5514. About the hell of preachers who are unconcerned with the Word and doctrine from the Word
About Babylon
Preachers who certainly know the doctrine of their own Church but still are not concerned with it and the Word other than so that they can preach and be promoted to offices and profit, and as a result think only about the world and about themselves, and nevertheless live morally for the sake of gaining a reputation, in a word, who are merely worldly and not Christian in thinking about life according to the precepts of the Word or of the Church, these are sent into a certain hell in the northern tract there toward the west, not far from the boundary of the middle [part], where it appears misty, like a thick cloud on our earth. They are sent into this and there allotted their own places under the earth, and, when they are there, they do not know whether the Divine is anything. From this point of view they ask what the Divine is, what the Lord, what heaven, what hell is. So their life is a certain kind of stupidity.
5514. ABOUT THE HELLS OF PREACHERS WHO CARE NOTHING FOR THE WORD AND DOCTRINE FROM THE WORD. ABOUT BABYLON.
Preachers who indeed know the doctrine of their Church, but yet care for it and for the Word no otherwise than that they may preach it and be promoted to dignities and to profit, and thus who think only of the world and of self, and still live morally in externals to obtain reputation: in a word, who are merely worldlings and not Christians in thinking of a life according to the precepts of the Word or of the Church - these are let into a certain hell which is in the northern district towards the west there, not as far as the boundary of the middle [part]. A cloud appears there, like a dense cloud on earth. They are let into that, and there are allotted their places under the ground; and, when there, they do not know whether the Divine is anything: usually, they ask what the Divine is, what the Lord, what heaven, what hell: thus they live in a sort of maze.
5514. De inferno praedicatorum qui nihil curant Verbum et doctrinam e Verbo
De Babylonia
Praedicatores qui quidem doctrinam suae Ecclesiae sciunt, sed usque illam et Verbum non curant aliter quam ut possint praedicare, ac evehi ad functiones et ad lucra, et sic qui cogitant solum de mundo et de se, ac vivunt in externis usque moraliter ad aucupandam famam, verbo qui solum mundani sunt, et non Christiani, cogitando de vita secundum praecepta Verbi seu Ecclesiae, illi mittuntur in quoddam infernum, quod est in tractu septentrionali versus occidentem ibi, non procul a termino medii, ibi nimbosum apparet, sicut nimbus densus in terra, in eum mittuntur, et ibi sortiuntur loca sua sub terra, et cum ibi sunt, non sciunt num Divinum sit aliquid, coram quaerunt quid Divinum, quid Dominus, quid coelum, quid infernum, ita vivunt in quadam stupiditate.