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837. Having now treated at some length of faith and works, I propose to briefly summarise what has been said under the following observations.
1. That every man after death becomes his own love, and that the spirit of man is nothing but the affection of his love. Therefore, when a man becomes a spirit, he thinks and consequently speaks from his own affection; he also wills and thence acts from his own affection, and then he also desires and takes in the things belonging to his affection or love, and those which do not agree with it, he turns away from and rejects. In fact, his face becomes successively that of his affection or love, and he is afterwards known from this; so, too, is he known from his speech, the tone of which is the tone of his affection. In a word, a man after death becomes his own love, or his own affection, in form. Therefore when any one speaks against the affection of a man's love, or assaults it, his face changes, and he himself also goes away or vanishes suddenly.
Since all men after death are the substances and forms of their own love, therefore the whole heaven, which consists of angels who have been men, is divided into societies according to the classes and species of affections, thus according to all the differences and varieties thereof. In the same way hell, which also consists of spirits who have been men, is divided into societies according to affections the opposite of those that are heavenly, and according to all their differences and varieties in general and particular. That a man after death is his own love, or the affection of his love, has been hitherto unknown in the world; for men have believed that affection is of no account, while thought is; and this because man had not the power of reflecting upon the affections, and their variations in himself, but only upon the thoughts and their variations; for the latter he sees, as it were, inwardly in himself, but not his affections. And what is not seen in thought and made evident is not noticed. He, however, who is wise is able to know his affections from his thoughts; for the latter manifest themselves in the former, when a man is in the freedom of his spirit and with himself alone. For he then thinks from the affection of his love. Nor is thought anything else but affection made visible in various form by the influx of light. If, therefore, you were to take away affection, thought would immediately cease; just as light does if you take away flame. From these things it is evident how important it is to acquire for oneself heavenly love or affection; how this can be done will be shown in what follows. Let it be observed that by affection is meant love in its continuity.
[2] 2. That the whole life of man is the life of his love, and that the love and life in man make one, and are one, is evident from what has been said above - that every one appears in the spiritual world with a face like his love; that he speaks, thinks, wills, desires, lusts, rejoices, and is sad, in agreement with it, and that these constitute his life, and proceed from it. That this is the case is quite clear from spirits and angels, all of whom are men both in face and body. As soon as the love of any one is assaulted, he vanishes with his whole body, even although shut up in a chamber, as has been seen by me frequently. It was evident, therefore, that an angel and spirit is not only affection in a human form, but also that his whole life from the head to the sole of the foot, or from his hat to his shoe, is nothing but affection of love. Otherwise a spirit could not wholly disappear from the eyes of those sitting with him. Inquiry was made whether his bodily form and its members is also an affection of love; and this was found to be the case with every thing pertaining to them. The reason of this is, that the whole heaven, which, as was said above, is divided and formed into societies according to all the differences and varieties of affections, resembles one man, and all angels and spirits are consequently human forms. Therefore as heaven is the aggregate of all affections, so also is an angel and a spirit; these are the least forms of heaven.
Hence this mystery was made plain to me, and was also confirmed from heaven, that every thing in man, both mind and body, are forms of love in a wonderful series, and that the organs of the cerebrum and face, also the members and viscera of the body, are continuous structures corresponding to the affections of the societies of heaven. So also, another mystery was made known to me - that the affections, and thence the thoughts of the mind, extend and diffuse themselves into every thing belonging to the body, as into the field of their activity; this field is from the affection of the mind and its thought for uses, from which, in which, and according to which, the members and viscera of the body are formed. The case here is similar to that which happens with the affections and thoughts of the angels, which diffuse themselves in every direction into heaven and its societies. The wisdom of the angels is according to their extension. But upon this subject more may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, namely, that all the angels are images of heaven, and thus, as it were, heavens in least forms (n. 41-58). That the whole heaven resembles one man, and that hence angels and spirits are human forms (n. 59-102). That all thought from affection, proceeding from the angels, has extension into the societies of heaven, according to the quality of their love and wisdom (n. 200-212).
[3] 3. Since love constitutes a man's life, and man will live to eternity, according to his life acquired in the world, either in heaven or in hell, it is a matter of the highest importance to know how heavenly love is acquired, so that his life, which is to have no end, may be blessed and happy.
[4] 4. There are two primary faculties of man's life, namely, the will and the understanding. The will is the receptacle of all things pertaining to good, and the understanding is the receptacle of all things pertaining to truth from that good. A man cannot be reformed but by means of these two faculties of his life, and by their being filled with goods and truths. Reformation is effected in the following order. First, a man must fill his memory with the knowledges and cognitions of truth and good, by means of which he will acquire the light (lumen) of reason; and especially he must learn that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that there are a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death, and that the Word is holy.
[5] 5. Then he must learn what evils are sins; first from the Decalogue, and afterwards from the Word throughout. And he must think that they are sins against God, and that therefore they keep back and separate man from heaven, and condemn and sentence him to hell. This is why the first thing in reformation is to desist from sins, to shun them, and at length to become averse to them; but in order to do this, he must ask the Lord for aid. He must also shun and hold them in aversion, because they are opposed to the Word, thus to the Lord, and consequently to heaven, and because they are in themselves infernal.
[6] 6. So far as a man shuns evils, and is averse to them because they are sins, and thinks of heaven, his salvation, and eternal life; so far is he adopted by the Lord, conjoined to heaven, and gifted, to the same extent, with spiritual affection; which is such that he not only desires to know truths, but also to understand them, also to will and to do them.
[7] 7. Thus is a man reformed by the Lord. And so far as a man then knows and understands truths, and also wills and does them, so far does he become a new man, in other words, a regenerate man, and he becomes an angel of heaven, who possesses heavenly love and life.
[8] 8. His love and life are altogether such as the works of his will are; and the works of the will are according to the truths that are applied to life. The knowledges of truth and good which man has acquired for himself from infancy, and with which he has filled his memory, do not live in him until he begins to be affected with truths because they are truths, and also to will and do them. Previous to this they only stand outside a man's life.
[9] 9. By good works are meant every thing that a man does after he has become averse to evils because they are sins against God; for then he no longer does them of himself but from the Lord. He then also learns every day what he is to do. He has also a clear discernment of goods and evils; he shuns the latter and does the former with prudence, intelligence, and wisdom. So far concerning love, which constitutes the life of man. Something shall now be said concerning faith.
[10] 10. The ancients did not know what faith is; but in place of faith they had truth. For truth, when perceived, or seen in the understanding, and thus acknowledged, is believed for its own sake. Therefore it cannot be said of it that one must have faith in it, for faith is in it. For example, suppose any one sees a tree and flower in a garden, and another were to say to him that he ought to believe, or have faith in the existence of the tree and flower, and that it is such and such a tree and flower; would not he answer, why do you want me to believe, or have faith in this, when I see it myself? This is why the angels of the third heaven, because they perceive truths from good, are not willing even to mention faith, nor indeed to know that it exists. Neither do the angels of the second heaven acknowledge the term faith, because they see truths from the light of truth, with which their understanding is enlightened. They wonder and smile, when they hear any one say, that the understanding is to be held captive in obedience to faith, and that one must have faith in things not perceived and not seen. They then say that in this way falsity might be believed, and be placed by confirmations, as it were, in light, and truth itself, as it were, in darkness; and thus truth might become the sport of falsity, as one plays with a ball.
[11] 11. When the world could no longer see truths from the love of them and from the light of them, owing to their becoming natural and external, then faith began to be spoken of; and everything connected with faith began to be called truth, although not perceived or seen, but merely affirmed by some leader of thought, and confirmed from passages of the Word not understood. This is the state in which the churches are at this day in the Christian world; in each of which it is believed that the doctrinals of their faith are true; and this for no other reason than that they are held by the church of their country. That nevertheless it is neither perceived nor seen whether they are true, is evident from the many discussions, disputations, opinions and heresies concerning them, in general and in particular, both at home and abroad.
[12] 12. So long as faith was conjoined to works, and charity was acknowledged as an equal with faith, or above it, so long was the church in truths from the Word, although they were few, because they did not see them. As soon, however, as faith was separated from charity, the church lapsed from truths into falsities, and at length into a faith that has destroyed all the truths of the church. This faith is that of justification and salvation by the merit of the Lord with the Father. For since this faith alone, and separated, moreover, from the goods of life, which are good works, saves, what need is there of truths that teach the way and lead to heaven? Live and believe however you like, and merely hold that faith, and you will be saved. But let me tell thee, my reader, that all who live that faith are in natural love separated from spiritual love; and such love is the love of self and the world, and thence the love of all evils, and from the evils the love of all falsities; and that all such are so empty, and at the same time so blind, that they do not know even a single genuine truth of the church, nor do they see one in the Word, although they have it and read it. Many of them also are such as to have no desire to know or see truth of any kind.
[13] 13. The reason is, that no truth, still less anything that can be called faith, can possibly exist with a man, unless he wills and does it; for previous to this it is not a truth of the life, but only a truth of the memory, which is extraneous to the man and not within him; and what is extraneous is dissipated. Hence it is evident, that faith without works is not faith, unless it is a faith of falsity from evil, which is a dead faith, such as reigns in hell.
837. As many things have been said about faith and works, I will now bring them together in a brief summary, as follows:
1. Every man after death comes to be his own love, and the spirit of man is nothing but the affection that is of his love; when therefore a man becomes a spirit he thinks and thence speaks from his affection; he also wills and thus acts from his affection; and he desires and imbibes the things that are of his affection or love, and those that do not belong to his affection or love he turns away from and rejects. And in fact, his face gradually becomes the face of his affection or love, from which he is then known, as he is also known from his speech, the tone of which is the tone of his affection. In a word, a man after death becomes his love or his affection in form; and consequently when anyone speaks against the affection which is of his love, or assaults it, his face is changed, and he himself goes away or suddenly vanishes. As all men after death are the substances and forms of their love, therefore the whole heaven, which consists of angels who have been men, is divided into societies according to the genera and species of the affections, thus according to all the differences and varieties of the affections. And hell, also, which consists of spirits who have been men, is divided into societies according to the affections opposite to heavenly affections, and according to all the differences and varieties of these in general and in particular. That man after death is his love, or his affection which is of the love, has been heretofore unknown in the world; for the world has believed that affection does nothing and that thought does everything; and for the reason that man has not been able to reflect upon the affections and the variations of them in himself, but only upon thoughts and their variations; for thoughts he sees inwardly in himself as it were, but not affections; and what does not reach the sight of his thought, and thus become manifest, is not considered by him. But whoever is wise can know his affections by his thoughts; for the affections manifest themselves in the thoughts whenever a man is in the freedom of his spirit and is alone with himself; for he then thinks from the affection which belongs to his love. Nor is thought anything else than affection made visible in various forms by the influx of light; therefore if you take away affection the thought immediately perishes, just as light does if you take away the flame. From this it is clear how important it is to acquire for oneself heavenly love or affection. How this is acquired shall be told in what follows. But it is to be known that by affection love in its continuity is meant.
[2] That the whole life of man is the life of his love, and that the love and the life make one and are one with man, can be seen from what has been said above, namely, that everyone appears in the spiritual world with a face according to his love, that he speaks according to it, thinks, wills, desires, lusts, rejoices, and is sad, according to it, and these are the things that constitute his life, and that proceed from it. That this is so is clearly evident in the case of spirits and angels, who are all men both in face and in body; for as soon as the love of one of them is assaulted he vanishes with his whole body, even though he were sitting shut up in a room; and this I have frequently seen; and thus it was made clear that an angel or spirit is not only an affection in a human form, but also that his whole life from the head to the sole of the foot, or from cap to shoe, is nothing but affection which is of love; otherwise he could not have wholly vanished from the eyes of those sitting by him. When inquiry was made whether his corporeal form with its members is also affection which is of the love, it was found that each thing and all things of these were so; for the reason that the universal heaven, which, as has been said above, is divided and formed into societies according to all the differences and varieties of the affections, has a relation to one man, and from this all angels and spirits are human forms; therefore as heaven is a complex of all affections, so, too, is an angel and a spirit, who are least forms of heaven. This arcanum was thus made clear to me, and it was also confirmed from heaven, that all things and everything of man, both of his mind and of his body, are forms of love in a wonderful series, and that the organs of the brain and of the face, as also the members and viscera of the body, are perpetual contextures corresponding to those affections of heaven in which its societies are. And from this still another arcanum was made clear to me, namely, that the affections of the mind and the thoughts therefrom spread out and pour themselves forth into all things of the body, as into the field of their excursion and circumgyration, which field and circumgyration are from the affection of the mind and its thought into the uses from which, in which, and according to which, the members and viscera of the body are formed. For it is similar as with the affections and thoughts therefrom of the angels, in that they pour themselves forth in every direction into heaven and its societies; and according to their extension is the wisdom of the angels. (But on this see further in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that all angels are images of heaven, and thus are as it were heavens in the least form, n. 51-58; that the universal heaven has a relation to one man; and that thence angels and spirits are human forms, n. 59-102; that all thought from affection proceeding from angels has extension into the societies of heaven according to the quality of their love and wisdom, n 200-212.)
[3] Since love constitutes the life of man, and man is to live to eternity either in heaven or in hell in accordance with the life he has acquired in the world, it is a matter of the highest importance to know how man acquires heavenly love and becomes imbued with it, so that his life, which is to have no end, may be blessed and happy.
[4] There are two chief faculties of man's life, namely, the will and the understanding. The will is the receptacle of all things of good, and the understanding is the receptacle of all things of truth from that good. Man cannot be reformed except by means of these two faculties of life, and only by their being filled by goods and truths. Reformation is effected in this order: first, man must fill the memory with knowledges and cognitions of truth and good, and by means of these he must acquire for himself the light of reason; especially he must learn that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death, and that the Word is holy.
[5] Next he must learn what evils are sins, first from the Decalogue, and afterwards from the Word everywhere, and must think that they are sins against God, and that they therefore withhold and separate man from heaven, and condemn and sentence him to hell. Consequently, the first thing of reformation is to refrain from sins, to shun them, and finally to be averse to them; but that he may refrain from them, shun them, and be averse to them he must pray to the Lord for help. But he must shun them and turn away from them because they are opposed to the Word, thus opposed to the Lord, and thence opposed to heaven, and because they are in themselves infernal.
[6] So far as man shuns evils, and turns away from them because they are sins, and thinks about heaven, his salvation and eternal life, so far he is adopted by the Lord, and conjoined to heaven, and so far he is endowed with spiritual affection, which is such that he not only wishes to know truths, but also to understand them, and to will and do them.
[7] Thus is man reformed by the Lord; and so far as he then knows and understands truths and wills and does them, so far he becomes a new man, that is, a regenerate man, and thus becomes an angel of heaven, and has a heavenly love and life.
[8] The love and life of such a one are wholly according to the works of his will; and the works of the will are according to the truths that are applied to the life. The knowledges of truth and good that a man has acquired for himself from infancy, and with which he has filled his memory, are not living in him until he begins to be affected by truths because they are truths, and begins to will and to do them. Until then they are only outside of the life of man. 9.
[9] By good works are meant each and every thing that a man does after he has turned away from evils because they are sins against God; for then he no longer does good works or operates them from self but from the Lord. He then also learns daily what he is to do; and he has a clear discernment of goods and evils, and shuns evils and does good with prudence, intelligence, and wisdom. Thus much respecting the love, which constitutes the life of man. Something shall now be said respecting faith.
[10] The ancients did not know what faith is; but in place of faith they had truth; for when truth is perceived or is seen in the understanding, and thus acknowledged, it is believed on its own account; consequently it cannot be said of it that faith must be had in it, since faith is in it. If, for example, one sees a tree and a flower in a garden, and another should say that he should believe or have faith that there is a tree and a flower there, and that it is such a tree and such a flower, would he not answer, Why do you wish me to believe or to have faith in this when I myself see it? This is why the angels of the third heaven, since they perceive truths from good, are unwilling even to mention faith, and in fact, do not know that it exists; and why angels of the second heaven, since they see truths from the light of truth by which their understanding is enlightened, do not acknowledge the word faith. They wonder and laugh when they hear anyone saying that the understanding is to be held captive under obedience to faith, and that one should have faith in what is not perceived and seen; and they say that in this way what is false may be believed, and by confirmations be placed as if in light, and truth itself as if in darkness; and thus falsity may play with truth as with a ball.
[11] When the world could no longer see truths from the love of them and from their light, because men had become natural and external, then faith began to be mentioned, and everything of faith began to be called truth, although it was not perceived or seen but only asserted by some leader and confirmed by passages of the Word not understood. This is the condition of the churches in the Christian world at this day, in every one of which the doctrinals of their faith are believed to be truths, and this for the sole reason that these are held by the church of their native land; and yet that it is not perceived or seen whether they are true is clear from the discussions, disputings, opinions, and heresies respecting them, in general and in particular, both public and private.
[12] So long as faith was joined with works, and charity was acknowledged in an equal degree with faith, or above it, the church was in truths from the Word, but only in a few, because they did not see them. But as soon as faith was separated from charity the church fell from truths into falsities, and at length into a faith that has destroyed all the truths of the church. This faith is a faith in justification and salvation by the merit of the Lord with the Father. For if man is saved by this faith alone, and this faith also is separated from the goods of life, which are good works, what need is there of truths, which teach the way to heaven and lead to it? Live and believe in any way you wish, and merely hold that faith, and you will be saved. But let me tell you, my reader, that all who live that faith are in natural love separated from spiritual love; and natural love separated from spiritual love is the love of self and the world, and thus the love of all evils and of all falsities from evils; and that all who thus live are so empty and so blind that they do not even know and do not see a single genuine truth of the church in the Word, although they have it and read it; and many of them have no desire to know or see truth of any kind.
[13] The reason for this is that there is no truth with man, still less any faith, unless he wills it and does it, for until then it is not a truth of the life, but only a truth of the memory, which is outside of man and not within him; and what is outside of him is dispersed. From this it is clear that faith without works is not faith-unless it be a faith in falsity from evil, which is a dead faith, such as reigns in hell.
837. Quoniam hactenus plura dicta sunt de fide et de operibus, velim nunc eadem in summam breviter conferre, quae haec est: (1.) Quod omnis homo post mortem fiat suus amor, et quod spiritus hominis non sit nisi quam affectio quae amoris ejus est; quare homo cum fit spiritus, ex affectione sua cogitat et inde loquitur, tum ex affectione sua vult et inde facit, et tunc illa quae affectionis seu amoris ejus sunt desiderat et haurit, et quae non affectionis seu amoris sunt aversatur et rejicit; immo facies ejus successive fit facies affectionis seu amoris ejus; inde postea cognoscitur; tum etiam ex loquela, cujus sonus est ejus affectionis sonus. Verbo, homo post mortem fit suus amor seu sua affectio in forma; quapropter dum aliquis contra affectionem quae amoris ejus est, loquitur, aut illam impugnat, mutatur facies ejus, et quoque ipse abit, aut subito evanescit. Quoniam omnes homines post mortem sunt substantiae et formae amoris sui, ideo universum caelum, quod ex angelis qui fuerunt homines consistit, in societates secundum affectionum genera et species, ita secundum omnes affectionum differentias et varietates, distinctum est; similiter infernum, quod etiam ex spiritibus qui fuerunt homines consistit, in societates secundum affectiones caelestibus oppositas, et secundum omnes illarum differentias et varietates in genere et in specie, distinctum est. Quod homo post mortem sit suus amor, seu sua affectio quae amoris, hactenus in mundo ignotum fuit; mundus enim crediderat quod affectio nihil faciat, sed quod cogitatio, ex causa qua homo non potuit reflectere super affectiones et illarum varia apud se, sed super cogitationes et earum varia; enim intus in se quasi videt, non autem affectiones; Et quae non ad visum cogitationis ejus perveniunt, et sic se manifestant, non animadvertit: sed qui sapiens est, is ex cogitationibus suis affectiones suas nosse potest, in illis enim se manifestant, dum homo in sui spiritus libero est, et solus apud se nam cogitat tunc ex affectione quae amoris ejus est; cogitatio nec aliud est quam affectio per lucis influxum visibilis in variis formis facta; quare si aufers affectionem, perit illico cogitatio, sicut lux si aufers flammam. Ex his constare potest, quantum interest comparare sibi amorem seu affectionem caelestem, quae quomodo comparatur, dicetur in his sequentibus. Sciendum est quod per affectionem intelligatur amor in suo continuo.
[2] (2.) Quod tota vita hominis sit vita amoris ejus, et quod amor et vita apud hominem unum faciant, ac unum sint, constare potest ex supra dictis; quod nempe quisque in mundo spirituali appareat facie secundum amorem suum, loquatur secundum illum, cogitet, velit, desideret, cupiat, laetetur, contristetur secundum illum; et haec sunt quae faciunt vitam, ac procedunt a vita: quod ita sit, manifeste constat ex spiritibus et angelis, qui omnes sunt tam facie quam corpore homines; ut primum aliquis impugnat eorum amorem, evanescit ille cum toto suo corpore, tametsi inclusus conclavi sederet, quod saepius mihi visum est; ex quo patuit quod angelus et spiritus non modo sit affectio in forma humana, sed etiam quod tota vita ejus a capite ad plantam pedis, seu a pileo ad calceum, non sit nisi quam affectio quae amoris; alioqui non potuisset totus ex oculis assidentium evanescere. Inquisitum est num forma ejus corporea cum ejus membris etiam sit affectio quae amoris, et compertum est quod omnia et singula eorum sint; causa est, quia universum caelum, quod, ut supra dictum est, in societates secundum omnes differentias et varietates affectionum distinctum et formatum est, refert unum Hominem, et omnes angeli et spiritus inde sunt formae humanae; quare sicut caelum est complexus omnium affectionum, ita quoque angelus et spiritus, qui sunt minimae formae caeli. Inde patuit mihi hoc arcanum, quod etiam confirmatum est e caelo, quod omnia et singula hominis tam quae mentis ejus sunt quam quae corporis, sint formae amoris in mirabili serie; et quod organa cerebri et faciei, tum membra et viscera corporis, sint perpetuae contexturae correspondentes affectionibus caeli, in quibus sunt societates ejus. Inde adhuc aliud arcanum mihi patuit, quod nempe affectiones et inde cogitationes mentis exspatientur et se effundant in omnia corporis, sicut in campum sui excursus et circumgyrationis; qui campus et circumgyratio est a mentis affectione et ejus cogitatione in usus, ex quibus, in quibus et ad quos membra et viscera corporis formata sunt; simile enim id est cum affectionibus et inde cogitationibus angelorum, quod illae quaquaversum in caelum et ejus societates se effundant, et quod sapientia angelorum sit secundum extensionem illarum. (Sed de his videantur plura in opere De Caelo et Inferno, Quod, nempe, omnes Angeli sint imagines Caeli, et sic quasi Caeli in minima forma, n. 41-58:
quod universum Caelum referat unum Hominem, et quod inde Angeli et Spiritus sint Formae humanae, n. 59-102:
quod omnis cogitatio ex affectione procedens ab Angelis extensionem habeat in Caeli Societates secundum quale amoris et sapientiae illorum, n. 200-212.)
[3] (3.) Quoniam amor facit vitam hominis, et homo secundum vitam suam comparatam in mundo victurus est in aeternum, vel in caelo vel in inferno, maxime interest scire quomodo comparatur ac imbuitur amor caelestis, ut vita ejus absque fine beata et felix sit.
[4] (4.) Sunt binae facultates primariae vitae hominis, nempe, voluntas et intellectus. Voluntas est receptaculum omnium boni, ac intellectus est receptaculum omnium veri ex illo bono. Homo non potest nisi quam per binas illas facultates vitae reformari, et nisi quam per impletionem illarum ex bonis et veris. Reformatio fit hoc ordine: Homo primum implebit memoriam ex scientiis et cognitionibus veri et boni, per quas sibi comparabit lumen rationis; ac imprimis discet quod Deus unus sit, quod Dominus sit Deus caeli et terrae, quod caelum ac infernum sint, quod vita post mortem sit, et quod Verbum sanctum sit.
[5] (5.) Tunc discet quae mala sunt peccata, primum ex decalogo, et postea ex Verbo ubivis, et cogitabit quod peccata sint contra Deum, et quod illa ideo detineant ac separent hominem a caelo, ac condemnent illum et adjudicent inferno. Inde est quod primum reformationis sit a peccatis desistere, illa fugere et tandem aversari; ut autem desistat ab illis, fugiat illa et aversetur illa, supplicabit Dominum de ope; sed fugiet et aversabitur illa quia sunt contra Verbum, ita contra Dominum, et inde contra caelum, et quia in se sunt infernalia.
[6] (6.) Quantum homo fugit et aversatur mala quia peccata sunt, et cogitat de caelo, de sua salute et vita aeterna, tantum adoptatur a Domino et conjungitur caelo, ac tantum donatur affectione spirituali, quae est ut non modo velit scire vera, sed etiam intelligere illa, tum velle et facere illa.
[7] (7.) Ita homo a Domino reformatur; et quantum tunc scit et intelligit vera, ac vult et facit illa, tantum fit novus, qui est homo regeneratus, et qui fit angelus caeli, cui est amor et vita caelestis.
[8] (8.) Amor et [vita] ejus sunt prorsus sicut opera voluntatis ejus, et opera voluntatis sunt sicut vera quae applicata vitae sunt. Cognitiones veri et boni, quas homo ab infantia sibi comparavit, ex quibus implevit memoriam, non prius vivunt apud illum, quam dum incipit affici veris quia sunt vera, ac incipit velle et facere illa; prius sunt modo extra vitam hominis.
[9] (9.) Per bona opera intelliguntur omnia et singula quae homo facit, postquam aversatus est mala quia sunt peccata contra Deum, tunc enim non amplius a se sed a Domino illa facit et operatur; discit etiam tunc indies quid facturus est: discernit etiam bona et quoque mala, et haec fugit et illa facit cum prudentia, intelligentia et sapientia. Haec dicta sunt de amore, qui facit vitam hominis: nunc dicetur de fide.
[10] (10.) Antiqui non sciverunt quid fides, sed pro fide illis fuit veritas; veritas enim dum percepta est, aut intellectu visa, et sic agnita, ex se creditur; quare de illa non dici potest quod ei fides habenda sit, quia fides est in illa: sicut pro exemplo, qui in horto videt arborem ac florem, et alter dicturus esset, quod crederet seu fidem haberet quod arbor sit et quod flos sit, ac talis arbor et talis flos, annon alter responsurus esset, Quid velis ut hoc credam, aut ejus fidem habeam, dum ipse video? Inde est quod angeli tertii caeli, quia ex bono percipiunt vera, fidem ne quidem velint nominare, immo nec scire quod sit: et quod angeli secundi caeli, quia ex luce veri, qua illustratur intellectus eorum, vident vera, nec agnoscant vocem fidei. Mirantur et rident, dum audiunt dicentem quod intellectus sub obedientia fidei captivandus sit, et quod fides habenda sit non perceptis ac non visis; dicunt tunc quod sic possit falsum credi, ac per confirmationes poni sicut in luce, ac ipsum verum sicut in tenebris, ac ita ludi cum vero per falsum sicut cum pila.
[11] (11.) Quando mundus non amplius videre potuit vera ex amore illorum et ex luce illorum, ex eo quod facti sint naturales et externi, tunc fides incohavit nominari, ac omne fidei vocari verum, tametsi non perceptum aut visum, sed modo affirmatum a quodam antesignano, ac confirmatum a locis in Verbo non intellectis. In hoc statu sunt hodie ecclesiae in Christiano orbe, in quarum singulis creditur quod doctrinalia fidei eorum vera sint, et hoc solum ex eo, quod sint ecclesiae patriae suae: quod tamen usque non percipiatur aut videatur num sint vera, patet ex eo, quod de illis sint ventilationes, disceptationes, opiniones, haereses in communi et particulari tam foris quam domi.
[12] (12.) Quamdiu fides fuit conjuncta operibus, et agnoscebatur charitas in pari gradu cum fide, aut supra illam, tamdiu fuit ecclesia in veris ex Verbo, sed in paucis, quia non viderunt illa; at vero ut primum separabatur fides a charitate, ecclesia elapsa est a veris in falsa, et tandem in fidem quae omnia ecclesiae vera destruxit; haec fides est fides justificationis et salvationis per meritum Domini apud Patrem: nam cum haec sola fides, et haec quoque separata a bonis vitae, quae sunt bona opera, salvat, quid opus veris quae doceant viam, et ducant ad caelum? vive et crede quomodo cumque vis, et tene modo illam fidem, et salvaberis. Sed dicam tibi, mi lector, quod omnes qui illam fidem vivunt, in amore naturali separato ab amore spirituali sint; ac amor naturalis ab eo separatus est amor sui et mundi, et inde amor omnium malorum et ex malis omnium falsorum; et quod omnes illi tam vacui et simul tam caeci sint, ut ne quidem unum genuinum verum ecclesiae sciant, ac in Verbo, tametsi id habent et legunt, videant; ac plures eorum tales sunt ut non scire nec videre aliquod velint.
[13] (13.) Causa est quia non datur aliquod verum, minus aliqua fides apud hominem, nisi velit et faciat; prius non est verum vitae, sed solum verum memoriae, quod verum est extra hominem, et non intra illum; et quod est extra illum, hoc dissipatur: inde patet quod fides absque operibus non sit fides, nisi fides falsi ex malo, quae est fides mortua, regnans in inferno.