rationality and liberty but in accord with them; rationality starts the
combat and liberty follows it up; liberty itself resides with rationality
in the internal man and from that in the external.

[4] Accordingly, when the internal conquers, which it does when it has
reduced the external to compliance and obedience, man is given liberty
itself and rationality itself by the Lord, for he is delivered by the
Lord then from infernal freedom which in itself is enslavement, is
brought into heavenly freedom which is freedom in itself, and is given
association with angels. The Lord Himself teaches ( John 8:31-36) that
those who are in sins are enslaved and that He delivers those who receive
truth from Him through the Word.

146. Let an example serve for illustration. A man who has taken pleasure
in defrauding and deceiving sees and inwardly acknowledges it to be sin
and resolves to desist from it; with this a battle begins of his internal
with the external. The internal man is in an affection for honesty, but
the external still in the enjoyment of defrauding. This enjoyment,
utterly opposed to enjoyment in honesty, does not give way unless forced
to do so and can be forced to do so only by combat with it. When the
fight is won, the external man comes into the enjoyment of a love of
honesty, which is charity. Then the pleasure of defrauding gradually
turns unpleasant to him. It is the same with all other sins, with
adultery and whoredom, revenge and hatred, blasphemy and lying. The most
difficult battle of all is with the love of ruling from self-love. A
person who subdues this love, easily subdues all other evil loves, for
this is their summit.

147. Let it be told briefly how the Lord casts out lusts of evil
occupying the internal man from birth and in their place bestows