them that fire, in the spiritual sense, signifies love, that love is
the fire of life, and that from that fire the angels have life[x].
Such of them as have lived in heavenly love also have their wish
gratified, and feel their face grow warm, and then the interiors of
their minds are kindled with love. For this reason the inhabitants of
that earth frequently wash and clean their face, and also carefully
protect it from the sun's heat. They have a covering made of the inner
or outer bark of a tree, which is of a bluish colour, and with this
they encircle the head, and thus protect the face. With respect to the
faces of the men of our Earth, which they saw through my eyes[y], they
said that they were not beautiful, and that such beauty as they had
consisted in the outward skin, but not in the fibres from within. They
were surprised to see that the faces of some were covered with warts
and pustules, or otherwise disfigured, and said that no such faces
are ever to be seen among them. Yet there were some faces that pleased
them, such, namely, as were cheerful and smiling, and such as were
slightly prominent about the lips.

[Footnote x: Fire in the Word signifies love in both senses, nos.
934, 4906, 5215. Sacred and heavenly fire is Divine love and every
affection which is of that love, nos. 934, 6314, 6832. Infernal
fire is the love of self and of the world, and every concupiscence
belonging to those loves, nos. 934, 1861, 5071, 6314, 6832, 7575,
10747. Love is the fire of life, and life itself is actually derived
from that fire, nos. 4906, 5071, 6832.]

[Footnote y: Spirits and angels do not see the things that are in this
solar world but they saw through my eyes, no. 1881.]

53. The reason they were pleased with the faces that were prominent