o that his bodily form is merely
the external form in which the interiors exhibit themselves in
effect; consequently that one's love is the whole man (see above, n.
363). Nor do they know that the body lives not from itself, but from
its spirit, and that a man's spirit is his essential affection, and
his spiritual body is nothing else than his affection in human form,
and in such a form it appears after death (see above, n. 453-460). So
long as man remains ignorant of all this he may be induced to believe
that salvation involves nothing but the Divine good pleasure, which
is called mercy and grace.

522. But first let us consider what the Divine mercy is. The divine
mercy is pure mercy towards the whole human race, to save it; and it
is also unceasing towards every man, and is never withdrawn from any
one; so that everyone is saved who can be saved. And yet no one can
be saved except by Divine means, which means the Lord reveals in the
Word. The Divine means are what are called Divine truths, which teach
how man must live in order to be saved. By these truths the Lord
leads man to heaven, and by them He implants in man the life of
heaven. This the Lord does for all. But the life of heaven can be
implanted in no one unless he abstains from evil, for evil obstructs.
So far, therefore, as man abstains from evil he is led by the Lord
out of pure mercy by His Divine means, and this from infancy to the
end of his life in the world and afterwards to eternity. This is what
is meant by the Divine mercy. And from this it is evident that the
mercy of the Lord is pure mercy, but not apart from means, that is,
it does not look to saving all out of mere good pleasure, however
they may have lived.

523. The Lord never does anything contrary to order, because He
Himself is Order. The Divine truth that goes forth from the Lord is
what constitutes order; and Divine truths are the laws of order. It
is in accord with these laws that the Lord leads man. Consequently to
save man by mercy apart from means would be contrary to Divine order,
and what is contrary to Divine order is contrary to the Divine.
Divine order is heaven in man, and man has perverted this in himself
by a life contrary to the laws of order, which are Divine truths.
Into this order man is brought back by the Lord out of pure mercy by
means of the laws of order; and so far as he is brought back into
this order he receives heaven in himself; and he that receives heaven