491. Comparisons can be drawn to illustrate the propositions that God bestowed freedom, not only on every human being, but also on every animal, and indeed an analogous faculty even on inanimate objects, giving each the power to receive it according to its nature; and that God intends good to all, but this is turned into evil by the objects upon which it acts. The atmosphere enables everyone to breathe, and likewise every animal and wild beast, every bird, the owl as much as the dove; it also enables birds to fly. Yet the atmosphere is not to blame for the opportunity given to creatures of contrary nature and character. The ocean affords in itself a home and provides food for every fish; but it is not to blame for one fish swallowing another, or for the crocodile turning its food into poison to kill people. The sun provides light and heat for all, but the objects it acts upon, the various plants on earth, receive them in different ways; a good tree or shrub does so in one way, a thorn or briar in another, and a harmless plant in a different way from a poisonous one.

[2] Rain from the upper levels of the atmosphere falls to the ground everywhere, and the ground supplies water from this source to every tree, plant and grass, each of which uses the water to serve its own needs. This is what is meant by the faculty analogous to free will: the plants freely suck up the water through their openings, pores and passages, which in warm weather stand open, and the earth merely provides moisture and elements, which the plants take up in a manner reminiscent of thirst and hunger. It is much the same with people. The Lord flows in to provide every person with spiritual heat, which is in essence the good of love, and with spiritual light, which is in essence the truth of wisdom. But the way the person receives these depends upon which way he turns, whether to God or to himself. That is why the Lord says where He teaches us about love towards the neighbour:

So that you may be sons of the Father, who makes the sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous, Matthew 5:45.

And in another passage He speaks of Him desiring the salvation of all.

731. 'Wiping out everything ¹ I have made from over the face ² of the ground' means man's proprium, which is so to speak wiped out when he is being given life. This is clear from what has been stated already about the proprium. The human proprium is altogether evil and false. So long as it remains, a person is dead, but when he undergoes temptations, it is dispersed, that is, broken down and moderated by truths and goods from the Lord. In this way it is made alive and seems to be no longer present. Its apparent absence and causing no further harm is meant by 'being wiped out', though in fact it is in no way wiped out but remains. It is very similar to the behaviour of black and white. When these are variously modified by rays of light, they are converted into beautiful colours, such as blue, golden, and purple hues. By means of the latter, according to individual characteristics, as in the case of flowers, what is beautiful and pleasing is presented, although radically and fundamentally it is still the colours black and white. Now because the subject here is at the same time the final vastation of those who belonged to the Most Ancient Church, those who perished are meant as well by 'wiping out everything' I have made from over the face ² of the ground. ¹ This is also the case with verse 23 below. 'Everything I have made' is every thing, or every person who has celestial seed within him, that is, who belonged to the Church. This also is why in this verse, and in verse 23 below, the expression used is 'the ground', which means the member of the Church who has good and truth sown in him. And this grew more and more with those called Noah after evils and falsities had been dispersed, as stated already. But among the people before the Flood who perished, that seed was choked by tares.

Bilješke: