ere mentioned in order to shew that conjugial love is
celestial, spiritual, and holy, because it corresponds to the celestial,
spiritual, and holy marriage of the Lord and the church. This
correspondence also follows as a consequence of conjugial love's
originating in the marriage of good and truth, spoken of in the
preceding article; because the marriage of good and truth constitutes
the church with man: for the marriage of good and truth is the same as
the marriage of charity and faith; since good relates to charity, and
truth to faith. That this marriage constitutes the church must at once
be acknowledged, because it is a universal truth; and every universal
truth is acknowledged as soon as it is heard, in consequence of the
Lord's influx and at the same time of the confirmation of heaven. Now
since the church is the Lord's, because it is from him, and since
conjugial love corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the church,
it follows that this love is from the Lord.
63. But in what manner the church from the Lord is formed with two
married partners, and how conjugial love is formed thereby, shall be
illustrated in the paragraph spoken of above: we will at present only
observe, that the church from the Lord is formed in the husband, and
through the husband in the wife; and that when it is formed in each, it
is a full church; for in this case is effected a full conjunction of
good and truth; and the conjunction of good and truth constitutes the
church. That the uniting inclination, which is conjugial love, is in a
similar degree with the conjunction of good and truth, which is the
church, will be proved by convincing arguments in what follows in the
series.
64. IV. THIS LOVE, FROM ITS ORIGIN AND CORRESPONDENCE, IS CELESTIAL,
SPIRITUAL, HOLY, PURE, AND CLEAN, ABOVE EVERY OTHER LOVE IMPARTED BY THE
LORD TO THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN AND THE MEN OF THE CHURCH. That such is the
nature and quality of conjugial love from its origin, which is the
marriage of good and truth, was briefly shewn above; but the subject was
then barely touched upon: in like manner that such is the nature and
quality of that love, from its correspondence with the marriage of the
Lord and the church. These two marriages, from which conjugial love, as
a slip or shoot, descends, are essentially holy, therefore if it be
received from its author, the Lord, holiness from him follows of
consequence, which continually cleanses and purifies it: in this cas
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