MAN OUGHT TO SHUN EVILS AS SINS, AND TO FIGHT AGAINST THEM, AS OF* HIMSELF

It is of Divine order that man should act from freedom according to reason, since to act from freedom according to reason is to act from oneself. Nevertheless these two faculties, Freedom and Reason, are not man's own, but are the Lord's within him; and so far as he is a man, they are not taken away from him, since without them he cannot be reformed; for without them he cannot do the work of repentance, he cannot fight against evils, and afterwards bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Now, since man has freedom and reason from the Lord, and man acts from them, it follows that he does not act from himself, but as from himself.(a) * "a" usually means "from" or "by"; but when used of man it may be translated "of", as "a se", "of himself". (a) That man has freedom from the Lord may be seen above Nos. 19-20; and in the work on HEAVEN AND HELL Nos. 589-596, 597-603. What freedom is may be seen in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM, published in London, 1758, Nos. 141-149. Author's Note.