Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 5971

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5971. They then reasoned, and investigated whence it is, that, notwithstanding all this, faith separated, or faith alone, still appears as faith, that is, that they do not perceive anything else than that they believe it; but they were answered that this is the faith of memory-knowledge such as there is with children, or the faith of authority, because their leaders have said thus or thus; and that this faith appears as if it were faith, but yet is not, since it is destitute of will and understanding and destitute of mind; destitute of understanding, because they say a thing must be believed although they do not understand it; and destitute of will, because they remove the deeds or goods of charity; and such a faith derives nothing from the man or his life, because a man's life is the life of his mind. This, also, is the reason why they who have lived ill, when they begin to think from their own mind about what ought to be believed reject religion and become naturalists; but those who live aright receive faith and believe; for, of a certainty, the science and cognition must precede the faith. They, however, reside in the memory alone, and thence in the thought for the reason that the good of charity is able to operate upon the truths that are there, and adjoin them to itself, - for good must have such objects, since it can not operate into emptiness and vacancy, and form good; neither, consequently, spiritual faith, which is one with charity.


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