316、记事二：
有一次，我怀着内心的安宁、精神的平静愉悦在散步，就发现远处有一个小树林，树林中间有一条通往小宫殿的林荫道。只见青年男女、丈夫妻子们走了进去。我在灵里也向那里走去，问站在入口的一位看门人我能否进去。他就盯着我看，于是我说：“你为什么看着我？”他回答说：“我盯着你，是为了看看你脸上这种平静的愉悦是否带有一点婚姻之爱的快乐。这条林荫道后面有一个小花园，花园中间有座房子，里面住着一对新婚夫妇。今天，他们的朋友要来祝贺他们。至于哪些人可以进去，我自己并不知道，但被告知，可通过他们的脸来辨别；要是在他们脸上看到婚姻之爱的快乐，就放行，其他人则一律不能进。”所有天使都能从其他人脸上看到他们内心的快乐。由于我正沉思婚姻之爱，所以他从我脸上看到了这爱的快乐。这种沉思从我的眼睛流露出来，由此进入我脸的内层。于是，他告知我可以进去。
我所踏上的这条林荫道长满果树，它们枝条交错，在路两旁形成一堵连绵不断的树墙。我沿着林荫道进入一个小花园，花园里的灌木和鲜花散发出阵阵芳香，而且都是成双成对排列的。我听说，在正举行婚礼或举行过婚礼的地方就会看到房子周围有这类花园，所以它们被称为婚礼花园。然后，我走进这所房子，看到一对夫妻正出于真正的婚姻之爱彼此手牵手一起交谈。这时，我能从他们脸上看到婚姻之爱的画像，从他们的交谈中获知它的活力。我和其他许多访客一道献上良好的祝愿，并祝贺他们后，就出来进入婚礼花园。我发现花园右侧有一群青年男子，凡离开房子的人都匆忙来到这里。原来他们正在那里谈论婚姻之爱，这个话题仿佛有某种无形的力量，将所有人的心都吸引过来。我听见一位智者在讲述这爱，我所听到的内容大致如下：
他说：“主的圣治在天上的婚姻和婚姻本身方面是最细致，同时也是最普遍的。因为天上的一切幸福都是从婚姻之爱的快乐流出的，如同甜水从源泉的甘脉流出。所以，主规定，在婚姻中彼此匹配好的夫妻成双成对出生。他们在主的不断引导下朝着婚姻被抚养长大，尽管无论男孩女孩，都未意识到这一点。等到了谈婚论嫁的年龄，他们仿佛在命运的安排下在某个地方相遇，看见彼此。然后，他们凭着某种直觉立刻意识到他们是天生一对，并且仿佛在某种内在指示的促使下心里思想。少男心想：‘她是我的’，少女心想：‘他是我的。’等这种想法在二者的脑海中沉稳一段时间后，他们决心彼此交谈并订婚。我们说仿佛在命运的安排下，仿佛凭着直觉，其实是指圣治，因为圣治在不为人知时，就具有这种表象。”至于“要结婚的夫妻成双成对出生，并朝着婚姻被抚养长大，尽管他们都没有意识到这一点”，他是通过二人脸上的夫妻相，以及他们性情和心智最内在的永久联结来证明的。若没有主的预见和规定，诸如他们在天上的这种联结是不可能的。
智者说完这番话，一群人鼓掌叫好。他继续说：“婚姻的元素就存在于每个人的最细微之处，无论男性还是女性，只是在男性和女性里面各不相同。女性的婚姻元素注定要与男性的结合，反之亦然，这种结合甚至存在于最细微之处。”他通过每个个体中的意愿与理解的婚姻证实了这一点。“这二者一起作用于心智和身体的最小细节。由此可见，每一种物质，甚至最小的物质，都包含这种婚姻元素。这一点从简单物所构成的复合物明显可知，或从以下事实看出来：我们的眼睛、耳朵、鼻孔、脸颊、嘴唇、胳膊、手、臀和脚都是成双成对的；在人体内，大脑有两个半球，心脏有两个心室，肺脏有两片肺叶，肾脏和睾丸也各有两个；即便器官不是两个，它们依然被分为两部分。它们成双成对的原因在于，一个属于意愿，另一个属于理解；它们如此奇妙地一起工作，以致行如一体。所以，两只眼睛产生一个视觉，两只耳朵产生一个听觉，两个鼻孔产生一个嗅觉，两片嘴唇说出一句话，两只手制作一件作品，两只脚迈出一个步伐，大脑的两个半球产生心智的一个居所，心脏的两个心室通过血液产生人体的一个生命活动，肺脏的两片肺叶产生一个呼吸，等等。但男性和女性在通过真正的婚姻之爱联结时，就会构成一个生命，也就是完整的人。”
当他说到这里时，只见右边一道红色闪电，左边一道白色闪电。两道闪电都很轻柔，它们穿过眼睛直达我们的头脑，启发它们。接着是一阵雷鸣，犹如轻柔的低语从天使天堂流下来，并且音量逐渐加大。看到、听到这一幕，智者说：“这是给我的一个信号和告诫，要我就刚才所说的再补充一个细节。在这些成对的当中，右边的表示它们的良善，左边的表示它们的真理。这是由于良善与真理的婚姻，该婚姻被铭刻在人身上，无论总体还是每个细节。良善关乎意愿，真理关乎理解，二者一起关乎一个联结。这就是为何在天上，右眼是视觉的良善，左眼是视觉的真理；右耳是听觉的良善，左耳是听觉的真理；右手是人能力的良善，左手是人能力的真理；其它成对的也一样。正因右和左具有这些含义，所以主说：
若是你的右眼叫你跌倒，就剜出来；若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下来。（马太福音5:29，30）
祂这话的意思是，若良善变成邪恶，就要把它扔掉。由于同样的原因，祂还吩咐门徒把网撒在船的右边，他们照做后，捕到很多鱼（约翰福音21：6）。主这话的意思是，他们要教导仁之善，从而把人召聚来。”
话音刚落，又有两道闪电来了，不过，比先前的还要温和。这时，左边那道闪电的亮白看上去似乎略带右边那道闪电的红火。看到这个景象，智者说：“这是天上来的信号，确认我所说的话。因为在天上，火一样的东西是良善，亮白一样的东西是真理。左边闪电具有略带右边闪电红火的亮白，这个景象是一个信号，证明光的亮白，或光本身，无非是火的光辉而已。”听见这话，众人都被那些闪电和关于它们的讲述所点燃，带着欢乐的良善与真理回家去了。
316、第二点陈述：
一次我高兴地走着，看到远处有一个树林，其中有一条小路通向一小块地方，我看到年青姑娘，小伙和夫妇们在朝那里走。我也去了那个地方，并且问门口的看门人是否我可以进去。他冲着我问：“你为什么在盯着我看？”
他说：“我在看你脸上的平和状态是否与婚姻之乐有联系。在这条路的尽头有个花园，花园里有个房子。那里住着一对新婚夫妇。他们的朋友们今天来向他们表示祝贺。我并不认识所来的人，但别人告诉我我能从他们的脸上认识他们。若我在他们脸上看对婚姻之爱的情感，我就让他们进去，否则则不能让他们进去。”
我和天使都能从人的脸上看到他们心中的情感，因为我正在思考婚姻之爱，所以他在我脸上看到了对婚姻之爱的情感，这种想法使我的脸上映着光芒，所以看门人让我进去了。
我路过的路两边是果树，树木的枝叶彼此交错，使路的两侧形成一堵厚密的墙。走过小路来到小花园中，在那里有一种树木发出的香气。树木和花都是成对的，我得知象这样花园是举行婚礼的地方。
我走进房子里，只见那对新婚夫妇手拉着手，话语里体现着婚姻之爱。
之后，在我和众人一起为他们祈祷祝福后，我走进了婚礼花园中，我看到在右侧有一群年轻小伙子，从房间出来的人都朝那边走去，他们正在谈论婚姻之爱，这个话题有一种无形的力量将所有的人吸引过来。我听到一个智者正在谈论爱，内容可以概括如下：
“主的神圣性与婚姻是广泛联系着的，同时也保证着天国中婚姻的状况。因为一切天国的祝福都来自于婚姻之爱所带来的快乐。它象甘甜的泉水汹涌地涌出一样。因为每对配偶生来就由神看顾并且为他们将来的婚姻做好准备，但是却是完全意识不到这点的。一段时间后，当女孩长成了一个可以结婚的姑娘，男孩长成为一个可以结婚的小伙子时，就象是命运的安排一样，他们彼此相遇。他们会立刻意识到二人是天生的一对。男方会在心里说‘她是属于我的’，女孩会说‘他是属于我的’，一段时间后他们心中更坚信这一点，并开始谈论婚嫁。”
“我们这里说好象是命运的安排或者是本能，是指神的安排。这是因为并不知道它是神的安排，看上去似乎象命运安排的一样。”
关于他所说的配偶双方从出生到长成都是在他们双方知晓的情况下为他们的婚姻做着准备。讲话者通过配偶双方在面容上的相似之处，以及心和思想上从内到外的结合来证明。除非是由神所看顾所安排的，这一切是不可能的。
说到这里，人群中响声掌声。讲话的人继续说到在每个人身上最微小的部分都有一种婚姻方面的因素。男人身上的婚姻方面的因素与女人身上的因素不同。但男人方面的因素都有一种与女人方面的因素相结合的能力，反之亦然。
他通过意愿与理解力的结合来证实。这两个一起控制着人的头脑和身体。所以在每个细微处都有一种婚姻方面的因素。我们还可以看到我们有两只眼睛、耳朵，两个鼻孔，两个脸颊，两片嘴唇，两只胳膊和手，两条腿，两只脚，在体内，有两半大脑，两个心室，两个肺叶，两个肾脏，两个睾丸。即使有的器官并不是两个，它仍然由两个部分组成。这种一对对的原因是，其中的一个与意愿有关，另一个与才智有关。两者紧密配合，看上去就象一个一样。所以两只眼睛会有观看能力，两耳有同样的听的能力等等。只有在婚姻中的夫妇，他们的男性因素与女性因素被真正的婚姻之爱所结合时才产生了完整的一个人。
在他讲这些时，在我们右边的天上有一道红色的闪电，左边有一道白色的闪电，二者都不很强烈。他们通过我们的眼睛进入到我们的头脑并将其照高。之后我们听到雷声——实际上是来自于天使们的天国中的一种低语，它越来越清楚起来。
听到这里，讲话人说闪电和雷声是对他的暗示，要他进一步讲一下关于成对的器官这一点。要补充的是两个器官中右边的一个代表着与二者相联的善，左边的一个代表着与二者相联的真理。这是因为人身上善与真理的结合是处在人全身和每个部分的。善与意志有关，真理与理解有关，善和真理二者与意志和真理的结合有关。因此，在天国中，“右眼”意味是与视觉相联的善，“左眼”意味着是与视觉相联的真理。“右耳意味着与听觉相联的善，”左眼“意味着与听觉相联的真理。同样右手意味着与人的一切力量相联的善，左手意味着与人的力量相联的真理。其它器官也都有类似的联系。
另外，因为“右”和“左”有这种意义，所以主说：
若是你的右眼让你跌倒，就剜去它丢掉，……若是右手让你跌打，就砍下来丢掉。《马太福音》5:29:30。
“主这里的意思是如果善的事物变成了恶的了，就应该被丢掉。”
“同样原因，主告诉他的使徒们在船的右侧撒网，他们那么做了并且捕到许多鱼（《约翰福音》21:6）主在这里的意思是要使徒们传播仁慈的善，这样做就会得到人们的支持。”
接着，那两道闪光又出现了，比从前还弱。左边白色的闪电从右边红色的闪电中吸收到一些光。
看到这儿，讲话的说：“这是来自天国的对我的讲话的肯定，因为红的火一般的东西在天国中意味着善，白的东西意味着真。至于我们所看到的白光在红光中吸收到光亮，证明了白光或者说光本身只不过是火放射出来的。
讲话完了后，人们都充满了愉悦，这是因为受到了闪电和所传达的内容的启发。他们高兴地离去了。
316. The second experience.
Once when I was walking with my feelings at rest and my mind pleasantly at peace, I saw in the distance a park, in the middle of which was an avenue leading to a small palace. I saw young women and men, and husbands and wives, going in. I went there in spirit and asked a doorkeeper who was standing at the entrance whether I might go in too. He looked at me, so I said, 'Why are you looking at me?'
He replied, 'I am looking at you to see whether the peaceful pleasure to be seen in your face has anything of the pleasure of conjugial love about it. Behind this avenue there is a small garden with a house in it, where there is a newly-married couple, and their friends of both sexes are coming to them today to congratulate them. I do not know the people I admit, but I have been told that I could recognise them by their faces. If I see there the pleasure of conjugial love, I am to admit them, but no others.' All angels can see from other people's faces the pleasures of their hearts, and the pleasure of the love, which he saw on my face, was from my meditation on conjugial love. This shone out of my eyes and so pervaded the inner levels of my face. So he told me I might go in.
[2] The avenue by which I went in was made of fruit-trees with their branches interlacing, so as to make a continuous wall of trees on either side. Coming through the avenue I entered a small garden, fragrant with shrubs and flowers. The shrubs and flowers were arranged in pairs, and I was told that such gardens are to be seen around houses where weddings are or have been taking place, so they are called wedding gardens.
Later I went into the house and saw the couple holding hands and conversing under the effects of truly conjugial love. I was then able to see from their faces a picture of conjugial love and learn of its living force from their conversation. After expressing my good wishes along with many more visitors and congratulating them, I went out into the wedding garden. I saw on the right a group of young men, which all who left the house hurried to join. The reason for this was that they were talking there about conjugial love, and this talk had some hidden power to attract the minds of them all. Then I listened to a wise man speaking on this subject, and the gist of what I heard is as follows.
[3] 'The Lord's Divine providence', he said, 'is at its most detailed and its most universal on the subject of and in marriages in the heavens, because all the pleasures of heaven pour forth from the pleasures of conjugial love, like sweet waters from a sweet spring. Provision is therefore made for couples to be born who are well matched in marriage for each other. Under the Lord's continual guidance they are brought up with a view to their marriage, though neither the boy nor the girl is aware of this. When in due course the young woman, as she is then, is of an age to be married, and the young man, as he is then, is ready for marriage, they meet somewhere as if by fate and see each other. Then by some instinct they at once recognise that they are well matched, and they think to themselves, as if by some inward prompting, the young man 'She is the one for me,' and the young woman, 'He is the one for me.' After allowing this to sink into their minds for a while, they resolve to speak to each other, and they become engaged. We say as if by fate and by instinct, but we mean by Divine providence, because when it is not known, it looks like this.'
He proved that couples were born to be married and are brought up for marriage, although neither was aware of this, by demonstrating that the face of each showed plainly how alike with a view to marriage they were, and by the inmost and everlasting union of their characters and minds, something that could not exist, as they do in heaven, without the Lord's foresight and providence.
[4] When the wise man made this speech, the group applauded. He went on to say that the conjugial principle is present in the tiniest details of each human being, both male and female, but still it is different in the male and in the female. The male's conjugial principle is designed to be linked with the female's and vice versa, even in the tiniest details. He proved this by the marriage of the will and the intellect in each individual, the two of which act together on the smallest details of both mind and body. This enables it to be seen that every substance, even the smallest, contains this conjugial principle, as is evident from compound substances made out of simple ones; or from the fact that we have two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two cheeks, two lips, two arms and hands, two hips, two feet; and inside the body two hemispheres in the brain, two ventricles in the heart, two lobes in the lungs, two kidneys, two testicles; and where there are not two, the organ is none the less divided into two parts. The reason for this duality is that one belongs to the will, and the other to the intellect, and they work together so wonderfully that they act as one. So the two eyes produce single vision, the two ears single hearing, the two nostrils one sense of smell, the two lips one speech, the two hands one piece of work, the two feet one step, the two hemispheres of the brain one seat of the mind; the two chambers of the heart one life-giving action to the body by means of the blood; the two lobes of the lungs one act of breathing, and so on. But the male and the female, when united by truly conjugial love, make one fully human life.
[5] While he was saying this, a flash of lightning was seen to the right, which was reddish, and another to the left which was white. Both were gentle, and penetrated the eyes to reach our minds and also enlighten them. These were followed by a clap of thunder, which came as a gentle murmur flowing down from the heaven of the angels and growing in volume. On hearing and seeing this the wise man said, 'These are a sign and a warning to me, to add another detail to what I have said. The right one of these pairs stands for their good, the left one their truth. This is due to the marriage of good and truth, which a person has imprinted on him both in general and in every detail. Good relates to the will, truth to the intellect, and both together relate to one. This is why in heaven the right eye is the good of sight, and the left eye its truth; the right ear is the good of hearing, and the left one its truth; the right hand is the good of a person's power, the left one its truth; and likewise in the rest of the pairs. It was because right and left have these meanings that the Lord said:
If your right eye gives you offence, pull it out; and if your right hand gives you offence, cut it off. [Matthew 5:29-30]
He meant by this, that if good becomes evil, it is to be thrown out. He also told the disciples to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and when they did so, they caught a huge quantity of fish [John 21:6-7]. He meant by this that they were to teach the good of charity, and they would thus gather people.'
[6] After this was said, the two flashes of lightning came again, but milder than before. It looked then as if the whiteness of the left-hand flash was tinged with the ruddy fire of the right-hand one. On seeing this he said, 'This is a sign from heaven to confirm what I have said, because anything fiery in heaven is good, and anything white is truth. The appearance of the left-hand flash having its whiteness tinged with the ruddy fire of the right-hand one is a sign to prove that the whiteness of light, or light in general, is the same as the radiance of fire.' On hearing this all went away fired with the good and truth of happiness by the flashes of lightning and what was said about them.
316. The second account:
Walking once with tranquil heart in a pleasantly peaceful state of mind, I saw in the distance a wood, which had in the midst of it an enclosed path leading to a little palace; and I saw young women and men and husbands and wives going in. I, too, in the spirit went over there, and I asked one of the keepers standing at the entrance of the path whether I might go in as well. He stared at me; and so I asked, "Why are you staring at me?"
"I am examining you," he replied, "to see whether the pleasant state of peace reflected in your face draws any of its character from a pleasant delight in conjugial love. After this path there is a little garden, and in the middle of it a house with a newly married couple in it. Their friends are coming here today to wish them happiness and joy. I do not know the people I am allowing to enter, but I was told I would recognize them from their faces. If I saw in them a delight in conjugial love, I was to let them in, and no one else."
Every angel can see from others' faces what the delights of their heart are; and because I was thinking about conjugial love, it was a delight in that love that he saw in my face. This contemplation of mine shone from my eyes and lent an inner glow to my face, so that he told me I might go in.
[2] The enclosed path through which I went was lined with fruit trees joined together by interlocking branches, thus forming an unbroken wall of trees on either side. Through this pathway I entered the little garden, which exhaled a pleasant fragrance from its bushes and flowers. The bushes and flowers grew in pairs; and I learned that gardens of this sort appear around houses where weddings are being or have been celebrated, on which account they are called wedding gardens.
After that I went into the house, and there I saw the married couple holding each other by the hand and speaking to each other out of truly conjugial love. Moreover, from their faces I was given to see then an image of conjugial love, and from their conversation, its vibrancy.
Later, when I among many others had expressed my prayers for them and wished them happiness and joy, I went out into the wedding garden; and I saw on the right side of it a group of young men, to which all who left the house went hurrying over. They all hurried over there because they were having a conversation about conjugial love, and this conversation drew the hearts of all with a kind of hidden force to it. I listened then to a wise person in the group speaking about that love, and what I heard was in summary the following:
[3] "The Lord's Divine providence is most specific and therefore most universal in connection with marriages and in its operation in marriages in heaven, because all blessings of heaven flow from the delights of conjugial love, like sweet waters from a sweetly gushing spring. It is therefore provided by the Lord that conjugial pairs be born, and they are raised and continually prepared for their marriages, neither the boy nor the girl being aware of the fact. Then, after a period of time, the girl - now a marriageable young woman - and the boy - now a young man able to marry - meet somewhere, as though by fate, and notice each other. And they immediately recognize, as if by a kind of instinct, that they are a match, thinking to themselves from a kind of inner dictate, the young man, 'she is mine,' and the young woman, 'he is mine.' Later, after this thought has for some time become settled in the minds of each, they deliberately talk about it together and pledge themselves to each other in marriage.
"We say as though by fate and as if by instinct, when we mean by Divine providence, because when one is unaware that it is Divine providence, that is how it appears."
With respect to his statement that conjugial pairs are born, raised and prepared for their marriages without their knowing, the speaker supported it by the conjugial similarity visible in the faces of a couple, also by the innermost and eternal union of their hearts and minds, neither of which would be possible the way they are in heaven unless foreseen and provided by the Lord.
[4] Having said this - to which the group responded with applause - the wise person speaking went on to say that there is a conjugial element in the smallest particulars in every person, both male and female; only that the conjugial element in the male and the conjugial element in the female are not the same, but the conjugial element of the male possesses a capacity for conjunction with the conjugial element of the female, and vice versa, even in the least particulars.
This he showed by the marriage of will and understanding in every individual, the two of which operate together in the least constituents of the mind and in the least constituents of the body; from which it can be seen that there is a conjugial element in each component, even the least. "This is also made evident," he said, "from the composite organs of the body which are formed from its elemental constituents. We find, for example, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two cheeks, two lips, two arms and hands, two legs, two feet; and inside the body, two hemispheres of the brain, two ventricles of the heart, two lungs, two kidneys, two testicles. Even when an organ is not paired, still it exhibits a division into two parts. The reason there are these sets of two is that one is connected with the will and the other with the intellect, which operate in conjunction with each other so marvelously that they give the appearance of being one. Thus the two eyes produce one power of sight, the two ears one power of hearing, the two nostrils one sense of smell, the two lips one speech, the two hands one labor, the two feet one gait, the two hemispheres of the brain one habitation of the mind, the two chambers of the heart one life of the body through the blood, the two lungs one respiration, and so on. Only that in the case of a married couple, the masculine element and feminine element united by truly conjugial love produce one life that is fully human."
[5] As he was saying this, a shaft of lightning appeared in the sky to our right having a red color, and another shaft of lightning to our left that was white, neither of them very intense. These entered through our eyes into our minds and illumined them as well. Then, following these, we heard the sound of thunder - in actuality a low murmur coming from the angelic heaven and growing louder in its descent.
Hearing it, and having seen the lightning, the wise person speaking said, "These are meant for me as a signal and admonition to add to my discussion something further, that in the twinned pairs of organs I have mentioned, the one on the right symbolizes the good connected with the two, and the one on the left the truth connected with them; and that this is owing to the marriage of good and truth engraved on each person in his whole being and in his every least part, good having relation to the will and truth to the understanding, and the two together to a union of these. For this reason, in heaven 'the right eye' means the good connected with sight, and 'the left eye' the truth connected with it. So, too, 'the right ear' means the good connected with hearing, and 'the left ear' the truth connected with it. Similarly, 'the right hand' means the good connected with a person's strength, and 'the left hand' the truth connected with it. And so on with the rest of these twinned pairs.
"Moreover, because 'right' and 'left' have these symbolic associations, the Lord said:
If your right eye causes you to slip, pluck it out.... And if your right hand causes you to slip, cut it off.... 1
"He meant by this that if something good is turned to evil, it should be cast away.
"For the same reason He also told His disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and when they did so, they caught a great number of fish. 2And by this He meant they should teach the good of charity, and by doing so would gather in people."
[6] Following these remarks, the two shafts of lightning appeared again, still less intense than before. And we saw then that the lightning on the left drew the whiteness of its light from the reddish fire of the lightning on the right.
Seeing this, the speaker said, "It is a sign from heaven confirming what I have said, because something fiery in heaven means something good, and something white there means something true. As for our having seen that the lightning on the left drew the whiteness of its light from the reddish fire of the lightning on the right, this is visible evidence that the whiteness of light or light itself is nothing other than the luminance of fire."
At the end of this discourse, all in the group were fired with a joyful state of goodness and truth inspired by the shafts of lightning and what they had been told concerning them, and in this state they departed for home.
Footnotes:
1. Matthew 5:29-30.
2. John 21:6.
316. The second story: Walking along one time, at rest in my soul and in the peace of a happy mind, I saw a park in the distance, with a covered walk in the middle of it, leading to a small palace.
And I saw young women and young men and husbands and wives going in. I approached in spirit, and asked a keeper standing in the entrance if I could go inside, too.
He looked at me, and I said, "Why are you looking at me?"
"I'm looking at you," he answered, "to see if the peaceful happiness in your face includes something of the happiness of married love. Past this walk is a small garden with a house in the middle of it, where two newlyweds are. Their male and female friends are coming today to wish them happiness. I'm not acquainted with the people I let in, but I was told that I'd know them by their faces. If I see the happiness of married love in them I am to let them in, and not others."
All angels can see other people's heartfelt joy in their faces, and the delight of their love. The delight he saw in my face was that I thinking about the love in marriage. This thought shone from my eyes and went from there to the more inward parts of my face. So he said I could go in.
The covered walk I entered through was made of fruit trees connected to each other by their limbs. They made an unbroken wall of trees on either side. Through the walk I went into the little garden, which breathed a pleasant fragrance from its shrubs and flowers. The shrubs and flowers were pair by pair, and I heard that little gardens like that appear around houses where there are, or have been, weddings, and that for that reason they are called wedding gardens.
Then I went into the house, where I saw the two married partners holding hands and talking together because of their genuine married love. And then I could read in their faces the image of married love, and what is alive about it in their conversation.
After I and many others had offered them congratulations and wished them happiness, I went out into the little wedding garden, and on the right side of it I saw a group of young people.
Everyone who came out of the house was hurrying to this group.
They hurried there because the conversation there was about the love in marriage, and this conversation draws everyone's soul to itself by some hidden force.
Then I listened to a wise man talking about it, and the things I heard were briefly these: The Lord's Divine Providence is over marriages and in marriages very particularly and therefore very generally, in the heavens, because all the happiness of heaven wells up from the joys of married love, like fresh waters from the fresh current of a spring. And because of this, the Lord provides that pairs are born for marriage, and they are continually being educated for marriage, both the boy and the girl, without knowing it. And when the time is fulfilled the young woman, marriageable by then, and the young man, ready to marry by then, meet somewhere as if by fate and see each other. And then instantly, as if by some instinct, they know that they are partners. And, from some inner voice within them, the young man thinks, "She is for me," and the young woman thinks, "He is for me." And after this has been on both of their minds a few days they talk with each other on purpose and make vows. They say "as if by fate" and "as if by instinct" and mean by Divine Providence, because these things seem that way, since the couple do not know about it.
The wise man confirmed that pairs are born for marriage and are brought up for marriage without either one's knowing it, by the marriage - like resemblance visible in their faces. Also by the inmost and eternal union of their souls and minds. Unions, which are like that in heaven, are not possible without foresight and provision by the Lord.
After the wise man said these things and the group applauded, he went on, "Marriage is in people, masculine as well as feminine, in the smallest details. But yet the marriage is one thing in a male and another in a female. Also, in the masculine of marriage is something that can join with the feminine of marriage, also in the smallest details, and vice versa." He confirmed this by the marriage of will and intellect in everyone - "two things that act together in the most specialized aspects of your mind and the most specialized of your body. You can see from this that something of marriage is in every substantial thing - even the smallest.
And this comes clear from the composite resources that are put together from simple resources, as that there are two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two cheeks, two lips, two arms and hands, two sides, and two feet. And inside the person are the brain's two hemispheres, the heart's two ventricles, the lungs' two lobes, two kidneys, two testicles, and where there are not two of things, still they are divided in two. There are two of them because one belongs to will and the other to intellect, which act marvelously together to make a unit. So two eyes make one vision, two ears one hearing, two nostrils one smell, two lips one speech, two hands one work, two feet one walk, two hemispheres of the brain one habitation of the mind, the heart's two chambers one bodily life through blood, the lungs' two lobes one respiration, and so on. And masculine and feminine united through the real love in marriage make one fully human life."
While he was saying these things there appeared on the right a red lightning flash and a white flash on the left. They were both gentle and entered through our eyes into our minds and enlightened them, too. And after the flashes it thundered. It was a gentle murmur floating down from an angelic heaven and growing louder.
When we heard and saw these events the wise man said, "These are a sign and a warning to me to add something to what I said. The right member of these pairs stands for their goodness and the left stands for their truth. This comes out of the marriage of good and truth, which is inscribed on the person in general and on every single part in him. Good has to do with will and truth with intellect, and both together have to do with unity. For this reason the right eye, in heaven, is the good of sight, the left is its truth, and the right ear is the good of hearing and the left its truth, as the right hand, too, is the good of a person's power and the left its truth. The same goes for the other pairs. And since the right and left have those meanings, the Lord said, 'If your right eye offends you, pluck it out ... and if your right hand offends you, cut it off' (Matthew 5:29-30).
"By this He meant that if good becomes bad it should be rejected. Also, he told the disciples to throw their net on the right side of the boat, and when they did it they caught a huge number of fish (John 21:6-7), by which He meant that they should teach the good of charity, and in this way they would gather people."
After he said these things the two flashes appeared again, more gentle than before. And then we noticed that the left flash took on its white brilliance from the red fire of the right flash.
Seeing this he said, "This is a sign from heaven confirming what I said, because in heaven something fiery is good and something bright white is truth. And the fact that the left flash seemed to get its brilliance from the red fire of the right flash is a sign to show that the brilliance of light - or light - is nothing other than the brightness of fire."
When they had heard these things everyone went home afire with the good and truth of joy kindled by the flashes and the talk about them.
316. The second Memorable Relation:
Walking once in tranquillity of animus and delightful peace of mind, I saw in the distance a grove, midway in which was an avenue leading to a small palace; and I saw maidens and young men and husbands and wives entering therein. In the spirit, I also went thither, and asked a guard standing at the entrance whether I too might enter. He looked at me, and I said, "Why do you look at me?" He answered: "I look at you to see whether the delight of peace which is in your face is in any way derived from the delight of conjugial love. Behind this avenue is a small garden, and in its center a house where are two newly married partners, and today their friends of both sexes are coming to them to wish them happiness. Those whom I admit, I myself do not know, but I was told that I would know them by their faces; if in their faces I saw the delight of conjugial love I was to admit, but not others."
All angels can perceive the heart's delights of others from their faces, and because I was meditating on conjugial love, it was the delight of that love that he saw in my face; the meditation shone forth from my eyes and thence entered the interiors of my face. Therefore he told me I might enter.
[2] The avenue by which I entered was an avenue of fruit trees joined together by their branches, thus forming a continuous wall of trees on either side. Through this avenue I passed into a small garden which breathed a pleasant fragrance from its shrubs and flowers. The shrubs and the flowers were in pairs, and I heard that gardens of this kind appear around houses where there are or have been weddings, and that they are therefore called nuptial gardens.
I then went into the house and there saw the two partners holding each other by the hand and conversing together from love truly conjugial; and it was given me to see from their faces the effigy of conjugial love, and from their conversation its vitality.
With many others, I offered my congratulations and wished them happiness, after which I went into the nuptial garden. There, on the right, I saw a group of young men to which all who came from the house were hastening. The reason they were all hastening was because the discourse there was about conjugial love, and by some hidden power such discourse attracts the minds of all. I then heard a wise man speaking of that love, and what I heard was in brief as follows:
[3] "The Lord's Divine Providence is most singular and at the same time most universal in regard to marriages in the heavens, and in the marriages themselves, because all the happiness of heaven springs from the delights of conjugial love, as sweet waters from the sweet vein of a fountain. Therefore it is provided by the Lord that conjugial pairs be born, and that, all unknown to the boy and girl, they be continually educated for marriage; that in due time, the girl, then a marriageable maiden, and the boy then a young man fit for entrance into marriage, meet somewhere as if by chance and see each other; that, as if by instinct, they instantly know that they are mates, and, as though from a kind of inner dictate, think within themselves, the young man, "She is mine," and the maiden, "He is mine;" and that after this thought has dwelt for some time in the minds of both, they deliberately address each other and are betrothed. It is said, as if by fate and as if by instinct, but what is meant is by Divine Providence because, when not known, Divine Providence has this appearance."
That conjugial pairs are born, and, unknown to both, are educated for marriage, this he confirmed by the conjugial similitude visible in the faces of both; also by their inmost and eternal union, in animus and mind. Unions of this kind, such as they are in heaven, are not possible unless foreseen and provided by the Lord.
[4] After the wise man had thus spoken and the company had applauded, he said further: "There is something conjugial in the very minutest particulars with man, both male and female; but this conjugial is one thing with the male and another with the female. In the masculine conjugial there is something conjunctive with the feminine conjugial, and vice versa, and this in their most single parts." This he confirmed by the marriage of the will and understanding in each individual. "These two act together upon the most single parts of the mind, and upon the most single parts of the body, and from this it can be seen that the conjugial is present in each individual substance, even the least. This becomes evident from their compound substances, these being made up of simple substances. Thus there are two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two cheeks, two lips, two arms and hands, two loins, two feet; and within man, two hemispheres of the brain, two ventricles of the heart, two lobes of the lungs, two kidneys, two testicles; and where the organs are not dual they are yet divided into two parts. They are two because the one pertains to the will and the other to the understanding, and these act upon each other so marvelously that they present a one. Thus the two eyes make one sight, the two ears one hearing, the two nostrils one smell, the two lips one speech, the two hands one labor, the two feet one walking, the two hemispheres of the brain one dwelling-place of the mind, the two chambers of the heart one life of the body by means of the blood, the two lobes of the lungs one respiration, and so on; but the masculine and feminine when united by love truly conjugial make one life completely human."
[5] While these words were being spoken, there appeared on the right, lightning which became red; and on the left, lightning which became a bright white. Both were mild, and through the eyes they entered into the mind and enlightened this also. After these lightnings came thunder, being a gentle murmur flowing down from the angelic heaven and growing louder. Hearing and seeing this, the wise man said: "This is a sign and admonition to me that I should add these words to my discourse: The right of those pairs signifies their good, and the left their truth. This is from the marriage of good and truth which is inscribed on the whole man and on his every single part; and good harks back to the will, and truth to the understanding, and both together to a one. It is because of this that in heaven the right eye is the good of sight, and the left its truth; the right ear the good of hearing, and the left its truth; the right hand the good of man's power, and the left its truth; and so likewise with the other pairs. It was because the right and left have these significations that the Lord said:
If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out; and if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off Matthew 5:29, 30. by which He meant that if good becomes evil, it is to be cast out; and also that He told His Disciples that they should cast the net on the right side of the ship, and when they did so, they took a great multitude of fishes (John 21:6, 7), by which He meant that they should teach the good of charity and thus would gather men."
[6] After these words, the two lightnings were again seen but milder than before; and it was then seen that the lightning on the left derived its bright whiteness from the ruddy fire of the lightning on the right. Seeing this, the wise man said, "This is a sign from heaven confirmatory of what I have said; for in heaven the fiery is good, and bright white is truth. The sight of the lightning on the left taking its brightness from the ruddy fire of the lightning on the right is a sign showing that the bright whiteness of light, or light itself, is nothing else than the brilliance of fire."
On hearing this, all went home, kindled by those lightnings and by the discourse concerning them, with the good and truth of gladness.
316. II. Once as I was strolling in tranquillity of spirit and pleasant peace of mind, I saw in the distance a grove, through which an avenue stretched to a small palace, into which I saw young men and women and husbands and wives passing. In the spirit I approached the grove, and asked a guard standing at the entrance whether I, too, might go in. He studied me. I asked him, "Why do you look at me so intently?"
"To see," he said, "whether the delight of peace in your face partakes at all of the delight of marital love. At the end of this avenue is a small garden in the center of which is a house where live two newly wedded partners, on whom friends of both sexes are calling today to wish them happiness. I am not acquainted with those whom I am to admit, but shall know them, I am told, by their faces. If I see the delight of marital love in their faces, I am to admit them, otherwise not."
All angels can perceive the heart's delights of others from the face. He saw the delight of marital love in my face because I was meditating on that love, and my meditation shone forth from my eyes and irradiated my face from within. He told me therefore that I might enter.
[2] The avenue by which I entered consisted of fruit-trees which with their interlaced boughs formed a continuous wall of trees on either side. From the avenue I passed into the small garden, the shrubs and flowers in which exhaled a pleasant fragrance. These shrubs and flowers stood in pairs; I heard that gardens of the kind appear around houses where there are or have been weddings and are therefore called nuptial gardens.
I passed into the house and saw the two married partners, holding each other by the hand and talking together in true marital love. I was granted to observe the very likeness of marital love in their faces, and its animation in their conversation.
With others, I offered my congratulations and wished the pair happiness, and then returned into the little nuptial garden. Over to the right I saw a company of young men, toward whom all hastened who came from the house. They hastened thither because the talk was about marital love, and talk on that subject attracts all by a certain hidden power. I listened to a sage who was speaking on the subject, and what I heard was in brief this:
[3] "The Divine Providence 1of the Lord over marriage and in marriage in the heavens is most detailed and thence most universal, for all heaven's joys spring from the delights of marital love, as sweet waters from the sweet current of a fountain. The Lord provides therefore that marital pairs be born. They are educated steadily for marriage, neither the boy nor the girl knowing it. After the completed time, the marriageable maiden and the youth ready for marriage meet and see each other somewhere, as if by fate. Instantly, as by some instinct, they know that they are mates, and from a kind of internal dictate they think within themselves, the young man, She is mine,' and the maiden, 'He is mine. When this conviction has had time to grow upon them both, they deliberately address each other and are betrothed. It is said, as if by 'fate' and instinct,' but the meaning is by the Divine Providence, because Providence, when unknown appears so."
That marital pairs are born and, unconsciously to both, are educated for marriage, he confirmed by the marital likeness visible in their faces, also by the inmost and eternal union of their natures and minds, which could not be what it is in heaven were it not foreseen and provided by the Lord.
[4] After the wise man had spoken and been applauded by the company, he said further:
"There is what is marital in the very minutest particulars with man, both in the male and in the female. The marital is one thing in the male and another in the female, however; and in the masculine marital there is something conjunctive with the feminine marital, and vice versa, even in the most minute particulars." This he confirmed by the marriage of the will and the understanding in each human being. "These two," he said, "act together in the very smallest particulars of the mind and in the very smallest particulars of the body, from which it may be seen that the marital is in every substantial thing, even the least. The fact is manifest in composite substances which are combinations of simple substances. There are two eyes, for example, two ears, two nostrils, two cheeks, two lips, two arms with hands, two loins, two feet; and inside man, two hemispheres of the brain, two ventricles of the heart, two lobes of the lungs, two kidneys, two testicles. And where there are not two, a thing is yet divided in two. There are two because one is of the will and the other of the understanding, and they act upon each other marvelously so as to make a one. The two eyes therefore make one sight, the two ears one hearing, the two nostrils one smell, the two lips one speech, the two hands one labor, the two feet one walking, the two hemispheres of the brain one habitation of the mind, the two chambers of the heart one life of the body by means of the blood, the two lobes of the lungs one respiration, and so on. Similarly, the masculine and feminine united by true marital love make one fully human life."
[5] When he had said this, a red lightning appeared on the right, and on the left a white lightning; both were soft and entered the eyes to illuminate the mind, too. On the lightning followed thunder, like a low murmur rolling down from the angelic heaven and growing louder. At the sight and sound, the wise man said:
"These are a signal and admonition to me that I should go on to add this: The right-hand member of such pairs as I have named signifies the good in them, and the left the truth. This comes of the marriage of good and truth, which is inscribed upon man as a whole and upon his every least part, good relating to the will and truth to the understanding, and both together to a one. Hence it is that in heaven the right eye is the good of vision, and the left is the truth of it; the right ear is the good of hearing, and the left is the truth of it; the right hand is the good of man's power, and the left is the truth of it; and similarly with other pairs. Because right and left have these significations, the Lord said:
If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off (Matthew 5:29-30);
By which He meant that if good becomes evil it is to be cast out. So also He bade His disciples
Cast the net on the right side of the ship; and when they did so, they took an immense multitude of fishes (John 21:6-7)
By which He meant that they should teach the good of charity and then would win men."
[6] After these words the red and white flashes of lightning appeared again, even gentler than before. At the same time it was manifest that the lightning on the left derived its brilliant whiteness from the ruddy fire of the lightning on the right. Seeing this, he said, "It is a sign from heaven confirming what I have said. For in heaven the fiery is good, and shining white is truth. The fact that the lightning on the left visibly took its shining white from the red fire of the lightning on the right demonstrates that the brilliant whiteness of light, or light, is nothing else than fire shining."
On hearing this, all started for home, kindled with the good and truth of gladness by those lightning-flashes and by the discourse about them.
Footnotes:
1. See 229.
316. The Second Relation:
Walking once, in tranquility of spirit and delightful peace of mind, I saw in the distance a grove, in the middle of which was an avenue extending to a small palace; and I saw maidens and young men, and husbands and wives entering. In the spirit I also went thither. And I asked a certain keeper standing at the entrance whether I too might go in. He looked at me, and I asked him, 'Why do you look at me?'
He answered, ‘I look at you to see, whether the delight of peace which is in your face takes anything from the delight of conjugial love. Beyond this avenue is a small garden and in the midst of it a house where are two newly wedded married partners, to whom friends of both sexes are coming to-day to wish them happiness. Those whom I permit to enter I do not know, but have been told that I shall know them by their faces. If I see in them the delight of conjugial love I am to admit them and not others.'
All angels can perceive the delights of the heart of others from their faces, and the delight of that love which he saw in my face was because I was meditating on conjugial love. This meditation shone forth from my eyes, and thence entered the interiors of my face. He therefore, told me that I might go in.
The avenue by which I entered was of fruit-trees mutually conjoined by their branches, which formed a continued wall of trees on either side. I passed through the avenue into the small garden which breathed a pleasant fragrance from its shrubs and flowers. The shrubs and the flowers were pairs and pairs, and I heard that such small gardens appear around houses where there are or have been nuptials, and that they are therefore, called nuptial gardens.
Afterwards I went into the house and saw there the two married partners, holding each other by the hand and conversing together from love truly conjugial. And it was given me then to see from their faces the very likeness of conjugial love, and from their conversation the vital of it.
When, among the many, I had offered my congratulations and wished them happiness, I went out into the little nuptial garden, and there saw on the right side of it a gathering of young men, towards which all who came out of the house were hastening. The reason why all were running to the place was that the discourse there was about conjugial love, and discourse on that subject by a certain secret power attracts the minds of all to itself. Then I listened to a wise man who was speaking on the subject, and what I heard was in brief this, that:
'The Divine Providence of the Lord respecting marriages and in marriages, in the heavens, is in the most single things and thence in things the most universal, because all the felicities of heaven spring from the delights of conjugial love, as sweet waters from the sweet current of a fountain. And for the same reason it is provided by the Lord that conjugial pairs are born; and that they are continually educated for marriage, the boy and the girl being ignorant of it; and that after the completed time, the then marriageable virgin and the then marriageable youth meet and see each other, somewhere, as if by fate, and then instantly, as by some instinct, they know that they are mates, and from a kind of internal dictate they think within them, the young man, She is mine,' and the maiden, 'He is mine.' And after this has been for some time in the minds of both, they deliberately address each other and are betrothed. It is said, as if by fate, and as if by instinct, but the meaning is 'by the Divine Providence, because this, when unknown, appears so.''
That conjugial pairs are born and are educated for marriage, unconsciously to both, he confirmed by the conjugial similarity visible in the faces of both, also by the inmost and eternal union of dispositions (animorum) and minds (mentium), which could not be as it is in heaven unless foreseen and provided by the Lord.
After the wise man had thus spoken, and the company applauded, he said further:
'The conjugial is in the very minutest particulars with man, both in the male and in the female; but still the conjugial is one thing in the male and another in the female; and in the masculine conjugial there is something conjunctive with the feminine conjugial, and vice versa, even in the most minute particulars.' This he confirmed by the marriage of the will and the understanding in everyone, 'which two act together in the very smallest particulars of the mind and in the very smallest particulars of the body, from which it may be seen that the conjugial is in every substantial thing, even the least; and this is made evident by the composite substances that are composed of simple substances. For example, there are two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two cheeks, two lips, two arms with hands, two loins, two feet; and within in man, two hemispheres of the brain, two ventricles of the heart, two lobes of the lungs, two kidneys, two testicles. And where there are not two they are yet divided in twain. The reason why there are two is because the one is of the will; and the other of the understanding, which act into each other marvellously that they may present a one; so that the two eyes make one sight, the two ears one hearing, the two nostrils one smell, the two lips one speech, the two hands one labor, the two feet one walking, the two hemispheres of the brain one habitation of the mind, the two chambers of the heart one life of the body by means of the blood, the two lobes of the lungs one respiration, and so on. And the masculine and the feminine united by love truly conjugial make one fully human life.'
When he had said this, lightning, which was red, appeared on the right, and on the left, lightning which was white; both were mild, and entered through the eyes into the minds and also enlightened them. And after the lightning it thundered also, which was a gentle murmur flowing down from the angelic heaven and growing louder. Hearing and seeing this, the wise man said:
'These are a signal and monition to me that I should add this to what I have said: That the right of those pairs signifies the good of them, and the left signifies the truth of them; and that this is from the marriage of good and truth, which is inscribed upon a man as a whole and upon his every least part, and the good relates to the will and the truth to the understanding, and both together to a one. Hence it is that in heaven the right eye is the good of vision, and the left is the truth of it; the right ear is the good of hearing, and the left is the truth of it; and that the right hand is the good of man's power, and the left is the truth of it; and similarly with the other pairs. It was because the right and left have these significations that the Lord said:
If thy right eye cause thee to stumble, pluck it out. And if thy right hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off (Matthew 5:29-30).
by which is meant that if good becomes evil it is to be cast out. So also that He told His disciples to,
Cast the net on the right side of the ship; and that when they did this they took an immense multitude of fishes (John 21:6-7);
by which He meant that they should teach the good of charity and thus would gather men.'
After these words two flashes of lightning appeared again, milder than before; and at the same time it was seen that the lightning on the left derived its brilliant whiteness from the ruddy fire of the lightning on the right; seeing which he said, 'This is a sign from heaven confirmative of what I have said. For in heaven the fiery is good and shining white is truth; and that the lightning on the left was seen to take its shining white from the red fire of the lightning on the right is a sign showing that the brilliant whiteness of light, or light, is nothing else than the splendor of fire.'
On hearing this all went home, enkindled by those lightnings and by the discourse concerning them, with the good and truth of gladness.
316. Alterum Memorabile. Quondam in animi requie et jucunda mentis pace ambulans vidi e longinquo Lucum, in cujus medio erat Porticus tendens ad Palatiolum; et vidi Virgines et Juvenes, ac Maritos et Uxores intrantes; illuc etiam in spiritu accessi, et quendam in introitu stantem custodem interrogavi, num etiam liceat intrare; aspexit me, et dixi, "cur aspicis me;" respondit, "aspicio te, ut videam, num jucundum pacis, quod in facie tua est, trahat aliquid ex jucundo amoris conjugialis; est post Porticum hunc Hortulus, et in medio ejus Domus, ubi sunt duo novitii Conjuges, ad quos hodie veniunt amicae et amici, felicia optandi causa; illos, quos admitto intrare, ego non cognosco; sed mihi dictum est, quod cognoscerem illos ex faciebus illorum; si in illis viderim jucundum Amoris conjugialis, hos admitterem, et non alios;" omnes Angeli ex faciebus possunt videre jucunda cordis aliorum, et jucundum illius amoris, quod in facie mea vidit, erat quod meditarer de Amore conjugiali; haec meditatio elucebat ex oculis meis, et inde intravit in interiora faciei meae, quare dixit ad me, quod liceat intrare.
[2] Porticus per quem intravi, erat ex arboribus fructiferis per ramos mutuo connexis, quae faciebant utrinque parietem continenter arboreum; per Porticum intrabam Hortulum, qui spirabat amaenum ex virgultis et floribus; virgulta et flores erant paria et paria; et audivi, quod tales hortuli appareant circum domos ubi sunt et fuerunt nuptiae, et quod inde appellentur Hortuli nuptiales. Intravi postea domum, ubi vidi binos conjuges tenentes se manibus, et ex amore vere conjugiali inter se loquentes; et tunc ex faciebus illorum datum est videre effigiem amoris conjugialis, et ex colloquio illorum vitale ejus. Postquam ego inter plures nuncupaveram vota, et felicia illis optaveram, exivi in Hortulum nuptialem, et vidi ad dextrum latus ejus Caetum ex juvenibus, in quem omnes qui exiverunt Domo accurrebant; quod omnes illuc accurrerent, erat causa, quia ibi sermo fuit de Amore conjugiali; et hic sermo attrahit omnium animos quadam vi occulta ad se; auscultavi tunc Sapientem de illo loquentem, et quae auscultavi, in summa erant haec.
[3] Quod Divina Domini Providentia singularissima et inde universalissima sit de Conjugiis et in Conjugiis in Coelis, quia omnia felicia Coeli ex jucundis Amoris conjugialis scaturiunt, sicut aquae dulces ex dulci vena fontis; et quod ideo provideatur a Domino ut nascantur Paria Conjugialia, et quod haec jugiter educentur ad conjugia, nesciente hoc et 1puella et puero; et quod post exactum tempus illa tunc virgo nubilis, et ille tunc juvenis ad nuptias habilis, sicut ex fato alicubi conveniant, et se mutuo videant; et quod tunc illico sicut ex quodam instinctu cognoscant, quod sint compares, et ex quodam dictamine intus in se cogitent, Juvenis quod haec mea sit, et Virgo quod hic meus sit; et quod postquam hoc aliquamdiu 2insedit 3mentibus utriusque, ex deliberato se alloquantur ac desponsent: dicitur sicut ex fato, et sicut ex instinctu, et intelligitur ex Divina Providentia, quia haec, dum nescitur, apparet ita. Quod nascantur Paria conjugialia, ac educentur ad Conjugia, nesciente utroque, confirmavit per similitudinem conjugialem in utriusque faciebus visibilem; tum per unionem animorum et mentium intimam et aeternam, quae non dabiles sunt, quales in Coelo, absque praeviso et proviso a Domino.
[4] Postquam Sapiens haec loquutus est, et Caetus applausit, 4dixit porro, quod in singularissimis apud hominem tam masculum, quam foeminam, sit Conjugiale; sed usque aliud Conjugiale apud masculum et aliud apud foeminam, tum quod in Conjugiali masculino sit conjunctivum cum Conjugiali foeminino, ac vicissim, etiam in 5singularissimis; hoc confirmavit per conjugium voluntatis et intellectus in unoquovis, quae duo agunt simul in singularissima mentis et in singularissima corporis; ex quibus videri potest, quod in unaquavis substantia etiam minima sit Conjugiale: et quod hoc patescat ex substantiis compositis quae ex substantiis simplicibus conflata sunt, ut quod duo sint oculi, duae aures, duae nares, duae genae, duo labia, duo brachia cum manibus, duo lumbi, duo pedes, ac intus in homine duo haemisphaeria cerebri, duo ventriculi cordis, duo lobi pulmonis, duo renes, duo testes, et ubi non duo sunt, usque divisa sunt in duo; quod duo sint, est quia unum est voluntatis et alterum intellectus, quae agunt in se mirabiliter, ut sistant unum; quare duo oculi faciunt unum visum, duae aures unum auditum, duae nares unum olfactum, duo labia unam loquelam, duae manus unum laborem, duo pedes unum gressum, duo haemisphaeria cerebri 6unum habitaculum mentis; duae camerae cordis unam vitam corporis per sanguinem; duo lobi pulmonis unam respirationem; et sic porro; at masculinum et foemininum unita per amorem vere conjugialem, faciunt unam vitam plene humanam.
[5] Dum haec dicebantur, apparuit fulmen a dextris quod rubuit, et fulmen a sinistris quod canduit, utrumque erat mite, ac per oculos intrabant in mentes, et has quoque illustrabant; et post illa etiam tonitruabat, quod erat lene murmur e Coelo angelico defluens et accrescens. His auditis et visis dixit Sapiens, "haec mihi in signum et monitum sunt, ut sermoni meo superaddam haec, quod dextrum ex paribus illis significet bonum illorum, et quod sinistrum significet verum illorum; et quod hoc sit ex conjugio boni et veri, quod homini in communi et in omni singulari ejus inscriptum est, ac bonum se refert ad voluntatem, et verum ad intellectum, ac utrumque simul ad unum; inde est, quod in Coelo dexter oculus sit bonum visus, ac sinister verum ejus, tum quod dextra auris sit bonum auditus, ac sinistra verum ejus, ut et quod dextra manus sit bonum potentiae hominis, ac sinistra verum ejus; et similiter in paribus reliquis; et quoniam Dextrum et Sinistrum illarum significationum sunt, dixit Dominus, "Si dexter oculus scandalizaverit te, erue illum; et si dextra manus scandalizaverit te, amputa illam; 7per quod intellexit, si bonum fiat malum, quod hoc ejiciendum sit; tum quod dixerit ad Discipulos, ut emitterent rete in dextram partem navigii, et quod, dum ita fecerunt, ingentem multitudinem piscium ceperint; 8per quod intellexit, ut docerent bonum charitatis, et quod sic colligerent homines."
[6] Post haec dicta, iterum apparebant duo illa fulmina, prioribus mitiora; et videbatur tunc, quod fulmen sinistrum traheret suum candorem ex rutilo igne fulminis dextri; quibus visis, dixit, "hoc est signum confirmativum sermonis mei e Coelo, quia igneum in Coelo est bonum, et candidum ibi est verum; et quod visum sit quod fulmen sinistrum traheret suum candorem ex rutilo igne fulminis dextri, signum demonstrativum est, quod candor lucis seu lux non aliud sit quam splendor ignis." His auditis, omnes a fulminibus illis, et a sermone de illis, accensi bono et vero laetitiae, domum abibant.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: est
2. Prima editio: aliquandiu
3. Prima editio: insiderat (sed cf. hoc idem in 229)
4. Prima editio: applausit;
5. Prima editio: in-
6. Prima editio: cerebti
7. Matth. 5:29-30
8. Joh. 21:6