3988. The aura was such that I knew almost nothing definite, all the certainty of truth seeming to have disappeared. The spirits also complained that they now knew, and saw, nothing. They were vanishing as if into a mental image alone, so that the whole spirit was so to speak a mental image, hardly knowing what he should say. I was surprised that he could speak.
Such is the faith of Lutherans, of him who had confirmed himself, and convinced himself, that faith alone saves, nor does he think about love, because not about good works, for by doing away with them, they remove love. And they also live accordingly, imagining [that they are saved] if only they have faith, not knowing what it is, that it is only a gazing, or a thinking, which they also do not have, but only occasionally a single mental image of thought, only when they are defending the faith against others, and speaking about it. Beyond that they do not at all know what faith is. Thus they are in the other life, when in that state of mind regarding faith, just like a mere mental image - undefined, most general, or universal, consequently nothing. When love was named, they could not recognize it except on the basis of marital love. 1748, 17 Nov.
3988. There was such a sphere around me that I scarcely knew anything certain; all certainty of truth seemed to have disappeared. Spirits also complained that they, in like manner, neither knew nor saw anything clearly. They seemed to themselves to vanish into a bare idea, the whole spirit becoming, as it were, an idea, so that he wondered that one could speak at all, seeing he was scarcely aware of anything he said. Such is the faith of the Lutherans. One who has confirmed and persuaded himself that faith alone saves, thinks nothing of love, because he thinks nothing of good works, by doing away with which he does away also with love; wherefore they thus live, thinking if they only have faith [all will be well]; yet even of this they are ignorant as to what it is, regarding it as a mere intuition or thought, which still they have not, but the bare idea of a thought and that but barely, as, for instance, when they undertake to defend it against others, and thus speak of it; otherwise they are totally in the dark as to what faith is. Thus are they in the other life while in that state as to faith, that is, while it is to them as a mere indeterminate, most general, or universal idea, thus in effect nothing. When love is named they can form no notion of it except from conjugial love. - 1748, November 17.
3988. Talis erat sphaera, ut paene nihil scirem certum, omnis certitudo veritatis visa quasi disparuisse, conquesti etiam spiritus, quod sic nihil scirent, et viderent, evanescebant ut in solam ideam, sic ut totus spiritus quasi esset idea, vix sciens quid loqueretur, miratus quod posset loqui; talis est fides Lutheranorum, [ejus] qui se confirmavit, et sibi persuasit, quod sola fides salvet, nec cogitat de amore, quia non de bonis operibus, quae quia removent, etiam removent amorem; quare etiam ita vivunt, putantes [quod salventur], si solum habeant fidem, quam ignorant quid sit, hoc est solam intuitionem, seu cogitationem, quam nec habent, sed solam ideam cogitationis raro, [non] nisi cum defendunt eam contra alios, et loquuntur de ea; alioquin nesciunt prorsus quid fides, sic sunt in altera vita, dum in eo statu de fide, sicut mera idea, indeterminata, communissima, seu universalis, proinde nihil; cum nominaretur amor, nec agnoscere potuerunt, nisi ex amore conjugiali. 1748, 17 Nov.