4749. [4762] CONCERNING THE MORAVIAN CHURCH. There were with me, certain ones belonging to the Moravian Church, and, amongst them, one who was lately come into the other life, and who said that he had been acquainted with me in the world. He was a little forwards, beneath, near the lower earth; the rest, however, were somewhat above. I spoke with him who was below. The rest inflowed in community, since, in community, they acted as one. With him who was lately come from the world, I spoke for several hours, and, indeed, concerning faith and charity. He preferred faith saying that by that man is saved, and that faith is the confidence, or assurance, that they are saved by the Lord's merit. Hence it is that they so frequently mention the blood of the Lord; but they have various sayings: hence, also, it is that they do not as yet know what charity is, consequently what faith is, or what confidence is. He who is ignorant what charity is, ca. a know nothing of what confidence is, because its essential and its life is charity; and, since they do not know this, neither do they know what faith is, nor what the merit of the Lord. For they are aware that the Lord's merit is universal, namely, on behalf of the universal human race; but it is also known that it is reception [which avails]: wherefore, many still go to hell, and many to heaven: for which reason it is evident, that it is reception [that avails], and that reception is not by faith, but by the life of faith, which is charity. I also observed that he can scarce tolerate the term charity, and with still greater difficulty the word love, unless the Lord be thought about at the same time. [4763] It was, moreover, shown of what quality. they are, to wit, that they are a society of interior friendship for, like as societies of friendship, wherever they pass by, take away from others with whom they inflow, the external delight of life, so do these take away the interior delight, and thus the blessedness, of life; so that they are a society of interior friendship. This they are unwilling to admit, but they were convicted of its being so; for all who are within their society they call brothers, and with them they have the interior delight of life; but all others, who are without their society. they scorn, and call dead: so that they hold others in contempt in comparison with themselves, and, thus, relegate others to hell, and believe themselves the only elect. Moreover, all the good of charity which others do, whether they give to the poor, or utter prayers, or attend churches out of piety, and, so, the piety of all others, who are outside their assembly, they depreciate, yea, ridicule, believing that they place merit in those things, and that such persons can less easily be saved than robbers, adulterers and miscreants; consequently, they utterly reject a life of good. But they praise the life of good of those who are within their company, only it must not be such as stands out and is apparent. But they do this not from charity, but from interior friendship; for a friend praises a friend and thinks well of him, and this in the degree in which he perceives delight from his society. [4764] These - excepting those among them, who do not despise others in comparison with themselves, or believe them to be infernal and themselves only the elect, and who believe that the good of life, and not the doctrine of faith, constitutes the Church - in the other life, are of such a character, that, wherever they come, they destroy those things which belong to innocence and heavenly love. [4765] They were told of what nature is the heaven of the Lord, namely, that it is immense, and that there are men answering to all the provinces of the body, as regards interiors and exteriors; and that, if they aspire higher than to those things which correspond to their life, they do not possess heaven. [4766] They were also shown that they are by no means able to be in true humiliation before the Lord, consequently in love to him, if they believe that they are elected in preference to others, and that they are made holy by the blood and merit of the Lord. He who does not believe that he, of himself is a hell, and hence that it is the Lord's mercy which holds him back from hell, can never be in humiliation; nor, also, if they believe that faith alone saves and that charity is nothing, consequently that doctrine, not life [saves], since, with everyone, his life remains. They [men] cannot be divided. If true doctrine should take them to heaven, and the life to hell, they would be divided in two, or would hang between heaven and hell, which does not take place. But when the life is evil, then the truths of doctrine are taken away and the man is cast forth into hell; but if the life is good, then the truths of doctrine are adjoined to him, and thus he is raised up into heaven. [4767] I also said, concerning truths of doctrine, that these teach what sort of life man ought to lead; if they are not for the sake of that end they profit nothing. [4768] [I said] also, that the external, or doing good, is not life, unless it be from willing good. Tho life consists in willing and thinking good; thus, so far as willing good and thinking good is in the doing of good, so far is there life in the externals; and he who wills good and thinks good, does good; for life cannot exist without an effect: he, however, who does not will good and think good but yet does good, is a hypocrite. [4769] And I spoke concerning the words of the Lord in Matthew, chapter 25, respecting the last judgment, where only the works of charity are recounted, but not faith, and they wondered that the Lord spoke thus, so that they were unable to make any reply. What they thought was not disclosed to me. After this, it was plain that He spoke thus for the benefit of the most simple, who are in complete ignorance. [4770] As respects the Word of the Lord, they also reject the Old Testament as abrogated, nor do they pay attention to it; and they were told that it was most holy, and that all and every one of the things which are there, have an internal sense, and that it is Divine.