4131. I observed moreover, that spirits and angels are never able to discover or utter anything of truth from themselves; as often as they were left to themselves, with a view to such discovery, they were wholly incompetent to it. Whatever they lay hold of, it is not truth, as, for instance, in respect to the interior sense of the Word, they were never able to discover it of themselves, and when the spirits were sometimes indignant, I perceived that it was in consequence of this inability. The case is the same with a man, who is never able of himself to do anything good or to think anything true, though it seems to himself that he does, but the impression is false; as when one trusts to his own prudence, he thinks the result to be due to himself, and yet it tends to evil, if not in the life of the body, as it seems to him, yet still in the other life. It hence appears evident that all good and truth is from the Lord. - 1749, January 4.