95. Since there is a union of the Lord with us and of us with the Lord, there are two tablets of the law--one for the Lord and the second for us. To the extent that we keep the laws of our tablet, apparently on our own, the Lord enables us to keep the laws of his tablet. However, if we do not keep the laws of our tablet, all of which have to do with loving our neighbor, we cannot keep the laws of the Lord's tablet, all of which have to do with loving the Lord. How can a murderer, a thief, an adulterer, or a perjurer love the Lord? Surely reason tells us that being like this and loving the Lord is a contradiction. Is this not what the devil is like? Can people like this harbor anything but hatred for God?

When we do turn back from murder, adultery, theft, and perjury as hellish, though, then we can [harbor other feelings than hatred for God]. That is, we then turn our faces away from the devil and toward the Lord; and when we turn our faces toward the Lord, he gives us love and wisdom. These come into us through our faces, not through the backs of our necks. Because this is the only way union with the Lord is brought about, the two tablets were called a covenant. There are two parties to a covenant.

249. 1. Everyone who worships self and the material world instead of divine providence feels justified in this on seeing so many irreligious people acting out their irreverence in so many ways even as they boast about it, and still not seeing any kind of punishment from God because of this. All instances of irreverence and of boasting about it are instances of permission whose reasons are laws of divine providence. All of us are free, perfectly free, to think whatever we wish, whether against God or for God. People who oppose God in their thoughts are rarely punished in this world, because they are always susceptible to reformation. They are punished in the spiritual world, though. This happens after they die, when they can no longer be reformed.

[2] We can see that laws of divine providence cause these instances of permission if we recall the laws already presented and look at them closely, as follows. We should act in freedom and in accord with reason (71-97 [71-99]). We should not be compelled by outside forces to think and intend and so to believe and love in matters of our religion, but we should guide ourselves and sometimes compel ourselves (129-153). Our own prudence is nothing. It only seems to be something, as it should. Rather, divine providence is all-inclusive because it extends to the smallest details (191-213). Divine providence focuses on eternal matters, and focuses on temporal matters only as they coincide with eternal ones (214-220). We are not granted inner access to the truths that our faith discloses and the good effects of our caring except as we can be kept in them to the end of our life (221-233).

[3] It will also become clear that the reasons behind instances of permission are the laws of divine providence from the principles about to be presented as follows. Evils are allowed for the sake of the goal, which is salvation [275-284]. Divine providence is constantly just as much with the evil as with the good [285-307]. And lastly, the Lord cannot act contrary to the laws of his divine providence, because to do so would be to act contrary to his divine love and his divine wisdom and therefore contrary to himself [331-340].

If we put these laws together, they can show us the reasons why acts of irreverence are allowed by the Lord and not punished when they happen in our thoughts and are rarely punished even when they are intended and therefore in our volition but are not acted out.

However, every evil entails its own punishment. It is as though there were engraved on the evil the punishment that the unbeliever will suffer after death.

[4] What has just been presented will serve to explain the following other instances cited in 237 as well. People who worship themselves and the material world feel justified in their denial of divine providence when they see the success of manipulation, plots, and deceit even against people who are devout, fair-minded, and honest, and when they see injustice defeating justice in legal and business affairs.

All the laws of divine providence are needed. Since they are the reasons things like this are allowed, we can see that if we are to live human lives, to be reformed and saved, the only way the Lord can keep us from such actions is indirectly. For people who realize that all kinds of murder, adultery, theft, and perjury are sins, this is accomplished through the Word, specifically through the provisions of the Ten Commandments. For people who do not realize that they are sins, civil laws and a fear of their penalties serve as means. Other means are moral laws including our fear of losing reputation, rank, and profit. The Lord uses these means to lead evil people, but he prevents them only from actions, not from thinking about acting or wanting to act. The Lord uses the other means to lead good people not only away from the actions but also away from thinking about acting and wanting to act.

479. IV. The fact that evil is permitted, a state enjoyed by everyone's internal man, makes it obvious that man has free will in spiritual matters.

The assertion that man has free will in spiritual matters must first be supported by general considerations, and afterwards by particular ones, such as anyone will acknowledge on first hearing. The general considerations are these. (1) Adam, the wisest of men, and his wife allowed themselves to be seduced by the serpent. (2) Their first son, Cain, killed his brother Abel, and Jehovah God did not deter them by talking to them, but only by cursing Cain after the event. (3) The Israelite nation in the desert worshipped the golden calf, although Jehovah saw this from Mount Sinai, and did not prevent it. (4) David counted the people and on account of this a plague was sent on them, of which so many thousands died; and it was not before but after this happened that God sent the prophet Gad to him and pronounced his punishment. (5) Solomon was permitted to set up idolatrous cults. (6) Many kings after him were permitted to profane the Temple and the holy things of the church; and finally that nation was permitted to crucify the Lord, (7) Mohammed was permitted to establish a religion which in many respects did not agree with Holy Scripture. (8) The Christian religion was divided into numerous sects, and each of these into heretical movements. (9) In Christendom there are so many ungodly people, and so much boasting about ungodly acts, as well as trickery and deceit, even practised on godly, just and honest people. (10) Injustice sometimes triumphs over justice in lawsuits and business dealings. (11) Even the ungodly are advanced to honours and become leaders in civil and religious life. (12) Wars are permitted, and then so many thousands are killed, and so many cities, nations and families have their goods looted, and suffer much besides. How can anyone explain such things except as the result of the free will enjoyed by every individual? In my book DIVINE PROVIDENCE (printed in Amsterdam in 1764, 234-274) it may be seen that the laws of permission too are laws of Divine providence; there too the facts mentioned above were explained.