125. VI. THE HUSBAND DOES NOT REPRESENT THE LORD, AND THE WIFE THE CHURCH; BECAUSE BOTH TOGETHER, THE HUSBAND AND THE WIFE, CONSTITUTE THE CHURCH. It is a Common saying in the church, that as the Lord is the Head of the church, so the husband is the head of the wife; whence it should follow, that the husband represents the Lord, and the wife the church: but the Lord is the Head of the church; and man (homo), the man (vir) and the woman, are the church; and still more the husband and wife together. With these the church is first implanted in the man, and through him in the wife; because the man with his understanding receives the truth of the church, and the wife from the man; but if it be vice versa, it is not according to order: sometimes, however, this is the case; but then it is with men, who either are not lovers of wisdom, and consequently are not of the church, or who are in a servile dependence on the will of their wives. Something on this subject may be seen in the preliminary RELATIONS, n. [21].
126. 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. This follows as a consequence from what has just been said; to which, nevertheless, it may be expedient to add, that it appears as if truth was the primary constituent of the church, because it is first in respect to time: from this appearance, the prelates of the church have exalted faith, which is of truth, above charity, which is of good; in like manner the learned have exalted thought, which is of the understanding, above affection, which is of the will; therefore the knowledge of what the good of charity and the affection of the will are, lies deeply buried as in a tomb, while some even cast earth upon them, as upon the dead, to prevent their rising again. That the good of charity, notwithstanding, is the primary constituent of the church, may be plainly seen by those who have not closed the way from heaven to their understandings, by confirmations in favor of faith, as the sole constituent of the church, and in favor of thought, as the sole constituent of man. Now as the good of charity is from the Lord, and the truth of faith is with a man as from himself, and these two principles cause conjunction of the Lord with man, and of man with the Lord, such as is understood by the Lord's words, that He is in them, and they in Him, John xv. 4, 5, it is evident that this conjunction constitutes the church.
127. 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. These, however, are arcana of too deep a nature to enter the understanding with any degree of light, unless preceded by knowledge concerning correspondence; nor is it possible, if this knowledge be wanting, so to explain them as to make them comprehensible. But what correspondence is, and that it exists between natural things and spiritual, is abundantly shown in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED, also in the ARCANA COELESTIA, and specifically in the DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, and particularly in a [MEMORABLE RELATION] respecting it in the following pages. Before some knowledge on this subject is acquired, we will only present to the intellectual view, as in a shade, these few particulars: conjugial love corresponds to the affection of genuine truth, its chastity, purity, and sanctity; semination corresponds to the potency of truth; prolification corresponds to the propagation of truth; and the love of infants corresponds to the defence of truth and good. Now as truth with a man (homo) appears as his own, and good is adjoined thereto from the Lord, it is evident that these correspondences are those of the natural or external man with the spiritual or internal man: but some degree of light will be reflected on this subject from the [MEMORABLE RELATIONS] which follow.
128. IX. THE WORD IS THE MEDIUM OF CONJUNCTION, BECAUSE IT IS FROM THE LORD, AND THEREFORE IS THE LORD. The Word is the medium of conjunction of the Lord with man (homo), and of man with the Lord, because in its essence it is divine truth united to divine good, and divine good united to divine truth: that this union exists in every part of the Word in its celestial and spiritual sense, may be seen in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 373, 483, 689, 881; whence it follows, that the Word is the perfect marriage of good and truth; and as it is from the Lord, and what is from him is also himself, it follows, that while a man reads the Word, and collects truths out of it, the Lord adjoins good. For a man does not see the goods which affect him in reading; because he reads the Word from the understanding, and the understanding acquires thence only such things as are of its own nature, that is, truths. That good is adjoined thereto from the Lord, is made sensible to the understanding from the delight which flows in during a state of illustration; but this takes place interiorly with those only who read the Word to the end that they may become wise; and such persons are desirous of learning the genuine truths contained in the Word, and thereby of forming the church in themselves; whereas those who read the Word only with a view to gain the reputation of learning, and those also who read it from an opinion that the mere reading or hearing it inspires faith and conduces to salvation, do not receive any good from the Lord; for the end proposed by the latter is to save themselves by the mere expressions contained in the Word, in which there is nothing of truth; and the end proposed by the former is to be distinguished for their learning; which end has no conjunction with any spiritual good, but only with the natural delight arising from worldly glory. As the Word is the medium of conjunction, it is therefore called the old and the new Covenant: a covenant signifies conjunction.
129. X. THE CHURCH IS FROM THE LORD, AND EXISTS WITH THOSE WHO COME TO HIM AND LIVE ACCORDING TO HIS PRECEPTS. It is not denied at this day that the church is the Lord's, and consequently that it is from the Lord. The reason why it exists with those who come to him, is, because his church in that part of the globe which is called Christian, is derived from the Word; and the Word is from him, and in such a manner from him, that it is himself, the divine truth being therein united to the divine good, and this also is the Lord. This is meant by the Word, "which was with God, and which was God, from which men have life and light, and which was made flesh," John i. 1-14. Moreover, the reason why the church exists with those who come to him, is, because it exists with those who believe in him; and to believe that he is God the Saviour and Redeemer, that he is Jehovah our justice, that he is the door by which we are to enter into the sheepfold, that is, into the church, that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by him, that the Father and he are one, besides many other particulars which he himself teaches; to believe these things, I say, is impossible for any one, except by influence from him; and the reason why this is impossible unless he be approached, is, because he is the God of heaven and earth, as he also teaches. Who else is to be approached, and who else can be? The reason why the church exists with those who live according to his precepts, is, because there is conjunction with none else; for he says, "He that hath my precepts, and doeth them, he it is that loveth me; and I will love him, and will make my abode with him: but he that doth not love me, doth not keep my precepts," John XIV. 21-24. Love is conjunction; and conjunction with the Lord is the church.