Tuesday, June 28, 2011

AE 1162, 1166 - withdrawing from evils

AE 1162 [2]
The eighth law of the Divine providence is
that the Lord is continually withdrawing a person from evils
so far as a person is willing from freedom to be withdrawn;
that so far as a person can be withdrawn from evils
the Lord leads him to good and thus to heaven;
but so far as a person cannot be withdrawn from evils
the Lord cannot lead him to good and thus to heaven;
for so far as a person has been withdrawn from evils
so far he does good from the Lord,
and that good is good in itself;
but so far as he has not been withdrawn from evils,
so far he does good from himself,
and that good has evil within it.

AE 1166 [2]
The Lord alone resists the evils with a person by Himself
and not through any angels of heaven,
because to resist evils with a person
is a work of Divine omnipotence, Divine omniscience, and Divine providence.
It is a work of Divine omnipotence,
because to resist one evil is to resist many,
and even to resist the hells.
For every evil is joined with innumerable other evils,
and they cling together like the hells with each other;
for as evils make one so do the hells,
and as the hells make one so do evils,
and no one but the Lord is able to resist the hells so united.
It is a work of Divine omniscience,
because the Lord alone knows what a person is and what his evils are,
and what their connection is with other evils,
thus in what order they must be removed
that a person may be inwardly or radically cured.
It is a work of Divine providence,
that nothing may be done contrary to the laws of order,
and that what is done may promote a person's eternal good;
for Divine omnipotence, Divine omniscience, and Divine providence
have respect in every least particular to what is eternal.

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