47. DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM MUST NECESSARILY HAVE BEING [Esse]
AND HAVE FORM [Existere] IN OTHERS CREATED BY ITSELF.

It is the essential of love not to love self, but to love others, and
to be conjoined with others by love. It is the essential of love,
moreover, to be loved by others, for thus conjunction is effected. The
essence of all love consists in conjunction; this, in fact, is its life,
which is called enjoyment, pleasantness, delight, sweetness, bliss,
happiness, and felicity. Love consists in this, that its own should be
another's; to feel the joy of another as joy in oneself, that is loving.
But to feel one's own joy in another and not the other's joy in oneself
is not loving; for this is loving self, while the former is loving the
neighbor. These two kinds of love are diametrically opposed to each
other. Either, it is true, conjoins; and to love one's own, that is,
oneself, in another does not seem to divide; but it does so effectually
divide that so far as any one has loved another in this manner, so far
he afterwards hates him. For such conjunction is by its own action
gradually loosened, and then, in like measure, love is turned to hate.

48. Who that is capable of discerning the essential character of love
cannot see this? For what is it to love self alone, instead of loving
some one outside of self by whom one may be loved in return? Is not this
separation rather than conjunction? Conjunction of love is by
reciprocation; and there can be no reciprocation in self alone. If there
is thought to be, it is from an imagined reciprocation in others. From
this it is clear that Divine Love must necessarily have being (esse) and
have form (existere) in others whom it may love, and by whom it may be
loved. For as there is such a need in all love, it must be to the fullest
extent, that is, infinitely in Love Itself.