828. We have treated above of love to the Lord, in which love are the angels in the third heaven. It now remains to say something about love towards the neighbour among those angels. By neighbour they understand uses, which are indeed works. But uses, to them, are all things done by the Lord in them, which have regard especially to the worship of the Lord, His church, the implantation of the holy things thereof, especially with infants, with whom they have conjunction, and whom they inspire with innocence and its affections; also the good of society in general and particular. These are the things that chiefly pertain to their love, because they pertain to love to the Lord. The Lord operates these things in them by the love implanted in their life, which is such that in them they perceive all the delight of their life.
The reason why such things are their neighbour is, that they do not refer to persons, but to the things that pertain to persons. For they are wiser than the rest of the angels; and it is wisdom to regard others from those things that pertain to them and constitute them. For every angel, spirit, and man is his own love and his own affection, thus his own good and consequently his own truth. And because these things constitute them, it is not possible for them, as being wise, to regard anything else in others but that from which they exist. This is to them a neighbour, or brother and companion, according to what is frequently said in the Word, good being considered by them as a brother, and truth as a companion. It is therefore evident what love towards the neighbour is in the third heaven.
[2] As for other things which concern their moral, civil, and domestic life, these also are works which they do from affection, but they are not such works as are meant by neighbour, or brother and companion; for they derive something from the world, also from what is useful for themselves and their own. They are the derivations and productions of the uses before mentioned, and are those things that proceed from their thought, about which, therefore, they can discourse. These things keep the life of their body in such a state that the life of their love can dwell therein, and perform its uses. Because these angels are of such a character, they do not know what charity or what faith are; but instead of charity they have the love of good, and instead of faith the love of truth. They are also continually in the love of good and truth, because their life is the affection of good, in which and from which is the perception of truth. Therefore, when mention is made of charity from which is faith, or of faith which is from charity, they do not know what these are.
The angels of the third heaven, because they are of such a character, appear before the angels of the lower heavens as infants, and some as children, all in a state of simplicity; they also go naked.
[3] The reason why they appear as infants and as children is that they are in innocence; and love to the Lord from the Lord is innocence. Whence also by infants and children, in the Word, innocence, and also love to the Lord are signified. The reason why they appear simple is, that they cannot speak about the holy things of heaven and the church; for these things with them are not in the memory, from which all discourse comes, but in the life and thence in the understanding; not as thought, but as the affection of good in its form, which does not come down into discourse. And even if it were to descend, it would not speak, but only give forth a sound. And those who cannot speak about such things seem to themselves and to others to be simple. A further reason is, that they are in humility of heart, and know that it is wisdom to see that what they do know is hardly anything in comparison with the things that they do not know. The reason why they go naked is, that nakedness, in the spiritual sense, is innocence; and because garments signify truths clothing good; and the truths that clothe are in the memory, and thence in the thought. But with them truths are in the life, and thus hidden, and only reveal themselves before the perception while others are uttering them, and their ministers preaching them from the Word. They are also perfected from the talk of those who are in the understanding of truth from preachings, and likewise from books. They write also, but not by letters, as other angels, but by curves and inflexions, which contain arcana that are above the understanding of the angels in the lower heavens.
They also dwell in expanses above others, and in gardens there in which are shrubberies and beds of flowers, whence they are in continual representatives of celestial things. And, what is wonderful, stone is not found there, because stone signifies natural truth, whereas wood signifies good, a tree perception, and a flower implantation.
Thus much then about love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour, consequently, concerning celestial love. In what follows we shall speak of spiritual love; also of charity and faith.
