295、⑵恶人不断将自己引入邪恶，但主不断把他们引离邪恶。理解圣治在善人身上如何作工比理解它在恶人身上如何作工更容易。但现在论述的是后者，所以有必要按下列顺序来阐明：
①每种邪恶里面都有无数事物。
②恶人凭自己不断把自己越来越深地引入自己的邪恶。
③对恶人来说，圣治不断允许邪恶，以便不断把他们从中引出来。
④主以上千种方法，甚至以最秘密的方法实现从恶中的这种引出。
295. (2) Evil people continually steer themselves into evils, but the Lord continually turns them away from evils. The nature of Divine providence in the case of good people can be more easily comprehended than its nature in the case of evil people. And because it is the latter that we take up now, we will explain it under the following series of headings:
1. Every evil contains countless constituents.
2. An evil person of himself steers himself ever more deeply into his evils.
3. Divine providence with evil people is a continual permitting of evil in order to effect a continual turning away from it.
4. The turning away from evil is accomplished in a thousand ways by the Lord, even in very secret ways.
295. 2. Evil people are constantly leading themselves into evils, and the Lord is constantly leading them away from evils. It is easier to understand how divine providence works with good people than to understand how it works with evil people. Since this latter is our present concern, I shall proceed in the following sequence. (a) There are countless elements in every evil. (b) Evil people are constantly and intentionally leading themselves deeper into their evils. (c) For evil people, divine providence is a constant permission of evil with the ultimate goal of constantly leading them out. (d) The Lord does this leading out of evil in a thousand ways, some of them quite mysterious.
295. II. THE WICKED ARE CONTINUALLY LEADING THEMSELVES INTO EVILS, BUT THE LORD IS CONTINUALLY LEADING THEM AWAY FROM EVILS. The nature of the Divine Providence with the good is more easily comprehended than its nature with the wicked, and as the latter is now under consideration it will be set forth in the following order:
1. There are innumerable things in every evil.
2. A wicked man from himself continually leads himself more and more deeply into his evils.
3. The Divine Providence with the wicked is a continual permission of evil, to the end that there may be a continual withdrawal from it.
4. The withdrawal from evil is effected by the Lord in a thousand ways that are most secret.
295. (2) The evil are continually leading themselves into evils, but the Lord is continually leading them away from evils. What the Lord's Divine providence is with the good is more easily comprehended than what it is with the evil; but as the latter is now treated of it shall be told in the following order: (1) In every evil there are things innumerable. (2) An evil man from himself continually leads himself more deeply into his evils. (3) The Divine providence with the evil is a continual permission of evil, to the end that there may be a continual withdrawal from it. (4) The withdrawal from evil is effected by the Lord in a thousand ways, and even in most secret ways.
295. II. Quod mali seipsos continue inducant in mala, sed quod Dominus illos continue abducat a malis. Qualis Divina Providentia est apud bonos, facilius comprehenditur, quam qualis est apud malos; et quia de hac nunc agitur, dicetur in hac serie. 1. Quod innumerabilia sint in unoquovis malo. 2. Quod malus in sua mala se ex se continue profundius inducat. 3. Quod Divina Providentia cum malis sit continua mali permissio, ob finem ut sit continua abductio. 14. Quod abductio a malo fiat mille modis, etiam arcanissimis a Domino.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: abductio,