death, has the ability to shun these evils. But he who despises these
truths and casts them out of his mind, and still more he who denies
them, is not able. For how can one who never thinks about God think
that anything is a sin against God? And how can one who never thinks
about heaven, hell, and the life after death, shun evils as sins? Such
a man does not know what sin is.

Man is placed in the middle between heaven and hell. Out of heaven
goods unceasingly flow in, and out of hell evils unceasingly flow in;
and as man is between he has freedom to think what is good or to think
what is evil. This freedom the Lord never takes away from anyone, for
it belongs to his life, and is the means of his reformation. So far,
therefore, as man from this freedom has the thought and desire to shun
evils because they are sins, and prays to the Lord for help, so far does
the Lord take them away and give man the ability to refrain from them as
if of himself, and then to shun them.

Everyone is able from natural freedom to shun these same evils because
of their being contrary to human laws. This every citizen of a kingdom
does who fears the penalties of the civil law, or the loss of life,
reputation, honor, wealth, and thus of office, gain, and pleasures; even
an evil man does this. And the life of such a man appears exactly the
same in external form as the life of one who shuns these evils because
they are contrary to the Divine laws; but in internal form it is wholly
unlike it. The one acts from natural freedom only, which is from man;
the other acts from spiritual freedom, which is from the Lord; both
acting from freedom. When a man is able to shun these same evils from
natural freedom, why is he not able to shun them from spiritual freedom,
in which he is constantly held by the Lord, provided he thinks to will
this because there is a heaven, a hell, a life after death, punishment