411. 20. Little children are reared by them under the Lord's guidance, and they grow in stature and intelligence as in the world. Little children in heaven develop in the following way. From their foster mother they learn to speak. Their first speech is only an expression of affection, in which there is, nevertheless, some initial element of thought, by which something human is distinguished in the sound, different from the sound of an animal. This speech gradually becomes more articulate as ideas arising from the affection enter the thought. All their affections - as these, too, grow - spring from innocence. Introduced into the affections first are such things as are visible to the eyes and give delight; and because these exist from a spiritual origin, flowing into them at the same time are elements pertaining to heaven, by which the inner faculties of their minds are opened.
After that, as the little children are perfected in intelligence, so they grow in stature, and in this respect also look more mature. The reason for this is that intelligence and wisdom are the essence of spiritual nourishment. Therefore the things that nourish their minds there also nourish their bodies.
But little children in heaven do not grow beyond the first age of maturity. They stop at that age and remain in it to eternity. Moreover, when they reach that age, they marry. Their marriage is provided by the Lord and celebrated in the heaven where the young man resides; and he shortly then follows his wife into her heaven, or to her house if they are in the same society.
In order that I might know for certain that little children also grow and develop in stature as they grow and develop in intelligence, I was given to speak with some when they were little children, and again later when they had matured, and they looked like adolescents of a similar stature as that of youthful adolescents in the world.
