ordinary understandings; if it is, what need of saying more? but if not, more will be discovered." * * * * * ON THE CAUSES OF APPARENT LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, AND FAVOR IN MARRIAGES. 271. Having treated of the causes of cold and separation, it follows from order that the causes of apparent love, friendship, and favor in marriages, should also be treated of; for it is well known, that although cold separates the minds (_animos_) of married partners at the present day, still they live together, and have children; which would not be the case, unless there were also apparent loves, alternately similar to or emulous of the warmth of genuine love. That these appearances are necessary and useful, and that without them there would be no houses, and consequently no societies, will be seen in what follows. Moreover, some conscientious persons may be distressed with the idea, that the disagreement of mind subsisting between them and their married partners, and the internal alienation thence arising, may be their own fault, and may be imputed to them as such, and on this account they are grieved at the heart; but as it is out of their power to prevent internal disagreements, it is enough for them, by apparent love and favor, from conscientious motives to subdue the inconveniences which might arise: hence also friendship may possibly return, in which conjugial love lies concealed on the part of such, although not on the part of the other. But this subject, like the foregoing, from the great variety of its matter, shall be treated of in the following distinct articles: I. _In the natural world almost all are capable of being joined together as to external, but not as to internal affections, if these disagree and are apparent._ II. _In the spiritual world all are joined together according to internal, but not according to external affections, unless these act in unity with the internal._ III. _It is the external affections, according to which matrimony is generally contracted in the world._ IV. _But in case they are not influenced by internal affections, which conjoin minds, the bonds of matrimony are loosed in the house._ V. _Nevertheless those bonds must continue in the world till the decease of one of the parties._ VI. _In cases of matrimony, in which the internal affections do not conjoin, there are external affections, which assume a semblance of the internal and tend to consociate._ VII. _Hence come apparent love, friendship, and favor between married partners._ VIII. _These appearances are assumed conjugial semblances, and they are commendable, because useful and necessary._ IX. _These assumed conjugial semblances, in the case of a spiritual man (homo) conjoined to a natural, are founded in justice and judgement._ X. _For various reasons these assumed conjugial semblances with natural men are founded in prudence._ XI. _They are for the sake of amendment and accommodation._ XII. _They are for the sake of preserving