quality of his will therein, and of his understanding
concerning them. These observations I am allowed to confirm by the
following relation: In the spiritual world I have met several who in the
natural world had lived like others, being sumptuous in their dress,
giving costly entertainments, frequenting the exhibitions of the stage,
jesting loosely on love topics, with other similar practices; and yet
the angels accounted those things as evils of sin to some, and not to
others, declaring the latter guiltless, and the former guilty. Being
questioned why they did so, when all had done alike, they replied that
they regard all from their purpose, intention, or end, and distinguish
accordingly; and that therefore they excuse or condemn those whom the
end either excuses or condemns, since an end of good influences all in
heaven, and an end of evil all in hell.

528. To the above I will add the following observation: it is said in
the church that no one can fulfil the law, and the less so, because he
that offends against one precept of the decalogue, offends against all:
but this form of speaking is not such as it sounds; for it is to be
understood thus, that he who, from purpose or confirmation, acts against
one precept, acts against the rest; since to act so from purpose or
confirmation is to deny that it is a sin; and he who denies that it is a
sin, makes nothing of acting against the rest of the precepts. Who does
not know, that he that is an adulterer is not on that account a
murderer, a thief, and a false witness, or wishes to be so? But he that
is a determined and confirmed adulterer makes no account of anything
respecting religion, thus neither does he make any account of murder,
theft, and false witness; and he abstains from these evils, not because
they are sins, but because he is afraid of the law and of the loss of
reputation. That determined and confirmed adulterers make no account of
the holy things of the church and religion, may be seen above, n.
490-493, and in the two MEMORABLE RELATIONS, n. 500, 521, 522: it is a
similar case, if any one, from purpose or confirmation, acts against any
other precept of the decalogue; he also acts against the rest because he
does not regard anything as sin.

529. The case is similar with those who are principled in good from the
Lord: if these from will and understanding, or from purpose and
confirmation, abstain from any one evil because it is a sin, they
abstain from all ev