Gifts of Heaven · Volume 1 · Chapter 25

About the poem ‘The Angel’

13th July 1840

This word of the Lord is contained in the main work 'The Household of God' (vol. 1, ch. 34, verse 37, jl.hag1.034,37). The word referring to the 'angel' occurred four days before the side-word addressed to Carl Ritter von Leitner on July 17, 1840 (see 'Heavenly Gifts', vol. 1, p. 51; jl.him1.051).

[1] Before I will still lead you into this My housekeeping, I want to tell you briefly something concerning My angel – but especially to those who have taken a so-called grammatical offense in almost every line because of the world. Since their heart is not mischievous, they shall, where My weak secret scribe of My new word has made some N-dash too much or too little due to an already old, inattentive habit in him, complete it according to their insight, so also the unorthegraphic and the I-dots; but whoever would dare to displace even one word or to search for a better rhyme or to search for some missing footnote unnecessarily, I will look at him with angry eyes. Do not seek the word in the sense, but the sense in the word, if you want to reach the truth; because in the spirit is the truth, but not in the truth the spirit, which could be impossible, since the spirit is free and precedes every rule, letting truth draw from itself. Since you say this even of your geniuses, why do you look at My Spirit with critical eyes, as if a schoolboy had given you some bad lesson for correction? Therefore, if someone thinks that I am not fit for the world with this garment, let him keep Me at home; but it will be more meritorious for everyone to add to My Scripture a rule taken from it than a criticism of the world – for it is much more blessed to give than to receive! Understand this well! Amen.