800. And them that dwell in heaven. That this signifies spiritual goods and truths, from which is the heavenly marriage, is evident from the signification of blaspheming those who dwell in heaven, as denoting to falsify spiritual goods and truths. By them who dwell in heaven are meant the angels. And as angels are angels from the reception of Divine Good and Divine truth, the spiritual sense being abstracted from persons, therefore by angels are here signified the goods and truths from which they are angels. These are also signified by angels in other parts of the Word, as may be seen above (n. 130, 302). The reason why spiritual goods and truths are the things signified by them is, that all in heaven are spiritual, and think and speak spiritually. But the case is different with men on earth, who, being natural, think and speak naturally; therefore goods and truths with them are natural. And because good and truth mutually love each other, and on that account cannot but be conjoined, therefore it is also said, from which is the heavenly marriage. This is also signified by them that dwell in heaven, because all there are in that marriage; therefore, in the Word, heaven is also compared to a marriage. A similar marriage also exists in every part of the Word, as may be seen above (n. 238 at the end, 288, 484, 724); and that an angel cannot be an angel of heaven unless he is in that marriage, or unless that marriage is in him, and so also with respect to a man of the church (see n. 660). From this it is again clear, that a man is not a man of the church, who separates faith from good works. From these things it is now evident, that by blaspheming them that dwell in heaven is signified to falsify spiritual goods and truths from which is the heavenly marriage.
[2] In the two preceding articles we treated of those who separate faith from the goods of life, and thereby so falsify the Word as to close heaven against themselves; also concerning those who adjoin the goods of life to faith, and thereby do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven against themselves. It now follows in order, that something should be said concerning those, who, although they are in those churches where faith alone is acknowledged, still do not falsify the Word.
1. Such are those who do not separate faith from life but conjoin them, believing that faith and life make one, as affection and thought, as will and understanding, as heat and light in the time of spring and summer, from whose conjunction arises all germination; and as truth and good, if instead of faith truth is taken, and instead of life good; concerning the conjunction of all these see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. These affirm that no one who lives wickedly can have faith, but him only who lives well; and that he who lives wickedly cannot receive faith unless he shows repentance of life, by examining his evils and desisting from them. Also that he who lives wickedly cannot, in his spirit or in himself, have any other faith than of what is false, howsoever he may confess a belief in the truth with his lips. Those therefore, who thus conjoin life and faith in confession and in works, have the life of charity, and their faith is the thought that a thing is so in truth. The faith of such persons also is spiritual in so far as they know truths from the Word, and live according to them; for faith becomes spiritual from the life; and so far as a man is thence made spiritual so far heaven is opened to him.
[3] 2. Neither do those falsify the Word who do not know, and do not desire to know, that faith is anything else than to believe the things of the Word and to do them. For they see that to believe and to do is faith, but that to believe and not to do is a lip faith, and not from the heart, thus outside the man and not within him. These, if they act, believe that faith consists in believing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death; and that the love of God and their neighbour consists in doing the commandments in the Word. Also that so far as they desist from evils, and shun and are averse to them because they are sins, so far they do those commandments from God and not from themselves. They also believe that the Lord came into the world to save those who believe in Him, and practise what He taught.
[4] 3. Such persons, because they do not know, and do not desire to know, that faith is anything else than as above described, do not acknowledge the justification and salvation which is supposed to be effected only by believing that God the Father sent His Son, that by His blood He might become our propitiation, redemption, and salvation; for they perceive, that to believe this only and not to live a life of faith, which is charity, rather condemns than justifies. The reason why it rather condemns is, that it is not a belief in what is true, but in what is false; for it is a belief in immediate mercy, reformation, and regeneration without means; a belief in imputation, propitiation, and intercession, which have no real existence. And, moreover, it is not true that a Son born from eternity was sent by the Father into the world, nor is it true that the Father was propitiated by the blood of the Son, neither is it true that the Lord took upon Himself the sins of mankind, and thereby redeemed them - with other things of a like nature; which so far as they are appearances of truth from the literal sense of the Word, may indeed be said and also thought; but still must not be confirmed to the destruction of the genuine truth which is in heaven, and which the doctrine of the church can teach from the Word. Those, therefore, who place all things of faith in that confession, not only reject and set aside all the innumerable truths from which angels and men derive life and wisdom, and make the whole of theology to consist in certain expressions, pronounced with confidence, in which there are no truths, but also they are bound to falsify the Word in order to confirm those expressions, and thereby close heaven against themselves. But we shall treat more upon this subject elsewhere. So far concerning those who falsify the Word, and concerning those who do not falsify it.
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