3906. He afterwards withdrew, and I spoke with him and those with him about love, declaring that love is what gives direction to all and the very least things, and that without love, there is nothing that would not be confused, because it would be entirely without direction, and that there are kinds and species of loves, and their differences, which distinguish societies one from another, are countless and without limit. The life of heaven, I continued, or that of the societies of heaven, is the life of love, namely, that everyone loves the neighbor more than themselves. That life was portrayed to him, together with full awareness, and when it was thus portrayed, he realized that he was so far away from that life that he could not imagine himself was communicated to me, that is, of how far away he was from heaven. It was granted me to tell him that it is possible (for he was beginning to doubt whether it was possible) as a result of marriage love, in which he also had lived, in that they love their partners more than themselves, and also their children. So he acknowledged that it was possible, and since it is possible with those having marriage love, so is it possible in other loves derived therefrom, for it had been given him also to wish better to his friends than to himself, so that being let into that life, he acknowledged that it was possible.
3906. He afterwards receded, and I spoke with him and with another who was in his company concerning love, [saying] that love is that which determines all and singular things, and that without love there is nothing but what would be confused, because wholly indeterminate, and that the genera and species of loves and their differences, which distinguish societies, are countless and indefinite; and that the life of heaven, and thence of the societies of heaven, is a life of love, namely, that everyone should love his neighbor better than himself. That life was represented to him [accompanied] with perception, and upon its being thus represented, he perceived that he was so remote from that life, that he thought he would never be able to come into heaven, for he perceived the repugnancy of his self-love. His perception was communicated to me, and thus how far distant he was from heaven. It was given to say to him that [such a love] was possible - as he began to doubt of its possibility - [and it was instanced] from conjugial love, in which he had also been, in that men love their wives better than themselves, as also their children; he thus acknowledged that it was possible, since it was possible in conjugial love and in other loves thence derived, for it is given likewise to wish better to one's friends than to one's self; wherefore being remitted into that life he acknowledged the possibility.
3906. Recessit postea, et loquutus cum eo et qui cum eo, de amore, quod amor sit qui determinat omnia et singula, et quod absque amore, nihil non esset confusum, quia prorsus indeterminatum, et quod amorum genera et species, et eorum differentiae innumerabiles et indefinitae sint, quae societates discriminant, et quod vita coeli, proinde societatum coeli, sit vita amoris, nempe quod unusquisque amet proximum plus quam semet: vita illa ei repraesentata cum perceptione, qua repraesentata, appercipiebat, quod tam longe abesset ab ea vita, ut nusquam putaret se venire posse in coelum, nam percipiebat amorem sui repugnantem, ejus perceptio mihi communicabatur, sic quantum abesset a coelo; ei dicere dabatur, quod dabilis sit, quia dubitare incepit an dabilis, ex amore conjugiali, in quo quoque fuerat, quod amant conjuges prae semet, tum quod liberos, ita agnovit quod dabilis, cum in amore conjugiali dabilis, etiam in caeteris inde derivatis, nam datus quoque velle amicis melius quam sibi, quare in eam vitam is missus, agnoscebat quod dabilis.