3572. About evil spirits who want to fathom the mysteries of faith
Several times I have been infested by evil spirits wanting to raise doubts against the very secret and most secret matters of faith, and thereby refute them [cf. 2725] - who try by their filthy fantasies to penetrate the innermost and supreme mysteries of faith. Thereupon I put before them symbolic portrayals enabling them to look into the intestines containing the foulest excrements, asking them whether by their reasoning and intellect they were able to find out and fathom how the intestinal forms operate, how the process of separation in them takes place, also whether they were able to find out and penetrate the mystery of how the dung and the urine in all their diverse conditions develop. If they do not understand these foulest excrements, then how do they expect to fathom the innermost spiritual secrets?
3572. CONCERNING EVIL SPIRITS WHO WISH TO ENTER INTO THE MYSTERIES OF FAITH.
I was several times infested by evil spirits, who would fain suggest doubts against the more hidden and most hidden things of faith, and thus refute them, as also by those who would, by their defiled phantasies, penetrate the inmost and highest things of faith. I then proposed to them, having recourse to representations, to look into the intestines, the seat of the vilest excretions, [and see] whether by their ratiocinations and intellect they were able to know and comprehend what the truth is as to their forms, how the separating processes go on, and whether they could understand how the different discharges [are formed], of which [process] there are so many diversities. If they could not understand these viler things, how could they grasp things spiritual and inmost? - 1748, October 14.
3572. De malis spiritibus, qui in mysteria fidei volunt intrare
Aliquoties infestatus sum a malis spiritibus, qui objicere voluerunt dubia contra arcaniora et arcanissima fidei, et sic ea refellere [cf. 2725], tum qui suis phantasiis spurcis volunt penetrare ea quae intima et suprema fidei sunt; tunc per repraesentationes iis objeci, ut intuerentur in intestina, ubi excrementa vilissima, num ex suis ratiociniis et intellectu possent scire et penetrare, quomodo se habent formae eorum, quomodo separationes ibi fiunt, ut et num scire possent quomodo excrementa, et quomodo urinae, cujus tot diversitates sunt, cum haec vilissima non intelligunt, quomodo volunt tunc spiritualia, et intima. 1748, 14 Oct.