SERMON IX.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT: THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."—Exodus xx. 14.
"This Commandment, in its natural or literal sense," says the New Church Doctrine, "forbids not only the commission of adultery, but also all obscene inclinations and actions, all lascivious thoughts and words. That lust itself is adultery, is plain from these words of the Lord: 'Ye have heard that it was said by those of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart.' The reason is, lust cherished in the will is the same as the deed: allurement enters only into the understanding, but intention enters into the will: and the intention of lust is the same as the deed itself."[1]
"The evil of adultery," continues the Doctrine of the church, "denies the internals of the mind above every other evil. Who may not know from reason, that unchasteness and lasciviousness are impure and unclean, and thus that nothing more deeply pollutes man and induces in him what is infernal?"[2]
"How profane and detestable adultery is, may be seen from the holiness of marriage. The delight of adultery," says the Doctrine of the Church, "is hell with man, as the delight of marriage is heaven with him: consequently, in proportion as man is in the one delight, in the same proportion he is not in the other. Who at this day believes that the love of adultery is the fundamental of all diabolical and infernal loves, as the chaste love of marriage is the fundamental of all heavenly and Divine loves; consequently, that in proportion as man is in the love of adultery, in the same proportion he is in every evil love, if not in act, yet in effort? and, on the other hand, in proportion as man is in the chaste love of marriage, in the same proportion he is in every good love, if not in act, yet in effort? Who at this day believes, that he who is in the love of adultery does not believe anything of the Word, consequently, not anything of the Church, yea, that in his heart he denies a God? and on the other hand, that he who is in the chaste love of marriage, is in charity and faith, and in love to God; also, that the chastity of marriage makes one with religion, and the lasciviousness of adultery makes one with naturalism? The reason why these things are at this day unknown, is, because the church is at its end, and devastated as to truth and as to good; and when the church is such, then the man of the church, by an influx from hell, comes into the persuasion that adulteries are not detestable and abominable; and hence he comes into the belief that marriages do not differ from adulteries in their essence, but only as to outward order; when yet the difference between them is such as the difference is between heaven and hell. Hence it is, that, in the Word, in its spiritual sense, heaven and the Church are signified by nuptials and marriages, and that hell and the rejection of all things of the Church are signified by adulteries and whoredoms."[3]
There are few things more striking in the Doctrines of the New Church, than the elevated view which they present of the nature of marriage. They show that true marriage has its origin in the conjunction of goodness and truth in the mind. Now, the conjunction of goodness and truth is what constitutes heaven: consequently, true marriage has its origin in heaven. Hence, in the Scriptures, particularly in the Gospels, heaven is frequently compared to a marriage. For instance, in the twenty-second chapter of Matthew, one of the Lord's parables commences with the words, "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage for his son." Here by the marriage of the king's son, is represented the union of the Lord with the Church; the king's son signifying the Lord in his Divine Humanity; for the Son signifies the Humanity, as by the Father is signified the essential Divinity,—both in the Lord. So, in the twenty-first chapter of the Apocalypse, the New Jerusalem, that is, the New Church, is called the Lamb's Bride and Wife: the Lamb, here, signifying the same as the Son in the parable, namely the Divine Humanity; for it is this to which the church is wedded; that is, the true church is to worship the Lord in His Divine Humanity: so will it be his true Bride, and be united to him.
Thus we see that marriage, in its highest representation, typifies the union or conjunction of the Lord and the Church. In a secondary sense, it represents the conjunction of goodness and truth in the mind; and this conjunction, as before said, is heaven. But these two representations of marriage are, in fact, one and the same; for in proportion as the man of the church worships the Lord in his Divine Humanity, and at the same time does his commandments, there is effected in his mind the conjunction of goodness and truth, which is heaven within him. And it is effected in this manner:—The man of the church learns truth from the Divine Word, and strives to put it into practice; and in proportion as he does so, the Lord sends down good into that truth, and gives it life and makes it spiritual and celestial. Thus is effected the conjunction of goodness and truth with man, and in the degree this conjunction is effected, he comes into a heavenly state of mind; he enjoys something of the peace of heaven even here, and is preparing to enjoy it fully hereafter.
In like manner, in the parable of the ten virgins,[4] we find the Lord again called a bridegroom, and heaven compared to a marriage. We read in that parable, that five of those virgins had oil in their lamps and five had none. By the ten virgins are represented all the professed members of the church: by those that had oil in their lamps, are signified such members of the church as have good as well as truth; while by those who had lamps but no oil are signified such as have the knowledge of truth, but no good of life adjoined to it, for oil signifies good or love. "At midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh." This signifies the coming of the Lord to judgment—and individually each one's particular judgment at death. "And those that were ready went in with him to the marriage:" that is, those who are found to have their lamps burning brightly from the oil in them,—in other words, whose souls are full of heavenly light from the conjunction of goodness with truth in their minds are received into heaven and happiness eternal.
We here see that heaven itself is represented in the Word by marriage, and, in fact, is so called. Hence may be seen the essential holiness of true marriage. On this subject the Doctrine of the New Church thus further speaks: "Marriage in the heavens is the conjunction of two into one mind. Mind consists of two parts, one of which is called understanding, and the other, will: when these two parts act in unity, they are called one mind. In this mind, the husband acts that part which is called the understanding, and the wife that which is called the will. When this conjunction, which is in the interiors, descends into the inferior principles which are of the body, it is perceived and felt as love, which is conjugial love. From which considerations it is evident that conjugial love has its origin in the conjunction of two into one mind. In proportion as two conjugial partners are in such conjunction, so far they are in conjugial love, and at the same time so far in intelligence, wisdom, and happiness. For Divine good and Divine truth, from which all intelligence, wisdom, and happiness are derived, flow principally into conjugial love; consequently conjugial love is the very plane itself of the Divine influx. The reason is, because conjugial love descends, as before said, from the conjunction of good and truth; and the conjunction of good and truth has its origin in the Divine love of the Lord towards all who are in the heavens and on earth. From Divine love proceeds Divine good, and Divine good is received by angels and men in Divine truths, truth being the only receptacle of good: wherefore nothing from the Lord and from heaven can be received by any one who is not in truths. So far, then, as the truths pertaining to man are conjoined to good, so far man is conjoined to the Lord and to heaven. Hence is the origin of conjugial love; wherefore it is the very plane of the Divine influx. And hence it is, that the conjunction of good and truth in the heavens is called the heavenly marriage; and that heaven, in the Word, is compared to a marriage, and is also called a marriage, and that the Lord is called the Bridegroom and Husband, and heaven, with the church, is called the bride and wife."[5]
From this view, now, of the holiness of marriage, and of its Divine and heavenly origin, may be seen, by contrast, the detestable and abominable nature of adultery, and why it is said, that as the chaste love of marriage is heaven with man, so the love of adultery is hell with him. "As soon as a man commits adultery," says the New Church Doctrine, "heaven is closed to him."[6] "It has been shown me," continues our author, "in what manner the delights of conjugial love advance towards heaven, and the delights of adultery towards hell. The advance of the delights of conjugial love towards heaven was into blessednesses continually increasing in number, till they became innumerable and ineffable; and as they advanced more interiorly into what were more innumerable and ineffable, they reached even to the very blessednesses and happinesses of the inmost heaven, or the heaven of innocence; and this by a principle of the most perfect freedom; for all freedom is from love, and thus the most perfect freedom is from conjugial love, which is heavenly love itself. But, on the other hand, the advance of adultery was towards hell, and by degrees to the lowest hell, where there is nothing but what is direful and horrible: such a lot awaits adulterers after their life in the world." It is added, "By adulterers are meant such as perceive delight in adulteries and no delight in marriage."[7]
From this representation of the infernal nature of adultery, may be seen the sinfulness of every thought or feeling that tends towards it, as the indulgence of any disorderly passions or inclinations, which may by possibility lead to such a criminal result. It is not merely in the act, as before shown, that the essence of the sin consists, but in the indulgence of evil thoughts and inclinations. "By committing adultery," says the Doctrine of the New Church, "is meant to be guilty of obscene practices, wanton discourse, or lewd thoughts."[8]
And now let us turn to the consideration of the spiritual sense of this Commandment.
"By committing adultery, in the spiritual sense," says the New Church Doctrine, "is meant to adulterate the good of the Word, and to falsify its truth: and in the celestial sense, to deny the holiness of the Word, and to profane it. That this, also, is meant by committing adultery, has been hitherto unknown, because the spiritual sense of the Word has been heretofore concealed. But that this is the true meaning, in the Word, of committing adultery and whoredom, is very manifest from many passages. For instance, the following:—'Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see if ye can find a man that doeth judgment, that seeketh truth. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery' (Jer. v. 1, 7). 'I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in falsehood' (xxiii. 14)."[9] "Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations. Thou playedst the harlot, because of thy name, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by. Thou didst take off thy garments, and deckedst thy high places with divers colors, and playedst the harlot thereupon. Thou also hast taken thy fair jewels of my gold and my silver which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them. [Here by jewels of gold and silver are signified the treasures of good and truth which the Lord had given to the church (Jerusalem); by 'making images of men' is signified to fabricate resemblances of genuine truths; and to commit whoredom with them, is thereby to falsify the Word.] 'Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors. Thou hast played the harlot also with the Assyrians, and hast multiplied thy whoredoms in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea' (Ezek. xvi. 1, 15—29). Who cannot see that by whoredoms here are signified the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good; and who can understand a single word of this passage, unless he knows that whoredom has such a signification? also unless he knows what is meant by the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and Chaldea, with whom Jerusalem is said to have committed adultery. It may be expedient therefore to show what these signify in the internal sense. By Jerusalem is signified the Church: by garments are signified truths which are perverted: by the Egyptians are signified scientifics, and by the Assyrians reasonings; and Chaldea signifies the profanation of truth."[10]
In the same manner are explained innumerable passages and whole chapters in the prophets, especially in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea, in which Jerusalem is spoken of as committing adultery and whoredom all which are entirely unintelligible, without this key to their spiritual sense. In order to represent the corrupt state of the Jewish Church, the prophet Hosea was commanded to take to wife a harlot. Thus, in Hosea, first chapter and second verse, we read, "And the Lord said to Hosea. Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms; for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord." Here by the land committing whoredom is signified the Church in a state of falsified truth, that is, a state in which the true meaning of the Word has been corrupted, and so interpreted as to defend falses and evils. So, in the New Testament, in the Apocalypse, Babylon, that is, the Christian church corrupted, is called the "Great Harlot." Thus in the fourteenth chapter,—"Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." "To make all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication," means to seduce men's minds by the falsification of the Word: wine, in a good sense, signifies spiritual truth, but here, truth falsified. So in the seventeenth chapter: "There came one of the seven angels, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom." By the kings of the earth are signified the truths of the Church, and by committing whoredom with them is meant to falsify or pervert them. It follows, "So he carried me away in the spirit, into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, and upon her forehead a name was written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." "By Babylon, here," says the Doctrine of the New Church, "is signified the Roman Catholic Religion, as to its interior hidden quality; that by reason of its originating from the love of dominion, grounded in self-love, over the holy things of the church and of heaven, thus over all things of the Lord and his Word,—it defiled and profaned the things that relate to the Word and thence to the church."
It may here briefly be explained what is meant by adulterating the good and falsifying the truth of the Word. "To falsify the Word, is to take truths out of it, and apply them to confirm what is false."[11] For instance, the Lord says, "Without me ye can do nothing:" now, if this passage be taken to confirm the false doctrine that man cannot keep the commandments, then that passage of the Word is falsified. To adulterate the good of the Word is still worse than to falsify its truth. To adulterate the good of the Word, is to make use of those holy teachings which command good actions, and turn them into a means of gratifying evil loves, as the love of riches and of power. This the Romish Church does, when she perverts the true meaning of such passages of the Word as teach to give to the poor, or to ascribe all things to the Lord, and makes them the means of drawing in wealth to herself; or when she translates the word signifying "Repent," by the expression "Do penance," thus making this Divine command a means of keeping her members under the power of the priest, and so securing dominion over the minds of men. And so in innumerable other instances.
The reason why such perversions and corruptions in the Church are compared to adulteries and whoredoms, is because the Church, as before shown, is called in the Word the Lord's Bride and Wife. When, then, the Church turns from the worship of him to the worship of idols, as was the case in the Jewish Church,—or when she turns away from the love of goodness and truth (which are the Lord) to the love of evil and falsity, then she turns from her true husband, and so is said to commit adultery. Moreover, as already explained, the union of goodness and truth constitutes the true heavenly marriage, from which true earthly marriage descends. When, therefore, goodness is divorced from truth, by the falsification of the Word, as is the case now, in great part, throughout the Protestant Church, by means of the establishment of the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, then there exists what may be called spiritual whoredom, for there can be no true marriage or union between goodness and falsity. And when, as in the Romish Church, the good of the Word is adulterated by being made the means of cherishing the evil loves of wealth and dominion, then there exists in men's minds a state of spiritual adultery, which, as the Doctrine of the New Church teaches, actually results in the sin of natural adultery, flowing as an effect from its spiritual cause. And it is a remarkable fact, that in those countries where the Romish religion prevails, as in France and Italy, the crime of adultery, as is well known, is exceedingly common, and thought comparatively little of, even in the higher circles of society; whereas, in Protestant countries, as in England, Sweden, parts of Germany, and America, adultery is by no means so common, but in its place there is found the sin of whoredom, and what is called the "social evil" extensively prevails. So striking is the correspondence between spiritual and natural things, and so close is their connection. Hence, then, it may be concluded, that the most effective means of removing these evils from the world will be the establishment of a true Church, in which the Lord shall be worshiped in his Divine Humanity, and thus the Church become again his true Bride or Wife; in which also goodness shall be united to truth, by the teaching of true Doctrines, and thus effecting a re-union between faith and charity, between true principles and good works. And when thus the true heavenly marriage is established in men's minds, there will result from it true earthly marriage, and all the evils that are opposite to marriage will be hated and shunned as sins against the Lord.
- ↑ True Christian Religion, n. 313.
- ↑ Conjugial Love, n. 477.
- ↑ Apocalypse Explained, n. 981.
- ↑ Matt. xxv.
- ↑ Treatise on Heaven and Hell, n. 367, 370, 371.
- ↑ H. and H., n. 384.
- ↑ Ibid., n. 386.
- ↑ Doctrine of Sacred Scripture, n. 67.
- ↑ T. C. R., n. 314.
- ↑ Arcana Cœlcstia, n. 8904.
- ↑ Apocalypse Revealed, n. 566.