4784. About devils who labor in every possible way to excite adulteries
I was being led in a wakeful vision, and along the way passed by the hell of those who strive in every way and method to twist, invert, and stamp out the things that belong to marriage love and bring in things that belong to adulteries. They acted almost like demons but were cunning spirits, positioned in hiding, noticing every least bit of thought and feeling. And they were constantly trying to twist these into lascivious adultery, silently persuading and in this manner convincingly introducing the thought that it is better than what is in marriage. I was amazed how they could notice all the least bits of thought and lead them away from truth and goodness, corrupt them, and then invert and extinguish them pursuing the goal they had set for themselves, and how they were able to do this continuously. After this they entered into the spiritual life itself, of which a person is not aware.
[2] But they did this in vain because I was protected by the Lord. The ways they have of twisting and inverting things cannot be described because they took place in the spiritual realm. They took place through a speech consisting of mental images, that is to say, through mental images, which are such as are not noticed by a person because many images form the single mental image that is expressed by words, or a single word. Less [noticed are] the feelings within these, which are the life of these spirits, that is to say, the life of the mental images. From these things, as I see it, it can be established as a fact that a person who has experienced the delight of adultery only a single time, which was their goal, can scarcely ever be withdrawn from it and reject it; and that no one could ever resist unless he is protected by the Lord, because they exercise an effect on the life within human thought, close to it and yet somewhat more inwardly, so that a person could never notice it. I myself could never have done so unless, enlightened by the Lord, I had known how to speak and think with spirits and thus been able to perceive the nature of their ideas from their affections.
4784. CONCERNING DEVILS WHO LABOR IN EVERY WAY TO INTRODUCE ADULTERIES.
I was led along in a wakeful vision, and, on the way, passed through the hell of those who, in every way, and diligently, labor to pervert, invert and extinguish those things which belong to conjugial love, and to induce such things as are of adultery. They acted almost like genii; but they were subtle spirits placed in concealment; and they gave heed to all the changes of thought and affection, and continually endeavored to pervert these into lascivious adultery, by seductively persuading, and thus injecting the idea that that surpasses the conjugial state. I wondered how they were able to give heed to all the changes of thought, and lead these away from truths and goods, to pervert, then invert and extinguish them, according to the end of their design, and this continually. They afterwards entered into the spiritual life itself, which is not perceived by man - but, in vain, because this is protected by the Lord. The modes of perversion and inversion cannot be described, because they are in the spiritual sphere. They took place by means of the idea of speech, or such ideas as are not attended to by man, since many of these make one idea of speech, or one word; still less [does man attend to] the affections therein, which are the life of these, or of ideas. From this it can be evident to me, that a man who had once perceived the delight of adultery - for to introduce this was their end - can hardly ever be removed and turned away from it; further, that never can anyone resist them unless protected by the Lord, for they act into the life proximately, and yet rather interiorly, within human thought, so that man can by no means observe it. Nor should I have been able, unless, being enlightened by the Lord, I knew how to speak and think with spirits, and so to perceive the quality of the ideas from their affections.
4784. De diabolis qui omni modo laborant adulteria inferre
Perductus sum in visione vigili, et in via pertransivi illorum infernum, qui omni modo et studio allaborabant pervertere, invertere et exstinguere illa quae amoris conjugialis sunt, et inducere quae adulterii, agebant paene ut genii, sed erant spiritus subtiles in abscondito positi, ac advertebant ad omnia momenta cogitationis et affectionis, ac illa continue conabantur pervertere in lascivum adulterium, persuadendo tacite et sic injiciendo persuasim quod id praestat prae conjugiali, et miratus quomodo possent ad omnia momenta cogitationis, advertere, et ea abducere a veris et bonis, pervertere, tum invertere et exstinguere, secundum finem propositi sui, et hoc continue, postea intrabant in ipsam vitam spiritualem, quae non percipitur ab homine, sed incassum quia tutatus a Domino, non describi possunt modi perversionis et inversionis, quia in sphaera spirituali, per idearum loquelam seu per ideas fiebant, quae sunt tales quae ab homine non animadvertuntur, quia plures faciunt unam ideam vocis, seu unam vocem, minus [animadvertuntur] affectiones in illis, quae sunt vita istarum seu idearum; ex his constare mihi potest, quod homo qui semel perceperat jucundum adulterii, nam hoc inferre finis eorum erat, vix usquam possit inde removeri, et aversari; tum quod nusquam aliquis illis resistere possit, nisi tutatus a Domino, agunt enim in vitam intra cogitationem humanam, proxime et adhuc paulo interius, sic ut homo id nequaquam possit animadvertere; nec potuissem ego, nisi illustratus a Domino sciverim loqui et cogitare cum spiritibus, et sic percipere idearum qualia a suis affectionibus.