Selection from Heaven and Hell ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6Innocence is a receptacle of all things of heaven, and thus the innocence of little children is a plane for all affections of good and truth.
The innocence of angels in heaven — a willingness to be led by the Lord and not by oneself.
Consequently, so far as a man is in innocence he is separated from his proprium, [his self-will] and so far as anyone is separated from his proprium he is in the Lord's proprium. The Lord's proprium is what is called His justice and merit. But the innocence of little children is not genuine innocence, because as yet it is without wisdom.Genuine innocence is wisdom.
For so far as anyone is wise he loves to be led by the Lord, or what is the same, so far as anyone is led by the Lord he is wise. Therefore little children are led from the external innocence in which they are at the beginning, and which is called the innocence of infancy, to internal innocence, which is the innocence of wisdom. This innocence is the end that directs all their instruction and progress. Therefore, when they have attained to the innocence of wisdom, the innocence of infancy, which in the meanwhile has served them as a plane, is joined to them.
The innocence of little children has been represented to me as a wooden sort of thing, almost devoid of life, which becomes vivified as they are perfected by cognitions of truth and affections of good. Afterwards, genuine innocence was represented by a most beautiful child, naked and full of life; for the really innocent, who are in the inmost heaven and thus nearest to the Lord, always appear before the eyes of other angels as little children, and some of them naked; for innocence is represented by nakedness unaccompanied by shame, as is said of the first man and his wife in Paradise (Gen. 2:25). So when their state of innocence perished they were ashamed of their nakedness, and hid themselves (chap. 3:7, 10, 11).
In a word, the wiser the angels are the more innocent they are, and the more innocent they are, the more they appear to themselves as little children. This is why in the Word "infancy" signifies innocence.
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The innocence of wisdom is genuine innocence, because it is internal, for it belongs to the mind (mens) itself, that is, to the will itself and thence to the understanding. And when there is innocence in these there is also wisdom, for wisdom belongs to the will and understanding. This is why it is said in heaven that innocence dwells in wisdom, and that an angel has as much wisdom as he has innocence. This is confirmed by the fact that those who are in a state of innocence attribute nothing of good to themselves, but regard all things as received and attribute them to the Lord. Also they wish to be led by Him and not by themselves. They love everything that is good and they delight in everything that is true, because they know and perceive that loving what is good, that is, willing and doing it, is loving the Lord, and that loving truth is loving the neighbour. They live contented with what they have, whether it be little or much, because they know that they receive just as much as is good for them - those receiving little for whom little is useful, and those receiving much for whom much is useful. They also recognize that they themselves do not know what is good for them, the Lord alone knowing this, for in all things that He provides He looks to eternal ends.Neither are they anxious about the future. Anxiety about the future they call care for the morrow, which they define as grief on account of losing or not receiving things that are not necessary for the uses of life. With companions they never act from an evil end but from what is good, just, and sincere. Acting from an evil end they call cunning, which they shun as the poison of a serpent, since it is wholly antagonistic to innocence. As they love nothing more than to be led by the Lord, attributing to Him all things that they receive, they are removed from their own proprium. [self-will]; and to the extent that they are so removed from their own proprium the Lord inflows. In consequence of this, whatever they hear from Him, whether by the Word or by means of preaching, they do not store it up in the memory, but instantly obey it, that is, will it and do it, their will being itself their memory. For the most part these outwardly appear simple, but in internal things they are wise and prudent. These are meant by the Lord in the words,
Be ye prudent as serpents and simple as doves. Matt. 10:16.Such is the innocence that is called the innocence of wisdom.
Because innocence attributes nothing of good to itself, but attributes all good to the Lord, and because it thus loves to be led by the Lord, and the reception of all good and truth, from which wisdom comes, is derived therefrom - therefore man has been so created that during his childhood he is in innocence, though external, and when he becomes old he is in internal innocence, to the end that he may come by the former into the latter, and from the latter return into the former. For the same reason, when a man becomes old he dwindles in body and becomes again like a little child, but like a wise child, that is, an angel, for an angel is a wise child in an eminent sense. This is why, in the Word, "a little child" signifies one who is innocent, and an old man" signifies one who is wise in whom is innocence.
(from Heaven and Hell 341; 278)