Page:A Compendium of the Chief Doctrines of the True Christian Religion.djvu/224

40 clefts and chinks from top to bottom, without any order or regularity about it; and I saw within the house, instead of the woman, a pendent image, with a head like a dragon, a body like a leopard, feet like a bear, and a mouth like a lion, in every respect as the beast is described rising out of the sea, Rev. xiii. 2. Moreover, instead of firm ground, there was a bog, containing a great multitude of frogs, and I was informed that beneath the bog was a large hewn stone, under which the word lay entirely hid. On seeing these things I said to the enchanter, Is this your place of worship? And he replied, It is; but suddenly, at that very instant, his interior sight was opened, whereby he saw the same appearances that I did; where-upon he cried out with a loud voice, What and whence is all this! And I said, This is in consequence of light from heaven, which discovereth the quality of every form, and thus hath discovered the quality of your faith separate from the spiritual principle of charity; then immediately an east wind blew and removed the place of worship, together with the image, and likewise dried up the bog, and thereby exposed the stone, under which lay the word: This was succeeded by a vernal warmth exhaling from heaven, and lo! then in the very same place there appeared a tabernacle, as to its outward form plain, and simple; and the angels who were with me said, Behold the tabernacle of Abraham, such as it was when the three angels came to him, and announced the future birth of Isaac; it appeareth indeed plain and simple to the eye, but nevertheless, in proportion to the influx of light from heaven, it becometh more and more magnificent; and immediately they were permitted to open the heaven which is the abode of the spiritual angels, who excel in wisdom, and suddenly, by virtue of the influx of light from thence, the tabernacle appeared as a