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Doc. 257.] 489
JUNG-STILLING’S TESTIMONY.
answer caused my friend the greatest astonishment. He ex
claimed, ’My GOD ! what, in the other world? ’ Swedenborg
replied, "Certainly ; a man takes with him his favourite incli
nations and opinions ; and it is very difficult to be divested of
them. We ought, therefore, to lay them aside here.’ My friend
took his leave of this remarkable man, perfectly convinced,
and returned back to Elberfeld.
"What says highly enlightened infidelity to this ? It says,
’
Swedenborg was a cunning fellow, and employed a secret
spy to get the matter out of my friend.’ To this I reply in
kindness, that Swedenborg was of too noble a mind, and had
too much of the fear of God ; and my friend was too discreet
[for the matter to admit of such an explanation] . Such like
evasions may be classed in the same category as the ’trans
figuration of the Redeemer by means of moonshine !"*
"That Swedenborg for many years had frequent intercourse
with the inhabitants of the spiritual world, is not subject to
any doubt, but is a settled fact."
B.
In his memorandum - book for 1809, Jung reports as
follows:†
"A certain beloved friend for many years, who is far ad
vanced in Christianity, communicated to me from Holland, in
a letter written last summer, the following authentic and inter
esting story about Swedenborg:
" I am acquainted with many things about Swedenborg, of
* The Editor of the English "Swedenborg Documents" adds here in a
footnote, "As is taught in the rationalistic Schools of Theology in Ger
many, where they endeavour to account for all the miracles mentioned in
the Scripture on merely natural principles. These rationalists, as they are
called, are the confirmed Sadducees of the present day." This rationalistic
school, however, is no longer so prevalent in Germany as it was.
See "Zerstreute Aufsätze aus Jung’s (Stilling’s) Taschenbuch 1805 to
1816," in his "Sämmtliche Schriften," edition of 1835 to 1839, Vol. XIII,
pp. 395 et seq. We translate the above from Vol. IV of Dr. Im. Tafel’s
German edition of the "Swedenborg Documents," p. 93 et seq.
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