2383. About merely mental belief and conviction in regard to matters of faith
I was conversing with souls who had thought they had learned, embraced, and taught the true doctrine of faith, and I was saying that many convince themselves that they have faith, and do not. There is such a thing as higher knowledge alone, which is a matter of memory.
But when in bodily life, or especially in the other life, they are confirmed in many ways that it really is so, that the Lord does rule the universe down to its very least details, that they themselves are nothing, that they can contribute and accomplish nothing toward faith and regeneration, that there is in and of themselves nothing but what is filthy, and foul, dark and foggy - when these facts are corroborated both by convincing evidence and by experiences, then they are distressed. They resist, they grieve, fall into stress and pain, inwardly contradicting and utterly refusing to admit the confirmations - even people who had been vigorous defenders of the faith.
With these I have spoken in the other life, and the same have also admitted as much, and were surprised. Thereby I was allowed to learn that they had not had faith, except for defending it only with the mouth and lips, while still not believing, so they were no further convinced [than mentally].
2383. CONCERNING INTELLECTUAL FAITH, AND THE PERSUASION OF THOSE THINGS THAT BELONG TO FAITH.
I have been discoursing with souls, who supposed they had learned, acknowledged, and taught the true doctrine of faith, and [to the effect] that many persuade themselves they have faith, when they do not have it. Knowledge only is given which is a matter of the memory, and during the life of the body, [and] especially in the other life, they are confirmed by many things, that it is the case that the Lord rules the universe, and the single things of the universe, that they are nothing, that they can do and contribute nothing to faith and regeneration; that in them is nothing but what is filthy, loathsome, and obscure, and mists. When such things are confirmed from various persuasions as well as experiences, then are they distressed; they resist, they grieve, fall into perplexities and pains, and in themselves contradict and are unwilling to admit confirmations, - even those who were strenuous defenders of the faith, with whom I spoke in the other life, which same thing they also confessed and wondered at. Hence it was given to know that they could not have had faith, except only orally, and had defended it with the lips, when yet they had not believed it: wherefore, they were no farther persuaded.
2383. De fide intellectuali, et persuasione eorum quae sunt fidei
In sermone cum animabus fui, qui putarunt se veram doctrinam fidei didicisse, agnovisse et docuisse; et quidem quod multi persuadeant sibi, quod fidem habeant et non habent, sola cognitio datur, quae est res memoriae: at cum in vita corporis, [vel] cumprimis in altera vita, confirmantur per multa quod ita se res habeat, ut quod Dominus regat universum et singula universi, quod nihil sint, quod nihil ad fidem et regenerationem contribuere possint, et facere 1
, quod nihil nisi spurcum in iis, et foedum, obscurum, caligo--cum 2
talia confirmantur ex variis tam persuasionibus quam experientiis, tunc anguntur, repugnant, dolent, in angustias et dolores labuntur, et in se contradicunt, et nolunt prorsus admittere confirmationes, etiam ii qui fuerunt defensores strenui fidei, cum quibus loquutus in altera vita, quod etiam iidem 3
fassi, et mirati, inde dabatur scire, quod non habuerint fidem, nisi solum oretenus et labiis eam defenderint, cum tamen non crediderint, quare non ulterius persuasi.
Footnotes:
1. imperfectum in the Manuscript
2. The Manuscript has caligo, cum
3. The Manuscript has idem