3513. I heard some speaking from the same sphere, who had been instructed as to who the Lord is; who rules the universe; who are received [by him]; and when thus instructed were convinced and persuaded that the Lord alone is the ruler of the universe, from which they become more constant than others:* and as they are then almost entirely in that sphere, they are unwilling to be among or to hear those in the world of spirits, who reason from visible things, and the like, and thus cloud and confound themselves. Indeed they rather deride all such, and renouncing all their speculations, abide in the truth, from which they do not suffer themselves to be drawn away. This character they contract from the life in the body, viz. from the cause above mentioned, that they do not reason concerning interior things, which they say no one can know; and from this also, that in their business transactions they rarely proceed through any other truths to their ultimate object than those that are certain and well-defined, and thus adopt such means and such a policy as they have learnt from experience will not deceive. Then again, being possessed of a subtlety of thought, which imbues their nature, they see how others err in adopting uncertain counsels and measures, without experience or principle, and thus generally fail of success. That they are of this character, may be known also to others; wherefore when in the other life they are confirmed and persuaded respecting whatever is true and truly good, they follow the same course, the Lord still upholding them in their peculiar nature, from which it is that they are confirmed and persuaded more strongly than others. It is for this reason that other spirits said they knew not where they were, or how they came into heaven. - 1748, October 10. * Speaking in another place of the Hollanders in the other life, Swedenborg says, to the same effect, "These afterwards became more constant than others, so that they may be called CONSTANCIES: nor do they suffer themselves to be led away by any reasoning, fallacy, obscurity induced by sophistry, or by preposterous vision from confirmations alone; for they become more clear-sighted than before."- True Christian Religion 802.