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1168 NOTES TO VOLUME II.
effort to get rid of it ; but in vain. Wherever he went, or whatever
he did, all day, the glorious appearance was still before him; though
he spoke of it to no one. He retired to rest at night, and fell asleep.
When he awoke the morning following the words, Divinum Humanum,
encircled by a blaze of light still more glorious than before, imme
diately flashed upon his sight. He then recollected that those were
the words which he had seen in the book on his table at home.
He got up, made an apology to his friend, and took an abrupt leave:
and, in his own words, no lover ever galloped off to see his mistress
with half the eagerness that he galloped home to read about Divinum
Humanum. He speedily perused the whole book; but his feelings
and convictions on reading it are best described in his own words.
In a paper left behind him he says, "The delight produced in my
mind by the first perusal of the work entitled the Vera Christiana
Religio, no language could fully express. In proceeding from the
chapter’ [with which the work begins] on the Creator and on Creation,
to the succeeding chapters on the Redeemer and on Redemption, on
the Divine Trinity, on the Sacred Scriptures or Word of God, on
the Decalogue, on Faith, on Charity, on Free-will, on Repentance,
on Reformation and Regeneration, on Imputation, on Baptism, on
the Holy Supper, on the Consummation of the Age and the Advent
of the Lord, it seemed as if a continual blaze of new and re-creat
ing light had been poured forth on my delighted understanding,
opening it to the contemplation of the sublimest mysteries of wisdom,
in a manner and degree, and with a force of satisfactory evidence,
which I had never known before."
At the time when the writings of Swedenborg were thus received
by Mr. Clowes there probably were not half a dozen persons in all
England to whom they were known. He soon therefore began to
consider that the treasure thus confided to his care was not given
to be locked up in his private coffers. He determined accordingly not
to disobey the Divine command by putting his light under a bushel:
he soon set it on a candlestick, to give light to all around. Sweden
borg himself had then just left the world; and one or two of his
works had recently been translated and published by the Rev. Mr.
Hartley. Mr. Clowes soon began to labour most diligently in the
same way; and by degrees completed the translation into English of
most of the numerous theological writings of the same honourable
writer. To secure their publication, he speedily organized a society
for this object among his friends at Manchester. He also, from his
first reception of the truths he had thus attained, framed his dis
courses from the pulpit in agreement with them. He talked of
them freely among his friends and acquaintance. He held regular
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