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106 DOCUMENTS CONCERNING SWEDENBOKG,
XVIII.
TESTIMONY
OF
THE REV. JOHN WESLEY,
RESPECTING SWEDENBORG’S INTERCOURSE WITH THE
SPIRITUAL WORLD.*
"Among Mr. Wesley’s preachers, in the year 1772, was the late Mr. Samuel
Smith, a man of great piety and integrity, who afterwards became one of the
first ministers i^ our church. Having heard a curious anecdote, said to rest on
his authority, I wrote (says Mr. Noble,) to Mr. J. I. Hawkins, the well-known
engineer, who had been intimately acquainted with Mr. Smith, to request an
exact account of it. The following (a little abbreviated) is his answer; it is
dated February 6th, 1826:—
"Dear Sir,
" In answer to your inquiries, I am able to state, that I have a clear recollec-
tion of having repeatedly heard the Rev. Samuel Smith say, about the year 1787
or 1788, that in the latter end of February, 1772, he, with some other preachers,
was in attendance upon the Rev. John Wesley, taking instructions and assisting
him in the preparations for his great circuit, which Mr. Wesley was about to
commence ; that while thus in attendance, a letter came to Mr. Wesley, which
he perused with evident astonishment ; that, after a pause, he read the letter to
the company ; and that it was couched in nearly the following words rf
—
" ’Great Bath-street, Coldbath Fields, Feb., 1772,
«’ ’
Sir,—I have been informed in the world of spirits that you have a strong de-
sire to converse with me ; 1 shall be happy to see you if you will favor me with
a visit.—I am. Sir, your humble Servant,
"’Eman. Swedenborg.’
*’
Mr. Wesley frankly acknowledged to the company, that he had been very
strongly impressed with a desire to see and converse wdth Swedenborg, and
that he had never mentioned that desire to any one.
" Mr. Wesley wrote for answer, that he was then closely occupied in prepar-
ing for a six months’ journeyy but would do himself the pleasure of waiting upon
Mr. Swedenborg soon after his return to London.
*’ Mr. Smith further informed me^ that he afterwards learned that Swedenborg
wrote in reply, that the visit proposed by Mr. Wesley would be too late, as he,
Swedenborg, should go into the world of spirits on the 29th day of the ne^t
month, never more to return.
* Extracted from Mr. Noble’s ’*
Appeal in Behalf of the Doctrines of the New Church,
^c." pp. 246-251. The reader’s attention is especially referred to this work, as an
able vindication and confirmation of the said " Doctrines.’*
t The letter was most probably in Latin ; but Mr. Wesley, no doubt, would read in
in English^
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