Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 1.djvu/143

 that every one was received according to his life in the world; and that they knew where they were; and that they are not more highly esteemed there than others.

The reason, they said, that these are mentioned with honor in the Word, is, that by them in the internal sense is meant the Lord; by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Lord as to the Divine and the Divine Human; by David, the Lord as to the Divine Royalty; and by the apostles, the Lord as to divine truths; and that they have not the least perception of those individuals when the Word is read by man, since their names do not enter heaven; but instead of them, they have a perception of the Lord, as just stated; and that therefore in the Word which is in heaven, those individuals are no where mentioned, since that Word is the internal sense of the Word which is in the world.

I can testify from much experience, that it is impossible to implant the life of heaven in those who have led an opposite life in the world. There were some who imagined that they should easily receive divine truths after death, when they heard them from the angels, and that they should believe them, and consequently should live a different life, and thus be received into heaven. But the experiment was made with great numbers; yet only with those