38、我们采用两性情爱和婚姻之爱这两个术语，是因为两性情爱不同于婚姻之爱。两性情爱存在于属世人中，而婚姻之爱存在于属灵人中。属世人只热爱和渴望外在的结合和该结合所赋予的肉体快乐。而属灵人则热爱和渴望内在的结合和该结合所赋予的灵之快乐。属灵人认为，只与一位妻子结合才会有这些快乐，他会不断与她合而为一。越是如此结合，他就越在同等程度上感觉到他的快乐升起，并持续到永远。不过，属世人从来不这样想。这就是为何我们说，对将要进入天堂，即在世时变得属灵之人而言，死后，婚姻之爱仍会保留。
38、我们用对异性的爱和婚姻之爱这两个词，是因为对异性的爱和婚姻之爱并不一样。对异性的爱存在于自然人之中，而婚姻之爱存在于精神的人之中。
自然人只渴望外在的结合，渴望肉体上的快乐，而精神的人渴望内在的结合，追求的是由之而来的精神上的快乐。精神的人认为这种快乐只能通过与唯一的一个妻子相结合而越来越成为一个人。他越是与妻子相结合，他就越会感到这种境界的快乐并且它会永远存在。自然人截然相反，他们不这样认为。
这就是为什么我们说婚姻之爱在死后仍然在天堂中的人中间存在的原因。
38. Sexual and conjugial love are both mentioned, because sexual love is not the same as conjugial love. Sexual love belongs to the natural man, conjugial love to the spiritual man. The natural man loves and desires only outward union and the bodily pleasures it gives. But the spiritual man loves and desires inner union and the delights of the spirit it gives, and he perceives that these are only possible with one wife, with whom the degree of union can perpetually increase. The more the union increases, the more he feels delights rising in the same scale, and lasting for ever. But the natural man never thinks of this. This is how it is that we say that conjugial love remains after death with those who reach heaven, those, that is, who become spiritual on earth.
38. We use the terms, love for the opposite sex and conjugial love, because a love for the opposite sex is not the same as conjugial love. A love for the opposite sex is found in a natural person, but conjugial love in a spiritual person.
A natural person loves and wants only external conjunctions, with the physical pleasures arising from them, while a spiritual person loves and wants an internal conjunction, with the states of spiritual happiness resulting from it. The spiritual person also perceives that these states of happiness are possible with only one wife, with whom he can be continually joined more and more into one. And the more he is so joined with her, in the same degree he feels his states of happiness ascending and remaining constant to eternity. The natural person, on the other hand, does not think in this way.
That, now, is why we say that conjugial love remains after death in the case of people coming into heaven, who are those who become spiritual on earth.
38. I use the terms love for the other sex and married love because love for the other sex is something other than love for marriage.
Love for the other sex is found in worldly people, and love for marriage is found in spiritual people. The worldly person loves and wants only external unions and the bodily pleasures that come out of them. But the spiritual person loves and wants an inner union and the kinds of happiness that his spirit gets from them. And he can tell that these are available with one wife whom he can join with as one, more and more. And the more they are united in this way, the higher he can see the happiness climbing, step by step, steadily, to eternity. But the worldly person does not think about this.
This is the reason for saying that love for marriage remains after death for people who enter heaven - the ones who became spiritual on earth.
38. It is said love of the sex and conjugial love, because love of the sex is different from conjugial love. Love of the sex dwells with the natural man, but conjugial love with the spiritual. The natural man loves and desires only external conjunctions, and from these, the pleasures of the body; but the spiritual man loves and desires internal conjunction and from this, the happiness of the spirit. Moreover, he perceives that this happiness is possible [only] with one wife, with whom he can be perpetually more and more conjoined into a one. And the more he is thus conjoined, the more he perceives his happiness ascending in like degree and remaining constant to eternity; but of this, the natural man has no thought. Hence it is said that conjugial love remains after death with those who come into heaven, being those who become spiritual on earth.
38. We make separate mention of sexual and marital love because they are different. Love for the sex is found with the natural man, marital love with the spiritual. The natural man loves and desires only external unions and the bodily pleasures to be had from them. The spiritual man loves and desires inward union, and the joys of the spirit to be had from them. These he perceives are to be had with one wife with whom he can be united more and more closely forever. The closer the union, the higher he perceives the joys mount, and the more surely constant they remain to eternity. The natural man cherishes no such thought. So we speak of marital love remaining after death with those who enter heaven, who are those who become spiritual on earth.
38. The love of the sex and conjugial love are spoken of, because the love of the sex is different from conjugial love. The love of the sex is with the natural man; but conjugial love with the spiritual. The natural man loves and desires only external conjunctions, and from them pleasures of the body; but the spiritual man loves and desires internal conjunction, and the states of happiness of the spirit therefrom. And he perceives that these are given with one wife, with whom he can be perpetually more and more conjoined into one. And the more he is thus conjoined the more he perceives his states of happiness ascending in like degree, and continuing to eternity. But the natural man has no thought of this. Hence it is said that conjugial love remains after death with those that come into heaven, who are those that become spiritual on earth.
38. Dicitur Amor sexus et Amor conjugialis, quia Amor sexus est aliud quam Amor conjugialis; Amor sexus est apud Naturalem hominem, at Amor conjugialis apud Spiritualem; homo naturalis amat et desiderat modo conjunctiones externas, et ex illis corporis voluptates; at homo spiritualis amat et desiderat conjunctionem internam, et ex illa spiritus faustitates, et has percipit dari cum una Uxore, cum qua perpetuo plus et plus conjungi potest in unum, et quo plus ita conjungitur, percipit faustitates suas in simili gradu ascendentes, et has constantes in aeternum; at Naturalis homo hoc non cogitat: inde nunc est quod dicatur, quod amor conjugialis post mortem maneat apud illos, qui in Coelum veniunt, qui sunt qui spirituales in terris fiunt.