A Marriage of Man and Woman
The Development of the Will and Understanding - Part 1
By Rev. Paul Booth
The Development of the Will and Understanding - Part 1
By Rev. Paul Booth
Introduction - Have you ever wondered why God made man male and female and why He instituted a marriage between them? Is marriage necessary other than for the purpose of propagating the earth? Many countries look upon the family as the foundation of a good and strong country and have established laws of marriage for protecting families and concerning a life of marriage. All religions preach the sanctity of marriage of a man and women, considering at least its moral and civil necessities. In the writings of E. Swedenborg these questions are answered. And, the answer is so important that our very life, our happiness, depends on understanding and believing in marriage between man and woman for society to be strengthened and to prevent any civil or moral erosion from happening.
We begin with the premise that the marriage of a man and women is of Divine order as is all civil and moral laws. In that marriage of a man and woman there is seen represented how all true life comes to us and that without such life we are as 'dead'. I say 'true' life distinguishing it from natural life, which even animals and plants have. First, there is nothing in Heaven or in the world that does not have the marriage of good and truth in it, which has proceeded from the Divine. In all creatures there is a purpose and a use and, therefore, there is good. No one in their right mind would say that this is an evil animal or that one no matter how they have been categorized. There is nothing more necessary for man to know than to know what good and truth are, that they (good and truth) have respect one for the other, for when conjoined they make one. It was pointed out in the lecture - Mankind: The development of God's Presence - the Church - that the true Church is in man the presence of the Lord. So, one sees that man should have a relationship to good and truth just as all things in Heaven and the world have, for these are God's and come from God.
Since it is of Divine order that there is a marriage between man and woman, then good and truth are to be conjoined or married and not separated in them. This, also, is true of the marriage of a man and woman: In marriage, they shall become as one 'flesh'. How they become one will be shown later on. Of all the qualities that we see in the Divine, Good and Truth is primary and, these in the Divine, which is in God, are not divided, but they are one, neither are they divided in Heaven? In fact, in this the unity of good and truth the Heavenly marriage is seen, for all that are there in Heaven, are in that marriage of good and truth. Heaven in the Word is compared to a marriage in this way. The Lord, that is, God, is called the Bridegroom and Husband, while Heaven is called the Bride and Wife. Thus, it is, on this wise; that the true Church with man is also the Bride and Wife, for the Church in man receives Divine Good in truths as those in Heaven do. Simply put the truth we come to know and accept from God enables us to receive His Divine quality of good and this makes Heaven in us, even while we are here on earth.
Now, we would say that each of us has a soul and a spirit. Otherwise, we are no different than all the other creatures of the world. Another way to express this is that we have within us both a celestial and a spiritual degree. Our true life is in these and from them we have intelligence and wisdom when they are conjoined within us in a marriage of good and truth.
In man the spiritual and the celestial are distinct from each other and, in truth, most men do not know or accept them as anything other than as a religious invention, because they are not learned from (natural) scientific facts. It was in the lecture - Mankind: The Development of God's Presence - the Church - that the separation of good and truth in man was seen when mankind fell from his celestial state in the Most Ancient Church and even later from his spiritual state in the Ancient Church. Yet, it is intelligence and wisdom that makes our mind a receptacle of God's good and truth. Thus, it is in the mind that the true life of man exists. Our life comes from the Divine and thus, the qualities good and truth flow 'as it were' into our mind, which are the faculties of our will and understanding. When these, in man, are divided a man is said not to be of sound mind. Everything with man has relation to his will and his understanding, because good with man belongs to his will and truth with man belongs to his understanding. These two make what is our love and faith, for love belongs to good and faith to truth, but this subject will be for another lecture.
One sees, here, then, how important it is to know how our will and the understanding make one mind, just as good and truth joined together in us make one true life and is called the Divine marriage. Thus, a man's will is the very Esse or being of his life, for what a man loves, he wills and does, and a man's understanding is the Existere or existence of his life from that Esse or love. From this, we can say that only those who are in good and truth have a will and an understanding. Those who are in evil and falsity do not have a will and understanding, instead they have lust in place of a will and knowledge in place of the understanding.
The Lord creates man both male and female and in them there should be a marriage of good and truth. However, this is possible only as his faculties of willing and understanding are in him as one mind and are not divided. Herein, lies the true human.
The Mind
It was stated each person, whether male or female, have will and understanding and, as such, good and truth can be received and, so, a Heavenly marriage of the good and truth can be within and make their mind one in which Heaven is. When we think about the human mind, what is it that we think about? Isn't it the various thoughts, perceptions, and their affections that come into it? I think we understand that thought cannot occur without some affection, that is, without love. Our thoughts are either of truths or falsities and are either of affections of good or evil or hatred. In the study of the religious writings of E. Swedenborg, one learns of a higher love and learns that it is called, 'conjugial love', just as in religions and philosophies one learns that there are different loves - love of self, brotherly love, love of wife and husband, and love for God. Therefore, we come to learn that this love, 'conjugial love', wants to share its own with another, and that unless there is a conjunction or a marriage between good and truth in man there is no true love or life, though there may be a natural longing, a desire and knowledge and an apparent life.
We know that the natural understanding of marriage is only according to our natural senses. Now, we know that there is the desire to be conjoined with the opposite sex when there is this physical attraction and longing for another. I believe most of us have experienced such affection or love in more than a merely sensual level or degree. In this love we see a desire to share our life with another and particularly with our wife or husband. And, it is in this that we have pleasure. So, in this love one sees a little of what 'conjugial love' is; it is that good with its truth that needs to reside within us in the spiritual and the celestial regions of our mind and not only in natural thoughts and affections.
We begin with the premise that the marriage of a man and women is of Divine order as is all civil and moral laws. In that marriage of a man and woman there is seen represented how all true life comes to us and that without such life we are as 'dead'. I say 'true' life distinguishing it from natural life, which even animals and plants have. First, there is nothing in Heaven or in the world that does not have the marriage of good and truth in it, which has proceeded from the Divine. In all creatures there is a purpose and a use and, therefore, there is good. No one in their right mind would say that this is an evil animal or that one no matter how they have been categorized. There is nothing more necessary for man to know than to know what good and truth are, that they (good and truth) have respect one for the other, for when conjoined they make one. It was pointed out in the lecture - Mankind: The development of God's Presence - the Church - that the true Church is in man the presence of the Lord. So, one sees that man should have a relationship to good and truth just as all things in Heaven and the world have, for these are God's and come from God.
Since it is of Divine order that there is a marriage between man and woman, then good and truth are to be conjoined or married and not separated in them. This, also, is true of the marriage of a man and woman: In marriage, they shall become as one 'flesh'. How they become one will be shown later on. Of all the qualities that we see in the Divine, Good and Truth is primary and, these in the Divine, which is in God, are not divided, but they are one, neither are they divided in Heaven? In fact, in this the unity of good and truth the Heavenly marriage is seen, for all that are there in Heaven, are in that marriage of good and truth. Heaven in the Word is compared to a marriage in this way. The Lord, that is, God, is called the Bridegroom and Husband, while Heaven is called the Bride and Wife. Thus, it is, on this wise; that the true Church with man is also the Bride and Wife, for the Church in man receives Divine Good in truths as those in Heaven do. Simply put the truth we come to know and accept from God enables us to receive His Divine quality of good and this makes Heaven in us, even while we are here on earth.
Now, we would say that each of us has a soul and a spirit. Otherwise, we are no different than all the other creatures of the world. Another way to express this is that we have within us both a celestial and a spiritual degree. Our true life is in these and from them we have intelligence and wisdom when they are conjoined within us in a marriage of good and truth.
In man the spiritual and the celestial are distinct from each other and, in truth, most men do not know or accept them as anything other than as a religious invention, because they are not learned from (natural) scientific facts. It was in the lecture - Mankind: The Development of God's Presence - the Church - that the separation of good and truth in man was seen when mankind fell from his celestial state in the Most Ancient Church and even later from his spiritual state in the Ancient Church. Yet, it is intelligence and wisdom that makes our mind a receptacle of God's good and truth. Thus, it is in the mind that the true life of man exists. Our life comes from the Divine and thus, the qualities good and truth flow 'as it were' into our mind, which are the faculties of our will and understanding. When these, in man, are divided a man is said not to be of sound mind. Everything with man has relation to his will and his understanding, because good with man belongs to his will and truth with man belongs to his understanding. These two make what is our love and faith, for love belongs to good and faith to truth, but this subject will be for another lecture.
One sees, here, then, how important it is to know how our will and the understanding make one mind, just as good and truth joined together in us make one true life and is called the Divine marriage. Thus, a man's will is the very Esse or being of his life, for what a man loves, he wills and does, and a man's understanding is the Existere or existence of his life from that Esse or love. From this, we can say that only those who are in good and truth have a will and an understanding. Those who are in evil and falsity do not have a will and understanding, instead they have lust in place of a will and knowledge in place of the understanding.
The Lord creates man both male and female and in them there should be a marriage of good and truth. However, this is possible only as his faculties of willing and understanding are in him as one mind and are not divided. Herein, lies the true human.
The Mind
It was stated each person, whether male or female, have will and understanding and, as such, good and truth can be received and, so, a Heavenly marriage of the good and truth can be within and make their mind one in which Heaven is. When we think about the human mind, what is it that we think about? Isn't it the various thoughts, perceptions, and their affections that come into it? I think we understand that thought cannot occur without some affection, that is, without love. Our thoughts are either of truths or falsities and are either of affections of good or evil or hatred. In the study of the religious writings of E. Swedenborg, one learns of a higher love and learns that it is called, 'conjugial love', just as in religions and philosophies one learns that there are different loves - love of self, brotherly love, love of wife and husband, and love for God. Therefore, we come to learn that this love, 'conjugial love', wants to share its own with another, and that unless there is a conjunction or a marriage between good and truth in man there is no true love or life, though there may be a natural longing, a desire and knowledge and an apparent life.
We know that the natural understanding of marriage is only according to our natural senses. Now, we know that there is the desire to be conjoined with the opposite sex when there is this physical attraction and longing for another. I believe most of us have experienced such affection or love in more than a merely sensual level or degree. In this love we see a desire to share our life with another and particularly with our wife or husband. And, it is in this that we have pleasure. So, in this love one sees a little of what 'conjugial love' is; it is that good with its truth that needs to reside within us in the spiritual and the celestial regions of our mind and not only in natural thoughts and affections.