4540. By revealing experience it was granted me to learn that infernal spirits are able to acknowledge truths, and also to be convinced, thus are able to understand, and then they appear as if they could easily be corrected. But because their filthy enjoyment of life follows them, when left to themselves they are the worst of hellish spirits, and as irrational as wild beasts. Hence it is evident that such spirits can speak and reason about the truths of faith as well as others who are not immersed in a life of evil, and that they are the serpents spoken of in Genesis
[3].
4540. From manifest experience it is given me to know that the infernals can acknowledge truths and be convinced, and thus that they can understand; and they then appear as if easily capable of being reformed, but because the filthy delight of their life follows them, they are, when left to themselves, the worst of the infernals, and like irrational beasts. Hence it may appear manifest that such spirits can speak and reason concerning the truths of faith as well as others, who are not in a life of evil, and that they are the serpents spoken of in Genesis.
4540. Ab experientia manifesta scire datum quod infernales possint agnoscere vera, et quoque evinci, ita quod intelligere possint, et tunc apparent tanquam facile possent emendari, sed quia jucundum spurcum vitae sequitur eos, dum relinquuntur sibi, sunt pessimi infernales et sicut bestiae irrationales: constare inde potest, quod tales loqui et ratiocinari possint de veris fidei tam bene quam alii, qui non in vita mali, et quod sint serpentes de quibus in Genesi [III].