425. II. THAT SCORTATORY LOVE IS THE OPPOSITE TO CONJUGIAL LOVE. There is nothing in the universe which has not its opposite; and opposites are not relative to each other but contrary. Relatives are things between the greatest and least of the same thing, While contraries lie over against them from the opposite side, being relatives with respect to each other just as are the former relatives; therefore, the relatives are themselves opposites. That each and everything has its opposite is manifest from light, heat, the times of the world, affections, perceptions, sensations, and many other things. The opposite of light is darkness, the opposite of heat is cold. The opposites of the times of the world are day and night, summer and winter. Opposites in affections are joys and sorrows, gladness and sadness. Opposites in perceptions are goods and evils, and truths and falsities. Opposites in sensations are things delightful and undelightful. Thus the conclusion can be made in all clearness that conjugial love has its opposite. That this opposite is adultery can be seen by every one if he will, from all the dictates of sound reason. Tell me, if you can, what else is its opposite? Moreover, sound reason, seeing this clearly from its own light, has enacted laws called civil laws of justice in favor of marriages and against adulteries. [2] To make it still more clear that they are opposites, I may be allowed to tell something which I have often seen in the spiritual world. Those who in the natural world were adulterers from confirmation, when they perceive the sphere of conjugial love flowing down out of heaven, at once either flee into caverns and hide themselves, or, if they stand out against it, are aroused to fury and become like the Furies. This is because in the spiritual world all things pertaining to affections, Whether delightful or undelightful, are perceived, being sometimes perceived just as clearly as an odor is perceived by the smell; for spirits do not have a material body for the absorption of such things. [3] That the opposition of scortatory love and conjugial love is unknown to many in the natural world is due to delights of the flesh, Which, in their outer appearance, emulate the delights of conjugial love, and those who are in delights alone know nothing of their opposition. Indeed, I can imagine that if you should say that everything has its opposite, and conclude that this applies to Conjugial love also, adulterers would reply that this love has no opposite since in no sensation does scortatory love differ from it. From this it is also evident that one who does not know the nature of conjugial love, does not know the nature of scortatory love; and further, that the nature of conjugial love is not known from scortatory love, but the latter is known from the former. No one from evil can know good, but from good he can know what is evil; for evil is in darkness, but good is in light.