Swedenborg, Harbinger of the New Age of the Christian Church/Chapter9
IX
MANNER OF LIFE IN LATER PERIOD
The outward manner of life of one whose inner life is passed in open communication with spirits and angels, cannot but be of interest. Happily in Swedenborg's case we are not without abundant information. In 1748 at sixty years of age he went to London to put to press the first volume of the Arcana, and there for similar purpose he made his home much of the time until his death, twenty-four years later. In 1750 John Lewis, his publisher, in the advertisement of the second volume of the Arcana said—
"Though the author of the Arcana Cœlestia is undoubtedly a very learned and great man, and his works highly esteemed by the literati, yet he is no less distinguished for his modesty than for his great talents, so that he will not suffer his name to be made public. But though I am positively forbid to discover that, yet I hope he will excuse me if I venture to mention his benign and generous qualities. How he bestowed his time and labors in former years I am not certainly informed, though I have heard by those who have been long acquainted with him that they were employed in the same manner as I am going to relate; but what I have been an eye-witness to, I can declare with certain truth; and therefore I do aver that this gentleman, with indefatigable pains and labor, spent one whole year in studying and writing the first volume of the Arcana Cœlestia, was at the expense of two hundred pounds to print it, and also advanced two hundred pounds more for the printing of this second volume; and when he had done this, he gave express orders that all the money that should arise in the sale of this large work should be given toward the charge of the propagation of the Gospel. He is so far from desiring to make a gain of his labors, that he will not receive one farthing back of the four hundred pounds he has expended; and for that reason his works will come exceedingly cheap to the public."
In the spring of 1750 Swedenborg returned again to Stockholm, having spent the intervening time partly in London, but mostly in Holland. In Stockholm he remained, tending his garden and busily employed on the Arcana. We hear no more of him at the College of Mines, but for some time yet we have an occasional paper presented to the Diet. A paper of much importance had been presented by him in 1734, in opposition to a party plan of declaring war against Russia, which is supposed to have had great weight in maintaining peace at that time. A fragment of a memorial addressed by him to the Diet in 1755 urges the necessity of limiting the distillation of whiskey, "that is, if the consumption of the whiskey cannot be done away with altogether, which would be more desirable for the country's welfare and morality than all the income which could be realized from so pernicious a drink." In addition, the memorial urges a recall of the power granted to the Bank to grant loans on all property in the country, which he regarded as one of the causes of the bankruptcy into which it was drifting. By these means Swedenborg hoped a check might be put on the drain from the country, as shown by the excess of imports over exports, and the balance of trade be restored in its favor.
In 1760 also, on occasion of a financial panic in Sweden, as a member of a committee on Finance, he presented to the Diet a memorial showing the necessity of curtailing the issue by the Bank, of loans on any other property than gold and silver; of gradually diminishing the amount of certificates of indebtedness that had been issued on other property, by requiring the debtors to pay each year a certain percentage of their debt in addition to the interest; of gradual redemption by the Bank of all other notes than those payable in coin; of prohibiting for the time all exportation of copper, and requiring the Bank to hoard it in anticipation of resumption; of abolishing the monopoly of the Iron-Office; and finally of farming out the distillation of whiskey, as a means of revenue, if the consumption of the pernicious drink could not be done away with altogether.
Not long after, in refutation of some charges against the Government, Swedenborg addressed the Diet in these terms:—
"Every human being is inclined by nature, and nothing is easier and pleasanter for him to do than to find faults in others, and to pass an unfavorable judgment upon them, inasmuch as all of us are by nature inclined to see the mote in our brother's eye and not to see the beam in our own eyes; moreover we are apt to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel. All proud and evil-disposed men place their prudence in finding fault with and blaming others; and all generous and truly Christian souls place their prudence in judging all things according to circumstances, and hence in excusing such faults as may have arisen from weakness, and in inveighing against such evils as may have been done on purpose. The same also happens in a general way in that which concerns governments: faults, numberless faults may be found in all, so that volumes might be filled with them. Should I undertake to make known all the mistakes of which I have heard, and which I know from my own experience to have happened in England and Holland to the detriment of justice and the public good, I believe I might fill a whole book with lamentations; when, nevertheless, those governments, together with our own in Sweden, are the very best in Europe, as every inhabitant, notwithstanding all the shortcomings which happen there, is safe in his life and property, and no one is a slave, but they are all free men. The Honorable Houses of the Diet will allow me to go still higher: if in this world there should exist a heavenly government, consisting of men who had an angelic disposition, there would nevertheless be in it faults caused by weakness, together with other shortcomings; and if these were ferreted out, reported, and exaggerated, this government too might be undermined by calumny, and thereby gradually a desire might be raised among the well-disposed to change and destroy it. The best government, and that which is most wisely arranged, is our own government in Sweden; inasmuch as all things are connected here as in a chain, and are joined together for the purpose of administering justice from the highest leader to the lowest citizen."
Swedenborg spoke from much experience, having been in friendly relations with several kings and queens, an officer of the government thirty years in the College of Mines, and being in the Diet of the party which curtailed the royal power, retaining the supreme control in the Houses of the Diet themselves. This was in 1762. The next year his views prevailed and his first measure was passed, forbidding bank loans on movable property. The year after, however, against Swedenborg's advice, a too sudden and radical measure was adopted and the whole ground was lost.
Another matter that gave him concern about this time was the controversy between the Court and the Diet on behalf of the people. The latter party under the lead of Count Höpken and other senators had sustained the alliance of Sweden with France, against the wishes of the Royal family, which was allied to that of Prussia. The war that ensued was unfortunate, and Höpken and two colleagues were obliged to resign. In 1761 Swedenborg memorialized the Diet in strong terms, urging the necessity of maintaining intact the government, at once free and conservative, which they had hitherto enjoyed, resisting the encroachments of the Court, backed by that of Prussia, itself under the influence of intriguing Papacy, and maintaining sacred their alliance with France. In this view he strongly advised the restoration of Höpken and his colleagues, as tried and faithful servants of Sweden—advice that was afterward followed.
As stated by a Swedish authority—
"Up to the time of his extreme old age Swedenborg interested himself in the administrative, financial, and political affairs of his country. As a member of the House of Nobles, he was an independent member, supporting whatever he saw to be worthy of his own position and to be right and generally useful, without allowing himself to be influenced by the right or the left side. Like every true friend of liberty, he was opposed alike to despotism and to anarchy. His entrance into the House of Nobles was contemporaneous with the reëstablishment of freedom in Sweden. During his childhood and youth he had witnessed the misfortunes into which an unlimited monarchy had precipitated his country. He himself had seen the misery and distress which a war of eighteen years' duration, with dearly-bought victories and bloody defeats, with decimated armies and bankrupt finances, attended by pestilence and famine, had brought upon it. Need we wonder, then, that Swedenborg was in favor of a constitution which set bounds to the arbitrary power and whims of a hitherto unlimited monarchy; which prevented the dissolution of the country, and gradually changed discontent into satisfaction, at least among the majority of its citizens? Swedenborg enjoyed the good fortune envied by many, of having been able during half a century to influence by his vote the resolutions passed for the welfare of his country, and of not giving up his place in the House of Nobles before the year 1772, when death closed his eyes to the darkened prospects with which a change in the administration threatened Sweden's independence. He thus belonged to the whole of that period of freedom which is valued so highly by many, and is made light of by others. With that period his political career began and ended."[1]
Thus it appears that Swedenborg, after as before his introduction into his spiritual office and into visible heavenly companionship, was alive to the important questions of the day to which he was called by love for his country and his duty as a member of its Diet. With spiritual eyes open to all his spiritual surroundings, his natural eyes were wide open also to all real needs of this world. He lived much alone, as his constant absorbing labors required, but he was not a recluse. He had many friends among statesmen and men of learning, with whom he enjoyed pleasant intercourse. His garden was his solace, and he took much pleasure in meeting young children, whom he loved to make happy. Of his friendly relations in his own country he wrote in answer to the inquiries of an English friend in 1769—
"Moreover, all the bishops of my native country, who are ten in number, and also the sixteen senators, and the rest of those highest in office, entertain feelings of affection for me; from their affection they honor me, and I live with them on terms of familiarity, as a friend among friends—the reason of which is that they know I am in company with angels. Even the King and the Queen and the three princes, their sons, show me great favor. I was invited once by the King and Queen to dine with them at their own table, which honor is generally accorded only to those who are highest in office; subsequently the Crown Prince granted me the same favor. They all desire me to return home; wherefore I am far from apprehending in my own country that persecution which you fear, and against which in your letter you desire in so friendly a manner to provide; and if they choose to persecute me elsewhere, it can do me no harm."
Of the esteem in which Swedenborg was held in Sweden the following letter gives a pleasing account. It was written by Count Anders Johan Von Höpken,[2] holding office under the Swedish Government equivalent to Prime Minister, to his friend General Tuxen, another friend of Swedenborg's, who held important office under the Danish Government at Elsinore.
"I have not only known him these two and forty years, but also, some time since, daily frequented his company. A man who like me has lived long in the world, and even in an extensive career of life, must have had numerous opportunities of knowing men as to their virtues or vices, their weakness or strength; and in consequence thereof I do not recollect to have known any man of more uniformly virtuous character than Swedenborg—always contented, never fretful or morose, though throughout his life his soul was occupied with sublime thoughts and speculations. He was a true philosopher and lived like one; he labored diligently and lived frugally without sordidness; he travelled continually, and his travels cost him no more than if he had lived at home. He was gifted with a most happy genius and a fitness for every science, which made him shine in all those which he embraced. He was without contradiction the most learned man in my country. In his youth he was a great poet: I have in my possession some remnants of his Latin poetry which Ovid would not have been ashamed to own. In his middle age his Latin was in an easy, elegant, and ornamental style; in his latter years it was equally clear, but less elegant after he had turned his thoughts to spiritual subjects. He was well acquainted with Hebrew and Greek, an able and profound mathematician, a happy mechanician, of which he gave proof in Norway, where by an easy and simple method he transported the largest galleys over high mountains and rocks to a gulf where the Danish fleet was stationed. . . . He possessed a sound judgment upon all occasions; he saw everything clearly and expressed himself well on every subject. The most solid memorials and the best penned at the Diet of 1761 on matters of finance, were presented by him. . . .
"I once represented in rather a serious manner to this venerable man, that I thought he would do better not to mix with his beautiful writings so many 'memorable relations,' or things heard and seen in the spiritual world concerning the states of men after death, of which ignorance makes a jest and derision. But he answered me that this did not depend on him; that he was too old to sport with spiritual things, and too much concerned for his eternal happiness to yield to such foolish notions; assuring me on his hopes of salvation that imagination produced in him none of his revelations, which were true and from what he had heard and seen."
In another letter Count Höpken recurs to the same point: speaking of a certain clergyman, he says—
"He was by no means a Swedenborgian, for he did not understand his 'memorable relations'; and I could wish the happy deceased had left them out, as they may prevent infidelity from approaching his doctrines. I represented to him these inconveniences; but he said that he was commanded to declare what he had seen in the other world; and he related it as a proof that he did not reveal his own thoughts, but that they came from above. As for the rest, I find in his system a simplicity and gradation and such a spirit as the work of God in nature everywhere proves and exhibits; for whatever man creates is complicated, labored, and subject to vicissitude."
In a letter to another friend, still to the same point, the Count says—
"There are two circumstances in the doctrine and writings of Swedenborg. The first is his 'memorable relations.' Of these I cannot judge, not having had any spiritual intercourse myself, by which to judge of his assertions either approvingly or disapprovingly; but they cannot appear more extraordinary than the Apocalypse of John, and other similar relations in the Bible. The second is his tenets of doctrine. Of these I can judge: they are excellent, irrefutable, and the best that ever were taught, promoting the happiest social life. I know that Swedenborg wrote his memorabilia bonâ fide. . . .
"I have sometimes told the King that if ever a new colony were to be formed, no religion could be better, as the prevailing and established one, than that developed by Swedenborg from the Sacred Scriptures, and this for the two following reasons: First, this religion, in preference to and in a higher degree than any other, must produce the most honest and industrious subjects; for it properly places the worship of God in uses. Second, it causes least fear of death, as this religion regards death merely as a transition from one state to another, from a worse to a better situation; nay, upon his principles I look upon death as being of hardly any greater moment than drinking a glass of water. I have been convinced of the truth of Swedenborg's doctrine from these arguments in particular, namely, that One is the author of everything, and that a separate person is not the Creator, and another the Author of religion; that there are degrees in everything and these subsisting to eternity; the history of creation is unaccountable unless explained in the spiritual sense. We may say of the religion which Swedenborg has developed in his writings from the Word of God, with Gamaliel: 'If it be of God, it cannot be overthrown; but if it be of man, it will come to nought.'"
That Swedenborg on his part held Höpken in high esteem is shown by the memorials to the Diet in his favor, to which we have already alluded. We will take our leave of the Count in copying his statement of the "Truthful account made by the late Queen Dowager":—
"Swedenborg was one day at a court reception. Her Majesty [the Queen Dowager Louisa Ulrica] asked him about different things in the other life, and lastly whether he had seen or talked with her brother, the Prince Royal of Prussia. He answered, 'No.' Her Majesty then requested him to ask after him, and to give him her greeting, which Swedenborg promised to do. I doubt whether the Queen meant anything serious by it. At the next reception Swedenborg again appeared at court; and while the Queen was in the so-called white room, surrounded by her ladies of honor, he came boldly in and approached her Majesty, who no longer remembered the commission she had given him a week before. Swedenborg not only greeted her from her brother, but also gave her his apologies for not having answered her last letter; he also wished to do so now through Swedenborg, which he accordingly did. The Queen was greatly overcome, and said, 'No one except God knows this secret.'
"The reason why the Queen never adverted to this before, was that she did not wish any one in Sweden to believe that during a war with Prussia she had carried on a correspondence in the enemy's country. The same caution her Majesty exercised during her last visit to Berlin. When she was asked about this transaction, which had been printed in a German paper, she did not answer."
The same story comes to us through many different channels, to substantially the same effect. The account given by Mr. Springer, as from Swedenborg himself, contains a variation quite likely to be true:—
"The Queen of Sweden had written letters to her brother, a Prince of Prussia; and having no answers, she doubted whether he had received them or not. The Baron [Swedenborg] at that time had converse with the Queen, and her brother had died in Prussia. She was very desirous to know if he had received the letters. She consulted the Baron, who said he would inform her in a few days. He did so, and told her he had received them and was going to answer them, and that in an escritoire of the Prince was a letter unfinished intended for her; but he was taken ill and died. She sent to the King of Prussia, and it was as the Baron had declared: the King sent the unfinished letter."
The Prince of Prussia referred to was Augustus William, brother to Frederic II and to the Queen Louisa Ulrica, wife of Adolphus Frederic, King of Sweden from 1751 to 1771. It is amusingly told, on the authority of the wife of Swedenborg's gardener, that "for days following the occurrence carriages stopped before the door of her master, from which the first gentlemen of the kingdom alighted, who desired to know the secret of which the Queen was so much frightened; but her master, faithful to his promise, refused to tell it."
Christopher Springer, whose statement we have just quoted, was a Swede, and long a friend of Swedenborg, both in their own country and in London, where for political reasons he resided many years. He had been prominent in public affairs at home, and became the confidential agent of the English Government in all that concerned Swedish matters, being employed in bringing about peace between Sweden and Frederick the Great in 1762. In London he was regarded as the father of the Swedes, and was applied to for all aid and information. In answer to inquiries about Swedenborg, after his decease, Mr. Springer said—
"His father, Jesper Swedberg, was Bishop of Skara, a man of great learning; but this Emanuel Swedenborg received richer endowments from God. His knowledge as well as his sincerity was great. He was constant in friendship, extremely frugal in his diet, and plain in his dress. His usual food was coffee with milk, and bread and butter; sometimes, however, he partook of a little fish, and only at rare intervals ate meat; and he never drank above two glasses of wine. . . .
"Two or three weeks before his decease . . . I asked him when he believed that the New Jerusalem, or the New Church of God, would manifest itself, and whether this manifestation would take place in the four quarters of the world. His answer was that no mortal and not even the celestial angels could predict the time; that it was solely in the will of God. 'Read,' said he, 'the Book of Revelation xxi. 2, and Zechariah xiv. 9, and you will see there that the New Jerusalem will undoubtedly manifest itself to the whole earth.' . . .
"Fifteen years ago [in 1766] Swedenborg set out for Sweden, and asked me to procure a good captain for him, which I did. I contracted with one whose name was Dixon. . . . When the captain of the vessel called for Swedenborg, I took leave of him and wished him a happy journey. Having then asked the captain if he had a good supply of provisions on board, he answered me that he had as much as would be required. Swedenborg then observed, 'My friend, we have not need of a great quantity; for this day week we shall, by the aid of God, enter into the port of Stockholm at two o'clock.' On Captain Dixon's return, he related to me that this happened exactly as Swedenborg had foretold.
"Two years afterward Swedenborg returned to London, where we continued our former friendship. He told me that he had sent his works to the bishops of Sweden, but without result, and that they had received him with the same indifference that he had experienced from the bishops in England. What a remarkable change I noticed among the bishops in London! I had witnessed myself with what coldness he was received by them before his departure for Sweden, and I saw that on his return he was received by them with the greatest civility. I asked him how this change could have come, when he answered, 'God knows the time when His Church ought to commence.' . . .
"As to what relates to myself, I cannot give you a reason for the great friendship Swedenborg entertained for me, who am not a learned man. It is true, we were good friends in Sweden; but that this friendship between us should have become as constant as it has been, I never expected.
"All that he had told me of my deceased friends and enemies, and all of the secrets I had with them, is almost past belief. He even explained to me in what manner peace was concluded between Sweden and the King of Prussia; and he praised my conduct on that occasion. He even specified the three high personages whose services I made use of at that time; which was nevertheless a profound secret between us. On asking him how it was possible for him to obtain such information, and who had discovered it to him, he replied, 'Who informed me about your affair with Count Claes Ekeblad? You cannot deny that what I have told you is true. Continue' he added, 'to merit his reproaches [for refusing a great bribe]; depart not from the good way either for honors or money; but, on the contrary, continue as constant therein as you have hitherto, and you will prosper."
John Christian Cuno, soldier, poet, and merchant, of Amsterdam, left a manuscript autobiography, in which he has much to say of Swedenborg:—
"I must remain faithful to a promise made last year, and begin by giving an account of the most singular saint who has ever lived, Mr. Emanuel Swedenborg. As nothing concerns me more in this world than the worship of God, and as I found interspersed in the last work of that man such strange and singular things, I was naturally impelled by an irresistible curiosity to make the acquaintance of the author. . . .
"The Christian worship of God is subject to this sad calamity in this world, that attacks are made upon it either by arrogant fools who call themselves strong-minded, or by visionaries; the latter rendering it ridiculous sometimes without wishing to do so, but the former endeavoring to do so with all their power. The learned Mr. Swedenborg cannot be classed among the freethinkers and enemies of the Christian religion; for he writes with the greatest reverence for God and His Word. He has impressed upon me the most profound reverence for the adorable Saviour of the world, and his entire system of doctrine is based upon His Divinity. . . .
"I scarcely believe that he has any enemies; at all events he could not have made them by the innocent, even sainted, tenor of his life; and should he have them, it would be impossible for them, as well as for the scoffers who examine closely all modes of life different from their own, to discover anything in him which they could justly find fault with, or even calumniate. . . .
"My first acquaintance with him dates from November 4, 1768, when I happened to meet him in the French book-shop of Mr. François Changuion. The old gentleman speaks both French and High-German, yet not very readily. Besides, he is afflicted with the natural infirmity of stammering; yet at one time more than at another. Our first meeting was pleasing and sympathetic. He permitted me to call upon him at his own house, which I did on the following Sunday; and I continued to do so almost every Sunday, after attending church in the morning. He lodged near our old church in Kälbergasse [Amsterdam], where he had engaged two comfortable rooms. One of my first questions was whether he had no male attendant to wait upon him in his old age, and to accompany him on his journeys. He answered that he needed no one to look after him, because his angel was ever with him, and conversed and held communication with him. If another man had uttered these words, he would have made me laugh; but I never thought of laughing when this venerable man, eighty-one years old, told me this—he looked far too innocent; and when he gazed on me with his smiling blue eyes, which he always did in conversing with me, it was as if truth itself was speaking from them. I often noticed with surprise how scoffers, who had made their way into large companies where I had taken him, and whose purpose it had been to make fun of the old gentleman, forgot all their laughter and their intended scoffing; and how they stood agape and listened to the most singular things which he, like an openhearted child, told about the spiritual world, without reserve and with full confidence. It almost seemed as if his eyes possessed the faculty of imposing silence on every one.
"He lived with simple burgher folks, who kept a shop in which they sold chintz, muslin, handkerchiefs, and the like, and who had quite a number of little children. I inquired of the landlady whether the old gentleman did not require very much attention. She answered, 'He scarcely requires any; the servant has nothing to do for him except in the morning to lay the fire for him in the fireplace. Every evening he goes to bed at seven, and gets up in the morning at eight. We do not trouble ourselves any more about him. During the day he keeps up the fire himself, and on going to bed takes great care lest the fire should do any damage. He dresses and undresses himself alone, and waits upon himself in everything; so that we scarcely know whether there is any one in the house or not. I should like him to be with us during the rest of his life. My children will miss him most; for he never goes out without bringing them home sweets: the little rogues also dote on the old gentleman so much that they prefer him to their own parents.' . . .
"It soon became known in town that I associated with this remarkable man, and everybody troubled me to give them an opportunity of making his acquaintance. I advised the people to do as I had done, and to call upon him, because he willingly conversed with every honest man. Mr. Swedenborg moves in the world with great tact, and knows how to address the high as well as the low. . . .
"Once, at the urgent request of my friend, Mr. Nicolam Konauw, I agreed to bring him to dinner. The old gentleman consented and was prepared at once to go. Mr. Konauw sent his carriage for us. On presenting ourselves to Madame, we found among other guests the two Misses Hoog, who had been highly educated and had been introduced, beyond the common sphere of woman, into the higher, especially the philosophical sciences. Mr. Swedenborg's deportment was exquisitely refined and gallant. When dinner was announced, I offered my hand to the hostess, and quickly our young man of eighty-one years had put on his gloves and presented his hand to Mademoiselle Hoog, in doing which he looked uncommonly well. Whenever he was invited out, he dressed properly and becomingly in black velvet; but ordinarily he wore a brown coat and black trousers. . . .
"I shall never forget, as long as I live, the leave which he took of me in my own house. It seemed to me as if this truly venerable old man was much more eloquent this last time, and spoke differently from what I ever heard him speak before. He admonished me to continue in goodness and to acknowledge the Lord for my God. 'If it please God, I shall once more come to you in Amsterdam; for I love you.' 'O my worthy Mr. Swedenborg,' I interrupted him, 'this will probably not take place in this world; for I, at least, do not attribute to myself a long life.' 'This you cannot know,' he continued, 'we are obliged to remain as long in the world as the Divine providence and wisdom sees fit. If any one is conjoined with the Lord, he has a foretaste of the eternal life in this world; and if he has this, he no longer cares so much about this transitory life. Believe me, if I knew that the Lord would call me to Himself to-morrow, I would summon the musicians to-day, in order to be once more really gay in this world.' In order to feel what I felt then, you would have had to hear the old man say this, in his second childhood. This time also he looked so innocent and so joyful out of his eyes as I had never seen him look before. I did not interrupt him, and was as it were dumb with astonishment. He then saw a Bible lying on my desk, and while I was thus gazing quietly before me and he could easily see the state of my mind, he took the book and opened it at this passage—1 John v. 20, 21. 'Read these words,' he said, and then closed the book again, 'but that you may not forget them, I will rather put them down for you;' and in saying these words he dipped the pen in order to write the reference on the leaf which is preserved here; his hand however trembled, as may be seen from the figure 1 . This I could not bear, and so I asked him in a friendly manner to mention the passage to me. I then put down the reference myself. As soon as I had done so, he arose. 'The time now approaches,' he said, 'when I must take leave of my other friends.' He then embraced and kissed me most heartily.
"As soon as he had left, I read the passage which he had recommended to me. It read thus: 'But we know that the Son of God has come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.' "
In 1770 Cuno again noted in his memoirs—
"Last year I gave my readers many sheets to read respecting my dear old Swedenborg; but I am by no means done yet with this singular man, and as long as my eyes remain open, I shall not so easily turn them away from him. I still hear news concerning him from Sweden, nay, a short time ago he desired to be remembered to me, and sent me word that he hoped to embrace me this summer. The clergy have made an assault upon him with all their power, but they could not do him any harm, because those high in authority, even, it is said, the King and the Queen, love him."
In his "Theory of Pneumatology" J. H. Jung-Stilling—whose name is cited in Kürtz's "Church History" among the five most brilliant and best known names of the faithful sons of the Church who withstood the rationalistic spirit of the age—says—
"As so very much has been written both for and against this extraordinary man, I consider it my duty to make known the pure truth respecting him, since I have had an opportunity of knowing it pure and uncontaminated."
After declaring that Swedenborg was no impostor, but a pious Christian man, and referring to the "three proofs generally known that he had actually intercourse with spirits," Stilling continues—
"But I must add here a fourth experimental proof which has not been made public before, and which is fully as important as any of the foregoing. I can vouch for the truth of it with the greatest certainty.
"About the year 1770 there was a merchant in Elberfeld with whom during seven years of my residence there I lived in close intimacy. He was a strict mystic in the purest sense. He spoke little, but what he said was like golden fruit on a salver of silver. He would not have dared for all the world knowingly to tell a falsehood. This friend of mine, who has long ago left this world for a better, related to me the following story:—
"His business required him to take a journey to Amsterdam, where Swedenborg at that time resided; and having heard and read much of this singular man, he formed the intention of visiting him and becoming better acquainted with him. He therefore called upon him, and found a very venerable-looking, friendly old man, who received him politely and requested him to be seated, whereupon the following conversation began:—
"Merchant, 'Having been called hither by business, I could not deny myself the honor, Sir, of paying my respects to you: your writings have caused me to regard you as a very remarkable man.'
"Swedenborg. 'May I ask you where you are from?'
" M. 'I am from Elberfeld, in the Duchy of Berg. Your writings contain so much that is beautiful and edifying, that they have made a deep impression on me; but the source from which you derive them is so extraordinary, so strange and uncommon, that you will perhaps not take it amiss of a sincere friend of truth if he desire incontestable proofs that you really have intercourse with the spiritual world.'
"S. 'It would be very unreasonable if I took it amiss; but I think I have given sufficient proofs, which cannot be contradicted.'
"M. 'Are these the well-known ones, respecting the Queen, the fire in Stockholm, and the receipt?'
"S. ' Yes, those are they, and they are true.'
"M. ' And yet many objections are brought against them. Might I venture to propose that you give me a similar proof? '
"S. 'Why not? Most willingly.'
"M. 'I had formerly a friend who studied Divinity at Duisburg, where he fell into consumption, of which he died. I visited this friend a short time before his decease; we conversed together on an important topic: could you learn from him what was the subject of our discourse?'
"S. 'We will see. What was the name of your friend?'
"The merchant told his name.
"S. 'How long do you remain here?'
"M. 'About eight or ten days.'
"S. 'Call upon me again in a few days. I will see if I can find your friend.'
"The merchant took his leave and despatched his business. Some days afterward he went again to Swedenborg, full of expectation. The old gentleman met him with a smile and said—'I have spoken with your friend; the subject of your discourse was the restitution of all things.' He then related to the merchant with the greatest precision what he and what his deceased friend had maintained. My friend turned pale, for this proof was powerful and invincible. He inquired further—'How fares it with my friend? Is he in a state of blessedness?' Swedenborg answered, 'No, he is not in heaven yet; he is still in hades, and torments himself continually with the idea of the restitution of all things.' This answer caused my friend the greatest astonishment. He exclaimed—'My God! what, in the other world?' Swedenborg replied—'Certainly, a man takes with him his favorite inclination and opinions, and it is very difficult to be divested of them: we ought therefore to lay them aside here.' My friend took his leave of this remarkable man perfectly convinced, and returned back to Elberfeld. . . . That Swedenborg for many years had frequent intercourse with the inhabitants of the spiritual world, is not subject to any doubt, but is a settled fact."
Another statement given by Jung-Stilling, as he had it from "a certain beloved friend for many years, who is far advanced in Christianity," is as follows:—
"In the year 1762, on the very day when Peter III of Russia died, Swedenborg was present with me [a God-fearing friend of Stilling's friend] at a party in Amsterdam. In the middle of the conversation his physiognomy changed, and it was evident that his soul was no longer present in him and that something was taking place with him. As soon as he recovered, he was asked what had happened. At first he would not speak out; but after being repeatedly urged, he said, 'Now, at this very hour, the Emperor Peter III has died in prison'—explaining the nature of his death [strangled by order of the Empress]. 'Gentlemen, will you please make a note of this day, in order that you may compare it with the announcement of his death which will appear in the newspaper?' The papers soon after announced the death of the Emperor, which had taken place on the very same day. . . .
"Such is the account of my friend; if any one doubts this statement, it is a proof that he has no sense of what is called historical faith and its grounds, and that he believes only what he himself hears and sees."
And yet Jung-Stilling himself preferred attributing Swedenborg's communication with the other world to somnambulism and a state of ecstasy in which spirits spoke through him—a notion not at all consistent with the fact that Swedenborg never laid aside his own reason and the control of his speech and acts. These illustrations of this open communication we quote, not as proofs to convince the incredulous—no second-hand testimony can do that—but as a part of Swedenborg's daily life which cannot fairly be omitted, and which indeed is necessary to complete our understanding of his being present in both worlds at once. As such they serve as confirmation to those who recognize the spiritual truths which this communication was given to reveal.
Of the three proofs to which Jung-Stilling referred, we have already seen the story of Queen Ulrica and her brother. The second is of the fire in Stockholm known to Swedenborg at Gottenburg; and the third is of a mislaid receipt. Of these occurrences Swedenborg himself says, in a letter to Venator, minister of the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt—
"These must by no means be regarded as miracles; for they are simply testimonies that I have been introduced by the Lord into the spiritual world and have intercourse and converse there with angels and spirits, in order that the Church, which has hitherto remained in ignorance concerning that world, may know that heaven and hell really exist, and that man lives after death a man as before; and that thus no more doubts may flow into his mind in respect to his immortality."
The occurrence of the Stockholm fire is variously related. Immanuel Kant's account, gathered by him with great care for a correspondent, seems most complete and trustworthy, with R. L. Tafel's correction of the date. Says Kant—
"The following occurrence appears to me to have the greatest weight of proof, and to place the assertion respecting Swedenborg's extraordinary gift beyond all possibility of doubt:—
"In the year 1759, toward the end of July, on Saturday at four o'clock P. M., Swedenborg arrived at Gottenburg from England, when Mr. William Castel invited him to his house, together with a party of fifteen persons. About six o'clock Swedenborg went out, and returned to the company quite pale and alarmed. He said that a dangerous fire had just broken out in Stockholm, in the Södermalm (Gottenburg is about three hundred miles from Stockholm), and it was spreading very fast. He was restless and went out often. He said that the house of one of his friends, whom he named, was already in ashes, and his own was in danger. At eight o'clock, after he had been out again, he joyfully exclaimed, 'Thank God! the fire is extinguished, the third door from my house.' The news occasioned great commotion throughout the whole city, but particularly amongst the company in which he was. It was announced to the governor the same evening. On Sunday morning Swedenborg was summoned to the governor, who questioned him concerning the disaster. Swedenborg described the fire precisely—how it had begun, and how it had continued, and in what manner it had ceased. On the same day the news spread through the city and, as the governor had thought it worthy of attention, the consternation was considerably increased, because many were in trouble, on account of their friends and property which might have been involved in the disaster. On Monday evening a messenger arrived at Gottenburg, who was despatched by the Board of Trade during the time of the fire. In the letters brought by him the fire was described precisely in the manner stated by Swedenborg. On Tuesday morning the royal courier arrived at the governor's with the melancholy intelligence of the fire, of the loss which it had occasioned, and of the houses it had damaged and ruined, not in the least differing from that which Swedenborg had given at the very time when it happened; for the fire was extinguished at eight o'clock."
From many different accounts of the lost receipt, agreeing in substance, we select again that of Kant, confirmed as it is in all essential particulars by the secretary of the legation and executor of the estate:—
"Madame Marteville, the widow of the Dutch Ambassador in Stockholm, some time after the death of her husband, was called upon by Croon, a goldsmith, to pay for a silver service which her husband had purchased from him. The widow was convinced that her late husband had been much too precise and orderly not to have paid this debt, yet she was unable to find the receipt. In her sorrow, and because the amount was considerable, she requested Mr. Swedenborg to call at her house. After apologizing to him for troubling him, she said that if, as all people say, he possessed the extraordinary gift of conversing with the souls of the departed, he would perhaps have the kindness to ask her husband how it was about the silver service. Swedenborg did not at all object to comply with her request. Three days afterward the said lady had company at her house for coffee. Swedenborg called, and in his cool way informed her that he had conversed with her husband. The debt had been paid seven months before his decease, and the receipt was in a bureau in the room up-stairs. The lady replied that the bureau had been quite cleared out, and that the receipt was not found among all the papers. Swedenborg said that her husband had described to him how, after pulling out the left-hand drawer, a board would appear which required to be drawn out, when a secret compartment would be disclosed, containing his private Dutch correspondence, as well as the receipt. Upon hearing this description the whole company rose and accompanied the lady into the room up-stairs. The bureau was opened; they did as they were directed; the compartment was found, of which no one had known before; and to the great astonishment of all, the papers were discovered there in accordance with his description."