that love
in the body; in consequence whereof, the spirit with these ultimates,
and these ultimates with the spirits, afterwards act in full communion.

442. XVI. THE DELIGHTS OF ADULTEROUS LOVE ARE THE PLEASURES OF INSANITY;
BUT THE DELIGHTS OF CONJUGIAL LOVE ARE THE DELIGHTS OF WISDOM. The
reason why the delights of adulterous love are the pleasures of insanity
is, because none but natural men are in that love, and the natural man
is insane in spiritual things, for he is contrary to them, and therefore
he embraces only natural, sensual, and corporeal delights. It is said
that he embraces natural, sensual, and corporeal delights, because the
natural principle is distinguished into three degrees: in the supreme
degree are those natural men who from rational sight see insanities, and
are still carried away by the delights thereof, as boats by the stream
of a river; in a lower degree are the natural men who only see and judge
from the senses of the body, despising and rejecting, as of no account,
the rational principles which are contrary to appearances and fallacies;
in the lowest degree are the natural men who without judgement are
carried away by the alluring stimulant heats of the body. These last are
called natural-corporeal, the former are called natural-sensual, but the
first natural. With these men, adulterous love and its insanities and
pleasures are of similar degrees.

443. The reason why the delights of conjugial love are the delights of
wisdom is, because none but spiritual men are in that love, and the
spiritual man is in wisdom; and hence he embraces no delights but such
as agree with spiritual wisdom. The respective qualities of the delights
of adulterous and of conjugial love, may be elucidated by a comparison
with houses: the delights of adulterous love by comparison with a house
whose walls glitter outwardly like sea shells, or like transparent
stones, called selenites, of a gold color; whereas in the apartments
within the walls, are all kinds of filth and nastiness: but the delights
of conjugial love may be compared to a house, the walls of which are
refulgent as with sterling gold, and the apartments within are
resplendent as with cabinets full of various precious stones.

* * * * *

444. To the above I shall add the following MEMORABLE RELATION. After I
had concluded the meditations on conjugial love, and had begun those on
adulterous love, on a sudden two angels pre