5095. About spirits' intelligence
I spoke about a person's regeneration but said only that people are brought into it through their own affections, which to a greater extent die away and improve. Then a certain spirit, prompted by an inflow from heaven, described this process using his own stages; and he went through almost several hundred in order. He could have gone on to several thousand, but it was tediously long. And he did this in this order and with such mental imagery as a person cannot comprehend and as for the most part cannot even be expressed or grasped in worldly imagery. And this was the process of regeneration in the outward man. It was said that there are thousands of thousands more in the inward self and innumerably more in the innermost. For the most part, what is more, they are not noticed in the outward self. This shows how much intelligence spirits and angels have, and how much ignorance people have.
5095. CONCERNING THE INTELLIGENCE OF SPIRITS.
I spoke concerning the regeneration of man, but only in reference to the fact that man is introduced into it by means of his affections, which takes place more fully, in proportion as they have given way and become better. Immediately, a certain spirit described, from influx out of heaven, its progress by its degrees, and then he proceeded, in order, up to several hundreds [of these degrees] - it might have been to several thousands, but it was very long; and this he did in such order, and with such ideas, as could not be comprehended by man, nor even for the most part, expressed, or grasped, by worldly ideas. And this was the progress of regeneration in the exterior man. It was said that thousands of thousands more are given in the interior man, and indefinitely more in the inmost: those, also, in the most external man were not recounted. Hence may be manifest what great intelligence spirits and angels possess, and what great ignorance men.
5095. De Intelligentia spirituum
Loquutus sum de regeneratione hominis, solum quod homo introducantur per suas affectiones, quae magis decesserunt et meliorantur, tunc quidam spiritus ex influxu e coelo descripsit processum ejus per suos gradus, et tunc pergebat ordine usque ad aliquot centena, potuisset ad aliquot millia, sed perlongum erat, et hoc eo ordine, et talibus ideis, quae non comprehendi possent ab homine, ne quidem quoad plurimam partem exprimi, nec capi ideis mundanis; et hoc fuit processus regenerationis in exteriore homine; dictum quod millia millium plura detur in interiore homine, et indefinitius plura in intimo, etiam maxime in externo homine non memorata sunt. Inde constare potest, quanta intelligentia sit spiritibus et angelis, et quanta ignorantia hominibus.