2652. Those who want in some way to merit heaven distance themselves from heaven
I was in a conversation with spirits about those who want to merit heavenly joy, or heaven, through piety, that is through prayers, gifts to the poor, self-imposed humiliation and renunciation of the world, and the like, by which people think, sometimes in simplicity, that they merit heaven-as also, for example, by having during their bodily life contributed something to the increase of the Lord's Church, ascribing merit to themselves for it. Of such people there are many, many kinds and species.
Then, as I was in conversation with spirits, I also saw by a spiritual mental image that the more people suppose that they merit heaven by such means and thus come nearer to heaven, the more they distance themselves from heaven, because they ascribe merit to themselves and take it away from the Lord, ascribing faith, charity,
2652. THAT THOSE WHO IN ANY MANNER WISH TO MERIT HEAVEN, PUT THEMSELVES FOR FROM HEAVEN.
I discoursed with spirits concerning such as wish to merit celestial joy or heaven, through piety, to wit, through prayers, gifts to the poor, and self-humiliation, by abnegation of the world from themselves, and the like, whereby man supposes, sometimes in simplicity, that thus he may merit heaven. Likewise also that thereby in the life of the body he has contributed something to the Lord's church, and this he attributes to himself as a merit: of such [men] there are genera and manifold species; further, when I was in discourse with spirits, I have also perceived in spiritual idea, that the more anyone thinks he merits heaven through such things, thus approaches to heaven, the farther he puts himself away from heaven, because he attributes the merit to himself and takes it away from the Lord,
2652. Qui aliquo modo mereri velint coelum, quod se elongent a coelo
Cum spiritibus in sermone fui, de iis qui mereri volunt gaudium coeleste seu coelum, per pietatem, nempe per preces, per dona ad pauperes, et humiliationem ex semet, per abnegationem mundi ex semet, et per similia, per quae opinatur homo, quandoque in simplicitate, quod sic mereatur coelum; sicut etiam per id quod aliquid in vita corporis contribuerit ad Ecclesiae Domini incrementum; et hoc tribuit sibi ut meritum--talium 1
sunt genera et species, multiplices--tunc 2
cum in sermone cum spiritibus eram, idea spirituali quoque percepi, quod quo 3
magis quis putat se per talia mereri coelum, sic accedere ad coelum, quod eo magis se elonget a coelo, quia sibi tribuit, et derogat
(2653.) Domino, meritum, et sibi tribuit fidem, charitatem, et bonitatem operum, et Domino denegat, ideo se, quo magis id facit, eo magis se elongat; quod veritas est confirmata, et pluribus confirmari potest, ab iis, in altera vita, sic etenim interponunt sibi quasi fauces inter binos montes, sic ut [talis] transire [nequeat] 4
in alterum montem, nisi praeceps cadat in fauces, vel sicut mare intermedium, in quod se praecipitat naufragus, si in coelum sic transire velit, quare retrogredi debet, et per aliam viam ducitur a Domino. 1748, 19 Julius.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has meritum, talium
2. The Manuscript has multiplices, tunc ubi in J.F.I. Tafel's edition tum pro tunc legit
3. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has quod
4. sic in J.F.I. Tafel's edition