84. Wisdom cannot exist with a man but by means of the love of growing
wise; if this love be taken away, it is altogether impossible for him to
become wise. Wisdom derived from this love is meant by the truth of
good, or by truth grounded in good: but when a man has procured to
himself wisdom from that love, and loves it in himself, or himself for
its sake, he then forms a love which is the love of wisdom, and is meant
by the good of truth, or by good grounded in that truth. There are
therefore two loves belonging to a man, whereof one, which is prior, is
the love of growing wise; and the other, which is posterior, is the love
of wisdom: but this latter love if it remains with man, is an evil love,
and is called self-conceit, or the love of his own intelligence. That it
was provided from creation, that this love should be taken out of the
man, lest it should destroy him, and should be transferred to the woman,
for the effecting of conjugial love, which restores man to integrity,
will be confirmed in the following pages. Something respecting those two
loves, and the transfer of the latter to the woman, may be seen above,
n.
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