CHAP. IX.
IT was now considered expedient, that a General Conference of the Ministers and other Members of the New Church should again be convened, in order that by their united exertions the great doctrines of the New Jerusalem might be more generally disseminated in the country at large, and that new life might be infused into the societies and individuals professing the same faith. Accordingly the Sixth General Conference, after an intermission of fourteen years, (see p. 157,) was held in York Street Chapel, St. James’s Square, London, on Wednesday, the 6th of May, 1807=51, and following day; when the Rev. MANOAH SIBLY and the Rev. JOSEPH PROUD were unanimously appointed Joint Presidents, and the Rev. JAMES HODSON, Secretary. Five Ministers attended, and Seven Delegates, being the first appointed to represent the different Societies, besides about a hundred other friends. A letter from the London Societies, convening this Conference, was read; and also letters from the Rev. John Clowes, of Manchester; and the Rev. Richard Jones, of the same place; the Rev. Isaac Hawkins, of Wivelscombe; the Rev. Joseph Wright, of Keighley; Mr. George Haworth, of Accrington; Mr. George Senior, of Dalton; the Rev. Robert Brant, of Hull; Mr. Samuel Dawson, of Bolton; and Mr. William Attwell, of Edinburgh.
The Conference adverted to the circumstances of the first Ordination of Ministers in the New Church, as already given in a preceding part of this History (see p. 70); and passed a Resolution, declaring such Ordination to be “the most consistent, proper, and expedient, according to the then existing circumstances.” It then recognised the persons so ordained, as authorised Ministers of the New Church; and recommended a continuation of the same order and authority to be observed in future.
The Order for Consecrating a place of worship, the Confirmation of Matrimony, the Burial of the dead, and the Exhortation to the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, with other rites and ceremonies of the New Church, were read, and unanimously approved, with some verbal alterations. {189}
It was also Resolved, as the opinion of this Conference, That, no one should officiate in the Ministry, or assist the Minister in the performance of worship, except an Ordained Minister, or one preparing for the Ministry) unless in cases of necessity when no Minister or Candidate presents himself for the Work.
It was further Resolved, That, although this Conference is desirous of acknowledging all as brethren of the Lord’s New Church, who profess and live according to her doctrines, yet they cannot but earnestly recommend, in imitation of the primitive Christians, Baptism, or Re-baptism, into the faith and life thereof, as bringing their acknowledgment into fulness.
The necessity of external worship was also enforced by appropriate extracts from the Arcana Coelestia, and from the Treatise on Heaven and Hell, which were submitted to the attention of every member of the New Church, especially of those who have the charge of educating young persons, that their infant minds may be properly imbued with just notions of the true, Object of worship; since it is well known, that, “whatever is implanted in the memory in the early part of life, becomes the subject or groundwork of all a man’s future thoughts.” It was therefore considered of the utmost importance, that a clear idea of the sole and exclusive Divinity of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ should be deeply impressed on the minds of all children and young people; for which purpose forms of worship, and a general system of education, in agreement with the new doctrines, were most earnestly recommended as essential to the spiritual welfare of the rising generation.
Other Resolutions were also entered into, expressive of the wishes of Conference, that a more regular communication and intercourse might be opened and maintained between the different Societies of the New Church, not only in this kingdom, but throughout the habitable globe; that such communications, as are important and useful to the general body, be from time to time laid before Conference; that public libraries be formed, both in town and country, for the use of the respective Societies; and, wherever it is practicable, that Sunday Schools be established for the education of the poor.
The thanks of the Conference were then voted to the Rev. John Clowes, of Manchester, for his faithful and laborious translation of the Arcana Coelestia, and other works of the Hon. Emanuel Swedenborg; and for his boldness in vindicating the doctrines of the New Church. After which thanks were also voted to the two Joint Presidents and the Secretary; and it was Resolved, that the next General Conference be held at Birmingham, on the last Wednesday in June, 1808=52.
The Seventh General Conference was held, agreeably to appointment, in the New Jerusalem Temple, Newhall Street, Birmingham, on Wednesday, June 29th, 1808=52, and two following days; being the first Conference held out of London. {190} Five Ministers and eleven Delegates attended, besides many other members of the New Church. The Rev. JOSEPH PROUD was chosen President, and Mr. THOMAS DAWES, Secretary. Letters from various Societies and individuals were read. After which the Ordination of Ministers in the New Church, as it commenced at Great East Cheap in 1788, was again considered, approved of, and confirmed. The Conference then passed a Resolution, recognizing twelve persons, then living, as having been ordained from that origin; yet expressly declaring, that it did not wish to disown any others, who might have regular congregations, and who had not as yet submitted to the mode of Ordination then adopted. The Resolutions of the last Conference were in general confirmed; and several new propositions were submitted to the meeting, all tending to promote harmony among the different Societies, and mutual affection between those who have separated from the old establishments, and those who still remained in their former associations.
A Resolution was passed, declaring, “That this Conference highly approves of the Christian spirit and temper, which are manifest in the Rev. R. Jones’s publication, entitled A Friendly Address to the Receivers of the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church, on the Propriety of adopting suitable Forms of External Worship, &c., and return him thanks for the translation of some important passages in the Apocalypsis Explicata.”
A Resolution was passed, That it is expedient, and desirable that a Minister be appointed at each Conference to draw up an Admonitory Epistle to the members of the New Church, to be placed at the end of the Minutes.
Some other Resolutions of minor consideration were passed; and after a vote of thanks to the President and Secretary, the next General Conference was appointed to be held at Manchester, on the last Wednesday in June, 1809=53.
The Conference proposed to be held in 1809, as above, from unforeseen circumstances of an unpleasant nature, did not, however, take place at the time appointed. The Church in Peter Street, Manchester, was shut up; and the affairs of the Society in that place were in so deranged a state, that it was thought advisable to discontinue the public meetings, until an opportunity more favourable to the interests of the Church should present itself.
In the mean time Mr. Cowherd, who had separated himself’ from his former connexions, and collected a Society of his own, consisting in general of persons but little acquainted with the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, convened a meeting of such, as were disposed to acknowledge him alone as their spiritual guide; and to this meeting he gave the name of Conference, apparently with the view of having it considered as a regular and legitimate General Conference of the New Church. {191} It does not appear, however, to have met with the general concurrence of the known professors of the new doctrines in any part of the kingdom: for, independent of want of sanction by any of the regular and approved Ministers of the Church, or by any of the leaders of respectable Societies, the eccentricity of Mr. Cowherd’s character, and his unsteady, injudicious, and overbearing conduct, on many occasions, added to the novel and pernicious tenets which he was, from time to time, desirous of putting forth as the genuine doctrines of the new dispensation, were quite sufficient to satisfy every reasonable mind, that no real benefit or advantage could result from an association convened and directed by such a man. His Conference, therefore, as it was called by him, being only a local, partial, and unauthorized Meeting of a few individuals of his Society, for the most part strangers to the Writings, and the Resolutions or Acts of that Meeting, can never be considered as a fair specimen of the sentiments or opinions of the members of the New Church.
Not only did he in a manner renounce the Scriptural name of New Jerusalem Church for the Society, of which he was the ostensible leader, and substitute in its stead that of Bible Christians, as the distinguishing name of his sect; but the doctrines he published in his Report of the proceedings that took place in his Chapel, called Christ Church, Salford, particularly with respect to the Lord, and his opinions on many other points, were by no means in agreement with those of the New Church. This will appear from the following statement of his views, as given in the Report of his Conference between himself and his friends, in the year 1809, and still more from the conversations I had with him subsequent to that date.
1. He regarded the Lord not as the Supreme God, or Jehovah himself in the Humanity, but as a kind of Secondary God distinct from the Father, and presenting, according to circumstances, both “a reflected and a refracted image of God; a reflected image, when he was seen on earth by the apostle John, after his resurrection; and a refracted image, when he was seen by the same apostle as coming in the clouds of heaven.”
2. He asserted, that the Redeemer had two Souls, one within the other; the first or outermost Soul being the Divine Existere in the heavens, which passing by transflux through the heavens, became his Divine Human Soul; the second or innermost Soul being the influent Divine Spirit from the Essential Jehovah above all the heavens, which was the Soul of the Divine Human Soul, connecting the Son with the Father throughout the whole state of our Lord’s humiliation. {192} Thus what Swedenborg calls the Divine Humanity before the incarnation, as being formed by the transflux through the heavens, (Arc. Coel. n. 600, 5663, 6280 6371, 6720, 6831, 8273,) Mr. Cowherd called the Divine Human Soul, in which was the emanated glory of the immutable God as another more interior Soul. He never would allow, that Jehovah himself, or the Divine Esse itself, which is far above the heavens, and not any proceeding or emanation from him in the heavens, was actually and truly the Lord’s Soul from first to last, that is, from his very first conception to his final ascension; and yet, this is one of the leading, distinguishing, and most important of all the doctrines taught both by the Sacred Scriptures, and by the New Church. See this subject clearly stated and confirmed in Arc. Coel. n. 1921, 1999, 2004, 2065, 2018, 2025, 4235 10125, and in numerous other places. Mr. Cowherd further asserted, that the Father dwelt in the Son in the same manner as he dwells in heaven and in the universe; which (to say the least of it) is most unguardedly expressed, as it may lead to the conclusion, that the Humanity of the Lord is no more Divine, than that of any other man.
3. He held, in common with others, that the Lord is a Mediator between God and man, or the only Medium, through whom man can approach God, or receive any communication from him; which he explained in the following manner “God,” said he, “has his residence at an immense distance from mankind, far beyond the region of the fixed stars: and the body of Jesus Christ, having been glorified, or (as he termed it) deflagrated, at the time of his ascension into heaven, (like that of Elijah, who went up by a whirlwind into heaven, being carried in a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, 2 Kings ii. 11,) was dispersed, in inconceivably minute particles, through every part of the atmosphere of this earth. Hence (he said) whenever man prays to, or looks towards God the Father, for mercies and blessings, and whenever the latter communicates such blessings to man, it follows as a matter of course, that the prayers and thoughts of man towards God, and reciprocally the benefits received by man from God, must of necessity pass through the atmosphere, now impregnated with the particles of the Lord’s deflagrated body, before either God can be reached, or man wrought upon.” In this local, miserable way he explained to me what is meant in the Scriptures by the Lord’s being a Mediator or Medium between God and man, and how it is to be understood, that salvation is effected “through Jesus Christ!”
4. He further described the manner, in which the Lord, as the Son, though confined to the atmosphere of this earth, was yet seen by Stephen, and may be still seen by others, standing: or sitting at the right hand of God the Father, whose personal abode is far beyond the region of the fixed stars. {193} “As,” said be, “two stars of different magnitudes may be seen apparently close together in the heavens, though one of them may be millions and millions of miles more distant from us than the other; so God the Father and Jesus Christ, his refracted Image at the summit of our atmosphere, may be seen by man as standing apparently close to each other in heaven, though at the same time the real position of the Father is immensely beyond that of the Son, both appearances being nearly, but not quite, in the same direct line from the eye of the beholder!”
5. On the subject of the Holy Spirit, also, his views were idle and ridiculous in the extreme. Sometimes he represented the Holy Ghost as a person; at other times as a wind or air wafted about in the atmosphere, and having access to man, not from within, but from without. If a window or door were open, or were there a broken pane of glass, in a Church or Chapel, while men were in the act of performing their worship therein, such opening, he said, was sufficient to admit the Holy Ghost among them; for he fled as it were on the wings of the wind, and, after lighting upon their bodies, made his way to their immortal souls through the external avenues of the mouth and ears! When Ann Moore, the notorious impostor, gave out that she needed no food to support her bodily frame, and that she had subsisted for more than a twelvemonth without any, many were the dupes of her artful contrivances to deceive the public. Among the persons, whose curiosity prompted them to visit her on that occasion, Mr. Cowherd, ever ready to seize an opportunity for the display of his talent in commenting upon supernatural events, could not refrain from being one. Well, sure enough, he went; and returned too, with his mouth full of wonders. He made his congregation acquainted with the object of his journey, and his success in discovering the means whereby the fasting woman was so long supported without natural food. He related, in my hearing, the story of her long abstinence, and confirmed it as a fact which could not be controverted; assuring us, that “her sustenance was derived solely from the Holy Ghost, which was present in all the wind that blew upon her, and in all the air she breathed!” In this gross manner he explained the extraordinary phenomenon, as he called it, which had so long astonished the credulous, and puzzled grave divines; but which, after all, turned out to be a mere trick and imposition upon the public, for the sake of worldly gain, according to the confession and acknowledgment of the woman herself, made to those gentlemen, who undertook the examination of her case.*
* Ann Moore, of Tutbury, in Staffordshire, imposed upon the credulity of crowds who visited her, between the years 1807 and 1813; when her imposture was discovered, and she expressed her contrition.- ED. {194}
In addition to these ridiculous whims and ebullitions of an unsound mind, (for they cannot be considered in any other light,) Mr. Cowherd proclaimed, from the pulpit, the necessity of abstaining from the use of animal food, wine, and all fermented liquors. As observed in a former part of this History (p. 148,) he even made the rigorous observance of this rule a condition of church-membership; and several instances occurred, in which persons of a weakly constitution, who could not suddenly change their diet, without endangering their health, were not only forbidden to partake of the holy supper, but were also unfeelingly expelled his Society. One poor woman, who, on application for a ticket to admit her to the sacrament, was called to an account by him about her mode of living, and being questioned whether she rigidly abstained from all kinds of animal food, or not, simply replied, “O yes, Sir, I never taste it, but only now and then take a little mutton-broth, and a red, herring;” which, she thought, came not within the interdicted fare. But this acknowledgment was quite enough: after a smile, which could not be repressed even by Mr. Cowherd himself, he sternly informed her, that she, together with her mutton-broth and red herrings, were altogether in a state of ex-communication; and thereupon he dismissed her without further ceremony. And it is but too true, that many of his professed followers, rashly but perhaps conscientiously persevering in the diet prescribed, till a fatal result was inevitable, would gladly have returned to their former mode of living, when, alas! it was found to be too late. Mr. Cowherd himself, also, in the end, suffered the full penalty of his delusion, in the 54th year of his age.
Although in many points of importance Mr. Cowherd deviated from the doctrines laid down by Swedenborg, he was yet anxious to have it believed, that he was the only man in the kingdom who understood his Writings. Mr. Clowes, whose pious and luminous publications have endeared him to the Church, and placed him high in the estimation of all his brethren, he charged with having “no ideas respecting the Lord, and the invisible things of his kingdom, but such as were incorrect and erroneous in the extreme;” and added, with singular effrontery, that “he was, in his own opinion, too wise to be taught, and too good to be amended.” With no less ceremony did he treat others, and among the rest myself; to whom, on one occasion, the sum of his own knowledge and mine together being compared to a bushel of wheat, he would not allow one complete grain of that accumulated wheat as my portion, but actually seized the whole for himself, without leaving me any thing more than a husk or two that stuck to the sides of the bushel. {195}
In his correspondence also with me on the general tendency of the Report of his Conference, he constantly ascribed my differing in sentiment with him to my not understanding the subject and to my ignorance of Swedenborg’s doctrines. When I complained to him of the obscurity and equivocal language of his Report, particularly on those points which regard the person and character of the Lord, he replied, “Language is equally unintelligible to the mind that has wrong ideas, as to the person that has none; and I never yet met with a reader of E. S. who, respecting the Lord and his Word, did not betray great ignorance and intolerable absurdity. For instance; some talk of God, who is necessarily impassive, as if he could suffer and die: others transubstantiate, in their vain opinions, what is human into what is purely divine: and others conceive two or more Divine Spirits (though they would blush to own two or more Gods) one within another, as soul, spirit, and body in man.”
“As to the Word, they all appear to believe in physical influx, imagining that they receive from the Bible, what actually comes from the LORD, by correspondency, while the Bible is read by a mind in conjunction with him: in consequence, they appear utterly ignorant that the Writings of E. S. do but connect them, according to their respective states, with the true or false Church, bearing his name in the spiritual world.”-“P. S. There is a New Church Hell in the intermediate world, from which no reader of E. S. can keep clear at this day, but those who receive the Lord whilst they meditate in his Word.”
More than once did Mr. Cowherd declare to me, that he was himself the greatest and most extraordinary man living; that he had received from the Lord precisely the same kind of revelation as was given to Emanuel Swedenborg before him; that what is called the spiritual sense of the Word, is in fact nothing more than the sense resulting from a correct translation of the original, which he was qualified to give with the utmost accuracy; and that ere long he and his peculiar doctrines would be appreciated by the wise and good of all nations with every mark of veneration and esteem.*
* The Rev. Wm. Cowherd, died 21th March, 1816, in his 54th year, and was interred in a vault in front of his chapel, called “Christ Church.” At his own request is inscribed on his tomb, All feared, none loved, and few understood.” The late Joseph Brotherton, Esq., was for a considerable period the Minister of this Society; and was for many years M.P. for the Borough of Salford: he died in 1857, universally respected.- ED.
On these and similar occasions, I cannot say that I flattered him with any thing like an assent to his extravagant claims; but gave him plainly to understand, as my humble opinion, that in the course of a very few years, both he and his system, or rather his succession of ever-varying systems, would be altogether forgotten, or no otherwise recollected than as beacons to warn the future members of the Church against the indulgence of vain and delusive speculations. {196}
The same unfavourable opinion of Mr. Cowherd’s views, which is here expressed, was also entertained by the best informed and most judicious readers of Emanuel Swedenborg’s Writings. The gentlemen, who attended the Annual Meeting held at Hawkstone Park in the year 1810, although they came to no specific Resolution on the subject, yet unanimously concurred in their disapprobation of the purport and tendency of his Report, published in 1809, and requested that I would expose some of its gross errors. Indeed it does not appear, that a single individual, except a few of Mr. Cowherd’s immediate followers, has ever given the least countenance to his absurd novelties. The society founded by him in Salford, Manchester, is still in being, but has no connexion whatever with the New Church; their doctrines assimilating them more to the character of Unitarians than to that of any other denomination of professing Christians.
Since the death of Mr. Cowherd, it has been asserted by one of his admirers, who adopted the theory, but not the practice, of his master, that Swedenborg not only inculcated the doctrine of abstinence from animal food, and from fermented liquors of every description, but also confirmed it by his own example. An appeal, for the truth of this assertion, was made to Mr. Shearsmith, at whose house in Clerkenwell he lived and died; and a paper, purporting to be an account of questions put to, and answered by, the said Mr. Shearsmith in my presence, having been widely circulated among the Societies of the New Church, it is deemed proper in this place to state the whole of the particulars relative to that transaction. They are to be found in the Intellectual Repository, No. 21, for January, 1817, p. 272; and are as follows.
“A REPLY to a late Attempt to insinuate, that the Use of ANIMAL FOOD was discountenanced by EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.
“To the Editors of the Intellectual Repository.
“Gentlemen,
“A paper having been put into my hands, giving an account of the person, clothing, and dress of the late Hon. Emanuel Swedenborg, and said to be taken verbatim from the lips of Mr. Shearsmith in my presence, which paper has been industriously circulated among several of the Societies of the New Church in Yorkshire, apparently for the purpose of recommending abstinence from animal food, and holding up the example of our Author as an authority for the same; I find it a duty, which I owe to truth and candour, to state what I know of the subject. But before I offer my remarks, it may be proper to transcribe the paper alluded to, which is as follows.
“‘An Account of the Honourable EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, taken verbatim from the lips of Mr. SHEARSMITH, by ROBERT ARMITSTEAD, in the presence of Mr. ROBERT HINDMARSH, Dec. 20, 1810.’
“‘Mr. Shearsmith mentioned, that he lived at No. 25, Bath Street, Clerkenwell, where Baron Swedenborg lodged with him till he died; and observed, that he generally wore a long gown in the morning. His eyes were of a brown grey, nearly hazel, and rather small. In stature he was about five feet nine inches high; rather thin, and of a brown complexion. He was never seen to laugh, but had always a cheerful smile on his countenance. He generally wore a dark brown coat and waistcoat, with black velvet breeches. {197} But when full dressed he wore his clothes all of velvet, with a cocked hat*, and a sword in a silver scabbard. He ever walked out with a golden-headed cane: he wore spectacles, and took snuff.
* Mr. J. S. Hodson, of London, has sent us the following:”In May, 1858, I met, at the office of the Constitutional Press, London, an individual who, in the course of conversation, stated, that he had recently arrived from America; that he was an Englishman, named Earl, and the son of Earl, a Bookseller, formerly of Albemarle Street; and that he had at his home in America, Swedenborg’s cocked hat, wig, and several other articles of his wearing apparel. He promised that, on his return, he would send them over.”- ED.
“‘Mr. Shearsmith affirmed, that from the first time of the Baron’s coming to lodge with him to the day of his death, he never ate animal food, nor drank spirituous or fermented liquors; but lived principally on milk and vegetables, taking tea, and sometimes coffee, with gingerbread. His expressions respecting animal food and fermented liquors were, ‘Not be good;’ which he always repeated, when asked to partake. He once, however, at a friend’s house in London, was over- persuaded to take two glasses of wine, which made him unwell for three days, and caused that fever in which Mr. Wesley says ‘he was mad.’
“‘When discoursing with spirits, he usually stood on his feet, lifting his eyes to the altitude of about 45 degrees. At such times his assent, and dissent, in regard to what he heard, was generally expressed by a ‘Yea, yea,’ or a ‘Nay, nay,’ spoken very quickly. Such conversations, to which he appeared to pay the utmost attention, he punctually wrote down in a book; then rose again to receive further communications.
“‘Mrs. Shearsmith, who always waited on him with his victuals, &c., could always tell when his communications had been with good or bad spirits, from the appearance of his countenance, which was dreary when he had been infested, but illuminated around the eyes with a radiant brightness, transcending natural light, when his influence was from good beings.
“‘Mr. Shearsmith further affirmed, that certain Swedish friends, who called on E. S. at his house, attested, that the Baron never did eat animal food, nor drink spirituous or fermented liquors, since the opening of his spiritual sight in the days of Queen Ulrica Eleanora.’
“On reading the above, I own I was surprized to find my name annexed to it, and still more so to perceive the end which it was intended to serve: for though it is stated to have been taken verbatim from the lips of Mr. Shearsmith in my presence, as if it had been drawn up on the spot, and at the time assented to by me as correct, yet I can truly say, that I had no knowledge whatever of the existence of such a paper, till my friend Mr. Hawkins presented it to me on the 7th of November, 1816. But I well remember the visit, which Mr. Armitstead and myself paid to Mr. Shearsmith about the close of the year 1810, the questions put to him by the former, and the answers which were with some difficulty drawn from him, he being then superannuated, and totally unable to hold a regular conversation. This last circumstance I also particularly mentioned to Mr. Armitstead on our coming away, and observed, that Mr. Shearsmith’s memory, faculties, and speech, were so much impaired by age, that no dependence could be placed on what he then said, only so far as it agreed with the testimony which he had repeatedly given before, both to me and others, while he was in perfect health, and in the full enjoyment of his faculties.
“Mr. Armitstead, who, though himself at that time by no means an abstainer from animal food, or fermented liquors, was yet very desirous that others should adopt the system so strenuously recommended by the late Mr. Cowherd, evidently laboured to draw from Mr. Shearsmith such answers, on this point, as he wished to obtain; but from his great anxiety to serve a particular cause, has certainly suffered his pen to become the instrument of misrepresentation. For example, he states, as the testimony of Mr. Shearsmith, that Swedenborg, during the whole time of his lodging with him, ‘never ate animal food, nor drank spirituous or fermented liquors, but lived principally on milk and vegetables;’ whereas Mr. Shearsmith’s language was, that he seldom or never took such food, but lived chiefly on milk, tea, coffee, and gingerbread. Indeed Mr. Armitstead’s account is little less than a contradiction in terms; for if, as he states, E. S. never ate animal food, but lived principally (i. e. not wholly but chiefly) on milk and vegetables, then he must in part have lived on some other kind of food that was neither animal nor vegetable. But what kind of food could that be? {198}
Again, Mr. Armitstead admits that Shearsmith informed him of Swedenborg having taken two glasses of wine at a friend’s house, which however disagreed with his stomach. But this is evidence, that he did not refuse wine from conscientious motives; which I apprehend is the point intended to be established by Mr. Armitstead: and if the Baron declined it afterwards, it must have been purely for the sake of his bodily health.* It was concerning this wine which disagreed with him, and not animal food nor fermented liquors in general, that he exclaimed, ‘Not be good, not be good!’ I Neither did Mr. Shearsmith represent it as throwing him into that fever, to which Mr. Wesley alluded, when he reported he was mad: for the fever, or pretended fever, of which Mr. Wesley speaks, was said to have seized the Baron at the time when he lodged with Mr. Brockmer, a member of the Society of Moravians, many years before he came to reside at Mr. Shearsmith’s. But this assertion, like many other calumnies invented by his enemies, was totally without foundation, Mr. Brockmer having assured me, a short time before his death, when I called upon him for the express purpose of ascertaining the truth or falsehood of the report, ‘that Baron Swedenborg was never afflicted with any illness, much less with a violent fever, while at his house; but on the contrary that his health was good, and that he always conducted himself with the greatest propriety.’
* This appears actually to have been the case, from a letter written by General Tuxen, who was personally acquainted with the Baron. In a conversation, which passed between them a little before his last voyage to England, Swedenborg informed the General, that “for twelve years past he had been afflicted with a very weak stomach, and during that time had scarcely taken any other food than coffee and biscuits.” See the Appendix to the first New Jerusalem Magazine, for 1790, p. 262.
Mr. Springer, also, the Swedish Consul in London, and an intimate friend of Swedenborg, in a letter to the Abbe Pernetty, Librarian to the King of Prussia, writes as follows: “His (Swedenborg’s) common food was bread and butter, and milk coffee; yet at times he was wont to eat a little fish, but ate very seldom any meat, or drank above two glasses of wine.” Anecdotes of Swedenborg, printed in 1784, p. 32.
“As I was myself for many years a neighbour to Mr. Shearsmith, both of us residing in the parish of St. James, Clerkenwell, London, I employed him in the line of his business, which was that of a barber and hair-dresser; and consequently had many opportunities of questioning him as to the habits and manners of his noble lodger. On every occasion of inquiry as to the kind of diet, which the Baron usually took, while at his house, he uniformly declared, that he lived as other people of his age might be expected to live: sometimes he partook of animal food, and particularly of eel-pies, which he seemed to prefer; but in general, coffee well sweetened with sugar, tea, milk, and even gingerbread, which he would frequently bring home with him, and share with the children, were the chief constituents of his humble fare. To infer, therefore, from Baron Swedenborg’s usual mode of living, at the age of upwards of fourscore years, that the use of animal food was altogether condemned by him, is a conclusion sanctioned neither by his practice nor by his Writings, which on the contrary expressly declare, ‘that at this day no one is by any means condemned for this, ‘that he eateth flesh.’ See Arc. Coel. n. 1002, 1003; in which last number our Lord’s words are also adduced, in confirmation of the same doctrine: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man,’ Matt. xv. 11. In another of our Author’s works we further read as follows: ‘The uses created for the nourishment of the body are all things of the vegetable kingdom, which are for meat and drink, as fruits, grapes, seeds, pulse, and herbs; likewise all things of the animal kingdom, which are eaten, as oxen, cows, heifers, stags, sheep, kids, goats, lambs, and the milk which they produce, likewise birds and fishes of several kinds.’ Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 331.*
* “Dr. Richard Reece, in his Domestic Medical Guide, 3d edition, p. 292, says, ‘With respect to our natural food, the formation of our teeth and intestines proves, that we are destined to live both on animal and vegetable food; and thus we find the flesh of animals, with a proportionate quantity of vegetables, a diet best adapted to our frame. It is not, however, in the quality, but the quantity of food, in which man generally errs.”‘
“With respect to the other particulars contained in Mr. Armitstead’s paper, such as the stature, dress, and complexion of the Baron, the colour of his eyes, &c, I consider them of so trivial a nature, that they do not merit more than a moment’s consideration; and therefore I dismiss them with this single remark, that the real members of the New Church regard not the person of any man, except so far as they can discover in him the traits of heavenly wisdom; and that, in imitation of an apostle, who ‘no longer knew even the Lord himself as to the flesh,’ they are desirous of cultivating an acquaintance with Baron Swedenborg only in spirit, that is to say, in his instructive Writings. {199}
“There is perhaps need of an apology for intruding these remarks on the notice of your readers, the subject being scarcely worthy of their attention. But as there always have been, and probably always will be, minds weak enough to imagine, that the duties of religion in a great degree consist in the selection of meats and drinks for the body in the mode of its clothing, and in other peculiarities of an external and trifling nature, it may be proper to let the public know, that the doctrines of the New Jerusalem impose no such unnecessary regulations upon its members, but allow them freely to live and to appear in society like other men, while at the same time they most strictly enjoin sobriety, temperance, integrity of conduct, and every other Christian virtue. Nicety and precision in the washing of hands before meals, and in the kinds of food to be eaten, as well as care and anxiety in providing for the body, rather than for the mind, were the very errors, which our Lord charged upon the Pharisees of old, and upon those Gentiles who knew nothing of the religion of the heart. Among the Jews indeed laws were enacted, prescribing the particular kinds of food which they might eat, and prohibiting other kinds which they might not eat. But this was merely because they were a representative people, and by no means implied, that there was in reality any moral good or moral evil, either in eating, or abstaining from, the one or the other. Yet for want of knowing this great truth in relation to the Jewish C Church and that the laws for maintaining representatives were abolished by the coming of the Lord, some even good men have supposed, that those laws are, or ought to be, still in force. Others again, both in ancient and in modern times, as if anxious to outstrip their neighbours in the apparent sanctity and severity of their manners, have searched for pretexts and precedents to authorize their abstinence from all kinds of animal food, whether clean or unclean; to which they have also added abstinence from wine, abstinence from marriage, abstinence from social intercourse with mankind, abstinence from the drama, abstinence from innocent recreation, and abstinence from almost every other enjoyment that can render life comfortable and happy. And this they have done and taught from a mistaken notion, that the self-denial or mortification, which is recommended in the Sacred Scriptures, is a discipline to be inflicted on the body and external senses, rather than a conscientious restraint on those lusts of the mind, which lead man into the practice and habit of uncharitableness, pride, envy, malice, and other deadly evils destructive of true happiness. Such notoriously has been the conduct of numberless professors of Christianity among those who are called Catholics, and of too many even among Protestants. And it is solely with a view to vindicate the New Church from similar charges of superstition and pharisaic austerity, as well as to prevent its members being diverted from the true line of their religious duties, to the observance of non-essential externals, which are calculated rather to engender spiritual pride, than to promote the true Christian life, that I have been induced to offer the present remarks to the consideration of the public.” “ROBERT HINDMARSH.”
“Salford, Nov. 18, 1816=60.”
It may be thought by some readers, that more attention has been paid to the eccentricities of Mr. Cowherd, than in reality they deserve. But when it is considered, that at one time he was regarded as an acquisition of importance, and even as an ornament to the New Church, from his learning and acknowledged ability as a preacher; that after his secession from the Society, of which he was once the Pastor, he was still regarded by many as an authorized Minister in connexion with the general body of the Church; and that his peculiar tenets were asserted by him, and believed by others, to be derived from the Writings of Swedenborg; it surely cannot be deemed improper publicly to state and disavow those erroneous opinions, which are calculated to bring nothing but contempt on the cause of religion. The New Church is liable to be assailed by false friends, as well as by open enemies; and we have already seen, in more instances than one, the danger that is to be apprehended from misapprehension, and an over-weening regard to fallacious and ill-founded theories. {200} To guard, therefore, in future against the introduction of doctrines similar to those above described, which can only tend to impede the progress of divine truth, and to disturb the peace of the citizens of the New Jerusalem, it has been judged excusable, if not advisable, to give the preceding account of errors, which (together with those jesuitically broached by the Avignon Society) might otherwise be justly consigned to an eternal oblivion.
The Church was now spreading itself in many towns and villages, where heretofore the doctrines had been unknown; and in several places public worship was instituted, as soon as rooms or meeting-houses could be engaged for that purpose. As far back as the year 1783, a Society for reading the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg was formed at Radcliffe, in Lancashire: but it was not till many years afterwards that a building was erected in that place for the express purpose of public worship, according to the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem. This, however, was accomplished by the liberal exertions of Mr. Robert Ashworth, of Radcliffe, and Mr. G. B. Marsden, of Manchester, aided by the contributions of several other respectable gentlemen in the neighbourhood. A large piece of ground was taken of the Earl of Derby, in Stand Lane, on a small chief rent, or perpetual lease, which is a peculiar kind of tenure on which land is generally procured in that county, being considered nearly equivalent to a freehold in other parts of the kingdom. On the ground so obtained a commodious Chapel has been erected, capable of containing upwards of two hundred persons, to which has been since added a separate building for a Sunday School, in which about two hundred children of the poorer classes of society are gratuitously instructed in the most necessary and useful branches of education.* For many years the Society has been without a stated Minister; but by an arrangement with the Missionary Committee at Manchester, preachers are appointed to officiate there, in rotation, every Sabbath-day.
* The Church and Schools have since then been rebuilt, and are vested in the General Conference Trust.– ED.
A Society for reading the Writings was also collected at Bolton, in Lancashire, with Mr. Samuel Dawson at its head, about the same time as that at Radcliffe. In 1797 a Sunday School was established there for the education of about two hundred children; over which a spacious and commodious room has been converted into a neat Chapel. Here Mr. Dawson, whose knowledge of the New Church doctrines was not surpassed by any who professed to embrace them, continued to preach for many years, until through age and infirmity he could no longer perform the duties of the Ministry. {201} He died in 1823, at the advanced age of 79 years, leaving behind him a character for integrity, piety, and true Christian benevolence, which justly endeared his memory to all his surviving friends.*
* Mr. S. Dawson had been previously a member of the Rev. J. Clowes’s congregation, in Manchester. Mr. Dawson was for thirty years the regular and intelligent leader of the Bolton Society. His remains were interred at Prestwich, near Manchester.- ED.
In 1805 a small place of worship was erected at Accrington, in Lancashire, where Mr. George Haworth, a schoolmaster, officiated as Minister: and in 1807 a commodious Chapel, thirty-six feet square within the walls, was built for the use of the New Church in that populous neighbourhood. Since the death of Mr. Haworth, which took place in 1823, the duties have been performed by Missionaries appointed, in rotation, by the Manchester Missionary Committee. A Sunday School has also been opened in the same place, in which one hundred children receive instruction, and are thus qualified to become useful members of society, according to their humble situations in life.
At Brightlingsea, in Essex, Mr. Munson, a local preacher among the Wesleyan Methodists, embraced the truths of the new dispensation, which had been introduced into that village by a medical gentleman of great respectability, about the year 1809.* As he neglected no opportunity of recommending the same, both in his discourses and in his conversation, he was soon dismissed from that connection, but not until he had produced a considerable effect on the minds of many of his hearers. These, together with some other inhabitants of the place, were formed by him into a New Church Society, which under his Ministry rapidly increased in number, until they were enabled, by the assistance of others, to build for themselves a respectable and commodious Chapel.** Another Society was also raised about the same time at a neighbouring village, called St. Osyth, which Mr. Munson visited as often as he conveniently could. And thus, notwithstanding the opposition, with which he was assailed by his former friends, the Methodists, he succeeded in establishing two zealous and flourishing Societies in that part of the country. Mr. Munson was ordained a regular Minister of the New Church in 1813; and, after a few years of active labour in the service of his Lord, was, in 1818, called to receive the crown of eternal life.
* This gentleman was Mr. Moses Fletcher, who came to reside in this village about this time, or somewhat earlier, to practise as a surgeon. He died on the 11th of April, 1848, aged 76.- ED.
** The ground on which this chapel is erected is freehold, and was given to the Society by the late John Presland, Esq. The building cost L420.- ED.
Besides the above, other places of worship, either erected by the respective Societies, or hired by them, had also by this time been opened, viz., at Keighley, in Yorkshire; at Cooper’s Bridge, near Huddersfield; at Eccup, near Leeds; at Hull; at Middleton and Ringley, in Lancashire; at Bristol; at Liverpool; at New-castle-upon-Tyne; and some other towns and villages in different parts of the kingdom. {202} The success, which has attended the humble efforts of the lovers of truth in all these places, is fully commensurate with the most sanguine expectations that could have been reasonably entertained; and although it must be acknowledged, that unlooked-for difficulties every now and then rose up to impede for a time the progress of the Church, yet in the end they were generally surmounted, and the hand of Divine Providence has visibly interposed to frustrate the designs of enemies, and to make way for the further enlargement of the new and everlasting kingdom of righteousness upon earth.
It was before observed, that the Society first instituted in London, in 1783, was for the purpose of promoting the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem, by translating, printing, and publishing the Theological Writings of the Honourable Emanuel Swedenborg. This object had by this time been nearly, if not wholly, accomplished by the unwearied exertions of those concerned in the work; and the benefits arising therefrom to the English reader were duly appreciated. But as a continual supply of books to the public was a desideratum not to be lost sight of by the Church, it was now thought advisable to form a new institution for the express purpose of re-printing, publishing, and advertising for sale such of the works as might from time to time be sold off. Accordingly on the 26th of February, 1810, a meeting* was called to consider the subject, and, if approved of, to raise a fund for the above purpose, either by loans, donations, or annual contributions. This meeting was attended by a great number of the most respectable members of the Church, who, seeing the utility of the proposed plan, and desirous of supporting it by all the means in their power, most cheerfully and unanimously united in giving it full effect. A subscription** was immediately set on foot, and a sum raised on the spot sufficient to justify the expectations of the warmest friends to the cause, and to give a fair prospect of complete success to the undertaking.*** This Society, usually denominated the London Printing Society, continues to support its character for unremitting zeal in prosecuting the design, for which it was first established. {203} Besides the expense of keeping up a regular supply of books for the public market, it has, by its judicious plan of advertising, caused a knowledge of the Writings, at least as to their titles and subject-matter, to be very extensively circulated through the kingdom; and it is well known, that many readers have hereby been made acquainted with the new doctrines, and from amongst them a considerable number of valuable members has been added to the Church. Donations of books have also been presented to many of the country Societies, which had not the ability to purchase them; and when suitable opportunities offered, or where there was reason to believe that the gift would be acceptable and useful, several of the Universities in Great Britain, as well as respectable public libraries, have been gratuitously furnished either with complete sets of the books, or with parts of sets, on the sole condition of their being open to the inspection of such as might be desirous of reading them. By these and other means a degree of publicity has been obtained for the Writings, which could not otherwise be hoped for; and instances are not wanting to prove, with what thankfulness such unexpected favours have been received, and how beneficial in their effects they have been found to be. The Anniversary Dinner, in commemoration of the first establishment of this Society, is regularly held on the 19th of June, unless it fall on a Sunday, in which case it is held on the day following.****
* At this meeting the undermentioned members were elected on the Committee: John Augustus Tulk, Chairman; Thomas Jones, Deputy Chairman; Charles Jenkins, Treasurer; Samuel Noble, Secretary; John Parry, Charles Augustus Tulk, John Presland, Thomas Jones (of Long Acre), Robert Armitstead, Samuel Sharpe, Robert Oliphant, M. [G.?] Prichard.- ED.
** The amount raised was as under:
Donations . . . . 295 0 0
Benefactions . . . 60 6 0
Annual Subscriptions. 52 13 0
————–
407 19 0 – ED.
*** The first works printed by the Society were The Last Judgment, and The Doctrine of Life. To the former a Preface was prefixed by Mr. Hindmarsh, the translator.- ED.
**** Of late years this mode of commemorating the formation of the Society has been discontinued, and its Annual Meetings are held in the ordinary manner about the middle of June.- ED.
About this time (1810) the Rev. William Cowherd, of Manchester, who was scarcely known to the friends in London, gave out that it was his intention to translate and publish the Philosophical Works of Emanuel Swedenborg, and to print new editions of his Theological Works. As it was a part of his plan to establish a Printing Office in his own house, under the superintendence of one skilled in the business, he
repeatedly and earnestly solicited my assistance in both departments of the undertaking. Conceiving that the proposed work was of great importance to the Church, and to the public at large, I at length, after some hesitation and reflection, accepted the invitation to remove to Manchester, where I arrived in January, 1811. But I had not been there long before I discovered, that Mr. Cowherd was not the man I had charitably supposed him to be, notwithstanding the unfavourable reports which had reached my ear. His eccentricity of character, joined to an overbearing and conceited opinion of his own transcendant abilities, which he blushed not to represent as far superior to those of every other reader of the Writings, soon convinced me, that the expectations I had entertained of the probable success of our joint efforts in the way contemplated, could never be realized. {204} I had reason also to believe, that my visit to him for the ostensible purpose of assisting in the translation and publication of the works before mentioned, was made a cloak to shelter a concealed design, which afterwards became manifest, of having it generally understood, that I had adopted his peculiar sentiments, and was come to support them against all opposition. Being satisfied, therefore, that my stay with him would be productive of no real good, and that the whims, to which he was constantly subject, especially those which regarded abstinence from animal food, and the use of fermented liquors, which he strenuously insisted upon as a religious duty, to be observed by all the members of the Church, I determined, after about three months trial of the spirit that harassed and worried him, to withdraw from all connection with him, and return to London.*
* As one instance of the spirit, in which Mr. Cowherd regarded those who differed with him on the subject of eating animal food, the following may be mentioned. Having invited me one day to dine with him, he was considerate enough to provide a dish suited to the ravenous propensity (as he called it) of those who fed on such unhallowed fare, as the flesh of animals. With a variety of vegetable dishes for the guests present, a small joint of animal food was placed on the table for me; and while we were all busily engaged with the knife and fork, he observed, that “as there were only two wild beasts at table, he hoped there would be flesh enough for them both.” The two wild beasts alluded to were myself and the cat, which was then walking across the table, to take possession of its allotted share.- R. H.
This resolution was no sooner known among the friends in Manchester, than they wished to engage me as a Minister in the service of the New Church, and offered to hire a room, wherein I might address the public, and endeavour to raise a new Society in that large and populous town. For a considerable time I declined this proposal, having no desire whatever, but on the contrary an almost insuperable reluctance, at my age (being then in my 52nd year), to undertake the office of a Preacher. But at length, yielding to the very urgent solicitations of those who thought more favourably of my abilities, than I did myself, I consented to make a beginning. A room was immediately engaged in Clarence Street, Princess Street, and, after being neatly fitted up as a little chapel, was opened for public worship on Sunday, the 7th of July, 1811. In this humble situation the Society continued for nearly two years, when it was resolved to build a new Temple in Salford.
In the mean time, reflecting on the depressed state of the New Church in Manchester, and the many disadvantages under which it laboured, partly from Mr. Cowherd’s capricious conduct, and partly from some other untoward circumstances, it occurred to me, that a remedy might be provided for these evils, which, if judiciously administered, could not fail to have the effect of rousing the attention of the public to the new doctrines, and of removing from the minds of many those unworthy prejudices against them, which were found to prevail to an alarming degree. {205} For this end it was proposed to found an Institution similar to the ancient Schools of Philosophy and Divinity, in which a regular inquiry and investigation into the peculiar doctrines of the New Church should be publicly entered upon, every Thursday evening during the winter, and such explanations given as might be calculated to produce a favourable impression on all who were in search of truth for the sake of truth. Accordingly, at the latter end of the year 1812, a Prospectus of the intended Plan of instruction was published, which meeting with general approbation, was widely circulated in the town and neighbourhood, and promptly carried into execution. The effect produced was such as had been anticipated: the room was immediately crowded, not only by the professed members of the Church, but also by strangers of almost every denomination, who seemed to feel an interest in the various subjects that were announced for discussion.
As might be expected on such an occasion, enemies as well as friends mingled together in one body to hear and witness the proceedings of each evening. Some came in hopes of an opportunity to confront the speaker with studied objections to the Divinity of Jesus Christ; and others with the confident expectation, that the cause of the New Church would triumph in the end; while others again, as yet undecided in their judgment, and anxious to know the truth, kept themselves in readiness either to accede to the new doctrines, or to reject them, according to the nature of the evidence and arguments that might be advanced.
As the undertaking was somewhat novel in its features, and was attended with consequences highly beneficial to the Societies in Manchester and its neighbourhood; and as, moreover, a similar institution may hereafter be thought advisable, when the circumstances of the Church in other places may require it; a more particular account of the plan adopted, and of the mode of conducting the institution, will perhaps be acceptable to the reader, and furnish an opportunity for others to suggest some further means of extending the knowledge of divine truth among men, in addition to the regular and approved practice of public worship and the preaching of the Word. I shall, therefore, transcribe the Prospectus, which was then issued, and leave it to the judgment of those who feel an interest in the success of every measure that is calculated to promote the extension of the New Jerusalem. {206}
“The NEW SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, open every Thursday Evening at Eight o’Clock, in Clarence Street, Princess Street, Manchester, and conducted by ROBERT HINDMARSH, lately from London.
“Introductory Address.
“The inhabitants of Manchester and Salford are respectfully informed, that, in imitation of the ancient Schools of Philosophy and Divinity, a New SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY is opened at the above-mentioned place, for the discussion and explanation of the most important subjects of divine revelation. To this SCHOOL free admission will be given, on the conditions hereunder expressed, to the religious of every denomination or persuasion, who are sincerely desirous of obtaining that information, which is in vain to be looked for in any of the old Schools. But it is to be distinctly understood, that nothing of the nature of a Debating Society is hereby intended; because, in the generality of such institutions, victory over an antagonist, either by argument or by eloquence, followed by the applause of the auditors, and not the discovery of truth purely for the sake of truth, is the great object held in view both by speakers and by hearers. The vain parade of set speeches, rounded periods, and high-sounding but empty words, containing nothing of sentiment or instructive idea, is therefore rejected as unworthy the notice or pursuit of candidates for heavenly wisdom. For as language, whether in its highest or in its humblest sphere, is only given to man as a medium for the conveyance or communication of the rational perceptions of the mind; and as these perceptions are in themselves of an infinitely higher order, than the mere verbal expression of them, and will remain with man’s spirit, when the language of words shall cease to affect him; it cannot be too strongly impressed upon the minds of all who shall think proper to visit or frequent the new SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, that the great end of this institution is, to lead men from words to ideas, from language to sentiment, from matter to spirit, in short, from earth to heaven; thus it is to open the gate of spiritual knowledge to those who are yet in ignorance of the true nature of divine revelation, and at the same time to animate those who are already in possession of the truth with sentiments of love to their adorable God and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, and of affectionate regard to their fellow-creatures of every name and description.
“It may be proper, however, to give a general outline of the great subjects that are intended to be discussed, as occasion may serve; and of the plan which is proposed to be adopted in the business of the SCHOOL; together with the necessary conditions and rules to be observed by all who attend, both for the preservation of order, and for the more effectually securing the great ends of the institution, namely, the instruction of the ignorant, and the spiritual edification of the pious and sincere Christian.
“Divine Revelation the Basis, on which the New School is founded.
“In the first place, then, divine revelation, as contained in those books more especially, which are truly and properly called the Word of God, because dictated by him alone both as to their language and as to their interior sentiment, is acknowledged as the very basis or foundation, on which the new SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY is erected; the fountain, from which all wisdom, both human and angelic, is derived; the test or criterion, by which all doctrine is to be determined; and the standard of excellency and perfection, to which all other writings in the Church must ever be referred, in order that their true value may be estimated and ascertained. From revelation thus acknowledged, and particularly when illustrated and explained by the comments of apostles and evangelists, and by the still further discoveries of divine truth by seers and other wise men in various ages of the Church, arises all our genuine information concerning the being and attributes of a God; his dealings with man, both in his primeval and in his fallen condition; the final end of the creation of the universe; the immortality or future existence of the soul, either in a state of happiness or misery; with many other subjects of equal interest and importance to every rational being. Questions, like these, will be perpetually presented to view for contemplation and improvement: but as it may be useful more particularly to specify some of them, and as the reader may wish to be apprized of their nature and tendency, the following enumeration of subjects will furnish him with the required information.
“Subjects to be occasionally discussed and explained.
“1. The existence of a Supreme Being, called God, the Creator and Preserver of the universe, which, though plainly to be deduced or inferred from the works of creation that surround us, yet can never be so clearly and satisfactorily established by them, as it is by the book of revelation.
“2. The attributes, qualities, and perfections of this God. {207}
“3. The Unity of God, both with respect to essence, and to person or form.
“4. The Divine Trinity; which will be shewn to be perfectly consistent with the Divine Unity, while existing in One Person; but utterly repugnant to it, if supposed to consist of Three Persons.
“5. The absurdity of supposing a God infinitely extended, and thus without form or person; which yet is the general opinion of Christians so called, especially of those who are reputed to be the wisest, because they are the most learned, notwithstanding their contradictory belief, at the same moment, that he has three distinct forms, or, what is the same thing, three distinct persons.
“6. If, then, God be not infinitely extended, he must exist in some form; which form, it will be demonstrated, is not, and cannot possibly be, any other than a Divinely-Human Form.
“7. Nevertheless this Divinely-Human Form, as well as the Divine Essence itself, which fills it, is omnipresent in all spaces without space, and in all times without time; that is to say, the whole God is present in every point of space and time, yet without bearing the smallest relation to either of them; and consequently he is not a part here, and a part there, but a whole and complete God everywhere.
“8. This same Divinely-Human Form has been exhibited to angels and to men under the name, and in the person, of JESUS CHRIST, who is therefore, and will be undeniably proved to be, the Great Jehovah God Himself in his Divine Humanity.
“9. From these premises results the Exclusive Divinity of JESUS CHRIST; that is to say, a Divinity, which will not allow any other being in heaven or on earth to lay claim to, or participate in it, in any respect or degree whatever.
“10. It will be necessary, therefore, to explain, to the satisfaction of the rational mind, those various portions of the Sacred Scripture, which apparently represent the Saviour of the world as a distinct person from God the Father, and which are so eagerly and so ignorantly seized upon, both by Unitarians and Trinitarians, to degrade the person and character of JESUS CHRIST, by setting up another imaginary Being over his head, opposition to the many other plain declarations, as well as to the whole tenor and spirit of revelation, which so decidedly teach, that He is the Supreme and Only God of heaven and earth.
“11. The descent of Jehovah God himself into the world, in order to become incarnate, and in that capacity to redeem and save mankind.
“12. The wonders of the first and second redemption.
“13. The return of Jehovah God into and above all the heavens, at the time of the fall and perfect glorification of the Humanity, which he assumed in the world.
“14. The miraculous establishment of Judaism, and also of primitive Christianity.
“15. Miracles no test of truth; the effect which they naturally have on the human mind; and the reason why they have now altogether ceased in the Church.
“16. The decline and end of the Christian Church.
“17. The last judgment in the spiritual world, and the Second Advent of the Lord in both worlds.
“18. The present state of the Christian Church so called, both among Roman Catholics and Protestants of every denomination.
“19. The restoration of genuine Christianity, under the name of the New Jerusalem.
“20. This New and True Christian Church, called in Scripture the New Jerusalem, is not a mere sect or party, but an entirely new and universal dispensation, succeeding, superseding, and eclipsing all former dispensations, being the end to which they uniformly have had respect, and in which they will hereafter find their ultimate and full accomplishment.
“21. The spiritually blind, however, that is, they who are wise in their own conceit, and fancy themselves to be already in the light of the gospel, will not be permitted to see or comprehend any one of these great truths: for it is written ‘He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them,’ John xii. 40.
“22. The resurrection of man as to his spirit, or his entrance into the spiritual world, immediately after the death of his body, which will never be re-united with the soul or spirit.
“23. The state of man after death, which is fixed for eternity by his life in the present world.
“24. The actual existence of a heaven and a hell, with the true nature and quality of each; their unceasing duration, and progressive advances in the perfection of good, and the imperfection of evil, respectively, to all eternity; and this not merely as a matter of necessity, but of choice and delight in the subjects of both the one and the other. {208}
“25. Angels were not created angels, neither are devils fallen angels, according to the notions commonly entertained; but both classes of beings are of the race and family of mankind.
“26. The existence of a sun in the spiritual world, distinct from the sun of the natural world; the heat of which former sun is divine love, and the light thereof divine wisdom.
“27. The influx of life into man, through the medium of this sun, from Jehovah God, whose more immediate residence is in the midst thereof.
“28. Man is an organ of life, or a form recipient of life from God, and not life in himself.
“29. The Lord alone is life in himself, and this even with respect to his Humanity: for as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son, to have life in himself,’ John v. 26. The Father is the Divinity, the Son is the Divine Humanity, both together constituting One God, or the Divine Essence in it’s own Divine Form.
“30. All influx is from spirit to matter, from the soul to the body, and not vice versa; consequently all life, all affection, and all intelligence, is so likewise.
“31. Liberty and necessity, how far compatible or incompatible the one with the other.
“32. The origin of evil accounted for, by being traced to the abuse of the two faculties of liberty and rationality, with which every man is endowed.
“33. Election, predestination, and reprobation, when considered as arbitrary acts of the Divine Being in favour of some his creatures, to the irremediable destruction of the rest, and this by an eternal decree before they were brought into existence, must ever be ranked amongst those insane and detestable heresies, which cannot be contemplated without horror. The true Scripture doctrine on each of these subjects plainly teaches, that the divine mercy is equally extended to the whole of the human race; but that some receive it to their salvation, while others reject it to their condemnation.
“34. Free-will in spiritual things, though heretofore known by name in the Church, and made the subject of much vain and heated disputation, was yet never clearly understood till the present day, to be the result of the equilibrium between good and evil, truth and error, reality and appearances.
“35. The doctrine of original sin, as held by Christian Churches, a complete error, and misapprehension of the rise, progress, and consummation of moral and spiritual depravity.
“36. The doctrine of atonement, or vicarious sacrifice for sin, as almost universally taught by the same Churches, is found to be no part of the true Christian religion, but a perversion and abuse of the terms used in divine revelation.
“37. The necessity of unfeigned repentance, which is the beginning and foundation of the Church in man.
“38. This to be succeeded by reformation of life, and regeneration, or an entire change in the propensities, habits, and delights of the mind, which can only be effected by divine means, in a gradual, and not in an instantaneous manner.
“39. This removal of evil, and change of life, is what is meant in the Sacred Scriptures by the remission or forgiveness of sins.
“40. The nature of temptation, as one of the means used in the process of man’s regeneration.
“41. The imputation of the merits of Christ, a thing impossible, absurd, and highly dangerous, if depended upon for salvation.
“42. The imputation, however, of good and evil, and also of faith, according to the quality of a man’s life, is to be acknowledged as a most interesting truth of revelation.
“43. Human merit nothing, and divine merit every thing.
“44. The nature and uses of baptism and the holy supper.
“45. Marriage a spiritual as well as a civil contract, being grounded in the marriage or conjunction of good and truth; and when under the influence of true conjugial love, the most holy, pure, and perfect state, that either men or angels are capable of attaining.
“46. Distinction between the internal and external man.
“47. The nature of conscience, and how it is generated in man.
“48. The varieties of love, both good and evil.
“49. Piety the external, secondary, and formal part of the life of charity, which is the essential characteristic of religion.
“50. The presence and operation of Divine Providence in every minute circumstance and occurrence of life, equally as well as in the greatest events. {209}
“51. The supposed restoration of the Jews, and their re-establishment in the land of Canaan, as a peculiarly favoured nation and people of God, a groundless conjecture, founded in ignorance of the true sense of divine revelation.
“52. The real restoration of the Jews, or that which is so frequently predicted in the Sacred Scriptures, is the establishment of the New Church, called the New Jerusalem, whose commencement is in the present day.
“The Oracles of Divine, Wisdom, when rightly understood, the only infallible Criterion of Truth, to the rational Perception of which we are conducted by enlightened Reason, in conjunction with Integrity of Life.
“Such are the subjects intended to be introduced, and occasionally enlarged upon, as circumstances may call them into notice. Truth, the great object of our pursuit and contemplation, will be viewed under a new light, and exhibited in all her native beauty; whilst error, superstition, and fanaticism, together with infidelity, and every other species of intellectual deformity, will be chased away either as guilty or as idle intruders on the happiness and peace of religious society. For this end appeals will be perpetually made to those Oracles of divine wisdom, which, when rightly understood, form an infallible criterion of both the true and the good. Next to these, the voice of Reason will be listened to with the greatest deference and attention; not Reason in her state of infancy or minority, when she can discern nothing but the appearances of truth, and consequently when she herself still needs the guiding and fostering hand of Wisdom and Experience; but Reason grown up to a state of maturity; Reason capable of distinguishing between the fallacies of mere sense, and the realities of superior intelligence; in short, Reason enlightened by divine revelation, and thereby elevated far above the mists of ignorance and infidelity, into that purity of perception, which instantly embraces for itself, and at the same time is urgent to communicate to others, truth unadulterated by vice, unsophisticated by argument, and unmixed with the delusions of error.
“Universal Science made to contribute its share in confirming the Truths of Revelation, and in testifying to the Existence of a God-Man, the Creator and Preserver of all Worlds.
“But, in addition to the genuine sources of information above described, we shall also press into our service, out of the immense variety of facts reposited in the great theatre of nature, such aids as shall be found more immediately and distinctly calculated to support and confirm the testimony of divine revelation. The natural history of the globe which we inhabit, together with the multifarious productions of its three kingdoms, the animal, the vegetable, and the mineral; the arts and sciences, which once flourished in former ages, and which, after a long night of oblivion, are now again reviving with increased number, splendour, and advantage to society; and not only these, but even the firmament itself, consisting of myriads and myriads of suns, as centres to innumerable systems of worlds, doubtless created to be the habitations of intelligent and immortal beings successively coming into existence; but above all, the moral and physical constitution of man, in whom are concentrated all the powers, perfections, and glories of the creation, in a way and degree most astonishing and truly miraculous; all these (so far at least as the scanty information of those engaged in the work will enable them to accomplish) shall be made to contribute their measure and portion towards the production of that fatness of acknowledgment and love of the Supreme Being, which can alone spring up in the human breast, when the God of nature is perceived to be the God also of revelation, and when finally the same God is seen to be no other than the ever-adorable, because the ever-merciful, omniscient, and omnipotent Lord of the universe, JESUS CHRIST.
“Plan or Method of conducting the school.
“The plan of conducting the meetings of this infant Society, which has been already adopted, and which will be continued in future, at least during the winter, is as follows. As an accommodation to the labouring poor of this town, the meetings commence at Eight o’clock every Thursday evening, and continue for a little more than an hour. Without any formality, in the way of prayer, or other external sign of worship, in order that every one present may feel himself in a state of perfect liberty and ease, of whatever religious community he may be a member, MR. HINDMARSH takes the chair precisely at Eight o’clock; and, after explaining to the company (as occasion may require), the nature and design of the meeting, he gives an opportunity to any serious person to propose a subject for discussion; it being always understood, that no vain questions foreign to the real intent of the institution, or destitute of any prospect of spiritual benefit to the hearers, will be offered for their consideration; but, as the time is limited, that it may be employed in the most rational and useful manner possible. {210} If no subject be proposed by any of the company present, MR. HINDMARSH then introduces one himself either from the Sacred Scriptures, or from the Theological Writings of EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, which are illustrative of those Scriptures, and contain the most admirable lessons of instruction that have ever been given to mankind since the foundation of the Christian religion was first laid. From these Writings extracts will be read, and comments delivered on their extraordinary contents, which to the candid, the pious, and the rational mind, cannot fail to bring the most welcome and salutary information. In the midst of these discussions, which for the most part are intended to be conducted with all the familiarity of social conversation, and the lively affection of religious intercourse perfectly free from the spirit or the heat of party, it is most fervently hoped, that one unanimous sentiment of love and friendship will animate all who shall from time to time attend; and that each individual, learning to bear and forbear with his brother, and having his mind open to the cheering influence of heavenly life, will reap in his own bosom that blessedness of state, which ever awaits the truly humble and sincere Christian.
“Conditions of Admittance, and Rules to be observed in the School.
“For the sake of order, and that our THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL may be conducted with harmony and useful effect, the following conditions of admittance, and rules to be observed by all who attend, have been found proper to be adopted.
“1. Every person desirous of information or edification in subjects of theological inquiry, whatever may be his religious profession or denomination, is at liberty, and even invited to attend, on the simple condition of peaceable and quiet demeanour during the time of meeting.
“2. Any person is at liberty to propose a subject for consideration: but, as the power of determining upon its propriety or impropriety must be lodged somewhere, it shall be in the discretion of the President or Conductor of the meeting either to admit or reject the proposition, as he may think most consistent with the end of the institution, or beneficial to the company present.
“3. Every call to order by the Conductor, if such call should unavoidably become necessary, must be instantly attended to by all present: and if the authority of the chair shall require support, it is expected that it will not be with-held.
“4. As truth in its own nature is such, that it cannot be ascertained by majorities, and yet as it is possible that the decision or determination of a question may be called for, the Conductor, by virtue of his office or situation, is allowed the power of disposing of all questions in the way he may think most proper; each individual nevertheless still retaining in himself the full right and exercise of private judgment in all cases whatever.
“5. The avowed sentiments or religious opinions of MR. HINDMARSH, who acts as Conductor, being wholly derived from, and as he trusts in perfect agreement with the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem, as contained in the Sacred Scriptures, and so clearly unfolded in the Theological Writings of the late Honourable EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, it is to be understood by all who attend, that the principles which influence his conduct, and give character to the institution which he has the honour to superintend, are expressly those of the New Church, called the New Jerusalem: and therefore he hopes, that no one will take offence, or consider himself in any way aggrieved, if, in his feeble endeavours to promote what he humbly conceives to be the truth of heaven itself, he shall at times be found to oppose with all his might the popular errors of the day; which yet he trusts he shall be enabled to do without the smallest breach of charity or affection towards those who differ from him in sentiment, and who may be equally sincere with himself, though (as he believes) misled in their judgment. In the performance of this duty, however it may expose him to the censure of the ungenerous, or the uncandid, as he neither looks for the honours of this world, nor is disposed to court its favours, he is supported purely by the consideration, that the cause, in which he is embarked, and in which he has laboured for more than thirty years of his life, is no less than the cause of virtue, of piety, of universal benevolence to mankind, and of supreme veneration for the great Author of all being. It is therefore from a conscientious regard to what is required of him, that he now ventures to offer himself to the notice of the public, in the way which this Prospectus announces; humbly hoping, that, if his abilities are slender, his usefulness to society may exceed his most sanguine expectation. {211}
“The leading Feature of the School, or the first and last Position, that will virtually, if not expressly be asserted and maintained in every Discussion, is that of the Sole, Supreme, and Exclusive Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; accompanied with Demonstrations to all who have Eyes to see the Light of Truth, that the present is actually the Day of his Second Advent.
“Having thus stated the design and objects of our new SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, together with the plan or method of conducting the same, and the rules to be observed by those who may think proper to attend, only one observation more appears needful, that the public may be fully apprized of the real character of this institution. It is well known to every person at all acquainted with the predictions contained in the New Testament, that the Second Advent of JESUS CHRIST into the world is announced as an event which sooner or later was to take place. This event has long been looked for by many in the Church, who yet had no just idea of the true nature of such advent. In general it has been regarded as a personal appearance, in no way distinguishable from that of his First Advent, but by the glory, pomp, and power, which, it is supposed, will accompany it: and such vague, incoherent, and ridiculous notions have been entertained by almost all who have thought upon the subject, that nothing rational and satisfactory has been hitherto found by them to supply the place of doubt and conjecture. In this state of ignorance and darkness, it must be gratifying to those, who cordially believe in the promise of their departing Saviour, that he would again return to bless them with a more full and direct knowledge of himself, than his first appearance in the world was calculated to produce, to hear it distinctly and solemnly announced, that the present day is witness to the divine reality of his Second Advent; an Advent not in person, but in spirit, by virtue of which he is now opening and unfolding the wonderful contents of his Holy Word, which have been so long concealed from the eyes of mankind, and which cannot possibly be discerned by any others, than those who are willing to acknowledge his supreme and exclusive Divinity. To all such it will be made manifest, and as clear as the noon-day sun, that now is the day of the second appearance of the Lord God and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST; that now he is taking to himself his great power, and must reign as the Omnipotent God, both of angels and men; that now are the kingdoms of this world, and of all worlds, become his kingdoms; and that henceforth He alone, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in essence and in person, indivisibly One, shall be known, acknowledged, and adored, both in heaven and on earth, as the Supreme God over all, blessed for ever-and ever-and ever. AMEN.”
As before observed, after issuing the above Prospectus, the room was crowded to excess; the doctrines of the New Church became the subject of conversation in many circles; and a strong interest was excited in the town, which continued during the whole winter, until measures were taken for erecting a new place of worship in Salford, to be called the New Jerusalem Temple. Two gentlemen of the Society, Mr. John Barge, and Mr. Francis Goadsby, undertook to raise the building at their own joint expense, with the design of vesting the same in Trust for the use of the New Church for ever, as soon as a certain proportion of the debt incurred should be paid off by the subscriptions of the Society, they themselves taking the lead in a most liberal and handsome manner. Ground for this purpose was taken by them in Bolton Street, Salford; and the foundation-stone of the new Temple was laid on Monday, the 15th of March, 1813. In six months the building was completed; and on Sunday, the 19th of September following, it was opened by me for public worship, and consecrated, in the presence of a crowded audience. The adjoining burial ground, designed to be the silent depository for the ashes of departed friends and others, was also at the same time, duly set apart for that purpose. The Collection on that day amounted to L5l. 8s., which sufficiently shews the deep interest that was excited on the occasion. {212} The property has been since vested in Trust for the use of the New Church, agreeably to the original design of the first proprietors.
As the purpose for which the Temple in Salford was erected, was well known among the inhabitants of the town, many were the inquiries which from time to time were made respecting the nature of the doctrines professed by the members of the New Church. On one occasion a gentleman, who appeared to be of an inquisitive turn of mind, but unacquainted with our views of the sole and exclusive Divinity of the Lord, requested me to state the grounds upon which we addressed all our worship to the Second Person in the Godhead, that is, to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and did not extend at least some portion of it to God himself, or to the First Person, called the Father, and also to the Holy Ghost, as the greater part of Christians usually do. From what he had heard of our doctrine, he was not aware, that we maintained the identity of the Son with the Father, and with the Holy Spirit; and consequently he did not know, that in worshiping the Son as the visible manifestation of all that is divine, whether known by the name of Father, as an invisible and unapproachable Essence, or by the name of Son, as the proper Form of that Essence, or by the name of Holy Spirit, as the Influence or Operation proceeding from the Father and the Son together, we at the same time worship the whole, the sole, and the complete God, in all his Divine Majesty and Glory. Retaining, therefore, his idea of a personal distinction in the Godhead, as an undoubted fact, because the Christian Church in general holds it to be such, and wondering why we should select one of the Divine Persons as the sole object on whom to place the whole of our faith and love, he was for reasoning with me on the supposed indignity which we thus offered to the Father and the Holy Ghost, by refusing to worship them, in their turns at least, in common with the Son. But after explaining to him the doctrine of the New Church on this very important subject, and proving to him, both by Scripture and reason, that the Divine Being is incapable of such division into persons as the imagination of man has invented, I perceived that he was in some degree inclined to favour our views, though he would not hastily relinquish the faith of his fathers. “One conclusion,” he said, “I have come to from your conversation, which gives me pleasure; and that is, – if you are right in worshipping Jesus Christ as the whole God, and the sole God, then nothing can eventually injure you, or overthrow your system: but if you are wrong, and have unadvisedly, through ignorance and misplaced devotion, set up the Son as superior to the Father, (supposing them to be distinct Persons,) even in that case I cannot doubt but the Father himself, from the great love he bears towards his Son, and the desire he has that all should honour him, will wink at the error you have committed, and accept you at last for the sake of his Son.” {213} “Then, Sir,” I replied, “upon the footing which you have yourself laid down, the members of the New Church are still on the safe side of the question.” At parting, I strongly recommended to his future attention and study, the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, which I thought would yield him more information and satisfaction on the subject, than he could possibly derive from any other human source.
An account has been given of four successive periodical publications, undertaken at different times by the members of the New Church in London. The first was The New Jerusalem Magazine, which appeared in 1790, and contained with the Appendix, seven Monthly Numbers. The second was The Magazine of Knowledge, concerning Heaven and Hell, containing twenty Monthly Numbers, the first of which was published in March, 1790, and the last in October, 1791. The third publication of the kind was The New Jerusalem Journal, in ten Monthly Numbers, which came out in 1792. Several years elapsed before any other work of a similar nature was undertaken by the members of the New Church: but a wish having been generally expressed, that some medium of public and periodical communication should again be adopted, a few gentlemen united together for that purpose, and in May, 1799, brought out another work, in a smaller form, to which they gave the name of The Aurora, or Dawn of Genuine Truth. This Work proceeded as far as the twenty-eighth number, when it likewise closed in October, 1801. All these works were well received by the members of the New Church, at the time of their respective publications; and there is reason to believe, that they were productive of much good, and that the cause of truth was essentially promoted by each of them. But as the professors of the new doctrines were comparatively few in number in those early periods of the Church, the encouragement given to them was not sufficient to ensure their continuance, though the price at which they were published, was only Six- pence for each Number. A considerable loss was indeed sustained by those who undertook them, particularly in the case of the Magazine of Knowledge, and the New Jerusalem Journal, where the whole of the expense fell upon one individual, and that was myself.
Some years after the conclusion of the Aurora, the Church still increasing in numbers and in means, a very general desire was again expressed, that another effort should be made to establish a periodical work. The heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem, it was considered, might be thereby further extended, and an opportunity given to societies and individuals to communicate with each other, and to acquire from time to time, a better knowledge of the success of the New Church in this, as well as in other countries, than could possibly be obtained without such a public medium. {214} It was, therefore, resolved by a few gentlemen in London to commence a Quarterly publication under the title of The Intellectual Repository for the New Church, at the price of Eighteen-pence per Number. This was accordingly done, and the work made its appearance on the 1st of January, 1812, and was continued with great ability and success for many years. Not only by the professed members of the New Church, but by many pious and sincere Christians of other denominations, it was regarded as a publication of superior merit, a treasure of uncommon value: and it is to be hoped, that a periodical work so well conducted, will long continue to enlighten, to improve, and to gratify the lovers of genuine truth.*
* This publication is still continued, and is now in its 47th year. It first appeared quarterly, at 1s. 6d. a number, till the close of 1829; it was published every alternate month, at 1s. a number, till the close of 1839; and with 1840, it became a monthly magazine, at 6d. a number, and has so continued. The Intellectual Repository was commenced by seven members of the Church, who advanced L5 each as capital for the undertaking; and this was not only sufficient to carry it on for eighteen years, but it enabled five of the proprietors, when they transferred it to the General Conference, in 1829, to accompany it with a sum of L25 7s. 7d., then in hand, besides a considerable quantity of back numbers. The original editors were Mr. J. A. Tulk, Mr. G. Prichard, Mr. Noble, Dr. Orger, and Mr. T. Jones; and Mr. Mason and Mr. Shaw were also editors prior to its transference to the Conference. When it became the property of the Conference, the Rev. Mr. Hindmarsh, Mr. Noble, and Mr. Thomas Jones, were appointed editors; but Mr. Hindmarsh being unable to act, in consequence of his removal from London, Mr. Shaw was selected to fill the vacancy. In 1836, Mr. Jones and Mr. Shaw retired from the editorship; and Mr. Brayley, of London, and the Rev. J. H. Smithson, were associated with Mr. Noble in the editorship, the latter having withdrawn his resignation which he had tendered. At the Conference, in 1839, a new arrangement of the editorship was made, and the duties were undertaken by Mr. Noble and Mr. Smithson, each editing the alternate numbers; Mr. Brayley being relieved from the office; but ere the close of the Conference, Mr. Noble sent in his resignation, and stated his intention of retiring altogether from the editorship after the completion of the volume. He had been editor for twenty eight years. Mr. Butter was then associated with Mr. Smithson as alternate monthly editor, and continued till 1843, when the Rev. Mr. Smithson was appointed sole editor, and remained so to the end of 1857, when the Rev. W. Woodman was appointed assistant editor.- ED.