449、谁都能凭普遍觉知看出，行淫的性欲不是奸淫的性欲。有哪种法律或哪个法官会对淫荡者和奸淫者的罪行做出相同的指控？之所以凭着普遍觉知就能看出这一点，是因为行淫不像奸淫那样反对婚姻之爱。婚姻之爱有可能隐藏在淫行中，正如属灵之爱有可能隐藏在属世之爱中。事实上，属灵之爱的确是从属世之爱发展出来的；一旦它发展出来，属世之爱就会围住它，如同树皮围住树木，剑鞘围住剑一样；还有助于保护属灵之爱免遭暴力。由此明显可知，关注整体上的其他异性的属世之爱先于关注一位异性的属灵之爱。然而，如果淫行出自关注异性的属世之爱，那么只要婚姻之爱作为主要良善被关注、向往和追求，它也能被除去。
对奸淫的好色、淫秽之爱则完全不同。在“淫乱之爱与婚姻之爱的对立”那一章已说明，这爱是婚姻之爱的反对和摧毁者。因此，若一个有意或确定奸淫者因种种原因爬上婚床，颠倒的事就会发生。属世之爱及其放荡、淫秽就隐藏在里面，而属灵之爱的表象则从外面把它遮盖起来。这些考虑能使理性看出，受限淫行的性欲相比奸淫的性欲，如同冬天最初的温暖相比北极隆冬的酷寒。
449、放荡性行为中的情欲与通奸中的情欲是不同的。没有任何法律会对放荡性行为者和通奸者施以同样的惩罚。这是因为婚前放荡性行为不是象通奸那样与婚姻之爱相反。婚姻之爱可能会藏在放荡行为中，正如自然之爱中会藏有精神性的爱一样。
很明显，自然之爱处于精神之爱之前。所以，来自于自然之爱的放荡行为也可以被摆脱，只要人渴望婚姻之爱并视其为善的原则。
而通奸中存在的淫爱却是不同的，在前面章节中讲过它是与婚姻之爱相反并破坏婚姻之爱。若故意犯通奸罪的人走入婚姻之中，情况会是相反的。淫爱会藏在其中，而精神性只是其外在伪装。
可见放荡性行为的程度比通奸要轻。
449. Anyone can see by his general powers of perception that the lust for fornicating is not a lust for adultery. Would any law or any judge bring the same charge against a fornicator as against an adulterer? The reason why this is generally seen is that fornication is not opposed to conjugial love, as adultery is. Conjugial love can be hidden within fornication, just as the spiritual can be hidden within the natural. In fact, the spiritual actually develops from the natural; and once it has developed, then the natural surrounds it, like bark around a piece of wood or a sheath around a sword, and it serves to protect the spiritual from violence. From this it is obvious that natural love for the other sex as a whole precedes spiritual love, which is for one of the other sex. However, if fornication is the result of natural sexual love, it can be wiped out, so long as conjugial love is regarded as the chief good, and this is preferred and sought.
[2] It is quite different with the lustful and obscene love of adultery, which was shown in the last chapter on the opposition of scortatory and conjugial love to be opposed to conjugial love and to destroy it. If therefore a deliberate and confirmed adulterer for various reasons enters a marriage bed, the reverse happens; the natural with its wantonness and obscenity lies hidden within, and an appearance of spirituality covers it up outwardly. These considerations will enable the reason to see that the lust for restricted fornication is, as compared with the lust for adultery, like the first warmth as compared with midwinter cold in arctic regions.
449. That the lust in fornication is not the lust of adultery, everyone clearly sees from common perception. What law, or what judge, charges a fornicator with the same crime as an adulterer? Everyone sees this from common perception for the reason that fornication is not opposed to conjugial love in the way that adultery is. It is possible for fornication to have conjugial love concealed within it, as any natural love may have concealed in it a spiritual one. Indeed, the spiritual love even unfolds in fact out of the natural one; and when the spiritual love has unfolded, then the natural one girds it as bark does wood, or as a scabbard does a sword, and also serves the spiritual love as a protection against violations.
It is apparent from this that the natural love, which is a love for the opposite sex, precedes the spiritual love, which is a love for one of the sex. If then fornication ensues from a natural love for the opposite sex, it can also be wiped away, provided conjugial love is looked to, hoped for and sought as the principal good.
[2] It is altogether different with the lascivious and obscene love of adultery. We have already shown in the preceding chapter, on the opposition of licentious love to conjugial love, that this love is opposed to conjugial love and destroys it. Consequently, if a purposeful or deliberate adulterer for various reasons enters the marriage bed, the case is reversed. The natural love with its lascivious and obscene lusts then lies hidden within, while the appearance of spiritual one covers it outwardly.
Reason can see from this that the lust in fornication is relatively moderate compared to the lust of adultery, being like the first cooling of the year compared to the cold of midwinter in arctic regions.
449. Anyone can observe from common sense that a desire for fornication is not a desire for adultery. What law or judge charges a fornicator with the same offense as an adulterer? The reason you discover this from common sense is that fornication is not opposite to married love the way adultery is. Love for marriage can be stored away deep within fornication as something spiritual can be in something worldly. In fact, the spiritual does indeed develop out of the worldly. And when spirituality develops, worldliness surrounds it like the bark on wood and the sheath of a sword and also serves the spiritual thing as protection against violence.
It is clear from these observations that the worldly love that is for the other sex comes before the spiritual love that is for one person of the other sex. But though fornication comes from a worldly love for the other sex, it can be wiped clean, too, provided that you look to the love in marriage, want it, and seek it, as the best thing.
It is totally different with the lustful and obscene love of adultery - which the previous chapter, about illicit love and married love being opposite, pointed out is opposite to the love in marriage and the destroyer of it. So if for various reasons an intentional or confirmed adulterer gets into a marriage bed, things turn upside - down. Worldliness with its lewd and obscene qualities lies within, and a spiritual appearance veils it outwardly. From these observations reason can see that the lust of controlled fornication compares to the lust of adultery as early warmth compares to the midwinter cold in arctic regions.
449. That the lust of fornication is not the lust of adultery is seen by every one from common perception. What law and what judge would charge a fornicator with the same crime as an adulterer? The reason why this is seen from common perception is because fornication is not opposed to conjugial love as adultery is. In fornication, conjugial love may lie hidden within, as the spiritual in the natural. Indeed, the spiritual is actually evolved out of the natural, and when evolved, the natural surrounds it as bark surrounds a tree and a scabbard a sword. It also serves the spiritual for protection against violence. It is evident from this, that the natural love which is directed to the sex, precedes the spiritual love which is directed to one of the sex; but if fornication come from the natural love of the sex, it can also be wiped away, provided conjugial love is looked to, desired, and sought as the principal good.
The case is wholly different with the libidinous and obscene love of adultery. That this is the opponent and destroyer of conjugial love was shown in the preceding chapter on The Opposition of Scortatory Love and Conjugial Love. Therefore, if for various reasons an adulterer from purpose or confirmation enters the conjugial bed, an inversion takes place. Within lies hidden the natural with its lascivious and obscene things, and outwardly veiling it about is an appearance of the spiritual. Reason can see from the above that as compared with the lust of adultery, the lust of limited fornication is as the first mildness [of winter] to the cold of a mid-winter in northern regions.
449. Any one can see from common perception that the lust of fornication is not the lust of adultery; what law or judge imputes the identical offense to fornicator and adulterer? Common perception sees this because fornication is not opposite to marital love as adultery is. Marital love may be hidden deep within fornication as what is spiritual can be in what is natural. Indeed the spiritual is actually evolved out of the natural; and when it has been evolved, then the natural encompasses it as bark does wood or the scabbard a sword; it also serves to protect it against violence. Hence it is evident that natural love, which is love for the sex, precedes spiritual love, which is love for one of the sex. And if fornication comes of natural sexual love, it can be wiped away provided that marital love is esteemed, desired and sought as the chief good.
It is altogether otherwise with the libidinous and obscene love of adultery which, as we showed, is the opposite of marital love and the destroyer of it (see the foregoing chapter on "The Opposition of Scortatory Love to Marital Love"). If therefore an adulterer from purpose or by confirmation for any of several reasons enters the marriage bed, the reverse is true; concealed within lurks the natural with its lasciviousness and obscenity, while an appearance of the spiritual outwardly veils it. The reason can see from this that lust in limited fornication compared to lust in adultery is like the first chill in the air compared to the cold of midwinter in the far north.
449. That the lust of fornication is not the lust of adultery anyone can see from common perception. What law, or what judge, imputes to a fornicator the same criminality as to an adulterer? The reason whence this is seen by common perception is, that fornication is not opposite to conjugial love, as adultery is. In fornication conjugial love may lie concealed within, as the spiritual may be within the natural; yea, the spiritual is in fact actually evolved out of the natural; and when the spiritual has been evolved, then the natural compasses it about as bark does the wood, and as the sheath the sword, and also serves the spiritual for protection against violence. It is evident from these considerations that the natural love which is towards the sex precedes spiritual love, which is towards one of the sex; but if fornication goes forth from the natural love of the sex, it can also be wiped away, if only conjugial love be regarded, wished for, and sought as the chief good.
It is entirely otherwise with the libidinous and obscene love of adultery, which is opposite to conjugial love and the destroyer of it, as has been shown in the preceding chapter, On the Opposition of Scortatory Love and Conjugial Love. If therefore, an adulterer of purpose or from confirmation for various reasons enters the conjugial bed, the case is inverted; concealed within lies the natural, with its obscenities, while without a spiritual appearance veils it over. From which reason may see that the lust of limited fornication, in comparison with the lust of adultery, is as the first warmth to the cold of midwinter in the northern regions.
449. Quod libido fornicationis non sit libido adulterii, quisque ex communi perceptione perspectat; quae lex, et quis judex, imputat fornicatori simile crimen, quod adultero; causa unde hoc ex communi perceptione videtur, est quia fornicatio 1non est opposita amori conjugiali, sicut est adulterium: potest in fornicatione intus recondi amor conjugialis, sicut in naturali potest spirituale; imo etiam e naturali actualiter evolvitur spirituale, et cum spirituale evolutum est, tunc naturale circumcingit illud sicut liber lignum, ac sicut vagina ensem, et quoque inservit spirituali pro tutamine contra violentias. Ex his patet, quod naturalis amor, qui est ad sexum, praecedat amorem spiritualem, qui est ad unam e sexu; si autem fornicatio prodit ex amore naturali sexus, potest etiam illa abstergi, modo amor conjugialis ut principale bonum spectatur, optatur et quaeritur.
[2] Prorsus aliter est cum amore libidinoso et obscoeno adulterii, qui quod amori conjugiali oppositus sit, et ejus destructor, in Capite antecedente de oppositione amoris scortatorii et amoris conjugialis, ostensum est; quare si adulter ex proposito aut ex confirmato 2torum conjugialem propter varias causas intrat, fit inversum; latet intus naturale cum suis lascivis et obscoenis, et extus obvelat illud apparentia spiritualis; ex his potest ratio videre, quod libido fornicationis limitatae sit in respectu ad libidinem adulterii, sicut est primus tepor ad frigus mediae hyemis in regionibus hyperboreis.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: formicatio
2. Prima editio: corfirmato