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
as my wife is united to my soul, we both look together, and in this case
nothing of lust can enter; for while I behold the wives of others, I
behold them by my own wife, whom alone I love: and as my own wife has a
perception of all my inclinations, she, as an intermediate, directs my
thoughts and removes every thing discordant, and therewith impresses
cold and horror at every thing unchaste; therefore it is as impossible
for us to look unchastely at the wife of any other of our society, as it
is to look from the shades of Tartarus to the light of our heaven
therefore neither have we any idea of thought, and still less any
expression of speech, to denote the allurements of libidinous love." He
could not pronounce the word whoredom, because the chastity of their
heaven forbade it. Hereupon my conducting angel said to me, "You hear
now that the speech of the angels of this heaven is the speech of
wisdom, because they speak from causes." After this, as I looked around,
I saw their tabernacle as it were overlaid with gold; and I asked,
"Whence is this?" He replied, "It is in consequence of a flaming light,
which, like gold, glitters, irradiates, and glances on the curtains of
our tabernacle while we are conversing about conjugial love; for the
heat from our sun, which in its essence is love, on such occasions bares
itself, and tinges the light, which in its essence is wisdom, with its
golden color; and this happens because conjugial love in its origin is
the sport of wisdom and love; for the man was born to be wisdom, and the
woman to be the love of the man's wisdom: hence spring the delights of
that sport, in and derived from conjugial love between us and our wives.
We have seen clearly for thousands of years in our heaven, that those
delights, as to quantity, degree, and intensity, are excellent and
eminent according to our worship of the Lord Jehovah, from whom flows
that heavenly union or marriage, which is the union and marriage of love
and wisdom." As he said this, I saw a great light upon the hill in the
middle of the tabernacles; and I inquired, "Whence is that light?" And
he said, "It is from the sanctuary of the tabernacle of our worship." I
asked whether I might approach it; to which he assented. I approached
therefore, and saw the tabernacle without and within, answering exactly
to the description of the tabernacle which was built for the sons of
Israel in the wilderness; the form of which was shewed to Moses on Mount
Sinai, Exod. xxv. 40; chap. xxvi. 30. I then asked, "What is within in
that sanctuary, from which so great a light proceeds?" He replied, "It
is a tablet with this inscription, THE COVENANT BETWEEN JEHOVAH AND THE
HEAVENS:" he said no more. And as by this time we were ready to depart,
I asked, "Did any of you, during your abode in the natural world, live
with more than one wife?" He replied, "I know not one; for we could not
think of more. We have been told by those who had thought of more, that
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