Arcana Coelestia volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 42to internal things, and from these to celestial things, and so to theLord who was their all, and consequently to the heavenly marriage,from which they perceived the happiness of their marriages tocome. The understanding in the spiritual man they therefore calledmale, and the will female, and when these acted as a one they calledit a marriage. From that church came the form of speech whichbecame customary, whereby the church itself, from its affection ofgood, was called “daughter” and “virgin”—as the “virgin of Zion,”the “virgin of Jerusalem”—and also “wife.” But on these subjectssee the following chapter, at verse 23, and chapter 3, verse 15.55. Verse 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Befruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; andhave dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens,and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth. As the mostancient people called the conjunction of the understanding and thewill, or of faith and love, a marriage, everything of good producedfrom that marriage they called “fruitfulness,” and everything oftruth, “multiplications.” Hence they are so called in the prophets,as for instance in Ezekiel:I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall multiplyand be fruitful, and I will cause you to dwell as in your ancient times,and will do better unto you than at your beginnings, and ye shall knowthat I am Jehovah, yea, I will cause man to walk upon you, even mypeople Israel (Ezek. 36:11–12).By “man” is here meant the spiritual man who is called Israel; by“ancient times,” the most ancient church; by “beginnings,” theancient church after the flood. The reason why “multiplication,”which is of truth, is first mentioned, and “fruitfulness,” which is ofgood, afterwards, is that the passage treats of one who is to becomeregenerated, and not of one who is already regenerated.[2] When the understanding is united with the will, or faith withlove, the man is called by the Lord “a married land,” as in Isaiah: