SD 4412-4413 - Paul

SD 4412-4413
Paul is among the worst of the apostles . . ..
The love of self, in which he was ensnared before he preached the gospel,
remained with him also afterwards,
and because he was then, for the most part, in a like state,
he was prompted by that love 
and by his nature to wish to be in scenes of tumult.
He did all things from the end of being greatest in heaven,
and of judging the tribes of Israel.
That he remained such afterwards appears from very much experience,
for I spoke with him more than with others;
and he is such,
that the rest of the apostles in the other life rejected him from their company,
and no longer recognize him for one of themselves.
. . . he associated himself to one of the worst devils,
who would fain rule all things,
and pledged himself to this spirit to obtain for him his end;
besides many other things, which it would be too tedious to relate.
If all the things which I know concerning Paul should be related,
they would be enough to fill sheets.
That he wrote epistles does not prove
that he was such [as that would seem to imply],
for even the impious can preach well and write epistles;
it is one thing to be,
and another to speak and to write, as was also said to him.
Moreover he has not mentioned, in his epistles,
the least word of what the Lord taught, nor cited one of his parables,
so that he received nothing from the life and discourse of the Lord,
as was also said to him,
when yet in the Evangelists is the very Gospel itself.

There was a certain one 
who was insensible to the internal sense of the Word,
because he wished to place merit in his actions (:Paul:).
He was for a long time at a distance from me,
and also among the worst class of spirits.
He now associated himself with the worst devils,
and now wished to form a heaven to himself [of spirits]
to whom he might give joys from himself,
but the joys of cupidities and pleasures;
this also he attempted, but he became worse in consequence of it,
and was cast down. I then spoke to him that this was not heaven but hell;
and it was actually turned into a black hell.
He wished especially to have hypocrites [about him]
concerning whom I spoke with him;
there were hypocrites with me for several days,
which I was able to know by the pain in my teeth:
they tacitly pressed upon me without intermission;
and it was perceived and said that this was from Paul,
who hates the internal sense,
and that the anger of that hatred
has the effect of drawing hypocrites [about him],
and that such is the connection of things,
for hypocrites believe nothing,
but still esteem the literal sense of the Word,
because they can then take many things
and apply them in persuading the vulgar,
and thus contrive to appear pious.