2906. About spirits who in life appear good in human eyes, [but] inwardly may be evil
There was a spirit known to me in life who had appeared in outer form or to people's eyes as a kind, affable, sincere person, to the point that no one unacquainted with his inward qualities would know differently than that he was a very good Christian. He was with me hiding [his character] for some time, nor was anything of evil to be discerned on the surface, but he was exposed together with others like him by his hatred of little children. For wherever I was seeing little children, I sensed something murderous and cruel coming from certain spirits, as if they wanted to kill them.
So he was exposed, and examined, and found to be harboring inwardly hatred against acquaintances, friends, benefactors, even though by his outer expression he simulated entirely different sentiments. So the quality of someone on earth is never known from the face, but in the other life it is well known. 1748, 24 Aug.
2906. CONCERNING SPIRITS WHO IN LIFE APPEAR GOOD, IN THE EYES OF MEN [BUT] INWARDLY ARE EVIL.
There was a spirit known to me in life, who in outward form or in the sight of men appeared modest, courteous, sincere, so that no one, who was unacquainted with his intentions, would know other than that he was the best Christian. He was undiscovered [latuit] by me for a long time, nor was any evil perceived in [his] externals. But he was detected, with other similar [ones] by [his] hatred against infants, for wherever I saw infants, I perceived a murderous and cruel [principle proceeding] from certain spirits, so that they wished to kill them: wherefore he was detected, examined, and discovered to have inwardly carried hatred against acquaintances, friends, [and] benefactors, though in external countenance he had feigned very different [things]. Thus no man's character is ever known from the face, but that is well known in the other life. - 1748, August 24.
2906. De spiritibus qui in vita in oculis hominum boni apparent, [sed] intus sint mali
Erat spiritus mihi in vita notus, qui in externa forma, seu in conspectu hominum modestus, affabilis, sincerus apparuit, adeo ut nemo, qui ejus interiora non nossent 1
, aliter sciret, ac quod optimus Christianus, is apud me aliquamdiu latuit, nec quicquam mali perceptum in externis, at detectus is, cum aliis similibus, per odium contra infantes, nam ubicunque infantes videbam, percipiebam a spiritibus quibusdam internecinum et crudele, ut eos necare vellent, quare detectus, et examinatus, et inventus, quod intus odium gereret contra notos, amicos, benefactores, tametsi externo vultu simulavisset alia prorsus; ita nusquam aliquis homo noscitur a facie qualis est, sed in altera vita id probe noscitur. 1748, 24 Aug.
Footnotes:
1. sic manuscript; vide praefationem hujus editionis sub capite "Idiosyncrasies"