3889. even of the Lord, and so their heavenly life is turned little by little into no life. It was given me to compare their speech with the speech of soothsayers on this earth, who speak with their fingers, and with words backwards, or otherwise, which serious people ridicule. 1748, 6 Nov. I was also given to add that lest they be understood by others, they steal away from others the thoughtful imagery, thus gradually take it away, and as for feelings, they steal them away. What then remains, but an outside quality, like that of customary expressions on our earth, in which if there is no mental imagery, there is no life, especially when they begin to delight in such language? It becomes a habit, so they judge everything from formalities and have only an outer imagery scarcely proper to spirits. From this arises the bony quality that has nothing of life. This was said to them.
3889. It was given to compare their speech with the speech of diviners on this earth, who speak with their fingers, or otherwise with the inverted words of those who laugh when they are serious. - 1748, November 6. It was given to add that in order that they may not be understood by others, they abstract the ideas of thought from others, thus imperceptibly from themselves. As to affections, they abstract them also; what then remains, as being external, like that of the words of our earth, in which if there are not ideas, there is nothing of life, it becomes from custom, especially when they begin to be delighted with such speech, such a matter of habit, that they conclude from [mere] forms, and thus have barely external ideas, scarcely such as properly pertain to spirits. Hence arises the bony [quality of the speech], which is indicative of the want of life. This is said to them.
3889. quoque de Domino, sic eorum vita coelestis successive vertitur in nullam vitam. Datum comparare eorum loquelam, loquelae hariolorum in hac tellure, qui per digitos loquuntur, et qui inversis vocibus, aut aliter, quam rident ii qui serii sunt. 1748, 6 Nov. Addere datum, quod, ne intelligantur ab aliis, subtrahunt cogitationis ideas ab aliis, sic sensim auferunt, quod ad affectiones, eas subtrahunt; quid tunc remanet, quam quod externum, quale est vocum nostrae telluris, in quibus si non ideae, est nihil vitae, ex consuetudine, cumprimis quando delectari tali loquela incipiunt? fit talis habitus, ut concludant ex formis, sic habent modo ideas externas, ita ne quidem ut spiritus; inde exoritur osseum, quod nullius est vitae, hoc iis dictum.