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.

脚注:

7877. 'And I will see the blood' means the discernment of that truth by those who inflict damnation. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as understanding and discerning, dealt with in 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5400 (its being the discernment by those who inflict damnation is shown in what follows); and from the meaning of 'the blood' as truth that belongs to the good of innocence, as above in 7846.

[2] What truth belonging to the good of innocence is must be stated. The good of innocence is the good of love to the Lord; for those governed by this love have innocence within them. This explains why those who are in the inmost or third heaven, being governed by love to the Lord, possess more innocence than all others. Because of their innocence those who are there look to others like young children, and yet they are the wisest of all in heaven, see 2306; for innocence resides within wisdom, 2305, 3495, 4797. The truth belonging to the good of innocence which exists with them is not the truth of faith but the good of charity. Those in the third heaven do not know what faith is, nor consequently what the truth of faith is; for they perceive intuitively the truth that composes faith, and in perceiving it intuitively know immediately that it is indeed the truth. They never engage in reasoning about whether it is such, let alone argue with one another about it. What is perceived in that intuitive way does not then come to be acquired knowledge. It is different with spiritual angels in the second heaven. The truth of faith leads them to the good of charity. They do therefore engage in reasoning about whether it is the truth or not, since they have no intuitive perception of whether it is or not. Truths then become knowledge they have acquired and are called matters of doctrine composing faith.

[3] For more about those in the inmost or third heaven, about their state being such that they perceive intuitively what the truth of faith is and do not therefore add it to their acquired knowledge, see 202, 337, 2715, 2718, 3246, 4448.

Why it is that Jehovah's words 'I will see', thus something said about Himself, mean discernment by those who inflict damnation, that is, by spirits from hell, may become evident from what has been shown before about the attribution of evil to Jehovah or the Lord, though in fact no evil at all comes from Him but from hell, see 2447, 6071, 6991, 6997, 7533, 7632, 7643. Evil which is permitted to exist seems to come from Him who permits it, since He is able to remove it. That is how it is here when it says that the firstborn of the Egyptians were put to death. It is attributed to Jehovah, for it says in verses 12 and 29,

I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.

And it happened at midnight, that Jehovah struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh's firstborn who was to sit on his throne, even to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon.

Yet in the present verse the one to do this is called 'the destroyer',

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and I will see the blood and will pass you by, and the plague will not be on you for the destroyer.

[4] It is similar with the vastation undergone by the evil in the next life, their damnation, and their being cast into hell, which are meant in the internal sense by the plagues, the death of the firstborn, and their being drowned in the Sea Suph. Jehovah or the Lord does not subject anyone to vastation, still less damn or cast into hell. Rather an evil spirit himself is the one who does it to himself, that is, the evil within him does it. This then is why 'I will see the blood' means a discernment by those who inflict damnation.

[5] As regards permission, it is impossible to state briefly the nature of it since a very large number of arcana are involved in it. When the wicked suffer damnation and torment the Lord's permission is not like that of one who desires what happens to them. It is like that of one who does not desire it yet cannot help them because His end in view, which is the salvation of the entire human race, is urgent and prevents Him from helping. For if He were to help them, that would be doing ill, which is completely contrary to the Divine. But more on these matters will in the Lord's Divine mercy be stated elsewhere.