Page:Emanuel Swedenborg, Scientist and Mystic.djvu/327

XXIII ] is nothing else than. . . walking upon roses, gladdened with the most delicious juice of grapes and celebrating festive banquets. . . [they saw] a vast multitude. . . sitting three by three and ten by ten upon beds of roses, weaving garlands," adorning each other, "or plucking fruit or smelling flowers, or singing or playing with fountains, or dancing. . ."

Of course the result was the same. The angel found the weary ones weeping among "an abundance of olives, grapes, oranges and lemons" which made them sick.

There was the fifth company—they had supposed heaven to be perpetual glorious worship of God, and they were led to a "sacred city," where they were to listen to sermons and worship God in the temple, and then, after three days of this, to continue the same in each of the buildings and in communion "pray, shout and recite sermons."

The finish of that experiment was "Our ears are stunned. End your preaching, we no longer hear a word and are beginning to loathe the sound." They had stood it for two days. And angels from heaven spoke to the ministers who had preached for so long, telling them that they fed their sheep "even to insanity. You do not know what is meant by the glorification of God. It means to bring forth the fruits of love; that is faithfully, sincerely and diligently to do the work of one's employment—for this is of love to God and of love to the neighbor. And this is the bond of society and its good. By this God is glorified and then by worship at stated times."

The sixth company had believed that they would by divine grace be admitted into heaven where they would be surrounded by "an aura of felicities." They told how they tried to ascend to heaven. Each had a different experience. One got as far as inside a heaven when he heard the angels say, "What is this monster? How came this bird of night here?" and he was quickly ushered out, saying that he felt he had been changed in appearance although to himself he still looked a man.

Others who had tried to force an entry found that instead of joy they were tortured by heavenly light and heat, or were like animals in a vacuum or fish on land. Now they only wanted "common life with their like, wherever they are."

Upon which the angel delivered a lecture on heaven not being a