4275. THAT ALL EVIL IS FROM MAN, AND THAT BY THE LORD EVIL IS PREVIDED [FORESEEN], NOT PROVIDED. PERMISSION. Evil spirits are constantly disposed to attribute the evil of punishment to the Lord, but it was often said to them that every evil is from man, and that it is previded, or foreseen, but not provided by the Lord; for since man's nature is such that he believes himself able to do good, the evil which he does is appropriated to him, whereas it would be otherwise did he believe it to be not from himself, but from evil spirits. If man were in the truth of faith, and in the faith which is of charity, evil would not then be appropriated to him. It was given to represent to them a large and extensive library - which is easily done in the other life - where all the books could be filled with arguments going to prove that evil is from the Lord, everyone containing a thousand arguments; but yet it was represented as written on the back of all of them, that every evil is from man, and that evil was previded and not provided by the Lord. It was said, moreover, that if one would not believe this before it was proved, then everything within the books would confirm him in the belief that it was not so, and that the false was true; nevertheless, such as I have stated is the fact. - 1749, May 17.