4353. About hypocrites and their fantasies
Hypocrites in bodily life had trusted nothing but themselves, always having thought otherwise when people spoke, still pretending they had believed, also behaving devoutly, thus as if they acknowledged truths more than others. Yet they had believed nothing, not even that there is any truth, still less eternal life, heaven, the Lord - these tenets they confessed with the mouth more than others, but believed nothing at all at heart. These spirits when let into their own inward state of mind, in which they believed nothing except things obvious to the senses, then experience dreadful fantasies, and can be confronted with things absurdly fantastic, such as troops of fleas that form an army on the march against them, and attack them, filling them with terror and putting them to flight, believing that such absurdities exist in the other life.
[2] For they had not directed their thoughts toward anything true, which is real, so they are reduced to such fantasies. When nothing true is believed, then nothing but fantasy is produced in its place. I later spoke with them about this, when they had been led back into the other state, and told them that they are nothing but inward fantasies. I had formerly very often experienced them discussing eternal life, truth, and the like, which they said were real, but at heart they believed nothing. 1749, 14 Aug. They are extremely inclined to believe that nothing is real. Hypocrites are like that. But there are also others like that. Hypocrites are those who are outwardly flattering and agreeable for a selfish reason, but inwardly feel the contrary.
4353. CONCERNING HYPOCRITES AND THEIR PHANTASIES.
Hypocrites [are perceived in the other life to] have had in the life of the body no confidence in anything but themselves, and to have always had something else in their thoughts than what was said when men were speaking to them, even though they pretended to believe them, and demeaned themselves very obsequiously towards them, as if they acknowledged truths above others, while at the same time they believed nothing; not even that there was any truth, much less in eternal life, heaven, the Lord; of these things though they went beyond others in confessing them with their lips, yet they believed absolutely nothing in their hearts. Such when remitted into their interior state, wherein they believed nothing but what was obvious to the senses, are subject to direful phantasies. They can then be assaulted by things the most absurdly phantastical, as by troops of fleas, which are set in array against them and attack them, filling their minds with terror, and causing them to fly, just as if all this was as real to them in the other life as it might be in this, besides similar absurdities; for as they have not determined their thoughts to anything intrinsically true, they are brought under the influence of such phantasies. When nothing is regarded as true, then phantasy is produced, and reigns in its place. I afterwards spoke with them on this subject, when they were brought into another state, and told them that things themselves were mere interior phantasies. Being put frequently to the test on other occasions they said, in respect to eternal life, truth, and the like, that it was all as I affirmed; but yet in heart they believed nothing of it. - 1749, August 14. They are extremely prone to believe that there is nothing real: such is the genius of hypocrites; but there are also others of this stamp [besides hypocrites]. Hypocrites are those who, with the outward man, will fawn assentingly from motives of self-interest, and yet inwardly think directly the contrary.
4353. De hypocritis et eorum phantasiis
Hypocritae in vita corporis nihil fiderunt nisi sibi, semper cogitarunt aliud cum homines loquuti simulando usque quod crediderint, etiam devote se gerendo, sic prae aliis quasi vera agnoscerent, sed usque nihil crediderunt, ne quidem quod aliquod verum sit, minus vita aeterna, coelum, Dominus, haec ore fassi prae aliis, sed nihil usquam crediderunt corde; tales missi in statum suum interiorem, in quo nihil crediderunt, nisi quod sensibus obvia essent, tunc diras phantasias habent, possunt objicere iis phantastica absurda, sicut factum cum pulicibus qui agmen contra eos formarent, et eos aggrederentur, timor iis injiciebatur, et fugerunt, et crediderunt ita esse in altera vita, praeter similia absurda, nam non determinarunt cogitationes in aliquod verum, quod sit, quare in tales phantasias reducuntur, ubi nihil verum creditur, tunc nihil est quam phantasia loco ejus, quod producitur, loquutus cum iis de eo postea, cum reducti in alium statum, et dictum iis, quod merae phantasiae interiores sunt, expertum prius saepius loqui de vita aeterna, vero, et similibus, dixerunt ita esse, sed corde nihil crediderunt. 1749, 14 Aug. Pronissimi sunt credere quod nihil reale sit, hypocritae etiam tales sunt, sed sunt quoque alii qui tales, hypocritae sunt, qui extrinsecus adblandiuntur, et assentiunt sui causa, at intus contraria sentiunt.