314. THAT HEAVENLY HAPPINESS IS INEFFABLE, AND THAT THE INMOST HAPPINESS OF MAN WHEN IN HEAVENLY JOY, DOES NOT ANSWER EVEN TO THE LEAST HAPPINESS OF THE ANGELS Today, some of those who were in heaven were desirous of knowing what heavenly joy is. It was therefore also granted them, by the mercy of God Messiah, to feel the heavenly joy to their inmost degree, even to such an extent that they could bear no more. They were indeed of a diverse nature, so much so that although the joy of one reached to his inmost - as he also acknowledged - still it was not such a heavenly joy as others felt. From this it was granted me to know how great is the happiness, and of what quality is heavenly joy, since the inmost joy of those spirits was not even as the least of that of the angels. It was granted me, by the mercy of God Messiah, to feel in myself the quality of the inmost joy of some. Hence it was given me to know that their inmost joys were among the lesser joys; and what is wonderful, the inmost of one spirit, which he declared to be supreme and most heavenly, was then nothing but cold, which was also granted me manifestly to feel. In order that they might be able to sustain those heavenly joys as they supposed them to be, because they were their inmost, it was provided by God Messiah that they should be encompassed by a sphere of angels, lest they should perish and be dissolved. 1747, Dec. 7.