"In your gracious letter you ask how I came to have communication with angels and spirits, and whether this state could be imparted by one to another. Deign to receive favorably the following reply:

"The Lord our Saviour foretold that He would come again into the world, and institute a New Church; He predicted this (in Rev. 21, 22), and also in several places in the Gospels. But as He cannot come again into the world in Person, it was necessary that He should do it by means of a man, who should not only receive the doctrine of that church by his understanding, but also publish it by means of the press; and as the Lord had prepared me for this from my childhood, He manifested Himself in Person before me, His servant, and sent me to do this work. This took place in the year 1743; and afterwards He opened the sight of my spirit, and thus introduced me into the spiritual world, granting me to see the heavens and many of the wonderful things there, and also the hells, and to speak with angels and spirits, and this continually for twenty-seven years. I declare in truth, that this is so. This took place with me on account of the Church, which I mention above, the doctrine of which is contained in my books. The gift of conversing with spirits and angels cannot be transferred from one person to another, unless the Lord Himself, as has been the case with me, opens the sight of the spirit of that person. It is sometimes granted to a spirit to enter and to communicate some truth to a man; but still leave is not given to the man to speak with him mouth to mouth. This is also most dangerous, because the spirit enters into the affection of man's own love, which does not agree with the affection of heavenly love. "With respect to the man who is infested by spirits, I have heard from heaven, that this was caused by a state of meditation in which he indulged; but that no danger is to be apprehended from them, because he is protected by the Lord. The only means by which he can be cured, is conversion, and supplication to the Lord our Saviour Jesus Christ. I remain with profound respect, most serene Duke and Landgrave,

"Your most humble servant, "E. S. ["Amsterdam, 1771."] * Documents Concerning Swedenborg, Vol. 2, pp. 387-388.