5943. THE SPEECH OF ANGELS, EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR. I have been in company with the angels, and it has been granted to become acquainted with their speech by experience. There are four kinds of speech, like as there are four kinds of angels: a material speech of visible objects, and an interior speech of visual things; which are speeches of the understanding, or of the thought. There is a speech of the affections of the body, and a speech of the affections of the heart; which are speeches of the will, or of the affection. Some who were able to be in the speech of the affections of the body, conversed with me, and expressed my affections when relating to the body, in suitable terms; at which I was astonished that they were able to express these in terms, and perfectly suitable ones, and the exterior and interior affections of the body without exception. They were delightful and charming, and conjoined with many affections which were expressed. Certain spirits from a distance heard and understood; but I, being in the natural [state], did not hear the words, but I perceived the affections which they uttered in the words. This speech cannot be understood by those who are in the visible things only, as they also said. But it was told them that there is also a speech of the heart, which is a speech of love to the Lord. These afterwards spoke with the former ones, and said that they did not hear, nor were they able to hear the words, but that they perceived the things which they uttered, from affection, as I did when the former ones spoke. Regarding the former speech, it was said that it was indeed similar to the speech of visual things, as regards the words which the letters compose, but still that each letter is uttered differently, namely, according to the affection; and that there is also this difference, that other words are unintelligible to those who are in visual things alone. But the speech of visual things consists in speaking and expressing those things which are seen by the eyes, and describing them, and this according to visual and intellectual ideas; for example, houses, palaces, gardens, men's clothing, and many other things. This speech is both exterior and interior. The exterior is material or sensual; the interior is natural, or intellectual. I afterwards heard spirits conversing with angels of the interior heaven. They said that they heard speech with the ears, but yet did not comprehend, because things which were of interior wisdom were expressed by their words, and, inasmuch as they did not understand these, therefore neither did they the words.