connects himself
with another. This law enacted by the Lord respecting marriages, has its
internal ground in spiritual marriage; for whatever the Lord spoke was
in itself spiritual; which is meant by this declaration, "_The words
that I speak unto you are spirit and are life_," John vi. 63. The
spiritual (sense) contained therein is this, that by polygamical
marriage in the Christian world, the marriage of the Lord and the Church
is profaned; in like manner the marriage of good and truth; and still
more the Word, and with the Word the church; and the profanation of
those things is spiritual adultery. That the profanation of the good and
truth of the church derived from the Word corresponds to adultery, and
hence is spiritual adultery; and that the falsification of good and
truth has alike correspondence, but in a less degree, may be seen
confirmed in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 134. The reason why by
polygamical marriages among Christians the marriage of the Lord and the
church is profaned, is, because there is a correspondence between that
divine marriage and the marriages of Christians; concerning which, see
above, n. 83-102; which correspondence entirely perishes, if one wife is
joined to another; and when it perishes, the married man is no longer a
Christian. The reason why by polygamical marriages among Christians the
marriage of good and truth is profaned, is because from this spiritual
marriage are derived marriages in the world; and the marriages of
Christians differ from those of other nations in this respect, that as
good loves truth, and truth good, and are a one, so it is with a wife
and a husband; therefore if a Christian should join one wife to another,
he would rend asunder in himself that spiritual marriage; consequently
he would profane the origin of his marriage, and would thereby commit
spiritual adultery. That marriages in the world are derived from the
marriage of good and truth, may be seen above, n. 116-131. The reason
why a Christian by polygamical marriage would profane the Word and the
church, is, because the Word considered in itself is the marriage of
good and truth, and the church in like manner, so far as this is derived
from the Word; see above, n. 128-131. Now since a Christian is
acquainted with the Lord, possesses the Word, and has also the church
from the Lord by the Word, it is evident that he, much more than one who
is not a Christian, has the faculty of being capable of being
regener