3431. But he who was a medium for this kind of spirits, had no other conviction, I believe, than that life consists in one's being nothing, but what being nothing is he did not know. In other matters he was more easily convinced than most - namely, when it was said that the Lord is life, then he maintained that it was so, besides other matters he could easily be brought to agree with. So also his whiteness appeared like that of a body, naked, and pliable, and he was therefore flexible, as I saw.
[2] For this reason I speculated that he would also be easily led to truths and goods; but I now realize that this is not the case except that he had lived in ignorance and had supposed everything to be (his preacher or instructor - who is now with me and has directed and is directing what I am writing - does not allow me to say truth and good, because it involves faith, which he thinks to be the knowledge that corrupts) just as his preacher or instructor had taught him - thus [that he had lived] in ignorance, because he let himself be led in simplicity.
3431. But this subject-spirit was not, I think, in any other persuasion than that life consisted in this, viz., that he was nothing; but what the being nothing is he did not know. In other things he was, compared to others, rather open to conviction; as, for instance, when it was said that the Lord is life, he gave his assent to it, besides other things which he could easily be drawn to admit; wherefore his whiteness appeared like that of a body, naked and pliable, because he himself was pliable, as was manifest. I thus judged that he was easily led to things that were true and good; but I now perceive that the fact was otherwise, and also that he had lived in ignorance, and thought that [state] to be everything (:his preacher or instructor, who is now with me and directs and has directed him, does not admit what I am now writing; he does not admit that I shall say true and good, because this involves faith, which he regards as knowledges [or sciences] that pervert:) and thought all this was so, as his preacher or instructor has taught him, thus [remaining] in ignorance, because he suffers himself to be simply and passively led; wherefore there is yet hope of him, for ignorance excuses.
3431. Sed is qui erat objectum talium, non erat, ut reor, in alia persuasione, quam quod vita consistat in eo, quod nihil sit, sed quid nihil esse ignorabat, in caeteris erat persuasibilis prae aliis, nempe cum diceretur quod Dominus sit vita, tunc voluit, quod ita esset, praeter alia, ad quae facile potuit adduci; quare etiam apparuit candidum ejus instar corporis, nudum, plicabile, ita ut flexilis esset, quod visum: opinatus sic, quod facile perduceretur etiam ad ea quae vera et bona essent; sed nunc percipio, quod aliter se res habeat, praeter quod in ignorantia vixerit, et putaverit omne id esse (non admittit ejus praedicator seu instructor, qui nunc apud me et direxit et dirigit, quae scribo: non admittit, ut dicam verum et bonum, quia involvit fidem, quam putat scientias quae pervertunt) ita, ut praedicator seu instructor ejus eum docuit, ita in ignorantia, quia simpliciter passus se duci, quare de eo spes est, quia ignorantia excusat.