3196. I was shown by clear spiritual mental images how these cast themselves headlong into dreadful deaths, or deadly hellish qualities.
On one side was displayed enjoyment and happiness, how it opens up into very many kinds of happiness, then into more inward happiness, and toward heaven, together with complete freedom, so that one does not desire anything but to enter more and more deeply into the love of one's partner, thus into the inward, very inward, and innermost heaven, with happiness leading the way, inviting and desiring. And because love is of that nature, there is the greatest freedom, for so the Lord leads man to himself, so also there is absolutely no such delight in the universe as that of marriage love, as is known just from its outer delights-what delights may there not be if they are partners more deeply? And such marriage love is heaven on earth. The reason this is so is first, the Lord's love toward the Church; next, the propagation of the human race, the seedbed of heaven; then also, the coming forth and maintenance, or creation and conservation, of the universe is from marriage love.
3196. It was shown me, by manifest spiritual ideas, how such precipitate themselves into dreadful deaths, or deadly infernal [things]. On one side was presented pleasantness, and felicity, how it opens out into very many felicities, and thus into more interior felicities, and towards heaven with all liberty, so that it desires nothing else than to enter interiorly, and more interiorly into the love of the spouse [conjugial love], thus into the interior, more interior, and inmost heaven: thus felicity leads, invites, and desires; and because love is of such a nature. Such [a principle] is most free, for the Lord thus leads man to himself. Wherefore also, never in the universe, is such delight given as [pertains to] conjugial love, which is known from externals alone: what may not be in the interior, if there are such [delights in externals]: and such conjugial love is heaven on earth. The reason that it is so, is, first, the love of the Lord towards the church, next, the propagation of the human race, which is the seminary of heaven, next, also the existence and subsistence of the universe, or creation and preservation [arise] from conjugial love.
3196. Ostensum mihi est per manifestas ideas spirituales quomodo tales se praecipitant in diras mortes seu mortifera infernalia, ab una parte sistebatur jucunditas et felicitas, quomodo se aperit in felicitates perplures, et sic in felicitates intimiores, et versus coelum, cum omni libertate, sic ut non aliud desideret quam interius et intimius intrare in amorem conjugis, ita in coelum interius, intimius et intimum, felicitate ita ducente, invitante et desiderante, et quia amor talis, est liberrimum tale, nam ita ducit Dominus hominem ad semet, quare etiam nusquam tale delitium in universo datur quam amoris conjugialis, quod solum ab externis cognoscitur: quid non si interius tales sunt? estque 1
talis amor conjugialis coelum in terra; causa quod talis est prima est amor Domini erga Ecclesiam, tum est propagatio humani generis, quod est seminarium coeli, tum quoque est universi existentia et subsistentia, seu creatio et conservatio ex amore conjugiali.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has sunt; estque