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90 DOCUMENTS CONCERNING SWEBENBORG.
labors in a most astonishing and superhuman manner at his new work. Only
think ! for every printed sheet (4to.) he has to prepare four sheets x>i manuscript
;
he now prints two sheets every week, and corrects them himself, and conse-
quently he has to write eight sheets -every week ; and what appears to me utterly
inconceivable, he has not a single line beforehand in store.* His work is to
consist, as he himself states, of about eighty sheets in print; and he has calcu-
lated that it will not be finished before Michaelmas. The title of this work is
the following ;
’ True Christian Religion, containing the Universal Theology of the
New Church, predicted by the Lord in Daniel, chap. viii. 1, 3, 14, and in the Apocalypse,
chap. xxii. 1, 2, by Emanuel Swedenborg, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.’ I
could not, in ray open manner, conceal my astonishment, that he should put
himself upon the title-page as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. But he re-
plied, *
I have asked, and have not only received permission, but have been
ordered to do so.’ It is astonishing with what confidence the old gentleman
speaks of the spiritual world, of the angels, and of God himself. If I were only
to give you the substance of our last conversation, I should fill many pages.
He spoke of naturalists (those who ascribe all things to nature), whom he had
seen shortly after their death, and"^ amongst whom were even many theologians,
or such, at least, as had made theology their profession in this life. He told me
things which made me shudder, but which, however, I pass by, in order not to
be ofer hasty iri my judgment respecting him. 1 will willingly admit, that I
know not what to make of him ; he is a problem that I cannot solve. I sincerely
wish, that upright men, whom God has placed as watchmen upon the walls of
Zion, had some time since occupied themselves with this man."
The Swedish Documents mention also another letter^ written by the same person,
addressed to a respectable merchant at Hamburg, dated March 5, 1771 ; in which he
says, amongst other things–
" I cannot forbear to tell you something new about Swedenborg. Last Thurs-
day, I paid him a visit, and found him, as usual, writing. He told me, ’ that he
had been in conversation that same morning, for three hours, with the deceased
king of Sweden. He had seen him already on the Wednesday ; but, as he ob-
served that he was deeply engaged in conversation with the queen, who is still
living, he would not disturb him.’ 1 allowed Ifim to continue, but, at length,
asked him, how it was possible for a person, who is still in the land of the liv-
ing, to be met with in the world of spirits ? He replied, ’ that it was not the
queen herself, but her spiritus familiaris, or her familiar spirit.’ Tasked him what
that might be ? for I had neither heard from hirn anything respecting appear-
ances of that kind, nor had I read anything about them. He then informed me-
Uhat every man has either his good or bad spirit, who is not only constantly
with him,t but sometimes a little removed from him, and appears in the world
* This is a mistake ; for Swedeiiborg had contemplated his last work several years
before he printed it. He first published, in 17G9, the Summaria Expositio Doctrince
NovcE Ecclesid, fyc, as a forerunner to the work in question. lie had written it at home,
and brought it to Amsterdam to be published, after having been at Paris for that pur-
pose. (See below p. 91.) He, no doubt, revised the MS. as he sent it, sheet by sheet,
to the press, and probably made additions and alterations, and this inight lead Ab Inda-
gine to suppose that he composed it immediately before it was sent to press.
•j- " Every man has his associate spirit; and every man attracts to himself a spirit
similar to the aflection of his will, and h-ence to the perception of his understanding."
—T. C. R. 380 ; see also A, C. 5470.
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