ander through the universe in quest of the knowledges of things, was
made manifest to me also from this fact, that once, when they appeared
very remote from me, they spoke with me from thence, and said that
they were then gathered together, and were going beyond the sphere of
this system into the starry heaven, where they knew there were such
as had no concern about terrestrial and corporeal things, but about
things elevated above them, with whom they desired to be. It was
stated that they themselves do not know whither they are going, but
that under the Divine auspices they are conveyed to where they may
be instructed concerning such things as they had previously been
unacquainted with, and which are in agreement with the knowledges they
already possess. It was also stated that they do not know how they
meet with the companions with whom they are conjoined, and that this
also is effected under the Divine auspices.

26. As they journey through the universe in this manner, and are thus
enabled to know more than others about the systems and earths beyond
the sphere of our solar system, I have spoken with them on this
subject also. They said that in the universe there are very many
earths, with human beings upon them; and that they wonder at its being
supposed by some, whom they called men of little judgment, that the
heaven of the Omnipotent God consists only of the spirits and angels
who come from one earth, when these are so few that, relatively to the
Omnipotence of God, they are scarcely anything, and this would be the
case even if there were myriads of systems with myriads of earths.
They said, moreover, that they knew of the existence of earths in the
universe exceeding in number some hundreds of thousands; and yet what
is this to the Divine, who is Infinite!

27. The spirits of Mercury, when they were with me while I was writing
and explaining the Word as to its internal sense, and who perceived
what I was writing, said that the things which I wrote were very
gross, and that almost all the expressions appeared as material. But
it was given to reply, that the men of our Earth nevertheless look
upon the things that have been written, as subtle and elevated, and
that many things they do not understand. I added, that very many on
this Earth do not know that it is the internal man that acts on the
external, and causes it to live, and that from the fallacies of the
senses they persuade themselves that the body has a lif