7007. And will teach you what ye shall do. That this signifies thus the Divine in each and all things which shall be done, is evident from the signification of "teaching," as being to flow in, and when as here said of the Divine, as being to proceed (see above, n. 6993); and from the signification of "what ye shall do," as being what shall be done. That it denotes in each and all things, is because it is said of the Divine. Something shall here be said about the Divine being in each and all things that take place with man. That such is the case appears to man to be far from the truth, because he thinks, "If the Divine were in each and all things that take place, evils would not happen, neither would anyone suffer damnation;" also that the justice of a cause would always triumph; that the upright would be happier in the world than the wicked; with many like things; and as they see the contrary, they do not believe that the Divine is in each and all things. Hence it is that they attribute to themselves and their own sagacity the singulars, and to the Divine only the universal government; and all other things they call fortune and chance, which they conceive to be blind things of nature.
[2] But man so thinks because he does not know the secrets of heaven, which are that the Lord leaves to everyone his own freedom; for unless man is in freedom, he can never be reformed. Compulsion does not reform, because it inroots nothing, for that which is compulsory is not of man's will; but that which is free is of his will. Nevertheless good and truth, in order to be man's as his own, must be inrooted in his will, for that which is outside the will is not the man's. And as for this reason everyone is left to his freedom, man is allowed to think evil, and to do evil, insofar as external fears do not restrain. And also for the same reason, in this world the wicked man is apparently glad and in his glory more than the upright; but the glorying and gladness of the wicked are external, or of the body, which in the other life are turned into infernal unhappiness; whereas the glorying and gladness of the upright are internal, or of the spirit, and remain and become heavenly happiness.
[3] Moreover, in eminence and opulence there is worldly, but not eternal happiness; and therefore both the wicked and the upright have it, or if the latter do not have it, it is that they may not be turned away from good by such things; and as men make the Divine blessing to consist in worldly goods and happinesses, when they see the contrary their weakness drives them into errors with respect to the Divine Providence. They also come to conclusions from the present things which they see, without considering that the Divine Providence looks to what is eternal, especially that all things may be in order in heaven, and also in hell; thus that heaven may constantly bear relation to a Man, and that hell may be in the opposite, whence comes equilibrium; and that this cannot possibly exist except by means of the Divine Providence in the veriest singulars of all, thus unless the Divine continually guides and bends man's freedom.
[4] In regard to the other points, see what has been already said and shown about the Divine Providence, namely: That the providence of the Lord cannot be universal unless it is in the veriest singulars (n. 1919, 4329, 5122, 5894, 6481-6486, 6490): That the providence of the Lord has regard to what is eternal (n. 5264, 6491): That evil is foreseen by the Lord, and good is provided (n. 5155, 5195, 6489): That the Lord turns into good the evil which He foresees (n. 6574): That contingent things are of providence (n. 5508, 6493, 6494): That man's own prudence is like a few specks of dust in the atmosphere, and Providence like the whole atmosphere (n. 6485): That many fallacies attack the Divine Providence in singulars (n. 6481).
