287、⑴不仅对善人，而且对恶人来说，圣治处处都在最小细节上作工；但它不在他们的邪恶中。前面说明，圣治在人的思维和情感的最小细节中，这意味着人凭自己无法思想和意愿任何事；相反，他所思所愿，并由此所言所行的一切都来自流注：若为良善，便来自天堂的流注；若为邪恶，则来自地狱的流注；换句话说，良善是从主流入的，邪恶是从人的自我或人自己的自我重要感流入的。我知道这一切很难理解，因为从天堂或主流入之物与从地狱或人的自我流入之物是有区别的；然而，我说过，圣治在人的思维和情感的最小细节中，甚至到了人凭自己无法思考和意愿任何事的程度。但我又补充说，他也从地狱，以及他自己的自我或自我重要感如此行；所以看上去似乎就有了一个矛盾之处，其实并没有。在下面（294节）以说明这个问题的几个要点为开场白的地方，我们会看到，没有矛盾之处。
287. (1) Divine providence operates universally in the least particulars, not only in the case of good people but also in the case of evil people, and yet is not present in their evils. We showed above that Divine providence operates in the least particulars of a person's thoughts and affections, and this means that a person cannot think or will anything of himself, but that everything he thinks or wills, and consequently speaks or does, springs from some influx - if it is good, from an influx from heaven, and if evil, from an influx from hell. Or to say the same thing, that good springs from an influx from the Lord, and evil from a person's native self.
I know, however, that this can hardly be comprehended, because we make a distinction between what flows in from heaven or from the Lord, and what flows in from hell or from a person's native self, and yet say that Divine providence operates in the least particulars of a person's thoughts and affections, even so much that a person cannot think or will anything of himself. But because we say that he can do so from hell and from his native self too, the statement appears as contradictory, even though it is not. We will see that it is not in subsequent discussions, after we have premised some observations that will shed light on the matter.
287. 1. Divine providence is at work in the smallest details everywhere, not only with the good but with the evil as well, but it is not in their evils. I have already explained that divine providence is in the smallest details of our thoughts and desires, which means that we cannot think or intend anything on our own. Everything we think and intend, and therefore everything we say and do, is the result of an inflow. If it is good, something is flowing in from heaven; if it is bad, something is flowing in from hell. In other words, if it is good it is flowing in from the Lord, and if it is bad it is flowing in from our own sense of self-importance.
I do realize, though, that all this is hard to grasp because it differentiates between what flows in from heaven or from the Lord and what flows in from hell or from our own sense of self-importance, and at the same time it says that divine providence is at work in the smallest details of our thoughts and desires to the point that we cannot think or intend anything on our own. Since I am saying that we can think and intend from hell, or from our sense of self-importance, there does seem to be a contradiction. However, there is none, as we shall see below [294], once a few points are prefaced that will shed some light on the matter.
287. I. THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE, NOT ONLY WITH THE GOOD BUT ALSO WITH THE WICKED, IS UNIVERSAL IN THINGS MOST INDIVIDUAL; AND YET IT IS NOT IN MEN'S EVILS. It was shown above that the Divine Providence is in the most individual things of man's thoughts and affections; and by this is meant that man can think and will nothing from himself, but that everything he thinks and wills, and consequently says and does, is from influx. If it is good it is from influx out of heaven, and if evil from influx out of hell; or what is the same, that good is from influx from the Lord, and evil from man's proprium. I know that this is difficult to be comprehended, because a distinction is made between that which flows in from heaven or from the Lord and that which flows in from hell or from man's proprium; and yet it is said that the Divine Providence is in the most individual things of man's thoughts and affections, even so far that man can think and will nothing from himself. But because it is said that he can also think and will from hell, and also from his proprium, this appears like a contradiction; and yet it is not. That there is no contradiction will be seen in what follows, after some things have been set forth that will illustrate the matter.
287. (1) The Divine providence, not only with the good but with the evil as well, is universal in every least particular; and yet it is not in their evils. It is shown above that the Divine providence is in the least particulars of man's thought and affections; and this means that man can think and will nothing from himself, but that every thing that he thinks and wills, and says and does therefrom, is from influx; if good from influx out of heaven, and if evil from influx from hell; or what is the same, that good is from influx from the Lord, and evil from what is man's own (proprium). But I am aware that this can scarcely be comprehended, because a distinction is made between that which flows in out of heaven or from the Lord and that which flows in out of hell or from what is man's own; and yet it is said that the Divine providence is in the least particulars of man's thoughts and affections, even to the extent that man can think and will nothing from himself. But when it is added that he can also do this from hell, also from what is his own, there appears to be a contradiction, and yet there is not. That there is no contradiction will be seen in what follows, when some things have been premised that will illustrate the matter.
287. I. Quod Divina Providentia non solum sit apud bonos sed etiam apud malos in singularissimis universalis, et quod usque non sit in illorum malis. Supra ostensum est, quod Divina Providentia 1sit in singularissimis cogitationum et affectionum hominis, per quod intelligitur, quod homo nihil possit cogitare et velle ex se, sed quod omne quod cogitat et vult, et inde loquitur et facit, sit ex influxu, si bonum est, ex influxu e Coelo, et si malum, ex influxu ab inferno; seu quod idem, quod bonum sit ex influxu a Domino, et malum ex proprio hominis. Sed scio, quod haec aegre possint comprehendi, quia distinguitur inter id quod influit e Coelo seu a Domino, et inter id quod influit ex inferno seu a proprio hominis, et usque dicitur, quod Divina Providentia sit in singularissimis cogitationum et affectionum hominis, usque adeo, ut homo nihil possit cogitare et velle a se: sed quia dicitur quod etiam possit ab inferno, tum a proprio suo, apparet id sicut contradictorium, at usque non est; quod non sit, videbitur in sequentibus, postquam praemissa sunt aliqua, quae rem illustrabunt.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: Providentia