, but from the recipient
subject or object which is in evil and falsity and which perverts and
inverts what flows into it, as was amply shown above (n. 292). The source
of evil and falsity in man has been pointed out frequently in the
preceding pages. Moreover, an experiment was made in the spiritual world
with those who believed that the Lord could remove evils in the wicked
and introduce good instead, thus move the whole of hell into heaven and
save all. That this is impossible, however, will be seen towards the end
of this treatise, where instantaneous salvation and unmediated mercy are
to be treated of.

[6] Third: _They do not comprehend how the one Lord can cause all to
think so diversely._ The Lord's divine love is infinite, likewise His
divine wisdom. An infinity of love and wisdom proceeds from Him, flows in
with all in heaven, thence with all in hell, and from heaven and hell
with all in the world. Thinking and willing therefore cannot lack in
anyone, for what is infinite is limitless. The infinite things that issue
from the Lord flow in not only universally but also in least things. For
the divine is universal by being in least things, and the divine in least
things constitutes what is called universal, as was shown above, and the
divine in something least is still infinite. Hence it may be evident that
the one Lord causes each person to think and will according to the
person's nature and does so in accordance with laws of His providence. It
was shown above (nn. 46-69) and also in the treatise _Divine Love and
Wisdom_ (nn. 17-22), that everything in the Lord, or proceeding from Him,
is infinite.

295. (ii) _The evil are continually leading themselves into evils, but
the Lord is continually leading them away from evils._ The nature of
divine providence with the good is more readily comprehended than its
nature with the evil. As the latter is now under consideration, it will
be set forth in this order:

1. In every evil there are innumerable things.
2. An evil man of himself continually leads himself more and more deeply
into his evils.
3. Divine providence with the evil is a continual tolerance of evil, to
the end that there may be a continual withdrawal from it.
4. Withdrawal from evil is effected by the Lord in a thousand most secret
ways.

296. In order, then, that divine providence with the evil may be seen
clearly and therefore understood, the propositions just stated are to be
explained in the orde