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reasoning, I am but doing what the entire case most distinctly suggests to the mind. Now I do not hesitate to affirm that the keenest intellects and purest hearts among the receivers of "The doctrines of the New Church," are not the logicians and analytical thinkers they are occasionally apprehended to be. True, they are exempt from the ordinary forms of enthusiasm, and they do not indulge as a general thing in common sophistries in the application of their superficial and arbitrary science of correspondences; simply because any mind that calmly submits to be psychologized and to be rendered psycho-sympathetic by reading the heavy statements and innumerable repetitions of this self-proclaimed prophet, is certainly in no danger of ever becoming conspicuously enthusiastic. To prevent any misunderstanding, I am here impressed to say, that Swedenborg is to be regarded as the author of many truthful revealments. On an examination of his various writings, you will find many historical, scientific, philosophical, metaphysical, and spiritual truths, which place this writer far up in the gallery of lofty geniuses that have, now and then, bloomed in the broad fields. of humanity, like Century Plants,--but so occasionally, that the adoring world can not forbear the bestowment of the supposed honor of deification.

Notwithstanding Swedenborg proclaims that he is God-sent about twelve hundred times, and makes a most sacred and solemn oath that he has revealed "nothing but essential and real truth;" yet his followers say--"that the question must be first of all determined, whether Swedenborg was in truth made the subject of supernatural revelations." Now here is a show-yea, merely a display--of reasoning, at the expense of calling into question the honesty of their prophet's constantly repeated attestations! He says "the Lord himself" held him in perpetual relationship to goodness and truth, and enabled him to do all that he performed. The same claim is set up by Moses, and all religious chieftains before

and since his generation; and what is the follower to say? The professions of the chieftain must be regarded as reliable, or else you call in question his moral character. From this, all disciples invariably shrink; and hence there is an end to all pure and sound reasoning concerning the foundations of their faith. For if I should affirm, which I most distinctly do, that Swedenborg was not supernaturally inspired to reveal infallible truths, then his disciples would peremptorily demand from me an answer to these interrogatories :--"Do you, sir, doubt the honesty of Emmanuel Swedenborg? Can you account for the profound and stupendous disclosures of this author, without admitting that he was, according to his own oft-repeated affirmation, instructed to do all he did by the Lord Himself?" I answer that I can; and I shall appeal to the principles of psychological science for an adequate solution of his case. "The receivers of his doctrines," says a talented disciple, “confidently affirm, that a fair and candid survey of the psychological evidence in the case is decisive of the fact of a supernatural illumination." That is to say, Swedenborg was vastly superior to other members of humanity, and his condition was above Nature; hence it was supernatural! Now I am deeply impressed with this thought, that the human mind can get at a great quantity of real truth by simple processes-by honest-heartedness, by observation of Nature, by intuition, and Reason. Therefore I am willing to adopt the assertion, that "it is possible for the mind, when conducted thither by appropriate evidence, to rest in the absolute assurance of truth on certain great points of our psychological being." And Swedenborg perpetually refers the reader to the facts of science, to consciousness, to Reason, to goodness and truth, in order to sustain and verify his multitudinous positions. But suppose some of his positions do not harmonize with the facts referred to--What then? No matter; you have no alternative, nothing to debate and decide. For there stands the "most solemn oath" of a man whose moral character is

unimpeachable, that he has been "instructed by the Lord Himself" and has revealed "nothing but essential and real truth without any mixture of error." Thus, your position is easily defined. You must do one of two things: either reject his claim to infallibility, and then use your Reason in studying the works of a lofty and rare genius; or, reject your reason, and accept his claims to infallibility, and henceforth set bounds to your own sphere of thought and progress. There are no alternatives in this case; the same may be said of all who pretend to rank themselves among the believers in miraculous and supernatural things.

I have said that I can explain Swedenborg's psychological condition, and the origin of his disclosures, without impeaching his honesty or accepting his perpetually urged claim to a supernatural illumination of mind. This I will do in my next discourse, according to my impressions.

But as a preface to this solution, let me remind you that Truth is always simple; whilst Error is compound and generally incomprehensible. A wonderful matter, if it be a truth, is always found to rest upon a very simple and plain foundation. It is only error which hath its foundations in darkness, and turrets clothed in black and gloomy clouds. While mankind are heterogeneous, so will be their explanations. The undeveloped or unbalanced brain generates a corresponding mind, and then the latter, in its manifold operations, indicates the actual condition of the individual. Hence men and ages are quite analogous. Discord begets discord; although it often promotes and suggests harmony. As men become enlightened, their thoughts assume simplicity. The countless pagan gods or mythologic deities are but the embodiments of ignorance and forms of imaginations. Pythagoras was more progressed than the pagan priests, and hence was less complicated in his impressions and philosophy of nature. Enlightenment destroys mystery and complicity; and opens the door to grandeur, resting upon simplicity. Men will

more and more lose sight of the supernatural or unnatural as their perceptions of truth become enlarged by experience and spiritually illuminated. And it comes to me as a prophecy, based upon the immutable laws of progression and knowledge, that all Truth will ultimately be seen as a unit-or, that ONE GRAND PRINCIPLE Will be found to constitute the Alpha and Omega-the "All in All”— of the material and spiritual universe. If we follow Nature to her deepest recesses, and search far and wide for the principles whereby she conducts her stupendous operations, we shall discover in the end, that a few--a very few--simple truths lie at the foundation of all her vast developments. You may rest perfectly assured, that, when you get a complicated explanation of any thing, you have not got the entire truth. The experience of the entire world is, that all certainly discovered truth is exceedingly simple in its nature, and so easily comprehended, that even he who runs may read it. On this beautiful principle of simplicity, every thing is made and existing. The pulsations of the human heart occur on that principle whereby planets are made to roll in the broad expanse of the immeasurable infinitude!

LECTURE XVI.

CONTINUATION OF TRANSITIONAL

MANIFESTATIONS

AMONG RELIGIOUS CHIEFTAINS,

It will be remembered, that, the subject of the last lecture was particularly concerning the claims to infallibility which are set up by all religious chieftains, known to either the heathen or Christian world. And as a very faithful type of this class of peculiarities, common to the characters under consideration, I was impressed to select the case of Emmanuel Swedenborg, the very talented Swedish philosopher and psychological theologian.

A portion of the last discourse was also especially devoted to the consideration of the fact, that there can not be any pure analytical reasoning upon an admitted basis of supernatural inspiration. Because, by admitting the honesty of the minds who profess to be the subjects of such inspiration, you are either compelled to reject your reason and accept their professions as truth, or you must furnish a clear and consistent explanation of the problems presented. In accordance with my impressions, I will give you my solution of Swedenborg's psychological state in this lecture; and the same explanation will apply very generally to all honest religious chieftains that ever appeared on the stage of the world's vast theater. It is, however, deemed necessary to first show you how unreliable all human testimony is, particularly when taken in connection with professions to supernatural illumination of mind. In this I do not mean to repudiate the validity of human testimony and experience in the aggregate; for in this respect I esteem them exceedingly valuable as the foundation of much confidence and healthy inference but I simply

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