Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1838-04-28
THE SOUL IN PuRGAToRY.
OR, LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH.
BY E. L. BuIwER.

The angels strung their harps in hea
ven and their music went up like stream
Of odours to the Most High. But the harT
of Seralim was sweeter than that of hi
fellows, and the invisiblS one (for the an
gels themselves know notA the glories o
Jehovah--only far in the Depths Of Hea
ven, they see one Unsleeping Eye watch
ing forever over creation } was heard say
ing:
"Ask gift for the love that buns upor
thy song, and it shall u given thee"
And Seralim answered.
"There ore in that one place which mer
call Purgatory, and which is the escape
from He'll, but the painful porch Of Heaven
many souls that adore Thee, and vel
are punished justly for their sins; grant
me the boon to visit them at times, and so
lace their sutferings by the hymns of the
harp that is consecrated 10 Thee"
And the voice answered:
"Thy prayer is heard, oh, gentlest Of
the angels; and it seems good to him thai
chastises but for love, Go, thou hast thy
will.n
Then the angels sung the praises oil
God, and when the song was done he rose
from the azure throne at the right hand Of
Gabriel, and spreading his rainbow wings,
he flew to that melancholy orb which near
est to earth echoes from the shrek Of
souls, that by torture become pure
there the unhappy ones see from afar the
bright courts they are hereinafter to OBJ
tain, and the shapes of the glorious beings
who, fresh from the fountains of Immor-
tality, walk amid the gardens ofParadise,
and feel that their happiness hath no NOR
row; and this thought consoles them amid
their torment, and makes the true differ
ence between Purgatory and He'll.
Then the angel folded his wings and en-
tered the chrystal gates, sat down upon a
blasted rock, and struck his divine Tyre,
and peace fell over the wretched; the
demons ceased to torture, and the victims
to wall. As sleep to the mourners of earth
was the song of the angel to the soul Of
the purifying star. The only voice amid
the great stiffness that seemed not lulled
by the angel was the voice ola woman
and it continued to cry out with sharp
cry:
Son, Observation-Disclosures, mourn not
for the lost"
Then Seralim's interest was aroused,
and approaching the spot from whence the
voice came, he saw the spirit of a young
and beautiful girl chained to rock and de-
mons lying idly by. And Seralim said to
the demons: "Doth the song lull you thus
to sleep?"
And they answered: "Her care for an
other is bitterer than all our tormentj
therefore we are idle?"
The angel approached the spirit, and
said in voice that stiIled her cry-for in
what state do we outlive sympathy
'Wherefore, oh daughter of earth, wailest
thou with the same wall? and why doth
the harp that sootheth the most guilty of
thy companions fail in its melody with
thee?"
20 radiant stranger" answered the poor
spirit, "thou speakest to one who on earth
loved Gods creature more than God;
therefore is she justly censured. But |
know that my poor Adelnheim mourns
for me, and the thought OF his
sorrow is more intolerabe to me than all
the demons can intiict.o
"And how knowest thou that he laments
Lhee?" asked the angel.
"Because ! know with what agony |
should have mourned for HIM." replied the
spirit, simply.
The divine nature of the angel was
touched, for love is the nature of the sons
Of Heaven--.And how" said he, Scan !
minister to thy sorrow?"
A transport seemed to agitate the spirit,
and she lifted up her mist.like and impal-
pable arms, and criedi
"Give me-oh, give to return to earth
but for one little hour, that may visit my
and that, concealing from him
my present sufferings, may comfort him
IN his own"
"Alasw said the angel, turning away
his eyes--for angels may not weep inthe
tight Of others---ssI could grant thee this
boon, but thou knowest not the penalty
For the souls in Purgatory may return to
earth, but heavy is the penalty that awaits
heir return. In word for one hour on
earth thou must add a thousand years TO the
ortures ofthy confinement hereP'
as that all!'' cried the spirit. evil
Iingly, then, will brave the doom. All,
surely they love not in Heaven, or thou
wouldst know, oh Celestial Visiter, that
one hour Of consolation to the one we love
is worth thousand ages of torment to
ourselves. Let me comfort and convince
my Adenheim, no matter what becomes
of me-"
Then the angel looked on high. and saw
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