1. THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH

A statement of faith, set out in both universal and particular terms, is placed at the beginning to serve as a preface to the book which follows, to be like a doorway leading into a church, and a summary presenting in a short compass what follows at more length. It is called the faith of the new heaven and the new church, because heaven, where the angels are, and the church among men form a single unit, just as the internal and external sides of the personality make up a single individual. This is why a member of the church who possesses the good of love which arises from the truths of faith, and possesses the truths of faith which arise from the good of love, is, so far as the interiors of his mind are concerned, an angel of heaven. Therefore too after dying he comes into heaven, and there enjoys happiness depending upon how far the good and truth are linked. It should be known that in the new heaven, which is at the present time being established by the Lord, this statement of faith serves as its preface, doorway and summary.

345. Having given a summary of the things which go to make up spiritual faith, I shall now give too a summary of the things which go to make up purely natural faith. This is essentially a firm conviction which pretends to be faith, but is a conviction of falsity, known as heretical faith. Its various types are: (1) Spurious faith, in which falsities are mixed with truths. (2) Meretricious faith coming from falsified truths, and adulterous faith coming from different kinds of adulterated good. (3) Concealed or blind faith, which is faith in mysteries which are believed in, despite ignorance whether they are true or false, or whether they are above the level of reason or contrary to it. (4) Erratic faith, which is in a plurality of gods. (5) One-eyed faith, which is in some god other than the true one, and in the case of Christians in a god other than the Lord God the Saviour. (6) Hypocritical or Pharisaical faith, faith, which is a faith of the lips, but not the heart. (7) Imaginary or upside-down faith, which is falsity made by clever arguments to seem like truth.