4334. THAT EVIL SPIRITS ARE INSANE, AND THAT THEY STRIVE WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT TO LEAD OTHERS TO THEIR OWN HELL, AND THUS TO TORMENT THEM. I spoke with evil spirits who continually infested me, and who infest men and upright spirits in like manner; and because they are insane themselves they would fain strive to make all others infernal also, by leading them away from good and mutual love into the love of self, thus into hatreds towards all; and the more they are who are wrought upon in this way, the greater is the number of those who torment them; so that they are continually procuring hell to themselves. If they would refrain from this, and act from the love of the upright and the good, they would secure blessedness to themselves; for the good desire nothing more than to impart to others, and thus to them also, all their own happiness. Doing this, they would procure heaven to themselves. This they, in their then state, acknowledged, and said that the fact was so; yet they are such as they are because their nature is such; everyone thinks himself able to rule, and yet they rush upon each other, and nothing affords them greater pleasure than to torment others, even their nearest friends. - 1749, July 27.