forme by the Å¿ The cloathing of the skinnes of Beasts Beast all clothing which he put on them per spiritum majoris mundi by the Spirit of the great world 11. But now if Adam had continued in Paradise he should have been able to manifest the wonders much better for they should have been much neerer to the forme of Angels and such great sinnes and abominations had not been brought to effect with t Many Arts and Sciences or Trades many as is usually done now 12. But the Spirit of the Grimnesse or fâ—ercenesse in the Eternall source or working property would also be manifested and open its wonders of which â—uch may not be written for it is a Mysterium mystery or hidden secret that belongeth not to us to open though indeed wee have the knowledge of it let it stay till the time of the Lilly wherein then the Rose will blossom and then the Thornes in Babell will not prick us 13. When the u Or snares of the Hunter chaines of the Driver are broken and the Thorny-Bush is burnt then one may goe more safely by the Thornes of the Burner and then this Mysterium or hidden secret may well stand in the light for it is great and wonderfull and reacheth into the Gate of the Father 14. The Rose-branch in the wonders will understand us well but Babell is not worthy of it shee seeketh nothing but the Thornes and loveth to strike with them therefore wee will give the x Hunter or oppressour Driver no cause to doe so but rather y Or reserve these mysteries let these Mysteries stand for the children of the Lilly Rose they are z Or understanding wise and have the Noble Tincture a Or in their knowledge in the light the lustre of the Driver will be no more so esteemed for the Guests of this world have that Government in hand 15. Thy proud Horse or Beast thou shamefull Whore shall ride no longer alone over the bended knees in that time it will no more be said The power might or Authority sticketh in my Chist of money that Minerall or Metall becometh a blossome in the light and the Tincture standeth in the blossome of the Lilly stones are of as much worth as that mettall is b Or the humility of the Divine Wisdome the clothing of the virgin is brighter than thy pride how finely doth the ornament of this world stand on modesty and the feare of God if the heart be humble How doe thy silken and golden cloaths adorne thee Doest thou not appeare in Gods deeds of Wonder Who will call thee a false Woman if thou beest so very chast Doest thou not stand to the honour of the Great God Art thou not his work of Wonder Is there not a friendly c Mirth or cheerfulnesse laughter before thee Who can say that thou art a wrathfull Woman Thy modest countenance shineth over d High and low mountaines and valleys Art thou not at the end of the world and will not thy Glance or lustre be espied in Paradise Wherefore standeth thy Mother in e Or in confused jangling Babell and is so very malicious O! thou shamefull Whore Get thee out for Babell is f With wrath or with the devouring sword on fire or else thou wilt be burnt thy selfe 16. Or doest thou suppose that wee are mad If wee did not see thee wee would be silent thou boastest now by thy flatterers of a Golden Time but they are most of them Wolves of Babell when the Day breaketh then they will be knowne Or should I not tell thee this thou proud Whore Behold when thou with Adam and Eve wentest out of Paradise into the Spirit of this world then thou wert as a God in the Spirit of this world thou mightest seek all Mysteries and use them for thy Ornament If thou haddest alwayes gone cloathed in silk and purple or scarlet yet thou haddest not thereby offended God but thou haddest gone in them to the honour of the Great God in his Deeds of Wonder Wherefore hast thou forsaken the g Or God and Goodnesse Love and art become a Murtherer Was not covetousnesse thy sinne in that thou affordest not thy Members so much as thy selfe thou desirest to be onely fine thy selfe alone thy way onely h Or must should be holy Wherfore was the fratricide between Abel and Cain The selfe-honouring pride brought it about so that Cain envied Abels i Honesty uprightnesse for the sake of which he was so much beloved of God wherefore was not Cain also humble and pious 17. Wilt thou say the Devill beguiled him Yes indeed and he beguileth thee too so that thou enviest the comelinesse and beauty of others Hath God made thee a degree higher are thou not a childe of Eve Prethee tell mee the truth art thou not the Antichrist which under a cloake of being counted the Minister and servant of God ridest upon the Devils Horse Mee thinkes I see thee Hearken When thou wentest out of Paradise into this world wherefore didst thou not continue in one onely Love Wherefore didst thou not rejoyce in thy Neighbour Wherefore didst thou not love the members of thy body Why doest thou not adorne thy brother with thy ornament Didst thou not see him plainly Was not the Earth thy own thou mightest have made what thou wouldest of it who did hinder thee in it Why didst thou not eate with thy Brother thou mightest have had fully enough there would never have been any want if thy humility towards thy brother had continued then his also had continued towards thee and then what a fine habitation and dwelling had there been upon Earth what need had there been for thee to have coyned silver and gold if unity had continued thou mightest have made thy ornaments of it well enough if thou haddest adorned thy Brother and Sister then they would have adorned thee againe with their ready serviceable Love doest thou think it had been a sinne if thou hadst gone in pure silk and gold for the benefit of thy Brother and to the honour of the Great God 18. O thou blinde Babell I must tell thee how thou becamest thus mad thou hast suffered thy selfe to be possessed by the Region of the Starres and to be lead by the abominable Devill and art become a perjured or forsworne whore to God and neverthelesse thou hast built thy selfe a Kingdome upon Earth as k The Starres order their government they lead their Region thou leadest thine as they generate by the Elements and consume it againe so doest thou with thy children also thou generatest them and killest them againe thou makest warre and art a murtherer for thy pride and covetousnesse sake so that thou hast no roome at all upon the Earth 19. Doest thou suppose that God taketh pleasure in it Yes Sir the Spirit of the Great World is pleased with it and through that Spirit the
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 d Into the bosom 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 laid 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 oâ— 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 e Or Execute Justice doe execution upon it The Gate or Exposition of the great sinne and contrariety of will against God * CoÌ„mitted by or through Man 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 in 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 Principle can attaine his native Countrey Therefore the poore soule must be thus g Pinched and squeesed 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 h In the chinck craâ—â—y or closing of the doore 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 waâ—â— then the Devill holdeth it on one side with one Band and the world with another Band and they i Or assault it 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 k Or budding substantiall vertues 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 l Mudded 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 m Beyond without the darknesse but if the minde be n Or big with pride covetousnesse envy anger might and pomp 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 though stirrest up the o Or fierce grimnesse wrath and makest it to goe forth and thou doest as the Devill did when he awakened or stirred up and kindled the fierce o Or fierce grimnesse wrath in the Fiat whereby the o Or fierce grimnesse fiercenesse generated earth and stones thou finnest 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
The Second Booke CONCERNING The Three Principles OF The Divine Essence Of the Eternall Dark Light and Temporary VVorld SHEWING What the Soule the Image and the Spirit of the Soule are as also what Angels Heaven and Paradise are How Adam was before the Fall in the Fall and after the Fall AND What the Wrath of God Sinne Death the Devils and Hell are How all things have been now are and how they shall be at the Last Written in the German Language by Jacob Behmen Aliàs Teutonicus Philosophus LONDON Printed by M. S. for H. Blunden at the Castle in Cornhill 1648. ⧠To the READER SInce the Publishing of this Authours forty Questions in English the Mindes of severall Persons have had divers Thoughts concerning his Writings and yet have been of Searching apprehensions I would they were well acquainted with his Writings and then they would not onely be able to finde out the Truth in their own thoughts but also in the written words of him and others as in the Articles and confessions of Faith or any other Writings and it may be those thoughts they have though they be true if rightly understood yet if they may perhaps be misapprehended they may hinder themselves of inestimable Eternall Benefit Some have complained of the Hardnesse to understand his writings and therefore I have endeavoured the Englishing of this Booke of the Three Principles which the Authour saith is the A. B. C. to all his writings and if they reade it carefully they will finde it though hard at first easie at last and then all his other Bookes easie and full of Deep Understanding A Man cannot conceive the wonderfull knowledge before he hath read this Booke throughly and diligently which he will finde to be conteined in it when he is weighing and deliberating upon the Matter as he readeth and that without hard Study for it will rise in the Minde of it selfe with a ravishing sweetnesse and content and he will finde that the Threefold Life is tenfold deeper than this and the forty Questions to be tenfold deeper than that and that to be as deep as a Spirit is in it selfe as the Authour saith then which there can be no greater Depth for God himselfe is a Spirit And accordingly there appeare some Glimpses of the most Deepe Mysticall Orientall Learning heere and there which is not discovered in any Bookes and therefore some of the Learned Men of Europe think it may be past their Reach but they will finde that Ground in him which will make such things easie to be understood for the time of disclosing those Grounds so plainly was not till now that the Mysteries which have been hid since the wotld began should be revealed Those that had the Spirituall Understanding of the Naturall Mysteries were called Wisemen and they that understood the Divine Mysteries were called * Saints Holy Men and they were Prophets Preachers Apostles Evangelists and Beleevers The Wise Men of All Nations did write darkly of their Mysteries not to be understood but by such as were Lovers of those things and so the very Scriptures themselves which conteine all things in them cannot be understood but by such as love to follow practise and endeavour to doe those things which they finde in them ought to be done and those that led their Lives in such a way came to understand those Mysteries from which they were written and in severall Nations their wisdome hath had severall Names which hath caused our Age to take all the Names of the severall parts of wisdome and sort them into Arts among which the Magia and Cabala are accounted the most Mysticall the Magia consisting in the knowing how things have come to be and the Cabala in knowing how the words and formes of Things expresse the Reality of the Inward Mysterie But he that knoweth the Mysterie knoweth both these and all the Branches of the Tree of Wisdome in all Reall Arts and Sciences and the true Signification of every Idea in every Thought and Thing and Sound and Letter in every Language and therefore this Authour having the true knowledge could well expound the Letters of the Names of God and other words and Syllables the signification of which he saith is well understood in the Language of Nature and as one jot or tittle of the word of God shall not passe away till all be fulfilled so there is no tittle of any * As in the Revelations I am Α and Ω the beginning and the end Letter that is proceeded from that Eternall Essentiall Word as all things are but hath its weighty signification in the deepe understanding in that Word from whence it came even in the voices of All Men and sounds of All other Creatures also the Letters and Syllables of a word of some Language doe expresse something of the Mysterie more exquisitely than of another and therefore I conceive the Authour useth sometime to expound words borrowed from the Hebrew Greek and some Latine words and other words of Art as well as German words and not alwayes words of his own Native Language onely according to their signification in the Language of Nature for that Language doth shew in every ones Mother Tongue the Greatest Mysteries that have ever been in the Nature of any thing in the Letters of that word by which it is expressed therefore let every one esteem those expositions of his according to their high worth for the knowledge of that Language is onely taught by the Spirit of the Letter Some think it is unnecessary to know such Mysteries indeed every ones Nature is not fitted with a Capacity for the highest Depths therefore they need not search so farre nor trouble themselves to looke for the understanding of that they desire not to know but that they may see how necessary his writings are let them reade the Authours own Preface to this Booke and there they shall finde the necessity of * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowing themselves for else they can never know God and then they cannot know the way to God though they reade it never so plainly set downe in the Scriptures and besides the way to God is in his writings more easie to be understood by those of our Age than in the Scripture because that hath been so vayled by Doubtfull Interpretations Expositions Inferences and Conclusions and therefore it must needs be highly necessary that such a foundation be laid as may assure us of the true meaning of the Scriptures which teach that which is so Absolutely necessary to salvation Moreover his Grounds will teach us the way to Get such understanding that wee shall know and feele as well as they to whom the Apostle John wrote that wee shall not neede any Man to teach us any thing for we shall know and get that Unction which teacheth all things and leadeth into all Truth though it is thought People cannot have that now by such as know not what is in Man
for want of Examining what is in themselves yet they may well perceive that the Ground of what hath ever been lyeth in Man for whatsoever any Man hath been or can be must needs be in that Man that attaineth to it as the Ground of the Most Excellent Flower is in the Roote from whence it groweth and then sure the Ground of all that was in Adam or any since or shall be is in any one of us for whatsoever Ground lay in God the same lyeth in Christ and in him it lyeth in us because he is in us all There is nothing but may be understood if wee doe but consider how every thing that ever was or shall be knowne truly is feelingly understood by and in him that knoweth it as he ought and he that thus knoweth God within him cannot but know the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Angels Men and all other Creatures even the Devils and may well be able to speak the Word of God infallibly as the Holy Men that Penned the Scriptures and others also and he that can understand these things in himselfe may well know who speaketh by the Spirit of God and who speaketh his own Phansies and Delutions as our Saviour said He that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven shall know of my words whether they be of God but if that will of his Father in Heaven had not been in them from the beginning of their life in their Conception in their Mothers womb how could they to whom he said this have done that will whereby they might know whence his words proceeded and according to this Rule may any discerne the words and writings of All therefore such things as these are necessary to be knowne There are some who have desired his writings might be Epitomised for ease of those that have not leisure to reade so large Treatises truly the spare time they spend in any other outward thing may be spent with more benefit a thousandfold in this and where he hath written at large it would not be understood if it were contracted more in briefe all his Books as large as they are are but a small sparke of the Great Mystery and where he hath written more in briefe it is so obscure to some that they think it impossible to be understood which he wrote both so briefly obscurely as I conceive that none but such as would be diligent in the practise of that which he hath written plainly and at large should be able to understand it It is intended that the Booke of the Threefold Life which with the Three Principles and forty Questions are a Compleate contence of All the Mysteries should be published in English with the soonest conveniency and in the meane time for a Tast of the Spirit of Prophecy which the Authour had there is a little Treatise of some Prophecies concerning these latter times collected out of his writings by a Lover of the Teutonick Philosophy and Entituled Mercurius Teutonicus In turning the German into English I retaine in some places the propriety of the German Language because the Authour should be rendred as neere as might be in his own Expression that those Excellent Notions which he layeth down might not be slipt over as men doe common current English but that the strangenesse of the words may make them a little stay and consider what the meaning may be having some difference from the vulgar English phrase also where it is somwhat hard at first sight to know what some of the words meane I have set the Synonima's in the Margin and sometime the English rendring between two such Semiquadrates In the Preface to the Lovers of Wisdome set before the 40 Questions in English there are some of the many benefits mentioned that would arise from the studying this Authours writings which may be there Read among the Rest there is a hint about reforming the Lawes by Degrees in every Nation and there is no doubt but if those in whose hands it is to make Lawes did but consider that the Spirit of God is and may be stirred up in them they would stirre him up make a Reformation according to that Spirit of Love the Holy Ghost and then they would be Gods true Vicegerents they would be Fathers of their Countrey deale with every Obstinate rebellious Member in the Kingdom as a Father would doe with a disobedient childe first tell him lovingly and shew him his faults if that will not do he will inquire the Reason and study some course to remedy the cause that hindreth his amendment but if he should goe beyond the bounds of reason and be beside himselfe he would take care of his safety livelihood and cure God taketh such care for us all though we be most obstinate enemies against him and we should do so for all our Brethren the sonnes of Adam though they be our Enemies wee should Examine their wants in all things and supply them that necessity may not compell them to be our enemies still and offend God that they may but live If they will not be quiet when they have their wants supplied and their wrongs redressed but will turne Murtherers and so deserve to live no longer in mercy let them be provided for as other more friendly children of the Common-wealth and removed to live by themselves in some remote uninhabited Countrey where they may have no occasion to doe hurt among those whom they would not suffer to live quietly but let them not there want that which may give them honest subsistence as others who are willing to transplant themselves and for those that desire to live quietly and peaceably at home let all their Earthly things be so ordered that they may easily understand what right and wrong is by having most briefe plaine easie Lawes to be Governed by and have their wants considered and supplied then all Hearts will blesse the Hands of such Reformers and Love will cover All the Ends of the Earth and the God of Love will give us his blessing of Peace all the world over and then the King of Glory will dwell with Men and All the Kingdomes of the Earth will be his Who would not desire such a Thing with mee The unworthiest of the Children of Men J. S. 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 a Duty employment or businesse is 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
the râ—â—der might come to understand what that heaven is which God then created consider what Moses writeth of it God made a Firmament between the waters and separated the water beneath the Firmament from the waters above the Firmament and the Firmament he called Heaven which is very right but hitherto it hath been very ill understood 15. Now observe the Heaven is the whole Deep so farre as the Ethera or Skies have u Expanded or spred given up themselves to the birth of this world and that heaven is the matrix out of which earth stones and the materiall water is generated And there God separated the materiall water from the matrix and here it is very plainly discerned that the materiall water is as it were deaded or hath death in it for it could not abide in the x Viz the Aire moving mother but was created to be upon the globe of the earth and God called it Sea Méér in which word is understood in the language of Nature as it were a springing or growing in death or a life in y The corruptibility corruption z That is the reader wil not understand it although herein I shall be as one that is dumb to the Reader yet I †Or understand know it very well and I am very well satisfied therewith but because the bestiall man is not worthy to know it therefore I will not here cast the Pearle before the Swine but for the children of God which will be benefited by it the Spirit of God will certainly teach and instruct them in it 16. Now when the heaven became cleare or pure and cleansed from the earth and the dark mist or dust in the concretion or driving together then in the matrix of the heaven there was the three Elements Fire Aire and Water which are three in one another in one mother and that mother is here called the Heaven therefore henceforward in my writing I shall use the word Heaven in stead of the word Matrix 17. For the Heaven is the Matrix and is called Heaven because of the separation because the fifth essence of Heaven is severed and set in the higher Heaven where the Matrix is more firery as it is properly understood in the language of Nature and is plain before our eyes But here the quality birth and property of the heaven ought to be described because the foure Elements sprung out of it as out of their mother and beeause the vertue of every life consisteth therein therefore the originall of the foure Elements must be described wherein it will first truly be understood what the Heaven is CHAP. VII Of the Heaven and its eternall Birth and Essence and how the foure Elements are generated wherein the eternall band may be the more and the better understood by meditating and considering the materiall world The Great Depth 1. EVery Spirit seeth no further then into its mother out of which it hath its originall and wherein it standeth for it is impossible for any Spirit in its own naturall power to look into another principle and behold it except it be regenerated therein But the Naturall man who in his fall was captivated by the matrix of this world whose naturall spirit a Wavereth moveth between two principles viz. between the Divine and the Hellish and he standeth in both the gates into which principle he falleth there he cometh to be regenerated whether it be as to the Kingdome of Heaven or the Kingdome of Hell and yet he is not able in this life time to see either of them both 2. He is in his own essence and substance a twofold man For his soule in its own substance is our of the first Principle which from eternity hath no ground nor beginning and in the time of the creation of man in Paradise or the kingdome of heaven the soule was truly b Bodily created or corporized bodified by the Fiat in a spirituall manner but with the first vertue or power which is from eternity in its own first vertue or power it hath remained inseparably in its first root and was illustrated or made shining bright by the second principle viz. by the heart of God and therewith standing in Paradise was there by the moving Spirit of God breathed into the matrix of the third Principle into the starry and Elementary man and now therefore he may understand the ground of heaven as also of the elements and of hell as farre as the light of God shineth in him for if that light be in him he is born in all the three Principles but yet he is onely a spark risen from thence and not the great source or fountain which is God himselfe 3. And therefore it is that Christ sayth If you had faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you might say to the mountain Cast thy selfe into the sea and it shall be done And c Note the power by which the holy men raised the dead in this power men have raised the dead and healed the sick by the word and the vertue and power of the Spirit or else they could not have been able to have done such things if they had not stood in the power of all the three Principles 4 For the created Spirit of man which is out of the matrix of this world that ruleth by the vertue of the second principle in the vertue of the light over and in the vertue of the spirit of the starres and elements very mightily as in that which is its proper own But in the fall of Adam we lost this great power when we left Paradise and went into the third Principle into the matrix of this world which presently held us captive in restraint But yet we have the knowledge of that power by a glance or glimmering and we see as through a dim or dark glasse the eternall d Or operative propagation birth 5 And although we move thus weakly or impotently in all the three births and that the gate of Paradise is so often darkned to us and that the Devill doth so often draw us into the hellish gate and that also the elements do cover the e Or the dominion or influences of the stars sydereall gate and wholly cloud them so that we oftentimes move in the whole matrix as if we were deafe dumb or half dead yet if the Paradisicall light shineth to us we may very well see into the mother of all the three principles for nothing can hinder us the threefold spirit of man seeth every form and quality in its mother 6 Therefore though we speak of the creation of the world as if we had been by at present and had seen it none ought to marvell at it nor hold it for impossible For the Spirit that is in us which one man inherits from the other that was breathed out of the eternity into Adam that same spirit hath seen it all and in the light of
dark matrix it generateth the third principle For p Or thereby so God is manifest but otherwise the Deity would remain hidden eternally 14 Now therefore we say as the Scripture informeth us that God dwelleth in heaven and it is the truth Now mark Moses writeth that God created the heaven out of the midst of the waters and the Scripture sayth God dwelleth in heaven therefore we may now observe that the water hath its originall from the longing of the eternall Nature after the eternall light of God but the eternall Nature is made manifest by the longing after the light of God as is mentioned before and the light of God is present every where and yet remaineth hidden to Nature for Nature receiveth onely the vertue of the light and the vertue is the Heaven wherein the light of God dwelleth and is hidden and so shineth in the darknesse The water is the Materia or matter that is generated from the heaven and therein standeth the third which again generateth a life and comprehensible essence or substance out of it selfe viz. the elements and other creatures 15 Therefore O noble Man let not Antichrist and the Devill be foole you who tell you that the Deity is afarre off from you and direct you to a heaven that is situated farre above you whereas there is nothing nearer to you than the heaven is you onely stand before the doore of heaven and you are gone forth with Adam out of the Paradisicall heaven into the third Principle yet you stand in the gate doe but as the eternall mother doth which by great desiring and q Or seeking longing after the Kingdome of God attaineth the Kingdome of heaven wherein God dwelleth wherein Paradise springeth up doe you but so set all your desire r Into upon the heart of God and so you will passe in by force as the eternall mother doth and then it shall be with thee as Christ sayd The kingdome of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force so you shall make to your selfe friends in heaven with your unrighteous Mammon and so you come to be the true similitude and Image of God and his proper own for all the three principles with the Eternity are in you and the holy Paradise is again generated in you wherein God dwelleth then where will you seek for God seek him in your soule onely that is proceeded out of the eternall Nature wherein the Å¿ Or divine working Divine Birth standeth 16 O that I had but the pen of man and were able therewith to write down the Spirit of knowledge I can but stammer of the great mysteries like a childe that is beginning to speak so very little can the earthly tongue expresse what the Spirit comprehendeth and understandeth yet I will venture to try whether I may procure some to goe about to seek the pearle whereby also I might t Or work labour in the works of God in my Paradisicall garden of Roses for the longing of the eternall u Mother of Nature matrix driveth me on to write and exercise my selfe in this my knowledge 17 Now if we will lift up our mindes and seek after the heaven wherein God dwelleth we cannot say that God dwelleth onely above the starres and hath inclosed himselfe with the firmament which is made out of the waters into which none can enter except it be opened like a window for him with which thoughts men are altogether befooled and wilderd neither can we say as some suppose that God the Father and the Sonne are onely with the Angels in the uppermost inclosed heaven and rule onely here in this world by the holy Ghost who proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne All these thoughts are voyd of the very knowledge of God for then God should be divided and circumscriptive like the Sunne that moveth aloft above us and sendeth its light and vertue to us whereby the whole deep becometh light and active all over 18 Reason is much befooled with these thoughts and the kingdome of Antichrist is begotten in x Which possess the minds of straying Christians these thoughts and Antichrist hath by these opinions set himselfe in the place of God and meaneth to be God upon earth and ascribeth y Divine authority Jus divinum Divine power to himselfe and stoppeth the mouth of the Spirit of God and will not heare him speak and so strong delusions come upon them that they beleeve the Spirit of lyes which in hypocrisie speaketh strong delusions and seduceth the children of Hope as St Paul witnesseth 19. The trve Heaven wherein God dwelleth is all over in all places or corners even in the middest or Centre of the Earth He comprehendeth the Hell where the Devils dwell and there is nothing without God For wheresoever he was before the Creation of the world there he is still vâ—z in himselfe and is himselfe the Essence of all Essences All is generated from him and is originally from him and he is therefore called God because he alone is the Good the Heart or that which is Best understand he is the light and vertue or power from whence Nature hath its Originall 20. If you will z Think or applauding any thing of God meditate on God take before you the eternall Darknesse which is without God for God dwelleth in himselfe and the Darknesse cannot in its own power comprehend him which Darknesse hath a great desire of longing after the Light caused by the Lights a Speculate as in a glasse beholding it selfe in the Darknesse and shining in it and in this longing or desiring you finde the b Or active property source and the source taketh hold of the power or vertue of the Light and the longing maketh the vertue materiall and the materiall vertue is the enclosure to God or the Heaven for in the vertue standeth the Paradise wherein the Spirit which proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne worketh All this is incomprehensible to the c Creature or naturall man Creation but not impossible to be found in the minde for Paradise standeth open in the minde of a holy soule 21. Thus you may see how God created all things out of nothing but onely out of himselfe and yet the d That which is procreated viz. the foure Elements Out-birth is not from his Essence or substance but it hath its originall from the Darknesse The e Or springing properties source of the Darknesse is the first Principle and the vertue or power of the Light is the second Principle and the Out-birth generated out of the Darknesse by the vertue of the Light is the third Principle and that is not called God God is onely the Light and the vertue of the Light and that which goeth forth out of the Light is the Holy Ghost 22. You have a similitude of this in your selfe your soule which is in you giveth reason to you whereby
Gate of our Propagation in the Flesh 37. As I have mentioned above the noble Tincture is now hence-forth generated thus in a manly or masculine and womanly or feminine kinde or sex out of the soule The Tincture is so subtile and mighty powerfull that it can goe or goeth into the heart of another into his Tincture which the devillish bewitching whores well know yet they understand not the noble Art but they use the false Tincture of the Devils and a Or poyson infect many in their marrow and bones by their b Exorcismes Conjuration Adjuration Incantation for which they shall receive their wages with Lucifer who would faine have raised his Tincture to be above God 38. But know that the Tincture is in the menkinde somewhat divers from that in the womenkinde for the Tincture in the menkinde goeth out of the Limbus or Man and the Tincture in the women-kinde goeth out of the Matrix For the vertue of the soule frameth imprinteth fashioneth or Imageth it selfe not onely in the Tincture but in the whole body for the body groweth in the Tincture 39. But thus the Tincture is the longing the great desire after the virgin which belongeth to the Tincture for it is subtile without understanding but it is the divine inclination and continually seeketh the virgin which is its play-fellow the c Manly masculine seeketh her in the d Womanly feminine and the feminine in the masculine especially in the delicate complexion where the Tincture is most noble cleere and vigorous from whence cometh the great desire of the masculine and feminine sex so that they alwayes desire to copulate and the great burning love so that the Tinctures mingle together and try prove or taste one another with their pleasant taste whereas one sex continually supposeth that the other hath the virgin 40. And the Spirit of the great world now supposeth that he hath gotten the virgin he graspeth with his clutches and will mingle his infection with the virgin and he supposeth that he hath the prize it shall not now run away from him he supposeth now he will finde the Pearle well enough But it is with him as with a Theefe driven out of a faire Garden of Delight where he had eaten pleasant fruit who cometh and goeth round about the inclosed Garden and would faine eate some more of the good fruit and yet cannot get in but must reach in with his hand and yet cannot come at the fruit for all that for the Gardiner cometh and taketh away the fruit and thus he must goe away empty and his lust is changed into discontent Thus also it is with him viz. with the spirit of this world he soweth thus in his fiery or burning lust the e Graine or Corne. seede into the Matrix and the Tincture receiveth it with great joy and supposeth that to be the virgin but the soure harsh Fiat cometh thereupon and attracteth the same to it while the Tincture is so well pleased 41. Now then the feminine Tincture cometh in to ayd and striveth for the childe and supposeth that it hath the virgin and the two Tinctures wrestle both of them for the virgin and yet neither of them both hath her and which of the two overcometh according to that the fruit getteth the Mark of distinction of sex But because that the feminine Tincture is weake therefore it taketh the bloud also to it in the Matrix whereby it supposeth it shall retaine the virgin The secret Gate of Women 42. Hence I must shew the ground to them that seek for the Doctor cannot shew it him with his Anatomie and though he should kill a thousand men yet he shall not finde that ground they onely know that ground that have f Or attained it been upon it 43. Therefore I will write from the virgin which knoweth well what is in the Woman shee is as subtile as the Tincture but shee hath a life and the Tincture hath none the Tincture is nothing else but an exulting joyfull mighty will and a house or habitation of the soule and a pleasant Paradise of the soule which is the soules propriety or own portion so long as the soule with its Imagination g Sticketh to God and goodnesse dependeth on God 44. But when it becometh false so that its Essences flatter with the Spirit of the great world and desire the h Or Its fill fulnesse of the world viz. 1. In the soure harshnesse desire much wealth or riches to eate and drinke much and to fill themselves continually 2. In the bitternesse desire great power authority and might to rise high to rule powerfully and extoll themselves above all and put themselves forth to be seene like a proud Bride and 3. in the i In the active stirring of the wrath source of the fire to desire a fierce cruell power and by kindling of the fire of anger supposing in the lustre thereof to be brave and so are much delighted in themselves then cometh the flatterer and lyar and k Imageth or representeth himselfe formeth or figureth himselfe also in the Spirit of the great world as he did in the Garden of Eden and leadeth the soule 1. in covetousnesse to eating and drinking too much and saith continually thou shalt want and not have enough get more for thy selfe how thou canst by hooke or by crooke that thou mayst alwayes have enough to serve thy turne And 2. in the bitter forme he saith thou art rich and hast much aspire and lift up thy selfe thou art greater than other people the inferiour is not like thee or so good a man as thou And 3. in the might or power of the fire he saith Kindle or stirre up thy minde make it implacable and stout yeeld to none terrifie the simple and so thou shalt be dreadfull and make thy authority continue and then thou mayst doe what thou listest and all whatsoever thou desirest will be at thy service and is not this a fine brave Glory Art thou not indeed a Lord on Earth 45. And as soone as this is l That the soule listeneth and yeeldeth to the Devill brought to passe then the Tincture becometh wholly false for as the Spirit in a thing is so is also the Tincture for the Tincture goeth forth from the Spirit and is the habitation thereof Therefore O Man whatsoever you sow here that you shall reape for your soule in the Tincture remaineth eternally and all your fruits stand in the Tincture manifested in the cleere light and follow after you this the virgin saith in sincerity for a warning with great longing after the Lilly 46. And now if wee consider of the Tincture and search how various it is and that it is many times so wholly false then we may be able fundamentally to demonstrate the falshood of the many various Spirits and how they are generated Therefore wee will make a short entrance concerning the propagation of the
any thing would presse or pierce into he Essences for the Spirit would be whole and swelled But it standing thus in the Gate of the z Disrupt broken darknesse in the crack and in the sound therefore every vertue of all things presse in into that Gate and try themselves by one another and what the Essences of the Spirit doe love that it desireth and draweth the same into the Tincture and then hands and mouth fall to it and stuffe it into the stomack into the * Or Atrium outward Court of the foure Elements from whence the earthly Essences of the Starres and Elements doe feede 71. And the Tast also is a trying and attracting of the Tincture in the Essences of the Spirit And so the feeling also if the Spirit of Man with its Essences did not stand in the sound there would be no feeling for when the soure Essences draw to them then they awaken the bitter prickle or sting in the fire flash which stirreth it selfe either by griping thrusting or striking and thereupon in all driving the bitter prickle in the fire-flash is awakened and therein standeth the moving and all in the Tincture CHAP. XVI Of the Noble Minde of the Understanding Senses and Thoughts Of the threefold Spirit and Will and of the Tincture of the Inclination and what is inbred in a childe in the Mothers body or womb Of the Image of God and of the Beastiall Image and of the Image of Abysse of Hell and similitude of the Devill to be searched for and found out in * Or in very one any one Man The Noble Gate of the Noble Virgin And also the Gate of the Woman of this world highly to be considered 1. IF wee consider our selves in the noble knowledge which is openned to us in the love of God in the noble virgin of the wisdome of God not for our merit honesty vertue or worthinesse but meerly of his own will and original eternall purpose even in those things which appeare to us in his love then wee must needs acknowledge our selves to be unworthy of such a Revelation and being wee are sinners wee are deficient in the Glory that wee should have before him 2. But being it is his Eternall will and purpose to doe us good and to open his Secrets to us according to his counsell therefore wee ought not to withstand nor to bury the bestowed Talent in the earth for we must give account of it in the appearing of his coming Therefore wee will thus labour in our Vineyard and commend the fruit to him and will set down in writing a Memoriall for our selves and leave it to him For wee can search or conceive no further than onely what wee apprehend in the light of Nature where our Gate standeth a Or our comprehensibility open not according to the measure of our purpose when and how wee will but according to his gift when and how he will wee are not able to comprehend the least sparkle of him unlesse the Gates of the Deepe be opened to us in our Minde where then the zealous earnest and highly desirous kindled Spirit b Or goeth is as a fire to which the earthly body ought to be subject and will grudge no paines to serve the desirous fiery minde And although it hath nothing to expect for iâ— labour but scorne and contempt from the world yet it must be obedient to its Lord for its Lord is mighty and it selfe is feeble and its Lord leadeth driveth and preserveth it and yet in its ignorance or want of understanding it knoweth nothing of what it doth but it liveth like all the Beasts and yet its will is not to live thus but it must follow the worthy minde which searcheth after the wisdome of God and the minde must follow the light of Nature for God manifesteth or revealeth himselfe in that light or else wee should know nothing of him 3. And now when wee consider our minde in the light of the Nature and what that is which maketh us zealous or earnest which burneth there in as a light and is desirous thirsty or covetous like fire which desireth to receive from that place where it hath not sowen and would reape in that Countrey where the body is not at home or dwelleth not then the precious virgin of the Wisdome of God meeteth us in the middlemost seate in the Centre of the light of life and saith the light is mine and the power or vertue and glory is mine also the Gate of knowledge is mine I live in the light of Nature and without mee you can neither see know nor understand any thing of my vertue or power I am thy Bridegroom in the light and thy desire or longing after my vertue or power is my attracting in my selfe I sit in my Throne but thou knowest mee not I am in thee and thy body is not in me I distinguish or separate and thou seest it not I am the light of the senses and the roote of the senses is not in mee but neere mee I am the Bridegroom of the roote but shee hath put on a rough coate I will not lay my selfe in her armes till shee putteth that off and then I will rest eternally in her armes and adorne the roote with my vertue and power and give her my beautiful forme and will espouse my selfe to her with my Pearle 4. There are three things which the minde hath in it and doe rule it yet the minde in it selfe is the desirous will and those three things are three Kingdomes or Principles one is eternall and the second is eternall but the third is corruptible the one hath no beginning the second is without beginning eternally generated and the third hath a beginning and end and corrupteth againe or perisheth 5. And as the eternall minde is in the great unsearchable Depth and from Eternity is the Indissoluble Band and the Spirit in the c Or perpetuall working properly source which continually generateth it selfe and never decayeth and that therein in the Centre of the deepe is the reconceived will to the light and the will is the desiring and the desiring attracteth to it and that which is attracted maketh the darknesse in the will so that in the first will the second will generateth it selfe againe that it might fly out of the darknesse and that second will is the minde which discovereth it selfe in the darknesse and the discovery or glance breaketh or dispelleth the darknesse so that it standeth in the sound and in the crack where then the flash sharpeneth it selfe and so standeth eternally in the broken darknesse so that the darknesse thus standeth in the sound of the Starres and in the breaking of the darknesse the reconceived will is free and dwelleth without the darknesse in it selfe and the flash which there is the seperation and the sharpnesse and the noise or sound is the dwelling of the will or of the continually conceived minde and
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 b Or colour of good faire pretence many in pride and statelinesse of body in carriage and manners which is a right diabolical 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. c In Summa In briefe the Regiment of the Starres or starry Region d Or generateth no holy Man maketh not a holy Man and although men may converse under a holy shew yet they are but hyprocrites 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 e Will or Lust 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 f Or parting limit or mark point of seperation then man had been a living Devill and he is indeed such a one when he despiseth the Regeneration and g Or depart 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 h The wisdome of God 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 i Animall or living creature Beast hath a minde k of 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 in the Region of the Starres and Elements And this now hath its Originall in Man in the Eternall Element he being created out of the Eternall Element and not out of the Out-Births of the foure Elements and therefore the Eternity seeth into the l Inecptive beginning Out-Birth in the corruptibility and the m Or Inception beginning in the Out-Birth cannot see into the Eternity for the m Or Inception beginning taketh its Originall out of the Eternity out of the Eternall minde 31. But that Man is so very blinde and ignorant or voyde of understanding is because he lyeth captive in the Regiment or Dominion of the Starres and Elements which many times figure or fashion a wilde Beast in the minde of Man a Lyon a Wolfe a Dog a Fox a Serpent and such like though indeed Man getteth no such body yet he hath such a minde of which Christ spake to the Jewes and called some of them Wolves Foxes and Serpents Also John the Baptist said so of the Pharisees and wee see apparently how many men live wholly like Beasts according to their beastiall minde and yet are so audacious that they judge and condemne those that live in the Image of God and n Tame or bring under subjection subdue their bodies 32. But if he speaketh or judgeth any thing well he speaketh not from the beastiall Image of the minde wherein he liveth but he speaketh from the hidden Man which is hidden in the beastiall Man and judgeth against his own beastiall life for the hidden Law of the eternall Nature standeth hidden in the beastiall Man and it is in a hard restraint and judgeth or condemneth the malicious wickednesse of the o Fleshly carnall minde 33. Thus there are three in Man that strive against one another viz. the eternall proud malicious anger proceeding out of the Originality of the minde And secondly the Eternall holy chast humility which is generated out of the Originality And thirdly the corruptible animall wholly beastiallnesse generated from the Starres and Elements which holdeth the whole house in possession 34. And it is here with the Image of Man as Saint Paul said To whom you give your selves as servants in obedience his servant you are whether it be of sinne unto Death or of the Obedience of God unto Righteousnesse that driving or property you have If a Man yeeld his minde up to malice pride selfe power and force to the oppressing of the miserable then he is
concerning the Calfe to acknowledge it for a God and to account it for the true God because they knew that the Calfe was Gold and that the true God had made himselfe knowne to be otherwise and also they had good experience of the true God by the wonders which were wrought before Pharaoh but they would thereby worship and reverence the absent God and make a remembrance and worship of God for themselves As King Jeroboam with his Calfe-worship where yet the honour must be u Entended by it done to the true God 70. And as Jeroboams Calves were an abomination to God which he yet with earnest zeale set up to serve the true God thereby onely that he might but preserve his worldly Kingdome that the People might not fall from him when they were to goe up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice and God rejected him and his whole house for it and as Moses came in wrath because of their Divine service before the Calfe and brake the Tables of the Divine Law and took his sword and one brother must slay the other because of their abominations and sinnes of false worshipping of God so also thou blind world in Babell of confusion seeing thou art fallen away from the every where present all knowing all-seeing all hearing all smelling and all-feeling Heart Jesus Christ and set upon thy own conceited wayes and doest not desire to see the gracious countenance it self of Jesus Christ and wilt not lay aside thy shame and whoredome thy appearing shew of holinesse or hypocrisie thy selfe conceited willfull pride might authority pomp and state but livest in thy invented holinesse for thy pleasure in covetousnesse gourmundizing gluttony and drunkennesse and in meere exalting of thy selfe in honour therefore the second Moses which was promised by the first and which Men should heare hath broken the Tables of his Law whereupon his precious x Or becoming Man Incarnation suffering Death Resurrection and entring into Heaven stood and hath stopt their entring into thy eares and he hath sent thee strong delusions out of the spirit of thy own invented shew-holinesse as Saint Paul saith so that thou beleevest the Spirit of lying and livest according to thy fleshly lust that so thy own invented shew-holinesse with thy false Key which doth not open the suffering and dying of Jesus Christ in his Death doth deceive thy selfe 71. For thou art not entered into the Father by the intercession of men but by the precious Incarnation of Jesus Christ and if thou doest not instantly turne in the last voyce of Gods call whereas many of you have been much called and goe out from Babell then Moses standeth in wrath and saith Gird every one his sword to his side and slay his brother in Babell and so thou destroyest thy selfe for the Spirit of thy own mouth will destroy thy selfe so that thou shalt be no more called Babell but fiercenesse wrath and sword within thy selfe which will consume thee and not spare for thou murtherest thy selfe thou great wonder of the world 72. O how have all the Prophets written of thee and yet thou knewest not thy selfe thou ridest so upon thy fatt pampereâ—t Beast and that riding pleaseth thee so well that thou wilt rather goe to the Devill into the Abysse of Hell than that thou wilt light off thy Beast What shall become of thee then thou blind Babell doe but yet light off from thy great ugly Beast which indeed is thy might pomp state and pride behold thy Bridegroom cometh and reacheth forth his hand to thee and would lead thee out of Babell 73. Did not he walke on foote upon earth He did not ride so He had not whereon to lay his head what kingdome doe you build for him Where is the place of his Rest Doth he not rest in thy Armes Wherefore doest thou not embrace him Is he according to thy Reason too poore in this world yet he is rich in Heaven who wilt thou send to him to be reconciled to thee The Mother of Jesus O no that will not availe he doth not stand behinde thee and absolve thy wickednesse for thy inclination of falshood He knoweth not thy y Thy Embasses and Messages Letters which thou sendest to him by the Saints who are in the still Rest before him in the heavenly Element 74. The Spirit of their soules is in the stillnesse in the still habitation before God it doth not let thy rough sinnes come into it to sleepe upon them but its Imagination and whole will standeth directly bent into the Heart of God and the z The originall property of the Spirit of their soules saith Spirit of the first Principle of its originall source sayth Lord when avengest thou our Bloud And the meeknesse of Jesus Christ saith Rest in the stillnesse till thy Brethren also come to thee who shall be slaine in Babell for the witnesse of Jesus 75. a The holy souls doe not pray for thee They make no intercession for thee neither doth it availe any thing for thou must be Regenerated anew through earnest sorrow and repentance thou must light downe from off thy Beast and must goe on foote with Christ over the Brooke Kidron into his sufferings and Death and through him thou must rise againe out of his Grave thou thy selfe must come to this another cannot save thee thou must enter into the Birth of Jesus Christ and with him be conceived by the Holy Ghost thy soule must in the Word and in the New Man Christ in the one Eternall Element be borne or brought forth out of the foure Elements into the water of the Element of Eternall Life thy Antichristian fained Fables help thee not for it is said such b Or Faith beliefe as a People have such a God also they have to blesse them 76. But that thy c Fore-fathers Predecessours after their Death have d Or done Miracles appeared in Deeds of Wonder upon which thou buildest that was caused by the Faith of the Living and their e Or Imagination Imaging in or impresse upon their Tincture which is so strong that it can remove Mountaines An evill Faith also if it be strong can in the first Principle stirre up Wonders as may be seene by f Of Witches and Conjurers Incantation and by the wicked shewers of signes before Pharaoh g Or it was done according to their Faith as they beleeved so it was done 77. And while the Faith of the Living at the time of thy forefathers was yet somewhat good and pure as to the kingdome of God still and they did not seek their Bellies and pomp as they doe now therefore their Faith or Beliefe pierced into the Heaven into the pure Element to the Saints or holy soules who thus did also naturally appeare with Works of Wonders or Miracles to the Living Saints in their Element in the strong Faith which Works of Wonder were onely comprehended or taken hold of in the
fierce anger of God is also pleased because they qualifie or mingle one with another and out of one and the same roote 20. Doest thou suppose that all the Prophets have spoken from the pleasant kinde love of God from the Heart of God when they said to the Kings of Israel Enter into Battell thou shalt overcome God shall give you victory Indeed they spake from God but from his fierce wrath against sinnes through the Spirit of the Great World which would devoure againe what it hath made because the Love was extinguished 21. Or doest thou suppose that God sent Moses to slay the Kings of the Heathens in the Promised Land and that he is so well pleased with murtherings No friend look under the vayle of Moses and thou shalt finde it cleane otherwise 22. Why did God keep Israel forty yeares in the Wildernesse and fed them with l With Manna Heavenly Bread that they should be a people full of love such as love one another and should depend on God in one Love and therefore he gave their Lawes brightnesse or clarity to see if they could live in the Love of the Father and then he would have sent them among the Heathens to turne them with their wonders as was done at the time of the Apostles and in that he fed them from the Heaven and that none of them which gathered much or little had any want thereby they ought to have knowne that the Kingdome the power and all is Gods and that they were in him they ought to have left their covetousnesse and to converse among one another with brotherly Love none ought to look after covetousnesse because he horribly punished m Covetousnes it 23. Also when the Heathens should heare that God would send this People which he had brought out of Egypt with great Wonders or Miracles among them to destroy them that they should turne to God and depart from covetousnesse and enter into brotherly love therefore he gave n The Heathens them a long time of respite as also to Israel whom he fed from Heaven for an Example that one people should be an Example to the other that there is a God that is Allmightie But they being earthly both of them and onely evill and being they did live in the Fathers fierce anger therefore the anger and severity of God lusted also to devoure them because they continually kindled o His wrath it 24. Therefore he said to Joshua Passe over Jordan and destroy that people and leave none of them among you that you be not polluted This saying of his proceeded not out of his Love when he did bid him to kill the Heathens as also the Prophets did not all speak from his Love but from his Anger which was awakened by the wickednesse of Man so also he speaketh many times through the Spirit of the Prophets in the Great World in the Prophets and in Moses in the fire or in other terrors in an angry Zeale 25. And should wee therefore say that God is well pleased with anger and strife No the Prophets complained often in the Holy Ghost or Spirit of God that this evill people offended their God when they moved him to anger so that accordingly his severe wrath went forth and devoured them David saith in the fift Psalme Thou art not a God that art pleased with wicked wayes 26. Now if Man awaken sinne then the fierce anger or severity of God is stirred in himselfe viz. in Man which otherwise if Man did stand in humility would rest and be turned into great Joy as was often mentioned before But now when he burneth in wrath then one people devoureth the other and one sinne destroyeth another if Israel had been p Honest vertuous or had feared the Lord. upright they had not been put to make warre but they should have entred in with Wonders and have converted the People Moses should have lead them into the promised Land with his Miracles or Deeds of Wonder but because they were wicked they could not enter in with the brightnesse of Moses with deeds of wonder in the lustre or glance of the Father to convert the Heathens but Moses with his deeds of wonder must stay in the Wlldernesse and the whole People was consumed and devoured in the wrath and Joshua must warre with the Heathens and destroy them for one q Or one sinne wrath devoured the other 27. Whereas Joshua was an Image and similitude that Israel because they could not subsist in the Fathers clarity and love should be led by the second Joshua or Jesus out of the wrath into the Love through the breaking of his body and entring into Death Moses must enter through Death into life and bring his clarity through Death into life even as he appeared with Elias on mount Thabor to the second Joshua or Jesus in the claritie of the Father and shewed him the pleasure of the Father viz. that he the second Joshua should bring Israel through his Death and clarity into the Promised Land of Paradise 28. Yet it could not be how vigorously soever it was sought after that Man in his own power could enter into Paradise and therefore poore captive Man must sit in this world in the Devils murthering Denne where now the Devill hath built his Chappell close by the Christian Church and hath quite destroyed the love of Paradise and hath in the stead thereof set up meere covetous proud selfe-willed or selfe-conceited faithlesse sturdy malicious Blasphemers Theeves and Murtherers which lift themselves up against Heaven and Paradise and have built themselves a Kingdome according to the Dominion of the fierce foure Starres or Constellations wherein they domineere with silver and gold and consume the sweat one of another whosoever is but able oppresseth the other to the ground And though he flie before him yet then he onely putteth forth his Dragons tongue and spitteth fire upon him he terrifieth him with his harsh voyce and plagueth him day and night 29. What can be said of thee O Cain doest thou suppose that God doth not see thee Thou Monstrous Beast thou shalt stand naked as the Spirit in the Wonders doth signifie that thy Ornament may be made knowne How art thou become thus O Eve are not all thy children which thou hast brought forth all come out of thy loynes Was it then the purpose of God that the evill should domineere among the Good and one plague another 30. O no But the Devill who is a cause of the r From the grimme wrath the Devill or Weeds or Tares are sowen among the Wheate wrathfulnesse Adam was made good out of the pure Element but the longing desire or lust of the Devill deceived him so that he went into the Spirit of this world 31. And now it cannot be otherwise the two Kingdomes wrestle one with another in the children of Men the one is the Kingdome of Christ Generated through the New Birth
foundation of the world was laid to live eternally therein for as to his soule he is out of the eternall will of God the Father out of which this Mercifulnesse is generated The Gate of Immanuel 24. Therefore know beloved Christian Minde how thou art helped and consider this Gate diligently it is an earnest one for Moses and all the Prophets witnesse concerning these things viz. concerning our salvation in restoring us be not drowne here it is the fairest Gate of this Booke the more thou readest it the more thou wilt be in love with it 25. Seeing now wee know that wee lost our heavenly Man in our first fall so also wee know that a new a Heavenly Man one is generated to us in the Mercifulnesse of God into wee should and must enter if wee will be the children of God and without a Heavenly Man this wee are the children of the Anger of God 26. And as the Prophets have written of it so the New Man which is borne b Or in to us of God is the Sonne of the Virgin not of Earthly flesh and bloud also not of the seede of Man but conceived by the Holy Ghost and borne of a pure divine chast virgin and in this world revealed or manifested in our flesh and bloud and is entred with his holy body into Death and hath seperated the earthly body together with the might of the Anger from the holy Element and hath c Brought it into the soule againe restored the soule againe and hath opened the Gate to the Light of God againe so that the averted soule can with the Essences of the Father in the holy will reach the Light of God againe 27. Therefore now wee know that wee were not created to generate d Or in an Earthly but heavenly manner that which is Earthly but Heavenly out of the body of the pure Element wvhich body Adam had before his sleepe and before his Eve was when he was neither Man nor Woman male nor female but one onely Image of God full of chastity out of the pure Element he should have generated an Image againe like himselfe but because he went into the Spirit of this world therefore his body became earthly and so the heavenly Birth was gone and God must make the Woman out of him as is before mentioned Now if wee the children of Eve be to be helped then there must come a new virgin and beare us a Sonne who should be God with us and in us 28. And therefore instantly at the Fall the Word of God the Father and in the Word the Light through the holy Ghost-entred into the â—â—ey Element and into the chast virgin of the wisdome of God and made a precious Covenant to become a creature in this virgin and to take away the Devils power in the Anger and to destroy his Kingdome and this Christ would yeeld himselfe to be in the perished humanity and with his entring into Death seperate the Hell of the Anger and the kingdome of this world from us and God the Father discovered this Word of the promised seede of the Woman instantly after the Fall in the Garden of Eden where instantly it gave up it selfe in the Eternall Espousall into the Centre of the Light of Life and seperated all the soules of Man who have inclined themselves and yeelded themselves up to him in the dying of their bodies from the Anger of God and from the Kingdome of this world and brought them in to him into the pure Element of the Paradise into the Joy and into the chast virgin of God there to waite till God breake the kingdome of this world with the Starres and Elements where then instantly the pure Element shall be instead of the Out-Birth and there shall spring and grow the new body upon the soule in the holy Element before God eternally 29. Now if wee would consider his precious incarnation or becoming Man then wee must rightly open the eyes of the Spirit and not be so earthly minded as at present they are in Babell and wee must rightly consider how God is become Man for the Scripture saith He was conceived and borne without sinne of a pure virgin Here consider now beloved Minde what kinde of virgin that was for all whatsoever is borne of the flesh and bloud of this world is impure and there is no pure virgin be generated in this corrupted flesh and bloud the Fall of Adam destroyed all and it is all under sinne and there is no pure virgin generated of Mans seede and yet this Christ was conceived and borne of a pure virgin 30. Here the learned of the Schooles or Universities of this world must stand still and the Scholler borne of God must here begin to e Or teach learne concerning this Birth for the Spirit of this world apprehendeth no more here this is foolishnesse to it and though he goe very far f In studying the literall wisedome of Reason and be excellent therein yet he is but in Babell in his own Reason 31. Therefore wee set it downe here according to our knowledge that the pure chast virgin in which God was borne or generated is the chast virgin that is in the presence of God and it is an Eternall virgin before ever Heaven and Earth was created it was a virgin and that without blemish and that pure chast virgin of God put it selfe into Mary in her g In Mary's beginning to be a humane Creature or her becoming Man Incarnation and her new Man was in the holy Element of God and therefore shee was the blessed among all Women and the Lord was with her as the Angel said 32. Thus now wee may know that God is All in All and filleth All as it is written Am not I he that filleth all things and therefore wee know that the holy pure Element in Paradise is his dwelling which is the second Principle and is in all things and yet the thing as a dead dark out-Birth knoweth it the second Principle not as the pot knoweth not its Potter so also that thing neither comprehendeth nor apprehendeth that second Principle For I cannot say when I take hold of or comprehend any thing that I take hold of the holy Element together with the Paradise and the Deity but I comprehend the Out-Birth the kingdome of this world viz. the third Principle and the substance thereof and I move or stirre not the Deity therewith And so wee are to know and understand that the holy new Men is thus hidden in the Old and not seperated but in the Temporall Death 33. And now seeing the holy thing is in all plates and seeing the soule is a Spirit therefore there is nothing wanting but that our soule comprehend the holy thing so that it hath that for its own and if once it be united with that then it attracteth and putteth on the pure Element wherein God dwelleth 34. And therefore thus wee
indeed the Beastiall Body doth not understand it goeth away like the rude Asse and thinketh with the Starry and Elementary Minde as followeth 14. O! what mischiefe I doe to my selfe in making my selfe the foole of the world what doe I get by it but scorne and disgace I am not sure of my life thereby I bereave me and mine of our daily bread and livelihood and must alwayes be expecting of death and swelter in the scorne of People O! how suddenly thou committest a fault and then thou art persecuted and art throwne away like a rotten apple and what reward have those thou leavest behinde thee but to suffer the more for thy sake 15. Thus Man in flesh and bloud judgeth and when the Devill understandeth it how soone is he there watching as a Cat watcheth for a Mouse saying O! who can tell whether that be true or no which thou teachest thou hast not seene it neither hath any come from the dead and told it thee there are many dead that have taught just as thou doest and yet doth not the world stand in its old n Or Order course at one time as at another They were counted fooles and so art thou and after thee againe things will be still as they were before to what purpose then is thy care and paines 16. At length o The Devill he cometh with a suttle snare and saith through the Spirit of the great world in the Minde in himselfe O! The Heavens have caused thee to be borne to it that thou doest such foolish tricks and would play jugling feats in thee thy gifts are not from God God hath never spoken with thee and what canst thou know then Leave off let it alone thou mayest be a Christian well enough and be quiet let the Priests teach they have their p Livings Pay or Hire for it wages for it what hast thou to doe with it Beloved Reader with these blowes this Penne was once throwne to the Ground and the Driver would hare broken it but the Breath of God took it up againe therefore it shall write what happened to it to be an Example for all well-willers and it is an exceeding precious one 17. Now when the Devill had thus throwne it downe then it was silent and desired not onely to write no more but the Devill rushed in upon it and beate it along and would have broken it He came forth with his sowre Apples and held them before the soule of this Penne and would have it eate of his dainties also he strewed Sugar upon them as he did for Eve If he had gotten the soule againe into his claimes how would he have been revenged on it as was afterwards knowne in the Storme where his minde was knowne very well Now when it was thus the Lilly faded and lost its fragrant smell the Pearle did hide it selfe and the Virgin of the Pearle stood mourning and the Noble Minde sunke downe in great unquietnesse 18. Indeed the Driver said at the beginning that it should have rest with being quiet but it was a rest onely to flesh and bloud and yet it was no quietnesse neither but a furtherance to the Hunting But when the Minde found it selfe in great unquietnesse of soule it recollected the soule and sought the Pearle which the soule had before and supposed that it lay as a Treasure in the q Or Cabinet case of the soule but it was gone and then the Minde sought that Pearle in body and soule and behold it was not there it could not be found and there was nothing to be seene but the Devils sowre Apples which were strowed before the soule that it should feed oh them But the soule stood in great perplexity and would not eace of its evill fruit it called its virgin but shee sate as if shee were a sleepe 19. Thus the soule stood with great longing and desire also was many times in great Combate with the Hunter who would still throw it to the ground when it set it selfe in opposition against him then he took all the vines which stuck in flesh and bloud and cast them upon the soule that he might intangle it with them and hinder it from comprehending the virgin againe he made a great Mountaine of the sinnes in the flesh and bloud and therewith covered and shut close up the r Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse Mercy of God viz. the New Man in Christ and the Gates of Heaven which stood open before were shut up close misery and great trouble were heaped upon the soule till at length once againe from the Breath of God which came into it againe it was moved to break the Devils chaines in pieces and entered into Combate with him so that he was quite throwne to the ground and its covering was rent in pieces and then the soule saw its beloved virgin againe what Å¿ Note No Penia this world can describe it enough friendly welcoming there was then I had rather the Reader might finde it by experience than that I should wrire of it 20. Thus the soule desired the Pearle againe but it was gone and must be generated anew and be sowne as a Graine of Mustard-seed which is small and little and afterward there groweth a great Tree out of it and thus the Pearle groweth in the Bosom of the t The wisdome of God Virgin in the soule Therefore keep whit thou hast for misery is an ill Guest regard not what Sugar the Devill stroweth though the Kingdome of this world seeme as sweet as Sugar it is nothing else but Gall consider that the poore soule in this world and in the flesh and bloud is not in its true home it must travaile into another Countrey Therefore suffer not the Devill to cover it thus with the untowardnesse of the flesh for great earnestnesse is requisite for the driving away of the Devil though that would not be in our ability and power if the exceeding worthy Champion did not ayde and assist us 21. Therefore none should be so presumptuous as to mock and despise the Children of God who are in the Combate against the Devill but think that it will come to thy turne also if thou wilt not goe about it when thou art well and in health thou must come to it at thy Death when the poore soule cometh to part from the body then it must enter into the Combate there is no remedy for it must depart from the body out of the Spirit of this world and then two Gates stand open viz. Heaven and Hell it must goe in at one of them there is no other place out of this world 22. If now it be hard captivated in sinnes and still goeth on in sinning from day to day so that it is cloathed with the Anger of God and hath loaden it selfe with mocking the children of God and so sticketh over head and eares in the Anger of God and scarce hangeth by a Threed to Christ O! how hard
which is a Roote or stirre up of the Roote of the fiercenesse and therefore it was necessary that God should passe with the new Body into the Seperation of the Roote and of the Kingdome of this world as into the Death of the fiercenesse and should destroy Death and spring with its own vertue and power through Death as a flower springeth out of the Earth and so hold the inward fiercenesse captive l In the new bodies own vertue or power in his own vertue of the New Body 11. And this wee understand of Christ who is truly entred in such a manner and hath taken the strong Anger and the Devill in it captive and hath sprung with his holy heavenly body through Death and hath destroyed Death so that the Eternall Life springeth forth through Death and thus Death was taken captive by the New Eternall Body and it is an Eternall imprisonment so that an Eternall life is growne in Death and the New Body treadeth upon the Head of Death and of the fiercenesse the property of Death standeth in the Prison of the New Eternall Life 12. And so the Woman in whom the Eternall Life springeth standeth upon the Earthly Moone and despiseth that which is Earthly for that which is Earthly perisheth and then there remaineth of that which is Earthly the hard frozen Death and so now the Word of God as a living m Source or actâ—ve propertie fountaine is entred into Death and hath generated the soule in its selfe and springeth forth out of the soule through Death like a new flower and that flower is the new Body in Christ 13. After this manner you may understand how he destroyed Death by the Springing of the Eternall Life in the Deity through Death and you may understand how the new Body in the Love of God holdeth the Eternall source of the Anger captive for the Love is the prison of the Anger for the source of the Anger cannot enter into the Love but continueâ—h onely by it selfe as it was from Eternity and therein the Devils are imprisoned for the Light of God striketh them downe they neither can nor dare behold that Light in Eternity a Principle is between for the Love springeth forth in the Centre of the soule and therein the Holy Trinity appeareth or shineth 14. Thus wee have gotten a Prince of the Eternall Life and wee need doe no more but to presse in to him with a firme trust and strong Beliefe and then our soule receiveth hiâ— Love and springeth forth with him through death and standeth upon that which is Earthly viz. upon flesh and bloud and is a fruit in the Kingdome of God in the body of Jesus Christ and triumpheth over the fiercenesse for the Love holdeth that captive and that is a reproach to Death as Paul saith O Death where is thy Sting O Hell where is thy Victory Thanks be to God who hath given us victory 15. And because wee cleerly understand and apprehend it in the Spirit therefore wee are indebted to shew the light to those that apprehend it not and doe lie thus captivated in Reason and continually search into the Circumstances why it happened so in the Passion of Christ For Reason saith If it must needs be so that Christ must enter into Death and destroy Death and spring up through Death and so draw us unto him what is the cause then that he must be so despised and n Or whipped scourged and crowned with a Crowne of Thornes and at last be Crucified between Heaven and Earth Could he not dye some other Death and so spring through Death with his Heavenly Body 16. These hard Points cast downe all Jewes Turkes and o Infidels or Heathens Pagans and they keepe them back from the Christian Faith Therefore now wee must write for the sake of the Tree of Pearle and not conceale what appeareth to us in the Great Wonder Behold thou Childe of Man consider what wee set downe here gaze not on the hand of the Penne if you doe you erre and will loose the Jewel which in all Eternity you will be sorry for consider thy selfe onely and thou shalt finde in thy selfe all the causes of the Passion of Christ that are here written downe for there was a Wonderfull Penne in the writing of it and neither thou nor the Hand knoweth him sufficiently that directed it in the writing though indeed the Spirit knoweth him very well yet the naturall Man is blinde in it neither can it be expressed with earthly words Therefore consider thy selfe and if you search into the new-borne-Man then you will finde the Pearle The very horrible wonderfull Gate of Mans Sinnes 17. As wee have in the beginning of this Booke mentioned the Eternall p Or working Birth in the Originality so wee have mentioned the Birth of the Essences and the seven Spirits of the Eternall Nature and therein wee shewed how there is a Crosse-Birth in the Eternall Birth in the fourth forme where the Essences in the turning wheele make a Crosse-Birth because they cannot goe out from themselves but that the Eternall Birth is every where so in all things in the Essence of all Essences 18. And wee give you to understand thus much in very exact knowledge at the instant of this Text that all Essences in all qualities at the time of the over-coming of Death when Christ was to overcome death and destroy hell and captivate the Devill were predominant for so it must be he must release the soule from all Essences 19. Now the Crosse-Birth is the middlemost in the Essences yet before the Fire q The Crosse-Birth it standeth in the Anxious Death in the fiercenesse of the Hell as you may reade before for from the fierce flash in the Brimston Spirit the fire cometh forth and in the flash the Light and the fiercenesse it selfe maketh the Brimstone-Spirit and out of that in the Light cometh water as is before-mentioned Now then the soule of Man is discovered in the flash as a Spirit and held by the Fiat and so is created or generated and was brought in it selfe into the fift forme of the Birth as into the Love where then it was an Angel in the Light of God 20. But this world being created as a Principle in the fourth forme as an out-Birth and the Paradise being between the fourth and the fifth forme and the r The one pure Element Element being in the fift forme and therein the Eternall Light of the Deity having opened another Centre and the soule having reflected back againe into the fourth forme and entered thereinto it made all Essences predominant in it which stood in the fourth forme 21. And now when the body of the soule in the fourth forme was come to be a Masse out of the water with a mixture of the other formes then stuck all Essences out of the fourth forme upon the soule and it was captivated with this body and it had
notice oâ— it there the Keys of Peter must govern the Citie and they drew together with the Keys t Jus Divinum 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 vâ—z the Noble Word of God which had u Imaged or figured it selfe in the minde 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 x Temples or Churches Houses of Stone and called every one thither and they said that the Holy Ghost was powerfull there and they must come thither y Saying doe as wee say and not as we doe 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 are ungodly thou canst not raise z The dead in trespasses and sinnes the Dead thou canst convert none that in this world lyeth drowned in sinnes 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 a The Holy Ghost that thou hast no Keyes 26. As the Confession is so is the Absolution Is the Patient an Historicall Christian so is the Physitian too and in them both there is a Mouth Hypocrisie But hath the Patient any vertue or power then the voyce bloweth that vertue or power up not from the power of the Physician but in the vertue or power of God who with his power even in a Thorne-Bush maketh it to grow which is the power in all things and so also in a voyce which in it selfe hath no ability 27. Thus it became a b Or fashion Custome that every one was bound to come to the Temple made of Stones and the Temple of God in Christ stood and standeth very empty but when they saw the Desolation in the c Disputations and Controversies Contention they called Councels and made Lawes and Cannons that every one must observe upon paine of Death Thus the Temple of Christ was turned into Temples made of stones and out of the Testimony of the Holy Ghost a worldly Law was made then the Holy Ghost spake no more freely but he must speak according to their Lawes If he reproved their Errours then they persecuted him and so the Temple of Christ in Mans knowledge became very obscure if any came that was borne of God and taught by the Holy Ghost and were not conformable to their Lawes he must be a Heretick 28. And so their d False power usurped supposed Jus Divinum Power grew and every one had great respect to it and they strengthened their Laws still more and more with the Power of Saint Peter till they raised themselves so high that they impudently set themselves as Lords over the Doctrine of the Apostles before God and gave forth that the Word of God and the Doctrine of the Saints must receive their value worth and authority from their Councels and what they ordained and instituted that was from God they were Gods dispencers of the Word Men must beleeve their Ordinances for that was the way and means e Meanes of salvation for the poore sinner to be Justified before God 29. But where then is the New Regeneration in Christ through the Holy Ghost Art thou not Babell a Habitation of all Devils in Pride How hast thou adorned thy selfe not for Christ but for thy own Pride for thy f God Maufim the belly God Idoll the bellies sake and thou art a Devouter But thy g Or Idoll Belly is become a stinck and hath gotten a horrible source there is a great fire of h Terrible devouring in that which thou hast made thy God Anguish in thy source for thou art naked and manifest before God thou standest as an impudent whorish woman Why doe you Layety hang and depend on such a Strumpet Her own l Usurped Jus Divinum usurped Authority is her Beast whereon shee rideth behold and consider her in the Revelation of John how the Holy Ghost setteth her forth in her colours 30. Wilt thou be an Apostle of Christ and wilt be but a Minister for the Belly and teach onely according to thy Art from whom doest thou teach from thy Belly that thou mayest fatten thy selfe thereby T is true thou shouldst be fed and thou shouldst have subsistence from Men if thou art Christs Disciple but thy Spirit should not stick in covetousnesse but in Christ thou shouldest not rely onely upon thy Art but shouldst give up thy selfe to God that God may speake from thee and then thou art in the Temple of God and not in the Temple of the institution of Mans Inventions 31. Look upon Saint Peter on the day of Pentecost who converted Three Thousand soules at one Sermon he spake not from the appointment of the Pharisees but out of the Spirit of Moses and the Prophets out of the Temple of the Holy Ghost that pierced through and enlightened the poore sinners But thou teachest Persecution onely consider thereby whence thou didst grow viz. out of that first stock where they fell from the Temple of Christ to humane conceits and Inventions where they sent forth Teachers according
to Mans itching eares for a faire shew that thereby thou mightst grow great in thy Pride and because thou hast sought nothing else therefore God hath suffered thee to fall into a k Reprobate confounded sense perverse sense so that out of thee there come those that blaspheme the true Doctrine of Christ 32. Behold out of what are the Turks growne Out of thy k Reprobate confounded sense Perverse sense when they saw that thou regardedst nothing but thy Pride and didst onely contend and dispute about the Temple of Christ that it must stand onely upon Mans foundation and Inventions then Mahomet came forth and found an Invention that was agreeable to Nature because those other followed after l For greedinesse of money and gaine or filthy Lucre. covetousnesse and fell off from the Temple of Christ as also from the Light of Nature into a confusion of Pride and all their aime was how the Antichristian Throne might be adorned therefore he also made Lawes and Doctrines raised from Reason 33. Or doest thou suppose m The rising up and Doctrine of Mahomet it was for nothing It is most certain that the Spirit of the great world hath thus set him up in great wonders because the other were no better and therefore it must stand in the Light of Nature in the Wonders as a God of this world and God was neere the one as the other Thy symboles or signes in the Testament of Christ which thou usest which Christ left for a Covenant they stood in Controversie and were in Disputation and thou didst pervert them according to thy Pride and thou didst bend them to thy Institution Ordinances and appointment thou didst no more regard the Covenant of Christ but the Custome of Celebration or performance of it the custome most serve the turne whereas wood that burneth not is not fire though when it is kindled it comes to be fire soâ— also the custome without faith is like wood that burneth not which they will call a Fire 34. Or shall not the Spirit set it downe before thy eyes thou lascivious filthy Strumpet Behold how hast thou broken the state of wedlock and opened a Doore to whoredome so that no sinne is regarded hast thou not ridden n Upon thy power might and Authoritie upon thy Beast when every one gazed on thee and did ride after thee in thy Traine Or art thou not that fine painted adorned Whore Doest thou suppose wee set thee forth in vaine The Judgement standeth over thee the sword is begotten and it will devoure Goe out from Babell and thou shalt live though wee saw a fire in Babell and that Babell was burning yet it shall not burne those that goe out from o The strife contention and warring that is in it it CHAP. XXVII Of the Last Judgement Of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the Eternall Life The most horrible Gate of the wicked and the joyfull Gate of the a Or Saints and holy people Godly 1. WEE know Christ hath taught us that a Judgement shal be kept not onely for the Punishment of the despisers of God and for a reward to the good but also for the sake of the Creature and of b The outward Nature Nature that they may once be delivered from vanity and wee know that the substance of this world and the property thereof must passe away the Sunne and the Starres and also the foure Elements must passe away as to their source or property and all must be restored againe and then the life will spring forth through Death and the figure of every thing shall stand Eternally before God for which end it was created also wee know that our soules are immortall generated out of the Eternall Band and when this world passeth away then also all its Essences passe away which are generated out of it and the c Or the ground of the Essences or substance Tincture remaineth still in the Spirit 2. Therefore O Man Consider thy selfe here in this world in which thou standest in the Birth thou art sowne as a seede or Graine and a Tree groweth out of thee therefore now see in what d Field or soyle Ground thou standest that thou mayest be found to be Timber for the great building of God in his Love and not for a threshold or footstoole to be troden under-feete or that is fit for nothing but for the fire whereof nothing will remaine but dust and ashes 3. It is said to thee that the wood or fewell of thy soule shall burne in the Last Fire and that thy soule shall remaine to be ashes in the fire and thy body shall appeare like black soote why wilt thou then stand in a wildernesse yea in a Rock where there is no water How then will thy Tree grow againe O! what great misery it is that wee are ignorant in what e Ground or field soyle wee grow and what kinde of f Sap juice or substance Essences wee draw to us seeing our fruit shall appeare and be tasted and that which is pleasant shall stand upon Gods Table and the other shall be cast to the Devils swine Therefore let it move you to looke that you grow in the Ground or soyle of Christ and bring forth fruit that may be set upon Gods Table which fruit never perisheth but continually springeth and the more it is eaten of the pleasanter it is how wilt thou rejoyce in the Lord. 4. The Last Judgement is appointed for that end and as wee know that all things in this world have had a beginning so they shall also have an end for before the Time of this world there was nothing but the Band of Eternity which maketh it selfe and in the Band the Spirit and the Spirit in God who is the highest Good which was alwayes from Eternity and never had any beginning but this world hath had a beginning from the Eternall Band in the Time 5. For this world maketh a Time therefore it must perish and as it hath been Nothing so it will be Nothing againe for the Spirit moveth in the g Or upholder Ether And therein the * The seede Limbus which is corruptible is generated from whence all things proceed and yet there was no * fashioner but the Spirit or the * Vulcan in the Essences and so also there were no Essences they were generated in the will of the Spirit and in that will is the h Framer moulder or former fashioner which hath fashioned all things out of nothing but meerly out of the will 6. Seeing then it is fashioned out of the Eternall will therefore it is Eternall not in substance but in the will and after the breaking of the substance this world standeth wholly and altogether like a figure in the will for a i Figure or Picture Glasse of Gods works of Wonder And so wee know now that where there is a will it must comprehend
Father is unmeasurable so also is the Life of Christ so for the pure Element in the source of God the Father in his Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse 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 infiniâ—e 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 The soule 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 Or the childe of perdition 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 the Life of Christ groweth so that in this world the Earthly Man doth but hang to it Thus the New Man is in God in the Life of Jesus Christ and the Old Man is in this world of which Saint Paul writeth cleerly in his Or Epistle Letter to the Romans that if wee thus live in the New Birth wee live to God but as to the old Adam wee are in this world where then the source of the Eternall Band in the soule is also changed and the soule entreth in it selfe into the Life of Christ into the Holy and Pure Element which in some places of my Second Booke I call the Ternarius Sanctus 17. Not according to the understanding of the Latine Tongue but according to the understanding of the Divine Nature by which words is excellently expressed the Life of Jesus Christ in God the Father as also the Characters or Letters themselves and the Spirit in the syllables doe signifie wherein the Birth unigeniture or Eternall working of the Deity is excellently understood though indeed it is hidden to the Historicall Man of the Or universities Schoole of this world yet it is wholly comprehensible to those that are enlightened from God who then also understand the source or working property of the Spirit in the Letter which is not at this time fit to be set downe here and yet it shall be brought to the understanding 18. And there is nothing more profitable for Man for his beginning to the New Birth than true earnest sincere Repentance with great earnest Purpose and Resolution for he must presse into the Kingdome of Heaven into the Life of Christ where then his Regeneratour is ready deepe in his Minde in the Light of Life and with desiring and earnestness helpeth to wrestle and so soweth himselfe as a Graine of Mustard seede into the soule of Man as a Roote to a New Creature And if the earnestnesse in the soule of a Man be great then the earnestnesse in his Regeneratour is also great 19. And it is not possible to describe the New Birth in Christ fully for he that cometh into it can finde it onely in himselfe by experience there groweth another Bud in his Minde another Man with other knowledge he is taught of God and he seeth that all the labour in the History without the Spirit of God is but a confused
therefore he is so maliciously enraged and his source or quality standeth in the anguish not towards the Birth but towards the k Or Torment of fire source of fire Of the Kingdome of Christ in this world 39. Seeing now Man is entered into the Spirit of this world and hath all Gates in him viz. the Kingdome of Heaven and the Kingdome of Hell and also the Kingdome of this world and must thus live in the presse or narrow chink between heaven and this world where the Devill stirreth up one Mocker after another who are brought up by the Kingdome of fiercenesse and continually stirreth them up against the Children of God so that the world is full of Tyrants and Beastiall bloudy incestuous persons also murtherers and theeves and because covetousnesse grew up therefore the Office of Ruling was most profitable that the wicked l Hunter persecutour or oppressour Driver might be stopped by power and authority 40. And so it is seene how the Providence of God is come to the help of the Kingdome of this world and hath by the Spirit of this world stirred up Rulers who have inflicted punishment yet the Spirit of God complaineth of them that they are turned Tyrants who suppresse all with their power and the Abellish Church in love consist not therein but the strong might of God for the suppressing of evill Doers 41. It is true indeed the Judges and Kings as also Princes and Rulers or Magistrates are the Officers of God in the house of this foure Elementary world whom God because of sinne hath set to punish secretly that thereby the wicked drivers and oppressours might be stopped 42. And their state condition Jurisdiction or authoritie is founded in the Originality of the Essence of all Essences where God in the beginning created the Thrones according to his Eternall Wisdome where then both in Heaven and also in Hell there are m Or Throne-Princes Thrones and Principalities and also a Region or Dominion according to the seven Spirits of the Eternall Nature of which here much ought not to be said for the World holdeth it impossible to know such things whereas yet a Spirit borne in God n Or hath knowledge of searcheth into the Kingdome of Heâ—ven 43. But a true Judge who judgeth according to righteousnesse he is Gods Steward Viceroy or Vicegerent in the Kingdome of this world and that it might not be needfull that God should alwayes powre forth his wrath upon the people and Nations therefore he hath put the sword into their hands to protect and defend the righteous and to punish the Evill and if any doe so in earnest uprightnesse in the feare of God and nothing partially for o Or for by-respects favour then he is Great in the Kingdome of Heaven for he beareth the sword for righteousnesse and he shineth as the Sunne and Moone exceeding the Starres 44. But if he turne tyrant and doth nothing but devour the bread of his subjects and onely adorneth his state and dignity in pride to the oppression of the needy and hunteth after nothing but covetousnesse accounting the needy to be but his dogges and placeth his Office onely in voluptuousnesse and will not heare the oppressed then he is an insulting tormenting Prince and Ruler in the Kingdome of Antichrist and is of the number of the Tyrants and he rideth upon Antichrists Horse 45. And wee are to consider how the true Christian Church is environed with the Cainish Antichristian Church and how they live in one onely Kingdome in this world As the first Principle incloseth all and yet can comprehend or hold nothing but the Kingdome of Heaven is from Eternity brought forth out of the Anger as a faire sweet smelling flower out of the Earth so also the holy Church standeth in the Antichristian where they both together goe to pray before God and one is accepted by God and the other is accepted by the Spirit of this world each Image goeth into its own Region or Kingdome 46. There is nothing more secret in this world than the Kingdome of Christ and also nothing more manifest than the kingdome of Christ And it is often so that he who supposeth he hath it and liveth therein hath it not but hath the Kingdome of Antichrist and he is an hypocrite and scorner and hath the Serpents p Or Image figure and his heart also is but the heart of a greedy Wolfe and he standeth not in the Angelicall p Or Image Figure 47. On the contrary many a one is in great anguish and longeth after q The kingdome of Christ it and generateth very painfully he would faine have q The kingdome of Christ it but then the Devill rusheth upon him and after stirreth up irksomnesse vexation and discontent and also overwhelmeth him with great sinnes so that he knoweth not himselfe and then dejecteth him with impatience and doubting and his heart standeth continually in anguish it would faine get out of Evill and endeavoureth continually for abstinence or r Forgivenesse comfort or rest forbearance many times with groanes sighing and longing But then the Devill holdeth his sinnes before him and barreth up the doore of the Grace of God that he might despaire 48. Yet he soweth the Pearle in his afflicting anguish and the Devill covereth it in him that he may not know it neither doth he know himselfe he soweth into the Kingdome of God and knoweth not his own seede but the seede of Sinne and of the Hunter And so he consenteth not to the sins which he committeth but the Devill with his Å¿ Sect. followers or associates over-powre him so that the Adamicall Man in the Anger doth that which the new-borne Man in the holy Element willeth not now though he doth it yet the new Man in the Image doth it not but the old Man in the t Or in the striving soure Elements Anger And therefore there is in him a continuall strife and he runneth continually to repentance where yet the hidden Man in the t Or in the striving soure Elements Anger cannot reach the Lilly but the hidden Man doth it 49. Therefore he standeth often in doubt and impatience and in such a Man there is great strife he knoweth not himselfe he seeth and knoweth nothing else but his wickednesse and yet is borne in God for his Spirit continually breaketh the gate of the Darknesse but then the Anger in him doth hold him back that he cannot enter in but yet sometimes he reacheth a Glimpse from whence the soule is cheared and the Pearle is sowen in a very dark valley 50. And then when he considereth the sweet fore tast of the Pearle which he had then the soule would faine goe through and it seeketh the Pearle but then cometh the Black Spirit and covereth it from him and then the storme and strife about the Pearle beginneth each would have its right the soule would have it and then the
Devill covereth it and casteth the wrath and u Or infirmities in the way of the Pearle sinne before it that the soule should behold it selfe therein then there falleth to be weaknesse and neglect so that the poore soule becometh weary faint and timorous and so sitteth still and thinketh continually of some other way to Abstinence or x Comfort or Rest Amendment how it might best get the Pearle 51. But the y Driver or Persecutour the Devill Hunter is a cunning Artist which cometh then with the Region of this world with worldly lusts of the flesh with temporall honour and riches and holdeth them before the poore soule that it might bite at his z Husks or Crabbs Swines-Apples thus he leadeth many a one for a long while with his Chaines captive in the Anger of God 52. But if the Noble Graine of Mustard-seede be sowen then the Noble virgin of God preserveth it and maketh the poore soule continually carefull to endeavour for Abstinence and to enter into fight with the Devill O what a wonderfull way is it the Children of God goe in this miserabfe house of flesh which the Reason of the Hypocrites neither comprehendeth nor can beleeve onely they that have tryed it know it 53. Though indeed the high precious knowledge is not attained except one hath overcome in the storme and hath vanquished the Devill so that the soule hath once attained the heavenly Gate and gotten the Garland of Victory which the lovely virgin of chastity setteth up as a triumphant Ensigne of its conquest in its deare Champion Christ and there riseth up the a Or the knowledge in the wonders which neither eye hath seene nor eare heard nor ever entered into the heart to conceive wonderfull knowledge yet not in perfection 54 For the old Enemy is subtile and strong who still assaulteth the soule againe to trie how he may afflict and deceive it if he cannot overwhelme it with sinnes then he beginneth an outward warre with it and stirreth up the children of b Or Iniquity malice against it so that they contemne mock deride and vilifie it and doe all manner of evill to it and so they lay waite for its body and goods they jeere reproach and scorne it and account it as the of-scouring of the world they upbraid it for its infirmities if it doe but reprove their faults and unrighteousnesse then it must be an hypocrite with them 55. Not onely the Children of malice doe thus but the Devill many times bringeth the Children of God by his snares to be against it so that in their blindnesse they grow furious and raging as Saul at Jerusalem did against Stephen Thus the poore soule must be afflicted among Thornes and Thistles and continually expect when the evill world shall teare away the body The victorious Gate of the poore soule 56. Now saith Reason What is the best Counsell and Remedy for the poore soule What shall it doe in this Bath of Thornes and Thistles Behold wee will shew thee the counsell of the c Or Wisdome of God virgin as it is given us for a victorious comfort and wee will write it for a firme Memoriall to our selves for it may come that wee our selves may stand in need of it as wee have already for a tedious while sweltered in this Bath of Thornes and Thistles wherein wee also attained this Garland and therefore wee must not be silent but set forth the gift of the virgin which helpeth against all the d Or power Gates of the Devill 57. Behold thou poore soule in thy Bath of Thornes where is thy home Are thou at home in this world Wherefore then doest thou not seek the favour and friendship of the world Wherefore doest thou not hunt after temporall honour after pleasure and riches that it may goe well wich thee in this world Why doest thou make thy selfe a foole to the world and art every ones Owle and footstoole Wherefore doest thou suffer thy selfe to be despised and abused by those that are inferiour to thee and know lesse than thou Why shouldest thou not be stately and brave with those appearing holy hypocrites and then thou wouldst be beloved and no body would abuse thee and thou wouldst be more safe and secure in thy body and goods than in this way wherein thou art but the worlds Owle and foole 58. But my loving virgin saith O thou my beloved Companion whom I have choseâ— goe with mee I am not of this world I will bring thee out oâ— thâ—s â—orld into my Kingdome there is meere pleasant rest and wellfare in my Kingdome is meere joy honour and glory there is no e Hunter persecutour or oppressour Driver in it I will adorne thee with the glory of God aâ—d put thee on my bright Ornament I will make thee a Lord in Heaven and a Judge over this world thou shalt help to judge the e Hunter persecutour or oppressour Dâ—iver in hâ—â— wâ—ckednesse he shall be laid at thy feete for a footstoole and he shall not open his jawes against thee but he shall be barred up for ever in his fierce Gate thou shalt eate at my Table there shall be no grudging nor want my fruit is sweeter pleasanter than the fruit of this world thou shalt never have any woe arise from it all thy doings shall be pleasant cheerfulnesse and amiable discourse meere humility in great love shall shine before thee All thy Companions are so very beautifull thou shalt have joy in them all wherefore doest thou esteeme thy corruptible life thou shalt enter into an Incorruptible Life that shall endure Eternally 59. But I have a little against thee I have drawen thee out of the thorny Bath wherein thou wert a wilde Beast and have figured thee for my Image and yet thy wilde Beast standeth in the Thorny Bath which I will not take into my bosom thou standest yet in f In the foure Elements in flesh bloud thy wilde Beast now when the world taketh its wilde Beast which belongeth thereto then I will take thee and so every one shall have its own 60. Wherefore doest thou love that wilde Beast so much which doth but afflict thee And besides thou canst not take it with thee neither doth it belong to thee but to the world let the world doe what it will with it stay thou with mee it is but a little while before thy Beast breaketh and then thou art unbound and abidest with mee 61. But I alâ—o have a Law in my Love viz. I not onely desire to have thee but also thy brothers and sisters which are in the world who are yet in part unregenerated whom the g Hunter or persecutour Driver holdeth captive thou must not hide nor bury thy Pearle but shew the same to them that they also may come into my Armes thy mouth must not be shut thou shalt walke in my Law and h Or Tell the Truth declare the