AC 8148 - The Persuasive Faith of Pharaoh and the Egyptians

AC 8148 [2-4]

Be it known that these falsities,
which are here meant by
"Pharaoh, his army, and his people,"
also by his "chariots, horses, and horsemen,"
are especially the falsities of those
who are in persuasive faith, that is,
who persuade themselves
that the doctrinal things of the church in which they are,
are true,
and yet are in a life of evil.
Persuasive faith exists together with evil of life,
but not saving faith;
for persuasive faith is a persuasion
that all things that belong to the doctrine of the church
are true,
not for the sake of truth,
nor for the sake of life,
nor even for the sake of salvation,
for in this they scarcely believe;
but for the sake of self-advantage,
that is, for the sake of getting honors and wealth,
and for the sake of reputation with a view to these.
They learn doctrinal things in order to acquire such things,
thus not to the end
that they may be of service to the church
and the salvation of souls,
but to serve themselves and those who belong to them;
and therefore it is all the same to them
whether these doctrinal things are true, or false;
this they care nothing about,
still less inquire into,
for they are in no affection of truth for the sake of truth.
No matter what kind of doctrinal things they may be,
they confirm them;
and when they have confirmed them,
they persuade themselves that they are true,
not considering that falsities
can be confirmed equally as well as truths.

This is the source of persuasive faith,
which, because it has not for its end,
and does not regard, the neighbor and his good,
thus not the Lord,
but self and the world,
that is, honors and self-advantage,
is conjoined with evil of life,
but not with good of life;
for assuredly the faith that is conjoined with this
is saving faith.
This faith is given by the Lord,
but the other is from the person himself.
The one remains to eternity;
the other is dissipated in the other life,
and is also dissipated in the world if nothing is gained by it.
But so long as people profit by it,
they fight for it as for heaven itself,
although it is not for that faith,
but for themselves;
for the things of faith, that is, of doctrine,
are to them as means to an end;
that is, to eminence and opulence.
Those who are in this faith in the world
can with difficulty be distinguished from those
who are in saving faith,
for they speak and preach from an ardor as of zeal
for the doctrine;
but it is an ardor from
the fire of the love of self and of the world.

These are those who are especially meant by
"Pharaoh and the Egyptians,"
and in the other life they are vastated
in respect to this faith;
and this being vastated,
they are in mere falsities from evil,
for falsities then burst forth from the evil.
Every evil is attended with its falsity,
for they are joined together;
and the falsities appear
when they are left to the evil of their life.
The evil is then like a fire,
and the falsities are like the light from it.
This kind of evil and the consequent falsity
is quite different from
other kinds of evils and the consequent falsities,
being more detestable than all others,
because it is contrary to the goods and truths of faith,
and therefore there is profanation in this evil.
(Profanation is the acknowledgment of truth and good
and yet a life contrary thereto.)