45. CHAPTER VIII ¹ . THE CONFIRMING OF A TRINITY OF PERSONS, EACH OF WHOM IS A GOD FROM ETERNITY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NICENE AND ATHANASIAN CREEDS, HAS FALSIFIED THE WHOLE WORD

1. Every heretic is able to confirm his heresy, and does confirm it, by the Word, this having been written by means of appearances and correspondences. On this account the Word is said by some to be "the book of all the heresies".

2. A man, after confirming his dogmas, sees no otherwise than that they are true, even when they are false.

3. It is possible to confirm a plurality of Gods by many things from the Word; also to confirm a faith that is imputative of Christ's merit, in which faith three Gods have each their separate part; and, further, that works of charity contribute nothing towards faith, and so nothing towards salvation.

4. A plurality of Gods can be confirmed from the following:

Trinity is mentioned by the Lord.

Trinity made its appearance when the Lord was baptized.

There are "three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit". [1 John 5:7.]

Jehovah God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness". [Gen. 1:26.]

Before Abraham three angels, who are called Jehovah, made their appearance. [Gen. 17:2-3.]

In the New Word, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned many times by the Lord in the Gospels, and by the Apostles in the Epistles, and this without its being said that they are One.

Then, too, it can be confirmed that there is a faith by which there is imputation of Christ's merit, and that this faith is the only saving faith; also that the works of charity do not conduce to salvation. Let it be added that any reasoning mind can augment the above with contributions of its own, and strengthen them.

5. Not a single one of these can be seen to be false and so be dispelled, unless reason, enlightened by the Lord through the Word, confirm that God is One and that there is a conjunction of charity and faith.

6. When this is done, it is obvious that the theology based upon a Trinity of Persons, each one of whom is God, and upon a faith made applicable to each of them separately, and upon the worthlessness of charity for salvation, has falsified the whole Word; for the reason, chiefly, that these three, God, charity, and faith, are the universals of religion to which every single thing in the Word, and every single thing of heaven and the Church therefrom, has reference.

7. The result, with him who has confirmed this enormity, is that, wherever he reads of the Father, or of the Son, or of the Holy Spirit, indeed wherever he reads of Jehovah and God, he thinks of three Gods because he is thinking of one out of the three; further, wherever he reads of faith, he thinks of no other faith than of one by which there is imputation of Christ's merit; and wherever he reads of charity, he thinks of it as not contributing anything towards salvation, or else he thinks of that faith in its stead. Confirmation once impressed carries this with it.

Footnotes:

676. And there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand, signifies that in that change of state all truths of good with them perished, and thus all things of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of "to be killed," as being to be killed spiritually, which is to perish by evils and falsities (See above, n. 315, 547, 572, 589); also from the signification of "earthquake," as being a change of state of the interiors with those who are of the church (See above, n. 674); also from the signification of "the names of men," as being the truths of good and the consequent understanding of truth (of which presently); and from the signification of "seven thousand," as being all things of heaven and the church, for "seven" signifies all things, and is predicated of the holy things of heaven and the church (of the signification of this number see above, n. 257; and its signification is retained when it is multiplied by ten, or one hundred, or one thousand, for these numbers signify all things. From this it can be seen that "there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand" signifies that in that change of state all truths of good perished, and thus all things of heaven and the church.

[2] That "the names of men" signify the truths of good and the consequent understanding of truth can be seen from the signification of "name," as being the quality of a thing or state with man; and from the signification of "man," as being intelligence, thus also the understanding of truth. "Name" signifies the quality of a thing or state with man because in the spiritual world there are no names of persons as in the natural world. In the spiritual world all are named according to the quality of their life, thus with a difference within societies and out of them. Within the societies the quality of each one's state of life is constant, for each one there dwells in a quarter and also at a distance from the center according to the quality of his affection and of his intelligence; therefore his name is in accord with this quality. When, therefore, the name of anyone in a society is heard his quality is also recognized. This is why "name" signifies in the spiritual sense the quality of a thing and of a state of life. But outside of societies this naming according to one's state of life is not constant; for before a man-spirit enters into any society he passes through many states in order that he may put off the things that disagree with his ruling love and put on such as agree with it, and yet everyone is named according to the state in which he is, and also according to the idea and perception of what his state is. That names in the spiritual world are uttered spiritually may be seen above n. 102; therefore "name" signifies in the Word what the state of the life is n. 148. So, too, "the name of Jehovah" and "the name of the Lord" signify all things by which He is worshipped, thus all things of love and faith (n. 102, 135); and "man" signifies in the Word the spiritual affection of truth, and thence the understanding of truth (n. 280, 546). From this it is clear what "the names of men" signify.

[3] Why the truths of good and thus the understanding from them were destroyed by the notable change of state which was signified by "a great earthquake" has been told in the preceding article, namely, that at the end of the church, when the Last Judgment is at hand, those who are spiritually good are taken away from those who are only naturally good; and when this is done, then also from the latter all truths of good and consequently all understanding of truth are also taken away; for with the natural, who are destitute of anything spiritual, truths and goods reside in their externals, but falsities and evils in their internals; therefore when the good with whom they had communication as to externals are taken away the externals also are taken away and the internals are disclosed, and these, as has been said, are filled with mere falsities of evil. This is why these words signify that all truths of good and all understanding of truth perished with those who remained.