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
and meeknesse is extinguished for there cometh to be a fierce substance in the stopping or congealing of the Tincture that before the kindling of the light of life in the childe there is no heavenly Creature and although it be figured or shaped with all the formes or parts of the body yet for all that the heavenly Image is not therein but the beastiall and if that body perish corrupt or breake before the kindling of the Spirit of the soule in the springing up of the life then nothing of this figure appeareth before God on the day of the Restitution but its shadow and shape for it hath yet had no Spirit 39. This figure doth not as many judge goe into the Abysse but as the Parents were so is also their figure for this figure is the Parents till the kindling of its life and then it is no more the Parents but it s own The Mother affordeth but a lodge and the nutriment and therefore if shee destroyeth it willingly in her body shee is a murtheresse and the Divine Law judgeth her to the Temporall Death 40. Thus now the Starres and the Elements after the withdrawing of the love in the Tincture take the house into possession and fill it the first Moneth and in the second they sever the Members or parts by the soure Fiat as is mentioned before and in the third the strife beginneth about the Regions of the Starres and Elements where then they separate and every Element maketh its own house and Region for it selfe viz. the Heart Liver Lungs Bladder and Stomack as also the Head to be the house of the Starres where they have their Region or dominion and their Princely Throne as it followeth further 41. And now after that the Starres and Elements as is mentioned before have gotten their Region and the house to dwell in then beginneth the mighty strife in great anxiety about the King of the life for the chamber of the building or fabrick standeth in very great anguish and here wee must consider the Originall of the Essence of all Essences the Eternall Birth and the Roote of all things as that there is in the house of the Anguish first one onely Essence or Beeing and that Essence is the mixing of all Essences and it hath first a will to generate the light and that will is attractive astringent or soure 42. For the desiring is the attracting of whatsoever the will desireth and that will is first pure neither darknesse nor light for it dwelleth in it selfe and it is even the Gate of the divine vertue that silleth all things And thus the attracting filleth the will with the things which the will desireth and although it be pure and desireth nothing but the light yet there is no light in the dark anxiety that it can attract but it draweth the Spirit of the Essences of the Starres and Elements into it selfe and therewith the will of the divine vertue is filled and the same is all rough and dark And thus the will is set in the Darknesse and this is done also in the heart 43. The will now standing thus in the dark anxiety it getteth another will to fly out of the anxiety again and to generate the light and this other will is the minde out of which proceed the senses or thoughts not to continue in the anxiety and the will appeareth discovereth it selfe in the Essences of the sourenesse as in the fierce hardnesse of Death and the glimps or glance breaketh through the Essences of the soure hardnesse as a swift or sudden flash and sharpeneth it selfe in the soure hardnesse that it becometh pale white or glimmering like a flash of fire and in its sudden flight breaketh the soure darknesse and there standeth the hardnesse and the harsh sourenesse of Death like a broken turning wheele which with the flash of the breaking flyeth swiftly as a thought as also then the re-conceived will which is the minde appeareth so very suddenly and seeing it cannot flie forward out of the Essences it must goe into the turning wheele for it cannot get from that place and so it breaketh the darknesse and when the darknesse is thus broken then the sharp glance discovereth it selfe in the pleasant joy without or beyond the darknesse in the sharpnesse of the will viz. in the minde and findeth it selfe habitable therein from whence the flash or glance is terrified and flieth up with strong might through the broken essences out of the heart and would out at the mouth and raiseth it selfe farre from the heart and yet is held by the soure or harsh Fiat and yet then maketh it selfe a severall Region viz. the Tongue wherein then standeth the skreeke or the crack of the broken Essences and seeing then it reflecteth or recoileth back againe into the heart as into its first dwelling house and findeth it selfe so very habitable and pleasant because the Gates of the darknesse are broken then it kindleth it selfe so highly in the loving will by reason of the meeknesse and goeth no more like a sterne or fierce flash through all Essences but it goeth trembling with great joy and the might of the joy is now many hundred times stronger than first the flash or glance was which yeelded or discovered it selfe through the soure harsh Essences of the Death and goeth with strong might out of the heart into the head in the will or purpose to possesse the heavenly Region 44. For it is Paradisicall and it hath its most inward roote therein when Adam in sinne dyed the first Death then said God The seed of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head the same word imprinted it selfe in Adam in the centre of the springing up of his life and so forth with the Creation of Eve in the springing up of her life and so forth in all Men so that wee can in our first minde through the word and vertue of God in the Treader upon the Serpent who in the time became man or was incarnate trample upon or breake the Head and will of the Devill and if this might or power were not in this place then wee were in the eternall Death Thus the minde is its own in the free will and moveth in the vertue or power of God and in his promise in the Free substance or beeing 45. Seeing then that the skreek of joy in the vertue of God which breaketh the doores of the deep Darknesse thus springeth up in the heart and flieth with its glimpse or sparkling into the Head then the vertue of the joy setteth it selfe above as being the strongest and the flash or glance beneath as being the weakest and so when the flash or glance cometh into the Head into its seate then it maketh it selfe two open Gates for it hath broken the doores of the deep Darknesse and therefore it continueth no more in the Darknesse but it must be free as a
permit thy holy one to perish 47. The Deity was in the humane soule and here it brake the sword of the Cherubine so that as Adam had brought his soule into the Prison of Anger and so afterwards all soules from Adam are generated such and are all of them as in one Roote imprisoned in the Anger of Death till Christ so the Noble Champion Christ here destroyed Death in the humane soule and brought the soule through Death into his eternall New Humanity and put it into an Eternall Covenant 48. And as Adam had opened the Gate of the Anger so hath the Deity of Christ opened the Gate of the Eternall Life so that all men can presse in to God in this opened Gate For the third Principle is broken here and Judgement passed upon the Prince of Darknesse which so long held us prisoners in Death 49. But since Man is so slow of apprehension it may be wee shall not sufficiently be understood and therefore wee will once more set it downe briefly and accurately how these great Mysteries are for wee know what Adversary wee have viz. the Prince of this world he will not sleepe but try what he can to suppresse this Noble Graine of Mustard-seede 50. Behold thou Noble Minde thou who desirest the Kingdome of God to thee wee speake and not to the Antichrist in Babell who desireth nothing else but the Kingdome of this world take notice of it the time of sleepe is past the Bridegroom cometh for the Bride saith Come be in earnest gaze not at the hand that used this Pen it is another Pen that hath written this which neither thou nor I doe know for the Minde if it be faithfull apprehendeth the Deity and doe not so slight thy selfe if thou art borne in God then thou art greater and more than all this world 51. Observe it the Angel said to Mary Thou shalt conceive and beare a Sonne and skalt call his Name Jesus he shall be great and be called a sonne of the most High and God the Lord shall give him the Throne of his Father David and he shall be a King over the house of Jacob Eternally and of his Kingdome there shall be no end 52. You must understand Mary was to conceive in the body viz. in her own body not in a strange assumed body as the unenlightened who apprehend not the Kingdome of God might interpret our Writings to meane Besides it is not the ground neither which the Ancients and those heretofore have set downe which yet went very high as if Mary from Eternity had been hidden in Ternario sancto the holy Ternary or Trinity and that shee entered at that time onely into Anna as into a Case or house and were not of the seede of Joachim and bloud of Anna. They say shee was an Eternall virgin out of the Trinity of whom Christ was borne because he came not out of the flesh and bloud of any Man and as himselfe witnesseth that he was not of this world but was come from Heaven he saith That he came forth from God and must returne againe to God and to Nicodemus he said None goeth into Heaven but the Son of Man which is come from Heaven and who is in Heaven 53. And there he spake cleerly of the Son of Man of his humanity and not of his Deity meerly for he saith plainly The Sonne of Man But God from Eternity was not the sonne of Man and therefore no sonne of Man can proceed from the Trinity therefore wee must look upon it aright If Mary had proceeded out of the Trinity where should our poore captivated soules have been If Christ had brought a strange soule from Heaven how should wee have been delivered Had it been possible to redeem Man without it what needed God to come into our forme and be crucified If it could have been so then God should instantly have seperated or freed Adam from Death when he fell or doest thou suppose that God is so maliciously zealous as to be so angry without a Cause 54. Indeed when his wrath was sprung up in Man then he would manifest his wonders but that was not the purpose of God when he created Adam but it was tried which of them should get the victory the Meeknesse or the fiercenesse in the Eternall Roote but the soule in Adam was yet free and there was nothing else that could perish but the own will 55. And so now the soule was the will which was breathed into Adam by the Spirit of God out of the Eternall will of the Father and yet out of that place where the Father viz. God out of the Darknesse in his own re-conceived will entereth into himselfe and in himselfe generateth the meeknesse in his own re-conceived will 56. And so the soule of Man is out of the same Balance in the Angle of the re-comprehended will towards the light and also in the first will in it selfe in its own Centre where behinde it the Darknesse is comprehended and before it is the end of the Eternall Band and in it selfe there would be nothing but an anxious source or property and if any thing else were to be in it then the first will in the eternall Band must conceive another will in it selfe to goe out of the dark source or property into a joyfull habitation without a source 57. If now the first eternall will doe thus conceive another will then it breaketh the source of Darknesse and dwelleth in it selfe in the joyfull habitation and the darknesse remaineth darknesse still and a source or working property in it selfe but toucheth not the re-conceived will for that dwelleth not in the Darknesse but in it selfe thus wee understand the soules own power to be which God breathed into Adam out of the Gate the breaking through in himselfe into the Light of the habitation of joy 58. This soule being cloathed with the pure Elementary and Paradisicall Body severed its will which came out of the Fathers will which tendeth onely to the conceiving of his vertue or power from whence he is impregnated to beget his Heart and severed it from the Fathers will and entred into the lust of this world where now backward in the breaking or destruction of this world there is no light and forward there is no comprehensibility of the Deity and there was no Counsell or remedy except the pure will of the Father enter into it againe and bring it into his own will a gaine into its first seate that so its will may be directed againe into the Heart and Light of God 59. And now if it be to be helped againe then the Heart of God with its Light and not the Father must come into it for it standeth in the Father however yet turned away from the Entrance to the Birth of the Heart of God backward into this world where no Light is to be comprehended either behinde or before it for the substance of the body breaketh
Principle more he must continue Eternally in that source or quality which he hath kindled heere For wee know that Adam with his going out of Paradise into this world brought us into Death And Hell in the Anger of God groweth from Death and so our soule is capable of going into the Kingdome of Hell and standeth in the Anger of God where the Jawes of Hell then stand wide open against us continually to devoure us and wee have made a Covenant with Death and wholly yeelded our selves up to it in the sting of the Anger in the first Principle 8. Wee not onely know this but wee know also that God hath regenerated us in the life of his Sonne Jesus Christ to a living Creature to live in him And as he is entered into Death and againe through Death into Eternall Life so must wee enter into the Death of Christ and in the life of Jesus Christ goe forth out of Death and live in God his Father and then our life and also our flesh is no more earthly but holy in the power of God and wee live rightly in Ternario Sancto in the Holy Trinity of the Deity For then wee beare the holy flesh which is out of the holy Element in the presence of God which our loving Brother and Saviour or Immanuel hath brought into our flesh and he hath brought us in and with himselfe out of Death into God his Father and then the Holy Trinity of the Deity is substantially or really working in us 9. And as the Eternall Word in the Father is become true Man and hath the Eternall Light shining in him and hath humbled and abased himselfe in the Humanity and hath put upon the Image which wee heere beare in this Life the Image which is out of the pure unspotted Element in the presence of God which wee lâ—st in Adam which standeth in the Mercy of God as is cleerly mentioned in our second Booke with all the Circumstances of it so must wee also put on to us that Image which is out of the pure Element out of the body of Jesus Christ and live in that bodily substance and in that source condition and vertue wherein he diveth 10. Wee doe not heere meane his Creature that wee must enter into that but wee understand his source for the depth and breadth of his life in his source is unmeasurable and as God his Father is unmeasurable so also is the Life of Christ so for the pure Element in the source of God the Father in his Mercy is the Body of Christ and as our Earthly Body standeth in the foure Elements so the new Man standeth in a pure Element out of which this world with the foure Elements is generated and the source of the pure Element is the source of the Heaven and of Paradise and so also it is the source of our Body in the New Regeneration 11. Now that Element is in the whole Principle of God every where in all places and so is unmeasurable and infinite and therein is the Body of Christ and his quality and in that is the Trinity of the Deity so that the Father dwelleth in the Sonne viz. in the Body of Jesus Christ and the Sonne in the Father as one onely God and thus the Holy Ghost goeth forth from the Father in the Sonne and is given to us to regenerate us to a new life in God in the life of Jesus Christ and the Earthly Man in his Image and source or quality and property hangeth but to us in this Life time which is well understood if wee be borne of God with our Minde 12. For as God the Father in his own substance comprehendeth all the Three Principles and is himselfe the substance of all substances wherein both joy and sorrow is comprehended and yet goeth forth in it selfe out of the source of the Anguish and maketh the Kingdome of Joy to himselfe unconceivable to the sorrow and incomprehensible to the source of his Anger in the Anguish and Generateth to himselfe his Heart in the Love wherein the Name of God taketh originall So also the Minde hath in it all the Three Principles and therein the soule is comprized viz. in the Band of Life which must enter againe into its selfe and create a will in the Life of Jesus Christ and endeavour after it desiring it with a strong will and purpose and not stay meerly in the History or in the knowledge of it and being able to speake of it and suppose the words and discourse make a sufficient Christian when the Minde is still in meere doubt in Babell no that is not the Regeneration but it must be an Earnest Resolution the Minde must in it selfe goe forth into the humility towards God and enter into the will of God in Righteousnesse Truth and Love 13. And though indeed the Minde is not able to doe this in its own abilitie because it is captivated with the Spirit of this world yet it hath the Purpose in its power and God is presented with and in the Purpose and receiveth it in his Love and soweth therein the seede of Love in his vertue or power out of which the New Man in the Life of Jesus Christ groweth Therefore all lyeth in the true Earnest Purpose which is called True Repentance for the Receiving of the Word of God in the obedience of Love groweth not in the Earthly Life but in the New borne in the Life of Jesus Christ 14. Therefore the Kingdome of Heaven is a bestowed Bounty of Grace for all those that earnestly desire it not that it is enough to say to ones selfe I have indeed a will to yeeld my selfe earnestly to God but I have need to have this world for a while and afterwards I will enter into the obedience of God and that continueth from one time to another and from one day to another and in the meane while the evill Man groweth if you deferre it to the end and then desire and think to be a Heavenly fruit or Birth when all the Time of your life you have growne in the anger of God in the Abysse of Hell no that is deceit thou deceivest thy selfe 15. The Priests in Babell have after that no Key to open the Kingdome of Heaven for thee thou must enter in thy selfe and be new-borne or else there is no remedy for thee in this world nor in Heaven thou standest heere in this life time in the Ground and art a Plant but when Death cometh and cutteth downe the stock then thou art no more in the growing but art a fruit and then if thou art not foode for God thou doest not belong to his Table and then God will not dwell in thee 16. For wee know that the Deity onely is the vertue to the New Birth which vertue if thou longest for it and desirest it with earnestnesse soweth it selfe in thy minde and in thy soule out of which the New Man in
stirreth is very sweet Verse 11 Chapter 16. Why Bloud is forbidden Verse 11 Body Chapter 4. Of what the Body is Created Verse 19 Chapter 21. The Body cannot be destroyed before the appointed time Verse 62 Chapter 22. Of the Body which wee lost Verse 64 Chapter 23. What is the food of the New Body Verse 45 Chapter 25. The Body of Christ can be withheld by nothing in the Resurrection Verse 79 Chapter 25. How the Body of Christ shineth in the Heaven Verse 79 Chapter 25. The Body of Christ is infinite Verse 79. to the 81 Chapter 25. How the Body of Christ is received Verse 83 Chapter 25. How the Body of Christ is after the Resurrection Verse 90 91 Booke Bookes Chapter 8. A field full of flowers is the most Glorious Booke Verse 11 Chapter 3. The Bookes of Theologists are meere Histories Verse 5 Bridegroom Bride Chapter 3. The coming of the Bridegroom Verse 8 Chapter 17. The Bridegroomes coming Verse 115 Chapter 20. The Bride of the Beast hath three things to expect Verse 115. to 117 Chapter 24. Where the Bridegroom embraceth his Bride Verse 31 Caine. Chapter 20. Why Cains hatred was against Abell Verse 44 Chapter 20. Why Caine became a Murtherer Verse 45 Chapter 20. Caine was not rejected in the womb of his Mother Verse 63 Chapter 20. The Description of the Cainish Church Verse 77. to the 118 Chapter 20. Why Caine grutched his brother any thing Verse 82 Chapter 20. How Caine was stirred up to the Murther Verse 84 Chapter 20. Cains false Faith was manifested Verse 91 Chapter 20. Caines amazement and feare Verse 97 Chapter 20. Caines expulsion beyond Eden into the Land of Nod. Verse 98 Chapter 20. Caine is a Looking Glasse for Mens own Conceits Verse 99 Chapter 20. How Caine was Comforted againe Verse 101 Chapter 20. Whence Caines Anger against Abell proceeded Verse 104 Chapter 21. Caine was not wholly Rejected Verse 2 Chapter 21. Caine was chearly againe Verse 4 Chapter 21. Who was Caines accuser Verse 5 Chapter 21. Caine sought out Arts and depended upon his inventions 6 Verse 7 Chapter 21. Caines Church and Christs Church dwell together 45 Verse 46 Called Chapter 16. How and when it is that wee are called Verse 50 Centre Chapter 10. What the Centre is Verse 40 Chapter 14. What is the Centre Verse 67 Candlesticks Chapter 20. What the seven Candlesticks are Verse 42 Champion Chapter 18. What manner of person the Champion in the Battle is Verse 21 Chapter 22. How the Champion or Saviour was conceived in Mary Verse 37 Chapter 25. Who was the Champion Verse 42 Childe Children Chapter 15. After the life is kindled a childe is of it selfe Verse 39 Chapter 15. How a childe shall be in the Resurrection that perisheth before the kindling of the Light of Life Verse 38 Chapter 23. A childe newly borne is as acceptable to God as one in yeares that repenteth of sinne Verse 31 Chapter 16. Wee are all the children of Iniquitie according to the Spirit of this world Verse 25 Chapter 20. Why two sorts of children are Generated from Adam Eve Verse 58 Chapter 22. How wee are the children of wrath Verse 25 Chapter 23. How it is with many of the children of wicked Parents Verse 36 Chapter 24. The very children of God hinder the Tree of Pearle Verse 32 Christ Christian Christendome Chapter 12. The Temptation of Christ Verse 12. to the 14 Chapter 18. The vayle of Christ is done away Verse 1 Chapter 18. The Corporiety of Christ is Inferiour to the Deity Verse 39 Chapter 18. What was the seede to the Creature of Christ Verse 41 Chapter 18. Christs Incarnation or becoming Man Verse 35. to the 54 Chapter 18. Christ the most wonderfull person in the Deity Verse 52 Chapter 18. Christ is the Heaven of those that are his Members Verse 84 Chapter 18. Christs Incarnation from Verse 85. to the 91 Chapter 19. Christ Inviteth all Verse 31 Chapter 22. Christ is born of a pure Virgin Verse 29 Chapter 22. How Christ received or assumed his soule Verse 39 Chapter 22. The Incarnation of Christ Verse 41 Chapter 22. How Christ is our Brother Verse 45 Chapter 22. Christ hath opened the Gate of Life for all Verse 48 Chapter 22. From whence Christ is Verse 52 53 Chapter 22. How Christ assumed or received our Body Verse 66 Chapter 22. Christs soule is from Heaven and not from Heaven Verse 67 Chapter 22. Christs soule is our Brother Verse 67 Chapter 22. Christs body is the foode of our soule Verse 67 Chapter 22. How Christ is a King Verse 72 Chapter 22. How Christ is a Person in the Trinity Verse 75 Chapter 22. Of the Name Christus in the Language of Nature Verse 77 78 Chapter 22. Christs Tempting from Verse 80. to the 100 Chapter 23. Of Christs presence every where Verse 3. to the 11 Chapter 23. What Christs Disciples received in the Lords Supper Verse 13 14 Chapter 23. Christ bound the Devils every where Verse 16 Chapter 23. How wee are foreseene in Christ Verse 21 22 Chapter 24. A Christian doth not rightly know himselfe Verse 34 Chapter 25. Christ springeth up with his holy body through Death Verse 11 Chapter 25. Of Christs New Body Verse 12 Chapter 25. The contemptible Death of Christ is a stumbling block to the Jews Turkes and Pagans Verse 15 16 Chapter 25. How Christ sweat drops of bloud Verse 22 Chapter 25. Christs Passion or course compared with Adams whole course of what happened to him Verse 23. to 40 Chapter 25. What Christ laid off in Death Verse 47 Chapter 25. Christ had Heavenly flesh in the Earthly Man and wee too Verse 48 Chapter 25. How wee put on Christ Verse 48 Chapter 25. Christ hath also borne our actuall sinnes Verse 52 Chapter 25. Wherefore Christs Passion was Verse 57 to the 61 Chapter 25. Christendome must expect the signe of Elias Verse 82 Chapter 25. Christs Conversation fortie dayes after his Resurrection Verse 88 Chapter 25. Christ is not seperated from us Verse 89 Chapter 25. Christ did eate after his Resurrection Verse 91 Chapter 25. The Description of Christs Ascension Verse 98. to the 108 Chapter 25. What Christs Body and his Throne is Verse 104 Chapter 25. How Christ sitteth at the Right hand of God Verse 106 Chapter 25. Of Christs Creature Verse 106 Chapter 25. How Christ is in Heaven Verse 108 Chapter 26. How the Body of Christ was after his Resurrection Verse 1. to the 7 Chapter 26. When Christs body was Glorified Verse 2. to the 4 Chapter 26. Christ had not a body that was altogether Earthly Verse 9 Commandement Conversion Chapter 17. Why the Commandement was given to Adam Verse 16 Chapter 24. What is required in Conversion Verse 27 Contention Chapter 25. No Contention is necessary or profitable Verse 83 Councellours Chapter 16. There are five Councellours sitting in the braine Verse 22 Covenant Chapter 18. What the Covenant did profite before Christ
A DESCRIPTION Of the THREE PRINCIPLES of the Divine Essence Viz Of the un-originall Eternall Birth of the Holy Trinity of God and how the Angels the Heavens also the Starres and Elements and every creaturely Beeing and all that live and move proceeded from and were created by it Especially Of Man of what he was Created and to what end and how he fell from his first Glory into the angry Wrathfulnesse and in his first beginning dyed the Death and was helped againe And then what the Anger of God Sinne Death the Devill and Hell are How these stood in the Eternall Rest in Great Joy and how every thing in this worlds Time tooke its Beginning and how it cometh to Act as it doth at present and what it shall come to be againe in the end of all Written in the German Language Anno 1619. by Jacob Beme LONDON Printed by M. S. for H. Blunden at the Caâ—â—le in Cornhill 1648. The Authors Preface to this BOOKE 1. MAN can undertake nothing from the beginning of his youth nor in the whole course of his Time in this world that is more profitable and necessary for him than to learne to know himselfe What he is out of what from whence and for what he is Created and what his Office is In such a serious Consideration he will presently finde that he and all the Creatures that are come all from God he will also finde among all the Creatures that he is the most Noble Creature of them all from whence he will very well perceive how Gods intent is towards him in that he hath made him Lord over all the Creatures of this world and hath endued him with Minde Reason and Vnderstanding above all the rest of the Creatures especially with Speech or Language so that he can distinguish every thing that soundeth stirreth moveth or groweth and judge of every things vertue effect and Originall and that all is put under his hand so that he can bend them use and mannage them according to his will as pleaseth him 2. Moreover God hath given him higher and greater knowledge than this in that he can penetrate into the Heart of every thing and discerne what Essence vertue and property it hath both in the Creatures in Earth Stones Trees Hearbs in all moveable and immoveable things also in the Starres and Elements so that he knoweth what substance and vertue they have and that in their vertue all naturall sensibility vegetation multiplication and life doth consist 3. Above all this God hath given him the understanding and perception to know God his Creatour What and whence Man is how he is and where he is and out of what he proceeded or was created and how he is the Image substance propriety and childe of the Eternall uncreated and infinite God and how he is created out of the substance of God in which God hath his own substance and propriety in whom he liveth and governeth with his Spirit by which God manageth his own work and loveth him dearely as his own Heart and substance for whose sake he created this world with all the Creatures that are therein which for the most part without the Reason and Government of Man could not live in such a Condition as they doe 4. The Divine Wisdome it selfe standeth in such a high Consideration and hath neither number nor end and therein is the Love of God towards Man knowne in that Man knoweth what his Creator is and what he would have him doe and leave undone and it is the most profitable thing for Man in this world that he can search for and seek after for heerein he learneth to know himselfe what matter and substance he is of also from whence his understanding cogitation perceptibility and sensibility is stirred and how he is created out of the Substance of God and as a Mother bringeth forth a Childe out of her own substance and nourisheth it therewith and leaveth all her Goods to it for its own and maketh it the possessour of them so doth God also with Man his Childe he hath created him and preserved him and made him heire to all his Eternall Goods In and by this Consideration the Divine knowledge buddeth and groweth in Man and the Love towards God as of a Childe to its Parents so that Man loveth God his Father for that he knoweth that he is his Father in whom he liveth is and hath his being who nourisheth him preserveth him and provideth for him for thus saith Christ our Brother who is begotten of the Father to be a Saviour and sent into this world This is the Eternall Life that they know thee to be the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ 5. Now seeing wee our selves know that wee are created out of Gods own substance and made his Image substance and peculiar Inheritance it is therefore equall that wee should live in obedience to him and follow him seeing he leadeth us as a Father doth his Children And wee have also his Promise that if wee follow him wee shall obtaine the light of the Eternall Life without such a Consideration as this wee are altogether blinde and have no knowledge of God but we run on as dumb Beasts and wee look upon our selves and upon Gods Creation as Heifers look upon a new Doore made to their Stalls and set our selves against God and his will and so live in opposition and enmity to the perdition of body and soule and of Gods Noble Creatures wee fall into this terrible and abominable Darknesse because wee will not learne to know our selves what wee are of what substance what wee shall be whether wee are Eternall or whether wee are wholy transitory as the body is or whether also wee must give an account of our matters and doings seeing wee are made Lords of all Creatures and of the whole Creation and have all this in our power to manage 6. Even as wee see know and finde undeniably that God will require an account of all our Doings how wee have kept house with his works and that when wee fall from him and his Commandements he will punish us terribly of which wee have fearefull Examples from the beginning of the world and among the Jewes Heathens and Christians especially the Example of the Flood and in Sodome and Gomorrha also in Pharaoh and the Children of Israel in the Wildernesse and ever since till this very Time Therefore it is indeed most necessary that wee learne wisdome and learne to know our selves how great vice and wickednesse we carry about us how horrible Wolves are amongst us which strive against God and his will 7. For there is none that can excuse himselfe and plead ignorance because the will of God is put into and written in our Minds so that wee very well know what wee should doe and all the Creatures beare witnesse against
world in so great danger between Heaven and Hell and must continually wrestle with the Devill if perhaps through weaknesse I might fall into the Anger of God and thereby the Light of my knowledge might be withdrawne from mee that it may serve mee to recall it to memory and raise it up againe for God willeth that all Men should be helped and will not the Death of a sinner but that he return come to him live in him Eternally for whose sake he hath suffered his own Heart that is his Sonne to become Man that we might cleave to him and rise againe in him and departing from our sinnes and Enmity or contrary will be new-borne in him 17. Therefore there is nothing more profitable to Man in this world while he dwelleth in this miserable corrupted house of flesh than to learne to know himselfe now when he knoweth himselfe aright he knoweth also his Creator and all the Creatures too also he knoweth how God entendeth towards him and this knowledge is the most acceptable and pleasant to me that ever I found 18. But if it should happen that these Writings should come to be read and perhaps the Sodomitish world the fatted swine thereof may light upon them and roote in my Garden of Pleasure who cannot know or understand any thing but to scorne scandalize reproach and Cavill in a proud haughty way and so doe know neither themselves nor God much lesse his children I entend not my writing for them but I shut and lock up my Book with a strong Boult or Barre from such Ideots and wilde Heifers of the Devill who lye over head and eares in the Devils murthering Denne and know not themselves they doe the same which their Teacher the Devill doth and remaine children of the severe Anger of God But I will heere write plainly and clearly enough for the children of God the world and the Devill may roare and rage till they come into the Abysse for their Houre-Glasse is set up when every one shall reape what he hath sowen and the Hellish Fire will sting many sufficiently for his proud spitefull and despising haughtinesse which he had no beliefe of while he was heere in this life 19. Besides I cannot well neglect to set this downe in writing because God will require an account of every ones Gifts how they have employed them for he will demand the Talent which he hath bestowed with the encrease or use and give it to him that hath gained much but seeing I can doe no more in it I commit it to his will and so goe on to write according to my knowledge 20. As to the Children of God they shall perceive and comprehend this my writing what it is for it hath a very convincing Testimony it may be proved by all the Creatures yea in all things especially in Man who is an Image and Similitude of God but it continueth hidden and obscure to the Children of Malignity or Iniquity and there is a fast Seale before it and though the Devill dis-relish the smell and savour and raise a storme from the East to the North yet there will then in the wrathfull or Crabbed soure Tree grow a Lilly with a roote as broad as the Tree spreadeth with its branches and bring its sent and smell even into Paradise 21. There is a Wonderfull Time coming but because it beginneth in the Night there are many that shall not see it by reason of their sleepe and great drunkennesse yet the Sunne will shine to the Children at Midnight Thus I commit the Reader to the Meeke Love of God Amen The First Chapter Of the First Principle of the Divine Essence BEing we are now to speak of God what he is and where he is we must say that God himselfe is the Essence of all Essences for all is Generated or borne Created and proceeded from him and all things take their first beginning out of God as the Scripture witnesseth saying Through him and in him are all things Also the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens are not able to contain him also Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my footstoole and in Our Father is mentioned thine is the Kingdome and the Power understand All Power 2. But that there is yet this difference to be observed that Evill neither is nor is called God this is understood in the first Principle where it is the Earnest fountaine of the Wrathfulnesse according to which God calleth himselfe an Angry Wrathfull and Zealous God for the Originall of Life and of all Mobilitie consisteth in the wrathfulnesse yet if the tartnesse be kindled with the Light of God it is then no more tartnesse but the severe wrathfulnesse is changed into Great Joy 3. Now when God was to Create the world and all things therein he had no other Matter to make it of but his own Beeing out of himselfe But now God is a Spirit that is incomprehensible which hath neither beginning nor end and his Greatnesse and Depth is All yet a Spirit doth nothing but ascend flow move and continually generate it selfe and in it selfe hath chiefly a threefold manner of forme in its Generating or Birth viz. Bitternesse harshnesse and heate and these three manner of forms are neither of them the first second nor third for all these three are but one and each of them Generateth the second and third For between Harshnesse and Bitternesse Fire is Generated and the wrath of the Fire is the bitternesse or sting it selfe and the harshnesse is the stock or father of both these and yet is generated of them both for a Spirit is like a will fence or thought which riseth up and in its rising beholdeth perfecteth and generateth it selfe 4. Now this cannot be expressed or described nor brought to the understanding by the Tongue of Man for God hath no beginning but I will set it down so as if he had a beginning that it might be understood what is in the first Principle whereby the difference between-the first and second Principle may be understood and what God or Spirit is Indeed there is no difference in God onely when it is enquired from whence evill and good proceed it is to be known what is the first and originall fountaine of Anger and also of Love since they both proceed from one the same original out of one mother and are one thing thus we must speak after a creaturely manner as if it took a beginning that it might be brought to be understood 5. For it cannot be said that Fire bitternesse or harshnesse is in God much lesse that aire water or earth are in him onely it is plain that all things have proceeded out of that Originall neither can it be said that Death Hell-fire or sorrowfulnesse is in God but it is known that these things have come out of that Originall For God hath made no
may wrap up your soule that is the Pearle which no Moath can eat nor Thiefe can steale away therefore seek after it and then you will finde the noble Treasure 2 Our wit skill and understanding is so very hard knit up that we have no more any knowledge of Paradise at all and except we be again born anew by water and the holy Ghost the veile of Moses lyeth continually before our eyes when we read his writings and we suppose that was Paradise whereof Moses sayd GOD placed him in the Garden of Eden which hee had planted that he might till it 3 O beloved Man that is not Paradise neither doth Moses say so but that was the Garden in Eden where they were tempted the exposition whereof you may finde about the fall of Adam The Paradise is the Divine joy and that was in their minde when they were standing in the love of God But when disobedience entred they were driven out and saw that they were naked for at that instant the spirit of the world caught them in which there was meere anguish necessity turmoyle and misery and in the end corruptibility and death Therefore it was of necessity that the eternall World did become flesh and bring them into the Paradisicall rest again whereof you shall finde the exposition in its due place about the fall of Adam 4 Paradise hath another Principle for it is the Divine and Angelicall joy yet not without the place of this world Indeed it is without the vertue and source or active property of it neither can the spirit of this world comprehend it much lesse a creature for it standeth not in the anguishing birth and although it thus taketh its originall yet it consisteth in exact perfection meere love joy and mirth wherein there is no feare neither misery nor death no Devill can touch it nor no beast can reach it 5 But when we will speak of the source or fountain and joy of Paradise and of its highest substance what it is we have no similitude of it in this world we stand in need of Angelicall tongues and knowledge to expresse it and though we had them yet we could not expresse it with this tongue it is well understood in the minde when the soule rideth in the Chariot of the Bride but we cannot expresse it with the tongue yet we will not cast away the A. B. C. but tattle or stammer with the children till another mouth be given us to speak withall 6 When God had created the Beasts he brought them to Adam that he should give them their names every one according to their essence and kinde as they the beasts were qualified or according to the quality and condition they were of Now Adam was in the Garden of Eden in Hebron and also in Paradise at once yet no beast can come into Paradise for it is the Divine joy wherein there is no unclean thing also no death or corruptible or transitory life much lesse is there the knowledge of Good and Evill yet Moses writeth of it that in the Garden of Eden there was the tree of temptation which bare the knowledge of Good and evill which indeed was no other Tree than like the Trees we now eate of in the corruptibility neither was it any other Garden than such as wee now have wherein earthly fruit Good and Evill grow as is before our eyes 7. But the Paradise is somewhat else and yet no other place but another Principle where God and the Angels dwell and where there is perfection where there is meere love joy and knowledge where no misery is which Paradise neither death nor the Devils doe touch neither doe they know it and yet it hath no wall of earth or stones about it but there is a great Gulfe or cliffe between Paradise and this world so that they who will passe from hence thither cannot and they who would come from thence to us cannot neither and the Hell and the kingdome of darknesse is between them and none can come therein but by a new Birth which Christ spake of to Nicodemus The soules of the Saints holy and regenerate must enter into it by the death of Darknesse whom the Arch-Shepherd with the Angels bringeth thereinto upon his Bride-chariot of which you shall finde an exposition in its proper place in order 8. But seeing somewhat is lent mee from the grace of the power or Divine vertue of God that I might know the way to Paradise and seeing it behooveth every one to work the works of God in which he standeth of which God will require an account from every one what he hath done in the labour of his dayes work in this world and will require the work which he gave every one to doe with encrease and will not have them empty or else he will have that unprofitable servant to be bound hand and foot and cast into Darknesse where he must be faine to worke yet in the anguish and in the forgetting of the Day-labour which was given him to doe here or of the Talent which he had received here wherein he was found an unprofitable servant 9. Therefore I will not neglect my Day labour but will labour as much as I can on the way and although I shall scarce be able to tell the Letters in this so high a way yet it shall be so high that many will have enough to learne in it all their life long he that supposeth that he knoweth it very well he hath not yet learnt the first letter of Paradise for no Doctors are to be found on this way in this Schoole but onely schollers or learners 10. Therefore let not my Master of Art in his Hood and Tippet thinke himselfe so cunning in this matter nor powre out his mockings so presumptuously against the children of God for so long as he is a scorner or mocker he knoweth nothing of this he ought not to thinke his cap doth become him so finely nor ought he to boast of his humane calling as if he did sit in his calling by the Ordinance of God whereas he is not set or confirmed therein from God but by the favour of man He ought not so much to prohibit and forbid the way to Paradise which himselfe doth not know He must one day give a heavy account of his Ordination by the favour of man because he boasteth of a Divine calling and yet the Spirit of God is far from him therefore he is a lyar and belyeth the Deity 11. Therefore let every one take care what he doth I say againe that whosoever he be that intrudeth himselfe to be a Pastour or Shepherd without the Divine Calling without the knowledge of God he is a theefe and a murtherer he entreth not through the doore into Paradise but he creepeth in with the dogges and the wolves into the den of theeves and
and the Principle of God is close shut up from him and that even to Eternitie 51. To Conclude God will have no fiery Spirit in Paradise they must remaine in the first Principle in the Eternall Darknesse if they had continued as God had created them when the meeknesse shined or appeared to them and had put the Centre of their mindes into the meeknesse then the light of God should for ever have shined through them and they should have eaten of the Verbum Domini the Word of the Lord and they should with the roote of their Originall have stood in the first Principle like God the Father himselfe and with the will in the minde they should have stood in the second Principle thus they should have had a Paradificall source quality or property and an Angelicall will and they should have been friendly in the Limbus of Heaven and in the love of God CHAP. XI Of all Circumstances of the Temptation 1. NOw the Highest Question is What that is which caused the minde of the Devill so to elevate it selfe and that so great a number of them are fallen in the high mindednesse or pride Behold when God set the Fiat in the will and would create Angels then the Spirit first separated all qualities after that manner as now you see there are many kinds of Starres and so the Fiat created them severall Then there were created the Princely Angels and the Throne-Angels according to every Quality as hard soure bitter cold fierce soft and so forth in the Essences till to the end of Nature out of the source of the fire a similitude whereof you have in the Starres how different they are 2. Now the Thrones and Princely Angels are every one of them a great fountaine as you may perceive the Sunne is in respect of the Starres as also in the blossoming Earth The great fountaine veine or Well-spring in the source was in the time of the Fiat in the dark minde the Prince or Throne-Angel There out of each fountaine came forth againe a Centre in many thousand thousands for the Spirit in the Fiat manifested it selfe in the nature of the Darknesse after the manner of the Eternall Wisdome Thus the manifold various properties that were in the whole nature went forth out of one onely Fountaine according to the ability of the eternall wisdome of God or as I may best render it to be understood by a similitude as if one Princely Angel had generated out of himselfe at one time many Angels whereas yet the Prince doth not generate them but the Essences and the qualities goe forth with the Centre in every Essence from the Princely Angels and the Spirit created them with the Fiat and they continue standing essentially Therefore every Host which proceeded out of one and the same fountaine gat a will in the same fountaine which was their Prince as you see how the Starres give all their will into the vertue or power of the Sun of this much must not be said to my Master in Arts he holdeth it impossible to know such things and yet in God all things are possible and to him a thousand yeares are as one day 3. Now of these Princely Angels One is fallen for he stood in the fourth forme of the Matrix of the Genetrix in the dark minde in that place in the minde where the flash of fire taketh its originall with his whole host that was proceeded from him Thus the fiery kinde condition or property moved him to goe above the end of Nature viz. above the heart of God that kinde stood so hard kindled in him 4. For as God said to the Matrix of the Earth Let there come forth all kinds of Beasts and the Fiat created Beasts out of all the Essences and first divided the Matrix and after that the essences and qualities and then he created them out of the divided Matrix male and female But because the creatures were materiall therefore every kinde species or generation must thus propagate it selfe from every Essence but with the Angels not so but their propagation was sudden and swift as Gods thoughts are so were they 5. But this is the Ground every quality or quall or source would be creaturely and the fiery property elevated it selfe too mightily into which Lucifer had brought his will and so it went with Adam as to the Tempting Tree as it is written And God suffered all sorts of Trees to spring up in the Garden of Eden and in the midst of the Garden the Tree of Life and of the knowledge of Good and Evill 6. Moses saith God suffered to spring up out of the Earth all sorts of Trees pleasant to look upon and good for food But here is the vaile in Moses and yet in the Word it is bright cleere and manifest that the fruits were pleasant to behold and good to eate wherein there was no death wrath or corruptibility but it was Paradificall fruit of which Adam could live in clarity or brightnesse in the will of God and in his love in perfection in Eternity onely the Death stuck in the Tree of knowledge of good aod evill that onely was able to bring man into another Image 7. Now wee must needs cleerely conceive or think that the Paradisicall fruit which was Good was not so very earthly for as Moses himselfe saith they were of two sorts the one good to eate and pleasant to behold and the other had the death and corruptibility in it in the Paradisicall fruit there was no death nor corruptibility for if there had been any death or corruptibility therein then Adam had eaten death in all the fruits but seeing there was no death therein therefore the fruit could not be so altogether earthly though indeed it sprung out of the earth yet the divine vertue of the second Principle was imprinted therein and yet they were truly in the third Principle growne or sprung out of the earth which God cursed as to the earthly food that no Paradisicall fruit did grow any more out of the earth 8. Besides if Adam had eaten earthly fruit he must then have eaten it into his body and have had gut or entrailes and how could such a stinck and dung as wee now carry in the body have been in Paradise in the holinesse of God Moreover he should by eating earthly food have eaten of the fruit of the Starres and Elements which would presently have infected or qualified in him as was done in the fall also so his feare over all the beasts would have ceased For the essences of the Beasts would presently have been like the humane essences in vertue and power and one would have domineered more strongly over the other 9. Therefore it was cleane otherwise with Adam he was a heavenly Paradisicall Man he should have eaten of the heavenly Paradisicall fruit and in the vertue or power of that fruit he should have
ruled over all Beasts or living creatures also over the Starres and Elements no cold nor heat should have touched him or else God would not have created him so naked but like all Beasts with a rough or hairy skin or hide 10. But the Question is Wherefore grew the earthly Tree of the knowledge of good and evill for if that had not been Adam had not eaten of it or wherefore must Adam be Tempted Hearken Aske your minde about it wherefore it so suddenly generateth and conceiveth in it selfe a thought of anger and then of love Doest thou say it cometh from the hearing and seeing of a thing Yes that is true this God also knew very well and therefore he must be tempted For the Centre of the minde is free and it generateth the will from hearing and seeing out of which the imagination and lust doth arise 11. Seeing Adam was created an image and whole similitude of God and had all three Principles in him like God himselfe therefore also his minde and imagination should meerly have looked into the heart of God and should have set his lust and desire or will thereon and as he was a Lord over all and that his minde was a threefold Spirit in three Principles in one onely Essence so his Spirit also and the will in the Spirit should have stood open or free in one onely Essence viz. in the Paradisiciall heavenly essence and his minde and soule should have eaten of the heart of God and his body should have eaten of the heavenly Limbus 12. But seeing the heavenly Limbus was manifested through the earthly and was in the fruit in one onely Essence and Adam so too therefore it behoved Adam having received a living soule out of the first Principle and breathed in from the Holy Ghost and enlightened from the light of God standing in the second Principle not to reach after the earthly Matrix 13. Therefore God here also gave him the Command not to lust after the earthly Matrix nor after her fruit which stood in the corruptibility and transitorinesse but the Spirit of Man not He should eate of the fruit but no otherwise than of the Paradisicall kinde and property and not of the earthly Essences For the Paradisicall Essences had imprinted themselves in all fruits therein they were very good to eate of after an Angelical manner and also pleasant to behold or corporeall as Moses also saith Now it may be asked What then was properly the Tempting in Adam The Gate of Good and Evill 14. Wee have a very powerfull testimony hereof and it is knowne in Nature and in all her children in the Starres and Elements in the Earth Stones and Metalls especially in the living creatures as you see how they are evill and good viz. lovely creatures and also venomous evill beasts as Toads Adders and Serpents or Wormes so also there is poyson and malice in every sort of life of the third Principle and the fiercenesse or strongnesse must be in Nature or else all were a Death and a Nothing The Depth in the Centre 15. As is mentioned before the eternall minde standeth thus in the Darknesse and vexeth it selfe and longeth after the light to generate that and the anguish is the source and the source hath in it many formes till that it reacheth the fire in its substance viz. it hath bitter soure hard cold strong darting forth or flashing in the roote of it selfe sticketh the joy and paine alike viz. when it cometh to the roote of the fire and can reach the light then out of the wrath or sternnesse cometh the great joy for the light putteth the sterne forme into great meeknesse on the contrary that forme which cometh onely to the roote of the fire that continueth in the wrath 16. As wee are to know that when God would manifest the Eternall Minde in the Darknesse in the third Principle with this world then first all formes in the first Principle till fire were manifested and that forme now which comprehended the light that became Angelicall and Paradisicall but that which comprehended not the light that remained to be wrathfull murtherous soure and evill every one in its own forme and essence for every forme desired also to be manifested for it was the will of the Eternall Essence to manifest it selfe But now one forme was not able to manifest it selfe alone in the Eternall Birth for the one is the member of the other and the one without the other would not be 17. Therefore the Eternall Word or heart of God wrought thus in the dark and spirituall Matrix which in it selfe in the Originalnesse without the light would be as it were dumb or senslesse and hath generated a corporeall and palpable or comprehensible similitude of its essence in which all the formes were brought forth out of the Eternall formation and brought into Essence for out of the spirituall forme the corporeall forme is generated and the eternall Word hath created it by the Fiat to stand thus 18. Now then out of these formes out of the Matrix of the earth by the Fiat in the Word went forth all the Creatures of this world also Trees hearbs and grasse every one according to its kinde as also Wormes evill and good as every forme in the Matrix of the Genetrix had their originall and thus it was also with the fruits in the Paradise of this world in the Garden of Eden when the Word was spoken let there come forth all sorts of Trees and hearbs then out of all formes or the Genetrix or womb Trees and hearbs came forth and grew which were altogether good and pleasant for the word in the Fiat had imprinted it selfe in all the formes 19. But then the Darknesse and Quall source or paine were in the middest in the Centre wherein Death the wrathfulnesse decay and the corruptibility did stick and if that had not been this world would have stood for ever and Adam should not have been tempted they also like a Death or a corrupting worme of the Quall or source did work together and generated the Tree of Good and Evill in the midst of its seate or place because Death stuck in the midst of the Centre by which this world shall be kindled in the fire at the end of the dayes And this Quall or source is even the anger of God which by the heart or light of God in the Eternall Father is continually put into the meeknesse and therefore the Word or heart of God is called the Eternall Mercifulnesse of the Father 20. Seeing then all the formes of the Eternall Nature were to come forth it is so come to passe as you may see in Toads Adders Wormes and evill Beasts for that is the forme which sticketh in the midst in the birth of all Creatures viz. the poyson venome or Brimstone Spirit as wee see that all Creatures have poyson and gall and the
life of the Creatures sticketh in the power or might of it the poyson as you may finde before in this booke in all the Chapters how the Eternall Nature taketh its Originall how it worketh and how or after what manner its Essence being or substance is 21. Now thus the Tree of the strong tartnesse or wrath which is in the midst of Nature grew also in the midst of the Garden of Eden and was according to the ability of its own forme which it hath from the eternall quality in the Originalnesse the greatest and the mightiest Tree And here it may be seene very cleerly that God would have preserved and had Man to be in Paradise for he forbad him this Tree and caused other fruit enough besides to grow in the formes and Essences The Gate of the Tempting 22. S t Paul saith God foresaw or elected Man before the ground or foundation of the world was laid Here we finde the ground so very plaine or faire that wee have a delight to write on and to seeke the Pearle for behold in the eternall wisdome of God before the Creation of the world the fall of the Devils and also of Man appeared in the Eternall Matrix and was seene for the Eternall Word in the Eternall Light knew very well that if it came to manifest the fountaine of the Eternall Birth that then every forme should breake forth yet it was not the will of the love in the word of the Light that the formes of the tart soure strong wrath should elevate themselves above the meeknesse but it had such a mighty or potent forme that it is so come to passe 23. Therefore the Devill also in regard of the might of the tart strong fierce wrath was called a Prince of this world in the angry strong fiercenesse of which you shall finde more about the Fall And therefore God created but one Man for God would that Man should continue in Paradise and live eternally and on the contrary the sternnesse or strong fierce wrath would tempt him to trie whether he would put his imagination and will wholly into the heart of God and into Paradise wherein he was 24. And because Adam was drawne forth out of the strong sterne soure Essences therefore he must be tempted to try whether his Essences out of which his imagination and lust proceeded could stand in the heavenly quality or whether he would eate of the Verbum Domini the Word of the Lord and to try which essence whether the Paradisicall or the strong fierce wrathfull would overcome in Adam 25. And this was the purpose of God therefore to create but one Man that the same might be tempted and tried how he would stand and that upon his Fall he might the better be helped and the heart of God did before the foundation of the world in his love fore-intend or prepurpose to come to help him and when no other remedy could doe it the heart of God himselfe would become Man and regenerate Man againe 26. For Man is not fallen of strong fierce angry pride like the Devill but his earthly Essences have overcome his Paradisicall Essences and brought them into the earthly lust and in that regard he hath Grace againe bestowed upon him The highest strongest and the mightiest Gate of the Temptation in Adam 27. Here I will faithfully admonish the Reader deeply to consider Moses for here under the vaile of Moses he may looke upon the face of Moses Also he may see the second Adam in the love of the Virgin Also he may see him in his Temptation and upon the Crosse as also in Death and lastly in the vertue of the Resurrection at the right hand of God Also you may see Moses on Mount Sinai and lastly the Clarification or Transfiguration of Christ Moses and Elias on Mount Thabor Also you may see herein the whole Scripture of the Old and New Testament Also you finde herein all the Prophets from the beginning of the world hitherto and all the might and power of all Tyrants wherefore things have gone so and must still goe as they doe Lastly you finde the Golden Gate of the Omnipotence or Allmightinesse and of the great power in the love and humility and wherefore the children of God must still be tempted and wherefore the noble graine of Mustard-seed must grow in stormes crosses and misery and wherefore it cannot be otherwise Also herein you finde the Essence of all Essences 28. And it is the Gate of the Lilly concerning which the Spirit witnesseth that it will hereafter grow in the wrathfull Tree and when it groweth it will bring us true knowledge by its pleasant and fragrant smell in the holy Trinity by which sinell Antichrist will be stifled and the Tree of the sterne anger be broken downe and the Beast enraged which hath its might and strength from the Tree for a time till it be dry and fiery because it can get no more sap from the wrathfull Tree that is broken downe and then it will smell or lift up it selfe in the fierce tart wrath against the Tree and the Lilly till the Tree of which the Beast did eate and was strong destroy the Beast and his power remaine in the fire of the originalnesse And then all Doores will stand open in the great Tree of Nature and the Priest Aaron will give his Garment and faire Ornament to the Lamb that was slaine and is alive againe 29. Reader who lovest God hereby it will be shewne thee that the great mysteries doe meete us concerning the hidden things that were in Adam before his fall and that yet there are much greater after his fall when he was as it were dead and yet living and here is shewne the Birth of the Eternall Essence and wherefore it still must have thus been that Adam must have been tempted and wherefore it could not have been otherwise though Reason continually gainesayeth it and alledgeth Gods Omnipotency that it was in him to hinder or suffer the doing of it 30. Beloved Reason leave off your thoughts for with these thoughts and conceits you know not God nor the Eternity then how will you with such thoughts know the similitude which God generated out of the Eternall Minde it hath here been sundry times mentioned to you that the minde which yet is the greatest Essence in Man doth not stand in a Quall or source 31. If we thinke of or consider the incliner what that was which inclined and drew Adam to that which was forbidden that he should lust contrary to the Command of God whereas we was yet in great Perfection then wee shall finde the Eternall Minde out of which Adam was also created and that because he was an Extract out of the Eternall minde out of all Essences of all the three Principles therefore he must be tempted to trie whether he could stand in Paradise for the heart of God desired that he
the Dragon and the Worme would devour and there stood the Virgin upon the earthly Moone and despiseth the earthinesse and treadeth it under feet And so should Adam also have troden the earthinesse underfoot but it overcame him therefore afterwards the childe of the Virgin when it had overcome the tempting Tree must also enter into the first death of the strong fierce wrath in the death and overcome the first Principle 12. For he stood forty dayes in the Temptation in the Wildernes where there was no bread nor drink then came the Tempter and would have brought him from obedience and said He should out of the stones make Bread which was nothing else but that he should leave the heavenly bread which man receiveth in Faith and in a strong confidence in God and put his imagination into the Spirit of this world and live therein 13. But when the childe of the virgin laid the heavenly bread before him and said Man liveth not onely from this world from the earthly eating and drinking then came the second way or kinde of Temptation forth viz. the might power dominion and authority of this world the Prince of the wrath or strong fiercenesse would give him all the power of the Starres and Elements if he would put his imagination into him and pray to or worship him that was the right scourge or whip wherewith Adam was scourged viz. with the might riches and beauty of this world after which at last Adam lusted and was taken But the childe of the Virgin laid before him that the kingdome was not his viz. belonging to the Prince of the fierce strong wrath but it belonged to the word and heart of God he must worship God and serve him onely 14. The third Temptation was the same into which the Devill also was fallen with high mindednesse or pride when he Christ was tempted to have fline from above from the pinnacle of the Temple and should have elevated himselfe above humility and meeknesse for the meeknesse maketh the angry Father in the Originalnesse soft and joyfull so that the Deity thus becometh a soft and pleasant Essence 15. But Lord Lucifer would in the Creation have faine been above the meeknesse of the heart of God above the end of nature therefore he would faine also have perswaded the sonne of the virgin to flie without wings above the end of nature in pride of which shall be handled in its due place at large I have brought this in thus but in briefe that my writing may be the better understood and how it stands with or upon the ground or foundation of the Scripture and is not any new thing neither shall there be any thing new in them but onely the true knowledge in the holy Ghost of the Essence of all Essences Of Adams sleepe 16. Adam had not eaten of the fruit before his sleepe till his wife was created out of him onely his essences and inclination had eate a of it in the spirit by the imagination and not in the mouth and thereupon the spirit of the great world captivated him and mightily qualified in him or infected him and then instantly the Sunne and Starres wrestled with him and all the foure Elements wrestled so mightily and powerfully that they overcame him and so he sunk downe into a sleepe 17. Now to an understanding Man it is very easie to he found and knowne that there neither was nor should be any sleepe in Adam when he was in the Image of God For Adam was such an Image as wee shall be at the resurrection of the Dead where wee shall have no need of the Elements nor of the Sunne nor Starres also of no sleepe but our eyes shall be alwayes open eternally beholding the glory of God from whence will be our meate and drinke and the Centre in the multiplicity or springing up of the Birth affordeth meere delight and joy for God will bring forth out of the earth into the kingdome of Heaven no other kinde of Man than such a one as the first was before the Fall for he was created out of the eternall will of God that will is unchangeable and must stand therefore consider these things deeply 18. O thou deare soule that swimmest in a darke lake incline thy minde to the gate of Heaven and behold what the fall of Adam hath been which God did so greatly loathe that because of it Adam could not continue in Paradise Behold and consider the sleepe and so you shall finde it all Sleepe is nothing else but an overcoming for the Sunne and the Starres are still in a mighty strife and the Element of water viz. the Matrix is too weake for the fire and the Starres for that Element is the being overcome in the Centre of Nature as you finde before in many places 19. And the light of the Sunne is as it were a God in the Nature of this world and by its vertue and influence it continually kindleth the Starres or Constellations whereby the Starres or Constellations which are of a very terrible and anguishing Essence continually exult in triumph very joyfully For it the Sunne is an essence like the light of God which kindleth and enlighteneth the dark minde of the Father from whence by the light there ariseth the divine Joy in the Father 20. And so it the Sunne maketh a triumphing or rising to be in the Matrix of the Water alwayes like a seething for the Starres altogether cast their vertue or influence into the Matrix of the water as being therein in like manner also now the Matrix of the water is continually seething and rising from whence cometh the growing in Trees plants grasse and Beasts for the uppermost Regiment or Dominion of the Sunne and Starres and also of the Elements ruleth in all creatures and it is a blossome or bud from them and without their power there would be in this world in the third Principle no life nor mobility in any manner of thing nothing excepted 21. But the living Creatures as Men Beasts and fowles have the tincture in them for in the beginning they were an Extraction taken from the quality of the Starres and Elements by the Fiat and in the tincture there standeth the continuall kindling fire which continually draweth the vertue or Oleum the Oyle out of the Water from whence cometh the bloud in which the noble life standeth 22. Now the Sunne and the Starres or Constellations continually kindle the Tincture for it is fiery and the Tincture kindleth the body with the Matrix of the water so that they are alwayes boyling rising and seething The Starres or Constellations and the Sun are the fire of the Tincture and the Tincture is the fire of the body and so all are seething and therefore when the Sunne is underneath so that its beames or shining is no more upon a thing then the Tincture
O no that came to passe first when Mother Eve did bite the Apple and also gave to Adam onely the infection and the earthly death with the fainting and mortall sicknesse stuck in them the bones and ribs were yet strength and vertue from which the ribs should come to be 14. But you must highly and worthily understand and consider how it was taken out of his side not as a spirit but wholly in substance thus it may be said that Adam did get a rent and the Woman beareth Adams spirit flesh and bones yet there is some difference in the Spirit for the Woman beareth the Matrix and Adam the Lambus or Man and they two are one flesh undivided in nature for now they two together must generate one man againe which one alone could doe before A Pleasant Gate 15. Wee being here in describing the corruptibility of Adam the Spirit frameth in our thoughts a heavenly mystery concerning Adams rib which the Fiat took from him and made a Woman of it which Rib Adam afterwards must want for the Text in Moses rightly saith God closed up the place with flesh 16. But now the wrath of the Serpent hath so brought it to passe that Adam is fallen in the lust and yet the purpose of God must stand for Adam must rise againe at the day of the Resurrection wholly and unbroken in the first Image as he was created So likewise the Serpent and the Devill hath brought it about that so terrible a Rent is made in him wherefore the Spirit sheweth us that as little as the Worme or Spirit of the soule could be helped except that the virgin came and did goe into Death in the Worme in the abysse of the Spirit of the soule which in its own abysse reacheth the Gate of Hell and the fierce anger of God and regenerate him a new and make him a new Creature in the first Image which is done in the sonne of the virgin in Christ 17. So little also could Adams Rib and his hollow side where it stood be helped healed or brought to perfection except that the second Adam Christ suffer himselfe in the virgin to be wounded pierced or cut in the same place that his precious bloud might come to helpe the first Adam and repaire his broken side againe this of high and precious worth wee speake according to our knowledge which when we shall write of the suffering and death of Christ the Sonne of the virgin wee will so cleere it that thou O thirsty soule shalt finde a living fountaine which shall be little beneficiall to the Devill Further concerning the Woman 18. Reason asketh Is Eve meerely created out of the Rib taken out of Adam then shee should be far inferiour to Adam No beloved Reason it is not so the Fiat being a sharp attracting tooke from Adam of all essences and properties of every vertue but it took from him no more members in substance for the Image should be a man after a masculine kinde in the Limbus yet not at all with this deformity Understand it rightly in the ground he should be and he was also a man and he had a virgin-like heart wholly chaste in the Matrix 19. Therefore Eve was for certaine created out of all Adams Essences and so Adam thereupon had a great Rent and so likewise the Woman might come to her perfection to be the Image of God and this againe sheweth a great mystery wherehy the virgin very preciously witnesseth againe that the sonne of the virgin hath not onely suffered his side to be pierced through and shed his bloud out of the hole of his side but he hath also suffered his hands and feete to be struck through and a Crowne of thornes to be pressed upon his head so that the bloud gushed out from thence and in his body he endured to be whipped so that his bloud run down all over So very lowly hath the Sonne of the virgin debased himselfe to help the sick and broken Adam and his weak and imperfect Eve to repaire them and bring them againe into the first Glory 20. Therefore you must know for certain that Eve was created out of all Adams Essences but there were no more ribs nor members broken from Adam which appeareth by the feeblenesse and weaknesse of the Woman and also by the Command of God who said Thy will shall be in subjection under thy Man or husband and he shall be thy Lord or Ruler because the Man is whole and perfect except a Rib therefore the Woman is a help for him and must help him to doe his work in humility and subjection and the Man must know that shee is very weak being out of his Essences he must help her in her weaknesse and love her as his own Essences in like manner the Woman must put her Essences and will into the Essences and will of the Man and be friendly towards her Man or husband that the Man may take delight in his own Essences in the Woman and that they two might be but one only will For they are one flesh one bone one heart and generate children in one onely will which are neither the Mans nor the Womans alone but of both together as if they were from one onely body And therefore the severe commandement of God is set before the children that they should with earnestnesse and subjection honour their father and mother upon paine of temporary and eternall punishment of which I will write concerning the Tables of Moses Concerning the Propagating of the soule The Noble Gate 21. The minde hath from the beginning of the world had so very much to doe about this gate and hath continually so searched therein that I cannot reckon the wearisome heap of writers about it but in the time of the Lilly this Gate shall flourish as a Bay-tree or Lawrell tree for its branches will get sap from the virgin and therefore will be greener than Grasse and whiter than the whitest Roses and the virgin will beare the pleasant smell thereof upon her Pearly-Garland and it will reach into the Paradise of God 22. Seeing then the mystery presenteth it selfe to us therefore we will open the blossome of the Sprout yet wee would not have our Labour given to the Wolves Dogges or Swine which roote in our Garden of delight like wilde Boares but to those that seek that the sick Adam may be comforted 23. Now if wee will search after the Tincture what it is in its highest degree wee shall finde the Spirit for wee cannot say that the fire is the Tincture nor the aire neither For the fire is wholly contrary to the Tincture and the aire doth stifle it it is a very pleasant refreshment its roote out of which it is generated is indeed the fire but if I may rightly mention the seate where it sitteth I cannot say otherwise but that it is between the three Principles viz. between
Abysse of Death and so the inward Materia or matter is filled from the Essences of the vertue or power and in the inward there riseth up another will out of the sterne vertue of the essences that it might lift it selfe up into the Light of the meeknesse and in the outward standeth the desire to be severed the impure from the pure for that the outward Fiat doth 30. Wee must consider in the vertue or power of the virgin that the will first is threefold and each in its Centre is fix stedfast or perfect and pure for it proceedeth out of the Tincture In the first Centre there springeth up between the Parents of the childe the inclination or lust and the beastiall desire to copulate this is the outward Elementary Centre and it is fix in it selfe Secondly there springeth up in the second Centre the inclinable love to the copulation and although they were at the first sight angry and odious one to another yet in the copulating the Centre of love springeth up and that onely in the copulating for the one pure Tincture receiveth or catcheth the other and in the copulating the Masse receiveth them both 31. Now thus the love qualifieth or mixeth with the inward one Element and the Element with the Paradise and the Paradise is before or in the presence of God and the outward seede hath its Essences which qualifie first with the outward Elements and the outward Elements qualifie with the outward Starres and the outward Starres qualifie with the outward sternnesse grimnesse fiercenesse frowardnesse wrath and malice and the wrath and malice in the fiercenesse severity or austernesse qualifieth with the Originall of the first fiercenesse of the Abysse of Hell and the Abysse qualifieth with the Devills 32. Therefore O Man Consider what thou hast received with thy beastiall body to eate and to drinke of evill and good which God did forbid Look here into the ground of the Essences and say not with Reason It was meerly for disobedience which God was so very angry at that his anger could not be quenched thou art deceived for if the cleere Deity were angry it would not have become Man for thy sake to help thee look but upon the mark in the Eternity and then thou wilt finde all 33. Thus also the Kingdome of Darknesse and of the Devill is sowne together in the copulating and the third Centre of the great desire springeth up along with it out of which the fiercenesse grimnesse or wrath and the house of flesh is generated for the pure love which reacheth the Element and consequently the Paradise hath a wholly modest and chast Centre and it is fix in it selfe of which I here give you a true Example Diligently and deeply to be considered 34. Behold two young people who have attained unto the blossome of the noble Tincture in the Matrix and Limbus so that it be kindled how very hearty faithfull and pure love they beare one towards another where one is ready to impart the very heart within them to the other if it could be done without death this now is the true Paradisicall blossome and this blossome qualifieth with the one Element and Paradise but as soone as ever they take one another and copulate they infect one another with their inflamation or burning lust which is generated out of the outward Elements and Starres and that reacheth the Abysse and so they are many times at deadly enmity or have venomous spitefull hatred one against another and though it happen that their Complexions were noble so that still some love remaineth yet it is not so pure and faithfull as the first before copulation which is fiery and that in the burning or burnt lust is earthly and cold for that must indeed keepe faithfull while it cannot be otherwise as is seene by experience in many how afterwards in wedlock they hunt after whoredome and seek after the Devils Sugar which he stroweth in the noble Tincture if Man will let him 35. Whereby then you see here that God hath not willed the earthly Copulation Man should have continued in the fiery love which was in Paradise and generate out of himselfe But the Woman was in this world in the outward Elementary Kingdome in the inflamation of the forbidden fruit of which Adam should not have eaten And although now he hath eaten and thus destroyed us therefore it is now with him the Adamicall Man as with a Theefe that hath been in a pleasant Garden and went out of it to steale and cometh againe and would faine goe into the Garden and the Gardiner will not let him in he must but reach into the Garden with his hand for the fruit and then cometh the Gardiner and snatcheth the fruit out of his hand and he must goe away in his burning lust and anger and cometh no more into the Garden and in stead of the fruit there remaineth his desirous burning lust with him and that he hath gotten in stead of the Paradisicall Fruit of that wee must now eate and live in the Woman 36. Thus I give you accurately to understand what Man is and what Man soweth and what groweth in the seede viz. Three Kingdomes as is above-mentioned and seeing the three Kingdomes are thus sowen so are they in like manner before the Tree of Temptation and there beginneth the strugling and great strife there stand the three Kingdomes in one another the Element in Paradise will keep the pure minde and will which standeth in the love in the Tincture of the seede and the outward Elements viz. that which went forth from the Element will have the Element and mix it selfe therewith and then cometh the outward fiercenesse of the Starres and draweth it together with the outward Fiat and setteth it selfe in the rule or dominion whereby the inward will in the love together with the Element and the Paradise becometh darkened and the love in the Paradise goeth into its Ether and is extinguished in the Tincture of the seede and the heavenly Centre goeth under for it passeth into its Principle 37. And then cometh the Woman with her stopped or congealed bloud with the Starres and Elements and setteth her selfe in the Dominion And here is the Paradisicall Death where Adam in the living body dyed that is he dyed as to Paradise and the Element and lived to the Sunne Starres and the outward Elements concerning which God said to him That day thou entest of good and evill thou shalt dye the Death and this is the Gate of the first Death in the Paradise in which now Man liveth in the Elementary Woman of this world in the corruptibility 38. And it highly concerneth us to know and apprehend that when the seede is sowne in the Matrix and that it be drawne together by the Fiat when the Starres and the outward Elements set themselves in the dominion and that the love
Nativity 22. And now if the glance out of this minde out of this or any other forme not here mentioned glance or dart through the eyes then it catcheth up its own forme out of every thing as its starry kingdome is most potent at all times of the Heaven in the good or in the bad in falshood or in truth And this is brought before the King and there must the five Counsellours try it which yet are unrighteous knaves themselves being infected from the Starres and Elements and so set in their Region or Dominion and now those Counsellours desire nothing more than the Kingdome of this world and to which sort the starry house of the braines and of the heart is most of all inclined for that the five Counsellours also give their advice and will have it be it for pomp pride statelinesse riches beauty or voluptuous life also for art and excellency of earthly things and for poore Lazarus there is no thought there the five Counsellours are very soone agreed for in their own forme they are all unrighteous before God but according to the Region of this world they are very firme Thus they counsell the King and the King giveth it to the Spirit of the soule which gathereth up the Essences and falleth too with hands and mouth But if they be words that are to be expressed then it bringeth them to the roofe of the mouth and there the five Counsellours distinguish or separate them according to the will of the minde and further the Spirit bringeth them upon the Tongue and there the senses divide or distinguish them in the flash Glance or in a Moment 23. And there stand the three Principles in strife The first Principle viz. the kingdome of sternnesse or wrathfull fiercenesse saith goe forth in the midst of the strong might of the fire it must be so then saith the second Principle in the minde stay and consider God is here with the virgin feare the Abysse of Hell and the third Principle viz. the kingdome of this world saith here wee are at home wee must have it so that wee may adorne and sustaine the body it must be so and it taketh the Region of the aire viz. it s own Spirit and bringeth that Region out at the mouth and keepeth the distinction according to the kingdome of this world 24. And thus there goeth forth out of the earthly senses and minde lyes and folly deceit and falshood also meere subtilty with lust and desire to be elevated many to be elevated in the might of the fire as by force and anger and many by humane art and policy of this world which is but a knave in the sight of God yet wrestleth or holdeth fast till it hath prevailed many in the forme of a tame and gentle Beast very cunningly alluring and drawing to it selfe under a faire pretence many in pride and statelinesse of body in carriage and manners which is a right diabolicall Beast who contemneth all that doth not please him and elevateth himselfe above all meeknesse and humility and over the Image of God yea there is so very much of false untowardnesse that I may not mention it every one followeth the Region Rule or Dominion of the Starres even that which serveth most to the voluptuousnesse of the earthly life 25. In briefe the Regiment of the Starres or starry Region maketh not a holy Man and although men may converse under a holy shew yet they are but hypocrites and desire to get honour and esteeme thereby their minde sticketh neverthelesse in covetousnesse and pride and in fleshly pleasure in meere base lechery and lust and they are in the sight of God according to the desire of this world no other than meere knaves proud wilfull selfe conceited theeves robbers and murtherers There is not one who as to the Spirit of this world is righteous wee are altogether children of deceit and falshood and according to this Image which wee have received from the Spirit of this world wee belong to eternall Death but not to Paradise except it be that we become regenerated anew out of the Centre of the precious virgin who with her rayes averteth the minde from the ungodly wayes of sinne and wickednesse 26. And if the love of God which so deerly loved the Image of Man that it selfe is become Man did not stand in the Centre of the minde in the midst or point of seperation then man had been a living Devill and he is indeed such a one when he despiseth the Regeneration and goeth on according to the in-bred nature of the first and third Principle 27. For there remaine no more than two Principles eternally the third Principle wherein he liveth here perisheth and if he desireth not now the second Principle then he must remaine in the first Originall eternally with the Devills for after this time it will be no otherwise there is no source which can come to helpe him hereafter for the kingdome of God goeth not back into the Abysse but it riseth up forward in the light of meeknesse this wee speak seriously and in earnest as it is highly knowne in the light of Nature in the Ray of the Noble virgin The Gate of the Difference between Man and Beast 28. My deare and loving Reason bring thy five senses hither and consider thy selfe according to the things above-mentioned what thou art how thou wert created the Image of God and how thou in Adam by the infection of the Devill didst let thy Spirit of this world take possession of thy Paradise which now sitteth in the roome of Paradise Wilt thou say that thou wert created thus as to this world in Adam at the beginning then behold and consider thy selfe and thou shalt finde another Image in thy minde and speech 29. Every Beast hath a minde having a will and the five senses therein so that it can distinguish therein what is good or ill for it But where remaine the senses in the will that come out of the Gates of the Deepe where the will discovereth it selfe or glimmereth in the first Principle in infinitum infinitely out of which the understanding proceedeth so that Man can see into all things into their Essences how high they are graduated whereupon followeth the distinction or different articulation of the Tongue for if a Beast had them then it could also speake and distinguish voices and speake of the things that are in substance or beeing and search into the Originality But because it is not out of the eternall therefore it hath no understanding in the light of Nature be it never so nimble and crafty neither doth its strength and force availe to the lifting it up into understanding no it is all in vaine 30. Man onely hath understanding and his senses reach into the Essences and qualities of the Starres and Elements and search out the Ground of all things
Trees and Fruits had Paradisicall Essences 25. In this Garden now the Image of God stood altogether free it might embrace and take what it would onely the Tree of Temptation that was forbidden there he was forty dayes in the Paradisicall knowledge joy and habitation where yet there was neither day nor night to him but onely the Eternity he saw with his eyes from or out of the Divine Power and vertue there was in him no shutting of his eyes he had no need of the Sunne at all yet all things must serve and be subject to him The Out Birth or issue of the foure Elements did not touch him there was no sleepe in him nor paine nor feare A thousand yeares were to him but as a day he was such an Image as shall rise at the last day there will rise no other Image than that which God created in the beginning therefore consider it well 26. But that I have said that he was forty dayes in the Paradise the second Adams Christs Temptation testifieth so much to mee as also the temptation of Israel at Mount Sinai by Moses stayings on the Mount both which lasted forty dayes which you may reade in Moses and concerning the Temptation of Christ and you will finde wonders 27. But when Adam was infected from the lust to eate of the knowledge of good and evill and that the Spirit of this world pressed or swayed Adam where also the subtill Devill which in the Spirit of this world slipt in shot mightily at Adam so that Adam became weary and blinde to the Kingdome of God then said God It is not good for man to be alone for he will not now bring forth the Paradisicall virgin because he is infected from the Spirit of this world so that the chastity of the modesty is quite at an end wee will make help for him to be with him out of whom he may build his Principality and propagate himselfe it cannot be otherwise now and he let a deepe sleep fall upon Man and he slept 28. Here it may be very properly and well understood how the virgin in Adam departed into the Ether into her Principle for the Text saith God let a deep sleepe fall upon Adam now where sleepe is there the vertue or power of God is hidden in the Centre for where that vertue of God groweth there is no sleepe for the Keeper of Israel neither slumbreth nor sleepeth as it is written If thou askest How long Adam slept 29. Then consider Christs Rest in the Grave and thou shalt finde the ground for the second Adam must with his resurrection out of the Grave awaken or raise the first out of his Eternall sleepe of the darknesse of Hell out of the Grave of this world againe 30. And so God in his sleepe made the Woman for him out of himselfe by which he must now generate his kingdome for now it could not otherwise be And when he awaked he saw her and tooke her to him and said This is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone for Adam was in his sleepe become cleane another Image for God had permitted the Spirit of this world in him to make his Tincture weary unto sleepe 31. Adam was in an Angelicall forme before the sleepe but after the sleepe he had flesh and bloud and he was in his flesh a lump of earth and he saw from a threefold spirit with his eyes he apprehended the light of the Sunne and knew the first Image no more although the foure Elements had not yet fallen upon him nor touched him for he was yet in innocency 32. And there the Devill bestirred him and slipt into the Serpent which he himselfe is in his own proper forme and laid himselfe at the Tree and strewed Sugar upon it for he saw well that Eve was a Woman and that shee was infected with the foure Elements and although shee did strive a little and objected Gods Command against the Devill yet shee suffered her selfe very easily to be perswaded when the lying Spirit said That the fruit would make her wise and that her eyes should be opened and shee be as God knowing Good and Evill yet he told her not that if shee eate thereof shee must dye but he said shee should be wise and faire which disease desire or lust sticketh still in the braines of the Woman that shee would faine be the fayrest Beast 33. So shee pulled off an Apple and did eate and gave to Adam also and he eate of it likewise That was a bit at which the Heavens might well have blushed and the Paradise have trembled as it was indeed really done as is to be seene at the Death of Christ when he entered into Death and wrestled with Hell that the Earth and the Elements trembled and the light of the Sunne was darkened when this bit of the Apple was to be healed up The Gate of the great Affliction and Misery of Man 34. Reason sticketh at the vaile of Moses and seeth not through the Tables that were graven-through which God gave him upon Mount Sinai as also Reason cannot take off the vaile from before his eyes and look him in the face for he hath a brightned clarified or shining countenance in the crack of the fire it Reason is afraid of it that countenance and trembleth at it it saith continually to Moses Speake thou with the Lord for wee are afraid and moreover altogether naked and uncleane 35. In presenteth indeed the wrath of God to it selfe and trembleth at its fall but it knoweth not what hath hapned to it it onely presents the disobedience before it selfe and maketh as if God were an angry malicious Devill that cannot be reconciled having indeed put on the Garment of anger in Adam and Eve on to it selfe in body and soule and hath set it selfe against the will of God in the Bath or Lake of anger on which God took such pitty or compassion that he hath not spared his own Heart to send it into the depth of Anger into the Abysse of Hell as also into the Death and breaking of the foure Elements from the eternall holy Element to help fallen Man and to deliver him out of the anger and Death 36. But since the vaile in the Death of Christ was taken away from the face of Moses in the stead whereof the starres with the foure Elements have yet cast a myst and cloud through the infection of the Devill before Man for the Region of this world hath generated the Antichrist and set him before the countenance of Moses in a cloud as if he were Christ so that the countenance of Moses cannot be apprehended or beheld therefore wee have need of the Lilly which groweth through the Tables of Moses that were graven through with its strong smell which reacheth into the Paradise of God from whose vertue the People or Nations shall be so vertuous and strong that they shall
in the sleepe of the great misery cloathed with corruptible fraile and transitory flesh and bloud 56. And now when Adam awaked from sleepe then he was a Man and no Angel he drew breath from the aire and therewith kindled his Starry Spirit which had taken possession of him he knew his wife to be a Woman and that shee was taken out of him and tooke her to him as all Beasts couple together yet he had then pure eyes for the fiercenesse or grim wrath did not yet stick in them but the infection or longing The Element of fire with its bitternesse which qualifieth or mixeth properties with the Abysse of Hell had not pressed him wholly 57. Thus now Adam with his wife went in great lust and joy into the Garden of Eden where Adam told her of the Commandement concerning the Tree But Eve being a Woman of this world regarded it but little and turned her from Adam to the Tree and looked upon it with lust and the lust instantly took hold of her and the lying Devill when shee was talking with him whom shee knew not neither had heard of any Devill perswaded her and shee laid hold on the Tree and brake off an Apple and did eate of the fruit of the foure Elements and Starres and gave to Adam and when Adam saw that Eve dyed not then he eate also 58. And then their eyes were opened and they knew that they had flesh and bloud and were quite naked for the Spirit of the great World took them captive with the foure Elements and figured or framed in them Stomack and Gutts though indeed in the sleepe of Adam when the Matrix was severed from the Limbus the same formes were already figured but they knew it not till after the biting of the Apple and then the Spirit of the fiercenesse first gat in and made its Region as may be seene in the Heart Liver Lungs Gall and Bladder as also in the Stomack this Regiment had Adam gotten in his sleepe and with the biting of the Apple the Spirit of the great world hath set it selfe in that Government 59. And then they looked one upon another and were ashamed one before another and they were afraid of the wrath or severity that entered into them for it was the anger of God and thus they were captivated by the first Principle as by the Abysse of Hell and held Adam and Eve captive in their soules in the Eternall part for it sprung up with terrour feare and doubt concerning the kingdome of God and they could have no comfort in that condition for they saw the Paradise no more but the Garden in Eden so also they had lost the Deity they could set no will or desire into it for the wrath and doubt stood in the way 60. Then came the Spirit of this world with its rough Garment with heate and cold and pressed upon them as upon naked people and so struck the Image of God halfe dead with their fiercenesse anguish and doubt with their quality or property of hot and cold and let it lye in paine anguish and doubt And here Man went from Jerusalem out of the Paradise to Jericho into the house of murtherours who stript him of his Paradisicall Garment and robbed him and struck him with their poyson torment plague and sicknesse from their infection halfe dead and so left him and went their way as the second Adam said in the Gospel in a fimilitude or Parable 61. And here now was no remedy neither in Heaven nor in this world they were captivated in hard slavery in misery and death the Abysse of Hell did hold the soule and the Spirit of this world held the body captive Death and corruption was in the body and there was nothing else in them but enmity to it selfe proceeding from the tart Essences of the Starres wherein one source or quality striveth against the other and one breaketh or destroyeth the other with greater paine and torment to the body with trembling and skreeking and at last comes corruption and death as it is before our eyes 62. There the Devill gat the Game for the kingdome of this world to be his againe he gat an entrance into Man and he could reach into the Essences of his soule for they were now both in one kingdome 63. He the Devill supposed saying the kingdome of this world is thine thou shalt sport thy selfe according to thy power with the Image of Man which should have possessed thy Throne his Spirit is in thy kingdome and so the Devill mocked God in his minde saying Where is now thy noble Image which thou didst create to Rule over my Throne am not I Lord of the great Might of the fire I will rule over thy Throne the might or strength and vertue is mine I flie up above the Thrones of vertue and strength and no might or power can withstand mee 64. Yes indeed he flieth up above the Thrones but he cannot flie into the Thrones he flieth up in the first eternall source of fire which is sterne soure dark hard cold rough and burning but he cannot get through the open Gate of the Deepe into the Light of God but he flieth up aloft in his Abysse in the Eternity in the wrathfull source or quality of Hell and reacheth nothing else And therefore he is a Prince though in the Abysse of Hell which was well enough knowne to Man after his miserable Fall 65. And because I may not be well understood by the Reader in that I write that Man dwelleth in the Abysse of Hell with the Devills therefore I will shew him the ground that he may touch and handle it and if he will not feele it yet it is given to him that he may know it and it shall be a witnesse against him 66. It is not without a cause that Christ calleth the Devill a Prince of this world for he is so according to the first Principle according to the kingdome of wrath and continueth so to Eternity but he is not so according to the kingdome of the foure Elements and Starres for if he had full power in that then there would be no vegetative fruit nor living creature upon the Earth he cannot master the exit of the foure Elements for he is in the Originality and there is a whole Principle between onely when the Constellations doe awaken the fierce wrath of the fire in the Elements as in a tempestuous storme then he is Master Jugler in mischiefe and rejoyceth himselfe therein though indeed he hath no power there neither except it be permitted to him from the anger of God then he is the Hangman or Executioner and executeth the Right as a Servant Minister or Officer but not as a Judge but as an Executioner 67. He is Executioner in the kingdome of this world the Starres are the Councell and God is the King of the Land and whosoever departeth from God falleth into the
Councell of the Starres which run many upon the sword and make them lay violent hands upon themselves and bring some to a Rope others to the water and there he is very busie and is the Driver or Executioner 68. Into this great misery Man is fallen and he is fallen quite home to the kingdome of the Starres and Elements as to his body what these doe with him that he is and that standeth in the substance they make one great another small one straight another stooping and crooked they send one fortune and riches and another poverty of one they make a crafty subtill Man according to the counsell and kingdome of this world and of another they make an Ideot they make one a King and they breake and pull downe another one they kill another they bring into the world and continually drive the minde of Man yet into nothing else but into vaine turmoile discontent and vexation 69. Besides the kingdome of Hell and of fierce wrath alwayes gape after the soule and set their jawes wide open to devoure the captive soule which is held fast fettered with two strong chaines the one of the kingdome of Hell the other of the Kingdome of this world and is continually led by the heavy lumpish beastiall and sickly body as a Theefe who is often led to the place of Execution and still by a Petition reprieved and said in prison againe and the poore soule must lye thus in Prison the whole time of the body where the Devill on the one side very suddenly rusheth upon it with his devouring fiercenesse wrath and malice and would carry it into the Abysse then instantly it is beat upon by the glistering flattering world with pomp bravery covetousnesse and voluptuousnesse of Perdition presently againe cometh upon it sicknesse and feare and it is continually trembling and quaking and when Man goeth but in the dark how is it amazed and continually afraid that the Executioner will take it and doe execution upon it The Gate or Exposition of the great sinne and contrariety of will against God in Man 70. If wee did well consider the abominations and great sinnes of Man before God which our first Parents inherited for us then wee should scarce ever be merry in this world at all if the Spirit of this world did not cast foolish fancies and seeming joyes and pleasures before us in our imprisonment or if the Regeneration did not cause us so highly to rejoyce that wee shall once be delivered out of this Prison for in this life wee finde nothing else but meere abomination sinne misery and death and scarce attaine in this temporary life so much as a glimpse of the Eternall Joy 71. Now the minde asketh What is sinne then How is it sinne Wherefore hath God a loathing against the substance which he hath created Behold thou childe of Man there is no sinne in Heaven in the presence of God onely in thy selfe there is sinne and sinne seperateth us and our God asunder otherwise all things are fix or perfect and good in their own beeing or substance the kingdome of Hell and of wrath is good in it selfe according to its own Region it doth not vex or torment it selfe but its woe paine or smart is its birth and the rising of its source also it desireth nothing else 72. And so also the Kingdome of this world is fix or perfect and good in it selfe neither doth it vex or torment it selfe but the elevating of the Elements viz. the kindling of the heate cold aire and water is its growing and springing neither doth it torment it selfe in it selfe nor hath it any distresse or feare in it selfe 73. Onely Man who is proceeded out of another Principle hath in both those forementioned Principles woe misery sorrow and distresse for he is not in his native Countrey and none of these two Principles can attaine his native Countrey Therefore the poore soule must be thus plagued and tormented that it may attaine its native Countrey againe it must goe againe through the Gate of the deep anguish of Death it must breake through two kingdomes and it sticketh here between the Doore and the hinges and is continually infected with those things which keep it back and plague it it sticketh as it were in a Presse 74. If it straineth to God ward then the Devill holdeth it on one side with one Band and the world with another Band and they set upon it the Devill handleth it in fiercenesse sternnesse frowardnesse or wrath which is a source or quality and sinne which cannot attaine to the kingdome of God and the world leadeth it into pride covetousnesse and fleshly lust so that the Essences of the soule grow full or impregnated with the fleshly will for the will of the minde draweth these things into the soule and so the soule from that which is attracted becometh wholly uncleane swelled and dark and cannot attaine the light of God its Essences that should give up themselves to God cannot for they are too rough and cannot get into the light that kindleth not it selfe in its Essences the Gates of the Deepe must be broken open first and then the Essences of the soule may presse into the liberty without the darknesse but if the minde be filled then it cannot come into the liberty and then begin horrour feare distresse and despaire of the kingdome of God and this maketh meere torment woe paine and smart in the soule 75. Thus thou shalt know in what manner it is sinne before God thou hast in thy selfe the one eternall pure Element which is a joy in the presence of God and now if thou rage and rave with the source quality or property of Hell then thou touchest or troublest the Element and thou stirrest up the wrath and makest it to goe forth and thou doest as the Devill did when he awakened or stirred up and kindled the fierce wrath in the Fiat whereby the fiercenesse generated earth and stones thou sinnest piercing into the Heaven in the presence of God upon which the Prophets complained in many places That the disobedient did grieve their God though in himselfe he felt no paine yet his wrath was kindled in the first Principle in the Gate of the Deepe wherein the soule standeth and that is a meere abomination before him 76. Behold all whatsoever thou lettest into thy minde if thy soule be not inclined or yeelded up to God so that it beleeveth and trusteth in him then all whatsoever thou doest is sinne for thou bringest an earthly Minde into the Gate of the Deepe where the Spirit of God moveth walketh or goeth and thou defilest the Element which is in the presence of God 77. Thou wilt say How God dwelleth in Heaven O! thou blinde Minde full of Darknesse the Heaven where God dwelleth is also in thee as Adam was both upon Earth and also in Paradise at once and give
not way to Antichrist to direct thee aloft without the place of this world above the Starres for he telleth thee a lye as the Devill himselfe did God is every where as the Prophet David saith If I fly to the Day-break or into Hell thou art there Also where is the place of my rest am not I he that filleth all things yet I behold the miserable and those that are of a broken Spirit and I will dwell in them Also I will dwell in Jacob and my Tabernacle shall be in Israel understand it right he will dwell in the contrite and broken Spirit which breaketh the Gate of Darknesse he will presse into that Spirit 78. Therefore beware of the longing lust or desire and say not in thy selfe I stand in the dark the Lord seeth mee not nor what I thinke and doe he standeth in the Gate of thy Minde where the soule standeth before the cleere face of God in the opened Gate and all thy abominations are knowne before God and thou makest the Element of God blush or change colour with them thou grievest the chast virgin which dwelleth in her own Centre and is given to be a companion to thee in thy minde and makest her sad shee warneth thee of the way of the ungodly if thou follow her counsell and turnest and breakest in unto her by earnest Repentance then shee crowneth thee in thy minde with wisdome and understanding that thou mayest then very well avoyde the Devill but if thou doest not then thou fallest out of one sinne and abomination into another and makest thy measure full and running over and then the Devill helpeth thee into his kingdome and thou art very serviceable to him for thou art a true scourge to the children of God not onely with reproaching but also in deeds or in the work of thy hands which the Devill dare not doe thou doest him acceptable service He tickleth thee finely with the Name of God so that thou bringest forth from thy lips and teachest it but thy heart is a Theefe and a Murtherer and thou art wholly dead to the kingdome of Heaven 79. Therefore O thou beloved Minde Examine thy selfe to what thou art inclined whether thou art inclined to righteousnesse love fidelity and truth Also to chastity modesty and mercifulnesse if so it is well for thee but if not then dive into thy bosome and consider thy fleshly heart and try it wrap thy senses together and put them in prison and storme thy fleshly heart that the Elements in thee may quake and tremble The flattering and lying Devill who hath possessed thy fleshly heart shall feele these stroakes which he will not like then he must be gone and thou wilt be of another minde This is no conceit from a minde not opened it selfe hath tried this and therefore it shall stand for a Memoriall and a continuall Monitour and whosoever pleaseth let him try it and he shall finde wonders-indeed 80. Now when Adam and his wife had eaten of the earthly Fruit then they were ashamed one of another for they perceived the beastiall Members for Propagation and they broke off boughs and held them before their shame and the voice of God went into the Garden highly into their Mindes and they hid themselves behinde the Trees in the Garden 81. Here wee see clearly yes we feele that God in the beginning created no such Image with beastiall Members for Propagation for that which God created for Eternity that hath no shame before it Yet also they then first perceived that they were naked the Elements had taken possession of them and yet put no earthly Garment like the Beasts hairy skin upon them for the Spirit of Man was not from the essences and properties of the Elements as the Spirit of the Beasts but Man was out of the Eternall 82. And here in this place there is nothing more palpable than that it is seene and knowne that Adam had no Beastiall forme before his sleepe before his wife was formed for he was neither Man nor Woman but a chast virgin without Beastiall forme he had no shame nor breasts neither had he need of them he should have generated in love and chastity without paine or opening of his Body a virgin as himselfe was and it should have been possible that the whole Hoast of Angelicall Men should have proceeded out of one onely Man as the Angels did out of one fountaine if he had stood in the Temptation even as all those who come to the onely Arch-Shepherd to his Rest were redeemed by one onely Man from the Eternall Death and Torment of Hell 83. Here now wee finde that they heard the voice of God in the Garden for the Element which is before God wherewith Man qualifieth or mixeth that did tremble because of sinne and sinne was manifested in the Element of the Minde first in Adam and Eve and then feare and terrour fell into the Essences of the soule for the first Principle in the fierce sternnesse was stirred so that Principle gat as a Man may say fewell for its source of fire And is risen up in the kindling in a contrariety of will in the Essences where one forme hath continually opposed the other viz. the soure tartnesse and the cold with their attracting have awakened the bitter stinging and tormenting in the Essences of the Tincture of the bloud in the Spirit and the bitter raging and rising hath awakened the fire 84. And so instead of the Paradisicall Joy and refreshment there hath been a meere Brimstone-Spirit which standeth in anguish and trembling of corruption or fragility which kindleth the Tincture of the Bloud wherein tearing stinging and tormenting is wrought and if the fire in the Brimstone Spirit be too much kindled then it burneth the Tincture up and the light of Life goeth out and then the body falleth away to be a dead carkasse and if the tart sourenesse be kindled too much by the hard attracting and holding then also the light of Life goeth out and the body perisheth so also of the water if the Tincture kindleth it selfe in the meeknesse then it becometh windy grosse swelled wholly dark also infectious and corrupt wherein the flash of the life is as a pricking Thorn and so Mans life is every where begirt with enemies and the poore soule is alwayes in a close prison fettered with many chaines and is continually in feare that when the body shall dye or breake it may fall into the kingdome of the Executioner the Devill 85. Thus in Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after the biting of the Apple there sprung up the first fruit in the Gate of the Deepe where the soule standeth before God and qualifieth or mixeth with the will of the Justice of the Father who setteth his will before him in the breaking of the Darknesse in the light of the Meeknesse and continually generateth
erect a light and office of Preaching that the world might learne from them But all availed nothing the Starres ruled Men according to their source or quality in meere covetousnesse unchastity and pride which was indeed so very great that they purposed to build a Tower whose top should reach to Heaven such blinde people they were as to the kingdome of God 27. And then God confounded their Language that they might yet see that they had onely confounded senses or thoughts and should turne them to God that they also might see that they did not understand the Language of the Saints or holy people of the stock of Sem and that they must be scattered abroad over the whole world so that a holy seede might be preserved and that all might not perish but it availed not they were wicked 28. Then God out of the fiercenesse of the first Principle burnt Sodom and Gomorrah those five kingdomes with fire for a Terrour but it availed not sinne grew like a greene Branch And then God promised the chosen Generation that if they would walke before him he would blesse them as the Starres of Heaven and make them so great that they should not be numbered and yet there were still among them evill Birds hatched And then God brought them into a strange Land and prospered them to try whether they would acknowledge his goodnesse and depend on him but they were yet worse 29. Then God did stirre up a Prophet among them even Moses who gave them Lawes and sharp Doctrines as Nature required and these were given them through the Spirit of the great world in zeale in the fire Yet seeing they would live still in the roughnesse therefore they were tryed or tempted to see whether they would live in the Father and God gave them Bread from Heaven and fed them forty yeares to try what manner of people they would be and whether they would by any meanes be brought to cleave to God he gave them Ordinances and Customes to observe in meats and drinks and also a Priestly Order with heavy and hard precepts and punishments which he published also to them but it availed not they were onely wicked and walked in the Dominion or Regiment of the Starres and yet far worse they walked altogether according to the wrathfulnesse of Hell 30. And there is a great matter for us to see in the severall Meats which God forbad them especially Swines flesh whose source quality or property will not subsist in the fire but affordeth onely a stinck and so it doth also in the fire of the soule which reacheth or stirreth the Originality of the first Principle from whence the first Principle in the soule stincketh or maketh a stinck which is contrary to the Word and the noble virgin and it maketh the Gates of the breaking through into the light swelled thick misty fumy and dark for the soule is also a fire which burneth and if it receive such a source quality or property then that darkeneth it the more and burneth in the vapour like a flash of lightening as may be seene in the fat of swine for which cause God did forbid it them 31. And there was no other cause of their employment about offering sacrifice than because Man was earthly and so the Word standing neere the soule in the Gate of the light of life he heard their Prayers through the earthly source quality or property of their smells or Incense and so they had a token in the fire that their prayer was acceptable to God as may be seene in many places in Moses which shall be expounded in its due place 32. And there is a very great matter to be seene in Moses concerning his brightened face where it was tryed whether it were possible that the soule could be ransomed by the Fathers clarity or brightnesse in the fire if they did live in his Law which was sharp and consuming and a great piercing to the soule but it was in vaine it might not be 33. And there the noble virgin in the Spirit of the Prophets did point at the seede of the Woman at his Incarnation or becoming Man his suffering and dying for the poore soule of Man that it might be delivered from the Eternall Death and be regenerated anew in the Sonne of the virgin which was done after three thousand nine hundred and seventy yeares and then the Word of the Promise which God promised to Adam and Eve in the Paradise in the Garden of Eden when they fell into sinne and which Imaged or imprinted it selfe in the Centre of the life through which all Men that come to God are justified became Man 34. It continued a long time in the Covenant of Circumcision in the life and light of the Father with the shadows and types of the Incarnation of the Sonne But these could not reach the earnestnesse of the coming againe of the body out of the grave But the Word must become Man if Man must rise againe out of the grave It the Covenant ransomed the soule indeed so that it could stand before the Father in the Gate of the corruptibility in the fire of the sharpnesse but not in the pleasant Joy before the light of the holy Trinity and besides it could not bring the new body forth out of the Element for it was defiled too much with sinne 35. Thus in that fore-mentioned yeare the Angel Gabriel came being sent of God the Father to Nazareth to a poore yet chast and modest virgin called Mary her name signifieth plainly in the Language of Nature A Redemption out of the valley of misery and though it be plaine that wee are not borne of the High Schooles with many Languages yet wee have the Language of Nature in our Schoole of Wonders or Miracles fixed stedfast or perfect which the Master of Art in his Pontificalibus will not beleeve and he Greeted her through God and brought the Eternall Command of the Father out of his will and said to her Haile full of grace the Lord is with thee thou blessed among Women And when shee looked upon him shee was terrified at his saying and considered in her thoughts what manner of salutation this was And the Angel said to her feare not Mary thou hast found Grace with God behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb or body and beare a sonne whose name thou shalt call Jesus he shall be great and be called the sonne of the most High and God the LORD will give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall be King over the house of Jacob Eternally and of his Kingdome there will be no end Then said Mary to the Angel How shall that come to passe since I know not a Man And the Angel answered to her and said the Holy Ghost will come upon thee and the vertue or power of the most High will overshadow
Ensigne of Triumph all thy works both the evill and the good which thou hast done follow thee in the shadow but not in the substance nor in the source or in the working property Yet they will not be any prejudice in the Heaven to the holy soules which have turned into the Regeneration in Christ but they shall have their highest joy concerning them in that they have stuck in such hard misery and sinnes and have been plucked out of them by their Saviour Christ and from thence will arise meere joy and rejoycing that they are redeemed from the Driver of their sinnes and from great misery and that the Driver is captivated which tormented them day and night in such sinnes 36. And there all the holy soules and Angells in one Love will highly rejoyce that the poore soule is delivered from such great necessitie or misery and the great Joy then taketh its beginning from thence of which Christ said That there is more joy for one sinner that repenteth than for ninety and nine righteous that need no repentance And the soule will praise God that he hath redeemed it out of these great sinnes and herewith the praise of Christ in his merit passion and dying for the poore soule springeth up in Eternity and it is the right Song of the redeemed Bride which riseth up in the Father where the soules so highly rejoyce that the Driver is captivated and his confederates or followers 37. And here is fulfilled that which King David descanteth upon Thou shalt rejoyce to see how the wicked are recompenced how the wicked Driver Hunter or oppressour and Incendiary of malice and wickednesse is tormented in his Prison for the sinnes that are washed away shall not appeare in Heaven as in the Abysse of Hell in the forme of fire but as Isaias said Though thy sinnes were as red as bloud or scarlet if thou turne they shall be like wooll white as snow they shall stand in a heavenly figure for Men to sing of in a Hymne of Praise and a Psalme of Thankesgiving for their deliverance from the Driver 38. And now seeing the departure of soules is various so also their source quality or condition after their departure is various so that many of the soules departed are indeed for a long time in Purgatory if the soule had been defiled with grosse sinnes and have not rightly stepped into the true earnest Regeneration and yet doe hang a little to it as it useth to be with those that have been laden with temporall honour and might or authority and power where many times their own power and profit prevaileth over right where wickednesse or malice and not wisdome is the Judge and here a great burthen is laid upon the poore soule and that poore soule also would faine be saved 39. Here cometh Man and prayeth before God for forgivenesse of sinnes and the Fox hangeth behinde his cloake he would be justified and his unrighteousnesse sticketh in the Abysse and that will not suffer him to enter into the New Regeneration his covetousnesse hath taken too much hold of him his wicked Babell of Antichrists opinions will not let him come to the true earnest conversion they barre up the Gate of Love and the Spirit of this world in the lust of the flesh continueth alwayes predominant or chiefe 40. And yet how ever when the point or houre of Death cometh that the Conscience is rouzed and that the poore soule beginneth to tremble for great feare at the Torment or source of Hell then these also would faine be saved though there is very little saith in them onely meere unrighteousnesse falshood and pleasure of the Earthly life the groanings and teares of the poore stand hard before it and the Devill readeth the Book of Conscience to the minde and there standeth also before the minde the pleasure of the world and the party would faine live somewhat longer and promiseth to lead a life in forbearance of evill or abstinence and the minde inclineth a little towards God or Goodnesse but the sinnes beate that inclination downe againe and then there ariseth great doubt in unquietnesse yet neverthelesse many of them lay hold on the Saviour by a Threed 41. And now when Death cometh and severeth the body and soule asunder then the poore soule hangeth by a Threed or Faith and will not let goe and yet its Essences stick fast in the anger of God the source or paine of the grosse sinnes torment it the Threed of Faith in the New Regeneration is very weake and here therefore now they must presse through the Gate of the Deepe through the passion and through the Death of Christ through the kingdome of Hell to God and Hell hath yet a strong Band about the soule the falshood is not yet washed off 42. There then saith the Bridegroome Come on the other side saith the poore soule I cannot yet my Lamp is not yet trimmed neverthelesse it holdeth the Saviour fast by the Threed of Faith and setteth its Imagination or Desire through the Threed of Faith and confidence further into the Heart of God where then at last it is Ransomed out of the Putrefaction through the Passion of Christ 43. But what its Putrefaction is my soule doth not desire to try by participating with them for it is their abominable sinnes which are kindled in the anger of God there must the poore soule Bath till it come into the Rest through the small faith where its Clarification or Glorification shall not in Eternity be like the true-borne Saints Although indeed they are Redeemed out of Hell and have fruition of the heavenly Joy yet the greatest Joy standeth in the earnest Regeneration wherein there springeth up Paradisicall vertue or power and wonders 44. And thy worldly Bravery Glory Beauty and Riches will not exalt thee before God as thou supposest nor yet thy Office which thou didst beare here be it the Kingly or Priestly Office if thou desirest to be in Heaven then thou must through thy Saviour be new borne thou must endeavour to bring thy Subjects unto righteousnesse and then thou wilt shine with thy Office as bright as the lustre of Heaven and thy works will follow thee O Man consider thy selfe in this 45. But thou earthly Babell what shall I write much of thee for Indeed I must shew thee the ground that thy hypocrisie may be brought to light and that the Devill may not continue in such a manner to stand in an Angelicall forme and in the voluptuous kingdome of this world in Man be a God which is his highest endeavour 46. Behold thou callest thy selfe a Christian and thou boastest that thou art a childe of God this thou confessest with thy mouth but thy heart is a theefe and a murtherer thou endeavourest after nothing else but honour and riches and thy Conscience regardeth little by what meanes thou attainest them whether by hooke or
wholly according to the outward except they see that he despiseth God and blasphemeth the Holy Ghost in such a one there is no Divine Image And it is hard with him yet his Judgement is not in the time of this body the Gate of the Mercifulnesse standeth open towards him while he is in this Tabernacle 73. But after this life he shall attaine it no more except he hath hold of the Mercifulnesse of God by a Threed for God will not quench the smoaking flax as Isaiah saith though indeed he must bathe swimme or swelter in his sinnes till the Anger through the Death of Christ be overcome on which Threed he must hang and the Putrefaction is his Purgatory in his sinnes and no strange or distinct Heterogene Purgatory of which Antichrist feigneth and prateth but his own selfe Purgatory in his sinnes 74. And it is all vaine and idle which is said concerning Purgatory as the Wolfe of the Whores Beast seigneth or conceiteth for it is well knowne that after the outward life there is an Eternall life and that all sinnes are remitted here but as long as thou art between the Doore and the Hindges and hangest by a small haire thou art yet not wholly in the Eternall Life but if thou be once in the Eternall Life then thou art perfect or fully there whether it be in the Heaven or in the Hell out of that there is no Redemption for it is the Eternall Life 75. But while wee are thus speaking of the upright Abel we cannot say that the Kingdome of Heaven was not assisting in him and that he meerly out of his own might and power made himselfe such an upright honest Man for it was in the wrestling and overcame the Anger for Man is weake and ignorant and can doe little by his own Power or ability yet he hath the Imagination and the choosing or the free yeelding to a thing where then the Maker is ready before hand which maketh him to be according as his lust or desire is as is to be seene by Adam for when he longed and lusted in the Spirit of this world there instantly the Maker was present and made of an Angelicall Image a Man 76. The Lust or longing Desire is the introducing into a thing and out of the Lust cometh the forme or Image of the Lust viz. a Body and the source or active quality of sinnes sticketh therein and you may easier hinder the Lust than breake the Body which is very hard therefore it is good to turne away the eyes and then the Tincture goeth not into the Essences by which the Spirit is impregnated for the lust indeed is not the minde wholly but they are sisters for when the lust impregnateth the minde then it is already a halfe substance and there must necessarily follow a breaking or there cometh to be a whole substance and an Essence of a thing 77. Now Abel is the first Christian Church in Patience which God established that the Cainish Church should be converted by Abel he hath not therefore so rejected the Cainish Church that he would have no member out of it Understand it thus the true Christian Church standeth like a sheepe among Wolves though indeed wee are Men and not Wolves but in Minde and in Figure It teacheth the wicked and if he be converted then it hath gained him and he is figured into an Image of God and thereby Joy is caused among the Angels of God that the Kingdome of Heaven hath the victory 78. Or doest thou suppose that the word in Daniel is nothing Chap. 10. concerning the Angel Gabriel who said that the Prince in Persia withstood him one and twenty dayes and that our Prince Michael came to helpe him Thereby it may be seene how the Princes and Throne-Angells strive against the Kingdome of the fierce wrath and assist Men the cause whereof is this The Devill awakeneth the Anger against Men and the Angels of God viz. the Throne-Princes keepe it back because God yet willeth not Evill 79. Wee are especially to observe in Cain and Abel what their purpose was Cain was a Plowman or Tiller of the Ground and Abel was a Shepheard or keeper of sheepe Abel relyed upon the blessing of God towards his flock to maintaine himselfe by the blessing of God Cain relyed upon his own labour to maintaine himselfe by his own skill and industry Eve tooke part with Cain and Adam with Abel for Eve counted him to be the Prince on Earth to whom the Kingdome did belong and supposed that he as a Champion would chase and hunt away the Devill although shee knew him not 80. But if Men search very Deepe this that followeth they will finde is the very Ground Eve was the Childe in the Matrix of Adam which Adam if he had not been overcome should have generated out of himselfe in great modesty purity and holinesse but because Adams Matrix was impregnated from the Spirit of this world therefore God must frame a fleshly woman out of it which afterwards in her first fruit became lustfull and infected from the Devill as well as the Limbus in Adam 81. And therefore they also generated such a towardly childe as looked onely after covetousnesse as Eve also did who would be like God and surely Adam had some minde that way or else he should not have entred into the spirit of this world 82. And such also now was their Sonne Cain he supposed that he was Lord on Earth and therefore he grutched that his Brother should have any thing especially when he saw that he was accepted before God that vexed him and he thought that Abel should come to be Lord on Earth in his sacrifice he regarded not the feare of God though he as an appearing holy Man or hypocrite sacrificed also but he regarded onely the Region 83. And here the Antichristian Kingdome tooke its beginning where Men give God good words and their heart is possessed with covetousnesse and seek after nothing but power and authority to domineere over the needy and miserable who trust and relie upon God Therefore Antichrist hath his God in his Chist and in the strength of his power and behinde his cloake there hangeth a Fox He prayeth yet he desireth nothing else but the Kingdome of this world his heart doth not leave off to persecute and to hunt poore Abel But Abel prayeth to the Lord and his heart inclineth it selfe to the Love of God in the true Image for he desireth the Kingdome of Heaven and the Blessing of God here for his maintenance 84. Now the Devill cannot endure that a holy Church should grow up in his Dominions he will murther Abel still as he did then because Cain feared not God therefore the Devill gat an accesse to him and stirred up the inbred wrath in Cain against Abel that he slew him Here surely all
the Centre of the fift forme as was manifested in Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 22. And now when the time came that the Word became Man then the Deare Life came into the soule againe But when the strife came that the fourth forme should be broken then the outward body of Christ and wee all in the fourth forme were environed with death and then all the formes in Nature did stirre and were all predominant together whereupon the Person of Christ in the Garden did sweat bloud out of his body when he cryed Father if it be possible take this cup from mee Thus the outward Man cried out and the Inward said yet not my will understand my outward will but thy will be done 23. And now because the Devill had so highly triumphed and had Man in the Eternall Prison therefore it was now permitted to the Spirit of this world that they viz. the Pharisees who lived onely according to the Spirit of this world all of them might doe and bring to passe whatsoever the Devill had brought into the Essences in the Garden of Eden and there all was turned into a substance and to an Essentiall work for a terrible Example to shew us that all whatsoever wee suffer to come into the soule and fill the soule full of with a totall will standeth in the figure and must come to light at the Judgement of God 24. For when Adam went out of the Angelicall forme into the fiercenesse of the forme of the Serpent then the Devils mocked him and that mocking must at this time be essentially or actually done upon the outward Man Christ and the Devils fatted swine the high Priests must have their pleasure upon him 25. And so when Adam went out of the Angelicall forme and property into the fourth forme then all the fierce wrathfull Effences fell upon him and wrought in him and scourged him exceedingly But the Word of God in the Promise mitigated that againe though indeed wee must still feele it enough if thou hast any Reason consider it And now the outward Man Christ underwent this paine also outwardly when he was scourged for all the Inward formes which the Man Christ must beare inwardly for our sakes which caused him to sweate drops of bloud they stood also outwardly on his body to shew that the outward Man in this outward world stood and dwelt in such a source property or condition 26. And as Adam in Pride desired the Kingdome of this world and would be like God in it and weare the Crowne of this world so must Christ weare a Crowne of Thornes and must endure to be mocked by it as a false King for so the Devils also did to Adam when they had set the Crowne of folly upon him the Kingdome of this world 27. And as Adam after his entrance into the Spirit of this world must have his Essences broken when the Woman was made out of him and a ribbe was broken from his side for a wife so must bloud flow out of all the Essences of Christ in his scourging and his side must be opened with a Speare that therein wee may behold the broken Man within us which the Devill had mocked thus this Christ must beare the reproach for us in his body 28. And as Adam went out from the Eternall Day into the Eternall darke Night wherein the Anger of God was so this Christ must be bound in a dark Night and be lead before the angry Murtherers who all opened their Jawes and would powre out their fury upon him 29. And as Adam in confidence of himselfe desiring to be high and wise like God himselfe went into the Spirit of the fierce source or property in this world so the second Adam must endure all mocking torment and paine to be inflicted upon him from the wise Scribes that wee might see that in our greatest Art which wee suppose to have from the Schooles and Universities in this world wee are but fooles and that such wisdome is but folly before God and our own opinions and conceits stick therein as in Adam who thought he could not now faile he was become Lord therein viz. in his selfe-wisdome and he was but a foole Thus also when we fall from God and relie upon our own Reason wee are but fooles 30 How will yee then O Antichristian fooles binde us to your Art that wee should turne away from the Heart of God to behold your invented fables and fopperies Whereas in your wisdome of this world yee are but fooles as Adam also was when he drew away his Spirit from the Heart of God The same ignominie must our deare Lord Christ beare upon his shoulders Or doe yee thinke againe that wee are madde Truly our folly will be set before your eyes at the Last Judgement and thither wee appeale 31. And as Adam must carry the untoward grosse body that the Spirit of this world had put upon him and was scorned of all Devils because he had changed his Angelicall Body into a monstrous Vizard so Christ must carry his heavy woodden Crosse and was for our sakes scorned of all these wicked people 32. And as the fierce wrathfull Essences of the Anger of God pressed into Adam whereby he entered into Death of which God spake saying If thou eatest of the Tree thou shalt dye the Death understand the Death in the flesh even while they were in the earthly life so the sharp Nayles must pierce through the hands and feet of Christ and so he must enter into Death and as there is in the humane Essences before the Light of God a Crosse Birth so when the Light of God shineth therein all is turned into a pleasant flourishing blossome wherein the sharp Essences are not found or perceived 33. And when Adam with his soule entered into the fourth forme into the Spirit of this world then that Crosse Birth was stirred and when his wife was made out of his Essences he was divided in that Crosse Birth and so the Woman hath the one halfe of the Crosse and the Man the other halfe which you may see in the skull as also in the Essences and therefore Christ must dye upon the Crosse and destroy Death on the Crosse 34. And as the soule of Adam hung between two evill Kingdomes as between the Kingdome of this world and the Kingdome of Hell so Christ hung on the Crosse between two Murtherers And thus Christ must restore againe all that Adam had lost And as the one Malefactor turned and desired to be with Christ in his Kingdome so the one Kingdome v. z. the Earthly Man must also turne againe and the poore soule must enter into Christ againe through the earthly Death and spring up againe like this Murtherer Theefe or Malefactour on the Crosse who desired the Kingdome of Christ 35. And thus you may well beleeve that all whatsoever happened in the Fall of Adam whereby Adam is fallen
the same was the second Adam faine to beare upon his shoulders for he was fallen into the Anger of God and now if that must be allayed and reconciled then the second Adam must set himselfe therein and yeeld his outward body with all Essences therein and he must goe through Death into Hell into the Anger of the Father and reconcile it with his Love and so himselfe must undergoe that hard condition wherein wee must have been in Eternity 36. And now when this earnest businesse was taken in hand that the Saviour of the World hung on the Crosse as a curse and wrestled with Earth and Hell he said I thirst O that Great Thirst the fierce wrathfull Kingdome was weary as also the Kingdome of this world they desired strength and the Kingdome of Heaven thirsted after our soules it was a Thirst of all the Three Principles 37. And when he saw John with his Mother under the Crosse he said Behold that is thy Mother and to her he said Behold that is thy Sonne and instantly that Disciple tooke her to him His Mother signifieth his Eternall new Humanity which he had received in his Mother viz. in the holy Ternary which wee should take to us and refresh our selves with his Mother and therefore he shewed her to John of which very much might be written but this shall be expounded in another place 38. And this is as cleere as the Sunne that as the poore soule in us hangeth between two Kingdomes which both keepe it altogether imprisoned so must Christ hang between two Malefactours take this into great consideration and weigh it well it is a most serious matter and wee see the whole terrible earnest severity that when the soule of Christ brake off from the Earthly Body when it passed into the Anger of the Father viz. into Hell then the Earth trembled and the stony Rocks cleft in sunder also the Sunne lost its Light and this wee see cleerly and understand it from the mouth of Christ 39. When he now had undergone all the reproach and sufferings he said on the Crosse It is finished while he yet lived in the Earthly Body he said it was finished understand all that should have remained upon us Eternally and should have sprung up in us with all the ignominie in which wee stood before Hell and the Kingdome of Heaven he had all that laid upon him concerning which Esaiah saith Surely he bare our infirmities and tooke upon him our transgressions yet wee held him as one smitten of God tormented and afflicted but he tooke upon him our diseases and all our miseries were laid upon him and through his wounds wee are healed wee all went astray like sheepe every one hath looked upon his own way and yet wee could not help our selves but wee went as miserable halfe slaine sheepe and wee must let the Devill in the Anger of God doe with us what he will for wee beare on us a monstrous Garment and stand in great ignominie before Heaven and Hell 40. Even as God reproached Adam in the Garden of Eden when he had put the outward Garment upon him saying Behold Adam is become as one of us All this reproach and scorne must the Man Christ take upon him also all torment and misery into which Adam was fallen this Champion in the Battle must beare upon him before his heavenly Father and there was the Lambe of God and he hung upon the Crosse as a Patient Lamb in our stead for wee should have been afflicted Eternally in our Crosse-Birth and therefore there hung in great Patience as an Obedient Lamb for the slaughter the Prince of the Eternall Life and set himselfe before his Father as if he himselfe were the Transgressour The Gate of the Great Secret 41. Heare my beloved Reader if thou art borne of God open the eyes of thy Spirit wide that the King of Glory may enter into thee and open thy understanding consider every syllable for they are of great moment they are not mute neither are they from a blinde Centre brought forth into the Light Behold here hung on the Crosse God and Man there was the Holy Trinity there were all the Three Principles and the Champion stood in the Battle 42. Now which was the Champion in the Battle Behold when Christ had finished he said Father I commend my Spirit into thy hands and he inclined his head and departed Behold his Father is the Kingdome Power and Glory and in him is All and All is his the Love is his Heart and the Anger is his Eternall Strength the Love is his Light and the Anger is the Eternall Darknesse and maketh another Principle wherein the Devils are 43. Now it was the Love that became Man and had put on our humane soule and the soule that was enlightened from the Love and stood with its Roote in the Anger as in the strong Might of the Father and now the New Man in the Love commended the soule to the Father into his Might and yeelded up the Earthly Life which proceeded from the Constellations and Elements viz. the Kingdome of this world and so the soule now stood no more in the Kingdome of this world in the source of Life but it stood in Death for the Kingdome of this world the blower up of Life the Aire was gone 44. And now there was nothing more on the soule but onely that which it selfe is in its own Eternall Roote in the Father And here wee should have remained in the Anger in the dark Hell but the bright Father in his Glory tooke the soule to him into the Trinity Now the soule was cloathed with the Love in the Word which made the Angry Father in the innermost source of the soule pleasant and reconcilable and so in this Moment in the Essences of the soule the lost Paradise sprung up againe whereupon the Earth trembled viz. the Out-Birth out of the Element and the Sunne the King of the Life of the Third Principle lost its Light for there rose up another Sunne in Death understand in the Anger of the Father the Love was shining like a bright Morning Starre 45. And thus the Body of Christ on the soule was the pure Element before God out of which the Sunne of this world is generated and the same Body included the whole world and then the Nature of this world trembled and the Stony Rocks cleft in sunder for the fierce wrathfull Death had in the Fiat congealed and concreted the Stony Rocks together and now the Holy Life went into the fierce wrathfull Death whereupon the Stones did cleave asunder to shew that the life stood up againe in Death and did spring forth through Death 46. And then also the holy Bodies went out of the Graves consider this well those that had put their trust in the Messiah had in the Promise gotten the pure Element for a new Body and now when the Promised
Grave 75. As Adam went out of the cleere Light of God into the dark Kingdome of this world and the soule of Adam stood between two dark Principles as between Death and Hell and grew up in the body so also would Christ in his growing body rise up from the dead at midnight and make the night in his holy body to be a cleere Eternall Day whereinto no night ever came but the Light of God the Father and of the Lamb shone therein 76. Thou shouldst not think that the soule of Christ these fortie houres was in any other place than in the Father and in his body where it sprung up in great meeknesse upon the persecution it had as a Rose or faire flower out of the Earth as also our soules in our Rest in the Body of Jesus Christ at the Last Judgement-day in the destruction of this world shall in the new body breake forth againe out of the Old and in the meane while the soule groweth up in the Holy Element in the body of Christ till our forty houres also come about and not one houre longer than the appointed time is Thus is the body of Christ in the power or vertue of the Father through the soule risen againe and gone forth and hath in it the Light of the Holy Trinity 77. It was not needfull that the Stone should be rowled away from the Grave but to convince the blinde Jewes that they might see it was but folly in them to goe about to detaine or shut up God also because of the Disciples weake Reason that they might see that he was risen for certain for when the Stone was rowled away they could goe into the Grave and see it themselves 78. Also the Angel appeared to them there and comforted them Thus will Christ comfort his afflicted ones who are afflicted for his sake yea he is present with them as he was with Mary Magdalene and with the two Disciples going to Emaus 79. Thou must know that no Stone or Rock can keepe or retaine his body he pierceth and penetrateth through all things and breaketh nothing he comprehendeth all things and the thing comprehendeth not him he comprehendeth this world and the world comprehendeth not him he is hurt by nothing the whole fulnesse of the Deity is in him and is not included in any thing he appeareth a Creature in our Humane forme in the same dimensions that our bodies have and yet his body hath no end or limit he is the whole Princely Throne of the whole Principle 80. When he was here upon Earth in the earthly Man his outward body was circumscribed and limited as our Bodies are but the Inward body is unlimited for wee also in the Resurrection in the Body of Jesus Christ are unlimited yet visible and palpable or comprehensible in the heavenly flesh and bloud as the Prince of life himselfe is wee can in the heavenly figure or shape be great or little and yet nothing be hurt or wanting in us there is no need of compressing the parts of that body 81. O deare Christians leave off your Contentions about the body of Jesus Christ he is every where in all places yet in the Heaven and the Heaven wherein God dwelleth is also every where God dwelleth in the body of Jesus Christ and in all holy soules of Men even when they depart from this outward body and if they be regenerated then they are in the body of Jesus Christ even while they are in this Earthly body A soule here in our body upon Earth hath not the body of Christ in a palpable substance but in the word of power or vertue which comprehendeth all things in Christ indeed body and power is one thing but wee must not understand this of the foure Elementary Creature which is in this world 82. And the Spirit signifieth that if you doe not leave off this Contention you shall have no other signe given you then the signe of Elias in fire in zeale the zeale shall devoure you and your contention must devoure your selves you must consume your selves therefore are you not madd Are yee not all Brethren are yee not all in Christ If you did converse in Love what should you need to strive about your Native Countrey wherein you dwell O leave off your cause is evill in the fight of God and yee are all found to be in Babell be advised the day breaketh how long will yee keepe Company with that adulterous Whore Arise your noble Virgin is adorned in her Orient Garland of Pearle shee weareth a Lilly which is most delightsome be brotherly and shee will adorne you indeed wee have seene her really and in her Name wee write this 83. There is no need of Contention about the Cup of Jesus Christ his body is really received in the Testament by the faithfull as also his Heavenly Bloud and the Baptisme is a Bath or Laver in the water of the Eternall Life hidden in the outward Baptisme with water in the Word of the Body of Christ Therefore all Contention or Disputation is in vaine be in Brotherly Love and forsake the Spirit of Pride and then yee are all in Christ 84. These very deepe and difficult matters are not profitable for you you ought not to looke after them wee must onely set them downe that you may see what the ground is and what the Errour is For wee are not the cause of these Writings but you in your high puffed up Lust have stirred up the Spirit that you might finde out the thoughts of your hearts let the Resurrection of Christ be powerfull and effectuall to you for his Resurrection is your Resurrection and in him wee shall grow and flourish and live Eternally onely stick to him and then you cannot perish in any distresse for if you have him you have the Holy Trinity of God 85. If you will pray to God then call upon God your Heavenly Father in the Name of his Sonne Jesus Christ desiring that he would forgive you your sinnes for the sake of his sufferings and death and give you what is good for you and may further your salvation Give up and yeeld all whatsoever is earthly to his pleasure and will for wee know not what wee should desire and pray for but the Holy Ghost helpeth us in Christ Jesus before his Heavenly Father Therefore there is no need of many words or Long Prayers But a beleeving Soule which with its whole Earnest resolved purpose yeeldeth it selfe up into the Mercy of God to live in his will in the Body of Jesus Christ and continueth constant then he is sure and safe from the Devill 86. That Phantasie about the Intercession of the Saints is unprofitable it is but a vexation whereby you disquiet the Saints in their Rest Doth not God himselfe call you continually and doth not your Virgin waite for you with a Longing Desire doe but come and shee is
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
came in the flesh Verse 34 Coyning Chapter 20. How the coyning of Gold and Silver had not been needfull Verse 17 Creation Creatures Chapter 23. How the Creation endureth till the Last Judgement Verse 20 Chapter 9. Why the Essence or Substance of the Creatures is not Eternall Verse 37 Chapter 9. The figure or shape of the Creatures remaine eternally Verse 38 39 Chapter 14. In what forme the Creatures shall be in Paradise Verse 33 Chapter 14. Whence the Creatures have their skill Verse 34 Chapter 18. The Eternall and Temporary Creature in Christ were one Verse 40 Curse Chapter 18. What Gods cursing is Verse 5 Chapter 18. Before the curse there was no such evill weeds nor living Creatures as there are now Verse 7 Chapter 18. There was Great Difference of Beasts before the curse Verse 8 Chapter 18. After the curse fruit must be planted Verse 9 Chapter 20. What the Curse of God is Verse 93 Darknesse Chapter 4. From whence Darknesse hath its Name Verse 48 Chapter 7. How the Darknesse longeth after the Light Verse 13 Death Chapter 13. What the first dying or Death is and whence it cometh Verse 53 Chapter 15. The Abysse of Death is in a young childe Verse 29 Chapter 15. What Death Adam dyed in Paradise Verse 37 Chapter 17. Wherein it is that Death sticketh Verse 16 Chapter 19. What Dying or Death is Verse 12 13 Chapter 19. What that is which is called the Great Death Verse 15 Chapter 19 Conversion in the last houre of Death Deity Verse 43 Chapter 8. The Deity is manifest in all things Verse 3 Chapter 22. The Deity is invisible Verse 63 Deluge Chapter 18. Why the Deluge or Noahs fleud came Verse 26. to the 28 Despaire Doubting Chapter 20. VVhence Despaire ariseth Verse 107 Chapter 24. All Doubting cometh from the Devill Verse 28 Devill Chapter 2. The Devills looke into the first Principle Verse 3 Chapter 4. What the hell of the Devill is Verse 36 Chapter 4. Neither the Devill nor the wicked is made out of any evill Matter Verse 37 Chapter 4. Whence the Devils Angels and soules are Verse 46 Chapter 4. The whole Description of the Devils and their Fall Verse 64. to the 74 Chapter 8. The Devill is the worlds Teacher Verse 13 Chapter 9. The Devill knoweth not Paradise Verse 7 Chapter 10. The Devill cannot be helped or saved Verse 50 Chapter 10. How the Devils should have been if they had not fallen Verse 51 Chapter 11. The Great Number of Devills wherefore they fell Verse 1 2 Chapter 11. The Devils minde was the cause of the lifting up of himself Verse 1. to the 3 Chapter 14. The Devill would Domineere over the Heart of God Verse 43 Chapter 15. Whence the Devills have their Name Verse 5 Chapter 15. The Devils are the Cause of their own Fall Verse 6 Chapter 15. Out of what the Devils are Created Verse 7 Chapter 15. The Devills Impotency over a childe Verse 26 Chapter 15. The Devils Kingdome is sowen also in the Copulation Verse 33 Chapter 15. How wee can tread upon the head of the Devill Verse 44 Chapter 15. How the Devils Kingdome is held Captive Verse 58 Chapter 15. The Devill Tempteth Man in the first Principle Verse 59 Chapter 15. What the hunger and satiating of the Devill is Verse 61 Chapter 17. How the Devill wonne the Game of Adam Verse 62 Chapter 17. After the Fall the Devill Man were both in one Kingdome Verse 62 Chapter 17. How the Devill mocked God in his mind when Adam was fallen Verse 63 Chapter 17. Whither the Devill flyeth in his Pride Verse 64 Chapter 17. The Devill is Executioner Verse 66 Chapter 17. The Devill is the Driver forward to all mischiefe Verse 67 Chapter 17. The Devill holdeth the soul fast Verse 74 Chapter 17. The Devill is the highest cause of Adams Fall Verse 93 Chapter 17. The Devils sported with Mans Image when it was fallen Verse 96 Chapter 17. The Devill understood not the promise of the Treader upon the Serpent Verse 97 Chapter 17. The Devils Judgement is hidden to him Verse 100 Chapter 20. The Devill hath sowne Tares or weedes Verse 30 Chapter 20. The Devils danced at Caines Murthering his brother Verse 84 Chapter 21. The Devill holdeth his Swines Apples before the soule Verse 51 Chapter 21. The subtlety of the Devill against the constant soule Verse 54 Chapter 21. The Devill also stirreth up the children of God against the soule Verse 55 Chapter 21. What the Devils saddle horse is Verse 63 Chapter 23. Where the Devils are Verse 16 Chapter 23. The Devils have no power of the soule of a childe before the time of its understanding Verse 38 Chapter 24. Who are the Devils Bloudhounds Verse 11 Chapter 24. How the Devill seduceth the soul Verse 13 Chapter 24. The Devill watcheth for the soule when flesh and bloud judgeth of any thing as a Cat watcheth for a Mouse Verse 15 Chapter 24. The Devils tricks to entrap the Authour Verse 16 17 Chapter 25. Where the Devill and the Wrath are captivated Verse 13 Chapter 25. In what place the Devils are Verse 42 Chapter 25. The Devils bitter salt wherewith men rub one another Verse 56 Chapter 25. How the Devils tremble at Christs Death Verse 71 Chapter 25. The Devill is blinde in the light Verse 71 Chapter 25. The Devils dwell not farre from Christ Verse 105 Chapter 26. How the Devill would needs be God when the Gospel began Verse 23 Chapter 27. How the Devils shall tremble at the Last Judgement Verse 13 Discourse Chapter 12. The wonderfull Discourse of Adams Spirit in Paradise Verse 36. to the 47 Chapter 14. The discourse and agreement between the Elements in the Incarnation of a childe Verse 22. to the 25 Chapter 24. The discourse of him who fell among the Murtherers between Jericho and Jerusalem Verse 4 Doctour Chapter 9. The Doctour who is in the schoole of Pentecost is in respect of the Authour as Paul was in respect of the other Apostles Verse 47 Chapter 13. The Doctours kill men thinking to finde how the Incarnation of a childe is by Anatomies but in vaine Verse 42 Doctrines Chapter 27. The severall sorts of Doctrines must not all be rejected Verse 21 Dominion Chapter 20. Dominion cometh not from the Love of God Verse 36 Chapter 20. Whence Dominion ariseth Verse 86. to the 88 Chapter 25. Whence Dominion cometh Verse 55 Earnestnesse Chapter 16. The Earnestnesse that wee must use in taming our Body Verse 42 Chapter 16. With what Earnestnesse we must set upon the New Birth Verse 48 Chapter 17. The Earnestnesse that the Minde must use Verse 79 Chapter 24. The Earnestnesse of the soule maketh the Devill weak and faint Verse 30 Earth Earthly Chapter 5. From whence Earth hath its Consolidation Verse 7 Chapter 5 Whence Earth water the Rocky cliffs came to be so as they are Verse 29 Chapter 15. Of what Earth and Stones are Verse 7. to the 9
him againe and if he be now to generate a Kingdome then there must be a Woman as all other Beasts have a Female for propagation The Angelicall kingdome in Adam was gone therefore now there must be a kingdome of this world 4. Then what was it that God now did with Adam Moses saith When Adam slept he took one of his ribs and made or built a Woman of it viz. of the rib which he took from Man and closed up the place with flesh Now Moses hath written very right but who is it that can understand him here If I did not know the first Adam in his virgin like forme in Paradise then I had been at a stand and should have known no other than that Adam had been made flesh and bloud of a lump of Earth and his wife Eve of his rib and hard bones which before the time of my knowledge hath oft seemed very strange and wonderfull to my thoughts when I have read the Glosses upon Moses that so high or deep learned men should write so of it some of them will dare to tell of a Pit in the Orient or East Countrey out of which Adam should be taken and made as a Potter maketh a vessell or Pot. 5. If I had not considered the Scripture which plainly saith Whatsoever is borne of flesh is flesh Also Flesh and bloud shall not inherit the kingdome of Heaven Also None goeth into Heaven but the son of Man viz. the pure virgin which came from Heaven and which is in Heaven which was very helpfull to mee to think that the childe of the virgin was the Angel which hath restored againe all that which was lost in Adam for God brought againe in the Woman in her virgin-like body the virgin childe which Adam should generate And now if I had not considered the Text in Moses where God saith It is not good that man should be alone wee will make a helpe for him I should yet have stuck in the will of the Woman 6. But that Text saith God looked upon all that he had made and behold it was all very good Now if it were good in the Creation then it must needs have become evill when God said afterward it is not good for Man to be alone If God would have had them like all beasts to have a beastiall propagation he would at one and the same instant at first have made a Man and a Woman But that God did abominate the beastiall propagation it appeared plainly in the first childe of the Woman Cain the murtherer of his brother also the fruit or the curse of the earth sheweth it plainly enough But what shall I spend the time for with these testimonies the proofe of it will cleerly follow And it is to be proved not onely in the Scripture which yet maketh a cover over it but in all things if we would take time to doe it and spend our labour about vaine and unprofitable things 7. Now thus saith Reason What are then the words of Moses concerning the Woman to which I say Moses hath written right but I living thus in the Woman understand it not right Moses indeed had a brightened or glorified face or countenance but he must hang a vaile before it so that none could see his face But when the sonne of the virgin viz. the virgin wisdome came he looked him in the face and did the vaile away 8. Then Reason asketh What was the rib taken out of Adam to be made a Woman The Gate of the Depth Behold the virgin sheweth us this that when Adam was overcome and the virgin passed into her Ether then the Tincture wherein the faire virgin had dwelt became earthy weary feeble and weake for the powerfull roote of the Tincture from whence it had its potency without any sleepe or rest viz. the heavenly Matrix which containeth Paradise and the Kingdome of Heaven withdrew in Adam and went into its Ether 9. Keader understand and consider it aright the Deity viz. the faire virgin is not destroyed and come to nothing that cannot be onely shee is remaining in the divine Principle and the Spirit or the soule of Adam is with its own proper Worme remaining in the third Principle of this world But the virgin viz. the divine vertue or power standeth in Heaven and in Paradise and beholdeth her selfe in the earthly quality of the soule viz. in the Sunne and not in the Moone understand in the highest point of the Spirit of this world where the Tincture is noblest and most cleare from whence the minde of man doth exist 10. And shee would faine returne againe into her place to her Bridegroome if the earthly flesh with the earthly minde and senses or thoughts did not hinder or were not in the way for the virgin doth not goe into them shee will not be bound to or in the earthly Centre shee finisheth the whole time while the Woman liveth in her stead of her speculation with longing and much calling admonishing and hearty seeking but to the regenerate shee appeareth in a high triumphing manner in the Centre of the minde shee also often diveth into the Tincture of the bloud of the heart whereby the body with the minde and senses come to tremble and triumph so highly as if it were in Paradise it also presently getteth a Paradisicall will 11. And there the noble Graine of Mustard-seed is sowne of which Christ saith That it is at first small and afterwards groweth to be like a great Tree so far or so long as the minde persevereth in the will but the noble virgin stayeth not continually for her Birth is of a higher descent and therefore shee dwelleth not in earthly vessels but shee sometimes visiteth her Bridegroom at a time when he is desirous of her although shee alwaies with observancy preventeth and calleth him before he calleth her which is onely understood in the Lilly this the Spirit speaketh in a high and worthy seriousnesse therefore observe it ye children of God the Angel of the great Councell cometh in the valley of Jehosaphat with a Golden Charter which he selleth for Oyle without Money whosoever cometh shall have it 12. Now when the Tincture was become thus earthy and feeble by the overcoming of the Spirit of the great world then it could not generate in a heavenly manner and was also possessed with inability and then the Counsell of God stood there and said Seeing he is become earthly and is not able to propagate wee will make a help for him and the Fiat stood in the Centre and severed the Matrix from the Limbus and the Fiat took a rib in the midst of Adam out of his right side and created a Woman out of it 13. But you must cleerly understand or conceive that when the Fiat to the creating of the woman was in Adam in his sleepe his body had not then such hard grissles and bones