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Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem · 9 of 14

Shunning Adulteries: Loving Chastity

74.IN PROPORTION AS ANY ONE SHUNS ADULTERIES OF EVERY KIND AS SINS, IN THE SAME PROPORTION HE LOVES CHASTITY. To “commit adultery,” as mentioned in the sixth (or as it is usually called, the seventh) commandment, means, in the natural sense, not only to commit whoredom, but also to do obscene things, to speak lascivious things, and to think about filthy things. But in the spiritual sense to “commit adultery” means to adulterate the goods of the Word, and to falsify its truths. In the highest sense to “commit adultery” means to deny the divinity of the Lord, and to profane the Word. These are the “adulteries of every kind.” The natural man is able to know from rational light that to “commit adultery” includes in its meaning the doing of things obscene, the speaking of things lascivious, and the thinking of things that are filthy; but he does not know that to commit adultery means also to adulterate the goods of the Word and to falsify its truths, and still less that it means to deny the divinity of the Lord and to profane the Word. Consequently neither does he know that adultery is so great an evil that it may be called diabolism itself, for he who is in natural adultery is also in spiritual adultery, and the converse. That this is so will be shown in a separate little work entitled De Conjugio. But those who from their faith and their life do not regard adulteries as sins, are in adulteries of every kind at once.

75.That in proportion as anyone shuns adultery, in the same proportion he loves marriage; or what is the same, in proportion as anyone shuns the lasciviousness of adultery, in the same proportion he loves the chastity of marriage, is because the lasciviousness of adultery and the chastity of marriage are two opposite things, and therefore in proportion as anyone is not in the one, he is in the other. It is precisely as has been said above at n. 70.

76.No one can know the nature of the chastity of marriage except the man who shuns as a sin the lasciviousness of adultery. For a man may know that in which he is, but cannot know that in which he is not. If from description or from thinking about it a man knows something in which he is not, he nevertheless knows of it merely as of something in the dark, and there remains some doubt about it, so that no one sees anything in the light and free from doubt until he is actually in it. This last therefore is to know, whereas the other is both to know and not to know. The truth is that the lasciviousness of adultery and the chastity of marriage stand toward each other exactly as do hell and heaven, and that the lasciviousness of adultery makes hell in a man, and the chastity of marriage makes heaven. But the chastity of marriage exists solely with the man who shuns as sin the lasciviousness of adultery. (See below, n. 111.)

77.From all this we can conclude and see, in no dubious manner, whether a man is a Christian or not, and even whether a man has any religion or not. If from his faith and from his life a man does not regard adulteries as sins, then he is not a Christian, and neither has he any religion. And on the other hand, if a man shuns adulteries as sins, and especially if on that account he feels aversion for them, and still more especially if on that account he abhors them, then he has religion, and if he is in the Christian Church he is a Christian. (But more about these matters in the little work entitled De Conjugio, and in the meantime see what has been said on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 366-386.)

78.That to “commit adultery” means also to do obscene things, to speak lascivious things, and to think about filthy things, is evident from the Lord’s words in Matthew: Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery but I say unto you that whosoever looketh on the woman of another to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (5:27, 28).

79.That to “commit adultery” in the spiritual sense means to adulterate the good of the Word and to falsify its truth, is evident from the following passages: Babylon hath made all the nations drink of the wine of her fornication (Rev. 14:8). The angel said, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication (Rev. 17:1, 2). Babylon hath made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her (Rev. 18:3). God hath judged the great harlot who did corrupt the earth with her fornication (Rev. 19:2). “Whoredom” is predicated of Babylon, because “Babylon” means those who arrogate to themselves the Lord’s Divine sovereign power, and profane the Word by adulterating and falsifying it; and for this reason Babylon is called: The mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth (Rev. 17:5). [2] The same is signified by “whoredom” in the prophets, as in Jeremiah: In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible obstinacy in committing adultery and walking in lying (23:14). And in Ezekiel: Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth; the one committed whoredom when she was Mine, and doted on her lovers the Assyrians her neighbors; she bestowed her whoredoms upon them, yet she forsook not her whoredoms in Egypt; the other corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms were more than the whoredoms of her sister; she added to her whoredoms, she loved the Chaldeans, the sons of Babel came to her to the bed of loves, and defiled her with their whoredom (23:2-17). These things are said of the Israelitish and the Jewish Church, here called the “daughters of one mother.” Their “whoredoms” mean adulterations and falsifications of the Word, and as in the Word “Egypt” signifies memory-knowledge, “Assyria” reasoning, “Chaldea” the profanation of truth, and “Babel” the profanation of good, it is said that they “committed whoredom” with them. [3] The same is said of “Jerusalem,” by which is signified the church in respect to doctrine: Thou didst trust in thy beauty, and didst commit whoredom because of thy renown, so that thou pouredst out thy whoredoms on everyone that passed by; thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbors, great of flesh, and hast multiplied thy whoredom; thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur; and when thou wast not satisfied with those with whom thou didst commit whoredom, thou hast multiplied thy whoredoms unto the land of traffic, to Chaldea. An adulterous woman that receiveth strangers instead of her husband! All give hire to their harlots, but thou hast given hire to all thy lovers that they may come unto thee on every side in thy whoredoms. Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah (Ezek. 16:15, 26, 28-29, 32-33, 35). That “Jerusalem” means the church may be seen in the Doctrine of the Lord (n. 62-63). (The like is signified by “whoredoms” in Isa. 23:17, 18; 57:3; Jer. 3:2, 6, 8, 9; 5:1, 7; 13:27; 29:23; Micah 1:7; Nahum 3:4; Hos. 4:10, 11; Lev. 20:5; Num. 14:33; 15:39; and elsewhere.) For the same reason the Lord called the Jewish nation: An adulterous generation (Matt. 12:39; 16:4; Mark 8:38).