10618. 'Long-suffering with regard to anger' means Divine leniency. This is clear from the meaning of 'long-suffering with regard to anger', when used in reference to Jehovah, as the fact that He tolerates a person's evils for a long while; for 'long-suffering' means tolerating and bearing for a long while, and 'anger' the evils that exist in a person. The reason why 'anger', when spoken of in reference to Jehovah, means a person's evils is that evil, but never good, is what erupts into anger, and evil is something that resides in man, never in the Lord; for the Lord is Goodness itself. Even so, ill is attributed to the Lord, because it seems to a person that it is attributable to Him when he himself does not obtain what he desires, or when he is punished on account of evil. Since then 'long-suffering with regard to anger', when used in reference to Jehovah, means tolerating a person's evils for a long while, it follows that Divine leniency is meant by those words.

[2] As regards anger, it should in addition be remembered that evil, and never good, is what erupts into it; for being angry consists in bearing ill will towards another, which is something that good can never do, for good consists in good will towards another. All evil holds enmity, hatred, vengeance, and cruelty within itself; in these and from these evil derives its delight. Furthermore evil hates good, because good stands in opposition to its delights. Consequently when evil is unable to do harm to good, which evil is always trying to do, it first of all feels annoyed and afterwards erupts into anger. Whether you say evil or a person who is evil, it amounts to the same thing, for the evil exists within the person, as in its subject ¹ . And since evil acts in that angry way against good it does so against the Divine; for all good, since it comes from the Divine, is the Divine as He exists with a person. This explains why a person who is evil is always angry with the Divine, though outwardly in the presence of others he speaks as though he is not.

[3] What makes him speak in this way is either hypocrisy or a wish for the Divine to pander to him in all things, giving him whatever he likes, even to taking revenge or wreaking vengeance on all whom he harbours hatred against. But as soon as he sees that this cannot happen, and especially if he himself is punished on account of his evil, he is angry with God, so angry that he rejects Him, and also at heart curses Him. The truth of this is plainly visible in the next life; for there a person acts in accord with his inner thoughts and desires and not, as he had done in the world, in accord with his outward pretence. And in the next life punishment is attached to and so to speak inherent within the evil that merits it. See what has been shown previously on these matters,

Anger can be identified with evil, 6358, 6359.

Anger and evil are attributed to God, when in fact they exist in man, and no ill or evil at all comes from God, in the places referred to in 9306, 10431.

Evil carries its punishment with it, 1857, 8214, 8223, 8226, 9048.

Poznámky pod čarou:

8223. 'And let the waters return onto the Egyptians' means that the falsities arising from evil would flow back onto and surround those steeped in falsities arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'the waters' as falsities, dealt with in 6346, 7307, 8137, 8138, so that 'let the waters return' means falsity flowing back or recoiling on them, at this point surrounding them too, since they were surrounded by the waters of the Sea Suph, which are the falsities arising from evil of those belonging to the Church who have championed faith separated from charity and led a life of evil; and from the meaning of 'the Egyptians' as those steeped in falsities arising from evil, dealt with very often. For what this implies when it is said that the falsities would flow back or recoil on those whose aim was to pour them out onto those governed by truth and good, who are represented by 'the children of Israel', see above in 8214. There it is shown that the evil which they aim in the direction of others recoils on themselves, and that this has its origin in the following law of God's order, You are not to do to another anything except that which you wish others to do to you. Matthew 7:12. This law, which is unchanging and everlasting in the spiritual world, is the source of the laws of retaliation that were laid down in the representative Church, that is to say, the following laws in Moses,

If harm should come about you shall give soul for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow. Exodus 21:23-24,

In the same author,

If a man disfigures his neighbour, it shall be done to him as he has done - fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has disfigured the person, so it shall be done to him. Leviticus 24:19-20.

In the same author,

If a lying witness replies with a lie against his brother, you shall do to him as he has thought to do to his brother. Deuteronomy 19:18-19.

From these quotations it is plainly evident that these laws have their origin in the universal law that is unchanging and perpetual in the spiritual world, that is to say, the law that you are not to do to others anything except that which you wish others to do to you. This shows clearly how to understand the idea that the falsities arising from evil which people aim to inflict on others flow back or recoil on themselves.

[2] But the situation with that law in the next life is in addition such that when some like or retaliatory action carried out is evil it is inflicted by the evil, and never by the good; that is, it comes from hell and never from heaven. For hell or the evil there have an unending desire to do evil to others; that is altogether the delight of their life. They perform evil therefore the moment they are allowed to; and they do not care whom they do it to. They do not care whether the person is bad or good, companion or foe. And since it accords with a law of order that the evil which people aim in the direction of others recoils on themselves, they rush in to do it when this law allows it. The evil in hell behave in this way, the good in heaven never do. The latter desire constantly to do good to others, for that is the delight of their life, and therefore the moment the opportunity exists they do good both to enemies and to friends. Nor indeed do they resist evil, for the laws of order defend and protect what is good and true. This is why the Lord says,

You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Evil is not to be resisted. You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:38-39, 43-45.

[3] It is a frequent occurrence in the next life for the evil to be severely punished when they wish to inflict evil on the good, and for the evil which they aim at others to recoil on themselves. Such an occurrence has the appearance of being an act of revenge on the part of the good. But it is not an act of revenge; nor are the good responsible for what happens but evil people who are allowed the opportunity by the law of order so to act. Indeed the good do not wish them any harm, but they cannot take away from them the misery of punishment because they are held intent on good, exactly like a judge when he sees a wrong-doer being punished or like a father when he sees his son being punished by his teacher. The evil who carry out punishment act from an inordinate desire to do ill, whereas the good act from a fondness for doing good. From all this one may see what should be understood by the Lord's words in Matthew, quoted above, about loving one's enemy, and about the law of retaliation, which the Lord did not set aside but opened out; that is to say, He explained that those governed by heavenly love should take no delight in any act of retaliation or revenge but in doing good. His words should also be taken to mean that the actual law of order which protects good achieves this of itself by means of those who are evil.