The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love: To Which is Added The Pleasures of Insanity Pertaining To Scortatory LoveSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love: To Which is Added The Pleasures of Insanity Pertaining To Scortatory Love
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Marriage -- Religious aspects -- New Jerusalem Church; New Jerusalem Church -- Doctrines; Sexual ethics
means of the Word and of preachings derived therefrom, whence comes
spiritual rationality; and from Him to live according to those truths,
whence comes spiritual morality. These two our husbands call the wisdom
which in general operates to produce love truly conjugial. We have heard
from them also that the reason of this is, because, by means of that
wisdom, the interiors of their minds and thence of their bodies are
opened, whence there exists a free passage from first principles even to
last for the stream of love; on the flow, sufficiency, and virtue of
which conjugial love depends and lives. The spiritual rational and moral
wisdom of our husbands, specifically in regard to marriage, has for its
end and object to love the wife alone, and to put away all concupiscence
for other women; and so far as this is effected, so far that love is
exalted as to degree, and perfected as to quality; and also so far we
feel more distinctly and exquisitely the delights in ourselves
corresponding to the delights of the affections and the satisfactions of
the thoughts of our husbands." I inquired afterwards, whether they knew
how communication is effected. They said, "In all conjunction by love
there must be action, reception, and reaction. The delicious state of
our love is acting or action, the state of the wisdom of our husbands is
recipient or reception, and also is reacting or reaction according to
perception; and this reaction we perceive with delights in the breast
according to the state continually expanded and prepared to receive
those things which in any manner agree with the virtue belonging to our
husbands, thus also with the extreme state of love belonging to
ourselves, and which thence proceed." They said further, "Take heed lest
by the delights which we have mentioned, you understand the ultimated
delights of that love: of these we never speak, but of our bosom
delights, which always correspond with the state of the wisdom of our
husbands." After this there appeared at a distance as it were a dove
flying with the leaf of a tree in its mouth: but as it approached,
instead of a dove I saw it was a little boy with a paper in his hand: on
coming to us he held it out to me, and said, "Read it before these
Maidens of the fountain." I then read as follows, "Tell the inhabitants
of your earth, that there is a love truly conjugial having myriads of
delights, scarce any of which are as yet known to the world; but they
will be known, when the church betroths herself to her Lord, and is
married." I then asked, "Why did the little boy call you Maidens of the
fountain?" They replied, "We are called maidens when we sit at this
fountain; because we are affections of the truths of the wisdom of our
husbands, and the affection of truth is called a maiden; a fountain also
signifies the true of wisdom, and the bed of roses, on which we sir, the
delights thereof." Then one of the seven wove a garland of roses, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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