“ 6 Yea, every act of
this fleshly nature does gather and attract something to that mass, from the original
world of darkness, and thus binds the soul in stronger and stronger bands, to the dark
world, by increasing its connections with dark beings and things, either visible or
invisible; and thus separates it further and further from the world of light.
7 Nay, says the pure Prophet, who sees by the Divine light, there is not a single act of
the flesh that does not form an immediate connection with some dark spirit. Nor is there a
single indulgence of it in the mind, that does not open a correspondence with some such
spirit, who is thereby fed by the life of that soul; and in return, throws a part of its
own dark life and feelings upon that soul.
8 In this manner human beings bear the burdens of devils and damned souls. Therefore these
wicked spirits strive with all their influence, to make mankind increase those operations;
for there is no avenue by which they can enter, and rest their spirits upon the souls and
bodies of mankind like this.
9 This is the medium through which they first entered; for no spirit can enter the body
nor the organization of the soul, unless it can first find an entrance through its life:
for that life is a natural spirit; and all spirits that are not connected with natural
bodies, must first form a connective operation with a spirit that is connected with a
natural body, before they can operate upon it.
10 It was for this reason that the fallen spirits first introduced themselves into man,
through the life of the flesh; and there is, and ever will be, their first and main door
of entrance.
11 Hear ye, O children of
men! (saith the Prophet;)
Do ye not know that there never was any principle nor power in human nature which causes
so much pride, ambition and avarice, so much envy and revenge, so much affection, fawning
servility and flattery, until the desired object is obtained, as this nature of the flesh
or fleshly spirit?
12 Or if disappointed, it causes the most dire bitterness. Yea, and often when the object
is attained, and the passion gratified, the most bitter envy and contentious feelings
succeed. And it is never gratified without more or less of such like feelings.
13 Do ye not wonder, O children of nature, why these things, which ye know are true, are
so? The spirit of light saith unto you, It is because, by these operations, ye hold
correspondence with, and gratify the feelings of fallen angels and damned spirits, and are
bound to their cursed state, and they feed upon your life, which is not so full of anguish
as their own.
14 For these wicked spirits are full of those evil passions and corrupt propensities. And
for their pride and lusting to gratify their own wills, in disobedience to their Creator,
they were cast down from the world of light, to the regions of darkness and eternal
shades, where they are bound in unutterable anguish, and are doomed to endure the raging
fire of their own passions. But they can gratify them through the medium of human beings,
and thereby find some mitigation of their anguish and raging fire.
15 From these causes arises their desire to tempt beings who are not so deeply fallen as
themselves. When they can influence any such being to act in the passions of anger,
malice, or any evil propensity, it gives them pleasure and releasement; but none of these
passions affords them so much releasement as the operations of the lust of the flesh.
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