Man was so created as to be spiritual and celestial love, and thus an image and likeness of God.  Spiritual love, which is a love for truth, is an image of God; and celestial love, which is a love for good, is a likeness of God.  All angels in the third heaven are likenesses of God; and all angels in the second heaven are images of God.  Man can become the love which is an image or likeness of God only by a marriage of good and truth; for good and truth inmostly love one another, and ardently long to be united that they may be one; and for the reason that Divine good and Divine truth go forth from the Lord united, therefore they must be united in an angel of heaven and in a man of the church.

This union is by no means possible except by a marriage of two minds into one, since, as has been said before, man was created to be an understanding of truth, and thus a truth, and woman was created to be an affection for good, and thus a good; therefore in them a conjunction of good and truth is possible.  For marriage love which descends from that conjunction is the veriest medium by which man (homo) becomes the love that is an image or likeness of God.  For the married pair who are in conjugal love from the Lord love one another mutually and reciprocally from the heart, thus from inmosts; and therefore although apparently two they are actually one, two in respect to their bodies, but one in respect to life.

This may be compared to the eyes, which are two as organs but one in respect to the sight; also to the ears, which are two as organs but one in respect to hearing; so, too, the arms and the feet are two as members but one in respect to use, the arms one in respect to action, and the feet one in respect to walking.  So with the other pairs with man.  All these have reference to good and truth, the organ or member on the right to good, and that on the left to truth.  It is the same with a husband and wife between whom there is a true marriage love; they are two in respect to their bodies but one in respect to life; consequently in heaven the married pair are not called two angels but one.  All this makes clear that through marriage man becomes a form of love, and thus a form of heaven, which is an image and likeness of God.

Man is born into a love of evil and falsity, which love is the love of adultery; and this love cannot be turned about and changed into spiritual love, which is an image of God, and still less into celestial love, which is a likeness of God, except by a marriage of good and truth from the Lord, and not fully except by a marriage of two minds and two bodies.  From this it is clear why marriages are heavenly and adulteries infernal; for marriage is an image of heaven, and true marriage love is an image of the Lord, while adultery is an image of hell, and love of adultery is an image of the devil.  Moreover, marriage love appears in the spiritual world in form like an angel, and love of adultery in form like a devil.  Reader, treasure this up within you, and after death, when you are living as a spirit-man, inquire whether this is true, and you will see. (A.E., n. 984.)