143、⑷真正的婚姻之爱是贞洁本身。原因在于：
①它出自主，并对应于主与教会的婚姻。
②它是从良善与真理的婚姻那里降下来的。
③正如人里面的教会是属灵的，它也是属灵的。
④它是最根本的爱，也是一切属天、属灵之爱的首领。
⑤它是孕育人类和由此而来的天使天堂的合法苗床。
⑥因此，它也存在于天上的天使当中，天使由此生出属灵的后代，也就是爱和智慧。
⑦它的功用因而远远胜过创造的所有其它功用。
由此可知，从它的起源和本质来看，真正的婚姻之爱如此纯洁和神圣，以至于可被称为纯洁和神圣本身，因而就是贞洁本身。然而，它在世人，甚至天使当中都不是绝对纯洁的，这一点可见于146节（下文对第6个要点的解读）。
143、（4）贞节的实质就是婚姻之爱，原因如下：
1、婚姻之爱来自于主，它象征着主与教会的结合。
2、它来自于善与真理的结合。
3、它是精神上的，就象教会是体现在人的精神上一样。
4、它是最基础的爱，是一切天国的，精神的爱之首。
5、它好比是人类及天使的天国的苗床。
6、它也存在于天国的天使中，由此产生的精神上的后代就是爱和智慧。
7、它所起的作用比其它的作用更完美。
基于这些，从它的起源及实质上看真正的婚姻之爱是纯洁神圣的，它是如此得纯洁和神圣，以至于可以称之为纯洁和神圣的精髓，继而贞节的精髓，但是在人及天使中，它也不是完全纯洁的，见以下第六点及146节。
143. (iv) Truly conjugial love is the height of chastity.
The reasons for this are:
(a) It comes from the Lord and corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the church.
(b) It comes down from the marriage of good and truth.
(c) It is spiritual, just as the church in a person is.
(d) It is the foundation love, and the chief of all celestial and spiritual loves.
(e) It is the proper seed-bed of the human race, and the source of the heavens of angels.
(f) It is therefore also found among the angels of heaven, and causes them to produce spiritual offspring, love and wisdom.
(g) Thus it has a higher purpose than all the other purposes of creation.
It follows from these statements that truly conjugial love is, by its origin and regarded in its essence, pure and holy; so much so, that it can be called the height of purity and holiness, and so of chastity. Yet in the case of human beings and of angels it is not absolutely pure, as will be shown in section (vi) just below (146).
143. 4. Truly conjugial love is the essence of chastity. The reasons for this are as follows:
1. Conjugial love is from the Lord, and it corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the church.
2. It descends from the marriage between good and truth.
3. It is spiritual, as the church in a person is spiritual.
4. It is the fundamental love and the head of all celestial and spiritual loves.
5. It is truly the seedbed of the human race and consequently of the angelic heaven.
6. It exists, therefore, also among angels of heaven, and from it are born with them spiritual offspring, which are love and wisdom.
7. The use it serves is thus more excellent than the other uses in creation.
It follows from these considerations that, regarded from its origin and in its essence, truly conjugial love is pure and sacred - so pure and sacred that it may be called the essence of purity and sacredness, consequently of chastity. But still, it is not entirely pure in people, not even in angels, as may be seen in no. 146, which follows here under point 6. below.
143. 4. True married love is chastity itself. The reasons are:
(a) It is from the Lord and corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the church.
(b) It descends from the marriage of good and truth.
(c) It is just as spiritual as the church is among people.
(d) It is the basic love and the chief of all heavenly and spiritual loves.
(e) It is the proper nursery of the human race and, from this, of the angelic heaven.
(f) For this reason the angels of heaven have it, too, and from it spiritual offspring are born to them, which are love and wisdom.
(g) So this practice takes a place ahead of all the other activities in creation.
What comes from this is the fact that real married love, because of its origin, and when its essence is seen for what it is, is pure and holy enough to be called purity and holiness and therefore chastity itself.
But article 6, which follows (no. 146), shows that it is not totally pure among people nor among angels, even at that.
143. IV. THAT LOVE TRULY CONJUGIAL IS CHASTITY ITSELF. The reasons are: 1. Because it is from the Lord and corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the Church. 2. Because it descends from the marriage of good and truth. 3. Because it is spiritual, as is the Church with man. 4. Because it is the fundamental love and the chief of all celestial and spiritual loves. 5. Because it is the lawful seminary of the human race and thence of the angelic heaven. 6. Because for this reason it is also with the angels of heaven, and from it, with them, are born spiritual offspring which are love and wisdom. And 7. Because its use is thus more excellent than all other uses of creation. From this it follows that love truly conjugial, regarded from its origin and in its essence, is pure and holy, so that it may be called purity and holiness itself and consequently chastity itself. That yet, it is not absolutely pure with either men or angels, may be seen in article VI, no. 146, which follows presently.
143. (iv) True marital love is chastity itself for the following reasons: 1. It is from the Lord and corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the Church. 2. It descends from the marriage of good and truth. 3. It is spiritual, in the measure that the Church is with man 4. It is the basic love and the head of all celestial and spiritual loves. 5. It is the rightful seminary of the human race and of the angelic heaven therefrom. 6. It therefore exists with the angels of heaven, too, with whom spiritual offspring - of love and wisdom - are born from it. 7. Its use is superior to the rest of the uses of creation. It follows from all this that true marital love, viewed in its origin and essence, is pure and holy, to the point that it can be called purity and holiness, therefore chastity itself. In proposition vi (n.146) following, it will be seen that even marital love is not altogether pure, however, in either men or angels.
143. (4) That love truly conjugial is chastity itself The reasons are these: (1) Because it is from the Lord, and corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the church. (2) Because it descends from the marriage of good and truth. (3) Because it is spiritual, just in the degree that the church is with man. (4) Because it is the fundamental love, and the head of all loves, celestial and spiritual. (5) Because it is the true seminary of the human race, and thence of the angelic heaven. (6) Because it therefore, exists also among the angels of heaven, and with them spiritual offspring are born of it, which are love and wisdom. (7) And because its use is thus pre-eminent above all the other uses of creation. From this it follows that love truly conjugial, viewed from its origin and in its essence, is pure and holy, so that it may be called purity and holiness, and therefore, chastity itself. And yet that it is not absolutely pure either with men or angels, may be seen presently in a following section (6, n. 146).
143. IV: Quod Amor vere conjugialis sit ipsa Castitas, sunt hae causae. 1. Quia ille est a Domino, et correspondet Conjugio Domini et Ecclesiae. 2. Quia ex Conjugio boni et veri descendit. 3. Quia est spiritualis, sicut est Ecclesia apud hominem. 14. Quia est Amor fundamentalis et Caput omnium amorum coelestium et spiritualium. 5. Quia est justum Seminarium Generis Humani, et ex hoc Coeli Angelici. 6. 2Quia ideo etiam est apud Angelos Coeli, et ex eo apud illos nascuntur proles spirituales, quae sunt amor et sapientia. 7. Et quia sic usus ejus est praestantior reliquis usibus creationis. Ex his sequitur, quod Amor vere conjugialis ex sua origine, et in sua essentia spectatus, sit purus et sanctus, adeo ut vocari possit puritas et sanctitas, proinde ipsa castitas; at quod usque non sit apud homines, nec apud Angelos omnimode purus, in Articulo VI nunc sequente, 146, videatur.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: hominem absque puncto.
2. Prima editio: 6 absque puncto.