From actual experience I was allowed by God the Messiah's mercy to learn how self-trust is punished by the pain of dejection. There was deep grief, unceasing lamentation, accompanied by near despair of any salvation. But I did observe that in the midst of the grieving and lamenting, hope of salvation was constantly present, which softened the pain. Otherwise, pride is also suppressed by a seemingly spontaneous submission, causing a person to desire nothing but lowly things - but this is a gift of God the Messiah. 1747, the 24th day of August (old calendar). A continual compassion also attended me. I distinctly perceived at the time that an evil spirit was attacking, and that God the Messiah was ever assisting by inspiring hope of salvation. About the life of man after death

After the death of the body, [a person's] life remains such as it developed during the life of the body. But knowledge and the like recede that were only instrumental to the person's development. It is the character itself that remains, which is the essence of a life.** * Numbers 171-177 do not occur in the manuscript. ** In the original this portion is emphasized by the word "Obs." written twice in the margin.