1795. About the wickedness of some spirits
The wickedness of spirits consists not only in bringing on thoughts and speaking in people, but also responses, such that they cannot tell but that they are answering, that is, with a favorable response. I have learned this from actual experience on many occasions, and have scolded spirits. This they have learned from practice, for in this way they are able to lead people astray very easily, so that they control almost the whole person, both in speaking and in answering.
At the same time, they also inspire the kind of desires that reinforce their response, in a way that the people cannot at all tell but that it is themselves. For while having the desire, they are living it and believe it is themselves.
Such is the wickedness of some spirits, as I can affirm with certainty from experience. For they have spoken with me over a long period of time, and I have scolded them for their doings. 1748, 30 March.
1795. CONCERNING THE MALEVOLENCE OF CERTAIN SPIRITS.
The malevolence of spirits consists not only in their inducing thoughts and speech upon man, but also responses, so that the man knows no other than that he responds; that is, that he gives a response in their favor, which has oftentimes been proved to me by lively experience, and spirits have iterated it again and again. They learn this by use, for they thus know how to seduce men most easily, so as to act out the entire man, both in speaking and in answering. At the same time, they inspire also such cupidities as favor the response, so that the man can by no means know but that he is the one [who speaks and responds], for while he is in that cupidity he is in his life, and believes that it is he himself. Such is the malignity of certain spirits, which I can affirm for certain from experience, for they spoke with me for a long time, and I had much to say with them on these points. - 1748, March 30.
1795. De malitia quorundam spirituum
Malitia spirituum consistit in eo quoque, quod non solum inducant cogitationes et loquelam homini, sed etiam responsionem, sic ut homo nihil aliud sciret, quam quod is respondeat, responsum nempe ad eorum favorem, quod per vivam experientiam multoties expertus, et spiritus increpavi 1
, hoc ab usu edocti sunt, nam sic sciunt homines facillime seduci, sic ut agant hominem quasi totum, in loquendo et respondendo; insimul etiam inspirant cupiditates tales quae favent responsioni, sic ut homo nequaquam scire possit, quin is sit, dum enim in cupiditate, in vita ejus est, et credit quod is sit, talis malignitas est spirituum quorundam, quod per experientiam confirmare pro certo possum, nam loquuti sunt mecum per multum temporis, et de iis eos increpavi 2
. 1748, 30 Martii.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has increpavit
2. ob causam nobis ignotam, forte ad firmandum sensum, est exitus hujus verbi sublineatussin the Manuscript; cf. annotationem mox supra