f the spirit withdrawn from the
mundane. Man may also declare "I cannot acquire this faith of myself."
Hence if it is not vouchsafed him and he is condemned, what else can he
think except that the Lord is in fault who could have given him the faith
but would not? Would this not amount to calling the Lord unmerciful?
Moreover, in the fervor of his belief he may ask, "How can God see so
many condemned in hell when He can save them all in an instant from pure
mercy?" And more such things, which can only be called an atrocious
indictment of the Divine. From the above it may be evident that belief in
instantaneous salvation out of sheer mercy is the flying fiery serpent in
the church.

[6] Excuse the addition of what follows to fill the remainder of the
sheet.

Certain spirits were permitted to ascend from hell who said to me, "You
have written much from the Lord; write something from us, too." I asked,
"What shall I write?" They said, "Write that every spirit, good or evil,
has his own enjoyment; a good spirit is in the enjoyment of his good, and
an evil spirit in the enjoyment of his evil." I then asked, "What is your
enjoyment?" They answered that it was the enjoyment of committing
adultery, stealing, defrauding and lying. Again I inquired, "What is the
nature of those enjoyments?" They replied, "By others they are perceived
as offensive odors from excrement and as the putrid smell from dead
bodies and as the reeking stench from stagnant urine." I then said, "Do
you find them enjoyable?" "Most enjoyable," they said. I remarked, "Then
you are like unclean beasts which live in such filth." They replied to
this, "If we are, we are; but such things are delightful to our
nostrils."

[7] I asked, "What more shall I write from you?" They said, "Write this.
Everyone is allowed to be in his own enjoyment, even the most unclean, as
it is called, provided he does not infest good spirits and angels, but as
we could not but infest them, we were driven off and cast into hell,
where we suffer fearful things." I asked, "Why did you infest the good?"
They replied that they could not help it; a fury seems to seize them when
they see an angel and feel the divine sphere around him. Then I said, "So
you are also like savage beasts!" On hearing this, a fury came over them
which appeared like the fire of hate, and lest they inflict some injury,
they were drawn back into hell. On enjoyments sensed as odors or as
stenches in the spiritual worl