Page:A brief discussion of some of the claims of the Hon. E. Swedenborg.pdf/19

 tion of them would not have been required. All Divine communications, on their first promulgation, must necessarily appear novel: it was the case with Christianity itself 1800 years ago. It is folly to urge objections from such a fact; for any one may see that novelty is the very feature by which a revelation must be distinguished. It would be absurd to pretend revelation for that which every person knew. The doctrines made known by Swedenborg are new, because they are the doctrines of the New Jerusalem; and their character is such as to manifest that they could not have originated in any other than special illumination for the purpose. To imagine them to be ingenious and clever speculations is to claim for him what he disowns; and it supposes him to be the greatest genius and most original thinker distinguishing the history of man.

But we will dwell no longer upon the refutation of such objections. All the blessings of spiritual intelligence which have been communicated to the world have been vouchsafed through the instrumentality of man; and no one, who calls himself a Christian, can doubt the power or willingness of the Lord to make known additional information concerning himself, his economy, and kingdom, if the circumstances of man kind should be such as to require it. Now that such circumstances would take place appears very evident from the prophetic contents of the xxiv, chap, of Matthew. Therein the decline of the first Christian church from its primitive holiness and purity of doctrine is most distinctly predicted. This fact is admitted by the best authorities upon all hands. It is too plain to be denied. The point at issue then, between us and them, is as to the time of its accomplishment. The professing church will not acknowledge that it has come, nor is it to be expected that it will at any future period throw off its character as a church, and proclaim its own apostacy. Nay, it will ever be a part of a corrupted church to cling with pertinacity to its perversions. It will indeed confess, because it will read in the Scriptures, that iniquity will abound, the love of many wax cold, and that the day of the Lord will not come unless there come a falling away first; but we may rest assured that a corrupted church will never allow that the period has arrived upon it. It will not believe that it contains within itself the abomination of desolation: so long as a church considers itself such, it will announce itself to be the true