1656.* There is an incalculably great number of those who call themselves gods, and who want to be worshipped as gods, and, in fact, all of them being really of the character to love themselves and the things of this world. I have been witness to the truth of this, and have learned by actual experience that there are a great many spirits roving around who, wherever they come across people of like character, attach themselves to them and then lead them as if they were those people themselves. This has, of course, been told before [11], but I wish to affirm it once more. [Gods; Spirit]

1694. "And God appeared to Jacob again, after he came out of Paddan-aram," [Gen. 35:] verse 9. It is quite clear from the first verse of this chapter that God did speak with Jacob, but it is not said that he appeared to him. Therefore, in that same verse 1 of this chapter, a distinction is made between His having spoken with Jacob and His having appeared; for speaking is a different thing than appearing. God the Messiah speaks with a person in various ways, namely, in sleep, in wakefulness, and speaks as clearly as one person with another, and for a long time, as said above [15], but without any vision. Thus it may be learned how familiar this phenomenon could have been at that time, when sincerity and simplicity reigned as it did in the earliest Church - familiar to many people who lived at that time, and are spoken of in the Divine Word, and to very many others of whom no mention is made. So it was to Adam himself, and to Noah while he was building himself the ark, etc., so that nothing could have been more familiar among those whom God the Messiah saw fit to speak to through angels. * A. Acton numbered this paragraph 1655. See his footnote 4.