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168 DOCUMENTS CONCERNING SWEDENBORG.
who removed my doubt. I have deferred replying to your letter till I had re-
ceived from the press the work entitled True Christian Religion ^c, of which I
send your most Serene Highness two -copies, by the stage which leaves this
city every day for Germany. As to the work called Arcana Ccdestia, it is not to
be obtained any longer either in Holland or England, all the copies of it having
been sold : but as I know that there are some in Sweden, I will write to the per-
sons who have them, to know whether they will sell them at any price. I shall
communicate their answer to your Highness as soon as I receive it.
" In your gracious letter, you ask, how I attained to be in society with angels
and spirits, and whether that privilege can be communicated from one person
to another. Deign, then, to receive favorably this answer.
" The Lord our Saviour had foretold that He would come again into the world,
and that He would establish there a New Church. He has given this prediction
in the Apocalypse xxi. and xxii., and also in several places in the Evangelists.
But as he cannot come again into the world in person, it was necessary that He
should do it by means of a man, who should not only receive the doctrine of
this New Church in his understanding, but also publish it by printing; and as
the Lord had prepared me for this office from my infancy, He has manifested
Himself in person before me, His servant, and sent me to fill it. This took place
in the year 1743. He afterwards opened the sight of my spirit, and thus in-
troduced me into the spiritual world, and granted me to see the heavens and
many of their wonders, and also the hells, and to speak with angels and spir-
its, and this continually for twenty-seven years. I declare in all truth that
such is the fact. This favor of the Lord, in regard to me, has only taken place
for the sake of the New Church which I have mentioned above, the doctrine of
which is contained in my writings. The gift of conversing with spirits and
angels cannot be transmitted from one person to another, unless the Lord Him-
self opens the spiritual sight of that person. It is sometimes permitted to a
spirit to enter into a man, and to communicate to him some truth ; but it is
not granted to the man to speak mouth to mouth with the spirit. It is even a
very dangerous thing, because the spirit enters into the affection of man’s self-
love, which does not agree with the affection of heavenly love.
" With respect to the man tormented by spirits, I have learnt from heaven that
that has befallen him in consequence of the meditations to which he has devoted
himself; but that, nevertheless, there is no danger to be apprehended from them,
because the Lord protects him. The only method of cure for him is to convert
himself, and to supplicate the Lord our Saviour Jesus Christ to succor him.—
I
remain, with respect, &c.,
" Emanuel Swedenborg.
" Amsterdam, 1771."
LETTER ir.
To the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.
" I have received and read with pleasure the letter with which your Highness
has honored me. I hope that the work just printed, under the title of The True
Christian Religion, has now reached you. You may write, if you please, to the
learned ecclesiastics in your duchy, to give their judgment .concerning it ; but I
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