4720. About the dark Chamber, its nature and the nature of those in it
Again the dark Chamber appeared where there are many sitting at a table and acknowledging the presiding officer as the Supreme God [4658]. They worship him and take counsel on various matters, even on religious questions such as whether there is another God, whether there is a heaven and a hell, whether [there is such a thing as] conscience, and the like, and conclude in the negative. They are such as have acknowledged nature as God, done evils without conscience, and at the same time polluted their thoughts. They come from the [ranks of] ministers and from many other [professions]. But the nature of this chamber was made known when a bit of light was let in from heaven. [It] is a dark sepulcher, and there are coffins in which there are corpses. They are sitting on them, some upon the corpses themselves there, some on the bones. In this light they themselves look like ghastly corpses because they worship what belongs to death and deny what belongs to life. As a result they cannot be given a communication with heaven. They are like fools in that they do not know otherwise than that they are possessed of great genius and that the presiding officer is the supreme God.
4720. CONCERNING THE DARK CHAMBER, ITS QUALITY, AND THE QUALITY OF THOSE IN IT.
There appeared, again, the dark chamber, where many sit at a table and acknowledge the president for Supreme God. They adore him, and deliberate concerning various things, even in religious matters, as, for example, whether there is another God, whether there is a heaven and hell, whether there is conscience, and the like; and they conclude in the negative. They are such as have acknowledged nature for God, and committed evils, without conscience, and have, at the same time, excelled in thought. They are from ministers, and from many others. But it was discovered, when some light was let in from heaven, of what character that chamber is; that it is a sepulchre, and that there are coffins there, wherein are corpses, and that they sit on these: some upon the corpses themselves, there, and some sit upon the bones. They also appear, in that light, like ghastly corpses. The reason is, because they adore what is dead, and deny what is living; hence no communication with heaven can be given them. They are like fools, in that they do not know other than that they are endowed with great genius, and that their president is the Supreme God.
4720. De Camera obscura, qualis illa, et quales illi
Apparuit iterum Camera obscura, ubi sedent ad mensam plures, et agnoscunt praesidem, pro supremo Deo [4658], ii adorant eum consultant de variis, etiam in religiosis, ut num Deus alius sit, num coelum infernum, num conscientia similia concludunt in negativa; sunt tales qui agnoverunt naturam pro Deo mala fecerunt absque conscientia qui simul cogitatione polluerunt, sunt ex ministris, ex aliis pluribus, sed detecta qualis illa camera est, immissa aliquanta luce e coelo, quod sit sepulchrum obscurum ibi loculi, in quibus cadavera quod sedeant super illis, quidam super ipsis cadaveribus ibi, quidam super ossibus, apparent etiam illi in ea luce sicut cadavera lurida, causa quia mortuum adorant vivum negant, inde illis non dari potest communicatio cum coelo. Sunt sicut fatui in eo quod non aliter sciant quam quod sint magno ingenio quod praeses sit supremus Deus.