2506. People like this in bodily life want to feel enjoyment, in fact to take enjoyment of life away from others who are performing a use, yet they do not want to do anything useful. For this reason I was allowed to speak with them about how they are, and I was allowed to portray to them their similarity to insects of various kinds, noxious and filthy ones that were also actually pictured to them. Then I was prompted to speak about the joy of life, and the fact that enjoyment is human life, and that all things have been so created by the Lord that uses create enjoyment, as is obvious enough from the pleasures of the senses, such as taste, or such as sexual love, which, because they have a use with them, namely, that one may be nourished, or that of procreation, therefore to uses are added their enjoyments, and the enjoyments increase entirely according to the use.
So it has been ordained, but those who seek enjoyments not originating from use, or from outward appearances without directing the mind to the use, they indeed feel enjoyments, albeit gross ones, but because they are not from use, or from the Lord through use, they are like those filthy and noxious insects, and are the kind that destroy societies and are the kind that destroy themselves, because within their enjoyments there is no spiritual and heavenly life. Consequently they become unhappy, for they are cast out of societies, and so they sit, lonely, and are purged until all the deceitfulness and inequity in them has been purged, so that they are no longer their own. 1748, 3 July.
2506. The like in the life of the body wish to have pleasantness, yea, to take away [their] pleasantness of life from others who perform use, and do not wish [themselves] to perform anything useful. Wherefore it was given to speak with them, and represent to them of what quality they are; that they are like insects of various kinds that are hurtful and loathsome, which also were represented before them to the life. Then it was given to speak concerning pleasantness of life, that pleasantness is the life of man, and that they are so created by the Lord that they might create uses of pleasantness; as may be sufficiently evident from the pleasure of the senses, as from taste, [and] from venery; which because they have a use along with themselves, to wit, that man may be nourished, and that he may be procreated, therefore pleasantnesses are added to their use, which pleasantnesses are increased wholly according to use. So it was appointed. But those who seek for pleasantnesses without their flowing from use, or according to appearance, without intending use then indeed pleasantnesses are felt [by them], although of a gross sort; but because [they are] not from use, or from the Lord through use, they are like those loathsome and hurtful insects, and are such things as destroy; and are such pleasantnesses as destroy them, because no spiritual and celestial life is in their pleasantnesses; therefore [these persons] become unhappy; to wit, are ejected from societies, and so sit solitary and are vastated, till all their crafty and injurious principle is vastated, so that they are no longer theirs. - 1748, July 3.
2506. Similes in vita corporis volunt jucunditatem habere, imo aliis jucunditatem vitae auferre, qui usum praestant, nec tamen volunt quicquam utile praestare; quare loqui dabatur cum iis, quales sunt, et repraesentare iis dabatur, quod similes sint insectis varii generis, quae nociva, foedaque 1
sunt, quae quoque iis ad vivum repraesentata sunt; loqui tunc dabatur, de jucunditate vitae, quod jucunditas sit vita hominis, et quod [omnia] ita creata sunt a Domino, ut usus jucunditates creent, sicut satis constare potest, a voluptate sensuum, sicut a sapore, a venere, quae quia usum secum habent, ut nempe nutriatur homo, utque procreetur, ideo additae usui jucunditates eorum, quae jucunditates auctae sunt, prorsus secundum usum, ita institutum est, at vero qui quaerunt jucunditates, absque quod fluant ex usu, seu secundum apparentia 2
, absque quod intendant usum, tunc quidem jucunditates sentiuntur, tametsi crassae, sed quia non ab usu, seu a Domino, per usum, sunt sicut foeda ista et nociva insecta, et sunt tales 3
quae perdunt societates, et tales quae perdunt eos, quia vita jucunditatibus eorum spiritualis et coelestis non inest, proinde infelices fiunt, nempe e societatibus ejiciuntur, et ita solitarii sedent, et devastantur, usque dum omne dolosum apud eos, et iniquum devastatum sit, sic ut non sint amplius sui. 1748, 3 Julius 4
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Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has variis generis, qui nocivae, foedaeque
2. sic manuscript; J.F.I. Tafel's edition has apparentiam substituit
3. The Manuscript has talia
4. In the Manuscript Junius in Julius emendatum