983. (v. 9) And men were scorched with great heat. That this signifies the lust of adulterating the truths and goods of the Word, is evident from the signification of great heat, as denoting lust of falsity and for falsity, thus the lust of adulterating the truths and goods of the Word (concerning which see n. 481). These things are said of those who are in faith separated from the goods of life, these being meant by those who have the mark of the beast, and who adore his image (ver. 2). These, because they separate from faith the very essential of the church, which is the good of life, and so preclude it from being a means of salvation, cannot but falsify all the truths of the Word. For those who remove life according to the Lord's precepts, annihilate all things of the Word, for these are precepts of life. The precepts of faith, which are the truths of the Word, teach life.
Continuation concerning the Sixth Precept:-
[2] That marriage is heaven, and that adultery is hell, cannot be better seen than from the origin of these. The origin of love truly conjugial is the love of the Lord towards the church, whence the Lord is called, in the Word, the Bridegroom and Husband; and the church, the bride and wife. From this marriage the church is a church in general and in particular. The church, in particular, is the man in whom the church is. Hence it is evident that the Lord's conjunction with the man of the church is the very origin of love truly conjugial. But how that conjunction can be the origin shall also be told. The Lord's conjunction with the man of the church is the conjunction of good and truth. From the Lord is good, and with man is truth, hence the conjunction which is called the heavenly marriage, from which marriage love truly conjugial exists between two married partners, who are in such conjunction with the Lord. Hence it is evident, first, that love truly conjugial is from the Lord alone, and exists in those who are in the conjunction of good and truth from the Lord. Because this conjunction is reciprocal, it is said by the Lord, that They are in him, and he in them (John xiv. 20). [3] This conjunction or this marriage was thus established from creation. The man (vir) was created to be an understanding of truth, and the woman (foemina) to be an affection of good, consequently, the man is a truth, and the woman a good. When the understanding of truth, which is with the man, makes one with the affection of good, which is with the woman, there is a conjunction of the two minds into one. This conjunction is the spiritual marriage from which descends conjugial love. For when two minds are conjoined so as to be one mind, there is love between them; and this love, which is the love of spiritual marriage, when it descends into the body, becomes the love of natural marriage. That this is the case every one may clearly perceive if he desires. Married partners, who interiorly as to their minds love each other mutually and reciprocally, also do the same as to their bodies. It is known that all love descends into the body from the affection of the mind, and that without such an origin no love exists. [4] Now, because the origin of conjugial love is the marriage of good and truth, which marriage, in its essence, is heaven; it is evident that the origin of the love of adultery is the marriage of evil and falsity, which, in its essence, is hell. The reason why heaven is marriage is, that all who are in the heavens are in the marriage of good and truth. And the reason why hell is adultery is, that all who are in the hells are in the marriage of evil and falsity. It follows, therefore, that marriage and adultery are as opposite to each other as heaven and hell.
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