3443. The medium spoken of earlier [3439], was raised up into heaven, so that he might experience some of the enjoyment that had been communicated to me, but he declared, "of what use is this enjoyment?"
I thought that he considered happiness to consist only in uses, like the angels. Then he was let down among those who maintained that all of heaven was nothing, without exception, whereupon I perceived that he had obtained his happiness - thus not in any use, about which it was granted me to speak, saying that love that is mutual and puts the other before oneself, is the angelic quality, and that then is happiness given by the Lord (either just now or at that time, I said these words) 1; and that all are devoted to their uses, so that some may take their delight in marriages, some in the love of little children, some in helping the distressed in temptations, some in raising up and introducing the deceased, and so on. 1748, 2 Oct.
Footnotes:
1. "Just now" refers to while compiling the index; see at Love, 1835 and Heat, 1855-1862.
3443. The subject before mentioned being elevated to heaven in order that he might perceive a certain pleasantness communicated to me, inquired, "For what end is such pleasantness? for I supposed that one would place his happiness only in use, like the angels." Being then, conveyed among those who would have the whole heaven, without exception, to be as nothing, I perceived that he had [in that persuasion] his own felicity, thus not in any use; concerning which it was given to say, that mutual love, and a preference of another over one's self were angelic, and that then felicity was given by the Lord (:thus now or then I said to him:) 1and that all were dedicated to their uses, some that they might be delighted in marriages, some in the love of infants, some in helping the distressed in temptations, some in resuscitating and introducing the dead, and so on. - 1748, October 2.
Footnotes:
1. Parenthetical clauses, like the present, frequently occur in the pages of the Diary [now called Spiritual Experiences], and seemed designed to indicate some particular impression made, from the spiritual world, upon the writer's mind at the very time he was penning the paragraph. What this was cannot now be ascertained, any further than as the general scope of the context may afford grounds, more or less definite, for an inference respecting it. -Tr.
3443. Subjectum, de quo prius, sublatus in coelum, ut perciperet aliquam jucunditatem, quae mecum communicata; sed dicebat, "cui usui talis jucunditas?" putabam quod solum in usibus sicut angeli poneret felicitatem; tum delatus inter eos, qui volebant quod totum coelum nihil, absque restrictione, esset, tunc percipiebam eum habere suam felicitatem; ita non in aliquo usu, de quo loqui dabatur, quod amor mutuus et praelatus sibi, sit angelicum, et quod tunc detur felicitas (sive nunc vel tunc ea dixi) a Domino; et quod omnes suis usibus dicati sint, quidam conjugiis ut delectentur, quidam ut infantum amore, quidam ut in tentationibus adjuvent miseros, quidam ut resuscitent mortuos, et introducant, et sic porro. 1748, 2 Oct.