of the church at heart but immerse them
entirely in their proprium, which is a love of ruling over all things, of
which much has been said before. After death, when they become spirits,
they do not want to be led by the Lord but by themselves. When loose rein
is given their love, they want to rule not only over heaven but over the
Lord, too; and as they cannot do this, they deny the Lord and become
devils. It should be known that the life's love, which is one's reigning
love, remains with everyone after death and cannot be taken away.

[8] Profaners of this class are meant by the lukewarm, of whom it is
written in the Apocalypse:

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; would that you were
cold or hot; but because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I
will spue you out of my mouth (3:14, 15, 16).

This manner of profanation is also described by the Lord in Matthew:

When the unclean spirit goes out from a man, he walks through dry places,
seeking rest but finds none. Then he says, I will return to the house
whence I came out. When he returns and finds it empty, swept and
garnished for him, he goes and gathers to him seven other spirits worse
than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of the
man is worse than the first (12:43-45).

The conversion of the man is described by the unclean spirit's going out
of him; his reverting to his former evils when things good and true have
been cast out, is described by the return of the unclean spirit with
seven worse than himself into the house garnished for him; and the
profanation of the holy by what is profane is described by the last state
of that man being worse than the first. The same is meant by this passage
in John,

Jesus said to the man healed in the pool of Bethesda: Sin no more, lest
something worse befall you (5:14).

[9] That the Lord provides that man shall not acknowledge truths inwardly
and afterwards leave them and become profane, is meant by these words:

He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not
see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and be converted,
and I should heal them (Jn 12:40).

"Lest they should be converted, and I should heal them" signifies lest
they should acknowledge truths and then depart from them and thus become
profane. For the same reason the Lord spoke in parables, as He Himself
says (Mt 13:13). The Jews were forbidden to eat fat and blood (Lev 3:1