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Doc. 245. ] 337
DR. BEYER’S DEFENCE.
the principles which underlie the doctrinal system ; e. g. in
respect to the Sun of heaven, that in its essence it is the love
and wisdom proceeding from the Lord, that thence is all good
and all truth, and that from it originates every thing that is
truly human; in respect to the will and understanding, that
they constitute man, and that they are receptacles of good
and truth; again, that without interior and exterior senses
there is no consciousness of life, and that there is neither
life nor sensation except in forms ; further, that the Lord’s
kingdom in general is a kingdom of an infinite variety of uses,
functions, and purposes, and, indeed, in every object from the
greatest to the least; besides many other general principles,
a complete knowledge of which may be obtained by studying
the work on ’Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love
and the Divine Wisdom.’ And how little has mankind been
hitherto enabled to form, in the least degree, a precise
idea respecting the eternal world! With what delight then
should we now strive to know what has hitherto remained
unknown, and which it was impossible to know before ; and
which the more it is studied, is found the more to harmonise
with what we read in Scripture, where these subjects are
presented in a general form in the literal sense, and are treated
of as to their particulars in the spiritual sense ! I therefore
purposely, with all due submission, pass by those epithets
which are inconsiderately heaped upon the author, such as
fanatic, visionary, enthusiast, &c. , words in current use at the
present time, but the meaning of which is not known : ’they
speak evil of the things that they understand not ’ (2 Peter ii, 12).
"In conclusion, whatever may be said, in all humility, in
respect to the three classes of books mentioned above, there
is only one mode by which a satisfactory knowledge can be
obtained respecting them, and that is, that whoever is anxious
to arrive at certainty in his investigation of the truth, must
undertake a study of these books for himself, or at least
be willing to be instructed respecting them by others. For
the most part their contents are too sublime to be read and
comprehended by all ; but it is the business of the learned
and of the clergy to study them, so that they may obtain a
knowledge of the principles taught therein, and may thus
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