the change but whether he flept on Parnaffus, or on the facred mount, he was equally the sport of fancy; and

Όλου ονειρου

would have equally fuited the young bard and the old theofopher.

The prefent work is a compendium of the good Baron's fyftem of myftical and practical divinity, which is illuftrated most amply in that huge pandest of Swedenborgifm, entitled, Arcana Coleflia, publifhed in London, at different times, from 1747 to 1758, in eight volumes quarto. It confifts of upwards of ten thousand diftinct fections, arranged in fyftematic order. It was expressly written for the purpose of unfolding the internal spiritual fenfe of Genefis and Exodus, and to fhew what wonderful fecrets the Author was let into, by means of the intimate acquaintance and correspondence which he had eftablished with the angels.

A few of thefe fecrets we will impart to our Readers; — but if they are defirous of extending their knowledge through the va rious regions of the myftical world, and of exploring its hidden productions, we must refer them to our author's Spiritual Atlas for full information.

'ARCANA.

The influx from the Lord is through the internal man into the external. The interiors may flow into the exteriors, and not contrariwife. Confequently, influx is fpiritual and not phyfical; that is, from the fpiritual man into the natural, and not from the natural into the fpiritual!' [See Section nine thousand one hundred and eleven.)

The sphere of the infernal fpirits enters into conjunction with the fenfual principle of man from behind [à tergo]. They who reafoned from the fenfual principle, and therely against the truths of faith, were called by the ancients, ferpents of the tree of knowledge.' [See § 10,313.]

The twelve difciples of the Lord reprefented the church in its complex view, as to all things belonging to faith and charity, as did alfo the twelve tribes of Ifrael. Peter, James, and John reprefented faith, charity, and the goods of charity in their order.... That there would be no faith in the Lord, because no charity, in the last time or ftate of the church, is reprefented by Peter's three times denying the Lord before the cock crew thrice; for Peter there fignifes faith in a reprefentative fenfe. The cock crowing, as well as the twilight, fignifies the last time of the church; and three times fignifies a thing completed to its end.... All the perfons and places contained in the word fignify things abftracted from them.

By means of temptations the Lord [Jefus] united the divinity which was in him by conception, with the humanity, and fo made the humanity divine.... By means of temptations and the victories which he acquired therein, he expelled whatever was hereditary in him from his mother, and put off the humanity which he had received from her, even fo far as no longer to become her fon..... Jehovah, who was in him by conception, appeared in his ftates of temptation to be abfcut.

• The

The spirit of a man, after the death of the body, appeareth in the fpiritual world in a human form, just as in the natural world. It enjoyeth alfo the fame faculties of feeing, hearing, fpeaking, and feeling, as in the natural world; and it retaineth the fame power of thinking, willing, and acting, which it had in the natural world. In a word, it is in every refpect a man as in the natural world, faving that grofs body of flesh and blood which it laid afide by death, and which it never reaffumes.

The Word is for the use of man, and alfo for the use of angels, and accommodated to each. It is a means of union between heaven and earth. There is an internal fenfe in the Word, in the confequence of the Word's having defcended from the Lord to man through the three heavens. Thereby it was accommodated to the angels of the three heavens, and alfo TO MEN.... The Word in its internal sense contains innumerable things which exceed all human conception and things inexplicable, or that cannot be uttered: which are reprefented only to angels, and understood by them. Those fecrets do not appear in the fenfe of the letter. Yet if a fingle word, or fingle letter were to be omitted in the literal fenfe, it would caufe an interruption in the fpiritual fenfe; and this is the reafon why the Divine Providence hath preferved the Word so entire as to every fingle word and fyllable. The things contained in every parti cular part of the Word are innumerable; and alfo in every particular expreffion.'

Thefe extracts are a fufficient fpecimen of the great work of the illuminated Baron.

But we cannot conclude without acknowleging that though the Author's imagination runs loofe in the unbounded and tracklefs wilderness of myfticifm, yet all his paradoxes are tinctured with a ftrong infufion of piety and benevolence. There is nothing in them offenfive to Chriftian purity or Chriftian charity. They are the harmless rovings of a fpiritual, but difordered fancy and the enthusiasm which may be caught from the Baron's writings will neither create a fchifm in the church, nor a rebellion in the state. It is the mysticism of **** *** *******, without his turbulence: for Swedenborg knew nothing of that dark and dangerous fanaticifm which under the fpecious pretence of a fpiritual commonwealth, endeavoured to fap the foundations of all lawful government.

Let men enjoy their influxes: let them converfe with their angels: let them publish their Collectio Somnium. What are their dreams to us?—If they fuffer us to fleep in peace, let them dream on; and we will heartily with them, good night.

*For fome particulars relative to Baron Swedenborg, and his Works, fee Rev. vol. xlii. p. 445, 446. See alio his Travels in the New Jerufalem, Rev. vol. lix. p. 366.

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ART.

ART. XVI. The Oeconomy of Charity; or, an Addrefs to Ladies concerning Sunday Schools; the Eftablishment of Schools of Induftry under Female Infpection; and the Distribution of voluntary Benefactions. To which is added, an Appendix, containing an Account of the Sunday Schools in Old Brentford. By Mrs. Trimmer. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Longman, &c. 1787.

MRS.

RS. Trimmer has here given us another fpecimen and proof of her zeal for promoting the happiness of mankind. In the Servant's Friend, and the Two Farmers (which have been noticed in our Review), the has fhewn, in an eafy familiar way, the important benefits arifing from an early religious education, not only to the individuals themselves, but to fociety at large and in this performance, perfons of fortune, particularly ladies, are informed how they may make their benevolence most extenfively useful, viz. in promoting Sunday fchools. There

is nothing,' fays our ingenious Author, wanting to complete their charity, but for ladies of rank to appear interested in the establishment of them; and for others, in middling ftations, to give a perfonal attendance at the girls fchools; which I am confident would conduce, beyond any circumftances whatever, to their benefit and perpetuity.'

In recommending fchools of induftry, the obferves, If there was a school for fpinning flax, girls of five years of age might be employed at it; and the yarn might eafily be manufactured into white or striped linen and checks, and by the time each little fpinftrefs had worn out the clothes given her by the parish or private benefactors, the might earn fufficient to entitle her to linen, and other neceffaries.

Another school for carding and fpinning wool, would furnish materials for linfey-woolfey, ferge ftuffs, baize yarn, and worsted for knitting. At a third fchool, girls might be taught needlework of the ufeful kind: and, at a fourth, they might learn to knit ftockings. Thefe fchools, if properly conducted, would reflect benefits on each other; they might eafily be fet on foot by voluntary benefactions; and, in a fhort time, would fupport themselves, and yield a furplus; and would require no farther aid than inspection to fee that the produce was properly applied.

At the end of this book are two plates of the horizontal spinning wheel, invented by the late Mr. Barton of Carlisle, at which 12 little girls can fpin at once. Our Authorefs fays, this machine is fo eafily managed, that the leaft child can, with the fmalleft touch, difengage, or fet a-going, any one of its wheels, without interfering with another. The original expence is 5. It feldom wants repair. Mrs. Trimmer, we would add, is fo fenfible of the utility of this wheel, that she has procured one for Brentford.

In the Appendix, there is an account of the Sunday Schools in Old Brentford, and the rules by which they are regulated; which feem well adapted to the purpofe, and we are glad to find that they fucceed fo happily.

As the perufal of this treatife has given us peculiar pleasure, we therefore recommend it as worthy the attention of the Public; and we think the Writer juftly entitled to the warmest approbation, for her uncommon exertion, in executing the plans here laid down.-May her utmost wishes be crowned with fuccefs and may there be found, in every parifh, a Mrs. Trimmer, to promote that reformation, and that induftry, which under her aufpices has taken place in the neighbourhood of her refidence.

This work is, by permiffion, addreffed to her Majefty; who, we obferve with pleasure, is a particular patronefs of the Sunday school plan.

MONTHLY

CATALOGUE

For MAY, 1787.

TRADE and COMMERCE.

"

ART. 17. An Anfaver to a Pamphlet published by the Earl of Dundonald, intitled, Thoughts on the Manufacture and Trade of Salt, and of the Coal Trade of Great Britain, &c." With a particular Examination of his Mode of refining British Salt; together with Remarks on the Writings of Dr. Anderson and others, on the fame Subject. By Robert Roe. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Robinsons.

TH

HIS irafcible Hibernian, highly offended at feeing his countrymen accused of the odious practice of Smuggling falt, here takes up the cudgel in their favour, which he brandishes with a mafterly dexterity indeed! Proving, by the cleareft demonftration, that, although they have falt about five hundred per cent. cheaper than it is in England, they are fo ftrictly confcientious, that they neither fmuggle a fingle ounce of it thither themselves, nor permit any one to do fo for them.-O brave, trufty Irish! when you can find another nation in the world who do the like-you may shake hands with them as your friends and equals.

The above, we prefume, will be fufficient for this pamphlet-we cannot help regretting however, that fuch abilities as this Author evidently poffeffes, fhould be loft to the Public, by that want of candour which is unfortunately too prevalent among political combatants: he who contends for victory only, never produces facts that can be relied on.

Art. 18. Inftructions for Merchants, Ship Owners, Ship Mafters, &c. Extracted and digefted from the Navigation, the Manifeft, Newfoundland, and Wine Acts of Parliament, paffed last Year, and from the Smuggling Act, passed 1784. By a Merchant. 4to. Is. Law, &c.

Where laws point to a number of objects which must be attended to in every stage of a business, and where they are accumulated, the latter

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latter referring to the former; it would be impoffible, in many cafes, to proceed duly according to law, without forming fome kind of regular digeft for private directions. The compiler of thefe Inftructions declares, that they were firft drawn up for his own ufe, and that he has now publifhed them for the affiftance of others: they may therefore be more practically ufeful than if prepared merely to make a book on the fubjects fpecified: but, in fuch cafes, it cannot be expected that we should undertake an examination of the feveral authorities, in order to decide on the merits of the performance.

COMMERCIAL TREATY with FRANCE. Art. 19. New Information and Lights, on the late Treaty of Commerce with France. Addreffed to the Right Hon. William Pitt. By Robert Pigott, Efq. 4to. 15. Ridgway.

Mr. Pigott attacks the Treaty with ridiculous objections; and thefe he conveys to his Right Hon. Correfpondent in fuch imperfect language as can only ferve to reflect difgrace on the Prefs.

Art. 20. A Commercio-Political Effay, on the Nature of the Balance of Foreign Trade, as it refpects a Commercial Interc urfe between Great Britain and France, and between Great Britain and other Nations. 8vo. Is. 6d. Stockdale.

The Writer of this Effay is not to be claffed with the common herd of pamphletteers who iffue forth on temporary occafions; hẹ undertakes to examine the principle of the late commercial treaty, and in this line of inquiry overlooks many paltry calculations of prefent balances of profit and lofs on the immediate articles of traffic. For, he obferves, the commercial balance has for its object the increase of gold and filver; but the political balance has for its object the increase of real phyfical wealth, and confequently the increase of general profperity, and of national power.' He inftances many nations, as well as our own American colonies, that have evidently thriven with a pofitive balance of trade against them; • Whoever paying that balance from the produce of the earth. poffeffes things, poffeffes the price of things, and much more furely than if he poffeffed gold and filver; for an ox, or a bufhel of wheat, is of the fame value now that it was five hundred years ago; but an ounce of gold is of twenty times lefs value now, than at the former period. Agriculture ought certainly to be confidered not only as a manufacture, but as the moft profitable of all manufactures; for the products of agriculture are the refult of the labour of man, as much as the products of the loom or of the forge, with this great advantage in favour of the former, that labour forms a smaller` part of the aggregate of their value; therefore the net profit is the From this confideration, I think it would be very adgreater. vantageous to this kingdom if one half of our idle fhopkeepers would turn cultivators, that is, would become manufacturers; and that, instead of throwing ourselves into feverish heats about the uncomputable balance of foreign trade, we fhould give our chief attention to cultivate that branch of commerce, where the annual balance is fore to be in our favour, to the amount of many millions.' Nature, he adds, could yield us many millions more, were we but to labour for it with half the affiduity that we labour for foreign

balances,