341. That innocence 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, can be confirmed from what has been shown before (n. 276-283) about the innocence of angels in heaven, namely, that innocence is 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, 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. [2] 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. [3] 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. ii. 25). So when their state of innocence perished they were ashamed of their nakedness, and hid themselves (chap. iii. 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 (see above, n. 278).