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AN HOUR 
 
 WITH THE ANGELS 
 
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 By A. BRIGHAM. 
 
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 THEN HE WROTE THE DREAM, AND TOLD THE SUM OF THE MATTERS. 
 
 WORCESTER : 
 
 FUBLISIIED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Iold bt William WniTE and Company, 
 
 158 Washington St., Boston. 
 1872. 
 
<^ x 
 
 *%** 
 
 Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1872, by Ai den Brigiiam, 
 in ihe office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 GODDARD & NYE, PRINTERS, 
 WORCESTER. 
 
APOLOGY. 
 
 The deep interest manifested in the 
 
 "DREAM OF THE SPIRIT LIFE," 
 
 by the numerous friends who have read or heard it read, 
 and the general wish expressed by them that it might be 
 printed, have induced the writer to offer it in this form. 
 
 That these few pages may confer good as well as 
 pleasure, is the wish of the author, 
 
 A. BRIGHAM. 
 
 COLDBROOK SPKIKGS, MASS. 
 
Four thousand years of angel ministries, 
 
 of visions and dreams, 
 
 and the occasional appearance of the spirits of departed men, 
 
 as recorded in the Bible, 
 
 ought to be sufficient to establish the principle, 
 
 that spirit communion is possible. 
 
 1* 
 
DEDICATED 
 
 ME AND MINE WITH MORE SUBSTANTIAL TOKENS 
 
 THAN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO 
 
 REMEMBER THEM. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
SUBJECT. 
 
 Dreaming. — A sentimental surprise. — Specific enquiry, 
 Will the cultivation of art and genius in this life, serve to 
 increase our happiness in the next ? — A trance. — "Visions of 
 Eden, Athens, Jerusalem and Rome, with inquiries on the 
 subject. 
 
 Despairing of satisfaction from these mundane sources, 
 new visions are opened. — View of the spirit land. — Permis- 
 sion to enter! — Grateful recognition by a departed friend. — 
 Conversations with the Spirits, interspersed with character- 
 istic and illustrative scenes in the spirit world. 
 
Id 
 
 A DREAM OF THE SPIRIT-LIFE. 
 
 "To die, to sleep; perchance to dream. 
 All! there 's the rub." 
 
 IT may be doubtful to some minds whether 
 
 in or after death there will be dreaming; 
 
 but it is certain that while we are in this 
 
 life, there is no lack of dreaming or of 
 
 dreamers, whether we wake, or whether we 
 
 sleep. 
 
 But who shall say that a fancy sketch, or 
 even a dream, does not go forth in the mental 
 or spirit sphere, just as much a permanent 
 reality as is the artist's picture, drawn on a 
 piece of canvas? 
 
 We surely often cherish our dreams or 
 visions as if they were just as much, or even 
 more real, than are many experiences of our 
 waking hours. 
 
 Led by these thoughts I have concluded 
 there might be some propriety, and perhaps 
 
12 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 use, in recording the following dream which 
 I have had. 
 
 I had been reading a book and came to a 
 chapter, the heading of which at first surprised 
 me. It was this: "Superiority of Art to 
 Nature." And well did the author anticipate 
 my surprise, and with a few well-timed remarks 
 allayed it. I had been accustomed to think, 
 and still do think that, viewed from a certain 
 standpoint, Nature does infinitely exceed all 
 the powers of finite Art. But, viewed from 
 another standpoint, it may be conceded that 
 Art can improve Nature in some of its forms 
 and adaptations to life's uses and pleasures. 
 
 I read and considered the arguments of the 
 writer one after another, until I became much 
 converted to his views. I could comprehend 
 somewhat, the benign influence of Art upon 
 the well-being and happiness of mortals here, 
 but my heart desired to know if its devotees 
 would receive any advantage from it, above 
 others, in the great future. This the author 
 did not tell me. So I sat musing and thought- 
 ful, until I fell into a sort of dream or trance, 
 and the following visions, illustrating the 
 subject of my inquiry, passed before me. 
 
 I stood in the garden of Eden, and there I 
 saw Adam and Eve standing in the midst; 
 and I heard him say to his companion, "This 
 garden is given to us for our abode, and we 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 13 
 
 are commanded to dress and keep it. And, 
 though all is beautiful and fair in nature, fresh 
 from the Maker's hand, yet we, as a part of 
 Nature, have with her a part to bear, a work 
 to do ; and, 
 
 ' To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east 
 With first approach of light, we must be ris'n 
 And at our pleasant labor ; to reform 
 Yon flow'ry arbor, yonder alleys green, 
 Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown, 
 That mock our scanty labors and require 
 More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth.' " 
 
 Father, said I, interrupting him; father of 
 our race, dost thou not utter heresy? Dost 
 thou presume to reform and improve the work 
 fresh from the Creator's hand, and by the voice 
 of infinite wisdom declared to be very good? 
 
 "Son," said he, "such queries bespeak a 
 novice. Thou hast yet to learn, by slow 
 degrees, what intuition gives to us outright. 
 Each form, to us, doth symbolize its mission. 
 These bodies are armed for labor and use. 
 The mind within has inspirations to guide our 
 hands, and the world around is the field of 
 our activity. God works by means. From 
 chaos He wrought this earth, by virtue of 
 those laws or affinities by which matter forever 
 embraces matter, and by successive agencies 
 moulded it to a consistency for the production 
 of plants and trees ; and thence, by beasts and 
 birds and reptiles of numerous sorts created, 
 2 
 
14 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 its surface was trodden and its elements refined 
 till it was fitted for the reception of finer 
 natures — for beings of a higher order. And 
 the world was not finished till God had placed 
 at its head agents in his own likeness who 
 should work with and for Him, and whose 
 work should never cease, until by the applica- 
 tion of their skill they should develop the 
 uses, beauties and glories of creation in their 
 highest perfections. Such must be the goal 
 of human art." 
 
 Sire, I replied, thou hast taught me wisdom. 
 I now perceive how man himself is a part of 
 nature. "All are but parts of one stupendous 
 whole, whose body nature is and God the 
 soul." All things are called good, because 
 they are adapted to the progressive uses out 
 of which is to be evolved the general per- 
 fection. Art, itself, is but one of the higher 
 agencies; a combination of some of the finer 
 and subtler elements, by the use of which, 
 coarser forms are destined to be improved and 
 beautified. 
 
 As I spake, Eden and its proprietors van- 
 ished, from my sight and I stood in Athens, in 
 ancient Greece. And seeing before me one of 
 her philosophers, I said, Sir, I am a stranger 
 here, but I have heard the report of this 
 people, that they have great regard for the 
 arts and sciences. Canst thou now show me 
 whether Art is superior to Nature ? 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 15 
 
 " Stranger," said he, " thy question is a worthy 
 one, and freely will I answer it. Lift thine 
 eye and behold yon mountain ; see its barren, 
 jagged surface, its coarse uncomely rocks in 
 wild and useless and rough confusion piled. 
 Now change thy view and mark this stone- 
 built edifice ; observe its massive walls, upright 
 and square, all in harmonious proportions ; its 
 lofty pillars, exquisitely polished and carved 
 with figures beautiful. From that same rugged 
 mount has the hand of Art wrought this, and 
 thus, in use and beauty, triumphed over 
 Nature." 
 
 And then I asked, can all this skill in 
 moulding vulgar matter into comely forms 
 avail us aught in the spirit world to make us 
 happy there? 
 
 The sage replied, "Our knowledge of that 
 future is yet but dim and dreamy. But it is 
 our faith that what God has given us to make 
 us happy, He delights in, and what He delights 
 in concerning us, He will make as lasting as 
 ourselves." 
 
 And that's immortal, I replied. I raised my 
 eyes, and lo ! Athens had fled, and I stood on 
 Mount Zion, and Solomon's Temple was before 
 me. I was dazzled with the beauty and gran- 
 deur of the mighty structure. I contemplated 
 with amazement, the skill of its architects ; I 
 marked the change that art had wrought in 
 
16 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 those cedars of Lebanon ; the gold displayed 
 in its ornaments, and the rich fabrics woven 
 from the animal kingdom. My mind, by this 
 time, had become much convinced of the 
 superiority of art to nature, nor would I 
 again have asked a question ; but still I desired 
 to know whether art which, in its broadest 
 sense implies a true refinement of taste and 
 sensibility, will afford us any help towards 
 furthering our enjoyments in the endless 
 future. And, as I saw a scribe standing in the 
 temple, I approached him and said, Master, I 
 perceive that God has given to this people 
 much wisdom and much skill ; and I read that 
 He has revealed to them excellent knowledge 
 and made them a distinguished people. Canst 
 thou now tell me whether in the world to 
 come, these arts, this world-wise skill, these 
 earth-born refinements of mind or matter will 
 avail anything to make us happier there ? 
 
 And the scribe answered me that, "the Law 
 and the Prophets promised blessings for this 
 world, assuring us that the fires should never 
 go out from our altars, nor David lack a man 
 to sit upon his throne, forever. So your world 
 to come may be but the fantastic kingdom of 
 some idle dreamer." 
 
 And as I was about to ask him if he did not 
 belong to the sect called Sadducees, behold! 
 Jerusalem had passed from my vision and I 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 17 
 
 stood in St. Peter's Church, at Rome, and, 
 instead of a Jewish Scribe, there stood before 
 me a Roman Bishop. I addressed myself to 
 him with a low bow ; but, bethinking myself 
 that in the presence of high dignitaries in the 
 church of Rome, great deference and humility 
 were required of ordinary men, I fell on my 
 knees and bowed my face near to the floor, 
 and said, Reverend Father, thy servant is a 
 pilgrim here in search of truth. I see in this 
 magnificent structure and all its adornings the 
 triumphs of art over nature, and my heart 
 desires to learn the future destiny of human 
 skill to refine and beautify what is in and 
 around us. Thou, who art a teacher after the 
 order of St. Peter, who had the keys of the 
 kingdom, sure canst tell, whether in the spirit 
 world the devotees of art and genius will have 
 any advantage, in point of happiness, over 
 those less gifted and of coarser mould ? 
 
 "Stranger," said the bishop, "the doctrines 
 of our church make no such distinctions. The 
 child of faith is the child of heaven, and the 
 child of heaven is the child of bliss. Further 
 than this our church cannot go." 
 
 Then I looked about, almost in despair, 
 when lo! a river lay before me; and on its 
 banks stood an old man with a long, white 
 beard, a staff in his hand and a mantle on his 
 arm. On lifting my eyes, I saw across the river 
 
 2* 
 
18 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 a most beautiful country. It lay dazzling and 
 bright as if lighted by a hundred suns. And 
 I said, Thou man of God (for I took him to be 
 the translated prophet), what is that beautiful 
 land I see yonder ? And he said to me, "It is 
 the spirit world." Then this stream is the 
 Jordan, said I. Why may I not pass over? 
 "If thou hast faith, thou mayest," he said. I 
 replied, I believe ; Lord help thou mine unbe- 
 lief. Then the old man took his mantle and 
 cast it into the stream ; and it unfolded, and 
 enlarged, and stretched itself out till it spanned 
 the river and lay before my eyes like a floating 
 bridge. So I stepped down upon it, and it 
 felt firm to my feet like a pavement of stone. 
 And the old man kindly said to me, "Pass 
 over; and when thou steppest on yonder 
 shore, one will meet thee who has known thee 
 and will be thy companion and guide, while 
 thou shalt sojourn there, and -show thee all the 
 delights of that land." 
 
 Then I passed over; and, behold! one of 
 the daughters of the place did meet me, and 
 welcomed me with the sweetest smiles and the 
 freest salutations of friendship. At this I 
 marvelled much ; for in her form and counte- 
 nance, which exceeded in beauty and loveliness 
 anything I had ever seen, I could not recognize 
 the lineaments of any one I had ever known. 
 When she saw my confusion, she said, "In this 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 19 
 
 sphere we drop, in part, the accidental forms 
 of our earth-life and put on one corresponding 
 more to our affections ; or, in other words, to 
 our moral and spiritual characters." Corres- 
 ponding to the affections, thought I; and I 
 whispered the name of one who had left the 
 earth in her young life, whom I had thought 
 all goodness. In a rapture of joy she threw 
 herself on my bosom and I returned the 
 salutation with all the ardor of a new born 
 affection. 
 
 A long converse ensued, in which she 
 explained to me much of the philosophy of 
 spirit life and spirit enjoyment; the relation 
 which this life sustains to the future; the 
 spiritual uses of earth-life culture ; the creative 
 power of the affections or the soul's love ; how 
 every soul is absorbed in the things that are 
 dearest to it; how heavenly societies are 
 formed and bound together by the force of 
 congeniality alone; and many other things she 
 made known to me, to prepare my mind to 
 understand and appreciate the scenes I was 
 about to witness. 
 
 Then, said I, Swedenborg was right when 
 he affirmed that the spirit world was like ours, 
 only in an advanced state. 
 
 "He surely was," said she. "The conditions 
 of our primary life must resemble those of the 
 next, else our schooling there would be no 
 
20 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 preparation for the business or the duties of 
 another sphere. The same moral relations 
 and duties pertain to both spheres. The differ- 
 ence is chiefly that the spirit world is a great 
 improvement and advance upon the earth 
 world in beauties and uses. Hence we are 
 able to derive a higher order of happiness, 
 because of the higher order of our surround- 
 ings. And this is realized only by means of 
 the culture of the soul's capacity ; or, if I may 
 so speak, through the medium of the soul's 
 artistic force." 
 
 Artistic force, said I. And do art, genius, 
 taste, refinement, occupy conspicuous stations 
 here, as in the earth-life ? 
 
 "Most certainly they do," she replied with 
 emphasis. "They are the delight, the glory 
 and crown of the whole spirit realms, even as 
 they are the pride and honor of life in the 
 earth sphere. The primal life is not the type 
 alone, it is the very germ of this. As the 
 plants of the nursery are transplanted in the 
 field, so all the immortal germs of the earth- 
 life are transplanted here. Therefore what is 
 goodness there, is goodness here ; what is low 
 and groveling there, is groveling here, and 
 peoples far off, darker realms, called Hades." 
 
 Is that a place of vindictive torment ? then 
 I asked. 
 
 "No," she said; love knows no torment. 
 Such words are illy chosen. Souls in darkness 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 21 
 
 love the darkness more than light ; hence, are 
 as blest as the quality of their own love can 
 make them. Heaven knows no revenge. 
 Were they forced to dwell in the light of 
 higher loves, then might they be in torment. 
 Brighter spheres would be above their slow 
 capacities — hence uncongenial. With its 
 primal life, its earth experience for its germ,, 
 each soul, according to its own artistic force 
 and culture, creates or develops its own sur- 
 roundings. Therefore you will see in your 
 sojourn here, all descriptions of conditions and 
 grades of quality, corresponding to all the 
 degrees and qualities of love, taste and skill 
 unfolded in the earth-life." 
 
 Are these creations of love, permanent, I 
 asked, or are they changeable, like the spirits'' 
 thoughts ? 
 
 " Changeable," she answered : " change is one 
 law of progress. Earth scenes change; why 
 not spirit scenes ? Trees put forth buds,, 
 blossoms, fruit, in beautiful succession ; and 
 these, in turn, give place to other phenomena. 
 So in the spirit life, the thoughts or emotions 
 of love, in a sort of harmony suceeeding each 
 other, go out from the soul, bodily, as it were,, 
 and form themselves into a series of surround- 
 ings constituting that soul's outward world. 
 It is as if our thoughts all came out daguerreo- 
 types and arranged themselves about us in 
 
22 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 obedience to our will or our desire. It is thus 
 the soul makes its own heaven or hell. It is 
 thus the kingdom of heaven is said to be 
 within us. It is thus we work out our salva- 
 tion. Truth, love and goodness are the only 
 perfect spiritual architects. Art, genius, taste, 
 are their truest artisans. Whoever has these 
 qualities, will here have a body, also, more or 
 less corresponding to them in likeness." 
 
 She then drew a mirror from her bosom 
 and held it before me. 
 
 I see a likeness, I said, but I cannot tell 
 whether it be of myself or of some other man. 
 
 "Very few, fresh from the earth life, know 
 their own hearts," she said. "But in this 
 sphere, where the affections and thoughts go 
 out and stand before us in visible forms as it 
 were, we soon learn to know even as we are 
 known." 
 
 How mysterious ! I exclaimed ; and yet how 
 beautiful. My heart yearns to see the love 
 creations of this beautiful land. 
 
 "I will be your companion and guide," she 
 said, " for, for this purpose was I summoned." 
 
 We then turned to the right and stood, as it 
 were, in a vast plain ; and looking around, I 
 saw extensive fields of grains, vegetables, fruits 
 and flowers, wondrously beautiful ; and streets 
 of houses that were like palaces to look upon. 
 Some looked like gold, some like stained glass, 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 23 
 
 •some like marble and some more beautiful, for 
 which I knew no comparison. And I remem- 
 bered the mystic words, "In my Father's house 
 are many mansions ; if it were not so, I would 
 have told you." 
 
 I asked my guide what these things meant. 
 
 She said, "These are the abodes of some 
 amateur farmers; such as have cultivated their 
 talents and who, in addition to their profession, 
 paid some attention to the fine arts." 
 
 Does this domain remain permanently as we 
 now see it? No sooner had I asked, than a 
 curtain, apparently, shut down a few yards 
 before us, hiding the whole scene : then it 
 swept gently away, and lo! there lay before 
 us a broad, undulating country, with the love- 
 liest slopes and hills, valleys and rivers that 
 fancy could conceive; while away to the right 
 was a lake having many islands richly covered 
 with flowers. Beyond the lake was a range of 
 mountains, all in full view ; and I could see 
 broad terraces cut upon their slopes, and cot- 
 tages of elegant construction built thereon, 
 with gardens blooming around them. On the 
 intervening spaces were sheep grazing, and 
 children wreathed in flowers, tending them. 
 Higher up the mountains I could see goats 
 feeding, and I knew this must be the dwelling 
 of shepherds. 
 
 Here I was permitted to see a phase of social 
 life in heaven. The people, or spirits of one 
 
24 An Houb with the Angels. 
 
 of the mountains met together, of all ages and 
 sexes, in a small grove on the side of the 
 mountain, for social exercise and enjoyment ; 
 the chief entertainment being, on this occasion, 
 the singing of pastoral songs. We could 
 distinctly hear the sweet tones as they came 
 floating across the lake, which thrilled my soul 
 with very pleasure ; while an echo of the same 
 soft music, equally enchanting, now came from 
 our left, which caused us to look in that direc- 
 tion ; when, behold ! there was the appearance 
 of a vail or screen, and on that screen a pano- 
 rama of their song — like a series of tableaux; 
 pictures of every sentiment succeeding one 
 another in the same measure of time in which 
 they were uttered. 
 
 "This," my guide informed me, *is what is 
 sometimes called the social key, as it is a 
 good index to the characteristics of the 
 circles engaged in them. Similar exercises 
 are favorites in all spirit circles." 
 
 What mean these groups of spirits that we 
 see departing in almost every direction? I 
 inquired. 
 
 "They are those from other circles, who 
 have been the guests of the shepherds on this 
 occasion," she said. 
 
 Is it common, in this land, for different 
 circles to associate freely or often with each 
 other? I asked. 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 25 
 
 "Yes, freely; almost constantly," she said. 
 "A little thought of human nature, or angel 
 nature, will assure us that such association is 
 the truest source of mutual improvement and 
 mutual enjoyment." 
 
 You make me think, I said, that this place 
 must be pre-eminently social. 
 
 "Truly," she replied, "it must be so. Heaven 
 is not solitude, but society. Are not men and 
 angels built of social elements? And does not 
 being left alone seem like being lost ? " Here, 
 laying her hand upon her heart, and looking 
 up to me as she had done in her earth-life, she 
 continued : " Yes, young as I was when I left 
 the world, I had learned that human bliss had 
 its natural foundation in the social affections ; 
 and nature, be it human or angel, cannot be 
 robbed of her attributes. Her promptings 
 reveal to us, long before we grow old, that 
 
 1 Man has no Eden, below or above, 
 Till the heart is united with something to love.' " 
 
 At this moment, two beautiful spirits passed 
 by us in haste, as if on some special message. 
 I asked my guide what these meant. 
 
 She beckoned with her hand as if to some 
 one at a distance. Immediately a bright spirit 
 approached, having a countenance full of intelli- 
 gence and benignity, and greeted us in the most 
 friendly manner. Then said my companion, 
 
26 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 "Can you tell us, brother, on what errand 
 those sisters are speeding, to-day?" 
 
 "Yes," he said, "they have a sister ill, in the 
 flesh, and they are sent to watch by her bed- 
 side, to-night." 
 
 Do the spirits, then I asked, really visit or 
 revisit earth and minister to their friends in 
 the flesh? 
 
 "Yes," answered the brother. "Do not the 
 Scriptures teach us that all the angels are 
 ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for 
 them who shall be heirs of salvation? Did 
 not the angels have charge over Christ, in the 
 earth-life? And were not Moses and Elias 
 seen talking with him ? Man's spiritual vision 
 is necessarily dim. His mind, clogged by the 
 grossness of the material body, is full of 
 misapprehensions of the Word. Therefore, 
 progress in the knowledge of spiritual things, 
 is slow. Carnal appetites lead astray. Animal 
 passions blunt the faculties, and 'dull minds 
 sleep behind dull senses.' Here, it is our 
 privilege to unlearn earthly errors in higher 
 schools of truth. I perceive, my brother, that 
 you are but a guest ; and when this loved one 
 shall have shown you the mysteries of this 
 sphere, bear with you our good wishes and 
 prayers for the loved ones of earth, that they 
 may be prepared to enjoy and adorn the 
 societies of those who are sanctified by the 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 27 
 
 truth." With these words he gave us a 
 parting salutation and passed on. 
 
 We now made a circuit westward, and took 
 a stand on a small eminence which commanded 
 a wide prospect. Near by was a society oi 
 horticulturists. All around were spread out 
 the most splendid gardens, and fields of flowers, 
 which vied with the very sun in brilliance. 
 Green bowers, cool arbors, rich shade trees, 
 summer-houses, gravel walks, vine -arched 
 alleys, all lay before us in the most inviting 
 loveliness. Beautiful birds hovered about the 
 flowers, with burnished plumage of every hue, 
 and from all directions floated up sweet strains 
 of the most charming melody. 
 
 Away beyond, at a great distance, I could 
 discern something of a humbler sphere than 
 what I had been witnessing. It had the 
 appearance of a somewhat earth-like village, 
 and that almost in a state of dilapidation. 
 
 I expressed my surprise to my gentle guide, 
 at the contrast. 
 
 "That," said she, "is a society of slow, indo- 
 lent natures, of which earth-life furnishes full 
 many a germ. They spend their pilgrimage 
 on the earth in the mistaken belief that 
 indolence, or inactivity is the secret of bliss. 
 Hence beauty fades without renewal all around 
 them, and the love of excellence droops and 
 dwindles away in their hearts. So, when they 
 
28 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 come to their spirit home, their dormant minds 
 and feeble aspirations, cannot, at first, be 
 sufficiently aroused to appreciate, or aim at 
 anything higher than this humble copy of the 
 inferior condition they have left." 
 
 And what, I asked, is to be the future 
 destiny of these sluggish spirits ? 
 
 "Eternity," she said, and eternal love, will 
 work in them eternal progress. But that 
 progress, like their natures, will be slow ; and 
 though their cup of pleasure may always be 
 full, yet it will always be small." 
 
 Away to the left of these, I then discovered 
 what appeared like a livery stable, and near by 
 it a race-course. I asked what this meant. 
 She said, "It is a society of those who love 
 fast horses ; who, in the earth-life, would be 
 called jockeys." Are they a society of much 
 repute among other circles of the spirit realms? 
 I asked. " Not much," she said. " They have 
 a love peculiar to themselves, and a dialect 
 peculiar, and not much sympathy or corres- 
 pondence with those of other tastes." 
 
 At this moment my thoughts began to be 
 disturbed with a sense that this scene was too 
 mundane. My guide, immediately apprehend- 
 ing the state of my mind, reassured me by 
 remarking, that in St. John's Sabbath-day 
 visions, he had views of horses, as well as 
 many other things which bore earthly names. 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 29 
 
 And the servant of Elisha, whose spiritual 
 eyes were opened that he might see the 
 heavenly guard that encompassed them, de- 
 scribed the mountain as being full of horses, 
 as well as chariots of fire. 
 
 Dismissing this thought then, I lifted my 
 eyes and gazed away into the far south ; and 
 there I caught a most miserable sight — a deep 
 display of wretchedness. And what, said I, 
 is all that ? 
 
 " That," she replied, " is the depot of earth's 
 filth ; the abode of spirits profane, vulgar, 
 unclean." And she turned away her face 
 with a look of mingled pity and disgust. I 
 looked again, and saw that between them and 
 and where we stood was a great gulf. 
 
 Then I asked her, Is that wretched doom 
 eternal ? 
 
 She said, "Eternal love will do for them 
 all that can be done. They have nought to 
 fear or blame but themselves. But ages may 
 pass away before their eyes will be open to 
 see true beauty, or their hearts be prepared to 
 feel the joys of true love." 
 
 With sad emotions I contemplated this 
 scene, until a company of bright spirits ap- 
 proached us from the east. My companion 
 greeted them, saying, "Hail, ye blessed ones — 
 brothers and sisters ! So ye bear the light of 
 the Gospel again, to-day, to those benighted 
 
 3* 
 
30 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 and erring ones." "Yes; that is our mission 
 of love and mercy, to-day," said one of the 
 spirits. At this I marveled, since I had been 
 taught that there was no love, nor mercy, nor 
 hope for the unfortunate, beyond the earth- 
 life. 
 
 The spirits all smiled upon me as if they 
 read my thoughts. Then one of them said to 
 me, " There is no place where God is not ; and 
 there is no sinner where His mercy is not. 
 Eternal love provides the ministries of eternal 
 truth for all, forever. Therefore Heaven has 
 more missionaries than earth has yet dreamed 
 of." 
 
 Then the Gospel is preached here also, even 
 as on the earth ? I said. 
 
 " Verily ; " replied the spirit. " Have you 
 not read that Christ, after he had preached to 
 the living, went and preached to them that are 
 dead also, that they might be judged by the 
 same standard as men in the flesh ? It is here 
 understood that the Gospel is the promulgation 
 of Divine principles ; and Divine principles are 
 eternals — Eternal truths. Wherefore it is 
 called the everlasting Gospel, and must be 
 taught and obeyed through all the spheres, 
 from Gethsemane to the throne of God." 
 
 Then I said, may I ask how or why it is, that, 
 since the Gospel has been preached on the 
 earth to every creature, so many seem to have 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 31 
 
 miscarried and find themselves in so low and 
 undeveloped a condition in this sphere ? 
 
 Another spirit then spoke and answered me. 
 " It is," he said, " because men have so misun- 
 derstood and misapplied that Gospel. Some 
 have preached their own creeds and dogmas 
 instead of the word of God. Some, contrary 
 to the living Word, have eternized the wrath 
 of God, instead of his mercy. Others have 
 taught schemes of substitution, or evasions of 
 duty, instead of honest, moral obedience. 
 Such teachings have often been so revolting to 
 reason, often so offensive to man's best moral 
 instincts, that the only alternative has been 
 to discard reason, or discard the proffered 
 religion. 
 
 "Many teachers, in their self-confidence, have 
 torn away the clearest landmarks of God's 
 truth, and denied the eternity of His most 
 merciful attributes. They regard not the 
 immutability of his justice or of his love and 
 mercy. They ignore the great principle that 
 no event can take place without an adequate 
 cause. They acknowledge not that heaven 
 and happiness, like any other good, must be 
 earned by faithful endeavor. Often have they 
 made the word of God of none effect, by their 
 traditions — which imply that the treasures of 
 the soul may be drawn like a prize in a lottery — 
 or that the full glories of the spirit world may 
 be bought with a cup of perishable matter. 
 
32 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 "Man, in his primal sphere, has all the weak- 
 ness and imperfection of childhood ; and his 
 mind imbibes many errors; so that many of 
 the lessons of his earth-life, must afterward be 
 unlearned. Men are often blinded and lost in 
 moral darkness. But when the true light shall 
 shine on their pathway, then will they hasten 
 their steps heavenw T ard. The main pillars of 
 faith that will inspire us to work for our salva- 
 tion, are that God has made us for endless 
 progress, and has promised that our labor shall 
 never be in vain. As we sow, in all spheres of 
 existence, so shall we also reap." 
 
 He paused ; and then I asked : Will men on 
 earth ever be able to rise above their present 
 short sighted views of spiritual life ? 
 
 He said, "For thousands of years the human 
 race believed they lived on a flat and motion- 
 less world, while sun and moon and stars daily 
 revolved around it. Now they inhabit a whirl- 
 ing globe, which compasses its axis once a day, 
 and once a year makes circuit around the sun. 
 So also, though slow the process, the time will 
 come when better views will bless the earth, 
 and men be better taught the purposes and 
 destinies of human life." 
 
 A beautiful sister of the company then came 
 forward and said to me, " Brother, please bear 
 the love of the spirits to your fellow mortals, 
 and tell them what you see and hear. And if 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 33 
 
 ever they would have ' mansions in the skies,' 
 assure them that they can be built only by 
 works of faithful love." Smiling, she bowed, 
 and the group passed on. 
 
 " Now let us turn eastward," said my com- 
 panion, " where always dwells the glory of the 
 morning, the harbinger of perfect day." So 
 we moved onward and took a stand on the top 
 of a mountain which commanded a view of all 
 the eastern realms. For a long time I stood 
 speechless and motionless, enraptured with the 
 indescribable beauty and grandeur of the scene. 
 At length my guide broke the silence and said, 
 "All that is beautiful in Art ; all that is eleva- 
 ting in Science ; all that is true and good in 
 Morals; all that is holy in Religion, dwells 
 here. Here earth's divinest symbols are real- 
 ized. Every form is beauty, every sound is 
 melody, and every sense is feasted with 
 delights." 
 
 I looked again, and the whole scene had 
 put on a still sublimer glory. Villages lay 
 scattered before us, divinely tasteful and pic- 
 turesque in their location and architecture. 
 Gorgeous temples here and there, for worship 
 or for social gatherings, stood conspicuous, and 
 all the intervening scenery told the soul that 
 that was heaven. 
 
 At the foot of the mountain on which we 
 stood, lay a valley, and it was called the valley 
 
34 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 of wisdom. There we saw a great company 
 of artists go forth to give a mutual exhibition of 
 their various accomplishments. In the group 
 were musicians, sculptors, painters, poets, and 
 teachers. And with them were gathered a 
 great multitude of spirits from all the bright 
 realms to witness the scene ; for these enter- 
 tainments are a great delight to all of pure and 
 cultivated tastes. 
 
 We then saw, as it were, a cloud or curtain 
 let down before the company, for a screen or 
 background, like what we had before seen in 
 the shepherd realms. Then the musicians, who 
 had harps and other instruments in their hands, 
 went forth to play, and with them stood others 
 to sing. And when they touched their harps 
 there came to our ears strains rich and sweet, 
 as if all earth's music had been culled and 
 distilled to make each note of that divine, 
 melody. And when the full choir joined in 
 the song, it seemed as if my whole form melted 
 and dissolved, and floated away on the soft 
 winged harmony. And the sentiment of that 
 song went forth and embodied itself on that 
 screen, in the likeness of a multitude of 
 redeemed and purified souls. 
 
 After this, a sculptor stepped forth ; and 
 immediately there stood on the screen groups 
 of statuary, such as spirit language only could 
 describe. 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 35 
 
 Next came a painter, filling all souls with 
 admiration at his wonderful delineations. 
 These were retained on the screen at the will 
 of the actors or the pleasure of the beholders. 
 
 Then came the poet, greatest of artists, who 
 paints not isolated objects in arbitrary colors, 
 only, but all things and principles in forms that 
 instruct and colors that inspire. He com- 
 menced repeating a new poem. The first 
 sentiment pictured itself on the centre of the 
 screen, as a nucleus or germ for further exten- 
 sion. And, as he proceeded, it shot forth new 
 features, one after another, somewhat in the 
 likeness of a pyrotechnic display, or the flash- 
 ing of the aurora borealis. And when the 
 author would take up some new forms of the 
 subject, then, quick as thought, the whole 
 picture would fall into an entirely new distri- 
 bution, corresponding to the changed mode or 
 matter of illustration ; much as the views in a 
 kaleidoscope change by revolving it. It was 
 indeed beautiful and impressive beyond de- 
 scription. The scene is still in my eye and 
 my heart, but I have no words to convey it to 
 others. 
 
 And now came the teacher, who had been 
 a priest in the (supposed) typical, that is the 
 Jewish church, under the Law, called by Paul 
 our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. I asked 
 my companion if the Jewish sacrifices were 
 
36 An Hour with the Angels. 
 
 represented in heaven. She said, "Those 
 sacrifices were merely symbolic of spiritual 
 processes or changes. Animals could be slain, 
 as emblems of the animal passions of man, 
 which must be slain or subdued in the work of 
 regeneration. The pangs of self-denial have 
 often been compared to the giving up of life. 
 But the spiritual nature of repentance is here 
 literally understood and practically represented, 
 as you may soon see for yourself." 
 
 The priest uttered a few words, and there 
 appeared on the screen the likeness of a poor 
 one kneeling, having a sad countenance, clothed 
 with rags and stained with filth. And before 
 him was the motto, "Wash you — make you 
 clean, and put on your beautiful garments." 
 Then a messenger came to the poor one and 
 said, "Son, in thy Father's house is bread 
 enough and to spare; why perish ye with 
 hunger?" And the poor one was made to 
 say, " I have sinned, and am not worthy to be 
 called a son. Yet now will I put off my sin. 
 I will arise and go to my Father." Then the 
 poor one rose up, and behold ! when he stood, 
 his face glowed with smiles, and his garments 
 were bright and shining. And the curtain 
 was taken up out of sight. 
 
 This scene is always hailed with great favor 
 and acclamation by all good spirits. And 
 the whole multitude joined in that favorite 
 
An Hour with the Angels. 37 
 
 doxology of the brighter spheres, " Glory be to 
 Him who sitteth on the throne and to the 
 Lamb forever." 
 
 Then said I to my gentle guide, it is enough : 
 my soul is satisfied. I have seen for myself 
 the demonstrations of immortal life. I have 
 seen for myself the triumphs of art and genius ; 
 the signal rewards of virtue, the uses of a true 
 cultivation and the happy fruits of that faith 
 which works by love and purifies the heart. 
 " It is well," she said ; " it may be well, also, 
 that you have seen the reverse. Now return 
 to your sphere and wait and work till you are 
 called to stand in your lot in the spirit land. 
 Bear with you the prayers of all good spirits 
 for the young immortal souls that are develop- 
 ing in the earth-sphere around you ; that they 
 be true to themselves; not weaving around 
 them the dark clouds of perverted nature, 
 of groveling habits and debasing passions, but 
 that they put on innocence, truth, virtue, love, 
 like a garment, and walk always in the steps 
 of the righteous." 
 
 She raised her hands to my face, gave and 
 received a parting salutation, then with a smile 
 that told the blessedness of a loving spirit, she 
 turned away, and — all was gone. 
 
THOSE VISIONS. 
 
 When all those visions bright had fled, 
 And angel voices ceas'd to speak, 
 In thankfulness I bow'd my head, 
 And grateful tears bedew'd my cheek ; 
 
 So pure, so beautiful and blest 
 Did all the brighter spirits seem ; 
 So peaceful was their heav'nly rest, 
 As shown me in that blissful dream ; 
 
 I long'd to feel a hope, that we, 
 Who still are pilgrims on the earth, 
 Might join the angel family 
 When we take on the spirit birth. 
 
 But mem'ry told her faithful tale 
 Of deeds unworthy, thoughts impure ; 
 Of wand'rings oft in sin's dark vale, 
 And faults that scarce admit a cure. 
 
 And then beneath the stars of night 
 I knelt, and rais'd my voice in pray'r ; 
 That with the seraph circles bright, 
 I might, henceforth, communion share. 
 
40 Those Visions. 
 
 The angels heard me ; and, since then, 
 Have been my guests at morn or ev'n ; 
 And oft bestow'd their counsels, when 
 My heart has ask'd the way to heav'n. 
 
 And hence, their counsels I must keep, 
 And from all things impure abstain ; 
 For views of heav'n so clear, so deep, 
 Must not have dawn'd on me in vain. 
 
JUST OVER THE RIVER. 
 
 Just over the river, 
 
 Just over the river, 
 In Eden-like beauty 
 Blooming iorever ; 
 Gleameth a landscape, 
 Surpassing ideal, 
 
 To Faith's beaming eye 
 
 All substantial and real. 
 
 "Where the rays of the sunlight 
 Shine warmer and brighter, 
 Where the blossoms are fairer, 
 And the zephyrs breathe lighter 
 Than are wont in the spheres 
 Of our earth-life to greet us, 
 Though the seasons should summon 
 All their glories to meet us. 
 
 When the trials of life 
 
 Shall too harshly assail us, 
 From over the river 
 Sweet voices shall hail us ; 
 And the breezes that dally 
 With the landscapes there, 
 
 Shall lend their soft wings 
 
 Some sweet message to bear, 
 
42 Just Over the River. 
 
 To lighten our hearts 
 
 Of each burden and sorrow ; 
 To give us new strength 
 And new hope for to-morrow ; 
 And bid us be faithful, 
 And patient, and wait 
 
 Till the angels ope for us 
 
 The elysian gate. 
 
 For over that river, 
 From that land so fair, 
 
 Shall messengers come 
 
 To convoy us there ; 
 
 And the swift wing'd barges 
 
 That waft us along, 
 Shall vocal be made 
 With music and song. 
 
 For the angels rejoice 
 
 In those blissful re-unions, 
 Where lov'd ones are gather'd 
 In lasting communions, 
 In the bright summer lands 
 Of elysium, forever : 
 
 Just over the river ! 
 
 Just over the river ! 
 
FAITH AND HOPE. 
 
 In ease or pain, in life or death, 
 We '11 ne'er distrust God's mercy more : 
 His love confers our life and breath, 
 And angels guard us evermore. 
 
 'T is life to live — 't is life to die ; 
 And death no ties of love can blight 
 The dying pangs, the parting sigh, 
 Weave pinions for celestial flight. 
 
 While sad we lay the caskets by, 
 Which here th' immortal souls enshrine, 
 We trace the spirits' flight on high, 
 To angel homes, in realms divine. 
 
 O Faith, sublime ! O Hope, how sweet ! 
 Which triumph o'er each mortal pain, 
 That hence in brighter worlds we '11 meet, 
 To live, and know, and love again. 
 
(tj 
 
 HOUSEHOLD ANGELS. 
 
 Voices that speak in tones of love, 
 And tongues that bear in tenderness 
 Sweet messages from spheres above, 
 And words that never fail to bless. 
 
 Faces that wear a hopeful smile, 
 And hearts that love's rich treasures bear ; 
 And tuneful tongues whose notes beguile 
 Each hour of pain, each hour of care. 
 
 Hands that can ope the Eden gate 
 Whence faithful souls may gaze their fill ; 
 And leave no longer desolate, 
 A heart to doubt God's favor still. 
 
 Foresight to light up future scenes, 
 
 And fill the mind with visions bright ; 
 
 To pierce the vail that intervenes 
 
 And catch the gleams of heav'n's true light. 
 
 Visions that bring the angels nigh ; 
 Those ministers whom heav'n employs, 
 To give to mortals, ere they die, 
 Sweet foretastes of immortal joys. 
 
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