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.
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