Conjugial Love (Rogers) n. 300

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300. (4) After she declares her consent, gifts should be given as pledges. By pledges we mean gifts given after she declares her consent which are affirmations, testifications, first favors and treasures. These gifts are affirmations, because they are tokens of their mutual consent. So when an agreement is reached between two parties, people say, "Give me something in token of it;" and when two have promised themselves in marriage and affirmed their mutual promise by gifts, they are said to be pledged and thus sworn. [2] These gifts are testifications, because as pledges they are like continual witnesses visibly testifying to their love for each other, being therefore also reminders of it, especially if they are rings, lockets or pins which are worn openly to the sight. One sees in them a kind of representative reflection of the intentions of the future bridegroom and bride. These pledges are first favors, because conjugial love includes a promise of everlasting favor, of which these gifts are the first fruits. These gifts are the treasures of love, as everyone knows, for the mind is gladdened at the sight of them; and because they reflect their love, these favors are dearer and more precious than any other gifts, as though they held their hearts within. [3] Since these pledges are given in support of conjugial love, the giving of gifts following declarations of consent was an accepted practice among ancient peoples, and on their being accepted the couples were declared betrothed. It should be known, however, that it is a matter of individual choice whether to bestow these gifts before a formal betrothal or after it. If they are given before, they are affirmations and testifications of a couple's consent to the betrothal; if given afterward, they are affirmations and testifications also of their consent to the wedding.


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