4754. * * A most striking example that the evil, and even devils, have the faculty of understanding truth, was (President Stjerncrona). He so excelled in that gift, that he could lay hold of and understand the truths of faith, even to the minutiae, when these were exhibited to him, to the life; and he also acknowledged them: for instance, that there was divine order, and that the laws of order are the truths of faith; that love to the Divine and love towards the neighbor constitute heaven, and that love of the world constitutes hell; that divine order cannot be received save by the humble, and that humility cannot exist with those who are in self-love; that self-love is hard, and love to the Divine is soft; also, that self-love must be wholly crushed, and that this occurs in hell, and that, nevertheless, humility cannot exist [in those circumstances]. These and the like truths he was able to lay hold of and understand; but, still, he could not act otherwise than contrary thereto, because imbued with the desire of ruling over others. His life in the world was scandalous with the most shameful adulteries; and yet he promised repentance but still continued [in evil], utterly defiling divine things by the fact that he acknowledged his sins, prayed devoutly for forgiveness, to that end used the holy supper, and yet persevered afterwards [in sin]; and, at length, he confirmed himself in evil, and was then given up to evil entirely, so that he could no longer do aught but evil, without any conscience.