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 advanced from reason are confirmed, namely, that every man after death is his own love and his own will. It is said his own will, because the will of every one is his love.

That man after death remains to eternity such as he is as to his will or ruling love, has also been confirmed by abundant experience. I have been permitted to converse with some who lived two thousand years ago, whose lives are known because described in history; and I found that they still retained their distinctive characters, and were exactly such as they had been described; for the quality of their love, from and according to which their lives were formed, remained the same.

I have also been permitted to converse with others who lived seventeen centuries ago, and whose lives are known from history; with others who lived four centuries ago; with others who lived three; and so on; and it was found that an affection similar to that which distinguished them in the world, ruled in them still. The only difference was, that the delights of their love were turned into such things as correspond to them.

I have been told by the angels that the life of the ruling love is never changed with any one to eternity, since every one is his own love; therefore to change that love in a spirit, would be to deprive him of his life, or to annihilate him. They also stated the reason, which is: that man after death is no