389. 'Everyone finding him would kill him' means that all evil and falsity would destroy him. This follows from what is said above. The position in fact is this: When a person divests himself of charity, he in that case separates himself from the Lord. It is charity alone, or love towards the neighbour and compassion, which joins man to the Lord. Without charity the two are disjoined, and when they are disjoined man is left to himself, that is, to the proprium. In that case whatever he thinks is false, and whatever he wills is evil. These are the things that kill man, that is, lead to his having no life at all.

2268. 'Will You for five destroy the whole city?' means, Will mankind perish for the small amount that is lacking? This is clear from the meaning of 'five' as small, referred to immediately above, and from the meaning of 'a city' as truth, also dealt with already. The human mind as regards truths is in the Word compared to and also called 'a city', and as regards the goods that are present within truths is there compared to and also called 'the inhabitants'. For a similarity indeed exists, in that if the truths in a person's two memories ¹ and in the thoughts of his mind are devoid of goods, they are like a city that has no residents and so is vacant and empty. Indeed it can also be said of angels that they dwell so to speak in a person's truths and implant affections for good from the Lord when that person leads a life abiding in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbour, for they are delighted so to dwell, that is, to live, with such persons. It is different in the case of those with whom some truths exist but no goods that flow from charity.

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