2041. The result is that they not only understand spiritual matters less, because they dwell on material ideas or words, but some can also be misled in regard to the Word of the Lord, when from words by themselves they seize upon a different meaning, and from self-love defend it, distorting the sense. For once they have set the meaning of the word, they thereby twist the sense, which can be done in a thousand ways. From this arise false spiritual mental images mixed with material ones, which form a harmful impediment to them in the other life, because falsities clinging to material ideas have to be dispelled. 1748, 22 May.