426. (3) Licentious love is opposed to conjugial love as one's natural self, regarded in itself, is opposed to one's spiritual self. It is known in the church that one's natural self and one's spiritual self are opposed to each other, to the extent that one does not will what the other wills, even so that they fight against each other; but this has still not yet been explained. We shall say, therefore, how the spiritual self and natural self differ, and what incites the natural self against the spiritual self. The natural self is the character into which everyone is first led as he matures, which is accomplished through various kinds of knowledge and concepts, and by rational matters having to do with the intellect. But the spiritual self is the character into which he led by a love of being useful, a love which is also called charity. Accordingly, in the measure that anyone is in a state of charity, in the same measure he is spiritual; but in the measure that he is not in that state, in the same measure he is natural, even if he should be discerning in acumen and wise in his judgment. However far it elevates itself into the light of reason, this self that is called natural, when separated from the spiritual self, still surrenders to lusts and engages in them. This becomes apparent from its character alone, as being without charity; and the person who is without charity is left vulnerable to all the lascivious pleasures of licentious love. Consequently, even when such a person is told that this libidinous love is opposed to a chaste, conjugial love, and is asked to consult his rational sight, still he does not consult that sight except in conjunction with the delight that he feels from the evil implanted from birth in his natural self; and he concludes as a result that his reason does not see anything against the pleasant sensory temptations of his body. Moreover, after he has confirmed himself in this, his reason becomes numb to all the sweet joys that are ascribed to conjugial love. Indeed, he fights against them, as we said above, and vanquishes them, and like a conqueror after the slaughter, destroys, from its peripheries to its centers, the camp of conjugial love in him. This is what a natural person does in consequence of his licentious love. This much is presented to make known the origin from which the opposition of these two loves arises. For, as shown many times before, conjugial love, regarded in itself, is a spiritual love, while licentious love, regarded in itself, is a natural love.