Swedenborg Arcana Caelestia Vol. IV (1750)

If one now conceives of such a society of spirits and angels, who are in such good, for the good signified by Laban, the situation is the same. Societies do not easily recede from one with whom they have been; but when the person with whom they are departs, they become indignant and behave similarly to how Laban behaves here toward Jacob. Indeed, even if they perceive that some good has come to him through them, they say it came from them; for in their indignation, they speak from evil. It is the same with every person who is being regenerated, that is, societies are applied to him by the Lord which serve to introduce genuine goods and truths—not from them, but through them. And when the person who is being regenerated is transferred to other societies, those which were there before become indignant. But these things do not appear to the person, because he does not believe that he is in a society of spirits and angels; however, they appear clearly to the angels, and also to those to whom, by the Divine Mercy of the Lord, it is given to speak with them and to be among them as one of them. From this, it has been given to me to know that this is how things are. Spirits are very much in agreement that a person should not know this, not even that they are with him, and even more so, that many deny not only their presence, but even that hell and heaven exist; but they attribute this to the person's stupidity. Yet, a person has not the least bit of thought or will except through influx through them from the Lord; and they are those through whom the Lord mediately governs the human race, and in particular, every individual.

4078. "And God did not give him to do evil with me," signifies that he was nevertheless unable to prevent it. This is evident from the signification of "not giving to do evil," when predicated of the Lord, which is being unable to prevent. For nothing can do evil to the Divine, but preventing Him from flowing in is possible, and all evil does this. Hence it is clear what is signified here by "to do evil."

4079. "If he said this, the speckled shall be your wages, then all the flocks brought forth speckled," signifies his freedom, and that in his freedom those things were assumed by the Lord, regarding the evils adjoined to goods. This is evident from the state of the matter in the internal sense, which is that it was in his freedom to change the wages, and thus that those things were assumed in his freedom. That this refers to evils adjoined to goods is evident from the signification of "speckled" as goods with which evils are mixed, discussed in n. 3993, 3995, 4005.

4080. "And if he said this, the ring-streaked shall be your wages, then all the flocks brought forth ring-streaked," signifies the same thing regarding falsities adjoined. This is evident from what has just been said, and from the signification of "ring-streaked" as truths scattered and mixed with evils, discussed in n. 4005, and therefore [signifying] falsities.

4081. "And God took away the acquisition of your father, and gave it to me," signifies that those things are from the Divine. This is evident from what was said and shown above in n. 4065 and n. 4075.