The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-06

throughout the city and caused greai
connection and CONSERVATION. On Mon
day evening q messenger arrived at
Gothenburg who had been despatched
by the Stockholm Board Of Trade while
the fire was still raging. In the letters
brought by the messenger the fire was
described precisely In the manner stated
by Swedenborg. On Tuesday morning q
royal courier arrived with-a confirmation
| Of the intelligence and with tho announce
ment that the fire had been extinguished
at 8 O'Clock p. M. on Saturday.
Nine. Marteville, widow Of the Dutch
Ambassador in Stockholm. was called
upon after her husbands death by q man
named Groom. u goldsmith, to pay for q
silver service which her husband had pur-
chased from him. The widow was n
WINGED hat her late husband had been
much too careful In money matters to
have overlooked tho payment Of this
debt. yet she raj unable to find the re-
oeipt. The amount claimed was con-
siderable and 10 her trouble b i'm
plored ~Swedepborg TO ask her husband
what was the truth about the silver
service. S~wedenborg did not refuse to
comply with her request. Three days
afterward, when the lady had company
at her house to drink ooffee. ~Swedenborg
called and informed her that he had
converted with her husband. who had
said that the debt had been paid v
months before his decease and that the
receipt was In a bureau In an upstairs
room. The lady replied that the bureau
had been cleared out but that the receipt
sought for had not boon found among
the papers. S~wedenborg explained hat
her husband had described how, after
the left hand drawer had boon pulled out,
a board would appear and that whom
this also had been drawn out a secret
compartment would be disclosed con-
tanning, together with his private
Dutch correspondence. the desired receipt.
Upon hearing this statement tho whole
company arose and followed the lady into
the room upstairs. The bureau was
opened, the compartment was found
and the papers were discovered therein,
10 accordance with Swedenborg's de-
~scriptiou. Kant expressed the conviction
that the authenticity Of this. as OF the
other two stories above related. was e.
tablished beyond question. There is trust
worthy evidence that to John Wesley. as
we'll as to the people with whom he was
living in London, Swedenborg foretold the
day on which he should leave the world
some time before the end came. He also
predicted the death OF others, including
the Emperor Peter Ill. II we may accept
the stories that have come down to us.
vi.
Now let us look at the contemporary
testimonials as to his personal trust
w~orthiness. Among all who knew him
during life, whether friendly to his teach
ings or not, there is but n voice, hat OF
unqualified praise. Prof. Soherer. who
resided in Stockholm during a pert OF
Swedenborg's career, bears witness that
= on accoun Of his excellent character he
was held universally in high estimation.
Shortly after Swedenborg's death the
general sentiment in regard to his charao-
ter was expressed in the House Of Mobiles
by Count Sellor Sandels. who IVES not
favorable to ~Swedenborg's theological
views. Ssndels says that the. subject Of
his %penegyric possessed a genuinely
good disposition and deserves to be
set up es a pattern of virtue and Of rever-
ence for his Maker Again; "In him
there was no sort Of double dealing. We
cannot discover in him any sign OF AFRO
gance, rashness or intention to deceive
The Able Pernety said Of him: Sweden
borg was straightforward end would
not betray the truth from respect to men,
or for any other reason, Count Hopken,
writing to Gen. Tuxen In May, 1173. de-
clares that "the late S~wedenborg was q
pattern of sincerity, virtue and piety.'
In another letter he wrote: Il know that
Swedenborg has related his Memorabilia
in good faith" John Christian Cuno Of
Amsterdam, who knew Swedenborg
intimately in the latter's declining years,
is full Of praise for his moral excellence,
although he never could bring himself
to accept his teachings. He was on
WINGED, he said, Of Sw edenborg's probity
and sincere loveof the truth. and averred
that he was too honest a man deliberately
to lie." Prof. Atterbom, while he also
was sceptical in regard to S~wedenborg's
spiritual experiences, acknowledges that
he was "a pattern OF moral excellence
Capt. Stolhammer wrote in May, 1888,
to correct some false statements respect
ing Swedenborg which had been made
in a Berlin periodical. While declaring
that he was star from being follower OF
Swedenborg, he went on to say that the
only weakness OF this truly honest man
was his belief in ghost seeing; but / knew
him for many years and I car confidently
affirm that he was as fully persuaded that
he oonversed with spirits as / am that l
am writing at this moment. As a citizen
and as a friend he was q man OF the
greatest integrity, abhorring imposture
and leading an exemplary life
AS to Swedonborg's intellectual Ca
pacity and attainmcnts there is no dis
pute. We cannot. however. take leave Of
him without marking the extent to which
his teachings have been accepted.
Swedenborgianism, as profeesed by his
followers. is based on the belief that
~Swedenborg in 1857 witnessed the Last
Judgment or Second Advent Of the Lord
and thai he was the first to be introduced
divinely into the true sense Of the Scrip
lures and to expound it in the doctrines
Of the New Church. These doctrines,
briefly stated. are. first, that the Lord
Jesus Christ is the only God. In Him re-
siding the Trinity Of Father. Son and Holy
- " IL 4 -n-A