2551. 'What did you see, that you have done this thing?' means a looking into the cause. This is evident without explanation, as well as from what follows where the cause is stated. The reason ideas of how the Lord perceived and thought regarding the doctrine of faith, and regarding the rational, whether it should be consulted, are presented in that particular order in the internal sense is that it is angel-like to think about them in such a sequence. The internal sense of the Word exists in particular for angels, and has accordingly been rendered suitable to their perceptions and thoughts. For them these are experiences of delight, indeed of bliss and of happiness, when they are thinking about the Lord, about His Divinity and His Humanity, and about how the latter was made Divine. For when thinking about these they are encompassed by a celestial and spiritual sphere which is filled with the Lord, so that it may be said of them that they are in the Lord. Consequently nothing is more blissful and happy for them than to think in accordance with those things which belong to that sphere and to the affection resulting from this. What is more, they are at the same time instructed and perfected, in particular in the matter of how as He grew up the Lord by degrees and from His own power made Divine the human into which He had been born, and thus how, by means of knowledge and cognitions which He revealed to Himself, He perfected His rational, gradually dispelled its shadows, and brought it into Divine light. When the Word is being read, these and countless other realities are presented to angels in a celestial and spiritual fashion, together with thousands and thousands of representatives in the light of life. But these matters which to angels are so precious are to men of little importance since they are above and beyond them and so are lost in the darkened parts of their understanding. Conversely those which are precious to men, such as hold worldly matters within them, are to angels of little importance since they are beneath their state of existence and so are lost in the darkened parts of their wisdom. Thus, wondrous to tell, the very things which enter the darkened parts of man's mind, and almost into his contempt, pass into the light angels enjoy and into their affection, as do many things which belong to the internal sense of the Word.

202. The spiritual world has in it three heavens, arranged in order according to degrees of height. The highest heaven contains angels surpassing in every measure of perfection angels in the intermediate heaven; and the intermediate heaven contains angels surpassing in every measure of perfection angels in the lowest heaven.

The degrees of their perfections are such that angels of the lowest heaven cannot ascend even to the first threshold of the perfections of angels in the intermediate heaven, nor these in turn to the first threshold of the perfections of angels in the highest heaven. This seems contrary to expectation, but still it is the truth. The reason for it is that associations of angels are formed in accordance with discrete degrees, and not in accordance with continuous degrees.

[2] Through personal experience I have learned that such a difference in affections and thoughts, and consequently in speech, exists between angels of higher and lower heavens that they have nothing in common, and that their communication takes place solely by means of correspondences, correspondences which occur as a result of the Lord's direct influx into all of the heavens, and as a result of His indirect influx through the highest heaven into the lowest.

[3] Because these differences are as stated, they cannot be expressed, nor therefore described, in any natural language; for the thoughts of angels, being spiritual, do not fall within the scope of natural ideas. They can be expressed and described only by angels themselves in their languages, forms of speech and writing, and not in human ones. This is the origin of the saying that in heaven one hears and sees things inexpressible. ¹

These differences can be comprehended to some extent in light of the following observations, that the thoughts of angels in the highest or third heaven are thoughts of ends, that the thoughts of angels in the intermediate or second heaven are thoughts of causes, and that the thoughts of angels in the lowest or first heaven are thoughts of effects.

[4] It must be noted that it is one thing to think in accord with ends and another to think about ends. So, too, that it is one thing to think in accord with causes and another to think about causes. And so also that it is one thing to think in accord with effects and another to think about effects. Angels in the lower heavens think about causes and ends, while angels in the higher heavens think in accord with causes and ends; and to think in accord with these is the mark of a higher wisdom, whereas to think about them is the mark of a lower wisdom.

To think in accord with ends is the mark of wisdom; in accord with causes, the mark of intelligence; and in accord with effects, the mark of knowledge.

It is apparent from this that every perfection ascends and descends concomitantly with degrees and in accordance with them.

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