The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love / To Which is Added The Pleasures of Insanity Pertaining To Scortatory Love

by Emanuel Swedenborg

ON THE MARRIAGE OF THE LORD AND THE CHURCH, AND ITS CORRESPONDENCE.

116. The reason why the marriage of the Lord and the church, together with its correspondence, is here also treated of, is, because without knowledge and intelligence on this subject, scarcely any one can know, that conjugial love in its origin is holy, spiritual, and celestial, and that it is from the Lord. It is said indeed by some in the church, that marriages have relation to the marriage of the Lord with the church; but the nature and quality of this relationship is unknown, in order therefore that this relationship may be exhibited to the understanding so as to be seen in some degree of light, it is necessary to treat particularly of that holy marriage which has place with and in those who are the Lord's church. These also, and no others, are principled in love truly conjugial. But for the better elucidation of this arcanum, it may be expedient to consider the subject distinctly, as arranged under the following articles: 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. II. The Lord is also called a Father, and the church, a mother. III. The offspring derived from the Lord as a husband and father, and from the church as a wife and mother, are all spiritual; and in the spiritual sense of the Word are understood by sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, and by other names of relations. IV. The spiritual offspring, which are born from the Lord's marriage with the church are truths and goods; truths, from which are derived understanding, perception, and all thought; and goods, from which are derived love, charity, and all affection. V. From the marriage of good and truth, which proceeds from the Lord in the way of influx, man (homo) receives truth, and the Lord conjoins good thereto; and thus the church is formed by the Lord with man. VI. The husband does not represent 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 evident from verse 13, where it is said, "Watch, therefore; because ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the SON OF MAN will come:" not to mention many passages in the prophets.

118. II. THE LORD IS ALSO CALLED A FATHER, AND THE CHURCH, A MOTHER. The Lord is called a Father, as appears from the following passages: "Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, GOD, THE FATHER OF ETERNITY, the Prince of Peace," Isaiah ix. 6. "Thou, JEHOVAH, art OUR FATHER, our REDEEMER; thy name is from an age," Isaiah lxiii. 16. Again, "Jesus said, He that seeth ME, seeth the FATHER that sent ME," John xii. 45. "If ye have known ME, ye have known my FATHER also; and henceforth ye have known him, and have seen him," John xiv. 7. "Philip said, Shew us the FATHER: Jesus said unto him, He that seeth me, seeth the FATHER; how sayest them then, Shew us the FATHER?" John xiv. 8, 9. "Jesus said, The FATHER and I are one," John x. 30. "All things that the FATHER hath are MINE," John xvi. 15; chap. xvii. 10. "The FATHER is in ME, and I IN THE FATHER," John x. 38; chap, xiv 10, 11, 20. That the Lord and his Father are one, as the soul and the body are one, and that God the Father descended from heaven, and assumed the human (nature or principle), to redeem and save men, and that his human nature is what is called the Son, and is said to be sent into the world, has been fully shewn in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED.

119. The church is called a mother, as appears from the following passages: "Jehovah said, Contend with YOUR MOTHER: she is not MY WIFE, and I am not her HUSBAND." Hosea ii. 2, 5. "Thou art thy MOTHER'S daughter, that loatheth her HUSBAND," Ezek. xvi. 45. "Where is the hill of thy MOTHER'S divorcement, whom I have put away?" Isaiah l. 1. "Thy MOTHER was like a vine planted by the waters, bearing fruit," Ezek. xix. 10; speaking of the Jewish church. "Jesus stretching out his hand to the disciples, said, MY MOTHER and my brethren are those who hear the Word of God, and do it," Luke viii. 21; Matt. xii. 49, 50; Mark iii. 33-35: the Lord's disciples means the church. "There was standing at the cross of Jesus his mother: and Jesus seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved, standing by, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son; and he saith to the disciple, Behold thy mother: wherefore from that hour the disciple took her unto his own," John xix. 25-27. This implies, that the Lord did not acknowledge Mary as a mother, but the church; therefore he calls her Woman, and the disciple's mother. The reason why the Lord called her the mother of this disciple, or of John, was, because John represented the church as to the goods of charity, which are the church in real effect; therefore it is said, He took her unto his own. Peter represented truth and faith, James charity, and John the works of charity, as may be seen in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 5, 6, 790, 798, 879; and the twelve disciples together represented the church as to all its constituent principles, as may be seen, Ibid, n. 233, 790, 903, 915.