4383. 'And at the walking-pace of the children' means as determined by the truths situated within. This is clear from the meaning of 'children' or sons as truths, dealt with a number of times above. The truths situated within are truths present within the things that are general. Actually these general things are those which have been compared above, in 4378, to the egg, for general things contain particular ones, and the particular contain specific ones, 4325 (end), 4329, 4345. In the first state - that of infancy - the particular are present within in potentiality, and the specific within these. But later on they come forth and display themselves in action, thus successively. This is the way in which people who are being regenerated are led by the Lord, for they are endowed with general things having within them those which follow later, which also come forth successively, doing so in an order and sequence beyond description. For every single thing is foreseen by the Lord, even as its nature will be for evermore. For this reason no other general truths are joined to good with one who is being regenerated except those that can have particular truths inserted into them, and specific truths within the particular.

[2] Nevertheless these particular truths, and indeed the specific ones that go with these, are themselves entirely general when considered in relation to even further truths that exist; for specific truths include an incalculable number of individual ones. Although their wisdom in contrast to man's is so great that the things which they know and perceive are indescribable, angels nevertheless confess that, compared with what is above their knowledge, the truths they know are very general, while those which they do not know are limitless. They do not dare to call them infinite since finite and infinite are completely different from each other and cannot be measured one against the other. From this one can also deduce the nature of the Word. Being Divine the Word contains within itself things that are infinite which come from its first source, and as a consequence contains things beyond description such as constitute angelic wisdom; but in its lowest form it contains only such things as those that man is able to grasp.

4330. Inasmuch as the three heavens together constitute the Grand Man and, as has been stated above, all the members, viscera, and organs of the body correspond to it according to the functions and uses they serve, not only things which are external and outwardly visible correspond to it but also those which are internal and not outwardly visible. Consequently things of the external man correspond to it, and so do those of the internal man. The communities of spirits and angels to which things of the external man correspond come to a considerable extent from this planet, whereas the communities to which things of the internal man correspond come for the most part from elsewhere. These communities in the heavens act as one in the way that the external man and the internal man do with someone who is regenerate. But at the present day few from this planet are entering the next life with whom the external man acts in unison with the internal, for the majority are sensory-minded, so much so that there are few who believe anything other than that man's external constitutes the whole person and that when this departs, as happens when the person dies, scarcely anything is left which has life. Still less do they believe that there is an internal which has life within the external, and that when the external departs the internal especially has life.

[2] I was shown by an actual experience how these persons are opposed to the internal man. Very many spirits from this planet were present who had been like them when they lived in the world. Before their eyes there came other spirits who related to the internal sensory man, at which point they began instantly to annoy these other spirits, almost in the way irrational persons annoy rational ones by speaking and reasoning all the time from the misconceptions of the senses and from illusions resulting from such misconceptions and wholly groundless assumptions, and as they do so believing nothing except that which could be proved by external sensory evidence. And in addition to this those spirits subjected the internal man to insults.

[3] But those who related to the internal sensory man were not troubled at all by such things, being amazed not only at the madness of those spirits from this planet but also at their stupidity. And wonder that it was, when the external, sensory-minded spirits drew near the internal sensory ones and came virtually into the sphere of their thoughts the external, sensory-minded spirits began to find it difficult to breathe (for spirits and angels breathe no less than men, though their breathing in contrast to men's is internal, 3884, 3885 and following paragraphs, 3893) and so were almost choked, on account of which they drew back. And the further away they moved from the internal sensory-minded spirits the more tranquil and quiet it became among them because they found it easier to breathe, and again the nearer they came to them the more intranquil and unquiet it became.

[4] The reason for this was that when with external sensory-minded spirits their own misconceptions, delusions and groundless assumptions, and consequently falsities, are pre-eminent they feel tranquil but when conversely such things are removed from them, as happens when the internal man flows in with the light of truth, they feel intranquil. For thoughts and affections create spheres around themselves in the next life and these are communicated mutually from one party to another insofar as they become present with and draw near one another, 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1512, 1695, 2401, 2489. The conflict described lasted for several hours, and in that way I was shown how at the present day members of this planet are opposed to the internal man and that with them external sensory awareness constitutes almost the whole in them.