firmation which attends such influx; and before this internal confirmation is received, there is only a faith of the mouth, which in itself is no faith, and there is not the faith of the heart, which is real faith. The faith of the mouth is faith existing only in the externals of the mind; whereas the faith of the heart is a faith existing in the internals of the mind. Now, if the internals are filled with all kinds of evils, then, when the externals are taken away, as is the case with every man after death, then the man rejects from himself even the belief that there is a God."[1]
These profound truths, my brethren, declared by the Doctrine of the New Church, are of a nature to make us reflect. We need to examine ourselves, to see whether we are truly heart-worshipers of God, or only lip-worshipers. Tried by the test here given, it is to be feared that thousands who are seen every Sabbath-day solemnly worshiping God with their lips in the churches of the land, are at heart atheists, and will be found such after death. We need to beware lest we be of that number, self-deceived. If we are habitually indulging in any known evils, the love of self, the love of the world, the love of pleasure,—if we give way to angry passions, to the spirit of rage, of hatred and revenge,—if we are not continually striving to combat our evils, and continually examining ourselves, also, to know what our evils are—then we are idolaters at heart, whatever we may appear before the world, or whatever we may suppose ourselves to be. But in the degree that we combat our
- ↑ Ap. Ex., n. 952.
