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)

1824. That “a heifer” signifies the representatives of exterior celestial things, “a she-goat” the representatives of interior celestial things, and “a ram” those of spiritual celestial things, may be seen from the sacrifices, concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter, where the sacrifices are treated of. There are exterior celestial things, and interior celestial things, as well as spiritual celestial things. Exterior celestial things are those which are of the external man, interior celestial things are those which are of the internal man, and spiritual celestial things are those which are derived from these. The celestial itself is love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor. This celestial flows in from the Lord, and in fact through the internal man into the external. In the interior man this is called the interior celestial; in the external man the exterior celestial. The exterior celestial is all affection of good; nay, it is also all the pleasure which comes from the affection of good. So far as the good of love and of charity is in these, that is, in the affection of good and in the pleasure derived from it, so far the celestial is in them, and also happiness. But the spiritual celestial is all the affection of truth in which there is the affection of good, or the affection of truth which is begotten by the affection of good; thus it is faith in which is charity, or faith which is begotten by charity.