Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	blood_n	body_n	heart_n	5,603	5	5.0093	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28519	A consolatory treatise of the four complexions, that is, an instruction in the time of temptation for a sad and assaulted heart shewing where-from sadness naturally ariseth, and how the assaulting happeneth : hereto are annexed some consolatory speeches exceeding profitable for the assaulted hearts & souls, written ... March 1621 / by the Teutonicall philosopher, Jacob Behmen.; Trost-Schrift von vier Complexionen. English	Böhme, Jakob, 1575-1624.; Hotham, Charles, 1615-1672?	1654 (1654)	Wing B3402; ESTC R19729	29,679	98

herself with the glance of the Sun seeing the Divine Light-eye was in Adam shut up to her in the earthly property into which she entred The Soul hath in Adam suffered the complexion as also the Spirit of the great world the Starrs and Elements to enter into her which during the time of this life dwell intermixedly the one in the other the Soul in the complexion and the complexion in the Soul yet one of them comprehends not the other essentially the Soul is deeper than the outward Spirit though in this life they hang upon each other as the inward and outward world neither of which yet is the other so likewise the outward Spirit is not the Soul Know further that The Soul is in her substance a Magicall fire-fountain or property out of God the Fathers Nature a vehement desire after the light as God the Father from eternity with a most intense longing desires his heart to wit the Center of light and in his desiring will begets him out of the firy property as the light is now usually born out of the fire Now there can be no fire but there must be also there a root for the firy subsistence to wit the Center or image to Nature this the soul hath also in it self and burns out of the Image to Nature or the Naturall complexion to wit out of the dark world which in her fountain of desire drives it self till unto the firy property then desires it the liberty i. e. the light as in the Book of the threefold life is expressed So then the Soul being a hungry Magicall Spirit-fire desires spirituall essentiality and power wherewith she may nourish and preserve her fire-life and still the thirst of her firy fountain Now 't is well known how that she hath with Adam in his disobedience entred into the Spirit of this world and eaten of it Whereupon Christ became a man in our essence that he might bring her again thorough the Center and thorough Gods fire into his light namely into the world of meekness which in the person of Christ was actually but our soul seeing that from the mothers wombe it remains involved in the Spirit of the great world in the Complexions it eats from the very birth yea even in the mothers wombe of the Spirit of this world The Soul eats spiritual meat namely of the Spirit of the image of the complexions not altogether their essence but Magically it is the kindling of their fire The Complexions in the soules fire become soulish or of a soular property They are as wood and fire to each other understand by wood the Complexion by fire the Soul Now the fire must have fewell viz. Either the outward complexion or a divine essentiality of Gods Nature of one of these must she eat or dy but 't is not possible for her to perish seeing she is a desire and where there is a desiring there is also a being the desire makes a being to it self By this we understand whence ariseth such a difference in the wills and actions of men For of what the Soul eats and wheerin her fire-life is kindled thereafter doth the life of the Soul exercise her Regiment Goe's the Soul out of her complexion into Gods Love-fire into the heavenly essentiality which is Christs corporiety according to the Angelicall light-world then eats she of Christs heavenly flesh of his eternal essentiality of the mildness of the Majestick light in which the fire of God the Father in the glance resplendence of the light makes a Tincture in the same essentiality in the waterfountain of everlasting life whereof Christ speaks saying that he would give us such water to drink Of this water doth the souls fire eat as of Divine heavenly essentiality which in the Tincture is converted into heavenly and spiritual blood whence ariseth in the Soul a Godly will wherewith she compells the body to do that which according to its own inclination and spirit of this world it would not do in such souls the Complexion rules not but remaines only in the lower fleshly nature exercises the Regiment as to the outward body onely The man enquires after Gods Word and hath alwayes an uncessant longing after God his desire is ever to discourse of God would always gladly tast more of Gods sweetness but is clouded and hindred by the Complexion in so much that he lives in a continuall combat The Soul fights againsts the Complexion for they are here linked together in one band and the Complexion against the Soul it would ever gladly enter into the Souls fire and kindle it self and obtain a life in it For when the Soul eats of Gods Word the complexion according to the outward life becomes powerless and as it were a captive th●ugh it live in it self But the soul is so stedfast and faithful before Gods Love which alone comes to her help in the combat that oft when she eats of Gods Love and essence she induceth a triumph and a Divine taste into the complexion it self that the whole body begins to be roused up into a trembling and height of joy as Paradise were now approaching but his condition proves not durable for the soul is shortly after overshadowed with something of another nature which is insinuated into the Complexion by the outward imagination from the Spirit of the great world whereof she makes a looking-glass and begins to contemplate in it with her outward imagination Thus goes she out from the Spirit of God and is oft bemired in the dirt were it not that the Virgin Wisdom of God should call her again to conversion which is here set down as a Looking glass for souls Further of the Complexions WHen the Soul imagines into the Complexion and eats of it and turns herself from Gods Word and Will she then doth after the property of the Complexion she embraces all whatsoever is injected by the Starrs unto the Complexion all that the Spirit of the great world brings into the complexion by its imagination She empoysons herself thorough the desire in the complexion in the whole outward Nature in all that the world doth in words and works Such matter as this the desire of the complexion brings into the soul-fire or its fewell and the Soul-fire burnes or feeds it self therein Here we see how all evill deeds and works burn in the fire of God the Father in which the Soul consists what is not agreeable to Gods Love that cannot the Love receive Here find we likewise what and how sin is how Gods anger is kindled when in the burning or life of the soul such abomination as a man works is brought in to him which withhold the Soul from Gods Love and make the Soul-fire stark-blind to Gods Wisdom and Light For the Spirit of God enters not into the fire burning or life of the abomination till the Soul again goes out of it and bathes it self again in the water of the eternal Life which comes to

her sad condition thinks God will have none of her when she cannot palpably feel his presence She sees other men that walk along with her in the way of Gods fear that yet are cheerfull enough and supposing this cheerfulness of theirs proceeds only from a divine fountain of love and light in their souls is conceited that she is not accepted with God but rather rejected by him because she does not presently upon her conversion which she expected feel in her heart the like comfortable effects of the refreshing presence of God Before the time of my enlightning it went even thus with me I stood out a hard conflict before I obtain'd my precious Crown of victory and then did I first learn out this experimental knowledge that God dwells not in the outward fleshy heart but in the souls center in himself then was I also first aware of it that 't was God which had laid hold on me and drawn me to him in my first desire which before I was ignorant of thinking the good desire had been my own property and that God was indeed far from me But afterwards I saw him and rejoyc'd at the unspeakable grace and love of God and now write the same for a caveat that they by no meanes faint or despair when the comforter delayes his comming but rather think of that of David Heaviness may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning Thus hath it far'd with many of the chiefest saints of God they were forc'd to strive a long time for their Crown of Victory nor indeed is any man crown'd therewith till he hath passed as a Conqueror through the combat T is indeed deposited neer the soul but in the second principle the soul stands fixt upon the first principle and therefore if she will have the Crown set upon her head in the time of this life she must earnestly fight and contend for it And then if she go not so far as to obtain it in this world yet she obtains it after this life in the laying down of this earthly tabernacle For Christ saith Be of a good comfort I have overcome the world and in the world you have sorrow but in me peace The precious pearl lies in many an assaulted and troubled spirit much neerer than in them that think they have already comprehended it but it hides it self for where it lies richest and most noble there will it not easily discover it self but rather wraps it self close up as if it would never be communicated therefore let no soul be hereby terrified or amazed She therefore hides herself that the desire of the soul being the more earnestly enflamed after her may in the comprehension drink deep to assuage her thirst and meanwhile knock unweariedly at her gates till it be opened unto him For sayes Christ Seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you And My Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that pray to him for it Have a certain assured confidence upon Gods promise and however thy misgiving heart say no yet let not this affright thee For to believe is not to be fill'd with joy in the fleshly heart and outward complexion that the fleshly mind and Spirit be so jocund that the very heart and reines leap for joy this is not faith but these are only some love emanations from the Holy Ghost within a divine lightning which hath no stability but after a short resplendence disappeares For God dwells not in the outward heart or complexion but in himself in the second center in the Jewell of the noble Image of Gods likeness which is hidden in this outward world But the true Faith is that the Spirit of the Soul with its will and desire goes into and thirsts after that it neither sees nor feeles here understand that of the soul in it self precisely considered stands not in this time yet she sends in the subtill spirit of the will which hath its original from her fire-life and in this spirit of the will is the pretious pearle received so that the souls-fire now remaines in the desire For so as the pearl remaines in the spirit of the will so long does the desire remain in the soul For this pearl is a spark of the Divine love t is the engin with which the Father drawes the soul unto him in his love the soul must therefore stand fast in her desire even when the outward reason out of the dark Complexion speaks a flat contradiction and denies Gods presence there Were not God present there could be no desire or will after him in the estranged soul For where God is not in the Spirit of the will the soul is as wholly blind and dead as to God desires not God at all nor hath any want or breathing after him but lives and disports himself in the heaven of his own natural light and self-pleasing imaginations only is a more subtil piercing understanding than the other beast of the field his souls natural essence being of a higher gradation than theirs Therefore by no means let any troubled soul suffer the complexion to fasten such an imagination as this upon his heart that God is not present with her will have none of her other wise the soul feeding upon such imagination becomes exceeding heavy It s a very great sin for the mind to shape out such a fancy in the heart for by this means the soul which is a noble creature out of Gods Nature falls into great anxiety and the Phantasy kindles the souls fire with this fewell and causes it to burn in the painfull principle Dear soul think no other when the anxious property of thy complexion thus kindled by the starrs begins to move but that thou then standest as a labourer in Gods vineyard thou must not stand idle but be working thou dost God herein a great and very considerable piece of service And thy labour is this that thou overcome the temptation by an unmoveable faith however no comfort in the outward heart appear to support it Be not deceived T is not faith to give assent to what I see and feel but this is faith to trust the hidden Spirit and believe the truth of its words maugre all the contradiction of blind nature and this so firmly that I chuse sooner to lose my natural life than distrust his promise this is a faith which wrastles rightly with God as old Jacob did the whole night which though it neither sees nor feels the least atome of the thing hop'd for yet rests firm upon the word of promise this faith does indeed overcome God as 't was said to Jacob thou hast wrastled with God and Man and half got the upper hand If thou ask what word of promise I mean I answer 't is this My Father will give the holy Spirit to them that humbly and fervently beg it of him And this is that which the mouth of Christ it self hath further delivered When he