8307. 'In Your mercy You have led this people' means the Divine flowing in among those who have been refraining from evils and consequently receiving good. This is clear from the meaning of 'in mercy leading' as receiving the Divine; and since people receive the Divine when they refrain from evils, the Divine flowing in among them is meant. As regards mercy shown by the Lord, the Lord's mercy remains constantly with every individual person; for the Lord wishes to save all the people there are. But that mercy cannot flow into them until evils have been removed; for evils, and falsities arising from them, stand in the way and hinder it. As soon as evils are removed however, mercy flows in, that is, good flowing from the Lord out of His mercy; and that good is charity and faith. From this it becomes clear that the Lord's mercy is universal, that is, is directed towards all people, and is also particular towards those who refrain from evils.

[2] Refraining from evils is something a person can do by himself, but receiving good is not something he can do by himself. The reason why a person can refrain from evils by himself is that the Lord flows constantly into a person's will with the endeavour to do so, thereby giving him the freedom to desist from evils and also to devote himself to good. The Lord also gives him the ability to understand truth, and if he does not understand, it is because he has no wish to. He has no wish to understand it because of the evil in his life; for falsity defends evil, whereas truth condemns it. So it is that a person cannot be endowed with spiritual good from the Lord, thus cannot be led by mercy, unless he desists from evils.