Week 5    Day 3

    Listen:

Two Evil Bishops and a Wise Layman

AR 675. There was seen a certain paper sent down from the Lord through heaven to a society of the English, but that society was one of the smallest of them, where there were also two bishops. The paper contained an exhortation that they should acknowledge the Lord as the God of heaven and earth, as He taught (Matt. 28:18); and that they should recede from the doctrine of faith justifying without the works of the law, because it is erroneous. This paper was read and copied by many. And about the things that were in it they thought and spoke soundly from interior judgment, and were enlightened by the Lord; and the enlightenment was received in light, which is implanted with the English more than with others.

Yet after they had received those things, they said among themselves, “Let us hear the bishops.” And they were heard, but they contradicted and disapproved. For those bishops who were there were from those who had become in the world hard of heart as to the spiritual things of faith and charity, from the love of dominion over the holy things of the church, and of super- eminence by means of them even in political affairs. Therefore, after a short consultation among themselves, they sent the paper back to heaven, from which it came. This being done, after some murmuring, most of the laity receded from their former assent. And then their light in spiritual things, which before shone brightly, was suddenly extinguished. And afterwards they were admonished again, but in vain. I saw that society sinking down, but how deeply I did not see. Thus it was withdrawn from the sight of the angels, who worship the Lord alone and are averse to faith alone.

[2] But after some days, I saw as many as a hundred of them ascending from the lower earth, to which that small society sank down. They approached me, and a wise man from among them spoke and said, “Listen to a surprising thing. When we sank down, the place at first appeared to us like a lake, but soon like dry land, and afterwards like a small city, in which everyone had his house, but a poor one. After a day we consulted among ourselves what was to be done. Many said that we must go to the two bishops and mildly argue with them, because they sent back the paper into heaven, from which it was let down, on account of which this had happened to us.” They chose some who went to the bishops, and he that was speaking with me said that he was one of them.

“And then a certain one among us who excelled in wisdom addressed the bishops in this way. ‘Hear, fathers. We believed that with us above others was the church which deserved to be called the first in the Christian world, and a religion which deserves to be called the greatest. But there has been given to us enlightenment from heaven, and in the enlightenment a perception that at this day there is no longer any church in the Christian world, nor any religion.’

[3] “The bishops said, ‘What are you saying? Is not the church where the Word is, where Christ the Savior is known, and where the sacraments are?’

“To this our spokesman replied, ‘Those things are the church, and they make the church; but they do not make it outside of man, but within man.’ And he said further, ‘As to the church: can the church be where three gods are worshiped? Can the church be where the whole of its doctrine is founded on a single saying of Paul falsely understood, and hence not on the Word? Can the church be where the Savior of the world is not approached, and where He is divided into two?

“‘As to religion: who can deny that religion is to shun evil and to do good? Is there any religion where it is taught that faith alone saves, and not charity? Is there religion where it is taught that charity proceeding from a man is nothing but moral and civil charity? ... Is there in faith alone anything of deed or of work? And yet religion consists in doing.... See, fathers, what glory we would have, if the church, which is not, and religion, which is not, should begin and arise with us.’...

[6] “‘You regard man as to... all spiritual things which are of the church and religion, as a stump or as a lifeless image, and not as a man created in the image of God, to whom was given, and is continually given, the faculty of understanding and willing, of believing and loving, and of speaking and doing, altogether as of himself—especially in spiritual things, because man is man from them....

“‘The apostle James calls faith without good works not only dead, but also diabolical.’

[7] “Then one of those two bishops, when he heard his faith called dead, diabolical, and a specter, became so enraged, that he snatched the miter from his head, and threw it on a table, saying, ‘I will not resume it until I have been avenged on the enemies of the faith of our church.’ And he shook his head, murmuring and saying, ‘That James, that James!’ Upon the miter was a plate, on which was engraved ‘Faith Alone.’

“And then there suddenly appeared a monster rising out of the earth with seven heads, whose feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth like a lion’s, altogether like the beast which is described (Rev. 13:1-2), whose image was made and adored (Rev. 13:14-15). This specter took the miter from the table, and stretched it out beneath, and put it on his seven heads. After this, the earth opened under his feet and he sank down into hell. Seeing this, that bishop cried out, ‘Violence, violence!’

”We then departed from them; and behold, there were steps before our eyes, by which we ascended, and returned upon the earth, and into the sight of heaven, where we were before.” These things the wise Englishman related to me.

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