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614 [Doc. 270.
THREE EXTRAORDINARY FACTS.
spirits for this purpose, that the church which has hitherto re
mained in ignorance concerning that world, may know that
heaven and hell exist in reality, and that man lives after death,
a man, as before ; and that thus there may be no more doubt
as to his immortality. I beseech you, therefore, to try to con
vince the Duke, your sovereign, that these are not miracles,
but only testimonies that I speak with angels and spirits. In
the above-mentioned work [ The True Christian Religion’] you
may see that there are no more miracles, at this time ; and
the reason why. It is, that they who do not believe unless
they see miracles, are easily led into fanaticism. " And in his
letter to Prelate Etinger (Document 232), he adds, " Signs and
wonders do not take place at the present day, because they
compel externally, and internally do not convince....The sigu,
given at this day, will be illustration, and thence an acknow
ledgment and a reception of the truths of the New Church."
The Rev. S. Noble in adverting to the extraordinary facts
discussed in the present division of our work, makes the follow
ing pertinent remarks (“Appeal, " p. 199) : "It may perhaps
be thought, that if, in consequence of having been called by
the Lord to a holy office, Swedenborg really had the privilege
of conversing with angels and spirits, some plain proofs of it,
beyond his own assertions, might occasionally occur. Now
that such proofs did occur, is a certain fact. He indeed never
appeals to them in support of his mission : he shows, in various
parts of his writings, that where the mind is not receptive of
truth by its own evidence, no external testimony will force it
in: he therefore affirms, that it would have been incompatible
with the nature of the truly spiritual dispensation to be opened
by the Second Coming of the Lord, to prove it by miracles.
To the performance of miracles, therefore, he made no claim:
yet as Providence permitted him, on some occasions, to give
full demonstration of his supernatural knowledge, we must con
clude that it was granted for some useful end. That end may
be, to afford satisfaction to those who, though favourably in
clined towards the doctrines of the New Church in general,
would yet feel more assured by some external tokens. On
those who are decidedly opposed to the truths contained
in our author’s writings, no external tokens whatever, we are
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