I spoke with evil spirits, all of whom want to claim to themselves the government of all and the least things, and then I saw around me countless spirits who were all contributing something to the thoughts and to chains of thoughts. The thoughts were, however, as usual, in connected series, and I realized by a spiritual mental image that since there were so many spirits, beyond number, who are all coming together to form a series of thoughts, it cannot be otherwise than that there be one governing all of them, arranging them into series. And others who constantly disagree and resist, must harmonize, so that any number of resistant spirits would still not impede the process. Unless there were one, Who is the Lord, because our faith is in Him, there could be no thought at all, but instead, out of so many different spirits, even beyond number, would arise commotion, chaos and nothingness. They could not help admitting the same, because they were enabled to see it by a spiritual mental image. Hence they may know that the Lord governs all things, both general and most particular, and that without His government, the whole would collapse. Those who were claiming that government to themselves, because they were opposed to each other, retorted that they were able to rule. I replied by asking, who is it that governs them who number legions of legions, all against one another?-for they are all dominated by hatred, because by the love of self. 1748, 21 May.