malm, (Gothenburg is about 50 miles* 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 eight o'clock, after he had been out again, he joyfully exclaimed, Thank God! the fire is extinguished, the third door from my house.' This news occasioned great commotion through the whole city, and particularly amongst the company in which he was. It was announced to the governor the same evening. On the Sunday morning, Swedenborg was sent for by the governor, who questioned him concerning the disaster. Swedenborg described the fire precisely, how it had begun, in what manner it had ceased, and how long it had continued. On the same day the news was spread through the city, and, as the governor had thought it worthy of attention, the consternation was considerably increased; because many were in trouble on account of their friends and property, which might have been involved in the disaster. On the Monday evening a messenger arrived at Gothenburg, who was dispatched during the time of the fire. In the letters brought by him, the fire was described precisely in the manner stated by Swedenborg. On the Tuesday morning the royal courier arrived at the governor's with the melancholy intelligence of the fire, of the loss which it occasioned, and of the houses it had damaged and ruined, not in the least differing from that which Swedenborg had given immediately it had ceased; for the fire was extinguished at eight o'clock.

"What can be brought forward against the authenticity of this occurrence? My friend who wrote this to me has not only examined the circumstances of this extraordinary case at Stockholm, but also, about two months ago, at Gothenburg, where he is acquainted with the most respectable houses, and where he could obtain the most authentic and complete information; as the greatest part of the inhabitants, who are still alive, were witness to the meniorable occurrence.

"I am, with profound reverence, &c. &c.,

"EMANUEL Kant."+ "Swedenborg's omitting to answer by letter professor Kant's inquiries relating to the above affairs may appear extraordinary. But it is to be remembered, that he never, himself, laid any stress upon these supernatural proofs of the truth of his pretensions; and never does he appeal to them, or so much

* German miles; near 300 English.

The above letter is taken from a work intitled "Darstellung des Lebens und Charakters Immanuel Kant's, von Ludwig Ernst Borowski, von Kant selbst genau rividirt und berichtigt. Konigsberg, 1804.

as mention them, in his works. How strong an evidence is this of his elevation of mind; and of his perfect conviction of the truth of the views he was made an instrument for unfolding, with his own divine appointment to that purpose, as standing in no need of such evidence for its support! Could it be possible for any of the merely fanatical pretenders to divine communications to appeal to such testimonies of supernatural endowment, how eagerly would they seek to silence objectors by referring to the Queens, Counts, Ambassadors, Governors, and University-Professors, that had been witnesses of their power! But it is precisely on account of the silencing nature of such evidence that Swedenborg declines to appeal to it.-Doubtless, however, it was of Divine Providence that occasions arose which constrained him to give such demonstrations, and that they were recorded by others: because such things serve for confirmations of the truth, though they are not the proper grounds of its original reception. When presented also upon testimony, and at a distance of time, they lose that compulsive character which they possess when they take place, or nearly so, before our eyes: and thus they may then become useful to draw the attention of receptive minds to the truth, which, when known, may convince by its own evidence."

That supernatural evidences, at a distance of time, lose that compulsive character which they possess when they take place, or nearly so, before our eyes; and that minds not receptive of the truth, will then throw off the attention to it that was only compulsively induced; are facts of which Kant himself afforded a melancholy example; for he afterwards wrote a pamphlet in which he depreciates Swedenborg and his writings. But, as observed by the Editors, when his letter was first published in English in "The Intellectual Repository,"*

"On the whole, this letter of Kant must certainly be deemed a very valuable document, and ought to have great weight with all unprejudiced minds. He here, it must be allowed, exhibits the true spirit of a philosopher. Prejudiced, at first, like most men of science, against all belief in spiritual intercourse, he consents, on finding a prima facie case made out in favour of that of Swedenborg, to investigate the matter thoroughly: he does so; and comes at last to the conclusion, that some of the

*For January, 1830, from which some of the preceding remarks are abridged. See all that is there said upon Kant and his system, p. 57 -62. For what he afterwards wrote against Swedenborg, with an exposure of its utter futility, see pp. 197, 198, 199, of the No. for July, 1834; being part of an article, bearing the signature of Egiochus, in which I examined the objections raised against Swedenborg's "inspiration," in the American Christian Examiner, by Dr. Hedge, of Harvard University.

cases are so well established, as to set the assertion respecting Swedenborg's extraordinary gift OUT OF ALL POSSIBILITY OF DOUBT.' Admit this, and as we have already seen, the truth of his having received such a divine commission as he affirms he had, follows of course. To allow the reality of his "extraordinary gift," and to reject his account of the way and purpose in and for which he received it, is to make a fact unintel ligible, and even incredible, though admitted to be indubitable. Nor will the attempted solution of some of the German writers, followed by some in England, at all meet the difficulty. When they tell us, that his alleged spiritual experience was nothing else than the vivid embodying of the conceptions of his own mind, they tell us what, so far as concerns the relations in his writings, though not easy to believe, it were also not easy to disprove. But how does it explain the cases mentioned by Kant? Supposing Swedenborg able to form so vivid a conception of the deceased M. de Marteville as to fancy he heard him speak yet that a piece of information respecting a fact in the natural world, thus heard only in imagination, should be verified by the event, were indeed an extraordinary coincidence. How lively soever the idea that he might be able to conjure up in imagination of the Prince of Prussia; yet that he should succeed in extracting from the phantom, the mere creation of his own mind, the knowledge of the secrets between the Prince and the Queen, never told to any other person, were also a miracle, such as only the credulity of sceptics could be capacious enough to take in. And with whatever force of colouring he might manage to picture to his fancy a fire three hundred miles off, till at last believing it real, he becomes alarmed for his own house; yet that every thing thus imagined should prove true in every particular, if nothing but the activity of his own conceptions had given it birth, were a phænomenon to puzzle much wiser philosophers than either Germany, or any other country, ever beheld. In declaring, then, that some of the examples are such as' to set the assertion of Swedenborg's extraordinary gift out of all possibility of doubt,' Kant has fixed the brand of folly on those of his own disciples, who sagely resolve the whole into vividness of conception. Nor is this testimony of Kant at all weakened by his own defective consistency, in afterwards slandering Swedenborg's works. An adequate cause here operated and belief, solely founded on the basis of miracle, is never permanent. When he came to the conviction of the reality of Swedenborg's spiritual intercourse, he viewed this merely as an extraordinary fact, and did not connect it with any particular views of truth. When he afterwards found that the views of truth with which it was connected by Swedendorg, either mi

litated against his own, or would deprive him of the praise of the best of them, the pride of self-intelligence interfered; and upon the altar of this demon is to be immolated the adversary or the rival. Then he labours to depreciate, whom, in his letter to Madame de Knoblock, he had taken pleasure to honour. That letter remains, still honourable to Swedenborg; and the writer's departure from the candid spirit which dictated it, reflects disgrace only upon himself."

Upon a review of the whole that has been advanced in this PART of this SECTION, I expect to have the suffrages of the Candid and Reflecting when I say, that there is no possibility of explaining the character of Swedenborg, the works he has produced, and the instances of supernatural power recorded of him, upon any other hypothesis than that which admits the truth of his claims. I verily believe, that this admission would force itself upon all who would go through with the examination. Certain it is, that the fact has been tacitly acknowledged by some. The Monthly Review, for instance, though it has sometimes indulged in ill placed levity in regard to Swedenborg's writings, yet on the first publication, in English, of his Treatise on Heaven and Hell, which is precisely the work of his which may most easily be distorted into matter of ridicule, spoke of the Author in the following tone of moderation: "Count Swedenborg (so it styles him) is certainly to be ranked among the wonders of the age: for though enthusiasts and visionaries have arisen at all times, it is very rare to meet with one who so calmly, yet confidently, and with so much simplicity and cool reasoning, relates the frequent interviews he has had with the world of spirits." The Reviewers then give an extract from the book; after which they say," In whatever light we regard this author, there is something truly astonishing in him and his writings. He was a man of eminence and distinction in his country;" &c., continuing to relate much that was honourable in his character, and concluding with an extract from the translator's preface, exhorting to the perusal of his works.* In their account of the work intitled "The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine," after a sort of abstract of its contents, they say, "Possibly, when the doctrine here. taught is stripped of its peculiar garb, it will be found to mean nothing more than that real piety, integrity, and goodness of heart, which all good men must plead for, and earnestly wish to see universally prevail.-We will only add, that while we cannot but consider the late Count Swedenborg as an enthu siast of the first order, we must also regard him as a most extraordinary, and, indeed, a most WONDERFUL man!"

* M. R. Nov. 1778.

+ M. R. Vol. lxiii. App.

We

here see precisely the same feelings as the force of truth, by another of its distinguished proclaimers, excited in one of old, whose previous habits had in like manner disqualified him for receiving it, but who, while under its influence for a moment, could not refrain from exclaiming," Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."* The previous habits of the Monthly Reviewers, together with the character they had to maintain, constrained them to speak of Swedenborg as an enthusiast; while the force of truth compelled them to admit, that he was such an enthusiast as the world had never before seen. What could have made them say, "In whatever light we view this author, there is something truly astonishing in him and his writings?" what, but an inward consciousness, though not acknowledged to themselves, that no other hypothesis could explain the phænomena of his case but that which the author himself assigns? without which his character and writings must ever remain an inexplicable riddle, calculated to generate all that astonishment which attends the combination of contradictions? What more extraordinary contradiction than to talk of a CALM and COOLLY REASONING enthusiast! WHOSE docTRINE, too, is such as all good men must earnestly wish should become universal,—that is, is the ESSENCE OF REASON AND EXCELLENCE?

When the recognition of part of Swedenborg's claims to attention, and the denial of the rest, involves men of rationality in such palpable inconsistency, what is the proper conclusion, but that sound reason requires the admission of the whole?

SECTION V.

A HUMAN INSTRUMENT NECESSARY, AND THEREFORE RAISED Up.

PART III.

The Objection, That Swedenborg performed no Miracles, Considered.

That, whenever the time for the Lord's making his Second Advent should arrive, a Human Instrument, to communicate the truths then to be made known, would be necessary, and that no man more likely to be chosen for that purpose than the illustrious Swedenborg could easily be found; That his quali

*Acts xxvi. 28.