Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-02-24
NO. 8.

fore, we have thought ii advisable to pass
along to our readers some Of the discover
les we have been greatly delighted in max
ing.
They should know--as many of them
doubtless do-in the start, that Swedenborg
believed himself to have been visited by
the Lord in person, about the year l745, and
quite constantly thereafter until his death.
The object of the appearing was to acquaint
him with the fact that he had been chosen
TO communicate facts and truths important
for mankind to know in order to their sal
walton, and TO reveal these facts and truths
to him. The Lord opened to his slght--so
he believed-the spiritual world and grant
cd him the privilege Of conversing with
spirits aud angels. The things contained
in his numerous and ponderous theological
works are what he learned or saw under
these special advantages. one principal
purpose of his Divine illumination appears
to have been TO make known to him, and
through him to the world, the true "spirit-
ua sense" of the Sacred $ riptures. This
Is what he himself understood to be the
case, and Il is certain that all his works
abound in, while some of them are almost
wholly taken up with. expostions of this
mystery. And those familiar with the
preaching or theological literature Of the
New Church religionists are aware that
they never tire Of pointing out the fact that
"the Word" has ian internal sense in which
spiritual and celestial things are meant"
| Swedenborg was instructed that this inter-
nal sense turks in "every particular of the
| Word"-in "every single expression" in
| fact. The fact that the Bible was so written
as to have an internal as well as an exter-
nal, literal sense, he expresses by saying it
has Correspondence, that is every liter
al meaning has a corresponding spiritual
meaning. lie was further informed that
everything about the future liie-about
"the heavens" and 'the hels, stands forth
described in the Scriptures; but in the ain
ternal sense" which men are not able to
discern without the aid of his nterpreta-
ton II will be readily seen that to him
who masters Swedenborg the tempting
prospect is held out of knowing all about
the celestial world, and, if his interest ex-
tends that way, all about the internal world.
Thousands Of other things, kept secret from
the foundation of the world may be mani
fest to him who will acquire comprehen-
sion of the great law of correspondence.
Rnt Swedonborg has bannilv shared his
discirles tho troubla of annlving This nrjn-
| cinla ,.or,. extonsive1v for themselves bv
showing. i'm a nearly countless variety of
cases, and in relation to almost every por-
ton of "the Word" how it is applied and
what results from it. The question of un-
derstanding all these things is, therefore,
reduced, for the most part, to a matter OF
reference If you would know what the
internal sense of any passage is, You may
be pretty sure of finding out by consulting
some one of Swedenborg's works. And if
YOU would know, exhaustvely, all about
things to come rs well as things present,
you have only to devote yourself to the
manifold and minute revelations of the
same prophet
In the volume Mr.. Stuart has extracted
from the larger work, we have Sweden
| borg's revelations of what heaven is, as to
its persons, laws, society, occupation and
relations to the natural world. First of all,
Swedenborg strikes blow at the dogma Of
the Trinity, as usually held. Having often
conversed with the angels on the subject,
he is prepared to say that ''they cannot in
heaven divide the Divinity into three, since
they know ana perceive that the DIVINE ~
one Sui worse, those VINO came IRON
the 'hurch out Oh 'he World win the lde'
oil a lrlhlty' cannot oe auini''ed mo heaN-
en-; "hlch Is severe on our orthouoN
Drelhreh, they Will allow SwedehDorg
seems to have known III MS day some OF
the same sort OF philosophers that we have
so many OF now-'hose that profess to be-
lieve in something they call the Being OF
the Universe These find that they be-
lieved in no God at all, and are sent away
among those called naturalists. This dis
poses of two quite large classes. Next are
| the infants, composing third part of heav-
en-. They are allowed opportunity to learn
| in heaven what they had no opportunity to
learn in the earth. The case of the "Liber-
al Christians is anticipated also, and we
are assured that those who "professed the
| Father" and regarded Jesus as "another
man." are permitted to wander about and
inquire" whether their notions be correct.
Disappointment is the result of their inves-
legations.
Heaven is constituted of the angels, "tak-
en- together;" but there is a something
known as "the Divine of the Lord" and
which the seer subsequently informs us is
love, that "nows in with the angels" and
"makes heaven in general and in particu-
lar" 1t is very important every one should
believe that all life, good and faith comes
from this "Divine of the Lord" and not
from himself For all those who refer their
life, goodness or faith to themselves are not
received into heaven. Other classes are
also excluded or granted only subordinate
stations. Swedenborg tells us that heaven
is divided into two kingdoms-the celestial
and the spiritual-and these again into three
| beavops- tho celostiaI tho s,,irituol and tho