New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-07-03
VOL. v. NO. ~.

selves out from the benefit Of other teachngs1 i
is because they find in the works OF SwedenDors
all and much more than AL. the true spiritual IN
siruction which is to be found in the teachings OF
all other men put together Those who have stud
led Swedcnborg's works most thoroughly, and have
coinprchcnded them most fully, know full well that
the writings OF any other upon the same sub
iecis. when compared with these are a. poor
iarthne rushlighi,' compared with the great orb
of day
| would add. however. that Swedenborgians
stand ready 10 welcome with warm affection any
and all truth upon any aud all subjects by whomso-
ever il may be found out proiicred TO them
knowing that there can be bat One Source Of truth
But II they are wont 10 scrutinize a little more
closely than others whatever processes 10 have claims
upon their serious attention, before they can give
their assent IT, il must be ascribcd partly 10 habit
they have formed in investigating the truth and
value of their authors works aud partly TO the great
er degree Of light which these works have shed
upon their minds
But am satisfied that this writer would not have
spoken Of the disciples Of Swedcnborg in the man
ner that he has, bad he known them better because
what he has said is not correct They do not, as he
seems TO imagine, follow Swedenborg blindly, or
yield an unintcligible assent to what he teaches
By no means. Such opinion Is wholly without
foundation. They follow him because they find
themselves nationally instructed by him. In degree
him their teacher because they find that he is able
to teach them other man can or. because they
find in his writings great life, far sight, and ce
lestal spirit" which they find in the writings of no
other man. They do not receive what he teaches,
merely because he teoches II, but because they see
10 be TRUE.-because what he teaches is of such a
nature and taught in such a manner that II may be
rotiondHy comprehended by all who will take the
trouble TO examine il with sufficient care and tho
rouGhncss. Truth is its own witness. 1t needs but
TO the mind light enters the eye and It's self
Illuminating power is its own best evidence. But
il thine eye be evil ldsieascdl thy whole body shall
be full Of darkness
Swedenborgians therefore, are, least of all pco-
pie, inclined 10 pin their faith on the sleeve OF ano
Their or TO suffer themselves to be bound or led by
any merely human authority. Ii is not the authori-
" of any man. but tho authority OF hutt--of truth
clearly and nationally appreheLded-whi they ac-
knowledge And this as they think. is TO acknow
ledge the authority OF Him whose Wort rs TRIM
who declared to be "the Light of the world" and
To have "aH porcr in Heaven and on earth And if
they have less respect than most other people for
the writings of other men than Swcdcnbors on mat;
pertaining to spiritual life, it is not because they
have less respect for NE trHih than others but be
they less for the authority OF great
and are able by the light which the writings OF Swe
denbOrg furnish, 10 see more clearly than others the
amount of error tina, there is elsewhere.
The disciples OF Svedenborg regard II as no dis
paragcmen when il is said that their minds are
smaller - than that of their author They are them
selves quite sensible of This and thankful If they
able 10 receive and reflect little of the heavenly
light which he has been made the medium OF com
municating to the world And, surrounded as they
are by muchnarrowncss bigotry intolerance chose
uglest tans of spiritual arrogance and vanity, -
born. indeed, and nurturcd, as most OF them have
been, IN the bosom OF church where these ugly and
noxious things grow with rank luxuriance it
l..
pect, that they should be entirely free from them
But the writings OF Swedcnborg are by far the best
andote that have met with, TO these and all other
things of kindred nature And II ! might be al
lowed. would say. land ! say il not Sweden
borgian, but a mani that | have mingled some
what freely with Presbyterans Methodists. Bap
fists EpIscOpaans, Quakers, Unlvcrsalists. Jnlta
rians. and Transccndentalists. and have esteemed
friends among them all but have never any where
found class of people who seemed 10 understand
and TO exercise Christian liberality genuine free
DOM and true religious tolerance, in the degree that
these very disciples of Swedenborg do. And the
must be sufficiently obvious TO all who are in
any degree familiar with this great mans writings
The writer in The Tribune says: Were there, in
deed, a Catholic church which should be based on a
recognition of universal truths simple that pro
posed by Jesus, Love God with all thy soul and
strength thy ncighbor thyse such a church
would include all sincere motions of the spirit and
other than roses in the garden but like them, alcon
ientcdy grace a common soil, and render their tri
butte TO one Heaven" Precisely such Catholic
church" as this is the New Church, which is the New
Jerusalem But when we speak of the New Church
we refer rather to the principles and doctrines
taught in the writings of Swcdcnbore than TO the
persons who receive and acknowledge them and
in the effort to carry them ont in practice or 10
incorporate them into their lives. For repeatedly
does Swedenborg say. as in the following extract.
that the Church of the Lord is not here there but
that it is everywhere well within those kingdoms
where the Church is, as outgof them where the life
is formed according 10 The precepts u charity.
Hence i, is that the Church of the Lord is spread
through the universal orb and yet that II is one for
when htc constitutes the Church. and not doctrine
separate from life. then the Church is one Area
ma Collesiia N. sl52 Every doctrine Of the New
Church has a tendency to begei and strengthen in
men true christian love.
The writer says again, that Swcdenborg "a knew
how TO live with kings mobiles, clergy and people,
without being the object of persecution TO any
This is not quite correct as appears from his own
letter to the King of Sweden. He complains in that
letter of the persecution which he had received from
the bishops and ecclesiasics of his country and says
IL find myself necessitaicd at this period 10 have
course to your Majesty protection having met with
usage of such nature no other person has expe-
ricnced since the establishment OF Christianity in
Sweden, and much less since there has been liberty
of conscience"
In reference to the books which this writer notices
have only to say that their sole aim is 10 explain
illustrate and confirm of the principal doctrines
announced by SwedenborG This may have been
mpcrcctly done, but this is all their authors have
aimed TO do And if the CORNERSTONE does not
exhibit SO broad 81 asis" the reviewer had
imagined Swedenborganism to have, then Sweden
borg himself is in fault, and not the author of his
pamphlet
The Great Railroad ExplOration-Soil, &c.
Correspondence Of the n y. Tribune.
WArERTowN. JEFF Co. Wisconsin. June 2lst ls45.
Our little Town has been honored with visit from
The Whitney Exploring Expedition The party