which had made them pittied them and it did look whether there were any remedy or counsell that might help poor Man and redeeme or deliver him from the Bands of the Eternall fiercenesse or wrath and from the mortall body of this world but there was nothing found neither in Heaven nor in this world that could make them free there was no Principality or Throne-Angel which had the ability to doe it all was lost they were in the Eternall Judgement of the Temporall and Eternall Death For the first Principle had captivated them in the Spirit of the soule and qualified or mingled with the soule the Kingdome of Heaven in the Light was shut up and there was a firme enclosure of a whole Principle between and it could not reach the kingdome of Heaven againe except that it were borne of God againe otherwise there was no counsell nor help nor refuge in any thing at all 96. Then the Devill mocked the Image and Hell opened its jawes wide and had the bridle in their Essences and continually drew them therewith towards the hellish fire of the fierce wrath and then there was trembling and horrour in the minde and they could not reach the love of God Heaven was their Enemy no Angel came neere them but the horrible Devills they shewed themselves and hooped crying Ho ho wee have gotten the Game wee are Princes over Men wee will torment them soundly because they would have possessed our Throne wee should have been their footstoole and now wee are their Judges what care wee for God he dwelleth not in our kingdome wherefore hath he thrust us out wee will be sure to wreake our spleene upon his Image The most pleasant and most lovely Gate or Exposition of the promise of the Treader upon the Serpent highly to be considered 97. Now when no counsell or remedy was found and that Man was sunk downe into Hell to the great Triumph of the Devills then said God to the Serpent the Devill Because thou hast done thus be thou cursed and the seede of the Woman shall tread upon or break thy Head and thou shalt bruise or wound his Heele at which the Abysse of Hell did quake and tremble but the Devill understood not wholly what that should be onely he saw that the word imagined or represented it selfe in Adam and in Eve in the Centre of Life and that it opposed the fiercenesse of the kingdome of Hell of which he stood in feare and his jollity was lessened for he did nor relish that 98. Moses writeth here as if the Serpent had beguiled Eve because God cursed it and said That it should eate Earth and creepe upon its belly but Moses here putteth the vayle before our eyes that he cannot be looked in the Face for all Prophecies stand in dark words that the Devill may not know nor apprehend them and learne the Times and that he may not strow his false seede before the wonders of God appeare as may be seene in all the Prophets who prophesied of the Treader upon the Serpent 99. Wee know that the Devill slipt into the Serpent and spake out of the Serpent for God did not meane by it that the Treader upon the Serpent should tread upon the head of the beastiall Serpent but that he should destroy the Devill and the Abysse of Hell But that was the Punishment of the Beastiall Serpent that it should remaine a poysonous Worme without feete and eate Earth and have communion with the Devill for so all Evill Spirits in Hell appeare in their own forme according to their source or quality as Serpents Dragons horrible Wormes and evill Beasts 100. This now the Devill did not understand because God spake of the Serpent and cursed it to be a horrible Worme and he supposed that it did not concerne him neither doth he yet know his own judgement he knoweth onely what he learneth from Men that doe declare things in the Spirit of God yet the Spirit of God doth not wholly intimate his Judgement to him but all in the Depth afarre off so that he cannot wholly understand it For to the enlightened Men all Prophesies even concerning the wickednesse of Men are thus given and they dare not set them downe clearer that the Devill may not wholly learne the Counsell of God and strow his Sugar upon it though in this place there are very excellent things that ought not to be revealed to the world for they remaine till the Judgement of God that the Devill may bring no new sects into it and lead men into doubt and therefore they shall be passed over till the time of the Lilly 101. So now when wee consider the great love and mercifulnesse in that he hath turned to Man wee finde cause enough to write and teach these things for it concerneth our eternall Salvation and Redemption out of the Jawes of Hell therefore I will set downe the ground of the promised Messiah that the following writings may be the better understood especially Moses in his Booke of the Law where there is need of it now he that will see nothing God help he must needs be blinde for the time of the visitation of the hardned Jewes Turks and Heathens cometh now Whosoever will see let them see the Lamps for the Bridegroome are shortly to be kindled he cometh whosoever desireth to be a Guest let him prepare him a Wedding-Garment 102. Now saith Reason how could Adam and Eve know what God meant by the Treader upon the Serpent Indeed they did not wholly altogether know onely they saw that the Devill must depart from them and not shew himselfe outwardly any more but the minde in the Centre of the breaking through of the life into the Element into the presence of the chast and modest virgin the wisdome of God that understood it well for he lodged a precious and worthy Guest for the Word which God the Father spake concerning the Treader upon the Serpent went out of the Heart and out of the Mouth of God and that was the sparke of Love proceeding out of the Heart of God which was from Eternity in the Heart of God wherein God the Father had knowne and elected Mankinde before the foundations of the World were laid that they should live therein and that the same spark or promise should stand in the rising up of the life and Adam also in his Creation stood therein 103. And this is it which Saint Paul said That Man is elected in Christ before the foundation of the world and not those dregges of despaire that are now taught about the Election of Grace they are not the right understanding I will shew thee Pauls meaning about his Election of Grace in its due place when I shall write of the beastiall wolvish and doggish mindes of Men that will not give way that the Treader upon the Serpent may enter into them so that the heavenly Father in his Sonne Jesus
thus yet the one must be parted from the other viz. the Kingdome of this world which is a Roote or stirrer up of the Roote of the fiercenesse and therefore it was necessary that God should passe with the new Body into the Seperation of the Roote and of the Kingdome of this world as into the Death of the fiercenesse and should destroy Death and spring with its own vertue and power through Death as a flower springeth out of the Earth and so hold the inward fiercenesse captive in his own vertue of the New Body 11. And this wee understand of Christ who is truly entred in such a manner and hath taken the strong Anger and the Devill in it captive and hath sprung with his holy heavenly body through Death and hath destroyed Death so that the Eternall Life springeth forth through Death and thus Death was taken captive by the New Eternall Body and it is an Eternall imprisonment so that an Eternall life is growne in Death and the New Body treadeth upon the Head of Death and of the fiercenesse the property of Death standeth in the Prison of the New Eternall Life 12. And so the Woman in whom the Eternall Life springeth standeth upon the Earthly Moone and despiseth that which is Earthly for that which is Earthly perisheth and then there remaineth of that which is Earthly the hard frozen Death and so now the Word of God as a living fountaine is entred into Death and hath generated the soule in its selfe and springeth forth out of the soule through Death like a new flower and that flower is the new Body in Christ 13. After this manner you may understand how he destroyed Death by the Springing of the Eternall Life in the Deity through Death and you may understand how the new Body in the Love of God holdeth the Eternall source of the Anger captive for the Love is the prison of the Anger for the source of the Anger cannot enter into the Love but continueth onely by it selfe as it was from Eternity and therein the Devils are imprisoned for the Light of God striketh them downe they neither can nor dare behold that Light in Eternity a Principle is between for the Love springeth forth in the Centre of the soule and therein the Holy Trinity appeareth or shineth 14. Thus wee have gotten a Prince of the Eternall Life and wee need doe no more but to presse in to him with a firme trust and strong Beliefe and then our soule receiveth his Love and springeth forth with him through death and standeth upon that which is Earthly viz. upon flesh and bloud and is a fruit in the Kingdome of God in the body of Jesus Christ and triumpheth over the fiercenesse for the Love holdeth that captive and that is a reproach to Death as Paul saith O Death where is thy Sting O Hell where is thy Victory Thanks be to God who hath given us victory 15. And because wee cleerly understand and apprehend it in the Spirit therefore wee are indebted to shew the light to those that apprehend it not and doe lie thus captivated in Reason and continually search into the Circumstances why it happened so in the Passion of Christ For Reason saith If it must needs be so that Christ must enter into Death and destroy Death and spring up through Death and so draw us unto him what is the cause then that he must be so despised and scourged and crowned with a Crowne of Thornes and at last be Crucified between Heaven and Earth Could he not dye some other Death and so spring through Death with his Heavenly Body 16. These hard Points cast downe all Jewes Turkes and Pagans and they keepe them back from the Christian Faith Therefore now wee must write for the sake of the Tree of Pearle and not conceale what appeareth to us in the Great Wonder Behold thou Childe of Man consider what wee set downe here gaze not on the hand of the Penne if you doe you erre and will loose the Jewel which in all Eternity you will be sorry for consider thy selfe onely and thou shalt finde in thy selfe all the causes of the Passion of Christ that are here written downe for there was a Wonderfull Penne in the writing of it and neither thou nor the Hand knoweth him sufficiently that directed it in the writing though indeed the Spirit knoweth him very well yet the naturall Man is blinde in it neither can it be expressed with earthly words Therefore consider thy selfe and if you search into the new-borne-Man then you will finde the Pearle The very horrible wonderfull Gate of Mans Sinnes 17. As wee have in the beginning of this Booke mentioned the Eternall Birth in the Originality so wee have mentioned the Birth of the Essences and the seven Spirits of the Eternall Nature and therein wee shewed how there is a Crosse-Birth in the Eternall Birth in the fourth forme where the Essences in the turning wheele make a Crosse-Birth because they cannot goe out from themselves but that the Eternall Birth is every where so in all things in the Essence of all Essences 18. And wee give you to understand thus much in very exact knowledge at the instant of this Text that all Essences in all qualities at the time of the over-coming of Death when Christ was to overcome death and destroy hell and captivate the Devill were predominant for so it must be he must release the soule from all Essences 19. Now the Crosse-Birth is the middlemost in the Essences yet before the Fire it standeth in the Anxious Death in the fiercenesse of the Hell as you may reade before for from the fierce flash in the Brimston Spirit the fire cometh forth and in the flash the Light and the fiercenesse it selfe maketh the Brimstone-Spirit and out of that in the Light cometh water as is before-mentioned Now then the soule of Man is discovered in the flash as a Spirit and held by the Fiat and so is created or generated and was brought in it selfe into the fift forme of the Birth as into the Love where then it was an Angel in the Light of God 20. But this world being created as a Principle in the fourth forme as an out-Birth and the Paradise being between the fourth and the fifth forme and the Element being in the fift forme and therein the Eternall Light of the Deity having opened another Centre and the soule having reflected back againe into the fourth forme and entered thereinto it made all Essences predominant in it which stood in the fourth forme 21. And now when the body of the soule in the fourth forme was come to be a Masse out of the water with a mixture of the other formes then stuck all Essences out of the fourth forme upon the soule and it was captivated with this body and it had continued in an Eternall Prison if the Eternall Word had not instantly given it selfe into
the other Creatures seeing you can search what is in every thing and consider farther from whence the Elements Fire and Aire take their Originall and how the Fire cometh to be in the Water and generateth it selfe in the Water and how the light of your body generateth it selfe in the Water 25. And then if you be borne of God you attaine to what God and the Eternall Birth is for you see feele and finde that all these must yet have a higher roote from whence they proceed which is not visible but hidden especially if you look upon the starry Heaven which endureth thus unchangably therefore you ought to consider from whence it is proceeded and how it subsisteth thus and is not corrupted nor riseth up above nor falleth downe beneath though indeed there is neither above nor beneath there Now if you consider what preserveth all thus and whence it is then you finde the Eternall Birth that hath no beginning and you finde the Originall of the Eternall Principle viz. the eternall indissoluble Band and then secondly you see the separation in that the materiall world with the Starres and Elements are out of the first Principle which containeth the outward and third Principle in it for you finde in the Elementary Kingdome or Dominion a cause in every thing wherefore it is generateth and moveth as it doth but you finde not the first cause from whence it is so there are therefore Two severall Principles for you finde in the visible things a corruptibility and perceive that they must have a beginning because they have an end 26. And thirdly you finde in all things a glorious power and vertue which is the life growing and springing of every thing and you finde that therein lyeth its beauty and pleasant welfare from whence it stirreth Now look upon an hearb or plant and consider it what is its life which makes it grow and you shall finde in the Originall harshnesse bitternesse fire and water and if you should separate these foure things one from another and put them together againe yet you shall neither see nor find any growing but if it were severed from its own mother that generated it at the beginning then it remaineth dead much lesse can you bring the pleasant smell nor colours into it 27. Thus you see that there is an Eternall Roote which affordeth this and if you could bring the colours and vegetation or growing into it yet you could not bring the smell and vertue into it and thus you will finde in the Originall of the smell and of the taste there must be another Principle which the stock it selfe is not for that Principle hath its originall from the light of Nature 28. Now look upon the humane life a little further you neither see finde nor apprehend any more by your sight than flesh and bloud wherein you are like other Beasts secondly you finde the Elements of aire and fire which worke in you and that is but an animall or beastiall life for every beast hath the same in it from whence proceedeth the lust to fill them and to propagate themselves as all plants hearbs and grasse and yet you finde no true understanding to be in all these living creatures for although the Starres or Constellations doe operate in Man and afford him the senses yet they are onely such senses as belong to nourishment and propagation like other Beasts 29. For the Starres themselves are senslesse and have no knowledge or perception yet their soft operation in the water maketh a seething flowing forth or boyling up one of another and in the tincture of the bloud they cause a rising seeing feeling hearing and tasting Therefore consider from whence the tincture proceedeth wherein the noble life springeth up That thus becometh sweet from harshnesse bitternesse and fire and you shall certainly finde no other cause of it than the light but whence cometh the light that it can shine in a dark body If you say it cometh from the light of the Sunne then what shineth in the night and enlighteneth your senses and understanding so that though your eyes be shut you perceive and know what you doe Here you will say the noble minde doth lead you and it is true But whence hath the minde its originall You will say the senses make the minde stirring and that is also true But whence come they both What is their birth or off spring Why is it not so with the Beasts 30. My deare Reader if you be able breake open all and looke into the pith yet you shall not finde it though you should seek in the Deepe in the Starres in the Elements in all living Creatures in Stones Plants Trees and in Metalls also in Heaven and Earth you shall not finde it Now you will say Where then shall I finde it Deare Reader I cannot so much as lend you the Key that will lead you to it But I will direct you where you shall finde it it lyeth in the third Chapter of the Evangelist S t John in these words You must be borne anew by water and by the Holy Ghost This Spirit is the Key when you attaine it receive it and goe before the first Principle out of which this world and all Creatures are created and open the first roote from which such visible and sensible things did spring 31. But you will say this is onely God and he is a spirit and hath created all things out of nothing T is very true he is a Spirit and in our sight he is as nothing and if wee had not some knowledge of him by the Creation wee should know nothing of him at all and if he himselfe had not been from all Eternity there could nothing have ever been 32. But what doe you thinke there was before the times of the world out of which the Earth and Stones proceeded as also the Starres and Elements That out of which these proceeded was the Roote But what is the Roote of these things Looke what doe you finde in these things Nothing else but fire bitternesse and harshnesse or astringent sournesse and these three are but one thing and hence all things are generated Now this was but a Spirit before the times of the world and yet you cannot finde God in these three formes the pure Deity is a light which is incomprehensible and imperceivable also allmighty and all powerfull where is it then that men may finde God 33. Here open your noble minde see and search further seeing God is onely Good from whence cometh the Evill And seeing also that he alone is the life and the light and the holy power as it is undeniably true from whence cometh the anger of God From whence cometh the Devill and his evill will also Hell-fire from whence hath that its Originall Seeing there was nothing before the time of this world but onely God who was and is a Spirit and continueth so in Eternity
fence or stop to the darknesse of the originall matrix that it might no more kindle it selfe and generate earth and stones And therefore he made the enclosure or firmament out of the midst of the waters which stayeth the might force or power of the fire and became the visible heaven whence the creatures are proceeded whereout now the Elements Fire Aire and Water proceed 9 The third day God by the Fiat divided the waters upon the earth and created them for several places that there might be a dwelling upon the earth and so the earth became dry Now when this was done then God did seek the creature and the eternall Father sayd that is he wrought through the Sonne who is his heart and glance or lustre in the Fiat in the earth and there budded the life through death and grasse hearbs and all manner of trees and plants sprung up every one according to the eternall source as it had been before Thus every essence became visible and God manifested his manifold vertue with the manifold hearbs plants and trees so that every one that doth but look upon them may see the eternall power vertue and wisdome of God therein if he be born of God he may know in every spile of grasse his Creator in whom he liveth Thus in this time sprung up all that grew or was in the earth If men would not be blinde they night here see the mystery of the Man Christs remaining in death till the third day and his bringing of life out of the earth 10 And the Matrix of the Earth stood still till the third day as it were in death in respect of the great storm But in the Fiat the life sprung up through the death and the eternall vertue or power and wisdome of God which hath formed it self together in the Fiat discovered it selfe on the blossoming earth where the similitude of the Paradisicall world may be clearly seen 11 For although many thousand severall hearbs stand one by another in one and the same Meadow and one of them fairer and more vertuall than another yet one of them doth not grudge at the form of another but there is a pleasant refreshment in one Mother so also there is a distinct variety in Paradise where every Creature hath its greatest joy in the vertue and beauty of another and the eternall vertue and wisdome of God is without number and end as you found before in the third Chapter concerning the opening of the Centres of the eternall life You shall finde no book wherein the Divine wisdome may be more searched into and sound than when you walk in a flowry fresh springing Medow there you shall see smell and taste the wonderfull power and vertue of God though this be but a similitude and the divine vertue in the third Principle is become materiall and God hath manifested himselfe in a similitude But this similitude is a loving Schoolmaster to him that seeketh he shall there finde many of them 12 On the fourth day God took the place of this world rightly at the heart for therein he created the wise master out of his eternall wisdome in the third Principle viz. the Sunne and Starres herein men may first rightly see the Deity and the eternall wisdome of God as in a cleare glasse though indeed the essence or substance that is visible to the eyes is not God himselfe but it is the Goddesse in the third Principle which in the end goeth into her Ether again and taketh her end 13 Though men must not cast the Pearle in the way that the beasts may tread it under foot much lesse must men throw it among the grains or husks to be devoured by the swine for that would not be beneficiall to the wanton world because that seeketh nothing thereby but to misuse it selfe therewith for the Devill whom the world serveth doth teach it that when it learneth the ground of the Heaven and of the Stars to will presently to be a God as Lucifer did yet I will write somewhat of the beginning and vertue or power of the Starres because man and all creatures live in the vertue working and essences of them and that every creature receiveth its property from them for the sake of him that seeketh who would willingly flye from the bestiall man and would fain live in the true man who is the image and similitude of God For to such it is very highly necessary to be known Also for the Lillyes sake which groweth in the tree of the soure wrath towards the North in the Matrix 14 Moses writeth God sayd Let there be lights in the Firmament of Heaven which may separate and distinguish day and night and be for signes for times and seasons for dayes and years And to be for lights in the Firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth and it was so And God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night Also he made the Starres And God set them in the Firmament of heaven that they might shine upon the earth and rule the day and the night and separate the light from the darknesse 15 And though Moses hath written very rightly that they should govern the day and the night and should separate the light from the darknesse and make times and seasons yeares and dayes yet is it not plain enough to be understood by the desirous Reader For there is found a very high thing in the vertue and power of the stars which is that every life growth colour and vertue thicknesse and thinnesse smalnesse and greatnesse good and evill is moved and stirred by their power For this cause the wise Heathens did relye upon them and honoured them as Gods therefore I will write somewhat of their originall as farre as is permitted to me at this time for their sakes that seek and desire the Pearle But I have written nothing for the swine and other bestiall men who trample the Pearle into the dirt and scorn and contemn the spirit of knowledge such as they may with the first world expect a deluge or flood of fire and seeing they will beare no Angelicall image therefore they must beare the images of Lions Dragons and other evill beasts and worms or creeping things and if they will not admit of good counsell that God may help them then they must look to finde by experience whether the Scriptures of Prophesie doe lie to them or no. 16 The Evangelist S t John writeth of the originality of the essence and creatures of this world so very highly and exactly as may be read in no other place of Scripture in the Bible In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God This was in the beginning with God all things were made by it and without it was nothing made that was made In it was the life and the life was the light of
was not out of the tincture of the aquastrish Matrix but it was out of the heavenly Matrix In briefe it was altogether heavenly as wee shall appeare and be at the day of the Resurrection For the purpose of God standeth the first image must returne and come againe and continue in Paradise and seeing it could be done in no other forme way or manner nor that which was lost be restored againe therefore God would rather spend his own heart his eternall will is unchangeable that must stand 22. And when God had created Man then he planted a Garden in Eden towards the East and placed him therein and caused to spring up and grow all manner of fruit delightfull to behold and all sorts of Trees good to eate of and the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden and the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evill and when God had placed Man in the Garden he commanded him and said You shall eate of every Tree in the Garden but of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evill thou shalt not eate for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the Death Here the vaile lieth upon Moses and they must be sharp or piercing Eyes that can behold the face of Moses God hath not without cause let Moses write this so very mystically hiddenly and obscurely 23. For what needed God to care so much for the biting of an Apple as to destroy so faire a creature for it Doth he not forgive many greater sinnes And he so exceedingly loved Man that he spared not his onely Sonne but let him become Man and gave him unto Death and could he not forgive a small sinne seeing he was omniscient or knew all things therefore why did he let the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evill grow 24. Reason judgeth thus that if God would not have had it so Adam should not have eaten of it or else he should not have forbidden that Tree onely sure he made it for a stumbling stock to him Thus the Reason of one sort or party judgeth The Reason of the other party will mend the matter which is indeed somewhat the wiser but not much They say God tempted Adam to try whether he would continue in his obedience or not and when he became disobedient then God threw mighty anger and wrath upon him and cursed him to Death and that his wrath could not be quenched except he be reconciled in such a manner This Reason of this party maketh God to be a meere unmercifulnesse like an evill man of this world who yet will be reconciled when he hath once revenged himselfe sufficiently and this Reason hath no knowledge at all God nor of Paradise 25. O beloved soule it is a very heavy businesse at which the very Heavens might well stand amazed in this Temptation there is a very great matter hidden in Moses which the unenlightened soule understandeth not God did not regard a bit of an Apple or Peare to punish so faire a Creature for it The punishment cometh not from his hand but from the Spiritus major is mundi from the Spirit of the great World from the third Principle God intended most mercifully towards Man and therefore he spared not his own heart but let it become Man that he might deliver Man againe You ought not to have such thoughts God is love and the Good in him is no angry thought and Mans punishment was not but from himselfe as you shall finde or reade in its due place The secret Gate of the Temptation of Man 26. Since many Questions fall to be in this place for the minde of Man seeketh after its native Countrey againe out of which it is wandered and would returne againe home to the Eternall Rest and since it is permitted to mee in my knowledge I will therefore set downe the deep Ground of the Fall wherein Men may looke upon the eyes of Moses If you be borne of God then it may well be apprehended by you but the unenlightened minde cannot hit the mark for if the minde desireth to see what is in a house it must then be within that house for from heare say without seeing it ones selfe there is alwaies doubting whether a thing be as is related But what the eye seeth and the minde knoweth that is beleeved perfectly for the eye and the minde apprehendeth it 27. The minde searcheth wherefore man must be tempted whereas God had created him perfect and seeing God is omniscient and knoweth all things the minde therefore alwaies layeth the blame upon God and so doe the Devils also for the minde saith If the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evill had not sprung up then Adam had not fallen 28. O beloved Reason If you understand no more than so then shut up the eyes of your minde quite and search not continue under patience in hope and let God alone he will doe well enough or else you will fall into the greatest unquietnesse and the Devill will drive you into despaire who continually pretendeth or giveth it forth that God did will evill and that he willeth not that all men should be saved and therefore he created the Tree of Anger 29. Beloved Minde put such thoughts away from thee or else thou wilt make of the kinde and loving God an unmercifull and hostile will but leave off such thoughts of God and consider thy selfe what thou art in thy selfe thou shalt finde the Tree of the Temptation and also the will to have it which made it spring up yea the source lust or quality whence it sprung up standeth in thee and not in God this must be understood that when we will speak of the pure Deity which manifesteth it selfe in the second Principle through the heart of God it is thus and not otherwise 30. But when wee consider or meane the originall of the first Principle then wee finde the nature propertie or species of the Tree and also the will to the Tree wee finde there the abysse of Hell and of anger and wrath and moreover wee finde the will of all the Devils we finde the envious will of all the Creatures of this world wherefore they all are the enemies one of another and doe hate bite worry kill and devour one another My beloved Reason here I will shew you the Tree of the Temptation and you shall look Moses in the face keep but your minde stedfast that you may apprehend it 31. I have often given you to understand in this book already what the Essence of all Essences is but because it is most of all highly necessary in this place to know the Ground thereof therefore I will set you it downe all at large and very fundamentally so that you shall know it in your selfe yea you shall understand it in all Creatures and in all things that are or that you look upon or at any time may possibly think on all these shall be
of the Starres attracteth the vertue of the Sunne to it and manifesteth it selfe in the vertue of the Sunne from whence there ariseth a twinckling flash in this raging from whence the hard soure harsh anxiety is terrified and sinketh downe and there the terrible Tincture goeth into its Ether for the Essence of the soure harshnesse in the Fiat is so mightily terrified at the flash that it becometh faint impotent or feeble and sinketh back expandeth it selfe and groweth thin 58. And the terrour skreeke or flash of fire is done in the bitter prickle and when it reflecteth it selfe back in the dark soure or harsh anxiety in the Mother and findeth her so very soft gentle and overcome then it is much more terrified than the Mother But this terrour happening thus in the soft Mother shee becometh white and cleere in the twinckling of an eye and the flash remaineth in the anguish in the roote of the fire and now therefore it is a skreeke or terrour of great joy and it is as when water is throwne into the fire where the soure harsh quality is then quenched and the sourenesse or harshnesse is then so mightily overjoyed with the light and the light with the Mother the sourenesse or harshnesse wherein it is generated that there is no fimilitude to compare it with for it is the birth and the beginning of the life ☉ Sol All this which followeth is done in the entrance of the fourth Moneth 59. And as soone as the light of life appeareth in the soure harshnesse and soft Mother so that the sourenesse or harshnesse cometh to taste the light of life and findeth that it is so meeke pleasant lovely and full of joy then it exulteth with great delight desire and longing after the light to mix it selfe therewith and apprehend it so that its lust or longing delight and vertue goeth forth from it after the light which lust or longing delight is the vertue of the light and this out-going lust in the love is the noble Tincture which is there new generated to be the childe 's own and the Spirit which is generated out of the anguish in the flash of the fire is the true and reall soule which is generated in Man 60. Now here it is especially to be observed where it dwelleth and whence Heart Lungs and Liver come especially the Bladder and Gutts and the Braine in the Head also the understanding and senses these I will here set down one after another It cannot well or sufficiently be expressed by a humane tongue especially the order which is observed in the twinckling of an eye in Nature it would require a great Volume to describe it in and as the world accounteth us too weake to be able to describe it so wee account our selves much weaker and more unable and it is with us as Isaiah saith I am found of them that sought me not and knowne of them that were ignorant of mee and so such as inquired not after mee 61. I say this hath not been sought but wee sought the heart of God that wee might hide us therein from the tempest of the Devill but when we came there then the loving virgin out of Paradise met us and offered us her love shee would be kinde and friendly to us and be betrothed to us for a Companion and shew us the way to Paradise where wee shall be safe from the stormy tempest and shee carried a branch in her hand and said We will plant this and a Lilly shall grow and I will come to thee againe from whence wee gat this longing to write of the amiable virgin which did shew us the way into Paradise where we must goe through the kingdome of this world and also through the kingdome of Hell and no hurt done us and according to that direction of her's wee write CHAP. XIV Of the Birth and Propagation of Man The very secret Gate 1. IF wee consider now the springing up of the life and in what place of the body it is where the life is generated then we shall rightly finde the whole ground of Man and there is nothing so secret in Man but that it may be found For wee must needs say that the Heart is the place wherein the noble life is generated and the life againe generateth the heart 2. As it is mentioned above so the life in the anguish with the kindling of the light taketh its beginning from the glance of the Sun-shine from the Spirit of the Starres and Elements in the great anguish where death and life wrestle one with the other for when man departed from Paradise into another Birth viz. into the Spirit of this world into the quality of the Sunne Starres and Elements then the Paradisicall vision or seeing ceased or was extinguished where man seeth from the divine vertue without need of the Sun and Starres where the springing up of the life is in the holy Ghost and the light of God is the glance of the Spirit from whence he seeth which went out for the spirit of the soule went into the Principle of this world 3. You must not so understand it as if it were extinguished in it selfe No but the soule of Adam went out from the Principle of God into the Principle of this world and therein now the Spirit of every soule is thus generated againe by humane propagation as is mentioned before and it cannot be otherwise and therefore if wee would be fit for the kingdome of Heaven wee must be regenerated anew in the Spirit of God or else none can inherite the kingdome of God as Christ taught us faithfully of which I will write hereafter that it may be a fountain for the thirsty and a light to the noble way in the blossome of the Lilly 4. And wee must here know that our life which wee get in our Mothers body or womb standeth meerly and onely in the power of the Sunne Starres and Elements so that they not onely figure or fashion a childe in the Mothers body and give it life but also bring it into this world and nourish it the whole time of its life and bring it up also cause fortune and mis-fortune to it and at last death and corruption and if our Essences out of which our life is generated were not higher in their first degree out of Adam than the Beasts then wee should be wholly like the Beasts 5. But our Essences are generated much higher in the beginning of the life in Adam than the beasts which have their Essences but meerly from the spirit of this world and it must also with the spirit of this world in a corruptible substance goe into its eternall Ether whereas on the contrary the essences of Man are proceeded out of the unchangable eternall mind of God which cannot in eternitie corrupt 6. For wee have a certain ground of this in that our
minde can finde and conceive all whatsoever is in the spirit of this world which no beast can do for no creature can conceive further or higher than what is in its own Principle out of which its own Essences are proceeded in the beginning but wee that are Men can certainly conceive of that which is in the Principle of God and also of that which is in the anguishing kingdome of Hell where the Worme of our soule in the beginning in Adam originally is and this no other creature can doe 7. But they thinke consider or imagine onely how to fill themselves and multiply that their life may subsist and wee also receive no more from the Spirit of the Starres and Elements and therefore also our children are naked and bare with great inability and without understanding and now if the Spirit of this world had full perfect and absolute power over the Essences of the childe then he would easily put his rough garment upon it also viz. a rough hide but he must let that alone and he must leave the Essences in the first and second Principle to Mans own choosing to binde and yeeld himselfe to which Principle he will which man hath undeniably in his full power which I will expound in its own place according to its worth and deeply demonstrate it in spite of all the Gates of the Devill and this world which strive much against it 8. Our life in the Mothers body hath its beginning wholly as is above mentioned and standeth there now in the quality of the Sun and Starres where then with the kindling of the light a Centre springeth up againe where instantly the noble Tincture thus generateth it selfe out of the light out of the joyfull Essences of the soure harsh bitter and fiery kinde or quality and setteth the Spirit of the soule in a great pleasant habitation and the three Essences viz. harshnesse bitternesse and fire are in the kindling of the life so very fast bound one to another that they cannot in eternity be separated one from another and the Tincture is their eternall house wherein they dwell which house they themselves generate from the beginning unto eternitie which againe giveth them life joy and lust or delight The strong Gate of the Indissoluble Band of the soule 9. Behold the three Essences viz. sourenesse or harshnesse bitternesse and fire are the Worme or Spirit that dieth not Harshnesse is one Essence and it is in the Fiat of God out of Gods eternall will and the attracting of the soure harshnesse is the sting or prickle of the bitternesse which the soure harshnesse cannot endure but attracteth continually the more forcibly to it from whence the prickle continually groweth greater which yet the soure harshnesse holdeth prisoner and this together is the great anxiety which was there in the darke minde of God the Father when the darknesse was anxious or longed after light from whence in the anxiety from the glance of the light it attained the twinckling flash out of which the Angels were created which afterward were enlightened from the light of God by their Imagination into the heart of God and the other like Lucifer for their haughtinesse or prides sake remained in the flash of fire and anxiety 10. This Birth or active property with the Indissoluble Band is generated in every soule and there is no soule before the kindling of the light in the childe in the mothers body for with the kindling the eternall Band is knit or tied so that it standeth eternally and this Worme of the three Essences doth not die nor sever it selfe for it is not possible because they are all three generated out of one onely fountaine and have three qualities and yet are but one being or substance as the holy Trinity is but in one onely Essence or substance and yet they have three Originalities in one Mother and they are one onely being or substance in one another Thus also and not a whit lesse is the soule of man but onely one degree in the first going forth for it is generated out of the Fathers eternall will and not out of the heart of God yet the heart of God is the neerest to it of all 11. And now it may very exactly be understood by the Essences and property of the soule that in this house of flesh where it is as it were generated it is not at home and its horrible fall may be also understood thereby for it hath no light in it selfe of its own it must borrow its light from the Sunne which indeed springeth up along with it in its Birth but that is corruptible and the Worme of the soule is not so and is seene that when a man dyeth it goeth out And if then the divine light be not againe generated in the Centre then the soule remaineth in the eternall Darknesse in the eternall anguishing source or quality of the Birth where nothing is to be found in the kindled fire but a horrible flash of fire in which source property or quality also the Devils dwell for it is the first Principle 12. And the soule here in this world useth the light of the third Principle after which the soule of Adam lusted and thereupon was captivated by the Spirit of the great world But if the soule be regenerated in the Holy Ghost so that its Centre to the regeneration spring forth then it seeth with two lights and liveth in two Principles and the most inward Principle viz. the first is shut up fast and hangeth but to it in which the soule is tempted and afflicted by the Devill and on the contrary the virgin which belongeth to and is in the Tincture of the Regeneration and in the departure of the body from the soule shall dwell in the same Tincture is in continuall strife and combate with the Devill and trampleth upon his head in the vertue and power of the soules Prince and Champion viz. the sonne of the virgin when a new body out of the vertue or power of the soule shall spring forth in the Tincture of the soule 13. And that when the soule is departed from the body it might no more be possibly tempted by the Devill and Spirit of this world there is a quiet rest for the soule included in its Centre in its own Tincture which standeth in Paradise betwixt the kingdome of this world and the kingdome of Hell to continue untill God shall put this world into its Ether when the number of men and figures according to the depth of the eternall minde of God shall be finished 14. And now when wee consider how the temporary and transitory life is generated we finde that the soule is a cause of all the members or faculties of or to the life of Man and without it there would not be one member to or of the life of man generated For when wee
will out of the through broken Gate of the Deepe where the wheele of the stirring and breaking-through standeth in the Eternall Minde which reacheth the cleere true and pure Deity of the Heart of God 13. This Image is not the Heart of God but it reacheth into the Heart of God and it receiveth vertue light and joy from the Heart and Light of God for it is in the Eternall will of the Father out of which he the Father continually generateth his Heart and Word from Eternity and his Essences which in the Element of his body viz. in the Element of Ignorance in the Eternall Wonders of God now breathed into him they in respect of the high triumphing Light out of the Heart and Light of God were Paradise his meate and drinke was Paradise out of the Element in his will whereby then he drew the vertue of the Eternall Wonders of God into him and generated the noise voice sound or the Eternall Hymne of the Eternall Wonders of God out of himselfe before the will and all this stood before the chast high noble and blessed virgin the Divine Wisdome in a pleasant sport and was the right Paradise 14. But now what this is my Pen cannot describe I rather long after it to comprehend it more in perfection and to live therein which wee here in the light of Nature in the Gate of the Deepe know and behold but wee cannot raise our threefold minde into it till our rough Garment be put off and then wee shall behold it without molestation 15. But because the foure Elements went forth now further out of the one Element and made with the quintessence of the Starres and with the heart of the Essences viz. the Sunne the third Principle wherein also the great Wonders stood and because there was no creature found that could manifest those wonders but onely that Image and similitude of God viz. Man who had the chast virgin the wisdome of God in him therefore the Spirit of this world pressed so hard upon the Image for the virgin that it might manifest its wonders and did possesse Man from whence he first gat the name Mensch Man as a mixt Person 16. But when the Wisdome of God saw that Man from the Spirit of the world came to lust to mingle himselfe with the foure Elements then came the Commandement and said Thou shalt not eate of the knowledge of good and evill Now the knowledge of good and evill is not manifest in the Paradise and in the kingdome of Heaven but onely in the issue out of the Element in the fiercenesse there onely standeth the knowledge of evill manifest and there onely the Essences are kindleable and so therein Death sticketh of which God said When thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye 17. God intended that the body which he should get from the infection of the foure Elements must dye and it did also presently in his tender virgin minde dye to the Paradise and gat the minde of this world wherein sticketh nothing but patching and piecing as also frailty and at last Death 18. But that the foure Elements with the Sunne and Starres had such power to presse upon Adam and to infect him the cause of it was because he was extracted out of them viz. out of the Element and had in the Originality all the three Kingdomes all three Principles in him and therefore it was that he must be tempted whether he could stand in the Paradise in the Kingdome of Heaven and there both heavenly and also earthly fruit was set before him 19. For the Tree of Temptation was earthly as now adayes all the Trees are all the other were Paradisicall from which Adam could eate Paradisicall vertue in his mouth and had no need of stomack and gutts for they the Trees were like his body and like the Element and the Tree of Temptation was like the foure Elements 20. But that Moses presseth so hard upon it and saith God created Man of a lump of Earth there the vaile is before his face so that the earthly Man cannot looke him in the face indeed he was rightly a lump of earth and earth when he had eaten earthly fruit which God did forbid him but if Adam before the Fall had been of the earth earthly then God would not have forbidden him the earthly fruit as also if he had been created out of the earthly Element wherefore did not the Earthly Element put its cloaths upon him instantly with a rough skin Wherefore did that Earthly Element leave Man naked and bare and when it had plainly possessed him yet it left him naked 21. Moses speaketh onely of the Tables of God which were graven-through with the Ten Commandements so that they could see through them into the Paradise he hung the vaile before his face as is to be seene concerning the people of Israel because Man was become earthly and therefore must put off the earthly againe and then he must with Josua or Jesus enter into the Paradisicall Promised Land and not with Moses stay in the Wildernesse of this world where the vaile of this world hangeth before him before the Paradise 22. Reason must not imagine that God ever made any Beast out of a lump of Earth as a Potter maketh a Pot but he said Let there come forth all sorts of Beasts every one after its kinde that is out of all Essences every one after the property of its Essence and so also it was by the Fiat figured according to the property of its own Essence and in like manner all Trees Hearbs and Grasse all at once together how then should the Image of God be made out of the fragile or corruptible Essences But it must be and was made in the Paradise out of the Eternall Essences 23. The earth is not Eternall and for the sake of the fragility or corruptibility therefore mans body must breake or perish because he hath attracted the corruptibility to him thus also the Paradificall knowledge delight and joy is departed from him and he is fallen into the kindled anger of the kindled foure Elements which according to their fiercenesse qualifie with the eternall anger in the Abysse although the outward Region of the Sunne is mitigated so that it is a pleasant habitation as is seene before our eyes yet if the Sunne should vanish away then thou wouldst well see and feele the anger of God consider it well 24. Thus it is shewed us in the light of Nature that when Adam was thus impregnated or possessed from the Spirit of this world then God built or made a Garden in Eden upon earth in the Paradise and caused to grow up all sorts of Paradisicall fruit pleasant to behold and good to eate and the Tree of the Temptation in the midst of the Garden of Eden which had its Essences from the Spirit of this world and the other
had seven seales or seven Spirits of the Birth of God and opened them where the Elders fell down before him and worshipped the Lamb that was slaine and gave praise and honour to him which sate upon the Throne because the Champion of the House of Israel had overcome The seven Golden Candlesticks are his Humanity the seven Starres are his Deity as the Divine Birth in it selfe standeth in a sevenfold forme as it is expounded in the beginning of this Book in the first foure Chapters 43. Thus Moses hath a vayle before his eyes and if thou wouldst see his face then thou must onely set Christ thy Champion before thee that he may lift up his vayle and then thou shalt see that Moses hath no Hornes but that he is a patient Lamb fast bound to the Death of Christ and that his vayle was the Book that was shut so that wee could not be well enough till the Champion came and brake its seven seales with his entring into Death and there the vayle or covering was done away and in that Book there stood the holy Gospel of the Kingdome of God which our worthy Conquerour Jesus Christ hath left us 44. Now when Adam and Eve went out of the Garden they kept together as now married People doe and now would make tryall of their beastiall condition to trie what wonders might proceed from them and the Spirit of the great world did well enough teach them in their Reason what they were to doe And Adam knew his wife Eve and shee conceived and bare a sonne and called him Cain for shee said I have a Man from the Lord These are sealed words which Moses writeth that shee said I have a Man from the Lord for then said the Major Mundus I have the Lord of this world Eve spake no otherwise than as the Apostles thought that Christ was to erect a worldly Kingdome so Eve thought that her sonne as a strong Champion should break the Head of the Devill and set up a Glorious Kingdome from whence instantly a twofold understanding or different conditions followed and two sorts of Churches the one built or relying upon the mercy of God and the other upon their own might authority or power and therefore Cain could not endure his brother because Abel pressed hard upon the mercy of God and Cain relyed upon his own power might and authority He thought himselfe to be the Lord of the whole world as his Mother had instructed him and therefore now he would breake the Head of the Serpent in his own might as a Warriour or Souldier and began with his brother Abel for his Faith relyed not on God but on his own power and here the Serpent did sting the Treader upon the Serpent in the Heele the first time The Gate of the Mysteries or the Exposition of the hidden secrets 45. Reason saith how might that come to passe that the first Man borne of a Woman was so evill a malicious Murtherer Behold thou immodest vile whorish world here thou shalt finde a Glasse behold thy selfe and see what thou art Here againe the great secrets meet us in the light of Nature very cleerly and plainly to be understood For Adam and Eve were entred into the Spirit of this world and the Region of the foure Starres with the infection of the Devill had miserably possessed them and although they did somewhat stick to the word of the promise yet the true longing and love towards God was very much extinguished and on the contrary the longing and desire after this world was kindled in them and besides they gat from the Region of the Starres a Beastiall lust or wanton desire towards one another so that their Tincture thus became a fierce beastiall lust or longing for they had no Law but the Light of Nature which they suppressed and kindled themselves in wanton lust to which the Devill helped them 46. And now when Eve was impregnated her Tincture was wholly murtherous and false for her Spirit in the Love looked not upon God with a totall trust and confidence Also the wisdome of God stood hidden in the Centre of the light of her life Eve did not unite or yeeld her selfe to it with love and confidence but much rather to the lust of this world shee must bring it to passe if any thing were to be done and being her Trust was not in God so also God was not in her but in his own Centre or Principle and the wrath began to flow forth boyle or worke and this is that which Christ said An evill Tree bringeth forth evill fruit and so out of a false Tincture grew a soure evill roote and consequently such a Tree and fruit Also that which goeth forth is as the Tincture in the mixture was and such a childe is generated for the Spirit of the life generateth it selfe out of the Essences 47. And seeing Adam was gone out of Paradise into the Spirit of this world therefore now the strife was already between the two Kingdomes viz. the Kingdome of Heaven and the Kingdome of Hell about the children of Eve and here it is seene that the wrath had the victorie and the Spirit of God complaineth not without cause saying I am as a Grape-gatherer that gleaneth and yet would faine eate of the best fruit 48. But the fault lyeth in Man if he did put his Trust in the love of God then the Kingdome of God would have the victorie but if he put it in his evill lust and wantonnesse in himselfe in his own ability or power then he is captivated by the wrath and his body and soule is in the wrath But when he putteth his minde and confidence in God then he goeth out from the wrath and the Kingdome of God worketh in him to righteousnesse and thus it is seene as cleere as the Sunne what the cause is that the first Man borne of a Woman became a murtherer 49. For as the Tree was so was the fruit and though the Tree was not wholly evill or false yet as to the becoming Man the Tincture by the wrestling of the two Regions became false or evill And besides afterwards Eve his Mother helped him forward very much because shee sought after an Earthly Lord and Treader upon the Serpent and instructed him telling him that he was the Warriour or Souldier to overcome against the Devill he must doe it and so the wrath held him captive and his offering or sacrifice was not acceptable to God because in wrath he built upon himselfe and so his Prayer reached not the Gate of Heaven but the Driver did take it up because it proceeded out of selfe-pride like the proud Pharisee out of an evill or false minde 50. And here thou lascivious Whore in Babell full of immodesty and lechery in such whoredome thou hast a Glosse in thy evill or false Copulation without the feare of
or property and blossometh out of the Darknesse in the broken Gate of the darknesse in it as a pleasant habitation and so generateth its light out of the anxious fierenesse out of it selfe where then in the Light there goeth forth againe the endlesse source of the thoughts or senses which make a Throne and Region of Reason which governeth the whole house and desireth to enter into the Region of the Heaven out of which it proceeded not And therefore now this is not the Originall will which there desireth to enter into the Region of the Heaven but it is the reconceived will out of the source of the anxiety which will is in a desire to enter through the deep Gate of God 18. Now seeing it was impossible for the humane Spirit how much soever it was attempted tryed or sought therefore God must enter againe into the humanity and help the humane Spirit to breake the Gate of Darknesse that so it might be able to enter into the Divine power or vertue 19. And thus he dwelleth in two properties both which draw him and desire to have him viz. one fierce property or source whose Originall is the Darknesse of the Abysse and the other is the Divine power or vertue whose source or active property is the Light and the Divine Joy in the broken Gate of Heaven as the word Himmel Heaven in the Language of Nature hath its proper acute understanding from the pressing through and entring in and then with its Roote continuing to fit in the stock of Eternity wherein the Omnipotency is rightly understood which my Master in Arts will scarce give any credit to for he hath no knowledge therein it belongeth to the Lilly 20. Thus Man is drawen and held of both but the Centre standeth in him and he hath the Ballance between the two wills viz. between the Originall and the re-conceived will to the Kingdome of Heaven and in each scale there is a Maker who formeth what he letteth into his minde for the minde is the Centre of the Ballance the senses or thoughts are the weights that passe out of one scale into the other for the one scale is the Kingdome of the fiercenesse and of Anger and the other is the Regeneration in the vertue or power of God in the Heaven 21. Now behold O Man how thou art both Earthly and also Heavenly as it were mixt in one onely Person and thou bearest the Earthly and also the Heavenly Image in one onely Person and thou art also the fierce wrathfull property or source and thou bearest the Hellish Image which springeth in the Anger of God out of the source of the Eternity thus is thy minde and the minde holdeth the Ballance and the senses put weight into the scales 22. Therefore consider what weight thou puttest in by the senses thou hast the Kingdome of Heaven in thy power for the Word of the Divine vertue or power in Christ hath given it selfe to thee to be thy own and so also thou hast the Kingdome of Hell in a Bridle in the Roote and thou hast it for thy own by the right of Nature and thou hast the Kingdome of this world also according to thy Humanity received from Adam for thy own 23. Now consider what thou lettest into thy minde by thy senses for thou hast in each Kingdome a Maker which there maketh an Image of whatsoever thou layest into the scales by the senses for all lyeth in the making or formation and thou art in this body a field Ground or soyle thy Minde is the sower and the three Principles are the seede what thy Mâ—nde soweth the body of that groweth and that thou shalt reape to thy selfe and so when the earthly field or soyle doth breake then the new growen Body standeth in its perfection whether it be growen in the Kingdome of Heaven or in the Kingdome of Hell 24. By this now you might finde and understand the Ground how the Kingdome of this world is generated and how one Kingdome is in the other and how one is the Chist and receptacle of the other where yet there is no captivating at all but all is free in it selfe and Man standeth manifested in all three Principles and yet knoweth neither of them in the Ground except he be generated out of the Darknesse into the Light and then that source knoweth the fierce Eternity as also the Out Birth or Issue of the Eternity but he is not able to search out the Light for he is environed therewith and it is his dwelling house whereas yet he is with this body in this world and with the Originality of the soule in the ground of the Eternall source and with the Noble blossome of the soule in the Kingdome of Heaven with God and is thus rightly a Prince in the Heaven over Hell and Earth for the fierce source or torment toucheth it not but the blossome maketh out of the fierce source or quality Paradise viz. the high exalting Joy in the springing up 25. And thus thou Earthly Man mayest see how thou livest here in three Principles if thy minde incline it selfe to God but if it give up it selfe to the source of this world then thou standest before Heaven and thou sowest two Principles viz. the spirit of this world and the fierce source of Eternity The Well-spring or fountaine of the Antichristian Kingdome 26. Man possesseth this world and hath built him a glorious Kingdome for his own Glory as is plaine before our eyes yet he is not to be condemned therein though indeed that is cause of sinnes because God of his Grace hath sent his beloved Heart into the Flesh that Man might thereby goe out from the Flesh againe and enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But now his Earthly body must have sustenance that it may live and propagate and all the Governments and Arts of this world stand in this necessity for the earthly body cannot want them and they are borne withall by Divine Patience that the great Wonders may thereby be manifested 27. But this is Mans condemnation that he soweth onely the earthly and the Hellish seede and letteth the Heavenly stay in his Barne he stayeth without before Heaven and entereth not in for the Noble seede but he giveth God good words that he may be gracious to him and receive him into his Kingdome and soweth nothing but the Devils weeds in body and soule and then what new body shall there grow Shall it stand in the Heaven in the Holy Element or in the Abysse or shall the Pearle be cast before swine 28. If thy Maker in thee doth not make the Image of God but the Image of the Serpent how wilt thou then bring thy Beast into the Kingdome of Heaven Doest thou suppose that God hath Adders and Serpents in the broken Gate of the Regeneration in the Pleasant Habitation or dost thou suppose
on to the soule of Mary as a new Regenerated Man and in that same shee hath conceived the Saviour of all the world and borne him into this world Therefore he said to the Jewes I am from above but you are from beneath and of this world I am not of this world and he said also to Pilate My kingdome is not of this world This ought highly to be Considered 38. You are to know that as Mary did beare the heavenly Image viz. a new Man borne out of the Mercy of God in the old Earthly Man viz. in the kingdome of this world which kingdome shee had in her as her own which yet did not comprehend the New Man so also the Word of God entred into the body of the virgin Mary into the heavenly Matrix into the Eternall virgin of God and that word in that Eternall virgin of God became a heavenly Man out of the Paradisicall holy pure Element in the Person of the new Regenerated Man of the virgin Mary and with his Eternall Deity was together generated in the beginning own soule of Mary and with his entrance of his Deity hath brought the soule of Mary againe into the holy Father so that the soules of Men which were gone out from the Deity were new-borne againe in the soule of Christ and begotten to the Heart of God 39. For Christ brought no strange soule out of Heaven with him into the highly blessed heavenly pure virgin but as all soules are generated so Christ also received his soule in his body though in his undefiled body of holinesse which was become Maries own For wee must say that the pure Element in the Mercy of God became Maries own wherein her new body in her Originall soule consisteth The most precious Gate 40. For no other soule is generated in any Man but a new body but the soule is renewed with the pure Deity and Christ with his entrance into Death where he severed his holy Man from the Kingdome of this world severed it also from the fierceness of the eternall Anger and from the source of the Originality 41. And as the pure Element which is in the presence of God and wherein God dwelleth is truly every where in the whole space of this world and hath attracted to it the Kingdome of this world viz. it s own Out-Birth as a body and yet this very body doth not comprehend the Element no more than the body comprehendeth the soule so Christ also hath truly in the body of the virgin Mary attracted to him or put on our humane Essences and is become our Brother yet these humane Essences cannot comprehend his Eternall Deity onely the new Man borne in Cod comprehendeth the Deity after the same manner as the body doth the soule and no otherwise 42. Therefore the body of Christ is inferiour to the Deity and in these our humane Essences he suffered Death and his Deity of the holy Man in the pure Element entered together also into Death and bereaved Death of its power and did seperate the naturall soule which Christ commended to his Father when he dyed on the Crosse from the Kingdome of this world also from Death from the Devill and from Hell in the strong divine Might or power and opened a Gate for us all who come to him and incline our selves with minde and thoughts to him then the Father draweth our soule which is in him into the pure love of Christ where then it putteth its Imagination againe through Christ forward into the holy Trinity and is fed againe from the Verbum Domini the Word of the Lord where then it is an Angel againe cleane seperated from the Kingdome of the Devill and of this world in the Death of Christ 43. And for this cause God became Man that he might in himselfe new generate the soule of Man againe and might redeeme it from the chaines of the fiercenesse of Anger and not at all for the Beastiall bodies sake which must melt againe into the foure Elements and come to nothing of which nothing will remaine but the shadow in the figure of all its works and matters which he hath wrought at any time 44. But in the New Man which wee attract on to our soules in the bosom of the virgin wee shall spring and flourish againe and therein is no necessity nor Death for the Kingdome of this world passeth away Therefore he that hath not this Image in the new Birth shall in the Restoration of the Spirit of the Eternall Nature have the Image of what his heart and Confidence hath been set upon here put upon him for every Kingdome Imageth or figureth its Creatures according to the Essences which were growne here in their will 45. And that you may rightly and properly understand us wee meane or understand here no strange Christ who is not our Brother as himselfe said at his resurrection Goe to my Brethren and your Brethren and tell them I goe to my God and to your God As indeed the body which wee here carry about us is not the Image of God which God created for the Kingdome of this world put its Image upon us when Adam consented to yeeld to it and wee if wee be regenerated are not at home in this world with our New Man as Christ said to his Disciples I have called you out of this world that you should be where I am and Saint Paul saith Our Conversation as to the New Man is in Heaven Thus wee understand also that our Immanuel who is the most holy of all with his true Image of God wherein also our true Image of God doth consist is not of this world but as the Old Mortall Man from the Kingdome of this world hangeth to us so our Mortall Man also hung to the Image of God in Christ which he drew from his Mother Mary as the pure Element draweth the Kingdome of this world to it 46. But now wee must not think that the holy Man in Christ dyed for that dyeth not but the mortall Man from the Kingdome of this world is that which dyeth that was it which cryed on the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and wee see very cleerly the great Might and power of the holy Man in Christ when the mortall which was taken from this world went into Death how the holy Allmighty Man wrestled with Death in so much that the Elements did shake with it and the Sunne which is the Light of the Nature of this world lost its splendor as if it were then to perish and then the living Champion in Christ fought with the Anger and stood in the Hell of the Anger of God and loosed the soule which he commended into his Fathers hands quite off from the Anger of God also from the source or Torment of Hell and that was it which David said Thou wilt not leave my soule in Hell nor
soule of Christ is my brother and that the Holy Trinity is the foode and vertue or strength of my soule Who can judge mee lay hold of mee and destroy mee when I am in my true Man in God When as I am Immortall in my new Man wherefore should I be much afraid in the Earthly Man which belongeth to the Earth Let every thing take its own and then my soule will be freed from the Driver 26. Or what shall I say Must I not in this Body which I here in the Earthlinesse carry about mee through the New Man reveale the Wonders of God that so his Wonders might be manifested I speake not onely concerning my selfe but concerning all Men good and bad every one must manifest the Great Wonders wherein he standeth in his Kingdome whether it be in Love or Anger after the breaking or dissolution of this world it must all stand in the Figure For at present this world standeth in the Creating and in the Sowing and is like a field which beareth fruit 27. Thus wee every one of us labour and finish our dayes-worke every one in his own field and in the Harvest every one shall stand by his Labour and enjoy his fruit which he hath sowen therefore my hand shall not be weary of digging this wee speake seriously according to its high worth in the Wonders of God knowne in the Counsell of the Noble Virgin Of the use of the highly Precious Testaments of Christ the Sonne of God 28. Christ began the use of the Baptisme by John who was his forerunner and John was borne into this world before Christ which hath its signification therefore open thy eyes As the water is in the Originality and a cause and beginning of the life and then in the water by the Tincture the Sulphur is first generated wherein the life becometh stirring and the Tincture generateth againe the Sulphur and the water wherein afterwards the bloud in the Tincture cometh to be And thus now as the beginning of the life is so must also the Order in the Regeneration be that the poore soule first receive the water of Eternall Life and be Baptized therein and then God giveth it the Graine of Mustard-seed of the Pearle that so if it receive the same it may become a new fruit in God 29. And therefore he sent his Angel hither before him that he should baptize with the water of the Eternall Life for so can the Eternall Body into which the soule must enter and in its Tincture in its bloud be new borne againe be translated into the body of Christ to describe which a great space is requisite But I will finish here briefly and mention it more in another Booke and now wee will handle the matter of the use or Celebration for it is very hard to be apprehended by the simple And therefore wee will deale with him after a childish manner to try whether he may come to see and finde the Pearle for all shall not finde what wee in the Love of God have found though indeed wee could earnestly wish that all might have it yet there is a great matter between it viz. the swelled puft up Kingdome of this world and the Devill will set themselves against it as raging Dogs but the smell of the Lilly will make him faint and so now wee will speake as a childe 30. The Minister in a Brotherly Christian office of the Covenant and Testament of Christ taketh water and upon the Commandement of Christ in his Covenant and Testament sprinkleth or powreth it upon the Head of the Infant in the name of the Covenant and in the name of the Holy Trinity of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost this was the Command of Christ and therewith he hath set up his Covenant with us and it is a Testament which he afterwards confirmed with his Death and wee must doe it also and not leave it undone it is not in the liberty of a Christians will to doe it or leave it undone but if he will be a Christian he must doe it or else he contemneth his Testament and will not come to him 31. For the Testatour standeth in the Covenant and saith Come and whosoever doth not desire to Come goeth not in to him Therefore it lyeth not in our high knowledge for he standeth in his Covenant and the childe that is newly Borne is as acceptable to him as an old sinfull Man that repenteth and steppeth into his Covenant For it lay not in us that he became Man and received us into his Love but it lay in his Love in his Mercy for wee knew nothing of him nor did we know whether wee could be helped or no but he alone chose us and came to us out of Grace in our Humanity and took pitty on us and so also the Covenant of his Promise was a Covenant of Grace and not out of our foreknowing or merit And therefore whosoever teacheth otherwise is in Babell and confoundeth the Covenant of Christ 32. For Christ said also Let little Children come to mee for to such belongeth the Kingdome of God Say not What doth Baptisme availe a childe which understandeth it not The matter lyeth not in our understanding wee are altogether ignorant concerning the Kingdome of God If the childe be a bud growen in thy Tree and that thou standest in the Covenant wherefore bringest thou not also thy bud into the Covenant Thy Faith is its Faith and thy confidence towards God in the Covenant is its confidence It is indeed thy Essences and generated from thy soule And thou art to know according to its exceeding worth if thou art a true Christian in the Covenant of Jesus Christ that thy childe also in the kindling of its life pisseth into the Covenant of Christ and though it should die in the Mothers womb it would be found in the Covenant of Christ For the Deity standeth in the Centre of the Light of Life and so now if the Tree stand in the Covenant then the Branch may well doe so 33. But thou must not omit Baptisme for all that for when the childe is borne into the world then it is severed from its Tree and is in this world and then it selfe must passe into the Covenant and thou must with thy Faith present it and with thy Prayer give it to God in his Covenant there needeth no pomp about it that doth dishonour the Covenant it is an earnest thing 34. Theâ—e are three Witnesses to this Covenant the one is called God the Father the other God the Sonne and the third is God the Holy Ghost these are the work masters who doe the office they Baptise or Administer Baptisme But if thou filthy trimmed whore now comest thus stately and bringest the poore soule to the Covenant of Christ and doest but stand
and new who for the most part onely stuck in the Old Man and had no knowledge of God and so taught according to their own conceits from the written words and expounded them according to their own meanings 19. And when they saw that great respect and honour was given to the Teachers they fell to ambition pride and greedinesse of money for the simple people brought them presents or gifts and they thought that the Holy Ghost dwelt in the Teachers whereas the Devill of Pride lodged in them and it came to that passe that every one called himselfe after his Masters name whose Doctrine he prized most one would be of Paul another of Apollo another of Peter and so forth And because the Saints used not the same kinde of words and expressions in their Teaching and Writings though they spake from one and the same Spirit therefore the Naturall Man which being without the Spirit of God knoweth nothing of God began all manner of strife and Disputations and to make Sects and Schismes and they set themselves up for Teachers among all sorts of People not for Gods sake but for temporall honour riches and pleasure sake that they might live brave lives For it was no very hard labour and worke to hang to the bare Letter and such strife and contention arose amongst them that they became the most bitter enemies and haters one of another and none of them were borne of God but their Parents held them close to the Scripture that they might come to be Teachers that so they might be honoured in and for their children and that their children might live bravely 20. And so it fell out that every one would get the greatest conflux of people he could that he might be esteemed by most people and these Lip-Christians did so multiply that the sincere hearty desire to God was left and they onely looked upon the Lip-Priests who did nothing but cause strife and contentions and they all vapoured and boasted of their own Art and skill which they had learned in the Schooles and Universities and cryed loe here is Christ come running hither thus and thus hath Paul written and another saith come hither here is Christ thus and thus hath Peter written he was the Disciple of Christ and had the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven this cannot be amisse they doe but deceive you follow after mee 21. Thus the poore ignorant people looked upon the Mouth-Apes those greedy covetous Men which were no other than vizard-Priests and so lost their deare Immanuel for Christ in them from whence the Holy Ghost goeth forth which driveth and leadeth Men and who at first had begotten them with power and Miracles must now be nothing but a History and they became but History-Christians yet so long as the Apostles and their true Disciples lived they stopped and reproved such things and shewed them the right way but where they were not there the History Priests mis-led them as may be cleerly seene in the Ephesians 22. And so the Kingdome of Christ grew not in Power onely but for the most part in the History the Saints borne in Christ they confirme that many times with great Wonders or Miracles and the History-Priests of Baal they alwayes built upon those Miracles of the Saints same that which was good for the promoting vertue and good manners many brought forth thistles and thornes that they might make strife and warres many sought onely great honour dignity and glory that it should be conferred upon the Church of Christ and her Ministers as it may be seene in Popery out of what Roote it is growne And it came so farre that they mingled the Jewish Ceremonies in their Doings as if the Justification of a poore sinner didlye in them because they were of Divine appointment for which cause the Apostles held the First Councell at Jerusalem where the Holy Ghost concluded that they should onely cleave to Christ in true Love one to another and that was the onely Justification before God 23. But it availed not Pride would erect its Throne and set it above Christ the Devill would be God and they made Glosses that they might bring it to passe in such a way that the simple people might not take notice of it there the Keys of Peter must govern the Citie and they drew together with the Keys Divine Authority to them and so could use the Divine Power in deeds and wonders no more for they desired to be rich and wealthy upon Earth and not to be Poore with Christ who in this world as himselfe witnesseth had not whereon to lay his head they would not be such Christians in power and wonders As Adam who would not live in the Power but in a great Heape of Earth that he might have something to take hold of And heere may be rightly seene our Misery which Adam brought us into that our Essences alwayes reach after the Spirit of this world and desire onely to fill themselves with a great Heape from whence Adam and wee all have gotten such a swelled grosse untoward body full of sicknesses contrariety and contentious desires 24. Now when the Historicall Christendome and the true Christians grew together the Scepter was alwayes among the Learned who exalted themselves and made themselves potent and great and the simple Church yeelded to it as right and yet there was a desire after the Kingdome of God found in Men v. z. the Noble Word of God which had imprinted it selfe in the Promise in Paradise in the Light of Life and which was made stirring by Christ that drave them indeed to the feare of God And then they built great Houses of Stone and called every one thither and they said that the Holy Ghost was powerfull there and they must come thither besides they durst be so impudent to say when they were found to be so wicked and malitious that the Holy Ghost was powerfully in the mouth of the wicked 25. But thou Hypocrite thou lyest if thou art ungodly thou canst not raise the Dead thou canst convert none that in this world lyeth drowned in finnes thou mayest stirre the heart of the Beleever indeed through thy voyce which is a work of the Spirit but thou bringest forth none out of Death into life it is an impossible thing For if thou wilt convert a poore sinner which is drowned in sinne and lyeth captive in the Anger then the Holy Ghost must be in thy mouth and thy Essences must take hold of his and then thy Light will shine in him and thou shalt raise him out of the Death of sinnes and with thy Love in thy Tincture catch him and then he will come to thee with a hearty desire longing after the Kingdome of Heaven and then thou art his Confessour and hast the Keys of Peter and if thou art voyde of that thou hast no Keyes 26. As the Confession is so is the