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232. Would thou wert cold or hot. That this signifies that it is better that there should be no faith, or that there should be charity alone, is evident from the signification of, would thou wert cold, as being that it is better that there should be no faith, which will be shown in what follows; and from the signification of, or hot, as being that there should be charity alone. What is meant by charity alone will be explained in its place it shall be here first explained what is meant by there being no faith. With those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, there is indeed no faith, by which is meant no spiritual faith, or no faith of the church; yet such possess natural faith, which must be also called persuasive faith; for they believe that the Word is Divine, they believe in eternal life, also in the remission of sins, and in many other things; but such faith with those who are without charity is a persuasive faith, which does not differ from a faith in things unknown, heard from others in the world, and believed, although neither seen nor understood, because they are said by someone thought to be worthy of credit; thus, it is only the faith of another in themselves, and not their own. And this faith, which is not made their own by sight and understanding, is not unlike the belief of one born blind about colours and objects of sight in the world, who has also a dullness of touch, concerning which things he has strange ideas, which no one knows but himself.
This faith is called historical, and is by no means a spiritual faith, such as the faith of the church ought to be. Spiritual faith, or the faith of the church, is entirely from charity, so that in its essence it is charity; also, things spiritual which are believed, appear in light to those who are in charity. This I declare from experience; for everyone who has lived in charity during his abode in the world, sees, in the other life, his own truth which he believes, whereas they who have been in faith alone, see nothing at all.
[2] Nevertheless, faith merely historical, by means of thought of God, of heaven, and eternal life, has some means of degree of conjunction with heaven, but only by obscure thought, and not by the affection of charity, for this affection it has not; therefore by the affection which such persons have, which is the affection of the love of self and of the world, they are conjoined to hell. Hence it is evident that they are between heaven and hell, because they look with their eyes to heaven, and in heart to hell; to do this is to profane, and the lot of profaners in the other life is the worst of all. To profane is to believe in God, the Word, eternal life, and many things taught in the sense of the letter of the Word, and yet to live contrary to them.
[3] This is why it is said, "Would thou wert cold or hot;" for he who is cold, that is, who is without faith, does not profane; neither does he who is hot, that is, who has charity alone. (What profanation is, and what its nature, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 169, 172; and what persuasive faith is, and its nature, n. 116-119; as also that there is no spiritual faith where there is no charity, in the small work, The Last Judgment 33-39.) What charity alone is shall now be briefly stated. Charity is essentially spiritual affection, but charity alone is natural affection, and not spiritual; for charity itself, which is spiritual affection, is formed by means of truths from the Word, and in proportion as it is formed by those truths, in the same proportion it is spiritual; but charity alone, which is natural affection, is not formed by any truths from the Word, but exists with man from hearing discourses, without any regard on his part to truths, and without learning them; therefore, charity alone is also without faith, for faith is of truth, and truth of faith.
232. Would that thou wert cold or hot, signifies that it were better that there should be no faith or that there should be charity alone. This is evident from the signification of "would that thou wert cold," as being that it were better that there should be no faith (of which below); and from the signification of "or hot," as being that there should be charity alone. What charity alone is, will be shown presently; first let it be shown what no faith is. Those who are in the doctrine of faith alone have, indeed, no faith, but this means no spiritual faith, or no faith of the church; yet they have a natural faith, which may be called a persuasive faith. For they believe that the Word is divine, they believe in eternal life, in the remission of sins, and in many other things; but with those who are without charity, this belief is a persuasive faith which, regarded in itself, is not different from a belief in things not known, which are heard from others in the world and believed in, although neither seen nor understood, but because they were said by someone thought worthy of credit. This is not one's own faith, but another's faith within oneself; and such a faith, if not made our own by seeing and understanding, is not unlike the faith that one born blind and whose sense of touch is dull might have regarding colors and objects of sight in the world, of which he has an extraneous idea that no one knows but himself. This is what is called historical faith, and is not at all a spiritual faith, such as the faith of the church must be. Spiritual faith, or the faith of the church, is wholly from charity, so that in its essence it is charity; moreover, to those who are in charity, things spiritual that are believed appear in light. This I say from experience; for everyone who has lived in charity in the world sees in the other life his truths that he believes, while those who have been in faith alone, see nothing at all.
[2] Yet still faith merely historical has a kind of conjunction with heaven through thought about God, heaven, and eternal life, but only through obscure thought, and not through the affection, which is of charity, for of this it has none. Such therefore, through the affection they have, which is the affection of the love of self and the world, are conjoined to hell. From this it can be seen that such are between heaven and hell, for they look with their eyes towards heaven, and with the heart towards hell. To do this is profanation, and the lot of profaners in the other life is the worst of all. To profane is to believe in God, in the Word, in eternal life, and in many things taught in the sense of the letter of the Word, and still to live contrary to them.
[3] It is for this reason then that it is said, "would that thou wert cold or hot;" for he who is cold, that is, without faith, does not profane; neither does he who is hot, that is, who has charity alone. (What profanation is and the nature of it, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 169, 172; and what and of what nature the persuasive faith is, n. 116-119; also, that there is no spiritual faith where there is no charity, in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39.) It shall now be told briefly what charity alone is. Charity regarded in itself is a spiritual affection, but charity alone is natural affection, and not spiritual; for charity itself, which is spiritual affection, is formed by truths from the Word, and so far as it is formed by these, so far it is spiritual. But charity alone, which is natural affection, is not formed by any truths from the Word, but exists with man from hearing discourses, without giving heed to truths or learning them; therefore charity alone is without faith, for faith is of truth, and truth is of faith.
232. "Utinam frigidus esses aut calidus." - Quod significet quod praestet ut nulla fides, aut ut sit sola charitas, constat ex significatione "Utinam frigidus esses", quod sit quod praestet ut nulla fides sit (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "aut calidus", quod sit ut sit sola charitas. Quid sola charitas, dicetur in sequentibus; hic primum quid nulla fides. Est quidem illis, qui in doctrina de sola fide, nulla fides; sed est nulla fides spiritualis, seu nulla fides ecclesiae, ast est fides naturalis, quae etiam fides persuasiva dicenda est. Credunt enim quod Verbum sit Divinum, credunt vitam aeternam, et credunt remissionem peccatorum, et plura alia; sed fides illa, apud eos qui absque charitate sunt, est fides persuasiva, quae in se spectata non differt a fide rerum ignotarum quae audiuntur ab aliis in mundo, et creduntur tametsi non visae aut non intellectae, sed quia dictae a quodam quem putant fide dignum: ita est fides alius in se et non sua: et fides alius in se, et non facta sua per visum et intellectum, non absimilis est fidei caeci nati de coloribus et aspectabilibus mundi, cui etiam tactus gravis est; de quibus extraneam ideam habet, quam nemo novit quam ipse. Haec fides est quae vocatur fides historica, et nullatenus fides spiritualis qualis erit fides ecclesiae. Fides spiritualis seu fides ecclesiae omnis est ex charitate, sic ut in sua essentia sit charitas; etiam res spirituales quae creduntur, apparent in luce illis qui in charitate sunt. Ab experientia hoc dico; quisque enim qui in mundo in charitate vixit, in altera vita videt sua vera quae credit; at qui in sola fide fuerunt prorsus nihil vident.
[2] Sed usque fides solum historica per cogitationem de Deo, de caelo, deque vita aeterna, aliquam conjunctionem habet cum caelo, Verum solum per cogitationem obscuram, non autem per affectionem quae est charitatis, haec enim nulla est; quapropter per affectionem quae illis, quae est affectio amoris sui et mundi, conjuncti sunt inferno. Inde constare potest quod sint inter caelum et infernum, spectant nempe oculis ad caelum, et corde ad infernum; et qui ita faciunt illi profanant, ac profanatorum sors in altera vita omnium pessima est: profanare est credere Deum, Verbum, vitam aeternam, et plura quae in sensu litterae Verbi dicuntur, et usque vivere contra illa.
[3] Inde nunc est quod dicatur, "Utinam frigidus esses aut calidus"; nam qui frigidus est, hoc est, absque fide, non profanat, nec qui calidus, hoc est, cui sola charitas. (Quid profanatio, et qualis illa, videatur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 169, 172; at quid et qualis fides persuasiva, n. 116-119; tum quod nulla fides spiritualis sit ubi non charitas, in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio 33-39.) Paucis nunc dicetur quid sola charitas. Charitas in se spectata est affectio spiritualis; at sola charitas est affectio naturalis et non spiritualis; ipsa enim charitas, quae est affectio spiritualis, formatur per vera ex Verbo, et quantum per illa formatur tantum spiritualis est; at sola charitas, quae est affectio naturalis, non formatur per aliqua vera ex Verbo, sed existit apud hominem ex auditione praedicationum praeter quod attendat ad vera et discat illa; proinde sola charitas etiam est absque fide, nam fides est veri et verum est fidei.