10577. 'And I will be gracious to whom I am gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy' means that Divine Truth and Good will be revealed to those who are receptive. This is clear from the meaning of 'being gracious' as endowing with spiritual truth and good, in this instance revealing it, since the subject is the inner substance and the outward form of the Church, worship, and the Word; and from the meaning of 'showing mercy' as endowing with celestial truth and good, in this instance revealing it. The reason why among those who are receptive is meant is that the internal things of the Word, the Church, and worship are revealed to none but those who are receptive.

[2] The reason why 'being gracious' means endowing with spiritual truth and good, and 'showing mercy' endowing with celestial truth and good, is that grace is a term used in reference to faith and mercy is a term used in reference to love; and the good of faith is spiritual good, and the good of love is celestial good. What spiritual good and celestial good are, and what is the difference between them, see in the places referred to in 9277. Those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom speak of grace, whereas those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom speak of mercy, 598, 981, 5929. Unless there were such a difference between grace and mercy both expressions - 'being gracious' and 'showing mercy' - would not have been used. For the same reason Jehovah is called both 'gracious' and 'merciful' in Exodus 34:6; Joel 2:13; Psalms 103:8; 145:8. And in Isaiah,

Therefore Jehovah will remain to show you grace, and therefore He will exalt Himself to be merciful to you. Isaiah 30:18.

[3] Because there are two realities to which all things of the Church belong, namely love and faith, and since mercy belongs to love, and grace as well as truth belongs to faith, the Word uses the terms 'mercy' and 'grace' when the Lord is being implored; but it uses 'mercy' and 'truth' when He is being described, as in the following places: In David,

Your mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in Your truth. Psalms 26:3.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, Your mercy is in the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the skies. Psalms 36:5.

In the same author,

God will send from the heavens His mercy and His truth. Great even to heaven is Your mercy, and Your truth even to the skies. Psalms 57:3, 10.

In the same author,

Let mercy and truth meet, and let righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalms 85:10.

In the same author,

I will sing of the mercy of Jehovah forever, to generation after generation [I will make known] Your truth with my mouth. For I have said, Forever will mercy be built, in the very heavens You will make firm Your truth. Righteousness and judgement are the support of Your throne, mercy and truth will stand before Your face. Psalms 89:1-2, 14.

'Mercy' in these places means love and 'truth' faith.

598. 'He found grace in Jehovah's eyes' means that the Lord foresaw that the human race could in that way be saved. The mercy of the Lord entails and looks to the salvation of the whole human race; and so does His grace. Consequently, the salvation of the human race is meant. 'Noah' means not only a new Church but also the faith of that Church, which was a faith that inhered in charity. The Lord accordingly foresaw that it would be possible for the human race to be saved by means of faith that inhered in charity. Such faith will be dealt with later on.

[2] In the Word however a distinction is made between mercy and grace, a distinction which depends in fact on differences in those who are their recipients. Mercy applies to those who are celestial, but grace to those who are spiritual, for celestial people acknowledge nothing other than mercy, while spiritual acknowledge hardly anything other than grace. Celestial people do not know what grace is, while the spiritual scarcely know what mercy is, for they make mercy and grace to be one and the same. The reason for the difference springs from each one's humility. People in whom there is humility of heart plead for the Lord's mercy, but those in whom there is humility of mind (cogitatio) seek His grace. Or if the latter do plead for mercy they do so in a state of temptation or with the lips only and not with the heart. Since the new Church called Noah was not celestial but spiritual, it is not said to have found mercy but to have found grace in Jehovah's eyes.

[3] The distinction made in the Word between mercy and grace is clear from very many places where Jehovah is said to be merciful and gracious, as in Psalms 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; Joel 2:13. The same distinction is made elsewhere, as in Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness, when He went to give rest to Israel. From afar Jehovah appeared to me. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with mercy. Jeremiah 31:2-3.

Here 'grace' has reference to what is spiritual and 'mercy' to what is celestial. In Isaiah,

Therefore Jehovah will wait to grant you grace, and therefore He will exalt Himself to be merciful to you. Isaiah 30:18.

Here similarly 'grace' has regard to what is spiritual and 'mercy' to what is celestial. And further on [in Genesis] where Lot is addressing the angels,

Behold now, Your servant has found grace in Your eyes, and You have magnified Your mercy which You have shown to me in causing my soul to live. Genesis 19:19.

Here also it is clear that since he is spoken of as 'having found grace in Your eyes' grace has regard to spiritual things which are matters of faith or of the understanding. And since the expressions 'to have magnified mercy' and 'to have caused my soul to live' are used, it is equally clear that mercy has regard to celestial things, which are matters of love or of the will.