4754. 1About the purging and condemnation of those who are evil, that these are from themselves
Repeated experience over several years has given me to know how evil persons purge themselves and eventually bring damnation on themselves. From their acquired nature they cannot but act maliciously, and consequently they attack those whom the Lord protects. And when they do this, and by this injure what is Divine, they call in hellish societies. And the more hellish societies they bring in, the more they attack those whom the Lord protects, and in this way absorb the hells into themselves more and more to the point that their acquired nature becomes filled [with them]. In the degree of the attack, they oppose the Divine, and in this degree they then call in hell, that is, they drink in such things from the hells and associate themselves with them. From this is obvious that the Lord does not ruin or condemn anyone, but that they do this themselves by rushing violently against the Divine, more and more, until finally, when they have had their fill, they cast themselves into the hells, and then into damnation, that is to say, spiritual death.
Footnotes:
1. [NCBSP: Swedenborg originally numbered this passage 4753, and then inserted 4754 above it. We have changed the numbering to be consecutive, but readers of other translations may find the passage order is switched.]
4754. * * A most striking example that the evil, and even devils, have the faculty of understanding truth, was (President Stjerncrona). He so excelled in that gift, that he could lay hold of and understand the truths of faith, even to the minutiae, when these were exhibited to him, to the life; and he also acknowledged them: for instance, that there was divine order, and that the laws of order are the truths of faith; that love to the Divine and love towards the neighbor constitute heaven, and that love of the world constitutes hell; that divine order cannot be received save by the humble, and that humility cannot exist with those who are in self-love; that self-love is hard, and love to the Divine is soft; also, that self-love must be wholly crushed, and that this occurs in hell, and that, nevertheless, humility cannot exist [in those circumstances]. These and the like truths he was able to lay hold of and understand; but, still, he could not act otherwise than contrary thereto, because imbued with the desire of ruling over others. His life in the world was scandalous with the most shameful adulteries; and yet he promised repentance but still continued [in evil], utterly defiling divine things by the fact that he acknowledged his sins, prayed devoutly for forgiveness, to that end used the holy supper, and yet persevered afterwards [in sin]; and, at length, he confirmed himself in evil, and was then given up to evil entirely, so that he could no longer do aught but evil, without any conscience.
4754. # # 1
Exstantissimum exemplum quod mali et quidem diaboli dotem intelligendi verum habeant, erat (Praes. Stierncrona); is illa dote pollebat, ut caperet et intelligeret vera fidei, usque ad minutias, cum illa exponebantur ei ad vivum, et quoque agnoscebat, sicut quod Divinus ordo esset, et quod leges ordinis sint vera fidei, quod amor in Divinum et amor erga socium faciant coelum, et quod amor mundi faciat infernum, quod Divinus ordo non recipi possit, nisi ab humili, et quod humilitas non dari queat apud illos qui in amore sui, quod amor sui sit durus, et amor in Divinum sit mollis, et quod amor sui conterendus sit prorsus, et quod hoc in inferno, et quod usque non fieri possit humilitas, haec et similia potuit ille capere et intelligere, sed usque non potuit aliter quam facere contra illa, quia imbutus cupidine imperandi prae aliis, vita in mundo fuit scandalosa, in turpissimis adulteriis, et tamen pollicitus poenitentiam, et usque perseveravit, contaminando prorsus Divina, per quod agnoverit peccata, de remissione supplicaverit devote, sacra coena ideo usus, et usque perseveravit postea, ac tandem confirmavit se in malo, et tunc prorsus deditus est malo, sic ut amplius non posset agere quam malum absque ulla conscientia.
Footnotes:
1. 4754 conformiter auctoris indiciis huc transtulimus