64、⑷就其起源和对应而言，这爱更为属天、属灵、神圣、纯粹和洁净，远胜从主存在于天上天使或教会成员中的其它任何爱。前面只是预先简要证实，婚姻之爱因其起源，也就是良善与真理的婚姻而具有如此性质。同样，这爱也因它和主与教会的婚姻之间的对应关系而具有如此性质。这两种婚姻是圣洁本身，而婚姻之爱则作为苗裔从它们那里降下来。因此，若婚姻之爱从其创造者，也就是主那里被接受，那么来自主的圣洁也会随之而来，并不断熬炼、净化这爱。若此时，人的意愿中有对它的渴望和追求，这爱会日益洁净和纯粹，直到永远。
婚姻之爱之所以被称为属天、属灵的，是因为它存在于天上的天使当中。这爱在最高层天堂的天使当中是属天的，因为他们被称为属天天使；在该天堂之下的天使当中是属灵的，因为他们被称为属灵天使。之所以如此称谓这些天使，是因为属天天使是爱和由此而来的智慧的样式；而属灵天使是智慧和由此而来的爱的样式。他们的婚姻之爱也一样。
由于婚姻之爱存在于高层和低层天堂的天使当中，如第一章（天上的婚姻，27-41节）所述，故显而易见，这爱是神圣和纯洁的。就其来自其起源的本质而言，这爱是神圣和纯洁的，远胜天使和世人所拥有任何其它爱。这是因为，婚姻之爱可谓所有其它爱的首领。下一节将说一说它的领先地位。
64、从它的来源和对应关系上来讲，这种爱与其它的爱相比是天国的，有灵性的，神圣的，纯洁的。它来自于主，存在于天国中的天使中以及教会中的人中间，这是因为婚姻之爱来自于善与真理的结合。如上所述，还因为婚姻之爱与主和教会相结合的对应关系，这两种结合是婚姻之爱的由来，这两种结合是神性的本质精髓。因而，若婚姻之爱是来自于主，它就拥有从主那里来的神圣性。这种神圣性会渐渐地进一步净化婚姻之爱。若一个人渴望主，那么他的婚姻之爱就会变得更洁净而达到永恒。
婚姻之爱之所以被称为天国的和有灵性的，是因为它存在于天使之中。最高层天国中的天使被称为是天国的。在最高层天国下一层的天使被称为有灵性的。天使们之所以被叫做这些，是因为智慧的爱是一历的，爱的智慧是有灵性的，在婚姻之中也是这。
因为婚姻之爱存在于最高层及低一层的天国里的天使中，如前面所述，所以这种爱是神圣纯洁的。
在本质上讲婚姻之爱比天使及人的其它的爱更神圣，更纯法，这是因为这种爱是其它爱之首。下面来讲一下这种爱各种特征。
64. (iv) This love, having regard to its origin and correspondence, is more celestial, spiritual, holy, pure and clean than any other love the Lord confers on angels in heaven or people in the church.
A little earlier a brief proof was offered that the nature of conjugial love having regard to its origin, the marriage of good and truth, is as stated; but then only a brief foretaste could be given. The same is true of the proposition that this love gets its nature from its correspondence with the marriage of the Lord and the church. These two marriages, from which conjugial love is derived as an offshoot, are the very height of holiness. If therefore this love is received from its Author, who is the Lord, holiness coming from Him accompanies it, constantly cleansing and purifying it. If a person then possesses in his will a desire and striving after it, this love becomes more clean and pure day by day for ever.
[2] Conjugial love is called celestial and spiritual, because it is possessed by the angels of the heavens. It is celestial among the angels of the highest heaven, because they are called celestial angels; and it is spiritual among the angels below that heaven, because they are called spiritual angels. These angels are so named, because the celestial ones are models of love and the wisdom that comes of it; the spiritual ones are models of wisdom and the love that comes of that. Their conjugial love is similar.
[3] Since conjugial love is present among the angels of both the higher and lower heavens, as was also shown in the earlier chapter on 'Marriages in heaven' [27-41], it is evident that it is holy and pure. The reason why it is, regarded in essence due to the sources from which it is derived, more holy and pure than any other love angels or human beings possess, is that it is, so to speak, the chief of the other loves. Some remarks about its leading position will be made in the next section.
64. 4. Regarded from its origin and correspondence, this love is celestial, spiritual, holy, pure and clean, more so than any other love which exists from the Lord in angels of heaven or people of the church. With respect to conjugial love's being of such a character from its origin, which is the marriage between good and truth, this was briefly established just above, though it was only touched on there. So also with respect to that love's being of such a character from its correspondence with the marriage of the Lord and the church.
These two marriages, from which conjugial love descends as an offshoot, are the essence of holiness. Consequently, if conjugial love is received from its Author, who is the Lord, it is accompanied by holiness from Him, which continually purges and purifies the love. If, then, a person has a desire and striving for it in his will, that love daily becomes more clean and pure to eternity.
[2] Conjugial love is called celestial and spiritual because it exists among angels in heaven. It is celestial in the case of angels in the highest heaven, because these angels are called celestial. And it is spiritual in the case of angels below that heaven, because these angels are called spiritual. The angels are called by these names, because forms of love resulting in wisdom are celestial, while forms of wisdom resulting in love are spiritual. It is the same in their approach to marriage.
[3] Now, because conjugial love exists among angels in heaven, in both the higher and lower heavens, as we also showed in the earlier chapter on marriages in heaven, 1it follows that this love is holy and pure.
As for the statement that regarded from its derivation, in its essence this love is holy and pure, more so than any other love in angels and men, this is because that love is, so to speak, the head of all the other loves. Something about its exalted character will now be said under the following heading.
Footnotes:
1. See nos. 27ff.
64. 4. In view of its origin and correspondence, this love is heavenly, spiritual, holy, pure, and clean beyond every other love that angels of heaven or people on earth have from the Lord. A little above it was partly explained that the love in marriage is like this due to its source, the marriage of good and truth, but that was just a foretaste.
It was also explained that it is like this due to its correspondence with the marriage of the Lord and the church. These two marriages, which married love springs from like an offshoot, are holiness itself, so that if married love is received from its Author, Who is the Lord, holiness comes from Him with it. This holiness continually refines and purifies it. And then it makes the love clean and pure every day, perpetually, if the person's will wants it to and works toward it.
Married love is called heavenly and spiritual because angels in the heavens have it - heavenly for angels of the highest heaven because they are called heavenly, and spiritual for the angels below that heaven, because these angels are called spiritual. The reason they are called this is that the heavenly angels consist of loves and the wisdom that comes from it, while the spiritual ones are wisdom and the love that comes from it. The same goes for their marriage relationships.
Now, because angels of both the higher and lower heavens have married love, as the first chapter, about marriages in heaven, showed, this establishes that it is holy and pure.
In view of its essence and where it comes from, this love is more holy and pure than any other love that angels and mankind have, because it is like the head of all the other loves. The article that comes next says something about this precedence that it has.
64. IV. THAT, [REGARDED] FROM ITS ORIGIN AND CORRESPONDENCE, THIS LOVE IS CELESTIAL, SPIRITUAL, HOLY, PURE, AND CLEAN, ABOVE EVERY LOVE WHICH IS FROM THE LORD WITH THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN AND THE MEN OF THE CHURCH. That conjugial love is such from its origin, which is the marriage of good and truth, was confirmed above in a few words but then only as a foretaste; likewise, that this love is such, from its correspondence with the marriage of the Lord and the Church. These two marriages, from which conjugial love descends as an offshoot, are holiness itself. Therefore if that love is received from its Author, who is the Lord, holiness from Him follows, and this continually refines and purifies it. If then, there is a desire and striving for it in man's will, the love is being perpetually cleansed and purified from day to day.
[2] Conjugial love is called celestial and spiritual because it is with the angels of the heavens, being celestial with the angels of the highest heaven because these angels are called celestial, and spiritual with the angels below that heaven because these angels are called spiritual. The angels are so called because the celestial are loves and hence wisdoms, and the spiritual are wisdoms and hence loves; so likewise their conjugial.
[3] Now since conjugial love is with the angels of both the higher and the lower heavens, as also was shown in the first chapter, on Marriages in Heaven, it is evident that it is holy and pure. That this love, regarded in its essence from its derivation, is holy and pure above every love with angels and with men, is because it is the head, as it were, of all other loves. Of this its eminence, something shall be said in the article which now follows.
64. (iv) In view of its origin and correspondence, this love is celestial, spiritual, holy, pure and clean above every love which the angels of heaven or men of the Church have from the Lord. It was briefly confirmed above, but only by way of anticipation, that marital love is of this character due to its origin, which is the marriage of good and truth; also due to its correspondence with the marriage of the Lord and the Church. These two marriages, out of which marital love springs like an offshoot, are very sanctities. If then marital love is received from its Author, who is the Lord, holiness follows from Him, which constantly refines and purifies it. Given a desire and effort after it in the will, this love becomes clean and pure daily to eternity. Marital love is called celestial and spiritual because it is to be found with the angels of the heavens; with the angels of the highest heaven it is celestial, for so those angels are called; with the angels below that heaven, it is spiritual, for so they are called. The celestial angels are so called because they are loves and thence wisdoms, and the spiritual because they are wisdoms and thence loves. Their marital inclination is similar in nature. Being found with the angels of higher and lower heavens (as was shown in the first chapter on "Marriages in Heaven"), marital love, plainly, is holy and pure. Regarded in its essence and origin, it is holy and pure above every love with angels and men, because it is the head, as it were, of all other loves. Some things will be said of its eminence in the proposition now to follow.
64. (4) That by virtue of its origin and its correspondence this love is celestial, spiritual, holy, pure, and clean, beyond every love from the Lord that exists with the angels of heaven and with the men of the church. That conjugial love by virtue of its origin, which is the marriage of good and truth, is of this character, has been briefly confirmed just above but there only by anticipation; likewise that this love is such by virtue of its correspondence with the marriage of the Lord and the church. These two marriages, from which conjugial love as an offshoot descends, are very sanctities. Wherefore, if it is received from its Author, who is the Lord, a holiness follows from Him, and continually refines and purifies it. If then there is in the man's will a desire and tendency to it, this love is made clean and pure from day to day, perpetually.
Conjugial love is called celestial and spiritual for the reason that it is with the angels of the heavens; celestial with the angels of the highest heaven because they are called celestial angels; and spiritual with the angels below that heaven because they are called spiritual angels. The angels are so called for the reason that the celestial are loves and wisdoms therefrom, and the spiritual are wisdoms and loves therefrom. It is similar with their conjugial. Now, as conjugial love is with the angels of both the higher and the lower heavens, as was shown also in the first chapter, On Marriages in Heaven, it is evident that it is holy and pure. That considered in its essence by virtue of its derivation, it is holy and pure beyond every love with angels and with men, is the reason why this love is as it were the head of all other loves. Of this its eminence something shall now be said in the following section.
64. IV: Quod ille Amor ex sua Origine, et ex sua Correspondentia [spectatus], 1sit coelestis, spiritualis, sanctus, purus, et mundus prae omni amore, qui a Domino est apud Angelos Coeli et apud homines Ecclesiae. Quod Amor conjugialis ex sua Origine, quae est Conjugium boni et veri, sit talis, mox supra paucis confirmatum est, sed ibi solum praelibatum; similiter quod Amor ille talis sit ex Correspondentia ejus cum Conjugio Domini et Ecclesiae: haec duo Conjugia, ex quibus ut surculus descendit Amor conjugialis, sunt ipsae sanctitates; quare si recipitur ex suo Auctore, qui est Dominus, sequitur sanctitas ex Ipso, quae continue decantat et purificat illum; si tunc in hominis voluntate est desiderium et nisus ad illum, fit ille amor mundus et purus indies in perpetuum.
[2] Amor conjugialis vocatur coelestis et spiritualis, quia est apud Angelos coelorum, apud Angelos supremi Coeli coelestis, quia illi Angeli vocantur coelestes, et apud Angelos infra illud coelum est ille spiritualis, quia hi Angeli vocantur Spirituales; ita vocantur illi Angeli, quia Coelestes sunt Amores et inde Sapientiae, ac Spirituales sunt Sapientiae et inde Amores; simile est conjugiale illorum.
[3] Nunc quia Amor conjugialis est apud Angelos coelorum tam superiorum quam inferiorum, ut quoque in Primo Paragrapho de Conjugiis in Coelo ostensum est, constat quod ille sanctus et purus sit. Quod ille Amor in sua essentia ex sua derivatione spectatus sit sanctus et purus prae omni amore apud angelos et apud homines, est quia ille est sicut caput reliquorum amorum; de qua ejus eminentia, in nunc sequente Articulo aliqua dicentur.
Footnotes:
1. Sic in art. 4, 57 supra, et in Indice.