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 does not exist in heaven. Heaven itself is a marriage, and true marriage is heaven. They whom God has created for each other, must be eternally as well as spiritually one, when God himself has once joined them together.

In concluding this Discourse, I would earnestly call the attention of the younger members of the Church especially to the importance of regarding marriage as essentially a spiritual union, which cannot exist in its true state but in connection with pure and undefiled religion. Marriage is not of man, but of God. It cannot be derived from any combination of earthly affection and worldly prudence; it descends only from the marriage of heavenly love and wisdom in the mind, which looks not merely to temporal but also to eternal happiness. Those who would hope to reap its spiritual benefits, should remember that the choice or election of a partner must be made, not only from the promptings of love, but according to the dictates of wisdom. Natural love only is blind. Wisdom is the middle principle between genuine masculine and feminine love. It is true that they meet, and know and approve each other. Nor can true masculine and feminine love meet but in wisdom, for they only love truly who love wisely. Marriage, grounded in genuine love, and sanctioned by genuine wisdom, will be found to realise its highest promises. Conjugial love, before marriage, is like the bud of the beautiful flower—the flower as yet folded and wrapped in its coverings. Marriage unfolds and makes it