would be followed by primates and officers of various orders, by men
carrying palms, and by women with golden images in their hand.

4. The Seventh Company, which, from its superior light, was invisible to
the rest, came from the east of heaven, and consisted of angels of the
same society as the angel that had sounded the trumpet. When these heard
in their heaven, that not a single person throughout the Christian world
was acquainted with the true nature of heavenly joy and eternal
happiness, they said one to another, "Surely this cannot be true; it is
impossible that such thick darkness and stupidity should prevail amongst
Christians: let us even go down and hear whether it be true; for if it
be so, it is indeed wonderful." Then those angels said to the one that
had the trumpet, "You know that every one that has desired heaven, and
has formed any definite conception in his mind respecting its joys, is
introduced after death into those particular joys which he had imagined;
and after he experiences that such joys are only the offspring of the
vain delusions of his own fancy, he is led out of his error, and
instructed in the truth. This is the case with most of those in the
world of spirits, who in their former life have thought about heaven,
and from their notions of its joys have desired to possess them." On
hearing this, the angel that had the trumpet said to the six companies
of the assembled wise ones, "Follow me; and I will introduce you into
your respective joys, and thereby into heaven."

5. When the angel had thus spoken, he went before them; and he was first
attended by the company who were of opinion that the joys of heaven
consisted solely in pleasant associations and entertaining conversation.
These the angel introduced to an assembly of spirits in the northern
quarter, who, during their abode in the former world, had entertained
the same ideas of the joys of heaven. There was in the place a large and