the fire of self-love, and the splendor of their own
glory, would do as many uses as the angels in their society; who then
can know from what love, and from what origin uses flow?" To this the
two angels replied, "Devils do uses for the sake of themselves and of
reputation, that they may be raised to honors or may gain wealth; but
angels do not do uses from such motives, but for the sake of uses from
the love thereof. A man cannot discern the true quality of those uses;
but the Lord discerns it. Every one who believes in the Lord, and shuns
evils as sins, performs uses from the Lord; but every one who neither
believes in the Lord, nor shuns evils as sins, does uses from self and
for the sake of self. This is the difference between the uses done by
devils and those done by angels." Having said this, the two angels
departed; and I saw them from afar carried in a firy chariot like Elias,
and conveyed into their respective heavens.

267. THE SECOND MEMORABLE RELATION. Not long after this interview with
the angels, I entered a certain grove, and while I was walking there, I
meditated on those who are in the concupiscence and consequent phantasy
of possessing the things of the world; and then at some distance from me
I saw two angels in conversation, and by turns looking at me; I
therefore went nearer to them, and as I approached they thus accosted
me: "We have perceived in ourselves that you are meditating on what we
are conversing about, or that we are conversing on what you are
meditating about, which is a consequence of the reciprocal communication
of affections." I asked therefore what they were conversing about? they
replied, "About phantasy, concupiscence, and intelligence; and just now
about those who delight themselves in the vision and imagination of
possessing whatever the world contains." I then entreated them to favor
me with their sentiments on those three subjects,--concupiscence,
phantasy, and intelligence. They began by saying, "Every one is by birth
interiorly in concupiscence, but by education exteriorly in
intelligence; and no one is in intelligence, still less in wisdom,
interiorly, thus as to his spirit, but from the Lord: for every one is
withheld from the concupiscence of evil, and held in intelligence,
according as he looks to the Lord, and is at the same time in
conjunction with him; without this, a man is mere concupiscence; yet
still in externals, or as to the body, he is in intelligence arising
f