is
adultery, is evident. IV. The reason why the love of a mistress is to be
kept separate from conjugial love, is because those loves are distinct,
and therefore ought not to be mixed together: for the love of a mistress
is an unchaste, natural, and external love; whereas the love of marriage
is chaste, spiritual, and internal. The love of a mistress keeps the
souls of two persons distinct, and unites only the sensual principles of
the body; but the love of marriage unites souls, and from their union
conjoins also the sensual principles of the body, until from two they
become as one, which is one flesh. V. The love of a mistress enters only
into the understanding and the things which depend on it; but the love
of marriage enters also into the will and the things which depend on it,
consequently into every thing appertaining to man (_homo_); wherefore if
the love of a mistress becomes the love of marriage, a man cannot
retract from any principle of right, and without violating the conjugial
union; and if he retracts and marries another woman, conjugial love
perishes in consequence of the breach thereof. It is to be observed,
that the love of a mistress is kept separate from conjugial love by this
condition, that no engagement of marriage be made with the mistress, and
that she be not induced to form any such expectation. Nevertheless it is
far better that the torch of the love of the sex be first lighted with a
wife.

* * * * *

461. To the above I shall add the following MEMORABLE RELATION. I was
once conversing with a novitiate spirit who, during his abode in the
world, had meditated much about heaven and hell. (Novitiate spirits are
men newly deceased, who are called spirits, because they are then
spiritual men.) As soon as he entered into the spiritual world he began
to meditate in like manner about heaven and hell, and seemed to himself,
when meditating about heaven, to be in joy, and when about hell, in
sorrow. When he observed that he was in the spiritual world, he
immediately asked where heaven and hell were, and also their nature and
quality? And he was answered, "Heaven is above your head, and hell
beneath your feet; for you are now in the world of spirits, which is
immediate between heaven and hell; but what are their nature and quality
we cannot describe in a few words." At that instant, as he was very
desirous of knowing, he fell upon his knees, and prayed devoutly to God
th