2438. Evil punishes itself
Spirits have often been told that it is they who bring evil upon themselves when they are punished by other spirits and treated harshly, and that evil has punishment within or accompanying it. And because the evil of punishment or the punishment itself came from others, not from themselves, therefore they wondered how the matter stands.
From a spiritual mental image I can now somewhat understand that that evil spreads itself among many round about, thus to the whole assemblage of malignant spirits, who are then aroused to punishing - for their greatest desire and greatest delight is to punish. So then from the general assemblage of malignant ones this delight and urge flows into smaller groups, and then into those who maltreat the one in whom the evil is. So the evil returns by a remarkable circuit and focused flow to the one having the evil, and turns into the evil of punishment.
Since this cannot be plain unless the Lord reveals it by spiritual mental imagery, from which come truths, it can therefore not easily be made plain to people on earth how the matter stands.
2438. THAT EVIL PUNISHES ITSELF.
This was often said to spirits, that it is they who bring evil upon themselves, when they are punished and harshly treated by other spirits, and that evil has punishment in or with itself; and because the evil of punishment as punishment came from others, [and] not from themselves, they therefore wondered how the matter stood. I now perceive in some degree from a spiritual idea that evil diffuses itself through many who are around, thus into the whole heaven of the wicked, who are then excited to inflict punishment; for their greatest cupidity and greatest delight is to punish: wherefore then flows from the general [communi] assemblage of the wicked such delight from cupidity into a fewer [number] and thus into those who maltreat him in whom is evil: thus evil returns to him by a wonderful circuit of flux of determination: to him because he possesses the evil, and it is turned into the evil of punishment. Because this cannot be apparent, unless the Lord reveals [it], and therefore [must be apparent] through spiritual ideas, therefore it cannot easily be apparent to man how the matter stands.
2438. Quod malum semet puniat
Hoc dictum saepius ad spiritus, quod ii sint qui malum sibi inferant, cum ab aliis spiritibus puniuntur, et duriter tractantur, et quod malum in se aut secum poenam habeat; et quia malum poenae, seu poena veniret ab aliis, non a semet, ideo mirati quomodo res se haberet; ex idea spirituali 1
quodammodo nunc percipio, quod malum id diffundat se per plures qui circum, sic in totum coetum malignorum, qui tunc excitantur ad puniendum, nam eorum maxima cupiditas et maximum oblectamentum est punire, quare tunc ex communi coetu malignorum fluit tale oblectamentum ex cupiditate, in pauciores, et sic in eos, qui male tractant eum, in quo malum, ita malum per mirabilem circuitum et determinationis fluxum redit ad eum, qui 2
malum habet, et vertitur in malum poenae, hoc quia non constare potest, nisi Dominus revelet, et sic per ideas spirituales, ex quibus veritates, ideo, non facile homini potest constare, quomodo se habet.
Footnotes:
1. In the Manuscript spiritulai imperfecte emendatum in spirituli
2. The Manuscript has quia