hat has been above explained, that love truly
conjugial is essential chastity, and from the considerations that
delights constitute its life. That the delights of this love ascend and
enter heaven, and in the way pass through the delights of the heavenly
loves, in which the angels of heaven are principled; also, that they
conjoin themselves with the delights of the conjugial love of the
angels, has been mentioned above. Moreover, I have heard it declared by
the angels, that they perceive those delights with themselves to be
exalted and filled, while they ascend from chaste marriages on the
earths: and when some by-standers, who were unchaste, inquired
concerning the ultimate delights whether they were chaste, they assented
and said, "How should it be otherwise? Are not these the delights of
true conjugial love in their fulness?" The origin, nature, and quality
of the delights of this love, may be seen above, n. 69: and also in the
MEMORABLE RELATIONS, especially those which follow.

145. VI. WITH THOSE WHO ARE MADE SPIRITUAL BY THE LORD, CONJUGIAL LOVE
IS MORE AND MORE PURIFIED AND RENDERED CHASTE. The reasons for this are,
1. Because the first love, by which is meant the love previous to the
nuptials and immediately after them, partakes somewhat of the love of
the sex, and thus of the ardor belonging to the body not as yet
moderated by the love of the spirit. 2. Because a man (_homo_) from
natural is successively made spiritual; for he becomes spiritual in
proportion as his rational principle, which is the medium between heaven
and the world, begins to drive a soul from influx out of heaven, which
is the case so far as it is affected and delighted with wisdom;
concerning which wisdom see above, n. 130; and in proportion as this is
effected, in the same proportion his mind is elevated into a superior
_aura_, which is the continent of celestial light and heat, or, what is
the same, of the wisdom and love in which the angels are principled; for
heavenly light acts in unity with wisdom, and heavenly heat with love;
and in proportion as wisdom and the love thereof increase, with married
pairs, in the same proportion conjugial love is purified with them; and
as this is effected successively, it follows that conjugial love is
rendered more and more chaste. This spiritual purification may be
compared with the purification of natural spirits, which is effected by
the chemists, and is called defecation, rectification, castigation