Evils cannot be set aside unless they come to light. This
does not mean that we have to act out our evils in order
to bring them to light but that we need to look carefully
not only at our actions but also at our thoughts, at what
we would do if it were not for our fear of the laws and of
ill repute. We need to look especially at which evils we
see as permissible in our spirit and do not regard as sins,
for eventually we do them. It is for this self-examination
that we have been given discernment, a discernment separate
from our volition, so that we can know, discern, and
recognize what is good and what is evil. It is also so that
we can see what the real nature of our volition is—that is,
what we love and what we desire. It is to enable us to see
this that our discernment has been given both higher and
lower thought processes, both more inward and more
outward thought processes. It is so that we can use the
higher or more inward thoughts to see what our volition
is up to in our lower or outer thoughts.
—Divine Providence 278a:2
