744. The privy counselors, the chamberlains, and the governors, stood around the table; and at the command of the prince they folded their hands, and all together in a low tone gave thanks to the Lord; and then, at a nod from the prince, took their places on the cushioned seats at the table. And the prince said to the visitors, "Sit you down with me also; there are your seats." And they sat down. The courtiers before sent by the prince to wait upon them, stood behind them. The prince then said to them, "Take each one of you a plate from its place, and then a dish from the pyramid." They did so; and behold, there instantly appeared fresh plates and dishes in place of those taken away. Their cups were filled with wine from the fountain springing from the great pyramid; and they ate together.
[2] When they were moderately satisfied, the prince addressed the ten guests, saying, "I have heard that you were assembled on the earth that is beneath this heaven to disclose your thoughts respecting the joys of heaven and eternal happiness therefrom; and that you advanced different opinions, each according to the delights of his bodily senses. But what are the delights of the bodily senses apart from the delights of the soul? It is the soul that imparts delight to these. The delights of the soul are in themselves imperceptible beatitudes; but they become more and more perceptible as they descend into the thoughts of the mind, and from these into the sensations of the body. In the thoughts of the mind they are perceptible as joys, in the sensations of the body as delights, and in the body itself as pleasures. From all these together comes eternal happiness; while from the latter alone the happiness is not eternal but temporary, and comes to an end and passes away, and sometimes becomes unhappiness. You have now seen that all your joys are also joys of heaven, and more excellent than you could ever have conceived; and yet our minds are not interiorly affected by them. [3] There are three things that flow in as one from the Lord into our souls; these three as one, that is, this trine, are love, wisdom, and use; but love and wisdom alone have only an ideal existence, because they exist only in the affection and thought of the mind; while in use they have a real existence, because then they exist also in bodily act and operation, and where they exist really, there they have permanent existence. But as love and wisdom have their existence and permanence in use, it is use that affects us; and use is the faithful, sincere, and diligent discharge of the duties of one's employment.
"The love of use and the consequent pursuit of use prevents the mind from becoming dissipated, and from wandering about and drinking in all the cupidities that flow in with their allurements through the senses from the body and the world, and that scatter to the four winds the truths of religion and morality together with their goods. But the application of the mind to use holds and binds these together, and disposes the mind into a form receptive of wisdom from these truths, and at the same time expels to the circumference the illusions and mockeries both of falsities and vanities. But on these subjects you will hear more from the wise men of our society, whom I will send to you this afternoon."
So saying the prince arose, and with him his guests; he said grace, and then commanded the angelic guide of the strangers to conduct them back to their apartments, and to show them all the honors of courtesy; also to invite courteous and affable men to entertain them with conversation on the various joys of that society.