938. Saying, Great and wonderful are thy works. That this signifies that all the goods of heaven and the church are from Him, is evident from the signification of the works of the Lord, as denoting all the goods of heaven and the church. The reason why these are signified by His works is, that the words, "just and true are Thy ways" follow, and by the ways of the Lord are signified all the truths of heaven and the church. For in the Word, where good is treated of, truth is also treated of, because of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth, in all its details. It is, therefore, clear that by works are here signified goods, and by ways, truths. The reason why the goods of heaven and the church are the works of the Lord is, that heaven is heaven, and the church is a church, from the good of love to the Lord, and from the good of love towards the neighbour (concerning which see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19).
Continuation:-
[2] In the article n. 936, desisting from evils from the spiritual freedom in which every man is kept by the Lord was treated of. But because all the evils, into which man is born, derive their roots from the love of ruling over others, and from the love of possessing the goods of others; and all the delights of man's own life spring from these two loves; and because all evils are from them, therefore also the loves and delights of these things, that is to say, of evils, constitute man's own life. Now, because evils constitute man's life, it follows, therefore, that a man cannot at all desist from them of himself, for this would be to give up his own life from virtue of his own life. It is provided, therefore, that he is able to desist from them of the Lord; and that he may be able to do so, the freedom of thinking as he pleases is given to him, and also of asking the Lord for aid. He has this freedom because he is in the midst between heaven and hell, consequently, between good and evil. And he who is in the midst is in equilibrium; and he who is in equilibrium can easily, and, as it were, of his own accord, turn himself the one way or the other; and the more so, because the Lord continually resists evils, and repels them, raises a man up and draws him to Himself. But still a combat exists, because the evils belonging to a man's life are aroused by the evils perpetually rising up from hell; and then a man ought to fight against them; and, indeed, as of himself; if not as of himself, the evils are not separated.
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