face, in these words; "The restoration of mankind, re"prefented in Scripture as the great defign of the Gospel, "is defcribed as requiring a long feries of means, and per"fons, and difpenfations, before it can be brought to its "completion; whereas the whole ought to have been ef"fected at once. Now every thing we fee in the course of "nature fhews the folly of this objection," &c. II. It must be next to impoffible for one unacquainted with these writings, to conceive or believe, that a general judgment took place in the fpiritual world about the year 1757, although the effects of it are plainly demonftrable yearly in this natural world; yet an impartial reader of the fame bishop of Durham's charge to the clergy in the year 1751, may plainly fee that fuch an event was at hand, as he useth the same scripture proof as our author did about the fame time, viz. Luke xviii. 8. And that there was a Scotch preacher, Mr. Amory, who more plainly gave the fame warning, is well known; although they both named it by a wrong tranflation, the end of the world. III. The fame learned bishop in part II. chap. vii. wonderfully coincides with the truth of Swedenborg's explanation of the Revelations, page 358, &c. Yet much more wonderfully does the present good bishop of Exeter declare the kingdom of Chrift advancing at this remarkable epocha, in his fermon preached at Bow Church before the fociety for promoting christianity: he fpeaks like one infpired! and I doubt not but he was, more than he himself understood; even like Caiphas, ex officio. IV. Laftly, What most are offended with, is the greatest beauty of the doctrine, the everlastingness of true Conjugal Love, as if they entirely wished to forget," that what "God had put together, let not man feparate." Most of the best moral poets, allow its beauty and truth, not only Milton, but the divine Watts, as may be feen in his Lyric Poems in particular: In one place he makes an angel fpeak thus, "Mark (faid he) that happy pair, "Marriage helps devotion there; "They break with double vigour thro? The dull incumbent air, In another, he fhews his own ideas to agree with the "Sure then, I cry'd, might I but fee "Some courteous angel, tell me where, "Swift as the wheel of nature rolls "I'd fly, to meet, and mingle fouls, "And wear the joyful chain. And to prove that he fuppofed Conjugal Happiness to continue beyond the grave, in his elegy on Mrs. Warner, who died in child-bed, he introduces her into heaven, longing for her husband's arrival, in these words, "(Then calls her mate) Die, thou dear partner of my mortal cares, "Die and partake my blifs; we are for ever one. Yet as I have by me a manuscript of his own writing on the divinity of Chrift, never yet published, I think it most worthy of prefervation, as it appears to be a production in his younger years, before he had written controverfially on the Trinity; he calls it, PARADOXES ON CHRIST THE MEDIATORY Come, here's a fubject meet for meditation, Who all things made, in time was made a man: Two Two natures in one perfon, uncompounded: The judge of all, in judgment-hall condemned: Though great care was taken to introduce our New Magazine to the Public as free from errors as poffible, yet the following errata have been difcovered, viz. Pag. 6, line '15,' 16, 18, 26, 29 read and one of them defired leave to speak 16 fiaft read assist 4 read mineral and metallurgic 39 though read through 12 Siven Lilcenrants read Sven Liliencrants 31, laft line (yet very few of the Lutherans think beyond 31, 21 for the read this. SUBJECT SUBJECT OF THE PLATE. Contained in a memorable Relation in the Delights of Wisdom refpecting Conjugal Love, N° 293. SEVEN Wives feated on a Bank of Rofes, near a Fountain, and drinking Water, inftructed Swedenborg in certain Mysteries relative to the Delights of Conjugal Love. After their Difcourfe, there appeared at a Distance a flying Dove with the Leaf of a Tree in its Bill; but as it approached, instead of a Dove was seen a little Boy with a Paper in his Hand, which he prefented to Swedenborg, faying, read this before the Virgins of the Fountain, and he read as follows: Say to the Inhabitants of the Earth, with whom thou art, that there is granted a true Conjugal Love, the Delights whereof are Myriads, concerning which Delights the World Scarce knoweth any of them as yet; but it will know them, when the Church betroths herself to her Lord, and marrieth. Why,, fays Swedenborg, did the Boy call you the Virgins of the Fountain? We are called Virgins, replied they, when we fit at this Fountain, for we are the Affections of the Truths of our Husband's Wisdom, and the Affection of Truth is called a Virgin; a Fountain also fignifies the Truth of Wifdom, and the Bank of Rofes on which we fit, its Delights. |