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1244 NOTES TO VOLUME II.
In the "Noble" Library of the New Jerusalem Church, Camden Road,
London, is a volume containing three of the minor works of Sweden
borg, viz. De Equo Albo ; De Ultimo Judicio; De Telluribus in
Universo. This volume originally belonged to Francis Okely who
purchased it in 1768. On the fly-leaves of this volume he carefully
copied out a Review of Swedenborg’s Writings, which appeared in
the "Monthly Review" for June, 1770 ; and likewise the Account of
Swedenborg in the "Arminian Magazine" for 1781, which is contained
in Document 270, p. 586 et seq. At the end of this article Mr. Okely
wrote the following N. B. (Nota Bene), "I, Francis Okely, transcribed
this, September 4, 1781 , meaning nothing more or less thereby than
that every impartial reader should see everything as well against as
for the Baron’s singular pretension. The decision is therefore left
.
to the reader’s own discrimination in Divine light."
On the last page he writes as follows, "An author as difficult to
approve, as it would be totally to condemn. See Acts v, 36 et seq.;
1 Thess. v, 21 ; 1 John iv, 1.”
"Certainly we ought to beware of intruding into those things we
have not seen, being vainly puffed up by the fleshly mind, Col. ii, 18.
If we knew all real mysteries and all knowledge, and had all faith
so as to remove mountains, and have no charity, we are nothing,
1 Cor. xiii, 2. The end of the commandments is charity out of a
pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned, 1 Tim. i, 5;
John iii, 32."
"Dr. Meisner and Dr. Gerhard meeting at Wittenberg began to
discourse of Jacob Behmen, expressing how greatly they admired
the continued harmony of Scriptures produced by him at his examin
ation (before the Elector of Saxony), and that they would not for
all the world have served his enemies’ malice in censuring him : ’For
(says Dr. Meisner) who knows but God may have designed him for
some extraordinary work, and how can we with justice pass judgment
against that we understand not ? For surely he seems to be a man
of wonderful high gift of the spirit, though we cannot at present,
from any ground of certainty, approve or disapprove of many things
he holds.’* This expresses in some sort my sentiments concerning
Baron Swedenborg."
In concluding his letter to the Rev. J. Wesley, which contains
his testimony concerning Swedenborg (Document 278), Mr. Okely
says : "I heartily wish, that the real designs which an Omnipotent
and Omniscient God of Love might have, either by him (Sweden
borg), or by any other of his sincere servants of whatsoever sort or
* See Preface to the last fourth edition of J. Behmen’s works, p. XIX.
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