Divine Providence · §§ 46–90

46. THE LORD’S DIVINE PROVIDENCE LOOKS IN EVERY THING THAT IT DOES TO WHAT IS INFINITE AND ETERNAL.

It is known in the Christian world that God is Infinite and Eternal; for in the doctrine of the Trinity that has its name from Athanasius it is said that God the Father is Infinite, Eternal, and Omnipotent; likewise God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and yet there are not three that are Infinite, Eternal, and Omnipotent, but One. From this it follows that as God is Infinite and Eternal, nothing but what is Infinite and Eternal can be predicated of God. But what the Infinite and Eternal is the finite cannot comprehend, and yet it can. The finite cannot comprehend it because it cannot contain the infinite; and it can comprehend it because there are abstract ideas by means of which the existence of things can be seen, if not the nature of them. Such ideas are possible respecting the Infinite; as that God because He is Infinite, that is, the Divine because it is Infinite, is Being (esse) itself, is Essence itself and Substance itself, is Love itself and Wisdom itself, or Good itself and Truth itself, and therefore is the Itself, yea, is Man Himself; and when the Infinite is said to be the All, that Infinite Wisdom is Omniscience, and that Infinite Power is Omnipotence. [2] And yet such ideas as these fall into obscurity of thought, and perhaps, from their incomprehensibility, into denial, unless those things that thought derives from nature are withdrawn from the idea, especially those that it derives from the two properties of nature, space and time; for these must needs limit ideas and cause abstract ideas to be as nothing. But if these can be withdrawn in man as they are in an angel, the Infinite may be comprehended by means of such ideas as are enumerated just above, and also from this that man is something because he was created by an Infinite God who is the All; also that man is a finite substance because he was created by an Infinite God who is Substance Itself; also, that man is wisdom, because he was created by an Infinite God who is Wisdom itself, and so on. For unless the Infinite God were the All, and were Substance itself and Wisdom itself, man would not be anything; consequently either a nonentity or merely an idea of being, according to those visionaries that are called idealists. [3] From what has been shown in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, it is clear that the Divine Essence is love and wisdom (n. 28-39); that the Divine love and the Divine wisdom are substance itself and form itself, and are the Very and the Only (n. 40-46); and that God created the universe and all things thereof from Himself and not from nothing (n. 282-284). From this it follows that every created thing, and especially man, and the love and wisdom in him, are something, and not merely an idea of being. For unless God were Infinite there could be no finite; and unless the Infinite were the All there could not be any thing; and unless God had created all things from Himself there would be nullity or nothing. In a word, we are because God is.

47. As the Divine providence is here treated of, and it is here to be shown that in every thing it does it looks to the Infinite and Eternal, and as this cannot be clearly set forth except in some order, the order shall be as follows:-

(1) The Infinite in itself and the Eternal in itself is the same as the Divine.

(2) The Infinite and Eternal in itself must needs look to what is infinite [and eternal] from itself in things finite.

(3) The Divine providence, in every thing it does, looks to what is infinite and eternal from itself, especially in saving the human race.

(4) An image of the Infinite and Eternal is presented in an angelic heaven from a saved human race.

(5) Looking to what is Infinite and Eternal in the formation of the angelic heaven, that it may be before the Lord as one man, which is an image of Himself, is the inmost of the Divine providence.

48. (1) The Infinite in itself and the Eternal in itself is the same as the Divine. This can be seen from what has been shown in many places in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. That the Infinite in itself and the Eternal in itself is the Divine is in accord with the angelic idea, the angels understanding by the Infinite nothing else than the Divine being (esse), and by the Eternal the Divine manifestation (existere). Men also are able to see that the Infinite in itself and Eternal in itself is the Divine, and are not able to see it. Those can see it who think of the Infinite not from space, and of the Eternal not from time; but those who think of what is infinite and eternal from space and time can not see it. Therefore it can be seen by those who think in a higher, that is, in an interior way in the rational, but can not be seen by those who think in a lower, that is, in an exterior way. [2] It can be seen by those who call to mind that an infinity of space is impossible, also an infinity of time, which is an eternity from which [things have been]; because infinity is without end, either first or last, that is, without limits; and who also consider that an Infinite from itself is impossible, because from itself supposes limit and beginning or a prior from which it is; therefore it is unmeaning to speak of the Infinite and Eternal from itself, for this would be like saying being (esse) from itself, which is a contradiction; for an Infinite from itself would be an Infinite from an Infinite, and Esse from itself would be Esse from an Esse; and this Infinite and Esse would either be the same with The Infinite or would be finite. From these and like reasons, which can be seen interiorly in the rational, it is evident that there is an Infinite in itself and an Eternal in itself; and that this Infinite and Eternal is the Divine from which are all things.

49. I know that many will say to themselves, How can one comprehend interiorly in his rational any thing apart from space and apart from time, and not only that this is, but also that it is the All and the Very, from which all things are? But consider interiorly whether love or any affection of it, or wisdom or any perception of it, or even thought, is in space and in time; and you will find that it is not. And since the Divine is love itself and wisdom itself, it follows that the Divine cannot be conceived of as in space and in time; so neither can the Infinite. For a clearer perception of this, carefully decide whether thought is in time and space. Suppose thought to go on for ten or twelve hours, may not this length of time seem to be no more than one or two hours, or may it not seem to be one or two days? The apparent duration is according to the state of affection from which the thought springs. If it is an affection of gladness in which there is no thought about time, ten or twelve hours of thought seem no more than one or two; but if it is an affection of sorrow in which time is attended to, the reverse will be true. All this makes clear that time is only an appearance in accordance with the state of affection from which the thought springs. The same is true of thought about distance in space, either when walking or when making a journey.

50. As angels and spirits are affections that belong to love, and thoughts from affection, they are consequently not in space and time, but only in the appearance of them. To them there is an appearance of space and time, in accordance with their states of affection and thoughts therefrom. When, therefore, an angel thinks from affection about another with a determinate wish to see him or speak with him, he is instantly present before him. [2] From this it is that with every man there are spirits present that are in like affection with himself, evil spirits with one who is an affection for a like evil, and good spirits with one who is an affection for like good; and they are as really present as if the man were included in their society. Space and time have nothing to do with that presence; because affection and the thought from it are not in space and time; and spirits and angels are affections and thoughts therefrom. [3] That this is so, it has been granted me to know from a living experience of several years, and from having talked with many after their death, with some in Europe and its various kingdoms, and with some in Asia and Africa and their various kingdoms; and they all were near me. If there were space and time with them, a journey and time to make it would have intervened. [4] In fact, this is known to every man from an intuition in himself or in his mind, which has been proved to me by this, that no one thought of any distance in space when told that I had spoken with some one who had died in Asia, Africa, or Europe; as, for example, with Calvin, Luther, Melancthon, or with some king, ruler, or priest in a distant land; nor did any thought even arise, How could he speak with those who lived so far away, or how could they come and be with him, when lands and seas intervened? This has made clear to me also that no one thinks from space and time when thinking of those who are in the spiritual world. Nevertheless, that there is an appearance of space and time there may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 162-169, 191-199).

51. From all this it can now be seen that the Infinite and Eternal, thus the Lord, must be thought of apart from space and time, and that such thought is possible; also that those have such thought who think interiorly in the rational; and that then the Infinite and Eternal is the same as the Divine. Thus do angels and spirits think. From thought abstracted from time and space a comprehension of the Divine Omnipresence and the Divine Omnipotence, also of the Divine from eternity, is possible, but none at all from thought to which an idea from space and time clings. From all this it is clear that God from eternity can be thought about, but in no wise nature from eternity; consequently the creation of the universe by God can be thought about, but in no wise creation from nature; for space and time are properties of nature, but the Divine is apart from space and time. That the Divine is apart from space and time can be seen in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (n. 7-10, 69-72, 73-76, and elsewhere).

52. (2) The Infinite and Eternal in itself must needs look to what is infinite and eternal from itself in things finite. By the Infinite and Eternal in itself the Divine Itself is meant, as has been shown in the preceding article; by things finite all things created by the Divine, especially men, spirits, and angels, are meant, and to look to what is infinite and eternal from Itself is to look to the Divine, that is, Itself, in these, as a man looks at his image in a mirror. That this is so has been shown in many places in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, especially where it has been shown that in the created universe there is an image of man, and this is an image of what is infinite and eternal (n. 317, 318), thus an image of God the Creator, that is, the Lord from eternity. But let it be understood that the Divine in itself is in the Lord, while the Divine from itself is the Divine from the Lord in created things.

53. But that this may be more fully understood it shall be illustrated. The Divine can look only to the Divine; and it can look to this nowhere but in things created by Itself. That this is true is evident from this, that one can look to another only from what is his own in himself. He that loves another looks to him from his own love in himself; and he that is wise looks to another from his own wisdom in himself. He may see that the other loves him or does not love him, and is wise or not wise, but this he sees from the love and wisdom in himself; and therefore he conjoins himself with the other so far as the other loves him as he loves the other, or so far as the other is wise as he is wise; for thus they make one. [2] It is the same with the Divine in itself, for the Divine in itself is not able to look to itself from another, that is, from a man or a spirit or an angel; for there is nothing in them of the Divine in itself from which [all things are], and to look to the Divine from another in whom there is nothing of the Divine would be to look to the Divine from what is not Divine, which is not possible. For this reason the conjunction of the Lord with a man or a spirit or an angel is such that every thing that has relation to the Divine is not from them, but from the Lord. For it is known that all the good and all the truth that any one has is from the Lord and not from himself, and that no one can even mention the Lord, or His names, “Jesus,” and “Christ,” except from Him. [3] From this, then, it follows, that the Infinite and Eternal, which is the same as the Divine, looks to all things in the finite infinitely, and conjoins Itself with them in accordance with the degree of reception of wisdom and love in them. In a word, the Lord can have an abode in man or angel and dwell with them, only in His own, and not in what is their own (proprium), for that is evil; and if it were good it would still be finite, which in itself and from itself cannot contain the Infinite. All this makes clear that it is impossible for a finite being to look to the Infinite; but it is possible for the Infinite to look to what is infinite from Himself, in finite beings.

54. There is an appearance that the Infinite cannot be conjoined with the finite, because there is no possible ratio between them, and because the finite cannot contain what is infinite; nevertheless, such a conjunction is possible, both because the Infinite created all things from Himself (as is shown in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 282-284), and because the Infinite in things finite can look only to what is infinite from Himself, and with finite beings this infinite from Himself can appear as if it were in them, whereby a ratio between the finite and the infinite is provided, not from the finite, but from the infinite in the finite; and by this also the finite being becomes capable of containing what is infinite, not the finite being in himself, but as if in himself from what is infinite from itself in him. But of this more in what now follows.

55. (3) The Divine providence, in all that it does, looks to what is infinite and eternal from itself, especially in saving the human race. The Infinite and Eternal in itself is the Divine itself, or the Lord in Himself, while the Infinite and Eternal from itself is the Divine going forth, that is, the Lord in others created from Himself, thus in men and in angels; and this Divine is the same as the Divine providence. For by means of the Divine from Himself the Lord provides that all things may be held together in the order in which and into which they were created. And as this is the work of the Divine that goes forth, it follows that all this is the Divine providence.

56. That the Divine providence in every thing that it does looks to what is infinite and eternal from itself, can be seen from this, that every created thing goes forth from a First, which is the Infinite and Eternal, to things last, and from things last to the First from which (a quo), as has been shown in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, where the creation of the universe is treated of. And as the First from which (a quo) is inmostly in all progression, it follows that the Divine that goes forth, that is, the Divine providence, in all that it does, looks to some image of the Infinite and Eternal. This it looks to in all things, but in some things obviously to perception, in others not. It presents that image obviously to perception in the variety of all things, and in the fructification and multiplication of all things. [2] An image of the Infinite and Eternal in the variety of all things, is apparent in this, that there is no one thing that is the same as another, nor can there be to eternity. In the faces of men this is evident to the eye from the beginning of their creation; consequently it is evident from their minds, of which their faces are types; also from their affections, perceptions, and thoughts, for these constitute the mind. For this reason in the entire heaven there are no two angels or no two spirits that are the same; nor can there be to eternity. The same is true of every visible object in the two worlds, the natural and the spiritual. From all this it can be seen that variety is infinite and eternal. [3] An image of the Infinite and Eternal in the fructification and multiplication of all things, is evident in the vegetable kingdom from the ability implanted in seeds, and in the animal kingdom from prolification, especially the propagation of fishes, which, if fructified and multiplied to the extent of their ability, would within a century fill the entire space of the world and even of the universe. From this it is clear that in that ability an endeavor to an infinite self-propagation lies hidden. And as fructifications and multiplications have not failed from the beginning of creation, nor will ever fail to eternity, it follows that in that ability there is also an endeavor to an eternal self-propagation.

57. The same is true of men in regard to their affections which belong to their love, and their perceptions which belong to their wisdom. The variety of both of these is infinite and eternal; so, too, their fructification and their multiplication, which are spiritual. No man enjoys affection or perception so like another’s as to be the same; nor can such ever be. Moreover, affections May be fructified and perceptions multiplied without end. That knowledge is inexhaustible is known. This ability to fructify and multiply without end, that is, infinitely and eternally, men have in natural things, the spiritual angels in spiritual things, and the celestial angels in celestial things. Not only are affections, perceptions, and knowledges such in general; but also every single thing in them, even the least, in particular. They are such because they have their existence from the Infinite and Eternal in itself by means of what is infinite and eternal from itself. But inasmuch as the finite has in itself nothing of the Divine, there is in man or angel no such thing as his own, not even the least, for a man or an angel is finite, and purely a receptacle, in itself dead; and whatever is living in him is from the Divine going forth conjoined with him by contiguity, and appearing to him as if it were his. That this is so will be seen in what follows.

58. The Divine providence looks to what is infinite and eternal from itself especially in saving the human race, because the Divine providence has as its end a heaven from the human race (as has been shown above, n. 27-45); and because this is its end it follows that the reformation and the regeneration of man, thus his salvation, is what the Divine providence especially looks to, for from those that have been saved or regenerated heaven exists. Since to regenerate man is to unite good and truth in him, or love and wisdom, as they are united in the Divine that goes forth from the Lord, it is to this that the Divine providence especially looks in saving the human race. The image of the Infinite and Eternal is in man exclusively in the marriage of good and truth. That this is accomplished in mankind by the Divine that goes forth is known from the fact that there have been those who when filled with the Divine that goes forth, which is called the Holy Spirit, have prophesied, of whom in the Word; and there are those who, when enlightened, behold Divine truths in the light of heaven; this can be especially seen in angels, who sensibly perceive the presence, the influx, and the conjunction; but angels also recognize that this conjunction is nothing more than what may be called an adjunction.

59. It has not heretofore been known that the Divine providence in its whole progress with man looks to his eternal state. It can look to nothing else because the Divine is Infinite and Eternal, and the Infinite and Eternal, that is, the Divine, is not in time, and therefore all future things are present to it; and the Divine being such, it follows that there is what is eternal in each and every thing that it does. But those who think from time and space scarcely perceive this, not only because they love temporal things, but also because they think from what is present in the world and not from what is present in heaven, for that is to them as far away as the end of the earth. But when those who are in the Divine think from what is present, they think also from what is eternal because they think from the Lord, saying within themselves, What is that which is not eternal? Is not the temporal relatively nothing, and does it not become nothing when it is ended? It is not so with what is eternal; that alone Is; for its being (esse) has no end. To think thus when thinking from what is present is to think at the same time from what is eternal; and when a man so thinks, and at the same time so lives, the Divine going forth in him, that is, the Divine providence, looks in its entire progress to the state of his eternal life in heaven, and leads towards it. That in every man, both in the evil and in the good, the Divine looks to what is eternal, will be seen in what follows.

60. (4) An image of the Infinite and Eternal is presented in the angelic heaven. Among the things we need to know about is the angelic heaven; for every one who has any religion thinks about it, and wishes to go there. But heaven is granted only to those who know the way to it and walk in that way. And that way can to some extent be known by knowing the character of those who constitute heaven, also by knowing that no one becomes an angel, that is, comes into heaven, unless he carries with him from the world what is angelic; and in what is angelic there is present a knowledge of the way from walking in it, and a walking in the way through a knowledge of it. Moreover, in the spiritual world, there are actually ways that lead to every society of heaven and to every society of hell; and there each one as if from himself sees his own way. He sees it because there is a way there for every love; and the love opens the way and leads one to his fellows. Other ways than the way of his love no one sees. From this it is clear that angels are nothing but heavenly loves, for otherwise they would not have seen the ways leading to heaven. But this can be more fully seen when heaven is described.

61. Every man’s spirit is affection and thought therefrom; and as every affection is from the love and every thought is from the understanding, every spirit is his own love, and his own understanding therefrom. For this reason, when a man is thinking solely from his own spirit, which he does when meditating at home by himself, he thinks from the affection which belongs to his love. From this it is clear that when a man becomes a spirit, as he does after death, he is an affection of his own love, and is no other thought than what belongs to his affection. He is an evil affection, which is a lust, if his love has been a love of evil; and he is a good affection if his love has been a love of good; and every one has a good affection so far as he has shunned evils as sins; and every one has an evil affection so far as he has not so shunned them. And inasmuch as all spirits and angels are affections, the entire angelic heaven is evidently nothing but the love of all affections of good, and the consequent wisdom of all perceptions of truth. And as every good and truth is from the Lord, and the Lord is love itself and wisdom itself, it follows that the angelic heaven is His image. And as the Divine love and the Divine wisdom in their form are Man, it also follows that the angelic heaven cannot be otherwise than in such a form. But of this more will be said in the following chapter.

62. The angelic heaven is an image of the Infinite and Eternal because it is an image of the Lord, and the Lord is the Infinite and Eternal. An image of His Infinite and Eternal is manifest in this, that heaven is made up of myriads of myriads of angels; and that it is made up of as many societies as there are general affections of heavenly love; and that each angel in each society is distinctly his own affection; and that the form of heaven, which before the Lord is as one, just as a man is one, is from so great a number of affections in general and in particular; and that this form is perfected to eternity according to the increase of numbers, for the greater the number of those that enter into the form of the Divine love, which is the form of forms, the more perfect the unity becomes. From all this it is very clear that an image of the Infinite and Eternal is presented in the angelic heaven.

63. From the idea of heaven given by this brief description it is evident that it is an affection from the love of good that makes heaven in man. But who at the present day knows this? Who knows even what the affection from the love of good is, or that affections from the love of good are innumerable, in fact, infinite? For, as has been said, every angel is distinctly his own affection; and the form of heaven is the form of all the affections of the Divine love there. To unite all affections into this form is possible only to Him who is love itself and also wisdom itself, and who is at once Infinite and Eternal, for what is infinite and eternal is in every thing of the form, the infinite in the conjunction and the eternal in the perpetuity; and if what is infinite and eternal were withdrawn from it it would dissolve away in an instant. Who else can combine affections into a form? Who else can even unite a single part of it? For a single part can be united only from a universal idea of all, and the universal of all only from a particular idea of each part. That form is composed of myriads of myriads; and myriads enter it each year, and will continue to enter into it to eternity. All children enter into it; and as many adults as are affections from a good of love. From all this again an image of the Infinite and Eternal can be seen in the angelic heaven.

64. (5) Looking to what is infinite and eternal in the formation of the angelic heaven, that it may be before the Lord as one man, which is an image of Himself, is the inmost of the Divine providence. That the entire heaven is as one man before the Lord and likewise each society of heaven, and that it is from this that each angel is a man in complete form, and this because God the Creator, who is the Lord from eternity, is Man, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 59-86); also, that in consequence there is a correspondence of all things of heaven with all things of man (n. 87-102). That the entire heaven is as one man has not been seen by me; since the entire heaven can be seen by no one except the Lord; but that an entire society of heaven, greater or smaller, appears as one man, has several times been seen by me; and it was then said that the greatest society, which is heaven in its entire aggregate, so appears, but only before the Lord; and that this is the reason why every angel is in complete form a man.

65. As in the Lord’s sight the entire heaven is as one man, so heaven is divided into as many general societies as there are organs, viscera, and members in a man; and each general society is divided into as many less general or particular societies as there are larger divisions in each of the viscera and organs. From this it is evident what heaven is. And since the Lord is the very Man, and heaven is His image, to be in heaven is called being in the Lord. That the Lord is the very Man can be seen in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (n. 11-13, 285-589).

66. From all this the arcanum, which may be called angelic, can in some measure be seen, namely, that every affection for good and at the same time for truth is in its form a man; for whatever goes forth from the Lord, by its derivation from His Divine love is an affection for good, and by its derivation from His Divine wisdom is an affection for truth. The affection for truth that goes forth from the Lord appears in angel and in man as a perception and consequent thought of truth, for the reason that attention is given to the perception and thought, and little to the affection from which these spring, although they go forth from the Lord as one with affection for truth.

67. Since, then, man by creation is a heaven in the least form, and consequently an image of the Lord, and since heaven consists of as many affections as there are angels, and each affection in its form is a man, it follows that it is the continual aim of the Divine providence that man may become a heaven in form and consequently an image of the Lord, and since this is effected by means of the affection for good and truth, that he may become such an affection. This, therefore, is the continual aim of the Divine providence. But its inmost is that man may be in this or that place in heaven, or in this or that place in the Divine heavenly man; for thus is he in the Lord. This is accomplished, however, only with those whom the Lord can lead to heaven. And as the Lord foresees this, He also provides continually that man may become such; for thereby every one who permits himself to be led to heaven is prepared for his own place in heaven.

68. It has been said above that heaven is divided into as many societies as there are organs, viscera, and members in Man, and in these no part can be in any place but its own. Consequently as angels are such parts of the Divine heavenly Man, and none become angels except such as have become men in the world, it follows that the man who permits himself to be led to heaven is continually prepared by the Lord for his own place; and this is done by means of such an affection for good and truth as corresponds with it. Moreover, every angel-man when he leaves this world is assigned to his place. This is the inmost of the Divine providence respecting heaven.

69. On the other hand, the man who does not permit himself to be led and assigned to heaven is prepared for his own place in hell. For of himself man tends continually to the lowest part of hell, but he is continually withdrawn by the Lord; and he who cannot be withdrawn is prepared for a certain place there, to which also he is assigned immediately after he leaves this world; and this place there is opposite to a certain place in heaven; for hell is the opposite of heaven. Therefore as the angel-man, according to his affection for good and truth, is allotted his own place in heaven, so the devil-man, according to his affection for evil and falsity, is allotted his own place in hell. For these two opposites, arranged in like position over against each other, are held in connection. This is the inmost of the Divine providence respecting hell.

70. THERE ARE LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT ARE UNKNOWN TO MEN.

That there is a Divine providence is known, but what it is is not known. This is not known because the laws of the Divine providence are arcana heretofore concealed in the wisdom of angels, but now to be revealed, that what belongs to the Lord may be ascribed to Him, and what does not belong to man may not be ascribed to any man. For many in the world attribute all things to themselves and their own prudence; and what they can not attribute to that they call accidental or casual, not knowing that human prudence is nothing, and that accidental and casual are idle words. [2] It is said that the laws of the Divine providence are arcana heretofore hidden in the wisdom of angels. This is because in the Christian world the understanding, for religion’s sake, has been closed in respect to Divine things, and consequently it has become in such things so obtuse and resistant that man has not been able because he has not been willing, or has not been willing because he has not been able, to understand anything more about the Divine providence than simply that it exists, and to reason whether it exists or not, and also whether it is only universal or also particular. When for religion’s sake the understanding is closed in respect to Divine things it can go no further than this. [3] But since there has been in the church an acknowledgment that man is unable from himself to do good that is in itself good, and unable from himself to think truth that is in itself truth, and since these are one with the Divine providence (because believing the one depends upon believing the other) it is necessary, lest the one be affirmed and the other denied and thus both perish, that what the Divine providence is be explicitly revealed. But this cannot be revealed unless the laws by which the Lord cares for and rules the things of man’s will and understanding are disclosed. For the laws of Divine providence are what make known its nature; and only he who knows its nature can acknowledge it, for then he sees it. For this reason the laws of Divine providence, heretofore hidden in the wisdom of angels, are now revealed.

71. IT IS A LAW OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT MAN SHOULD ACT FROM FREEDOM IN ACCORDANCE WITH REASON.

Everyone knows that man has the freedom to think and will just as he pleases, but not the freedom to say whatever he thinks, or to do whatever he wills; therefore the freedom that is here meant is spiritual freedom, and not natural freedom, except when the two make one. For thinking and willing are spiritual, but speaking and doing are natural. Moreover, these are clearly distinguished in man; for a man is able to think what he does not speak, and to will what he does not do; which makes clear that the spiritual and the natural in man are discriminated; consequently man can pass from one to the other only through a boundary, such a boundary as may be likened to a door that must be unfastened and opened. This door stands open as it were in those who think and will from reason in accordance with the civil laws of the government and the moral laws of society; for such say what they think and do as they will; but the door stands shut as it were in those who think and will in opposition to those laws. Whoever attends to his volitions and consequent actions will notice that such a boundary intervenes, and sometimes frequently in a single conversation or a single action. This has been premised to make clear that to act from freedom in accordance with reason means to think and will freely and thus to speak and do freely what is in accordance with reason.

72. But as few are aware that this can be a law of Divine providence, for the reason chiefly that this gives a man freedom also to think evil and falsity (although the Divine providence is continually leading him to think and will what is good and true), that this may be clearly seen the subject must be considered step by step, which shall be done in the following order:-

(1) Man possesses reason and freedom, or rationality and liberty; and these two faculties are in man from the Lord.

(2) Whatever a man does from freedom, whether it be of reason or not, provided it is in accordance with his reason, appears to him to be his.

(3) Whatever a man does from freedom in accordance with his thought is appropriated to him as his, and remains.

(4) It is by means of these two faculties that man is reformed and regenerated by the Lord; and without them he cannot be reformed or regenerated.

(5) By means of these two faculties man can be so far reformed and regenerated as he can be led by means of them to acknowledge that every thing good and true that he thinks and does is from the Lord, and not from himself.

(6) By means of these two faculties the conjunction of the Lord with man and the reciprocal conjunction of man with the Lord are effected.

(7) The Lord preserves these two faculties in man inviolate and as sacred in the whole course of His Divine providence.

(8) Therefore it is [a law] of the Divine providence that man should act from freedom in accordance with reason.

73. (1) Man, possesses reason and freedom, or rationality and liberty, and these two faculties are in man from the Lord. That man has the faculty of understanding which is rationality and the faculty of thinking, willing, speaking, and doing what he understands, which is liberty, and that these two faculties are in man from the Lord, has been treated of in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (n. 264-270, 425; also above, n. 43, 44). But as many doubts may arise respecting either of these when they are made a subject of thought, at the outset I will merely advance something respecting the freedom to act in accordance with reason that is in man. [2] First, however, it must be known that all freedom is a property of love, insomuch that love and freedom are one. And as love is the life of man, freedom also belongs to his life. For every enjoyment that man has is from his love; no enjoyment is possible from any other source; and acting from love’s enjoyment is acting from freedom; for a man is led by enjoyment as a thing is borne along by the current of a river. Since, then, there are numerous loves, some harmonious and some discordant, it follows that there are likewise numerous kinds of freedom; but in general three, natural, rational, and spiritual. [3] Natural freedom every one has by inheritance. From it man loves nothing but self and the world; his first life is nothing else. And as from these two loves all evils spring, and thus it comes that evils belong to the love, it follows that thinking and willing evils is man’s natural freedom; and when he has confirmed evils in himself by reasonings he does evils from freedom in accordance with his reason. Thus his doing evils is from his faculty that is called liberty; and his confirming them is from his faculty that is called rationality. [4] A man’s desire, for example, to commit adultery, to defraud, to blaspheme, to take revenge, is from the love into which he is born; and when he confirms these evils in himself, and thereby makes them allowable, then, from the enjoyment of the love of them, he as it were freely in accordance with reason thinks and wills them, and, so far as civil laws do not prevent, speaks and acts accordingly. It is from the Lord’s Divine providence that man is permitted to do this, because he has freedom or liberty. Man is in this kind of freedom by nature, because of inheritance; and all those are in it who by means of reasonings have confirmed it in themselves from the enjoyment of love of self and the world. [5] Rational freedom is from the love of reputation with a view to honor or gain. The enjoyment of this love lies in appearing externally as a moral man; and because man loves such a reputation, he does not defraud, commit adultery, take revenge, or blaspheme; and because he makes this a matter of reason, he acts from freedom in accordance with his reason in sincere, just, chaste, and friendly ways; and furthermore, from this reason he can advocate such conduct. But if his rational is merely natural and not also spiritual, such freedom is merely external freedom, not internal freedom; for he does not love these goods in the least inwardly, but only outwardly for the sake of his reputation, as has been said, and for this reason the good deeds that he does are not in themselves good. He may even assert that these things ought to be done for the public welfare; but this he says not from any love for the public welfare, but from a love for his own honor or gain. His freedom, therefore, derives nothing from a love for the public welfare, neither does his reason, since this assents to his love. Consequently, this rational freedom is a more internal natural freedom. This freedom, too, by the Lord’s Divine providence remains with every one. [6] Spiritual freedom is from a love for eternal life. Into that love and its enjoyment no one comes except he that thinks evils to be sins and in consequence does not will them, and at the same time looks to the Lord. As soon as one does this he is in that freedom. For one’s ability not to will evils because they are sins, and not to do them for that reason, comes from the more internal or higher freedom which is from his more internal or higher love. At first such a freedom does not seem to be freedom, and yet it is; and afterwards it so appears, and then man acts from freedom itself, in accordance With reason itself, in thinking, willing, speaking, and doing what is good and true. This freedom increases as natural freedom decreases and becomes subservient; and it conjoins itself With rational freedom and purifies it. [7] Any one may come into this freedom if he is but willing to think that life is eternal, and that the temporary enjoyment and bliss of life in time are but as a fleeting shadow, compared with the never ending enjoyment and bliss of a life in eternity; and this a man can think if he wishes, because he has rationality and liberty, and because the Lord, from whom these two faculties are derived, continually gives the ability.

74. (2) Whatever a man does from freedom, whether it be of reason or not, provided it is in accordance with his reason, appears to him to be his. What rationality and liberty, which are peculiar to man, are, can be most clearly understood by a comparison of man with beasts. For beasts have no rationality or ability to understand, and no liberty or ability to will freely; consequently they have no understanding or will, but in place of understanding they have knowledge, and in place of will they have affection, both of which are natural. And as they do not possess these two faculties, they have no thought, but in place of thought they have an internal sight which makes one by correspondence with their external sight. [2] Every affection has its mate which is like a spouse; affection from natural love has knowledge, affection from spiritual love understanding, and affection from celestial love wisdom. For an affection without its mate as a spouse is not any thing; it is as being (esse) without coming forth (existere), or as substance without form, of which nothing can be predicated. Therefore, in every thing created there is something that is referable to the marriage of good and truth, as has been shown above in many places. In beasts there is a marriage of affection and knowledge, the affection in them pertaining to natural good, and knowledge to natural truth. [3] Since, then, affection and knowledge in beasts act completely as one, and their affection cannot be raised above their knowledge nor their knowledge above their affection, but whenever raised are both raised together, and since they have no spiritual mind, into which, or into the light and heat of which, they can be raised, therefore they have no capacity to understand, that is, rationality, and no capacity to will freely, that is, liberty; they have merely natural affection with its knowledge. The natural affection that they possess is an affection for providing themselves food, shelter, and offspring, and for escaping or avoiding injury, with all requisite knowledge of these things. Such being the state of their life, they have no ability to think, This I wish or do not wish; this I know or do not know; or still less, this I understand, and this I love; but from their affection by means of their knowledge they are borne along without rationality or liberty. They are so borne along, not from the natural world, but from the spiritual. For there is nothing in the natural world unconnected with the spiritual world. From that world is every cause that produces an effect. Something on this subject may be seen below (n. 96).

75. With man it is otherwise. He has not only affection from natural love, but also affection from spiritual love, and affection from celestial love. For the human mind is of three degrees, as shown in Part Third of the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. Consequently a man can be raised up from natural knowledge into spiritual intelligence and from that into celestial wisdom; and from these two, intelligence and wisdom, he can look to the Lord, and thus be conjoined with Him, whereby he lives forever. But this exaltation in respect to affection would not be possible unless man had from rationality an ability to raise the understanding, and from liberty an ability to will this. [2] By means of these two faculties man has the ability to reflect within himself upon those things that he perceives outside of himself by means of the bodily senses. He also has the ability to think above about what he is thinking below. For one can say: This I have thought and this I now think; also: This I have willed and this I now will; or again: This I understand to be true, this I love because it is such; and so on. From this it is clear that man thinks also above thought, seeing it as if beneath him. This ability man has from rationality and from liberty, from rationality this capacity for higher thought, from liberty the capacity to will, from affection to so think. For without the liberty so to think he would not have the will, and consequently not the thought. [3] For this reason those that have no wish to understand any thing except what pertains to the world and its nature, and no wish to understand what moral and spiritual good and truth are, cannot be raised from knowledge into intelligence, still less into wisdom; for they have closed up these capacities, and therefore make themselves to be men no further than having an ability to understand, if they will, and an ability to so will, from the rationality and liberty implanted in them. From these two faculties man is able to think, and to speak from thought; in all other things men are not men but beasts; and some, from the abuse of these faculties are worse than beasts.

76. From an unobscured rationality any one can see or comprehend that it is only from an appearance that it is his that man can be in any affection for knowing, or in any affection for understanding. For every enjoyment and pleasure, and therefore every thing of the will, is from affection, which belongs to love. Who can wish to know any thing or to understand any thing, unless he has some pleasure from affection? And who can possess this pleasure of affection unless that which moves the affection appears to be his? If nothing were his, but everything another’s, in other words, if any one from his own affections should pour something into the mind of another who had no affection for knowing and understanding as if from himself, would the other receive it, or even possess the ability to receive it? Would he not be like what is called a dullard and a stock? [2] From this it is clearly evident that although every thing that man perceives, and thinks and knows therefrom, and wills and does in accordance with the perception, flows into him, nevertheless it is made by the Lord’s Divine providence to appear to be man’s; for otherwise, as has been said, the man could receive nothing, and therefore he could be endowed with no understanding or wisdom. It is acknowledged that every thing good and true is the Lord’s and not man’s, and yet that it appears to man to be his; and because every thing good and true so appears, all things of the church and of heaven, consequently all things of love and wisdom, and of charity and faith, so appear, and yet nothing of these is man’s. Unless it appeared to man that he perceived these things as if from himself, he could not receive them from the Lord. From all this the truth of the matter can be seen, namely, that whatever one does from freedom, whether it be of reason or not, provided it is in accordance with his reason, appears to him to be his.

77. With his faculty called rationality who is not able to understand that this or that good is useful to society, and that this or that evil is harmful to it; for example, that justice, sincerity, and the chastity of marriage, are useful to society, and that injustice, insincerity, and adulterous relations with the wives of others, are harmful to it; consequently, that these evils in themselves are injuries, and that the goods in themselves are benefits? Who therefore is not able, if he will, to make these distinctions matters of reason? He has rationality, and he has liberty; and so far as he, for these reasons, shuns these evils in himself, are his rationality and liberty uncovered and made manifest, and so far do they regulate, and give perception and ability; and so far as this is done man looks to these goods as a friend looks to his friends. [2] From all this man is able afterwards from his faculty which is called rationality to draw conclusions about such goods as are useful to society in the spiritual world, and about the evils that are harmful there, if in place of evils he understands sins, and in place of goods works of charity. This a man is able, if he will, to make a matter of his reason also, since he has rationality and liberty. And so far as he shuns these evils as sins, are his rationality and liberty uncovered and made manifest, and so far they regulate and give perception and ability; and so far as this is done, he looks to the goods of charity as neighbor looks to neighbor, from mutual love. [3] Since, then, it is the Lord’s will, for the sake of reception and conjunction, that whatever a man does freely in accordance with reason should appear to him to be his, and this is in accordance with reason itself, it follows that man is able from his reason to will this on the ground that it constitutes his eternal happiness; and by the Lord’s Divine power, when it is invoked, he is able to do it

78. (3) Whatever a man does from freedom in accordance with his thought is appropriated to him as his, and remains. This is because man’s own (proprium) and his freedom make one. Man’s own belongs to his life; and what a man does from his life he does from freedom. Again, man’s own belongs to his love, for every one’s life is his love; and what a man does from his life’s love he does from freedom. From his freedom man acts in accordance with his thought, for the reason that whatever belongs to one’s life or love becomes a subject of thought and is confirmed by his thought; and when it has been confirmed he does it from freedom in accordance with his thought. [2] For whatever a man does, he does from the will by means of the understanding; and freedom belongs to the will, and thought to the understanding. Moreover, from freedom man is able to act contrary to reason, also to act in accordance with reason and not from freedom; but what is so done is not appropriated to the man; it belongs merely to his lips and body, not to his spirit and heart. But whatever is from his spirit and heart, when it comes to be also of the lips and body, is appropriated to him. That this is so could be shown by many illustrations; but this is not the place for them. [3] To be appropriated to man means to enter into his life, and to become a part of his life, consequently to become his own. Yet there is nothing, as will be shown in what follows, that is man’s own, it merely seems to him as if it were. Here it needs only to be said that every good that a man does from freedom in accordance with reason is appropriated to him as his, because in the thinking, the willing, the speaking, and the doing, it appears to him to be his; nevertheless, the good is not man’s but the Lord’s in man (as may be seen above, n. 76). How evil is appropriated to man will be seen in the proper place.

79. It is said that whatever one does from freedom in accordance with his thought remains, since nothing that a man has appropriated to himself can be eradicated; for it has come to be of his love and at the same time of his reason, or of his will and at the same time of his understanding, and consequently of his life. It can be removed, but it cannot be eliminated; and when removed it is as it were transferred from the center to the circumference, and there it stays. This is what is meant by its remaining. [2] For instance, if a man in his boyhood and youth has appropriated to himself a certain evil by doing it from the enjoyment of his love, like fraud or blasphemy or revenge or whoredom, as these things have been done from freedom in accordance with his thought, he has appropriated them to himself; but if he afterwards repents of them, shuns them, and looks upon them as sins that must be hated, and thus refrains from them from freedom in accordance with reason, then the good things to which those evils are opposed are appropriated to him. These goods then constitute the center and remove the evils toward the circumferences further and further, to the extent that he loathes and turns away from them. Nevertheless, they cannot be so cast out as to be said to be extirpated, although by such removal they may appear to be extirpated, which is effected by man’s being withheld from evils and held in goods by the Lord. This is true both of all man’s inherited evil and of all his actual evil. [3] Moreover, I have seen this proved by experience with some in heaven who thought themselves to be free from evils because they were held in good by the Lord. But lest these should believe the good in which they were to be their own, they were let down from heaven and again let into their evils, until they acknowledged that from themselves they were in evils, but from the Lord were in goods. After this acknowledgment they were led back into heaven. [4] Let it be understood, therefore, that these goods are appropriated to man only in the sense that they are always the Lord’s in man; and that so far as man acknowledges this the Lord grants that the good may appear to man to be his, that is, that it may appear to man that he loves the neighbor or has charity as if from himself, that he believes or has faith as if from himself, that he does good and understands truths and thus is wise as if from himself. From all this any one who is enlightened can see the nature and strength of the appearance in which the Lord wills man to be; and this the Lord wills for the sake of man’s salvation; for without this appearance no one could be saved. On this subject see what has been shown above (n. 42-45).

80. Nothing that a man merely thinks, nor even that which he thinks to will, is appropriated to him, unless at the same time he so far wills it as to do it if opportunity offers. This is because when man so does anything he does it from the will through the understanding, or from the affection of the will through the thought of the understanding; but so long as it is a matter of thought alone it cannot be appropriated, because the understanding does not then conjoin itself with the will, or the thought of the understanding with the affection of the will, but the will with its affection conjoins itself with the understanding and its thought, as has been shown in many places in Part Fifth of the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. This is meant by the words of the Lord:-

Not that which entereth into the mouth maketh the man unclean; but that which goeth out of the heart through the mouth, this maketh the man unclean (Matt. xv. 11; also 17, 18, 19).

In the spiritual sense “the mouth” means thought, because thought speaks by means of the mouth; while “the heart” means in that sense, affection which belongs to the love. When a man thinks and speaks from that affection he makes himself unclean. Again in Luke (vi. 45) “the heart” signifies affection which pertains to the love or will, and “the mouth” signifies thought which pertains to the understanding.

81. Again, such evils as a man believes to be allowable, even though he does not do them, are appropriated to him; since whatever is made allowable in the thought comes from the will, for there is then consent. When, therefore, a man believes any evil to be allowable, he releases it from internal restraint; and is withheld from doing it only by external restraints, which are fears. And because his spirit then favors that evil, whenever external restraints are removed he does it as allowable and in the mean time continually does it in his spirit. But respecting this, see the Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem (n. 108-113.

82. (4) It is by means of these two faculties that man is reformed and regenerated by the Lord; and without them he cannot be reformed and regenerated. The Lord teaches that

Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John iii. 3, 5, 7).

But very few know what it is to be born again or regenerated, for the reason that it has not been known what love and charity are, nor, therefore, what faith is; for if one does not know what love and charity are, he cannot know what faith is, since charity and faith make one, like good and truth, and like affection which belongs to the will and thought which belongs to the understanding. Respecting this union, see the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (n. 427-431); also The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 13-24); and above (n. 320).

83. No one can come into the kingdom of God unless he has been born again, for the reason that man by inheritance from his parents is born into evils of every kind, but with an ability to become spiritual by the removal of those evils; and unless he becomes spiritual he cannot come into heaven. From being natural to become spiritual is to be born again or regenerated. But to know how man is regenerated these three things must be considered: what his first state is, which is a state of damnation; what his second state is, which is a state of reformation, and what his third state is, which is a state of regeneration. [2] Man’s first state, which is a state of damnation, every one has by inheritance from his parents; for man is thereby born into the love of self and love of the world, and from these as fountains, into evils of every kind. It is by the enjoyments of these loves that he is led; and these enjoyments cause him not to know that he is in evils; for no enjoyment of a love is felt otherwise than as a good: consequently unless a man is regenerated he knows no otherwise than that to love himself and the world above all things is goodness itself; and to rule over all, and to possess the wealth of all, is the highest good. Moreover, this is the source of all evil; for a man then from love looks to no one but himself; or if from love he looks to another, it is as a devil looks to a devil, or a thief to a thief, when they act together. [3] Those who, from the enjoyment of these loves confirm in themselves these loves and the evils flowing from them, remain natural and become corporeal-sensual, and in their own thought, which is the thought of their spirit, are insane. Nevertheless, while they remain in the world they are able to speak and act rationally and wisely, because they are men, and in consequence possess rationality and liberty; but even this they do from love of self and the world. After death, when they become spirits, they are incapable of any other enjoyment than that which they had in spirit while in the world; and that enjoyment is the enjoyment of infernal love, which is then turned into what is undelightful, painful, and terrible; and this is what is meant in the Word by torment and hell-fire. All this makes clear that man’s first state is a state of damnation, and that those are in it who do not permit themselves to be regenerated. [4] Man’s second state, which is the state of reformation, is that in which he begins to think about heaven with reference to the joy of heaven, and from this about God, who is to him the source of heavenly joy. But at first this thought springs from the enjoyment of love of self, which enjoyment is to him heavenly joy. And as long as the enjoyment of that love reigns, together with the enjoyments of the evils that flow from it, he must needs think that he draws near to heaven by pouring out prayers, listening to preaching, going to the Holy Supper, giving to the poor, helping the needy, spending money on churches, contributing to hospitals, and so on. A man in this state knows no otherwise than that he is saved by mere thought about those things which religion teaches, whether it be what is called faith, or what is called faith and charity. He has no other idea than that he is saved by so thinking, because he gives no thought to the evils that he finds enjoyment in, and as long as their enjoyments remain the evils remain. The enjoyments of evil are from lust for them that continually inspires them, and also when no fear prevents, brings them forth. [5] So long as evils continue in the lusts of their love, and the consequent enjoyments, there is no faith, charity, piety or worship except in mere externals, which to the world seem real, and yet are not. These may be compared to water issuing from an impure fountain, which no one can drink. Man continues in the first state as long as he thinks from religion about heaven and about God, and yet gives no thought to evils as sins; but he comes into the second state, or the state of reformation, when he begins to think that there is such a thing as sin; and still more when he thinks that this or that is a sin, and when he examines it in himself to some extent, and refrains from willing it. [6] Man’s third state, which is a state of regeneration, takes up and continues the former state. It begins when man refrains from evils as sins, and it progresses as he shuns them, and is perfected as he fights against them; and as he from the Lord conquers them he is regenerated. With one who is regenerated the order of life is reversed; from being natural he becomes spiritual; for when the natural is separated from the spiritual it is contrary to order, while the spiritual is in accordance with order. Consequently the regenerate man acts from charity; and whatever belongs to his charity he makes to be of his faith also. Yet he becomes spiritual only so far as he is in truths; for man is regenerated only by means of truths and a life in accordance with them; for by means of truths he knows what life is, and by means of the life he does the truths, and thus he conjoins good and truth, which is the spiritual marriage in which heaven is.

85. By means of these two faculties, called rationality and liberty, man is reformed and regenerated, and without them he cannot be reformed and regenerated, for it is by means of rationality that he is able to understand and know what is evil and what is good, and thus what is false and what is true; and it is by means of liberty that he is able to will what he understands and knows. But so long as enjoyment from the love of evil rules he is not able to will freely what is good and true and to make these to be of his reason, and cannot therefore appropriate them to himself. For, as shown above, it is that which a man does from freedom in accordance with reason that is appropriated to him as his; and unless good and truth are appropriated as his, man is not reformed and regenerated. Again, man does not act from an enjoyment of the love of good and truth until the enjoyment from the love of evil and falsity has been removed; for two kinds of enjoyment from love that are opposites are not possible at the same time. Acting from an enjoyment of love is acting from freedom; and since reason favors the love, this is also acting in accordance with reason.

86. As the evil man as well as the good man has rationality and liberty, so the evil man as well as the good man is able to understand truth and do good; but while the good man is able to do this from freedom in accordance with reason, the evil man is not; because the evil man is in the enjoyment of the love of evil, while the good man is in the enjoyment of the love of good. Consequently the truth that the evil man understands and the good that he does are not appropriated to him, while to the good man good and truth are appropriated, and without appropriation as one’s own there is no reformation nor regeneration. For in the wicked, evils with falsities are as it were in the center, while goods with truths are in the circumferences; but in the good, goods with truths are in the center and evils with falsities are in the circumferences; and in both cases that which is at the center flows out even to the circumferences, as heat from a central fire, or as cold from a central frigidity. Thus in the evil the goods in the circumferences are defiled by the evils at the center; while in the good, the evils in the circumferences are moderated by the goods at the center. This is why evils do not damn the regenerate man, and goods do not save the unregenerate man.

87. (4) By means of these two faculties man can be so far reformed and regenerated as he can be led by means of them to acknowledge that every thing good and true that he thinks and does is from the Lord, and not from himself. It has been told just above what reformation is and what regeneration is, also that man is reformed and regenerated by means of the two faculties, rationality and liberty; and since it is by means of these that this is done, something further shall be said about them. It is from rationality that man has the ability to understand, and from liberty that he has the ability to will, in both cases as if from himself. Nevertheless, none but a regenerate man has the ability to will good from freedom, and thus do it in accordance with reason. An evil man is able from freedom to will evil only, and to do evil in accordance with the thought that he makes by confirmations to appear rational. For evil can be confirmed as easily as good; although evil is confirmed by means of fallacies and appearances, which become falsities when they are confirmed; and when anything has been confirmed it appears to be in harmony with the reason.

88. Every one who has any thought from interior understanding can see that the power to will and the power to understand are not from man, but are from Him who possesses Power itself, that is, Power in its essence. Consider what this source of Power is. Is it not from Him who has it in its very potency, that is, who has it in Himself, and thus from Himself? Power in itself, therefore, is Divine. Every power must have a supply that must be imparted to it, and thus a determination from what is more internal or higher than itself. The eye has no power to see from itself, nor has the ear power to hear from itself, nor the mouth to speak from itself, nor the hand to act from itself; the supply and consequent determination must be from the mind Nor has the mind from itself the power to think and to will one thing or another apart from something more internal or higher that determines the mind to it. It is the same with the power to understand and the power to will; these can come only from Him who has in Himself the power to will and the power to understand.

[2] All this makes clear that these two faculties called rationality and liberty are from the Lord and not from man; and as they are from the Lord, it follows that man wills and understands nothing whatever from himself, but only as if it were from himself. Any one can be convinced that this is true who knows and believes that the volition of every good and the understanding of every truth are not from man but from the Lord. The Word teaches in John (iii. 27; xv. 5) that

A man can receive nothing from himself, and can do nothing from himself.

89. Since, then, all willing is from love and all understanding is from wisdom, it follows that the power to will is from the Divine love, and the power to understand from the Divine wisdom, and thus both are from the Lord, who is Divine love itself and Divine wisdom itself; and from this it follows that to act from freedom in accordance with reason is from no other source. And as freedom, like love, is inseparable from willing, so all action is in accordance with reason. But there is in man an interior and an exterior willing; and he can act in accordance with the exterior and not at the same time in accordance with the interior, as the hypocrite or flatterer does; and yet such exterior willing is from freedom, since it is from a love of appearing to be something else from what one is, or it is from a love of some evil that one has in mind from a love of the interior will. And yet, as just said, an evil man is unable to do any thing from freedom in accordance with his reason except what is evil. From freedom in accordance with reason he has no ability to do good. He can do good, to be sure, but not from that interior freedom which is his own freedom, the freedom from which his exterior freedom takes its quality of not being good.

90. It is said that man can be so far reformed and regenerated as he can be led by means of these two faculties to acknowledge that every thing good and true that he thinks and does is from the Lord and not from himself. It is only by means of these two faculties, that man can acknowledge this, because these faculties are from the Lord and are the Lord’s in man, as is clear from what has already been said. It therefore follows that man can make this acknowledgment from the Lord, but not from himself, nevertheless he can do it as if it were done from himself; this the Lord gives to every one. He may believe it to be from himself and yet when he is wise he will acknowledge that it is not from himself. Otherwise the truth that man thinks and the good that he does are not truth and good in themselves, for man is in them and not the Lord; and the good that man has in it, provided it has salvation as its end, is a meritorious good; but the good that has the Lord in it is not meritorious.