1962. CONCERNING A CERTAIN SPIRIT WHO DESIRED TO COME INTO HEAVEN. There was a certain spirit of this earth, who applied himself to my left side, and said that he earnestly desired to come into heaven; and inquired how he should get there, to whom I replied first, [by asking him] ((((((whether he had spoken with good spirits, and was able, as a first step, to come into their society, as he could afterwards be admitted into heaven. To this he replied, that they would not admit him into their society. I then said that admission into heaven pertained to the Lord alone. Concerning that spirit I was informed by others, that he belonged to a class composed of those who, when they die, and come into the other life, desire nothing else than to come into heaven, however they may have lived, or whether they have had any faith or any knowledge of faith thinking only that because they desired it they would be admitted, and considering that to be the essence of salvation. But all such are as it were infatuated, having nothing else in mind than heaven and heavenly joy.)))))) ((((But they know nothing else, and in their lifetime were inflamed with this desire, regardless whether they had faith or not; and even if they could have been admitted, besides being incapable of companionship with the celestials, they would have longed for nothing else than joy, and would never have been content, because they could not have been affected with true joy. Those of this character, therefore, suffer for a long time, till at length they forget this cupidity, and when they have forgotten it, then it is first insinuated to them what heaven is, to wit, that it embraces indefinite things in one complex, and then what heavenly joy is, to wit, that it is mutual love, whence flows the multitude of other joys. - 1748, May 15.))))