5353. 'And all my father's house' means the removal of hereditary evils. This is clear from the meaning of 'father's house' here as hereditary evils. In the internal sense 'house' means a person, more particularly his mind, either his rational mind or his natural mind. But specifically the will part there is meant, consequently good or evil since either of these can exist as an attribute of the will, see 710, 2233, 2234, 3128, 4973, 4982, 5023. This being so, 'father's house' here means hereditary evils. The essential nature meant by 'Manasseh' is contained in these words and in those immediately before them. In the original language Manasseh means forgetfulness, and so in the internal sense a removal is meant. That is to say, a removal of evils, both those of one's own doing and those which are hereditary; for once those evils have been removed a new area of will arises. This new will comes into being through an inflow of good from the Lord. Such an inflow of good from the Lord takes place constantly with a person, but evils exist there - both those of his own doing and those which he has inherited - which hinder and stand in the way of the reception of it. But once these have been removed a new area of will comes into being. Its coming into being at this time is clearly evident with those who suffer misfortunes, tribulations, or illnesses. During these experiences self-love and love of the world from which all evils spring are removed, and then a person entertains thoughts about God and about the neighbour that are good, and also desires his neighbour's welfare. It is similar with temptations, which are spiritual forms of distress and therefore inward experiences of tribulation and of despair. These experiences serve primarily to remove evils, and after these have been removed heavenly good from the Lord enters in, from which a new area of will is formed in the natural, which in the representative sense is 'Manasseh'.

1755. That 'these will take their share' means that these things were placed under their power and control is clear from what has been stated above at verses 21-23, to the effect that the Lord was unwilling to have anything that derived from them, since the Lord derived no strength whatever from that source. By 'they were placed under the power and control of the angels' the following is meant, that it is the angels who actually rule over evil and hellish spirits, as has been clear to me from much experience. The Lord however foresees and sees all things and every individual thing; and He provides and arranges the same, though some things arise from His permission, some from His concession, some from His consent, some from His good pleasure, and some from His will. The desire to control others is something altogether man's own, quite different from anything angels receive from the Lord. Angels' entire exercise of control is grounded in love and mercy, devoid of any desire to dominate. But as these are rather deep arcana they cannot be presented intelligibly in a few words. It is enough if one knows that evil and hellish spirits were placed under the power and control of the angels, and that the Lord governs all things, and every single thing, down to the last detail. These matters will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on where Providence and Permissions are dealt with.