3994. 1-2. But it is now perceived that they signify the state of men at the present day especially in the Christian world, and the tree of knowledge, as to its quality at this time, that it is a horrid viper rising up; thus that everything is filled with deceits and malignities, and that nothing but hatreds reign, which are such that if actuality should be added, they would even feed upon human flesh, for hatreds involve such issues.