. Ye priests indeed may glorify God
by your attendance on his worship, since this is your office, and from
the discharge of it you derive honor, glory, and recompense; but it
would be as impossible for you as for others thus to glorify God, unless
honor, glory, and recompense were annexed to your office." Having said
this, the bishops ordered the doorkeepers to give free ingress and
egress to all, there being so great a number of people, who, from their
ignorance of the state and nature of heaven, can form no other idea of
heavenly joy than that it consists in the perpetual worship of God.

10. After this the angel returned with his companions to the place of
assembly, where the several companions of the wise ones were still
waiting; and next he addressed those who fancied that heavenly joy and
eternal happiness depend only on admittance into heaven, which is
obtained merely by divine grace and favor; and that in such case the
persons introduced would enter into the enjoyments of heaven, just as
those introduced to a court-festival or a marriage, enter into the
enjoyment of such scenes. "Wait here awhile," said the angel, "until I
sound my trumpet, and call together those who have been most
distinguished for their wisdom in regard to the spiritual things of the
Church." After some hours, there appeared nine men, each having a wreath
of laurel on his head as a mark of distinction: these the angel
introduced into the house of assembly, where all the companies before
collected were still waiting; and then in their presence he addressed
the nine strangers, and said, "I am informed, that in compliance with
your desire, you have been permitted to ascend into heaven, according to
your ideas thereof, and that you have returned to this inferior or
sub-celestial earth, perfectly well informed as to the nature and state
of heaven: tell us therefore what you have seen, and how heaven appeared
to you." Then they replied in order; and the First thus began: "My idea
of heaven from my earliest infancy to the end of my life on earth was,
that it was a place abounding with all sorts of blessings,
satisfactions, enjoyments, gratifications, and delights; and that if I
were introduced there, I should be encompassed as by an atmosphere of
such felicities, and should receive it with the highest relish, like a
bridegroom at the celebration of his nuptials, and when he enters the
chamber with his bride. Full of this idea, I ascended into heaven,