ly done? For he does not
know what appearance is or what falsity is which in blind faith is taken
for truth.

[2] Hence it is that a man cannot see this truth, namely, that divine
providence is in the very least things of the understanding and the will,
or what is the same, in the very least things of the thoughts and
affections of every person, wicked or good. He is perplexed especially
because it seems then that evils are also from the Lord, but it will be
seen in what follows that nevertheless there is not a particle of evil
from the Lord but that evil is from man in that he confirms in him the
appearance that he thinks, wills, speaks and acts of himself. In order
that these things may be seen clearly, they will be demonstrated in this
order:

i. Divine providence is universal in the least things with the evil as
well as the good, and yet is not in one's evils.
ii. The evil are continually leading themselves into evils, but the Lord
is continually leading them away from evils.
iii. The evil cannot be fully withdrawn from evil and led in good by the
Lord so long as they believe their own intelligence to be everything and
divine providence nothing.
iv. The Lord rules hell through opposites; and rules the evil who are in
the world, in hell as to their interiors, but not as to their exteriors.

287. (i) _Divine providence is universal in the least things with the
evil as well as the good, and yet is not in one's evils._ It was shown
above that divine providence is in the least things of man's thoughts and
affections. This means that man can think and will nothing from himself,
but that everything he thinks and wills and consequently says and does,
is from influx. If it is good, it is from influx out of heaven, and if
evil, from influx out of hell; or what is the same, the good is from
influx from the Lord and the evil from man's proprium. I know that it is
difficult to grasp this, because what flows in from heaven or from the
Lord is distinguished from what flows in from hell or from man's
proprium, and yet divine providence is said to be in the least of man's
thoughts and affections, even so far that he can think and will nothing
from himself. It appears like a contradiction to say that he can also
think and will from hell and from his proprium. Yet it is not, and this
will be seen in what follows, after some things have been premised which
will clarify the matter.

288. All the angels of heaven confess that no one