4733. [4735] CONCERNING THOSE WHO ARE IN NATURAL GOOD, BUT NOT IN THE PERCEPTION OF GOOD AND EQUALITY. A SOCIETY OF FRIENDSHIP. There are very many at the present day in the Christian world, who are in natural good, and particularly in duties, who reason much concerning good and equity, and so believe, from this, that they are most wise; but yet they have no perception of justice and equity, still less of spiritual good and truth, but whatever opinion they adopt, whether from others who have been in authority, or from parents, or from their proprium, that they defend, acquiring confirmations from every source: thus they are able to defend, for and against, and to confirm themselves. But they do not know whether a thing is just and equitable from any other grounds [than these]; for they do not possess the more extended intuition of mind, but only that limited one. In the other life, they also believe themselves to be wise above all; but they are able to be equally in evil societies and in good, thus to defend evils and falses, and things just and equitable, equally well. I spoke with the. They believed that they have a better knowledge than others of justice and equity, and that, of justice and equity, none possess a more extended sphere of intuition. They have no other ground in which spiritual good and truth can be terminated and there fixed, but their confirmatives, which, also, are false. When they, especially those who are in the persuasion that they are wiser, or know truths better, than others, come to any society, they take away reflection from those [who are in that society], so that they cannot reflect whether a thing is so; thus also [they take away] the delight of reflection, and thus of justice and equity, with others. And therefore, they, like societies of friendship, divert the delight of another to themselves.