Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 376

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

376. THAT DIABOLIC SPIRITS BY THEIR PHANTASIES BRING NOT ONLY UPON THEMSELVES, BUT ALSO UPON MEN, MOST SENSIBLY FELT TORMENTS AND TORTURES From many things I can declare that souls and spirits from phantasies alone were able to bring upon themselves, and also upon men, painful torments which no one could ever believe, although it is nevertheless so true that I can fully testify to the fact, not only from experience sufficiently abundant and frequent in myself, but also from the souls and spirits when they were being tortured; also from the sensibility of souls through similar phantasies, as is most fully testified. For with souls any sense whatever, such as sight, smell, touch, hearing, even cupidities and appetites, is induced so strongly, that they scarcely exist as strongly in the body itself; consequently, the sense of pain, which most atrocious pains would be induced by the devil's crew, unless God Messiah saved souls from such a hell. 1747, Dec. 21.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church