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HIS LETTERS TO DR. G. A. BEYER. 185
continually.’ And in Joiin v. Clirist says, ’ All shall honor the Son, even as they
honor the Father.’ See also Paul, i., Thess. ii. What is here adduced is taken
verbatim therefrom {Formula Concordicc).
" hi our Psalm book there are prayers and psalms which are addressed solely
to Jesus Christ. As an example, I will adduce only from Psalm 266, the follow-
ing, ’
Jesus is my defence, and my heart’s delight. Hear, Jesus, my voice!
Depending on Christ I shall be safe, and free from sin, I shall not fear Satan,
howsoever he may rage ; Jesus stands by me. All cares which burden my heart
I cast upon Jesus ; he cares for me before the day begins ; now I live securely/
Verses 1, 3, 8.
" Besides all this, there are m two of my letters,* which have been received and
printed in the Gottenburg protocols, many proofs adduced from the whole of the
Formula Concordia, that our Saviour is, according to his human nature, also God,
which Luther and the Formula Concordice corroborate with all power, and which
also is in agreement with the entire Word of God. I will here only refer you to
Colos. ii. 9 ; 1 Epist. John v. 20, 21. More to the same purport has been adduced
from one of my works, an extract of which may be found in the printed proto-
cols or reports of the Gottenburg Consistory. This [doctrine] is there called
Swedenhorgianism ; but for my part I call it true Christianity.
*’This is the state of the question, concerning which we now contend, which
on the one side the members of the Consistory have not, in the least, touched,
but have only burst forth into shameful reproaches, which are of such a nature
as to affect not only my person and honor, but even our Redeemer and his holi-
ness.
•’
As to the Son of God from eternity, about which subject there is also a dis-
pute, I have also proved, that in the Apostle’s creed, which is received through-
out the whole Christian world, and which contains the teaching of the apostles,
no other Son of God is meant, than the Son of God born in time, who is our
Redeemer himself, to whom every man can address himself, and, according to
the Augsburg Confession and the Formula ConcordicBi he must address himself, in
order to find salvation. If this doctrine v/ere taken away, I would rather dwell
in Tartary than in Christendom. Should another wish to go still further, to a
Son from eternity, he is free to do so.
" Through your letter, and the intimated fear respecting hard treatment, I have
been occasioned to unfold and explain the matter in this manner, as theological
subjects are of such a nature, that a person may easily wander in darkness re-
specting them, particularly if the accusers, from pretended learning, blacken
them with such gross expressions, and thus kill the * male child ’ with murder-
ous words. However, I believe, and I feel persuaded, that his Majesty and his
enlightened counsellors will judge of the matter according to its true nature, and
Yv^ithout reference to the glosses and remarks of the dean and of others : for il
you were deposed and banished from the country, what else would the present
as well as future generations say, but that this had happened on no other ac-
count, than because you had addressed yourself immediately to our Lord and
Saviour, and, notwithstanding, you did not deny the Trinity. Would not this
cause every one to be greatly astonished and indignant.’ This subject, in its
* These letters may be seen above p. 127-*132.
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