Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	spirit_n	youth_n	zeal_n	16	3	7.7133	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76951	XL. questions concerning the soule· Propounded by Dr. Balthasar Walter· And answered, by Jacob Behmen. Aliàs Teutonicus Philosophus. And in his answer to the first question is the turned eye, or, philosophick globe. (Which in it selfe containeth all mysteries) with an exposition of it. VVritten in the Germane language. Anno. 1620.; Viertzig Fragen von der Seelen Urstand, Essentz, Wesen, Natur und Eisenschafft. English	Böhme, Jakob, 1575-1624.; Böhme, Jakob, 1575-1624. Clavis. English.; Sparrow, John, 1615-1665?.; Walther, Balthaser, 1586-1640.; Simons, Matthew, d. 1654, printer.	1647 (1647)	Wing B3408A; ESTC R172808	191,083	216

Peace to the Joy of All. Perhaps some will thinke this impossible let them consider that if they bee told of a curious City and of the incredible things that are done there by him that hath been there and seen what he relateth and he describe the way so plaine that they may come thither themselvs will they not goe that they may know as well as he that told them doe so by this Author Reade this Booke diligently and seriously till you apprehend the true meaning but of some part of the way hee here describeth which may easily be done and you will be satisfied the things are true and that the way he sheweth is true and be able to walke in it and also bee very thirstie to labour in that way more and more till you attaine your whole desire and then you will keep it as the best Jewell a Memoriall of all Mysteries But let every one reade it themselves whether it be the highest King that sitteth upon a Throne or the meanest mayd that grindeth in a Mill or heare it read with their owne eares if they meane to pertake of this so high a gift from the most high or else the Devill may easily bereave them of it TO THE READER IF wee knew the preciousnesse of our owne soules we would confesse and acknowledge with an inward feelingnesse the answer to Christs Question when he said What shall it profit a man to gaine the whole world and loose his owne Soule Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soule the soule is so precious that nothing can truly be valued at so high a Rate To save it is the greatest gaine to loose it is the greatest losse then who will not highly prise the study and understanding of the way to save it Christ saith He that will save his soule shall loose it and he that will loose his soule shall save it but who understandeth this we know it is the earnest desire of every soule to be saved and to be happy and glorious but the way is very unknowne to us poore fallen soules for we can hardly suppose that loosing will be the saving of our selves Christ also taught that the way to Glory was through many tribulations and Death this way he entred into Glory and so have all the blessed from the beginning of the world and can no otherwise to the end thereof but how shall a soule know the way to loose and deny it selfe so that it may assuredly attaine Eternall Salvation Let it listen in its heart and Conscience inwardly to that Teacher which it shall find there who is in God himself we have the Testimony of Moses for this who told the Israelites the Word the Commandement is nigh thee in thy heart and in thy mouth not the outward but the Inward heart and mouth as also the Apostle Paul saith to the Romans that Christ the Eternall Essentiall word of God the word of Faith which they the Apostles preached is nigh us in our hearts and in our mouthes and in another place he saith Doe you not know that Christ is in you except you be past reproofe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 improbi furthermore the Apostle John saith that God is Love and he that loveth God dwelleth in him and he in God which we all perceive is true for in him we live and move and have our being and this may be knowne though the Apostle Paul had not said so much for one of the Poets of old spake what he knew and said we are all of his Off-spring as the Apostle mentioneth it nay we all know that he that doth well is the servant of God but he that doth evill is the servant of the Devill who ruleth in his heart and though there is none that doth good no not one nor can do of himself while he is in this mortall life yet through Christ in him he can desire to doe well and be sorry when he hath been drawne away to doe evill by the lusts of his owne heart by which the Devill tempteth us to doe evill but if we will resist the Devill he will flie from us if we will leave off to doe evill and desire trie and learne to doe well without doubt we shall be able through God that dwelleth in us and then he will teach us all things and lead us into all truth by his Spirit All this we shall fully understand and all Mysteries when God shall manifest himself inus if we earnestly desire it with all humility selfe-deniall losing of our soules and being nothing in our selves for then God will be All in All and nothing is impossible with God All this and much more hath the Author of this Answer to these Questions concerning the soule found true and hath out of his inward Mystery manifested many things in this and other Writings of his the knowing whereof will be exceeding usefull to the furtherance of the salvation of every soule which when I had read I was very much satisfied in my owne soule and doe desire that others may be made partakers of them so farre as lyeth in me I have therefore taken in hand to put this Treatise into English which I chose to doe rather out of the Originall then out of any Translations because they many times come short of the Authors owne meaning and because I found many errours in some of them and he is so deep in his writings that we have need to desire that our soules may be put into such a condition as his was in else they cannot be fully understood but the same God that satisfied his desires will satisfie ours if we cast our selves upon him in our soules and let him doe with us what he pleaseth Concerning the Author he was from his youth much addicted to the hearing of Sermons and hearing that speech of our Saviours Luke 11. ver 13. Your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that aske it and by the differences and controversies in Religion which he knew not how to satisfie himselfe in he was so stirred up and moved to aske seeke and knock that he might know the truth upon which by the Divine drawing and will he was in Spirit wrapt into the holy Sabbath in which he remained seven whole dayes in highest joy by his owne confession after he came to himselfe he layd aside the folly of youth and was driven by Divine zeale earnestly to reprehend impudent scandalous and blasphemous speeches and did forbeare in all his actions the least appearance of evill and continued to get his living by the labour of his hands till the beginning of the sixt Seculum which was the yeare 160. When he was a socond time possessed with a divine Light and by the sight of a sudden object was brought to the inward ground or Center of the hidden nature yet somewhat doubting he went out into an open field and there beheld the miraculous workes of the Creatour in

and maketh a peculiar Principle wherein the Majesty appeareth 82. Thus the great Anguish ariseth in the bitter suffering and yet nothing is there neither that can suffer but it is thus in it selfe and it is its owne Life and if this were not the t Or glance splendour of the Majesty would not be the one is the cause of the other for the flash is in the Darknesse and the Light with the Majesty is in the Liberty 83. And this onely is the u Or differencing divorce that the Liberty is a still Nothing which receiveth the Light into it and maketh the Darknesse materiall and yet there is no comprehensible x Or Substance Essence but a darke Spirit and power a filling of the Liberty in it selfe that is within the desire and not without it for without it is the Liberty 84. Therefore God is the most hidden and the most manifest and that is the * Or Mysterium magnum Great Mystery and the Abysse is hidden and yet manifest as the Darknesse is to our fight But the source is unsearchable till the Will sinke downe into it and then it will be found and felt when the Will loseth its y Or Life Light And herein lieth the Ground of True Faith let this be told you yee Teachers in Babel 85. Seeing then there is an Abysse which in regard of the impression of the darknesse is called Ground wherein the source is a cause of the life for the wrathfull flash is the awakening of the life although it be nothing there but in it selfe and it is also a Desiring and that desiring is a seeking and yet it can find nothing but a glasse and a similitude of the darke wrathfull source wherein Nothing is 86. For it is a Figure of the Earnest wrathfull flash and of the sharp and z Sterne severe power which is Gods according to which he calleth himselfe a consuming Fire and an Angry a Or zealous Jealous God 87. And this glasse is also without Ground without beginning and without End and yet hath an Eternall beginning and an Eternall End and is the only Cause that the Abysse is blew dusky and fierie It is the cause of the Starres and Elements for the Firmament is a second Glasse proceeding from this 88. As there is a Threefold source in every thing and each is alwayes the Glasse begetter and cause of the other nothing excepted all things are according to the Essence of the Ternarie 89. Seeing then there is a Glasse in the Abysse in which the source beholdeth it selfe so it is also a figure and Image of the source which standeth before the source and doth or bringeth forth nothing but is a Virgin of the source wherein the wrathfulnesse of the Flash b Or discovereth it selfe discerneth it selfe infinitely without number and alwayes openeth its wonders therein by the bitter Spirit of the c Or rigling stirring Essences 90. Which hath its life in the flash so that it flieth more swiftly then a Thought and even the thoughts of the Creatures are and proceed herein also the Spirits of all living creatures are herein with their root each life according to its Principle 91. And in this Spirit of the Fire-flash consisteth the Great Almighty Life for it is consuming as the flash consumeth the Darknesse and as the Fire consumeth all things and yet remaineth a Life in it selfe yet it is an Hunger and Thirst and must have d Substance Essentiality or else it remaineth a darke Hungry Fire a will to devoure and to enjoy nothing a will to Rage and sting and to finde Nothing but it selfe whence Essentiality viz. the water and also * Or Substantiality or Earth Sulphur is begotten and begetteth it selfe from Eternity to Eternity 92. And here my beloved friend seek the first root of the soule in the Fire life and the second in the life of the Light in the Majesty and so you shall finde Gods Image and likenesse and the Greatest e Or hidden secrets Mysteries of the Deity lying therein 93. And although there be such an Eye of the wrathfulnesse wherein the Earnest f Or strong or sterne severe Fire life taketh its Originall yet it is not at all g Or rent sever'd from the life of the Light but is one only life that hath two Principles for it burneth in two sources which are within one another and it is one onely Spirit having two differences and two wills one will dwelling in the Fire and the other in the Light 94. And know certainly for a Truth that the darke Fire-life is the Abysse of Hell for it is the h Or sterne or fierce severe Anger of God 95. But doe not you seeke as Babell that great City of confusion upon Earth hath sought which wee blame not for any thing but her negligence and carelessenesse and for seeking her Owne Glory and power and by that meanes hath ensnared her selfe in the wrathfull Anger of God which hath a long time subjected her under its wonders and drawne many soules into its source Consider this 96. In the third Booke of our writings this is set downe at large and that booke is somewhat easier to be understood then this is but in this is the deepest ground of Eternity so farre as a spirit can conceive for it cannot beare more well may it be described more largely but not more deeply for it is comprehended in the Abysse in both the Principles for the soule ariseth in the Abysse in both Principles and in the spirituall will in the Eternity 97. And yet if it be not wary and circumspect the Devill may easily ride in its Chariot viz. in its Will but if it be circumspect and doe cast it selfe into the will of the Majesty of God then the Holy Ghost rideth in its Will and it is his Chariot 98. And herein you may now finely search the Ground of Heaven and Hell of Angels and Devills of Evill and Good of Life and Death if you seeke as wee shall further direct you The sixt Forme of Fire 99. Seeing then two Principles are so in one Essence as no man with Reason can speake against it for every life consisteth in venome and in Light each in its owne principle and according as it hath the source so hath it also its Light therefore we must search what that is which sustaineth the life that it be not starved and what driveth forth its source that it can endure for ever 100. This now also hath two differences for the Light-life hath its owne source and driving and the Fire-life also its source and driving each in it selfe but the Fire-life is the cause of the Light-life and the Light-life is Lord of the Fire-life and herein lyeth the i Mysterium Magnum Great Mysterie 101. For if there were no Fire there would be no Light and also no Spirit and if there were no Spirit to

goe yet to Lazarus in the bosome of Abraham The six and twentieth Question Whether doe the Soules of the Dead take care about Men Children friends and goods And whether doe they know see allow or disallow their purposes and endeavours 1. MY beloved friend this Question is beyond the reach of all humane Reason and knowledge according to outward Reason But seeing we are Abrahams Children we have also Abrahams Spirit in Christ and as Abraham looked back upon the Promise in Paradise and then also forward unto the fulfilling of the Promise so that he saw in the whole Body of Christ what was yet to be brought to passe in the e Or the time between both the beginning and the End middle and saw Christ a farre off so also we 2. Now seeing you doe so vehemently long after the great Mysteries and seeke them with so earnest a Desire yet giving God the glory accounting your selfe unworthy in your high Art and so humble your selfe before God therefore God giveth you them by so meane and poore an Instrument who esteemeth himselfe much more unworthy of them but yet would not willingly strive against his will and so you are the cause that this hand findeth and attaineth them 3. For this hand knew nothing of the Mysterie It sought onely for the Faith of Abraham but the understanding of Abraham was also given unto it which you have caused by your seeking 4. Now have a care that you also obtaine the Spirit of Abraham which hath written in the knowledge of this hand wee will impart it to you as a brother for wee are not your Lord in this hidden thing but your servant 5. Know us aright we are Lazarus and you may be accounted Abraham in comparison of us you have laboured much more then we but we are fallen into your Harvest nor of merit but by the Grace of the Giver least any tongue should boast in the sight of God and say this hath my understanding done 6. You propound a deep Question f Viz. in his outward Reason or in the Old Adam I understand it not for if I should understand it then I should dwell in the separated soule and must have the very same spirit and knowledge of that soule 7. But now seeing we are one body in Christ we have all of us Christs Spirit therefore in Christ we all see out of one Spirit and have one knowledge for he is become man in us and all holy soules are our fellow-members all begotten out of one and we all have one will in Christ in the true bosome of Abraham 8. And now we have obtained strength to reveale this hidden thing to you in Christ for our soules seeth in their soule not as if they came to us but we goe to them for they are in perfection and we but g In part or in imperfection in part 9. And now we are able to answer you not from the reason of the outward world but from the Image in Christ and from his and our Spirit 10. You aske whether the separated soules take care of humane matters and allow or disallow them Now this you must understand to be in three different manners concerning three severall sorts of soules 11. First those soules which yet have not attained Heaven and so stick in the source in the Principle in the Birth those have yet the humane Essence with the workes in them they diligently search out the cause of their h Or stay in that condition Retention 12. And therefore many of them come againe with the Astrall Spirit and wander up and downe in their houses and places of abode and appeare in a humane Shape and desire this and that and oftentimes take care about their wills or Testaments and also thinke to procure the blessing of the Saints that they may rest and if their Earthly affaires doe still stick in them they take care many times also about their Children and friends 13. This condition of theirs continueth so long till they fall into their Rest and till their Astrall Spirit be consumed then all such doings care and perplexities are at an end and rhey also have no more knowledge thereof but that they see them meerely in the Wonders in the Magick 14. But it stirreth not the Turba neither seeketh what is in this world for it being once passed through Death from the Turba it desireth such things no more It also taketh no further care for care stirreth up the Turba and then the will of the Soule should be forced to enter with its Spirit into earthly things but it had rather let such things alone because it hardly got rid of them before It will no more entertaine the Earthly will 15. This is an Answer concerning this first sort and wee tell you plainely and in Truth that this sort after they are once received into Grace take no more care purposely about humane Earthly i Or affaires matters but it beholdeth the heavenly matters which are brought to it by the Spirit of man and rejoyceth in them but there is somewhat still behinde which is this 16. A living man hath such Power that he is able with his Spirit to goe into Heaven to the separated soules and stirre them up about some Question by a hearty Desire but it must be earnest it must be Faith that can breake open a Principle 17. And this we see in Samuell the Prophet whom the k Saul King of Israel raised up that he might make his will knowne to him though this seeme otherwise to some of whom we may well say that they are blinde and voyde of knowledge for they speake but their owne scholastick Fables and frame Opinions about that they have no knowledge of in the Spirit and these are Babell 18. Now secondly the other sort which sinke into Death without a l Or the body of Christ body they are wholly in one and the same place of the Principle in which the first sort are which afterward did sinke downe in themselves All these take no evill affaires upon them wherein the Turba sticketh 19. But when the honest soules which are alive send them their workes with their Spirit and will they rejoyce in them and are so affable that they appeare to men Magically in sleepe and shew them good wayes and many times reveale Arts which lye in m In Arcano in the most inward Mysterie secret viz. in the Abysse of the soule 20. For seeing the Earthly Spirit thrusteth its Mysterie before the soule and keepeth the soule captive in that Mysterie therefore the Spirit of the Soule cannot alwayes attaine the deepest secrets but after the departure of the body the soule is naked and that especially if it be without a New body then it beholdeth it it selfe and also its Wonders and it can very well shew one that is living somewhat if he be honest and have not stirred up the Turba in the sleeping Magia