3523. Finally they were told, I think by those of the same nation, through me, that because they were so intelligent in life, and saw what is true, they could know this, that love toward the neighbor is the primary law, and that without love toward the neighbor, no one can come into heaven. For heaven or heavenly societies consist in love, which is only from the Lord. Hence they can find out whether they had possessed that love and thus whether thy could be admitted into heaven.
They objected that those who are devoted to business should not worry about such matters, but they received the reply that there are rich business people, and indeed much richer than they are, in heaven, who spoke with them through me. They had been able to get rich, but they supposed that they had looked to the common good as their end, and love toward the neighbor, and engaged in trade only for the sake of performing a use in the world, and otherwise not placing their heart in those things, nor making life to consist in riches and business. That these had been richer than they was shown by a spiritual mental image, and they said besides that in the other life there is no respect of persons. 1748, 10 Oct.
This only should be added: that they have remained very long and tenaciously persevered in and carried on with their wicked plots, which are many, perhaps being the fancies of spirits regarding things to come.
3523. At length it was said to them through me, and, if I mistake not, by some of the same nation, that inasmuch as they had been persons of so much intelligence during life, and knew what truth was, they were able to know this also, that love to the neighbor is the principal law, without which no one can enter heaven, for heaven or the heavenly societies are made up of love, because from the Lord alone; hence they might know whether they possessed this love, and could thus be admitted into heaven. But they objected that those who were devoted to business could not attend to thoughts of this nature; to which it was replied, that there were rich men of business in heaven, and much richer than they, who spoke with them through me, confirming what I said, and saying, at the same time, that they had had the common good for an end, and love to the neighbor, and that they had carried on their mercantile pursuits for the sake of performing a use in the world, and had not set their hearts upon them, nor acquired a life from riches and trade. That they had actually become richer than the others, was shown by a spiritual idea. They said, moreover, that in the other life there was no respect of persons. - 1748, October 10. This only is to be added, that [the impression with these spirits that] the rich would remain [rich] that they would pertinaciously hold on [in their ruling character,] and would practice their multifarious wicked arts - these were perhaps the illusions of spirits respecting things to come.
3523. Tandem iis dicebatur, reor, ab iis qui ex eadem natione, per me, quod, quia in vita ita intelligentes essent, et perciperent quid verum, quod hoc scire possint, quod amor erga proximum, sit principalis lex, et quod absque amore erga proximum nemo possit in coelum venire, nam coelum seu societates coelestes consistunt in amore, Qui unice a Domino; inde scire possent, num habuerint talem amorem, et sic num admitti possent in coelum; objiciebant, quod qui negotiatiores sunt, non talia curare debeant, sed responsum iis, quod divites negotiatores, et multo ditiores iis in coelo sunt, qui per me cum iis loquuti, qui etiam ditescere potuerint, sed ut autumant, habuerint pro fine commune bonum, et amorem erga proximum, et mercaturam exercuerint modo functionis causa in mundo, et praeterea non cor suum posuerint in iis, inde nec vitam comparaverint ex opibus et negotiatione: qui quod ditiores iis fuerint, ostensum per ideam spiritualem: et praeterea dicebant, quod in altera vita nullus respectus personarum habeatur. 1748, 10 Oct. Hoc solum addendum, quod diutius manserint et tenaciter perseveraverint, et scelestas habuerint machinationes, quae plures erant, forte ea erant illusiones spirituum de venturis.