80. IX

THERE IS A MARRIAGE OF THE LORD AND THE CHURCH AND A DERIVATIVE MARRIAGE OF GOOD AND TRUTH IN EACH AND EVERY THING OF THE WORD

Hitherto this has not been seen, nor could it be seen, because the spiritual sense of the Word has not until now been disclosed, and it cannot be seen except by means of this sense. For in the Word two senses, the spiritual and the celestial, lie hidden within the sense of the letter. In the spiritual sense the things in the Word refer especially to the church, and in the celestial sense, especially to the Lord. In the spiritual sense they also refer to Divine truth, and in the celestial to Divine good. From this comes the marriage in question in the sense of the letter of the Word. But this appears to those only who know from the Word's spiritual and celestial sense the significations of the words and names, for some of these are predicated of good and some of truth, and some include both, so that without this knowledge the marriage that exists in each and every thing of the Word could not be seen. This is the reason why this secret has not been disclosed before.