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CELESTIAL, SPIRITUAL, and NATURAL, KNOWLEDGE:

By feveral Members of the LONDON UNIVERSAL SOCIETY for Promotion of the NEW CHURCH.

(To be continued Monthly.)

NUNC LICET.

Vide

VER. CHRIST. RELIG.

No. 508.

To the Magazine will be added Monthly, SIXTEEN PAGES (beautifully and uniformly printed, fo as to bind separately) OF.

A Translation from the Latin, of that invaluable Work intituled, the DELIGHTS of WISDOM concerning CONJUGAL LOVE.

LONDON:

Printed for the SOCIETY, N° 45, UPPER MARY BONESTREET, near TITCHFIELD-STREET. M.DCC.XC.

Sold alfo by H. D. Symonds, Paternofter-Row, W. Chalklen, Gracechurch-street, J. Dennis, Middle-Row, Holborn, and all other Bookfellers, Stationers, and Newsmen in Town and Country, to whom the usual Allowance will be made. [ENTERED AT STATIONERS-HALL.]

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THE

New-Jerufalem Magazine;

APRIL 1, 1790.

I

The Life of EMANUEL SWEDENBORG continued.

Tis well known, that effential truth itself has been hated and rejected, and that its children, who have preached it, have been defpifed and perfecuted; ought we then to be furprised, if a difciple of this truth was also treated with fcorn and contempt, and that his enemies fhould have endeavoured to destroy his reputation? Even in London* we are credibly informed, that fome have set themselves in oppofition to the writings of this illuftrious meffenger, and attempted to depreciate their merit.

It must however be acknowledged, to the honour of the prefent age, that numbers are daily embracing the doctrines of this infant church, and it seems highly probable that it

* The friends to the honourable author's writings having lately feen fome obfervations on them, tending to discountenance their perufal by the serious part of mankind, take this opportunity of declaring, from a long acquaintance with the contents, that these writings, inftead of meriting oppofition from any who lay claim to the Chriftian name and nature, contain truths highly worthy of their moft mature and impartial attention; and fo far from militating against the sense of the Scriptures, reflect the highest honour on them, pointing out in innume rable inftances their effential holiness and divinity; infifting that they contain the very laws and order of heaven, by which all Chriftians are to form their lives, and from which all doctrine must be drawn.-They take this opportunity of obferving, that they feek to enter into no difputes with any, and having nothing but the welfare of eternal truth at heart, labour only to fhew its real and effential divinity, the real and incomprehenfible divinity of our Lord Jefus Christ, the greatness of our redemption and falvation by him, and the neceffity of a perfect sonformity of life to all that is great and good.

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will foon become an object of very general attention and inquiry. Different judgments will no doubt be formed by different perfons concerning the life and extraordinary relations we are now recording. The Atheist and Infidel will regard many things contained in them as impoffible, and will inftantly reject them under that idea: the wit and the minute philofopher will ridicule them as extravagant, and pronounce them the mere effect of a warm and deluded imagination: even the ferious and well-inftructed Chriftian will have his doubts concerning their reality, and will suspect the facts, though he may not dispute their poffibility. Supernatural events, in all ages of the world, have thus divided the fentiments of mankind, nor is it to be expected that in our own age we shall be better agreed refpecting the truths of relations fo marvellous and miraculous, fupported only by the teftimony of a fingle witness. Caution likewise on fuch occafions has always been deemed expedient by the truly good and enlightened, left giving too hafty an affent to things extraordinary, they fhould encourage impofture, and put it in the power of weak or ill-difpofed perfons to eftablish an authority over the minds of others, grounded only in the infirmities or depravities of their own.

But as an indifcriminate reception of every supernatural relation is dangerous, so an indiscriminate rejection is no less fo, and have ever therefore been equally avoided by all wise - men. And we beg leave to fuggeft with all deference to the -fentiments of others, that it is the duty of every candid Chriftian to examine well the credibility of the teftimony now offered, and this without partiality and without prejudice, inafmuch as the general interefts of truth, which ought to be dear to every one, may be greatly affected by fuch an examination.

It is well known by many living witneffes, that Emanuel Swedenborg after his extraordinary call to be an inftructor of mankind, dedicated himself entirely to the great work which was affigned him. The future part of his life was fpent, agreeably to the high commiffion he had received, in ftudying diligently the word of God, in opening and elucidating the great truths therein contained, and in publishing them to his fellow-creatures, together with the important information made known to him concerning another world. For this purpose he frequently left his native country to vifit diftant cities, particularly London and Amfterdam, where

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