Emanuel, gave the Eulogium to Swedenborg on October 7, in the Great Hall of
the House of Nobles, Stockholm. It was printed on October 23, 1772, headed:
“Stockholm, October 7, a Eulogy over Assessor Emanuel Swedenborg, the
deceased member of the Academy of Sciences, was held in the Great Hall of
the House of Nobles, by Councilor and Knight of the Royal North Star order,
Mr. Samuel Sandels.” Then followed the Eulogy.
So how did Sandels find the Rules of Life? He says he had examined
Swedenborg’s papers, even read through some of his books, presumably the
theological ones, and gathered these rules of life which he found “in several
places.” Well, since no “smoking gun” listing of the Rules of Life has been found
anywhere, we assume that Sandels simply gathered them from hither and yon!
And the mystery deepens, since in 1810, these same rules were claimed to
be seen among Swedenborg’s papers at Mr. Shearesmith’s, in London, where
Swedenborg had lodged until he passed away, March 1772.
Two sets? One seen by Sandels, and another 38 years later in London? So
there have to be some originals somewhere. These London Rules of Life were
inspected by Robert Armitstead, in London, on November 28, 1811, so many
years after Swedenborg’s death, and forwarded to the Rev. James Clarke, of
Manchester.10 Rev. Robert Hindmarsh received the anecdotes of Swedenborg
from him, and printed them in his 1861 Rise and Progress, (p. 473) but did not
include the Rules of Life.
The same event was briefly recorded in an early New Church publication,
The Intellectual Repository, 1817, p. 19. Clearly, none of this could have
been seen by Sandels in 1772. He presumably gathered the same rules from
elsewhere. Perhaps Swedenborg just jotted these rules down to hang up
wherever he resided. We suppose the rules remained the same. An actual
though elusive original sounds plausible.
So here is what Sandels actually said: “Add to all this a genuinely good
disposition, proved by the Rules of Life which I found among Mr. Swedenborg’s
manuscripts in more than one place, and which he wrote down for his own
use: First, diligently to read and meditate upon the word of God; secondly, to
be content under the dispensations of God’s Providence; thirdly to observe
a propriety of behavior, and preserve the conscience pure; fourthly, to obey
what is commanded; to attend faithfully to one’s office and other duties, and
10 Academy Documents Concerning Swedenborg, #1517.11, see web access above, in footnote #2.
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