9492. And shalt make upon it a border of gold round about. That this signifies a fixing of the bounds by good, lest they be approached and injured by evils, is evident from the signification of “a border,” as being a fixing of the bounds (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “gold,” as being good (of which just above, n. 9490). It is said “lest they be approached and injured by evils,” because the good that proceeds from the Lord protects those who are in heaven, lest they be approached and injured by evils from hell. For the hells continually breathe evil, and endeavor to destroy heaven (n. 8295); whence there appears there as it were an effervescence, and as it were a boiling up (n. 8209). For in the minds of those who are in the hells is seated hatred against the neighbor and hatred against God; and therefore they are infuriated when they perceive the bliss of the upright (n. 1974). But the good that proceeds from the Lord, which encompasses heaven in general, and the heavenly societies and individual angels there in particular, protects, and represses the assaults, and this continually. (That a sphere of endeavors to do evil and to destroy is perpetual from the hells; and a sphere of endeavors to do good and to protect is perpetual from the Lord, see n. 8209.) This bounding good, by which the Lord protects heaven, is signified by “the border of gold round about the ark.”

1974. After a troubled sleep, about the first watch, a very pleasant sight was presented. There were wreaths as of laurel, quite fresh, in most beautiful order, with motion as if alive: of such form and elegance of arrangement that description fails to express their beauty and harmony, and the affection of bliss that flowed forth from them. They were in a double series, at a little distance from each other, and running on together to a considerable length, and constantly varying the state of their beauty. This was plainly seen by spirits, even by evil ones. This was afterwards followed by another sight still more beautiful, in which there was heavenly happiness, but it was only dimly visible: there were infants in their heavenly sports, that affected the mind in a manner inexpressible.

[2] I afterwards spoke with spirits concerning these sights, who confessed that they saw the first as much as I did, but the second only so dimly that they could not tell what it was. This caused them to feel indignation, and afterwards by degrees envy, from the fact that it was said that angels and little children had seen it; and this envy of theirs it was given me to perceive sensibly, so that nothing escaped me so far as concerned my instruction. The envy was of such a nature as to cause in them not merely the utmost annoyance, but also a feeling of anguish and interior pain and this merely because they did not see the second vision also, and the consequence was that they were led through varieties of envy until they were in pain in the region of the heart.

[3] While they were in this state I spoke with them about the envy, telling them that they might be content with having seen the first vision, and that they would have been able to see the second also if they had been good; but this excited in them a feeling of indignation which intensified their envy, causing it to increase further to such a degree that they could not afterwards bear the least recollection of the matter without being affected with pain. The states and progressions of the envy, together with its degrees, aggravations, and varied and mingled distresses of mind and heart, cannot be described. It was thus shown how much the wicked are tormented by envy merely, when they see from afar the blessedness of the good, and even when they merely think of it.