these after death are cast out of societies, and afterward seek wages
and finally are sent into the caverns of robbers to labor there. (A.E.,
n. 977.)

Take merchants as an example: All their works are evil works so long as
they do not regard as sins, and thus shun as sins, unlawful gains and
wrongful usury, also fraud and craft; for such works cannot be done from
the Lord, but must be done from man himself. And the more expert they
are in skillfully and artfully contriving devices from within for
overreaching their companions the more evil are their works. And the
more expert they are in bringing such devices into effect under the
pretense of sincerity, justice, and piety, the more evil still are their
works. The more delight a merchant feels in such things the more do his
works have their origin in hell.

But if he acts sincerely and justly in order to acquire reputation, and
wealth through reputation, even so as to seem to act from a love of
sincerity and justice, and yet does not act sincerely and justly from
affection for the Divine law or from obedience to it, he is still
inwardly insincere and unjust, and his works are thefts, for through a
pretense of sincerity and justice he seeks to steal.

That this is so becomes evident after death, when man acts from his
inner will and love, and not from the outer; for then he thinks about
and devises nothing but sharp practices and robberies, and withdraws
himself from those who are sincere, and betakes himself either to
forests or deserts, where he devotes himself to stratagems. In a word,
all such become robbers.

But it is otherwise with merchants who shun as sins thefts of every