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26 [Doo. 4.
GENERAL BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
His latter works being of such a nature, he was unable
to discharge his duties at the Royal College of Mines beyond
the year 1747. In this year, at his own request, he obtained
his Majesty’s permission to retire from his office of Assessor.
This request was accompanied by two others, which were
also granted ; the first was, that he might enjoy, during the
rest of his life, half his salary as Assessor ; the other , that
he should not be promoted to a higher rank or title. Such
distinctions are commonly much sought after, as implying
that paper should go as far, and be worth as much, as the
real coin—but fabula docet.
Although I have not extensively examined the Sweden
borgian works I have just enumerated, I have, nevertheless,
been confirmed by them in the ideas I have already expressed,
with regard to the system which he followed, viz., that he
explained both the visible and the invisible agreeably to the
system he had adopted ; that he drew conclusions from the
visible respecting the invisible, and that he represented to
himself another, spiritual world, in entire conformity with the
world in which we live. He therefore attributed to the other
life degrees similar to those in this life, by which every thing
ascends into a higher state of purity and perfection; nay, he
laid down a sort of harmony in inclinations and occupations,
conveniences and difficulties, enjoyments and sufferings. Fully
occupied by these vivid ideas which presented themselves to
him, when he came to examine the Scriptures he connected
them with his philosophical principles. Nay, while describing
the spiritual after his own manner, he was unable to get rid
of the ideas which are derived from our material being; but
he insisted that they must be taken in a spiritual sense. Well.
But there is danger, that a person may thus be led to trust too
much to the imagination, and be too easily carried away by
an illusion of the senses.
I am not quite sure whether Bishop Swedberg, although he
was a great and celebrated teacher, had not a certain leaning
in this direction. Some of his writings seem to manifest
something of this kind. At least, he seemed inclined to
look upon certain occurrences, as if they contained a special
significance.
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