o his external and his internal;
and every one, while he is in his external, is wise, that is, he wishes
to appear wise, even though he be wicked; but a wicked person internally
is insane. By those changes he is enabled to see his follies, and to
repent of them: but if he had not repented in the world, he cannot
afterwards; for he loves his follies, and wishes to remain in them:
therefore he forces his external also to be equally insane: thus his
internal and his external become a one; and when this is effected, he is
prepared for hell. But it is otherwise with a good spirit: such a one,
as in the world he had looked unto God and had repented, was more wise
in his internal than in his external: in his external also, through the
allurements and vanities of the world, he was sometimes led astray;
therefore his external is likewise reduced to agreement with his
internal, which, as was said, is wise; and when this is effected he is
prepared for heaven. From these considerations it may plainly appear,
how the case is in regard to putting off the external and putting on the
internal after death.
49. V. IF THEY CAN LIVE TOGETHER, THEY REMAIN MARRIED PARTNERS; BUT IF
THEY CANNOT, THEY SEPARATE; SOMETIMES THE HUSBAND FROM THE WIFE,
SOMETIMES THE WIFE FROM THE HUSBAND, AND SOMETIMES EACH FROM THE OTHER.
The reason why separations take place after death is, because the
conjunctions which are made on earth are seldom made from any internal
perception of love, but from an external perception, which hides the
internal. The external perception of love originates in such things as
regard the love of the world and of the body. Wealth and large
possessions are peculiarly the objects of worldly love, while dignities
and honors are those of the love of the body: besides these objects,
there are also various enticing allurements, such as beauty and an
external polish of manners, and sometimes even an unchasteness of
character. Moreover, matrimonial engagements are frequently contracted
within the particular district, city, or village, in which the parties
were born, and where they live; in which case the choice is confined and
limited to families that are known, and to such as are in similar
circumstances in life: hence matrimonial connections made in the world
are for the most part external, and not at the same time internal; when
yet it is the internal conjunction, or the conjunction of souls, which
constitutes a real marriage; and this
|