NJHD 117-118 - persuasive faith and its dangers

NJHD 117-118
Faith is persuasive,
when the Word and the doctrine of the church are believed and loved,
not for the sake of truth and of a life according to it,
but for the sake of gain, honor, and the fame of erudition, as ends;
wherefore they who are in that faith,
do not look to the Lord and to heaven,
but to themselves and the world.
They who in the world aspire after great things, and covet many things,
are in a stronger persuasion
that what the doctrine of the church teaches is true
than they who do not aspire after great things and covet many things:
the reason is,
because the doctrine of the church is to the former
only a means to their own ends,
and so far as the ends are coveted,
so far the means are loved,
and are also believed.
But the case in itself is this:
so far as they are in the fire of the loves of self and of the world,
and from that fire speak, preach, and act,
so far they are in that persuasion,
and then they know no other than that it is so;
but when they are not in the fire of those loves,
then they believe little, and many not at all.
So it is evident,
that persuasive faith is a faith of the mouth and not of the heart,
thus that in itself it is not faith.

They who are in persuasive faith do not know,
from any internal enlightenment,
whether the things which they teach be true or false;
yea, neither do they care,
provided they be believed by the common people;
for they are in no affection of truth for the sake of truth.
Wherefore they recede from faith,
if they are deprived of honors and gains,
provided their reputation be not endangered.
For persuasive faith is not inwardly with a person,
but stands without, in the memory only,
out of which it is taken when it is taught.
Wherefore also that faith with its truths vanishes after death;
for then there remains only that faith which is inwardly in a person,
that is, which is rooted in good,
thus which has become of the life.