charge and enable him to perceive and do in the measure that he avoids
those evils because they are evils. So far as a man does this he looks on
those goods as a friend looks on friends.

[2] By his faculty called rationality a man can conclude from this what
goods are useful to society in the spiritual world and what evils are
hurtful there, if instead of evils he sees sins and instead of goods
works of charity. This he can also make a matter of his reason if he
will, since he has liberty and rationality. His rationality and liberty
emerge, become manifest, take charge and give him perception and power so
far as he shuns evils as sins. So far as he does this he regards the
goods of charity as neighbor regards neighbor in mutual love.

[3] For the sake of reception and union the Lord wills that whatever a
man does freely according to reason shall seem to him to be his; this
agrees with reason itself. It follows that a man can from his reason will
something on the ground that it means his eternal happiness and can
perform it by the Lord's divine power, implored by him.

78. (iii) _Whatever a man does in freedom according to his thought is
appropriated to him as his and remains._ The reason is that a man's own
and his freedom make one. His proprium is of his life, and what he does
from his life he does in freedom. His proprium is also of his love, for
love is one's life, and what he does from his life's love he does in
freedom. We speak of his acting in freedom "according to his thought"
because what is of his life or love he also thinks and confirms by
thought, and what is so confirmed he does in freedom then according to
thought. What a man does, he does from the will by the understanding;
freedom is of the will and thought is of the understanding.