1987. CONCERNING THOSE AT THIS DAY WHO ARE, AS IT WERE, [A REMNANT] OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH. There are still some who retain and preserve much of the Ancient Church, and who are especially distinguished by that feature of it by which they perceive whether anything is good. For this reason they are also rejected of others, who suppose that they are to be classed with enthusiasts, when yet this was a peculiarity of the Ancient Church that they had a perception of what was good, and thus of what they should do, acknowledging the operation of spirits, but recognizing in themselves that only of the Lord's spirit, and rejecting others. These persons, however, are mostly of an inferior condition, not easily admitting learned men among them, wherefore they think in simplicity, and give but a limited range to their thoughts. These are happy in the other life, and they were seen by me in front, towards the higher part of the forehead, at some distance; and they could perceive more fully and profoundly what was thought than other spirits, so that I could not converse with them in a like manner [as with others], but only by means of a greater fullness of thought, which the others said they did not understand; indicating that they are not far from heaven.
1987 1/2. How it was with them in the life of the body was shown me, as usual, by their utterance of the Lord's Prayer, in which their understanding of it was communicated to me; this was so simple as hardly to extend beyond the sense of the letter, but yet such as not to be closed as with others, but still soft, easily opened, and thus intelligible to the angels, as if each idea, though sensual as to the words, could serve for a vessel. - 1748, May 18.
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