627. Their interior angels were also instructed that the Lord never punishes anyone, still less does evil to anyone. At first they were not willing to admit this, for they supposed that the Lord chastised and punished. But when it was demonstrated to them by a living voice that their angels neither chastise nor punish, nor speak harshly to a man on their earth, but that they only permit the punishing and accusing spirits to do and say such things so that they might moderate and judge concerning the kind and amount of the punishment and threats, they could conclude as a result that, since their angels do not punish and say harsh things to any man, still less does the Lord, Who is the Best, the Fountain of all goodness, and Who governs the angels. Hence from their own modes of acting they could not but acknowledge, and also affirm with a manifest voice, that the Lord punishes no one, speaks harshly to no one, still less does evil. 1748, Feb. 2.