3904. Someone well known to me in life, who was among those of his time who had known better than others what faith is, and what the higher knowledge of faith, came to me, saying that he now knows nothing, and that he is in such darkness that he seems not to know at all what is true. I knew that he had been among those who had not only possessed higher knowledge of true faith, but also had defended it with zeal - and yet now he is saying that he is in such darkness that he knows nothing. I was inspired to tell him that he had been reduced to a state of obscurity, or of ignorance, not because he did not know what is true, for he knew it better than others, but because in the other life, higher knowledge is confirmed as being the truths of faith. Because his life is repugnant to those truths, the result is that he knows nothing, and is in darkness. For even if someone is in the light of higher knowledge, when the life is repugnant to it, he does not like the confirmations of the higher knowledge of faith opposed to his life, but rather he likes the confirmations of his life opposed to the higher knowledge. And when this struggle ensues, the result is that he is in darkness and ignorance - into which state I also had been reduced before it was granted me to speak with spirits and angels.
I was allowed to comfort him with the thought that this is the state into which those are first reduced who have true higher knowledge of faith, but with which their life does not agree. This is a kind of purging, and only then does the Lord sow seeds of truths, and only then does the light of truths begin gradually to shine through the gloomy darkness.
3904. A certain spirit known to me during his life, among those of his own time, who knew above others what faith is, and what the knowledge of faith, came to me and said that he now knew nothing, and that he was in so much obscurity, that he knew as it were nothing as to what was true.
I was aware that he had been of those who had not only understood the knowledges of true faith above others, but had zealously defended them; and yet now he declared that he was in such obscurity that he knew nothing. It was given to say in reply, that he was now reduced to a state of obscurity or ignorance, not from his merely not knowing what was true - for he knew it better than [many] others - but because that, in the other life, knowledges are confirmed that they may become the truths of faith, with which, since his life was repugnant, it was a consequence that he knew nothing, and was in obscurity; for although one is in the light of knowledges, yet if his life is repugnant, he does not love the things confirmatory of the knowledges of faith contrary to life, but he loves rather the things confirmatory of life against knowledges; and when there is such a conflict, it follows that he will be in obscurity and ignorance, into which state I was myself reduced, before it was given to speak with spirits and angels. It was thus granted to comfort him [by the consideration] that that is a state into which those are at first reduced, who are in the knowledges of the truth of faith, and yet their life is not concordant, which is a species of vastation, wherein the Lord first inseminates truths, and the light of truths begins gradually to shine forth from this obscure or darkened [condition].
3904. Quidam mihi in vita notus, inter eos sui temporis, qui noverunt prae aliis quid fides, et quid cognitio fidei, is ad me venit, et dixit, quod nunc nihil sciat, [et] quod sit in tam obscuro, ut quasi nihil sciret quid verum; novi quod is inter eos fuerat, qui cognitiones verae fidei prae aliis non solum noverant sed cum zelo defenderant, et tamen nunc dicat quod in tali obscuro sit, ut nihil sciat, cui dicere datum, quod redactus sit in statum obscuritatis, seu ignorantiae, non ex eo, quin sciat quid verum, nam prae aliis novit, sed ex eo, quod in altera vita confirmentur cognitiones, quod veritates fidei sint, quibus cum vita ejus repugnat, sequitur quod nihil sciat, et in obscuro sit: nam tametsi quis in luce cognitionum est, cum vita repugnat, non amat confirmantia cognitionum fidei contra vitam, sed amat confirmantia vitae potius contra cognitiones, cumque talis pugna est, sequitur quod sit in obscuro, et in ignorantia, in quem statum etiam ego redactus fui, antequam datum loqui cum spiritibus et angelis; consolari eum datum, quod is status sit, in quem rediguntur primum, qui in cognitionibus veris fidei sunt, et quibus vita non concordat, quae est species vastationis, et tunc primum inseminat Dominus veritates, ac incipit ab obscuro seu tenebroso hoc lux veritatum sensim elucescere.