CHAPTER XXIX. SWEDENBORG

 

WHILE thoughts like the foregoing were rapidly passing through my mind, I suddenly looked up, and was surprised to see a form standing in the doorway of the arbor that looked toward the North. The sublime grandeur and perfectness of this being took away my breath, and my eyes dilated with astonishment.

 

The form, at first, appeared that of a man, immensely proportioned, and so grand that he reminded me of a statue hewn from granite, and polished into the softness of a human being, otherwise an angelic being, Ah! no finite mind can conceive of God looking greater, grander, or more awful in majesty. A great head, so perfectly balanced that one part could not exceed another by so much as a single atom; clouds of hair streaming from it about him, like threads spun from the aurora borealis; large eyes, which expressed lightning, thunder, fire and water, sun, moon and stars, rain, snow and hail, storm and cloud, cyclone and maelstrom, and, above and over all, Love and Wisdom, so that not one atom more than the other had Love or Wisdom. The form was so perfect that not one atom could be subtracted from any part of it, and added to another part, without detracting from its perfectness. His clothing was a part of his own body, and surrounded his inner form, as the light of the sun surrounds its inner form, and hides it from view. In his right hand he carried a long pole or staff, spear­shaped, whose point appeared of shining steel, its staff of gold, and upon the staff these words were written in Swedish dialect: "TRUTH! THE LEVER WHICH MOVES ALL CREATION!" In his left hand he carried a large book, the following appearing upon its cover:

 

"RECORDS OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. TRUTH AND ERROR MIXED."

 

Awe-struck and trembling, my eyes were still fixed upon him, when his voice broke the spell, like the musical blast or call of a bugle.

 

"Mary," he said, his eyes fixed on mine, "Truth hath called me, and I am come. Wouldst know my name, sweet lady? They call me on earth the Swedish Seer, and I was there christened, by my parents, Emanuel Swedenborg. Truth was diligently sought for by me from my youth up, and at length she was in my grasp, covered with rags and filth. After many hard battles fought with old Error, she was rescued at last, but her plight was most horrible; bleeding and disfigured, sore­footed and weary, hidden beneath rags, filth, and garbage: O Truth! thy fair face had become foul and loathsome! But she could and must be cleansed. I had long sought her, I had found her, and now it should be my mission to cleanse her from the filth and wounds with which old Error had covered her; thus, I took her to my heart, and she abode with me. Lady, the remainder of my life, on earth, was spent in earnest endeavour to heal up Truth's wounds, restore her original brightness and beauty, strip from her the filthy rags, cleanse her from impurity; and I, in part, succeeded. I found hidden within her hand, one jewel of priceless value, and wrested it from her grasp; it was untarnished, bright and shining. I concealed it within my breast. It is credited to my account within this book."

 

And he laid the great book upon the table which stood in the center of the arbor. Annie now raised her face to his, with a look of joy and reverence. He laid his hand benignly on her head in blessing.

 

"Heaven's choicest blessings or gifts rest upon thee, my daughter," he said. Long ago thou didst discover the jewel of great price, which, when on earth, I had wrested from the hand of Truth, and now thy sister Mary wouldst also possess it. The jewel was not created by me: thou well understandest that; I merely discovered it, hidden within the hand of Truth."

 

He seated himself at the table, opened the book, and for a few moments appeared absorbed in its perusal. Shortly, we heard Solon and Sigismund approaching. They greeted the Seer with great reverence and gladness; then, Solon approached me with shining eyes; opening his closed palm, there lay upon it the jewel beyond price, and within my own hand I found its twin. Obeying a subtle law, we voluntarily laid them upon the table, side by side, where they sparkled with dazzling brilliancy. The Seer took them up, and laid them upon the open book.

 

"I cast my bread upon the waters," he said, sweetly and solemnly, "and it has returned to me after many days."

 

Solon whispered to me:

 

"Our souls are already wedded, my Mary, and have been since the stars first sang together, but thinking you might from force of habit like some sort of marriage ceremony, we called for the most revered Emanuel Swedenborg, and he is here. Those precious jewels are our marriage fee."

 

The Seer gathered them up, and put them in his breast.

 

"You are right, dear Solon," I said. "My earthly teachings still cling to me somewhat, and I believe I shall be happier if that grand man appears to cement our union."

 

"He has no power either to cement or dissolve our union; if it were not the true eternal one it would dissolve without his aid, and if it is, as we know it to be, the true eternal union, no words of his can bind or cement it; but his approval, his loving benediction, we may receive, and we have rewarded him by rediscovering and returning to him the jewel of great price, hidden within the soul of every man and woman who lives."

 

The great Seer rose to his feet, the bright aura about him increased until the arbor was filled with glorious light, when, lo! by his side stood the counterpart of himself, a glorious and beautiful woman, his twin soul; like him in all respects except the male principle; she had previously been hidden within this aura, by the condensing of it, or the desire to be so hidden, but there being no call for longer concealment, their aura spread and dispersed itself, by their desire, until she stood fully revealed within it. Sigismund and Annie also arose. A change took place. They stood, like the Seer, within a dazzling aura of their own, one perfect whole, an Angel! Solon's face grew as bright as theirs. We arose. He threw his left arm about my shoulders, grasped my left hand with his right, my head was, supported against his left breast; I timidly threw my right arm about him, naturally taking one step in advance, as one half of my form rested against the half of his; the Seers raised their hands and eyes, but not from their lips came the words which solemnly resounded through infinite space; they but called or prayed for Truth from above them, and the great words sounded and resounded again:

 

"WHAT GOD HATH ETERNALLY JOINED TOGETHER CANNOT BE SUNDERED!"

 

And then we heard the singing of Angels; the arbor disappeared as by magic, and a band of the most glorious beings floated down in our midst, singing the sweetest of nuptial songs, and gliding around together in the mazes of an angelic waltz. A beautiful hand placed a wreath of spotless blossoms on my head, another placed a dazzling crown on Solon's head; I found myself enveloped in gauzy, fleecy robes of spotless white, over all they threw the vail of modesty; with sweet songs, and twinkling, tripping feet, they glided on, with beckoning white hands, to the edge of the lake. Here was a small fleet of boats, and one held a musical band.

 

The boats were jewelled, and dazzling in brightness. We entered them. The band struck up a grand overture, and the boats all moved out upon the bosom of the water. Sailing across, we landed at the gates of the beautiful city—a city of Angels As we passed through the gate, "Beautiful," Solon's voice rose above all the others in a glad anthem of thanksgiving. The greatest desire of his heart was at length consummated. He was made whole. He was completed. He had become an Angel! For evermore his home would be with them, and all wisdom and love would be ours for the seeking.

 

On either side of the golden pathway were rows of angels, singing, and throwing flowers of the most exquisite fragrance and coloring. We passed by stately halls, glittering with all manner of precious stones; dedicated as we could read for ourselves, for words were formed upon them by blazing jewels—to various branches of knowledge. Many of these halls were presided over by those whose names I had been familiar with on earth. Here was one over which Galileo presided, and another Franklin, and many other names. I saw over others the names of great musical composers and performers; still others, painters; and, best of all, Daguerre; then there were names of great reformers and philosophers, yet we passed by but very few compared with the number that must be spread out over this vast expanse, and this was only one small city among the angels there were millions upon millions of others.

 

At length we paused before the door of Annie and Sigismund's home. The angels who had escorted us retired, and we entered this shining abode of Love and Wisdom, Beauty and Holiness: a Sanctuary that no impure thought might defile, nor heedless foot deface. The excitement and surprise from all I had witnessed had wearied me a little; Annie took me directly to an elegant apartment, the very sight of which was rest and peace, purity and holiness, the very holy of the holies: it is needless to describe it. I cannot. Earthly language has no words, to express that which I wish to convey.

 

Annie's beautiful hands laid aside my vail, took the wreath from my head, and I threw myself into a restful position on that which seemed like rosy clouds of light, where I soon entered into a dreamy, blissful state, but not unconscious as in sleep; still, I had closed my eyes that my rest might be more complete. Presently I felt my hand clasped in that of my Solon's. Lips, as soft as a zephyr's kiss, pressed my eyelids and then my brow. I opened my eyes, and my lips met those of my beloved in lingering sweetness, our souls blended in one, because we were one, then and for evermore; it was but the reunion of that which had been parted during our earthly and spiritual sojourn; for, from out eternity, we had been one; our paths had diverged for periods of time, but the two paths had joined again into one broad and shining road, which led through this angelic city, and onward and upward toward the still more glorious cities of the archangels, from thence up to the God-angels, and from thence, Where? We cannot yet tell. Probably, ages upon ages must pass before we shall even know.

 

After we had remained in quietude until we were completely rested and refreshed, we again joined Annie and Sigismund. Reader, it is impossible for me now to give you a detailed account of our life, for words cannot convey it to you; but search your own soul to its remotest depths; enter into the holiness of all holinesses within yourself, and faint outlines will be given you of things unutterable.

 

We erected for ourselves a home, "not made with hands" holy and beautiful as the angels are holy; pure and sweet as the dawn of lovely morning; here we retired for rest and peace, and from here winged our way on missions of saving love to the spiritual realm and to earth. We spent much of our time visiting Halls of Learning, like those already described, which we saw as we entered into the city. We visited many other cities, and there was no branch of knowledge which we did not make ourselves acquainted with, and the more we learned the more we desired to know. Wisdom could be our food for evermore, and love our wine. Each child of mine, as well as all other children, would eventually reach the same altitude as we had.

 

The angels in the cities all dwelt within abodes of splendor and holiness, from whence, like ourselves, they proceeded on missions of love and wisdom; they founded schools and and educational halls within the spiritual spheres, and from thence they were handed down to earth. Hundreds and thousands of episodes, similar to those described in the first part of this book, are continually taking place, and angels are steadily guiding all, as the sun's rays guide and sustain the earth and planets. Never fear for man or his future. His barque is guided by the hands of the angels.