4887. The reason they had been brought up to this entrance of heaven was that out of a habit from early childhood they had frequently attended the holy events of the Church and had even acknowledged their holiness in what they thought and said. Nonetheless, they subsequently regarded how one lives as unimportant. They loved honors and profit for the sake of honors and profit or else for the sake of evil purposes. They made their judgments on the basis of profit, hostile feelings, favor, envy, and not on the basis of what is just. They did this in everything in their life. Therefore, by virtue of the truths of faith that they professed in the foregoing manner, although not in life, they were elevated into the lowest region of this heaven. But when given liberty, they were brought into those things that had been part of their life; then what their nature was at heart became known. As a result they separated themselves from God and associated themselves with that devil, whom they made their king, wanting to acknowledge him as their God. But it was said that this happened after some time, and further, that this could happen because in ancient times human beings had been acknowledged as gods.
Those who favored him were especially those who were learned, and both in what they said and in their preaching and writing went beyond others in defending the truths of faith and in damning to hell all those who held contrary thoughts, and who nevertheless still lived an entirely worldly life, filled with hostility, with envy, with hatred, with vengefulness, with guile and deceit, with hypocrisy, but still being careful for fear this might come out before the world. And if it did come out, they made it allowable using various specious arguments, saying, for instance, that such things do not bring damnation; only false beliefs do. This accords with the teaching of such people in general, namely, that what is done does not damn, consequently that one's way of life does not, when yet the case is that one's life remains and so do as much and such faith as is in agreement with one's life, because everyone's life after death forms what is true or false around itself according to its goodness or its evil nature, just as the soul forms the body around itself.
4887. The reason that they were raised up into that threshold of heaven, was because they have attended on the holy things of the church, out of custom, from infancy, and have also acknowledged them in thought and with the mouth; but still have accounted the life as of no moment, and have loved honors and profit for the sake of honors and profit, or on account of evil ends. They judged out of respect to gains, enmities, favor, grudges, and not from justice: so it was in their whole life: therefore they were elevated to the threshold of that heaven through the truths of faith which they professed in that manner, although not in the life; but when, being endowed with liberty, they were let into those things which pertained to their life, it was then discovered of what quality they were in heart. Hence it is that they separated themselves from God and adjoined themselves to that devil, whom they made their king, being willing also to acknowledge him as their God; and it was said that this would happen after some time, and further, that it could happen, because in times past men were acknowledged as gods. Those who favored him were especially those who were learned, and had, more than others, defended the truths of faith, both with the mouth and by preaching and writings, and condemned to hell all who thought contrary thereto; and, nevertheless, they had lived a life altogether worldly, - in enmity, in envy, in hatred, in revenge, in cunning and deceit, in hypocrisy - still, however, taking care that this should not come out before the world; and if it did come out, they made it appear lawful, by various arguments, as, for example, that such things do not condemn, but only the falses of faith. This according to the doctrine of such in general, to wit, that works do not condemn, consequently, not the life; when yet the fact really is, that the life remains, and so much and such a sort of faith as is conformable to the life; for the life of the body forms around it, after death, truths or falses, according to its good or evil, just as the soul forms a body about itself.
4887. Causa quod in atrium illud coeli elevati fuerint, erat, quia frequentarunt sancta Ecclesiae ex more ab infantia, et quod illa quoque cogitatione et ore agnoscerent; sed usque quod vitam nihili facerent, amarent honores et lucra propter honores et lucra, aut propter malos fines, judicarent ex lucris, inimicitiis, favore, invidiis, et non ex justo, ita in tota sua vita, ideo per vera fidei, quae profitebantur eo modo, tametsi non vita, elevati sunt in coeli illius ultimum, sed cum libertate donati missi sunt in illa quae vitae eorum fuerant, tunc detectum est, quales essent corde, inde est quod a Deo se separarent, et se adjungerent diabolo isti, quem fecerunt suum regem, volentes etiam agnoscere illum pro suo Deo, sed dictum quod hoc fieret post aliquod tempus, tum quod hoc fieri posset, quia homines olim pro diis agniti fuerunt. Qui illi favebant imprimis erant illi qui docti fuerunt, et vera fidei prae aliis tam ore, quam praedicatione et scriptis defenderant, et omnes qui contra illa cogitarent, damnarunt ad infernum, et tamen usque vitam prorsus mundanam vixerunt, in inimicitia, in invidia, in odio, in vindicta, in astu et dolis, in hypocrisi, sed usque cavendo ne hoc coram mundo exstaret, et si exstabat, variis ratiociniis fecerunt licita, sicut quod talia non damnent, sed solum falsa fidei; hoc secundum doctrinam talium in communi, quod nempe opera non damnent, consequenter non vita; cum tamen res ita se habet, quod vita remaneat, et tantum et tale fidei quantum conforme est cum vita; nam vita cujusvis post mortem format circum se vera vel falsa, secundum bonum aut malum ejus, sicut anima corpus circum se.