1559. THAT MORE THINGS MAY BE COMPREHENDED IN A SPIRITUAL IDEA THAN IT IS POSSIBLE TO BELIEVE. A spiritual idea is that by which a man, while he lives as a spirit, and thus separated, as it were, from the body, acts and thinks. That ideas of this kind are, as was said before, more full and more perceptive of things, is evident from the fact, that by means of a spiritual idea it can be known and perceived to the life how the case is in regard to man's non-ability to think, much more to act of himself anything that should not be sin, even while he intends good, as, for instance, his own conversion and self-moved repentance, - how all this may be done, and yet there may be sin, not only in the general act, but in the minutest particulars, - all this, I say, may be set forth and shown most vividly to a spiritual idea. This has been shown to me at different times when I have supposed that I thought in this way and not in that, because the one way was lawful, right, and best, and the other not. Thus I supposed, but still I perceived that it was sin, because it was from myself. Thus, for instance, when I would convert myself to the Lord, and thus apply to myself any species of good, as the good of faith, the good of obedience, the good of what is commended in the Word, yet I still perceived that there was sin in the singular and most singular items of the act, so that [it was clear that] there is nothing in man but what is vile and polluted. Being inwardly moved, even to a degree of indignation, at not being able to do anything of good, the spirits also were in like manner indignantly affected, saying that thus they did not know what good they could do, however much it might be commanded.