Conjugial Love (Acton) n. 457

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457. XII. BECAUSE THE CONJUGIAL OF ONE MAN WITH ONE WIFE IS THE PRECIOUS JEWEL* OF HUMAN LIFE AND THE REPOSITORY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. These are the two things which have been demonstrated universally and in detail in the whole of the preceding Part on Conjugial Love and its Delights of wisdom. That it is the precious jewel of human life is because the nature of man's life is such as is the conjugial love with him. This makes the inmost of his life, being the life of wisdom cohabiting with its love, and of love cohabiting with its wisdom. Hence it is the life of the delights of both. In a word, by this love man is a living soul. It is from this that the conjugial of one man with one wife is called the precious jewel of human life. This is confirmed by What was said above, namely, That with one wife, because there is union of minds there is also truly conjugial friendship, confidence, potency (nos. 333, 334); that in and from that union are the celestial blessings, spiritual happiness, and thence natural delights which have been provided from the beginning for those Who are in love truly conjugial (no. 335); that it is the fundamental love of all celestial and spiritual loves, and thence of all natural loves, and that into it are gathered all joys and gladness from their first to their last (nos. 65-9); and that, regarded in its origin, it is the sport of wisdom and love. All this has been fully demonstrated in the Delights of wisdom concerning Conjugial Love which forms the first Part of this work. * Clenodium. This is latinized form of the Swedish klenod (from klen-little and od-property) which means any small precious thing such as jewels, gold ornaments, etc. It is also used of a country, e.g., Gothland is on of Sweden's jewels.


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