A further reason is, because determinations to marriage are
delayed from various causes even to riper years, and in the mean time
the beginning of that love is as lust; which with some actually goes
astray into the love of the sex; yet with them it is indulged no further
than may be conducive to health. This, however, is to be understood as
spoken of the male sex, because it has enticements which actually
inflame it; but not of the female sex. From these considerations it is
evident that the love of the sex is not the origin of love truly
conjugial; but that it is its first rudiment in respect to time, yet not
in respect to end; for what is first in respect to end, is first in the
mind and its intention, because it is regarded as primary; but to this
first there is no approaching unless successively through mediums, and
these are not first in themselves, but only conducive to what is first
in itself.
99. X. DURING THE IMPLANTATION OF CONJUGIAL LOVE, THE LOVE OF THE SEX
INVERTS ITSELF AND BECOMES THE CHASTE LOVE OF THE SEX. It is said that
in this case the love of the sex inverts itself; because while conjugial
love is coming to its origin, which is in the interiors of the mind, it
sees the love of the sex not before itself but behind, or not above
itself but beneath, and thus as somewhat which it passes by and leaves.
Pages:
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224