nt the Lord and
the wife the church; because both together, the husband and the wife,
constitute the church._ VII. _Therefore there is not a correspondence of
the husband with the Lord and of the wife with the church, in the
marriages of the angels in the heavens and of men on earth._ VIII. _But
there is a correspondence with conjugial love, semination,
prolification, the love of infants, and similar things which exist in
marriages, and are derived from them._ IX. _The Word is the medium of
conjunction, because it is from the Lord, and therefore is the Lord._ X.
_The church is from the Lord, and exists with those who come to him, and
live according to his precepts._ XI. _Conjugial love is according to the
state of the church, because it is according to the state of wisdom with
man (homo)._ XII. _And as the church is from the Lord, conjugial love is
also from him._ We proceed to the explanation of each article.

117. I. THE LORD IN THE WORD IS CALLED THE BRIDEGROOM AND HUSBAND, AND
THE CHURCH THE BRIDE AND WIFE; AND THE CONJUNCTION OF THE LORD WITH THE
CHURCH, AND THE RECIPROCAL CONJUNCTION OF THE CHURCH WITH THE LORD, IS
CALLED A MARRIAGE. That the Lord in the Word is called the Bridegroom
and Husband, and the church the bride and wife, may appear from the
following passages: "_He that hath the BRIDE is the BRIDEGROOM; but the
friend of the BRIDEGROOM, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with
joy because of the BRIDEGROOM'S voice_," John iii. 29: this was spoken
by John the Baptist concerning the Lord. "_Jesus said, so long as the
BRIDEGROOM is with them, the SONS OF THE NUPTIALS cannot fast: the days
will come when the BRIDEGROOM will be taken away from them, and then
will they fast_," Matt ix. 15; Mark ii. 19, 20; Luke v. 34, 35. "_I saw
the holy city, New Jerusalem, prepared as a BRIDE adorned for HER
HUSBAND_," Rev. xxi. 2. The New Jerusalem signifies the New Church of
the Lord, as may be seen in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 880, 881. "_The
angel said to John, Come, and I will shew thee the BRIDE, THE LAMB'S
WIFE: and he shewed him the holy city, New Jerusalem_," Rev. xxi. 9, 10.
"_The time of the MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB is come, and HIS WIFE hath made
herself ready. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the
MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB_," Rev. xix. 7, 9. The BRIDEGROOM, whom the five
prepared virgins went forth to meet, and with WHOM they entered in to
the MARRIAGE, Matt. xxv. 1-10, denotes the Lord; as is evide