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20 INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS.
should study the " True Christian Religion.^^ Doctrinal points, also, are necessarily
occasionally discussed, and sometimes largely, in all his other publications.
The next and most extensive class of our author’s works, is formed by those which
are devoted to the exposition of the Scriptures, according to the principles explained in
the *’
Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture." Of these there are three : the " Arcana Cceles-
tia," which is an exposition of the books of Genesis and Exodus ; and two works (one
of them a posthumous publication,) on the " Apocalypse." In these works the spiritual
sense of the books mentioned, and, incidentally, of far the greater part of the whole
Word of God, is most luminously delivered and copiously illustrated ; the author’s doc-
trine of the existence of a Correspondence or regular Analogy between spiritual things
and natural, which is such that the one answers to the other constantly and immutably,
is demonstrated by such an abundance of examples as leaves it impossible to retain any
doubt of the fact ; it is proved that the Word of God is written according to the laws
of this Correspondence ; and the key which is thus afforded for the interpretation of
Scripture is applied under the guidance of such evident illumination, that the pious
and intelligent mind is delighted with the treasures of divine wisdom which are thus
brought to view, and acknowledges that to mankind is now offered the blessing which
the Psalmist prayed for, when he said, " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold won-
drous things out of thy law."
A third class of our author’s writings consists of works which are not strictly upon
doctrinal subjects, nor yet directly expository of the Scriptures ; but which treat ol
important questions in sacred metaphysics and morals. To this class belong, (1.) The
volume on the " Divine Love and Wisdom ;" (2.) That on the " Divine Providence j^’
(3.) The work on " Conjugial Love ;" and, (4.) The tract on the ’*
Intercourse between the
Soul and the Body." The subjects discussed in these works, are all as interesting
as they are important. They disclose, in a manner which has never before been at-
tempted, the intrinsic nature of the human constitution, throw uncommon light on the
great processes of creation, unfold as much of the nature of the Divine Being Himself as
can be comprehensible to the human mind, and discover the laws by which Divine
Providence acts—thus ’^
justifying," incomparably more convincingly than was ever
done before, " the ways of God to man."
The fourth and last class of the writings of Swedenborg contains those in which he
describes the nature of the life after death, and the state of man in the eternal world.
It is from a misrepresentation of his writings of this class that Swedenborg is so often
spoken of as a mere visionary and enthusiast ; though if the terms, visionary and en-
thusiast, mean a person who dreams of things which have no real existence, and is carried
away by the mere force of his imagination, a more false imputation was never thrown
on the character of any one, than by the application of such epithets to the always calm
and rational Swedenborg. Heaven and hell are doubtless real existences, howsoever
defective may be our notions of their nature : and, most assuredly, nothing can with
more reason be expected, than, when the superior light should be vouchsafed which
Scripture teaches us was to accompany the dispensation of the New Jerusalem, of
which it is said that *’
the glory of God did lightenit, and the Lamb is the light thereof"
(Rev. xxi. 23) ; and " there shall be no night there" (xxii. 5) —no intellectual darkness
and lack of knowledge—that then the darkness which is generally allowed to prevail
among Christians, in regard to the state of man in eternity, should be removed, and
some clear and satisfactory knowledge respecting it should be supplied. When Dr.
Jphnson was once told of a certain person who published a visionary work, in which
ne stated, that, like the Apostle Paul, he had been " caught up to the third heaven," and
had had " abundance of revelations," the witty dogmatist replied, " That he would
have been more like the Apostle had he kept his revelations to himself" And this was
a just observation. Had the Divine Wisdom seen that any specific information respect-
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