Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 5857

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5857. I have sometimes spoken with spirits about the surpassing capacity they have above men for putting on at their first coming all things of the man's memory; and though they had previously known nothing of the sciences, of the languages, and other things which the man has learned and imbued from childhood even to old age, they nevertheless come in a moment into possession of all; so that with the learned they are learned, with the ingenious they are ingenious, and with the prudent they are prudent. At these remarks, those spirits became elated, for they were not good, and therefore it was given to tell them further that with the ignorant they are ignorant, and with the stupid they are stupid, with the insane and foolish they are insane and foolish; for they put on all the interiors of the man with whom they are, thus also his fallacies, phantasies, and falsities, consequently his insanities and follies. But evil spirits cannot approach little children, because these have not yet in their memory anything that evil spirits can put on; and therefore with little children there are good spirits and angels.


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