337. The Divine Providence does all things out of pure Mercy, because the Divine Essence itself is pure Love; and it is this which operates through the Divine Wisdom, and this operation is called the Divine Providence. This pure Love is pure Mercy because: 1. It operates with all men throughout the whole world, who are such that they can do nothing from themselves. 2. It operates equally with the wicked and unjust, and with the good and just. 3. It leads the former in hell and rescues them from it. 4. It perpetually strives with them there and fights for them against the devil, that is, against the evils of hell. 5. For that cause it came into the world, and endured temptations even to the last of them, which was the passion of the cross. 6. It acts continually with the unclean to make them clean and with the unsound in mind to restore them to sanity; thus it labours continually out of pure Mercy.
