CELESTIAL, SPIRITUAL, and NATURAL, KNOWLEDGE:

By feveral Members of the LONDON UNIVERSAL SOCIETY for Promotion of the NEW CHURCH. (To be continued Monthly.)

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

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

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THE

New-Jerufalem Magazine;

MARCH 1, 1790.

The Life of EMANUEL SWEDENBORG continued.

TH

HAT a perfon of fo extraordinary and apoftolical a character as Swedenborg, who folemnly declared himfelf to be a messenger from the Lord, should have been branded with the imputation of madness and enthusiasm, is not furprifing; the prophets of old experienced precisely the fame kind of treatment from a corrupted and degenerate world; and were an angel from heaven to come and dwell incarnate amongst us, may we not fuppofe that his conversation, discoveries, and conduct of life would in many things be fo contrary to the errors and prejudices, the ways and fashions of this world, that many would say with one consent, he is befide himself; and where any of our brethren, through the divine favour, attains to any high degree of angelical illumination and communications, may he not expect the like reception? The precepts and lectures of one of the ancient philofophers were fo repugnant to the diffolute manners of the Athenians, that they fent to Hippocrates to come and cure him of his madnefs; to which meffage that great phyfician returned this answer, that it was not the philofopher, but the Athenians that were mad. In like manner, the wife in every city and country are the fmaller part, and therefore must be content to fuffer the reproachful name that in truth belongs to the majority. This has been the cafe of all extraordinary

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traordinary meffengers for good to mankind, and the world is not altered in this refpect. But it may be said, that though it be thus with the ignorant and prophane, yet men of education and learning will form a more righteous judgment, and determine impartially according to the nature of the evidence; but in general it is far otherwife. Human learning, confidered merely in itself, neither makes a man a believer, nor an unbeliever, but confirms him in truth or error, according to his prejudices, inclinations, or interests; at least, it is commonly fo; and therefore we find, that in all ages, fuch among the learned as devoted themfelves to fupport the credit and intereft of their particular profeffions, were always the most violent perfecutors of the truth; for though truth has its conveyance through the intellectual part in man, yet it never gains its effect, or operates as a principle, till it be received into the affection and will; and fo man is said in Scripture to be of an understanding heart. So that knowledge is productive of the greateft good or the greatest evil, according to the ground or difpofition in which it refides; when joined with piety and humility, it adds both luftre and force to truth; when joined with the corrupt paffions of our nature, it is the most violent perfecutor of it: and this was the cafe with the Scribes and Pharifees and doctors of the law; no greater enemies to Chrift than they; the pride of reputation for learning, and the authority of public teachers, unfitted. them for becoming learners at the feet of the lowly Jefus; and therefore to them were directed those words of our Lord: "How can ye believe, who receive honour one of another, "and feek not the honour that cometh of God only?" John v. 44. Giving us hereby to understand, that the dominion of any wrong paffion over the mind, will prove a certain hindrance in our way to divine truth.

It is hoped the candid reader will not be difpleafed at our having premised thus far, before we refume the life of the most extraordinary meffenger from God to man, that has appeared on earth fince the apoftolic age.

Although Swedenborg openly avowed and maintained the most profound veneration for the facred Scriptures; although he never fupported one principle contrary to the decalogue, or good manners; although his conduct was exemplary, and that he never spoke either against the govern

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