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what shall we say of the English translations? I answer, it does not exist in my English translation of 1825; it does exist in the English translations of 1837 and 1848; but it stands corrected in the English translation of 1861, which is now in circulation as the last edition put forward by this Society. Well then the "instar omnium" comes to this that the reading imputed to Swedenborg he never gave, and in the English translation of the passage now circulated, the Society has nothing to correct.

:

But there is another point of view in which this "instar omnium" is presented to our notice.

Our critic informs this Society, that the words here translated "in the man" are "a pure fiction of Swedenborg's."* "They are not," so far as he knows, "to be found in any codex or published edition of the Old Testament, neither are they found in any translation, ancient or modern."

Now, my friends, this is not a question of scholarship, but of fact. What our critic tells us is not to be found, so far as he knows, I beg to say, on the authority of Poole's Synopsis Criticorum, is to be found in the Syriac and Arabic versions; and what he affirms is not to be found anywhere, in any ancient or modern translation, is to be found in the Bible of Plantin, containing the Hebrew text, with a critical Latin translation, published at Antwerp. My edition is dated 1584, and contains the version given by Pagninus, Montanus, and others, and which is to be found also in those of Oleaster and Malvenda. In this version are contained the very words "in homine" which our critic maintains to

*The facility with which some modern critics, when they find any difficulties, charge even the Evangelists with "pure fiction," may be seen in the last Westminster Review, where, speaking of the legs of the malefactors that were broken, p. 415, the critic, in the article on St. John's Gospel, self-complacently asserts that "the fiction of the broken legs of the malefactors was a necessity of the new theory." Why may we not say, that the fiction that the legs were not broken was equally a necessity of the reviewer's theory? Again, speaking of the resurrection of Lazarus, the reviewer observes, p. 432-"The whole narrative has about it the appearance of an allegorical fiction. The very incidents look as if they were made to order." Again, in the very next page-" The secret of this wonderful fiction, for such it must be pronounced (the resurrection of Lazarus), has, we think, been satisfactorily traced." Again, p. 436—“It is infinitely more probable that John invented the miracle, than that, if it happened, they (viz., Matthew, Mark, and Luke) left it unrecorded." Accordingly, this modern critic concludes with suggesting that the whole of St. John's Gospel is a pious fraud!

+ This version, in homine, is variously explained; but it is admitted to be the proper one.

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be "a pure fiction of Swedenborg:" here they are" Effundens sanguinem hominis in homine, sanguis ejus effundetur." I further say that, according to Poole's Synopsis, the same reading is maintained by Vatablus and Bonfrere. In my edition of Cornelius a Lapide it is expressly said, that the version according to the Hebrew is "sanguinem hominis in homine." Calmet himself admits that this may be one of the renderings; and Rupertus explains the passage as "sanguinem hominis intus in conscientia," which implies not only the same rendering, but essentially the same internal sense founded upon it with the one given by Swedenborg. Indeed, our critic himself admits that the word baadam may be translated in homine. The truth is, the word is translated by some in man, by some by man; not to speak of other renderings. They who translate the word by man do not insert the expression in man; and they who translate the word in man do not insert the expression by man; for there is nothing corresponding to it in the original. Swedenborg has followed the same rule, and after translating the original word in man, does not add the expression by man. And yet our critic, without giving himself the smallest trouble to see whether this were the fact, proceeds, on the faith of an English translation which had already been corrected in a later edition, to place Swedenborg almost beyond the pale of the ordinary courtesies of Christian society! We freely forgive him, however, since at the same time he passes an equally severe sentence upon himself, when he pronounces this identical charge against Swedenborg to be “instar omnium,” a fair specimen of all the rest-which indeed, if we are so to regard it, only shew his criticisms to amount to this: that all his charges against Swedenborg himself are absolutely without a shadow of foundation; that all the authorities in favour of Swedenborg, which he says do not exist, do exist, and can be brought forward to confute our opponent. With respect to the rest, he has the credit of finding out an error in an English translation, which had already been corrected in a subsequent edition.

But let us pass on to another instance—the one relating to the coat of Joseph :

"Vol. vi., p. 280, Swedenborg still subscribes to the coat of various colours,' although a little reading in Josephus and some other authorities, as well as the etymology of the Hebrew word itself, might have shewn him that the various colours' are a specimen of that well-known fancy-work in which the seventy translators most freely indulge, when they find that they are at the end of their solid knowledge. At all events it would have been more satisfactory to the natural interpreter of the Bible, if Swedenborg had here unfolded the internal sense of

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long sleeves,' instead of giving that of various colours,' which he should have known was a simple but serious blunder of his."

Let us see on which side lies the mistake. The Hebrew word in question is passim: does it mean various colours or long sleeves? * Let us take what I conceive to be our critic's own authority, viz., Gesenius, who thus gives the etymology and meaning of the word :-" Pas extremity-the hand and sole of the foot. Hence, kethoneth passim, a tunic extending to the wrists and ankles, a long tunic with sleeves." Surely this ought to satisfy our opponent, for it refers the etymology of the word to extremes or extremities, such as the hands and feet, and says nothing about various colours. Now, as Swedenborg does not introduce the word extremes or extremities such as those of the wrists and ankles, or hands and feet, but only various colours, what can be clearer to our opponent than that Swedenborg was mistaken with regard to the meaning of the word? And yet if, instead of being satisfied with hasty and superficial impressions, he had made a little serious enquiry, he could not have fallen into this error; for though Swedenborg does not make mention of extremes or extremities, or of Joseph's coat as reaching to the extremities, he does make mention of the natural principle, which, as we shall see, implies the same thing, and involves the same idea of passim as signifying extremities. For when Swedenborg says that coat denotes the truth of the natural principle, suppose our critic had just asked himself, What is this natural principle? he would then have found Swedenborg saying that it is the ultimate region of the human† mind; that this ultimate region has itself its limits, extremes, or extremities higher and lower, internal and external, (A. C. 5212, 10,254.) rational and scientific or sensuous; (A. C. art. 5649, 9215, 10,236.) that the higher region is represented by the hands, the lower by the heel, feet, or ankles. That "by hands are signified the interiors of the natural principle" (art. 7442.); by "feet the exteriors of the natural principle (art. 4938). Hence, that "he who thinks in the natural mind,

* Gesenius says that several derivations are possible: that the most plausible is that from the Chaldee, "a tunic reaching down to the hands and feet;" accordingly, this is the derivation he has selected. The Vulgate has followed another, viz., as it is thought by some, from the Samaritan pesas, conspersit. Füerst, in his Concordance, has admitted this as the meaning of the Aramaic word pas, viz., conspergere, maculare. Both these derivations favour the idea of "various colors." But for the purpose of meeting our opponent on his own ground, we have accepted the etymology selected by Gesenius. (See note by the Editor of the "Comprehensive Bible," in the Book of Genesis, English-Hebrew.)

+ Divine Providence, art. 220.

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thinks in extremes,"—or in the extremities, in the passim. (art. 7693.) That "those things which flow in through heaven from the Lord with man, flow into his interior, and proceed even to the ultimates or extremes, and there (i. e. in these ultimates or extremes) are presented sensible to man, consequently they flow in even into the sensual principle." (A. C. 7442.) "That extremes are those into which interior things flow, and influx is according to the state of the extremes; wherefore, if the extremes be perverted, the interior things therein become perverted also, for the interior forms, when they flow in, accommodate themselves to the state of the extremes.” (A. C. 10,208. See also Rich's Index, art. 14, entitled "The Extremes of the Natural Man.") Here, then, our critic might have found the kethoneth passim of Gesenius-the coat prolonged, or the coat reaching to the extremities. Accordingly, when describing the hem, or skirts, or borders of the robe worn by the priest, and mentioned in Exod. xxviii. 33, as reaching to the feet, Swedenborg says that "the borders of the robe are the extremes (or extremities) where the natural principle is;" (art. 9917.) in fact, Swedenborg everywhere represents the extremities or passim of the human mind, and the natural principle, as being one and the same thing.

The case is this-truth is light; thoughts from truth are the appearances of light, and thoughts in the natural mind are the appearances of truth or light in the natural mind, i. e. in the extremities, which extremities thus assume variegations of light or colour, according to the affection in which truth is there received. In speaking, therefore, of the various colours of the natural principle, we speak of the various appearances or colours of the extremes, or passim of Gesenius; for the natural mind is the coat, the extremes or extremities of the natural mind, the rational and sensuous,, are the passim of the coat (art. 9917). How beautifully, then, has Swedenborg reconciled the two supposed discordant interpretations of passim, as signifying reaching to the "extremities," and as signifying "various colours!"

Doubtless there may have been many commentators who have been ignorant of the true meaning of the word, and regarded it as implying only many colours. But can Swedenborg be classed with them? Had they made the distinction which he had? Had they spoken of the natural principle as the outermost region of the mind, and the limits or boundaries of the mind as its ultimates, extremities, or its passim? Had they said that "he who thinks in the natural principle thinks in the extremes," in the passim of the human mind? When, therefore,

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our critic says that Swedenborg ought to have given the interpretation of "long sleeves," i. e. sleeves reaching to the extremities, I answer, Swedenborg has done so. The "long sleeves," or coat reaching to the hands, are the interior or rational truths of the natural principle or outermost region of the human mind. And here we may observe, that according to some of the Fathers, hands signify works, the coat of Joseph the Scriptures; hence, the coat reaching to the hands, or long sleeves, signify the precepts of the Law relating to works. The principal difference between this interpretation and that of Swedenborg is, that where an expression occurs comprehending the idea of both extremes, the hands signify the interior in relation to the feet as signifying the exterior. In fine, Swedenborg is less general, and more definite and exact.

Even, however, with regard to those who have taken the word passim as signifying "many colors," without reference to the idea of "long sleeves," something has been said in their behalf; for, as De La Haye observes in his "Harmony of Interpretations"

"The vest was variously colored, and according to some variously embroidered; and we may perceive in this manner the agreement of all the different versions; for they who interpret the word as signifying a coat reaching to the ankles and having sleeves, do not differ from the other interpreters; since, besides the colors and the pieces of which the coat was composed, it might have reached down to the ankles, and might have had sleeves."

But, my friends, there remains another and very serious view of the subject. This very coat of Joseph was afterwards dipped in blood by the brethren of Joseph, who hated him. By blood, in this case, says Swedenborg, is signified the false; by coat, the truth of the natural mind; by the various colors, the truth of the natural mind in its various appearances; by dipping the coat in blood, truth falsified or made to assume false appearances, in consequence of the affections, or medium through which it is seen, being perverted; for "Joseph's brethren hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him." Are we not, then, taught, in the spiritual sense of the passage, this solemn lesson; that when those who ought to be brethren put a false coloring upon truths which an author has stated, and accompany it with bitter censures and unfounded imputations, they take the coat of that author and dip it in blood?

Time would fail me to enter into the other criticisms advanced by our opponent; but there are certain remarks, apparently from a different quarter, relating to the Bible, and hence striking at the root of Swedenborg's interpretations, with a brief reply to which I will now proceed.