[2] Some wicked spirits of our world were once permitted to exercise their wicked tricks so as to annoy the spirits from Jupiter who were with me. They put up with this for quite a long time, but eventually admitted they could stand no more. They could not believe that any worse spirits existed, for their imagination and thought were so perverted by these that they seemed as if tied up, with no hope of being untied and set free except by Divine aid. When I read some passages from the Word about our Saviour's passion, the European spirits introduced horrifying scandals, intending to corrupt the spirits of Jupiter. Enquiry was made into who they were and what they had been in the world. It turned out that some of them had been preachers, most of them from those who call themselves the Society of the Lord or Jesuits. I said that when they lived in the world they had been able to move the common people to tears by their preaching about the Lord's passion. The reason, I went on to say, was that in the world they thought one thing and said another, so differing in what they intended in their hearts and what they professed with their lips; but now they were not allowed to speak so deceitfully, for on becoming spirits they are compelled to speak as they think. The spirits from Jupiter were particularly amazed that such a divorce between a person's interiors and exteriors was possible that they could say one thing and think another, something they found impossible.

[3] They were surprised to hear that many from our world actually become angels and were totally different at heart. They had supposed that all in our world were like the ones they had met. But they were told that many were not like that, and that there are those whose thoughts are dictated by goodness, not by wickedness as in the case of the others. These are the ones who become angels.

To show them this was true, choirs composed of angels from our world came from heaven, which one after another together glorified the Lord with one voice and in harmony.# The spirits of Jupiter with me were so charmed by these choirs they thought themselves almost carried up into heaven. This glorifying by choirs lasted about an hour, and the delight they felt in it was conveyed to me, so that I too could feel it. They said they would tell their friends who were not there about it. # It is called a choir when many spirits speak in unison at once (on these see AC 2595-6, 3350). Their speech has a harmony (on this see AC 1648-9). Choirs in the next life are the means by which spirits are brought into unanimity (AC 5182).