save only in the Blood and Death of Christ Him alone God hath made and fore-ordained to be unto him a Throne of Grace or Propitiation in his own Love which he hath brought into him in the sweet Name JESUS out of JEHOVAH He is that only Offering which God receiveth that can reconcile Gods Anger 22. Now if that same Offering shall do me good then must it also come to pass in me the Father must beget and give his Son into the Desire of my Faith so that the Hunger of my Faith may lay hold of him and if the Hunger of my Souls Faith comprehendeth him as in his promised Word then I put on him in his whole process of Justification in mine Inward Ground and immediately the killing of the Wrath Devil Death and Hell beginneth and goes on out of Christs Death in me 23. For I can do nothing I am dead to my self but Christ doth it in Me when He ariseth in Me then I am dead in my self in respect of the true Man and he is my Life and what I live I live to Him and not to Minehood For Grace killeth my Will and setteth it self for a Lord in the place of mine I-hood that I may be a Work of God who doth therewith what He Will. 24. And then I live in Two Kingdoms to wit with the Outward Mortal Man in the vanity of Time wherein the Yoke of Sin yet liveth it Christ taketh in the Inward Kingdom of the divine World upon Himself and helpeth my Soul to bear it 25. For the Yoke of this World is Christs Burden which he must bear until he shall again deliver up the Kingdom to his Father which He hath given him for He said All Power in Heaven and Earth is given to Me of my Father So is also this Burden given to him that He should bear Gods Anger Hell Death and all evil in us as Esaias saith He took on him our Diseases and carried our griefs but we did count him stricken smitten of God and afflicted 26. Whence it is that a Christian must be a Cross-bearer For so soon as Christ is born in him the assaulting of Hell and the Anger of God in the Eternal Nature goeth on then the Hell in Man is destroyed and the Serpent is trampled upon whence great Unquietness Persecution and Reproach from the Devil and the corrupt World ariseth over the outward sinful Man then the outward sinful Man must suffer himself to be condemned and judged to Damnation of Gods severe Justice in the Anger by the Children of the Anger seeing that another Man liveth in him which is not like to the Outward Mortal therefore Gods Justice executeth its Judgment in Anger upon the Sin-house as also all the Ministers of Gods Anger 27. Then Christ helpeth to bear the Yoke and Man is sacrificed in Christs process contempt and scorn in his Suffering and Death unto the Justice of God in the Wrath and he becomes like unto Christs Image 28. The Holy Scripture witnesseth in all places that we are Justified from sins by Faith in Christ not by the Works of our Merit but by the Blood and Death of Christ which indeed is so taught of many but rightly understood of few that teach us 29. Men indeed teach us the Imputed grace but what Faith is how it is begotten what it is in its Essence and Substance and how it layeth hold on the Merit of Christ with the Grace in that the most part are dumb and blind and rest by an Historical Faith Jam. 2. which is but a bare knowledg the Man of Sin tickling and comforting himself therewith and through such Imagination flattering himself and naming himself a Christian though he is not become capable of this so high a Title but is only a Titular Christian covered from Without with Christs Purpur-mantle of whom the Prophet saith They draw neer unto me with their lips but their Heart is far from me And Christ said Not all that say Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but they that do the Will of my Father in Heaven 30. Now Christ alone is the Will of the Father wherein the Receiving of Grace and the Childship is and no man can do the Fathers Love-Will but only that only Grace-Throne Christ himself as the Scripture saith No man can call God LORD without the Holy Spirit In Him 31. For we know not what we pray before God as we ought but He even the Holy Spirit maketh Intercession for us with inexpressible Sighings before God in our selves as it pleaseth God We cannot attain unto any thing by our Willing and Knowing He is too deeply hidden to us For it lieth not in any Mans Knowing Willing or Running but in Gods Mercy 32. Now there is no Mercy but only in Christ and if I shall reach that Mercy I must reach Christ in Me If my sins shall be blotted in Me Christ must perform it in Me with his Blood and Death and with his Victory If I shall beleeve then must the Spirit the Desire and the Will of Christ beleeve in my Desire and Will for I cannot Beleeve 33. But he receiveth my Will being resigned to Him and encloseth it in his Will bringeth it through his Victory into God there He intercedeth for the Will of my Soul in his Will before God and thus I am received as a Grace-child in his Love-Will 34. For the Father hath manifested his Love in Christ and Christ manifesteth the same Love in my Will being resigned to him Christ draweth my Will into himself and cloateth it with his Blood and Death and tinctureth it with the highest Tincture of the Divine Power Thus it is changed into an Angelical Image and getteth a Divine Life 35. Whereupon that same Life beginneth to hunger after its Body which Body is the corrupt fiery Soul whereout the Will is entered into Christ thus the New Life in Christ doth now also tincture the Soul so that the Soul in this Will-spirit getteth a right divine Hunger and becometh desirous of the Divine Grace and begineth to behold her self in this Divine Will-spirit in Christ what she is how she in her Properties is separated from God and how she lieth captive in Gods Wrath and acknowledgeth her abominations as also her Deformity in the presence of Gods Angels there she hath nothing wherewith she may protect her self for she seeth that she standeth in the Jaws of Death and Hell environed with evil Spirits which bring their Desires always into her to destroy her 36. Then she sinketh down into that same New-born Spirit of the Will and ingulfeth her self into the meerest Humility then the Spirit of Christ taketh hold of her and bringeth her into this New-will-spirit that the Soul essentially feeleth it Whereupon the Divine Joyful Look ariseth in the Soul as a New Eye wherein the fiery Soul conceiveth the Ens and Substance of the Divine Light in her self whereupon she hungereth and thirsteth
Book of the Threefold Life very largely how Man standeth in a Threefold Life Viz. 1. According to the Soul in the Eternal Fathers Nature and in the Root of the Dark World in the Center of the Eternal Original as in the Spirit of the Eternal Father 27. 2 dly How the right true Image and Similitude of God greeneth out of the Soul as out of the Death in the Souls Magical Spirits Fire in another Principium or in another World and becometh free as God himself from Nature as also from Death Qualm and Pain and that the true Image of God liveth not in the Regiment of the outward World nor useth for it self the outward food and drink but eateth of the Divine Substantiality as of the Bread of God Christs Flesh and Blood so that Christ liveth in it and it in Christ and that same Eating consisteth in a Spiritual Desire and also cometh to pass truly and substantially and that the Soul is therewith nourished in her hungers-fire and that a great Gulf happeneth between the Soul and the true Image in the Death of the Fire 28. As we see this in Fire and Light and have therein a true form pattern and similitude where a man by a comparison understandeth the Soul by the fire-glow for it is in it self what concerneth it alone without the noble Image a fire-eye consisting in God the Fathers Eternal Nature brought from the Spirit of God out of the Fathers Property into the outward Created Image which was Created both out of the Outward and Inward heavenly Divine Substantiality and we understand the Noble Image in or by the Light and in the Vertue of the meek Light that out-shineth from the Dying as from the Consuming Qualm of the Fire Where then we see how the Light dwelleth in the Fire without any feeling of the firequalm and how the Fire is a painly Essence to Nature and the Light is free from the Fires Nature and yet without the Fire it is a Nothing 29. Secondly I have shewed you in the fore-mentioned Books how the Fire is a Magick-desire of Meekness to cool it self and to fill its dry Hunger whereout it receiveth Life and Light and again how that the Light is also a great Desire of the Fire to awake its Life Vertue and Power through the Fire 30. Thirdly How that the Light in its Desire maketh a Substantiality and Being viz. Meekness which taketh its Original in the Dying in the Fire which Meekness is called the Water of Eternal Life for it is a sinking through the Death and it giveth Sensibility and and Substantiality and how the Fire doth again draw that same Substantiality into it self and satiate it self therewith and out of that same Indrawing it doth again beget a Spirit out of it self which continually goeth again into the Substantiality and at length bringeth the shining from the Fire and Light into the Substantiality Which Shining or Splendor in the Substantiality of the Meekness is called Tincture which bringeth the Substantiality into the highest Ornament and Colours and thus Reneweth the Essence viz. the forms of the Dark World to the Fire-life and high-graduates it and changeth it into another thing so that out of the unpleasant painly Qualm of the First Principle through Fire the highest Joyfulness ariseth in the precious Tincture And thus the worst is the cause of the best In which Type or Figure we understand in the Inward Birth the Birth and the Substance of the Holy Trinity 31. And then fourthly I have declared to you in the fore-mentioned Books how that the Whole Substance of all Substances is a Continual Desire to manifest it self in its Desire and that this Desire to Manifestation is the Fiat and the Power in the Light is the Word and how that the Word hath moored the Fiat in all the Forms of the Eternal Nature according to the Light and also according to to the Dark World through which the Desire according to both the Worlds Properties hath made Substance in it self whereout in the Substantiality Good and Evil is sprung according to the Property of each World out of which Substance this visible World is created with the Stars and Elements as an own and peculiar Life yet not separated from the Eternal And moreover it is declared how that the Inward Spiritual Substance hath in its Desire manifested it self with this outward visible World as with an Image 32. Now when God created Man as an Image after his Substance a Similitude after God he created him out of the Mother of all Substances and out of all the Three Worlds 33. For God would behold himself through Man in One Image he should be a Similitude after God His Body he created both out of the Outward and Inward Substantiality as out of the Earthly and Heavenly and breathed into it through his Spirit a living Breath that is himself according to the Divine World and also according to the Outward World 34. For the Spirit of God is the Spirit of every Life but distinguished into Three Principles of Three Worlds As 1. According to the Dark World after the First Principle according to which God calleth himself an angry zealous God and a Consuming Fire which is the Eternal Nature And 2 dly According to the Light-World as according to Gods Love and Meekness in regard of which he is called the Holy Spirit And 3 dly According to the Outward World the Ayr-Spirit with the Qualm of the Stars and Elements Thus Man hath received a Threefold Life the Spirit of all the Three Worlds 35. Now it is palpable and plain enough to understand that the Holy Ghost had not his Regiment in the outward earthly Flesh but in the Inward Heavenly For with his entering into the Humanity he also brought in with him the Heavenly Divine Substantiality 36. For Gods Spirit dwelleth from Eternity to Eternity only in Heaven that is only in his own Substance in the Power of the Majesty Now when he breathed himself into the Image of Man then the Heaven was in Man for God would manifest himself in Man as in an Image after himself and open the great Wonders of his Eternal Wisdom through Man 37. Therefore we must rightly consider Man what he is and not make an Earthly Beast of him neither an Angel of his earthly part but he is created into the Wonders in respect of the Earthly Kingdom viz. according to the Third Principle that he should manifest the Wonders in Figures For to that end he hath the Inward Spirit out of the first Principle but he should not domineer therewith neither with the Outward but yeeld himself over to the Holy Ghost in the Second Principle and in the outward Life be as a Child in the Mothers bosom 38. For the Spirit of God had in him the outward Kingdom as it were swallowed up like as the Light swalloweth up the dark Night that a Man seeth it not But through his Imagination into
Son alone who is in the Fathers Unmeasurable Bosom he declareth to Us the Word and Will of God in our selves so that we hear and understand his Will and good pleasure within us and are willing to follow the same but yet are oft kept back by the outward sinful flesh so that the Working of that same divine Power goeth not always into the Outward Figure and yet it goeth into the Inward Figure in the Inward Spiritual World whereof S t Paul saith Our Conversation is in Heaven 11. Of which also all the Saints and especially S t Paul hath complained viz. that they have the earnest Will and with the Mind of the Inward Ground serve God but with the flesh the Law of Sin so that the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit Which Lust is daily drowned and killed in the Death of Christ through the Inward Ground yet only in those in whom Christ is risen from Death and thus no Condemnation is to them who are in Christ Jesus For the Bestial Body belongeth to the Earth but the Spiritual Body belongeth to God But whosoever hath not it is living dead and neither heareth nor perceiveth any thing of the Spirit of God it is foolishness unto him according to the Scripture 12. Therefore this Point is not sufficiently understood and declared by maintaining only and alone a Grace received from Without and also such a Forgiveness of Sins The Forgiving of Sins and the Childship received into the Grace consisteth in the Justification of the Blood and Death of CHRIST when CHRIST's Heavenly Blood tinctured us and overcame the Wrath of God in our Soul and Inward divine Ground being out of the Substance of Eternity with the highest Love of the Deity in the Name of JESUS and changed it again into the divine Humility Obedience the torn temperature of our humane Property of Obedience and good Will entering again into the Harmony and Unity of the Properties 13. Then was the Fathers Anger which was awaked in our Lives Properties and had made it self a Governor or Ruler in Soul and Body whereby we were dead to the Kingdom of Heaven and became Children of Wrath turned again into that One Only Love and Likeness of God and our Humane Will dyed away in the Death of Christ from its own I-hood and own Willing and the First Humane Will which God out of his Spirit gave into Adam out-greened again through the Victory of the sweetness of God in Christs Heavenly Blood Then was the Devil and Hell which held Men captive confounded for this the dry Rod of Aaron did signifie which greened in one night and bare sweet Almonds 14. Now as the Sin came from one and thronged from one upon all so also the sweet Grace and Victory in Christ thronged from one upon all The Death and the Anger was broken in pieces in Christ in that one Adamical Soul and a possibility to Grace through the Breaking of Death was opened through which broken Gate the Soulish Will may again turn it self into the first Mother out of which it came in the Beginning as into the Childship or New Birth of a New Life and Will There it may attain and reach the sweet Blood of Jesus Christ which in Christ in our Humanity brake in pieces the Gates of Death and changed the Anger of God in our Humanity in himself into Love wherein the poor captive Soul drinketh out of Gods Fountain and refresheth her self in her fire-breath whereout the New Greening out-greeneth the Hunger and Desire of the Soul becoming then Substantial in the Blood of Christ after an heavenly manner 15. Now like as the Breaking of Death must be done in the Person of Christ in our Soul and Humanity so that the Eternity in Christ wherewith he was come from Heaven and also was in Heaven Joh. 3. overcame the Time as the Life and Will of the Time and did change Time with its Will into the Eternal Will of the Deity and all that was to be done in our received Humanity So must also the Desire of our Soul receive into it self that same Eternal Will in Christ where Time and Eternity stand in an Harmony and Concordance and through that Power sink it self into the Childship as into the Grace that the same Inward Paradisical Ground which dyed in Adam might again out-green in the Will of the Obedience of Christ through his Heavenly and from us received humane Blood 16. In our selves must the Expiation be manifested through Christs once made Expiation indeed through that which once was made in Christs Blood and Death But that same which once came to pass in Christ must also do it in me it must now through Christs Bloodshedding come to pass also in me Christ sheddeth also his Heavenly Blood into my Desire in my poor Soul and tinctureth the Wrath of God therein that the First Adamical Image of God may again appear and become seeing hearing feeling tasting and smelling 17. For that Image which dyed in Adam from the Heavenly Worlds Essence as the right Paradisical one dwelleth not in the four Elements its Essence and Life standeth not in this World but in Heaven which becometh revealed in Christ in us as in the one pure and holy Element whereout the four Elements in the Beginning of Time are sprung and that same New Inward Spiritual Man eateth Christs Flesh and Blood for he liveth and is in Christ Christ is his Stock and he is a branch on the Stock 18. For every Spirit eateth of that of which he hath his Original as the Animalish Mortal Soul eateth of the Spirit of the World of the Stars and Elements of the Kingdom of this World But the true Eternal Soul which is breathed out of the Eternal Word into Man as a Divine Life eateth of its Mother as out of the Holy Substantial Word of God 19. But seeing that this after her separation from God was not possible for her therefore came that same Word of Life as her true Mother again to the out-turned Soul into this Vale of Misery into the Prison of Hell and brought its Heavenly Substance into our Humane as a Body for the Soul and therewith embraced and encompassed our poor captive Soul and did open again her heavenly Mouth afore dead in the Anger of God with the Tincture of Love so that the poor Soul can again eat heavenly Manna Which eating stood in Christs Person with our received Humanity in the Temptation of Christ in the Desart again in the tryal when Adam in Christ ate Manna again from Paradise forty days 20. Therefore I say that if any one be a Christian he is it not through an imputed graceshew from Without his sins are not forgiven him through the once happened Word-speaking from Without as a Lord in this World giveth a Murtherer his Life through an outward imputed Grace No no this availeth nothing before God 21. There is no Grace wherethrough we can come to the Childship
after Gods Grace and entereth into a powerful Repentance or Penitency and bewaileth the Evil which she hath committed 37. And in this Hunger and Thirst she receiveth Christs Flesh and Blood for the New Will-spirit which in the Begining entered into the Grace of Christ which Christ also hath received into himself becometh now Substantial by the Magnetical Impressing Hungering and Desiring of the Soul 38. And this Substantiality is called Sophia as the Substantial Wisdom or the Body of Christ and in this the Faith in the Holy Spirit consisteth here Christ and the Soul beleeve in one ground 39. For the True Faith consisteth not in thoughts or in a meer assenting to the Histories viz. that a man impresseth into himself that Christ is dead for his sins but it is a Receiving of the promised Grace of Christ it receiveth Christ into it self it Impresseth him into his Hunger with his heavenly Flesh and Blood with the Grace which God offereth in Christ 40. Christ feedeth the Soul with the Substance of Sophia as with his Body and Blood according to his saying Whosoever eateth not the Flesh of the Son of Man he hath no Life in him but whosoever eateth the same he abideth in him 41. And herein also Christs Testaments and also the Christian Faith do consist For an Unsubstantial Faith is as a smoking Fire or mother of Fire in a moisture that would willingly burn and yet hath no right Ens thereto but when a right Ens is given to it then that little spark of fire encreaseth out of which a fair Light ariseth which shineth round about and then is revealed or manifested how in the Wood such a fire and fair light lieth hidden which before was not known 42. So also in a Child of God While the poor Soul is wrapt up in the Anger of God she is as a glimmering Wiek that would willingly burn and yet cannot by reason of the Vanity of the Sins and the Anger of God But when the Soul as the little spark of the Divine Fire getteth into it self Gods Love Ens as Christs Flesh and Blood then that same little Spark beginneth to become a great Fire and Light which shineth and lighteth about it self with fair Vertues and good Works and liveth in great Patience under the Vanity of this World and yet groweth forth as a fair Flower out of the wilde Earth 43. Whereof we have a Similitude in the Sun and the Earth namely if the Sun should not shine upon the Earth no fruit could grow But when the Sun doth shine on the Earth and throngeth himself into the Ens of the Earth then the Ens of the Earth receiveth the Vertue of the Sun into it self whereupon a great Hunger ariseth in the Ens of the Earth after the Vertue of the Sun and this same Hunger impresseth the Vertue of the Sun and by this same Hunger of the Ens of the Earth which goeth after the Ens of the Sun in the height an Herb is drawn out of the Earth with a stalk wherein the Ens and Vertue of the Sun also goeth in the encrease or growth in the height and the Sun with his Light-beams becometh Substantial in the Ens of the Earth in the stalk and root and a man seeth how through the power of the Sun and Stars in the Spirit of the World another body cometh out of the stalk then the root in the Earth is also how the stalk doth bring it self into a button to a fair flower and afterwards to fruit a man may also see how the Sun afterwards from time to time ripeneth and sweeteneth the same fruit 44. So also it is with Man the Soulish ground is the Divine field when it getteth the Divine Sunshine into it self then a Divine Plant ariseth thereout This is the New Birth whereof Christ speaketh Now this Plant must be nourished and drawn up from above by the Divine Sun and by the Divine Water and the Divine Stars as the Divine Power until it cometh to be a Divine Body of a Divine and Angelical Figure as the body on the stalk 45. And as the body on the stalk must stand in rain wind and storm in heat and cold and suffer the Sun to ripen it so must a Christian stand in this thorny World in the awaked Anger of God in the Kingdom of the Devil amongst many wicked Men and suffer himself to be beaten with scorn and contempt and yet must turn his Hope from all Creatures alone into the Divine Sun and suffer him to ripen him and to beget him to an heavenly fruit 46. Not houses of stone nor humane Ordinances do beget him but the Divine Sun in the divine Stars of the powers of the Word of God in the Temple of Jesus Christ in himself doth beget him out of the Fountain of Life Jesus Christ so that he is a branch on the Vine of Christ and bringeth forth good grapes which the Divine Sun ripeneth that Gods children as his loving fellow-members may eat them whereby they also do out-green in and with him which grapes are good Doctrine Life and Works 47. A man must come to the practise working and fruitbringing otherwise the New Birth is not yet manifest in him nor the noble Branch yet born No tickling comforting and boasting of Faith availeth any thing if so be the Faith becometh not a Child conformable to God in Essence and Will which doth bring forth divine fruit 48. All that wherefore men now strive and contend also destroy Land and people is only a meer husk without fruit and belongeth to the fiery World for separation There is no true Understanding in any party they contend all only about the Name and the Will of God and no party will do it they mean and mind nothing but their own glory and the lust of the flesh Were they Christians they would have no strife 49. A good Tree beareth good fruits for every one and although it must suffer that the wind oft breaketh off its branches and fruit as also that the Sun dryeth them up and when they are ripe that swines devour them and that they be troden under feet yet it endeavoreth still to bring forth more good fruits 50. So also a true Christian in Christ can will nothing else but what Christ willeth in him although he must suffer that his good fruits which do out-green and grow forth out of the Inward Man be often trampled upon and spoiled by his Evil flesh and blood as also by the Devils Wind and the Wickedness of the World yet the Tree of the new Plant abideth standing in the Life of Christ and out-greeneth through the outward mortal Man against all hinderance and opposition like as Eternity greeneth through the Time and giveth to the Time Life and Power And as the Day out-greeneth through the Night and changeth the Night into Day whereas yet the Night remaineth in it self and is not discerned in the Day so also the Divine