406. With spirits who had recently come from the world I have talked at times about the state of eternal life, saying that it is important to know who is the Lord of the kingdom, and what kind and what form of government it has. As nothing is more important for those entering another kingdom in the world than to know who and what the king is, and what the government is, and other particulars in regard to the kingdom, so is it of still greater consequence in regard to this kingdom in which they are to live to eternity. Therefore, they should know that it is the Lord who governs both heaven and the universe, for He who governs the one governs the other, thus that the kingdom in which they now are is the Lord's, and that the laws of this kingdom are eternal verities, all established by the law that the Lord must be loved above all things and the neighbour as themselves. And even more than this, if they would be like the angels, they ought to love the neighbour more than themselves. On hearing this they could make no reply, for the reason that, although they had heard in the life of the body something like this, they had not believed it, wondering how there could be such love in heaven, and how it could be possible for anyone to love his neighbour more than himself. But they were told that every good grows immeasurably in the other life, and that while they cannot go further in the life of the body than to love the neighbour as themselves, because they are immersed in what concerns the body, yet when this is set aside their love becomes more pure, and finally becomes angelic, which is to love the neighbour more than themselves. For in the heavens, there is joy in doing good to another, but no joy in doing good to self unless with a view to its becoming another's, and thus for another's sake. This is loving the neighbour more than oneself. They were told that the possibility of such a love is shown in the world from the conjugial love of some who have suffered death to protect a consort from injury, from the love of parents for their children, which is such that a mother would rather starve than see her child go hungry; and from the sincere friendship, in which one friend will expose himself to danger for another; and even in polite and pretended friendship that wishes to emulate sincere friendship, in offering the better things to those to whom it professes to wish well, and bearing such good will on the lips though not in the heart. Finally, from the nature of love, which is such that its joy is to serve others, not for its own sake but for theirs. But all this was incomprehensible to those who loved themselves more than others, and in the life of the body had been greedy of gain; most of all to the avaricious.