117、当圣言和教会的教义被相信和热爱，不是为了真理和照之的生活，而是为了作为目的的利益、尊贵和博学的名声时，信就是说服性的。因此，那些持有这种信的人仰望的不是主和天堂，而是自己和世界。那些在世上具有雄心壮志和许多贪念的人比那些没有雄心壮志和这么多贪念的人更坚信教会教义的教导是真的。原因在于，对前者来说，教会的教义只是达到他们自己目的的一种手段，并且越渴望目的，就越热爱并相信手段。而事情的真相是这样：他们越处在爱自己爱世界的火中，并出于这火说话、讲道和行动，就越受制于这种说服；然后，他们只知道事情就是这样。然而，当他们没有处在这些爱之火中时，就很少相信，许多人根本就不信。由此明显可知，这种说服性信仰是一种口头上，而非发自内心的信；所以，它本身根本就不是信。
117、误导性的信仰是这样的，人相信并爱圣言和教会的教义，不是因为它是真理并依从真理去生活，而是为了利益、荣耀和博学的名声。结果是，人若持有如此信仰，他关注的核心就不在主和天堂，而是他自己和世界。对于世上财富和权贵的渴望，使得他比没有如此渴望的人，更为强烈的信奉教会的教导：原因是，教会的教导是实现他目标的手段，他对这些手段的热爱和信奉，和他对于目标的渴望一样强烈。真实情况是这样的：只要人在爱自己和爱世界的欲火之中，并在欲火焚身时说话、传道和做事，他就深深陷入误导性的信仰，此时他强烈的相信他所说的一切都是真理。但当他没有被如此的欲火焚身时，他相信的很少，甚至完全不相信。因此显而易见，误导性的信仰是口头的信仰，不是来自内心，因此，它在本质上不是信仰。
117. A self-induced conviction is when we believe and love the Word and the teachings of the church not for the sake of their truth or in order to live by them but for the sake of profit and respect and to be thought learned. 1As a result, when this is the kind of faith we have we are not focusing on the Lord or heaven but on ourselves and this world. People who aspire to worldly greatness and crave an abundance of material things express stronger conviction that what the church teaches is the truth than people who have no such aspirations or cravings. This is because for the ambitious the church's teachings are only a means to their own ends, and the more they love those ends, the more they love-and trust-the means.
In reality, though, what determines the strength of their conviction at a given moment is how intensely their love for themselves and for the world is burning and how much that fire is affecting their conversation, preaching, and actions. During moments on fire they are completely convinced that what they are saying is true. When they are not feeling the fire of those loves, however, they believe very little-some have no belief at all. This shows that a self-induced conviction is a faith of the mouth and not of the heart, so it is really no faith at all.
Footnotes:
1. In Swedenborg's Europe, a clerical career was often a path to political and material aggrandizement. The clergy had a significant role to play in the administration of the realm, and the highest offices were accompanied by lucrative sinecures. One example is given by the defrocked-priest-turned-diplomat Talleyrand (1754-1838): "The French clergy consisted of men of whom some were genuinely pious, others were distinguished as administrators, and others again were merely worldly, and, like the Archbishop of Narbonne [Arthur Richard Dillon, 1721-1806], delighted to put off the attributes of their office and live as great nobles" (Cragg 1960, 203-204). As a more immediate case in point, in Sweden the Clergy was one of the four Estates (houses) in the Diet (parliament), and every bishop had a seat in it. Furthermore, the children of noted bishops were traditionally ennobled. Thus in 1719 Queen Ulrika Eleonora (1688-1741) ennobled Swedenborg and his siblings, in acknowledgment of the distinguished career of their father, bishop Jesper Swedberg (1653-1735). This gave Swedenborg a seat on the Diet as a member of the Estate of Nobility and enabled his early career in politics (Bergquist 2005, 84). It also gave him an insider's perspective on the corruption that obtained in both the church and the nobility of Europe. [DNG]
117. A deceptively convincing faith is when we believe and love the Bible and our religion’s teachings not because we want to know the truth and live by it, but because we are seeking profit, status, and a scholarly reputation. When we have this kind of faith we do not focus our attention on the Lord and heaven, but on ourselves and the world.
A desire to be rich and powerful in the world makes us more strongly convinced than people without this desire that our religion’s teachings are true. This is because our religion’s teachings are just a means of achieving our goals, and we love and believe in the means as strongly as we have a desire to achieve our goals.
Here is what it is really like: To the extent that we are absorbed in burning selfishness and materialistic love, so that we talk, preach, and act from this fire inside us, we are caught up in a deceptively convincing faith. The thought that our beliefs may not be true never enters our minds. But when we are not absorbed in this burning love, we hardly believe in them, and many people do not believe them at all.
So, clearly, a deceptively convincing faith comes out of our mouth, but not from our heart — which means that it is not faith at all.
117. Faith from false belief is when the Word is believed and loved, and so is the teaching of the church, not for the sake of truth, and living in accordance with it, but when the ends in view are gain, honours and a reputation for learning. For this reason those who have that faith look not to the Lord and to heaven, but to themselves and the world. Those in the world with lofty ambitions and great desires are more the victims of the false belief that truth is what the church teaches, than those without lofty ambitions and great desires. This is because for them the teaching of the church is only a means to their own ends; and the more the ends are desired, the more the means are loved and believed in. But the fact of the matter is this: the more they are fired by self-love and love of the world, and are impelled by that fire to speak, preach and act, the more they are subject to that false belief; and then they know no better than that this is so. When, however, they are not fired by those loves, then they believe less, and many do not believe at all. From this it is plain that faith from false belief is a faith of the lips and not of the heart; and so it is no faith at all.
117. Faith by persuasion exists, when the Word and the doctrine of the Church are believed and loved, not for the sake of the truth and a life according to it, but for the sake of gain, honour, and the reputation of learning, as ends; therefore, those who have the above faith, do not look to the Lord and to heaven, but to themselves and the world. Those who aspire after great things in the world, and are covetous of many things, are in a stronger principle of persuasion that what the doctrine of the Church teaches, is true, than those who do not aspire after great things, and who are not covetous of many things. The reason is, that with the former the doctrine of the Church is merely a means for the attainment of their own ends; and in so far as the ends are coveted, in so far the means are loved, and are also believed. But the case herein intrinsically is as follows: so far as these persons are in the fire of the loves of self and the world, and so far as from that love they speak, preach, and act, in so far they are in the above principle of persuasion, and then they do not know otherwise than that a thing is so; but when they are not in the fire of those loves, they believe but little, and many do not believe at all. From this it is evident, that faith by persuasion is a faith of the lips, and not of the heart and thus that intrinsically it is no faith.
117. Faith is persuasive, when the Word and the doctrine of the church are believed and loved, not for the sake of truth and of a life according to it, but for the sake of gain, honor, and the fame of erudition, as ends; wherefore they who are in that faith, do not look to the Lord and to heaven, but to themselves and the world. They who in the world aspire after great things, and covet many things, are in a stronger persuasion that what the doctrine of the church teaches is true than they who do not aspire after great things and covet many things: the reason is, because the doctrine of the church is to the former only a means to their own ends, and so far as the ends are coveted, so far the means are loved, and are also believed. But the case in itself is this: so far as they are in the fire of the loves of self and of the world, and from that fire speak, preach, and act, so far they are in that persuasion, and then they know no other than that it is so; but when they are not in the fire of those loves, then they believe little, and many not at all. Thence it is evident, that persuasive faith is a faith of the mouth and not of the heart, thus that in itself it is not faith.
117. Fides persuasiva est, cum creditur et amatur Verbum et doctrina ecclesiae, non propter verum, et vitam secundum id, sed propter lucrum, honorem, et eruditionis famam, ut fines: quapropter illi qui in ea fide sunt, non spectant ad Dominum et ad caelum, sed ad se et ad mundum. Qui in mundo magna spirant et multa cupiunt, in persuasivo, quod verum sit quod doctrina ecclesiae docet fortiori sunt, quam qui non magna spirant et multa cupiunt; causa est, quia doctrina ecclesiae est illis modo medium ad suos fines, et quantum cupiuntur fines, tantum amantur media, et quoque creduntur. Sed res in se talis est; quantum in igne amorum sui et mundi sunt, et ex igne illo loquuntur, praedicant, et agunt, tantum in illo persuasivo sunt; et tunc non aliter sciunt quam quod ita sit: cum autem non in illorum amorum igne sunt, tunc parum credunt, et plures non credunt. Inde patet quod fides persuasiva sit fides oris et non cordis; ita quod in se non sit fides.