continually humbles the proud and
exalts the humble; what He teaches in it is also of His divine
providence.

184. Any other evil in which man is by heredity is dealt with in like
manner, such as adultery, fraud, vengeance, blasphemy and other similar
evils, none of which can be removed except as freedom to think and will
them is left to man for him to remove them as if of himself. Nevertheless
he can do this only as he acknowledges divine providence and prays that it
may be done by it. Apart from this freedom and from divine providence at
the same time, the evils would be like poison shut in and not driven out,
which would spread quickly and consign all parts to death, or would be
like disease of the heart itself, from which the whole body soon dies.

185. The truth of what has been said cannot be better known than from
human lives after death in the spiritual world. Very many who had become
great or wealthy in the natural world and in their eminence or riches had
regarded themselves alone, at first speak of God and divine providence as
though they had acknowledged them at heart, but seeing divine providence
clearly then and their final lot under it, namely, for them to enter
hell, they unite with devils there and not only deny God then but also
blaspheme Him. Finally they reach such madness that they acknowledge the
more powerful among devils as their gods and desire nothing more ardently
than to become gods themselves.

186. Man would go contrary to God and also deny Him if he saw the
activities of God's divine providence plainly, for the reason that man is
in the enjoyment of self-love and this enjoyment constitutes his very
life. Therefore when man is held in the enjoyment of his life he is in
his freedom, for freedom and the enjoyment make one. If, then, he should
perceive that he is continually being led away from his enjoyment, he
would be enraged as against one who wanted to destroy his life and would
hold him to be an enemy. Lest it happen, the Lord in His divine
providence does not appear manifestly, but leads man by it as silently as
a hidden stream or favorable current does a vessel. Consequently man does
not know but that he is steadily in his own, for his freedom and his
proprium make one. Hence it is plain that freedom appropriates to him
what divine providence introduces, which would not take place if
providence were manifest. To be appropriated means to become of one's
life.

187. (iv) _Man can se