he doth it but for his bellies sake and his own honour and esteeme he is no Pastour or Shepheard but he dependeth on the great Whore upon Antichrist and yet he supposeth that he is a Pastour or Shepherd but he is not knowne in Paradise 12. Christ teacheth us and warneth us faithfully of the Times that were to come wherein they shall say Loe here is Christ or Loe there he is he is in the wildernesse he is in the chamber goe not forth beleeve it not for as the lightening breaketh forth in the East and shineth to the West so will the coming of the Son of man be 13. Therefore O childe of Man see whether it be not so where the false Pastours or Shepherds without the Divine calling alwayes wrangle strive contend and dispute and every one of them saith Follow me here is Christ there is Christ and they one judge and condemne another and give one another over to the Devill they abandon unity and forsake the love wherein the Spirit of God is generated and cause bitternesse and lead astray the simple plaine people to think that Christ is such a wrangling Shepherd Pastour Priest or Minister and doth so grapple with his Opponents in raising warre and murther as they doe and that the Spirit of God must needs be in such doings which are accounted zeale for God and that this must be the way to Paradise 14. Christ said Love one another thereby shall men know that yee are my Disciples if any smite thee on one cheeke turne to him the other cheeke also if you be persecuted for my Names sake then rejoyce for your reward is great in the Kingdome of Heaven But now there is nothing taught but meere ignominy reproach and revilings they that are dead for many hundred yeares agoe and are in the Judgement of God and some also may be in Paradise these must be judged and condemned and cursed by the wrangling Shepherds or contentious Priests Doth the Holy Ghost speake by them as they cry out and say he doth whereas they are still full of gall and bitternesse and nothing but covetousnesse and vengeance is kindled in them and they are far from the way of Paradise 15. Therefore thou childe of Man take heed let not your eares be tickled When you heare the false Shepherds or Pastours judge and condemne the children of Christ that is not the voice of Christ but of Antichrist the way to Paradise hath cleane another entrance your heart must with all your power and strength be directed to God or Goodnesse and as God desireth that all men should be saved so his will is that we should help to beare one anothers burthen and beare with one another and friendly soberly and modestly meet one another with entreaties in the Holy Ghost and seek with earnestnesse the salvation and welfare of our neighbour in humility and wish heartily that he might be freed from vanity and enter with us into the Garden of Roses 16. The knowledge that is in the infinite God is various and manifold but every one should rejoyce in the gifts and knowledge of another and consider that God will give such superabundant knowledge in the Paradisicall world of which wee have here in the variety and difference of Gifts but a Type Therefore we must not wrangle nor contend about Gifts and knowledge for the Spirit giveth to every one according to his Essence in the wonderfull God to expresse that Gift he hath after his own forme or manner for that forme in the perfection of love in Paradise will be a very inward hearty sport of love where every one shall speake from his knowledge of the great wonders of the holy Birth 17. O what sharp thornes the Devill hath brought into the sport of love that we practise such proud contention in the noble knowledge in so much that men binde up the Holy Ghost with Lawes What are Lawes in the Kingdome of Christ who hath made us free that we should walke in him in the Holy Ghost To what purpose are they invented but for the pleasure of Antichrist who thereby doth strut in might and pomp and is God on Earth O flie from him thou childe of Man the time is come for us to awake from the sleepe of Antichrist Christ cometh with the faire Lilly out of Paradise in the valley of Jehosaphat it is time for them to trim their Lamps that will goe to the Marriage of the Lamb The Gate or the Exposition 18. Paradise consisteth in the power and vertue of God it is not corporeall nor comprehensible but its corporeity or comprehensibility is like the Angels which yet is a bright cleere visible substance as if it were materiall but it is figured meerly from the vertue or power where all is transparent and shining where also the centre of the Birth is in all things and therefore the birth is without measure or end 19. I give you a similitude in the minde of man from which the thoughts are generated which have neither number nor end for every thought hath a centre to generate againe other thoughts and thus is the Paradise from eternity to eternity But being the light of God is eternall and shineth without wavering or hinderance therefore also in the birth there is an unchangeable substance wherein all things spring up in meere perfection in great love 20. For the spirit of knowledge intimateth this that there are fruits and things that grow in Paradise as well as in this world in such a forme or figure but not in such a source or property and palpability For the matter or body of it is power and it groweth in the heavenly Limbus its roote standeth in the Matrix wherein there is neither earth nor stone for it is in another Principle The fire in that Principle is God the Father and the light is God the Sonne and the Aire is God the Holy Ghost and the vertue or power out of which all springeth is Heaven and Paradise 21. As we see that here out of the earth there spring plants hearbs and fruits which receive their vertue from the Sunne and from the Constellation so the Heaven or the heavenly Limbus is in stead of the earth and the light of God in stead of the Sunne and the eternall Father in stead of the vertue of the Starres the depth of this substance is without beginning and end its breadth cannot be reached there is neither yeares nor time no cold nor heate no moving of the Aire no Sunne nor Starres no water nor fire no sight of evill spirits no knowledge nor apprehension of the affliction of this world no stony rock nor earth and yet a figured substance of all the creatures of this world For all the creatures of this world have appeared to this end that they might be an eternall figured similitude not that they continue in this spirit in their substance no not
yours you need not send any forraine Embassadours it is not heere as at Court Christ would alwayes faine increase his Heaven in his Joy Why stand you so long in doubt because of your finnes Is not the Mercy of God greater than Heaven and Earth what doe you meane There is nothing neerer you than the Mercy of God onely in your sinfull impenitent Life you are with the Devill and not with Christ Say what you will though you sent a Million of Embassadours to him if your selfe be wicked you are but with the Devill still and there is no remedy but you must your selfe rise with Christ and be borne anew in the body of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost in the Father in your own soule If thou makest a feast or keepest a solemnity doe it for the benefit and reliefe of the afflicted and needy whereby God is praised in thy Love and that is well but if it be for the Rich Glutton who onely useth it out of pride and lazinesse thou hast no benefit of that for God is not praised therewith neither doth Paradise grow therein 87. And doe not relie upon the hypocrisie of the Antichrist he is a lyar and covetous and a dissembler he mindeth onely his Idoll the Belly and is a Thiefe in the sight of God he devoureth the Bread that belongeth to the needy he is the Devils Hell-hound learne to know him 88. Speaking then of the true Resurrection of Christ wee will also shew somewhat concerning his conversation those forty Dayes after his Resurrection before his Ascension Because wee know that he is become a reall Lord over Heaven Earth and Hell therefore wee shew you how the Kingdome of this world with all the Essences and qualities thereof hath been subjected to him And although he did not alwayes converse visibly with his Disciples yet many times he shewed himselfe to them visibly palpably and staying with them according to the Kingdome of this world according to his body which he had heere which was swallowed up by the new Body which he must present againe as God would have it to be presented for God is Lord of every thing and every thing must be changed as he pleaseth that he might thus shew his Disciples his reall Body and the Print of the Nayles which stand in the Holy Christ in his holy Body in Eternity as a signe of his victory and shine brighter than the Morning-Starre 89. He thereby confirmed his Disciples weake faith and so shewed that he is Lord also over the Kingdome of this world and that all whatsoever wee sow build plant eate and drinke is fully in his Almighty power and that he can blesse and increase it and therefore he is not severed or parted from us but as a flower groweth out of the Earth so his Word Spirit and power or vertue groweth in every thing and if our minde be sincerely inclined to him then wee are blessed of him in body and soule but if not then the curse and the Anger of God is in all things and wee eate death in all fruits or food And therefore it is that wee pray that God will blesse our meate and drinke also our bodies and soules in Christ and that is right 90. Secondly wee intimate also how Christ conversed upon Earth forty dayes after his Resurrection understand in the Kingdome of this world whereas yet he was in Heaven yet he bare that Image without any outward Glory or Clarity before the eyes of Men and he had the body wholly with every Essence as it hung on the Crosse except the source of the Principle which he had not but else he had all Essences in flesh and bloud and yet the outward flash stood in the might and power of the Heavenly This wee see by his going in to his Disciples the Doore being shut and passed with his body through the wood of the Doore Thus you may understand that the world is as nothing to him and that he hath power over all things 91. And further also wee intimate to you that these forty dayes are the forty dayes of Adams being in Paradise before his sleepe ere the Woman was made out of him where he stood in the Paradisicall Temptation where he was still pure and heavenly And so this Christ must also stand forty dayes in the Paradisicall source or condition in the Temptation to try whether the body would continue Paradisicall before he was Glorified and therefore he did eate and drinke with his Disciples in a Paradisicall manner as Adam should have done into the Mouth and not into the Body for the contuming consisted in the vertue or power 92. Heere it was rightly tempted whether the body would live in divine vertue and power as Adam also should have done while he was in Paradise in this world and though he were there yet he was in this world and yet he lived not in the source of this world but in the Paradisicall property above the world and also above the wrath of the Anger in the Hell he should have lived in the source of Love Humility Meeknesse and Mercy in the friendly will of God and so he should have ruled over the Starres and Elements and there should have been no death nor frailty or corruption in him 93. Therefore yee Turkes and other superstitious People you should observe and understand aright wherefore Christ gave us such Lawes as command us not to be revengefull and that when any strike us on the one cheeke wee should present the other to him and so further that wee should blesse them that curse us and doe well to them that hate us and hurt us understand yee this 94. Behold a true Christian who liveth in the Spirit of Christ must also walke in the conversation of Christ he must not walke in the fierce sterne revenging Spirit of this world but as Christ lived and conversed in this world after his Resurrection and yet not in the source or property of this world And though it is not possible for us while wee live in the source of this world to doe so yet in the new Man in Christ whom the Devill bideth and obseureth wee may if wee live in meeknesse then wee overcome the world in Christ if wee recompence Good soa Evill then we witnesse that the Spirit of Christ is in us and then wee are dead to the Spirit of this world for the sake of the Spirit of Christ which is in us and though wee are in this world yet the world doth but hang to us as it hung to Christ after his Resurrection and yet he lived in the Father in the Heaven even so doe wee also if wee be borne in Christ 95. Therefore let this be told you yee Jewes Turkes and other Nations yee need not looke for any other there is no other Time at hand but the Time of the Lilly and the signe of that time is the
but if he have not then he shall remain still eternally in the matrix yet not reach the light of God 12. Now I know very well that I shall not onely in part be as it were dumb or obscure to the desirous Reader but also tedious and he will be somewhat troubled at me in that I have written of the eternall mother wherein the divine essence standeth and that I now write that this matrix is inanimate and void of understanding out of which also a Principle void of understanding is generated as is plain before our eyes that in this world there is no true understanding either in the Starres or in the Elements and also in all its creatures there is but an understanding to qualifie or to operate to nourish it self and to increase as the matrix in it self is 13. Hereupon you are to know that the matrix in the second Principle which yet hath its originall and eternall root in the first Principle is but meerly an eternall beginninglesse soft or meek spirit which hath no such fiery intolerable light but all there is pleasant and cheerfull and the eternall originall matrix is not known there but the soft light of the heart of God maketh all courteous and cheerfull 14 Therefore also the spirit which goeth forth in the soft matrix is the Holy Ghost and God dwelleth in himself and he calleth himself an Angry Zealous or Jealous God onely according to the most originall matrix which is not manifested in Paradise and in the beginning also it was forbidden to man to eat of the fruit of good and evill from the most originall matrix neither should man have known this most originall matrix if he had not imagined thought or longed after it and eaten of the fruit thereof whereby the Matrix presently took hold of him captivated him acteth or qualifieth in him nourisheth and also driveth him as is plaine before our eyes 15. And thus you are to know that the second Principle hath it in its power and there onely is wisdome and understanding also therein now is the omnipotence almightinesse and this third Principle is the seconds proper own not seperate but one essence in it and with it all over and yet there is a birth between them as may be seen by the Rich Man and Lazarus Luk. 16. the one being in Paradise and the other in the most Originall Matrix or Hell 16. And therefore God created or generated the third Principle that he might be manifested by the materiall world he having created the Angels and Spirits in the second Principle in the Paradisicall world they could thereby understand the eternall Birth in the third Principle also the wisdome and omnipotence of God wherein they could behold themselves and set their Imagination meerly upon the heart of God in which forme they could remaine in Paradise and continue to be Angels which the Devils have not done but they meant to rise up in the Matrix and domineere in great power over Paradise and all Angelicall Regions upon which they fell out of Paradise and besides were driven out of their place or Locus into restraint so that the Matrix of this world also holdeth them captive 17. For the Locus or space of this world was their Angelicall Dominion or Kingdome where they were in the place of this world 18. But though wee speake of the Paradisicall Essence and also of the principle of this world of its power and wonderfull birth and what the Divine and Eternall Wisdome is yet it is impossible for us to utter and expresse it all for the Lake of the Deepe can be comprehended in no Spirit whether it be Angel or Man therefore the innumerable Eternall Birth and Wisdome maketh a wonderfull eternall joy in Paradise This innumerable power and wisdome may now also be knowne by us men in the third Principle if we will take it into our consideration if we looke upon the Starry Heaven the Elements and living Creatures also upon trees hearbs and grasse wee may behold in the materiall world the similitude of the Paradisicall incomprehensible world for this world is proceeded out of the first roote wherein stand both the materiall and also the Paradisicall spirituall world which is without beginning or transistorinesse 19. And now if wee meditate and consider of the Originall of the foure Elements wee shall cleerly finde see and feele the Originall in our selves if we be men and not beasts full of malice and gainsayings against God and the Matrix of this world for the Originall is as well knowne in man as in the Deepe of this world although it seemeth wonderfull to the unenlightened Man that any should be able to speake of the originall of the Aire Fire Water and Earth as also of the Starry Heaven he supposeth this impossible to be knowne thus he swimmeth in his own Mother and desireth not to know it neither was it good for man to know it but since the Fall of Adam hath cast us headlong into it it is highly necessary for us to know it that wee may flie from the beastiall Man and learne to know the true Man 20. And if you open the eyes of your minde you will see that fire is in water as may be seene in a storme of Lightening and yet it is no durable fire though it be true fire which setteth houses on fire and burneth them so also you may see that there goeth forth from it a mighty forcible aire and that they are in one another and besides you see that water is generated in the storme 21. But you will not finde this roote here you must looke into the Matrix and there it is wholly manifest and you may know it in all things for the Matrix of this world standeth in the eternall Matrix from which Paradise and the kingdome of Heaven hath its Originall Now as the Eternall Matrix is a Birth that goeth forth where in the Originall there is harshnesse darknesse hardnesse and anguish so you may see that when the Spirit of God hath kindled the inward Matrix then it becometh stirring working and active 22. For there is in the Originall first harshnesse which attracteth shutteth up maketh darknesse and sharpe cold but the tartnesse cannot endure the attracting for the attracting in the cold maketh in the bitternesse a sting or prickle which rageth and resisteth against the hard death but not being able to come away out of the tartnesse being its Mother wherein it standeth therefore it rageth very horribly as if it would breake the harshnesse in pieces it flieth out upwards and sidewayes and yet findeth no rest till that the Birth of the harshnesse fall into an aking horrible essence like a Brimstone Spirit very rough hard stinging in it selfe or kindling in it selfe like a whirling wheele and that the bitternesse flie up very swiftly from
whence proceedeth a twinckling flash at which the darke harshnesse is terrified and sinketh backe as vanquished And so when the bitternesse findeth the mother overcome and as it were halfe dead or soft or meeke it is terrified more than the mother But the skreek or terrour being past in the harsh mother which is now halfe dead or soft pliable or meeke then the bitternesse looseth its terrible right or property and becometh white light and cleere and thus is the kindling and birth of the Fire as is mentioned before 23. Deare Reader account not this ridiculous that this birth which also is just so in the beginning of your life may not trouble or confound you and observe it further 24. When God in the first Matrix moved himselfe to create and created the Angels he created them in Paradise in the light holy Matrix which is this and no other but the Matrix with its fiery dark and harsh bitter property remained altogether hidden for the light of God from eternity preserved it and kept it pleasant cleare and bright But when God moved himselfe to create then it became manifested for the Angels were created out of the indissoluble Band out of the Matrix and were bodified from the moving Spirit of God 25. Now when God had created great potent princely Angels and that in the place of the fourth forme in the Matrix where the source of Fire hath its originall they stood not neither did they cast their imaginations forward into the fift forme wherein the sprouting forth of Paradise consisteth but they cast their Imaginations back into themselves and formed or created a will or purpose in the Matrix to domineere in the fire over the light of God and Paradise For the fiery Matrix viz. the abysse of Hell moved it selfe in the creation so hard that Lucifer that great Prince hath formed his will out of it and is continued therein supposing that so he should be a Great and terrible Lord in his whole place of Dominion 26. Thus the Devill moved the Matrix and the fiery forme moved the Devill for that also would be creaturely as well as all the other formes in the Matrix which yet was opposite to the fift forme in the Matrix where in the meeke and cleere light the pleasant source of love springeth up wherein the second principle standeth eternally 27. When this storme was in the Creation in the first Principle the Matrix became very big or much impregnated and kindled and every forme in the Matrix wrought stirred or acted But because the anger and the wrath had there elevated it selfe and that this place could not thus subsist in Paradise therefore God moved this place yet more in the Matrix which was yet the more kindled where then is to be the Devils Bath repository or dwelling place and the fourth forme stood in the flash of the fire which reflected back into the mother and found the Spirit of God in the forming or creation where in a moment that fourth forme lost its wrathfull smart fierce property authority or right and became in great joy white cleere and light and in this place or thing consisteth or standeth the Fiat by which God created Heaven and Earth for before the fiat the third Principle was not manifested but there was meerly Paradise in the place of this world 28. But God seeing that the great Prince Lucifer would domineere in the Matrix in the strength of the fire in his place therefore he shut up the fift forme in the Matrix of Paradise from him for it is shut up both in its inward corporeall forme and outwardly also 29. For when the Matrix became thin again dead and vanquished from the risen light then the materiall Matrix turned to water as wee may perceive and in this kindling before the light of the Sunne when the Matrix was still in the harsh fiercenesse the Matrix attracted that which was wrought together into a water-spirit out of which came the rocky cliffs stones and the dark earth which before the time of the Creation was but a Chaos and in that time sprung forth the third Principle the fiery Heaven in the fift forme in the Matrix by the fiat which the Father spake through his heart or Son by and in the going forth of his Spirit who there upon the Matrix in the fift forme framed the fiery Heaven as the highly worthy Moses hath cleerly written of it for the Matrix is the water-spirit in the originall in the first forme and now when it became materiall in the place of this world then the Spirit moved upon the Water in the heavenly Matrix which is immateriall from whence the materiall water is generated and so formed the Creatures 30. Thus in this springing up or going forth the materiall Matrix was extinguished and the wrathfulnesse tartnesse or fiercenesse is come in the stead thereof And the Devill remained in the originall of the Matrix which cannot be altered in Eternity between Paradise and this world in the dark Matrix and with the creation of the Earth he was thrust downe from his high Throne or seate where now the fiery starry Heaven is CHAP. VI. Of the Separation in the Creation in the third Principle 1. IF ye consider of the Separation and the springing forth in the third Principle of this world how the starry Heaven should spring up and how every Starre hath a peculiar forme and property in it selfe in every of which a severall Centre is observed so that every one of them is fixed or steady and master or guider of it selfe and that every one of them ruleth in the Matrix of this world and worketh and generateth in the Matrix after their kinde And then afterwards if wee consider the Sunne which is their King heart and life without whose light and vertue they could neither act nor effect any thing but remain in the hard dark death and this world would be nothing but a fierce rough hardnesse And further if we consider the elements of fire and water and observe how they continually generate one in another and then how the constellations doe rule in them as in their own propriety and also consider what the mother is from whence all these things must proceed then we shall come to see the separation and the eternall mother the genetrix of all things 2. Nay we have it clearly and plainly to be seen in our selves and in all things if we would not be so mad blinde and self-conceited and would not be so drawn and led by a School-boy but did stick close to the Schoolmaster himselfe who is the master of all masters for we see indeed that all things spring out of the eternall mother and as she is in her own birth so she hath generated this world and so is every creature also generated And as that mother is in her
with this creation and separation the length of one day was finished and out of beginning and end and morning and evening was the first day as Moses writeth 14. But that we may so speak of the heaven that the reader might come to understand what that heaven is which God then created consider what Moses writeth of it God made a Firmament between the waters and separated the water beneath the Firmament from the waters above the Firmament and the Firmament he called Heaven which is very right but hitherto it hath been very ill understood 15. Now observe the Heaven is the whole Deep so farre as the Ethera or Skies have given up themselves to the birth of this world and that heaven is the matrix out of which earth stones and the materiall water is generated And there God separated the materiall water from the matrix and here it is very plainly discerned that the materiall water is as it were deaded or hath death in it for it could not abide in the moving mother but was created to be upon the globe of the earth and God called it Sea Méer in which word is understood in the language of Nature as it were a springing or growing in death or a life in corruption although nerein I shall be as one that is dumb to the Reader yet I know it very well and I am very well satisfied therewith but because the bestiall man is not worthy to know it therefore I will not here cast the Pearle before the Swine but for the children of God which will he benefited by it the Spirit of God will certainly teach and instruct them in it 16. Now when the heaven became cleare or pure and cleansed from the earth and the dark mist or dust in the concretion or driving together then in the matrix of the heaven there was the three Elements Fire Aire and Water which are three in one another in one mother and that mother is here called the Heaven therefore henecforward in my writing I shall use the word Heaven in stead of the word Matrix 17. For the Heaven is the Matrix and is called Heaven because of the separation because the fifth essence of Heaven is severed and set in the higher Heaven where the Matrix is more firery as it is properly understood in the language of Nature and is plain before our eyes But here the quality birth and property of the heaven ought to be described because the foure Elements sprung out of it as out of their mother and because the vertue of every life consisteth therein therefore the originall of the foure Elements must be described wherein it will first truly be understood what the Heaven is CHAP. VII Of the Heaven and its eternall Birth and Essence and how the foure Elements are generated wherein the eternall band may be the more and the better understood by meditating and considering the materiall world The Great Depth 1. EVery Spirit seeth no further then into its mother out of which it hath its originall and wherein it standeth for it is impossible for any Spirit in its own naturall power to look into another principle and behold it except it be regenerated therein But the Naturall man who in his fall was captivated by the matrix of this world whose naturall spirit moveth between two principles viz. between the Divine and the Hellish and he standeth in both the gates into which principle he falleth there he cometh to be regenerated whether it be as to the Kingdome of Heaven or the Kingdome of Hell and yet he is not able in this life time to see either of them both 2. He is in his own essence and substance a twofold man For his soule in its own substance is out of the first Principle which from eternity hath no ground nor beginning and in the time of the creation of man in Paradise or the kingdome of heaven the soule was truly bodified by the Fiat in a spirituall manner but with the first vertue or power which is from eternity in its own first vertue or power it hath remained inseparably in its first root and was illustrated or made shining bright by the second principle viz. by the heart of God and therewith standing in Paradise was there by the moving Spirit of God breathed into the matrix of the third Principle into the starry and Elementary man and now therefore he may understand the ground of heaven as also of the elements and of hell as farre as the light of God shineth in him for if that light be in him he is born in all the three Principles but yet he is onely a spark risen from thence and not the great source or fountain which is God himselfe 3. And therefore it is that Christ sayth If you had faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you might say to the mountain Cast thy selfe into the sea and it shall be done And in this power men have raised the dead and healed the sick by the word and the vertue and power of the Spirit or else they could not have been able to have done such things if they had not stood in the power of all the three Principles 4 For the created Spirit of man which is out of the matrix of this world that ruleth by the vertue of the second principle in the vertue of the light over and in the vertue of the spirit of the starres and elements very mightily as in that which is its proper own But in the fall of Adam we lost this great power when we left Paradise and went into the third Principle into the matrix of this world which presently held us captive in restraint But yet we have the knowledge of that power by a glance or glimmering and we see as through a dim or dark glasse the eternall birth 5 And although we move thus weakly or impotently in all the three births and that the gate of Paradise is so often darkned to us and that the Devill doth so often draw us into the hellish gate and that also the elements do cover the sydereall gate and wholly cloud them so that we oftentimes move in the whole matrix as if we were deafe dumb or half dead yet if the Paradificall light shineth to us we may very well see into the mother of all the three principles for nothing can hinder us the threefold spirit of man seeth every form and quality in its mother 6 Therefore though we speak of the creation of the world as if we had been by at present and had seen it none ought to marvell at it nor hold it for impossible For the Spirit that is in us which one man inherits from the other that was breathed out of the eternity into Adam that same spirit hath seen it all and in the light of God it seeth it still and there is nothing that is farre off or unsearchable for
fence or stop to the darknesse of the originall matrix that it might no more kindle it selfe and generate earth and stones And therefore he made the enclosure or firmament out of the midst of the waters which stayeth the might force or power of the fire and became the visible heaven whence the creatures are proceeded whereout now the Elements Fire Aire and Water proceed 9 The third day God by the Fiat divided the waters upon the earth and created them for several places that there might be a dwelling upon the earth and so the earth became dry Now when this was done then God did seek the creature and the eternall Father sayd that is he wrought through the Sonne who is his heart and glance or lustre in the Fiat in the earth and there budded the life through death and grasse hearbs and all manner of trees and plants sprung up every one according to the eternall source as it had been before Thus every essence became visible and God manifested his manifold vertue with the manifold hearbs plants and trees so that every one that doth but look upon them may see the eternall power vertue and wisdome of God therein if he be born of God he may know in every spile of grasse his Creator in whom he liveth Thus in this time sprung up all that grew or was in the earth If men would not be blinde they night here see the mystery of the Man Christs remaining in death till the third day and his bringing of life out of the earth 10 And the Matrix of the Earth stood still till the third day as it were in death in respect of the great storm But in the Fiat the life sprung up through the death and the eternall vertue or power and wisdome of God which hath formed it self together in the Fiat discovered it selfe on the blossoming earth where the similitude of the Paradisicall world may be clearly seen 11 For although many thousand severall hearbs stand one by another in one and the same Meadow and one of them fairer and more vertuall than another yet one of them doth not grudge at the form of another but there is a pleasant refreshment in one Mother so also there is a distinct variety in Paradise where every Creature hath its greatest joy in the vertue and beauty of another and the eternall vertue and wisdome of God is without number and end as you found before in the third Chapter concerning the opening of the Centres of the eternall life You shall finde no book wherein the Divine wisdome may be more searched into and sound than when you walk in a flowry fresh springing Medow there you shall see smell and taste the wonderfull power and vertue of God though this be but a similitude and the divine vertue in the third Principle is become materiall and God hath manifested himselfe in a similitude But this similitude is a loving Schoolmaster to him that seeketh he shall there finde many of them 12 On the fourth day God took the place of this world rightly at the heart for therein he created the wise master out of his eternall wisdome in the third Principle viz. the Sunne and Starres herein men may first rightly see the Deity and the eternall wisdome of God as in a cleare glasse though indeed the essence or substance that is visible to the eyes is not God himselfe but it is the Goddesse in the third Principle which in the end goeth into her Ether again and taketh her end 13 Though men must not cast the Pearle in the way that the beasts may tread it under foot much lesse must men throw it among the grains or husks to be devoured by the swine for that would not be beneficiall to the wanton world because that seeketh nothing thereby but to misuse it selfe therewith for the Devill whom the world serveth doth teach it that when it learneth the ground of the Heaven and of the Stars to will presently to be a God as Lucifer did yet I will write somewhat of the beginning and vertue or power of the Starres because man and all creatures live in the vertue working and essences of them and that every creature receiveth its property from them for the sake of him that seeketh who would willingly flye from the bestiall man and would fain live in the true man who is the image and similitude of God For to such it is very highly necessary to be known Also for the Lillyes sake which groweth in the tree of the soure wrath towards the North in the Matrix 14 Moses writeth God sayd Let there be lights in the Firmament of Heaven which may separate and distinguish day and night and be for signes for times and seasons for dayes and years And to be for lights in the Firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth and it was so And God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night Also he made the Starres And God set them in the Firmament of heaven that they might shine upon the earth and rule the day and the night and separate the light from the darknesse 15 And though Moses hath written very rightly that they should govern the day and the night and should separate the light from the darknesse and make times and seasons yeares and dayes yet is it not plain enough to be understood by the desirous Reader For there is found a very high thing in the vertue and power of the stars which is that every life growth colour and vertue thicknesse and thinnesse smalnesse and greatnesse good and evill is moved and stirred by their power For this cause the wise Heathens did relye upon them and honoured them as Gods therefore I will write somewhat of their originall as farre as is permitted to me at this time for their sakes that seek and desire the Pearle But I have written nothing for the swine and other bestiall men who trample the Pearle into the dirt and scorn and contemn the spirit of knowledge such as they may with the first world expect a deluge or flood of fire and seeing they will beare no Angelicall image therefore they must beare the images of Lions Dragons and other evill beasts and worms or creeping things and if they will not admit of good counsell that God may help them then they must look to finde by experience whether the Scriptures of Prophesie doe lie to them or no. 16 The Evangelist S t John writeth of the originality of the essence and creatures of this world so very highly and exactly as may be read in no other place of Scripture in the Bible In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God This was in the beginning with God all things were made by it and without it was nothing made that was made In it was the life and the life was the light of
wrought in the knowledge and in the understanding and generated a similitude of its substance and the substance which wrought was the Fiat and the Fiat formed the similitude which was generated out of the will and made it visible and the similitude was generated out of the darknesse out of the eternall nothing and yet somewhat was there viz. the originalnesse of the anguish out of which the eternall will generateth it selfe from eternitie 28. Now the similitude also hath received such a will out of the Fiat as the eternall will is and it hath generated the vertue or power and the vertue is the Heaven and the light which is become shining in the vertue is the Sun and that worketh in the vertue so that there is understanding and knowledge or else all in this world would be an immoveable substance and all would lie still and so neither hearb nor grasse would grow 29. Therefore in the Fiat is arisen out of the anguish the similitude of the knowledge and understanding and that is the Constellation and it is the fift forme of the Birth in the Fiat and the Fiat hath severed the formes in the birth so that every essence is severall as hard soft thick thin hot cold bitter tart soure sweet and so forth as we see and the spirit continued in the matrix of Heaven which goeth out from thence viz. the aire and the Spirit receiveth the understanding from the Constellation for it is a member of the other in one onely Mother 30. Now the Matrix viz. the created Heaven in the Fiat together with the starres is the similitude of all that was from eternity though not visible and the Fiat is in the similitude and the Paradise wherein the Angels dwell is hidden in the Matrix and God is shining in the Paradise and yet incomprehensible as the glanse or lustre of the Sunne cannot be comprehended 31. And God is immense immeasurable and the similitude is also immeasurable he is in the similitude and the similitude comprehendeth him not the similitude is his worke and he is the Master workman thereof the Constellation is his instrument and the Matrix with the Elements are the Materia matter or materialls out of which the Master cutteth and fashioneth his work 32. Now the Master alwayes worketh on and on without consideration what he lighteth upon that he maketh for the consideration is in the worke And therefore it is that the whole nature standeth in anguish and longing to be freed from the vanity as also the Scripture witnesseth Because it tasteth the Paradise in it selfe and in the Paradise the perfection and therefore it groaneth and lifteth it selfe up towards the light of God and Paradise and so bringeth forth in its anguish alwayes somewhat that is fairer higher and new as may sufficiently be found and understood in the minde of man and is very visible to a small understanding that in workes alwayes some special thing is brought to light and if you be not blinde you may see this in Men Beasts yea even in hearbs and grasse 33. Thus on the fourth day by the Fiat out of the vertue prepared the similitude of his substance and fitted it to be a Matrix which should generate all whatsoever was a similitude of his substance out of the wisdome which was in him from eternity that so all formes might be brought forth and become visible which were from eternity in the Matrix and the similitude of the unsearchable manifold varieties and vertues are the starres which altogether give or send their vertue into the matrix of the Heaven and the Heaven giveth that same spirit to the Creatures This is the course of all Creatures after the same essence or substance and they are formed after the same spirit which is their vertue spirit and life 34. When God had finished this on the fourth day he saw it and considered it and it was good as Moses writeth Then God desired in his externall will that this Kingdome or Principle of this world should also be creaturely like the perfect Paradisicall Kingdome that there should be living creatures therein and the will set the vertue that is the Word in the Fiat and then the Matrix generated all manner of living creatures on the Fift Day every one after its kinde You must understand by the word Kinde as many various formes as the Matrix is of as you may observe it in the Constellation 35. Now I shall fall into the schoole of the Master in his Pontificallibus hood and grace of his degree who will aske out of what the Beasts fowles fishes and wormes were made for he will have it that all of them were made out of the earth and will prove it out of Moses and he understandeth as much of Moses as of Paradise which he will have to be altogether corporeall Therefore there is a grosse deadnesse in the understanding and though I write plaine enough yet I shall be still dumb to that deadned soule which is voyd of understanding and yet I cannot help it for it is said You must be borne anew if you will see the kingdom of God would you saine know whereout the Beasts are made then lay aside your bonnet of pride that is in your minde and walke along into the Paradisicall Garden of Roses and there you shall finde an hearb if you eate of it your eyes will be opened so that you shall see and know what Moses hath written 36 The Glosses that are put upon Moses from Reason will not shew you Paradise much lesse the Creator The Prophets and Apostles learned more in the Paradisicall Schoole in one houre than the Doctors in their Schooles in thirty years Ones own wisdome availeth nothing God giveth it to him whom he loveth for nothing It cannot be bought for money nor favour as King Solomon will tell you 37 If we will be still so very earthly minded as to think that God made all the beasts of a lump of earth of what then is their Spirit made Seing that earth is not very flesh and the blood is not meere water Besides the earth and the water is not life and though the aire come in it yet it still remaineth such an essence as springeth only in the Fiat and the tincture which riseth up in the fire and from whence the noble life is stirred is hidden 38 Moses writeth Let there come forth all manner of beasts every one according to its kinde Now then the question is Out of what should they come forth Answer Out of the Matrix What is the Matrix out of which they should come forth It is the soure Elements which are together in the earth The Fiat brought forth the beasts or living creatures very indigestedly as they are in the essence not from heaven but out of the Matrix of the earth and the Matrix of the earth is one and the same thing
the Kingdome of God the Kingdome of Hell and the Kingdome of this world in the midst and it hath none of the three for its own and yet it is generated from all three and it hath as it were a severall Principle which yet is no Principle but a bright pleasant habitation neither is it selfe the Spirit but the Spirit dwelleth in it and it so reneweth the Spirit that it becometh cleere and visible its true name is wonderfull and none can name that Name but he to whom it is given he nameth it onely in himselfe and not without or outwardly it hath no place of its rest in the substance and yet resteth continually in it selfe and giveth vertue and beauty to all things as the Glance of the Sunne giveth light vertue and beauty to all things in this world and it is not the thing it selfe though indeed it worketh in the thing and maketh the thing grow and blossome and yet it is found really to be in all things and it is the life and heart of all things but it is not the Spirit which is generated out of the Essences 24. The Tincture is the pleasant sweetnesse and softnesse in a fragrant hearb and flower and the Spirit thereof is bitter and harsh and if the Tincture were not the hearb would get neither blossom nor smell it giveth to all Essences vertue to grow It is also in metalls and stones it maketh that the Silver and Gold doe grow and without it the Tincture there is nothing in this world could grow among all the children in Nature it onely is a virgin and hath never generated any thing out of it selfe neither can it generate and yet it maketh that all things impregnate it is the most hidden thing and also the most manifest it is a friend of God and a play fellow of vertue it suffereth it selfe to be deteined by nothing and yet it is in all things but if any thing be done to it against the right of Nature then it flyeth away and that very easily it standeth not fast and yet it continueth immovable it continueth in no kinde of decaying of any thing all the while that it standeth in the roote of Nature not altered nor destroyed so long it continueth it layeth no burthen upon any thing but it easeth the burthen in all things it maketh that all things rejoyce and yet it generateth no shouting noyse but the voyce cometh out of the Essences and becometh loud in the Spirit 25. The way to it is very neere whosoever findeth that way dareth not to reveale it neither can he for there is no language that can expresse it and although any seek long after it if the Tincture will not he cannot finde it neverthelesse it meeteth them that seek after it aright in its own way or manner as its nature is with a virgin-like minde not being prone to covetousnesse and wantonnesse or voluptuousnesse it suffereth it selfe to be imprinted represented or imagined in a thing where it was not before by Faith if it be right in a virgin-like manner it is powerfull and yet doth nothing when it goeth out of a thing it cometh not into it againe but it stayeth in its Ether it never breaketh or corrupteth more and yet doth grow 26. Now you will say this must be God! No it is not God but it is Gods friend Christ said My Father worketh and I work also but it worketh not it is in a thing imperceptably and yet it may well be overpowred and used especially in Metalls there it can if it selfe be pure make pure Gold of Iron and of Copper it can make a little grow to be a great deale and yet it puts forth nothing It s way is as subtile as the thoughts of a Man and the thoughts do even arise from thence 27. And therefore when a man sleepeth so that the Tincture resteth then there are no thoughts in the spirit but the Constellation rumbleth in the Elements and beateth into the braines what shall through their operation come to passe which yet is often broken againe by another Conjunction so that it cometh not to effect besides it can shew nothing exactly except it come by a Conjunction of Planets and fixed Starres and that onely goeth forward but it representeth all in an earthly manner according to the spirit of this world so that where the Sydereall Spirit should speake of Men it often speaketh of Beasts and continually represents the contrary as the earthly spirit fancieth from the starry spirit so he dreameth 28. Seeing now wee have spoken of the Tincture as of the house of the soule so wee will speake also of the soule what it is and how it can be propagated wherein wee can the better bring the Tincture to light The soule is not so subtile as the Tincture but it is powerfull and hath great might or ability It can by the Tincture if it ride upon the virgins Bride Chariot in the Tincture turne mountaines upside down as Christ said which is done in the pure Faith in the place where the Tincture is Master which doth it and the soule giveth the thrust whereas yet no power can be discerned Even as the Earth moveth upon the heavenly Tincture whereas there is not more than one onely Tincture in the Heaven and in this world yet it is of many sorts according to the Essence of every thing in the beasts it is not as in men also not in fishes as in beasts also in stones and gemmes otherwise also otherwise in Angels and in the spirit of this world 29. But in God Angels and in virgin-like soules understand pure soules it is alike where yet it is onely for God The Devill hath also a Tincture but a false one and it standeth not in the fire wherewith he can gripe that man in the heart that letteth him in as a slie soothing flattering false Theefe that insinuateth himselfe desiring to steale concerning whom Christ warneth us that wee should watch 30. And now if wee will speake of the soule and of its substance and Essences wee must say that it is the roughest thing in man for it is the originality of the other substances or things it is fiery harsh bitter and strong and it resembleth a great and mighty Power its Essences are like Brimstone its gate or seate out of the Eternall Originality is between the fourth and the fifth forme in the Eternall Birth and in the not beginning Band of the strong might of God the Father where the eternall light of his heart which maketh the second Principle generateth it selfe and if it wholly loose the bestowed virgin of the divine vertue or power out of which the light of God generateth it selfe which is given to the soule to be its Pearle as is mentioned above then it becometh and is a Devill like all other Devils in Essences forme
it selfe in the midst againe into that the soule must enter againe and be borne anew 6. And that it might doe this therefore the Heart of God became a humane soule and slew by his entring into Death the Spirit of this world and brought the fulnesse of the Deity againe into his humane soule so that wee also may altogether in his as in our own humane soule through him presse into the holy Element before God and now there is nothing to hinder us but our own vile sluggish drowsinesse that wee suffer our selves to be so wholly and altogether lead by the Spirit of this world with pride exalting of our selves to honour and esteeme and greedy filling of the Belly with plenty and wee look no further to consider that wee are but Pilgrims and that as soone as the Spirit of this world hath laid hold of us in the Mothers body or womb wee are then Pilgrims and must travaile with our soules into another Countrey where the earthly body is not at home 7. For as this world breaketh and passeth away so also all flesh which is generated out of the Spirit of this world must breake and passe away Therefore now when the poore soule must depart out of this body wherein yet it is generated if then it hath not the new Garment of the Regeneration of the Holy Ghost in it and is not clothed with the Mantle of Christ with his Incarnation suffering Death and Resurrection in him then there beginneth great sorrow and unquietnesse viz. in those onely which at the breaking of their bodies are but in the Gate and so swim between Heaven and Hell and there then is need of wrestling and strugling as is to be seene by very many when they are a dying 8. There then the poore soule in the first Principle doth move in the Doore of the Deepe being clothed with the vertue or power of the Dominion or Region of the Starres appearing in that shape or forme of the body which it had here and many of them desireth this or that which was its last Will in hope thereby to attaine abstinence and quietnesse or Rest also many by night according to the sydereall spirit shew themselves very disquiet with tumbling and tossing of the body which our Learned Men from the Schoole of this world ascribe to the Devill but they have no knowledge or understanding in it 9. Seeing therefore that this is the weightiest Article and cannot be apprehended in such a way wee will describe the dying of Man and the departure of the soule from the body and try if it might so be brought to knowledge that the Reader may comprehend the true meaning of it 10. Mans Image borne of a Woman here in this life is in a threefold forme and standeth in three Principles or beginnings viz. the soule that hath its originall out of the first Principle out of the strong and soure Might of the Eternity and it swimmeth or moveth between two Principles begirt with the third Principle it reacheth with its originall Roote into the Depth of the Eternity in the source or quality where God the Father from Eternity entereth through the Gates of the breaking through and opening in himselfe into the Light of Joy and it is in the Band where God calleth himselfe a Jealous angry and austere God and is a sparkle out of the Allmightinesse appearing in the great Wonders of the wisdome of God through the deare virgin of Chastity and with the forme of the first Principle it standeth in the Gate of the sourenesse of Eternity mingled united or qualified with the Region of the Sunne and Starres and begirt with the foure Elements and the holy Element viz. the Roote of the foure Elements that is the body of the soule in the second Principle in the Gate before or towards God and according to the Spirit of this world the Region of the Starres is the body of the soule and the issue of the foure Elements is the source-house conduit-house or work-house or the Spirit of this world which kindleth the Region so that it springeth forth or worketh 11. And thus the soule liveth in such a threefold source or working quality being bound with three coards and is drawne of all three The first coard is the Band of Eternity generated in the rising up of the Anxiety and reacheth the Abysse of Hell The second coard is the Kingdome of Heaven generated through the Gates of the Deepe in the Father and Regenerated out of the birth of sinnes through the humanity of Christ and there the soule also in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ the Sonne of God is tyed up and is drawne by the deare virgin in the word of God The third coard is the Kingdome of the Starres qualifying or mingling with the soule and it is hard drawne and held by the foure Elements and carried and lead by them 12. But the third Kingdome is not also in the Eternity but is generated out of the one Element in the time of the kindling of the Fiat that now is corruptible and hath a certain seculum limit and time how long it shall last and so this Region in the soule when the light of Life kindleth it selfe hath also a certain seculum and time of its breaking and that kingdome bringeth Man up and giveth him the source of his manners conditions and disposition will and desires to evill and good and setteth him in beauty glory riches and honour and maketh him an earthly God and it openeth to him the great Wonders in him and runneth along with him inconsiderately to the end of his seculum terme and end and then it departeth from him and as it did help Man to his life so it helpeth him also to Death and breaketh off from the soule 13. First the foure Elements break off from the one Element and then the source or working faculty of the third Principle ceaseth and that is the most horrible thing of all when the foure Elements breake in themselves and that is the Death when the Brimstone Spirit which hath its originall from the Gall and kindleth the Tincture of the Heart is choaked where then the Tincture with the shadow of Mans substance goeth into the Ether and remaineth standing with the shadow in the roote of the one Element from which one Element the foure Elements were generated and gone forth and therein onely consisteth the woe in the breaking where one source-house is broken off from the soule 14. But if now the Essences of the first Principle of the soule have been so very conversant about or addicted to the Kingdome of this world so that the Essences of the soule have sought after the pleasures of this world onely in temporary honour power and bravery then the soule or the Essences out of the first Principle keepeth the starry Region to it still as its dearest Jewell with a desire to live therein but
then the starry Region hath the Mother viz. the foure Elements no more and therefore it consumeth with the time it selfe in the Essences out of the first Principle and so the Essences of the first Principle continue raw or naked without a body 15. And here standeth the Purgatory thou blinde world if thou canst doe any thing then help thy soule through the strait Gate now here if the Treader upon the Serpent hath not hold of the coard then it must indeed continue in the first Principle Here now is the great Life and also the great Death where the soule must enter into the one or the other and that is its Eternall Countrey for afterwards For the third Principle falleth away and leaveth the soule and it can use that no more in Eternity Of the going-forth of the Soule 16. Seeing then that Man is so very earthly therefore he hath none but earthly knowledge except he be Regenerated in the Gate of the Deepe He alwayes supposeth that the soule at the deceasing of the body goeth onely out at the mouth and he understandeth nothing concerning its Deepe Essences above the Elements When he seeth a blew vapour goe forth out of the mouth of a dying Man which maketh a strong smell all over the chamber then he supposeth that is the soule 17. O no beloved Reason it is not so the soule is not seene nor comprehended in the outward Elements but that is the Brimstone Spirit the Spirit of the third Principle for as when thou puttest out a Candle a filthy smell and stinck cometh from it which was not before when the Candle did burne so here also when the light of the body breaketh then the Brimstone Spirit is smothered from whence that vapour and deadly stinck proceedeth with its working Spirit or infecting poyson 18. Understand or consider it aright it is the source-Spirit or working Spirit out of the Gall which kindleth the Heart whereby the life was stirred which is choaked so soone as the Tincture in the Bloud of the Heart is extinguished The right soule hath no need of such going forth it is much more subtile than the Brimstone Spirit although in the life time it is in one onely substance 19. But when the Spirit of the foure Elements parteth then the right soule which was breathed into Adam standeth in its Principle for it is so subtile that it cannot be comprehended it goeth through flesh and bones also through wood and stone and stirreth none of them 20. It may be comprehended as followeth if it hath promised somewhat in the time of the body and hath not recalled it then that word and the earnest promise comprehendeth it which wee ought to be silent in here or else there is nothing that comprehendeth it but onely its own Principle wherein it standeth whether it be the kingdome of Hell or of Heaven 21. It goeth not out at the mouth like a bodily substance it is raw or naked without a body and instantly passeth at the departure of the foure Elements into the Centre into the Gate of the Deep in the hidden Eternity and that which it is cloathed withall that it comprehendeth and keepeth it if its treasure be voluptuousnesse might or power honour riches malice wrath lying or the falshood of the world then the fierce might of the Essences out of the first Principle comprehendeth these things through the sydereall Spirit and keepeth them and worketh therewith according to the Region of the Starres yet the starry Region cannot bring the Spirit of the soule into its own forme but it practiseth its jugling therewith and so there is no rest in its Worme and its Worme of the soule hangeth to its Treasure as Christ said Where thy treasure is there is thy heart also 22. Therefore it happeneth often that the Spirit of a deceased Man is seene walking also many times it is seene riding in the perfect forme of fire also many times in some other manner of disquietnesse all according as the cloathing of the soule hath been in the time of the body just so hath its source or condition been and such a forme according to its source it hath after the departing of the body in its figure and so rideth in such forme in the source or working of the Starres till that source also be consumed and then it is wholly naked and is never seene more by any Man but the Deep Abysse without end and number is its Eternall dwelling house and its works which it hath here wrought stand in the figure in its Tincture and follow after it 23. Hath it wrought good here then it shall eate that good for all sinnes stand before it in its Tincture if it think inwardly in it selfe of the kingdome of Heaven which yet it neither seeth nor knoweth then it seeth the causes wherefore it is in such a source or misery for it selfe hath made that And there all the teares of the oppressed and afflicted are in its Tincture and they are fiery stinging and burning in a hostile manner fretting and gnawing in themselves and make an Eternall Despaire in the Essences and an hostile will against God the more it thinketh of Abstinence the more the gnawing Worme riseth up in it selfe 24. For there is no light neither of this world nor of God but it s own fiery kindling in it selfe and that is its light which standeth in the horrible flash of the grimnesse which also is an Enmity to it selfe yet the source is very unlike all according to that which the soule hath here burthened it selfe with For such a soule there is no remedy or counsell it cannot come into the Light of God and although S t Peter had left many thousand Keys upon Earth yet none of them could open the Heaven for it for it is seperated from the Band of Jesus Christ and there is between it and the Deity a whole Birth and it is as with the Rich Man Luk. 16. where those that would come from thence to us cannot And this must be understood of the unrepentant soules which thus in hypocrifie or shew-holinesse depart from the body being unregenerated 25. But there is a great difference in soules and therefore the going to Heaven is very unlike some of them are through true repentance and sorrow for their misdeeds through their Faith in the time of their bodies set or ingrafted into the Heart of God and new regenerated through the Birth of Jesus Christ and they instantly with the breaking of their bodies leave all that is Earthly and instantly also lay off the Region of the Starres and they comprehend in their Essences of the first Principle the mercy of God the Father in the kinde Love of Jesus Christ and these also stand in the time of their bodies according to the Essences of the soule which they receive from the Passion and Death of Christ
that he looketh after thy hypocrisie that thou buildest great Houses of stone for him and therein doest exercise thy hypocrisie and pomp What careth he for thy songs and roaring noise if thy Heart be a murtherer and devourer He will have a New-borne Man who yeeldeth himselfe up to him in righteousnesse and in the feare of God him the Treader upon the Serpent taketh into his Armes and maketh him an heavenly Image such a one is a childe of Heaven and not thy Fox 29. Now it may be asked wherefore thou art called the Antichrist Hearken thou art the Opposer of Christ and thou hast built thy selfe a seeming holy hypocriticall Kingdome with a great shew and patience therein thou exercisest thy hypocrisie thou carriest the Law of God upon thy lips and thou teachest it but with thy deeds thou deniest the power thereof thy heart is onely bent upon the spirit of this world the Kingdome of thy hypocrisie tends onely to thy own honour and repute under a pretended holinesse all knees must bend before thee as if thou wert Christ and thou hast the heart of a greedy Wolfe 30. Thou boastest that thou hast the Keys of the Kingdome of Heaven and yet thy selfe is in the Abysse thy heart hangeth on thy Keys and not on the Heart of God thou hast the Keys of the Chist of Gold and not of the breaking through by confidence in God thou makest many Lawes and yet thy selfe keepest none and thy Law is to as much purpose as the Tower of Babell was which should have reached to Heaven and thy Lawes reach to Heaven as much as that did 31. Thou prayest before God but in thy wolvish Beast the Spirit of this world and not God receiveth thy Prayers for thy heart is a devourer and entereth into the devourer thou desirest not earnestly to enter into God but meerly with thy historicall hypocriticall mouth and thy heart presseth earnestly into the spirit of this world thou desirest onely much temporall goods honour power and authoritie in this world and so thereby thou drawest the Region of this world to thee 32. Thou suppressest the miserable and needy under thy feete and thou constrainest him with necessity and makest him vaine or carelesly wicked so that he runneth after thy Beast and gazeth upon thee and also becometh a servant of the Opposer of Christ thy Beast whereon thou ridest is thy strength and power which thou usurpest to thy selfe thou fatnest thy Beast with the fatnesse of the earth and thou crammest it with the sweat of the needy it is filled up with the teares of the miserable whose sighes and groanes presse in through the Gate of the Deepe to God and with their pressing in they awaken the Anger of God in thy Beast as the bloud of Abel did the Anger in Cain 33. Thus thou comest galloping with thy prancing Horse and thou ridest before the Gate of Heaven and desirest abstinence and in thy shape thou art a Wolfe What shall Saint Peter say to it doest thou suppose that he will give thee the Keys of the Kingdome of Heaven O no! he hath none for Wolves he hath but one for himselfe he had never any to spare for others 34. Wouldst thou get into Heaven then thou must put off thy Wolfe and get into a Lambs skin not with hypocrisie in a Corner Chamber Cloister or Wildernesse and Hermitage but with earnestnesse in the New Birth and thy Light must shine forth in Righteousnesse and Mercifulnesse to the overthrow of the Kingdome of the Devill and it must destroy his Nest with kinde well-doing to the needy 35. Hearken thou Antichristian scorner it is not enough for thee to stand and say I have the true ground of the knowledge that leadeth to the Kingdome of Heaven I have found the true Religion and doest condemne every one that hath not thy knowledge or doth not consent to thy opinion thou sayest such a one is a Heretick and of the Devill and thou art a Wolfe and doest nothing else but confound the sheepe with thy fiercenesse and causest them to offend and to calumniate those whom neither thou nor they know as the Ephesians did by Paul Doest thou suppose that thou hast hunted away the Wolfe by this meanes or hast thou not rather generated a heape of young scornfull Wolves which houle and yell and every one would devoure and yet know not where the evill Beast is nor especially that evillist Beast of all which generated them O blinde Babell the Kingdome of Christ doth not consist herein but the abominable Antichrist of Confusion in Babell 36. But what can be said the Devill will have it no otherwise When his Kingdome beginneth to be stormed battered and assaulted at one place then he bloweth up the storme all over as well in one as in another in the children of God the Spirit of Punishment vengeance or reproofe is stirred up and in the worldly Beastiall Man the Devill bloweth up meere scorning and disgracing Mockers for they have the Kingdome of Christ in the History and the Devills Kingdome in themselves as their own possession 37. What doth thy knowledge availe thee thou Opposer of Christ that thou knowest how to speak of the Kingdome of Heaven of the suffering and Death of Christ and of the New-Birth in Christ when thou art without it sticking meerly in the History Shall not thy knowledge be a witnesse against thee which shall judge thee or wilt thou say thou art not the Antichrist of Babell Surely thou art the hypocrite and thou fatenest thy evill Beast yet more and more and thou art the devourer in the Revelation of John thou dwellest not onely at Rome but thou hast possessed the breadth of the Earth I have seene thee in the Spirit and therefore it is that I write of thee thou Wonder of the World of Heaven and of Hell 38. Thus this Kingdome tooke beginning with Cain and it hath its ground from the Devill who is a Mocker of God for the Devill desireth nothing else but strong and mighty exalting in his own power above the Thrones of Heaven but he cannot get in and therefore he is so maliciously enraged and his source or quality standeth in the anguish not towards the Birth but towards the source of fire Of the Kingdome of Christ in this world 39. Seeing now Man is entered into the Spirit of this world and hath all Gates in him viz. the Kingdome of Heaven and the Kingdome of Hell and also the Kingdome of this world and must thus live in the presse or narrow chink between heaven and this world where the Devill stirreth up one Mocker after another who are brought up by the Kingdome of fiercenesse and continually stirreth them up against the Children of God so that the world is full of Tyrants and Beastiall bloudy incestuous persons also murtherers and theeves and because covetousnesse grew up therefore the Office
the same was the second Adam faine to beare upon his shoulders for he was fallen into the Anger of God and now if that must be allayed and reconciled then the second Adam must set himselfe therein and yeeld his outward body with all Essences therein and he must goe through Death into Hell into the Anger of the Father and reconcile it with his Love and so himselfe must undergoe that hard condition wherein wee must have been in Eternity 36. And now when this earnest businesse was taken in hand that the Saviour of the World hung on the Crosse as a curse and wrestled with Earth and Hell he said I thirst O that Great Thirst the fierce wrathfull Kingdome was weary as also the Kingdome of this world they desired strength and the Kingdome of Heaven thirsted after our soules it was a Thirst of all the Three Principles 37. And when he saw John with his Mother under the Crosse he said Behold that is thy Mother and to her he said Behold that is thy Sonne and instantly that Disciple tooke her to him His Mother signifieth his Eternall new Humanity which he had received in his Mother viz. in the holy Ternary which wee should take to us and refresh our selves with his Mother and therefore he shewed her to John of which very much might be written but this shall be expounded in another place 38. And this is as cleere as the Sunne that as the poore soule in us hangeth between two Kingdomes which both keepe it altogether imprisoned so must Christ hang between two Malefactours take this into great consideration and weigh it well it is a most serious matter and wee see the whole terrible earnest severity that when the soule of Christ brake off from the Earthly Body when it passed into the Anger of the Father viz. into Hell then the Earth trembled and the stony Rocks cleft in sunder also the Sunne lost its Light and this wee see cleerly and understand it from the mouth of Christ 39. When he now had undergone all the reproach and sufferings he said on the Crosse It is finished while he yet lived in the Earthly Body he said it was finished understand all that should have remained upon us Eternally and should have sprung up in us with all the ignominie in which wee stood before Hell and the Kingdome of Heaven he had all that laid upon him concerning which Esaiah saith Surely he bare our infirmities and tooke upon him our transgressions yet wee held him as one smitten of God tormented and afflicted but he tooke upon him our diseases and all our miseries were laid upon him and through his wounds wee are healed wee all went astray like sheepe every one hath looked upon his own way and yet wee could not help our selves but wee went as miserable halfe slaine sheepe and wee must let the Devill in the Anger of God doe with us what he will for wee beare on us a monstrous Garment and stand in great ignominie before Heaven and Hell 40. Even as God reproached Adam in the Garden of Eden when he had put the outward Garment upon him saying Behold Adam is become as one of us All this reproach and scorne must the Man Christ take upon him also all torment and misery into which Adam was fallen this Champion in the Battle must beare upon him before his heavenly Father and there was the Lambe of God and he hung upon the Crosse as a Patient Lamb in our stead for wee should have been afflicted Eternally in our Crosse-Birth and therefore there hung in great Patience as an Obedient Lamb for the slaughter the Prince of the Eternall Life and set himselfe before his Father as if he himselfe were the Transgressour The Gate of the Great Secret 41. Heare my beloved Reader if thou art borne of God open the eyes of thy Spirit wide that the King of Glory may enter into thee and open thy understanding consider every syllable for they are of great moment they are not mute neither are they from a blinde Centre brought forth into the Light Behold here hung on the Crosse God and Man there was the Holy Trinity there were all the Three Principles and the Champion stood in the Battle 42. Now which was the Champion in the Battle Behold when Christ had finished he said Father I commend my Spirit into thy hands and he inclined his head and departed Behold his Father is the Kingdome Power and Glory and in him is All and All is his the Love is his Heart and the Anger is his Eternall Strength the Love is his Light and the Anger is the Eternall Darknesse and maketh another Principle wherein the Devils are 43. Now it was the Love that became Man and had put on our humane soule and the soule that was enlightened from the Love and stood with its Roote in the Anger as in the strong Might of the Father and now the New Man in the Love commended the soule to the Father into his Might and yeelded up the Earthly Life which proceeded from the Constellations and Elements viz. the Kingdome of this world and so the soule now stood no more in the Kingdome of this world in the source of Life but it stood in Death for the Kingdome of this world the blower up of Life the Aire was gone 44. And now there was nothing more on the soule but onely that which it selfe is in its own Eternall Roote in the Father And here wee should have remained in the Anger in the dark Hell but the bright Father in his Glory tooke the soule to him into the Trinity Now the soule was cloathed with the Love in the Word which made the Angry Father in the innermost source of the soule pleasant and reconcilable and so in this Moment in the Essences of the soule the lost Paradise sprung up againe whereupon the Earth trembled viz. the Out-Birth out of the Element and the Sunne the King of the Life of the Third Principle lost its Light for there rose up another Sunne in Death understand in the Anger of the Father the Love was shining like a bright Morning Starre 45. And thus the Body of Christ on the soule was the pure Element before God out of which the Sunne of this world is generated and the same Body included the whole world and then the Nature of this world trembled and the Stony Rocks cleft in sunder for the fierce wrathfull Death had in the Fiat congealed and concreted the Stony Rocks together and now the Holy Life went into the fierce wrathfull Death whereupon the Stones did cleave asunder to shew that the life stood up againe in Death and did spring forth through Death 46. And then also the holy Bodies went out of the Graves consider this well those that had put their trust in the Messiah had in the Promise gotten the pure Element for a new Body and now when the Promised
scornings despisings and mocking of Christ and that all was done by the instigation of the Great ones and that commonly they were the poore silly people that followed him except some few that were wealthy wee then cleerly finde that which Christ said That a rich man will hardly enter into the Kingdome of Heaven This is not meant concerning their riches but concerning their vaine glorious proud and covetous life whereby they consume the sweat of the needy in Pride and forget God O how hard it is for one that is proud to humble himselfe before God and Man and the Kingdome of Heaven consisteth onely in the vertue and power of Humility 66. Yet it is seene that some wealthy people did draw neere to Christ whereby it may be perceived that the Kingdome of Heaven consisteth not in misery onely but in Joy in the Holy Ghost and none ought to esteeme himselfe happy because he is poore and miserable he is in the Kingdome of the Devill neverthelesse if he be faithlesse and wicked Also none that is rich ought therefore to cast his goods and wealth away or give them to be spent lavishly in hope to be saved in so doing no friend the Kingdome of God consisteth in Truth in Righteousnesse and in Love towards the needy to be rich damneth none that use it aright thou needest not to lay downe thy Scepter and run into a Corner crying that is but hypocrisie thou mayest doe righteousnesse and better service to the Kingdome of God in holding thy Scepter by helping the oppressed protecting the Innocent and granting Right and Justice not according to thy Covetousnesse but in Love and in the feare of God and then thou art also a Brother to Joseph of Arimathea and shalt shine brighter than others as the Sunne and Moone compared with the Starres It is onely the pride covetousnesse envie falshood and anger that is the Crowne of the Devill therefore conceive it aright Of Christs Rest in the Grave or Sepulchre 67. Wee know that the Body without the Spirit is a thing that lyeth still for though the body of Christ the Holy Element generated in the Mercy is from God yet the mobility and life standeth onely in the Deity and in us Men in the Spirit of the soule and in the Spirit of the Great World which are unsevered in this Body upon Earth 68. Therefore now the question is Where the soule of Christ was all the time that the body did Rest in the Grave Beloved Reason doe not like those that are blinde concerning God who say the soule of Christ went away from the Body downe into Hell into the Earth and during that time in the Divine power and vertue assaulted the Devils in Hell and bound them with chaines and destroyed Hell O it is cleane another thing The Saints rising out of the Graves at the houre of the Death of Christ declareth otherwise 69. Reason knoweth nothing at all of God and if it be not possible to attaine further from the Gift of God doe not descend downe into that Deepe but in singlenesse of heart stay on the Article it will not endanger thy happinesse God looketh onely upon the will of the Heart Thou must not search so deepe into every thing if it be not given thee as it is to this Pen this Pen writeth in the Counsell of God that which the hand knoweth not and scarce understandeth the least spark of it and yet very deeply as thou seest that the things to come are shewen in a very difficult depth which God alone will discover in due time which is unknowne to us 70. Thou knowest that God himselfe is all and there are but Three Principles viz. Three Births of distinction in his Essence or else all things would be one thing and all were meerely God and if it were so then all would be in a sweet meeknesse but where would be the Mobility Kingdome Power and Glory Therefore wee have often said the Anger is the Roote of Life and if it be without the Light then it is not God but Hell fire but if the Light shine therein it becometh Paradise and fulnesse of Joy 71. Therefore wee can say no otherwise of the soule of Christ but that he commended it into his Fathers hands and the Father took it into his Divine power it stood with its Roote therein before but it s own Roote was without the Light of God in the Anger And now the soule of Christ came with the Light of God into the Anger and then the Devils trembled for the Light tooke the Anger captive and the Father understand his Anger in the Kingdome of Heaven was Paradise and in Hell remained to be Anger still For the Light shut up the Principle of Hell so to be understood that no Devill dareth to take one glimpse of light in thither he is blinde before the Light and the Light is his terrour and shame 72. And so thou must not think that the soule of Christ was then gone a great way from his Body for all the Three Principles were on the Crosse why also not in the Grave at that very moment when Christ laid off the Kingdome of this world the soule of Christ pressed into Death and into the Anger of God and in that very moment the Anger was reconciled in the Love in the Light and became Paradise and the Devils were captivated in the Anger in themselves together with all wicked soules and so instantly the life did spring up through Death and Death was destroyed and made a scorne yet to the wicked which remaine in the Anger it is a Death but in Christ it is a Life 73. Thus the soule of Christ rested in the Grave in the Father forty houres present with its body for the Heavenly Body was not dead but the Earthly onely the soule sprung up in the Heavenly through Death and stood forty houres in Rest these were the forty houres in which Adam was asleepe when his wife was taken out of him as also the forty dayes when Moses was on the Mount and Israel was tempted to try whether it were possible to live in the vertue or power of the Father in the Kingdome of Heaven But when it was found to be impossible then presently the people fell away from the Law of the Father viz. from the Law of Nature and worshipped a Calfe that they had made to be instead of God and Moses brake the Tables of the Law 74. And God spake further to Israel in the fire that they should see that it was not possible to enter into the Land of Promise into Paradise till the right Joshua or Jesus came who should bring them through Death into Life consider this further I will set it downe very cleerly in the other Bookes concerning the Tables of Moses search for it and you will finde the whole ground of whatsoever Moses hath spoken and done Of Christs Resurrection out of the
us Moreover wee have Gods Law and Commandements so that there is no excuse but onely our drowsie lazie negligence and carelesnesse and so wee are found to be sloathfull unprofitable servants in the Lords Vineyard 8. Lastly it is in the highest measure most needfull for us to learne to know our selves because the Devill dwelleth with us in this world who is both Gods Enemy and ours and daily misleadeth us and entrappeth us as he hath done from the beginning that wee might fall away from our God and Father that so he might enlarge his Kingdome and bereave us of our Eternall Salvation as it is written He goeth about as a roaring Lyon and seeketh whom he may devour 9. Seeing therefore wee are in such horrible danger in this world that wee are environed with enemies on every side and have a very unsafe Pilgrimage or Journey to walke and above all wee carry our worst Enemy within us which wee our selves hide and desire not to learne to know it though it be the most horrible Guest of all which casteth us headlong into the Anger of God yea it selfe is the very Anger of God which throweth us into the Eternall Fire of Wrath into the Eternall unquenchable torment therefore it is most needfull for us to learne to know this Enemy what he is who he is and whence he is how be cometh into us and what in us is his proper own also what right the Devill hath to us and what accesse of entrance into us how he is allyed with our own Enemy that dwelleth in us how they favour and helpe one another how both of them are Gods Enemies and continually lay wait for us to murther us and bring us to perdition 10. Further wee must consider the great Reasons why it is very necessary to learne to know our selves because wee see and know that wee must die and perish for our own Enemies sake which is Gods Enemy and ours which dwelleth in us and is the very halfe of Man and if he grow so strong in us that he get the upperhand and be predominant then he throweth us into the Abysse to all Devills to dwell there with them Eternally in an Eternall unquenchable paine and torment into an Eternall Darknesse into a loathsome house and into an Eternall forgetting of all Good yea into Gods contending will where our God and all the Creatures are our Enemies for ever 11. Wee have yet greater Reasons to learne to know our selves because wee are in Good and Evill and have the promise of Eternall Life that if wee overcome our own Enemy and the Devill wee shall be the children of God and live in his Kingdome with and in him among his holy Angels in Eternall joy brightnesse Glory and welfare in meeknesse and favour with him without any touch of Evill and without any knowledge of it in God Eternally Besides we have the Promise that if wee overcome and burie our Enemy in the Earth wee shall rise againe at the Last Day in a new Body which shall be without evill and paine and live with God in perfect joy lovelinesse and blisse 12. Also wee know and apprehend that wee have in us a Reasonable Soule which is in Gods Love and is Immortall and that if it be not vanquished by its adversary but fighteth as a spirituall Champion against its Enemy God will assist it with his holy Spirit and will enlighten and make it powerfull and able to overcome all its Enemies he will fight for it and at the Overcoming of the evill will Glorifie it as a faithfull Champion and Crowne it with the brightest Crowne of Heaven 13. Now seeing Man knoweth that he is such a twofold Man in the Capacity of Good and Evill and that they are both his own and that he himselfe is that Onely Man which is both good and evill and that he shall have the reward of either of them and to which of them he inclineth in this life to that his soule goeth when he dieth and that he shall arise at the Last Day in power in his Labour and Works which he exercised heere and live therein Eternally and also be Glorified therein and that shall be his Eternall foode and subsistence therefore it is very necessary for him to learne to know himselfe how it is with him and whence the impulsion to Good and to Evill cometh and what indeed the Good and Evill meerly are in himselfe and whence they are stirred and what properly is the Originall of all the Good and of all the Evill from whence and by what means Evill is come to be in the Devills and in Men and in all Creatures seeing the Devill was a holy Angel and Man also Created Good and that also such untowardnesse is found to be in all Creatures biting tearing worrying and hurting one another and such Enmity strife and hatred in all Creatures and that every thing is so at oddes with it selfe as wee see it to be not onely in the Living Creatures but also in the Starres Elements Earth Stones Mettalls in Wood Leaves and Grasse there is a Poyson and Malignity in all things and it is found that it must be so or else there would be no life nor mobility nor would there be any colour or vertue neither thicknesse nor thinnesse nor any perceptibility or sensibility but all would be as Nothing 14. In this high Consideration it is found that all is through and from God Himselfe and that it is his own substance which is himselfe and he hath created it out of himselfe and that the Evill belongeth to the forming and mobility and the Good to the Love and the austere severe or contrary will belongeth to the joy so far as the Creature is in the Light of God so far the wrathfull and contrary will maketh the rising Eternall Joy but if the Light of God be extinguished it maketh the rising painfull Torment and the Hellish Fire 15. That it may be understood how all this is I will describe the Three Divine Principles that therein all may be declared What God is what Nature is what the Creatures are what the Love and Meeknesse of God is what Gods desiring or will is what the wrath of God and the Devill is and in conclusion what joy and sorrow is and how all took a beginning and endureth Eternally with the true difference between the Eternall and transitory Creatures Especially of Man and of his soule what it is and how it is an Eternall Creature and what Heaven is wherein God and the Holy Angels and holy Men dwell and what Hell is wherein the Devils dwell and how all things originally were created and had their beeing In summe what the Essence of all Essences is 16. Seeing the Love of God hath favoured mee with this knowledge I will set it downe in Writing for a Memoriall or remembrance to my selfe because we live in this
of the Prima Materia or first matter in the spirit but the syllable CU having so strong a pressure from the heart and yet is so presently snatched up by the syllable RI and the whole understanding sense or meaning is changed into it this signifieth and is the bitter prickly wheel in the generating which vexeth and whirleth it self as swiftly as a thought the syllable US is or signifieth the swift fire-flash that the Materia or matter kindleth in the fierce whirling between the harshnesse and the bitternesse in the swift wheel where you may very plainly understand or observe in the word how the harshnesse is terrified and how the power or vertue in the word sinketh down or falleth back again upon the heart and becometh very feeble and thin yet the sting or prickle with the whirling wheel continueth in the flash and goeth forth through the teeth out of the mouth where then the spirit sisseth like fire a kindling and returning back again strengtheneth it self in the word 13. These four forms are in the originalnesse of nature and from thence the mobility doth exist as also the life in the seed and in all the creatures hath its originall from thence and there is no comprehensibility in the originalnesse but such a vertue or power and spirit for it is a poysonous or venemous hostile or enimicitious thing and it must be so or else there would be no mobility but all would be as nothing and the source of wrath or anger is the first originall of Nature 14 Yet here I do not altogether mean or understand the Mercurius Mercury or Quicksilver which is in the third Principle of this created world which the Apothecaries use although that hath the same vertue or power and is of the same essence but I speak of that in the first Principle viz. of the originalnesse of the essence of all essences of God and of the eternall beginninglesse nature from whence the nature of this world is generated Although in the originalnesse of both of them there is no separation but onely the outward and third Principle the sydereall and elementary Kingdome Region or Dominion is generated out of the first Principle by the Word and Spirit of God out of the eternall Father out of the holy Heaven CHAP. II. Of the first and second Principle what God and the Divine Nature is wherein is set down a further description of the Sulphur and Mercurius 1. BEcause there belongeth a divine light to the knowledge and apprehension of this and that without the divine light there is no comprehensibility at all of the Divine Essence therefore I will a little represent the high hidden secret in a creaturely manner that thereby the reader may come into the depth for the Divine Essence cannot be wholly expressed by the tongue the spiraculum vitae that is the spirit of the soul which looketh into the light onely comprehendeth it For every creature seeth and understandeth no further nor deeper then its mother is out of which it is come originally 2. The soul which hath its originall out of Gods first Principle and was breathed from God into Man into the third Principle that is into the Sydereall and Elementary birth that seeth further into the first Principle of God out of in and from the essence and property of which it is proceeded And this is not marvellous for it doth but behold it selfe onely in the rising of its birth and thus it seeth the whole depth of the Father in the first Principle 3. This the Devils also see and know for they also are out of the first Principle of God which is the source of Gods originall nature they wish also that they might not see nor feel it but it is their own fault that the second Principle is shut up to them which is called and is God one in essence and threefold in personall distinction as shall be mentioned hereafter 4. But the soul of Man which is enlightned with the holy Spirit of God which in the second Principle proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne in the holy Heaven that is in the true divine Nature which is called God this soul seeth even into the light of God into the same second principle of the holy divine Birth into the heavenly essence but the Sydereall Spirit wherwith the soul is cloathed and also the Elementary Spirit which ruleth the source or springing and impulsion of the blood they see no further then into their mother whence they are and wherein they live 5. Therefore if I should speak and write that which is pure heavenly and altogether of the clear Deity I should be as dumb to the reader which hath not the knowledge and the gift to understand it Yet I will so write in a Divine and also in a creaturely way that I might stirre up any one to desire and long after the consideration of the high things and if any shall perceive that they cannot do it that at least they might seek and knock in their desire and pray to God for his holy Spirit that the door of the second Principle might be opened to them for Christ biddeth us to pray seek and knock and then it shall be opened unto us For he saith All that you shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you Ask and you shall teceive seek and you shall finde knock and it shall be opened unto you 6. Seeing then that my knowledge hath been received by seeking and knocking I therefore write it down for a memoriall that I might occasion a desire in any to seek after them and thereby my talent might be improved and not be hidden in the earth But I have not written this for those that are wise aforehand that know all things and yet know and comprehend nothing for they are full satisfied already and rich but I have written it for the simple as I am that I may be refreshed with those that are like my selfe Further of the Sulphur Mercurius and Sal. 7. The word or syllable SUL signifieth and is the soul of a thing for in the word it is the oyle or light that is generated out of the syllable PHUR and it is the beauty or the welfare of a thing that which is lovely and dearest in it in a creature it is the light by which the creature seeth or perceiveth and therein Reason and the Senses consist and it is the spirit which is generated out of the PHUR The word or syllable PHUR is the prima materia or first matter and containeth in it self in the third Principle the Macrocosme from which the Elementary Dominion or Region or Essence is generated But in the first Principle it is the essence of the most inward birth out of which God generateth or begetteth his Sonne from eternity and thereout the holy Ghost proceedeth understand out of the SUL and out
that in Christ returneth againe to the Father 15. The last Supper of Christ with his Disciples is just such another Covenant as the Paedobaptisme or Baptisme of Infants That which is done to the Infant in Baptisme that is done also to the poore finner which awakeneth from the sleepe of Antichrist and cometh to the Father in and through Christ as shall be handled in its place 16. I have therefore been desirous to warne you and tell you beforehand that you must not looke upon flesh and bloud in these high things nor upon the worldly wisdome of the Universities or high Schooles but that you should consider that this wisdome is planted and sown by God himselfe in the first and last and in all Men and you need onely to returne with the Prodigall lost Sonne to the Father and then he will cloath you with a new Garment and put a seale-ring upon the hand of your minde and in this Garment onely you have power to speak of the Birth of God 17. But if you have not gotten this Garment on and will prattle and talke much of God then you are a thiefe and a murderer and you enter not into the Sheepfold of Christ by the Doore but you climbe over into the Sheepfold with Antichrist and the Robbers and you will doe nothing but murder and steale seeke your owne reputation esteeme and pleasure and are farre from the kingdome of God your Universitie Learning and Arts will availe you nothing it is your poyson that you are promoted by the favour of Man to fit in great Authority and Place for you fit upon the stoole of Pestilence you are but a meere servant or minister of the Antichrist but if you be new borne and taught by the Holy Ghost then your place or office is very pleasing and acceptable to God and your sheep will heare your voyce and you shall feed them and bring them to the chiefe Shepherd God will require this at your hands therefore take heed what you teach and speak of God without the knowledge of his Spirit that you be not found to be a lyar Now here followeth the Chapter 18. The Eternall Generating is a not-beginning Birth and it hath neither number nor end and its depth is bottomlesse and the band of life uncorruptible The Sydereall and Elementary Spirit cannot discerne it much lesse comprehend it it onely feeleth it and seeth a glimpse of it in the minde which minde is the chariot of the soule upon which it rideth in the first Principle in its own seate in the Fathers Eternall Generating or Begetting for its own substance is altogether crude without a body and yet it hath the forme of the body in its own spirituall forme understand according to the Image which soule if it be regenerated in the light of God it seeth in the light of God the Father which light is his Glance Lustre or Sonne in the Eternall Birth wherein it liveth and remaineth eternally 19. Understand and consider it aright O Man God the Father made Man the beginning of whose body is out of the one Element or Roote of the foure Elements from whence they proceed which one Element is the fift Essence or Quintessence hidden under the foure Elements from whence the dark Chaos mist cloud or dust had its beeing before the times of the Earth whose originall is the spring of Water and out of which this world with the Starles and Elements as also the Heaven of the third Principle was created 20. But the soule was breathed into man meerely out of the originall Birth of the Father by the moving Spirit understand the Holy Ghost which goeth forth from the Father out of the light of the Father Which originall Birth is before the Light of Life which is in the foure Anguishes out of which the light of God is kindled wherein is the originall of the Name of God and therefore the soule is Gods own Essence or substance 21. And if it elevate it selfe back into the Anguish of the foure formes of the Originall and will horribly breath forth out of pride in the Originall of the Fire knowing it selfe shall so become powerfull it so becometh a Devill For the Devils also with their Legions had this Originall and they out of pride would live in the fierce wrath of the fire and so they perished and remained Devils 22. Yet if the soule elevate its Imagination forward into the light in meeknesse and comelinesse or humility and doth not as Lucifer did use the strong power of its fire in its qualification or breathing then it will be fed by the Word of the Lord and getteth vertue power life and strength in the Word of the Lord which is the heart of God and it s owne Originall strong fierce wrathfull source of the Birth of the Eternall life becometh Paradisicall exceeding pleasant friendly humble and sweet wherein the rejoycing and the fountaine of the Eternall Songs of Praise springeth up and in this Imagination it is an Angel and a childe of God and it beholdeth the Eternall Generating of the indissoluble Band and thereof it hath abilitie to speak for it is its own Essence or substance but it is not able to speak of the infinite generating for that hath neither beginning nor end 23. But if it undertaketh to speak of the unmeasurable space or infinite Geniture then it becometh full of lyes and is troubled and confounded for it belyeth the unmeasurable Deity as Antichrist doth which will have the Deity to be onely above the starry Heaven that thereby himselfe may remaine to be God upon Earth riding upon the great Beast which yet must shortly goe into the originall lake of Brimstone into the Kingdome of King Lucifer for the time is come that the Beast shall be revealed and spewed out concerning which wee may be well enough understood here by the Children of Hope but there is a wall and seale before the servants or ministers of Antichrist till the wrath be executed upon her whoredome and that shee have received her full wages and that the Crowne of their Dominion which they have worne be their shame and till the eyes of the blinde be opened and then shee will sit as a scorned whore which every one will adjudge to Damnation The very sublime Gate of the Holy Trinity for the Children of God 24. If you lift up your thoughts and minds and ride upon the Chariot of the soule as is before mentioned and looke upon your selfe and all creatures and consider how the Birth of life in you taketh its Originall and the light of your life whereby you can behold the shining of the Sunne and also looke with your Imagination without the light of the Sunne into a huge vast space to which the eyes of your body cannot reach and then consider what the cause might be that you are more Rationall than
birth of the second Principle of the heart of God and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost his food should have been of the Word of the Lord and therein he should have continued an Angel 68. But he saw that he was a Prince standing in the first Principle and so despised the birth of the heart of God and the soft and very lovely qualification thereof and meant to be a very potent and terrible Lord in the first Principle and would qualifie or work in the strength of the Fire he despised the meeknesse of the heart of God he would not set his imagination therein or his thoughts upon it and therefore he could not be fed from the Word of the Lord and so his light went out whereupon presently he became a loathsomenesse in Paradise and was spewed out of his princely Throne with all his Legions that stuck to him or depended on him 69. And now when the heart of God departed from him the second Principle was shut up to him and so he lost God the kingdome of heaven and all Paradisicall knowledge pleasure and joy he also presently lost the Image of God and the confirmation of the holy Ghost because he despised the second Principle wherein he was an Angel and Image of God thus all things departed from him and he remained in the dark valley and could no more raise his imagination up into God but he continued in the foure Anguishes of the Originalnesse 70. And when he raised up his Imagination then he kindled to himselfe the source or roote of the fire and then when the roote of the fire did seeke for the water viz. the true Mother of the eternall Nature it found the sterne or tart astringent harshnesse and the mother in the aking death and the bitter sting or prickle formed the birth to be a fierce raging Serpent very terrible in it selfe rising up in the indissoluble Band an eternall Eternity a will striving against it selfe an eternall despaine of all good the bitter sting also formed the minde to be as a breaking striking wheele having its will continually aspiring to the strength of the fire and to destroy the heart of God and yet could never at all be able to reach it 71. For he is alwayes shut up in the first Principle as in the eternall Death and yet he raiseth himselfe up continually thinking to reach the heart of God and to domineere over it for his bitter sting in the birth climeth up thus eternally in the source of the fire and affordeth him a proud will to have all at his pleasure but he attaineth nothing his food is the fource of water viz. the Brimstone-spirit which is the most aking mother from which the indissoluble band is fed and nourished his refreshing is the eternall fire an eternall freesing in the harsh mother an eternall hunger in the bitternesse an eternall thirst in the source of the fire his climeing up is his fall the more he climeth up in his will the greater is his fall like one that standing upon a high clift would cast himselfe downe into a bottomlesse pit he looketh still further and he falleth in further and further and yet can finde no ground 72. Thus he is an eternall enemy to the heart of God and all the holy Angels and he cannot frame any other will in himselfe His Angels and Devils are of very many severall sorts all according to the Eternall Firth For at the time of his Creation he stood in the kingdome of Heaven in the point Locus or place where the holy Ghost in the birth of the heart of God in Paradise did open infinite and innumerable Centres in the eternall Birth in this seate or place he was bodified and hath his beginning in the opening of the Centres in the Eternall Nature 73. Therefore as is mentioned before in the third Chapter when the Birth of life sprung up every Essence had againe a Centre in it selfe according to its owne property or quality and figureth a life according to its Essence viz. Harshnesse bitternesse fire and sound and all further according to the ability of the eternall birth which is confirmed in the kingdome of Heaven 74. Seeing then that they stood in Heaven in the time of their Creation therefore their quality was also manifold and all should have been and continued Angels if the great fountaine Lucifer from whence they proceeded had nor destroyed them and so now also every one in his fall continueth in his own Essences onely the second Principle is extinguished in them and so it is also with the soule of man when the light of God goeth out in it but so long as that shineth therein it is in Paradise and eateth of the word of the Lord whereof shall be clearly spoken in its due place CHAP. V. Of the third Principle or creation of the materiall world with the Starres and Elements wherein the first and second Principle is more clearly understood 1. BEcause I may happen not to be understood clearly enough by the desirous Reader and shall be as one that is altogether dumb to the unenlightned for the eternall and indissoluble band wherein the Essence of all Essences standeth is not easily nor in haste to be understood therefore it is necessary that the desirous Reader do the more earnestly consider himself what he is and from whence his Reason and Senses do proceed wherein he findeth the similitude of God especially if he consider and meditate what his Soul is which is an eternall uncorruptible Spirit 2. But if the Reader be born of God there is no neerer way for him to come to the knowledge of the third Principle then by considering the new Birth how the soul is new born by the love of God in the light and how it is translated out of the prison or dungeon of darknesse into the light by a second birth And now if you consider that darknesse wherein it must be without the new birth and consider what the Scripture saith and what every one findeth by experience that falleth into the wrath of God and whereof there are terrible examples that the soul must endure irksome torment in it self in the birth of the life of its own self so long as it is in the wrath of God and then that if it be born again exulting great joy ariseth in it and thus you finde very clearly and plainly two Principles as also God Paradise and the kingdome of Heaven 3. For you finde in the root of the originall of the spirit of the soule in it self in the substance of the eternall birth and uncorruptible eternall band of the soul the most exceeding horrible inimicitious irksome source wherein the soul without the light of God is like all Devils wherein their eternall source consisteth being an enmity in it self a will striving against God and goodnesse it desireth nothing that is pleasant or good
it is a climbing up of pride in the strength of the fire a bitter fierce odious malice or wrathfulnesse against Paradise against God against the kingdome of heaven also against all creatures in the second and third Principle lifting up themselves alone against all this as the bitternesse in the fire doth 4. Now the Scripture witnesseth throughout and the new-born man findeth it so that when the soul is new born in the light of God then on the contrary it findeth how very humble meek courteous and cheerly it is it readily beareth all manner of crosses and persecution it turneth the body from out of the way of the wicked it regardeth no reproach disgrace or scorn put upon it from the Devill or Man it placeth its confidence refuge and love in the heart of God it is very cheerfull it is fed by the word of God in which there is a Paradisicall exulting and triumph it cannot be hurt or so much as touched by the Devill for it is in its own substance wherein it stands in the first Principle of the indissoluble band enlightned with the light of God and the holy Ghost who goeth forth out of the eternall birth of the Father in the heart and in the light of the heart of God he goeth forth in it and establisheth it the childe of God 5. Therefore all that it doth seeing it liveth in the light of God is done in the love of God the Devill cannot see that soul for the second Principle wherein it liveth and in which God and the kingdom of heaven standeth as also the Angels and Paradise is shut up from him and he cannot get to it 6. In this consideration you may finde what I understand by a Principle For a Principle is nothing else but a new birth a new life besides there is no more than one Principle wherein there is an eternall life that is the eternall Deity and that would not have been manifested if God had created no creatures in himself viz. Angels and Men who understand the eternall and indissoluble band and how the birth of the eternall light is in God 7. Thus now herein is understood how the divine Essence in the divine Principle hath wrought in the root of the first Principle which is the begettresse matrix or genetrix in the eternall birth in the Limbus or in the originall water-spirit by which operation at last the earth and stones come forth For in the second Principle viz. in the holy birth there is onely spirit light and life and the eternall wisdome hath wrought in the eternall inanimate genetrix which is void of understanding viz. in her own property before the originall of the light out of which came the dark Chaos which in the elevation of Lord Lucifer when the light of God departed from him and the fiercenesse of the source of the fire was kindled became hard matter viz. stones and earth whereupon followed the gathering together of the earth as also the spewing out of Lucifer from his Throne and the creating of the third Principle and thereupon it followed that he was shut up in the third Principle as a prisoner expecting henceforth the judgement or sentence of God Now whether it be not a shame disgrace and irksomnesse to him to be so imprisoned between Paradise and this world and not to be able to comprehend either of them I propound it to be considered 8. Thus now if we will speak of the third Principle viz. of the beginning and birth of this world then we must consider the root of the genetrix or begettresse seeing every Principle is another birth but out of no other essence and so we may finde that in the first Principle in the indissoluble band which in it self is inanimate and hath no true life but the source of the true life is born by the moving spirit of God which from eternity hath its originall in the first Principle and goeth forth from eternity in the second Principle as in the birth of the heart or Sonne of God the matrix of the genetrix is set open which is originally the harshnesse yet in the light it is the soft mother of the water spirit Thus it is seen found clearly and plainly before our eyes that the Spirit of God hath wrought there in the matrix so that out of the incomprehensible Matrix which is but a Spirit the comprehensible and visible water is proceeded 9 Secondly you may thus see the separation clearly by the starres and fiery Heaven that the eternall separation or distinction is in the eternall matrix for you may see that the starres and the fiery heaven and the watery the aiery and earthly are generated out of one mother that they qualifie with or have influence upon one another and that the birth of their substance is in one another also that one is the case or vessell to hold the other in and yet they have not one and the same property qualification or condition Thus here in the separation you may know that the eternall matrix hath a separation in it selfe as is mentioned before in the third chapter concerning the eternall birth of the four anguishes where the fire is generated between Harshnesse and Bitternesse and the light in the flash of fire and so every source retaineth its own due 10. Understand it thus as the Spirit moved this Matrix so the matrix wrought and in the kindling from rhe Spirit of God in the fift form of the matrix the fiery heaven of the Constellations did exist which is a meere Quinta essentia or Quintessence born in the fifth form of the matrix in which place the light hath its originall out of which at last the Sunne is born or brought forth wherewith the third Principle becometh opened and manifested which Sun now is the life in the third Principle and the opener of the life of every life in the matrix in this place or Locus as the heart of God in Paradise in the immateriall heaven and birth openeth the eternall power of God wherein the eternall life continually springeth up and wherein the eternall wisdome continually shineth Thus also the light of the Sunne which is sprung up in the inanimate matrix by the flowing hovering or moving spirit in the matrix openeth the third principle of this materiall world which is the third and beginning Principle which as to this forme taketh an end and returneth into its Ether in the end of this enumeration as the Scripture witnesseth 11. And then all in this third Principle remaineth again in the first matrix onely that which hath been sown in this Principle and that hath its originall out of Paradise out of heaven and out of the second Principle viz. Man that continueth eternally in the matrix And if he have in this lifes time atrained the second Principle so that he is born therein it is well with him
springing forth in multiplication where every fountain or source hath another centre in it from the genetrix and a separation or distinction but undivided and not asunder so also this world is generated out of the eternall mother which now is such another genetrix and yet is not separated or sundred from the eternall mother but is come to be in a materiall manner and it hath through the Sun attained another light and life which light and life is not the wise master himselfe but the wise master who is God he keepeth that light and life so that it standeth and continueth in the eternall matrix and yet it is not the eternall wisdome it selfe 3. Now because this birth of the Sun hath a beginning through the will of God and entreth again into its Ether therefore it hath not the vertue or power of the wisdome but it continually worketh according to its kinde it vivifieth and killeth what it doth it doth not regarding whether it be evill crooked lame or good beautifull or potent it causeth to live and to dye it affordeth power and strength and destroyeth the same again and all this without any premeditated wisdome whereby it may be perceived that it is not the divine providence and wisdome it self as the heathens did suppose and did foolishly relye upon the vertue thereof 4. But if we would see the ground thereof we must onely look upon the first mother in her birth and so we shall see and finde it all For as the first mother considering her in the originall without the light is soure or harsh dark hard and cold and yet there is the water-spirit in the bringing forth Thus you may finde when the materiall world sprung up that God then on the first day created the heaven and the earth 5. Now the heaven cometh out of the soure matrix which in the Paradisicall heaven is the water-spirit and out of that Paradisicall water-spirit or matrix the materiall heaven or matrix is created as Moses writeth that the heaven was created out of the midst of the waters and it is very right And also in that very houre the earth and the stones and all metals the matrix of this world being yet dark were generated out of the matrix 6. For when the matrix was stirred and that Lord Lucifer would domineere in the fire then the dark matrix attracted all that was wrought in the birth together from whence earth stones metals brimstone and salt did proceed hereby the kingdome of Prince Lucifer was shut up and he remained in the inward centre captivated in the outward 7. But the vertue which was in the matrix was that which could effect such things in the matrix for a stone is nothing else but a water mercury salt and brimstone wherein an oyle is hidden Now the birth of the matrix hath such a form in its eternall Essence and birth of its life For first there is the harshnesse or sournesse fiercenesse or eager strongnesse and hardnesse from whence the cold proceedeth Now the sournesse or harshnesse attracteth and sharpneth the cold and in its attracting it maketh the bitter sting or prickle which pricketh and rageth and cannot endure the hard attracting but vexeth like a furious madnesse it riseth up and rageth and becometh like a brimstone-spirit 8. And in this form in the wrath or fierce strongnesse in the watry soure mother the soure bitter earth brimstone and salt is generated before the kindling of the Sunne in the matrix that is void of understanding But the separation that is in it is caused from the births standing in great anguish and from its desiring the separation in the birth for the bitternesse agreeth not with the harshnesse or sournesse and yet they are as mother and sonne and as members one of another and it must be so or else nothing could be for it is the eternall band and the originall of life 9. Moreover when the bitternesse rageth riseth up and vexeth in the soure harsh mother then it falleth into a glimmering flash most terribly in this form the Mercurius or venome or poyson is generated For when the matrix perceiveth this flash of fire in its dark soure form then it is terrified and becometh dead in her hard soure property And in this place death poyson withering and corruption are generated in the matrix and also the noble life in the Mercurius and in the springing up of the third Principle 10. And further when the horror or crack or skreek of the fire is come into its harsh mother and hath thus overcome its mother then it selfe is much more terrified for there it loseth its fierce or strong property because the mother hath attained another source and out of the horror of the fire a brightnesse is come to be in which in the inanimate matrix the Materia or matter in the midst of the horror or crack is come to be a soft and bright mixt matter viz. from the crack of the light is prococeeded Gold Silver Copper Tin Lead c. according as every place in the matrix stood in the wrastling centre 11. For the birth in the whole space of this world as farre as Lucifers kingdome did reach was thus and therefore there is much different kinde of earth metals and other things in one place than in another And it is plain before our eyes that all metals are mixt which proceedeth from the bringing forth in infinitum which we well understand and see but cannot utter nor dare we speak it for it troubleth us and it reacheth into the Deity which is without beginning and eternall therefore the creature must let it alone upon pain of the losse both of its reason and sense 12. But to declare this further when the matrix stood thus in the birrh where the matter of the earth was generated then the matrix with the kindling became water you must understand it aright not wholly in substance but it hath generated the earth stones and metals and yet the matrix continueth still so also the water still continueth in the killing and overcoming whereby the materiall world took beginning where the globe of the earth was drawn together in this moving and standeth in the middle of the Circle from above and from beenath as a point or punctum 13. And there in the centte in the Paradisicall matrix and in the Paradisicall heaven the Spirit of God stood in his own eternall seat neither did it depart from thence and moved upon the materiall water with the Fiat and there formed the heaven which was created out of the midst of the watry matrix and he separated the root of the darknesse from the light in the matrix in which darknesse the Devils remained and they have not comprehended the matter in the matrix nor the new light which sprung up in the matrix and so
the eternall birth which standeth hidden in the centre of man that doth nothing that is new it knoweth worketh and doth even the same that ever it did from eternity it laboureth for the light and for the darknesse and wotketh in great anguish but when the light shineth therein then there is meere joy and knowledge in its working 7 So that when the heaven and the birth of the elements are spoken of it is not a thing afarre of or that is distant from us that is spoken of but we speak of things that are done in our body and soule and there is nothing nearer us than this birth for we live and move therein as in the house of our mother and when we speak of heaven we speak of our native countrey which the enlightned soule can well see though indeed such things be hidden from the body 8 For as the soule of man moveth and swimmeth between the vertue of the Starres and Elements so the created heaven also moveth between Paradise and the kingdome of Hell and it swimmeth in the eternall matrix its limit reacheth as farre as the Ethera skies or receptacle hath yeelded it selfe up to the creation so farre as the kingdome of Luciser did reach where yet no end is to be found for the vertue or power of God is without end but our sense reacheth onely to the fiery heaven of the Starres which are a propagation in the fifth form of the eternall Mother or a Quinta essentia wherein the separation in the time of the third Principle or in the beginning of this world the vertue or power of the matrix was separated where now the separation is thus movind and then every essence in the propagation in the manifold centres of the Starres have a longing desire one after the other and a continuall will to infect impregnate or mix influences and the one essence or vertue is the meat and drink as also the chest case or receptacle of the other 9 For as in the Paradificall principle the holy Ghost in the Trinity of the Deity continually goeth forth floweth very softly immoveably and imperceptably as to the Creature and yet formeth and fashioneth all in the Paradisical matrix so also doth the third Principle After that the Matrix became visible and materiall every vertue in the matrix hath had a great attractive longing towards one another a continuall springing blossoming and fading again like a bud or some boyling seething matter wherein the sournesse coldnesse and eager fierce strongnesse attract without ceassng and this attracting prickle or sting stirreth alwayes without ceasing and striveth or resisteth so that the soure matrix because of the inward hellish or most originall matrix standeth continually in anguish with a great desire of the light which it espyeth in the root of the fire and is continually affrighted at it and becometh milde soft and materiall whereby the Elementary water is continually generated 10 In this manner you must understand the foure elements which yet are not foure divided things or essences but one onely essence and yet there are foure differences or distinctions in this birth and each element lieth in the other as in a chest and it is its receptacle also it is a member therein Understand and consider the ground aright which followeth The sournesse is the matrix and a cause of all things which in its own substance is very dark cold and as nothing but the eternall Deity being there and speculating or beholding it selfe in the sournesse therefore the dark sournesse is desirous after the Divine vertue and attracteth although there is no life or understanding in the sournesse yet it is the ground of the first essence and the originall whence somwhat cometh to be Here we can search no further into the ground of the Deity for it troubleth disturbeth or confoundeth us 11 Now the sournesse in its lust or great longing or panting after the light attracteth continually and in its own substance it is nothing else but a vehement hunger very dry and as a vacuum or nothing at all a desiring will as the darknesse after the light and its hunger or attracting maketh the bitternesse the woe or lamentation that it cannot be satiated or mollified from whence the anguish ariseth so that the will or prickle or sting is rub'd or struck in it selfe from the lust of the desiring and it will not yeeld it selfe to the dark nothing or dead will but setteth its desire and anguish and also it s eager or strong will so very hard towards the hidden light of God that thereby the will becometh a twinkling flash like a sparkling or crackling fire whereby the sournesse that is so very aking is continually filled and as it were deadned whereby the soure spirit cometh to be soft sweet and materiall even water 12 But the bitternesse being so very much assrighted at the flash of fire in the sournesse it catcheth its mother the sournesse which is become materiall from the crack and flieth out and is clouded or swelled from the materiall sournesse as if it also were materiall and moveth and strenghtheneth it selfe continually in the mother and that is the element called Aire in this world which hath its originall in the watry mother and the water hath its originall from the aire and the fire hath its originall from the longing anguish and the earth and stones took their beginning in the strong attraction at the fall of Lucifer when the sournesse was so fierce strong rising and attractive which attraction is stopped again by the light in the third principle 13 Thus it may very plainly be understood that the light of God is a cause of all things and you may hereby understand all the three Principles For if the power vertue and light of God were not then there would be also no attractive longing in the dark eternity and also the soure desire which is the mother of the Eternity would be nothing at all and it may be understood that the Divine vertue shineth in every thing and yet it is not the thing it selfe but the Spirit of God in the second principle and yet the thing is his Ray glance or lustre which thus proceedeth from the longing or attracting will But now the Heart of God is in the Father in the first will and the Father is the first desiring or longing after the Soone and the Sonne is the vertue and light of the Father from whence the eternall nature becometh alwayes longing and so from the heart of God in the eternall dark matrix it generateth the third principle For so God is manifest but otherwise the Deity would remain hidden eternally 14 Now therefore we say as the Scripture informeth us that God dwelleth in heaven and it is the truth Now mark Moses writeth that God created the heaven out of the midst of the waters and the Scripture sayth God dwelleth
for ever and although God had brought the Starres againe into their Ether and also had withdrawn the matrix of the Elements and the Elements also back into the nothing yet Man would have continued still Besides he had the Paradisicall Centre in him and he could have generated againe out of himselfe out of his will and have awakened the Centre and so should have been able in Paradise to generate an Angelicall Hoast without misery or anguish also without tearing rending or dividing in himselfe and such a Man he ought to have been if he must continue in Paradise and be eternall without decay for Paradise is holy and in that respect man also ought to have been holy for the vertue and power of God and Paradise consisteth in holinesse The deep Gate of the Soule 13. THe soule of Man which God hath breathed into him is out of the Eternall Father yet understand it aright there is a difference to be observed you must understand that it is out of his unchangeable will out of which he generateth his Sonne and Heart from Eternity out of the divine Centre from whence the Fiat goeth forth which maketh separation and hath in it all the Essences of the Eternall Birth or all manner of things which are in the Eternall Birth onely the Birth of the Sonne of God that very Centre which the Sonne of God himselfe is he hath not for that Centre is the end of Nature and not creaturely That is the highest centre of the Fire burning love and mercy of God the perfection or fulnesse out of this centre no creature cometh but it appeareth or shineth in the Creature viz. in Angels and in the soules of holy Men for the Holy Ghost and the Omnipotence or Almightinesse which frameth the Eternall will in the Eternall Father that goeth forth out of this Centre 14. Now therefore the soule standeth in two Gates and toucheth two Principles viz. the Eternall Darknesse and the Eternall light of the Sonne of God as God the Father himselfe doth Now as God the Father holdeth his unchangeable Eternall will to generate his heart and Sonne so the Angels and soules keepe their unchangeable will in the heart of God Thus it the soule is in Heaven and in Paradise and enjoyeth the inutterable joy of God the Father which he hath in the Sonne and it heareth the inexpressible words of the heart of God and rejoyceth at the Eternall and also at the created Images which are not in essence or substance but in figure 15. There the soule eateth of all the words of God for the same are the food of its life and it singeth the Paradisicall songs of Praise concerning the pleasant fruit in Paradise which groweth in the divine vertue or power of the divine Limbus which is the food of the body for the body eateth of the Limbus out of which it is and the soule eateth of God and of his word out of which it is 16. Can this be no joy and rejoycing and should not that be a pleasant thing with the many thousand sorts of Angels to eate heavenly bread and to rejoyce in their communion and fellowship What can be possibly named which can be more pleasant Where there is no feare no anger no death where every voyce and speech is Salvation power strength and might be to our God and this voyce going forth into the Eternity Thus with this sound the divine vertue of Paradise goeth forth and it is a meere growing in the divine Centre of the fruits in Paradise And there is the place where S t Paul heard words inutterable that no man can expresse Such a man was Adam before his Fall and that you may not doubt that this is very sure and most truly thus look upon the Circumstances 17. When God had created Adam thus he was then in Paradise in the joyfulnesse and this clarified or brightened Man was wholly beautifull and full of all manner of knowledge and there God brought all the Beasts to him as to the Great Lord in this world that he should look upon them and give to every one their Name according to their Essence and vertue as the Spirit of every one was figured in them And Adam knew all what every Creature was and he gave every one their Name according to the quality or working property of their Spirit As God can see into the heart of all things so could Adam also doe in which his perfection may very well be observed 18. And Adam and all men should have gone wholly naked as he then went his clothing was the clarity or brightnesse in the vertue or power no heat nor cold touched him he saw day and night cleerly with open eyes in him there was no sleepe and in his minde there was no night for the divine vertue and power was in his eyes and he was altogether perfect he had the Limbus and also the Matrix in himselfe he was no male or Man nor female or Woman as wee in the Resurrection shall be neither though indeed the knowledge of the marks of distinction will remaine in the figure but the Limbus and the Matrix not severed as now they are 19. Now Man was to dwell upon the Earth as long as it was to stand and manage rule and order the beasts and have his delight and recreation therein but he ought not to have eaten any earthly fruit wherein the corruptibility or transitorinesse did stick it is true he should have eaten but onely with the mouth and not into the body for he had no entrailes stomack or guts nor any such hard dark flesh it was all perfect for there grew Paradisicall fruit for him which afterwards went away when he went out of Paradise and then God cursed the Earth and the heavenly Limbus was withdrawne from him together with that fruit and he lost Paradise God and the kingdome of heaven for before sinne when Paradise was upon the Earth the Earth was not bad or evill as now it is 20. If Adam had continued in innocency then he should in all fruits have eaten Paradisicall fruit and his food should have been heavenly and his drink should have been out of the mother of the heavenly water of the source or fountaine of the Eternall life The Out-birth touched him not the element of aire he had no need of in this manner as now t is true he drew breath from the aire but he took his breath from the incorruptibility for he did not mingle with the spirit of this world but his Spirit ruled powerfully over the spirit of this world over the Starres and over the Sunne and Moone and over the Elements 21. This must be Adams condition and thus he was a true and right Image and similitude of God he had no such hard bones in his flesh as wee now have but they were strength and such a kinde of vertue also his bloud
and the Principle of God is close shut up from him and that even to Eternitie 51. To Conclude God will have no fiery Spirit in Paradise they must remaine in the first Principle in the Eternall Darknesse if they had continued as God had created them when the meeknesse shined or appeared to them and had put the Centre of their mindes into the meeknesse then the light of God should for ever have shined through them and they should have eaten of the Verbum Domini the Word of the Lord and they should with the roote of their Originall have stood in the first Principle like God the Father himselfe and with the will in the minde they should have stood in the second Principle thus they should have had a Paradificall source quality or property and an Angelicall will and they should have been friendly in the Limbus of Heaven and in the love of God CHAP. XI Of all Circumstances of the Temptation 1. NOw the Highest Question is What that is which caused the minde of the Devill so to elevate it selfe and that so great a number of them are fallen in the high mindednesse or pride Behold when God set the Fiat in the will and would create Angels then the Spirit first separated all qualities after that manner as now you see there are many kinds of Starres and so the Fiat created them severall Then there were created the Princely Angels and the Throne-Angels according to every Quality as hard soure bitter cold fierce soft and so forth in the Essences till to the end of Nature out of the source of the fire a similitude whereof you have in the Starres how different they are 2. Now the Thrones and Princely Angels are every one of them a great fountaine as you may perceive the Sunne is in respect of the Starres as also in the blossoming Earth The great fountaine veine or Well-spring in the source was in the time of the Fiat in the dark minde the Prince or Throne-Angel There out of each fountaine came forth againe a Centre in many thousand thousands for the Spirit in the Fiat manifested it selfe in the nature of the Darknesse after the manner of the Eternall Wisdome Thus the manifold various properties that were in the whole nature went forth out of one onely Fountaine according to the ability of the eternall wisdome of God or as I may best render it to be understood by a similitude as if one Princely Angel had generated out of himselfe at one time many Angels whereas yet the Prince doth not generate them but the Essences and the qualities goe forth with the Centre in every Essence from the Princely Angels and the Spirit created them with the Fiat and they continue standing essentially Therefore every Host which proceeded out of one and the same fountaine gat a will in the same fountaine which was their Prince as you see how the Starres give all their will into the vertue or power of the Sun of this much must not be said to my Master in Arts he holdeth it impossible to know such things and yet in God all things are possible and to him a thousand yeares are as one day 3. Now of these Princely Angels One is fallen for he stood in the fourth forme of the Matrix of the Genetrix in the dark minde in that place in the minde where the flash of fire taketh its originall with his whole host that was proceeded from him Thus the fiery kinde condition or property moved him to goe above the end of Nature viz. above the heart of God that kinde stood so hard kindled in him 4. For as God said to the Matrix of the Earth Let there come forth all kinds of Beasts and the Fiat created Beasts out of all the Essences and first divided the Matrix and after that the essences and qualities and then he created them out of the divided Matrix male and female But because the creatures were materiall therefore every kinde species or generation must thus propagate it selfe from every Essence but with the Angels not so but their propagation was sudden and swift as Gods thoughts are so were they 5. But this is the Ground every quality or quall or source would be creaturely and the fiery property elevated it selfe too mightily into which Lucifer had brought his will and so it went with Adam as to the Tempting Tree as it is written And God suffered all sorts of Trees to spring up in the Garden of Eden and in the midst of the Garden the Tree of Life and of the knowledge of Good and Evill 6. Moses saith God suffered to spring up out of the Earth all sorts of Trees pleasant to look upon and good for food But here is the vaile in Moses and yet in the Word it is bright cleere and manifest that the fruits were pleasant to behold and good to eate wherein there was no death wrath or corruptibility but it was Paradificall fruit of which Adam could live in clarity or brightnesse in the will of God and in his love in perfection in Eternity onely the Death stuck in the Tree of knowledge of good aod evill that onely was able to bring man into another Image 7. Now wee must needs cleerely conceive or think that the Paradisicall fruit which was Good was not so very earthly for as Moses himselfe saith they were of two sorts the one good to eate and pleasant to behold and the other had the death and corruptibility in it in the Paradisicall fruit there was no death nor corruptibility for if there had been any death or corruptibility therein then Adam had eaten death in all the fruits but seeing there was no death therein therefore the fruit could not be so altogether earthly though indeed it sprung out of the earth yet the divine vertue of the second Principle was imprinted therein and yet they were truly in the third Principle growne or sprung out of the earth which God cursed as to the earthly food that no Paradisicall fruit did grow any more out of the earth 8. Besides if Adam had eaten earthly fruit he must then have eaten it into his body and have had gut or entrailes and how could such a stinck and dung as wee now carry in the body have been in Paradise in the holinesse of God Moreover he should by eating earthly food have eaten of the fruit of the Starres and Elements which would presently have infected or qualified in him as was done in the fall also so his feare over all the beasts would have ceased For the essences of the Beasts would presently have been like the humane essences in vertue and power and one would have domineered more strongly over the other 9. Therefore it was cleane otherwise with Adam he was a heavenly Paradisicall Man he should have eaten of the heavenly Paradisicall fruit and in the vertue or power of that fruit he should have
the Dragon and the Worme would devour and there stood the Virgin upon the earthly Moone and despiseth the earthinesse and treadeth it under feet And so should Adam also have troden the earthinesse underfoot but it overcame him therefore afterwards the childe of the Virgin when it had overcome the tempting Tree must also enter into the first death of the strong fierce wrath in the death and overcome the first Principle 12. For he stood forty dayes in the Temptation in the Wildernes where there was no bread nor drink then came the Tempter and would have brought him from obedience and said He should out of the stones make Bread which was nothing else but that he should leave the heavenly bread which man receiveth in Faith and in a strong confidence in God and put his imagination into the Spirit of this world and live therein 13. But when the childe of the virgin laid the heavenly bread before him and said Man liveth not onely from this world from the earthly eating and drinking then came the second way or kinde of Temptation forth viz. the might power dominion and authority of this world the Prince of the wrath or strong fiercenesse would give him all the power of the Starres and Elements if he would put his imagination into him and pray to or worship him that was the right scourge or whip wherewith Adam was scourged viz. with the might riches and beauty of this world after which at last Adam lusted and was taken But the childe of the Virgin laid before him that the kingdome was not his viz. belonging to the Prince of the fierce strong wrath but it belonged to the word and heart of God he must worship God and serve him onely 14. The third Temptation was the same into which the Devill also was fallen with high mindednesse or pride when he Christ was tempted to have fline from above from the pinnacle of the Temple and should have elevated himselfe above humility and meeknesse for the meeknesse maketh the angry Father in the Originalnesse soft and joyfull so that the Deity thus becometh a soft and pleasant Essence 15. But Lord Lucifer would in the Creation have faine been above the meeknesse of the heart of God above the end of nature therefore he would faine also have perswaded the sonne of the virgin to flie without wings above the end of nature in pride of which shall be handled in its due place at large I have brought this in thus but in briefe that my writing may be the better understood and how it stands with or upon the ground or foundation of the Scripture and is not any new thing neither shall there be any thing new in them but onely the true knowledge in the holy Ghost of the Essence of all Essences Of Adams sleepe 16. Adam had not eaten of the fruit before his sleepe till his wife was created out of him onely his essences and inclination had eate a of it in the spirit by the imagination and not in the mouth and thereupon the spirit of the great world captivated him and mightily qualified in him or infected him and then instantly the Sunne and Starres wrestled with him and all the foure Elements wrestled so mightily and powerfully that they overcame him and so he sunk downe into a sleepe 17. Now to an understanding Man it is very easie to he found and knowne that there neither was nor should be any sleepe in Adam when he was in the Image of God For Adam was such an Image as wee shall be at the resurrection of the Dead where wee shall have no need of the Elements nor of the Sunne nor Starres also of no sleepe but our eyes shall be alwayes open eternally beholding the glory of God from whence will be our meate and drinke and the Centre in the multiplicity or springing up of the Birth affordeth meere delight and joy for God will bring forth out of the earth into the kingdome of Heaven no other kinde of Man than such a one as the first was before the Fall for he was created out of the eternall will of God that will is unchangeable and must stand therefore consider these things deeply 18. O thou deare soule that swimmest in a darke lake incline thy minde to the gate of Heaven and behold what the fall of Adam hath been which God did so greatly loathe that because of it Adam could not continue in Paradise Behold and consider the sleepe and so you shall finde it all Sleepe is nothing else but an overcoming for the Sunne and the Starres are still in a mighty strife and the Element of water viz. the Matrix is too weake for the fire and the Starres for that Element is the being overcome in the Centre of Nature as you finde before in many places 19. And the light of the Sunne is as it were a God in the Nature of this world and by its vertue and influence it continually kindleth the Starres or Constellations whereby the Starres or Constellations which are of a very terrible and anguishing Essence continually exult in triumph very joyfully For it the Sunne is an essence like the light of God which kindleth and enlighteneth the dark minde of the Father from whence by the light there ariseth the divine Joy in the Father 20. And so it the Sunne maketh a triumphing or rising to be in the Matrix of the Water alwayes like a seething for the Starres altogether cast their vertue or influence into the Matrix of the water as being therein in like manner also now the Matrix of the water is continually seething and rising from whence cometh the growing in Trees plants grasse and Beasts for the uppermost Regiment or Dominion of the Sunne and Starres and also of the Elements ruleth in all creatures and it is a blossome or bud from them and without their power there would be in this world in the third Principle no life nor mobility in any manner of thing nothing excepted 21. But the living Creatures as Men Beasts and fowles have the tincture in them for in the beginning they were an Extraction taken from the quality of the Starres and Elements by the Fiat and in the tincture there standeth the continuall kindling fire which continually draweth the vertue or Oleum the Oyle out of the Water from whence cometh the bloud in which the noble life standeth 22. Now the Sunne and the Starres or Constellations continually kindle the Tincture for it is fiery and the Tincture kindleth the body with the Matrix of the water so that they are alwayes boyling rising and seething The Starres or Constellations and the Sun are the fire of the Tincture and the Tincture is the fire of the body and so all are seething and therefore when the Sunne is underneath so that its beames or shining is no more upon a thing then the Tincture
search into the beginning and kindling of life wee finde strongly with cleere evidences all manner of faculties or members so that when the cleere light of the soule kindleth then the Fiat standeth in very great joy and in the twinckling of an eye doth in the Matrix sever the pure from the impure of which the Tincture of the soule in the light is the worker which there reneweth it but the Fiat createth it 15. And now when the soure harsh Matrix is made so very humble thin and sweet by the light the sterne or strong horrour which was so very poysonous before the light kindled flieth upward for it is terrified at the meeknesse of the Matrix and it is a terrour of great joy yet it retaineth its strong or sterne right or property and cannot be changed neither can it get farre from thence for it is withheld by the Fiat but it raiseth it selfe suddenly aloft and the terrour maketh it a filme from the soure or harsh Fiat which holdeth the terrour fast and that is now the Gall of the heart 16. But when the Matrix from which the terrour was gone forth was thus loosed from the terrour of the anxiety and became so very sweet like sweet-water then the spirit of the great world figured or imprinted it selfe instantly in the Matrix and filleth the foure Elements also within it and thinketh with it selfe now I have the sweet virgin and the Fiat createth it and severeth the Elements which also are in strife and each of them would have the virgin and are in a wrestling till they one overcome another and that the fire being the mightiest and the most strong stay above and the water sink down and the earth being a hard grosse thing must stay below But the fire will have a Region of its own 17. For it saith I am the Spirit and the life I will dwell in the virgin and the soure harsh Fiat attracteth all to it and maketh it a Mesch Massa concretion and moreover it maketh it flesh and the fire keepeth the uppermost Region viz. the heart for the foure Elements sever themselves by their strife and every one of them maketh it selfe a severall Region and the Fiat maketh all to be flesh onely the Aire would have no flesh for it said I dwell in no house and the Fiat said I have created thee thou art mine and closed it in with an inclosure that is the bladder 18. Now the other Regions set themselves in order first the sterne flash that is the Gall and beneath the flash the fire whose Region is the heart and beneath the fire the water whose Region is the Liver and beneath the water the earth whose Region is in the Lungs 19. And so every Element qualifieth or acteth in its own source or manner of operation and one could doe nothing without the other neither could one have any mobility without the other for one generateth the other and they goe all foure out of one Originall and it is in its Birth but one onely thing or substance as I have mentioned before at large about the Creation concerning the birth of the foure Elements 20. The soure strong or bitter Gall viz. the terrible poysonous flash of fire kindleth the warmth in the heart or the fire and is it selfe the cause from whence all else take their Originall 21. Here we finde againe in our consideration the lamentable and horrible fall in the Incarnation because when the light of life riseth up and when the Fiat in the Tincture of the spirit of the soule reneweth the Matrix then the Fiat thrusteth the death of the stifling choaking checking or stopping and perishing in the sternnesse viz. the impurity of the stifled or checked bloud from it selfe out of its Essences and casteth it away and will not endure it in the body but as a superfluity the Fiat it selfe driveth it out and of its cough glutinous sourenesse maketh an enclosure round about it viz. a filme or gut that it may touch neither the flash nor the spirit and leaveth the nethermost port open for it and banisheth it eternally because that impurity doth not belong to this Kingdome as it happened also to the earth when the Fiat thrust it out of the Matrix in the middest in the Centre upon a heape as a lump being it was unfit for heaven so also here 22. And we finde greater mysteries yet in evidence of the horrible fall for after that the foure Elements had thus set themselves every one in a severall Region then they made themselves Lords over the spirit of the soule which was generated out of the Essences and they have taken it into their power and qualifie with it The fire viz. the mightiest of them hath taken it into its Region or jurisdiction in the Heart and there it must keepe and the blossom and light thereof goeth out of the heart and moveth upon the heart as the kindled light of a Candle where the Candle resembleth the fleshly heart with the Essences out of which the light shineth And the fire hath set it selfe over the Essences and continually reacheth after the light and it supposeth that it hath the virgin viz. the Divine vertue or power 23. And there the holy Tincture is generated out of the Essences which regardeth not the fire but setteth the Essences viz. the soule in its pleasant joy Then come the other three Elements out of their Regions and fill themselves also by force therein each of them would taste of the virgin receive her and qualifie or mingle with her viz. the water that filleth it selfe by force also therein and it tasteth the sweet Tincture of the soule and the fire saith I would willingly keepe the water for I can quench my thirst therewith and refresh my selfe therein And the Aire saith I am indeed the spirit I will blow up thy heate and fire that the water doe not choake thee And the fire saith to the Aire I will keepe thee for thou upholdest my quality for mee that I also goe not out And then cometh the Element of Earth and saith What will you three doe alone you will starve and consume one another for you depend all three on one another and devour your selves and when you shall have consumed the water then you extinguish for the aire cannot move unlesse it have some water for the water is the mother of the aire which generateth the aire Moreover the fire becometh much too fierce violent and eagar if the water be consumed and consumeth the body and then our Region is out and none of us can subsist 24. Then thus say the three Elements the fire the aire and the water to the Earth Thou art indeed too dark too rough and too cold and thou art rejected by the Fiat wee cannot take thee in thou destroyest our dwelling and makest it dark
Trees and Fruits had Paradisicall Essences 25. In this Garden now the Image of God stood altogether free it might embrace and take what it would onely the Tree of Temptation that was forbidden there he was forty dayes in the Paradisicall knowledge joy and habitation where yet there was neither day nor night to him but onely the Eternity he saw with his eyes from or out of the Divine Power and vertue there was in him no shutting of his eyes he had no need of the Sunne at all yet all things must serve and be subject to him The Out Birth or issue of the foure Elements did not touch him there was no sleepe in him nor paine nor feare A thousand yeares were to him but as a day he was such an Image as shall rise at the last day there will rise no other Image than that which God created in the beginning therefore consider it well 26. But that I have said that he was forty dayes in the Paradise the second Adams Christs Temptation testifieth so much to mee as also the temptation of Israel at Mount Sinai by Moses stayings on the Mount both which lasted forty dayes which you may reade in Moses and concerning the Temptation of Christ and you will finde wonders 27. But when Adam was infected from the lust to eate of the knowledge of good and evill and that the Spirit of this world pressed or swayed Adam where also the subtill Devill which in the Spirit of this world slipt in shot mightily at Adam so that Adam became weary and blinde to the Kingdome of God then said God It is not good for man to be alone for he will not now bring forth the Paradisicall virgin because he is infected from the Spirit of this world so that the chastity of the modesty is quite at an end wee will make help for him to be with him out of whom he may build his Principality and propagate himselfe it cannot be otherwise now and he let a deepe sleep fall upon Man and he slept 28. Here it may be very properly and well understood how the virgin in Adam departed into the Ether into her Principle for the Text saith God let a deep sleepe fall upon Adam now where sleepe is there the vertue or power of God is hidden in the Centre for where that vertue of God groweth there is no sleepe for the Keeper of Israel neither slumbreth nor sleepeth as it is written If thou askest How long Adam slept 29. Then consider Christs Rest in the Grave and thou shalt finde the ground for the second Adam must with his resurrection out of the Grave awaken or raise the first out of his Eternall sleepe of the darknesse of Hell out of the Grave of this world againe 30. And so God in his sleepe made the Woman for him out of himselfe by which he must now generate his kingdome for now it could not otherwise be And when he awaked he saw her and tooke her to him and said This is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone for Adam was in his sleepe become cleane another Image for God had permitted the Spirit of this world in him to make his Tincture weary unto sleepe 31. Adam was in an Angelicall forme before the sleepe but after the sleepe he had flesh and bloud and he was in his flesh a lump of earth and he saw from a threefold spirit with his eyes he apprehended the light of the Sunne and knew the first Image no more although the foure Elements had not yet fallen upon him nor touched him for he was yet in innocency 32. And there the Devill bestirred him and slipt into the Serpent which he himselfe is in his own proper forme and laid himselfe at the Tree and strewed Sugar upon it for he saw well that Eve was a Woman and that shee was infected with the foure Elements and although shee did strive a little and objected Gods Command against the Devill yet shee suffered her selfe very easily to be perswaded when the lying Spirit said That the fruit would make her wise and that her eyes should be opened and shee be as God knowing Good and Evill yet he told her not that if shee eate thereof shee must dye but he said shee should be wise and faire which disease desire or lust sticketh still in the braines of the Woman that shee would faine be the fayrest Beast 33. So shee pulled off an Apple and did eate and gave to Adam also and he eate of it likewise That was a bit at which the Heavens might well have blushed and the Paradise have trembled as it was indeed really done as is to be seene at the Death of Christ when he entered into Death and wrestled with Hell that the Earth and the Elements trembled and the light of the Sunne was darkened when this bit of the Apple was to be healed up The Gate of the great Affliction and Misery of Man 34. Reason sticketh at the vaile of Moses and seeth not through the Tables that were graven-through which God gave him upon Mount Sinai as also Reason cannot take off the vaile from before his eyes and look him in the face for he hath a brightned clarified or shining countenance in the crack of the fire it Reason is afraid of it that countenance and trembleth at it it saith continually to Moses Speake thou with the Lord for wee are afraid and moreover altogether naked and uncleane 35. In presenteth indeed the wrath of God to it selfe and trembleth at its fall but it knoweth not what hath hapned to it it onely presents the disobedience before it selfe and maketh as if God were an angry malicious Devill that cannot be reconciled having indeed put on the Garment of anger in Adam and Eve on to it selfe in body and soule and hath set it selfe against the will of God in the Bath or Lake of anger on which God took such pitty or compassion that he hath not spared his own Heart to send it into the depth of Anger into the Abysse of Hell as also into the Death and breaking of the foure Elements from the eternall holy Element to help fallen Man and to deliver him out of the anger and Death 36. But since the vaile in the Death of Christ was taken away from the face of Moses in the stead whereof the starres with the foure Elements have yet cast a myst and cloud through the infection of the Devill before Man for the Region of this world hath generated the Antichrist and set him before the countenance of Moses in a cloud as if he were Christ so that the countenance of Moses cannot be apprehended or beheld therefore wee have need of the Lilly which groweth through the Tables of Moses that were graven through with its strong smell which reacheth into the Paradise of God from whose vertue the People or Nations shall be so vertuous and strong that they shall
Councell of the Starres which run many upon the sword and make them lay violent hands upon themselves and bring some to a Rope others to the water and there he is very busie and is the Driver or Executioner 68. Into this great misery Man is fallen and he is fallen quite home to the kingdome of the Starres and Elements as to his body what these doe with him that he is and that standeth in the substance they make one great another small one straight another stooping and crooked they send one fortune and riches and another poverty of one they make a crafty subtill Man according to the counsell and kingdome of this world and of another they make an Ideot they make one a King and they breake and pull downe another one they kill another they bring into the world and continually drive the minde of Man yet into nothing else but into vaine turmoile discontent and vexation 69. Besides the kingdome of Hell and of fierce wrath alwayes gape after the soule and set their jawes wide open to devoure the captive soule which is held fast fettered with two strong chaines the one of the kingdome of Hell the other of the Kingdome of this world and is continually led by the heavy lumpish beastiall and sickly body as a Theefe who is often led to the place of Execution and still by a Petition reprieved and said in prison againe and the poore soule must lye thus in Prison the whole time of the body where the Devill on the one side very suddenly rusheth upon it with his devouring fiercenesse wrath and malice and would carry it into the Abysse then instantly it is beat upon by the glistering flattering world with pomp bravery covetousnesse and voluptuousnesse of Perdition presently againe cometh upon it sicknesse and feare and it is continually trembling and quaking and when Man goeth but in the dark how is it amazed and continually afraid that the Executioner will take it and doe execution upon it The Gate or Exposition of the great sinne and contrariety of will against God in Man 70. If wee did well consider the abominations and great sinnes of Man before God which our first Parents inherited for us then wee should scarce ever be merry in this world at all if the Spirit of this world did not cast foolish fancies and seeming joyes and pleasures before us in our imprisonment or if the Regeneration did not cause us so highly to rejoyce that wee shall once be delivered out of this Prison for in this life wee finde nothing else but meere abomination sinne misery and death and scarce attaine in this temporary life so much as a glimpse of the Eternall Joy 71. Now the minde asketh What is sinne then How is it sinne Wherefore hath God a loathing against the substance which he hath created Behold thou childe of Man there is no sinne in Heaven in the presence of God onely in thy selfe there is sinne and sinne seperateth us and our God asunder otherwise all things are fix or perfect and good in their own beeing or substance the kingdome of Hell and of wrath is good in it selfe according to its own Region it doth not vex or torment it selfe but its woe paine or smart is its birth and the rising of its source also it desireth nothing else 72. And so also the Kingdome of this world is fix or perfect and good in it selfe neither doth it vex or torment it selfe but the elevating of the Elements viz. the kindling of the heate cold aire and water is its growing and springing neither doth it torment it selfe in it selfe nor hath it any distresse or feare in it selfe 73. Onely Man who is proceeded out of another Principle hath in both those forementioned Principles woe misery sorrow and distresse for he is not in his native Countrey and none of these two Principles can attaine his native Countrey Therefore the poore soule must be thus plagued and tormented that it may attaine its native Countrey againe it must goe againe through the Gate of the deep anguish of Death it must breake through two kingdomes and it sticketh here between the Doore and the hinges and is continually infected with those things which keep it back and plague it it sticketh as it were in a Presse 74. If it straineth to God ward then the Devill holdeth it on one side with one Band and the world with another Band and they set upon it the Devill handleth it in fiercenesse sternnesse frowardnesse or wrath which is a source or quality and sinne which cannot attaine to the kingdome of God and the world leadeth it into pride covetousnesse and fleshly lust so that the Essences of the soule grow full or impregnated with the fleshly will for the will of the minde draweth these things into the soule and so the soule from that which is attracted becometh wholly uncleane swelled and dark and cannot attaine the light of God its Essences that should give up themselves to God cannot for they are too rough and cannot get into the light that kindleth not it selfe in its Essences the Gates of the Deepe must be broken open first and then the Essences of the soule may presse into the liberty without the darknesse but if the minde be filled then it cannot come into the liberty and then begin horrour feare distresse and despaire of the kingdome of God and this maketh meere torment woe paine and smart in the soule 75. Thus thou shalt know in what manner it is sinne before God thou hast in thy selfe the one eternall pure Element which is a joy in the presence of God and now if thou rage and rave with the source quality or property of Hell then thou touchest or troublest the Element and thou stirrest up the wrath and makest it to goe forth and thou doest as the Devill did when he awakened or stirred up and kindled the fierce wrath in the Fiat whereby the fiercenesse generated earth and stones thou sinnest piercing into the Heaven in the presence of God upon which the Prophets complained in many places That the disobedient did grieve their God though in himselfe he felt no paine yet his wrath was kindled in the first Principle in the Gate of the Deepe wherein the soule standeth and that is a meere abomination before him 76. Behold all whatsoever thou lettest into thy minde if thy soule be not inclined or yeelded up to God so that it beleeveth and trusteth in him then all whatsoever thou doest is sinne for thou bringest an earthly Minde into the Gate of the Deepe where the Spirit of God moveth walketh or goeth and thou defilest the Element which is in the presence of God 77. Thou wilt say How God dwelleth in Heaven O! thou blinde Minde full of Darknesse the Heaven where God dwelleth is also in thee as Adam was both upon Earth and also in Paradise at once and give
erect a light and office of Preaching that the world might learne from them But all availed nothing the Starres ruled Men according to their source or quality in meere covetousnesse unchastity and pride which was indeed so very great that they purposed to build a Tower whose top should reach to Heaven such blinde people they were as to the kingdome of God 27. And then God confounded their Language that they might yet see that they had onely confounded senses or thoughts and should turne them to God that they also might see that they did not understand the Language of the Saints or holy people of the stock of Sem and that they must be scattered abroad over the whole world so that a holy seede might be preserved and that all might not perish but it availed not they were wicked 28. Then God out of the fiercenesse of the first Principle burnt Sodom and Gomorrah those five kingdomes with fire for a Terrour but it availed not sinne grew like a greene Branch And then God promised the chosen Generation that if they would walke before him he would blesse them as the Starres of Heaven and make them so great that they should not be numbered and yet there were still among them evill Birds hatched And then God brought them into a strange Land and prospered them to try whether they would acknowledge his goodnesse and depend on him but they were yet worse 29. Then God did stirre up a Prophet among them even Moses who gave them Lawes and sharp Doctrines as Nature required and these were given them through the Spirit of the great world in zeale in the fire Yet seeing they would live still in the roughnesse therefore they were tryed or tempted to see whether they would live in the Father and God gave them Bread from Heaven and fed them forty yeares to try what manner of people they would be and whether they would by any meanes be brought to cleave to God he gave them Ordinances and Customes to observe in meats and drinks and also a Priestly Order with heavy and hard precepts and punishments which he published also to them but it availed not they were onely wicked and walked in the Dominion or Regiment of the Starres and yet far worse they walked altogether according to the wrathfulnesse of Hell 30. And there is a great matter for us to see in the severall Meats which God forbad them especially Swines flesh whose source quality or property will not subsist in the fire but affordeth onely a stinck and so it doth also in the fire of the soule which reacheth or stirreth the Originality of the first Principle from whence the first Principle in the soule stincketh or maketh a stinck which is contrary to the Word and the noble virgin and it maketh the Gates of the breaking through into the light swelled thick misty fumy and dark for the soule is also a fire which burneth and if it receive such a source quality or property then that darkeneth it the more and burneth in the vapour like a flash of lightening as may be seene in the fat of swine for which cause God did forbid it them 31. And there was no other cause of their employment about offering sacrifice than because Man was earthly and so the Word standing neere the soule in the Gate of the light of life he heard their Prayers through the earthly source quality or property of their smells or Incense and so they had a token in the fire that their prayer was acceptable to God as may be seene in many places in Moses which shall be expounded in its due place 32. And there is a very great matter to be seene in Moses concerning his brightened face where it was tryed whether it were possible that the soule could be ransomed by the Fathers clarity or brightnesse in the fire if they did live in his Law which was sharp and consuming and a great piercing to the soule but it was in vaine it might not be 33. And there the noble virgin in the Spirit of the Prophets did point at the seede of the Woman at his Incarnation or becoming Man his suffering and dying for the poore soule of Man that it might be delivered from the Eternall Death and be regenerated anew in the Sonne of the virgin which was done after three thousand nine hundred and seventy yeares and then the Word of the Promise which God promised to Adam and Eve in the Paradise in the Garden of Eden when they fell into sinne and which Imaged or imprinted it selfe in the Centre of the life through which all Men that come to God are justified became Man 34. It continued a long time in the Covenant of Circumcision in the life and light of the Father with the shadows and types of the Incarnation of the Sonne But these could not reach the earnestnesse of the coming againe of the body out of the grave But the Word must become Man if Man must rise againe out of the grave It the Covenant ransomed the soule indeed so that it could stand before the Father in the Gate of the corruptibility in the fire of the sharpnesse but not in the pleasant Joy before the light of the holy Trinity and besides it could not bring the new body forth out of the Element for it was defiled too much with sinne 35. Thus in that fore-mentioned yeare the Angel Gabriel came being sent of God the Father to Nazareth to a poore yet chast and modest virgin called Mary her name signifieth plainly in the Language of Nature A Redemption out of the valley of misery and though it be plaine that wee are not borne of the High Schooles with many Languages yet wee have the Language of Nature in our Schoole of Wonders or Miracles fixed stedfast or perfect which the Master of Art in his Pontificalibus will not beleeve and he Greeted her through God and brought the Eternall Command of the Father out of his will and said to her Haile full of grace the Lord is with thee thou blessed among Women And when shee looked upon him shee was terrified at his saying and considered in her thoughts what manner of salutation this was And the Angel said to her feare not Mary thou hast found Grace with God behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb or body and beare a sonne whose name thou shalt call Jesus he shall be great and be called the sonne of the most High and God the LORD will give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall be King over the house of Jacob Eternally and of his Kingdome there will be no end Then said Mary to the Angel How shall that come to passe since I know not a Man And the Angel answered to her and said the Holy Ghost will come upon thee and the vertue or power of the most High will overshadow
hath graciously bestowed a Rose upon us of which wee will write in such words as wee behold in that Wonder and wee cannot write otherwayes but our Pen is broken and the Rose taken from us and then wee are as wee were before the time of our knowledge whereas yet the Rose standeth in the Centre of Paradise in the hand of the virgin which shee reacheth forth to us in the same place where shee came to us in the Gate of the Deepe and proffered us her love when wee lay on the Mountaine towards the North in the strife and storme before Babell which virgin our Earthly Man hath never seene nor knowne 59. Therefore wee write out of a Schoole wherein the earthly body with its senses never studied nor never learned the A B C for in the Rose of the virgin wee learned that A B C which we supposed wee could have learned from the thoughts of the Minde but that could not be they were too rough and too dark they could not comprehend it and therefore the earthly body must not learne in this Schoole and its tongue cannot raise it selfe up to it for the minde of this Schoole stood hidden in the Gate of the Deepe in the Centre therefore wee ought not to boast of this Schoole at all for it is not the proper one of the senses or thoughts and minde of the earthly Man and if wee goe forth from the Centre of the noble virgin then wee know as little from this Schoole as others just as it was with Adam when he went out of the Paradise of God into the sleepe of being overcome then at his awaking in this world he knew no more of Paradise and he knew his loving virgin no more 60. Therefore wee have no ability might nor understanding in our earthly Will to teach of the Wonders of God wee understand nothing thereof according to our in-bred nature and none ought to require any thing from our owne will for wee have nothing in it 61. But the Spirit intimateth that if you shall goe out from Babell into the meeknesse of Jesus Christ then the Spirit in Hebron will give you Teachers with great power at whose Power the Elements will tremble and the Gates of the Deep flie open and thou shalt goe out from Lazarus his sicknesses and sores through the word and wonders of these men for the time is neere the Bridegroom cometh to fetch home his Bride 62. And now if wee consider in our own Reason and in the consideration of our high knowledge look upon what the world at Babell hath introduced in this high Article of Prayer whereof wee are about to treate in that Antichrist hath set himselfe therein and shewed his great Power therein then our Reason might well keepe us back because of the great sting and danger that might befall us from the fierce wrath of Antichrist But seeing it appeareth to us without our knowledge therefore wee will rather obey the voice of God than the earthly feare in hope to be recompenced And though it should happen that Antichrist should destroy our earthly body which yet standeth in the permission of God which wee must not withstand yet wee will more highly esteeme that which is to come than that which is transitory which things to come if wee attaine them are our true Native Countrey out of which wee in Adam are gone forth and the Spirit inviteth all mens attention before this Glasse 63. Hitherto the honour of Invocation or worship hath been done and afforded to the virgin Mary and other Saints or holy People that have been here in this life whereas yet in the ground of the light of Nature this Command or Law was not knowne at all and it is most highly necessary to be knowne that the ground thereof hath been taken in the confused Babell when men were weary of the poore Christ who in this world had not whereon to lay his Head then they did as Israel with Moses who made themselves a Calfe to be their God and said Behold Israel these are thy Gods which brought thee out of the land of Egypt and they made a calvish worship of God for their voluptuous life and looked no more after Moses but they said Wee know not what is become of this man Moses and they said to Aaron Make thou us Gods which may goe before us and he made them the Calfe but when Moses came and saw it then he was wrath and took the Tables of God and brake them and threw them away and said Hearken yee that belong unto the Lord Gird every Man his sword to his side and slay his brother the worshippers of the Calfe 64. In such a forme or condition also is the confused Babell in the kingdome of Christ upon Earth in the blind earnestnesse of mans own reason where men seek Christ in the kingdome of this world whereby they could not finde him as Israel could not finde Moses while he was on the Mount And thereupon they have made other Gods to goe before them and have instituted and set up their Divine-service or worship of God with the richest and costliest Ornaments and holy shew and they continually say in their minde Wee know not what is become of this Jesus for he is gone from us wee will erect a Divine-service for him in our Countrey and wee will make merry at it and that shall be done according to our own will and pleasure that wee may be rich and fat with it and refresh our selves fully with this Jesus 65. Are wee not Lords in his Kingdome And being in his Ministry service or worship wee are the most holy and best who may compare himselfe with us He is ascended into Heaven and he hath given us his Dominion on Earth The Keyes of Peter he must be Deputy Viceroy Vicar or Keeper of the City and those he hath left us to open the Kingdome of Heaven and of Hell who will take them away from us we can get into Heaven well enough though wee be evill it matters not wee have the Keys that can open it wee are Priests in Power or Ministers having Authority wee will set those in that make much of us fatten us and give much to our Kingdome and then the Christian Church will be in great honour glory and esteeme when they so highly honour her Ministers or servants that will well please our Lord and Master where is there such a Kingdome as we have should not that Kingdome he crowned with the gloriousest Crowne of this world and should not all bend and croutch before it 66. Yes indeed say they wee our selves confesse that wee are evill wicked Men but this Order maketh us holy our Office is holy wee are the true Ministers of Christ in his service and although wee be evill meere naturall wicked carnall Men yet our Office remaineth holy and the highest dignity is due to us for
They make no intercession for thee neither doth it availe any thing for thou must be Regenerated anew through earnest sorrow and repentance thou must light downe from off thy Beast and must goe on foote with Christ over the Brooke Kidron into his sufferings and Death and through him thou must rise againe out of his Grave thou thy selfe must come to this another cannot save thee thou must enter into the Birth of Jesus Christ and with him be conceived by the Holy Ghost thy soule must in the Word and in the New Man Christ in the one Eternall Element be borne or brought forth out of the foure Elements into the water of the Element of Eternall Life thy Antichristian fained Fables help thee not for it is said such beliefe as a People have such a God also they have to blesse them 76. But that thy Predecessours after their Death have appeared in Deeds of Wonder upon which thou buildest that was caused by the Faith of the Living and their Imaging in or impresse upon their Tincture which is so strong that it can remove Mountaines An evill Faith also if it be strong can in the first Principle stirre up Wonders as may be seene by Incantation and by the wicked shewers of signes before Pharaoh as they beleeved so it was done 77. And while the Faith of the Living at the time of thy forefathers was yet somewhat good and pure as to the kingdome of God still and they did not seek their Bellies and pomp as they doe now therefore their Faith or Beliefe pierced into the Heaven into the pure Element to the Saints or holy soules who thus did also naturally appeare with Works of Wonders or Miracles to the Living Saints in their Element in the strong Faith which Works of Wonder were onely comprehended or taken hold of in the Faith and that not imparted to the ungodly 78. For one Tincture caught hold of the other so that the Saints departed in the Element became longing after the strong faith especially those Saints departed that on Earth had turned many to Righteousnesse for as every ones works of Faith follow after them so also their will to turne more Men still followeth after them and therefore one Faith in the Tincture of the Holy Element caught the other and so Miracles or Works of Wonder were done at the Memorialls of the Saints this God permitted for the Heathens sakes that they might see that the Saints that were slaine or departed were in God and that there was another life after this that they should turne and be converted and therefore God suffered these works of wonder to be done 79. But in the Ground of the Originality it is not so that one that is departed hath power to help one that is living into the kingdome of Heaven or that they should undertake to bring and report the miseries of the living before God and pray for them for that were a great disrespect to the Heart of God which without intercession or their prayer powreth forth his Mercy over all Men with stretched out Armes and his voyce is never any other than onely thus Come yee all to mee yee hungry and thirsty and I will refresh you Matth. 11. He said Come to mee I will doe it willingly Also It is delight to mee to doe well to the Children of Men. 80. Who is it that will presume to undertake to stand before the source or spring of the Mercifulnesse and make intercession or pray for one that invocateth them As if the Love in the Heart of God were dead and did not desire to helpe those that call to him whereas his Armes continually without end stand stretched out to help all those that turne to him with their whole Heart 81. Thou wicked Antichrist thou sayest that faith alone doth not justifie the soule but thy invented works for thy avarice or covetousnesse these must doe the Deed wherein wilt thou be regenerated in thy Mausim or Belly-God or through the Birth of Jesus Christ Which is neerest of all to the Deity thy works passe away and follow thee in the shadow yet the soule hath no need of any shadow but it must be earnest it must enter in through the Gates of the Deepe and must passe through the Centre of the grimme fiercenesse of Death through the wrath of the Eternall Band to the meeke Incarnation of Jesus Christ and become a member of the body of Christ and receive of his fulnesse and live therein his Death must be thy Death his Essences must flow in thee and thou must live in his source property or vertue thus thou must be regenerated anew in him if thou wilt stand before his Father else nothing will help if there had been any thing in the whole depth of the Deity that could have helped God would have bestowed it upon Adam and would not have let his Heart against the course of Nature to become Man But there was no Counsell or Remedy neither in Heaven not in this world except God did become Man Therefore be thou in earnest and doe not seeke by-wayes to Babell 82. God indeed in former times permitted much for the conversion-sake of the Heathen but he hath not ordained the Antichrist to be so in his Covetousnesse Ordinances or Lawes and brabble in their Councells where Men have stopped the mouth of the Spirit of God that it should speak no more but that the Spirit of this world should speake and build a Kingdome of Heaven upon Earth in Lawes Disputations and great talkings and therefore that Kingdome of Heaven upon earth must be bound up with precious Oaths or Covenants because it stood not in the Liberty of the Holy Ghost that so it might be fatt and lusty great and wanton and never be broken But it is come to be a Babell of Confusion thereby and in the Confusion it breaketh or destroyeth it selfe 83. If now thou wilt behold the virgin Mary with her Sonne Jesus Christ then thou shalt finde that shee hath been justified and saved through her Sonne although shee is come into great Perfection as a Bright Morning Starre above other Starres and therefore also the Angel called her blessed among Women and said The Lord is with thee But shee hath not the Divine Omnipotence 84. For the Word which God promised in the Garden of Eden sprung and budded in the light of her life in the Centre of God and when the Angel Gabriel from the Command of the Father stirred that Word of the promise with the Message then it let it selfe into the chast virgin in the Element in and not so wholly and altogether into the soule of the virgin or into the earthly body that shee was Deified no for Christ himselfe saith None goeth into Heaven but the Sonne of Man who is come from Heaven and who is in Heaven all others must goe through him into Heaven he
in the Gate of the Heaven and their departure from the body is a very pleasant entring into the Element before God into a still Rest expecting their bodies without irksom longing where then the Paradise shall flourish againe which the soule tasteth very well but effecteth no source or worke till the first Adam as he was before the Fall be againe upon it 26. These holy soules works also follow them in their Tincture of the Spirit of the soule in the holy Element so that they see and know how much good they have wrought here and their highest delight and desire is still continually in their Love to doe more good although without the Paradisicall body which they shall then first attaine at the Restoration they worke nothing but their source qualitie or property is meere delight and soft welfare 27. Yet you are to know that the holy soules are not so voyde of ability or power for their Essences are out of the strong Might of God out of the first Principle although because of their great humility towards God they doe not use that might whereas they continually expect their bodies in that still rest with great humility and yet their love and delight is so very great that at severall times they have wrought great Wonders or Miracles among the faithfull upon Earth which faithfull People so vigorously set their love and desire in them that one holy Tincture took hold of the other and so through the Faith of the Living wonders are thus done for there is nothing impossible to Faith 28. And it is not hard for the holy soules which are departed from the body to appeare to a strong Faith of one that is Living for the firme faith of the living if it be borne of God reacheth also unto the kingdome of Heaven into the holy Element where the seperated soules have their Rest 29. And now if the deceased or seperated soule was here in this world a Candlestick and a declarer of the Name of God and that it hath turned many unto Righteousnesse then it appeareth also to the Living Saints which incline their Faith so strongly to them and it is not a jot harder now than in former times when in the times of the Saints great Wonders were done for the Faith of the Living and the Love of the seperated soules towards the Beleeving Saints hath wrought them in the strong Might of God and God hath permitted it for the conversion of People that they might see the great Might of those that were deceased in God and that they are and live in another kingdome that so they might be assured of the Resurrection of the Dead by the great Miracles of the deceased soules All which in generall were put to Death for the witnesse of Jesus that the Heathen and all People might thereby see what manner of Reward the holy People had when they laid downe their life for the Testimony of Christ by whose example many People also were converted 30. But now that a Babell of confusion is come out of this in that it is come so farre that the Saints departed are invocated or worshipped as Intercessours to God and that Divine honour is done them this the holy soules departed are not guilty of neither here they desired any such thing neither doe they present the miseries and necessities of Men before God But the fault lyeth in the forged Superstition of the wicked deceitfull Antichrist who hath founded his Stoole of Pride thereon not as a living Saint which with the holy inclineth himselfe to God but as an earthly God he thereby arrogateth Divine Omnipotence to himselfe and yet hath none but is the greedy covetous proud Anti-christ riding upon the strong Beast of this world 31. The soules departed doe not present our wants before God for God is neerer to us than the soules departed are and besides if they should doe so then they must have bodies as also Paradisicall sources or flowing properties springing up and working whereas they are in the still humility and meeke Rest and doe not suffer our soure miseries to enter into them but one holy Tincture taketh hold of another to increase the love and delight But they make not of Christ their Great Prince a Deafe Hearer as if he did neither heare feele nor see any thing himselfe who stretcheth out his armes and himselfe without ceasing calleth with his holy Spirit and inviteth all the children of Men to the wedding he will readily accept all if they would but come 32. How then should a soule come before Christ and pray for a Living Invocatour whereas Christ himselfe doth stand and invite Men and is himselfe the atonement of the anger in the Father For the Father hath given Men to the Sonne as himselfe witnesseth They were thine and thou hast given them to mee and I will that they be with mee and see my Glory which thou hast given mee 33. O thou confounded Babell goe out from Antichrist and come with a penitent heart and minde before thy mercifull Brother and Saviour of all Men he will more readily heare thee than thou come to him Step onely out of this wicked Babell into a new Birth and be not so much in love with the kingdome of this world thou art but a meere Guest and stranger in it what availeth thee thy transitory honour from men which scarce lasteth one moment Thou shalt indeed get much greater surpassing joy and honour in the new Regeneration where the holy soules in the Heaven and the Angels will rejoyce with thee Consider what joy and gladnesse thou wilt stirre up thereby in the Heart of Jesus Christ where then instantly the precious Talent the Holy Ghost will be given thee and thou wilt get the Keys of the Kingdome of Heaven that thou thy selfe mayst open it or dost thou think it is not true doe but seek and try with an earnest minde and thou wilt finde wonders indeed thou thy selfe shalt know understand and without any doubt at all assuredly see in thy minde out of what Schoole this is written 34. Now the minde thinketh that if all the workes of a soule which it wrought here shall follow it in the figure then how shall it be if a soule here hath for a long time committed great abominations then they will be great shame to it if they must stand in the figure before its eyes This is a great stumbling block of the Devills which plagueth the poore soule and usually forceth it thereby into despaire so that it selfe continually presenteth its sinnes before it and despaireth of the Grace of God 35. Now behold thou beloved soule who art dearly redeemed by thy Saviour Jesus Christ with his entrance into the humanity and with his entrance into the Abysse of Hell and plucked off from the Kingdome of the Devill in the Might of the Father and sealed with his bloud and Death and covered with his
had seven seales or seven Spirits of the Birth of God and opened them where the Elders fell down before him and worshipped the Lamb that was slaine and gave praise and honour to him which sate upon the Throne because the Champion of the House of Israel had overcome The seven Golden Candlesticks are his Humanity the seven Starres are his Deity as the Divine Birth in it selfe standeth in a sevenfold forme as it is expounded in the beginning of this Book in the first foure Chapters 43. Thus Moses hath a vayle before his eyes and if thou wouldst see his face then thou must onely set Christ thy Champion before thee that he may lift up his vayle and then thou shalt see that Moses hath no Hornes but that he is a patient Lamb fast bound to the Death of Christ and that his vayle was the Book that was shut so that wee could not be well enough till the Champion came and brake its seven seales with his entring into Death and there the vayle or covering was done away and in that Book there stood the holy Gospel of the Kingdome of God which our worthy Conquerour Jesus Christ hath left us 44. Now when Adam and Eve went out of the Garden they kept together as now married People doe and now would make tryall of their beastiall condition to trie what wonders might proceed from them and the Spirit of the great world did well enough teach them in their Reason what they were to doe And Adam knew his wife Eve and shee conceived and bare a sonne and called him Cain for shee said I have a Man from the Lord These are sealed words which Moses writeth that shee said I have a Man from the Lord for then said the Major Mundus I have the Lord of this world Eve spake no otherwise than as the Apostles thought that Christ was to erect a worldly Kingdome so Eve thought that her sonne as a strong Champion should break the Head of the Devill and set up a Glorious Kingdome from whence instantly a twofold understanding or different conditions followed and two sorts of Churches the one built or relying upon the mercy of God and the other upon their own might authority or power and therefore Cain could not endure his brother because Abel pressed hard upon the mercy of God and Cain relyed upon his own power might and authority He thought himselfe to be the Lord of the whole world as his Mother had instructed him and therefore now he would breake the Head of the Serpent in his own might as a Warriour or Souldier and began with his brother Abel for his Faith relyed not on God but on his own power and here the Serpent did sting the Treader upon the Serpent in the Heele the first time The Gate of the Mysteries or the Exposition of the hidden secrets 45. Reason saith how might that come to passe that the first Man borne of a Woman was so evill a malicious Murtherer Behold thou immodest vile whorish world here thou shalt finde a Glasse behold thy selfe and see what thou art Here againe the great secrets meet us in the light of Nature very cleerly and plainly to be understood For Adam and Eve were entred into the Spirit of this world and the Region of the foure Starres with the infection of the Devill had miserably possessed them and although they did somewhat stick to the word of the promise yet the true longing and love towards God was very much extinguished and on the contrary the longing and desire after this world was kindled in them and besides they gat from the Region of the Starres a Beastiall lust or wanton desire towards one another so that their Tincture thus became a fierce beastiall lust or longing for they had no Law but the Light of Nature which they suppressed and kindled themselves in wanton lust to which the Devill helped them 46. And now when Eve was impregnated her Tincture was wholly murtherous and false for her Spirit in the Love looked not upon God with a totall trust and confidence Also the wisdome of God stood hidden in the Centre of the light of her life Eve did not unite or yeeld her selfe to it with love and confidence but much rather to the lust of this world shee must bring it to passe if any thing were to be done and being her Trust was not in God so also God was not in her but in his own Centre or Principle and the wrath began to flow forth boyle or worke and this is that which Christ said An evill Tree bringeth forth evill fruit and so out of a false Tincture grew a soure evill roote and consequently such a Tree and fruit Also that which goeth forth is as the Tincture in the mixture was and such a childe is generated for the Spirit of the life generateth it selfe out of the Essences 47. And seeing Adam was gone out of Paradise into the Spirit of this world therefore now the strife was already between the two Kingdomes viz. the Kingdome of Heaven and the Kingdome of Hell about the children of Eve and here it is seene that the wrath had the victorie and the Spirit of God complaineth not without cause saying I am as a Grape-gatherer that gleaneth and yet would faine eate of the best fruit 48. But the fault lyeth in Man if he did put his Trust in the love of God then the Kingdome of God would have the victorie but if he put it in his evill lust and wantonnesse in himselfe in his own ability or power then he is captivated by the wrath and his body and soule is in the wrath But when he putteth his minde and confidence in God then he goeth out from the wrath and the Kingdome of God worketh in him to righteousnesse and thus it is seene as cleere as the Sunne what the cause is that the first Man borne of a Woman became a murtherer 49. For as the Tree was so was the fruit and though the Tree was not wholly evill or false yet as to the becoming Man the Tincture by the wrestling of the two Regions became false or evill And besides afterwards Eve his Mother helped him forward very much because shee sought after an Earthly Lord and Treader upon the Serpent and instructed him telling him that he was the Warriour or Souldier to overcome against the Devill he must doe it and so the wrath held him captive and his offering or sacrifice was not acceptable to God because in wrath he built upon himselfe and so his Prayer reached not the Gate of Heaven but the Driver did take it up because it proceeded out of selfe-pride like the proud Pharisee out of an evill or false minde 50. And here thou lascivious Whore in Babell full of immodesty and lechery in such whoredome thou hast a Glosse in thy evill or false Copulation without the feare of
wholly according to the outward except they see that he despiseth God and blasphemeth the Holy Ghost in such a one there is no Divine Image And it is hard with him yet his Judgement is not in the time of this body the Gate of the Mercifulnesse standeth open towards him while he is in this Tabernacle 73. But after this life he shall attaine it no more except he hath hold of the Mercifulnesse of God by a Threed for God will not quench the smoaking flax as Isaiah saith though indeed he must bathe swimme or swelter in his sinnes till the Anger through the Death of Christ be overcome on which Threed he must hang and the Putrefaction is his Purgatory in his sinnes and no strange or distinct Heterogene Purgatory of which Antichrist feigneth and prateth but his own selfe Purgatory in his sinnes 74. And it is all vaine and idle which is said concerning Purgatory as the Wolfe of the Whores Beast seigneth or conceiteth for it is well knowne that after the outward life there is an Eternall life and that all sinnes are remitted here but as long as thou art between the Doore and the Hindges and hangest by a small haire thou art yet not wholly in the Eternall Life but if thou be once in the Eternall Life then thou art perfect or fully there whether it be in the Heaven or in the Hell out of that there is no Redemption for it is the Eternall Life 75. But while wee are thus speaking of the upright Abel we cannot say that the Kingdome of Heaven was not assisting in him and that he meerly out of his own might and power made himselfe such an upright honest Man for it was in the wrestling and overcame the Anger for Man is weake and ignorant and can doe little by his own Power or ability yet he hath the Imagination and the choosing or the free yeelding to a thing where then the Maker is ready before hand which maketh him to be according as his lust or desire is as is to be seene by Adam for when he longed and lusted in the Spirit of this world there instantly the Maker was present and made of an Angelicall Image a Man 76. The Lust or longing Desire is the introducing into a thing and out of the Lust cometh the forme or Image of the Lust viz. a Body and the source or active quality of sinnes sticketh therein and you may easier hinder the Lust than breake the Body which is very hard therefore it is good to turne away the eyes and then the Tincture goeth not into the Essences by which the Spirit is impregnated for the lust indeed is not the minde wholly but they are sisters for when the lust impregnateth the minde then it is already a halfe substance and there must necessarily follow a breaking or there cometh to be a whole substance and an Essence of a thing 77. Now Abel is the first Christian Church in Patience which God established that the Cainish Church should be converted by Abel he hath not therefore so rejected the Cainish Church that he would have no member out of it Understand it thus the true Christian Church standeth like a sheepe among Wolves though indeed wee are Men and not Wolves but in Minde and in Figure It teacheth the wicked and if he be converted then it hath gained him and he is figured into an Image of God and thereby Joy is caused among the Angels of God that the Kingdome of Heaven hath the victory 78. Or doest thou suppose that the word in Daniel is nothing Chap. 10. concerning the Angel Gabriel who said that the Prince in Persia withstood him one and twenty dayes and that our Prince Michael came to helpe him Thereby it may be seene how the Princes and Throne-Angells strive against the Kingdome of the fierce wrath and assist Men the cause whereof is this The Devill awakeneth the Anger against Men and the Angels of God viz. the Throne-Princes keepe it back because God yet willeth not Evill 79. Wee are especially to observe in Cain and Abel what their purpose was Cain was a Plowman or Tiller of the Ground and Abel was a Shepheard or keeper of sheepe Abel relyed upon the blessing of God towards his flock to maintaine himselfe by the blessing of God Cain relyed upon his own labour to maintaine himselfe by his own skill and industry Eve tooke part with Cain and Adam with Abel for Eve counted him to be the Prince on Earth to whom the Kingdome did belong and supposed that he as a Champion would chase and hunt away the Devill although shee knew him not 80. But if Men search very Deepe this that followeth they will finde is the very Ground Eve was the Childe in the Matrix of Adam which Adam if he had not been overcome should have generated out of himselfe in great modesty purity and holinesse but because Adams Matrix was impregnated from the Spirit of this world therefore God must frame a fleshly woman out of it which afterwards in her first fruit became lustfull and infected from the Devill as well as the Limbus in Adam 81. And therefore they also generated such a towardly childe as looked onely after covetousnesse as Eve also did who would be like God and surely Adam had some minde that way or else he should not have entred into the spirit of this world 82. And such also now was their Sonne Cain he supposed that he was Lord on Earth and therefore he grutched that his Brother should have any thing especially when he saw that he was accepted before God that vexed him and he thought that Abel should come to be Lord on Earth in his sacrifice he regarded not the feare of God though he as an appearing holy Man or hypocrite sacrificed also but he regarded onely the Region 83. And here the Antichristian Kingdome tooke its beginning where Men give God good words and their heart is possessed with covetousnesse and seek after nothing but power and authority to domineere over the needy and miserable who trust and relie upon God Therefore Antichrist hath his God in his Chist and in the strength of his power and behinde his cloake there hangeth a Fox He prayeth yet he desireth nothing else but the Kingdome of this world his heart doth not leave off to persecute and to hunt poore Abel But Abel prayeth to the Lord and his heart inclineth it selfe to the Love of God in the true Image for he desireth the Kingdome of Heaven and the Blessing of God here for his maintenance 84. Now the Devill cannot endure that a holy Church should grow up in his Dominions he will murther Abel still as he did then because Cain feared not God therefore the Devill gat an accesse to him and stirred up the inbred wrath in Cain against Abel that he slew him Here surely all
as to the body or taketh away his good name and credit and covereth him so that he may not be knowne that so the Kingdome of Cain and the Antichrist may remaine in Babell of which wee know well how to speake by our own experience if wrath and anger did please us But it fareth very well with our Abel and our being scorned springeth up in the blossoming of the Lilly whereat wee will rejoyce well enough when wee returne againe from Jericho to Jerusalem to our Father Abel 115. And now what hast thou to expect thou proud Bride of Babell for thy stately Pride from the Spirit of this world that thou servest it so faithfully Behold thou hast a threefold reward to expect First that the Spirit of this world leave thee and departeth from thee and teareth away thy proud body from thee and turneth it to dust and ashes and it taketh thy goods power and pomp and giveth them to another and tormenteth him for a while therein 116. And secondly that it receiveth all thy purposes and deeds and setteth them in the Tincture of thy soule and maketh of it another dwelling house for thy soule that it may not send thee so naked away from it 117. And then thirdly that he hath brought thy soule out of Heaven into the pleasures of this world and now leaveth it in its misery wholly naked and bare sitting in its filthinesse and goeth away and regardeth no more where the soule is or how it is with it if it were in the Abysse of Hell it were all one to the spirit of this world this thou hast to expect for thy recompence from the spirit of this world because thou hast so truly served it 118. Therefore O Cain fly away from the Spirit of this world there is a fire out of the Roote of the Originality from the Lord of Heaven in it thy swelled secret Kingdome is kindled that Men may see or know thee in every place thou shalt stand quite open or naked with all thy secresies for the Spiritus Majoris Mundi or Spirit of the Greater World hath found the Tincture and its Roses blossome in the Wonders CHAP. XXI Of the Cainish and of the Abellish Kingdome how they are both in one another Also of their Beginning Rise Essence and drift and then of their last Exit Also Of the Cainish Antichristian Church and then of the Abellish true Christian Church how they are both in one another and are very hard to be knowne asunder Also Of the variety of Arts States and Orders of this World Also Of the Office of Rulers or Magistrates and their Subjects how there is a Good and Divine Ordinance in them all as also a false Evill and Devillish Where the providence of God is seene in all things and the Devils deceit subtilty and malice is seene also in all things 1. WEE finde by the Divine Providence in all things as also in Arts and States that the things of this world are all good and profitable and that onely the Devills poyson brought into them is evill and so wee finde also all States or conditions high and low come out of one onely Tree and one alwayes proceedeth out of the other so that the Divine Providence cometh to help all things and so the Eternall Wonders in all the three Principles are manifested to which end God brought to light the Creation of all things which from Eternity in themselves stood onely in the flowing budding or springing up but by the Creation of this world are put into the Wonders 2. Therefore now wee can speak or write of nothing else but of his Wonders for wee have a great Example of them in Cain when the Kingdome of the fierce wrath after his murther awaked in him and would have devoured him that God came to help him when the Divine Justice in his Conscience sentenced him to Death then the Divine Answer spake against it saying No Whosoever slayeth Cain it shall be avenged sevenfold by which speech the fierce vengeance of the Abysse of Hell was driven away from him so that Cain did not despaire and though he were gone forth from God yet the Kingdome of Heaven stood towards him he might turne and enter into Repentance God had not yet quite rejected him but his malicious murtherous and his false confidence he accursed and would not be therein 3. For God departed not from Cain but Cain went himselfe from God if he had been strong in Faith and Confidence in God then he might have been able to enter into God again even as he thought before the fall into the murther that he would break the head of the Serpent but there it was seene what Mans ability was If he had laid hold on the true Treader upon the Serpent then he might have gone instantly in the vertue â—f the Treader upon the Serpent into God againe 4. But Cain had flesh and bloud and understood not the meaning of the Eternall Death yet when he was assured from God that none should slay him he became cheerly againe for the Essences of his soule were refreshed againe by Gods recalling him for the Doore of Grace stood open towards him he should returne for God would not the Death of a Sinner 5. And here may be seene very exactly who was the accuser of Cain viz. the bloud of Abel which cryed to God from the Earth and awakened the fierce Anger against Cain where the Essences of the soule of Abel through the deep Gate of Anger pressed in to God through the Treader upon the Serpent and so stirred the Roote of the fire in Cain whereby the Anger was awakened Here consider what the sighings of the righteous and their pressing into God in their unequall being oppressed can doe how it kindleth the Anger of God as in Cain whereas then fiery Coales are heaped upon the Drivers or oppressours head 6. But when it was allayed againe by the voyce of God then Cain did not know how that came to passe and set his murther at Rest like one who hath a secret gnawing Dogge sitting in the Darke yet he proceeded and built his powerfull Earthly Kingdome and did not wholly put his trust in God for when he saw that he must seeke for his Bread out of the Earth and must take his cloathing from the children of the Earth therefore all his businesse lay in the Art of Seeking how and which way he might finde and how to possesse the treasure of that which was found that he might alwayes have enough because he saw God no more therefore he did like Israel who were brought out of Egypt by Moses and when they saw him not because he was on the Mount then they began their dancing and false worship of God and asked after Moses no more 7. Thus Cain now built his earthly Kingdome and began to search all manner of Arts not
or property and blossometh out of the Darknesse in the broken Gate of the darknesse in it as a pleasant habitation and so generateth its light out of the anxious fierenesse out of it selfe where then in the Light there goeth forth againe the endlesse source of the thoughts or senses which make a Throne and Region of Reason which governeth the whole house and desireth to enter into the Region of the Heaven out of which it proceeded not And therefore now this is not the Originall will which there desireth to enter into the Region of the Heaven but it is the reconceived will out of the source of the anxiety which will is in a desire to enter through the deep Gate of God 18. Now seeing it was impossible for the humane Spirit how much soever it was attempted tryed or sought therefore God must enter againe into the humanity and help the humane Spirit to breake the Gate of Darknesse that so it might be able to enter into the Divine power or vertue 19. And thus he dwelleth in two properties both which draw him and desire to have him viz. one fierce property or source whose Originall is the Darknesse of the Abysse and the other is the Divine power or vertue whose source or active property is the Light and the Divine Joy in the broken Gate of Heaven as the word Himmel Heaven in the Language of Nature hath its proper acute understanding from the pressing through and entring in and then with its Roote continuing to fit in the stock of Eternity wherein the Omnipotency is rightly understood which my Master in Arts will scarce give any credit to for he hath no knowledge therein it belongeth to the Lilly 20. Thus Man is drawen and held of both but the Centre standeth in him and he hath the Ballance between the two wills viz. between the Originall and the re-conceived will to the Kingdome of Heaven and in each scale there is a Maker who formeth what he letteth into his minde for the minde is the Centre of the Ballance the senses or thoughts are the weights that passe out of one scale into the other for the one scale is the Kingdome of the fiercenesse and of Anger and the other is the Regeneration in the vertue or power of God in the Heaven 21. Now behold O Man how thou art both Earthly and also Heavenly as it were mixt in one onely Person and thou bearest the Earthly and also the Heavenly Image in one onely Person and thou art also the fierce wrathfull property or source and thou bearest the Hellish Image which springeth in the Anger of God out of the source of the Eternity thus is thy minde and the minde holdeth the Ballance and the senses put weight into the scales 22. Therefore consider what weight thou puttest in by the senses thou hast the Kingdome of Heaven in thy power for the Word of the Divine vertue or power in Christ hath given it selfe to thee to be thy own and so also thou hast the Kingdome of Hell in a Bridle in the Roote and thou hast it for thy own by the right of Nature and thou hast the Kingdome of this world also according to thy Humanity received from Adam for thy own 23. Now consider what thou lettest into thy minde by thy senses for thou hast in each Kingdome a Maker which there maketh an Image of whatsoever thou layest into the scales by the senses for all lyeth in the making or formation and thou art in this body a field Ground or soyle thy Minde is the sower and the three Principles are the seede what thy Mâ—nde soweth the body of that groweth and that thou shalt reape to thy selfe and so when the earthly field or soyle doth breake then the new growen Body standeth in its perfection whether it be growen in the Kingdome of Heaven or in the Kingdome of Hell 24. By this now you might finde and understand the Ground how the Kingdome of this world is generated and how one Kingdome is in the other and how one is the Chist and receptacle of the other where yet there is no captivating at all but all is free in it selfe and Man standeth manifested in all three Principles and yet knoweth neither of them in the Ground except he be generated out of the Darknesse into the Light and then that source knoweth the fierce Eternity as also the Out Birth or Issue of the Eternity but he is not able to search out the Light for he is environed therewith and it is his dwelling house whereas yet he is with this body in this world and with the Originality of the soule in the ground of the Eternall source and with the Noble blossome of the soule in the Kingdome of Heaven with God and is thus rightly a Prince in the Heaven over Hell and Earth for the fierce source or torment toucheth it not but the blossome maketh out of the fierce source or quality Paradise viz. the high exalting Joy in the springing up 25. And thus thou Earthly Man mayest see how thou livest here in three Principles if thy minde incline it selfe to God but if it give up it selfe to the source of this world then thou standest before Heaven and thou sowest two Principles viz. the spirit of this world and the fierce source of Eternity The Well-spring or fountaine of the Antichristian Kingdome 26. Man possesseth this world and hath built him a glorious Kingdome for his own Glory as is plaine before our eyes yet he is not to be condemned therein though indeed that is cause of sinnes because God of his Grace hath sent his beloved Heart into the Flesh that Man might thereby goe out from the Flesh againe and enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But now his Earthly body must have sustenance that it may live and propagate and all the Governments and Arts of this world stand in this necessity for the earthly body cannot want them and they are borne withall by Divine Patience that the great Wonders may thereby be manifested 27. But this is Mans condemnation that he soweth onely the earthly and the Hellish seede and letteth the Heavenly stay in his Barne he stayeth without before Heaven and entereth not in for the Noble seede but he giveth God good words that he may be gracious to him and receive him into his Kingdome and soweth nothing but the Devils weeds in body and soule and then what new body shall there grow Shall it stand in the Heaven in the Holy Element or in the Abysse or shall the Pearle be cast before swine 28. If thy Maker in thee doth not make the Image of God but the Image of the Serpent how wilt thou then bring thy Beast into the Kingdome of Heaven Doest thou suppose that God hath Adders and Serpents in the broken Gate of the Regeneration in the Pleasant Habitation or dost thou suppose
put my strong fierce property into the Light into the Eternall Joy my works stand in power and thine remaine in the figure when I shall once be released from thee then I shall take thee no more to be my Beast againe but I will take my new body which I brought forth in thee in thy deepest roote of the holy Element I will no more have thy rough issues of the foure Elements Death swalloweth thee up But I spring and grow out of thee with my new body as a flower out of its roote I will forget thee For the glory of God which cursed thee together with the Earth hath grafted my roote againe in his Sonne and my body groweth in the holy Element before God Therefore thou art but my wilde Beast which doest plague mee and make mee sick here upon which the Devill rideth as upon his accursed Horse and although the world scorne thee I regard not that it doth that for my sake and yet it cannot see mee neither can it know mee and wherefore then is it so mad It cannot murther mee for I am not in it 64. But thou mad world what shall the Spirit say of thee Art thou not my Brother the Essences of my Spirit stirre thee goe forth out of thy Beast and then I will goe with my Companions into the Garden of Roses into the Lilly of God why keepest thou back and sufferest thy selfe to be held by the Devill Is he not thy enemy he doth but hunt after thy Pearle and if he get it then thy Spirit becometh a Worme and Beast in its figure why sufferest thou thy Angelicall Image to be taken away for temporall pleasure sake Thy pleasure is onely in the corruptible Beast but what doth that avayle the soule If thou doest not goe out from it thou wilt get Eternall woe and sorrow by it 65. Or what shall thy Noble Warriour Christ say to it Have not I saith Christ broken thy wilde Beast am not I entred into Death I have cut off from thy soule the foure Elements and the wickednesse or malice of the Devill and have inoculated thy soule into my vertue or power that thy body might spring and grow againe out of my body out of the holy Element before God and I have bound my selfe to thee by my Spirit have I not made a Covenant with thee that thou shouldst be mine Have I not given thee my body for food and my bloud for drink Have I not given thee my Spirit for a Conductour and allotted thee my Kingdome for thy own Wherefore doest thou despise mee and goest away from mee Thou runnest after the Wolves and the Dogs and howlest with them and thou seekest onely after anger and how thou mayest bite and devoure thou swallowest nothing but fiercenesse into thee What shall I say I have in my suffering and Death by my regeneration generated no such Beast and therefore I will not have it except it be againe borne anew in mee to an Angelicall Image and then it shall be with mee CHAP. XXII Of the New Regeneration in Christ from out of the Old Adamicall Man The Blossom of the Holy Bud. The Noble Gate of the Right and True Christianitie 1. BEcause wee have written hitherto of the Originality of the Essence of all Essences how all things take beginning and have shewed the Eternall Enduring substance and also the transitory therefore wee will now shew further what is most profitable for him to doe and to leave undone wherein wee will shew what God by his Eternall Word hath ever spoken by his Holy Spirit by Moses and by the Prophets as also what the Mouth of Christ and his Apostles have spoken what God will have us Men to doe and leave undone 2. Seeing wee poore Adamicall Men are with our Father Adam and Mother Eve gone forth out of the incorruptible and unchangeable Inheritance out from our true Native Countrey into a strange Inne where wee are not at home but are meerly Guests and where wee must in so great misery continually expect when our strange Host will thrust us out and bereave us of all our ability and take away from us all wee have so that wee are truly swimming in a deep Sea of misery and swelter in a strange Bath of Thornes and Thistles and wee know for certain and see it also daily before our eyes that wee are no other than Pilgrims in this Inne which must continually expect when the breaker or destroyer will come and take our heart senses and minde also our flesh and bloud and goods therefore it is indeed most necessary for us to learne to know and finde the way to our true Native Countrey that wee may avoyd the great misery and calamity and enter into an Eternall Inne which is our own whence none may drive us out 3. But because there are two of these Innes which are Eternall without end and expulsion and the one standing in Eternall Joy in great brightnesse and perfection in meere love and meeknesse but the other in great perplexity anguish misery distresse hunger and thirst where never any refreshment from the Love of God cometh therefore it is very necessary that wee learne with great earnestnesse to know the true way of Entrance into the Eternall Joy that wee may not with the Devils Dogges howle Eternally in the anguishing Inne 4. And now if wee look round about us every where upon Heaven and Earth the Starres and Elements yet wee can see and know no way or passage where wee may goe to our Rest wee see no other than the way of the entrance in of our Life and then of the end of our Life where our body goeth into the Earth and all our Labour also our Arts and Glory is inherited by another who also vexeth himselfe therewith for a while and then followeth after us and that continueth so from the beginning of the world to its end 5. Wee can in our misery never know where our Spirit doth abide when the body breaketh and cometh to be a Carkasse except wee be againe new-borne out of this world that so wee may dwell in this world as to our body and as to our minde in another eternall perfect new life wherein our spirit and minde putteth on a new Man wherein he must and shall live Eternally and then wee first know what wee are and where our home is 6. Seeing then wee clearly see and understand that wee have our beginning altogether Earthly and are sowen in a field as Graine is sowne in the Earth where our life springeth up groweth and at length flourisheth as Corne or graine doth out of the Earth where wee can know in us nothing but an earthly life yet wee see very well that the Constellations and Elements qualifie or work in us and nourish drive governe and guide us also fill us and bring us up and so preserve our life a while and then breake it
When the Word or Heart of God went into the holy Ternary there it was the Sonne of the Father and also his servant as Esayah saith and as it is in the Psalmes for he had united or espoused himselfe to the Element and had the forme of a servant but the Word which went into the pure Element was his Sonne and thus he took our soule upon him not onely as a Brother for the Limbus of God in the heavenly Tincture was the Man and that was our Lord for the whole world standeth in the Might thereof and that Might shall sweepe the threshing floare of this world And thus wee are his servants and also his Brethren in respect of his Mother but in respect of his Father wee are his servants and before the Fall wee were the Fathers also till his humanity or becoming Man though in the Word of the Promise it was in which the faithfull entred into God 72. Thus he is a King over the house of David Eternally and his Kingdome hath no end and he hath the Throne of his father David for this world is become his he is entred into this world and hath taken possession of it he standeth in the holy Ternary and in the Trinity and also in this world he hath the Casting shovell in his hand as John the Baptist saith the Judgement is his at which the Devils doe tremble He hath the Throne of David from the Counsell of God for David was a Type of him and had the Promise and God set him upon the Throne in the Promise for the Scepter of his Kingdome was the Scepter of the faithfull who looked upon God who was the King and so also indeed the outward Kingdome was his Thus also Christ was a King in the holy Ternary and this world also was his owne Of the deare Name Immanuel 73. And thus wee can truly say Immanuel God with us God in us In the Language of Nature it soundeth right but our Tongue wee have from this world doth but stammer it and cannot name it according to our understanding For Im is the Heart of God in the holy Ternary for it is conceived or comprehended as thou mayst understand it in the conception or comprehending or expressing of the Word Ma is his entring into the Humanity in the soule for that word or syllable presseth out from the Heart and wee understand that he conceived or comprehended the Heart viz. the vertue of the Father in the soule and goeth with the word or syllable nu aloft which signifieth his ascension into Heaven as to his soule El is the name of the great Angel which with the soule triumpheth above the Heaven not onely in the Heaven but in the Trinitie 74. For the word Himmel Heaven hath another meaning in the Language of Nature The syllable Him goeth out from the Heart viz. out of the vertue of the Father or out of the Essences of the soule and putteth forth upwards into the holy Ternary and then it compresseth it with both the Lips and bringeth the Angels name downwards viz. the syllable Mel which signifieth the Humility of the Angels that they doe not exalt their heart in pride flying into the Trinity but as Isaiah sayth that they cover their faces in humility before the holy God with their wings and continually cry Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts 75. So now you understand that this Angel is greater than any Angel in Heaven for he hath a heavenly humane body and hath a humane soule and hath the eternall heavenly Bride the virgin of wisdome and hath the holy Trinity and wee can truly say he is a Person in the holy Trinity in Heaven and a true Man in Heaven and in this world an eternall King a Lord of Heaven and earth 76. His name Jesus sheweth it more properly in the Language of Nature for the syllable Je is his humbling in-coming out of his Father into the Humanity and the syllable sus is the bringing in of the soule above the Heaven into the Trinity as the syllable sus indeed presseth aloft through all 77. Much more is understood in the Name Christus which comprehendeth not his incarnation but goeth as a Man that is borne through Death for the syllable Chris presseth through the Death and the syllable tus signifieth his strong might in that he thus goeth forth from Death and presseth through and it is very properly understood in the word how he severed the Kingdome of this world and the Angelicall Man asunder and continueth in God in the Angelicall Man for the syllable tus is pure without Death 78. Though indeed here wee shall be as one that is dumb to the world yet wee have written it for our selves for wee understand it very well and it is plaine enough to the Tree of the Lilly But that the Person of Christ with his Deeds and Essence might be rightly demonstrated to the Reader that he might apprehend it aright I therefore direct him to the Temptation of Christ in the Wildernesse after his Baptisme whereat thou shouldst open thine eyes and not speake like the Spirit in Babell which sayth wee know not what his Temptation was and lay the fault upon the Devill that he was so impudent to presume to tempt Christ saying moreover wee ought not to dive into it nor be so inquisitive about it wee will let that alone till wee come thither into the other life and then wee shall see what it is Besides they forbid him that hath eyes to see none must search into it if they doe they are called Enthusiasts and are cryed out upon for Novellists such as broach new opinions and pretend new Lights and for Hereticks 79. O yee blinde Wolves of Babell what have we to doe with you wee are not generated from your Kingdome why will you rend and teare our deare Immanuel out of our hearts and eyes and so would make us blinde Is it a sinne for us to enquire after God our salvation and after our true Native Countrey Sure it is much more sinne to hearken after your partaking and blasphemy whereby you make our women and children scoffers so that they learne nothing but scornfull and reproachfull speeches and so persecute and vex one another therewith in Babell Can the Kingdome of Christ be found in such things or rather do you not build the scornfull reproachfull Church of Babell where is your Apostolicall heart consisting in Love Is your scorne and derision of others Christs Meeknesse Who said Love one another be yee followers of mee and so it shall be knowne that yee are my Disciples To you it is said the Anger burneth in Babell when the flame thereof riseth up then will the Elements shake and tremble and Babell shall be burnt in the fire 80. The Temptation of Christ rightly sheweth us his Person therefore open thy eyes and let not Babell trouble thee it is the
Garden of Eden and there he began his Priestly Kingdome as a King over Heaven and this world with signes and wonders and in his first Miracle turned water into good wine he also healed the sick made the blinde to see the lame to goe and cleansed the Lepers also he raised the dead and shewed himselfe to be the true King over the quick and dead and sate upon Davids Throne of Promise and was the true Priest in the Order of Melchisedech All whatsoever Aaron was in the Fathers might in a Type that this high Priest was in vertue and power with deeds and wonders which wee will cleerly describe in the other Book following this if wee live and God shall give us leave to doe it CHAP. XXIII Of the highly precious Testaments of Christ viz. Baptisme and his last Supper which he held in the Evening of Mandy Thursday with his Disciples which he left us for his Last Will as a Farewell for a Remembrance The most Noble Gate of Christianitie 1. IT is apparent how they have hitherto in Babell danced or contended about the Cup of Jesus Christ and about his holy Testaments for which they have caused many warres and bloud-sheddings but what kinde of knowledge concerning those Testaments they in Babell have appeareth by their works of Love among one another which their Councels have brought to passe where Men have stopt the mouth of the Holy Ghost and have made a worldly Dominion out of the Priesthood of Christ 2. O you high Priests and Scribes what answer will you make to Christ when you shall be found thus at his comming Or doe you suppose you stand in the dark No you stand in the presence of the cleere countenance of Jesus Christ who is Judge of the quick and dead doe but open your eyes and rightly feed the flock of Jesus Christ he cometh and demandeth them of you You are not all Shepheards or Pastours but intruded covetous Wolves you relie on your Schoole-Art or University Learning and Schollership O that avayleth nothing in the presence of God the Holy Ghost speaketh not from that he will not be bound up if you will be Pastours then you must hold out in the Temptation and put on the Garment of the Lamb in your heart you must not take the wooll of the sheepe onely from them but you must give them the food of the Holy Ghost in true Love and be practisers of it your selves But how will you give it if you be in the Wildernesse still and have chosen the Kingdome of this world to your selves in the Last Temptation What shall be said of you Is not the Anger broke out and burning carry fuell to it for Babell is on fire the water is dried up or what have I to doe with thee that I must write thus 3. Wee have shewed in few words the Incarnation and Birth of Jesus Christ the Sonne of God and yet wee are so very earthly and cannot apprehend it but are continually asking where is Christ with his body where shall wee seek for him and therefore our soule longeth to write of his Omni-presence and that notwithstanding all the raging and fury of the Devill and of Antichrist 4. Wee having cleerly described how God out of his love and mercifulnesse of Grace hath turned his beloved heart to us againe and how he hath opened the Gate to the Kingdome of Heaven for our soules therefore now wee are further to consider of the Body of Christ for reason saith continually the body of Christ is gone up into Heaven he is farre from us wee must erect a Kingdome that wee may serve him in his absence as Jeroboam did with the Calves and so that Kingdome is rightly called Babell 5. Doest thou boast thy selfe to be a Christian why doest thou not then beleeve his Word when he said He would be with us to the end of the world and said moreover He would give us his body for meate and his bloud for drinke Also his body is meate indeed and his bloud is drink indeed What doe you understand by this an absent Christ O thou poore sick Adam Wherefore art thou gone againe out of Paradise Hath not Christ brought thee in againe wherefore then didst thou not stay there Doest thou not see that the Apostles of Christ and their Successours who dwelt in the Paradise of Christ with their soules and did great Wonders Wherefore art thou againe entered into the Spirit of this World Doest thou suppose that thou shalt finde the Paradise with thy Reason in thy Art Doest thou not think it hath another Principle and that thou shalt not finde it except thou beest borne anew 6. Thou sayest Christ is ascended into Heaven how then can he be in this world and when thou reachest farthest thou thinkest that he is present onely with his holy Spirit here in his Testaments and that the Testaments are onely signes of his Merits What sayest thou then of thy New Man When indeed the soule is fed with the Holy Ghost What food hath thy new Man then for each life feedeth upon its Mother 7. Now if the Soule eateth of the cleere Deity what food hath the body then For thou knowest that the soule and the body are not one and the same thing it is indeed a very body but the soule is a Spirit and must have spirituall food and the body must have bodily food Or wilt thou give the new Man earthly food If thou meanest so thou art yet farre from the Kingdome of God The heavenly body of Christ did eate no earthly food but the outward body onely did eate that Is not Christs body now in the holy Ternary and eateth Paradisicall food Wherefore then shall not our new Man doe so did he not eate heavenly food forty dayes in the Wildernesse and alwayes afterwards and did he not tell his Disciples at Jacobs Well I have meate to eate that yee know not of and further It is my meate to doe the will of my Father which is in Heaven Is the will of God his food why then is it not ours if we live in him Hath not the Deity of Christ put on the Kingdome of Heaven for a Body is not the pure Element wherein the Deity dwelleth his body 8. But reason saith the Body of Christ is but in one place how can he then be every where He is indeed a Creature and a Creature cannot be in all places at once Hearken beloved Reason when the Word became Man in the body of Mary was he not at that time also alost above the Starres When he was at Nazareth was he not then also at Jerusalem and every where in all the Thrones of Heaven Or doest thou suppose when God became Man that he was shut up and consined within the Humanity and was not every where Doest thou suppose that the Deity in Christs becoming Man divided it selfe O no he
captivated all Devils in the Kingdome of this world And all men who with their minde draw neere to this Christ and desire him in right Earnest they are drawne by the Spirit of the Father viz. of the cleare and pure Deity into the humanity of Christ that is into the Pure Element before the Trinity And if they continue stedfast and do not againe depart from God into the Desire of the Devill then the precious Pearle viz. the light of God is sowne in their soule which light attracteth to it selfe the precious body of Jesus Christ with Paradise and the Kingdome of Heaven And thus the right new Man Christus groweth on the soul in the heavenly Virgin of Gods Wisdome in the holy Ternary in the Kingdome of Heaven And thus such a man is according to the new Man in Heaven in the body of Jesus Christ and as to the old earthly Man which hangeth unto the holy Man he is in this world in the house of sin and the Deity acteth the new humanity and the Spirit of this world the old untill he puts him off in death for he is a man in Heaven borne in the mercy of God in the body of Jesus Christ 18. I set you a deep confideration behold how the Angelicall Thrones and Principalities were in the beginning beheld apprehended or aspected by the Wisdome of God which Aspect manifestation or idea the Fiat took to Create And in the Angelicall Throne the infinite multiplicity according to the Eternall Wisdome in the Wonders of God All which was so created in the Fiat of God according to all the Essences of the Eternall Limbus of God So that all Angels in every Throne did give their will unto the Angelicall Throne or Arch Angel as it is sufficiently to be knowne by the fall of Lucifer and also may be discerned in the Regions of the Kingly Governments of this world if the Devill did not so destroy the right union as is very clearely to be seen Thus likewise understand us I prethee thou very precious and noble minde this second surpassing excellent Creation is in the Fiat When God saw and took notice of our miserable Fall he did illustrate or manifest himselfe by the holy Eternall Virgin of his Wisdome in the Eternall Wonders in mercy which alwayes floweth out of his heart and did comprehend with his speculation or manifestation the Throne and did further illustrate himselfe in the Throne into many millions without number and established his Covenant with his Oath therein with his precious Promise of the Womans Seed 19. Thus my very precious minde apprehend it aright This same Throne was made in Time when as the Time of his Covenant was revealed an Angelicall Principality in the mercy of God in the holy Pure Element in the Sacred Ternary that is in the holy Earth wherein the Deity is substantially knowne so that the whole Mercy of God which is unmeasurable and every where in the Sacred Ternary which is likewise so great in the holy Element that comprizeth Heaven and this world became a Man that is a substantiall Similitude of the Spirit of the Trinity in which likenesse the Trinity dwelleth with compleat fulnesse and in this great Angelicall Throne and Principality stood in the beginning and from Eternity the Aspect in the infinite multiplicity proceeding from all the Essences in the Limbus of the Father and became truely illustrate or manifest in the Time of the Promise 20. Thus now even unto this very day all things are yet in the Fiat or creating and the Creation hath no end untill the judgement of God where that which hath growne on the holy Tree shall be separated from the unholy Thistles and Thornes and wee men are these innumerable aspects or idea's in the Fiat of the great Princely Throne and we who are holy shall be created in the body of this Prince in God but we that degenerate or perish shall be cast out as naughty apples unto the swine of the Devill 21. Thus we were foreseen or elected in Christ Jesus before the foundations of the world were laid that we should be his Angels and Servants in his high Princely Throne in the body of his Element in which his Spirit viz. the holy Trinity will dwell 22. This I would clearly demonstrate unto thee in the Kingdome of this world yea in all things thou shalt not be able to name any thing out of which I will not demonstrate it unto thee if God gave us leave but seeing it will here take up too much roome I will write a booke by it selfe of it if the Lord permit 23. Therefore my beloved soule be lively and see what thy noble Bridegroom hath left thee in his Testaments for a Legacy as namely in the Baptisme the water of his Covenant flowing from his holy Originall body whereas we in this world viz. in the externe birth of his body do acknowledge foure things namely fire aire water and earth wherein our earthly body consisteth So likewise in the heavenly body there are foure such things The fire is the enkindling of the divine desire The water is that which the fire desireth whence it becomes meeke and a light The aire is the joyfull spirit which bloweth up the fire and maketh in the water the motion And the earth is the true Essence which is borne in the Three Elements and is rightly called Ternarius Sanctus the Sacred Ternary in which the Tincture is brought forth in the light of the meeknesse and therein also is borne the holy bloud out of the water being an oyle of the water in which the light shineth and the spirit of life consisteth 24. Understand it thus that water is the water of the Eternall Life in the Limbus of God in the Holy Ternary and that is the water which baptizeth the soule when wee keepe the use of his Testament for the soule in his Covenant is dipped and washed in that water and it is rightly the Bath or Laver of Regeneration for by its dipping in the Holy Water it is received and quickned by the holy Water and cometh in the Covenant of Christ into the soule of Christ indeed not fully into his soule but into his body and becometh the Brother of the soule of Christ for Christs soule is a Creature as our soules are and is in the body of the Mercifulnesse in the Trinity being surrounded therewith and hath the same in it for food and strength or refreshment So also our soules in the Covenant if they be faithfull and continue in God they are the brethren of Christs soule 25. For Christ hath taken this Pledge viz. our soule from us Men in Mary at which wee rejoyce in Eternity that the soule of Christ is our Brother and the Body of Christ our Body in the New Man And should I not rejoyce that my soule is in the body of Christ and that the
there in pomp and bravery and understandest very nothing of the Baptisme and doest not put up the least Prayer to God what thinkest thou how doest thou stand in this Covenant before the Holy Trinity even like a swine before a looking Glasse 35. Or shall I be filent I must speake for I see it doe what thou wilt this is the Truth thou carriest a new washed soule from the Baptisme but thou art a filthy swine even in the Kingdome of all the Devils But the Laver of Regeneration if thou art a Beast and farre from the Kingdome of God lieth not in thee but it lieth in the Covenant of Christ 36. But this I say according to my knowledge and not out of any command that if the Parents be wicked and indeed in the Kingdome of the Devill and that they have thus begotten their fruit out of their false or evill Essences in which Patents there is no Faith but onely a false hypocrisie and yet will in an Apish mockery be counted Christians and as the Devill oftentimes changeth himselfe into the likenesse of an Angel so they also send their children with the like trimmed false Angels before the Covenant of Christ such doings is very dangerous which also instantly sheweth it selfe in the growing of the Tree indeed the Covenant continueth still but there must be earnestnesse in avoyding of the Devill It may be that very many are Baptized in the Anger of God because they doe but contemne the Covenant and many times wicked drunken Priests use it who even stick in Hell fire over head and eares and therefore the Covenant of Grace standeth as a Testimony against the Congregations of the wicked And that which they see and know and doe not performe it with earnest sincerity that shall judge and condemne them 37. Now saith Reason how is the Baptisme then I perceive nothing but water and words I answer Hearken beloved Reason thy outward body is in this world onely and therefore outward water is requisite But as the hidden Man Christ with his pure Element holdeth the Out-Birth of this world viz. the foure Elements wherein our body confisteth and as all is his so he holdeth also the outward water and baptizeth with the Inward water of his Element with the water of the Eternall Life coming out of his holy Body For the Holy Ghost in the Covenant baptizeth with the Inward water and the Minister baptizeth with the outward the outward Man receiveth the Earthly Elementary water and the soule receiveth the water of the washing in the Regeneration 38. The soule is washed in the Holy water and the Word is presented to it and the soule standeth in the Covenant And now it may reach after the Pearle although the soule be tied backward in the Kingdome of this world yet it standeth in the Covenant for all that And if in the unfeigned Faith of the Parents of the Priest and of the standers by it be thus washed in the Liver of Regeneration and so passe into the Covenant then the Devill may not touch it till the time that it understandeth what evill and good is and entreth into one of them in a free will 39. And now if it enter into the Evill of this world and suffer it selfe to be drawne by the Devill then it goeth away out of the Covenant and forsaketh God and the Kingdome of Heaven and there then the Noble virgin of God standeth in the Centre of the Light of Life which instantly in the entring of the Light of Life yeelded her selfe into the Centre of the Light of Life as a Conductour and loving Companion to the soule and warneth the soule of the ungodly wayes that it should turne and step into the Covenant againe But if it doe not and that it continue in the Kingdome of the Devill then shee continueth standing in the Centre of the Holy Paradise and shee is a Virgin of her selfe but the soule hath afflicted her and so they are parted except the soule returne againe and then it will be received againe by its virgin with great honour and joy 40. And therefore it is that Christ made two Testaments the one in the Water of the Eternall Life and the other in his Body and Bloud that whensoever the poore soule should be defiled againe by the Devill it might yet in the other enter into the Body of Christ againe and if it turne with sorrow for its finnes and putteth its trust in the mercy of God againe then it steppeth againe into the first Covenant and then it may come to the other Testament and draw neere to God and then it will be received againe with joy as Christ saith That there is more joy in Heaven for one poore sinner that repenteth than for ninety and nine righteous that need no Repentance 41. Then saith Reason I can see nothing but Bread and Wine and Christ also gave his Disciples but Bread and Wine I answer As the Baptisme outwardly is outward water and the Inward is the water of the Eternall Life and the Holy Trinity Baptizeth as may be seene in Jordan that three Persons appeared the Sonne of God in the water the Father in the voice of the words and the Holy Ghost over the water moving upon the Head of Christ and so all Three Persons in the Deity Baptized this Man Christ And thus it is also in the Supper 42. The outward is Earthly Bread and Wine as thy outward Man also is Earthly and the Inward in his Testament is his Body and Bloud and that thy Inward Man receiveth understand it right the soule receiveth the Deity for it is Spirit and thy Inward New Man receiveth Christs reall Body and Bloud not like a thought in the Faith although Faith must be but in substance incomprehensible to the outward Man 43. Not that the Holy is changed into the Outward that thou shouldest say of the Bread which thou eatest with the outward Mouth and also the Wine that the outward is the flesh and bloud of Christ no but it is the Chist and yet it cannot be comprehended or inclosed by the Chist as this world cannot comprehend the Body of Christ in the holy Element or as our outward Body cannot comprehend the inward new Body of the soule Also the first Supper of Christ teacheth you this when Christ sate with them at Table and gave them his holy hidden body and bloud to eate and drink after a peculiar manner under Bread and Wine 44. For thou canst not say when thou doest handle the blessed Bread here I hold the body of Christ in my hand I can feele and taste it no my friend the outward is earthly Bread from the outward Element and the Incomprehensible in the holy Element is the Body of Christ which in this his Covenant and Testament is offered to thee under the outward Bread and that Body thy new Man receiveth and the Old Man receiveth the
greac honour power and Authority he setteth the poore despised sort before the soule and saith Wilt thou onely be the foole of the world come along with mee I will give thee the Kingdome of this world for a possession as he said to Christ so in like manner when the soule hath put on the Kingdome of Heaven and yet sticketh in the dark valley in flesh and bloud and seeth the Devils murthering of its brethren and sisters then it cometh to be armed of God to fight against the Devill and to discover his burrow for the love to its neighbour constraineth it to doe so because it would help to encrease the Kingdome of Heaven therefore it teacheth and reproveth thus it warneth against sinne and teacheth the way to the Kingdome of Heaven which indeed the Beastiall Body doth not understand it goeth away like the rude Asse and thinketh with the Starry and Elementary Minde as followeth 14. O! what mischiefe I doe to my selfe in making my selfe the foole of the world what doe I get by it but scorne and disgace I am not sure of my life thereby I bereave me and mine of our daily bread and livelihood and must alwayes be expecting of death and swelter in the soorne of People O! how suddenly thou committest a fault and then thou art persecuted and art throwne away like a rotten apple and what reward have those thou leavest behinde thee but to suffer the more for thy sake 15. Thus Man in flesh and bloud Judgeth and when the Devill understandeth it how soone is he there watching as a Cat watcheth for a Mouse saying O! who can tell whether that be true or no which thou teachest thou hast not seene it neither hath any come from the dead and told it thee there are many dead that have taught just as thou doest and yet doth not the world stand in its old course at one time as at another They were counted fooles and so art thou and after thee agame things will be still as they were before to what purpose then is thy care and paines 16. At length he cometh with a suttle snare and saith through the Spirit of the great world in the Minde in himselfe O! The Heavens have caused thee to be borne to it that thou doest such foolish tricks and would play jugling feats in thee thy gifts are not from God God hath never spoken with thee and what canst thou know then Leave off let it alone thou mayest be a Christian well enough and be quiet let the Priests teach they have their wages for it what hast thou to doe with it Beloved Reader with these blowes this Penne was once throwne to the Ground and the Driver would have broken it but the Breath of God took it up againe therefore it shall write what happened to it to be an Example for all well-willers and it is an exceeding precious one 17. Now when the Devill had thus throwne it downe then it was silent and desired not onely to write no more but the Devill rushed in upon it and beate it along and would have broken it He came forth with his sowre Apples and held them before the soule of this Penne and would have it eate of his dainties also he strewed Sugar upon them as he did for Eve If he had gotten the soule againe into his chaines how would he have been revenged on it as was afterwards knowne in the Storme where his minde was knowne very well Now when it was thus the Lilly faded and lost its fragrant smell the Pearle did hide it selfe and the Virgin of the Pearle stood mourning and the Noble Minde sunke downe in great unquietnesse 18. Indeed the Driver said at the beginning that it should have rest with being quiet but it was a rest onely to flesh and bloud and yet it was no quietnesse neither but a furtherance to the Hunting But when the Minde found it selfe in great unquietnesse of soule it recollected the soule and sought the Pearle which the soule had before and supposed that it lay as a Treasure in the case of the soule but it was gone and then the Minde sought that Pearle in body and soule and behold it was not there it could not be found and there was nothing to be seene but the Devils sowre Apples which were strowed before the soule that it should feed on them But the soule stood in great perplexity and would not eate of its evill fruit it called its virgin but shee sate as if shee were a sleepe 19. Thus the soule stood with great longing and defire also was many times in great Combate with the Hunter who would still throw it to the ground when it set it selfe in opposition against him then he took all the vices which stuck in flesh and bloud and cast them upon the soule that he might intangle it with them and hinder it from comprehending the virgin againe he made a great Mountaine of the sinnes in the flesh and bloud and therewith covered and shut close up the Mercy of God viz. the New Man in Christ and the Gates of Heaven which stood open before were shut up close misery and great trouble were heaped upon the soule till at length once againe from the Breath of God which came into it againe it was moved to break the Devils chaines in pieces and entered into Combate with him so that he was quite throwne to the ground and its covering was rent in pieces and then the soule saw its beloved virgin againe what friendly welcoming there was then I had rather the Reader might finde it by experience than that I should write of it 20. Thus the soule desired the Pearle againe but it was gone and must be generated anew and be sowne as a Graine of Mustard-seed which is small and little and afterward there groweth a great Tree out of it and thus the Pearle groweth in the Bosom of the Virgin in the soule Therefore keep what thou hast for misery is an ill Guest regard not what Sugar the Devill stroweth though the Kingdome of this world seeme as sweet as Sugar it is nothing else but Gall consider that the poore soule in this world and in the flesh and bloud is not in its true home it must travaile into another Countrey Therefore suffer not the Devill to cover it thus with the untowardnesse of the flesh for great earnestnesse is requisite for the driving away of the Devill though that would not be in our ability and power if the exceeding worthy Champion did not ayde and assist us 21. Therefore none should be so presumptuous as to mock and despise the Children of God who are in the Combate against the Devill but think that it will come to thy turne also if thou wilt not goe about it when thou art well and in health thou must come to it at thy Death when the poore soule cometh to part from the body then it
ground is cold bitter soure and voyde of life 37. And as an Hearb by the pleasant Sun-shine groweth out of the Earth so our new Man in Christ groweth out of the Old soure cold harsh Man of our Earthly flesh and bloud And that is the true Light of the Pearle when wee apprehend it truly and really in the knowledge in the new Man and it is the sword wherewith wee can fight against the Devill onely wee must take the sword of the Death of Christ into our hand which cutteth so sharply that the Devill must she away CHAP. XXV Of the Suffering Dying Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ the Sonne of God Also of his Ascension into Heaven and sitting at the right hand of God his Father The Gate of our Misery and also the strong Gate of the Divine Power in his Love 1. IF wee consider our selves in our right Reason and behold the Kingdome of this world in which wee stand with our flesh and bloud also with our Reason and senses then wee finde very well that wee have the substance and stirring of it in us for wee are its very proper own Now all whatsoever wee thinke doe and purpose in the outward Man that the Spirit of this world doth in us Men for the Body is nothing else but the Instrument thereof wherewith it performeth its work and wee finde that as all other Instruments which are generated from the Spirit of this world decay corrupt and turne to dust so also our earthly Body wherein the Spirit of this world worketh and acteth for a while 2. Therefore none should scorne or despise another though he lead not the same course that he doth himselfe or though he be not of that way in his minde and will which himselfe is or that another cannot learne and follow the same stately Courtly manners and behaviour with himselfe for the Naturall Heaven maketh every one according as its forme in its Influences is at all times and so every Creature getteth its condition forme or shape inclination and will which cannot wholly be taken away from the outward Man till the Naturall Heaven breaketh its Beast Therefore wee ought to consider the great strife in us when wee are regenerated out of the Eternall then the Eternall striveth against the Corruptible against the malice and falshood of the Corruptible 3. And now each Kingdome effecteth its will the inward goeth right forward and consenteth not to the wickednesse of the outward but it runneth to its Mark and the outward also goeth forward with its desire and performeth its work according to the Influence of its Constellation 4. But if it happen that the outward doe not what its desire will that proceedeth not from its wisdome but the Heaven hath altered it by another Conjunction but if it be compelled to leave off that which is evill that is not by the course of the Heavens but the new Regenerated Man who is in strife with the Earthly doth many times overcome but cannot swallow up the Earthly for the Earthly getteth up againe as wee see by our Anger for if my new Man have the upperhand he will have no Anger nor any evill desire but if this worlds Driver assault him then the fire of Anger riseth up in the old Man and his desire is often kindled to doe what he rejected and reproved a little before 5. Now wee cannot say that the Spirit of this world alone consenteth to and doth that which is evill and wrathfull for the whole Man oftentimes runneth with all his thoughts and his whole will after it And heere wee finde our great Misery for the poore soule which lieth yet tied in the Bands of Anger is often kindled that it burneth like a fire and runneth after evill for it is in the Band of Eternity in the Father and reacheth in its most inward Roote the Anger of God and that is even the Birth of its Life and its Originality and the Noble Graine of Mustard-seede that was the new Garment of the soule which was new put upon it in its Repentance is many times destroyed therefore none should be secure though he doe once attaine the Garland of Pearle he may loose it againe for when the soule consenteth to sinne then it goeth forth from Christ into falshood and into the Anger of God 6. Now therefore as wee know that Christ by his entrance into the Incarnation hath opened a Doore into Heaven into his holy Body so that wee through a true Repentance and Confidence may come to him and put the new white Garment of his Innocency in his Love upon our soules so wee know also that the soule standeth yet fast bound with two chaines one is the Birth of its own Life whose most inward roote is poyson and wrathfulnesse and so the soule being sprung out of the Eternall source and having its originality out of the Eternity none can redeeme it in its own roote of Eternity or bring it out of the Anger except there come one who is the Love it selfe and be borne in its own very Birth that so he may bring it out of the Anger and set it in the Love in himselfe as it was done in Christ 7. The other Gate or Chaine is the flesh and bloud with the Region or Dominion of the Starres there the soule is fast bound and swimmeth therein as in a Great Sea which daily so stirreth up the soule that it is kindled 8. Concerning these two chaines wee know in our deepe knowledge and see them in the Ground of the Originality and know very exactly that wee could not be redeemed except the Deity did goe into the soule and bring forth the will of the soule againe out of the fiercenesse in it selfe into the Light of the Meeknesse for the Roote of Life must remaine or else the whole Creature must be dissolved 9. But because the soule stood with its most inward Roote in the Abysse of Hell and according to the Kingdome of this world in the hard frozen Death so that if the flesh and bloud as also the Dominion of the Starres should leave it then it would continue inwardly in a hardnesse wherein there is no source or active property and it selfe in its own property would be but in the fiercenesse of the Originality in great Misery and therefore it was necessary not onely for God to come into the soule and generate it to the Light for there was danger that the soule with its Imagination might goe forth out of the Light againe but also for God to assume a humane soule from our soule and a new heavenly body out of the first Glorious Body before the fall and put it on to the soule with the old earthly body hanging on it not onely as a Garment but really united as one in the Essences so that it must be a Creature that is the whole God with all the Three Principles 10. And
cursing swearing stealing and murthering so that they have continually held one another for cozening cheaters lyars and unjust for they are so indeed and they have exchanged words for words and therewith in lying and in truth also they rub one another with the bitter unsavoury salt of Devils in the Anger of God whereby the Name of God is blasphemed and abused and the World is found to be in the Anger of God and is become a Den of Theeves and Murtherers 57. Seeing then out of this unrighteous people there should an hoast or Generation be borne to the Kingdome of Heaven and seeing none lived upon Earth that was not defiled with this wickednesse and yet that in the Love of God there was a possibility found that such a Generation might be brought forth out of Mankinde so that wee who are sorry and grieved at this fore-mentioned evill Beast and desire to goe out from it might come to the Grace of God and yet no otherwise but in this Christ And yet that it is daily found among the Regenerated Christians that the Old Earthly Body is so kindled in such wickednesse and that although they would faine goe out from it and leave it quite yet they cannot for the Anger holdeth us captive in the Old Man and the Devill is Lord therein who driveth the Body in the Spirit of this world often into evill and wickednesse which Man intended not to doe for the wickednesse of the ungodly by his cursing and falshood kindleth the Anger of the Old Man and although he be inwardly new borne in God yet it is not knowne 58. Therefore seeing our falshood and unrighteousnesse as also our offences are manifested before God and appeare in the Tincture and that wee could not otherwise be freed from such evill Christ hath taken upon him all our transgressions and suffered himselfe to be accounted one that had a Devill and a sorcerer seducer and deceiver as if he would have set up an Imperiall Crowne for himselfe as the High Priests laid to his charge he suffered himselfe to be mocked scourged spit upon and smitten on the face he suffered a false Crowne of Thornes to be set upon his head and as wee proceed against one another and vex one another with falshood and malice upon Earth where the Potent doth what he listeth to satisfie his anger and as wee revile deride mock vilifie and send one another to the Devill to deprive one another of their credit and reputation through falshood so must Christ therefore take all this upon him 59. And you see cleerly that the wicked Pharisees and Scribes put these things upon him for these things did not happen to him for nothing or without cause for it was of necessity to be so for the Pharisees Scribes and Rulers had put that in his dish for him which he must eate Or shall wee be silent wee must tell it though it should cost us our life 60. Behold thou wicked Antichrist thou art the same which thou hast alwayes been thou art an old and not a new Antichrist thy cunning policy is borne in the Anger of God the Devill teacheth thee to doe what thou doest Among Princes and Kings who have their ground and foundation in Nature thou stirrest up to warres and dissentions that thou mightest be advanced by them through thy deceit hypocrisie and knavish suttle cunning policy this thou doest out of Pride thou pervertest the Scriptures of the Saints to promote thy vapouring haughtinesse and art a Murtherer of soules thou causest mockings among the ignorant so that they think when they many times persecute a holy soule that they doe God good service in it thou teachest them so or else they would not thinke any such thing thus thou workest Confusion and art Babell a Habitation of Whoores and of all Devils even so saith the Spirit 61. This is their course one among another one reproacheth and condemneth this the other that and it is a continuall howling of Devils all manner of Love charity and union is extinct the mouth speaketh one thing and the heart thinketh another they all cry out one among another and none knoweth where the woe lyeth And Christ must thus take all this upon him Many ignorantly cryed by the instigation of the High Priests Crucifie him Crucifie him he hath made uproares and disturbance among the people and yet knew not any cause why they said so And so it is aâ— this day if Antichrist entrappeth any in his fiercenesse he cryeth out upon him for a sectary a schismatick a disturber of the peace and maker of uproares and then all cry A Heretick A Heretick and yet their hearts can say no evill of him 62. Thus behold thou false Opposer of Christ and Author of all uproares mischiefe and disturbance upon Earth how many ignorant silly people are there under this thy reproachfull blaspheming which thou many times causest to lay aspertions upon a holy soule Behold now if that persecuted soule shall cry to God for deliverance then it all cometh to be a Substance and an Essence before God And now if those poore soules many times which thus ignorantly have slandered a holy soule come before God and would faine be saved then if Christ now had not taken all these false reproaches and aspersions upon him and reconciled his Father in himselfe with his Love where would you poore sinners abide Therefore Christ commandeth us to forgive others as his Father in him hath forgiven us if wee doe not so the same measure that wee mete to others wee shall have measured unto us The Gate of a Poore Sinner 63. Therefore thou beloved Soule if thou art fallen into heavy sinnes and blasphemies through the deceit of the Antichrist and the seduction of the Devill and his followers Consider thy selfe instantly continue not therein nor doe not despaire in that condition forgive thy adversary his faults and pray to God the Father for Christs sake who hath borne all our wickednesse and iniquities upon him as a patient Lamb and they shall be forgiven thee Nay wee should not in Eternity have ever been able to come out of this evill and wickednesse if the Mercy of God without our knowledge or desert had not helped us out of it 64. O how wholly of meere Mercy and Grace hath God the Father given us his Sonne who hath taken upon him our transgressions and reconciled him in his Anger All Men are invited to this Grace of what condition soever they are they may all come whether they be Turkes Jewes Heathens or Christians or what name soever they are called by none are excluded all that are weary and heavy laden may come to Christ he will receive them and refresh them all as himselfe saith and whosoever teacheth or saith otherwise or seeketh any other way is the Antichrist and entreth not by the true Doore into the Sheepfold Amen 65. And now if wee consider the
signe of Elias Therefore take heed in what Spirit you live that the fire of Anger doe not devoure you and eate you up It is high time to cast Jezabel with her whoredomes out of the house least you receive the wages of the whore and as you revile one another so you devoure one another Truly if the contentious Disputations be not suddenly stayed and these courses mended the fire will burne out aloft over Babel and then there will be no remedy till the Anger eate up and consume all whatsoever is in it 96. Therefore let every one enter into himselfe and not speake of another and hold his way to be false but look that he turne himselfe and have a care that he be not found in Anger of the devourer else if he should hoope and hallow and laughing say looke how Babell burneth then he must be burnt and consumed also for he is fuell for that fire and whosoever feeleth a thought in himselfe that doth but wish for the Anger to devoure that proceedeth from Babell 97. Therefore it is very hard to know Babell every one supposeth that he is not in it and yet the Spirit sheweth mee that Babell encloseth the whole Earth therefore let every one look to his own wayes and not hunt after covetousnesse for the Driver destroyeth it and the Stormer eateth it up and consumeth it the Counsell of the Wise Man will not help then all the Wisdome of this world is folly for that Fire is from the Anger of God your Wisdome will turne to your hurt and scorne Of Christs Ascension into Heaven 98. As wee know when Adam had lived forty dayes in the Paradise then he went into the Spirit of this world whereas he should have gone into the Trinity for he stood in the Time of the Temptation and if he had held out these forty dayes then he had been fully with his soule in the Light of God and his body in Ternarie sancto in the Holy Ternary like this Christ 99. For when he had conversed forty dayes after his Resurrection in the Proba or Triall in this world then he went up into a Mountaine whither he had appointed his Disciples to come and went up aloft visibly with his own body which he had offered up on the Crosse till a cloud came and did hide him from their fight for a sure signe that he was their Brother and that he in this Earthly forme and body would not forsake them as he also said to them Behold I am with you to the end of the world 100. Now then saith Reason whither is he gone is he gone out of this world aloft above the Starres into another Heaven Hearken my beloved Reason incline thy Minde to Christ and behold I will tell it thee for we see it and know it not I for when I say we you must not barely understand it of my Earthly Man for the Spirit that driveth this Pen is spoken of also therefore I write and say wee when I speake of my selfe as of the Author for I should know nothing if the Spirit of knowledge did not stirre it up in mee and there could be nothing sound but in such a way the Spirit would not be in any other way but he did hide and withdraw himselfe and then my soule was very much disquieted in mee with great longing after the Spirit till I did learne how it was 101. Behold that which the Antients have invented and taught is not the Ground They tooke upon them to measure how many hundred thousand miles it is to rhe Heaven whither Christ is gone They did it to this end that they might be Gods upon Earth themselves as their invented Kingdome sheweth and declareth which standeth meerly in Babell Behold when wee speake of the Thrones it is cleane another thing than that they meane and their blindnesse and ignorance is found though there is a Spirit in their knowledge which is not so much rejected but that Spirit is not or cometh not ex Fernario sancto out of the Holy Ternary out of the Body of Jesus Christ but it is out of the High Eternity which flieth up above the Thrones which may be mentioned in another place 102. Wee must continue in this Throne which is ours what are the other Thrones to mee where the Principalities of Angels are they are indeed our friends and faithfull helpers in the service of God wee must look upon our own Throne wherein wee were created and made Creatures and upon our Prince in that Throne upon God The first Purpose of God when he created us and beheld us in the Eternall Band that must stand 103. This was the Throne of Lueifer with his Legions but when he fell he was thrust out into the first Principle and then the Throne in the second Principle was empty in the same Principle God created Man which should continue therein and it was tempted to try whether that were possible and to that end it was that God created the Third Principle in the place of this world that Man also in the fall might not become a Devill but that he might be helped againe Therefore the Enmity of the Devill against Christ is because he sitteth upon his Royall Throne and besides holdeth him captive with his Principle 104. Thus the place of this world according to the Heavenly Principle is the Throne and Body of our Christ and all whatsoever is in this world in the Third Principle is his own also and the Devill who dwelleth in this place in the first Principle is our Christs captive or Prisoner 105. For all Thrones are in God the Father and without him is nothing he is the Band of the Eternity but his Love in the Body of Christ as in his Throne holdeth the Anger in the Band of Eternity together with the Devils captive And you must understand that all is creaturely his Love and also his Anger and as is mentioned before so the difference distinction or division is a Birth and so it cannot be said that the Devils dwell farre from Christ no they are neere and yet in Eternity cannot reach to him for they cannot see the cleere Deity in the Light but are blinded by it and wee shall in Eternity not see nor touch them as at present wee see them not because they are in another Principle and so that Principle remaineth 106. Thus my deare Minde know that the creature of Christ is the Centre of this Throne from whence every life proceedeth viz. whatsoever is heavenly for in that Centre is the Holy Trinity and not alone in this Centre but also in all Angelicall Thrones also in the soules of holy Men onely wee must thus speake that it may be understood Now the Body understand the Creature the Man Christ is set in the midst of this Throne and standeth also in Heaven understand in his Principle sitting in his Throne at the right
hand of God the Father 107. The right hand of God is where the Love quencheth the Anger and generateth the Paradise that must needs be the Right hand of God where the Angry Father is called God in the Love and Light of his Heart which is his Sonne and this bodily Throne viz. the whole body of Christ is wholly at the Right hand of God but when it is said at the right hand of God then understand the most inward Roote of the sharpe Might of the Father wherein the Omnipotence consisteth where the Father himselfe goeth forth into the re-conceived will into the meeknesse and openeth the Gate in the dispelling of the Darknesse in himselfe thus Christ is set therein and sitteth thus at the Right hand of the vertue or power and Omnipotence in such a manner as wee cannot more highly expresse it with our Tongue wee understand it well in the Spirit therefore it is not needfull for you to search any further into it but onely looke that you attaine the Body of Christ and then you have God and the Kingdome of Heaven but wee must write thus because of the Errours in the world and for their longings sake that are therein 108. But when you aske Doth Christ sit or stand or lye along then you aske as if an Asse should aske about his sack he carrieth how the Taylor made it yet the Asse must have provender given him that he may carry the burthen the longer Behold Christ fitteth in himselfe and standeth in himselfe he needeth no chaire nor footstoole his power is his stoole there is neither above nor beneath there And as you see in the vision of Esaias that was full of eyes behinde and before above and beneath so the body of Christ the holy Trinity shineth in the whole Body and needeth no Sunne nor day-light CHAP. XXVI Of the Feast of Pentecost Of the sending of the Holy Ghost to his Apostles and the Beleevers The Holy Gate of the Divine Power 1. NOw saith Reason if Christ ascended thus with his body which he offered up on the Crosse when was he Glorified in his body Or how is his body now is it now as his Disciples saw him ascend into Heaven My beloved Reason my Earthly eyes see it not but the spirituall eyes in Christ see it very well The Scripture saith He is Glorified and Lord over all but wee will open to you the Gate of the Great Wonders that you may see what wee see 2. Behold when God the Father had brought Israel into the Wildernesse to Mount Sinai and would give them Lawes in which they should live then he commanded Moses to come up the Mountaine to the Lord and the rest of the Elders must stay a farre off and the people below the Mountaine and Moses went up the Mountaine alone to the Lord and there appeared the brightnesse or Glory of the Lord and on the seventh Day he called Moses and spake with him concerning all the Lawes And the countenance of Moses was Glorified from the Lord so that he could stand before him and speake with him Thus also the Man-Christ in Ternario sancto in the Holy Ternary when he was ascended into his Throne was Glorified on the ninth Day in the Holy Trinity 3. Understand it right his soule in the Creature was not first Glorified but his whole Body or Princely Throne there went forth out of the Centre of the Holy Trinity the Holy Ghost as you see cleerly that those who had put on the Spirit of Christ were highly enlightened for the Holy Ghost went forth from the Centre of the Trinity into the whole holy Element and did flow into the Mercy of God and as he Triumphed in the Body of Jesus Christ so also in his Disciples and in the Beleevers 4. There were opened all the Doores of the Great Wonders and the Apostles spake with the Languages of all Nations and so it may be seene cleerly that the Spirit of God had opened all the Centres of all Essences and spake out of them all for Christ was the Lord and the Heart of all Essences and therefore the Holy Ghost went out of all Essences and filled the Essences of all Men which turned their eares with a desire to it and in that he pressed into all and every one heard out of his own Essences and Language the Spirit of God spake out of the Disciples and the Holy Ghost was borne in the bodies of all their hearers which had but an earnest desire to it and they were all filled for the Spirit of God pierced through into their hearts as he pressed forth out of the Centre of the Trinity into the whole body and Plincely Throne of Jesus Christ and filled all outwardly in the Clarity or Glory 5. Thus all the holy soules were filled so that their whole body in all Essences was made stirring from the exceeding pretious vertue or power which went forth in the Wonders in power and in Deeds that were done there And here is set before us the vertue or power of the Father in the Fire in his severe Omnipotency on Mount Sinai also the Still Loving vertue of the Sonne of God in the Love and Mercy for wee see that wee could not at all live in the Father in the source of the Fire and therefore Moses brake the Tables and the people fell away from God 6. But now when the Meeknesse was in the Father then the Love held the Anger captive and the Love went out of the source of the Father and that was the Holy Ghost in the Wonders There stood the highly worthy heavenly Virgin of the Wisdome of God in her highest Ornament with her Garland of Pearles there stood Mary in Ternario Sancto of which the Spirit in the Antients hath spoken wonderfully And here Adam was brought into Paradise againe 7. And now if wee will speake of the Glorification of Christ and of his body which he visibly and in that forme in which he had conversed upon Earth ascended withall then wee must say that as the Love of the Heart of God hath reconciled the Anger of the Father and holdeth it as it were captive in it so also the Holy Ternary hath comprehended the hard palpable body of Christ viz. the Kingdome of this world as if it were wholly swallowed up whereas it is not swallowed up but the source of this world is destroyed in Death and the holy Ternary hath put on the body of Christ not as a Garment but virtually or powerfully in the Essences and he is as it were swallowed up to our apprehension and sight and yet is really and shall come againe at the Last Judgement-Day and manifest himselfe in his own body which he had here that all may see him be they good or bad and he shall also come in the same forme to keepe the Judgement of the Separation for in his Divine Glorified forme wee
away as to their source or property and all must be restored againe and then the life will spring forth through Death and the figure of every thing shall stand Eternally before God for which end it was created also wee know that our soules are immortall generated out of the Eternall Band and when this world passeth away then also all its Essences passe away which are generated out of it and the Tincture remaineth still in the Spirit 2. Therefore O Man Consider thy selfe here in this world in which thou standest in the Birth thou art sowne as a seede or Graine and a Tree groweth out of thee therefore now see in what Ground thou standest that thou mayest be found to be Timber for the great building of God in his Love and not for a threshold or footstoole to be troden under-feete or that is fit for nothing but for the fire whereof nothing will remaine but dust and ashes 3. It is said to thee that the wood or fewell of thy soule shall burne in the Last Fire and that thy soule shall remaine to be ashes in the fire and thy body shall appeare like black soote why wilt thou then stand in a wildernesse yea in a Rock where there is no water How then will thy Tree grow againe O! what great misery it is that wee are ignorant in what soyle wee grow and what kinde of Essences wee draw to us seeing our fruit shall appeare and be tasted and that which is pleasant shall stand upon Gods Table and the other shall be cast to the Devils swine Therefore let it move you to looke that you grow in the Ground or soyle of Christ and bring forth fruit that may be set upon Gods Table which fruit never perisheth but continually springeth and the more it is eaten of the pleasanter it is how wilt thou rejoyce in the Lord. 4. The Last Judgement is appointed for that end and as wee know that all things in this world have had a beginning so they shall also have an end for before the Time of this world there was nothing but the Band of Eternity which maketh it selfe and in the Band the Spirit and the Spirit in God who is the highest Good which was alwayes from Eternity and never had any beginning but this world hath had a beginning from the Eternall Band in the Time 5. For this world maketh a Time therefore it must perish and as it hath been Nothing so it will be Nothing againe for the Spirit moveth in the Ether And therein the Limbus which is corruptible is generated from whence all things proceed and yet there was no fashioner but the Spirit or the Vulcan in the Essences and so also there were no Essences they were generated in the will of the Spirit and in that will is the fashioner which hath fashioned all things out of nothing but meerly out of the will 6. Seeing then it is fashioned out of the Eternall will therefore it is Eternall not in substance but in the will and after the breaking of the substance this world standeth wholly and altogether like a figure in the will for a Glasse of Gods works of Wonder And so wee know now that where there is a will it must comprehend it selfe so that it be a will and that comprehension maketh an attraction and that which is attracted is in the will and it is thicker than the will and is the darknesse of the will and a source in the darknesse for the will destreth to be free and yet cannot be free except it goe againe in it selfe out of the Darknesse and if it doe then the Darknesse continueth in the first will and there conceived will remaineth in it selfe in the Light 7. Thus wee give you to understand that this world when the will was moved was created out of the Darknesse and the out-going out of the will in it selfe is God and the out-going out of God is Spirit which hath discovered it selfe in the dark will and that which was discovered were the Essences and the Vulcanus was the wheele of the Minde that divided it selfe into seven Formes 8. And as is mentioned before these seven Formes divide themselves againe every one in it selfe into infinite many formes according to the discovery of the Spirit and therein standeth the Essence of all Essences and it is all a great wonder and our whole Teaching doth but aime at this that wee Men might enter into the Light holy wonders for at the end of this Time all shall be manifested and every thing shall stand in that wherein it is growne and then when that substance which at present it possesseth and bringeth forth perisheth then it is all an Eternity 9. Therefore let every one have a care how he useth his Reason that he may therewith stand in great honour in the wonders of God Wee know that this world shall perish in the Fire it shall be no fire of straw or wood that would turne no stones to ashes and further to nothing neither will there any fire gather together into which this world shall be throwne but the fire of Nature kindleth it selfe in all things and will melt or dissolve the body of every thing or whatsoever is palpable and â—urne it to nothing 10. For as all in the Fiat was held and created according to the will of the fashioner which was the sole and totall work-master in all things in the seven Spirits of Nature which brake nothing when he fashioned it nor threw one part from the other when he had made it but every thing seperated it selfe and stood in the source of its own Essences so there shall not need much blustering Thunder and Lightening and breaking as this world in Babell teacheth but every thing perisheth in it selfe the source or flowing forth of the Elements cease as a Man when he dyeth ceaseth from working and all passeth into its Ether or receptacle 11. And at the Time before this Fabrick of Heaven and Earth perisheth and passeth into its Ether cometh the Judge of the Living and the Dead there all men must see him in his and in their flesh and all the Dead must rise through his voyce and stand before him and there the Angelicall world shall be manifested And all the Generations of the Earth which are not comprehended in the body of Christ shall howle and then they shall be seperated into two flocks and the Sentence of Christ passeth over all both good and bad and there will be howling trembling yelling roaring and cursing themselves the Children cursing their Parents and wishing that they had never been borne 12. Thus one of the wicked curseth the other who hath caused him to commit such wickednesse the Inferiour his Superiour that hath given him offence and been a stumbling block to him the Layety curse the Clergy or Priests who have given them evill Examples and
seduced them with false Doctrine the wicked Curser swearer and blasphemer biteth and knaweth his Tongue which hath so murthered him the Minde beateth the Head against the stones and the ungodly hide themselves in the caves and holes of the Earth before the Terrour of the LORD for there is great quaking and stirring in the Essences of the Anger and fierce wrath of the LORD and the Anguish breaketh the heart and yet there is no dying for the Anger is stirring and the life of the ungodly floweth up in the Anger There the ungodly curse the Heaven and the Earth that did beare him as also the Constellation or Starres that lead him and the houre of his Birth all his uncleannesse stand before his eyes and he seeth the cause of his horrour and condemneth himselfe he cannot looke upon the Righteous for very shame all his works stand in his minde and in the Essences cry woe to him that did them they accuse him the teares of those he hath afflicted and oppressed are like a fiery stinging Serpent he desireth Rest or ease but there is no comfort despaire riseth up in him for Hell terrifieth him 13. Also the Devils tremble at the Kindling of the Wrath whose faces appeare before the eyes of the ungodly for they see the Angelicall world before them and the Hellish Fire in them and they see how every life burneth and every one in its own source in its own Fire The Angelicall world burneth in Triumph in Joy in the Light of the Glory and it shineth as the cleere Sunne which neither Devill nor any of the wicked dare looke upon and there is Praise and Halelujahs that the Driver is overcome 14. And there then the Judgement is set and all Men both the Living and the Dead must stand there every one in his own body And the Angelicall Quire of the holy Men who have been killed for the Witnesse of Jesus is set there stand the holy Patriarchs of the Tribes of Israel and the holy Prophets with their Doctrine and all that they have taught is made manifest and revealed and standeth before the eyes of the wicked they must give an account of all their murtherings of the Saints for they that have been murthered for the Truths sake stand before the eyes of their murtherers whose lives the murtherers must give an account for and yet have no excuse to make but stand speechlesse all his slandering reproaches which he hath cast upon the Righteous stand there before him in substance and is a substance about which the Law is there read to him 15. Where is now thy Authority thy honour thy riches thy pomp and bravery thy power wherewith thou hast terrified the needy and hast made the Right bow and bend to thy will Behold it is all in substance and standeth before thee the oppressed reade thy lesson to thee all that was rightly spoken by thee in this world is there recalled againe and thou abidest in thy unrighteousnesse a lyar and thou must be judged by those that thou hast here judged in falshood all lying and deceit stand manifest in the substance all thy words stand in the Tincture in the substance of Eternity before thee and are thy Looking-Glasse they will be thy Eternall knawing Whelps and the Booke of thy Comfort and Trust Therefore doe but thinke what thou wilt doe wilt thou not then curse and judge thy selfe 16. On the contrary the Righteous stand there in unspeakable great Joy and their Joy riseth up in the source or Well-spring of the Holy Ghost all their sorrow and heavinesse which they have had heere standeth before them in substance and it appeareth how they have suffered wrongfully their comfort springeth up in the body of Jesus Christ who hath redeemed them out of so great misery all their sinnes are washed and appeare as white as snow and there then they returne thanks to their Bridegroom who hath redeemed them out of such necessity and misery wherein they lay captive here and there is meere hearty Joy that the Driver is destroyed all their good works their teaching and well doing appeare before them all the words of their teaching and reproving wherewith they have shewed the ungodly the right way stand in the Figure 17. Heere will the Prince and Arch Shepheard pronounce his Sentence saying to the Godly Come yee blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdome that hath been prepared for you from the Beginning I have been hungry thirsty naked sick in prison and misery and you have fed mee given mee drink cloathed mee comforted mee and visited mee and have come and helped mee in my misery therefore enter into Eternall Joyes And they will answer Lord when have wee seene thee hungry thirsty naked in prison or in misery and have served thee And he will say what you have done to the least of these my brethren you have done that to mee And to the wicked he will say Away from mee yee cursed into the Eternall Fire for I have been hungry thirsty naked in prison and in misery and you have never ministred unto mee And they will answer Lord when have wee seene thee so and not ministred unto thee And he will say What you have not done to the least of these my poore brethren that you have not done to Mee and they must depart from him 18. And in that moment of departing there passeth away Heaven and Earth Sunne Moone Starres and Elements and thenceforth Time is no more 19. And there then in the Saints the incorruptible attracteth the corruptible into it selfe and the Death and this Earthly flesh is swallowed up and wee all live in the great and holy Element of the body of Jesus Christ in God the Father and the Holy Ghost is our comfort and with this world and with our Earthly Body all knowledge and skill of this world perisheth and wee live as children and eate of the Paradificall fruit for there is no terrour feare nor death any more for the Principle of Hell together with the Devils in this last houre is shut up and the one Principle cannot touch the other any more in Eternity nor conceive any thought of the other the Parents shall no more think of their wicked children that are in Hell nor the children of their Parents for all shall be in Perfection and that which is in Part shall cease 20. And these then this world shall remaine standing in a Figure and shadow in Paradise but the substance of the wicked perisheth in that figure of the world and remaineth in the Hell for the works of every one follow after them and there shall be Eternall Joy over the Figures of all things and over the faire fruit of Paradise which wee shall enjoy Eternally To which help us O Holy Trinity God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Amen What is wanting heere you may seek for in the other Parts of my Writings
naturall man d That which is procreated viz. the foure Elements e Or springing properties f Or blindnesse of understanding g Or in the Divine joy wherein God and the Angels dwell h Or substance i Beholding imagining or reflection k Propertie or kinde l Speculateth on imagineth m Created n Maketh or formeth o Shapes and formes of appearance p Property q Or predominant r Or Principle a Vegetable or fruit b Or essence c Appeareth d Or Creating e Or fundamentally conceive f In loco g With lustre or brightnesse h Substance or forme i Fountain * This was found written in the manuscript copie apart by it selfe so that it is not known whether it be the Authours or no. k The earth l Or the wisemens masters or teachers m Midnight n Or Transitory life o Petty God p To. q Mars r Or taketh its eternall originall Å¿ The created Heaven t The Fiat * Cornerd cap or the Crowne of his degree t The Divine Region or Government u Cap or Hood of self-conceited wisdome x And Marginall notes y The Universities z Or breath a Animals or living creatures b Without order c Rule or governing d Mars e The bestiall nature f Or Concretion g Corpus h Or penetrating the life and the blood i Part. k Part. l Engender m toucheth or reacheth n The matrix o The source of love p Or sowing of seed q The fashioner or the Fiat r Or desire s As of a Lion a Lion of a sheep a sheep t Or the Matrix a Cold frozen or shut up b Adam c Needfull d Extra locum e Operation f Or attain it g That little which wee can expresse of it h Or habitation or refreshment i Therefore the garden of Eden is not Paradise k Or In the transitory body l Note the Bride-Chariot is the true Resignation into the bosome of the Father m Much lesse to spell or reade * My labour n Children going to schoole o Or Crowned Hat p By holy Orders Divine institution or Divine Right q Or institution r Or Minister s Or come and resort to me t Acteth or worketh u The adverse party x Into the sweet smelling pleasant peacefulnesse y The holy Paradisicall bringing forth z Bitter envie a Palpable b Soyle or earth c Fathomed d Receptacle e Or dimme fleshly eyes f In the Principle of light g The nature or the working property h Or working activity i Sourenesse tartnesse sharpnesse astringency or attractivenesse k Fiercenesse l Or receptacle m Or take hold of n Or working o Well-spring p Sure or strong firme q To the r Works s Working t The creation of the creatures u Of working x Or out of the created substance y Or working property z Or the body that subsisteth through the Word a Or substance b Or working property c Brought them to light in a soure E ementary essence or substance d The spirits that were turned out of the light into darknesse e The divine power and vertue f Or progeneration g Or the spirits of the working Nature h Into resignation i Or ground of the working properties k Mocking that which you understand not l Or fruit or growth m This deep and high wisdome n Or a more publick Person or Publicus a Spiraculum vitae b The high and deep wisdome of God c Expositions or interpretations of it d The power or the eternall substantiality e That is to feed it selfe and live through the word of God f Man g Or property h Shape i Or in the midst or centre of it k Barmhortsigkeit l Or Gutts m Or Company n Or progeneration o Stedfast chiefe Master or predominant p Working propertie p Working propertie q Or qualifie r Or breath of life Å¿ Substantiality or nature t Or Breath of life u Kinde or propertie or nature x Or company y The soule z Keepeth or retaineth a Halelujahs b The heavenly and Eternall paradisicall body c Illustrious or shining d The seede * The womb e Or disappeared * Because that he f Or the materiall water g Or was united h Or watery Mother i For which the Curse came k Or Macrocosme l The Devill saith it in the minde m Fixt or upon it n Or explaine o Or sleights shifts fetches arts p Or Despaire q Priest Minister or learned who take upon them cura Animarum r The Devill Working t Plurality u Faculty or ability x Under its power y Or throughly enlightened z Infusion a Or attaine b Sourenesse or astringency c Or catch it d Or property e Carelesse inconsiderate f Or reflected on them g The Generator for the will which he generated h The will that was borne out of their minde i Or came to be k Or throughly enlightened them l Or heavenly Earth m In the springing essentiall powers n By. o Or Company p The learned in Reason q Or fiercely r Or set his delight or pleasure in it s Corruption t Or the stronger would have domineered over the weaker u Or vertue or power x Not in the corruptibility y Or living thing z Or unknown a Or grimnesse fiercenesse b Or by c Imaged or Imagined d The darknesse and source or paine e Mors. f Wisdome g Not onely in this Chapter but in all these Writings h Or womb or lap i Shortly Note wee must yet conceale the Exposition of this verse k Or Rage l Or are imparted to us m Or continuall working n Speaketh against it o In a working property but is free p Given up to God q Extra r The essentiall vertues or powers that went forth from the three Principles s Or Stewart t Mors. u Powerfull and full of vertue or strength g Enclosed conceived or comprehended y Or have nothing to doe z Might * Or Receptacle a And leadc them that come after us into it b Or Gate c Or search into them d Or understand e Or fire flaming f In the Spirit of the great world g In the Law h The Law i His chosen k Manna l Or Macrocosme m Was renewed n Or Serpent o Or by or of o Or by or of p Or driven on with q Or out of r Or wrought upon him Å¿ Or which will be t Or Propagation u Or Bath x Or a being overcome y Or over-commednesse z Roote or mother a Or boyling b The starres being in the Matrix c Vegetation d Or is e Representations f The minde consisteth g Being essence or thing h The Image of it selfe i Or faculty of seeing * Fulfilleth or satisfieth l Pleasant m Or purpose in thought n Costly o As in the outward Court of the Temple p Or Modest q Into thy own disposing r Or
wherein it liveth in which the Paradise and the kingdome of Heaven standeth as you may reade afterwards about the Creation of Man 42. And so now the Angels and blessed men will remaine in the Birth of the light and the spirits of alteration out of light into the source or torment together with the spirits of the wicked men will remaine in the eternall Darknesse where no recalling is to be found for their spirits cannot goe into the corruptibility or transitorinesse againe they are created out of the Limbus of God out of the harsh Matrix out of which the light of God existeth from Eternity and not like the Beasts out of the Out-birth which went forth out of the Limbus of the conceived purpose of God which is finite or taketh an end and hath been or appeared here onely that it might be an eternall shadow and figure 43. The eternall will is incorruptible or intransitory and unchangeable or unalterable for the heart of God is generated out of it which is the end of the nature and of the willing If the Spirits of the source or torment had put their Imagination and their desiring will forward into the light of meeknesse into the end of Nature they should have continued Angels but seeing they out of pride would faine be above the meeknesse and above the end of Nature and awakened the centre they found nothing more for from Eternity there had been nothing more than the end of Nature and therefore they awakened the Centre of the source or torment in themselves the same they now have and they were thrust out of the Light into the Darknesse 44. If you be borne of God then you may thus understand God Paradise the kingdome of Heaven and Hell and the entrance in and end of the Creatures and the creation of this world but if not then the vaile is as well before your eyes as it was upon Moses Therefore saith Christ Seek and you shall finde knock and it shall be opened unto you No sonne asketh his Father for an egge that he should give him a scorpion Also my Father will give the Holy Ghost to them that aske it 45. Therefore if you doe not understand this writing then doe not as Lucifer did in taking the spirit of pride presently and fall a mocking and deriding and ascribe it to the Devill but seeke the humble lowly heart of God and that will bring a small graine of Mustard-seed from the Tree of Paradise into your soule and if you abide in patience then a great Tree will grow out of that seede as you may well thinke that the like hath come to passe with this Author For he is to be esteemed as a very silly person in comparison of the great learned men But Christ saith My power is strong in the weake Yea Father it hath so pleased thee to hide these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes and sucklings and that the wisdome of this world is foolishnesse in thy sight And although now the children of the world are wiser in their generation than the children of light yet their wisdome is but a corruptible substance essence or thing and this wisdome continueth eternally 46. Therefore seeke for the noble Pearle it is much more precious than this whole world it will never more depart from you and where the Pearle is there will your heart be also you need not here aske any further after Paradise joy and the heavenly delightfulnesse seeke but the Pearle and when you finde that then you finde Paradise and the kingdome of Heaven and you will be so taught as being without it you cannot beleeve 47. It may be you will turmoyle your selfe with hard labour and seek for it in Art supposing to finde it there O no you need not it lieth not therein the Doctor that is without this way knoweth it not But if he also have found this Pearle then he is a person greater for the Publick benefit than I as S t Paul was above the other Apostles yet in one and the same way of gentle meeknesse as becometh the children of God Whatsoever is wanting here that you long after seek further and you will finde the ground according to the desire or longing of your soule CHAP. X. Of the Creation of Man and of his soule also of Gods breathing in The Pleasant Gate 1. I Have perused many Master-pieces of writing hoping to finde the Pearle of the ground of Man but I could finde nothing of that which my soule lusted after I have also found very many contrary opinions and partly I have found some who forbid me to search or seeke but I cannot know with what ground or understanding except it be that the blinde doe grutch at the eyes of them that see With all this my soule is become very disquiet within mee and hath been as full of pain and anguish as a woman at her travaile and yet nothing was found in it till I followed the words of Christ when he said You must be borne anew if you will see the kingdome of God Which at first stopped up my heart and I supposed that such a thing could not be done in this world but that it should first be done at my departure out of this world and then my soule first was in anguish to the birth and would very willingly have tasted the Pearle and gave it selfe up in this way more vehemently to the Birth till at last it obtained a Jewel According to which received Jewel I will write for a memoriall to my selfe and for a light to them that seeke For Christ said None lighteth a Candle and putteth it under a Bushell but setteth it upon a Table that all that are in the house may see by the light thereof And to this end he giveth the Pearle to them that seeke that they should impart it to the poore for their health as he hath very earnestly commanded 2. Indeed Moses writeth That God made Man of the dust of the Earth and that is the opinion of very many and I should also not have known how that were to be understood and I should not have learned it out of Moses nor out of the Glosses which are made upon it and the vaile would have continued still before my eyes yet in great trouble But when I found the Pearle then I looked Moses in the face and found that Moses had written very right and that I had not rightly understood it 3. For after the Fall God said also to Adam and Eve Earth thou art and to Earth thou shalt returne againe and if I had not considered the Limbus out of which the Earth was I should have been so blinde still that Limbus shewed me the Ground of what Adam was before and after the Fall 4. For no such Earth or flesh as wee carry about us can subsist in
the light of God Therefore also Christ said None goeth to Heaven but the Sonne of Man who is come from Heaven and who is in Heaven Thus our flesh before the Fall was heavenly out of the heavenly Limbus but when disobedience came in the lust of this world to generate it selfe in another Centre then it the flesh became earthly for by the biting of the earthly Apple in the Garden of Eden the earthly Dominion or kingdome tooke its beginning and the mother of the great world instantly tooke the little world into its power or vertue and made it to be of a Beastiall kinde both in forme and in substance 5. And if the soule had not been within it then Adam should have continued to be an unreasonable Beast but being the soule out of the Limbus had been breathed into Adam by the Holy Ghost therefore now the mercifulnesse viz. the heart of God must doe its best againe and bring againe the Centre out of the heavenly Limbus and himselfe become flesh and by the Fiat generate the New Man in the soule which is hidden in the Old for the Old belongeth onely to the corruptibility and goeth into its Ether and the New remaineth for ever But how this came to passe you have the following fundamentall information of it wherein if you be regenerated from God you may see the old and new man into the very heart because you have the Pearle but if not then you shall scarce see here the old Adam and you shall not so much as looke upon the New 6. The vaile of Moses must be done away and you must look Moses in the face if you will behold the New Man and without the Pearle you shall not be able to take away the vayle nor know what Adam was before his Fall for Adam himselfe after the Fall did no more know the first Man and therefore he was ashamed of his monstrous forme or shape and did hide himselfe behinde the Trees in the Garden for he looked on himselfe and saw that he had a beastiall forme and thereupon he gat instantly beastiall members for propagation which the Fiat in the third Principle created on him through the Spirit of the Great world 7. Men must not thinke that Man before his fall had beastiall members to propagate with but heavenly members nor no Entrailes for such a stinck and filthy source or property as man hath in his body doth not belong to the holy Trinity in Paradise but to the Earth it must goe againe into its Ether but Man was created immortall and also holy like the Angels and being he was created out of the Limbus therefore he was pure Now in what manner he is and out of what he was made it followeth further 8. Behold when God had created the third Principle after the fall of the Devils when they fell from their Glory for they had been Angels standing in the place of this world yet nevethelesse he would that his will and purpose should stand and therefore he would give to the place of this world an Angelicall Hoast againe which should continue to stand for ever And now he having created the Creatures whose shadows after the changing of the world should continue for ever yet there was no creature found that could have any joy therein in the shadowes neither was there any creature found that might mannage the Beasts in this world therefore God said Let us make Man an Image like unto us which may rule over all the Beasts and creatures upon the Earth and God created Man to be his Image after the Image of God created he him 9. Now the Question is What is Gods Image Behold and consider the Deity and then you will light upon it for God is not a Beastiall Man but Man should be the Image and similitude of God wherein God should dwell Now God is a Spirit all the three Principles are in him and he would make such an Image as should have all the three Principles in him and that is rightly a similitude of God And he created him c. Whereby Moses may be rightly understood that God created him and not made him of a lump of Earth 10. But the Limbus out of which he created him is the Matrix of the Earth and the Earth was generated out of it yet the Materia or matter out of which he created him was a Massa a Quinta Essentia out of the Starres and Elements which instantly became earthly when Man awakened the earthly centre and did instantly belong to the earth and corruptibility 11. But yet this Massa was out of the heavenly Matrix which is the roote of the Out-birth or the roote of the Earth The heavenly Centre ought to remaine fixed and the earthly ought not to be awakened and in this vertue and power he was Lord and ruler over the Starres and Elements and all creatures should have stood in awe of him and he should have been uncorruptible he had the vertue and properties of all manner of Creatures in him for his vertue was out of the vertue or power of the understanding Now then he ought to have all the three Principles if he were to be the similitude of God viz. the source of the Darknesse and also of the Light and also the source of this world and yet he should not live and act in all three but in one of them onely and that in the Paradisicall property in which his life quickned arose or did exist 12. Now that this is demonstratively and certainly thus appeareth in that it is written And God breathed into him the living breath whereby Man became a living soule All other Creatures which were produced out of the corruptible Limbus by the Fiat in all those the will in the Fiat had awakened the spirit in their Centre and every creatures spirit went forth out of the essence and property of its own selfe and mixed afterwards with the spirit of the great world of the Starres and Elements and that ought not to have been in Man his spirit ought not to have mixt it selfe or been united with the spirit of the Starres and Elements the two Principles viz. the Darknesse and the Spirit of the Aire ought to have stood still in such a substance as should be the Image of God and therefore he breathed into him the living breath understand Gods breath that is the Paradisicall Breath or Spirit viz. the Holy Ghost that should be the Breath of the Soule in the Centre of the Soule and the Spirit which went forth out of the Limbus or out of the Quinta Essentia which is of the condition of the Starres that was to have power over the fift Essence of this world for Man was in one onely Essence or substance and there was also but one onely Man that God thus created and he could have lived