Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6489

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6489. The nature of the Lord's Providence is such that it is linked together with Foresight; the one does not exist without the other. For evil things are foreseen, but good ones are provided; and the evils things that are foreseen are constantly being turned towards what is good by means of the Lord's provident arrangement, since the Divine end, which has good in view, governs everything. Nothing is therefore allowed to happen except to the end that something good may come out of it. But because a person possesses freedom that enables him to be reformed, he is turned from evil towards good so far as he freely allows himself to be turned. He is constantly being turned from an utterly dreadful hell, which he makes every effort to cast himself into, to one that is not so bad, if he cannot be led to heaven.


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