4749. [4762.] About the Moravian Church

There were with me certain ones from the Moravian Church, and one among them who had come recently into the other life, and who said that he had known me in the world. He was a little toward the front down below, near the earth of the lower ones. The rest, however, were above, somewhat. I spoke with the one who was down below, while the rest were flowing in in community, because in community they operated as one. With the one who had come fresh from the world, I spoke for many hours, and in fact, about faith and caring for others. He preferred faith, saying that by it, man is saved, and that faith is the confidence or trust that they are saved by the merit of the Lord, which they keep calling the blood of the Lord.

But about these matters, I offered various comments, as that they do not yet know what caring for others is, consequently what faith and what confidence is. One who does not know what caring is, cannot at all know what confidence is, because caring for others is its essence and life force, and when they do not know this, they do not know what faith is, nor the merit of the Lord, for it is known that the merit of the Lord is universal, namely, for the universal human race, but it is also known that it is a matter of reception, for many nevertheless come to hell, and many to heaven. Therefore this shows that it is reception, and that reception is not through faith, but through the life of faith, which is charity. I also observed that he admits the word charity with difficulty, and with even greater difficulty the word love, unless the Lord is thought about at the same time. [4763.] It was further shown what they are like, namely, that it is a society of inward friendship, for just as societies of friendship, wherever they pass through, take away the outer enjoyment of life from others with whom they flow in, so do these latter take away the enjoyment of inward life, thus their blessedness, so they are a society of inward friendship. They did not want to admit this, but were convinced that it is so. For they call brothers all who are within the society, and share with them the enjoyment of inward life, but all others who are outside of the society, they scorn, and call them the dead. So they despise others in comparison with themselves, and thus condemn them to hell, believing themselves to be the only chosen people.

Moreover, all the good of charity that others do, whether they give to the poor, or pour out prayers, or frequent Churches out of piety, and thus the piety of all others who are outside of their congregation, they look down on, indeed, they ridicule, believing that such place merit in those actions and are saved with greater difficulty than robbers, adulterers, and criminals, thus utterly rejecting the life of goodness. But the life of good of those within their congregation they praise, provided only that it is not such as stands out and is apparent. But they do this not out of caring for others, but out of inward friendship, for friend praises friend, and thinks well of him, and this to the degree that he feels enjoyment in going about with him. [4764.] The former - except for those among them who do not despise others in comparison with themselves, or believe them to be infernals, and they themselves the only chosen people, and who believe that the good of life makes the Church, and not the doctrine of faith - are such in the other life that wherever they come, they destroy those qualities that pertain to innocence and heavenly love. [4765.] They were told what the heaven of the Lord is like, namely, that it is beyond measure, and that there are those who represent all the provinces of the body as to both its inward and outward regions, and that those there, if they aspire to regions beyond those in agreement with their life, do not obtain heaven. [4766.] They were also shown that they can never have true humility toward the Lord, consequently love to Him, if they believe they are the chosen more than others, and that they become saints by the blood, that is by the merit of the Lord. One who does not believe that he himself is a hell, and hence that it is the mercy of the Lord that holds them back from hell, he can never have humility, then also if they believe that faith alone saves, and that charity is nothing, consequently that doctrine and not life [saves]because everyone's life remains with them. Doctrine and life cannot be divided. If true doctrine raises them up to heaven, and their life draws them to hell, they would be divided into two, or hang between heaven and hell, which does not happen. But when the life is evil, then the truths of doctrine are taken away, and the person is cast into hell; but if the life is good, then the truths of doctrine are joined to the person, who is then elevated into heaven. [4767.] Truth of doctrine were also spoken of, and the fact that they teach how one should life, and if not for this purpose, they are worthless. [4768.] Then it was said that life is not external, or doing good, unless this is from willing good. In willing good and thinking good there is life, thus as much as willing good and thinking good is in the doing of good, so much there is life in the outer effects, and he who wills good and thinks good, the same does good, for life cannot exist without an effect. But he who does not will good and think good, and yet does good, the same is a hypocrite. [4769.] The Lord's words in Matt. Chapter 25 were also spoken of, concerning the last judgment, where only the works of charity are mentioned, but not faith, and they were surprised that the Lord spoke in this way, so that they were not at all able to reply. What they thought was not disclosed to me. It was later plain that he had spoken thus for the sake of the most simple, who are in complete ignorance. [4770.] As for the Word of the Lord, they also reject the Old Testament as abrogated, not do they pay it any heed; and they were told that it is most holy, and that all and the very least things there contain an inner meaning, and that it is Divine.