I spoke with spirits who supposed they had life beyond others because they were able to do evil, which they thought on several earlier occasions. But I told them almost every time that they are nothing, also that perhaps there was no life in evil, comparing it with inanimate objects, which injure by their weight when dropped; and today [I compared them] with brute animals, which are also able to bring on evil. When again they supposed that evil had life, I was inspired to ask whether they believe that there is Light within darkness. They said there was not. Then I was prompted to say, in spiritual matters light portrays life, and darkness death, and that life is truth and goodness, and death is evil. If this is so, can they say death has life in it? They said it does not. The conclusion therefore was that evil has no life in it. On hearing all this and seeing inwardly by a spiritual mental image, they grew silent and were able to say nothing, because it is the truth. 1748, 30 June.