163、他们进一步说，他们能分辨出那些赤身露体的人有没有婚姻关系。他们展示了他们如何从这些人对婚姻的属灵概念分辨出这一点。这种概念被传给我，大意是：内层的相似性通过良善与真理，因而通过爱与信的联结形成。这种联结的流注向下流入产生婚姻之爱的身体。因为心智的一切事物都以某种属世形像呈现在身体中；当两个人内心彼此相爱，并出于这爱渴望所愿所想和对方一样，以致他们的心智内层能同在并联结起来时，这便是婚姻之爱的形像。其心智的属灵情感就这样变成身体里的属世情感，并给自己披上婚姻之爱的感觉。其心智的属灵情感是对良善与真理及其结合的情感，因为心智或思维和意愿的一切事物都与真理并良善有关。他们还说，一个男人和数个妻子之间不可能有婚姻关系，因为发生在人们心智中的良善与真理的婚姻只在两个配偶之间才有可能。
163. Further, they said that when in the presence of their own people, meaning the inhabitants who were naked, they could perceive whether they had a reverence for marriage or not. I was shown that they were able to perceive this because of the spiritual image they had of marriage. They explained this image as a compatibility of [two] inner selves formed by a bond between their goodness and truth-and so their love and faith; and they said that as that bond flows down into their bodies it becomes manifest as marriage love. 1This is because everything that has to do with our lower minds shows up in some earthly likeness in the body. So there is an earthly manifestation of marriage love when the inner selves of two individuals love each other and when because of that love each one longs to will and to think as the other one does. This means that they want to be together and to be joined to one another in the deeper levels of their minds. As a result of this, the spiritual feelings in their minds become earthly feelings in their bodies and clothe themselves in a sensory experience of marriage love. The spiritual feeling in their minds is a love for what is good and what is true and for joining the two together, because everything mental, everything having to do with thinking and willing, goes back to truth and goodness.
They also said that no marriage like this exists between one husband and more than one wife because the marriage of goodness and truth, which is a marriage of minds, is not possible except between two.
Footnotes:
1. This discussion draws on the concept stated elsewhere in Swedenborg’s theological writings that the origin of marriage love is a marriage of love and wisdom in God. From that marriage comes a marriage of something good and something true in every created thing, both material and spiritual. For an extensive discussion of this concept, see the chapters in Marriage Love on real love in marriage (57-82) and on the source of love in marriage being a marriage of good and truth (83-115). See also Divine Love and Wisdom 40-60; Divine Providence 3-9; Second Sketch for “Marriage Love” (= Swedenborg 1975 = Swedenborg 1996d) 3, 70-71. [LSW]
163. They went on to say that they are able to tell whether those of their people who are naked have the conjugial principle. They showed how they could tell this from their spiritual concept of marriage, which was communicated to me. It was such that a likeness of interiors was formed by the linking of good and truth, that is, of love and faith. The influence of this link flowing down into the body produced conjugial love. For everything on the mental level is reproduced by some natural appearance in the body; and this is an appearance of conjugial love, when two people inwardly love each other, and also that love makes each wish to want and think the same things as the other, so that they wish the inner levels of their minds to be together and be joined. As a result the spiritual affection of their minds becomes a natural affection in the body and clothes itself with a feeling of conjugial love. The spiritual affections of their minds is an affection for good and truth and an impulse to link them; for all mental activities, that is, activities of thought and will, relate to truth and good. They also said that no conjugial connexion is possible between one man and several wives, since the marriage of good and truth, which takes place in people's minds, is impossible except between two partners.
163. They said further, that they have a perception whether the conjugial exists with those of their nation who are naked; and it was shown that they perceive this from a spiritual idea of marriage, which was communicated to me, to the effect that a similarity of interiors is formed by the conjunction of good and truth, thus of love and faith, and from that conjunction flowing down into the body conjugial love exists. For all things of the mind are presented in a certain natural appearance in the body, thus in the appearance of conjugial love, when the interiors of two mutually love each other, and from that love desire also to will and to think the one like the other, and so to be together and to be conjoined as to the interiors which are of the mind. Thus spiritual affection, which is of the minds, becomes natural affection in the body, and clothes itself with the sense of conjugial love. The spiritual affection which is of their minds is the affection of good and truth, and their conjunction; for all things of the mind, or of the thought and will, have relation to truth and good. They said also that what is given between one man and several wives is not at all conjugial, since the marriage of good and truth, which is of the minds, can be given only between two.
163. Dicebant porro, quod perceptionem habeant, num Conjugiale sit apud illos ex sua gente qui nudi sunt; et ostendebatur quod id percipiant ex idea spirituali de Conjugio, quae mecum communicata erat talis, ut similitudo interiorum esset formata per conjunctionem boni et veri, ita amoris et fidei, et quod ex illa conjunctione defluente in corpus existat amor conjugialis; nam omnia quae animi sunt, sistuntur in aliqua specie naturali in corpore, ita in specie amoris conjugialis, cum interiora duorum se mutuo amant, et quoque ex amore illo desiderant velle et cogitare unus sicut alter, ita quoad interiora quae mentis simul esse et conjungi; inde affectio spiritualis quae mentium fit naturalis in corpore, ac induit se sensu amoris conjugialis; affectio spiritualis quae mentium est affectio boni et veri, ac conjunctionis eorum, nam omnia mentis, seu cogitationis et voluntatis, se referunt ad verum et bonum. Dicebant etiam, quod prorsus non conjugiale detur inter unum virum et plures uxores, quoniam conjugium boni et veri, quod est mentium, non dabile est quam inter binos.