Monarch in his own Black Region Therefore O Man beware to come thither For to return again to God's Jurisdiction Hac Labor Hoc Opus est But you will say Why did God create or generate Man seeing he knew it would increase the Devils Kingdom Answ The Devil could not be captivated otherwise And there was no necessity that Man should â—â—ll except he would himself For if our Noble 〈…〉 â—ast â—â—d stood in the great Trial in Paradise 〈◊〉 Lucifer had infected the Macrocosm as to one part yet the infected part was hidden in the black Principle and the Earth had been a meer Paradise in this 〈◊〉 World § 4. The Souls Eternity NOw O Man behold thy self Thou art Lucifer's Rival Consider the Eternity Antiquity and Beginningless Noble Birth of thy Soul Thou art but a little or small Incarnation and yet God was pleased therein to multiply himself O Man consider thy self here Thou hast the Image of the Great Creator upon thy Soul tho' defaced yet capable to be restamped upon thy Spirit Vanity of Vanities All is Vanity whatever it be that offendeth or vexeth the pure Spirit of God and his Divine Image Therefore whatever hurteth or hindereth the well-being of the Soul or Separates it from God its Creator must be removed What profit hath he that worketh in all wherein he laboureth for the Wind God hath made every thing beautiful in his time also he hath set the World in Mans Heart Yea the three Worlds are in the little World so that no Man can find out the Work that God maketh from the Not beginning of Eternity to the infinite End For the Work of Eternity is the World not yet made and yet ever made by Eternity And Good and Evil do manifest themselves one by the other so Pain and Pleasure remain in one another hidden yet both remain in the wonder of God to his own Manifestation and Glory And so when I applied my Heart to know Wisdom and to see the business that is done upon the Humane Earth in this lower World for there is that neither day nor night enjoyeth a sweet rest of sleep with his Eyes in the Darkness of the Hellish Shadows Then I beheld all the Work of God that a Man cannot find out the Work that is done under the Eternal Sun Because tho' a Man labour to seek it out yet he shall not find it Yea though a Wise Man by the Serpents Craft think to know it yet he shall not be able to search it out The thing that hath been before the Creation is that which shall be and that which is done at present is that which shall be done in the succeeding World and there is no new thing under the Temporal or Eternal Sun Is there any Soul whereof it may be said See this Essence is New It hath been already of old time in the Nonage of Mans Generation which was before us There is no remembrance of former things that were done in Lucifer's Apostacy The New Man forgets all old things Neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are â—o come in Man's Apostacy by the succeeding Generations that shall come after us For to every purpose under the unmixed Heaven there is a season and a time for every Action A time to dye to the World and a time to be New born A time to plant good Herbs and a time to pluck up evil Weeds that are planted in the Heart A time to kill evil Beasts and a time to heal the wounds of the Soul A time to break down Lucifer's Bulwarks and a time to build up the holy Tabernacle for God in Man A time to weep for sins past and a time to laugh in Heaven A time to mâ—urn when the holy Bride is with-drawn And a time to dance with her when she is found A time to cast away Stones out of the Soulish Field and a time to gather Stones together for Gods Building A time to embrace the Virgin and a time to refrain A time to get Heavenly Treasures and a time to lose all for the sake of the Beloved A time to keep the Divine Talent and a time to cast away Lucifer's Jewels A time to rent the Heart and a time to sew new Garments with new Cloth A time to keep silence from uttering vain words and a time to speak to Gods praise A time to love God and his fair Daughters and a time to hate what is contrary to him A time to War with Lucifer and a time of Peace when the End of our Journey is found § 5. Man a Subject of Time SO that tho' Time be mutable yet there is an uninterrupted coherence between its Links or Chains and if the Cause go before the Effect must follow For if there be a departure out of the Order there must be a time to put that which departs therefrom in its due place again or turn it out And so if there be a time of a false Birth there must be a time to die Eternally if not new born If there be a time to plant evil Weeds there must be a time to pluck them up and throw them without the Garden and the Planter together If Man affords time to kill the Son of God in his Conscience God will find a time to raise him again to judge the Murderer If Man sin is time to build up a Babel of Confusion God will break it down in his time If there be a time to langh in vanity there must be a time to weep in repentance or to weep in Eternity If a time to dance to Satan's Musick there must be a time to mourn in Sackcloth and Ashes If there be a time to gather stones together to Babel there must be a time to cast them away If there be a time to embrace Jezabel there will be a time to refrain from that embracing If there be a time to get Riches by false dealings there will be a time to lose them by Thieves and Rust or other means If there be a time to keep Gods Talent in a Napkin and hide it there will be a time to take it away and give it to another If there be a time to sew Fig-leaves there must be a time to rent them and discover the Nakedness of those that sew them If there be a time that the dumb Conscience who betrays his Author keeps silence there must be a time that it will speak to Condemnation If there be a time to love the Whore there will be a come to hate and curse her that ever she was aâ— occasion of Allurement If there be a time of false peace and taking up a false Rest short of the 〈…〉 end there must be a timâ— that the Conscience will proclaim an implacable War against him thaâ— doth so and cause him to wander as a Fugitive and Vaâ—abond to Eternity and yet never obtain his Desire upon 〈◊〉 Enemies And thus because to every Action there 〈◊〉 appointed
and laies up or provides in the Summer against Winter And he is a Fool that will fare above his Purse to day and want to morrow and eats and drinks beyond the Power of Nature and thereby gets a Surfeit or Disease yet there is no need for Man to gather up more then needs seeing there be many things that increase Vanity and Emptiness and meer husks not proper Food for the Soul §. 2. Trust not in Vncertainties SOme may say Wisdom is good with an Inheritance and by it there is profit to them that shall see the Sun after him his Successors For Wisdom is a Desence And Money or Treasures being Price of necessary things is a defence against the Winter and Forreign-Invaders from Lucifers Dominion Answer The Covetous Man nourisheth an old grudge against God belike For he cannot trust God for Maintenance Though the right Frugal Man be a wise Man yet it is a folly for such a Man when he hath gathered sufficiency for himself to live in the right and natural order of Health and true Pleasure to torment himself too much in heaping up and gathering into a Bag with Holes for his supposed Successors Except he knew that his Successor who should enjoy the Fruit of his Labour would be a Wise Man That is One that will know how to manage those Treasures that are provided for him and fulfil the Proverb One Soweth and another Reapeth that both he that Soweth and he that Reapeth may rejoyce together in an holy Sport of Eternal Love in the Lord. But how can he tell that whether his Successor be a Wise Man or a Fool to whom he shall leave all his Labour What tho' Money or Treasures be a Defence yet the Excellency of Knowledge is that true Wisdom which knows how to use them giveth Eternal Life to them that have it that they may Eternally enjoy the Fruit of their Labour §. 3. The Law-givers Example I Was in Paradise chief Regent over the Essences and Animals in Eden when I dressed the fair Flower-producing Garden in the pure springing Odours and delightfulness of the Spiritual Sences When I made me pleasant Gardens I said in my heart Come on I 'll prove thee with Mirth Therefore enjoy Pleasure And behold if not managed with true Wisdom it is also Vanity I said of temporary laughter It is mad And of mutable mirth What doth it but presage a following fit of Sorrow I sought in mine heart to give my self unto the mirth of Coelestial Wine yet acquainting mine Heart with Wisdom and to lay hold on Folly if Folly were therein that I might see what was that Good for the Sons of Men my Brethren which they should do under their own Heaven all the Days of their Immortal Life I made me great Works in Eden I builded me Houses and many pleasant Maâ—sions in the Forest of Paradise I erected fair Bowers and recreative Walks and Galleries I planted me Vineyards where pure Grapes might be produced I made me fair Gardens and Orchards and I planted Trees in them of all kinds of Fruit pleasant to behold and good for the Everlasting Food of Man I made me Pools of Water to water therewith as with Coelestial Dew the Wood that bringeth forth Trees for my fair Building and for Food I gat me Servants Angel-Guardians and Maiden-Virgins And had Maidens born in my Coelestial House Also I had great possessions of all sorts of Animals which were brought to me to receive their Natural Names according to their genuine Nature and to be in Subjection to my Authority above all the Monarchs yea Lucifer himself that were in Eden before me I gathered me also Silver and Gold the Coelestial precious Metals and the peculiar Treasures of Kings and of Angelical Provinces and Hiâ—rarchies I got me Singers Virgin-Siâ—gers with their ravishing Voices â—he Delights of 〈◊〉 Sâ—ns of Men as Musical Instruments and that of all soâ—tâ— For the workmanship of my Tabrets of my Pipes inâ— Hâ—rps and Viols were prepared in me in the Day that I first appeared in Eden All precious Stones were my Covering and Ornament wherewith I walked up and down in Puriâ—y in the midst of the Siones of Fire §. 4. His Wisdom I Was the Anointed Cherub and God had set me so And so I was great and my Grandeur encreased more than all the Princes that were in Pardise in the Throne of the third World before me Also my true Wisdom remained with me And whatsoever my Eyes desired I kept not from them I with held not my Heart from any Joy For my Heart rejoyced in all my Labour And this was my Portion of all my Labour and Sport Then I looked on all the Works that my Hands had wrought and on the Labour that I had laboured to do And behold all seemed Vanity and Vexation of my Spirit and a wracking of the Spirit of my Successor Adam And there was like to be no profit to him under the Sun of his Third Principle And so I turned my self to behold Wisdom and Madness being a deprivation of the Heavenly Senses and Folly For what can the Man do that cometh after the Royal King of Eden Even that which hath already been That which was done by the holy Angels if he continue in my Wisdom Then I saw that Wisdom excelleth Folly as much as the Light of Heaven excelleth the dark and painful Fire of Hell The Wise Mans Eyes are in his Head and walketh by my Light but the Fool walketh in Darkness and will not bring his Deeds to my Light And yet I my self perceived also that one Event happeneth to them all §. 5. Travail appointed to Man THen said I in my Heart As it happeneth to the Fool so it happeneth even to me Then why was I more wise Then said I in my Heart That this is also Vanity Yea it is a miserable Lot that both the Fool and the Wise should become so subject to Vanity that they must both dye the Corporal Death And while they groan to be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption they must either beget a Child that will when this Corporal Death as pangs of a travailing Femaâ—e seizes upon them either comfort them concerning their Work Labour and Travail and the Toil of their Hands which God hath given to all the Sons of Men to be exercised therewith and concerning the Ground which the Lord hath Cursâ—d Or else they will Eternally remain in this Labour and Pangs and dye the Eternal Death with the imperfect Embryo in their Bellies and shall never be disburthened or cast out their Sorrows In the External World there is no remembrance of the Wise more than the Fool for ever Seeing that which is now in respect in the Days to come shall all be forgotten in the other World And all things are mutabâ—e And how dieth the wise Man As the Fool Therefore I hâ—ted the outward Life and the Life of the salse Birth Because the Work that
thou goest §. 9. Phantasie inverted WHY saith my Objector This is a wonderful thing If this be the only Law and Right of Eternity And if God never eâ—acted any Counter-Law but only as a Penalty upon the breaking of this Law which cannot be altered What would the Soul have Or what would Mortal Man have to give himself rest For the End of all Motion is Rest And the End of all Travail is Refreshment the End of Longing is the Enjoyment of a thing Loved Answer Phantafie sorceth the Soul out of its natural Posture to work against the Hair And as the Ancient Proverb saith Love is Blind and that which is deformed seems fair in the Souls Eye And because God hath forbidden the Tree of Contrariety to be touched therefore Man hath a strong Fancy that there is some great Mystery in it And so like a Fool he comes to be governed by Fancy not considering there is no Smoak without Fire which not prevented his House may be burned But to clear the Mystery of this Subject still plainer to the Understanding It is well known where Fancy is strong the Author chooseth a Laborious Life while he enjoyeth a thing loved or fancied and feels not the Pain And prefers it before a Life of Pleasure without the Society of the Object his Love For he cannot enjoy Pleasure in Pleasure while the one thing fancied is withheld and kept back from him And the best thing being out of sight is out of Mind Now saith my Objector â— apprehend the Matter God who is a true Rest to the Soul offers a bitter Cup to the Soul saying Drink this first and thou shalt enjoy Eternal Pleasure And Lucifer presents Dishes pleasant to the Palate though bitter to the Belly God saith Come to me O all ye that labour and are heavy laden with Vanity and I will give you rest for my Yoke is easie and my Burden is Light But here is a Yoak of Burden of Affliction mentioned §. 10. Soul and Body must Sympathize ANswer I deny the Objection God commands the Soul to enjoy the Pleasure of Temporal as well as Eternal Life For the temperate Man hath a thousand times more Pleasure in Eating and Drinking then the Spewing Sick intoxicated Drunkard And as for the Yoak and Burden mentioned before the upright Soul counteth it no yoak of uneasiness For indeed it is not uneafie to any part but only the corrupted Fancy and the crooked Nature which judgeth the delightful way of Vertue to be irksome because unaccustomed thereunto For the Spirit of the Soul desires only his Right Object which if he obtains he lâ—ts the Soul enjoy Temporal Pleasure as he will out of what hath been said it is clear that it is not God fault that Man attains not the Fruition of his longing Desire and the Rest of his labouring Mind For like a Leech he chooseth to glut himself with the Blood of false Pleasure and then to spue up all again rather than to enjoy the true rest of his Mind in Contentment So Mans Ruine is of himself And the Soul sacrificing the Spirit as being the true Child in the Regeneration there are Drums and loud Musicks sounding to stop his Cries that the Voice of this Divine Complainer cannot be audible As thou knomest not the way of the Spirit or how the Bones do grow in the Womb of the Holy Pregnatress So thou knowest not the Work of God that makes all except thou be born of this Holy Seed And here also ariseth another Question how shall the Soul attain to satisfie his Longing and vehement Desire This is the Lesson which the whole World of Mankind are yet seeking to learn and for the most part learned as well as unlearned are stupid and dull in the comprehending of it because they would learn it the wrong way And God hath set the World in Mans Heart so that Man cannot find out the Work that God maketh from the beginning to the end of his Life without the Assistance and Revelation of the Spirit of the same God For first Man must by the Assistance of this spiritual Physitian cure the Distemper of his Soul and then he will love the thing enjoyned For what is the most pleasant Dainties in the World to an ill-prepared Stomack And also here also ariseth another great Question Is it possible for every Man born of a Woman to reach and attain to this Food or Fewel which he earnestly longs after Answer Though it hath been concluded by some pretended famous Divines that it is not possible for some who have been excluded by Gods predestinate Purpose who according to the Poet Inscripsere Deos sceleri numenque supernum Coede laboriferi credunt gaudere juvenci And though this Doctrine be horrid Blasphemy or Reproaching of God Yet I must be forced now to remit the Answer to another place CHAP. V. The Virgins Suit §. 1. Mans meet Help I The Preacher was Prince over the three Worlds in Eden I Preached the ancient Law in the Throne of Paradice And I gave my 〈◊〉 to seek and to search out by Wisdom concerning all things that are done under the Holy Heaven This sore Travel hath God given to the Sons of Men to be exercised therewith This sealed Book hath he given to Mankind to unclasp and to Read I have seen all the Labour and Travel and Work that are done under the lower Firmament And behold all is Vanity and Vexation of the pure Spirit of the Soul I communed with my own Heart saying Lo I am come to great Estate and have gotten more Wisdom then all the ancient Revolted Princes and â—ord Lucifer whâ— hath been Prince in Eden before me Yea my Heart had great Experience of Wisdom and Knowledge and I gave my Heart to know Wisdom and to know Madness and Folly by Reason whereof Lucifer lost his Throne I perceived also that this is a Vexation of the Holy Spirit For in mach Serpentine Wisdom and Subtilty is much grief And he that increaseth the Knowledge of good and evil in Opposition increaseth Sorrow as not practising what he knows And so all is Vanity whatever is a Vexation to the fair Virgins Spirit And promoteth not the mutual Joy of the Spirit of the Soul and the Divine Virgin or Humane Goddess And here lieth the great mistake of Mankind Folly is the grand Cause or rather a foolish Fancy of setting the Affection upon an Object Loved which cannot easily be withdrawn How is that Man will not love the fair Virgin whom God hath appointed for his Eternal Solace and Pleasure in the pure Paradise of undesiled Love and immaculate Chastity the tâ—ue Cause of Eternal Joy Now what is Joy but the Enjoyment of a thing loved and longed for But here lieth the great Error and here is Mans Misery he chooseth to eat and wipe his Mouth in a corner and to sit sotting over a Cup of Hellish Liquor in Private like a Fool or Self-conceited