A Marriage of Man and Woman
The Development of the Will and Understanding - Part 4
By Rev. Paul Booth
The Development of the Will and Understanding - Part 4
By Rev. Paul Booth
Now, let us try to understand why it is that the woman inspires or insinuates love into the man. It is because the man does not have conjugial love, remember, what is prominent in him is his understanding and, if not for his wife or the female sex in general, the love of wisdom in him would remain and he would become prideful and eventually turn to evil. The man loves his wife because of the love of wisdom that is in her from him. We can see that the woman is the love or the will of his life, while the man is the wisdom or the understanding of her life and when these become one in each of them there is then a marriage between them. There, love is conjoined; there, there is a union of Divine Good with Divine Truth within each of them.
We all have rational and moral wisdom. Rational wisdom belongs to our understanding. Although moral wisdom also belongs to the understanding, however, it also belongs to life. And, in life there are delights and pleasures and, so, affections. It is these that constitute our life. Thus, we come to see that life is in the understanding of truth and in the willing of good. The Lord through Swedenborg informs us that through our rational wisdom science, intelligence and wisdom are learned and we may become intelligent and even wise. The virtues of man's moral wisdom are call temperance, which speaks of self-restraint, benevolence, friendship, sincerity, courtesy, etc. Still, there is spiritual moral virtue, which come from God and from love towards the neighbor. These are known as the laws of religion - charity, truth, faith, conscience, innocence, etc. It is in these that justice and judgment are dominant - justice in moral wisdom and judgment in rational wisdom.
Now, because the wife loves her husband's wisdom, she understands his rational from within her; she inwardly recognizes and favors his love. And, since her moral wisdom is very similar as her husband's, she can conjoin them by partaking of her man's intellect or of his will. Thus, they are like a marriage of the understanding and will or of truth and good. In fact, the wife knows these virtues in her man better than he does. Her conjunction with her husband's moral wisdom is from without, but with his rational wisdom it is from within. She knows her husband's affections and can moderate them. She has a special perception. Thus, from a love of what is good she can effect conjunction with her husband unknown to him. She stores his affections within her heart and mind. This is a declaration of her love for her husband.
We see that the wife has her wisdom from the perception of her husband's affections, and that the husband's rational wisdom is moderated by her love, but that neither the wife's wisdom or the husband's rational wisdom is possible with the other. In this, we see the difference between the masculine and the feminine. Man receives from his understanding; the woman receives from her love. Both can perceive from understanding and love, it is just that the one is more prominent in them than in the other. It is the understanding that perceives things above the body and beyond the world. The will perceives things of the body and the world, which are things of life. Therefore, because of the difference, the woman perceives things of life and the man rational things of spiritual insight. From this a woman may perceive things beyond her feelings by drawing upon the conjunction with her husband's understanding. Again, the wife's wisdom is from her love; the man's wisdom is from his understanding. One is of good and the other is of truth.
We have talked about an inclination and a faculty in each to unite one with the other, the woman with the man. Let us see what it is that draws the opposite sex. Isn't there a natural sphere that draws animals and even plants together? With humans, also, there is a sphere that goes out from the love that we have. It is seen in the attraction of and searching for a mate in all creation. The concept that from love, which is a spiritual entity that a sphere goes forth is understandable when we think that the love of the male and the female, when conjoined reproduces itself. The wife's sphere of her love is her sphere of life and from her love of her husband's wisdom, and so she is conjoined with him. This is by appropriating, or receiving what is his own - those forces of manhood. Still, this takes place only when there is mutual spiritual love, that is, if there is the love of the neighbor or, as we pointed out earlier, charity. There also must be the love of truth, which we have shown, proceeds from the God. Thus, there needs to be love to God. One can see that it is the wife that causes conjunction between her and her husband. Such a life is unanimous with her husband causing a union of their souls and minds. What we have, here, is that the many things of the husband's mind are received by the wife's ability to appropriate her husband's wisdom, resulting in them becoming 'one flesh', so to speak.
In review, we see the inclination and the conjunction of the woman, her special perception to know her husband, the sphere of her love and life, her ability to appropriate her husband's manhood or wisdom is that what causes amazing and wonderful results. This causes her the ability to communicate and know her husband's love, she perceives from communication. She sees from the aspect of appearances of things in his life. She becomes his love. Basically, the woman is created to be the will of good, the husband the understanding of truth. They are good and truth in form, and when they become one, good is in truth and truth is in good and, the one is of the other. The one acknowledges the other mutually and reciprocally. This marriage is the source of conjugial love in the husband and the wife.
From this we see that each has their specific use. The woman's is the use of love or good. The man's is his use of wisdom or of truth. And, when united in conjugial marriage the results are they receive and enjoy the happiness of Heaven. In such a marriage, each has their proper offices or uses. The woman fills the use of love or of good, the man the use of wisdom or truth. And, what is meant here is their leading roles as either wife or husband and not various professions that may have been traditionally either for the male or the female. Basically, the man's use is of justice and judgment while the woman's is of love, that is, affection. In marriage they mutually aid one another and the two offices are conjoined, example: the education of their children and the management of the home.
Such a marriage is a conjunction of minds, and is an effort to conjoin the body. And, in this marriage there is the marriage of good and truth, and that of will and understanding. Love conjoins not wisdom. If not for the wife there would not be any conjugial love with mankind. It is the wife who, for the most part, makes this happen. In the marriage of good and truth in us there is contained innocence and peace, also tranquility and inmost friendship, and where there is full confidence, a mutual desire of the mind and the heart to do every good to the other.
You can, now, understand why we are created male and female and why there was established a marriage between one man with one woman, one for the reception of wisdom, the other for the reception of love of the wisdom, that we might both receive Divine love from God. We are recipients of good and truth; we may receive all things blessed, become happy and delight in all things, and have pleasure, which comes from Divine Love through Divine Wisdom.
End.
We all have rational and moral wisdom. Rational wisdom belongs to our understanding. Although moral wisdom also belongs to the understanding, however, it also belongs to life. And, in life there are delights and pleasures and, so, affections. It is these that constitute our life. Thus, we come to see that life is in the understanding of truth and in the willing of good. The Lord through Swedenborg informs us that through our rational wisdom science, intelligence and wisdom are learned and we may become intelligent and even wise. The virtues of man's moral wisdom are call temperance, which speaks of self-restraint, benevolence, friendship, sincerity, courtesy, etc. Still, there is spiritual moral virtue, which come from God and from love towards the neighbor. These are known as the laws of religion - charity, truth, faith, conscience, innocence, etc. It is in these that justice and judgment are dominant - justice in moral wisdom and judgment in rational wisdom.
Now, because the wife loves her husband's wisdom, she understands his rational from within her; she inwardly recognizes and favors his love. And, since her moral wisdom is very similar as her husband's, she can conjoin them by partaking of her man's intellect or of his will. Thus, they are like a marriage of the understanding and will or of truth and good. In fact, the wife knows these virtues in her man better than he does. Her conjunction with her husband's moral wisdom is from without, but with his rational wisdom it is from within. She knows her husband's affections and can moderate them. She has a special perception. Thus, from a love of what is good she can effect conjunction with her husband unknown to him. She stores his affections within her heart and mind. This is a declaration of her love for her husband.
We see that the wife has her wisdom from the perception of her husband's affections, and that the husband's rational wisdom is moderated by her love, but that neither the wife's wisdom or the husband's rational wisdom is possible with the other. In this, we see the difference between the masculine and the feminine. Man receives from his understanding; the woman receives from her love. Both can perceive from understanding and love, it is just that the one is more prominent in them than in the other. It is the understanding that perceives things above the body and beyond the world. The will perceives things of the body and the world, which are things of life. Therefore, because of the difference, the woman perceives things of life and the man rational things of spiritual insight. From this a woman may perceive things beyond her feelings by drawing upon the conjunction with her husband's understanding. Again, the wife's wisdom is from her love; the man's wisdom is from his understanding. One is of good and the other is of truth.
We have talked about an inclination and a faculty in each to unite one with the other, the woman with the man. Let us see what it is that draws the opposite sex. Isn't there a natural sphere that draws animals and even plants together? With humans, also, there is a sphere that goes out from the love that we have. It is seen in the attraction of and searching for a mate in all creation. The concept that from love, which is a spiritual entity that a sphere goes forth is understandable when we think that the love of the male and the female, when conjoined reproduces itself. The wife's sphere of her love is her sphere of life and from her love of her husband's wisdom, and so she is conjoined with him. This is by appropriating, or receiving what is his own - those forces of manhood. Still, this takes place only when there is mutual spiritual love, that is, if there is the love of the neighbor or, as we pointed out earlier, charity. There also must be the love of truth, which we have shown, proceeds from the God. Thus, there needs to be love to God. One can see that it is the wife that causes conjunction between her and her husband. Such a life is unanimous with her husband causing a union of their souls and minds. What we have, here, is that the many things of the husband's mind are received by the wife's ability to appropriate her husband's wisdom, resulting in them becoming 'one flesh', so to speak.
In review, we see the inclination and the conjunction of the woman, her special perception to know her husband, the sphere of her love and life, her ability to appropriate her husband's manhood or wisdom is that what causes amazing and wonderful results. This causes her the ability to communicate and know her husband's love, she perceives from communication. She sees from the aspect of appearances of things in his life. She becomes his love. Basically, the woman is created to be the will of good, the husband the understanding of truth. They are good and truth in form, and when they become one, good is in truth and truth is in good and, the one is of the other. The one acknowledges the other mutually and reciprocally. This marriage is the source of conjugial love in the husband and the wife.
From this we see that each has their specific use. The woman's is the use of love or good. The man's is his use of wisdom or of truth. And, when united in conjugial marriage the results are they receive and enjoy the happiness of Heaven. In such a marriage, each has their proper offices or uses. The woman fills the use of love or of good, the man the use of wisdom or truth. And, what is meant here is their leading roles as either wife or husband and not various professions that may have been traditionally either for the male or the female. Basically, the man's use is of justice and judgment while the woman's is of love, that is, affection. In marriage they mutually aid one another and the two offices are conjoined, example: the education of their children and the management of the home.
Such a marriage is a conjunction of minds, and is an effort to conjoin the body. And, in this marriage there is the marriage of good and truth, and that of will and understanding. Love conjoins not wisdom. If not for the wife there would not be any conjugial love with mankind. It is the wife who, for the most part, makes this happen. In the marriage of good and truth in us there is contained innocence and peace, also tranquility and inmost friendship, and where there is full confidence, a mutual desire of the mind and the heart to do every good to the other.
You can, now, understand why we are created male and female and why there was established a marriage between one man with one woman, one for the reception of wisdom, the other for the reception of love of the wisdom, that we might both receive Divine love from God. We are recipients of good and truth; we may receive all things blessed, become happy and delight in all things, and have pleasure, which comes from Divine Love through Divine Wisdom.
End.