This image is an illustration for paragraph 1271 of Emanuel Swedenborg's Arcana Coelestia. This paragraph describes demons who

supposed that they had all power to do what they pleased, and that they could take away life from everyone: but to expose the vanity of this imagination, they were thrust down again to their infernal abodes by a little child, at whose presence they began so to totter and tremble that they could not help expressing their anguish by cries. (Swedenborg 76) 

A toddler, identified in the image subtitle as the "infant Christ," extends a hand over a group of grotesque, gargoyle-like figures writhing in pain. The child is illumined, while the other figures are cast in shadow. In this image, the victory of the tiny child over the grotesque demons simultaneously demonstrates the awesome power of Christian purity while maintaining—in the mundane innocence of the child—the basic and foundational nature of such triumph. 

Flaxman was better known as a sculptor than as a painter, but his illustrations illuminated literature and demonstrated his classical influences. He was also an influence on Romantic art, as he introduced William Blake to the New Jerusalem Church (Rix 54). Evil Spirits Cast Out likely brought new attention to Swedenborg’s work and to his innovative ideas regarding religion. Even today, the claim (discussed by Swedenborg) that all religions are equally valid is considered somewhat radical. Flaxman’s image uses light and shadow to accentuate the contrast between the purity of the child and the depravity of the evil spirits. Though his watercolor is less dramatic than the mezzotints of artists like John Martin, he captures the drama of spiritual battles very effectively.