116. The reason why the marriage of the Lord and the church, together with its correspondence, is here also treated of, is, because without knowledge and intelligence on this subject, scarcely any one can know, that conjugial love in its origin is holy, spiritual, and celestial, and that it is from the Lord. It is said indeed by some in the church, that marriages have relation to the marriage of the Lord with the church; but the nature and quality of this relationship is unknown, in order therefore that this relationship may be exhibited to the understanding so as to be seen in some degree of light, it is necessary to treat particularly of that holy marriage which has place with and in those who are the Lord's church. These also, and no others, are principled in love truly conjugial. But for the better elucidation of this arcanum, it may be expedient to consider the subject distinctly, as arranged under the following articles: I. _The Lord in the Word is called the Bridegroom and Husband, and the church the bride and wife; and the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and the reciprocal conjunction of the church with the Lord, is called a marriage._ II. _The Lord is also called a Father, and the church, a mother._ III. _The offspring derived from the Lord as a husband and father, and from the church as a wife and mother, are all spiritual; and in the spiritual sense of the Word are understood by sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, and by other names of relations._ IV. _The spiritual offspring, which are born from the Lord's marriage with the church are truths and goods; truths, from which are derived understanding, perception, and all thought; and goods, from which are derived love, charity, and all affection._ V. _From the marriage of good and truth, which proceeds from the Lord in the way of influx, man (homo) receives truth, and the Lord conjoins good thereto; and thus the church is formed by the Lord with man._ VI. _The husband does not represent the Lord and the wife the church; because both together, the husband and the wife, constitute the church._ VII. _Therefore there is not a correspondence of the husband with the Lord and of the wife with the church, in the marriages of the angels in the heavens and of men on earth._ VIII. _But there is a correspondence with conjugial love, semination, prolification, the love of infants, and similar things which exist in marriages, and are derived from them._ IX. _The Word is the medium of conjunction, because it is from the Lord, and therefore is the Lord._ X. _The church is from the Lord, and exists with those who come to him, and live according to his precepts._ XI. _Conjugial love is according to the state of the church, because it is according to the state of wisdom with man (homo)._ XII. _And as the church is from the Lord, conjugial love is also from him._ We proceed to the explanation of each article.