Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Sidor ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
THEOLOGY IN 1743 AND 1744. 1109
"Thoughts in matters of faith, about Christ, His merit, and the
like, even though they be entirely favourable and confirmatory, still
cause a certain disquietude, and give rise to opposing thoughts which
cannot be resisted, whenever man tries to believe from his own
understanding, and not from the Lord’s grace" (no. 98).
"I am uncertain whether it is the highest [state], when man by
grace no longer mixes up his understanding with matters of faith ;
although it appears as if the Lord with certain persons permits that
the understanding should precede such states of assurance in respect
to things which concern the understanding. ’Blessed are they who
believe, and do not see’" (Ibid.)
"It is more difficult for the learned, than for the unlearned to
arrive at such a faith . . . . for man’s understanding must first of
all be abolished and overthrown ; and this is God’s work and not
man’s. It is also God’s work for man to continue in that state.
Faith is in this wise separated from our understanding, and resides
above it. This is pure faith; the other as long as it is mixed up
with our own understanding is impure. Man’s understanding must
be put in bonds and under the government of faith” (Ibid.)
"The ground of faith must be this, that He has spoken it who
is God over all, and Truth itself. In this sense must be understood
that we must become like little children" (Ibid.)
"That confirmations also obscure faith, may be seen from this
consideration, that the understanding never goes beyond mere pro
babilities, and thus is constantly engaged, as it were, in trying
major and minor terms. On this account the confirmations of our
own understanding are always subject to doubt, by which the light
of faith is darkened" (no. 99).
B. Faith and Charity. That faith and charity must be conjoined,
and that faith without works is dead, Swedenborg believed from his
earliest childhood. So he says in a letter written to Dr. Beyer,
November 14, 1769 (Document 243, p. 279) . "From my sixth to
my twelfth year, it was my greatest delight to converse with the
clergy concerning Faith, to whom I often observed that charity or
love was the life of faith, and that this vivifying charity or love
was no other than the love of one’s neighbour. That God vouch
safes this Faith to every one; but that it is adopted by those only
who practise that charity . . . . I knew nothing at that time of this
systematic or dogmatic kind of faith, that God the Father imputes
the righteousness or merit of His Son to whomsoever, and at such
times, as he wills, even to the impenitent. And had I heard of such a
kind of faith, it would have been then, as now, perfectly unintelligible
to me." The same sentiments Swedenborg expressed between 1736
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
