746. While they were speaking a servant hastened up and announced that eight wise men had arrived on the prince's orders, and desired to be admitted. On hearing this the angel went out to receive them, and brought them inside. Then after the usual politenesses and introductions, the wise men started by speaking to them about the way wisdom begins and increases; and they included among these remarks a variety of comments on its development, saying that in the case of the angels wisdom has no limit and never comes to an end, but goes on growing and increasing for ever.

When the angel in charge of the group heard this, he said to them: 'At table our prince talked with them about where wisdom resides and said it was in service. Would you please talk to them about this too?' 'At man's first creation,' they said, 'he was endowed with wisdom and the love of wisdom, not for his own sake, but so that he might share it with others. So there is a warning attached to the wisdom of the wise, that no one is to keep his wisdom to himself alone, or live for himself alone, but is to share it at the same time with others. That is the origin of society, which could not otherwise exist. To live for others is to perform services. Services are what hold society together, and there are as many ways of doing this as there are ways of doing good, and services are beyond counting. There are spiritual services, which have to do with love to God and love towards the neighbour. There are moral and political services, which have to do with the love of the community and country in which a person lives, and with his colleagues and fellow-citizens. There are natural services, which have to do with the love of the world and its demands. And there are bodily services, which have to do with looking after oneself, so as to be able to perform higher services.

[2] 'All these services are imprinted on a person, and they follow in their proper order, one after the other; when they are present together, then one is contained within another. Those who are devoted to the first set of services, the spiritual ones, are also devoted to those that follow, and they are wise. Those, however, who are not devoted to the first set, but still are to the second and following ones, are not so wise, but only appear so as the result of an outward show of morality and civility. Those who are not devoted to the first and second sets, but only the third and fourth, are far from being wise, for they are satans, loving only the world and themselves for the world's sake. But those who are devoted only to the fourth set are the least wise of all, for they are devils who live exclusively for themselves, and what they do for others is entirely for their own sakes.

[3] 'Moreover, every love has its own pleasure, for this is what gives it life; and the pleasure of the love of service is a heavenly pleasure which enters into the pleasures that follow in turn, and in accordance with the order in which one follows the other it uplifts them and makes them everlasting.' After this they listed the heavenly delights arising from the love of service, saying that they were tens of millions, and that those who went to heaven entered into them. So continuing with their wise talk about the love of service they spent the rest of the day with them until evening.

[4] But around evening time a runner dressed in a linen garment came to the ten newcomers with the angel, and invited them to a wedding to be held the next day. The newcomers were extremely pleased to think that they would also see a wedding in heaven. After this they were taken to visit one of the privy council and dined with him. After dinner they came back and dispersed, each going to his bedroom, where they slept until morning.

Then when they woke up they heard the maidens and girls singing from the houses around the square, as was described before. The affection which was the subject of their song was on this occasion that of conjugial love. Its sweetness affected them and moved them deeply. They felt a blessed loveliness growing in their joys, uplifting and renewing them. When it was time, the angel said: 'Get dressed and put on the clothes of heaven which our prince has sent you.' They put them on and saw their clothes shining as if with the light of a flame.

'Why is this?' they asked the angel. 'Because,' he answered, 'You are going to a wedding; at such times clothes in our community shine and become wedding garments.'

867. And their books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. This symbolically means that the interiors of their minds were opened, of both the good and the evil, and by an influx of light and warmth from heaven their characters were seen and perceived in respect to the affections of their love or will, and so in respect to the thoughts of their faith or intellect.

The books do not mean books, but the interiors of the minds of those being judged. The books symbolize the interiors of the minds of those who were evil and who received a verdict of death, and the Book of Life symbolizes those who were good and who received a verdict of life.

The interiors are called books because the interiors of everyone's mind have inscribed on them everything the person thought, intended, said and did in the world that proceeded from his will or love and so from his intellect or faith. All of this is inscribed on everyone's life so precisely that nothing at all is lost.

The character of these interiors is clearly apparent when spiritual light, which is wisdom from the Lord, and spiritual warmth, which is love from the Lord, flow in through heaven. Spiritual light reveals the thoughts that are matters of the intellect and faith; spiritual warmth reveals the affections that are matters of the will and love; and spiritual light and warmth together reveal the intentions and endeavors.

I do not say that a rational person can see the reality of this by the light of his own intellect, but he can see it if he wishes to, provided he is willing to understand that there exists a spiritual light that enlightens the intellect, and a spiritual warmth that kindles the will.