cle: if
therefore you love your intelligence in yourselves, it becomes the
receptacle of your love; and the love of _proprium_ (or self-hood),
since it cannot endure an equal, never becomes conjugial love; but so
long as it prevails, so long it remains adulterous. Hereupon the men
were silent; nevertheless they murmured, "What is conjugial love?" Some
husbands in heaven heard what passed, and confirmed thence the three
conclusions of the wives.

* * * * *

ON POLYGAMY.

332. The reason why polygamical marriages are absolutely condemned by
the Christian world cannot be clearly seen by any one, whatever powers
of acute and ingenious investigation he may possess, unless he be
previously instructed, THAT THERE EXISTS A LOVE TRULY CONJUGIAL; THAT
THIS LOVE CAN ONLY EXIST BETWEEN TWO; NOR BETWEEN TWO, EXCEPT FROM THE
LORD ALONE; AND THAT INTO THIS LOVE IS INSERTED HEAVEN WITH ALL ITS
FELICITIES. Unless these knowledges precede, and as it were lay the
first stone, it is in vain for the mind to desire to draw from the
understanding any reasons for the condemnation of polygamy by the
Christian world, which should be satisfactory, and on which it may
firmly stand, as a house upon its stone or foundation. It is well known,
that the institution of monogamical marriage is founded on the Word of
the Lord, "_That whosoever putteth away his wife, except on account of
whoredom, and marrieth another, committeth adultery; and that from the
beginning, or from the first establishment of marriages, it was
(ordained), that two should become one flesh; and that man should not
separate what God hath joined together_," Matt. xix. 3-12. But although
the Lord spake these words from the divine law inscribed on marriages,
still if the understanding cannot support that law by some reason of its
own, it may so warp it by the turnings and windings to which it is
accustomed, and by sinister interpretations, as to render its principle
obscure and ambiguous, and at length affirmative negative;--affirmative,
because it is also grounded in the civil law; and negative, because it
is not grounded in a rational view of those words. Into this principle
the human mind will fall, unless it be previously instructed respecting
the above-mentioned knowledges, which may be serviceable to the
understanding as introductory to its reasons: these knowledges are, that
there exists a love truly conjugial; that this love can only possibly