3063. And do mercy. That this signifies an influx of love is evident from the essence of mercy, as being love. Love is itself turned to mercy and becomes mercy when anyone who is in need of help is regarded from love or charity; hence mercy is the effect of love toward the needy and miserable. But here by “mercy” in the internal sense is meant love; and by “doing mercy” is meant an influx of love, because it is from the Lord’s Divine Itself into His Divine Human; for it was the Lord’s Divine love through which He made His Human Divine; for love is the very being of life, and no one has Divine love but the Lord.

(See what has been said before concerning the Lord’s love, namely: That His life was love toward the universal human race, n. 2253: That from this love He fought, n. 1690, 1789, 1812, 1813, 1820: That it transcends all understanding, n. 1799, 2077: That the Lord is Divine love itself, n. 2077, 2500, 2572: That “Jehovah” is love, n. 1735: That nothing lives but love, n. 1589: That whoever has mutual love has the Lord’s life, n. 1799, 1802, 1803: That love and charity are the celestial itself, n. 1419, 1824)

2253. Wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are in the midst of it? That this signifies intercession from love-that they should not perish-is evident from the signification of “fifty,” and of “righteous,” as also of “the midst of it,” that is, of the city (concerning which just above, n. 2252), all of which things involve intercession from love, and that they should not perish. (As regards the intercession, see above, n. 2250.) That it was from love is also manifest. With the Lord, when He was in the world, there was no other life than the life of love toward the universal human race, which He ardently desired to eternally save. This is the veriest celestial life, by which He united Himself to the Divine, and the Divine to Himself-for Esse itself, or Jehovah, is nothing else than Mercy, which is of love to the universal human race-and that life was one of pure love, which is never possible with any man. They who do not know what life is, and that the life is such as the love, do not comprehend this. This shows that insofar as anyone loves his neighbor, insofar he partakes of the Lord’s life.