professing belief with the mouth when yet they do not believe. (The spirits of Mercury have an exquisite perception, in consequence of their continually exploring, by means of perception, what others know.) The spirits of our Earth were of the number of those who in the world had made profession of faith according to the doctrine of the church, but still had not lived the life of faith; and those who do not live the life of faith, in the other life have no faith, because it is not in the man[r].  On hearing this they were silent, because, by an apperception then given them, they acknowledged that the case was so.

[Footnote r:  They who make profession of faith from doctrine, and do not live the life of faith, have no faith, nos. 3865, 7766, 7778, 7790, 7950, 8094.  And their interiors are contrary to the truths of faith, although in the world they do not know this, nos. 7790, 7950.]

40.  Certain spirits knew from heaven that a promise had once been made to the spirits of the earth Mercury, that they should see the Lord; they were, therefore, asked by the spirits about me whether they recollected that promise.  They said that they did recollect it; but that they did not know whether the promise had been made in such a manner as to preclude all doubt respecting it.  While they were thus talking together, the Sun of heaven appeared to them. (The Sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is seen only by those who are in the inmost or third heaven; others see the light which proceeds from it.) On seeing the Sun, they said that this was not the Lord God, because they saw no face.  Meanwhile the spirits were conversing with each other, but I did not hear what they said.  Suddenly, however, the Sun again appeared, and in the midst of it the Lord, encompassed with a solar circle:  at this sight the spirits of Mercury humbled themselves profoundly, and bowed down.  At that time also, the Lord appeared out of that Sun to certain spirits of our Earth, who, when they were men, had seen Him in the world; and they, one after another, and thus many in succession, confessed that it was the Lord Himself; and they made this confession before the whole assembly.  At the same time also the Lord appeared out of the Sun to the spirits of the planet Jupiter, who declared with a clear voice, that it was He Himself whom they had seen on their earth when the God of the universe appeared to them[s].

[Footnote s:  The Lord is the Sun of heaven, from which proceeds all the light there, nos. 1053, 3636, 4060.  And the Lord thus appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom, where love to Him reigns, nos. 1521, 1529-1531, 1837, 4696.  He appears at a middle height above the plane of the right eye, nos. 4321, 7078.  Therefore in the Word the sun signifies the Lord as to the Divine Love, nos. 2495, 4060, 7083.  The sun of the world does not appear to spirits and angels, but in its place as it were a dark something behind, opposite to the Sun of heaven or to the Lord, no. 9755.]