ruth are
from the Lord and all evil and falsity from hell, he would not
appropriate good to himself and consider it merited, nor evil and make
himself responsible for it._ This is contrary to the belief of those who
have confirmed in themselves the appearance that wisdom and prudence come
from man and do not flow in according to the state of the organization of
the mind, treated of above (n. 319). It must therefore be demonstrated,
and to be done clearly, it will be done in this order:

1. One who confirms in himself the appearance that wisdom and prudence
are from man and thus in him as his, must take the view that otherwise he
would not be a man, but either a beast or a statue; yet the contrary is
true.
2. To believe and think, as is the truth, that all good and truth are
from the Lord and all evil and falsity from hell, seems impossible, yet
is truly human and hence angelic.
3. So to believe and think is impossible to those who do not acknowledge
the divine of the Lord and that evils are sins, but possible for those
who make these two acknowledgments.
4. Those who make the two acknowledgments alone reflect on the evils in
themselves, and so far as they flee them and are averse to them, they
send them back to hell from which they come.
5. So divine providence appropriates neither evil nor good to anyone, but
one's own prudence appropriates both.

321. These propositions will be explained in the order proposed. First:
_One who confirms in himself the appearance that wisdom and prudence are
from man and thus in him as his, must take the view that otherwise he
would not be a man, but either a beast or a statue; yet the contrary is
true._ It comes from a law of divine providence that man is to think as
it were from himself and act prudently as of himself, but still
acknowledge that he does so from the Lord. It follows that one who thinks
and acts prudently as of himself and acknowledges at the same time that
he does so from the Lord, is a man, but that person is not who confirms
in himself the idea that all he thinks and does is from himself. Neither
is he a man who, knowing that wisdom and prudence are from God, keeps
awaiting influx. This man becomes like a statue, the other like a beast.
One who waits for influx is obviously like a statue; he is sure to stand
or sit motionless, his hands dropped, his eyes closed or, if open,
unblinking, and neither thinking nor breathing. What life has he then?

[2] Plainly, too, o