150 truth." CLOSING DAYS. He conquered-but partially; his works were prohibited entrance into Sweden, but no fault was found with them. We are drawing near to the close of his life; in August, 1771, we find him in London for the second time; he took up his abode with one Shearsmith, a peruke-maker, in 26, Great Bath-street, Cold Bath Fields. He had just arrived from Amsterdam, having completed "The True Christian Religion." And this was the last great work of Swedenborg. It was the Principia of his Theology, and the regard in which it has been held is very various. It contains seventysix Memorable Relations, and some of them of the strangest description. Some even of the friends of our writer have wished that the book did not contain them; but they are integral to it, and cannot be omitted, the book must be judged by them. Those who peruse the book for the first time will be amazed at the real affluence of imagery and analogy running through its pages. Music of expression and colour of expression he did not aim at; to build the lofty rhyme and to dazzle the eye with the gorgeous picture, never came within his intention; but his writings are books out of which poets may be made; and all the worlds of nature are laid under contribution for figures and illustrations; this is perhaps more the case with this last work than any other: they flow forth from the luxuriance of an active memory, well stored and most capacious. He had not yet escaped from the assaults of his persecutors and ..... HOW HE ANSWERED DR. ERNESTI. 151 enemies a certain Dr. Ernesti attacked him in the Bibliotheca Theologica, but Swedenborg replied to him in a single leaf; the old man had neither time nor disposition for controversy. "I have read," says he, "What Dr. Ernesti has written about me. It consists of mere personalities. I do not observe in it a grain of reason against any thing in my writings. As it is against the laws of honesty to assail any one with such poisoned weapons, I think it beneath me to bandy words with that illustrious man. I will not cast back calumnies by calumnies: to do this I should be even with the dogs, which bark and bite, or with the lowest drabs which throw street mud in each other's faces in their brawls. Read if you will what I have written in my books, and afterwards conclude, but from reason, respecting my revelation." We find him in London then, 1771, as we have said, in Clerkenwell; he was there visited several times, twice at least by Dr. Hartley, an old friend, the Rector of Winwick in Northamptonshire, in company with Mr. Cookworthy, and again in company with Dr. Messiter. On one of these occasions Dr. Hartley invited him to dine with him; but the old man declined, alleging that his dinner was already prepared-it proved to be a basin of bread and milk. When Dr. Hartley called again, it was probably early in 1772, for on Christmas Eve he was attacked by apoplexy, and for three weeks he continued in a state of great prostration and lassitude, taking no sustenance beyond a little tea without 152 VISIT OF DR. HARTLEY. milk, cold water occasionally, and once a little currant jelly. His visitors inquired of him if he was still comforted with the presence of angels as before, and he answered them that he was. They inquired of him, if all he had written was true, or if any part was to be excepted: "I have written," he replied, with a degree of warmth, "nothing but the truth, as you will have more and more confirmed to you, all the days of your life, provided you keep close to the Lord, and faithfully serve him by shunning evils of all kinds, as sins against Him, and diligently searching His Word, which from beginning to end bears incontestible witness to the truth of the doctrines I have delivered to the world." Dr. H. after this returned home, about a day's journey from London, (to East Malling, in Kent) and heard soon after, that Swedenborg was near his departure, and expressed a desire to see him: "But some hindrances to the visit," says he, "happening at the time, I did not embrace the opportunity, as I should have done; for those hindrances might have been surmounted. My neglect on this occasion appears to me without excuse, and lies very heavy on my mind to this day." Dr. Hartley was one of the first who in England directed attention to the writings of Swedenborg;— he Translated Heaven and Hell, and wrote an introduction to it, which, all desirous of understanding either that work or the writings in general, would do well to read. He appears to have been an acute thinker, a respectable scholar, and a good man, and CORRESPONDENCE WITH JOHN WESLEY. 153 minister of the truth-one of, let us hope, a number, who in that day of the darkness and ignorance of the Church of England, were faithful to their Conscience, their Ministry, and their Lord. But the end was drawing nigh; since his illness he had been visited but by few friends, indeed he always appeared to be unwilling to see company. But towards the end of February, he addressed a note in Latin to the Rev. John Wesley, then sitting in Conference with his Preachers; the substance was as follows: Sir, : Great Bath-street, Cold Bath Fields, I have been informed, in the World of Spirits, that you have a strong desire to converse with me. I shall be happy to see you, if you will favour me with a visit. I am, &c., your Humble Servant, EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. And Wesley said to the company that he had been strongly impressed with the desire to see and converse with Swedenborg, and that he had not mentioned the desire to any one; and he wrote in reply that he was preparing for a six month's journey, but would visit Swedenborg on his return to London. To this Swedenborg replied that the proposed visit would be too late, as he should go into the world of spirits on the 29th day of the next month, and should not return. Thus these two extraordinary men never met. If they had seen one another, would they have met? Could Wesley ever have comprehended him— good honest man; his views were so narrow, his light was so bounded by the visible, his action so intense was quite limited to the construction of material machinery, that we can only perceive one gateway through which he could possibly have passed to the mind of Swedenborg, namely, through his credulity. The man of active muscle could not have comprehended the activity of the contemplative spirit. Sixteen years after this, Wesley circulated some cruel slanders in the Arminian Magazine against the departed illustrious servant of God. Fragments of his conversation have reached us from his sick chamber; as for instance, when Mr. Springer the Swedish Consul in London, a very old friend, called upon him, and inquired if the New Jerusalem would be manifested, and if the manifestation would take place in the four quarters of the world. His answer was, that no mortal could tell the time; no, nor the highest angels, but God only. "Read," said he, "the Revelation xxi. and Zechariah xiv. 9, and you will find past doubt that the New Jerusalem of the Apocalypse will manifest itself to all the earth." It was about this time Mr. Springer relates that his strong spiritual sight was withdrawn, and he had to walk for some time the dark valley alone. He could not endure the blindness which prevented his view of spiritual and eternal things. And often in sadness he would exclaim," "Oh my God, hast thou then forsaken thy servant at last ?" This was the last of his trials; he con |