Heaven and Hell (Harley) n. 469

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469. Spirits and angels, equally with men, have a memory, whatever they hear, see, think, will and do, remaining with them, and thereby their rational is continually cultivated even to eternity. Thus spirits and angels, equally with men, are perfected in intelligence and wisdom by cognitions of truth and good. That spirits and angels have a memory it has been given me to know by much experience. For I have seen everything that they have thought and done, both in public and in private, called forth from their memories when they were with other spirits; and I have seen those who were in some truth from simple good imbued with cognitions, and thereby with intelligence, and afterwards raised up into heaven. But it ought to be known that such are not imbued with cognitions and thereby with intelligence beyond the degree of affection for good and for truth to which they have attained while in the world; for such and so much of affection as any spirit or angel had in the world remains with him; and this affection is afterwards perfected by being filled out, which goes on to eternity. For everything is capable of being filled out to eternity, since everything is capable of infinite variation, thus of enrichment by various things, and consequently of multiplication and fructification. To anything good there is no limit because it is from the Infinite. That spirits and angels are being perfected unceasingly in intelligence and wisdom by means of cognitions of truth and good may be seen above, in the sections on the wisdom of the angels of heaven (n. 265-275); on the heathen or people outside the Church in heaven (n. 318-328); and on little children in heaven (n. 329-345); and that this is done to that degree of affection for good and for truth in which they had been in the world, and not beyond it (n. 349).


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