Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 5926

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5926. FAITH. I spoke in the presence of Melancthon concerning faith alone, that a spirit is not a spirit save from his good or evil, and that his whole bulk is as are his goods and evils, both as to the face, and as to the body, and the speech; for from the speech is heard what he is; and that thus he has faith in the same degree that he has good; but of what degree and quality he is as to life, was also shown by living experience. Of what kind his spirit is, was shown - which can take place in the spiritual world - and then his whole inward nature appeared such as it is, as regards good; and it was also then shown that he has no more faith than as much as proceeds from his good, and that the residue which he called faith, is in front outside of him, as it were in the skin. Many said this; and a certain one who previously believed that faith alone does exist, and salvation thereby, advancing, cried out that he now saw that no one has more faith than he has charity. Wherefore, they [i.e. such spirits as Melancthon] should be called cutaneous spirits.


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