52、天上的婚姻不会生育孩子，取而代之的是属灵的生育，即爱和智慧的生育。原因在于，凡在灵界者皆缺失第三个元素，也就是属世的元素。该元素是容纳属灵事物的器皿，属灵事物若没有容纳它们的器皿，就无法像自然界的受造物那样保持稳定。而且，就本身而言，属灵事物关乎爱和智慧。所以，他们的婚姻所生育的是属灵事物。之所以说所生育的是属灵事物，是因为婚姻之爱会使天使更完美，从而将他与其配偶结合起来，以便他们越来越成为一个人。如前所述（50节），天上的夫妻不再是两位，而是一位天使。因此，他们通过婚姻的结合使自己的人性更丰满，而人性就在于愿意变得智慧，在于热爱属乎智慧的一切。
52、天堂中的婚姻不会产生孩子而会创造出爱和智慧，是因为在精神世界中的人不再有其自然的特征。这些自然的特征是灵性的载体，灵性没有载体是不会象在世间时一样产生形体的.。同时，天堂中的夫妻认为灵性上的事物与爱和智慧相联系。所以，精神上的事物是他们婚姻的产物。
我们说创造出精神上的事物，因为婚姻之爱使天使更完美，天使使夫妻相联，他变得更人性化。我们在前面说过，天堂中的夫妻不是两个而是一个天使。通过这种婚姻上的结合，夫妻在人性上更完美，即向往智慧并做明智的事情。
52. Marriages in the heavens do not lead to the procreation of offspring, but their place is taken by spiritual offspring, love and wisdom. This is because those in the spiritual world lack the third term, the natural. This is what holds spiritual things together, and without it these do not remain stable in the same way as what is procreated in the natural world. All spiritual things taken by themselves have reference to love and wisdom, so it is these which are born of marriages between them. I describe them as being born, because conjugial love makes an angel perfect, since it unites him with his partner, and this makes him more and more human. For, as I said above, a married couple in heaven are not two, but one angel. Conjugial union therefore fills them with what is human, that is, a will to be wise and to love anything to do with wisdom.
52. The reason marriages in heaven do not result in the begetting of children, but that instead they experience a spiritual procreation, which is one of love and wisdom - the reason is that in the case of people who are in the spiritual world, a third element is missing, which is the natural element. This element is the containing vessel of spiritual things, and spiritual things without their containing vessel do not assume fixed form like those that are produced in the natural world. Also, regarded in themselves, spiritual things relate to love and wisdom. Consequently, it is spiritual things that are born of their marriages.
We say that these are born, because conjugial love perfects an angel, since it unites him with his partner so that he becomes more and more human. For, as we said above, married couples in heaven are not two but one angel. Therefore by the conjugial union they fulfill themselves in respect to their humanity, which is to want to be wise and to love what has to do with wisdom.
52. Marriages in heaven do not produce children, but spiritual offspring instead (loves and perceptions) because for those in the spiritual world an ingredient is missing - the material level. This provides the vessel for spiritual things, and without their containing vessel they do not take a physical form the way offspring conceived in the natural world do. And spiritual things, seen for what they are, trace back to love and perceptiveness, so these are the offspring that spiritual marriages conceive. I say conceive because married love fulfills an angel. It unites him with his partner to make him more and more human, for, once again, two married people in heaven are not two but one angel. So it is through marital union that they fill themselves with humanity which is wanting to be wise and loving what belongs to wisdom.
52. That marriages in the heavens are without prolification, in place whereof is spiritual prolification which is the prolification of love and wisdom, is because, with those who are in the spiritual world, the third thing, which is the natural, is lacking. This is the containant of spiritual things, and without their containant, spiritual things are not set as are those which are procreated in the natural world. Regarded in themselves, spiritual things relate to love and wisdom. It is these, therefore, that are born of their marriages. It is said that they are born, because conjugial love perfects an angel, so uniting him with his consort that he becomes more and more a man; for, as said above [no. 50], two partners in heaven are not two but one angel. Therefore, by conjugial unition they fill themselves with the human, which consists in willing to become wise, and in loving that which pertains to wisdom.
52. The reason why marriages in heaven are without prolification, but instead there is spiritual prolification, is that the third entity, which is natural, is lacking with those in the spiritual world, and the natural is the container of things spiritual, and without this container spiritual things do not assume fixed form, as do those which are procreated in the natural world. Spiritual things regarded in themselves relate to love and wisdom; therefore it is these that are born of marriages in heaven. They are said to be born because marital love perfects an angel, uniting him with his partner, so that he becomes more and more a human being. As we said above, two partners in heaven are not two but one angel; by the marital union they fill themselves with the human, which is to desire to be wise and to love what is of wisdom.
52. The reason why marriages in the heavens are without prolification, but that instead of it there is spiritual prolification, which is of love and wisdom, is that the third degree, which is the natural, is wanting to those who are in the spiritual world, and this degree is the containant of things spiritual, and spiritual things without their containant have not consistence after the manner of those that are procreated in the natural world, and regarded in themselves spiritual things relate to love and wisdom; these therefore, are what are born of their marriages. It is said that these are born, because conjugial love perfects an angel, for it unites him with his consort, whereby he becomes more and more man (Latin: homo). For, as was said above, two married partners in heaven are not two but one angel. By conjugial unition they therefore, fill themselves with the human - which is the desire to become wise and to love what pertains to wisdom.
52. Quod Conjugia in Coelis sint absque prolificatione, sed quod pro illa sit prolificatio spiritualis, quae est amoris et sapientiae, est quia apud illos qui in Mundo spirituali 1sunt, tertium deest, quod est naturale, et hoc est continens spiritualium, ac spiritualia absque suo continente non consistunt, quemadmodum illa quae procreantur in Mundo naturali; ac spiritualia in se spectata se referunt ad Amorem et Sapientiam, quare haec sunt, quae ex conjugiis illorum nascuntur. Dicitur quod haec nascantur, quia Amor conjugialis perficit Angelum, unit enim illum cum sua consorte, unde fit plus et plus homo, nam, ut supra dictum est, duo Conjuges in Coelo non sunt duo sed unus Angelus; quare per Conjugialem unitionem se implent humano, quod est velle sapere, ac amare id quod sapientiae est.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: spitituali