S. What is known need not be told, except to those who know it not. I will enjoin it upon you, and your companions, never to communicate to another what is known unto him, lest he be weary with your society. Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; so that he who asketh, and he who seeketh, shall not go away empty. The wisdom of the circle, into whose society you will shortly be introduced, giveth to all who asketh, and upbraideth not. Are you willing to do likewise?
C. I am willing.
S. You will, then, receive this pearl. Wear it in your bosom. Let its radiance beam in all your works. Let its lustre shine in your conversation. And let its purity make you free from the taint of wrong. This pearl is of great value. It will save you from darkness. It will chase away the gloom of error. It will protect you from the weakness of doubt and fear. You may let the circle view the pearl, and, when they have examined it, I will proceed with you to the circle where each one will receive, as it seemeth good to the Worthy. He will open a new page in the work of progress. Let all listen to his words, and be faithful to obey the wisdom which he will give you. I am now ready; follow me.
We came to a world of eternal reality. I entered within a sacred repository of wisdom, where I saw minds renowned in history, whose countenances reflected a light which illumined all who came near them. The wide arch of heaven rung with song, and waste places felt the genial influence of virtue. Before us were written in letters of gold the words, “Worthy art thou to receive glory, and honor, and praise, and power.” On the right were crowns at the feet of saints, and on the left were gems of silver brightness, linked with a chain of light. These gems were so arranged as to represent in miniature the words, “Poverty and riches embrace wisdom, when one receives what the other gives.” Near the entrance of this magnificent theater of wisdom, rose a writing, “Enter thou into the joy of wisdom.” Beneath our feet were clouds of vapor, on which the sun shone, giving them a smiling appearance. A vase of flowers stood in the center, and near by it a well, out of whose mouth came a gushing current of the water of life. As we passed the well, the Worthy said, “This is the water that whosoever drinketh thereof shall never thirst, but it shall be in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Drink freely.”
The solemnity of the scene was heightened by the lessons we received from the Worthy and his companions. I heard attentively, and will give as correct a report as the understanding of the reader will be able to appreciate. I will not attempt to narrate all which was set before us, since the simple relation would require a volume of itself; but I propose to give a brief synopsis of the unfoldings of wisdom to our minds.
As we were within the theater of a circle, whose countenances reflected such light, that we were dazzled with the brilliancy thereof, the Worthy said; “This pool, whose water is for the thirsty, cometh from the throne of truth. You have now a portion, which never exhausts or wastes itself within you. It is immortal to satisfy. The current will not dry by using. It is free as air. Nature is not poverty. Her wisdom reaches far above the mind in its soarings. The pool comes up from the well of hope. Out of hope cometh reality. Hope never wrings sorrow from the mind. Zeal can not live without animation. Its worth no mind can fathom. Its everlasting flight is upward, onward, expanding with its expanse, and rising with its strength. The mind without hope, is like a mourner without consolation, like a ship without sail or rudder; and when the water of life satiates the thirst of doubt and despair, joy rides over the storm and the sea, that dashes against the shore of eternity. Eternity hath no shore. The immortal enters eternity when time ends. The mind sees no shore. Days and nights are not. Time is not. The calendar of months and days is no more. All is eternity—eternity is all. Rest is work, and work is rest. The water is your strength, and nature is your fountain. Nature supplies itself, and what nature does, is well done. I need no wisdom she has not, for her wisdom is the wisdom of the Infinite. Deep is the fountain, wide is the stream, and high is the mountain, whence cometh the pure philosophy of wisdom. The wide creation shines with gems of infinite skill. Vast is the immensity of infinity. Stretch thy mind away from star to star, from system to system, from worlds to worlds, and neither shore nor center rises before you. God is there. God is every where, infinite, eternal—the spirit, whose life is the energy, the power of the universe; whose glory the good of the dependent; and whose smile is in the sunshine and the shower, working out the immutable love of his nature to bless the works he has made. The north and the south, the east and the west, above and below, wherever thought extends or not extends, the mercy of God flows like the limpid current of life, and yet you have come here to partake of the stream. I would do likewise; because here you may see its purity, and relish its sweetness. Change has conformed your taste to the water, and light has dispersed your doubts of its purity. Where darkness reigned, fears were indulged; and where fears were indulged, your minds refused the beverage, lest some ill should befall you. Now the fear is gone, the hope is full; and where hope is full, the water will not be rejected. Water is life to the thirsty; doubt is death, because it forbids nature its wants. Pilgrims, your souls have tested the life of water. Experience has tested its adaptation to your wants. Remembrance will save you from the snare of doubts. Hence, the water springeth up in you forever.
“Pilgrims: on your right are crowns at the feet of saints. Honor cometh not from power. Honor casts authority to rule others at your feet. The crowns of tyrants must fall from their heads, and no mind shall honor the head which wears them. Superiority hath no dwelling place in this circle. Equality reigns, and is acknowledged. No mind is ruler, and no mind is ruled. One law governs all, and that law is love. Two minds can not think unlike, because the thoughts of love must be one in all. The crowns you see, were the crowns we wore in our pilgrimage. We were not all kings, nor minds who wore an external crown; but were all rulers over others. We loved rule, and despised submission. We loved control over minds, and have enjoyed it to our complete satisfaction. I controlled no one by my crown, but by my influence. I saw mind needed control, and, not seeing the control of God, I undertook to do his work. I made laws and executed them as I pleased, intending the good of those whom I controlled. I gave to one a penny, and to another more, as I judged them worthy. They were satisfied with their wages, and did me honor. My crown was not disgraced, as I supposed, because each mind, whom I controlled, received his reward. I was well satisfied with my wisdom. I wanted no more. Others of my companions ruled differently. One ruled by fear, and another by favor. One ruled by threatenings, and another by promises. One ruled by poverty, and another by riches. All had their varied methods of controlling minds; but none were more unworthy than those who attempted to control, and succeeded, by alarming the fears of the credulous with tales, revolting to sympathy and degrading to Deity. They controlled with an iron arm the dupes of their miserable deception; but their crowns now lie at their feet.
“Pilgrims: you see a change. You see that ignorance hath its votaries, and, so long as ignorance reigns, kings will rule, and subjects will tremble. Mind must learn wisdom to disarm tyrants. It must see light to escape darkness. It must experience freedom to hate bondage. It must love right to forsake wrong. It must progress in wisdom to loathe ignorance. The change has come, the light has appeared, the day has dawned, the bondage has vanished, and the wrong is forsaken. Experience hath done her work. Mind works for mind, good for good, virtue for virtue, knowledge for knowledge; and equity and justice have trodden crowns under their feet, and hurled the tyrant’s scourge away forever.
“You may turn to the left, and there you see a chain of light, linking gems, and words are written. Poverty and riches dwell together in kings’ houses. He who rules is rich in power, in the estimation of his subjects. He is rich in goodly things, and his position is envied by the ignorant. He fares sumptuously, and the ruled mourn at their inferiority. Poverty is lean and hungry there. Poverty tarries where wrong remains. Wrong remains, where ignorance rules. Ignorance rules where wisdom is not regarded. Wisdom is not regarded where injustice and force make minds slaves to others’ will. Equity and righteousness are shunned and despised, law and harmony are violated, and light reflects the poverty of riches, and the wrongs of poverty. The poor seek, and he who seeketh findeth. The rich seek only to be rich, and their riches are not wisdom, but empty, vain toys that glitter in the eyes of fools, and dazzle only to deceive the unwise. The gems wear not the face of despair. They are gems, inwoven with light. The gems represent minds, and minds form words. Words are true to a mind who writes them. Poverty and riches embrace wisdom, when riches are employed to relieve poverty. They are wise only when used to do good. No wisdom is seen in riches, not controlled by wisdom. Love must see her children redeemed from want, and where there is no want, there is no poverty.
“This circle is the circle of Worthy. It is a brotherhood of righteousness. It has relinquished all authority to rule in the name of God. It acknowledges God alone, as the ruler of the universe. It disclaims all other rulers, and in the light of his countenance we walk, dispensing the light we have received and seen to those who need. Thou art worthy to receive this glory, because thou wilt freely give. Others are not permitted to receive it, because they will not give as they receive. The honor is well bestowed on you.