The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-05-27
The Doctrines of swedenbOrg.

people to inquire into the religious
teachings Of Swedenborg, have led tC
the publication Of the more important
Of his works in popular form. The
most resent issue is the work whose
title is given above. AS perhaps the
best exposition of the import of "The
True Christian Religion" set forth in
these two volumes, we reproduce from
the New York Independent the fol
lowing article, evidently prepared by
an impartial and discriminating writ
er who is not a member of the New
Church:
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
The popular ignorance and preju-
dice concerning the doctrines Of what
its disciples call the "New Church, "
but what is far more generally known
by the name of its eminent founder,
as the Swedenborgian Church affords
a curious illustration of the "OcliEnl
tbeoJogicunl." Few persons who have
not made them the subject of special
study know at all what those doctrines
are. Even well-iDformed clergymen
have sometimes a vague notion that
they are "spiritualistic,' or "infdel, I"
OF "Unitarian;" and Swedenborgian-
ism, and "free-love," and socialism"
are most singularly intermixed in the
minds offs good many people who
ought to be better informed concern
ing the character of a denomination
which is really characterized by moth
ing more than by the excellent lives
and pure characters of most of its ad-
herents. So far from being amena-
bic to the charge of immortality, the
| theology of Swedenborgianism insists
with great strenuousness upon interior
purity of heart. So far from being
Unitarian, it recognizes in Jesus the
only one living and true God, the in
finite and Divine Spirit, not united
with a human nature, but simply
tabernacledj in a human body. So
far from being ''infdel," the Sweden
borgians pay to the written Word a
reverence only less than that paid by
the ancient Jew to his sacred Script
ures. So far from being ''spiritualis-
tic" they denounee Spiritualism with
vigor intensified by their mystical
faith, as a dealing with evil spirits, the
very sin punishable with death under
the Mosaic code. Swedenborgianism
is. the very antipodes of RatiOnalism.
The one recognizes reason as the SUI
preme arbiter in religion; the other
founds its religious beliefs wholly on
faith. In the Rationalists ideality and
marvelousness are almost wholly
wanting; in the Swedenborgian they
predominant. The Rationalists are
critics; the Swedenborgians are men
of imagination. The Rationalists
number among them a large proper
ton oft scientists; to the standard
of Swedenborg flock quantities Of po-
cts, artists, musicians: His church is
Composed Of men of refined and eul-
tured tastes, rather than Of skeptieal
or vigorous understandings. To the
one, religion is science; to the other,
a poem.
1t might at first be supposed that
Swedenborg and his doctrines have
exerted bnt little influence on the
world. Swedenborgian churches are
few in number. They exercise Meth
er the power of wealth nor that Of
numbers. They compare neither with
Episcopacy on the one band, nor with
MethOdism on the other. And, if the
moral power of doctrine is to be-
measured by the number or character
of its open and avowed adherents,
Swedenborgianism might be disre
Carded, as an incOnsiderable factor in
the world of religious thought But
neither SwedenbOrg nor his disciples
accept this popular criterion. Earn
est in their faith, they are in no sense
propagandists. They seem to be su-
premely Indifferent about extending
their organization; quieter, in some
respects,a healthier, ambition is tt beirs.
1t is to imbue teachers of other schools
with their forms of thought. They
take a secret and silent pleasure in
recognizing in popular sermons and
treatises the evidences, seen only by
themselves, of the influence their lead
er has exerted and is exerting. More
than any other form of religious
thought, Swedenborgianism is a
"leaven" "hid in three measures of
meal" To a careless reader Ofeceles-
iastieal statistics the Swedenborgian
Church would seem to be one Of the
least of the great household Of faith.
To the careful student of religious
thought it appears to be among the
more important. 1t has made very
few converts from the faith of ortho
doxv, but il has materially modified
that faith. Under the combined in-I
iuence Of fSwedenborgianism and Ra
tionalism wo have reluctantly come
to the conclusion that by searching
we cannot find out God; and, while
the church holds to the doctrine of
the Trinity as tenaciously as ever,
il no longer adheres to the mathemat-
ical statements with which, in the
days of Athanasius, it at once pro- |
voked and defied intellectual rebellion.
It retains as reverentIy as ever its trust
in the atoning sacrifice of Christ; but
it no longer berates ''goOd works"
and it insists. far more earnestly than
formerly, upon what is good Sweden
borgian doctrine-that without holi-
ness no man can see the Lord. 1t re-
tains it's old affection for the Bible
but it no longer sanctions the use that
was made of it in the days when the
followers of Cromwell cited the exter-
mination of the Canaanites as an apOl-
ogv for the massacres in Ireland. It
ISOIds fast tn the solemn truth. which