than others. These spirits were greatly affected and rejoiced when
they heard it declared that the One only Lord is the only Man, and
that all derive from Him what entitles them to be called men, and,
indeed, that they are only so far men as they are images of Him, that
is, so far as they love Him and the neighbour, consequently so far
as they are in good; for the good of love and of faith is the Lord's
image.

66. There were some spirits of the earth Jupiter with me while I was
reading the seventeenth chapter of John, relating to the Lord's love
and His glorification. On hearing the things that are written there,
a holy influence filled them, and they acknowledged that all things
therein were Divine. But then some spirits of our Earth, who were
infidels, kept insinuating scandals, saying that the Lord was born an
infant, lived a man, appeared like another man, and was crucified
and other like things: but the spirits of the earth Jupiter paid no
attention to those things. They said that such are their devils,
whom they abhor; adding, that in their minds there abides absolutely
nothing that is heavenly, but only what is earthly, which they called
dross. They said that they had also ascertained this to be the case
from the fact, that when they heard that on that earth they go naked,
obscenity instantly occupied their thoughts, and that they gave no
thought at all to their heavenly life, of which they also heard at the
same time.

67. In how clear a perception on spiritual subjects the spirits of
Jupiter are, was made evident to me from their representation of how
the Lord converts depraved affections into good ones. They represented
the intellectual mind as a beautiful form, and imparted to it the
activity of a form fit for the life of affection. This they did in a