Because it is the truth, it should therefore be believed that the Lord governs heaven and earth, and that no one lives except the Lord. From this belief, when one is gifted with it by the Lord, follows another point, namely, that a person cannot commit sin, knowing that spirits who think they live from themselves and govern themselves, arouse evils in us, and that though they are in us, yet they are not aroused by us, because we are then living passively and letting ourselves be governed. Being in such a state, one can also be gifted with peace by the Lord, for then one trusts solely in the Lord, and is not at all worried about other things. Thus a person who would live in peace must be in a passive state, not ever in an active one [see 620] except by reaction and responsive action, which likewise come from the Lord, so that the state is still a passive one, resistant or compliant. Such is the state of the angels, who live in peace, while the rest, believing they govern themselves, are continually being disquieted. For they lead themselves into various desires, thus into anxiety; and even though they are [really] being aroused by others, and in fact by very many, nevertheless each and all believe that the [evil aroused in them] is their own, or from themselves. This is why it remains with them, and takes root as something pertaining to or proper to themselves, something their own, and so also it is accounted to them. Because it is the truth that the Lord governs heaven and earth, He gifts believers and angels with this faith; but it cannot be given to those who have not a saving faith, even if they imagine they want to think this way because they know about it. This is impossible unless they have saving faith, and are therefore governed by the Lord. That this is the case, I can testify because of long and daily experience. I have spoken about the matter frequently with spirits, so that nothing has become more familiar to me. 1748, 3 February, # # * * 636-7 will be found after 638, in accordance with the author's instructions.