From what has already been told about spirits, it is clear that the bodily elements themselves must be laid aside - which is accompanied by pains of various kinds - and thus given to death; and later, so must the earthly elements clinging to spiritual ones. For that nature cannot enter heaven. Finally, there remains in the spirit or mind what is spiritual and heavenly. Since, therefore, they must shed bodily and earthly elements, which in themselves are dead, before the soul is able to enter into heaven, it is most clearly evident that Heaven can never hear or understand the things in words that pertain to the body and to nature, but the things that are spiritual, heavenly and Divine, and consequently far, farther, and farthest removed from the literal meaning. Just as when we would think more lofty thoughts than others, we are not concerned with the words, but the meaning emerging from the words, and the even loftier meaning emerging from the direct meanings - so it is absurd to think that Heaven hears, and understands, the Word according to its letter, or that it understands the names of men, women, cities, and the like; for heaven perceives the realities concealed within them, while the meaning of the letter does not reach beyond the air, or sound in the ear, consequently not beyond the body. So why would you believe that the Lord God, our Savior, attends to things that are merely bodily and merely earthly, when He Himself is heaven, and causes heaven to hear? 1748, the 31st day of January.