and from the evils themselves in the external.
vii. The continuous effort of the Lord in His divine providence is to
unite man to Himself and Himself to man, in order to be able to bestow
the felicities of eternal life on him, which can be done only so far as
evils, along with their lusts, are removed.

103. (i) _Every man has an external and an internal of thought._ By
external and internal of thought the same is meant here as by external
and internal man, and by this nothing else is meant than external and
internal of will and understanding, for will and understanding constitute
man, and as they both manifest themselves in thoughts, we speak of
external and internal of thought. And as it is man's spirit and not his
body which wills and understands and consequently thinks, external and
internal are external and internal of his spirit. The body's activity in
speech or deed is only an effect from the external and internal of man's
spirit, for the body is so much obedience.

104. As he grows older, every person has an external and an internal of
thought, or an external and an internal of will and understanding or of
his spirit, identical with external and internal man. This is evident to
anyone who observes another's thoughts and intentions as they are
revealed in speech or deed, or who observes his own when he is in company
and when he is by himself. For from the external thought one can talk
amicably with another and yet in internal thought be hostile. From
external thought and from its affection, too, a man can talk about love
for the neighbor and for God when in his internal thought he cares
nothing for the neighbor and does not fear God. From external thought
together with its affection he can talk about the justice of civil laws,
the virtues of the moral life, and matters of doctrine and the spiritual
life, and yet in private and from his internal thought and its affection