. But although such men see from the
wisdom that they are insane, when the choice is given them, as it is to
each, they betake themselves into the state of insanity, love it and feel
hatred for the state of wisdom. The reason is that their inward nature
has been diabolical and their outward seemingly divine. They are meant by
devils who affect to be angels of light, and by the man in the house of
the nuptials who was not dressed in a wedding garment and was cast into
outer darkness (Mt 22:11-13).

224. Who cannot see that it is the internal from which the external
exists and that consequently the external has its essence from the
internal? And who does not know by experience that the external can
appear out of accord with the essence it has from the internal? It does
so obviously with hypocrites, flatterers and dissemblers. That a person
can outwardly feign to be other than himself is manifest from actors and
mimics. They know how to represent kings, emperors and even angels in
tone of voice, speech, face and gesture as though they were really such,
when they are nevertheless only actors. We allude to this because man can
similarly act the deceiver in spiritual things as well as civil and
moral, and that many do is well known.

[2] When the internal in its essence is infernal, and the external in its
form appears to be spiritual and yet has its essence, as we said, from
the internal, the question arises where in the external that essence is
hidden. It does not show in gesture, voice, speech or face, yet is
interiorly hidden in all four. That it is, is plain from the same in the
spiritual world. For when man passes from the natural world to the
spiritual, as he does at death, he leaves his externals behind along with
his body and retains his internals, which he has stored up in his spirit.
If his internal was infernal, he then appears as a devil, such as he was
as to his spirit during life in the world. Who does not acknowledge that
everyone leaves external things behind with the body and enters into
internal things on becoming a spirit?

[3] To this I will add that in the spiritual world there is a
communication of affections and of thoughts from them, which results in
no one's being able to speak except as he thinks; likewise, everyone
changes facial expression and reflects his affection, and thus shows in
his face what he is. Hypocrites are allowed sometimes to speak otherwise
than they think, but the tone of the vo