The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-11-04


i the church In brSt sges bot ut lale years,
Christians IN general have harlled IL ap
proMrh that ny stsfioes suhlcr; WITH rr,s.-
| renee, decide With dididenc.., and bsbe..
with furl,ea1nnce. This sect, on The ron
trsry, have been peculiarly Tree Ia their "a.
9ury and sufficiently liberal with their sar.
easnis aud ridIcLe; Weapons common e
all anti-irfaiiari0Hs. The scriptures infurn
ns that "in the beginning uas lil.. word, ard
the werd sas with q ID, and the word wa,
God and the word VAS made nrsh Anf
dneit amons us," SIC. The bible, however
does not attempt IL furnish drlincatinns
.ich would be iBcoinprehrnsitie 10 Ga,
human intellect: declaration of the fact
Is dceaed sufficient. And when we 81.
men undertake to form systems, IN which
are described amaigamatious of matter and
spirit little short of chymical, We are al.
most ready 10 conclude that such persons
are less under the influence Of fanaticisn
than insanity.
The accouut which Swedenborgians give
of the origin of creation would be amusing,
did il not set at defiance the bible history
of that interesting subject. II Is certainly
much more appropriate to the genius Of a
heather bard than IA christian divine and
philosopher. The account that have read
Is very prolik | vii eondense it into a
compass suitable to the length of this com
maniratlon. The planets in orr system
are represented as adhering originally To
the body of the sun like so many small
eggs which he, IN process of time, by the
/ velocity of his motion, on his axis, Olsen
gasrd from himself. Beirg thusleft TO shift
! for themselves, the little creatures com
mcnCed motion OF their own. At first
like all inexperienced Adventures, they
stuck close by the side of their dame con
sequently their years, during those youthful
excursions, were very short. But as they
grew stronger by age and more expert by
experience, and moreover aided by their
o"n velecay, they began gradually to
launch ferth into boundless ether, till they
have AT last grown to the size we now see
them, and the year is become sufficiently
long for all the purposes of agriculture /! !!
TINS process is rtcrnaily To continue. How
long the years III be sonctwo or three thou
sand centuries hence, is more than can say.
one thing perhaps may suggest itself 10 the
readers mind, viz that if each of the fix
ed stars Is the centre of a system, and that
system constructed on the same principle
as ours, hoBndlcss al is immensely of space,
they may chance To come in each others
way after a while. | hope the few speci-
mems | have presented will convince my
worthy friend Condemnation, that it is "A
much easier matter Ia maintain contro-
versy with Swedenborgiau than to OBJ
tain conquest over him aud that Il is no
great dlsparagcment TO our good English
friends, if they base retired from the con-
test. Having finished the remarks inten-
ded TO make, | beg leave To present an nc
count Of this sect, written by Mr.. Bennett,
in his Letters TO IA young lady" a little
volume, which i, is presumed most readers
OF taste have in possession -
EXTRACT from Benners Letters.
"IKNow not why the mystics are so cal
led, unless il be for discovering mystical
passages in the scripture, or making rcli-
gion at Large, wear the appearance ct mys-
terry. They are a very ancient sect, alrd
sprung mp 81 early as about the close oi
the third century.
This people, by very singular kind OF
ingenuity, discover spiritual or hidden
SENSE in the most literal passages of scrip
TURF, aud indeed convert the Whole rather
into an amusing allegory than plain and
simple narrative Of facts.
They hold all divine truth 20 come by
an immediate influx, from the spiritual
world aud pretend to a knowledge God,
and heavenly things, that can only be at
tanned in this acknowledgements. Some
times they are called quietlsts, because they
maintain that the soul should be IN still,
quiet, passive state, undistract"d with noise
and cares, and almost superior Ia sense or
matter, III order to receive this divine Ilu-
mlnation. Their station, in the thermom-
eter of different religious orders, is that OF
lighter elements, carried by superior suhti-
lily INTO the air, whilst others composed ot
gosser matter, adhere, by an inyincIble
necessity, To the earth, ill deati disselres
the union betwixt soul and body.
"T The mystic theology seems to be the
philosophy of Plato refined and grated up
On Christian stock the gturotism of re-
lisi0n. which affects Ia attain IN tye, what
the scriptures have taught us To expect
only after death an intimate knowledS.
of the almighty, visions, revelations, almost
iaiuiitont
I" If the mystics would reason for mo
ment, (but people, under the guidance ol
immediate illumination, are far above the
rutgdr shackles OF reaSOn) they would see
that such subtle, metaphysical system is
poorly Cited for the reception of mankind
at large, who can scarcely be brought to
understand, relish, or practise the most OBJ
vlous truths F.; they would acknowledge
that divinity to be the best, which does not
with the hghtness of some moher, ascend
into the air, but contents itself ON earth
with intoxicating and enforcing the most
obvious duties of common life; the recip-
rocal obligations of parents and children