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spirit_n ghost_n holy_a jesus_n 15,155 5 6.0417 4 true
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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

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especially when she casts her imagination into the complexion by an anxious search and so feeds upon ♂ his poysonous breath blowes up her fire-life therewith then is she fill'd with a most bitter anguish and horible fear of the Devill and Gods wrath in her Then begins she to speculate and think that God hath not ordain'd her to eternall life in Jesus Christ whereupon she becomes so discontented that she cannot willingly lift up her eyes and countenance to God thinketh herself such a heinous sinner that the door of grace is wholly shut up against her But all this is nothing really but a fancy arising from the complexion disturbed by the starry influence wherewith the soul plagues herself For when the Macrocosmick Spirit hath in the Constellations vehicle insinuated it self into her it acts in her like a Hocus-Pocus fills her brain with strange fancies in so much that both the deluded soul is therewith much afflicted and the outward spirit enflames it self in the earthy origination whence the centrall wheel of Nature whirles fast about that the Spirit cannot fixedly lay hold upon and stay the thoughts which is properly madness with which we oft hear how melancholy men are infested Which when the Devill sees he injects likewise his imagination torments the soul yet worse but he hath no power to hurt her but by herself only the same principle which is the fountain of anguish in the soul is also the fountain of his life as Devil and therefore he is most delighted in such a lodging Except in this he hath a perfect abhorrency from the whole nature of mankind Therefore let no man thus tormented with anguish imagin within himself in the assaults of the complexion that it comes from Gods wrath and want of mercy in him which is a meer fancy of his own complexion in the starrs For we well see that the vilest fatted swine of the Devills herd that wallow and bath themselves day and night in the filth of sin are not so full of sadness not so assaulted with this kinde of temptation the reason is because they have an outward light in the complexion wherein they dance before the Devill in an Angells likeness So as long as there is but one little sparke of light glimmering in a mans heart which desires Gods grace and would gladly partake of salvation the door of Gods grace stands yet open For he who is given over by God whose sin is come to the full measure he is not at all sollicitous after God Man or Devill but is stone-blind runs on carelesly in a course of lightness without fear rests himself upon a customary practise of some outward service of God goes a beast into the sanctuary and comes again a beast out there is in him no true divine knowledge but all his religion is a meer outward custome and Chimaera of mans brain which he sets up to himself as an Idol and embraces it as his holiness Hereby may the Melancholy minde perceive that God doth not so thoroughly manifest his wrath in this life For however the ungodly be punish'd by God in this life he looks at the punishment not as coming from a divine hand but as a thing casually befallen him But that this troubled consc●ence is rather a subject of his pity than wrath that of the Prophet Esay doth sufficiently evidence A bruised read will he not break and smoking fl●x will he not quench Item Matth. 11. Come to me all yee that are sadned in spirit and I will refresh you Now his yoke is this that what in the course of Nature or by speciall providence befalls the soul be it temptation persecution weakness of body or spirit a man bear it with patience and cast himself with a resigned will into Gods free love and mercy The affliction then cannot hurt the soul at all but rather much profits it For while she sits contentedly in the house of mourning she is not in the house of sin viz. the worlds pride and voluptuousness for God holds her hereby fast chain'd from ranging abroad to immerse herself in the delights of sin She must be content to remain in sorrow for a little while but alas what is it how soon will she be at liberty from her sorrowfull prison and have the victorious Crown of everlasting joy set upon her head O Eternity thy duration is of a vast extent what is it for a soul to be a small moment of time in sadness and after that to rejoyce everlastingly for God will wipe all teares from their eyes As long as there is in the soul but one single sparke that breaths after God Gods spirit is it self present in that spark For that a man is desirous of God and earnestly labours after him with a longing thirst comes in no wise from the now corrupted nature of man but 't is the impulse of the Father in his Son Jesus Christ drawing the soul towards him The Holy Ghost is it self the divine desire No man can desire God without Gods Spirit which is alwayes in such desire and holds fast the will of the desire in God whereby the poor soul is preserv'd from falling away for S. Paul saith We know not what we should speak before God when we pray but the spirit of God intercedes for us with gronings which cannot be uttered according to the good pleasure of God Why should we then any longer rest in pusillanimous doubting of his grace and good will towards us he is far more willing at all time to receive us to mercy than we are to come to him See how he dealt with the lost Son which had wasted his Fathers inheritance among the Devills fatted swine and was now become a naked and filthy swineherd how as soon as he saw him returning to him he fell upon his neck and kissed him saying This is my dear Son whom I had once lost but is now come home again he was dead but is now again restor'd to life how he stirr'd up himself with his whole house neighbourhood to rejoyce over his once prodigall Son return'd again into his bosom according to what Christ in another place testifies more explicitely that there is joy in Heaven among the Angells of God over one sinner that repenteth more than over 99 just persons that need no repentance This lost Son is no other than the wretched sinfull man when he begins to be sensible how great a sinner he hath been and thinks of betaking himself to Gods mercy then doth our most gracious Father in Christ Jesus go out to meet him embraces him with the deepest joy and both the Angells and holy Souls in Heaven rejoyce exceedingly that a beloved Soul a dear brother is come up to them from out of the house of sin and death The sorrowfull soul troubles and torments herself because she cannot presently in the point of her desire exsuscitate dig up in herself the fountain of the greatest joy she sighs and bewailes