I was also shown by actual experience how temptations are caused by inner torments of distress, and at the same time, inward grief; likewise, how they long when they are in that state to know what should be believed, and how that [thought] keeps coming up that they [act] from themselves, and they therefore want to claim some merit for undergoing temptations, and thus enter heaven - as well as other thoughts I could not observe. In addition, [I was shown] what their thinking was like at the time - as that everything they had heard and seen was of little value, empty, almost untrue - to which thoughts their conscience more or less assented. Thus it was allowed to observe how they were when emerging from that state - in short, they could not but think that God the Messiah permits temptations, which still involves [the idea] that He tempts. 1747, the 15th day of December.