122. The twelve disciples of the Lord represented the church as to all things of faith and charity in the complex, as did also the twelve tribes of Israel (n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397). Peter, James, and John represented faith, charity, and the goods of charity in their order (n. 3750). Peter represented faith (n. 4738, 6000, 6073, 6344, 10087, 10580). And John represented the goods of charity, see the preface to the eighteenth (Arcana Coelestia 2135) and twenty-second Arcana Coelestia 2760vvv1-2 chapters of Genesis.

That there would be no faith in the Lord, because no charity, in the last time of the church, was represented by Peter's thrice denying the Lord before the cock crew the third ¹ time; for Peter there, in a representative sense, is faith; (n. 6000, 6073). "Cock crowing," as well as "twilight," signifies in the Word the last time of the church (n. 10134[1-13]). And "three" or "thrice," signifies what is complete to the end (n. 2788, 4495, 5159, 9198, 10127). The like is signified by the Lord's saying to Peter, when Peter saw John follow the Lord:

What is it to thee, Peter? follow thou Me, John; for Peter had said of John, What is this? (John 21:21, 22); (n. 10087).

John lay on the breast of the Lord, because he represented the good of charity (n. 3934, 10081). That the good of charity constitutes the church, is also signified by the words of the Lord from the cross to John:

Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved, who stood by, and He said to His mother, Woman, behold thy son: and He said to that disciple, Behold thy mother; and from that hour that disciple took her to himself (John 19:26, 27).

"John" signifies the good of charity, and "woman" and "mother," the church; and the whole passage signifies that the church will be where the good of charity is; that "woman" in the Word means the church (see n. 252-253, 749, 770, 3160, 6014, 7337, 8994). And likewise "mother" (n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5580, 8897, 10490). All the names of persons and places in the Word signify things abstractly from them (n. 768, 1888,4310, 4442, 10329).

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10786. They added that they also become confused when any such person tells them that they ought to have faith in and to believe the things he tells them, and that in answer to him they say that they do not know what faith is or what believing is, since they perceive intuitively that something is true. For they belonged to the Lord's celestial kingdom, where intuitive perception gives everyone a knowledge of those truths which with us are called matters of faith; for they are enlightened by the Lord, in a different way from those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom. I was also allowed to see that their nature was such from the fiery source from which they received their ideas. Whenever there is talk about truths those who belong to the Lord's celestial kingdom say no more than 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'. They never reason about truths, whether they are such or not. These are the ones about whom the Lord says,

Your words shall be Yes, yes; No, no; anything beyond this is from evil ¹ . [Matthew 5:37.]

This explains why those spirits said that they did not know what having faith or believing was. They consider this to be like someone saying to a companion who sees houses or trees with his own eyes that he ought to have faith or believe that they are houses or trees, when he can see clearly that that is what they are. Such is the character of those who belong to the Lord's celestial kingdom, and such was the character of those angelic spirits. We told them that there are few on our planet who possess intuitive perception, because people there learn truths when they are young but do not practise them. For a person has two powers of mind, called the understanding and the will. Some do not let truths penetrate any further than their memory and slightly beyond into their understanding, but not into their life, that is, into their will; and they are ones who, because they cannot receive any enlightenment or insight from the Lord, talk of the need for things to be believed or for people to have faith. They also reason about whether such things are true or not, having no wish indeed to perceive them with any insight or power of understanding. They talk in those ways because the truths that reside with them lack any light from heaven, and to those who see things without light from heaven falsities can appear as truths, and truths as falsities. Consequently very many on our planet have become afflicted with a blindness so great that even though a person does not practise truths, that is, lead a life in keeping with them, they nevertheless say that he can be saved by faith alone.

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