4002. 'Is one stolen by me' means that it was not His. This becomes clear without explanation. In the sense of the letter this, it is true, sounds rather sharp; but when the phrase passes nearer to heaven it loses that sharp ring and becomes one that is mild and temperate, as also in Matthew,
Watch, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will be coming. But recognize this, if the master of the house knew at what hour the thief would be coming, he would watch, and would not let his house be broken into. Matthew 24:42-43.
In John,
If you do not wake up I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. Revelation 3:3.
In the same book,
Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who is awake and keeps his garments. Revelation 16:15.
These are references to the Lord. 'Like a thief means nothing else than suddenly and unexpectedly. 'Stealing' in the internal sense means claiming for oneself that which is the Lord's, namely good and truth. And because all do so at the beginning of their regeneration, and this is the first state of innocence, see immediately above in 4001, the expression that is used is therefore milder than it sounds in the letter. This explains why the words 'is one stolen by me' mean that it was not His.
