372. * THE RATIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL OF MAN CAN BE DIMINISHED AND ALSO TAKEN AWAY FROM MAN AND SOUL, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF GOD MESSIAH I have been taught from manifest experience that the rational and intellectual of souls can be taken away from them almost wholly or in part, and in like manner be restored to them again; for the intellectual and the rational is a gift of God Messiah alone. When the rational and the intellectual is taken away, the souls are then devils and act only from a certain natural instinct, and indeed as if in sleep; when it is restored, they know no otherwise than that they have been in sleep. These things were shown for many days. In that state, when the intellectual has been taken away, they act according to their inrooted evil, each one according to the quality of the root, and indeed contrary to order in contrary to heaven and its truths; in a word, they are devils of diverse quality. That this intellectual was taken away from them was very clearly shown, and afterwards their natural instincts, which are not like the instincts of brutes, but from something diabolical. It was also shown that they continually act against spiritual and celestial things, and they then suppose that they are able from themselves to do all things. 1747, Dec. 21. * In the margin: "See earlier 326." However, there is some doubt whether the handwriting here is Swedenborg's.