Holy Ghost was conceived
as an indefinite personality, who im
parted grace and sanctification to
the elect. Salvation was believed
to be attained by an act of faith,
and had nothing to do with man's
own deeds ; some, indeed, teaching
that good works were a hindrance to
salvation, and many that God ar
bitrarily elected those who should
be saved, and condemned the rest
en masse, including ignorant heathen
and tender infants, to eternal misery.
This eternal misery consisted in
perpetual burning in material fire
and brimstone, and unnamable tor
ture by malignant fiends, arbitrarily
inflicted as a punishment for sin,
actual or " original." That the ever
lasting burning was of material fire
was directly asserted, and implied
also in the doctrine of the resur
rection of the material body. The
very body, it was taught, in which
sin was committed, was that on
which punishment would be in
flicted, and therefore this would be
' Doctrine of Life, No. i.
^ True Christian Religion, No. 50S.

raised, and reunited to its spiritual
part, at the last day. The saints,
also, would enter into bhss with the
same bodies that they possessed on
earth, and their joys would consist
in perpetual praise and thanksgi-ving
to the Almighty ; together with
occasional contemplation of the
tortures of the lost, that they might
be made more sensible of the Di-vin^
goodness to themselves.
A favourite topic of the preacher
was the Last Day, when Christ
should descend upon earth once
more, to judge the quick and the
dead, and afterwards to bum up
the world with fire. The godless
were appealed to, in terrifying
language, to flee from the wrath to
come, and the saints were promised
that having regained their bodies,
they should be caught up into the
clouds to meet their Lord.
Faith was magnified at the ex
pense of good works, and by faith
was usually meant credulous belief,
especially in the dogma of Christ's
substitutionary sacrifice. The doc
trine of substitution is so glozed over
in our day that its meanuig is
modified or obscured ; but to the
eighteenth-century di-vine it was a
simple matter, — Christ took the
punishment of the behever's sms on
Himseh, and the sinner was thence
forth regarded by God as guiltless.
Change of life was not essential to
forgiveness, provided that faith in
Christ's merits was present.
The teaching in regard to the
Bible was that every word was
dictated by God just as it stands,
and all was to be accepted as Uter
ally trae. No criticisms of science,
history, or reason were to be allowed
any weight against its express state
ments. These dogmas, though nominally
accepted by most, were believed in
by few ; a vapid Deism was the
creed of most who made any pro
fession of religion. Sir WiUiam

THEOLOGICAL TEACHINGS

57

Blackstone, we are told, " had the
curiosity, early in the reign of
George III., to go from church to
church and hear every clergyman
of note in London. He says that he
did not hear a single discourse which
had more Christianity in it than the
writings of Cicero ; and that it would
have been impossible for him to
discover, from what he heard,
whether the preacher were a follower
of Confucius, of Mahomet, or of
Christ." 1
" The reason why but few at the
present day have religion," says
Swedenborg, " is : First, because it
is not known that the Lord \i.e.
Jesus Christ] is the Only God who
rules heaven and earth ; and thus
that He is God in person and in
essence, in whom is a Trinity :
when yet the whole of religion is
based on the knowledge of God,
and on His adoration and worship.
Second, because it is not known that
faith is nothing else but truth ; and
because it is not known whether that
which is called faith is truth, or not.
Third, because it is not known what
charity is, nor consequently what
good and e-vil are. Fourth, because
it is not known what eternal hfe is."
Swedenborg believed that he was
Divinely commissioned to supply the
trae knowledge that was so con
spicuously lacking ; and he pro
pounded a new system of theology,
which even those who do not accept
his -views cannot deny to be both
rational and practical. Regarding it
as his own achievement, we can only
wonder at the profound insight he
displays, and his immense daring in
attempting such a task ; but we pre
fer to look upon it otherwise, and to
accept his statement that he was
only an instrument in the great work
he undertook.
Swedenborg's theological teach-
' The English Church in the Eighteenth
Century, by Abbey and Overton, vol. ii.
P- 37-

ings are to be found scattered
throughout his writings, but the
following are especially devoted to
systematic statement of them : — The
True Christian Religion ; The New
Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine ;
The Four Leading Doctrines — viz. of
the Lord, of the Sacred Scriptures, of
Life, and of Faith ; The Divine
Providence ; and A Brief Exposition
of the Doctrine of the New Church.
It will be impossible to examine all
of these in detail ; the better plan
will be to give a general summary,
with particular references when
necessary. The foundation stone of the whole
system is the doctrine of the supreme
Divinity of Jesus Christ. Although
St Paul asserted that " in Him
dwelleth all the fulness of the God
head bodily," and the early Christian
accepted that view imphcitly, the
doctrine had been lost sight of for
fifteen hundred years until revived
by Swedenborg. The notion of a
personal Trinity blinded the eyes to
the real truth. Swedenborg teaches
that, instead of Jesus Christ being
only the second member of a Divine
Trinity, the whole Trinity is centred
in His own person. The Father
is the inmost principle of the Divine,
which no man hath seen or can
know, — the exhaustless, ineffable
Love of God ; the Son is the mani
festation of God, the Divine Wis
dom revealed to us in " the Word,"
as it has come to men in different
forms, especially as " the Word
made Flesh " ; the Holy Spirit is
the eiiSuent energy of Divinity, pro
ceeding from the Father through the
Son, and operating in man to rouse,
to console, and to sanctify. All these
constituents were embodied in the
person of the Divine Sa-viour during
His life on earth, as He Himseh
taught when He declared that the
Father dweUing in Him was the
author of His beneficent works ;
and when He breathed on His

58

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

disciples and said, " Receive ye the
Holy Ghost."
That we read in the Gospels of an
apparent separation between the
Father and the Son, and of inter
course between them, does not
¦vitiate this doctrine, when we re
member that, at the Incarnation,
Jesus took our frail humanity, and
by slow degrees raised it to partner
ship with His Divinity. Until the
human nature was made perfect
there was an appearance of separa
tion from, and inferiority to, the
indwelling Di-vine, but when His
glorification was complete, Jesus
declared that all power was given
unto Him in heaven and in earth.
Humanity and Di-vinity were per
fectly united in Him.
The teaching of any church as to
the nature and character of God
forms necessarily the central doctrine
of its theological system. Upon the
ideas that we entertain of God will
depend our conception of His re
lations to His creatures, and their
duty to Him. " In consequence of
separating the Di-vine Trinity into
three persons, each of which is de
clared to be God and Lord," says
Swedenborg, "... a sort of frenzy
has infected the whole system of
theology, as well as the Christian
Church, so called from its Divine
founder. . . . Men's minds are re
duced by it to such a state of
delirium that they do not know
whether there is one God, or whether
there are three. They confess but
one God with their lips, while they
entertain the idea of three in their
thoughts ; so that their lips and
their minds, or their words and their
ideas, are at variance with each
other : the consequence whereof is
that they deny the existence of any
God. This is the true source of the
naturalism which is now so pre
valent in the world. For I appeal
to experience, while the lips confess
but one God, and the mind enter

tains the idea of three, whether such
confession of the hps, and such idea
in the mind, do not mutuaUy tend
to destroy each other ? Hence if
there is any conception of God left
in the understanding, it is that of a
mere word or name, destitute of any
trae perception which implies a
knowledge of Him." ^
The restitution of the true doctrine
of Trinity in Unity necessitated a
reconsideration of the doctrine of the
Atonement ; since, if there are not
three persons in the Trinity, it is
impossible for one of these to offer
Himseh as a sacrifice to the clamant
justice of another. The doctrine of
the Atonement as taught by Sweden
borg is that set forth by St Paul
when he wrote to the Corinthians :
" God was in Christ, reconciUng the
world unto Himseh." God is ever
waiting to be gracious and can need
no reconcihation to His creatures ;
these, however, need to be recon
ciled to Him, before they can be
fitted to dwell in His presence, and
it was to effect this reconciliation—,
to bring back the wandering sheep
to the fold, — that Christ came into
the world. He took upon Himself
human nature, that therein He might
be " tempted in all points Uke as we
are," and so might conquer and sub
due the spiritual enemies that kept
man in bondage. He became the
champion of lost humanity, and
made recovery possible when e-vil
seemed to have become paramount.
In this view of the Atonement, there
is no substitution of the innocent
for the guilty ; yet aU the merit
belongs to the Saviour.
Swedenborg scouts aU schemes of
salvation that do not involve re
formation of character ; yet he is
no work-monger. He recognises
that man has no power to procure
his own salvation, though he is
gifted with absolute freedom to
choose the good and reject the evil.
' True Christian Religion, No. 4.

THEOLOGICAL TEACHINGS

59

Good actions should be done by man
"as of himself ; nevertheless under
the belief that they are from the
Lord operating with him and by
him." ^ This is the same doctrine
that St Paul teaches in his epistle to
the Philippians (ii. 12, 13) : " Work
out your own salvation with fear and
trembUng : for it is God that worketh
in you both to will and to do of his
good pleasure."
The necessity of perfect freedom
in spiritual matters is strongly in
sisted upon by our author. Man is
subject, he tells us, to influx from
both good and e-vil spirits, but the
Lord preserves a perfect equilibrium
between these influences, which only
the man himself can disturb. " In
this equilibrium every man is kept
as long as he lives in the world ; and
by means of it 'he is kept in that
liberty of thinking, of wiUing, of
speaking, and of doing, in which
he can be reformed." ^ No spiritual
acquisition can be permanent that
is not appropriated in freedom ; hence
salvation is impossible without man's
voluntary co-operation with God, for
" a man would have nothing where
by he could reciprocally conjoin
himself with the Lord." *
The acceptance of the doctrine of
man's absolute spiritual freedom dis
pels many common misconceptions
'¦• in regard to the work of salvation.
Hope of reward or fear of punish
ment, though they may set the
thoughts towards higher things, can
produce no real spiritual change ;
no more can miracles, visions, or
intercourse with the dead, because
they may force behef against the
wiU and the reason. We often hear
of persons being brought to a know
ledge of sin, and their need of sa.1-
vation, on a bed of sickness ; it -wiU
be surprising, therefore, to many to
learn that no one can be reformed
1 True Christian Religion, No. 3.
2 Divine Providence, No. 23.
2 True Christian Religion, No. 485.

in sickness,! fQp then the mind is
under coercion from fear, and the
person may be incapable of self-
control. The whole question is summed up
in the statement that, " No one is
reformed in states that are not those
of rationality and liberty," ^ a dictum
which has a very wide bearing. If
it is true, those who submit their
reason to priests and dogmas for the
sake of peace, and, as they think,
their soul's salvation, are woefully
misled. The peace they attain is a
spurious peace, and their hope of
salvation by these meaiis is illusory.
Equally deluded are those who seek
the seclusion of the cloister or the
hermit's cell, or in any way with
draw themselves from active life in
the world, for their soul's beiiefit.
They are simply paralysing spiritual
growth, and postponing their hoped-
for happiness. " The Life which leads
to heaven is not a life of retirement
from the world, but of action in the
world ; a life of piety without a life
of charity \i.e. neighbourly love] —
which can only be acquired in the
world — does not lead to heaven ;
but a life of charity, which consists
in acting sincerely and justly in
every situation, engagement, and
work, from an interior principle, that
is, from a heavenly origin ; and such
an origin is in that life when man
acts sincerely and justly because it
is agreeable to the Divine Law. . . .
A life of piety alone without charity
. . . leads away from heaven as
much as it is commonly beheved to
lead to heaven."' This passage
sums up Swedenborg's doctrine of
life and salvation.
Since salvation is the attainment
of spiritual health, it is evident that
eternal rewards and punishments
cannot be arbitrarily bestowed. Be
fore we can go to heaven, heaven
1 Divine Providence, No. 142.
2 Ibid. No. 138.
' Heaven md Hell, No. 535.

6o

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

must have come to us ; and no one
will go to hell, who has not first
received hell into his soul. " The
states of the interiors make heaven
. . . heaven is within us, and not
out of us." ^ "It can in no case be
said that heaven is without or
around anyone, but that it is -within
him ; and this plainly shows how
much they are deceived who believe
that to go to heaven is to be elevated
amongst angels, -without any regard
to the quahty of the interior hfe, and
thus that heaven may be conferred
on anyone by an act of unconditional
mercy ; when the truth is, that if
heaven is not within us, nothing of
the heaven which is around can flow
in and be received." ^
Swedenborg's teachings in regard
to the other life are so important and
original that they demand more ex
tended notice than we can give them
in this chapter. We shall refer here
to only one other point — viz. his
statement that the future life is
continuous with this ; that there is
no unconscious or semi-conscious
interval between the death of the
body and the commencement of the
spiritual existence. This disposes of
the idea that the dead of past
generations are reserved for future
judgment at the " great assize " to
be held at the end of the world.
What then is the Last Judgment,
of which we read so much in the New
Testament ? The Last Judgment,
Swedenborg tells us, took place in
the year 1757, and was a spiritual
occurrence. In the world of spirits,
or intermediate state, were at that
time collected myriads of spirits who
had not yet passed to their eternal
homes. The majority of these were
diabolical or hypocritical, and their
influence on the inhabitants of this
earth was such, that if they had not
been brought into order, they would
have quickly destroyed all spiritual
^ Heaven and Hell, No. 33.
2 Ibid. No, 54.

hfe among men. To avert such a
catastrophe, a judgment was exe
cuted upon them, and a reign of order
estabhshed in the intermediate
world. Swedenborg affirms that he
was permitted to witness this
judgment, and that the prophecies
of the Gospel and the Revelation
were fulfiUed before his eyes. The
powers of e-vil were placed under
restraint, and the influx of new
spiritual forces among men was
made possible. The remarkable pro
gress of the world since that time is
a direct outcome of this judgment.
Those who would deny this to be
the cause, must be prepared to sug
gest some better reason for the unpre
cedented changes that have marked
the history of the past hundred and
fifty years.
The misconceptions of the religious
world in regard to the Last Judg
ment have arisen from an insistence
upon a strictly literal interpretation
of figurative language. The same
habit has caused the nature of
Christ's Second Coming to be mis
understood. The description of
Christ's coming in the clouds of
heaven, according to Swedenborg,
is purely symbolical, and represents
a[^new revelation of Divine trath from
out the mists and clouds of the letter
of the \^'ord. Of this Second Com
ing, Swedenborg declared that He
was the herald. It consisted in a
revelation of the spiritual sense of
the Divine Word, shining through
and illuminating the letter, and
dissipating its mysteries and ob
scurities. Of this doctrine of the
spiritual sense of Scripture we shall
speak more fully in another place.
It will be seen that Swedenborg
was no mere critic of current theo
logy. ^^'hile he attacked the cor
ruptions that had marred and muti-
luted the pure gospel of Christ, he
propounded a substantive system
of doctrine that is at once consistent,
rational, practical, and in many ways

SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY

6i

new. Theology with him is truly a
science, based upon revealed know
ledge and the facts of human ex
perience, confirmed by reason, and
ministering to the practical needs of
life. The rehgion that Swedenborg
teaches is eminently wholesome and
manly. It does not require that
men shaU withdraw themselves from
the world, and deny themselves
the pleasures of the body ; such
pleasures, however, must not be
pursued from selfish motives, but as
aids and stimulants to useful labour.
True rehgion affects the whole man,
soul and body, heart and intellect,
thoughts and' motives, words and
deeds. In most religious S5rstems the
intellect is subordinated to faith in
mysterious dogmas ; but Sweden
borg announced the emancipation of
the intellect in spiritual matters,
and taught that reason is the in
separable handmaid of faith. Thus
he elevated our ideas of faith ; and
at the same time he enlarged our
conceptions of charity and good
works. Charity, he tells us, is not a
mere sentiment ; nor are its offices
limited to the service of the poor and
needy, but consist in " doing good to
our neighbour daily and continually,
not only to our neighbour individu
ally, but to our neighbour collectively;
and this cannot be effected but by
a man's doing what is good and just,
in whatever office, business, and
employment he is engaged, and with
whomsoever he has any connection. "^
Such good works, however, are not
to be done with the idea of merit,
or hope of reward ; the truly charit
able " place no merit in their works,
for they never think of merit, but
only of their duty, which as good
citizens they are bound to per
form." ' Rewards and punishments
have no place as motives to virtue
in the " trae Christian religion," as
1 True Christian Religion, No. 423.
2 Ibid.

taught by Swedenborg. All good
ness vanishes from men's deeds, how
ever beneficent they may appear,
when the thought of merit or re
ward enters ; the good man only
desires to be a channel of the Divine
beneficence, and humbly acknow
ledges that all the impulse, all the
power, and all the will to do good
come from the Lord, to whom there
fore all merit belongs. He does not
even expect to 'be rewarded in
heaven for his good deeds, but only
looks forward to the higher life as
affording wider scope for the fulfil
ment of the Divine will, and greater
opportunities for usefulness. Simi
larly, we are taught that the fear of
hell, or of punishment in any form,
is not a means of salvation. Salva
tion is simply deliverance from self,
and fear is the outcome of selfishness.
" Perfect love casteth out fear," and
perfect love is the goal of Christian
effort ; a goal only to be reached,
however, by entire submission to
the Divine will, so that the perfect
love of God will be in us, prompting
" both to will and to do of His good
pleasure." Such is the practical
teaching of Swedenborg ; if it does
not present us with a worthy ideal
of true rehgion, the ideal is far to
seek.

CHAPTER IX
spiritual PHILOSOPHY
Two causes conduce to the futility
of speculative reasoning on Divine
and spiritual subjects ; the pre
conceived notions of theologians, on
the one hand, and, on the other,
the persistent refusal of material
istic philosophers to acknowledge
the operation of spiritual forces in
the processes of nature. The con
flict between science and religion
mainly arises from ignorance on both
sides ; the scientist denies what to

62

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

the theologian are palpable and
necessary truths, while the theologian
is too often lacking in knowledge of
physical science, and fears to be
enlightened. A true' philosophy must
take cognisance of spirit as well as
matter, and show the relation in
which the two stand to each other.
Swedenborg is unique among philo
sophers in combining a high degree
of spitirual enhghtenment with a
profound acquaintance with the facts
of nature.
In considering Swedenborg's
system of spiritual philosophy, we
are again placed in the dilemma of
having either to accept his claim to
special enhghtenment, or to believe
that his ideas were all evolved from
his inner consciousness. To many
the latter presents the greater diffi
culty ; but let each one judge for
himseh. Of the profundity and
originaUty of Swedenborg's teachings
on such subjects as the nature and
character of God, the origin of e-vil,
the creation and preservation of the
universe, the relation of spirit to
matter, the constitution of the
human mind, and on life and death,
there can be no question. His
philosophical doctrines pervade the
whole of his theological works, but
they are set forth especially in The
Divine Love and Wisdom, The
Divine Providence, The Arcana Cce
lestia, The True Christian Religion,
The Apocalypse Explained, and The
Intercourse of the Soul and the Body.
The fundamental principle of
Swedenborg's philosophy is the sub
stantial reality of spiritual things.
Judging by appearances, we speak
of the material world as real and
substantial, but this is a faUacy of
the senses. "Fallacy is an in
version of order, and is the judgment
of the eye and not of the mind, or a
conclusion drawn from the appear
ance of a thing, and not from its
essence. ' ' i " Thought from the eye
' Apocalypse Explained, No. 1215.

closes up the understanding, but
thought from the understanding
opens the eye." ^ Li-ving in this
phenomenal world we cannot help
being misled by outward appear
ances ; it is difficult to believe that
the things that we see and handle
are less real than those which are
unseen, yet we may be brought to
a rational conviction of this truth.
" Appearances are the first things
out of which the human mind forms
its understanding, and these ap
pearances the mind cannot shake
off except by the investigation
of cause ; and if the cause hes deep,
the mind cannot investigate it un
less it keeps the understanding
for a long time in spiritual hght;
but it cannot keep it long in that
light on account of the natural
hght which continually draws it
back." ^
The great spiritual reahties are
love and wisdom. " The idea of
men in general about love and
about ¦wisdom is as of something
flying and floating in subtile air or
ether ; or as an exhalation from
something of the kind ; and scarcely
anyone thinks that they are reaUy
and actually substance and form 
Nevertheless the trath is that love
and wisdom are the real and actual
substance and form which constitute
the subject itseh." = But love and
¦wisdom in man are not seh-derived ;
they are a reflection of the essential
attributes of Deity Itseh. "The
Divine Love and the Di^vine Wisdom
are Substance and Fomi it itself,
thus Very Reality and the One Only
Reahty. ... He who by some
stretch of thought can keep in his
mirid, and comprehend Esse and
Existere in itself, will certainly also
follow and comprehend that' it is
the Very Realit\', and the One Only
Reahty. Very Reahty is said of
1 Divine Love and Wisdom, No. 46.
2 Ibid., No. 40.
» Ibid.

SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY

63

that which alone is ; and one only
Reality of that from which every
other thing is. Now because this
Very and this One Only is Substance
and Form, it foUows that it is the
very and the one only Substance and
Form. Because this very substance
and Form is Divine Love and Divine
Wisdom, it follows that it is the
very and one only Love, and the
very and one only Wisdom ; con
sequently, that it is the very and
one only Essence, as well as the
very and one only Life : for Love
and Wisdom is Life." ^ (In ex
planation of the apparently ungram-
matical character of the last sentence,
it should be stated that, according
to our author, " the Divine Love and
Wisdom proceed from the Lord as
one " ; 2 just as the heat and light
of the sun are inseparably united.)
God being thus the One Only
Substance, created things derive
their being and nature from Him.
The idea that the Almighty in the
beginning created all things out of
nothing is unphilosophical and
childish. " From absolute nothing,
nothing is made, or can be made.
This is a self-evident truth. The
universe, therefore, which is an
image of God, and hence full of God,
could be created only in God from
God ; for God is Esse itseh, and that
which is, must be from Esse. To
create that which is, from nothing,
which is not, is a mere contradic
tion." * " Everyone who thinks
from clear reason sees that the uni
verse was not created out of nothing,
because he sees that it is impossible
for anything to be made out of
nothing ; for nothing is nothing, and
to make anything out of nothing is
contradictory, and what is contra
dictory is against the light of truth,
which is from the Di^vine Wisdom.
. . . Everyone who thinks from clear
' Divine Loveand Wisdom}^os. 44 and 45.
^Divine Providence, No. 4.
^Divine Love and Wisdom, No. 55.

reason sees also that all things have
been created out of a substance
which is substance in itseh, for this
is very Esse out of which all things
that are, can exist ; and because
God alone is Substance in itself,
and thence very Esse, it is evident
that the existence of things is from
no other source." ^
Swedenborg is careful to guard
himself from the charge of Panthe
ism which, nevertheless, has been
brought against him. In the same
paragraph, he continues : " Many
have seen this, because reason causes
it to be seen ; but they have not
dared to confirm it, fearing lest thus
they might perhaps be brought to
think that the created universe is
God because from God, or that
nature is from itself, and thus that
the inmost of nature is called God. . . .
In what follows it will be seen that,
although God has created the uni
verse and all things of it from Him
self, yet there is nothing at all in the
created universe which is God." In
another place, he says : " That
which is created in God from God
is not continuous from Him ; for
God is Esse in Itself, and in created
things there is not any Esse in itself.
If in created things there were any
Esse in itself, this would be con
tinuous from God, and that which is
continuous from God is God. . . .
Every created thing by virtue of
this its origin is such in its nature
that it is a recipient of God, not by
continuity but by contiguity. Its
conjunctivity is by contiguity, and
not by continuity. It is conform
able because it has been created in
God from God ; and because it has
been thus created, it is an analogue,
and by this conjunction it is as an
image of God in a mirror." ^
God, in his inmost essence is
incomprehensible and unapproach
able by either angels or men. To
1 Divine Love and Wisdom, No. 283.
2 Ibid. Nos. 55 and 56.

64

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

the former He manifests Himself as
a spiritual sun, and this spiritual
sun is the origin and centre of life
in the spiritual world, in the same
way as the sun of the solar system
is the origin and centre of life on
the physical plane. ^ From the
spiritual sun " the first proceeding
of the Di-vine Love and Di^vine
Wisdom," emanate atmospheres
which are the media of life to spiritual
beings, and by -influx and corre
spondence to the lower world also.
These atmospheres are of diminish
ing intensity the further they are
removed from their origin, and give
rise to several degrees of life, essen
tially distinguished from one another.
There are three discrete degrees of
spiritual hfe, corresponding to the
three kingdoms of nature.
Creation proceeds from the
spiritual sun, operating on the
physical plane through the natural
sun — that is, from spiritual forces
acting through natural forces. We
might say that the spiritual sun is
the soul of the natural sun, which
in itself has nothing of hfe ; like all
matter, it is dead and inert. Life
and force are spiritual ; matter is
but a medium which enables them
to exhibit themselves on the physical
plane. " Creation itself can in no
wise be ascribed to the sun of the
natural world, but all to the sun of
the spiritual world ; because the
sun of the natural world is wholly
dead, but the sun of the spiritual
world is alive ; for it is the first pro
ceeding of the Divine Love and the
1 This might be taken to imply that
God is impersonal ; but, although He is
thus objectively manifested to the angels,
they are conscious also of intimate per
sonal communion. The appearance of
the heavenly sun is in accordance with
the law that all the interior states and
ideas of spiritual beings are reproduced
in corresponding external objects. Thus,
since the Lord is the source and centre of
their spiritual life, the Divine Love and
Wisdom appear to be embodied in a
magnificent heavenly luminary.

Di^vine Wisdom ; and what is dead
does nothing whatever of itself, but
is acted upon. Wherefore to ascribe
to it anything of creation would
be hke ascribing the work of the
artificer to the instrument -with which
the hands of the artificer operate."
" The actuality of the natural sun
is not from itself, but from the
hving force proceeding from the sun
of the spiritual world." ^
" Nothing in nature exists except
from a spiritual principle and by it.
. . . The reason why nothing exists
in nature, but from a spiritual
principle, is, because there cannot
any thing be given, unless it has a
soul, all that being caUed soul which
is essence, for that which has not in
itseh an essence does not exist, for
it is a nonentity, because there is no
esse or being as the ground of its
existence. Thus it is -with nature ;
its essence from which it exists is
the spiritual principle, because this
has in itseh the Di'vine Esse, and also
the di-vine power of acting, creating,
and forming." ^ " Nature and life
are two distinct things ; nature takes
its beginning from the sun of this
world, and hfe from the sun of
heaven." ' " There is not a hair
or thread of wool on any beast, nor
the smallest portion of a quill or
feather upon any bird, nor of a fin
or scale on any fish, which is not
derived from the life of their soul,
thus which is not from a spiritual
principle clothed by the natural." '
" The hving thing disposes the dead
thing in plastic obedience, and
forms it for uses, which are its ends.'"
Creation, according to Sweden
borg, was not simply an initiatory
act, but is in continual operation.
The reproductive powers of animals
and plants are not from any life that
is in nature itself, but are simply the
' Divine Love and Wisdom, No. 157.
^ .Apocalypse Explained, No. T206,
^ Ibid, No. 1207, '¦Ibid, No. rT99,
^ Divine Love and Wisdom, No. 166.

SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY

65

means of successive new creations.
" It matters not that the continua
tions are effected by seeds, it is still
the same creative force which pro
duces." ! " Seeds are impregnated
by the most subtile substances,
which cannot be from any but a
spiritual origin." ^
All life being thus derived from
the spiritual world, and every
material object having behind it a
spiritual force, or soul, which pro
duces and sustains it, it follows that
spiritual and natural stand to each
other as cause and effect, and that
there is a constant and intimate
relation between the two. This is
the basis of Swedenborg's doctrine
of Correspondences. The natural
world is an image or mirror of the
spiritual world, every object, fact,
and phenomenon, representing some
non-material idea which is its
spiritual counterpart. We shall deal
further with this doctrine when we
come to speak of Swedenborg's
expository works, for it is the founda
tion of his system of Biblical ex
egesis. Spiritual hfe is not monotonous
and uniform in character, but
presents as great variety as life on
the physical plane. If the latter
is derived from the former, it follows
that there must be a corresponding
order and arrangement in the mani
festations on both planes. The
Divine life, as it descends through
the spiritual world, is received ac-
\ cording to the state and capacity of
; the subject, and thus presents
infinite variety. Broadly, there are
i three great classes of minds that
: embrace and manifest the Di-vine
, influences according to their kind ;
; these three classes correspond to
J the three kingdoms of nature, and
j in the other Ufe form three distinct
heavens, termed by Swedenborg,
celestial, spiritual, and natural, vnth
* Divine Love and Wisdom, No. 1209.
* Ibid. No. 310.

three corresponding hells. Within
these degrees there are as many
varied types as there are of animals,
plants and minerals in the three
kingdoms of nature.
The doctrine of degrees is one of
a far-reaching character, and is pe
cuhar to Swedenborg among modern
philosophers and thinkers. Degrees,
he tells us, are of two kinds, discrete
and continuous. Discrete degrees
are distinct orders of life or capacity,
like the three kingdoms of nature ;
and are related to each other
by correspondence. Continuous de
grees are varieties of the same order
of life, natural or spiritual ; and
may be illustrated by the classifica
tion of animals, plants and minerals
into genera and species. In each
kingdom of nature the various forms
are connected in a continuous series ;
but, broadly speaking, the three
kingdoms are only related to each
other by analogy. The correspond
ence which we have seen to exist
between natural and spiritual things
will enable us to understand the
degrees that mark the development
of man's mental and moral nature.
The human mind is not the simple
instrument that it is sometimes
thought to be, but exhibits a marked
trinal division both in its moral and
intellectual aspects. Truth may be
apprehended in three different ways :
by the learning of facts or doctrines ;
by the process of reasoning ; or by
intuitive perception : and these
three different modes of apprehen
sion are characteristic of the three
degrees of the mind,' which are the
scientific, or the faculty of memory ;
the rational, or cogitative ; and the
intellectual, or intuitive faculty. To
these three mental degrees belong
three corresponding classes of moral
qualities. There are good deeds
which are done from a sense of duty,
in a spirit of simple obedience ;
others in which the doer acts from
principle or a conviction of what is

66

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

right ; and others, again, which are
prompted by feelings of love, kind
ness, or generosity.
Such is a simple outline of this
doctrine, but it has modifications
and ramifications that make it some
what difficult of apprehension in
a fuller statement. Swedenborg's
terminology, also, is likely to be con
fusing to those who have not attained
a grasp of the subject. The term
" spiritual," for example, is some
times employed to differentiate the
region of the mind that apprehends
religious ideas from that which takes
cognisance of physical trath ; and
sometimes in a more particular
sense, to indicate the middle degree
of the higher consciousness. Speak
ing in the most general sense, the
three degrees of the human mind
are described as the natural, the
rational, and the spiritual ; but the
spiritual is again divided into
natural, spiritual, and celestial, ex
pressing three different modes of
apprehending higher truths, — know
ledge, intelligence, and intuition.
In fact, there are wheels within
wheels, and ordinary terms are
hardly adequate to express the
subtleties of the doctrine. When a
clear conception of it has been
formed, however, it is seen to be
full of philosophic suggestion.
To return to the subject of Crea
tion, Swedenborg does not favour
the idea that new forms of life are
developed merely by accidental
variation, change of environment, or
natural selection, or by all of these
together. New forms indicate new
characteristics, and hence new
spiritual causes. Development is
spiritual in the first instance ; ex
ternal influences are, at best, but
secondary causes. " For the dead
thing to act upon the living thing,
or for the dead force to act upon the
living force, or, what is the same,
for the natural to act upon the
spiritual, is .entirely contrary to

order, and therefore to think that
it does so is contrary to the hght of
sound reason. The dead thing, the
natural thing, may indeed in many
ways be perverted or changed by
external accidents, but still it cannot
act upon hfe ; but hfe acts upon it,
according to any change of form
which has been induced." ^ " The
spiritual principle acts into the
natural and thereby produces its
effects, as the principal cause by its
instrumental cause." ^ The gradual
evolution of the higher from the
lower, therefore, apart from spiritual
influx, is impossible.
Swedenborg has important ob
servations on instinct and reason, and
the difference between animals, and
men. Materialistic considerations
tend to show that there is no funda
mental difference, but Swedenborg
explains wherein the real distinction
lies. Instinct is not simply habit heredi
tarily transmitted, as materiahsts
maintain, but is spiritual in origin.
" There is some spiritual principle
which leads in all such cases.'"
The life of animals, as of man, is
from the spiritual world, and thence,
also, their instincts are derived.
The difference between men and
animals, and the reason that only the
former are heirs of immortality, is
expounded in the follo^^•ing passage,
which for clearness and cogency
could not be paralleled from the
statement of any other writer on the
subject : —
" Man is spiritual and at the same
time natural, whereas a beast is not
spiritual but natural. Man is en
dowed \\-ith will and understanding,
and his will is the receptacle of the
heat of heaven, which is love, and
his understanding is the receptacle
of the light of heaven, which is
wisdom ; but a beast is not endowed
' Divine Love and Wisdom. No, i66.
^Apocalypse Explained, No. 1197.
^ Ibid.. No, Tig8.

SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY

67

with wiU and understanding, but
instead of will has affection, and
instead of understanding knowledge.
The will and understanding with
(man can act as one, and they can
sact not as one ; for man can think
!as from his understanding, what
is not of his will, for he can think
what he does not will, and vice
versa ; but with a beast affection
and knowledge make one, and can-
: not be separated ; for a beast knows
iwhat appertains to its affection, and
is affected with what appertains to its
I knowledge ; and inasmuch as the two
faculties, which are called knowledge
and affection, with a beast, cannot
be separated, therefore a beast
could not destroy the order of its
life, and hence it is that it is born
into aU the knowledge of its affection.
But the case is otherwise with man ;
his two faculties of life, which are
caUed understanding and will, can
be separated, as was said above,
therefore he can destroy the order
of his life, by thinking contrary to
his will, and willing contrary to his
understanding, and hereby he also
has destroyed it ; hence it is that
he is born into mere ignorance, that
from it he may be introduced into
order by knowledge through the
medium of the understanding. The
order into which man was created, is
to love God above all things, and his
neighbour as himself, and the state
into which man has come since he
destroyed that order, is to love
himself above aU things, and the
world as himself. Whereas man has
a spiritual mind, and this is above
his natural mind, and his spiritual
mind is capable of intuition into
such things as relate to heaven
and the church, and likewise fo
moral and civil laws, and these things
have reference to truths and goods,
which are called spiritual, moral,
and civil, besides the natural things
of the sciences, and to their op-
posites, which are falsities and e-vils.

therefore man can not only think
analytically, and thence draw con
clusions, but also receive influx
through heaven from the Lord, and
become intelhgent and wise : of this
no beast is capable, what it knows
not being from any understanding,
but from the knowledge of affection,
which is its soul. .
" Inasmuch as man has a spiritual
mind, and at the same time a natural
mind, and his spiritual mind is above
his natural mind, and the spiritual
mind is such that it is capable of
the intuition and love of truths and
goods in every degree, both con
jointly with the natural mind and
abstractedly from it, it follows that
the interiors of man, appertaining
to each. mind, can be elevated to the
Lord by the Lord, and be conjoined
to Him ; hence it is that every man
lives eternally. This is not the case
with a beast, which does not enjoy
any spiritual mind, but only a
natural mind ; hence its interiors,
which are only of knowledge and
affection, cannot be elevated by the
Lord, and conjoined to Him, where
fore a beast does not hve after death.
A beast is indeed led by a certain
spiritual influx faUing into its soul,
but inasmuch as its spiritual principle
cannot be elevated, it can only be
determined downwards, and to
regard such things as relate to
its affection, which have reference
only to the things relating to
nourishment, habitation, and pro
pagation, and from the knowledge of
its affection to know them by means
of sight, odour, and taste.
" Inasmuch as man, by ¦virtue of
his spiritual mind, has the capacity
of thinking rationally, therefore he
also has the faculty of speech, for
to speak appertains to thought from
the understanding, which can see
truths in spiritual light ; but a
beast, which has not any thought
from understanding, but only know
ledge from affection, is only able to

68

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

utter sounds, and to vary the sound
of its affection according to its ap
petites." 1
Of the Divine omnipotence and
man's free will, the origin of .evil,
and other subjects which have dis
tracted the spiritual philosopher in
every age, Swedenborg offers ra
tional and adequate theories. There
is no real conflict, he asserts, between
omnipotence and free-will. While
God is all-powerful. He does not
operate arbitrarily, but by law ; and
it is part of the Divine law that
man shall be a free agent in spiritual
matters. He is held in equihbrium
between the forces of good and of
e^vil, and must make his choice
between them. At the same time
the abihty and wiU to do good are
from the Lord alone, though it is
given to man to feel that they are
from himself. All he can do, how
ever, is to dispose his mind and heart
to receive the Di^vine influences ; for
"it is God that worketh in [us]
both to will and to do of His good
pleasure." ^ The origin of evil is
in man's free-will, which enables
him to pervert the Di^vine blessings ;
all evil is the perversion of what was
once " very good." These subjects,
alluded to in our last chapter, are
discussed at length in The True
Christian Religion. It is impossible
here to do more than refer to them ;
or to touch upon other interesting
points. Swedenborg's spiritual philosophy
is so totally different from anything
else of the land, that the unac
customed reader finds himseh, as
it were, in a strange land, and may
depart again without ha^ving ob
tained so much as a ghmpse of its
beauties, sceptical even of their
existence. Let him sojourn long
enough to acquire the language and
accustom his eyes to the new scenery.
and he wiU surely be repaid.
^Apocalypse Revealed, No. 1202.
2 Phil. ii. 13.

Dropping metaphor, we may express
our con^viction that the clear logical
statement and luminous exposition
of deep matters which he ¦wiU find
as he pursues his studies, can scarcely
fail to win his assent to the author's
assertion, that " now it is aUow
able to enter inteUectuaUy into the
mysteries of faith." ^
The principles that Swedenborg
has elucidated have a very wide
bearing ; they are apphcable, indeed,
to aU the great subjects that have
exercised the human mind from
time immemorial. A new light is
thrown upon aU of these problems,
and a new order is brought into the
region of philosophic inquiry.

CHAPTER X
expository works
Swedenborg's principal expository
works are the Arcana Ccelestia, the
first theological work that he pub
hshed ; The Apocalypse Explained ;
and The Apocalypse Revealed. The
ground covered by these only in
cludes the Books of Genesis and
Exodus, and the Revelation of St
John ; but incidentally they touch
upon almost every part of Scripture.
They are bulky treatises, the Arcana
in the last Enghsh translation
filling twelve large octavo volumes.
The Apocalypse Explained, six, and
The Apocalypse Revealed, two. Be
sides these works he left some
fragmentary notes, and A Summary
Exposition of the Prophets and
Psalms, which, however, he did not
pubhsh. The Arcana Ccelestia and
The Apocalypse Revealed were
brought out by himseh, but the
other work on the Apocalypse,
though written earher, was never
entirely completed, and not pub
hshed until some years after his
death. It was nearly being lost to
^ True Christian Religion, No. 508. jCv,

EXPOSITORY WORKS

69

the world altogether, a portion of
the manuscript ha^ving narrowly
escaped destruction by fire. This
manuscript had, indeed, an adven
turous history from the time it left
the custody of the Swedish Academy
of Sciences in 1783, until its return
to its proper home there in 1842.
It is stated that Mr C. F. Norden-
skold, obtained the loan of this and
other manuscripts of Swedenborg's
from the secretary of the Academy,
and brought them to England ¦with
a -view of pubhshing what he thought
desirable. The papers came into
the hands of Mr Henry Peckitt,
who, in his enthusiasm for the new
doctrines, undertook the whole cost
of pubhshing The Apocalypse Ex
plained, while the first volume was
in the printer's hands, the manu
script of the second was being
prepared for the press by Mr Peckitt,
when a disastrous fire destroyed his
house, with the contents of his
valuable library ; and the precious
manuscript was given up for lost.
A fireman, however, had hastily
thrown it into the street, where it
was picked up by a neighbour. On
regaining possession of it Mr Peckett
carried it to the meeting-room of
the Theosophical Society (as the
few disciples of Swedenborg then
caUed themselves), and, throwing it
on the table, burst into a flood
of tears. When he had recovered
his self-possession, he- exclaimed :
" There ! the greatest treasure which
I had in my house is preserved in
safety ; and for the][sake of that, I
wilhngly submit to my great loss."
On the death of Mr Peckitt, the
custody of the manuscript passed
to two of his friends, by whom the
nature of the original trust does not
appear to have been understood ;
for they subsequently sold it to Mrs
Peckitt, and it remained in the
Peckitt family until 1828, when it
was handed over to the Sweden
borg Society by Mr Henry Peckitt,

Junior. When it was discovered
that it really belonged to the Swedish
Academy of Sciences, it, with other
manuscripts that had been missing
for many years, was returned to the
Librarian. This action led to a
very pleasing exchange of courtesies
between the two bodies.
With this digression we may pro
ceed to consider the contents of this
and the other works mentioned above.
First, it may be well to say some
thing about Swedenborg's general
teachings respecting the Bible. He
regards it in the strictest sense as a
Di^vine revelation, though he does
not accept all its histories or state
ments of fact as literally true. On
the other hand, he tells us that the
early chapters of Genesis are purely
allegorical in character and do not
describe the creation of the universe
and the early history of mankind, as
is commonly supposed. The Bible
is truly the " Word of God," though
its divinity does not reside in its
outward form. Within the histories
of indi^viduals and nations, and in
the gospels, prophecies, and poeti
cal books, is enshrined an interior
spiritual sense ; or, rather, are in
volved a series of meanings, one
within the other, like the various
enfoldings of a flower. " In its ulti
mate sense, the Word is natural ; in
its interior sense, spiritual ; and in
its inmost, celestial ; and it is Divine
in every sense." ^ It is, indeed, the
Di^vine trath taking form as it
descends from God through the
heavens to the earth. " In its first
origin the \^'ord is purely Divine ;
when this passed through the
Heavens of the Lord's Celestial
Kingdom it became Divine Celestial,
and when it passed through the
Heavens of the Lord's Spiritual
Kingdom it became Divine Spiritual,
and when it came to man it became
Divine Natural ; hence it is that
the natural sense of the Word
' Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture, No. 6.

70

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

contains within it the spiritual
sense, and this the celestial sense,
and this a sense purely Divine,
which is not open to any man, nor
even to any angel." ^ The spiritual
sense can be comprehended by men
in some degree, but the celestial
sense " can scarcely be unfolded,
for it does not fall so much into the
thought of the understanding, as
into the affection of the will." ^ It is
adapted to the perception of the celes
tial angels, with whom the Divine
law is received " in their inward
parts," and written " in their hearts."
In thus asserting an occult mean
ing in the Scriptures, Sweden
borg does not detract from the
value of the literal sense : indeed,
he raises it to a much higher degree
of esteem than is bestowed upon
it by those who regard the literal
sense as containing the sum-total
of Divine revelation ; for he teaches
that the books of the Bible are not
mere human compositions but a
veritable embodiment of the wisdom
of God, adapted to the comprehen
sion of the simplest minds. Every
thing needful for salvation, he tells
us, is contained in the literal sense,
and from the literal sense the
doctrine of the Church should
be derived and confirmed. In the
literal sense, indeed, " the Word is
in its fulness, its holiness, and its
power." What need, then, to supple
ment this with a spiritual sense ?
Because the natural sense is written
according to appearances, and is
often obscure and misleading ; and
because the spiritual sense amplifies
and emphasises the truth of the letter,
while it explains the mysteries and
apparent contradictions of the same.
" The Word in the literal sense,"
Swedenborg says, " is like a man
clothed, whose face is naked, and
whose hands also are naked. All
things which pertain to man's life,
1 Apocalypse Revealed, No, 959,
2 Doctrine of Sacred Scripture, No. 19.

and consequently to his salvation,
are naked there ; but the rest are
clothed ; and in many places where
they are clothed they show through,
as the face shows through a thin
veil of silk." ^
In no part of the Bible is a know
ledge of the spiritual sense more
helpful than in dealing with the
early chapters of Genesis. It is
objected by sceptics that these
contain false science and imaginary
history, while they present an un
worthy idea of God as an unjust,
resentful, and arbitrary Being. In
the spiritual sense, however, all
these difficulties disappear, and
criticism is disarmed. .A.s Bishop
Colenso remarks : " Let it be once
freely admitted that these stories
of the first chapters of Genesis,
whatever they may teach of Divine,
Eternal Truth, and whatever lessons
may be drawn from them by a
devout mind, are in their present
form and structure mythical de
scriptions, where their narrative is
an imaginative clothing for ideas,
and so are not to be regarded as
teaching unquestionable matters of
historical fact, which occurred in
the primitiA-e times ; and then such
a comparison, as we must now make,
between the statements of the Bible
andwell-knownfacts of science, would
be superfluous and uncalled for." ^
No better example of Swedenborg's
exegetical method could be afforded
than his explanation of these early
chapters of Genesis. Truly he brings
light into dark places. Instead of
treating the opening chapter as an
account of the beginning of created
things, he takes us at once into
spiritual regions, and interprets the
record as descriptive of the new
creation or regeneration of man. The
unregenerate condition, when man is
immersed in the things of sense and
' The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture.
No, 55,
' The Pentateuch, etc, Part IV. p. 85.

EXPOSITORY WORKS

71

self and oblivious of his better
nature, is typified by the dark and
formless void, over which the spirit
of God brooded to bring out of it
order and life. The end and pur
pose of the spiritual creation, as of
the physical, is the production of
man, the image and likeness of God.
The spiritual man is the human soul
in which all the faculties are fully
developed and duly subordinated,
and which lives according to the
Divine laws. To attain to this state
requires that the soul should pass
through various stages of develop
ment, which process is represented
by the six days of creation.
" The times and states of man's
regeneration, in general and in
particular, are divided into six, and
are called the days of his creation :
for by degrees he is elevated from
a state in which he possesses none
of the qualities which properly con
stitute a man, until by httle and
httle he attains to the sixth day, in
which he becomes an image of God."^
Briefly, the six states of man's
regeneration are these. The first is
a condition of darkness and vacuity ;
for man is born in total ignorance
of all that belongs to his spiritual
life. In this state, however, divine
influences are brought to bear, and
the child, or the unregenerate soul,
receives impressions which are
stored up for future use. The crea
tion of light, and the division of
light from darkness, represent the
first dawn of spiritual knowledge, and
the recognition of the difference be
tween the world and the heavenly
Hfe : such a state as Bunyan
describes in Christian, when he was
first aroused to a sense of sin and
the necessity for a change of life.
" The second state is when a
divasion takes place between those
things which are of the Lord, and
such as are proper to man. . . .
Thus the things which belong to
1 Arcana Ccelestia, No. 29,

the external man are separated from
those belonging to the internal." ^
(The term earth, throughout the
Bible, has reference to the external
man, or the lowest degree of hfe, and
heaven to the internal man or the
spiritual degree of hfe.)
" The third state is that of re
pentance, in which the regenerating
subject, from the internal man,
begins to discourse piously and
devoutly, and to do good actions,
like works of charity, but which
nevertheless are inanimate, because
they are supposed to originate in
himself. These good actions are
called tender grass, and also the
herb yielding seed, and afterwards
the tree bearing fruit." ^
The gathering together of the
waters represents the storing up of
spiritual knowledge. Water in its
various forms is an apt emblem of
truth. The sea, or ocean, the great
reservoir of the waters of the earth,
stands for the memory which is the
omnivorous receptacle of knowledge
of all kinds ; a storehouse upon
which the intellectual faculties con
stantly draw to stimulate the growth
of ideas, which, with the practical
uses that result from them, are the
spiritual counterparts of the various
forms of vegetable life.
In the fourth state the life is ruled
by the great principles of love and
faith, represented by the sun and
the moon. The stars are particular
knowledges of spiritual truth which
serve to guide the life when the
greater fights are obscured. In this
stage of regeneration soul, the in
definite ideas of the earher states
have given place to clear and distinct
conceptions of truth and duty.
The correspondence of the
heavenly bodies to the guiding
principles of the higher hfe is almost
self-evident. The sun is constantly
used in the Bible as a type of the
^ Arcana Ccelestia, No. 8.
2 Ibid., No. 9.

72

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Lord, especially as to His Divine
love, and, by the poets, of any
powerful controlling influence. The
moon, recei-ving her light from the
sun, and shining upon the world
when the rays of the latter are
•withdrawn, is a fitting representa
tive of faith, which cheers and
illuminates the night-time of the
soul. The stars, although they give
little light, by their fixity of position
serve to guide the mariner or way
farer. We have guiding stars to direct
us on our heavenward road also.
The fifth day of creation was
marked by the production of fish and
birds ; while the creation of the higher
mammals is assigned to the sixth.
" After the great luminaries are
kindled and placed in the internal
man, and the external thence re
ceives light, then the regenerating
person begins first to live. Hereto
fore he can scarcely be said to have
lived, inasmuch as the good which
he did was supposed by him to have
been done of himself, and the trath
which he spoke to have been spoken
of himself ; and since man of him
self is dead, and there is in him
nothing but what is e-vil and false,
therefore whatsoever he produces
from himself is not alive, in conse
quence of his inability to do good
which is good in itself. . . . Now
that he is vi-vified by love and faith,
and believes that the Lord operates
all the good which he does and all
the truth which he speaks, he is
compared to the creeping things of
the water, and to the fowls ivhich flv
above the earth, and also to beasts,
which are all animate things, and
are called living soiih." ^
Fish and birds represent a com
paratively low grade of spiritual life,
in which faith is the predominating
element ; the higher animals typifj/
the life in which love is more active.
Man, the crovm and epitome of the
whole creation, stands for the re-
' Arcana Ca-lestia, No. 39,

generated soul, perfect m its degree,
as reflecting the image and likeness
of the Creator, and exercising do
minion over its own powers and
capacities (the lower animals) by
God-given strength and authority.
This is a very brief statement of
the spiritual meaning of the Creation,
as explained by Swedenborg. We
may take a broader view of the sub
ject, also. AU that is here appHed
to the indi-vidual man, apphes equally
to man in a corporate sense. The
days of creation not only speak of
the regeneration of the indi-vidual
soul ; they have an interior historical
meaning, also, which describes the
formation of the human principle in
the race. Swedenborg states, and
science confirms his assertion, that
mankind in primitive times were
httle distinguished from the brute
animals ; the spiritual principle
which now differentiates them was
implanted graduaUy, during suc
cessive generations ; and this de
velopment of the higher nature is
also shadowed forth in the account
of the creation of the world given in
the first two chapters of Genesis.
The work of creation finished, we
are told that God rested from His
work on the seventh day. To ac
cept the statement Uterally is to
derogate from the omnipotence of
God. How could the Almighty,
from whom all things proceed and
upon whom they depend ever\'
moment, be exhausted hv the exer
tions of six da5's' labour ? The idea
is childish. God is said to rest when
man's life has been brought into
harmonj^ -with the Di^^ne hfe. There
is no longer opposition or conflict.
Although it is for each indi^idual to
work out his o\vn salvation, the truth
is that ever}' effort to\\-ards righteous
ness is the Lord's work. " It is
God who worketh in [us] both to
\\'ill and to do of His pleasure." ^
\A'hen this work is over, and the
1 Phil, ii 13,

EXPOSITORY WORKS

73

man no longer resists the Divine
wUl, the Sabbath state has been
reached, in which both God and
man enter into their rest.
The Sabbath state of the race is
represented by the Garden of Eden.
Creation being finished, and every
thing ha-ving been declared to be
" very good," we are told that " the
Lord God planted a garden eastward
in Eden ; and there He put the man
whom He had formed." There has
been much speculation as to the prob
able site of this garden, but aU such
speculation is futile. It is a " garden
of the soul " and not any material
paradise that is described. Under a
variety of beautiful symbols the
happy condition of mankind is de
picted when they followed the ap
pointed order of their Uves, and
dehghted to do the Divine will. It
was a childhke condition of absolute
dependence on God, but one not
destined to last, as the sequel of the
story shows.
We are given to understand that
everj'thing in Eden was good : the
trees were " pleasant to the sight
and good for food," and the animals
were gentle and harmless. Yet one
tree and one animal appear to have
been e-vil ; the tree of knowledge of
good and e-vil was forbidden to be
even touched, and the wiles of the
serpent were the cause of the trans
gression of this commandment. What
do these things mean ?
The temptation of Eve, and
through her of Adam, was not the
work of a crafty reptile temporarily
endowed ¦with speech, but was of
the nature of all human temptations.
" Let no man say when he is tempted,
I am tempted of God : for God can
not be tempted ¦with e^vil, neither
tempteth he any man ; but every
man is tempted, when he is dra^wn
away of his o-wn lust, and enticed." ^
The serpent is a type of this lust —
of the lower, sensual nature that
^ James i, 13, 14,

deUghts to grovel on the earth, and
which, if hstened to (this serpent
can talk very seductively), ine^vitably
leads to a fall from -virtue.
The tree of knowledge of good and
evil, again, was no earthly tree, but
represents mere worldly "knowledge
and the impressions of the senses.
This kind of food is dangerous to the
higher hfe of man. " It is allowable
to obtain a knowledge of what is trae
and good by means of every per
ception derived from the Lord [the
trees of the Garden], but not from
self and the world, or to inquire into
the mysteries of faith by the senses
or from science, for in this case the
celestial principle is destroyed " ; ^'fin
other words. Paradise is lost.
Everything in this story being
symbolical, it follows that Adam
and Eve are not to be regarded as
two indi-viduals : they are repre
sentatives of the race, or of human
nature in the abstract, Adam stand
ing for its intellectual, and Eve for
its moral, side. We can see now
why the woman was first tempted,
and through her the man : it is de
sire that leads a man astray and
warps the judgment to its -wishes.
Man's desire for independence led
him to trust in his own self- derived
inteUigence, rather than in the
Di^vine guidance, represented by the
tree of hfe. After the fall, access
to the tree of life was denied to him :
not that the highest blessings were
arbitrarily ¦withheld, but man's own
actions rendered him incapable of
recei^ving them.
Among other misconceptions that
have arisen from putting a hteral
interpretation on these parabohc
stories is the idea that the need to
labour for one's daily bread was a
curse laid upon man on account of
Adam's disobedience. Work, the
source of the traest satisfaction, the
greatest blessing in life next to love,
a curse of the good God ! None but
' Arcana Ccelestia, No. 126,

74

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

an idler by nature could really enter
tain such a thought. Even the Eden
condition was not one of ease and
idleness ; the man was placed in the
garden " to dress it and to keep it."
What, then, is the meaning of the
curse ? First, let us premise that
God never curses ; the solemn male
diction pronounced is but a truthful
statement of the condition to which
man had reduced himself by his re-
belhous action. The blasted ground
is the human heart, which was no
longer "an honest and good heart "
that brought forth abundantly, but
one filled with thorns and thistles
that choked the Word and rendered
it unfruitful. Such, alas ! is its state
with most of us at this day ; though
the will to do good may be ours,
e-vil is ever present to resist and
thwart our endeavours, so that any
progress in the spiritual life is through
much toil and straggling. Truly, "the
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force." ^
The history of Cain and Abel,
again, presents many difficulties, if
we regard it as describing actual
occurrences. We cannot help feehng
that the treatment of Cain, prior to
his fratricidal act, was not altogether
just : he offered what he had to the
Lord, yet he was rejected and his
brother preferred. In the spiritual
sense this inequality does not ap
pear ; we see Cain as the repre
sentative of merely intellectual faith,
apart from charity (the fruits of the
earth, as we have seen, stand for
things of the intellect) ; while Abel
typifies love or charity, and his
offering, the worship that springs
from the good affections of the heart
(the " firstlings of his flock ").
When mere faith and formalism
prevail, love is slain.
The story of the Flood has given
occasion for much animadversion to
the rationalist ; but when it is inter
preted spiritually, ah his objections
iMatt, xi, \2..

vanish. It is not a physical deluge
that we have to consider, but a flood
of monstrous evils and falsities that
overwhelmed the Church in ancient
times. Noah and his family repre
sent those who had not succumbed
to the prevaihng heresies and im-
morahties ; a " little remnant," in
fact, such as is found in aU times
of spiritual decadence, among whom
a revival of rehgion takes place.
These were supported in the midst
of the general demoralisation by
adherence to trae doctrine and godly
life. (Noah, we are told, was "a
preacher of righteousness." ) Right
principles or doctrines form the
spiritual ark, which bears us up when
the floods of iniquity threaten to
overwhelm us.
LiteraUsm sees in the account of
the tower of Babel another instance
of Divine judgment, and the origin
of the diversity of language. We
know now that the many tongues
by which men convey their thoughts
to one another did not originate in
this way, but by gradual evolution
from the earliest forms of speech.
Therefore, if the story of Babel has
any ground of truth, it must be read
in some other than the verbal sense.
It really tells us of the efforts of eril
and misguided men to circumvent
the Di-vine order of hfe and climb up
to heaven some other way. The
tower of Babel is a citadel of false
doctrine, having the brick of man-
made schemes of salvation, and the
fiery bitumen of unholj? passions, for
the soHd stone of Divine trath, and
the firm-set mortar of uniting love.
Lfp to the time of Abraham, the
Biblical account consists of myths
or pseudo-history : afterwards there
is an evident basis of historical truth ;
but the events are so selected and
recorded as to convey a continuous
spiritual meaning. The history of
the patriarchs, of the sojourning of
the Israelites in Egypt, their miracu
lous deliverance, their wanderings in

EXPOSITORY WORKS

75

the wilderness, and their final settle
ment in the promised land, convey
deep, spiritual lessons for all times
and peoples. Not only this, but in
their inmost sense they have refer
ence to the great work which the
Saviour accomplished in the glorifi
cation of His human nature during
His hfe upon earth. We cannot
here give more than a hint of these
things. Swedenborg's explanation of the
Book of Revelation is consistent
with his Arcana Ccelestia, inasmuch
as it is based upon the same " science
of correspondences." The same
types occur, in some cases, in the
Book of Genesis as in the Apocalypse,
and have the same meanings assigned
to them. In the light of the spiritual
sense, the apparently heterogeneous
mass of symbols becomes a con
nected account of spiritual events.
" Many," writes Swedenborg,
" have expounded this prophetical
book which is called the Apocalypse ;
but ha^ving all been unacquainted
with the internal or spiritual sense
of the Word, they have applied the
various particulars of its contents
to the successive states of the Church,
with which they have become ac
quainted from history ; besides
which, they have applied many of
them to the concerns of civil govern
ments. Hence it is that those ex
positions are for the most part con
jectures, which never can appear in
such a light as would admit of their
being established as truths ; where
fore, as soon as they are read, they
are laid aside among other matters of
mere opinion. . . All things which
are written in the Apocalypse are
expressed in a style similar to that
in which the prophetical parts of the
Old Testament are written, and in
general, in which the whole Word
is written, and the Word in the letter
is natural, but in its inward contents
it is spiritual, and being such, it
contains a sense ¦within it which

does not at all appear in the
letter." i
What, then, does the spiritual
sense discover to us in the Apo
calypse ?
The book opens with the descrip
tion of a wonderful ¦vision of the
glorified Saviour, as seen by the
aged apostle. We cannot accept
this as a picture of the actual person
of Deity, but rather as a compre
hensive emblem of the Divine per
fections. The head of dazzling
whiteness, the feet like glowing brass,
the covering garment, the golden
girdle, the sword proceeding from
His mouth, and the seven stars in
His right hand, all have a definite
signification and shadow forth some
quality of Divinity, or some form of
Divine acti^vity.
The seven Churches are not seven
particular Christian organisations,
though the apostle's message may
have been addressed to such at first,
but stand for all classes of those
who receive the Gospel. Their vari
ous delinquencies describe the dif
ferent forms of heresy and e^vil that
have wrought corruption in the
Church ; for the Apocalypse is the
book of judgment of the first Chris
tian dispensation. A great part of
it is taken up with a prophetic fore
cast of this judgment, which Sweden
borg declares, as we have stated
above, was accomplished in the
spiritual world in the year 1757.
Protestant theologians are agreed
in regarding Babylon as a type of
the perverted Romish Church, and
Swedenborg confirms their opinion.
The judgment pronounced upon
Babylon, however, is not alone upon
a particular section of the corrupted
Church, but upon all who pervert
the truths of rehgion for the sake of
gaining dominion over others. There
are many such outside the Roman
communion, but the subjection of
the laity to the priesthood, and the
^Apocalypse Explained, No. i.

76

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

assumption of almost Di^vine powers
by the latter, are such striking char
acteristics of the Romish system,
that they cannot be overlooked.
Protestant heresies are equaUy
condemned in the Book of the Re
velation. The great red dragon
stands for the immoral doctrine of
salvation by faith alone, which, as
destructive of aU spiritual enlighten
ment, is represented by the dragon
dra^wing down the stars with his tail.
This dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth to a
child, that he might devour it as
soon as bom. Women in general
correspond to affection, and the
woman here represents those in the
decadent church who still retain a
love of what is good and true, among
whom a new church ¦will arise. The
spiritual dragon vehemently opposes
the pure doctrine of this new church,
symbolised by the man-child.
The triumph of the good and true,
and the inauguration of a new
dispensation, are set forth in the
marvellous -vision of the holy city.
New Jerusalem, descending from
God out of heaven. Cities in the
Bible, always represent systems of
doctrine, trae or false. As the great
city, Babylon, typifies the corrupt
system of the Romish Church, so,
the New Jerusalem describes in -vi'vid
symbols the beauty and consistency
of the doctrines of the renovated
Church. The foundations of preci
ous stones are the great fundamental
principles of rehgion, fuU of light
and beauty ; the wall great and
high, traths that protect from the
assaults of e-vil ; the gates of pearl
are introductory traths, hke the two
great commandments, that lead the
soul to the heavenly state repre
sented by the golden streets of the
holy city ; the river of the water of
life flowing from the throne through
the city, the continual influx of
li-ving trath from the Lord ; and
so with aU the other objects de

scribed ; each has its appropriate
signification. Stated in this brief and bare
manner, it may seem to the reader
that the interpretation of these
Di-vine symbols is arbitrary and in
conclusive ; but further study will
satisfy him that it is based upon a
reliable system. It would be easy
to show, for instance, that Stone
throughout the Scriptures stands for
truth, especiaUy the hard facts of
knowledge. Recognising this cor
respondence, we can see why the
Israehtes were commanded to build
altars of unhewn stones {i.e. to offer
worship from unsophisticated trath) ;
why the tower of Babel was built of
brick instead of stone ; how Da-vid
vanquished the Phihstine giant by
means of a smooth stone from the
brook ; and can understand the
meaning of the stone that destroyed
the composite image which Nebu
chadnezzar saw in his dream ; of the
" head stone of the comer " ; of the
rock upon which the -wise man buUt
his house ; and of the other rock
(the declaration by Peter of Christ's
Di-vinity), upon which the true
Church is founded.
Space will not permit of further
elaboration of the subject, but what
has been -written will serve to give
a general idea of Swedenborg's
system of exegesis. The reader will
probably admit that his method is
ingenious and the result interesting ;
but if he once grasps the great
principle of correspondence, upon
which the spiritual interpretation of
Scripture is based, he -will come to
see that the method is also trae and
the result inevitable ; that, in fact,
Swedenborg has not given us an
ingenious system, but revealed to
us an unalterable law, under which
" the in-visible things of Him from
the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things
that are made." ^
' Rom. i. 20.

"THINGS HEARD AND SEEN"

77

CHAPTER XI
" THINGS HEARD AND SEEN "
If Swedenborg really enjoyed the
privilege of constant association with
angels and spirits, as he asserts, we
should expect to find evidence of the
fact in his works. These should give
us new hght on spiritual subjects,
and positive information in regard
to the life to come. As to the new
Ught which Swedenborg has thrown
upon theological and philosophical
problems, the reader may form some
opinion from a perusal of the last
three chapters : in this one we pro
pose to deal chiefly with his revela
tions of " other-world order."
When we compare the generous
and enhghtened views in relation
to the other life, which are largely
held by intelligent people at the
present day, with the grossly material
and morally revolting ideas of the
popular theology of the eighteenth
century, we cannot but feel that a
distinct advance in spiritual know
ledge has been made. To the in
fluence of Swedenborg this change
must be largely, if not entirely,
attributed. At a time when men
beheved — ^if they believed at all in
a future Ufe — in the resurrection of
the material body ; in the arbitrary
character of Di-vine rewards and
punishments, and the -vindictiveness
of the latter ; that heavenly joys
consisted in perpetual adoration and
psalm-singing ; that the lost were
tortured for ever in material fhe and
brimstone ; and that among the lost
were all the heathen who had never
heard of Christ, and miUions of
mnbaptised or non - elect infants,
Swedenborg taught the spiritual
nature of the resurrection, and the
continuity of the life beyond the
grave with the present state of
existence ; the universahty of the
Di-vine benignity, reaching even to
the lowest hell ; the automatic

character of future rewards and
punishments ; that the spiritual hfe
is a hfe of activity and usefulness,
even with the internals ; that the
fire of hell is nothing but the burning
of e-vil lusts-; and that the heathen
have as good a chance of salvation
as professing Christians, if they live
up to the hght that they possess ; in
short, that the tender mercies of the
Lord are over aU His works, and that
His lo-ving-kindness is shown, as the
Psalmist declares,^ in His renderingto
every man according to his works.
Men in all ages have desired to
know the fate of their departed
friends, — what their state and con
dition is ; how they are occupied ;
if they stiU enjoy any kind of inter
course -with the friends from whom
they have been sundered by death ;
and if the latter may look forward
to a renewal of the old intimacies,
when they themselves are translated
to the upper world ; but the veil
has hitherto been closely drawn.
Are we to assume that it must ever
remain so ? Are there not circum
stances in our own times that seem
to point to the necessity of some
further revelation to prevent the
extinction of faith ? On the one
hand we have a growing agnosticism,
and on the other an eager craving
on the part of those who stiU cUng
to the old behefs, for more hght on
the future hfe. Swedenborg states
that he was admitted beyond the
veil and instructed in the order of
the spiritual world, vnth the object
that men's faith might be sustained,
and might rest upon a sure founda
tion. Spiritists, also, maintain that
they have learnt much from their
intercourse ¦with the departed ; and
their fragmentary teachings, so far
as they have any value, confirm the
more exphcit statements of our
author. Let us hear what he says,
then, without prejudice. We have
the fuUest information in his work on
' Ps. Ixii. 12.

78

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Heaven and Hell,^ but additional par
ticulars will be found in the chapters
interspersed between the expository
portions of the Arcana Ccelestia,
in Conjugial Love, and incidentally
in other works. In the introduction
to Heaven and Hell, he writes :
" The arcana which are revealed in
the following pages, are concerning
heaven and hell, and also concerning
the life after death. The man of the
church at this day has scarcely any
knowledge concerning heaven and
hell, or concerning his life after death,
although they all stand plainly de
scribed in the Word ; indeed, many
who are born within the church deny
these things, and say in their hearts,
' Who has ever come thence to tell
us ? ' Lest, therefore, such a nega
tive principle, which prevails especi
ally amongst those who have ac
quired much worldly wisdom, should
also infect and coiiupt the simple in
heart, and the simple in faith, it has
been permitted me for thirteen years
to associate with angels, and to con
verse with them as one man with
another ; and to see the things
which are in the heavens, as ^\'ell as
those which are in the heUs ; and to
describe them from experience, in the
hope that ignorance may be enhght
ened, and increduhty dissipated."
The first great principle, of the
continuity of existence, is stated in
the very earliest words that Sweden
borg pubhshed on the nature of the
other hfe. In the Arcana Ccelestia
(No. 70) we read :
" That I might know that man
hves after death, it has been granted
me to speak and converse with
several persons with whom I had
been acquainted during their life
in the body, and this not merely
for a day or a week, but for months,
and in some instances for nearly a
year, as I had been used to do here
on earth. They were greatly sur-
1 Its full title is, Heaven anh Its Wonders,
and Hell : Things Heard and Seen.

prised that they themselves, during
their hfe in the body, had hved, and
that many others still hve, in such
a state of unbehef concerning a
future hfe, when nevertheless there
intervenes but the space of a few
days between the decease of the body
and their entrance into another world,
— for death is a continuation of life."
Then foUows a description of what
happens during those few days,
based not only upon the information
of others but upon his own experi
ence ; for, he tells us, he was let into
a condition of bodily insensibihty
that he might undergo precisely
similar states to those of dying
persons. The dying, he teUs us, are
attended during the solemn pas
sage from one world to another by
heaventy as well as earthly watchers.
Angels from the celestial, or highest,
heaven minister first to the passing
soul, and keep the mind as far as
possible in the pious and holy
thoughts which are usually associated
with the death-bed. The subject is
at this time semi-conscious, and
scarcely notices the presence of his
angelic ministrants ; who themselves
are silent, and communicate their
thoughts by a subtle influence.
It is a law of spiritual life that
persons of diverse nature cannot re
main associated together for long;
it follows that such as have not
reached the celestial degree of de
velopment, find the presence of the
holy ones who first approach them
unendurable after a time ; so these
retire and gi\-e place to spiritual
angels. It is the office of the
spiritual angels to introduce the
novitiate spirit into conscious life,
to open his e^-es, in fact, to the new
world \\hich he has entered ; for,
hitherto, he has lain in a trance-like
condition and seen nothing.
The spiritual angels remain -with
man so long as their presence is con
genial to him, instructing him in
Divine knowledge and introducing

THINGS HEARD AND SEEN"

79

him to the wonderful scenes of his
new stage of existence. They, in
turn, retire if their presence is shown
to be distasteful.
" When the soul thus separates
himself, he is received by good
spirits, who likewise do him all kind
offices whilst he is in consort with
them. If, however, his life in the
world was such that he cannot re
main associated with the good, he
seeks to be disunited from them
also, and this separation is repeated
again and again, until he associates
himself with those whose state en
tirely agrees with that of his former
life in the world, among whom he
finds, as it were, his own life. They
then, wonderful to relate, live to
gether a life of similar quahty to
that which had constituted their
ruling delight when in the body.
On returning into this hfe, which
appears to them as a new com
mencement of existence, some after
a longer and others after a shorter
space of time are carried thence
towards hell ; whilst such as have
been principled in faith towards the
Lord, are led by degrees from this
new beginning of hfe to heaven." ^
Thus, at the very threshold of his
new state of existence the man be
comes his own judge, and chooses
his O'wn associates. It is an inspiring
thought, and one that gives us an
overwhelming idea of the Di^vine
benignity, that everyone, high or
humble, saint or sinner, is offered
an opportunity of entering the very
loftiest sphere of heavenly society,
and, when this is rejected, is shown
one by one all the glories of the
Idngdom and in^vited to choose
his own place and share in the
same. When the novitiate has fully en
tered into spiritual consciousness and
returned into his own proper mode
of hfe, he is surprised to find that the
new world is little different from the
' Arcana Ccelestia, No. 316.

one he has just left ; so httle, indeed,
that many refuse to beUeve that they
have died at all. They find them
selves possessed of bodily organs
similar -to those which they had in
the world, they meet congenial com
panions, and see around them ob
jects not unlike those which they
had been accustomed to in their
earthly life. They enjoy, in fact,
a real substantial existence, instead
of hving in the disembodied con
dition that they probably antici
pated before they entered their new
stage of hfe.
Swedenborg was the first to teach
that spirits have substantial, or
ganised forms and perfect sensation.
He says :
" Care should be taken not to give
credence to the erroneous opinion
that spirits do not possess far more
exquisite sensations than during the
life of the body, for I have been con
vinced to the contrary by experience
repeated thousands of times. . . .
Spirits, good spirits, angelic spirits,
and angels, not only possess the
faculty of sight, and live in a hght
to which, with the midday light of
this world cannot be compared.
They enjoy the power of hearing also,
and that in so exquisite a degree as
vastly to exceed what they possessed
in the body ; of which, in my almost
constant conversations with them,
now for some years, I have had re
peated opportunity of being con
vinced. The nature of their speech,
and the sense of smell they also
possess, wiU, by the Divine mercy of
the Lord, be considered hereafter.
They have, besides, a most exquisite
sense of touch, whence come the pains
and torments endured in hell ; for
all sensations have relation to the
touch, of which they are merely
diversities and varieties. Their de
sires and affections, moreover, are
incomparably stronger than those
possessed during the life of the
body. . . . Men think, also, after

So

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

death, far more perspicuously and
distinctly than during their previous
hfe ; for in a spiritual state of being,
more is involved in one idea than in
a thousand whilst in the natural
hfe. ... In a word, man loses
nothing by death, but is still a man
in aU respects, although more perfect
than when in the body." ^
Not only does man take with him
all his powers and capacities, but
also his acquired modes of thought,
his behefs, and his prejudices.
Hence many arrive in the new hfe
with gross misconceptions as to the
nature of the happiness of heaven,
which they desire to enjoy ; and
these erroneous ideas have to be
corrected. This is done in the most
effective and thorough way by al
lowing them to test experimentally
their own ideals of bhss. In the in
troduction to the Conjugial Love, we
have a most interesting description
of such experiences, which is repeated
in The True Christian Religion (Nos.
731-752.) We are told of spirits who
had looked forward to constant
social intercourse with the ¦wisest
and best as the sum of happiness,
and who were therefore placed in a
mansion where they might meet with
such ; but in a few days they became
weary of talk and begged to be let
out, which was permitted after they
had been instructed as to the true
nature of heavenly joy. Others
sought satisfaction in feasting with
the patriarchs and apostles, and
were granted the semblance of such
dehght, but were quicldy sated.
Others again, and these were doubt
less a large class, had learnt to regard
heaven as a place of perpetual wor
ship, " where congregations ne'er
break up, and Sabbaths have no end."
Such were permitted to enter a
temple and join in the worship there
proceeding. At first they were in
ecstasies ; but, after a long period of
devotion, their fervour began to
'¦Arcana Ccelestia, No. 322.

wane, — some nodded and slept, others
yawned, or cried out to be released,
and all were wearied \vi;h excess of
pious effort. Those who had looked
forward to the enjoyrnent of heavenly
dignities, were permitted to assume
such, but found no lasting satisfaction
in them. AU were instracted that
heavenly joy " is the dehght of doing
something that is of use to oneself
and others ; and the dehght of use
derives its essence from love and its
existence from ¦wisdom. The dehght
of use, originating in love through
wisdom, is the soul and life of all
heavenly joys." " To those who do
uses faithfully, He gives the love of
use, and its reward, which is internal
blessedness ; and this is eternal
happiness." But is not the " chief
end of man " to " glorify God and
enjoy him for ever ? " Truly 1 The
glorification of God, however, is
something more than psalm-singing.
" It means bringing forth the fruits
of love, that is, doing the work of
one's function faithfully, sincerely,
and diligently, for this is of the love
of God, and of the love of the
neighbour ; and this is the bond of
society, and its good. Thereby God
is glorified," ^ on earth and in
heaven. It need scarcely be said that such
experiences do not take place either
in heaven or in hell, but in an inter
mediate state where souls are pre
pared for their final abodes. At the
time when Swedenborg wrote, the
doctrine of an intermediate con
dition had been utterly eliminated
from Protestant theology ; it was a
bold thing, therefore, for him to
propound it, especiaUy as he thereby
laid himseh open to the charge of
restoring the false notion of pur
gatory. With Swedenborg, however,
the intermediate state is not a place
where those who have neglected the
means of salvation on earth may have
a second chance ; but the theatre of
' Conjugial Love, No, 9,

"THINGS HEARD AND SEEN"

8i

judgment, where the true character
of the man is brought to hght. The
method of this judgment is not that
of a criminal court, in which the
accused is arraigned before judge or
magistrate, and witnesses are called
on either side. Here the man is his
own judge and his own witness : his
scroll of Ufe is unrolled before him,
and all his states and experiences
recalled ; the good that he has done
from the love of goodness is con
firmed as his own, while works done
for the sake of merit or applause are
cast aside as dross ; evil that has
been done and repented of is again
brought to mind, to be spurned and
blotted out, if repentance has been
genuine ; while misdeeds that have
been done from the love of evil are
recalled -with a sense of dehght and
become confirmed as part of his
nature. The truth that men have
learned is also confirmed to them if
they have made it their own by
obedience ; while those whose know
ledge and profession of trath have
only been a cloak to an evil life, are
deprived of the wisdom which was
theirs only in seeming. Such as
have never been instructed in trae
doctrine, or who have imbibed error
unconsciously, have opportunities
afforded them of acquiring the truth
of which they are deficient. The
heathen, and other ignorant persons
of good disposition, are carefully in
stracted in such degree of truth as
they are able to receive, and thus
prepared to enter the abodes of
angels. AU infants, it should be said,
whether baptised or unbaptised.
Christian or heathen, are received
directly into heaven, and educated
by the angels.
From the above statement,
Swedenborg's remark -wiU be under
stood, that " the Lord casts no
one' into heU " ; ^ the ¦wicked, how
ever, naturally gravitate thither, as
there alone do they find congenial
' Heaven and Hell, No. 545.

associations. Not only are none
sent to hell, but none need remain
there who wish to leave. We are
told that evil spirits are sometimes
granted their desire to enter heaven,
but they immediately cast them
selves down headlong, unable to en
dure its atmosphere of purity.
Another striking statement of
Swedenborg's is that men are not
punished for their misdeeds done in
the body, but only for continuance
in ill-doing. Nor are they punished
for e^vil done with good, though mis
taken, intention, such as fanatical
persecution of others ; still less for
hereditary evil.
There is nothing vindictive in
Di-vine punishment ; indeed, as we
have said, there is no such thing,
really, as Divine punishment ; the
appearance is due to the evil setting
themselves against the true order
of their hfe. " Such is the equih
brium of all and every thing in
another life that evil punishes itself,
so that in evil is the punishment of
evil. It is similar in respect to
falsity which returns upon him who
is principled therein, hence evei-yone
brings punishment and torment on
himself. . . . The Lord never sends
anyone into heU, but is desirous to
bring aU out of hell ; stiU less does
he induce torment ; but since the
evil spirit rushes into it himself, the
Lord turns aU punishment and tor
ment to some good and use." ^ Thus
there is mercy even in punishment.
" The mercy of the Lord involves ah
and every thing done by the Lord
towards mankind, who are in such
a state that the Lord pities them,
and each one according to his state ;
thus He pities the state of him
whom He permits to be punished,
and pities him also to whom He
grants the enjoyment of good ; it
is of mercy to be punished, because
mercy turns all the evil of punish
ment into good ; and it is of mercy
^Arcana Ccelestia, No. 696.

82

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

to grant the enjoyment of good, be
cause no one merits anything that
is good." 1 The Lord also pro-vides
for the mitigation of the sufferings
of those who by their own acts have
brought punishment upon them
selves. " When the wicked endure
punishment, there are always angels
present to regulate its degree, and
alleviate the pains of the sufferers
asmuchasmay be." 2 The common
idea that punishment in hell is con
tinuous and incessant is a mistaken
one. The e^vil are only punished
when they transgress the bounds by
which they are restrained, for the
sake of outward order, and when they
seek to do injury to others. "The
wicked run into the punishment of
their evil ; but only when their e^vil
has reached its height. Every evil
has its limit, though it is different in
each indi-vidual : this limit it is not
allowed them to pass ; and when a
wicked person does pass it he brings
himself into punishment." ^ By this
means the devils in hell are prevented
from rushing into greater depths of
wickedness ; " for it is a law there
that no one must become worse than
he had been in the world." *
Both heaven and hell are ruled by
the strictest principles of Divine
order. The government of heaven
is the natural outcome of the spirit
of order that reigns -within all : in
hell there is necessary coercion and
restraint, though liberty is granted
so far as it is not abused.
Heaven is divided broadly into
three divisions, corresponding to the
three degrees of the human mind,
the celestial, the spiritual, and the
natural ; and in each of these
heavens there is a further classifica
tion into societies, according to the
specific characteristics of the in
habitants. There is a triple division
also in the hells, and a similar sub-
' Arcana Cielcstia. No, 587,
" Ibid., No, 967, 3 j]ji^^ No jg
« Ibid., No, 6559,

di-vision into infernal communities.
In the heavenly societies there is
subordination of one to another;
there are ralers and leaders and
teachers : but there is nothing of
the love of place and power that
marks earthly governments. Great
ness in heaven is pre-eminence in use.
So strictly are indi-viduals and
societies subordinated to the general
wehare, and so harmoniously related,
that the whole of heaven, we are
told, appears before the Lord as one
man. Every angel, and every
society, has a function in this body
pohtic corresponding to some parti
cular organ or constituent of the
human body. Those in especial in
teUigence belong to the head, those
in whom love is the raUng principle
form the heart, the active spirits
are the hands, the critical represent
the kidneys, and so on -with every
detail. Even the skin, hair, and
nails have their correlatives.
This doctrine of the " Grand
Man," as Swedenborg terms it, has
been ridiculed by some, because it
has not been understood. In order
that we may comprehend any spirit
ual truth, we must, says our author,
remove from our minds aU ideas of
space and time. We are not to re
gard the Grand Man, therefore, as
a monster, into whose bodily form
are packed away myriads of other
human beings ; but as representing
in its totaUty the perfection of
human qualities. As, in this world,
no one man can sum up all the
possibilities of the race, and each
has his own place in the general
' economy ; so in the higher stage of
existence every indi-vidual is com-
i plementary to all the rest, and the fuU
Man is only seen in the great whole.
' Hell, it maybe added,is,inits totality,
a hideous and inhuman monster.
Since time and place cannot be
predicated of spiritual thing's, there
is no regular procession of hours,
days, and years, or bodily pro-

THINGS HEARD AND SEEN"

83

gression from place to place, as in
this world. There are times and
seasons, but they are spiritual, and
mark the changes of state with the
individual, Thoreau has caught
this suggestion happily — " Moming,"
he says, " is when I am awake and
there is a dawn in me." ^ There is a
spiritual sun, as we have said, but
this is stationary, appearing always
before the faces of the angels at a
middle elevation, in accordance with
their own spiritual attitude.
Though there is not bodily pro
gression as in this world, angels and
sphits are not bound to one locality.
Desire brings presence, and when the
desire is strong the passage to an
other's presence is instantaneous.
There is no need for laborious
trudging through miles of inter
vening country. Here, again,
Thoreau wiU help us to grasp the
truth. " What sort of space," he
asks, " is that which separates a man
from his fellows and makes him
solitary ? I have found that no
exertion of the legs can bring two
minds much nearer to one an
other." 2
Life in heaven, as has been said,
is not a monotonous round of re
hgious exercises, but a scene of busy
activity. Since useful service is the
ground of heavenly happiness, it
foUows that there must be occupa
tions in heaven. Every faculty of
the mind -will find employment, and
idleness is not permitted even in hell.
There those who are unwiUing are
compelled to labour, and only receive
food as they perform some ser-vice.
A question that severely exercises
many minds is that of the relation
of the sexes in the other life. It is
commonly thought that the spiritual
existence will be sexless, because
Jesus declared that in heaven there
is neither marrjdng nor gi^ving in
• Walden (Camelot Classics edition),
p. 88.
' Ibid. p. 131.

marriage, but that all wiU be " as
the angels of God." Swedenborg
boldly asserts that sex is persistent,
because in its essence spiritual.
There is the male soul and the female
soul, and Man is a compound of the
two. Hence when married partners
are traly united in this world, they
will continue their joint existence in
the next ; and if the married hfe has
not been entered upon here, or an
unsuitable connection has been
formed, congenial consorts will be
found hereafter by those who so de
sire. With truly united pairs, the
death of one does not effect even
temporary separation, except as to
bodily presence, for " the spirit of
the deceased continually dwells to
gether with the spirit of "the survivor,
and this even to the death of the
latter, when they again meet and are
reunited, and love each other more
tenderly than before." ^ All married
partners meet in the other world, and
dwell together for a time ; but if their
natures are discordant they ultimately
part and know each other no more.
The nature of marriage love is
discussed at length in Swedenborg's
work on Conjugial Love,^ and reasons
are there advanced why it is con
tinued in heaven. We can only just
touch upon the main points of his
argument. Since man's hfe con
tinues after death much the same as
it was in the world, his love, which is
its chief essential, remains. The love
of the other sex is strongly de
veloped in most persons, and there
fore continues after the body has
been put off. " The reason why
this love especially remains is, that
after death a man is a man, and a
woman a woman ; and that there is
nothing in the soul, in the mind, and
in the body, which is not masculine
^ Conjugial Love, No, 321.
" There has been much controversy upon
the reason that caused Swedenborg to use
the word "conjugialis " instead of the word
" conjugalis," which is generally employed.
No satisfactory explanation has been given.

84

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

in the male, and feminine in the
female ; and these two have been
so created that they have a power
ful stri-ving for conjunction, yea, for
conjunction so as to become a one.
. . . Now, since the conjunctive in
clination is inscribed on each and all
things of the male and the female.
it follows that this inclination
cannot be obhterated, or die, with
the body." i
Marriage love originates in the
union which exists in God Himself
between the Divine Wisdom and
the Divine Love, qualities which in
their perfection can have no divided
existence. In men and women
love and wisdom are unequaUy
received, love predominating in the
woman, and wisdom in the man ;
the two sexes are thus personally
complementary. The essence of
wedded love is spiritual, and there
fore it is ineradicable. Without it,
even the joys of heaven would be
incomplete ; for " it is the funda
mental love of all celestial and
spiritual loves, and hence of all
natural loves " ; ^ and " into that
love are coUected all joys and all
dehghts from first to last." ^
In heaven, it is needless to say,
there is no decrepitude. As men
and women advance in life there,
instead of becoming feeble and in
capable, their powers increase and
develop. " Those who are in heaven are
continually advancing to the spring
time of life, and the more thousands
of years they live, the more delight
ful and happy is the spring in which
they attain ; and this progression
goes on to eternity, with an increase
according to the progressions and
degrees of their love, charity, and
faith. Women who have died old
and wom out with age, but who
had lived in faith in the Lord, in
1 Conjugial Love, No. 46.
2 Ibid., No. 56,
2 Ibid., No. 67.

charity towards their neighbour,
and in happy conjugial love with
a husband, after a succession of
years come more and more into the
flower of youth, and into a beauty
which exceeds aU the conceptions
of beauty which can be formed from
that which the eye has seen. . . .
In a word, to grow old in heaven is
to grow young." ^
Another point upon wliich Swe-
denboi;g corrects prevailing impres
sions, is in regard to the nature of
angels. It is commonly conceived
that they are beings of a higher order
than men, and that they were created
before the human race. Some of
them are beheved to have rebeUed
against the Divine authority, and to
have been cast out of heaven in
consequence. These are what are
understood by " the devil and his
angels." Swedenborg tells us that
this is an erroneous conception :
" there is not a single angel in the
universal heaven who was originaUy
created such, nor any devil in hell
who was created an angel of hght
and afterwards cast down thither ;
but aU, both in heaven and in heU,
are from the human race." ^
Akin to the interest which is so
universal in regard to the possi-
bihties of the future life, though
not of so absorbing a nature, is
the curiosity to know whether the
myriads of worlds that we see
around us are inhabited, and what
their inhabitants are hke. \\ 'riters
of fiction have speculated as to the
character of the denizens of some
of our nearest planetary neighbours ;
but no one except Swedenborg has
ventured to make any positive state
ments on the subject. In a little
work on The Earths in the Universe,
first published in 1758, he describes
the inhabitants of some of the
principal planets, of the moon, and
of some of the more distant stars.
' Heaven and Hell, No. 414.
^ Ibid., No. 311.

THINGS HEARD AND SEEN'

85

Interesting though the book is, the
curious reader -will probably not get
much satisfaction from his descrip
tions, for he deals more with their
spiritual characteristics than their
mundane life. His main object in
this work seems to have been to
demonstrate that the other heavenly
bodies, as well as our earth, exist
for the sake of the human race, and
that the same Lord reigns supreme
in all. His information, he tells us,
was gained from spirits who had
come from the various earths, and
through these he was in some cases
enabled to learn facts in regard to
the conditions of life in the worlds
themselves. It is not necessary to deal at
length with this work, which cannot
be considered of equal importance
¦with Heaven and Hell. The reader
may be interested, however, to learn
something of its statements.
We have the fullest information
in regard to the inhabitants of
Mercury and of Jupiter. The
former are said to be characterised
by a consuming desire for knowledge,
and the spirits from that planet love
to wander throughout the universe
in search of information. The know
ledge which they seek, however, is
not of outward things, but of the
thoughts and characters of other
people, and the essentials of the
various matters discussed. When a
spirit from another earth addressed
some Mercurian spirits in a learned
and rhetorical manner " the only
thing they attended to was, whether
they heard from him anything which
was not known to them before,
rejecting thereby such things as
obscured the subject, which are
chiefly affectations of elegance in
expression and of erudition ; for
these hide the things themselves,
and in their place substitute ex
pressions, which are the material
forms of things."
Swedenborg found it difficult to

explain to these spirits how know
ledge could be recorded and fixed
for future use in printed books,
which are unknown in their world.
" They thought that the knowledges
on our Earth were on papers, and
not so much within the man himself,
thus derisively insinuating that the
papers, so to speak, knew more than
the man."
Not only are the inhabitants of
Mercury greedy for knowledge, but
eager to communicate it to others.
As, however, they are content to
rest in knowledge, and do not re
gard practical ends, they are lacking
in judgment, and are conceited in
their supposed ¦wisdom.
The inhabitants of Jupiter are of
a much higher order ; akin, we are
told, to the men of the " golden age "
of our own Earth. They are simple
in their lives and value practical
wisdom rather than human learning.
" Of the sciences, such as exist on
our Earth, they know nothing what
ever, nor have they any desire to
know." Whether Swedenborg's statements
are regarded as reliable or not, it
must be admitted that he has pre
sented us with a beautiful ideal of
human Ufe in his description of the
inhabitants of Jupiter. Their earth,
he tells us, is densely populated, but
as it is extremely fertile, and the
people desire no more than suffices
for the necessities of existence, there
is no scarcity. The duration of life,
moreover, is much less than on this
Earth, not exceeding on the average
about thirty of our years ; the
population, therefore, does not in
crease unduly.
Life on this planet is patriarchal.
The people are associated in clans,
families, and households, and their
habitual intercourse is confined to
their own Idndred. " No one ever
desires another's goods ; nor does
it ever enter the mind of anyone to
covet any of the goods of another

86

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

much less to obtain them by artifice,
and still less to attack and plunder
them." It was so in the Golden
Age : " The love of self and the love
of the world were then far away ;
everyone rejoiced in his own, and
not less in another's good. But in
course of time this scene was changed
and totally reversed, when the lust of
exercising dominion and of possess
ing many things invaded the mind."
Swedenborg thus describes his
intercourse with Jovian spirits :
" Their approach when they came to
me, their stay with me, and their
influx at the time, were so gentle
and sweet as to be inexpressible."
Their presence caused him to be
cheerful and smiling. " The tran
quiUity and dehghtsomeness ¦with
which they inspired me," he says,
" sensibly filled my breast and heart ;
at the same time the longings and
anxieties about the future, which
cause disquiet and wretchedness,
and agitate the mind ¦with various
passions, were removed." Their
faces, we are told, " are hke the faces
of the men of our Earth, fair and
beautiful ; sincerity and modesty
shone forth from them." So
expressive are they, that facial
movements form the principal means
of the communication of thought ;
verbal speech being only accessory.'
In this, again, they are Uke the
primitive inhabitants of our Earth.
"_ In the Most Ancient or primeval
times sincerity prevailed, and no
one cherished a thought M'hich he
was not wiUing should shine forth
out of his face. ... So long as
sincerity and rectitude prevailed
among men, such speech continued ;
but as soon as the mind began to
think one thing and speak another,
which was the case when man began
to love himself and not the neighbour
verbal speech began to increase, the
face being either silent or deceitful."
The inhabitants of Jupiter are care
ful, so far as is possible, to face those

about them ; they " gladly desire
that their face should be seen,
because their mind appears from it,
for they never show a face at variance
¦with the mind, nor have they the
power to do so."
" The spirits of the earth Jupiter
are much ¦wiser than the spirits of
our Earth ; they also say of ours
that they talk much and think little,
and that therefore they cannot in
teriorly perceive manj^ things, and
that they cannot even perceive what
good is." " The spirits and angels
who are from the earth Jupiter have
relation, in the Grand Man, to the
imaginative part of thought, and
thus to an active state of the in
terior parts."
" Plain li-ving and high thinking,"
are combined in these people.
" They informed me that they do
not prepare their food to please the
palate, but chiefly for the sake of
use ; they added that to them the
food which is wholesome is savoury.
A conversation took place on this
subject among the spirits, and it was
urged that it would be weU for man
to observe this rale, for thus he
could ensure ha\dng a sound mmd
in a sound body. It is otherwise
with those with \\-hom the taste
rules : the body then becomes
diseased, at least it becomes m-
wardly feeble, consequently so does
the mind ; for the mind comports it
self according to the interior state
of the recipient parts of the bodv, as
sight and hearing do according to
the state of the eve and ear ; hence
the folly of placing aU the delight
of life m luxury and pleasure ; from
this too comes duhiess in such
things as belong to thought and
judgment." The Jo-^dans are simple
also m the matter of dress ; in the
warm latitudes of their planet, they
wear Uttle clothing; "nor are
they ashamed of their nakedness,
for their minds are chaste." Their
worship again is without forms and

"THINGS HEARD AND SEEN"

87

ceremonies. " They have no holy
days, but every morning at sunrise,
and every evening at sunset, they
perform holy worship to the One
only Lord in their tents ; and also,
after their manner, sing sacred
songs." "They do not fear death
there, except on account of lea-ving
their conjugial consorts, their children
or their parents, for they know that
they shall live after death, and that
they do not cease to live because they
go to heaven ; wherefore, they do
not call death dying, but being
heaven-made. Those in that earth
who have lived in truly conjugial
love, and have taken such care of
their children as becomes parents,
do not die of disease, but tranquilly
as in sleep, and so pass from the
world into heaven."
All the inhabitants of Jupiter are
not of this exalted character. There
are some who are puffed up with
insane pride, and who claim Di-vine
honours for themselves : they worship
the sun, and -wish to be regarded
by others as mediatory deities.
The inhabitants of Mars are of
even higher character than those of
Jupiter ; "the best of aU the spirits
who come from the earths of this
solar system " belong to that planet.
In general disposition they seem to
be much hke the Jo-vians.
Space wiU not permit me to enter
into particulars regarding the in
habitants of Satum, Venus, the
Moon, and various more distant
orbs, of whom Swedenborg speaks.
It may be mentioned, however, that
he describes the dwellers in the
Moon as being dwarfs, but possessing
thunderous voices, owing to the
fact that they "do not, like the
inhabitants of other earths, speak
from the lungs, but from the abdo
men, and thus from some coUection
of air therein ; the reason of which
is, that the Moon is not surrounded
with an atmosphere of the sanie
kind as that of other earths." "¦* '-

It is

held by most that the Moon cannot
be inhabited on account of the
peculiar physical conditions which
prevail there. Swedenborg says,
however, that "it is known to
spirits and angels, that there are
inhabitants even in the Moon, and
likewise in the moons or satellites
which are about the earth Jupiter
and the earth Saturn. Even those
who have not seen spirits who are
from them, and spoken with them,
entertain no doubt that there are
human beings upon them, for they,
too, are earths, and where there is an
earth, there is man ; for man is the
end for the sake of which an earth
exists, and nothing has been made
by the Supreme Creator -without
an end."
The uninitiated reader who may
chance to take up The Earths in
the Universe, will find in it many
strange, and, to his way of thinking,
ridiculous statements ; but it must
be understood that ideas are often
conveyed in the spiritual world by
representative appearances, such as
that in which a company of Mer
curian spirits were seen first as a
globe, and " afterwards in a com
pact body extending itself length-
-wise." Again, when Swedenborg
describes the appearance and ex
ternal circumstances of various
stellar inhabitants, he does not
speak from personal observation, but
from information conveyed by spirits
from these earths. Some of these
descriptions should perhaps be re
garded as representative, also.
Although Swedenborg teUs us that
he was permitted to -visit other
heavenly bodies, it was in spirit and
not in the body ; the " things heard
and seen," then, were heard and seen
with his spiritual senses. " Being
led to earths in the universe does
not mean being led and translated
thither as to the body, but as to
the spirit ; and the spirit is led
through variations of the state of

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

the inner hfe, which appear to it as
progressions through spaces."
One other point must be touched
upon before we leave this subject.
The dwellers on this earth, at least
the more civilised of them, have a
tolerably good opinion of them
selves ; but Swedenborg says that
the}?- rank low as compared -with
those of most other worlds. We
have seen what a high ideal of
spiritual Ufe is presented by the
inhabitants of Jupiter: "The
spirits of the earth are not inchned
to associate with the spirits of our
Earth, because they differ in dis
position and manners. They say
that the spirits of our Earth are
cunning, and are quick and clever
in the contrivance of evils, and that
they know and think little about
what is good." The Earth dwellers,
in fact, are too much concerned
about material things and too prone
to rale their hves by the principle
of self-interest, to attain a high
spiritual status. Indi-viduals may
reach a high development, but the
natural disposition of the race is
sensuous and external. While the
spirits from Jupiter, as has been
mentioned, pertain to the imagina
tive faculty in the " Grand Man,"
those from our Earth have relation to
external sense. It was on account
of the low character of the men of
this Earth, we are told further, that
the Incarnation took place here ;
that the Lord, in this way, might
reach the very lowest of the human
race.

CHAPTER XII
reception of teachings
In the Spiritual Diary, under date
the 27th August 1748, that is, before
Swedenborg had published any of
his theological works, we find an
interesting entry, regarding their

probable reception. " I have con
versed," he says, "with spirits
concerning the reception the world
-wiU give to the particulars which 1
am going to pubhsh about them.
E-vil spirits insinuated that nobody
would beheve me. As I walk the
streets, I discuss the question -with
them, and it has been given me to
perceive that I shaU have five sorts
of readers.
" The first -wiU reject my writings
entirely, either because they are of a
different persuasion, or are enemies
of the faith : they cannot be received
by these, whose minds are im
penetrable. " The second will receive them as
scientifics {i.e. matters of know
ledge), and be dehghted -with them
as curiosities.
" The third will receive them
inteUectuaUy, and ¦with readiness,
but their hves wiW remain unaltered
by them.
" The fourth \vill receive them in
a persuasive manner, allovring them
to penetrate to amendment of life :
to this class the}' wiU occur in certain
states and do good service.
" The fifth ¦will receive them wth
joy, and reduce them to practice."
Swedenborg's anticipations were
entirely fulfiUed. His writings met
with an extraordinary variety of
reception. Some, hke Dean Ekebom,
condemned them \\ithout examina
tion, pronouncing them " corrupting,
heretical, injurious, and in the
highest degree objectionable." The
Bishop of Gothenburg regarded
Swedenborg's" teachings as tinged
¦with Mohammedanism, and described
them as spreading like a cancer.
Bishop Filenius speaks of " this
abominable infection, which is not
grounded in sound reason, and stiU
less in God's Holy ^^'ord, but consists
of untruthful visions and dreams . . .
most infamous and untruthful
nonsense." Dr Beyer speaks of the
" intense hatred with which even

RECEPTION OF TEACHINGS

89

nere vague reports respecting
Assessor Swedenborg's doctrinal
views are regarded." ^
The hatred and opposition was
chiefly from those who did not
trouble themselves to examine his
teachings. " Those who were able
to read his books," said Carl Rob
sahm, " judged of him then, as they
do now, quite differently from those
who are unable to read them ; and,
what is remarkable, most of those
who do read his books become in a
greater or less degree his adherents ;
although ' for fear of the Jews,'
and on account of many and perhaps
just causes, they do not openly
profess their sentiments." ^ " It is
singular," -wrote the Abbe Pernety,
"or at least very remarkable, that
almost aU those who have read the
writings of Swedenborg for the pur
pose of refuting them, have finished
by adopting his -views." ^
To receptive minds, now as then,
Swedenborg's teachings are a source
of satisfaction and delight. C. F.
Nordenskold, an early Swedish
disciple, declared his acquaintance
with them to be " the greatest good
fortune that had happened to him
during his whole hfe." * General
Tu-xen wrote : " 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 have ever experienced in my life,
and I hope I shall profit by them
in working out my salvation." ^
The Rev. Thomas Hartley, one of the
earhest EngUsh disciples and trans
lators of Swedenborg, wrote to him
thus : " May I be permitted to tell
you from a heart full of gratitude,
that I consider myself thrice blessed
that your writings, by the Di-vine

' Documents, vol. ii. p.
' Ibid., vol. i. p. 44.
' Ibid., vol. i. p. 58.
¦* Ibid., vol. i. p. 62.
^ Ibid., vol. ii. p. 439.

324-

Providence, have fallen into my
hands ? for from them, as from a
living fountain, I have drawn so
many things, as well for instruction
and edification as for my great de
light, and I have been freed by them
from so many fears, and from so
many errors, doubts, and opinions, -
which held my mind in perplexity
and bondage, that I seem to myself
sometimes, as if transferred among
the angels." ^
" It was remarkable," says
Robsahm, " that Swedenborg, un
like sectarian persons, never tried
to make proselytes, or to force his
explanations upon anyone " ; ^ and
the Abbe Pernety testifies to the
same effect : " He was not governed
by that species of egotism usually
noticed in those who start new
ideas on matters of doctrine, neither
did he desire to make proselytes,
nor to communicate his -views to
any, except such as he considered
single-minded, disposed to listen
peaceably, capable of understanding
him, and lovers of the truth." ^
He seemed, indeed, almost in
different as to their immediate
reception. Robsahm once asked
him how his teachings would be
received in Christendom, and was
answered : " About that I can say
nothing ; but I suppose that in their
proper time they vrill be received ;
for otherwise the Lord would not
have disclosed what has heretofore
lain concealed." * He was a great
beUever in the power of the press,
and sent his books forth quietly
into the world, hoping that their
intrinsic reasonableness would prove
con-vincing. He presented copies to
the principal Universities in his own
and foreign countries ; also to the
Bishops of Sweden, England, Hol
land, and Germany, and to other
1 Documents, vol. i. p. 4.
2 Ibid., vol. i. p. 34.
^ Ibid., vol. i, pp. 58 and 59,
* Ibid., vol. i. p. 39.

90

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

persons of note. His expectation
was that some of the learned would
accept his teachings, and then
spread them through the world ;
but he was grievously disappointed.
Instead of the bishops and clergy
being his chief supporters, -with a
few notable exceptions, they either
treated his writings with contempt,
or became his persecutors. John
Christian Cuno remarks that " his
books have been for years before the
public, without a single theo
logian taking any notice of them." ^
" I wish very much," he writes in
another place, " that upright men,
whom God has placed as watchmen
upon the walls of Zion, had occupied
themselves with this man some time
ago. I have read his -writings and
proved them impartially ; but in
my opinion dogmas are taught there
which deserve to be examined more
thoroughly by upright theologians,
and there are others which ought to
have been refuted at the very be
ginning." 2 But no ! " they are all
dumb dogs, they cannot bark." In
appealing to Swedenborg to make a
more public declaration of his mission,
Cuno reminds him that he had
" sent copies of his works to all the
bishops in England ; yet not a
single one has made a reply.
Your last work," he adds, " you
have distributed among the clergy
of every denomination in this city
[Amsterdam] not only among the
Reformed, but also among the
Roman Cathohcs. You have also
made it known in other towns, and
in the universities of Holland. Al
most a whole month has since
elapsed, and I do not hear of a single
person who is rising up against
you." " Swedenborg himself con
fesses that he had sent his works
" to all the archbishops, and the
chief men of this kingdom [England] ;
1 Documents, vol, ii, p, 461.
' Ibid., vol. ii, p, 464,
^ Ibid., vol, ii, p, 468.

and, nevertheless, not a single voice
was heard." ^ He told Springer
that he had presented them to the
bishops of Sweden, also, but without
result ; they had received them
with the same indifference as the
bishops of England. 2 It was not
merely indifference he met with from
the Swedish bishops, however ; some
of them were his active opponents
during his Ufe ; and, after lus death,
two, who were his heirs, proposed to
throw his manuscripts into the fire.'
Swedenborg must have had a
strong con^viction of the necessity of
his labours to the world, to go on
¦writing in the face of such indiffer
ence ond opposition. That he was
disappointed in the way his works
were received, we know from his
own confession, but he never aUowed
his disappointment to lead to dis
couragement. Only four copies of
the first volume of his Arcana
Ccelestia were sold in two months;
yet he submitted to this as the will
of Providence, and went on to ¦write
the other seven volumes. In later
years, when his name became known
as the author of these works, he
met ¦with more encouragement, and
some of his books had a large sale.
In a letter, written from Amsterdam
in 1771, to the Landgrave of Hesse-
Darmstadt, he states that the
Arcana Ccelestia "can no longer be
obtained either here in HoUand, or
in England, as all the copies are
sold," and offers to try and obtain
a copy for him from a friend in
Sweden. Conjugial Love, which was
interdicted in his o-wn country, was
" very much in demand in Paris,
and in many places in Germany," in
1769 ; * the Brief Exposition of th
Doctrines of the New Church, we are
told, " has been spread throughout
the whole of Christendom, Sweden
' Documents, vol. ii, p. 989.
^ Ibid., vol, ii, p. 532.
' Ibid., p, 790,
" Ibid., vo\. ii. p. 275,

RECEPTION OF TEACHINGS

91

'excepted " ; ^ the Intercourse be
tween the Soul and the Body " has
been very well received abroad in
all places, as well as by many intelli
gent persons in Stockholm " ; ^ The
librarian of the Royal Library at
Stockholm . informs us that Sweden
borg's works "have been favourably
received everywhere " ; ' and the
Rev. Thomas Hartley, writing a few
years after Swedenborg's death, says :
" It is a matter of great satisfaction
to find that the small part of his
works which has already been trans
lated into EngUsh, has met with more
success than might be expected in
so short a time ; and by the accounts
received of the favourable reception
of them in foreign countries, we
have good reason to hope that this
highly gifted ministry wiU in due
time more fully appear, as a light
shining in a dark world, to check the
progress of infidelity, to diffuse the
right understanding of the Sacred
Scriptures, and to turn many to the
knowledge of the Lord." *
Though Swedenborg's works were
widely circulated, it does not ap
pear that he made many converts
during his lifetime. He told
General Tuxen that he did not know
more than about fifty persons who
favoured his doctrine.^ A small
number of these were to be found in
his own country, though he tells us
" there are few in Sweden who pene
trate with their understandings into
any matter belonging to theology."^
The most prominent of his Swedish
disciples were Count Hopken, Dr
Gabriel .Beyer, Professor of Greek
in Gothenburg University, and Dr
Johan Rosen, Professor of Elo
quence and Poetry in the same seat
of learning. The two latter were
subjected to bitter persecution on
' Documents, vol, ii, p. 308.
^ Ibid., vol. ii. p. 317.
' Ibid., vol, ii, p. 406.
* Ibid., vol. ii. pp. 521 and 522.
^ Ibid., vol. ii. p. 440.
° Ibid., vol. ii. p. 307.

account of ' their acceptance of
Swedenborg's doctrines. For almost
a year their case was before the
Consistory of Gothenburg; and
though their enemies did not succeed
in getting them deprived of office,
or made to recant, as they desired,
the two professors received the royal
censure, and were restricted in their
duties afterwards. A full history of
this heresy hunt will be found in
Dr R. L. Tafel's Documents.'^
Beyer's and Rosen's first intro
duction to Swedenborg and his
teachings came about in this way.
" In the year 1766, Swedenborg
arrived at Gothenburg for the pur
pose of continuing his journey thence
to England. Immediately after his
arrival he engaged a berth in a ship,
which was to sail for London in a
few days. During his stay at
Gothenburg, Beyer happened by
chance to make his acquaintance,
and as he did not know Swedenborg
personally, but only bj? hearsay,
and as he shared the prejudices
of those times with regard to his
religious -views, he was very much
astonished when he found Sweden
borg discoursing in a most sensible
manner, and without the least in
dication of any confusion in his
imagination and thoughts, of which
he had been suspected. The next
day he invited Swedenborg to dine
in company with Dr Rosen. After
dinner Beyer expressed a desire to
hear in the presence of Rosen a
brief statement of Swedenborg's
religious system. The latter, there
fore, gave him a sketch of his views
with the ardour of inspiration and
with logical clearness in all his
arguments, so that both his hearers
were very much astonished." ^
After further study of his works,
both became con-vinced, and Beyer
especially exerted himself to faciUtate
their study. Besides several ex-
1 Documents, vol. ii. pp. 282-386.
2 Ibid., vol, i. pp. 624 and 625.

92

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

planatory treatises, he prepared a
voluminous index to his master's
works, which was pubUshed in
Amsterdam in 1779, after ha-ving
occupied its compiler thirteen years
in preparation.
Other Swedes who took a pro
minent part in the dissemination of
Swedenborg's teachings were the
brothers Nordenskold, sons of
Colonel Nordenskold of Finland ;
Johan Tybeck, a Lutheran minister,
who was persecuted for heresy and
deprived of his ministerial office in
his sixty-sixth year, only to make
him more -vigorous in his advocacy
of the new doctrines ; Major
Gyllenhaal ; C. L. Schonherr, Coun
cillor of Commerce ; Christopher
Springer, and C. B. Wadstrom ; the
two last named residing in London.
Ar-vid Ferelius, pastor of the Swedish
Church in London, was also favour
able to Swedenborg's teachings, but
not openly.
Out of Sweden there were many
prominent persons who wholly, or
in part, accepted them. The Danish
General Tuxen, already mentioned,
was an ardent disciple ; (Etinger,
prelate of Murrhard, was the first
to translate some of Swedenborg's
works into German, and had to
endure persecution therefor ; the
celebrated Lavater has been de
scribed as "an apt student of his
writings," and several of his letters
to Swedenborg attest his interest ;
Oberlin is said to have remarked
respecting Swedenborg's Heaven and
Hell : "I know from my uwa
experience that everything in this
book is true." The Marquis de
Thome translated some of the works
into French, and exerted himself in
many ways to promote their circu
lation ; and the Abbe Pernety was
also an open advocate of Sweden
borg's teachings, but one who al
lowed his prejudices to influence
him to the extent of mistrans
lating, abridging and, in some

cases, falsifying the author's state
ments. It was in England, however, that
Swedenborg found most acceptance,
and it is among EngUsh-speaMng
nations that most of his disciple
are to be found at the present day.
One of the first to recognise the
deep spirituality of Swedenborg's
doctrine was the Rev. John Clowes,
for sixty-two years Rector of St
John's Church, Manchester, a man
of much learning and exemplary
life . 1 He translated almost the whole
of the theological works into Enghsh,
— a stupendous task, — and openly
advocated the -views contained in
them. Clowes' introduction to the study
of Swedenborg was under somewhat
remarkable circumstances, and, Ukcj
that of many other disciples, appar
ently accidental. A friend per
suaded him to procure The True
Christian Religion, then lately
published ; but he was so little
interested in the work that he al
lowed it to lie for many months on
his library table without opening it.
One day, however, as he was about
to set out upon a -visit to a friend in
the country, he casuaUy opened the
volume, and his eye caught the
words Divinum Humanum. " He
merely thought it was an odd sort of
phrase — closed the book — and rode
off to his friends. He awoke next
moming with a most briUiant ap
pearance before his eyes, surpassing
the Ught of the sun : and in the
midst of the glor\- were the words
Divinum Humanum. He did not
then recollect I ha-^dng ever seen
' De Quincev described him as " the
holiest of men whom it has been my lot
to meet." Though he has been dead
seventy-five years, he is not forgotten;
" his memory is still green in Manchester,"
remarked Bishop Fraser, and in proof
o[ the truth of this assertion, it may be
mentioned that a new edition of his Life,
by Theodore Compton, was issued in
189S, ^

RECEPTION OF TEACHINGS

93

>those words before : he thought the
whole an illusion, rubbed his eyes,
fgot up, and made every effort to
iget rid of it ; but in vain. Where-
jever he went, or whatever he did,
(laU day, the glorious appearance was
still before him ; though he spoke
tof it to no one. He retired to rest
sat night, and feU asleep. When he
tawoke the morning foUowing, the
words, Divinum Humanum, en-
rircled by a blaze of hght still more
glorious than before, immediately
flashed upon his sight. He then
recoUected that those were the words
which he had seen in the book on
fiis table at home. He got up,
made an apology to his friend, and
took an abrupt leave ; and, in his
own v/ords, no lover ever gaUoped
off to see his mistress with half the
eagerness that he galloped home to
read about Divinum Humanum. He
speedily perused the whole book ;
but his feelings and convictions on
reading it are best described in his
own words. In a paper left behind
him he says, ' The dehght produced
in my mind by the first perasal of
the work entitled the Vera Chris
tiana Religio, no language could fully
express. ... It seemed as if a con
tinual blaze of new and recreating
light had been poured forth on my
dehghted understanding, opening it
to the contemplation of the subhmest
mysteries of wisdom, in a manner
and degree, and with a force of
satisfactory evidence, which I had
never known before.' " ^
Mr Clowes found a coadjutor in
the work of translation, in fact a
predecessor by several years, in the
person of the before-mentioned Rev.
Thomas Hartley, M.A., Rector of
Winwick, Northamptonshire, a
leamed and saintly man hke himseh,
who had the privilege, enjoyed by
few Enghshmen, of personal inter
course with Swedenborg.
'Documents, vol. ii. pp. 1168 and
ir6g.

Another Enghshman who knew
Swedenborg personally, and fuUy
accepted his teachings, was William
Cookworthy, a minister of the Society
of Friends, and a prominent citizen
of Plymouth. " On his first opening
one of S-wedenborg's works," we are
told, " the book was soon thrown
down in a fit of disgust. From
some cause or other, not now re
membered, he was induced to make
another trial ; and from that time
forward he became graduaUy more
and more convinced of the soundness
of the views which Swedenborg had
taken of scriptural truths. So con
vinced indeed did he become of the
trath and utility of his works, that
. . . he, in part, translated from
the original Latin the treatise on
Heaven and Hell and, under the
revision of the Rev. T. Hartley, had
it printed in 1778, in a quarto
volume, by the Friends' bookseller,
James PhilUps, of George Yard,
Lombard Street, London, at his own
expense." ^
Dr Messiter, a London physician
of some emmence, was an intimate
friend of Swedenborg's, and was also
acquainted with Mr Hartley. In a
letter of the latter's to Swedenborg,
he communicates an offer from him
seh and Dr Messiter to provide a
home for the aged theologian in
England, in case persecution should
make it uncomfortable for him to
remain in his own country. Sweden
borg dechned the offer, as he did not
share his friend's fear of persecution
for him.
Another medical man among the
early receivers of Swedenborg's
doctrines in England was Dr Wilham
Spence. He assisted in the pubh
cation of The Apocalypse Explained
(a posthumous work), and was one
of the smaU party that first met
in the year 1783, for the study of
our author's -writings.
Other early disciples in England
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 1172.

94

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

were Benedict Chastanier, a French
physician, who translated some of
Swedenborg's works into French ;
Henry Peckitt, a retired physician
and apothecary, possessed of con
siderable wealth and wide culture,
who, as already mentioned,' bore the
whole expense of publishing The
Apocalypse Explained ; Peter Provo,
another medical man (the doctors
at this time seem to have been especi
ally receptive), the translator of
several of the smaller works ; Henry
Servante, who edited the first maga
zine devoted to the advocacy of
Swedenborg's teachings ; John
Augustus Tulk, a man of inde
pendent means, which he employed
freely in the dissemination of the
new doctrines ; and last, but not
least, Robert Hindmarsh, Printer
Extraordinary to the Prince of
Wales, who did more than most,
by preaching, writing, translating,
pubhshing, and expending his not
too abundant worldly wealth, to
bring them before the world.
Generally speaking, the early re
ceivers of Swedenborg's teachings
found themselves isolated and mis
understood. They naturally, there
fore, longed for the sympathy of
kindred spirits ; and this led to the
formation of societies for the study
of their revered author, and for
mutual edification. In Sweden C.
F. Nordenskold founded the " Ex-
egetic-Philanthropic Society " which
numbered among its members many
well-known persons. It was, how
ever, broken up in 1789, and suc
ceeded by the " Societas pro Fide et
Charitate," which continued in ex
istence until about 1835.
Hindmarsh's acquaintance with
Swedenborg's writings began in 1782,
and " from that time," he says, " I
began to search out other readers of
the same writings in London, in
order to form a society ; but in one
year I only found three or four be
sides myself." In order to discover

what amount of general interest there
was in their study, an advertisement
was issued invituig aU sympathisers
to meet at the London Coffee-House,'
Ludgate Hill, on the evening of the
5th December 1783. Only five
friends appeared, but the outcome
of this meeting was the estabHsh-i
ment, in 1784, of " The Theosophical
Society, instituted for the purpose of
promoting the Heavenly Doctrines
of the New Jerusalem, by translating;
printing, and pubhshing the Theolo
gical Writings of Emanuel Sweden
borg." Of the twenty- five early
members and sympathisers, no
fewer than six were artists, sculptors,
or engravers, including John Flax-
man, R.A., P. J. Loutherbourg, ancf
William Sharp, the engraver. "Therl
was one eminent musician, F. H.
Barthelemon ; three medical men,
Spence, Peckitt, and Chastanier,1
above mentioned ; a Proctor of
Doctors' Commons ; a barrister ;
Lieut. -General Rainsford, afterwards
Governor of Gibraltar ; three clergy-;
men, and various merchants, trades
men, and others. ¦
In Lancashire, great interest was
aroused in the study of Swedenborg,'
chiefly through the energy of the
Rev. John Clowes, and reading chcles
were formed in many of the towns
and -villages, which he -visited from
time to time. To his labours is due
the fact that Lancashire is at the
present day the great stronghold of
Swedenborg's foUowei-s. Clowes him
self was averse to any separation
from the Estabhshed Church, and
continued his own connection with
it to the end of his days, notwith
standing efforts that were made to
procure his expulsion ; but his con
verts no longer found a home in
orthodoxy, and so, by the inevitable
law of spiritual gravitation, formed
themselves into "New Church"
societies. It was Clowes who organised the
first of the several societies that have

SWEDENBORG'S SCIENCE

95

undertaken the printing and pub
lishing of Swedenborg's works, but
this was of a semi-private character
among his own friends. In 1810
was established the London " Society
for Printing and Publishing the
Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg,"
(generally known as the " Swedenborg
iSociety." It is a catholic body,
embracing in its membership many
who are not included in the organi-
^-sation of the New Church. One of
its most devoted supporters was the
date Rev. Augustus Clissold, M.A.,
who, among other benefactions, pre
sented to the Society the lease of
¦the house in Bloomsbury Street, from
which its pubhcations have since
emanated. These are sold at a
nominal price ; many volumes are
presented to clergymen and ministers
of different denominations, and to
pubhc Ubraries. In this manner,
many thousands of volumes have
been circulated in recent years. The
Society's efforts have been chiefly
confined to keeping the theological
writings before the public, but a
movement has been lately set on foot
for the republication of the scientific
and philosophical treatises, which
have been out of print for many
.years. Of the organisation known as the
i" New Church," or " New Jerusalem
Church," there is no need to say much
'here. The spread of new doctrines
naturaUy leads to association, and
:the New Church has thus arisen
"among those who have discovered in
Swedenborg's teachings a new, con-
stractive system of theology, and
whose convictions make it possible
for them to worship in harmony with
the members of other communions.
It is not a sect in the sense of being
a di-vision, or offshoot, of some other
body ; it is a gathering together,
from -within and without the
Churches, of men who have found a
new faith.
; In point of numbers the New

Church is still smaU, counting less
than seven thousand registered mem
bers in the United Kingdom, with a
somewhat larger number in the
United States, and a small contin
gent in the principal British colonies
and European countries. But if
small in numbers. New Church
people are strong in their faith, and
assert that their doctrines have very
largely influenced current modes of
rehgious thought. 1 In the disin
tegration of orthodox theology, which
is -visibly taking place in our day,
they see the preparation for a wider
and fuller reception of their cherished
doctrines. CHAPTER XIII
swedenborg's science
An adverse critic, who ought to have
known better, remarks "That we
are without record of any scientific
fruit, great or small, which derives its
parentage from Swedenborg may be
safely affirmed." Safely affirmed,
no doubt, so far as the average
reader's abihty to contradict the
writer is concerned ; but the state
ment is so entirely apart from the
facts of the case, that, whether
ignorance or intentional detraction
hes behind it, either must be re
garded as almost equally culpable.
It wiU be our task in this chapter to
examine the evidence as to Sweden
borg's right to be regarded as an
original discoverer ; and we are con
fident that the result wiU be to the
satisfaction, and possibly the aston
ishment, of the reader.
' A series of articles on " Swedenborg
and Modern Thought," by the present
writer, appeared in The New Century
Review for January, March, June, Sep
tember, and November 1898, showing
how largely some of our most eminent
nineteenth-century writers have drawn
upon Swedenborg. The articles have been
repubhshed by James Speirs, i Blooms
bury Street, W.C,

96

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

That our author anticipated many
modern discoveries and theories is
a well-estabhshed fact ; though, per
haps, injudicious admirers have
claimed too much in this respect.
Here, however, is a sober statement
by the professor of physics, Mr
Thomas French, in the University of
Cincinnati, U.S.A. The foUowing
doctrines of modern science, he says,
are more or less definitely stated in
Swedenborg's Principia, published
in 1734 : " The atomic theory ; the
solar origin of the earth and her
sister planets ; the undulatory theory
of Ught ; the nebular hypothesis ; ^
[in regard to this, an article by Pro
fessor Holden, formerly of the United
States Naval Observatory, in The
North American Review, October
1880, forcibly testifies to the vahdity
of Swedenborg's claims] ; that heat
is a mode of motion ; that magnetism
and electricity are closely connected ;
that electricity is a form of ethereal
motion ; and that molecular forces
are due to the action of an ethereal
medium." ^
Mr J. D. Morell says of Sweden
borg's scientific studies : " The re
sults of these studies exist to the
present day in the form of volumes
and tracts, which travel over al
most the whole surface of natural
history and science, and in which
it is only just to say, are found,
more or less obscurely, many of
the germs of recent and brilliant
discoveries/' ^
Lea-ving generalities, let us follow
our author through some of the
many scientific subjects which he
took up, and observe the impress of
his mind upon them. We will begin
1 See extract fi-om this article below,
p. lOI,
2 Quoted in article on " Swedenborg
and Aristotle," in The New Church Review,
1895, p. 165,
^ An Historical and Critical View of
Speculative Ppilosophy of Europe in the
Nineteenth Century, 2nd Edition, vol, i.
P- 315-

with his o-wn special subjects of.
geology and metallurgy.
Baron Benzelius, in a paper read
before the Scandina-vian Scientific
Association in 1842, says : i
" Emanuel Swedenborg, who be
came famous in many respects, was
the first who called attention in a
printed work to a rise of the Swedish
coast. In 1719 he pubhshed a little
work entitled : Respecting the great
Depth of Water and the Strong Tides
in the Primeval World ; Proofs from
Sweden. In a dedication to the
Queen, he congratulated her on
ruling over a land which is constantly
enlarged at the expense of the sea.
Among the proofs that a sea in a
state of great commotion at one
time swept over Sweden, he quotes
the ridges of our mountains, whose
general direction from north to
south he had correctly observed;
and hkewise the fact that aU the
stones occurring therein are roUed,
worn off, and rounded, even those
which weigh from five to ten
skeppund. He was acquainted with
Snacklagren on the Kappelback, near
Uddevalla, and several other places
of a similar kind on the western
coast of Sweden. He makes a re
port of the skeleton of a whale which
during his stay at Upsala was dis
covered in West Gothland, ten
Swedish miles in the country, and
which was left in the care of Pro
fessor Roberg, that it might be
deposited by him in the anatomical
museum of the University. He de
scribes also the remnants of a wrecked
ship which were excavated far up on
the land, as weU as some gigantic
pots which he examined and found
to have been hollowed out by other
loose stones which were agitated to
and fro by water in a state of great
commotion." After mentioning
some other writers on the same sub
ject, Benzelius declares that " none
of these writers, -with the exception
of Swedenborg, had made genuine

SWEDENBORG'S SCIENCE

97

geological examinations, and that
they aU treated their subjects from
a historico-geographical point of
•view." ^
A recent popular scientific writer,
the Rev. H. N. Hutchinson, B.A.,
F.G.S,, remarks : " Emanuel Swed
enborg, who in his earher days was
assessor in the School of Mines in
Sweden, was probably the first to
describe the erratics so conspicuous
in that country, and to endeavour
to explain them. He put forward
the theory that they had been de
posited there by a great marine
deluge ; and thus he also accounts
for some of the other phenomena,
such as the pecuhar ridges of sand
and gravel known as Asar (in Scot
land as Kames)." ^
Of the practical value of Sweden
borg's geological and metallurgical
labours, we have abundant evidence.
" We should never be able to
finish," says Professor Schleiden, " if
we should attempt to enumerate
all the improvements which Sweden
borg introduced in the working of
the mines of his native country,
and it would be impossible to say
how great were his merits in pro
moting the industry and the arts of
Sweden." ^
As we have already mentioned,
Swedenborg's treatise on iron in
his Opera Philosophica et Mineralia
was translated into French by
M. Bouchu, and embodied in the
magnificent Description des Arts
et Metiers, issued b the Royal
Academy of Sciences, " because this
work was found to be the best on
this subject." *
Dr Percy remarks : " The metal
lurgical works of this remarkable
1 Documents, vol. ii. pp. 896 and 897.
2 Prehistoric Man and Beast (Smith,
Elder & Co., 1896), p, 92-
2 Quoted by M, Matter in his Vie de
Swedenborg, p. 40. ¦
^Swedenborg, as a Philosopher, and
Man of Science, by R. L. Tafel, Ph.D.,
p. 209.

man seem to be very imperfectly
known — at least they are rarely, if
ever, quoted ; and yet none are, in
my judgment, more worthy of the
attention of those interested in the
history of metallurgy. They form
two tolerably thick folio volumes,
copiously illustrated with copper
plate engravings, and magnificently
printed." In connection with his metallurgi
cal studies, Swedenborg made careful
investigations into the nature of fire,
and the construction of furnaces and
stoves. The air-tight stove de
scribed by Swedenborg in his New
Observations and Discoveries respect
ing Iron and Fire, published in 1721,
is said to be the same in principle as
one patented in recent years in
Washington.^ Swedenborg theorised much on the
origin and phenomena of matter ;
and, though some of his theories
seem to us. crude and mechanical,
he undoubtedly came to some happy
and suggestive conclusions, and gave
hints that have been accepted by
more recent investigators. He sug
gested the atomic theory in his
Economy of the Animal Kingdom,
where he says (No. 630) : " Every
series of things simultaneous, or, in
other words, every aggregate of
things co-ordinate, admits of being
divided, till you arrive at its unit ;
beyond which you cannot proceed
further, and yet leave a unit, for a
part of that degree."
In the year 1695, Sir Isaac
Newton had propounded the corpus
cular theory of hght, and his great
authority had borne down all op
position. Swedenborg was familiar
-with his theory, but could not accept
it, declaring firmly in favour of the
view now universally accepted. He
says in his Principia : " Motion dif
fused from a given centre through
a contiguous medium or volume of
^ Swedenborg, aS a Philosopher, etc.,
p. 204.

98

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

particles of ether produces hght." ^
It is very remarkable, too, that he
should have conceived that there
must be some connection between
light and electricity. Of certain
particles he says : "If they are
put in motion by means of the
vibration of the parts in any hard
body in which they reside, in this
case also light is excited, and in
like manner electricity as long as
-vibration continues." ^
" M. Dumas distinctly ascribes to
Swedenborg the origin of the modem
science of crystallography. He says,
' It is then to him we are indebted
for the first idea of making cubes,
tetrahedrons, pyramids, and the
different crystalline forms, by group
ing the spheres ; and it is an idea
which has since been renewed by
several distinguished men, WoUaston
in particular.' " * Professor F. C.
Calvert also asserted in a public
lecture that " Swedenborg was the
first to discover that atoms were
spheres, and that with them cubes,
octahedrone, etc., could be formed." *
Though he gave so much attention
to scientific theories, he always had
an eye for putting them to some
practical use. In his Dcedalus, to
which we have referred before, there
is a description of a new ear trumpet
for the deaf, designed in accordance
with the laws which regulate the
reflection of sound waves from hard
substances. The article is accom
panied by drawings and a mathe
matical discussion of the theory on
which it is based. In the same work
there is a description of a simple form
of air pump which depends on the fact
that the pressure of the air can only
sustain a column of water about
thirty feet high. Even the idea of a
flying machine, about which we hear
so much to-day, exercised his in-
' Principia, vol. ii. p. 296.
2 Ibid.
^ Swedenborg, as a Philosopher, etc., -0.24^,
* Ibid.

ventive powers. In papers found
after his death, and since reproduced
by photo-hthography, there is a
drawing of such a machine and a
description of it. To Swedenborg
also is due the first conception of a
tank in which to test models of ships ;
a plan now adopted by our Admiralty,
and in a stiU more elaborate way by
the Navy Department of the United
States. In his monograph on Mercurial
Air Pumps, Professor S. P. Thomp
son, Principal of the Technical College,
Finsbury, gives to Swedenborg the
credit of inventing the first mercurial
air pump. He quotes his description
of it in the original Latin, and adds
that, fitted with the valves that were
usual in those days, it would be
effective. While his Principia deals mainly
with the physical properties of
matter, he has some very remark
able passages in the Introduction re
lating to what is now known as
evolution. Mr Herbert Spencer is
usuaUy credited -with the con
ception that the motions of the
ether had much to do with the
production of the sense of sight.
But in the clearest way Swedenborg
propounds this theory. He says :
" The ether seems to have formed
in the eye a mechanism of its own
by which its -vibrations can be re
ceived." 1 StUl more remarkable is
the statement -with regard to the
ear : " The undulating air flo\vs into
the ear, and occasions in its tym
panum a motion imitative of it
self, . . . ; so that [it] seems to have
formed a mechanism of its o-wn." ^
In another place he says that " Man
is made after the motion of the
elements," * a saying that sums up
Mr Spencer's theory. The iact that
he afterwards abandoned this view,
should not stand in the way of our
' Principia, vol. i. p. 17.
" Ibid.
' Ibid., vol. i. p. 40.

SWEDENBORG'S SCIENCE

99

giving him the credit of first pro
pounding it.
Magnetism absorbed much of
Swedenborg's attention at different
periods of his life, and he is credited
with anticipating many modem dis
coveries. Professor Patterson, of
Pennsylvania University, wrote to
Dr After, in acknowledging a book
of Swedenborg's which the latter had
sent to him : " Many of the experi
ments and observations in magnet
ism, presented in this work, are
beheved to be of much more modem
date, and are unjustly ascribed to
much more recent -writers." ^
" Fifty years after its publication
[Swedenborg's Opera Philosophica et
Mineralia], on the report of a com
mission to the unfortunate Louis
XV., that there did not yet exist
any theory of the magnet, the
Marquis de Thome responded indig
nantly and at length, declaring that
the Opera Philosophica of Sweden
borg was held in high esteem in all
Europe, and that the most celebrated
men had ' not disdained to draw
materials from it to assist them in
their labours " ; that ' the theory of
the Swedish author is a trae theory
of the magnet, and of all magnet
ism ' ; and that M. Camus, who per
formed such surprising things with
the magnet before their eyes, ad
mitted that he had ' derived from this
author aU the knowledge he ex
hibited on the subject.' To this we
may add," says Mr Worcester, " that
some practical electricians of the
present day are finding in this
theory explanations of results which
they do not find explained by any
other." '
In forming his theory of mag
netism, Swedenborg had recourse to
the experiments of Musschenbroeck,
1 Swedenborg, as a Philosopher, etc.,
p. 151.
^ The Life and Mission of Emanuel
Swedenborg, by Benjamin Worcester.
Boston: Roberts Bros., 1892: p. 98.

one of the greatest physicists of that
day. The theory is, in substance,
that magnetism consists in a motion
of something round each molecule,
and that in a mass of iron these
motions concur so as to produce
a continuous spontaneous motion
both within and -without the mass.
This is exceedingly close to the
modern theory. That it should
have been propounded long before
any connection between magnetism
and electricity had been experi
mentally demonstrated is a striking
testimony to his genius. In this
matter he was no mere theorist.
A passage which he quotes from
Musschenbroeck weU expresses his
attitude towards this and other
scientific questions. " The only way
remaining to us as philosophers, of
detecting the cause of the magnetic
phenomena, is by rejecting the lust
of hypothesis, as J have often said,
and which cannot be too often re
peated ; by dedicating our labours
to the institution of experiments
and to observations upon the mag
netic phenomena ; thus by seriously
setting to work, and not by wasting
our time in sitting still and doing
nothing but indulge in reveries ; for
as Reaumur has -wisely observed,
" natural philosophy has been studied
too much in this manner, and to its
prejudice." ^
It is in his contributions to astro
nomical knowledge, however, that
Swedenborg's anticipations of
modern discovery are the most
remarkable. It can scarcely be
questioned that the nebular theory
of the formation of planetary systems
originated ¦with him ; he also first
conceived the idea of a harmonious
relation of the different systems, and
assigned its position in the galaxy
to our own ; he announced the
translatory motion of the stars
along the Milky Way, and pro
pounded the doctrine of a cyclic
1 Principia, vol. i. pp. 341, 342.

100

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

return in the movements of the
planets. Respecting his right to be regarded
as the originator of the nebular
theory, generally attributed to La
place and Kant, the evidence is
strong and most interesting. Pro
fessor E. S. Holden, of Lick Ob
servatory, wrote thus, in 1880, in The
North American Review :
" It has long been known to
students of the philosophical writings
of Emanuel Swedenborg that he was
the author of an elaborate theory of
the origin of the solar and stellar
system, which was the prototype of
those now received. The facts in
the case are that in his Principia,
published in 1734, a complete system
of cosmogony was proposed, in
which the genesis of the planets and
satelhtes from a primitive nebulous
mass was maintained. The details
of the imagined process are given
and are illustrated with drawings in
the fullest manner.
" Bohn, the publisher, had in his
possession a copy of Swedenborg's
Principia, containing Buffon's auto
graph and bearing marks of use.
There is no doubt, when the essential
points of the three systems are con
sidered, that the suggestion of the
system of Swedenborg (pubhshed
fifteen years before Buffon's) in
fluenced him largely, and that the
ideas of Buff on, ¦with the reflections
OH the constraction of the heavens by
the later Herschel, led Laplace to the
final form of his nebular hypothesis."
Both Kant and Buffon had some
acquaintance with Swedenborg, and
the former jealously remarked upon
the similarity of some of our author's
theories to his own. Laplace owns
that Buffon first suggested to him
the idea of the derivation of planets
and their moons from their suns.
Dr Magnus Nyren, Astronomer at
the Observatory of Pulkowa, Russia,
pubUshed an article, in 1879, on
Swedenborg and the Nebular Hypo

thesis,'^ in which he gave i\x\\ credit to
the latter as the originator of the
theory. " It cannot be disputed,"
he says, " that the real germ of the
nebular hypothesis, namely, that the
entire solar system has formed itself
out of a single chaotic mass which
rolled itself at first into a colossal
sphere and afterwards threw off a
ring which then through continued
rotation at length broke into parts,
these finally contracting into baUs,
planets — that to this idea Sweden
borg was the first to give utterance.
Kant's work on the same subject,
Allgemeine Naturgeschichte und The-
orie des Himmels, appeared, for ex
ample, in 1755, thus twenty-one years
later ; Laplace published his hypo
thesis sixty-two years later. And
here we must remark that Sweden
borg, in all probability, has given
the more correct form to his theory,
in so far as — and this Laplace has
admitted — the planets ha-ve arisen
from the shattered rings (accorduig
to the vortical theory, Swedenborg
found only one such necessary), and
not, as Kant supposed, through a
conglomeration formed immediately
out of the original vapour mass." ^
Swedenborg's theory differed from
that of Laplace, in that he regarded
the planets as being projected from
the body of the sun, or rather from
a nebulous ring that surrounded it,
and as graduaUy receding to theh
present orbits : whereas Laplace
assumed that the atmosphere of
the sun once extended far beyond
the orbit of the most distant of the
plariets, which were formed suc
cessively by its condensation into
nebulous rings as the central mass
contracted. Swedenborg's theory
also postulated a central vortical area,
which first gave rotation to the sun,
1 Vierteljahrschrift der A stronomischen
Gesellschaft, p. 81 (a translation ap
peared m The New Church Review for
July 1897.)
« New Church Review, July 1897, P- 377-

SWEDENBORG'S SCIENCE

lOI

and incidentally to its progeny, the
planets ; while Laplace's theory was
based upon the law of gravitation.
Mr Bes^wick contends that Sweden
borg's theory explains more of the
phenomena of the solar system than
Laplace's, and holds that it is des
tined yet to supersede it.^ One point
that he insists upon is that, if the
planets were formed at the successive
confines of the solar atmosphere, the
speed of rotation would decrease with
those that approached nearer to the
sun ; whereas the contrary is the
fact, as we should expect to find if
the planets were thro^wn out from
the central orb.
The foUowing is a brief statement
of Swedenborg's theory of the solar
system. The sun he assumed to be
a mass of matter in a state of in
candescence, revol^ving by inherent
vortical force. From this body were
thrown off vapours, which gathered
into a nebulous ring in the plane of
the equator. By condensation this
ring became more and more solid, and
at length broke and scattered into
spaces the masses which subsequently
formed the planets of the solar
system. The nebulous ring, whirling
¦with the rapid rotation of the central
body, gave to the chaotic masses
'thus detached a rotatory movement
of their o^wn. This was naturally
greatest when they were near to the
sun, otherwise they would have
fallen back into his body ; but by
degrees they receded to their present
orbits and attained their present rate
of motion. There was a time, he
lays, when the rotation of the earth
on its axis only occupied about
two hours, and its annual journey
was accomphshed in no more than a
month of our time. This he con
cludes was a time of perpetual spring,
the rapid changes preventing any
extremes of climate. By degrees,
' See article on Swedenborg's Astro
nomical Theories in Swedenborg as a
Philosopher, etc., pp. 295-328.

as the days and the years lengthened,
the heat and cold strengthened, and
our years and days, with the changes
of climate they give rise to, became
as they are now.
Of course, this is largely specula
tion ; but it is interesting to note
that such speculations are being
revived by modern astronomers and
held to be more than probable. Sir
Robert S. Ball, for example, accounts
for the formation of the moon in a
manner precisely similar to Sweden
borg's conjecture as to the origin of
planets from the sun. Swedenborg
held, however, that the satelUtes were
projected from the sun along with
their primaries. Sir R. Ball tries to
prove that the moon had its birth
in the formation of a terrestrial belt
around the equatorial zone of the
earth, this belt coUapsing into a
planetary orb, which then gradually
receded from the primary that gave
it birth. He says, and the reader
cannot but mark the striking ap
proximation of some of his statements
to those of Swedenborg :
" At the critical epoch to which
our retrospect extends, the length
of the day was only a very few
hours. I cannot tell you exactly
how many. It seems to have been
more than two and less than four.
If we caU it three hours we shall not
be far from the trath. The day
could never have been much less.
If the rate of rotation exceeds this
Umit the equatorial regions of the
earth could no longer cling together.
It can be shown that the rotation of
the earth when on the. point of
rupture corresponds to a length of
the day somewhere about the critical
value of three hours.^ ... At length
> Mr Beswick contends that Sweden--
borg's calculation, " less than two hours,"
was strictly correct, "We know experi
mentally," he says, "that the centrifugal
force at the equator is ^^^ the force of
gravity. And the time in which the
earth must revolve on its axis in order that
centrifugal force at the equator may

103

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

the cohesion of the molten matter of
the earth could no longer resist ; a
separation took place ; one portion
consolidated to form our present
earth ; the other portion consoli
dated to form the moon.
" At this epoch the moon must
have been so close to the earth that
the two bodies were almost touching.^
Hence some miUions of years ago
the moon completed its journey in
a week instead of twenty-eight days
as at present. Looking back earlier
still, we find the month has dwindled
down to a day, then do^wn to a few
hours, until at that wonderful epoch
when the moon was almost touching
the earth, the moon spun round the
earth once every three hours. ...
" But this condition could not
last ; it was a state of unstable
equihbrium. Either the moon must
fall back to the earth or move away.
The moon exists to show that it did
not return, but commenced its out
ward journey. As it recedes its
period increases also. It began with
three hours and it has increased until
our present month of 656 hours.
" The rotation of the earth also
modified! Directly the moon re
ceded, the earth was no longer under
an obligation to keep the same face
thereto, and its length of day in
creased from three hours to twenty-
four." 2
Sir Robert Ball speaks of this as
a new idea, which struck him with
surprise when he first read of it " not
many months ago." " But," he
equal the force of gravity, is Jj- of its
present period of 24 hours. Hence fj =
I hour, 24 minutes, 42 seconds, or less
than two hours, as stated by Sweden
borg " (see article on " Swedenborg as
a Scientist," in New Church Review for
July 1894, pp, 413-419).
1 Swedenborg, also, seems to have held
the view that the moon was once much
nearer to the Earth than at present. (See
The Worship and Love of God, No. 17 bis.)
' See article referred to above, on
" Swedenborg as a Scientist," in The New
Church Review, July, 1894.

adds, " the e^vidence is unimpeach
able." Swedenborg stated that " the con-
mon axis of the sphere, or sidereal
heavens, seems to be the Milky
Way, where there is the largest
gathering of stars " ; ^ as to which
statement Dr Njnren remarks : "If
there is no other meaning to be given
to it than that the Milky Way is the
equatorial section (zodiac) of our
whole visible firmaments, then the
priority of the suggestion of the
galactic steUar system belongs also
to Swedenborg."
As regards the position of our
solar system in space, Swedenborg
says : " Our solar vortex or system
is not in the axis of the sphere, but is
near the axis where there is a con
siderable incurvation of inflection." ^
Sir J. Herschel remarks : " Our
system is placed eccentrically, so as
to be much nearer to the parts about
the cross, than to that diametricaUy
opposed to it." " This confhms,"
says Mr Beswick, " the wonderful
exactness of Swedenborg's state
ment." " In the year 1789," again
he says, " Herschel directs his mon
ster telescope to the sides and sur
faces of the galaxy, and ¦without
knowing of Swedenborg's announce
ment of the sun's position therein,
conjectures the identical spot, seeks
for e^vidence of its trath by a species
of star gauging, and a few efforts
reward his labours ¦with the most
abundant confirmation of the reahty
of his conjecture. Certainly, never
did a more bold assertion receive a
more striking confirmation." ^
There is little space to speak of
Swedenborg's anatomical studies,
which were hfelong and profound.
The value of his work was rather in
his suggestive theorising on facts
¦ Principia, Part III. chap, i. No, 8.
2 Ibid., Part III. chap, i. No 7.
' For a fuller discussion of Swedenborg's
astronomical theories, see Swedenborg, as
a Philosopher, etc., pp. 295-328

SWEDENBORG'S SCIENCE

103

ascertained by others, than in original
investigations, though Count Hopken
says that " he made singular dis
coveries which are preserved some
where in the Acta Liter aria." '
Dr Wilkenson says of Swedenborg's
anatomical and physiological works :
" Swedenborg's physiological doc
trines are so new, deep, and com
prehensive, that when presented to
even a candid mind, full of ordinary
notions, and breathing the gross at
mosphere of modem science, they
will probably appear to be little more
than a confused mass of assumptions.
Such is my experience of their first
effect on my own mind. Now, how
ever, I am every day becoming more
penetrated with the truth and conse
quent importance of these works.
. They are the results of rigid
physical induction. And it is both
curious and satisfactory to observe
that medical authors have been for
ages approximating, in the way of
effects and details, to some of the
principles eUcited by Swedenborg.
To instance one of these cases — the
influence of the respiratory move
ments on, and their propagation to,
the -viscera and to the whole body.
The law that the body in general and
in particular, respires -with the lungs
— ^that the perpetuation of all the
functions, and, in a word, of corporeal
life, depends, on the universality of
this action, as a law — is peculiar to
Swedenborg. And yet, for centuries,
the fragments of this trath have
flitted across the mental -vision of
physiologists. Glisson has declared
it of the hver — Blumenback, of the
spleen — Barry, and many others, of
the heart — Bell, of the neck — Sch-
lichting, of the blood in the brain —
Portal, of the circulation in the
spinal cord : and I could easily add
many other names and instances to
this hst. Another principle dis
covered by Swedenborg is the per-
meabihty of membranes, and the
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 408.

circulation of fluids through them in
determinate channels ; some of the
details of which are now grouped
under the names ' Endosmosis ' and
' Exosmosis,' — two phenomena which
are thought discoveries of the present
day. With regard to the lymphatic
system, Swedenborg has thoroughly
anticipated the beautiful theory of
Dr Prout, etc. And although it is
as a discoverer of principles that
Swedenborg is undoubtedly most
valuable, yet his subordinate, theo
retical details, are also far superior
to those of other authors, because
they refer themselves to a head, and
derive from it a universalising \ital
essence." ^
Jacob Benzelius, " the father of
modern chemistry," wrote to Dr
Wilkinson, of Swedenborg's Animal
Kingdom : " I have gone through
some parts of The Animal Kingdom,
which have interested me especially ;
and I have been surprised to find how
the mind of Swedenborg has preceded
the present state of knowledge,
writing his work at the time he did.
I hope the anatomists and physiolo
gists of our day will profit by this
work, both for the sake of extending
their ideas, and of rendering justice
to the genius of Swedenborg." In
another letter he says, " I am sur
prised at the great knowledge dis
played by Swedenborg in a subject
that a professed metallurgist would
not have been supposed to have
made an object of study, and in
which, as in all that he undertook, he
was in advance of his age." He was
not only in advance of his age in
science, "but in the use he made of his
knowledge ; for his physiological
studies were only undertaken as a
basis for his profound psychological
speculations. Coventry Patmore
truly observes : " 'We have had only
one" psychologist and human physi
ologist, at least only one who has
1 Swedenborg, as a Philosopher, etc., pp.
130 and 131.

104

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

published his knowledge, for at least
a thousand years, namely, Sweden
borg." The great scheme of The Animal
Kingdom was never completed, as
we have already men tioned. ^ Among
the material intended to be incor
porated was a voluminous treatise on
The Brain, two volumes of which
were translated into English and
published in 1882 and 1887. It is
an encyclopredic work, and its value
has been acknowledged, in many
quarters. Its editor, Dr R. L. Tafel,
asserts that it contains many im
portant discoveries and suggestions,
some of which have been credited
to more recent investigators. Dr
Rabagliati, re-viewing the work in
Brain, vol. vi., describes it as " one
of the most remarkable books we
have ever seen." " If it had not
been," he says, " that attention was
arrested and interest enchained by
finding so many anticipations of
scientific discoveries by as much as
one hundred and twenty or one
hundred and thirty years, we should
have been tempted to throw aside
the book as beyond our pro-vince, if
not hopelessly unintelligible."
The modem student is at a loss
to form a just estimate of Sweden
borg's scientific position from the
fact that his philosophical works are
to be found in few Ubraries, and have,
most of them, been long out of print.
The Swedenborg Society, however,
is now remedying this latter defici
ency. At the present time the work
of re-vision and preparation for the
press is proceeding actively. A new
edition of the Principia has been
issued ; and other works are in hand.
The appearance of these neglected
works will doubtless arouse a new
interest in their contents.
^ P- 33-

CHAPTER XIV
swedenborg as POLITICIAN
Another proof of the many-sided
ness of Swedenborg's genius, and of
the absolute sanity of his mind, is
fumished by the brief records that
exist of his pohtical activity. From
the time he first took his seat in the
House of Nobles, in 1719, to the year
1761, he appears to have shown a
warm interest in the pubhc affairs
of his native land ; and, when at
home, to have taken an active part in
the proceedings of Parhament. A
fellow-countryman -writes of him :
" Up to the time of his extreme old
age he interested himseh in the
financial, administrative,^ and pohti
cal affairs of his country, as weU
between, as during, the sessions of the
Swedish Diet. A considerable num
ber of papers on these subjects,
bear -witness to his acti-vity as the
head of his family, and show how
great an interest he had in the de
bates that took place in the House of
Nobles. ... As a member of the
House of Nobles, Swedenborg be
longed neither to the party of the
' hats,' nor to that of the ' caps ' in
those times, but was an independent
member, supporting whatever he
saw to be worthy of his own position,
and to be right and generally useful,
-without allo-wing himself to be in
fluenced either by the right or the
left side. He, like every trae friend
of liberty, was opposed ahke to
despotism and to anarchy. As the
son of a distinguished and universaUy
beloved bishop, he was ennobled by
Queen LUrica Eleonora in 1719, to
gether with his brothers and sisters.
His entrance into the House of
Nobles was consequently contem
poraneous ¦with the estabhshment
of freedom in Sweden. During his
childhood and youth he had wit
nessed the misfortunes into which
an unhmited monarchy had precipi-

SWEDENBORG AS POLITICIAN

105

fated his country. He himself had
seen the misery and distress, which
a war of eighteen years' duration,
with dearly bought Adctories and
bloody defeats, with decimated
armies and bankrupt finances, at
tended by pestilence and famine,
had entailed on his oppressed
country. . . . Need we wonder,
then, that Swedenborg was in favour
of a constitution, which set bounds
to the arbitrary power and whims
of a hitherto unlimited monarchy ;
which prevented the dissolution of
the country, and gradually changed
discontent into satisfaction, at least
among the majority of its citizens." ^
Another Swedish writer says :
" He conversed much on scientific
and political subjects, and was
especialty much interested in the
proceedings of the Diet of his
country even after he had ceased
to take any part in them, and his
judgment in these matters was al
ways sure, quick, and to the point."
Financial questions especially in
terested him, and he presented vari
ous memorials on currency, exchange,
etc., between the years 1723 and
1761. Count Hopken states that :
" The most solid and best-^written
memorials at the Diet of 1761, on
matters of finance, were presented
by Swedenborg." ^
No biography of Swedenborg could
be regarded as complete ¦without
some notice of his pohtical career.
We shall therefore review briefly
the various memorials of his that
have been preserved. We have no
record of his speeches, though he
has been described as one of the
sharpest and severest speakers in the
house. This can scarcely be true,
however, for two reasons : severity
was not characteristic of the man,
though he could be firm on occasion ;
' Nya Kyrhan och dess inflyiande pa
Theologiens Studium i Sverige, Part II.
p. 48. Quoted in Documents, vol, i. p, 469.
^ Documents, vol. ii. p. 408.

and a shght impediment in his speech
made pubhc utterance a difficulty to
him. The earliest memorial that we have
is dated 5th February 1723, and re
lates to the finances of the country.
In it, Swenenborg deplores the decay
of Swedish commerce, which has
thrown the balance of trade from the
credit to the debit side and so im
poverished the state. The causes oi
the decline he attributes to the loss
of many Swedish pro-vinces in the
wars, the absorption of capital by
war expenditure, and the consequent
dilapidation of Swedish ships " dur
ing the weary years of war." The
remedies he proposes are the de
velopment of the internal resources
of the country, especially the iron
and copper industries ; and the
improvement of native manufac
tures that it might not be necessary
to import so many articles of daily
use. Several memorials relate to the
encouragement of iron manufactures
in Sweden, but his efforts in this
direction were not seconded by his
colleagues at the Board of Mines —
to whom some of the memorials were
referred — and therefore came to no
thing. An important memorandum
advocating the establishment of
rolling mills in Sweden to deal with
the crude product, which was ac
companied by drawings of suitable
machinery, was filed for future re
ference on ist September 1726, and
may still be seen in the Archives of
the Board. In this paper he draws
attention to the fact that — " Many
thousand tons of Swedish pig-iron
are annuaUy shipped, with great
expense in freight and custom-house
duties, to Holland, whence it is 're-
shipped inland to Sauerland and
Liege, where it is broken up, rolled
and converted into four, six, ten to
twelve iron rods or bars, or converted
into sheet-iron. Afterwards it is
carried back to Holland, and con-

io6

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

veyed thence to many places in
Europe, where it is sold -with great
profit ; so that our Swedish iron
must in this manner be ennobled in
Brabant, and yield them a hand
some income, which we, with small
expense and industry, might keep at
home." He shows that the estabhshment
of such miUs would give encourage
ment to various small manufactures
in Sweden, and that the surplus
production over and above home
requirements might become an im
portant item in the national exports.
" The greater part of the rolled iron,"
he says, " which is sent out of Liege,
consists of the iron of Liege and
Brabant, which many nations are
compeUed to use for want of a better
iron, although it is cold, short and
brittle . But if Sweden would f umish
the same sort of iron rods and sheet
ing, the inferior iron would be
scorned and sink in price, while the
better would rise."
In the year 1734 a war fever arose
among the " hat " party in Sweden,
who advocated an alliance with
France against Russia, and the at
tempted reconquest of the Baltic
provinces. Against this mad scheme
Swedenborg strenuously protested in
a lengthy memorial, in which he
summed up in a masterly way the
possible advantages and disad
vantages of such a war and such an
aUiance. He pointed out the con
tracted means of Sweden for the
carrying on of a great war, and the
small number of men available for
ser-vice, compared with former years ;
and emphasised the need of de
veloping the material resources of
the country, which would be of more
importance to her than recovered
territory. The possession of Dantzic
by Russia threatened the trade of
the Baltic, but he had the prescience
to see that " naval and other powers
in time ¦will so arrange it, thaf^Russia
wiU not enjoy its possession perpetu

ally." He was not opposed to a war
of seh-defence, but " putting oneself
into training and commencing a war,
simply for the purpose of showing
that one is not afraid, even when
this is feasible, is no proof or argu
ment in the case of a nation that
need not fear in any case to be at
tacked by its neighbours, and which
is well known to be able to defend
itself against those by whom it may
be attacked." So he advocated
neutrahty as Sweden's proper atti
tude, and had the satisfaction of
seeing his views adopted by the
Diet.i The financial embarrassment of
the country exercised his mind again
in 1755, and in connection with it.
the question of intemperance, wliich
was adding to the impoverishment
of the people. " Intemperance,
which prevailed in an alarming de
gree among his countrymen, he re
garded as one of the worst intemal
foes of Sweden, preventing her from
becoming a great manufacturing and
agricultural nation . He was so much
convinced of this, that he -wrote on
the fly-leaf of one of his theological
MSS. : " The immoderate use of
spirituous liquors will be the do\vn-
fall of the Swedish people.' " ^
Among the remedies he proposed
was that " aU public-houses in town
should be like "baker's shops, -with an
opening in the -window, through
which those who desired might pur
chase whisky and brandy, without
being allowed to enter the house,
and lounge about in the tap-room."
Another proposition, which was sub
sequently adopted by the Diet, was
to limit the distillation of whisky,
and to raise it in price by farming
out the right of making it. " If the
distiUing of whisky," he said, " were
fanned out in all judicial districts,
and also in to-wns, to the highest
bidder, a considerable revenue might
' Documents, vol. i. pp. 483-493.
^ Ibid., vol. i, p. 493.

SWEDENBORG AS POLITICIAN

107

be obtained for the country, and the
consumption of grain might also be
reduced ; that is, if the consumption
of whisky cannot be done away with
altogether, which would be more de
sirable for the country's welfare and
morality than all the income which
could be realised from so pernicious
a drink." ^
Another cause of the decreasing
wealth of the country he found to be
the facilities for raising loans on all
fixed and movable property, whereby
large numbers of all classes were
deeply indebted to the bank. Lie
proposed, in order to ease Ihe
financial situation, to call in the
banknotes advanced on mortgaged
property, to restore specie pay
ments, and to farm out the distUla-
tion of whisky. In this latter pro
ject we have the germ of the Gothen
burg system.
Five years later he returned to
these subjects, and presented a
lengthy memorial ^ which displayed
a confident knowledge of sound
financial principles. He pointed out
that the rise in exchange, which in
twenty years had jumped from thirty-
five marks to sixty-six marks for the
rix-daler, was ruining the country,
and suggested various remedies. He
showed that the main cause of the
rise was the displacement of a
metallic currency by paper money,
issued by the bank in immense
quantity against the mortgages
spoken of above, and exceeding very
much the capital of coined money
possessed by the bank. The high
rate of exchange was rapidly de
nuding the country of the ordinary
currency, since " as soon as exchange
rises above sixty marks . . . the
copper contained in it is of more
intrinsic value than the value re
presented by our paper currency,"
and so it went to the melting pot,
or was sent abroad.
' Documents, vol. i. p. 494.
2 Ibid., vol. i. pp. 496-503.

He argued strenuously for an
honest currency as a cure for the
evil ; for, he said, " coin alone
regulates exchange." " The currency
in a country is hke the blood in the
body, upon which depends its hfe,
health, strength, and defence." His
proposals were " that the general
loan upon all fixed and moveable
property do cease, and that hence
forth no other loan be negotiated at
any banldng office, except for the
purposes of the state, and upon gold
and silver as was formerly the cus
tom " ; that the present mortgages
should graduaUy be redeemed by the
payment of a part of the loan
annually in addition to the interest,
and that thereafter " certificates of
indebtedness " should cease to be
legal tender ; that the bank should
increase its stock of " coin plates,"
which stood for bullion, and that, in
the meantime, the exportation of
" plates " or crude copper should be
forbidden ; that the number of the
bank officials should be gradually
reduced ; and, finally (I have omitted
some less important suggestions) , that
the distillation of whisky should be
farmed out by the Government.
This memorial goes to the root of
the matter, and e^vinces a remarkable
grasp of a difficult question ; the
more remarkable when we remember
that its author was at this time
deeply engaged in spiritual studies,
and was the subject of much remark
on account of his wonderful super
natural experiences, which had only
lately became publicly kno^wn. The
so-called mystic, or presumed mad
man, would have made an excel
lent chancellor of the exchequer, if
Sweden had happened to want one
just then.
Swedenborg followed up this
weighty document with an " Appeal
to the Houses of the Diet in favour
of the Restoration of a Metallic
Currency," some " Additional Con
siderations " on the Course of Ex-

io8

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

change, and a memorial to the King
on the subject of the exportation of
copper. 1 In the first of these papers
he urges, that, " unless the various
Houses of the Diet at the present
session take steps to secure the re
turn of the paper currency to the
bank, and the issue of coin possessing
an intrinsic value in its place, there
is danger that the dearness of every
thing will continue to increase more
and more, until the country at last
wiU become utterly exhausted and
ready to perish ; which it assuredly
will, unless another remedy for its
restoration be found than a general
banloTiptcy on all the paper currency.
This bankruptcy, however, stares
every man wiUing to reflect upon
this subject in the face, when he
considers that six dalers in paper
are now equivalent to three dalers
in ' plates ' in our foreign commerce,
and two dalers in plates in our inland
traffic." He concludes his appeal
with these words of sober -wisdom :
" In coined specie itself lies the real
value of exchange, and consequently
that of all merchandise. If any
country could exist by means of a
paper currency, which is in the place
of money, but which is not money,
it would be a country -without a
parallel." Swedenborg was offered a seat on
the " Private Commission on Ex
change," and would have been an
invaluable member, but he dechned
to serve as he was not satisfied
with its constitution. His sugges
tions, however, carried weight with
the Commissioners, and it was re
solved, in January 1762, that no
more money should be advanced on
movable property. The foUo^wing
session a law was enacted limiting
the circulation of paper money to the
amount of bullion held by the bank.
The condition of Sweden at this
time gave much concern to her re
sponsible statesmen. The CouncUlor
' Documents, vol. i. pp. 504-508.

of Commerce, Anders Nordencrantz,
issued a bulky work deahng with the
financial difficulty, in which "he
sounded a fearful alarm about the
condition of the country, and made
charges in general against judges,
senators, and ci^vil officers, and also
proposed several radical changes
which seemed necessary to him in
the form of the government." To
moderate the effect of this alarmist
production, Swedenborg wrote a
brief reply in the shape of a memorial
to the Houses of Diet ; 1 a states-
man-hke document well calculated
to effect its purpose. In it he
defends the Swedish form of govern
ment, as, together ¦with that of Eng
land and Holland, the best in Europe,
" as every inhabitant, notwithstand
ing all the shortcomings which
happen there, is safe in his Ufe and
property, and no one is a slave, but
they are all free men." He admits
imperfections, " yet it is impossible,"
he says, " to escape aU distortions
of right, and all wrong interpretations
of law, since most men are subject
to human wealaiesses, and hence
are inclined to one of two parties
either by friendship, relationship,
hope of promotion, or of presents,
and this malpractice cannot be up
rooted under any government, how
ever excellent it may be."
One of Nordencrantz's proposals
was that " all state offices, high as
weU as low, except the ecclesiastical
and military, should be changed
every second or third 3rear " ; to
which Swedenborg advanced several
weighty objections. Among other
things, he foresaw that a state of
affairs would arise such as we see in
the United States at present. " What
an amount of gifts and bribes," he
remarks, would have to be given
and taken, in order that they might
secure a livelihood for future time!
From this the fuU absurdity of the
proposal may be seen ; yea, it ap-
' Documents, vol. i. pp. 511-515.

SWEDENBORG AS POLITICIAN

109

pears almost at first sight from this
consideration only, that it militates
directly against an institution which
has been established in Sweden from
time immemorial, and which is like
wise one of the pillars for the pre
servation of our freedom, inasmuch
as everyone finds himself secure in
his office during his lifetime, but
insecure under an arbitrary govern
ment, and still more so in case such
a proposal should be enacted."
Nordencrantz complained of cor
rupt practices among politicians.
" In free governments," said Sweden
borg, "it is impossilDle to prevent
corrupt practices and power being
exercised by cliques on the ground
of such practices " ; but " corrupt
practices in free governments are like
smaU ripples, compared with large
waves in absolute monarchies ; in
absolute or arbitrary monarchies
favourites and the favourites of
favourites, yea the unhmited mon
arch himself, are corrupted by men
studying and appealing to their
passions. . . . One absolute or ar
bitrary monarch is able to do more
mischief in one year, than a chque
or combination of many at a session
of the Diet could accomplish in a
hundred years ; inasmuch as in the
various Houses of the Diet their in
fluence is counterbalanced generally
and indi^vidually ; while in an ab
solute monarchy there is no such
counter- weight . ' '
Nordencrantz resented Sweden
borg's criticism of his book and a
somewhat acrimonious correspond
ence ensued ; — acrimonious on the
worthy Councillor's part, that is to
say, for Swedenborg was courteous
and dignified, as usual. This led to
a breach between them, which ¦was
healed, however, by the intervention
of the President of the Board of
Commerce, Niklas von Oeheich,
who -wrote to Swedenborg on the
last day of 1761 : " Herr Norden
crantz, Councillor of Commerce, in

vites the Herr Assessor and myself
to come to church to-morrow morn
ing at ten o'clock, and afterwards to
dine with him. He will send his
carriage, and at the above-named
time I shaU call for the Herr Assessor
with the carriage. I am very anxious
that you two should become good
friends." The last political document that
we have bearing Swedenborg's sig
nature is an address to the Diet in
favour of the reinstatement of three
senators who had been compelled to
resign on account of the part they
had taken in the disastrous war
against Frederick the Great. The
memorial bears the title : " Frank
Views concerning the Maintenance
of the Country and the Preservation
of its Freedom," ^ and raises a
warning voice against the revival of
an absolute monarchy, which a party
in the state was working to bring
about, and which these senators had
opposed. He was no believer in the
divine right of kings, as his father
had been ; " no one," he said, " has
the right to leave his hfe and pro
perty in the absolute power of any
individual ; for of these God alone
is master, and we are merely His
stewards in this world." He had
again the satisfaction of seeing his
¦wishes carried out, as two at least of
the senators were restored to their
places. Thus ends the record of Sweden
borg's pohtical acts. All the docu
ments referred to, and some others of
less consequence, display clear judg
ment, common-sense, and a sincere
desire for the good of his native land.
Their importance to us now is the
evidence they afford of his mental
condition at a time when he was
supposed to be the subject of wild
hallucinations. 1 Documents, vol. i, pp. 538-542

no

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

CHAPTER XV
PERSONAL CHERACTERISTICS
Having closely followed Swedenborg
through his long and varied career,
and briefly re-viewed his principal
works, let us now try to get a look
at the man himself. Portraits, un
fortunately, do not help us much ;
none of the existing ones are of high
artistic merit, and, as likenesses,
they give us little of the man's soul.
The best, perhaps, is the one that
forms the frontispiece of the Opera
Philosophica et Mineralia, represent
ing him at the age of forty-five.
The face is pleasing and not un
handsome, alert with intelhgence
and full of conscious power. Cuno
declares that this portrait, " although
finished forty years ago by the skil
ful engraver Bernigroth, is stiU
perfectly like him, especially in
respect to the eyes, which have
retained their beauty, even in his
old age." 1
These eyes were undoubtedly the
most striking features of his counten
ance. Cuno says again : " When he
gazed upon me with his smiling blue
eyes, which he always did in con
versing with me, it was as if trath
itself was speaking from them." ^
They had a magnetic power, even
with unsympathetic subjects ; the
same -witness writes : "I often
noticed with surprise how scoffers,
who had made their way into large
societies where I had taken him, and
whose purpose it had been to make
fun of the old gentleman, forgot aU
their laughter and their intended
scoffing, and how they stood agape
and hstened to the most singular
things which he, hke an open-
hearted child, told about the spiritual
world without reserve and with fuU
confidence. It almost seemed as if
' Ddcuments, vol. ii. p. 453.
' Ibid., vol. ii. p. 445.

his eyes possessed the faculty of
imposing silence on everyone." 1
On his taking leave of Cuno in 1769,
the conversation turned upon the
improbabihty of their meeting again.
Swedenborg spoke with eager
anticipation of the last great change
which he knew must come to him
before long,; and, as he spoke, "he,
looked so innocent and so joyful out
of his eyes, as I had never seen him
look before. I did not interrupt
him," said Cuno, " and was, as it
were, dumb with astonishment." ,
Other witnesses speak of his seraphic
look at times, and of the general
serenity of his countenance. " An
inward serenity and complacency of
mind," says the Rev. Thomas
Hartley, " were manifest in the
sweetness of his looks and outward
demeanour." 2 Sometimes, when he
had been in converse with spiritual
beings, his eyes are said to have been
fiUed with a wonderful hght, which
awed beholders ; but under ordinary
circumstances his appesirance was
placid and benignant. -^
In figure Swedenborg is described
by most observers as taU, though
it appears that he was not much
above medium height. In his old
age, at any rate, he was of spare habit,
which doubtless added to his ap
parent stature. The Rev. Nicholas
Colhn, Rector of the Swedish Church
in Philadelphia, who -visited him in
1766, thus describes his personal
appearance : " Being very old when
I saw him, he was thin and pale ; but
stiU retained traces of beauty, and
had something very pleasing in his
physiognomy, and a dignity in his
tall and erect stature." ^ Gjorwell,
the Royal Librarian in Stockholm,'
who had occasion to caU upon him
officially two years earlier, teUs us :
" Although he is an old man, and
' Documents, vol, ii. pp. 445 arid 446.
2 Letter to Rev. John Clowes, Doni-
ments, vol. ii. p. 513.
• Documents, vol. ii. p. 423.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

III

! grey hair protruded in every direction
from under his wig, he walked briskly,
was fond of talking, and spoke with
I a certain cheerfulness. His counten-
I ance was indeed thin and meagre,
\ but cheerful and smiling." ^
Swedenborg's bodily activity in
his later years was much remarked
upon. Cuno wrote : "In respect to
Mr Swedenborg's external appear
ance, he is for his years a perfect
wonder of health. He is of middle
stature, and although he is more
than twenty years older than I am,
I should be afraid to ran a race with
J him ; for he is as quick on his legs as
the youngest man." ^
J In the course of his lastfjoumey
abroad, in 1770, Swedenborg was
delayed by contrary winds at
Elsinore, where resided an early
^ disciple of his. General Christian
; Tuxen. The latter , boarded the
i ship to offer the hospitahty of his
i house, and found Swedenborg en
'' deshabille. He proffered his in-vita-
tion, to which "he [Swedenborg]
immediately consented, pulhng off
.his go-wn and sUppers, putting on
; clean Unen, and dressing himself as
[ briskly and alertly as a young man
of one and twenty." =
^ " The dress that he generally wore,
' when he went out to -visit, was a suit
of black velvet, made after an old
; fashion ; a pair of long ruffles ; a
; curious-hilted sword ; and a gold-
¦ headed cane." * From a Swedish
^biography, we learn that " according
to the custom of his times, Sweden-
\ borg wore the customary wig on his
' head, yet it was not too long ; the
rest of his body was usuaUy covered
by a long hght blue or grejdsh velvet
' coat, with an undergarment of
black taffeta, and stockings and
'shoes -with large buckles of gold."
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 403.
' Ipid., vol. ii. p. 450.
'Ibid., vol. ii. p. 435.
* Testimony collected by Henry
Peckitt, Esq., Documents, vol. ii. p. 544.

Another account says : " His dress
in winter consisted of a fur coat of
reindeer skin, and in summer, of a
dressing-gown, both weU wom, as
became a philosopher's wardrobe.
His wearing apparel was simple, but
neat. StiU, it happened sometimes,
that when he prepared to go out,
and his people did not caU his atten
tion to it, something would be for
gotten or neglected in his dress ; so
that, for instance, he would put
one buckle of gems and another of
silver in his shoes ; an instance of
which absence of mind I myself
saw at my father's house, where he
was invited to dine ; and which
occurrence greatly amused several
young girls, who took occasion to
laugh at the old gentlemen." ^ His
countryman, Eric Bergstrom, who
kept the King's Arms' Tavern, in
WeUclose Square, London, and some
times entertained Swedenborg, teUs
us that " he usually walked out after
breakfast, generally dressed neatly
in velvet, and made a good appear
ance." 2
Swedenborg's manners in society
were easy, poUshed, and agreeable.
He was equaUy at home with high
and low, dining not infrequently
with royalty in his own country,
and li-ving on friendly terms -with his
humble landlord in England. Cuno
observes : "Mr Swedenborg moves
in the world -with great tact, and
knows how to address the high as
well as the low." * "He was not
only," says Robsahm, " a learned
man, but also a pohshed gentleman ;
for a man of such extensive learning,
who, by his books, his travels, and
his knowledge of languages, had
acquired distinction both at home
and abroad, could not fad to possess
the manners and everything else
which, in those so-caUed serious or
' Robsahm's Memoirs. Documents, vol.
i- PP- 33 and 34.
2 Documents, vol. ii. p. 537.
* Ibid., vol. ii. p. 448.

112

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

sober times, caused a man to
be honoured, and made him agree
able in society. He was accord
ingly, even in his old age,
cheerful, sprightly, and agreeable
in company ; yet, at the same
time, his countenance presented
those uncommon features, which are
only seen in men of great genius." ^
Sandels tells us : "He was cheer
ful and pleasant in company, and
as a recreation from his severe
labours, he enjoyed intercourse with
intelhgent persons, by whom he was
always well received and much re
spected. He could also properly
meet, and playfully direct into
another channel, the kind of curiosity
which frequently desires to obtrude
itself into the consideration of serious
things." 2
Very important testimony in this
point is given by the Rev. Ar-vid
Ferelius, the pastor of the Swedish
Church in London, from 1761 till
1772, who knew Swedenborg well,
and ministered to him on his death
bed. In a letter to Professor
Tratgard of Greifswalde, dated 17th
March 1870, he wrote :
" Someone might think that
Assessor Swedenborg was eccentric
and whimsical ; but the very reverse
was the case. He was very easy and
pleasant in company, talked on
every subject that came up, accom
modating himself to the ideas of the
company ; and he never spoke on his
o-wn -views unless he was asked about
them. But if he noticed that any
one asked him impertinent questions,
intended to make sport of him, he
immediately gave such an answer,
that the questioner was obhged to
keep silence, without being the -wiser
for it." 3
0-wing to defective utterance,
Swedenborg was not a briUiant
conversationahst : . . . nevertheless,
1 Documents, vol. i. pp. 43 and 44.
2 Ibid., vol. i. p. 28.
' /iid., vol. ii. p. 560,

" whenever he spoke, aU other talk
was hushed." ' " Ordinarily he pro
nounced very distinctly; but he
stuttered a Uttle when he tried to
speak quickly. ... He was un-
-wiUing to enter into any disputes on
matters of rehgion ; and, if obliged
to defend himself, he did it with
gentleness, and in few words." ¦
" When he was contradicted, he
kept silence." ^ "He was a kind
and sensible man," testifies the Rev.
Thomas Hartleys " and had some
thing so lo-ving and taking in his
manner as highly dehghted those
he spoke -with." *
Swedenborg was fond of the
society of ladies, and we have several
charming pictures of his intercourse
¦with them. On the occasion of his
¦visit to General Tuxen, aheady
referred to, the latter apologised
that he had " no better company
to amuse him than a sickly -wife and
her young girls. He repUed, 'And
is not this very good company ? I
was always partial to ladies' com
pany.' " " He entertained them
very politely and wth much atten
tion (this old man of eighty-two)
on indifferent subjects," and seeing
a harpsichord in the room, asked
if they were fond of music. The
daughter was persuaded to play,
and Swedenborg hstened apprecia
tively, beating time with his foot,
and exclaiming when she ceased:
" Brava ! you play very weU. Do
you not sing also ? " Both mother
and daughter sang some French and
Italian airs and duets, to which also
he beat time, afterwards comph-
menting Madame Tuxen on her
tasteful singing and her fine voice,
which she had preserved in spite of
long illness.^
' Robsahm, Documents, vol, i. p. 34.
'^ Abb6 Pernety, Documents, vol. i.
P- 57- , ,.
' Carl Johan Knos, Documents, vol. u.
p. 564.
* Documents, vol. ii. pp. 539 and 540
" Ibid., vol. ii. pp. 437 and 438.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

"3

Cuno once took Swedenborg to
dine at a friend's house, where he
met several highly educated ladies.
" His deportment was exquisitely
refined and gallant. 'When dinner
was announced, I offered my hand
to the hostess, and quicldy our
young man of eighty-one years had
put on his gloves, and presented his
hand to Mademoiselle Hoog, in
doing which he looked uncommonly
weU. . . . Our old gentleman was
seated between Madame Konauw and
the elder Demoiselle Hoog, both of
whom understood thoroughly well
how to talk. . . . He seemed to
enjoy very much to be so attentively
served by the ladies." ^
Swedenborg, as we have said, was
never married, " but," says Sandals,
" this was not owing to any indiffer
ence to the sex ; for he esteemed
the company of a fine and inteUigent
woman as one of the purest sources
of dehght ; but his profound studies
required that in his house there
should be perfect stiUness both day
and night. He, therefore, preferred
being alone." ^
Though there was no prattle of
chUdren in his house, he often sought
their company outside. Himself
childlike in manner, he dehghted
m the society of the young and
innocent. His landlady in Amster
dam remarked to Cuno : " My
children will miss him most ; for he
never goes out ¦without bringing
them home sweets ; the httle rogues
also dote upon the old gentleman
so much, that they prefer him to
their own parents." *
Swedenborg lodged on several
occasions in the neighbourhood of
Cold Bath Fields, ClerkenweU. " The
area of the square has long been
fiUed with houses, but, in those days,
was a green, whither children used
to resort in their play hours, and
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 449-
2 Ibid., vo\.i.-p.2.g.
^ Ibid., vol. ii, p. 446.

where the aged theologian would
often join them, to distribute ginger
bread among them." ^
A Mr Hart of Poppin's Court,
Fleet Street, was Swedenborg's
printer for many years and often
received the great man at his house.
" He used to take particular notice
of Mr Hart's httle girl," a child of
about three years old at the time of
his (Swedenborg's) death. " Heaven
lies about us in our infancy," wrote
Wordsworth ; and Swedenborg had
expressed the same thought many
years before. Their heavenly as
sociates doubtless drew him towards
the young.
A pretty story is told by Anders
FryxeU, the Swedish historian, of
a bit of pleasantry on the part of
Swedenborg with a child of somewhat
larger growth. " My grandmother,
Sara Greta Askbom," he says, " who
was married to Anders Ekman,
counciUor of commerce and burgo
master, had grown up in the neigh
bourhood of Bjorngardsgatan in the
Sodermalm, where her father hved
not far from Swedenborg, ¦with whom
he had frequent intercourse. The
pretty maiden, only fifteen or sixteen
years old, had often asked ' Uncle '
Swedenborg to show her a spirit or
an angel. At last he consented,
and leading her to a summer-house in
his garden, he placed her before a
curtain that had been lowered, and
then said, ' Now you shaU see an
angel ' ; and as he spoke, he drew
up the curtain, when the maiden
beheld herseh reflected in a mirror." ^
Of Swedenborg's personal habits
we have many particulars. He was
most temperate in eating and drink
ing, seldom touching flesh meat, and
never taking more than two or three
glasses of wine at a time, and this
only in company. " "When not
invited out," says Robsahm, " his
1 Memoirs of William Cookworthy, by
his Grandson, p, 57.
2 Documents, vol. ii. p.. 725.

H

114

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

dinner consisted of nothing but a
roll soaked in boiled milk ; and this
was his meal always when he dined
at home." ^ He doubtless accom
modated himself to circumstances
when travelling, for Cuno tells us :
" Chocolate and biscuits served in
his own room usually constituted his
dinner ; and of this his landlord, his
landlady, and the children generally
received the greater part." If he
had a better appetite he went into
a neighbouring restaurant in the
so-called " Holyway." ^ He told
General Tuxen in 1770, that for
twelve years past he had scarcely
taken any other food than coffee and
biscuits, as in his old age he was
afflicted with a weak stomach.^ Of
coffee he was very fond and took it
at all hours of the night and day,
well sweetened -with sugar. He
was also much addicted to snuff.
His habits of sleep were extra
ordinary. " He worked without
much regard to the distinction of
day and night, ha^ving no fixed time
for labour or rest. ' When I am
sleepy,' he said, ' I go to bed.' " ¦»
Often he slept for as much as thirteen
hours at a stretch, and when in a
trance condition would sometimes
he in bed for several days without
eating. Not long before his death,
" he lay some weeks in a trance,
¦without any sustenance ; and came
to himself again. ' ^ At such times
he desired to be left alone, teUing his
landlord not to be troubled, as all
would be weU.
The Abbe Pernety teUs us that our
author was " an indefatigable man
who worked day and night " ; and
Cuno -writes : " He labours in a most
astonishing and superhuman manner
at his new work. Sixteen sheets,
in type twice as smaU as those
' Documents, vol. i, p. 32.
2 Ibid., vol, ii. p, 447.
^ Ibid., \o\. ii, p, 435.
¦' Ibid., vol. i. p. 32.
» Ibid., vol. ii. p. 545.

used in his former works, are si-
ready printed. Only think! for
every printed sheet he has to fill
four sheets in manuscript. He
now has two sheets printed every
week. These he corrects himself;
and consequently he has to write
eight sheets every week." ^ This
was written on the 26th January
1771, when Swedenborg was within
three days of completing his eighty-
third year ! Counsellor Sandels
exclaims : "I cannot help being
fiUed -with astonishment, in reflecting
upon his extraordinary industry " ; 2
and when we remember that, in ad
dition to nearly thirty considerable
volumes and many smaller works
that he published himself, he left
an enormous quantity of unpubhshed
MS. behind him, probably equal in
amount to what he had printed, we
may well be astonished also, and
can readily accept the statement of
his brother-in-law (Bishop Benzehus)
that he was " most economical with
his time."
With this enormous productive
ness, Swedenborg's work was neither
loose nor careless. Some of his more
important works went through
several drafts before they appeared
in final form, and others were
abandoned altogether because he
was not satisfied with the result of
his labours. The Rev. Arvid
Ferelius, who saw some of Sweden
borg's later manuscripts, teUs us
" they were all written out in a clear
hand, without his ha-ving first made
a rough draft. Nowhere could a
single word be found crossed out ;
but all that was once written, re
mained written, just as if it had
been dictated." ^ Ferehus was pro
bably mistaken in this point, how
ever, for Swedenborg's usual habit
was to make a rough draft, and
afterwards a fair copy for the
* Documents, vol. ii. p. 482.
^ Ibid., vol. i. p. 24.
^ Ibid., vol. ii. p. 564.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

"5

'printer, the latter being very care-
fuUy written.
Several -witnesses testify that in
later years Swedenborg used no aids
in his work beyond the Bible and his
own carefully prepared indexes.
" Although he was a learned man,"
says Robsahm, " no books were ever
seen in his room, except his Hebrew
and Greek Bible, and his manuscript
indexes to his own works, by which,
in making quotations, he was saved
the trouble of examining all that he
had previously written or printed." ^
Swedenborg possessed four different
editions of the Hebrew Bible, but the
one from which he habitually worked,
and which he took -with him on his
travels, was Sebastian Schmidius'
edition with Latin translation, pub
lished at Leipsic, in 1740. This,
which was underscored everywhere,
he left, at his death, to the pastor
of the Swedish church in London,
the above-mentioned Rev. Ar-vid
Ferehus. Richard Shearsmith, with
whom Swedenborg stayed in London,-
also asserts that " he had no books,
no, not so much as a Directory." ^
Swedenborg, for many years, pub
Ushed his theological works anony
mously, and derived no benefit from
their sale. His London pubUsher,
John Le-wis, 'of Paternoster Row,
wrote, in the advertisement of the
second volume of the Arcana
Ccelestia, " I do aver that this gentle
man, with indefatigable pains and
labour, spent one whole year in
studying and -wiiting the first volume
of Arcana Ccelestia, was at the
expense of two hundred pounds to
print it, and also advanced two
hundred pounds more for the print
ing of this second volume ; and when
he had done this, 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 propagation of the gospel.
' Documents, vol. i. p. 32.
2 Ibid., vol. ii. p. 555.

He is so far from desiring to make
a gain of his labours, that he will
not receive one farthing back of the
four hundred pounds he has ex
pended ; and " for that reason his
works -will come exceedingly cheap
to the public." ^
According to Cuno, the public did
not always get his works " exceed
ingly cheap," but this was not the
author's fault. " He has pubhshed
his manifold writings in England
and in this country [Holland] en
tirely at ¦ his o-wn expense ; and
has never gained a farthing from
their sale. All these writings are
printed on large and expensive
paper ; and yet he gives them aU
away. The booksellers to whom he
gives them for sale charge as much
for them as they can get. Indeed,
they sell them dear enough, as I
found out by my own experience ;
for I had to pay four florins and a
half to the bookseller Schreuder in
this town for a copy of his Apoca-
lypsis Revelata. The bookseller him
self, however, mentioned to me that
the author never demands an account
either from himself, or any other
dealer." 2
Another little incident in con
nection -with his pubhshing trans
actions is worth mentioning, as -wit
nessing to his absolute truthfulness.
He desired to pubhsh his True
Christian Religion in Paris, and sub
mitted it to the Press Censor for his
approval. Consent was given with
the pro-viso that the title page should
declare, " as was usual," that the
book was printed either in London
or Amsterdam. This was not
Swedenborg's way of doing things,
however ; so he took his MS. to
Amsterdam and issued the book with
an honest imprint. Most of his
theological works were pubUshed in
England or Holland, because in those
countries " he had full hberty ac-
1 Documents, vol. ii. pp. 494 and 495.
^ Ibid., vol. ii. p. 446.

ii6

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

corded to him to print whatever he
Uked ; which liberty would never
have been granted to him in his
native town, and probably nowhere
else in Christendom." ^
Something must be said about
Swedenborg's home . It was situated
in the Sodermalm, the southern part
of Stockholm, and was a modest
structure of wood, built to suit his
own convenience. Attached to it
was a large garden (the whole pro
perty occupied nearly 6000 square
yards), in which were several other
structures, summer-houses, an a-viary,
a maze, etc. One of the summer-
houses was fitted up as a study, an
inner room containing the owner's
hbrary ; the others were furnished
with movable screens, mirrors, etc.,
for the amusement of -visitors.
There was a flower garden, with
curiously cut box-trees, in the Dutch
manner ; and an extensive kitchen
; garden containing choice fruit-trees,
and some large and splendid limes.
The whole produce of this garden,
beyond his own modest requirements,
Swedenborg made over to his gar
dener, who, with his wife, composed
his whole retinue.
In the flower garden Swedenborg
took a personal interest, making its
care a recreation from his serious
labours. A Swedish biographer tells
us that " with his pious childUke
mind he especially attached himseh
to Flora's variegated and beautifully
coloured children. I had occasion
to see one of Swedenborg's almanacs
for the year 1750, where with the
same preciseness, as if it had been the
beginning or close of some profound
treatise, he marked down when he
had planted an auricula or a pink,
the time when they bloomed, how
much seed he had gathered of them,
and so forth." In his correspondence
with Joachim Wretman of Amster
dam we find several references to the
1 John Christian Cuno, Documents,
vol. ii. p. 447.

purchase of rare plants and seeds,
box-trees, etc. When GjorweU, the
Royal Librarian, called on him in
1764 to request copies of his lately
pubhshed books, he found him m
his garden, " where he was engaged
in attending his plants, attired in a
simple garment. . . . Without know
ing me, or the nature of my errand,
he said, smihng, 'Perhaps you
would Uke to take a walk in the
garden,' " ^ thinking probably he
was an ordinary -visitor, as his
gard.en was open to the pubhc.
It would be impossible to imagine
a more simple and unworldly man
than Swedenborg. Though he had
ample means he did not spend them
on himself, and was content with the
barest necessaries of Ufe. He was
so trustful of others that he would
send his landlord to a drawer in
which he kept money, to help him
self to what he needed. At his death
he left no will, and Uttle property."
In his later years he always
travelled alone. He told Cuno that
he had no need of an attendant as his
angel was always with him. Where-
ever he went he was beloved, and
people said that he brought them
good fortune. Even sea captains
averred that they always had pros
perous voyages when he was on
board. One of them is declared to
have said : " If Swedenborg chooses,
he can always have a free passage
with me ; for during the whole of
my experience at sea, I have never
sailed better." ^ Shearsmith, with
whom Swedenborg lodged latterly in
London, remarked that " everything
went on prosperously with him,
while Sweden'borg lodged at his
house " ; and Mrs Shearsmith told
Mr Peckitt that " he was a blessing
to the house, for that they had
harmonj^ and good business while
he was mth them." *
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 402.
- Ibid., vol. i. p. 41.
^ Ibid., vol. ii. pp. 546 and 548.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

117

For some years Swedenborg sel
dom went to church, on which ac
count his friends sometimes remon
strated with him, and his enemies
pointed the finger of scorn at him.
The reasons Robsahm assigned for
his omission were that " he could not
be edified by preaching which was
so different from his own revelations,
and partly because he suffered from
the stone." ^ Swedenborg told
Ferelius that " he had no peace in
the church on account of the spirits
who contradicted what the minister
said, especiaUy when he treated of
three persons in the Godhead, which
is the same as three gods." ^ Some
Sabbatarian observed to Shearsmith
that Swedenborg could not be con
sidered a good Christian because he
did not observe the Sabbath ; "to
which Mr Shearsmith rephed that
' to a good man like Swedenborg
every day of his life was a Sab-
-bath.' " 3
Swedenborg was peculiarly regard
less of times and seasons. He
turned night int9 day, and day into
night, as we observed above, and
did not trouble himself about the
day of the week. On one occasion
he called for his landlord and asked
him to have his carpet shaken, as
it was covered -with snuff. Shear-
smith reminded him that it was
Sunday, a fact of which he seemed
quite obli-vious ; he repUed to the
remonstrance with, " Dat be good,"
in his broken Enghsh, and allowed
the matter to rest.
In order to throw contempt upon
his theological teachings, unscra-
pulous persons have endeavoured to
estabhsh the idea that Swedenborg's
mental capacity gave way in middle
life. There is not a shred of evidence
of either bodily or mental failure
1 Documents, vol. i, p. 36.
2 Ibid., vol. n. p. 560.
''Ibid., vol. ii. p. 549- See also Ap
pendix, " Swedenborg and his Gardener
Folks."

until within a few weeks of his death ;
cejtainly none that he suffered from
fever, with the usual accompaniment
of dehrium. " He enjoyed," says
Sandgls, " a most excellent state of
bodily health, having scarcely ever
been indisposed." The records of
the College of Mines show that his
attendance was regular when he was
at home, except for occasional brief
illnesses, probably colds and such
like. He constantly travelled alone,
even on his last journey, which he
commenced in his eighty-third year.
The closing scenes of Swedenborg's
life are in keeping with its peaceful
tenor throughout. He had no fear
of death, but rather joyful anticipa
tion. " If," he said to Cuno, " any
one is conjoined with the Lord, he
has a foretaste of the eternal life in
this world ; and if he has this, he
no longer cares so much about this
transitory life. Beheve me, if I
knew that the Lord would call me to
Himself to-morrow, I would summon
the musicians to-day, in order to be
once more really gay in this world." ^
Some time before his death he foretold
the date to his landlady 'and the
maidservant who waited on him ;
and, the latter remarked, he seemed
as pleased at the prospect " as if he
was going to have a holiday to go
to some merry-making." ^ This was
no affectation of prospective dehght,
nor was he weary of his natural life ;
for, " as he was always content with
himself and with his circumstances,
he spent a life which was, in every
respect, happy, nay, which was
happy in the very highest degree." *
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 454.
2 Ibid., vol. ii. p, 546.
3 Ibid., vol, i, p, 29.
In his Spiritual Diary (20th October
1748) Swedenborg wrote : " Some think
that they who are in the faith should
remove from themselves all the delights
of life, and all the pleasures of the body :
but this I can assert, that delights and
pleasures have never been denied to me ;
for I have been permitted to enjoy not
only the pleasures of the body and the

n8

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

It was shortly before Christmas,
1771, that the messenger of death
first appeared at the humble lodging
in Coldbath Fields. A paralytic
stroke laid the old philosopher Jow,
depriving him of speech and of the
use of one arm. He lay in a lethargic
state for upwards of three weeks,
during the whole of which time he
took no sustenance whatever, ex
cept a little tea without milk, and
cold water occasionally ; and once,
about two teaspoonfuls of red-
currant jelly. At the end of that
time he recovered his speech and
health a little, and ate and drank
toast, tea, and coffee as usual ; he
also was able to see friends at times.
Among these was Peter Provo, a
medical man, to whom he remarked,
shortly before his death, that " as it
had pleased God to take away the
use of his arm by a palsy, his body
was now good for nothing but to be
put into the ground." ^
After this partial recovery, he con
tinued in possession of all his facul
ties to the last hour of his life. A
few days before the end, he received
the sacrament from the hands of
Pastor Ferelius, but at the last he
had no one with him but his devoted
landlady and her equally devoted
servant. None, that is, of earthly
company ; but, he told the Rev.
Thomas Hartley, he was comforted
in his last illness by his angelic
friends. According to the most
particular account that we have,
that of Mr and Mrs Shearsmith, it
was about five o'clock (? p.m.) on
Sunday, the 29th of March 1772,
the day he had foretold for his de
parture, that he suddenlj? asked his
attendants the time and, when in-
senses, like those who live (in the world),
but I have also been permitted to enjoy
such delights and felicities of life, as, I
believe, no persons in the whole world
ever before enjoyed, ¦which were greater
and more exquisite than any person could
imagine and believe."
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 538.

formed, remarked : " Dat be good
[a favourite expression of his], me
tank you, God bless you." These
were his last words, for in about ten.
minutes' time " he heaved a gentle
sigh, and expired in the most
tranqml manner." ^
Thus ended the earthly life of this
illustrious man, a life, which for
purity, nobihty of aim, and disin
terested usefulness, could scarcely
be paralleled. With aU the king
dom of the inteUectual world before
him, he chose the path of ser^vice and
of obscurity, troubhng Uttle that the
praise of the multitude was denied
to him, and quite content at the last
to accept the ministrations of a
humble ¦wigmaker's ¦wife and her
mai d-of -all- work.

CHAPTER XVI
SIGNS OF SEERSHIP
Had Swedenborg possessed the
nature of a charlatan, he might have
made both wealth and fame by
the exhibition of his extraordinary
powers ; but far from making a
public show of these, he seldom re
ferred to them unless occasion called
for it, and refused to confirm his
mission by such means. Prelate
CEtinger wrote : " That Swedenborg
has knowledge of hidden occurrences
has been proved by a few well-at
tested instances, but he is indisposed
to avail himself of them to procure
assent and credibility to his ^vrit-
ings." 2 Even when appealed to by
anxious persons for information about
their deceased friends, — ^though the
persons concerned might be members
of Royal houses, — he kindly but
firmly dechned to satisfy them, un
less there was some special reason
for his doing so. The Rev.
Nicholas CoUin begged him, as a
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 578.
" Ibid., vol. ii. p. 1051.

SIGNS OF SEERSHIP

119

great favour, to procure him an in
terview with his brother, who had
died a few months before ; "he
answered," Colhn teUsus, " that God
having for ¦wise and good purposes
separated the world of spirits from
ours, a communication is never
granted -without cogent reasons ;
and asked what my motives were.
I confessed that I had none besides
gratifying brotherly affection, and
an ardent wish to explore scenes so
subhme and interesting to a serious
mind. He replied, that my motives
were good, but not sufficient ; that
if any important spiritual or tem
poral concern of mine had been the
case, he would then have sohcited
permission from those angels who
regulate such matters." ^
Not-withstanding this reticence on
his part, there are many well-authen
ticated records of remarkable re
velations made to different persons
in the course of his life. MarveUous
as they appear, he did not regard
them as in any way miraculous, but
simply as signs of the reality of his
intercourse with the spiritual world.
" These must by no means," he said,
" be regarded as miracles ; for they
are simply testimonies that I have
been introduced by the Lord into
the spiritual world, and have inter
course and converse there with
angels and spirits ; in order that
the church, which has hitherto re
mained in ignorance concerning that
world, may Imow that heaven and
heU reaUy exist, and that man lives
after death a man, as before ; and
that thus no more doubts may flow
mto his mind in respect to his im-
mortahty." * In affirming the trath
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 422 ; see also
vol. ii. pp. 695 and 696. With reference
to the last sentence in above account, Mr
CoUin must have misunderstood Sweden
borg, as the latter teaches that such
matters are under the control of the
Lord alone, and not of any angel or spirit.
i* Letters to Venator, Documents, vol.
ii. p. 309.

of two of these occurrences to Cuno,
" he did not dweU long upon them,
observing that there were hundreds
of similar stories ; but he did not
think it worth while to waste many
words upon them ; saying that all
these things were trifles, placing in
the shade the great object of his
mission." ^
For us to dwell unduly upon these
extraordinary occurrences would be
to show small respect to our author's
own wishes ; nevertheless, as genuine
testimonies to his seership, we must
allow the following due weight.
Jung-Stilling asserts that " three
proofs that he had actual intercourse
with spirits are generally known con
cerning him." These are the stories
of his disclosing to the Queen of
Sweden the nature of, a secret that
had existed between her deceased
brother, the Cro-wn Prince Augustus
Wilham of Prussia, and herself ; his
description of a destractive fire in
Stockholm, while he himself was at
Gothenburg ; and his revealing to
the' widow of M. de Marte^ville,
formerly Dutch Ambassador at
Stockholm, the hiding-place of a
missing receipt for money paid by
her late husband. The stories have
been related by different witnesses,
¦with some variations as was to be
expected, but of their substantial
accuracy there can be no question.
The story of Queen Louisa Ulrica
naturally excited most notice, and
for that reason, perhaps, presents
most variants. We are told that
it " was much talked of in Stock
holm and abroad, and every man
dressed it up to suit himself." ^ This
is Count Hopken's account :
" Swedenborg was one day at a
court reception. Her Majesty asked
him about different things in the
other life, and lastly whether he had
seen, or had talked with, her brother,
the Prince Royal of Prassia. He,
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 648.
2 Ibid., vol. ii. p. 663.

120

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

answered. No. Her Majesty then
requested him to ask after him, and
to give him her greeting, which
Swedenborg promised to do. I
doubt whether the Queen meant any
thing serious by it. At the next
reception Swedenborg again appeared
at court ; and while the Queen was
in the so-called white room, sur
rounded by her ladies of honour, he
came boldly in, and approached her
Majesty, who no longer remembered
the commission she had given him
a week before. Swedenborg not only
greeted her from her brother, but
also gave her his [her brother's]
apologies for not ha^ving answered
her last letter ; he also wished to do
so now through Swedenborg ; which
he accordingly did. The Queen was
greatly overcome, and said, ' No one
except God, knows this secret.'
" The reason why she never ad
verted to this before was that she
did not ¦wish anyone in Sweden to
believe that during a war ¦with
Prassia she had carried on a corre
spondence in the enemy's country." ^
Another account says that the
Queen nearly fainted, and that
Count von Schwerin seeing her dis
tress, bitterly reproached Sweden
borg for his conduct, at the same
time endeavouring to ehcit from him
the nature of his secret. The inci
dent soon got ¦wind, and many were
anxious to know the truth of the
matter. " The wife of Swedenborg's
gardener," says C. F. Nordenskold,
" related to us that for days following
the occurrence carriages stopped be
fore the door of her master, from
which the first gentlemen of the
kingdom alighted, who desired to
know the secret of which the Queen
was so much frightened, but her
master, faithful to his promise, re
fused to tell it." 2 Jung-StilUng
writes : " This occurrence has been
questioned in the public papers, but
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 660.
¦* Ibid., vol. ii. p. 655.

a distinguished Swede, who was by
no means an admirer of Swedenborg,
has assured me that it is the pure
truth, and cannot be caUed in
question. He fumished me with
some additional proofs, but which I
hesitate to make kno^wn, because, as
is usually the case ¦with stories that
deal with the realm of spirits, some
are thereby compromised who ought
to be spared." ^ In Stockholm, we
are told, the story was " universally
beUeved." The most particular account of the
Stockholm fire is contained in a letter
of Immanuel Kant's to Charlotte von
Knobloch, dated Konigsberg, the
loth August 1758.2 He ¦writes :
" The foUowing occurrence appears
to me to have the greatest weight
of proof, and to place the assertion
respecting Swedenborg's extraordin
ary gift beyond all possibiUty of
doubt. In the year 1759, towards
the end of September,' on Saturday,
at four o'clock p.m., Swedenborg
arrived at Gothenburg from Eng
land, when Mr WiUiam Castel in-
\dted him to his house, together
with a party of fifteen persons.
About six o'clock, Swedenborg went
out, and returned to the company
quite pale and alarmed. He said
that a dangerous fire had just
broken out in Stockholm at the
Sodermalm [Gothenburg is about
50 German miles — about 300 EngUsh
— ^from Stockholm], and that it was
spreading very fast. He was restless
and went out often. He said that
the house of one of his friends, whom
he named, was already in ashes, and
that his own was in danger. At
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 659.
2 Dr Tafel has shown conclusively that
the date of this letter, as also of the events
mentioned in it, have been falsified. It
could not possibly have been written in
1758 (see Documents, vol. ii. p. 616 et
seq.). The correct year of the conflagra
tion is given here.
' This date must also be erroneous, as
the fire occurred on the 19th of July.

SIGNS OF SEER.SHIP

121

eight o'clock, after he had been out
again, he joyfully exclaimed, ' Thank
God 1 the fire is extinguished, the
third door from my house.' The
news occasioned great commotion
throughout the whole city, but parti
cularly amongst the company in
which he was. It was announced
to the governor the. same evening.
On Sunday morning, Swedenborg
was summoned to the govemor,
who questioned him concerning the
disaster. Swedenborg described the
fire precisely, how it had begun, and
in what manner it had ceased, and
how long it had continued. On the
same day the news spread through
the city, and as the governor had
thought it worthy of attention, the
consternation was considerably in
creased ; because many were in
trouble on account of their friends
and property, which might have been
involved in the disaster. On Mon
day evening a messenger arrived at
Gothenburg, who was despatched by
the Board of Trade during the time
of the fire. In the letters brought
by him, the fire was described pre
cisely in the manner stated by
Swedenborg. On Tuesday morning
the royal courier arrived at the
governor's, ¦with the melancholy in
teUigence of the fire, of the loss
which it had occasioned, and of the
houses it had damaged and ruined,
not in the least differing from that
which Swedenborg had given at the
very time when it happened ; for
the fire was extinguished at eight
o'clock." Of the many versions of the
Marte^ville incident given by Dr R.
L. Tafel in the Documents, I select
again Kant's account as narrated by
him to Charlotte von Knobloch,
from information received froni a
friend whom, as we shaU see pre
sently, he commissioned to investi
gate the matter on the spot.
" Madame Harteville [Marteville],
the -widow of the Dutch ambassador

in Stockholm, some time after the
death of her husband, was called
upon by Croon, a goldsmith, to pay
for a silver service which her husband
had purchased from him. The
widow was convinced that her late
husband had been much too precise
and orderly not to have paid this
debt, yet she was unable to find the
receipt. In her sorrow, and because
the amount was considerable, she
requested Mr Swedenborg to call at
her house. After apologising to him
for troubling him, she said that if,
as all people say, he possessed the
extraordinary gift of conversing with
the souls of the departed, he would
perhaps have the kindness to ask
her husband how it was about the
silver service. Swedenborg did not
at all object to comply with her
request. Three days afterwards the
said lady had company at her house
for coffee. Swedenborg called, and
in his cool way informed her that he
had conversed with her husband.
The debt had been paid seven months
before his decease, and the receipt
was in a bureau in the room upstairs.
The lady rephed that the bureau
had been quite cleared out, and that
the receipt was not found among all
the papers. Swedenborg said that
her husband had described to him
how after pulUng out the left-hand
drawer a board would appear, which
required to be drawn out, when a
secret compartment would be dis
closed, containing his private Dutch
correspondence, as well as the re
ceipt. Upon hearing this description
the whole company rose and accom
panied the lady into the room up
stairs. The bureau was opened ;
they did as they were directed ; the
compartment was found, of which
no one had ever known before ; and,
to the great astonishment of aU, the
papers were discovered there, in
accordance -with his description." i
Kant's interest in these stories
1 Documents, vol. ii. pp. 635 and 636.

122

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

arose through his friendship with
Madame von Knobloch, who ap
pealed to his judgment in the matter
of Swedenborg's seership. To obhge
his friend, he instituted searching
inquiries into the alleged occurrences,
the result of which he communicated
in the letter referred to above.
This letter appears in the original in
Borowsky's Life of Kant, published
at Konigsberg in 1804 ; and an
English translation is embodied in
Dr R. L. Tafel's Documents, vol. ii.
pp. 625-628.
In fully confirming the trath of
these stories, Kant is careful to
guard himseh against the charge of
creduhty. " I am not aware," he
says, " that anybody has ever
perceived in me an inclination to
the marvellous, or a weakness tend
ing to credulity. So much is certain,
that, not-withstanding all the narra
tions of apparitions and -visions con
cerning the spiritual world, of which
a great number of the most probable
are kno-wn to me, I have always
considered it to be most in agree
ment ¦with the rale of sound reason
to incline to the negative side. . . .
This is the position in which my
mind stood for a long time, until the
report concerning Swedenborg came
to my notice.
" This account I received from a
Danish officer, who was formerly my
friend, and attended my lectures ;
and who, at the table of the Austrian
ambassador, Dietrichstein, at Copen
hagen, together -with several other
guests, read a letter which the am
bassador about that time had re
ceived from Baron de Lutzow, the
Mecklenburg ambassador in Stock
holm ; in which he says that he, in
company -with the Dutch am
bassador, was present, at the Queen
of Sweden's residence, at the ex
traordinary transaction respecting
Swedenborg, which your ladyship
will undoubtedly have heard. The
authenticity thus given to the

account surprised me. For it can
scarcely be beheved that one am
bassador should communicate to
another for public use a piece of
information, which related to the
queen of the court where he resided,
and which he himself, together -with
a distinguished company, had the
opportunity of witnessing, if it were
not trae. Now in order not to
reject blindfold the prejudice against
apparitions and ¦visions by a new
prejudice, I found it desirable to
inform myself as to the particulars
of this surprising transaction. I
accordingly wrote to the officer I
have mentioned, at Copenhagen,
and made various inquiries respect
ing it. He answered that he had
again had an inter^view concerning
it ¦with Count Dietrichstein ; that
the affair had reaUy taken place in
the manner described ; and that
Professor Schlegel, also, had declared
to him that it could by no means be
doubted." Not satisfied ¦with this, Kant
wrote to Swedenborg himself, and,
faihng to receive an answer, com
missioned an Enghsh friend, who
was going to Stockholm, to make
full inquiries. This friend did not
succeed in seeing Swedenborg for
some time, but he -wrote : " The most
respectable people in Stockholm de
clare that the singular transaction
alluded to [the message to the
Queen] happened in the manner you
have heard described by me."
When, at length, he had made the
acquaintance of Swedenborg, "his
succeeding letters were quite of a
different purport. [He had pre-
-viously expressed his own increduhty
in regard to the alleged facts.] He
had not only spoken with Sweden
borg himseh, but had also -visited
him at his house ; and he is now in
the greatest astonishment respecting
such a remarkable case. Sweden
borg is a reasonable, pohte, and
open-hearted man : he also is a

SIGNS OF SEERSHIP

123

man of learning. ... He told this
gentleman, -without reserve, that
God had accorded to him the re
markable gift of communicating with
departed souls at his pleasure. In
proof of this, he appealed to certain
well-lcnown facts."
After some further observations,
Kant narrates the stories of the
fire and the lost receipt, as given
above, and concludes : " What can
be brought forward against the
authenticity of this occurrence [the
conflagration in Stockholm] ? My
friend who vyrote this to me has
examined all, not only in Stockholm,
but also, about two months ago, in
Gothenburg, where he is well ac
quainted with the most respectable
houses, and where he could obtain the
most authentic and complete infor
mation, for, as only a very short time
has elapsed since 1759, most of the
inhabitants are stiU ahve who were
eye--witnesses of this occurrence."
We may take it that the authen
ticity of these three stories is estab
Hshed beyond the possibility of doubt.
There are numerous similar ones, not
so widely kno-wn and testified to,
some of which, however, are of
sufficient interest to be quoted here.
One of the most remarkable relates
to John 'Wesley, and is given in
most detail in a letter from Mr
John Isaac Hawkins, a well-known
engineer and inventor, to the Re-v.
Samuel Noble. An extract from this
letter, which is dated the 6th Feb
ruary 1826, is given below.
" In answer to your inquiries, I
am able to state that I have a clear
recollection of ha-ving repeatedly
heard the Rev. Samuel Smith [one
of Wesley's preachers] say, about
the year 1787 or 1788, that in the
latter end of February, 1772, he,
with some other preachers, was in
attendance upon the Rev. John
Wesley, taking instructions and as
sisting him in the preparatiqns for
his great circuit, which Mr Wesley

was about to commence ; that while
there in attendance, a letter came
to Mr Wesley, which he perused
with evident astonishment ; that,
after a pause, he read the letter to the
company ; and that it was couched
in nearly the foUowing words : —
" ' Great Bath Street,
" ' Coldbath Fields,
" ' Feb.  -, 1772.
" ' Sir, — I have been informed in
the world of spirits that you have a
strong desire to converse with me ;
I shall be happy to see you if you
will favour me -with a -visit.
" ' I am, sir, your humble servant,
" ' Eman. Swedenborg.'
" Mr Wesley frankly acknowledged
to the company that he had been
very strongly impressed -with a
desire to see and converse with
Swedenborg, and that he had never
mentioned that desire to anyone.
" Mr Wesley wrote for answer that
he was then closely occupied in pre
paring for a six months' journey,
but would do himself the pleasure of
waiting upon Mr Swedenborg soon
after his return to London.
" Mr Smith further informed me
that he afterwards learned that
Swedenborg wrote in reply that the
¦visit proposed by Mr Wesley would
be too late, as he, Swedenborg,
should go into the world of spirits
on the 29th day of the next month,
never more to return." ^
Dr Tafel adduces confirmatory
evidence of the trath of this story
from several other ¦witnesses.
Wesley was not the only person
to whom Swedenborg announced
the date of his death. The people
-with whom he lived, Mr and Mrs
Shearsmith, both testified that he
foretold the day he should leave
this world some time before the end
came. He also predicted the deaths
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 565.

124

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

of others, if we accept some of the
stories that have come down to us.
Here is one which is attributed to
Dr Scherer, professor of French and
EngUsh at Tubingen in the early
part of last century.
" Swedenborg was one moming in
company in Stockholm, when, after
his information about the world of
spirits had been heard with the
greatest attention, they put him to
the proof as to the credibility of his
extraordinary spiritual communica
tions. The test was this : — ' He
should state which of the company
would die first. Swedenborg did
not refuse to answer this question,
but after some time, in which he
appeared to be in profound and
silent meditation, he quite openly
rephed, — ' Olof Olofsohn will die
to-morrow morning at forty-five
minutes past four o'clock.' By
this predictive declaration, which
was pronounced by Swedenborg with
all confidence, the company were
placed in anxious expectation, and
a gentleman who was a friend of
Olof Olofsohn, resolved to go on
the following morning, at the time
mentioned by Swedenborg, to the
house of Olofsohn, to see whether
Swedenborg's prediction was ful
filled. On the way thither he met
the well-known servant of Olofsohn,
who told him that his master had
just died ; a fit of apoplexy had
seized him, and had suddenly put
an end to his Ufe. Upon which the
gentleman, through the e-vidence of
the death which really occurred
[according to the prediction] was
con-vinced. At the same time this
particular circumstance also at
tracted attention ; — the clock in
Olofsohn's dwelUng apartment
stopped at the very minute in which
he had expired, and the hand
pointed to the time." ^
In his memorandum-book for 1809
Jung-Stilhng records the foUowing
' Documents, vol. ii. pp. 716 and 717.

story, on the testimony of a " certain
beloved friend."
" In the year 1762, on the very
day when the Emperor Peter 111.
of Russia died, Swedenborg was
present with me at a party in Am
sterdam. In the middle of the con
versation, his physiognomy became
changed, and it was evident that
his soul was no longer present in him,
and that something was taking place
with him. As soon as he recovered,
he was asked what had happened?
At first he would not speak out, but
after being repeatedly urged, he
said, ' Now, at this very hour the
Emperor Peter III. has died in
prison,' explaining the nature of his
death. ' Gentlemen, -wiU you please
to make note of this day, in order
that you may compare it -with the
announcement of his death, which
¦will appear in the newspapers ? '
The papers soon after announced the
death of the Emperor, which had
taken place on the very same day.
" Such is the account of my friend.
If anyone doubts this statement,
it is a proof that he has no sense of
what is called historical faith and
its grounds ; and that he beheves
only what he himself sees and
hears." ^
The same witness relates another
anecdote, " for the trath of which,"
he says, " I can vouch with the
greatest certainty."
" About the year 1770, there was
a merchant in Elberfeld, with whom,
during seven years of my residence
there, I lived in close intimacy. . . .
He would not have dared, for all
the world, kno^wingly to have told a
falsehood. This friend of mine, who
has long ago left this world for a
better, related to me the foUowing
anecdote : —
" His business required him to
take a journey to Amsterdam, where
Swedenborg at that time resided;
and ha^ving heard and read much of
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 490.

SIGNS OF SEERSHIP

1^5

this singular man, he formed the
intention of visiting him, and be
coming better acquainted with him.
He therefore called upon him, and
found a yery venerable - looking
friendly old man, who received him
politely, and requested him to be
seated ; on which the foUo^wing
conversation began : —
" Merchant. Having been caUed
hither by business, I could not deny
myself the honour, sir, of paying
my respects to you : your writings
have caused me to regard you as a
very remarkable man.
" Swedenborg. May I ask where
you are from ?
" M. I am from Elberfeld, in
the duchy of Berg. Your writings
contain so much that is beautiful
and edifying, that they have made
a deep impression upon me ; but
the source from whence you derive
them is so extraordinary, so strange
and uncommon, that you ¦will
perhaps not take it amiss of a
sincere friend of truth, if he desire
incontestable proofs that you really
have intercourse with the spiritual
world. " 5. It would be very unreason
able if I took it amiss ; but I think
I have given sufficient proofs, which
cannot be contradicted.
" M. Are these the well-known
ones, respecting the Queen, the fire
in Stockholm, and the receipt ?
" S. Yes, those are they, and
they are trae.
" M. And yet many objections
are brought against them. Might
I venture to suppose that you give
me a similar proof ?
" S. Why not ? Most wiUingly !
" M. I formerly had a friend,
who studied divinity at Duisburg,
where he fell into consumption, of
which he died. I visited this friend
a short time before his decease ; we
conversed together on an important
topic ; could you leam from him what
was the subject of our discourse ?

" S. We will see. What was the
name of your friend ?
" The merchant told him his name.
" S. How long do you remain
here ?
" M. About eight or ten days.
" S. Call upon me again in a few
days. I will see if I can find your
friend. " The merchant took his leave and
despatched his business. Some days
afterwards, he went again to Sweden
borg, full of expectation. The old
gentleman met him with a smile,
and said, ' I have spoken with your
friend ; the subject of your discourse
was the restitution of all things.' He
then related to the merchant, with
the greatest precision, what he, and
what his deceased friend had main
tained. My friend turned pale ; for
the proof was powerful and invincible.
He inquired further, ' How fares it
with my friend ? Is he in a state
of blessedness ? ' Swedenborg
answered, ' No, he is not yet in
heaven ; he is still in Hades, and
torments himself continually with
the idea of the restitution of all
things.' This answer caused my
friend the greatest astonishment.
He exclaimed, ' My God ! what, in
the other world ? ' Swedenborg re
plied, ' Certainly ; a man takes ¦with
him his favourite incUnations and
opinions ; and it is very difficult to
be, divested of them. We ought,
therefore, to lay them aside here.'
My friend took his leave of this re
markable man, perfectly con-vinced,
and returned back to Elberfeld.
" What savs highly enlightened in-
fideUty to this ? It says, ' Sweden
borg was a cunning feUow and
employed a secret spy to get the
matter out of my friend.' To this I
reply in kindness, that Swedenborg
was of too noble a mind, and had
too much of the fear of God ; and
my friend was too discreet [for the
matter to admit of such an ex
planation]. SuchUke evasions may

126

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

be classed in the same category
as the ' transfiguration of the Re
deemer by means of moonshine ! '
" That Swedenborg for many years
had frequent intercourse with the
inhabitants of the spiritual world,
is not subject to any doubt, but is
a settled fact." ^
Many others have testified to the
truth of the messages Swedenborg
brought from their deceased friends.
An important ¦witness of this class
is Christopher Springer, a man of
much poUtical influence in his time.
He wrote to the Abbd Pernety in
1782, ten years after Swedenborg's
decease : "All that he has told me
of my deceased friends and enemies,.
and of the secrets I had ¦with them,
is almost past belief. He even ex
plained to me in what manner peace
was concluded between Sweden and
the King of Prassia ; and he praised
my conduct on that occasion. He
even specified the high personages
whose ser^vices I made use of at that
time [Springer was employed by the
Enghsh Government to arrange the
peace] ; which was, nevertheless, a
profound secret between us." ^
The story of the Stocldiolm fire
is paralleled by a somewhat similar
one related by Dr R. L. Tafel in the
Documents (vol. ii. p. 724). He
writes :
" Madame A. A. De Frese, wife of
the late Captain Carl Georg De
Frese, and granddaughter of the
manufacturer Bolander of Gothen
burg, mentioned in the foUo^wing
account, told the editor of these
documents during his stay in Stock
holm in 1869, the following anecdote :
" In a large company assembled
in Gothenburg about 1770 in honour
of Swedenborg, there was present
the manufacturer Bolander, who
was the owner of very extensive
cloth mills. During dinner Sweden
borg suddenly turned to Mr Bolander,
1 Documents, vol. ii. pp. 487-489.
2 Ibid., vol. ii. p. 533.

and said to him sharply : ' Sir, you
had better go to your mills ! ' Mr
Bolander was very much surprised
at the tone of voice in which Sweden
borg spoke to him, and thought it
anything but polite ; but he rose
nevertheless from the table, and
went to his miUs. On arriving there
he found that a large piece of cloth
had fallen down near the furnace,
and had commenced buming. If he
had delayed but a httle longer, he
would have found his property in
ashes. After remo-ving the danger,
Mr Bolander returned to the com
pany and expressed his thanks to
Swedenborg, teUing him what had
happened. Swedenborg smiled, and
said that he had seen the danger,
and also that there was no time to
be lost, wherefore he had addressed
him thus abruptly." ^
We have already remarked upon
the good fortune, as regards weather,
which Swedenborg enjoyed in his
many voyages, and the almost
superstitious dehght with which the
masters of the vessels he sailed in
received him as a passenger. When
he returned to Stockholm from Eng
land in September 1766, he saUed
with a Captain Dixon, of which
voyage Springer gives this account :
" 'When the captain of the vessel
caUed for Swedenborg, I took leave
of him, and -wished him a happy
journey : ha-ving then asked the
captain if he had a good supply of
pro-visions on board, he answered
me that he had as much as would
be required. Swedenborg then ob
served, ' My friend, we have not
need of a large quantity; for this
day week we shall, by the aid of
God, enter into the port of Stock
holm, at two o'clock.' On Captain
Dixon's return, he related to me
that this happened exactly as
Swedenborg had foretold." ^
' Documents, vol. ii. p. 724.
2 Letter from Christopher Springer to the
Abbe Pernety. Documents, vol. ii. p. 532-

TESTIMONIES

127

Of this voyage, Swedenborg wrote
to Dr Beyer, the 25th September
1766 : ^ "I arrived here in Stock
holm as early as September 8. The
trip from England was made in
eight days ; a favourable wind in
creasing to a perfect storm carried the
ship along in this style." The cap
tain himself is said to have remarked
that " never in all his life had he ex
perienced such a favourable -wind as
on that occasion, and that it followed
him at every turn he made." ^
Now, what are we to say to these
stories ? Some may be explained as
coincidences ; some may have been
exaggerated or coloured by their
narrators ; but they are too
numerous and too well attested for
all to be explained in this way.
Unless all e^vi dence is worthless,
they indicate that Swedenborg's
condition was distinctly abnormal,
and that he was en rapport -with
spiritual beings to an unexampled
degree. This, of course, does not
prove the trath of his teachings,
but it justifies the claim he made
to the possession of means of spiritual
knowledge denied to the generality
of men.

CHAPTER XVII
testimonies
If men could only be induced to set
aside their prejudices, and form an
independent judgment of a writer
from his own Ufe and works, there
would be little need to quote
the opinions of others as to his
personal character or hterary merits.
In the case of Swedenborg, as Dr
Beyer justly remarks, " the most
Divine seal, and the one most suit
able to the state of all men, is this,
that his principles harmonise -with
sound reason, and that a lover of
1 Documents, vol. i. p. 250.
2 Ibid., vol. ii. p. 560.

his writings will find his way cleared
by their means from so many doubts,
so many contradictions, and so many
doctrines revolting to sound reason. "i
But in regard to our author, prejudice
is so strong that no apology is neces
sary for citing the testimony of his
contemporaries to his high character,
learning, and general reliability ; and
of contemporary and later -witnesses
to the value of the truths he taught.
First, as to character. Among all
who knew him during life, whether
friendly to his teachings or not, there
is but one voice, that of unqualified
praise. Even his most ungenerous
critic is compelled to admit that
" wherever Swedenborg was known,
we find a gracious memory " ; and
that in him was " no vehemence,
anger, nor hatred ; no sarcasm, con
tempt, nor fretfuhiess. ... Of envy
he appears to have been utterly free ;
a malignant or a flippant sentence
we shall in vain look for through all
his books. If he desired fame he
never left the path of good sense to
look for it ; and of any eccentricity,
or any clap-trap for the sake of at
tention or admiration he was simply
incapable." There are few public
men of whom so much could be
truthfully said.
Professor Scherer, who resided in
Stockhohn during Swedenborg's life
time, testifies that " on account of
his excellent character, he was uni
versally held in high estimation " ;^
and there are many who support his
statement. Shortly after Sweden
borg's death the general sentiment
in regard to his character was ex
pressed by CounseUor Sandels in the
eulogium he dehvered in the House
of Nobles, in the name of the Royal
Academy of Sciences of Stockholm.
Such a panegyric may be regarded as
possibly overcharged ; but, on the
other hand, we must remember
1 Letter to Prelate CEtinger, Documents,
vol. ii. p. 1051.
2 Documents, vol. ii. p. 716

128

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

that Sandels was not favourable to
Swedenborg's theological views, and
had no interest to serve in unduly
exalting the subject of his remarks.
He described him as " a noble man,
celebrated alike for his -virtues and
the depth of his knowledge, who was
one of the oldest mem'bers of this
Academy, and whom we all knew
and loved." " The beautiful picture
of his Ufe," he said, " deserves to be
carefully examined." Speaking of
his appointment as a young man to
the Assessorship of the Board of
Mines, he remarked that " he was
even then well known, both in his
own country and abroad, by his ac
quisitions in general literature and
in science, and by his worthy de
meanour." He refers to his
" genuinely good disposition," and
declares that " he deserves to be set
up as a pattern of -virtue and of
reverence for his Maker ; for in him
there was no sort of double-deahng."
He says again, " We cannot discover
in him any sign of arrogance, rash
ness, or intention to deceive." ^
The Abbe Pernety tells us :
" Swedenborg was of a very gentle
disposition ; but he was straight
forward, and would not betray the
trath from respect to men, or for
any other reason." " He always
practised the morality he taught."
Count Hopken, writing to General
Tuxen, the 21st May 1773, remarks :
" The late Swedenborg certainly was
a pattern of sincerity, -virtue, and
piety, and at the same time, in my
opinion, the most learned man in
this kingdom " ; 2 and speaks of him
elsewhere as " that honest old gentle
man." * "I know," he writes in
another letter, " that Swedenborg
has related his memorabilia bona
fide." John Christian Cuno, of Amster-
' This eulogium is given in extenso in
Ta,ieVs Documents, vol. i. pp. 12-29.
" Documents, vol. ii. p. 410.
" Ibid., vol. i. p. 633.

dam, who knew Swedenborg in
timately in his later years, is fuU of
praise for his moral exceUence, al
though he could never bring himself
to accept his teachings. He speaks
of him as " a righteous, just, and
most learned man." He was con
vinced, he said, of his probity, and
sincere love of the truth ; and de
clared that he was " too honest a
man dehberately to lie." He speaks
of him affectionately as " dear, old,
honest Mr Swedenborg " ; and says
that he was irresistibly drawn to
wards him, notwithstanding his ob
jections to his teachings.^
Professor Atterbom, who also was
sceptical in regard to Swedenborg's
spiritual experiences, says that " in
everything else he was a shining
Ught of northern erudition, and a
pattern of moral exceUence." ^ Kant
bore similar testimony on the ground
of information received from a per
sonal friend who was acquainted
with Swedenborg. " Swedenborg,"
he said, " is a reasonable, pohte, and
open-hearted man : he also is a man
of teaming." * The Rev Nicholas
CoUin wrote to the Rev. John Har
grove, of Baltimore, U.S.A., the first
minister of the New Church in
America, under date the 16th March
1801 : " Swedenborg was universally
esteemed for his various erudition
in mathematics, mineralogy, etc.,
and for his probity, benevolence, and
general virtue."'* Captain Stol-
hammar wrote to the Berlinische
Monatsschrift (13th May 1788) to
correct some false statements re
specting Swedenborg which had ap
peared in that journal ; and, whUe
declaring that he was "far from
being a follower of Swedenborg,"
testified thus : " The only wealoiess
of this traly honest man was his
' For Cuno's letters and general testi
mony see Documents, vol. ii, pp. 441-485.
^ Documents, vol. ii. p. 718.
' Ibid., vol. ii. p. 627.
* Ibid., vol. ii. p. 423.

TESTIMONIES

129

belief in ghost-seeing ; but I knew
him for many years, and I can con
fidently affirm that he was as fully
persuaded that he conversed with
spirits, as I am that I am writing
at this moment. As a citizen and as
a friend, he was a man of the greatest
integrity, abhorring imposture, and
leading an exemplary life." ^
Sincerity and truthfulness were
striking qualities in Swedenborg's
character, as many who knew him
have home -witness. Mrs Hart, the
wife of his London printer, told Mr
Provo that " he was of such a nature
that he could impose on no one, that
he always spoke the truth concerning
every Uttle matter, and that he
would not have made an evasion
though his life had been at stake " ; ^
and others speak to the same effect.
Even his enemies could find no oc
casion against him in his mode of
life ; Bishop Filenius, inveighing
against his theological teachings as
" most infamous and untrathful non
sense," is compelled to admit that
their author " has at all times been
universally honoured, and has been
distinguished for his leaming in the
sciences of mining and physics." ^
If enemies were thus subdued by
the blameless and lovable character
of our author, how must he have
been regarded by sympathetic
friends ? The Rev. Thomas Hartley
wrote to him (2nd August 1769) :
" I consider myseh most highly
favoured and I rejoice from my in
most heart in ha-ving had the honour,
which you . lately granted me, of
conversing with you : and also in
your ha-ving been so kind and
friendly towards me who am quite
unworthy of such a favour. But
your charity towards the neighbour,
the heavenly benignity shining from
your countenance, and your childUke
simplicity, devoid of aU vain show
1 Documents, vol. ii. p. 678.
2 Ibid., vol. ii, p. 540-
» Ibid., vol. ii. p, 314.

and egotism, are so great, and the
treasure of wisdom possessed by you
is so sweetly tempered -with gentle
ness, that it did not inspire in me
a feeling of awe, but one of love,
which refreshed me in my innermost
heart." 1
Swedenborg's reply to these
effusive sentiments is characteris
tically modest. " The friendship
which you manifest in your letter,"
he says, " greatly pleases me ; and
I thank you sincerely for both, but
especially for your friendship. The
praises with which you overwhelm
me, I receive simply as expressions
of your love for the traths contained
in my writings ; and I refer them, as
their source, to the Lord, our Saviour,
from whom is everything trae, be
cause He is the Truth Itself." 2
In the preface to his translation
of Swedenborg's Intercourse between
the Soul and the Body, Mr Hartley
takes the opportunity of defending
the character of the author. " That
Mr Swedenborg's life, qualifications,
and high pretensions," he says,
" have passed through a strict
scrutiny in his own country, as to
every part of his character, moral,
civil, and di-vine, is not to be doubted ;
and that he maintains dignity, es
teem, and friendship there with the
great, the wise, the good, I am well
informed by a gentleman of that
nation, now residing in London."
Speaking from his own knowledge,
he says : "Lie has nothing of the
precisian in his manner, nothing
melancholy in his temper, and no
thing in the least bordering upon
the enthusiast is his conversation or
writings, in the latter of which he
deUvers facts in the plain style of
narrative, speaks of his converse
with spirits and angels with the same
coolness that he treats of earthly
things, as being alike common to
him ; he proves all points of doctrine
1 Documents, vol. i, p. i.
2 Ibid., vol. i. p, 6.

130

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

from Scripture testimony ; always
connects charity and good life -with
true faith, and is upon the whole as
rational a di-vine as ever I read.
" If these parts of character may
be allowed to gain credit to his
testimony, I think it may be pro
nounced concerning him, that he is
the most extraordinary Messenger
from God to man that has appeared
on earth since the Apostolic age, and
that he may properly be called the
Li-ving Apostle of these days." '-
Writing to the Rev. John Clowes,
of Manchester, the same witness
says : "It may reasonably be sup
posed that I have weighed the
character of our illustrious author
in the scale of my best judgment,
from the personal knowledge I had
of him, from the best information I
could procure concerning him, and
from a diligent perasal of his writ
ings ; and according thereto I have
found him to be the sound di-vine,
the good man, the deep philosopher,
the universal scholar, and the polite
gentleman ; and I further beUeve
that he had a high degree of
illumination from the Spirit of
God." 2
Dr Beyer, in defending himself
before the Consistory of Gothenburg,
remarked that " Swedenborg is
generally known to be, as to his
person and life, a God-fearing and
-virtuous, and also a quiet, peace
able, and well-reputed citizen ; and
in the pubhc prints is declared to be
a giant of learning in the various
sciences ; but especially is he known
to have an unbounded reverence for
the Di-vine Word. The thoughts of
such a man on matters of religion,"
he justly observes, " ought surely
not to be condemned rashly, and
-without a pre-vious most thorough
examination." '
Dr Messiter, writing to the Pro-
1 Documents, vol. ii, pp, 502 and 503,
^ Ibid., vol. ii. p. 517.
^ Ibid; vol. ii. p. 286.

fessor of Divinity at Edinburgh
University (23rd October 1769) says :
" As I have had the honour of being
frequently admitted to the author's
company when he was in London,
and to converse with him on various
points of leaming, I -wiU venture to
affirm that there are no parts of
mathematical, philosophical, or medi
cal knowledge, nay, I believe I might
justly say, of human hterature, to
which he is in the least a stranger ;
yet so totally insensible is he of his
o^wn merit, that I am confident he
does not know that he has any ; and,
as he himself somewhere says of the
angels, he always tums his head
away on the shghtest encomium." 1
To the Professor of Di-vinity at
Glasgow, he wrote : "I can with
great trath assert, that he is truly
amiable in his morals, most leamed
and humble in his discourse, and
superlatively affable, humane, and
courteous in his beha-viour ; and this
joined with a sohdity of under
standing and penetration far above
the level of an ordinary genius." "
Thorild, the Swedish poet and
metaphysician, described Sweden
borg as "a man of vast and con
summate leaming, an honour and
glory to his nation, who preserved
the veneration for his genius by the
truly apostolical simpUcity and
purity of his morals." ' " Dr Von
Baur, the founder of the so-caUed
' Tubingen School of Theology,' said
to some of his students who ¦visited
him at his house, that ' Swedenborg
was the greatest mortal that ever
hved.' This statement," says Dr
R. L. Tafel, " was made to my father
by. my late uncle. Prof. Immanuel
Tafel, of Tubingen, who Uke^wise
added that by the influence of Prof.
Von Baur all the original editions of
' Documents, vol. ii. pp. 522 and 523.
" Ibid., vol. ii. pp, 524 and 525.
' Emanuel Swedenborg, as a Philosopher
and Man of Science, by R. L, Tafel, Ph,D.
(Chicago, E. B. Myers & Chandler, 1867),
pp, 21 and 22.

TESTIMONIES

131

Swedenborg's works were bought for
the University Library." ^
As to Swedenborg's inteUectual
capacity and attainments there is
no dispute. Dr Beyer remarks :
" Swedenborg's works give evidence
of an unexpected insight into all the
so-called learned languages, as the
Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, without
mentioning the Latin, which know
ledge with him is fully comm.ensurate
with the importance of the matters
on which he treats ; further, that he
possesses in a remarkable degree a
knowledge of various commendable
and useful sciences, as, of philosophy
in its most abstruse depths, of
mathematics, architecture, natural
history, chemistry, experimental
philosophy, astronomy, history, and
especially of anatomy and others." -
Dr Rosen speaks of his " most un
usual learning in natural and spiritual
things," and his " great and pro
found insight . " * "His works , ' ' says
Count Hopken, " everywhere sparkle
¦with genius." * Cuno -writes : "No
one will be able to denj^ that Sweden
borg is a philosopher, and indeed one
of the first magnitude. . . In the
whole history of the world I have
found no other scholar ¦with whom
I could compare him except the
great physician and chemist Theo-
phrastus Paracelsus." ^ M. Matter,
the author of a French hfe of Sweden
borg, thus expresses himself : "In
the whole of the last century, \\-hich
produced so many eminent men,
there is not one that was more
¦vigorously constituted as to body
and mind than Swedenborg ; and
there is not one who was a more
industrious, more learned, more in
genious and more fertile writer, and
' Emanuel Swedenborg, as a Philosopher
and Man of Science, by R. L. Tafel, Ph, D.
(Chicago, E, B, Mvers & Chandler, 1867),
P-55- ^ Documents , vol. ii. p. 329.
' Ibid., vol. ii, pp, 357 and 359.
* Ibid., vol. ii. pp, 409
* Ibid., vol. ii. p. 478.

a more lucid teacher. Not one in
the whole of that century in which
Rousseau proclaimed himself to be
as virtuous as any other man, was
better than Swedenborg, nor more
beloved, and happier." 1
Of the prominent writers of the
nineteenth century, many have ac
knowledged their indebtedness to
Swedenborg ; and many others, con
sciously or unconsciously, have
adopted some of his characteristic
ideas \\ithout acknowledgment. ^
Coleridge was very strongly drawn
towards him, and spoke in the
highest terms both of his philosophi
cal and theological teachings. In a
private letter, written in 1820, he
said : "Of the too limited time
which my ill health and the exi
gencies of the to-day lea\'C in my
power, I have given the larger portion
to the works of Swedenborg, parti
cularly to the ' Universal Theology of
the New Church.' I find ^'ery few,
and even those but doubtful, instances
of tenets in which I am conscious of
any substantial difference of opinion
with the enlightened author. "' There
are several references to Swedenborg
in Coleridge's Literary Remains. Of
som.e parts of The Economy of the
Animal Kingdom, he wrote: "I
remember nothing in Lord Bacon
superior, few passages equal, either
in depth of thought, or of richness,
dignity, and felicity of diction, to the
weightiness of the truths contained
in these articles." Speaking gener
ally, he said : "I can venture to
assert that as a morahst Swedenborg
is above all praise ; and that as a
naturalist, psychologist, and theolo-

^ Emanuel de Swedenborg, se Vie, ses
Ecrits et sa Doctrine. Paris : Didier et
Cie. 1863. Pref, pp, vi, vii.
2 See the author's Swedenborg and
Modern Thought (London : James Spiers,
I Bloomsbury Street), and article on
" Coventry Patmore and Swedenborg " in
Westminster Review, January 1906,
3 See The New Church Utagazine, 1897.
p, 108.

132

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

gian he has strong and varied claims
on the gratitude and admiration of
the professional and philosophical
student." Emerson's estimate of Swedenborg
is so weU kno-wn that it is hardly
necessary to refer to it. Although
he chd not spare criticism, he was
lavish in praise also. He described
our author as " one of the missour-
iums and mastodons of literature
. . . not to be measured by whole
colleges of ordinary scholars " : he
was, he said, " a colossal soul, . . .
and requires a long focal distance to
be seen."
Another American writer who fell
under the influence of Swedenborg
was Henry James (Senior). In his
book, Substance and Shadow, he
wrote : "I fully concede to Sweden
borg what is usually denied him,
namely, an extreme sobriety of mind
displayed under all the exceptional
circumstances of his career, and
which ends by making us feel at last
his very words to be almost insipid
with veracity. . . . Such sincere
books it seems to me were never
before written." ^
It was partly through Emerson,
partly through James, and partly
through Dr J. J. Garth Wilkinson,
the translator into English of Swe
denborg's philosophical works, that
Carlyle made some acquaintance
with Swedenborg's teachings. Al
though the fact is not generally
recognised. Sartor Resartus is satur
ated with Swedenborg. On one oc
casion Emerson sent Carlyle a cop>y
of Observations on the Growth of the
Mind, by Sampson Reed, in acknow
ledging which the Chelsea philo
sopher wrote : " He is a faithful
thinker, that Swedenborgian drag-
gist of yours, with really deep ideas,
which makes me, too, pause and
think, were it only to consider what
manner of man he must be, and what
manner of thing, after all, Sweden-
1 P. 103.

borgianism must be." ^ About the
same time he wrote to Dr Wilkinson
" a beautiful letter," in which he
said : " Hitherto I have known
nearly nothing of Swedenborg ; or
indeed, I might say less than no
thing, ha^ving been wont to picture
him as an amiable but inane ¦vision
ary, with affections quite out of pro
portion to his insight ; from whom
nothing at all was to be leamed. It
is so we judge of extraordinary men.
But I have been rebuked aheady.
A little book, by one Sampson Reed,
of Boston, in New England, which
some friend sent hither,^ taught me
that a Swedenborgian might have
thoughts of the calmest kind on the
deepest things ; that, in short, I did
not know Swedenborg, and ought to
be ready to know him."
Many years later, he wrote to a
lady who drew his attention to his
unfair classification of Sweden-
borgians ¦with mesmerists, magicians,
cabalists, etc., in his essay on
CagUostro,' expressing regret for the
libel, and explaining that he spoke
in ignorance and " from mere com
mon hearsay." " I have since," he
said, " made some personal ac
quaintance ¦with the man ; read
several of his books, what biographies
of him could be heard of, and have
reflected for myself on the singular
appearances he makes in the world,
and the notable message he was sent
to dehver to his fellow-creatures in
that epoch. A man of great and
indisputable cultivation, strong
mathematical inteUect, and the most
pious, seraphic turn of mind — a man
beautiful, lovable, and tragical to
* Correspondence of Carlyle and Emerson,
vol. i. p. 19.
2 The book was Sampson Ried's Observa
tions on the Growth of the Mind, and the
friend who sent it was Emerson. The
httle volume is still in print, a new edition
haying been published bv Houghton,
Mifflin & Co,, in 1886. '
'Pubhshed in 1833, the year in which
he first met Emerson.

TESTIMONIES

133.

me, -with many thoughts in him,
which, when I interpret them for
myself, I find to belong to the high
and perennial in human thought."
It would be impossible even to
mention the names of all the recent
writers who show the influence of
Swedenborg in their works : Tenny
son, his elder brother, Frederic
Tennyson, the Bro^wnings, and
Coventry Patmore, of Enghsh poets,
exhibit it most strongly, while the
writings of Ruskin, George Macdonald,
Henry Drammond, Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Thoreau, Ehzabeth Stuart
Phelps, Goethe, Heine, and Balzac
are all more or less tinctured with his
ideas. Some of them have spoken in
the highest terms of his teachings, and
others have quoted striking passages
from his works ¦with approval.
Balzac's interest in Swedenborg is
well known, and is manifested in
several of his novels. He makes one
of his characters say : "I have
returned to Swedenborg after vast
studies of all religions ; after con-
-vincing myself, by all the books
which patient Germany, England,
and France have published during
the last sixty years, of the profound
trath of my youthful perceptions of
the Bible. Beyond a doubt, Sweden
borg gathers to himself all rehgions,
or rather the young rehgions of
humanity. . . . Though his books
are diffuse and obscure, they hold
the elements of a vast social con
ception. His theocracy is sublime ;
and his rehgion is the only one a
superior mind can accept. He alone
enables man to touch God ; he
creates a thirst for Him ; he rescues
the majesty of God from the swad
dling-clothes in which other human
faiths have muffled it." ^
The ¦view that Swedenborg's books
are " diffuse and obscure " is a
common one, but is not shared by
' See article on " Balzac and Sweden
borg " in The New Church Review (1896),
p. 496.

those best able to form an opinion.
R. A. Vaughan, in his Hours with the
Mystics, expresses an exactly con
trary opinion. He says :
" The thoughts of Swedenborg
have never to struggle for expression,
hke those of the half-educated
Behmen. The mind of the Swedish
seer was of the methodical and
scientific cast. His style is calm
and clear. ... He describes ¦with
the minuteness of Defoe. Nothing
is lost in cloud. . He' is never
amazed, he never exaggerates. He
is unimpassioned, and v/hoUy care
less of effect. . . Swedenborg
never pants and strives, — has none
of the tearful vehemence and glowing
emotion which choke the utterance
of Behmen. He is never familiar in
this page, and rhapsodical in that.
Always serene, this imperturbable
philosopher is the Olympian Jove
of mystics. He ¦writes hke a man
who was sufficient to himself ; who
could afford to wait. . . . Strong and
deep is the stream of this mysticism
which carries no fleck of foam." ^
mysticism." ^
" He sets up no doctrine based on
arbitrary or fantastical interpreta
tions. His doctrinal system is
drawn from the literal sense, and
cahnly . . . deduced, by citation, ex
egesis, and comparison of passages,
without any mysticism whatever.
Thus the balance between the letter
and the spirit is maintained in his
theology ¦with a fairness almost
unparalleled in the history of
It is not generally known how
greatly the Bro^wnings, especially
Mrs Bro^wning, were imbued with
Swedenborg's ideas. Aurora Leigh
is full of thoughts culled from
his books. Mrs Browning makes
no secret of her indebtedness to our
author: in her pubUshed Letters
she frequently mentions him. We
leam that the winter of 1852-3 was
1 Vol. ii. p. 297 (Edinburgh 1856).
2 Vol. ii. p. 275.

134

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

spent in meditation on Sweden
borg's philosophy (vol. h. p. 141) ;
and, in October of the latter year,
she wrote to Miss I. Blagden : " I
shall get at Swedenborg in Rome,
and get on with my readings. There
are deep truths in him, I cannot
doubt, though I can't receive every
thing, which may be my fault." It
is evident that as her studies con
tinued, her conviction of the truth
of his teachings deepened ; until in
March, 1859, she uses the phrase
" we Swedenborgians," thus includ
ing herself, and possibly her husband,
in the category of disciples.
Coventry Patmore is another poet
who has made frank acknowledg
ment of his indebtedness to Sweden
borg. Mr Edmund Gosse, in his
recently pubhshed Life of Patmore,
quotes the following remarkable
letter : — " I never tire of reading
Swedenborg ; he is unfathomably
profound and yet simple. I came
on a passage . . . which I don't
know how to admire enough for its
surpassing insight into truth. .
You -will think it all very odd at first,
but after you have got used to the
queerness, you will find that it
abounds with perception of the
truth to a degree unparalleled per
haps in uninspired -writing."
It will be evident that Sweden
borg's influence is by no means to
be measured by the numbers of his
professed followers. His teachings
are taking hold of men's minds, and
directing the current of modern
thought silently but surely. " Swe
denborg," wrote James Freeman
Clarke, " became the organ of a
spiritual philosophy, the power of
which is hardly yet understood, but
which seems likely to leaven all
religious thought." Emerson also
perceived this. " The most re
markable step in the rehgious history
of recent ages," he said, " is that
made by the genius of Swedenborg.
. . . These truths passing out of his

system into general circulation, are
now met with every day, qualifying
the views and creeds of all churches,
and of men of no church." The
reason of this is explained by another
American writer, Henry James, the
elder, who says that Swedenborg
" grasped with clear and inteUectual
¦vision the seminal principles of
things." While many recognise that
Swedenborg's teachings form a
powerful element in the develop
ment of modern thought, only those
are able fully to appreciate them
whose moral and spiritual natures
as well as their mental faculties are
appealed to by him. Such are
irresistibly dra^wn to him. Thus Dr
Beyer, writing to Swedenborg him
self, says : " I refrain from describ
ing to you the joy I have often ex
perienced, and how the glorious
truths are beginning to shine before
me " ; ^ while to Prelate CEtinger
he wrote : " Surely mankind never
received the revelation of heavenly
and Divine Traths with greater
marks of certainty than the
present." ^ General Tuxen thus ex
pressed himself : "It appears to me
that no system of di-vinity is more
worthy of the dignity of God, or
more consolatory to man ; and by
the Divine help I wiU always retain
this thought in mj? mind, until I
can be convinced that any part
thereof is either contrary to the
Word and Scriptures of God, or to
sound reason." ^
Thus, on the testimony of the
best-informed and most reliable -wit
nesses, Swedenborg was a man of
extraordinary inteUectual powers, of
perfect sincerity and integrity, and
of undoubted sanity, even to the
very end of his life. His teachings,
therefore, are entitled to serious con
sideration. This they would doubt
less have recei\ed in a greater degree,
' Documents, vol, ii, p, 238,
2 Ibid., p. 1051. = ibid., p. 1148.

TESTIMONIES

135

had their author not put forward a
claim to special enhghtenment, and
declared that he was the Divinely
appointed herald of a new dispensa
tion: that, indeed, through his in-
stramentality, the Second (and
Spiritual) Adv-ent of the Lord was
accomphshed. This has been justly
described as "an awful claim " ;
but its seeming presumption should
not debar us from giving it a candid
examination. We must ask our
selves if the state of the world in
Swedenborg's time was such as to
call for Di-vine intervention ; and if
the doctrines he propounded were
so high and holy that their gift to the
world may be regarded as constitut
ing the descent of the New Jerusalem
from God out of heaven — for thus, he
tells us, the prophecy of the Apo
calypse has been fulfiUed.
When Swedenborg proclaimed
that a new age was da-wning upon
the world, there were few signs of
its approach. The moral condition
of ci^viUsed society, as we have seen,
was very low, and the Church was
sunk in formalism and apathy.
Such efforts at betterment as were
made came, for the most part, from
outside the Church, and were often
revolutionary in character. They
aimed at the reform of old abuses, the
abolition of unjust pri^vileges, and the
assertion of the rights of man ; thus
touching only external evils. The
inteUectual forces at work were
largely critical and disintegrating,
and literature generally was lacking
in motive and ideal. No one at the
time could have foreseen the tre
mendous changes that have since
taken place. These changes have
been most noticeable on the material
plane, but there have been great
spiritual movements also, both moral
and intellectual. The moral move
ments have been chiefly in the direc
tion of a widening of human sym
pathy ; the intellectual movements
have been largely rationahstic.

although the philosophy of religion
has been substantially advanced by
various thinkers. At the present
time, the Churches are in a condition
of unrest ; one by one the old
doctrines, which used to be con
sidered as the very essentials of
the Christian rehgion, have been over
thrown by destractive criticism, and
the cry is for a new theology to take
their place.
Swedenborg alone offers a new
constructive theology to the world,
and gives satisfactory answers to
the questions which everyone is
asking in regard to the fundamental
doctrines of the Christian faith. His
teachings are exactly suited to meet
the needs of the age. The demand
is for a clear definition of the nature
of Christ, and His relation to the
Infinite God, for an explanation of
the meaning of the Bible, and what
constitutes its claim to be regarded
as the Word of God ; for some clearer
and more practical rule of Ufe than
orthodox theology, or human philo
sophy, affords ; and for light on the
hfe to come. On all these subjects,
and many others, Swedenborg gives
us definite teaching of the utmost
value. He restores Jesus to His
rightful position as " God over all,
blessed for ever " ; ^ he shows us
wherein the Di^vinity of the Word
consists, and throws a reveahng hght
upon its mysteries ; in the doctrine of
use, he pro-vides a new impulse and
inspiration for the regeneration of
society ; and in his revelation of the
nature of life in the spiritual world,
he gives all the knowledge that is so
eagerly sought after, and the lack of
which sends men and women to
spirit mediums, and other ilUcit
sources of information. He does not
propound these teachings as his own,
but constantly avers that he -wrote
under the direction and guidance of
theLord, describinghimseh humblyas
" Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ."
' Romans i.x, 5.

136

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

APPENDIX

swedenborg and his gardener folks

In Dr W^etterberg's (Uncle Adam's)
Altartaflan (Altar pictures), a collec
tion of stories of Swedish hfe and
history, there is a delightful account
of Swedenborg's relations with his
simple retainers, Andersson and his
wife, who acted respectively as his
gardener and housekeeper. As it
is only based on oral tradition
(though it exhibits every indication
of truthfulness), and has perhaps
been dressed up a httle, I have not
included it among authentic testi
monies to Swedenborg's manner of
life ; but it is such a charming story,
and so characteristic of the man, that
I have ventured to reproduce it as
an appendix.
The scheme of the Altartaflan, it
should be explained, is a series of
conversations between a father and
his son, the latter of whom sees
certain pictures in a dream or vision,
which his father interprets to him.
The scene in this instance is a
peasant's dweUing near Fahlun, — the
paternal home, in fact, of Bishop
Swedberg ; ^ and the father, in
explaining this to the son, teUs him
that they belong to the same stock.
This leads to his speaking of Sweden
borg, and to his son's inquiring :
" Did you never in your youth see
Swedenborg and talk with him ? "
" No, my son ; only once during
the lifetime of this remarkable man
was my father in Stockholm ; but
Swedenborg was at that time in
England, where he frequently re
sided, and we did not meet him. We
-visited the house which he o-wned
in the Sodermalm. I was then a
mere boy, but I recollect it as well
as if it had happened only to-day.
1 See above, p. 5.

My fancy was very much excited,
and I expected to find the place
where this wonderful man resided
something between a church and a
burying vault.
" My father, although he was an
orthodox priest, had nevertheless
also a tendency to mysticism. But
he laboured as much as possible
against this bias of his nature, and
in his anxiety to overcome it he
went farther than he otherwise would
have done. In consequence of this,
he always described Swedenborg to
me as a sort of -visionary and his
doctrine as thoroughly un-Christian
and -without any foundation. Yet,
in spite of all this, I noticed that
these prejudices were merely a thin
veil, under which there lay concealed
a feeling of deep veneration for this
uncommonly gifted man. Children,
generally, have this faculty of seeing
through the shell to the kernel.
And it is this which often renders
them familiar and unrestrained in
the company of a stern old man,
and in tumbling up his grey locks ;
when, on the other hand, they -will
hide away in a comer when a smooth
tongued, courteous man of the world
desires to flatter them. We can
always rest assured that children
¦will gather around a man who loves
them, though he may not have ex
pressed his fondness by a single
word. In short, I saw through my
good old father, how his words
belied his inner feehng ; and this
contradiction increased my curiosity
to know something of our absent
kinsman, who, it seemed to me, was
himself a sort of spirit being.
" But he was not at home ; the
httle building in which he used to

APPENDIX

137

live was in the rear of a large garden,
fuU of berry-bushes and fruit-trees.
How simple and unassuming was
this house ! Nothing like the
enchanted castle in the Arabian
Nights, which I had pictured to
myself. Instead of the castle, I
found a one-storey dwelling-house,
with a few dark rooms ; and instead
of an enchanted dwarf, there came
out a cheerful, friendly little woman,
who asked whether we ¦wished to see
the assessor's room.
" When the good old woman
leamed that we were distantly re
lated to her assessor, the band of
her tongue was loosened, and she
related to us a little story, which I
have never seen in print, and which,
perhaps better than anything else,
characterises Swedenborg as a man.
' Yes,' said the little old woman,
' people judge without seeing, and
this almost cost me and Andersson
our places. You see my old man
who goes yonder, raking the flower
beds ; it almost cost us our whole
happiness.' " ' How so ? ' asked my father.
" ' You know, dear pastor, there
were so many among our friends who
said to me, " You ought not to serve
in Swedenborg's house, for he is no
Christian," they said. Now, the
trath is, that then, as now, we
thought ever so much of our assessor,
but when I heard that he had not
the trae faith which leads to blessed
ness, I began to doubt whether it
was right to serve in his house. It
was a hard straggle, for I thought
as much of the assessor as of my
o^wn father ; and so I lay many
a night weeping bitterly that the
assessor was not a Christian, and
praying for the salvation of his soul.
I really fretted myseh iU out of mere
sorrow, for you see my friends
worried me so much, and insisted
that I should leave the house of this
heathen, who did not believe in
Christ, for so they said. At last

Andersson noticed that I no longer
ate or drank, and wanted to know
the cause, and begged so hard that
I told him all. Yes, Andersson is
a good man, and he always believes
me rather than himself ; and so he
also began to worry.'
" But if I should teU the whole
story in her words," said Danieli, " it
would make it too long : and so
I shall relate more briefly what
happened." " One day the old man and the old
woman, the modest gardener folks,
dressed in their holiday suits, entered
Swedenborg's silent study, the room
¦with the brown panel-paintings, the
gable windows, and a view out on
the lilac-bushes. Swedenborg sat
¦with his head resting upon both
hands, poring over a large book.
Astonished at the unusual noise, he
raised his head and looked towards
the door. There stood the good
gardener folks, though it was but
the middle of the week, both dressed
in their holiday clothes, bowing and
curtsying. On Swedenborg's grave
but cheerful countenance there
played an inquiring smile.
" Why dressed up so, Andersson
and Margaret ? " he said. " 'What
do you want ? "
" This was not in trath easy to say,
and instead of an answer, Margaret
began to cry, and her husband
crushed his hat into a thousand
wrinkles, and in his heart wished
himself more than a thousand miles
away. "'Is there any Care that lies upon
your heart ; any distress which has
suddenly came over you ? " said
Swedenborg ; " then speak out
plainly, and, ¦with God's help, it \dU
all go weU again."
" Yes," at last said the old
gardener, " yes, we wish to leave the
assessor's ser'vice."
Swedenborg seemed surprised,
" Leave me ; and why ? " he asked,
with his penetrating, friendly look.

138

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

which pierced them to their very
hearts ; "I thought as we were
growing old together, we should to
our very end remain faithful to one
another, and never separate in this
life." " Yes, so also we thought our
selves," burst out the housewife,
almost overcome with tears ; "for
thirty years we have served you, and
I thought it would be God's pleasure
that we should die in your garden,
and under your eyes ; but, but  "
" Speak out, woman ; what lies
so heavily upon your heart ? I
know that both of you think a great
deal of me. Is it not so ? "
" Yes, before God it is so," said
both of them together.
"Speak out then," said Sweden
borg, with a smile, " and then we
may be able to help the matter."
The housewife, whose strong
emotion gave her courage to speak,
and words to express her thoughts,
at last began — " Yes, people say we
ought not to serve you any longer,
because you are not a right
Christian." " Nothing else, my good woman,"
said Swedenborg quietly ; " nothing
else ? Well, let the world judge so ;
but why should you think so ? "
" You see you never go to church ;
for vears you have never been inside
St Mary's Church."
" Have you never read," replied
Swedenborg solemnly, " that where
two or three are gathered together
in the Lord's name, that there is
His church and meeting-place ? Do
you beUeve that it is the steeple and
copper roof which makes a holy
place of it ? Do you beheve that
it is holy for anyone else but him
who has in his heart Christ's church ?
Do you beUeve that it is the walls,
organ, and pulpit, which constitute
its holiness ? "
" No, no ; I know that well
enough." " 'WeU, then, here at home, in this

room, in the arbour, in the garden,
wherever a man or spirit hves,
within or without space and time,
wherever a prayer is either thought
or read, wherever a voice of thanks-
gi-^nng is sent up to Him who is
the Giver of all good, there is His
church ; and it is consequently here
where I live sheltered from the
world." Both the faithful servants bowed
their heads and said. " But this is
not the wajr of the world."
" The way of the world, my
friends ? " replied Swedenborg. " I
suppose the way of the world is
Christian, is it not ? "
" Yes, it is."
" In name it is, but not in spirit
and in trath. Faith -without works
is a dead faith ; a flower which does
not five is nothing but hfeless dust ;
and faith which does not live in
every action of man is a dead faith ;
it is no faith at aU. Llere, my
friends, see what this Christian world
really does. They call, indeed, upon
Him, the only Son, in their times of
need, but they forget both His
teachmgs and His life. Like an
obstinate child mUo despises warning,
they rush into aU manner of lusts,'
into pride and wickedness, which are
hke a thin, frail covering over an
abyss ; and over this -^'awning abyss
they scoff at their teacher, and act
foohshly and madlv until this cover
ing breaks. Then" they caU out for
help, but in vain, for thev ha-^-e long
since forfeited it ; sometimes they
are dragged up again, but in theh
foohsh pride they let go the saving
hand, they spurn the healing re
pentance, and continue their course
of vam talk and idle sport. So does
the Christian world, and they think
that all that is necessary for them is
to have a priest to speak to them a
few hours m the week about God
and the Sa-^dour ; and they do not
think that any more is required of
them than to hear and to forget.

APPENDIX

139

They therefore believe that it is
outward gesture, the singing of
psalms, and the tones of the organ
together with the empty sound of
recited prayers which penetrate to
the Lord in heaven. Truly, when the
people prostrate themselves in the
churches, then it is the voice of a
few only that penetrates to the Lord.
" Let me tell you something. To
day there was a little child sitting in
the street, a little blind girl, who
folded her little hands upon her lap,
and turned her darkened eyes to
wards heaven ; and when I saw
her, and asked her, ' What makes
you look so happy, although you are
blind ? ' the little girl said, ' I am
thinking of God our Father, who will
some day take me to Himself, and
show me aU His splendour.' Traly,
my good people, it was only at the
comer of the street that she sat, yet
I took off my hat, and bowed my
head, for I knew that God was near,
and that this was a holy place.
" No, there is a worm gna-wing at
the kernel of Christianity although
its sheU is whole. Charity is the
kernel, and the outward forms are
the sheU. Where do you see charity
in this uncharitable world ? As long
as -violence prevails and rales, as
long as selfishness and avarice op
press mankind, and as long as
earthly happiness is the goal which
we endeavour to reach, so long the
world is not Christian. But when
men at aU times, and everywhere,
recognise that they are in God's
presence and under His eyes ; when
each of their actions is the reflection
of His eternal love and of His ex
ample ; when their goal is placed
beyond the reach of time, and not
here in the dust, then only are men
Christians. Do you know, my
friends," what I have done ? Nothing
else than what was formerly done in
Palestine. 'When the Christians were
on the point of gi-ving way, then the
standard was thro-wn beyond, as a

goal for them to follow, and thither
they pressed over to the other side,
and as they rushed they conquered.
So also have I set up a goal for man
kind, not only for their thoughts,
but also for their deeds, in another
world, so as to let them know that
it is not enough for them to gather
themselves together, but also to
straggle. Such, then, is my faith.
If I believe more than others, I cer
tainly do not believe less. And now,
my friends, look back upon the
thirty years during which you have
followed me almost daily with your
eyes, and then judge whether it is
I or others who are Christians.
Judge for yourselves. I submit my
self to your judgment ; and then do
what you deem to be right."
He beckoned with his hand and
they went away, and then quietly,
as if nothing had happened, he con
tinued his reading.
The next day they stood again,
in their week-day clothes, in the
presence of their master, who asked
them -with a friendly smile, " Well,
how did the examination turn out ? "
" Oh, master Assessor," said both
of them, "we looked for a single word,
for a single action, which was not in
agreement with what the Lord has
commanded us, yet we could not find
a single one."
" Very weU," said Swedenborg,
" but it is not quite so ; many
thoughts have been, and many an
actionhas been, not perfectly straight;
yet I have tried to do as weU as I
could. And as a child, who in the
beginning speUs out his words, and
stumbles often before he can read,
pro-vided he goes to work lo-vingly
and cheerfully and strives hard to
do better, is loved by his father, so
also it may have been -with me ; at
least I pray and hope that it may be
so. But you wiU remain with me ? "
" Yes, master Assessor, untU our
death." " Thank you, my friends ; I knew

140

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

it would be so. Let people say what
they please about my teachings, but
do you judge them by. my life ; if
they agree, then all is right ; but if
there is the least disagreement be
tween them, 'then one of the two
must be ¦wi-ong."
When the Uttle old woman had
finished her story, which she had

told after the manner of her people,
by constantly repeating, " said the
Assessor," and " said I," her eyes
were glistening ¦with emotion, and
she added, " God, indeed, must have
forsaken us when He allowed us
to go astray so far as to suspect
our own Assessor of not being a
Christian."

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InstituUd in m )Pcar 1810

CATALOGUE

OF THE WRITINGS OF

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

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, BLOOMSBURY STREET, LONDON
JAMES SPEIRS, SECRETARY AND AGENT

1913

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