5432. Ye are spies. That this signifies only to seek gain, is evident from the signification of "spies," as being to seek gain. That nothing else is signified in the internal sense by "spies," is evident from the series, for in the internal sense the truths of the church are treated of, that they are to be appropriated to the natural, and that they cannot be appropriated to it except by means of influx from the celestial of the spiritual through an intermediate. These truths of the church are the "sons of Jacob," or "Joseph's brethren;" the celestial of the spiritual is "Joseph;" and the intermediate is "Benjamin." How the case herein is has been told above (n. 5402), that the truths of faith of the church, which are called doctrinal things, when learned in early life, are taken into the mind and committed to memory just like any other memory-knowledges, and remain as such until the man begins to view them with his own eyes, and see whether they are true, and after seeing that they are true, wills to act according to them. This viewing of them, and this will, make them no longer memory-knowledges, but precepts of life, and finally life; for in this way they enter into the life to which they are appropriated.
[2] They who have arrived at maturity, and still more they who have arrived at old age, and have not viewed with their own eyes the truths of the church, which are called doctrinal things, and seen whether they are true, and then been willing to live according to them, retain them merely as they do all other memory-knowledges; they are in their natural memory only, and thence on their lips; and when they utter them, they utter them not from their interior man or from the heart, but only from the exterior man and from the mouth. When a man is in this state he cannot possibly believe that the truths of the church are true, although it seems to him that he so believes. The reason why it seems to him that he believes them to be true, is that he relies on others, and has confirmed in himself the teachings of others. It is very easy to confirm things taken from others, whether true or false; for this needs nothing but ingenuity.
[3] These truths of the church, or they who are in this manner in the truths of the church, are signified by "spies coming to see the nakedness of the land." For they do not believe the doctrinal things of their church from any affection of truth, but from an affection of winning honors or getting gain; wherefore in themselves they believe scarcely anything, for the most part denying at heart, and regarding these doctrinal things as a merchant does his merchandise; and they appear to themselves learned and wise when from themselves they see that truths are not truths, and yet can persuade the common people that they are truths. That many of the church dignitaries are of this character, is very manifest from them in the other life; for wherever they go there, they are in the sphere of their affections and derivative thoughts, which sphere is plainly perceived by others, and it causes the quality of their affection of truth, and the quality of their faith, to be known to the very senses. In the world this is not made manifest, for there is not there any spiritual perception of such things; and this being so they do not expose themselves, for they would lose their gain.
[4] That they are spies may be evident enough from the fact that such persons seek nothing but faults in those who are in truths from good, in order that they may accuse and condemn them. Are such persons anything but spies, whether they belong to the so called Papists, or the Reformed, Quakers, Socinians, or Jews, when they have once confirmed in themselves the doctrinals of their church? They ridicule and condemn the veriest truths, if any such are to be found; for they do not comprehend that truths are true. The reason of this is that they have no affection of truth for its own sake, still less for the sake of life, but only for the sake of gain. Moreover, when such men read the Word they search it with the sole end of confirming doctrinal memory-knowledges for the sake of gain; and many of them search the Word that they may see the nakedness of the land, that is, may see that the truths of the church are not truths, but only serviceable for persuading others that they are truths, for the sake of gain.
[5] But they who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth and of life, consequently for the sake of the Lord's kingdom, have indeed faith in the doctrinal things of the church; but still they search the Word for no other end than the truth, from which their faith and their conscience are formed. If anyone tells them that they ought to stay in the doctrinal things of the church in which they were born, they reflect that if they had been born in Judaism, Socinianism, Quakerism, Christian Gentilism, or even out of the church, the same would have been told them; and that it is everywhere said, Here is the church! Here is the church! Here are truths and nowhere else! And this being the case the Word should be searched with devout prayer to the Lord for enlightenment. Such do not disturb anyone within the church, nor do they ever condemn others, knowing that everyone who is a church lives from his faith.