SWEDENBORGIANS, a religious so ciety, who have been so called from Emanuel Swedenborg, in whose theologi cal works are taught the doctrines which they receive. He was born at Stockholm in Sweden, Jan. 29, A. D. 1689 ; and died in London, the 29th March, A. I). 1772. His father was Jesper Swedberg, bishop of West Gothia, and president of the Swedish church in Pennsylvania and London. In the year 1716, at the age of 28, he was associated by Charles XII. with the celebrated Polhamman, called the Swedish Archimedes, to assist him in the direction of buildings and' mechanical works, and without solicitation appointed extraordinary assessor to the Royal Col lege of the Mines, the King having given him the choice either of this office, or that of professor in the Royal Academy of Upsal. "An universal knowledge in the belles letters (says Monsieur Sande], in his eulogium delivered in the name of the ACADEME of SCIENCES at STOCKHOLM) and a remarkable degree of learning, had at that time, made his name known both within and without the kingdom." " You may find in him at once, (says the same gentleman) a happy assemblage of an excellent memory, a prompt conception, and a most clear judgment, united to a desire that was never cloyed, and the strongescinclination of an assiduous study after acquirements of the most certain kind in philosophy, in almost all kinds of mathematics, natural history, physics, che mistry, anatomy, and finally theology, without enlarging on the Eastern and European languages, in which he was very well versed.' In 1718, at the siege of Fredericksall, he executed a work of the greatest importance. By cutting through the mountains, and raising the vallies for two miles and an half from Stromstad to ldef-jol, which separates Sweden from Norway, he caused two gallies, five large boats, and a sloop to be sent there ; by which Charles XII. was enabled to have all the great artillery for the siege carried to Fredericksall. In 1719, he was ennobled by Queen Ulrica Eleonora, and named Swedenborg, and took his seat with the nobles of the equestrian order. His various works in philosophy, the belles lettres, mathema tics, mechanics, natural history, physics, chemistry, and anatomy, amount to 24 articles, one of which, his Opera Philoso phica and hlineralia, published, part at Leipsic and part at Dresden in 1734, com prehend three folio volumes. Prior to the publication of this work, the Academic Consistory and the Society of Sciences at Upsal had requested him to solicit the place of professor of the sublime and ab stracted mathematics, which had been filled by Nils Celsius. This he however declined. He was enrolled a member of the Society of Sciences at Upsal, of the Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, and of the Academy of St. Petersburg. His works furnish the editors of the ?cta
.Eruditonan, published at Leipsick, with many articles, and the whole of his Trea tise on Iron, and the preparations of steel, was inserted by the authors of the Description of Arts and Trades at Paris, in their collection of the best thie's written on those subjects.
Nearly all his works are written in the 'Latin language. After occupying himself until the age of 53, in the investigation of philosophical and natural subjects, he dedicated himself wholly to spiritual things. In his letter to the King of Sweden, he say s, "I have already intbrm ed your majesty, and beseech you to recall it to mind, that the Lord our Saviour manifested himself to me in a sensible personal appearance ; that he has commanded me to write what has been already done, and what I have still to do : that he was afterwards graciously pleased to endow me with the privilege of conversing with angels and spirits, and to be in fellowship with them." " When my writings are read with attention, and cool reflection, (in which many things are to be met with as hitherto unknown), it is easy enough to conclude, that I could not come by such knowledge, but by a real vision, and converse with those in the spiritual world." "If any doubt shall still remain, I am ready to testify, with the most solemn oath that can be offer ed in this matter, that I have said nothing but essential and real truth, without any mixture of deception. This knowledge is given to me from our Saviour, not for any particular merit of mine, but for the great concern of all christianS' salvation and happiness ; and as such, how can any venture to assert it is false ?" From the year 1744, he continued to write, and from 1747, to publish his theological works in the Latin language. These, if collected in an uniform edition, would perhaps fill in the English language 30 octavo volumes or 500 pages. His two most extensive works are his Arcan Cxlestia, in 12 octavo volumes, in which he explains, verse by verse, every word in the books of Genesis and Exodus, ac cording to what he calls the spiritual sense-; and his Apocolypsis Explicata, (published since his decease), in 6 octavo volumes, wherein he treats of the book of Revelations in the same manner. The doctrines exhibited in his writings are to the following purpose : 1. Contrary to Unitarians, who deny, and to Trinitarians, who hold, a trinity of persons in the godhead, the Sweden.' borgians maintain that there is a divine trinity in the person ofJesus Christ, con sisting of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, just like the human trinity in every in dividual man, of soul, body, and opera tion ; and as the latter trinity constitutes one man, so the former constitutes one Jehovah God, who is at once the Creator, Redeemer, and Regenerator.