d of a straight line drawn about a hyperbola,
always approaching but never touching it, and like what is said about
squaring a circle. Hence it may be plain what is meant by the means by
which divine providence acts in order that man may be man and be
perfected in understanding, and that these means are called by the common
term truths. There are an equal number of means by which man is formed
and perfected as to his will. These are called collectively goods. By
them man comes to have love, by the others wisdom. The conjunction of
love and wisdom makes the man, for what he is is in keeping with the
nature of this conjunction. This conjunction is what is called the
marriage of good and truth.

336. The methods by which divine providence acts on and through the means
to form and perfect the human being are also infinite in number and
variety. They are as numerous as the activities of divine wisdom from
divine love to save man, and therefore as numerous as the activities of
divine providence in accordance with its laws, treated of above. That
these methods are most secret was illustrated above by the activities of
the soul in the body, of which man knows so little it is scarcely
anything--how, for instance, eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin sense things;
how the stomach digests; how the mesentery elaborates the chyle and the
liver the blood; how the pancreas and the spleen purify the blood, the
kidneys separate it from impure humors, the heart collects and
distributes it, and the lungs purify it and pass it on; how the brain
refines the blood and vivifies it anew; besides innumerable other things
which are all secret, and of which one can scarcely know. Clearly, the
hidden activities of divine providence can be entered into even less; it
is enough to know its laws.

337. Divine providence acts in all things out of pure mercy. For the
divine essence is itself pure love; this love acts through divine wisdom
and its activity is what is called divine providence. This pure love is
pure mercy because 1. It is active with all men the world over, who are
such that they can do nothing of themselves. 2. It is active with the
evil and unjust and the good and just alike. 3. It leads the former in
hell and rescues them from it. 4. It strives with them there perpetually
and fights for them against the devil, that is, against the evils of
hell. 5. To this end pure love came into the world and endured
temptations even to the last of them,