824. CONCERNING PERMISSIONS The doctrine of permissions also involves the following: That evil spirits pretend to dominion over those who are evil, consequently over the evils of man. They claim this to themselves as if by right. One of them even said that the evils are theirs, because injected by them, wherefore they pertain to them. They therefore pretend to dominion over every man who speaks falsely; as also over him who is actuated by cupidities, and thus by evils. But because every man is radically evil, permission is not given them to have dominion, except over those evils in man which have been superadded by actuality. This permission, however, does not extend further than is requisite to the end that the man, by means of the sufferings and devastations arising from those evils, may become better. This is one rule of permissions. 1748, Feb. 18.