THE Arminian Magazine, For SEPTEMBER 1783. The CALVINIST-CABINET UNLOCKED: in an APOLOGY for TILEN US, against a VINDICATION of the Synod of DORT. BUT 66 [Continued from page 397.] UT let us attend to the cafe which Mr. Baxter puts for If his offence be at God's preterition of men, without a forefight of their demerit, as taught by the Synod"-To interrupt your period, I fuppofe this is a matter to take offence at, and to carry a just indignation against too. For Donteclock and Molineus fay, it charges God with injuftice; for it cannot confift with God's juftice, if an innocent man should be deftined to desertion, from whence of neceffity his eternal perdition follows. 66 If his offence be, that they think, that God doth not effec tually convert and fave all the rest of the world if he be a ·Chriftian, he believes the fame himself." Tilenus will take no VOL, VI. 3 I offence Sciences, at Stockholm. In the year 1734, I published the Regnum Minerale, in three volumes folio: and in 1738, I took a journey into Italy, and stayed a year at Venice and Rome. "In the year 1743, the Lord was pleafed to manifeft himfelf to me, in a perfonal appearance, to open in me a fight of the Spiritual World, and to enable me to converse with Spirits and Angels: and this privilege I have enjoyed ever fince. From that time I began to publish various unknown Arcana, that have been either feen by me, or revealed to me, concerning God, the, fpiritual fenfe of Scripture, the State of Man after Death, Heaven and Hell, and many important truths."This is dated, London,: 1769." I think he lived nine or ten years longer. 2. Many years ago the Baron came over to England, and lodged at one Mr. Brockmer's: who informed me, (and the fame information was given me by Mr. Mathefius, a very ferious Swedish Clergyman, both of whom were alive when I left London, and, I suppose, are so still,) that while he was in his house he had a violent fever; in the height of which, being totally delirious, he broke from Mr. Brockmer, ran into the street ftark naked, proclaimed himself the Messiah, and rolled himself in the mire. I fuppofe he dates from this time his admiffion into the Society of Angels. From this time we are undoubtedly to date that peculiar species of infanity which attended him, with fcarce any intermiffion, to the day of his death. 3. In all Hiftory I find but one inftance of an Infanity parallel to this: I mean, that related by the Roman Poet, of the Gentleman at Argos, in other refpects a fenfible man. Qui fe credebat miros audire tragados, In vacuo latus feffor plauforeq; theatro. Who imagined himself to hear admirable Tragedies, and un. doubtedly faw as well as heard the actors, while he was fitting alone, alone, and clapping thein in the empty theatre. This feems to have been a purely, natural diforder, although not easy to account for. Whether any thing preternatural was added in the cafe of the Baron, I do not undertake to determine. 4. The accounts of thofe "admirable tragedies" which he has published, take up many quarto volumes. I have read little more of them than what we have in English, except his inimitable piece, "De nuptiis cæleftibus; of the Marriages in heaven." To the reading of this I acknowledge I was invited by the Newness of the subject. And I cannot doubt, but the fame circumstance (though they were not fenfible of it) contributed much to the pleasure, which thofe pious men, Mr. Cl. Mr. Ha. and Mr. Cl-s have received from his writings. The fame pleasure they naturally defired to impart to their countrymen, by tranflating, publishing, recommending, and propagating them with their might. They doubtlefs found an additional pleasure, from the huge admiration wherewith many received them. And I fhould not wonder if some of thefe fhould be adopted into the Society of Angels, juft as the Baron himself was: nay, I cannot but apprehend, that they have already attained to a degree of the fame Illumination. 5. Defiring to be thoroughly master of the subject, I procured the tranflation of the first volume, of his last and largest theological work, entitled, "True Chriftian Religion." (The original the Baron himself presented me with, a little before he died.) I took an extract thereof from the beginning to the end, that I might be able to form a more accurate judgment. And one may trace through the whole, remains of a fine genius," Majestic, though in ruins!" From the whole I remark, That what Mr. Law oddly imputes to Sir Ifaac Newton, is truly imputable to the Baron. He "ploughed with Jacob Behmen's heifer," and that both in Philofophy and Divinity. But he far exceeded his mafter: his dreams are more extraordinary than thofe of Jacob himself. 6. Nothing |