AC 4835, 4837 - What the Church Is and the Marriage Within

AC 4835 [3]

. . . the church is a church
from the marriage of good and truth;
and when the church is in this marriage
it makes one with heaven,
which is the heavenly marriage itself.

AC 4837 [2, 3]

. . . they were permitted to have more wives than one;
for where there is the conjugial
as understood in a spiritual sense, that is,
where the good and truth of the church are,
consequently where the church is,
this is by no means permitted,
for the genuine conjugial is never possible
except among those
with whom the church
or kingdom of the Lord is,
and not with these except between two.
Marriage between two persons
who are in genuine conjugial love
corresponds to the heavenly marriage,
that is, to the conjunction of good and truth,
the husband corresponding to good,
and the wife to the truth of this good;
moreover, when they are in genuine conjugial love,
they are in this heavenly marriage.
Therefore wherever the church is,
it is never permitted to have more wives than one . . ..

The church is an image of heaven;
for it is the kingdom of the Lord on earth.
Heaven is distinguished into many general societies,
and into lesser ones subordinate to these;
but still they are one through good;
for the truths of faith there
are in agreement according to good;
for they have regard to good, and are from it.
If heaven were distinguished
according to the truths of faith,
and not according to good,
there would be no heaven,
for there would be no unanimity;
for the angels could not have from the Lord
a oneness of life, or one soul.
This is possible only in good,
that is in love to the Lord,
and in love toward the neighbor.
For love conjoins all;
and when everyone has love for good and truth,
they have a common life, which is from the Lord,
and thus have the Lord, who conjoins all.
The love of good and truth
is what is called love toward the neighbor;
for the neighbor is he who is in good and so in truth,
and in the abstract sense is good itself and its truth.
From these things it may be seen
why within the church
marriage must be
between one husband and one wife . . ..