Heaven and Hell (Harley) n. 379

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379. Nor is truly conjugial love possible between one husband and several wives; for its spiritual origin, which is the formation of one mind out of two, is thus destroyed; and in consequence, interior conjunction, which is the conjunction of good and truth, from which is the very essence of that love, is also destroyed. Marriage with more than one is like an understanding divided among several wills; or it is like a man attached not to one but to several churches, since his faith is so distracted thereby as to come to naught. The angels declare that marrying several wives is wholly contrary to Divine order, and that they know this from several reasons, one of which is that, as soon as they think of marriage with more than one, they are alienated from internal blessedness and heavenly happiness, and become like drunken men, because good is separated from its truth with them. And as the interiors of their mind are brought into such a state merely by thinking about it with some intention, they perceive clearly that marriage with more than one would close up their internal mind, and cause conjugial love to be displaced by lustful love, which love withdraws from heaven.# [2]They declare further that this is not easily comprehended by men because there are few who are in genuine conjugial love, and those who are not in it know nothing whatever of the interior delight that is in that love, knowing only the delight of lust, and this delight is changed into what is undelightful after living together a short time; while the delight of truly conjugial love not only endures to old age in the world, but after death becomes the delight of heaven and is there filled with an interior delight that grows more and more perfect to eternity. They said also that the varieties of blessedness of truly conjugial love could be enumerated even to many thousands, not even one of which is known to man, or can enter into the comprehension of anyone who is not in the marriage of good and truth from the Lord. # As husband and wife should be one, and should live together in the inmost of life, and as they together make one angel in heaven, so truly conjugial love is impossible between one husband and several wives (n. 1907, 2740). To marry several wives at the same time is contrary to Divine order (n. 10837). That there is no marriage except between one husband and one wife is clearly perceived by those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom (n. 865, 3246, 9002, 10172). For the reason that the angels there are in the marriage of good and truth (n. 3246). The Israelitish nation were permitted to marry several wives, and to add concubines to wives, but not Christians, for the reason that that nation was in externals separate from internals, while Christians are able to enter into internals, thus into the marriage of good and truth (n. 3246, 4837, 8809).


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