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Doc. 246] SWEDENBORG TO THE LANDGRAVE. 387
I hope that you may think favourably of this work, for it
contains pure truths revealed from heaven. In respect to
the work called Arcana Cœlestia, which was published in London,
it can no longer be obtained either here in Holland, or in
England, as all the copies are sold. But as I know that there
are some persons in Sweden who possess the work, I will
write to one of them and ask if he is willing to sell it. As
soon as I receive a reply from them, or from one of them,
I shall communicate it to you.
In your gracious letter you ask how I came to have
intercourse with angels and spirits, and whether this state
could be imparted by one to another. Deign to receive favour
ably the following reply:
The Lord our Saviour foretold that He would come again
.
into the world, and institute a New Church; He predicted
this in Revelation xxi and xxii, and also in several places in
the gospels. 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 that church
by his understanding, but also publish it by means of the press ;
and as the Lord had prepared me for this from my childhood,
He manifested Himself in person before me, His servant, and
sent me to do this work. This took place in the year 1743 ;
and afterwards He opened the sight of my spirit, and thus
introduced me into the spiritual world, granting me to see
the heavens and many of the wonderful things there, and also
the hells, and to speak with angels and spirits, and this
continually for twenty - seven years. I declare in truth, that
this is so. This took place with me on account of the Church,
which I mention above, the doctrine of which is contained
in my books. The gift of conversing with spirits and angels
cannot be transferred from one person to another, unless the
Lord Himself, as has been the case with me, opens the sight
of the spirit of that person. It is sometimes granted to a
spirit to enter and to communicate some truth to a man; but
still leave is not given to the man to speak with him mouth
to mouth. This is also most dangerous, because the spirit
enters into the affection of man’s own love, which does not
agree with the affection of heavenly love.
25*
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