n favor of nature, and let him confirm himself in favor of
the Divine; for which confirmation there is no want of materials.

422. "Some indeed are to be excused for ascribing certain visible
effects to nature, because they have had no knowledge respecting the sun
of the spiritual world, where the Lord is, and of influx thence; neither
have they known any thing about that world and its state, nor yet of its
presence with man; and consequently they could think no other than that
the spiritual principle was a purer natural principle; and thus that
angels were either in the ether or in the stars; also that the devil was
either man's evil, or, if he actually existed, that he was either in the
air or in the deep; also that the souls of men after death were either
in the inmost part of the earth, or in some place of confinement till
the day of judgement; not to mention other like conceits, which sprung
from ignorance of the spiritual world and its sun. This is the reason
why those are to be excused, who have believed that the visible
productions of nature are the effect of some principle implanted in her
from creation: nevertheless those who have made themselves atheists by
confirmations in favor of nature, are not to be excused, because they
might have confirmed themselves in favor of the Divine. Ignorance indeed
excuses, but does not take away the false principle which is confirmed;
for this false principle agrees with evil, and evil with hell."

ADULTEROUS LOVE AND ITS SINFUL PLEASURES.

ON THE OPPOSITION OF ADULTEROUS LOVE AND CONJUGIAL LOVE.

423. At the entrance upon our subject, it may be expedient to declare
what we mean in this chapter by adulterous love. By adulterous love we
do not mean fornicatory love, which precedes marriage, or which follows
it after the death of a married partner; neither do we mean concubinage,
which is engaged in from causes legitimate, just, and excusatory; nor do
we mean either the mild or the grievous kinds of adultery, whereof a man
actually repents; for the latter become not opposite, and the former are
not opposite, to conjugial love, as will be seen in the following pages,
where each is treated of. But by adulterous love, opposite to conjugial
love, we here mean the love of adultery, so long as it is such as not to
be regarded as sin, or as evil, and dishonorable, and contrary to
reason, but as allowable with reason. This adulterous love not only
makes conjugial love the sam