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 b Understand or comprehend 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 c Or Starres 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 againe and turne it to dust and ashes like all Beasts Trees Plants and all things that grow but wee see not how it is with us afterwards whether all be ended with it or whether wee goe with our Spirit and Conversation into another life and therefore it is most necessary to learne and to seeke the right way 7. Now that is testified to us by the Writings of those who have been regenerated out of this d Or transitorinesse Earthlinesse and at length are entred into a holy and uncorruptible life who have written and taught of an Eternall joyfull Life and also of an Eternall perishihg and anguishing Life and have taught us how wee should follow after them and how wee should step into a new Birth where wee should be regenerated out of this Earthlinesse into a new Creature and that wee should doe nothing else about it but follow them and then wee should finde e Or really in deed and in truth what they had spoken written and taught yea even in this life wee should see our true Native Countrey in the new Regeneration and f Uunderstand or apprehend know it in the new-borne Man in great Joy whereas then our whole minde would incline to it and in our new knowledge in the new Man true Faith would grow and the hearty desire of the unfeigned love towards the hidden God for which noble knowledge sake many times g Holy people they have yeelded their earthly body and life to the unregenerated gainsayer according to his Devilish malicious revengefulnesse into Death and have taken it with great Joy and have chosen for themselves the Eternall uncorruptible Life 8. Seeing then there is the greatest and highest Love in the new Birth not onely towards God or ones selfe but also towards Men our brothers and sisters and seeing those that were unregenerated have had their desires and love so carried towards Men that they have very earnestly taught men with meeknesse and reproving and that their love to them in their Teaching hath been so great that they have even willingly yeelded their life up to Death and left their earthly goods and all they had in assured hope in their strong and firme knowledge to receive all againe in great honour and glory 9. And therefore wee also have longed to seeke after that Pearle of which wee write at present and though now the unregenerated in the Kingdome of this world will give no credit to us as it hath happened to our forefathers from the children of this world wee cannot help that but it shall stand for a witnesse against them which shall be a woe to them Eternally that they have so foolishly ventured and lost so great an Eternall Glory and holinesse for a little pleasure of the eye and lust of the flesh 10. And wee know in our deep knowledge that h The holy forefathers they have rightly taught and written that there is one onely God which is threefold in Personall Distinction as is before-mentioned And wee also know that he is the Creatour of all things that he hath generated all out of his own i Essence or Beeing substance both light darknesse as also the Thrones and k Or Regiments Dominions of all things Especially wee know as the holy Scripture witnesseth throughout tnat he hath created Man to his own Image and similitude that he should Eternally be and live in the Kingdome of Heaven in him 11. And then wee know also that this world wherein wee now are and live was generated out of the Eternall Originall in time through the pure Element in the Fiat and so created and so l The world of foure Elements it is not the substance of the holy pure Element but an issue or out-birth out of the Eternall Limbus of God wherein the Eternall Element consisteth which is before the cleere Deity wherin consisteth Paradise the Kingdome of Heaven yet the Limbus together with the pure Element is not the pure Deity which is alone holy in it selfe and hath the vertue of the Eternall Light shining in it but hath no Essences in the light of the Clarity in it for the Essences are generated from the vertue m Or of according to the Light as a Desire and the desire attracteth to it from whence the Essences proceede as also the Eternall Darknesse in the source as is before-mentioned 12. Seeing then God is all in all and hath created Man to his Image and similitude to live with him Eternally in his Love Light Joy and Glory therefore wee cannot say that he was meerly created out of the corruptibility of this world for therein is no Eternall perfect Life but Death and perplexity anguish and necessity but as God dwelleth in himselfe and goeth through all his works incomprehensibly to them and is hindred by nothing so was the similitude before him out of the pure Element it was indeed created in this world yet the Kingdome of this world should not comprehend that Image but the similitude Man should mightily and in perfect power or vertue Rule through the Essences with the Essences out of the pure Element of the
which is a Roote or stirre up of the Roote of the fiercenesse and therefore it was necessary that God should passe with the new Body into the Seperation of the Roote and of the Kingdome of this world as into the Death of the fiercenesse and should destroy Death and spring with its own vertue and power through Death as a flower springeth out of the Earth and so hold the inward fiercenesse captive l In the new bodies own vertue or power in his own vertue of the New Body 11. And this wee understand of Christ who is truly entred in such a manner and hath taken the strong Anger and the Devill in it captive and hath sprung with his holy heavenly body through Death and hath destroyed Death so that the Eternall Life springeth forth through Death and thus Death was taken captive by the New Eternall Body and it is an Eternall imprisonment so that an Eternall life is growne in Death and the New Body treadeth upon the Head of Death and of the fiercenesse the property of Death standeth in the Prison of the New Eternall Life 12. And so the Woman in whom the Eternall Life springeth standeth upon the Earthly Moone and despiseth that which is Earthly for that which is Earthly perisheth and then there remaineth of that which is Earthly the hard frozen Death and so now the Word of God as a living m Source or actâ—ve propertie fountaine is entred into Death and hath generated the soule in its selfe and springeth forth out of the soule through Death like a new flower and that flower is the new Body in Christ 13. After this manner you may understand how he destroyed Death by the Springing of the Eternall Life in the Deity through Death and you may understand how the new Body in the Love of God holdeth the Eternall source of the Anger captive for the Love is the prison of the Anger for the source of the Anger cannot enter into the Love but continueâ—h onely by it selfe as it was from Eternity and therein the Devils are imprisoned for the Light of God striketh them downe they neither can nor dare behold that Light in Eternity a Principle is between for the Love springeth forth in the Centre of the soule and therein the Holy Trinity appeareth or shineth 14. Thus wee have gotten a Prince of the Eternall Life and wee need doe no more but to presse in to him with a firme trust and strong Beliefe and then our soule receiveth hiâ— Love and springeth forth with him through death and standeth upon that which is Earthly viz. upon flesh and bloud and is a fruit in the Kingdome of God in the body of Jesus Christ and triumpheth over the fiercenesse for the Love holdeth that captive and that is a reproach to Death as Paul saith O Death where is thy Sting O Hell where is thy Victory Thanks be to God who hath given us victory 15. And because wee cleerly understand and apprehend it in the Spirit therefore wee are indebted to shew the light to those that apprehend it not and doe lie thus captivated in Reason and continually search into the Circumstances why it happened so in the Passion of Christ For Reason saith If it must needs be so that Christ must enter into Death and destroy Death and spring up through Death and so draw us unto him what is the cause then that he must be so despised and n Or whipped scourged and crowned with a Crowne of Thornes and at last be Crucified between Heaven and Earth Could he not dye some other Death and so spring through Death with his Heavenly Body 16. These hard Points cast downe all Jewes Turkes and o Infidels or Heathens Pagans and they keepe them back from the Christian Faith Therefore now wee must write for the sake of the Tree of Pearle and not conceale what appeareth to us in the Great Wonder Behold thou Childe of Man consider what wee set downe here gaze not on the hand of the Penne if you doe you erre and will loose the Jewel which in all Eternity you will be sorry for consider thy selfe onely and thou shalt finde in thy selfe all the causes of the Passion of Christ that are here written downe for there was a Wonderfull Penne in the writing of it and neither thou nor the Hand knoweth him sufficiently that directed it in the writing though indeed the Spirit knoweth him very well yet the naturall Man is blinde in it neither can it be expressed with earthly words Therefore consider thy selfe and if you search into the new-borne-Man then you will finde the Pearle The very horrible wonderfull Gate of Mans Sinnes 17. As wee have in the beginning of this Booke mentioned the Eternall p Or working Birth in the Originality so wee have mentioned the Birth of the Essences and the seven Spirits of the Eternall Nature and therein wee shewed how there is a Crosse-Birth in the Eternall Birth in the fourth forme where the Essences in the turning wheele make a Crosse-Birth because they cannot goe out from themselves but that the Eternall Birth is every where so in all things in the Essence of all Essences 18. And wee give you to understand thus much in very exact knowledge at the instant of this Text that all Essences in all qualities at the time of the over-coming of Death when Christ was to overcome death and destroy hell and captivate the Devill were predominant for so it must be he must release the soule from all Essences 19. Now the Crosse-Birth is the middlemost in the Essences yet before the Fire q The Crosse-Birth it standeth in the Anxious Death in the fiercenesse of the Hell as you may reade before for from the fierce flash in the Brimston Spirit the fire cometh forth and in the flash the Light and the fiercenesse it selfe maketh the Brimstone-Spirit and out of that in the Light cometh water as is before-mentioned Now then the soule of Man is discovered in the flash as a Spirit and held by the Fiat and so is created or generated and was brought in it selfe into the fift forme of the Birth as into the Love where then it was an Angel in the Light of God 20. But this world being created as a Principle in the fourth forme as an out-Birth and the Paradise being between the fourth and the fifth forme and the r The one pure Element Element being in the fift forme and therein the Eternall Light of the Deity having opened another Centre and the soule having reflected back againe into the fourth forme and entered thereinto it made all Essences predominant in it which stood in the fourth forme 21. And now when the body of the soule in the fourth forme was come to be a Masse out of the water with a mixture of the other formes then stuck all Essences out of the fourth forme upon the soule and it was captivated with this body and it had
also turne againe and the poore soule must enter into Christ againe through the earthly Death and spring up againe like this Murtherer Theefe or Malefactour on the Crosse who desired the Kingdome of Christ 35. And thus you may well beleeve that all whatsoever happened in the Fall of Adam whereby Adam is fallen the same was the second Adam faine to beare upon his shoulders for b Adam 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 an 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 Sâ—â—ioâ—â— 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 c Assumed 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 d Or scorned 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 himself were e Or Guilty the Transgressour The Gate of the Great f Or hidden Mystery 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 g Or Dumb. 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 h Quitted or left yeelded up the Earthly Life which proceeded from the Constellations and Elements viz. Kingdome of this world and so the soule now stood no more in the Kingdome of this world in the i Or active propertie 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 our 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. k Note out of what the Sun is proceeded 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 Saviour went through Death into Life and put on that pure Element for a Body then their soules in the Saviour in whom they stood in hope gat the upperhand and put on their new Body in the Body of Christ and lived in him in his power and vertue there were the holy Patriarchs and Prophets who in this world had put on the Treader upon the Serpent in the Word of God wherein they had prophesied of him and wrought Miracles they were no quickened in the vertue of Christ for the vertue of Christ sprung through Death and reconciled the Father who held the soules captive in the Anger and they now enterâ—d with Christ into Life 47. Heere yee beloved Sheepe observe When Christ dyed he did not cast away his Body which he had heere and yeelded it up to the foure Elements to be swallowed up so that he must have wholly a strong Body no but l He hath laid off the source or property of this world which is in the Starres and Elements and the m Corruption put on Incorruption Incorruptible swallowed up the Corruptible so that it is a Body which liveth in the vertue of God in God and not in the Spirit of this foure Elementary world and Paul saith concerning the Last Judgement That the Incorruptible viz. the New Man shall over-cloath the Corruptible and shall swallow up the Corruptible so that Death shall be made a scorne according to that saying O Death where is thy Sting O Hell where is thy Victory 48. You must known that Christ while he lived upon the Earth and all wee that are new-borne in him have and carry the heavenly flesh and bloud in the earthly Man and wee carry it also in the New Mâ—n in the Body of Christ And when wee die thus in the old Earthly Body then wee live in the New Body in the Body of Jesus Christ and spring up in him out of Death and our springing up is our Paradise where our Essences spring up in God and Earthly is swallowed up in Death and wee put on our Lord Jesus Christ not onely in the Faith and Spirit but in the vertue an power of the Body in our Heavenly Flesh and Bloud and so wee live to God the Father in Christ his Sonne and the Holy Ghost confirmeth all our Doings for all what wee shall doe it is God doth it in us 49. And thus there will be A Tabernacle of God with Men and the Body of Christ will be Our Temple wherein wee shall know and see the Great Wonders of God and speake of them with rejoycing And that is the Temple the New Jerusalem of which the Prophet Ezekiel writeth 50. And behold I tell you a Mystery as all whatsoever Adam was guilty of must stand yet and be manifested in this world on the Body of Christ and must be seene in this world so also you shall see this Temple before the time that the Incorruptible shall wholly swallow up the Corruptible in the Lilly in the Wonders where the n Fiercenesse and Tyranny Anger opposeth the Lilly till it be reconciled in Love an till the o Oppressour Driver be put to open shame as was done also in the Death of Christ which the Jewes hope for But their Scepter is broken and the life standeth in the Birth of Christ yet they come from the ends of the world and goe out from Jericho againe into the Holy Jerusalem and eate with the Lamb this is a Wonder but the p Persecutor Suppressour Oppressour or Tyrant Driver is taken captive and therefore wee speake thus wonderfully and at present wee shall not be understood till the p Persecutor Suppressour Oppressour or Tyrant Hunter is destroyed and then our life cometh to us againe and standeth in the q Or Victory valley of Jehosaphat The other Gate of the sufferings of Christ 51. It is cleerly shewed to us wherefore the Man-Christ must thus suffer himselfe to be mocked despised scourged Crowned with Thornes and Crucified also wherefore he must endure to be cryed out upon for one that had a Devill and wherefore he must be so spoken against by the wise and Prudent also wherefore the simple people onely hung to him and but some few of the Honourable and Rich of this world Though indeed wee shall not please every one yet wee speak not our own words but wee speake in our knowledge and driving in the Spirit that which is shewen us of God therefore understand and consider it aright 52. Behold the r Innocent Guiltlesse Man Christ was set instead in the Anger of the Father he must reconcile and satisfie not onely all that which Adam had made himselfe guilty of by his going forth from Paradise into the Kingdome of this world and so fell foulely in the presence of God and was scorned of all the Devils but he must make attonement for all that which was done afterwards and which is still done or will be done by us 53. And this wee set before your eyes in the knowledge of God and in true earnest Sincerity not that wee will despise any Man and exalt our selves wee would rather be banished from this world than that wee should seeke our own Praise in Pride that is but dung and drosse and the Spirit of knowledge would not stay with us this ought well to be considered Therefore wee will write in our knowledge for our selves and leave the event to God 54. Behold when Adam entred into this world Pride wrought in him he would be as God as Moses saith the Serpent the Devill perswaded him to it He Man would have the Third Principle working and flowing in him and thereby he lost God and the Kingdome of Heaven But that it is true that Pride acted in Man looke upon Cain he would be Lord alone he would not that his brother should be accepted before God fearing that he should then get the Dominion and therefore he slew him 55. And so Cain and his Successours have set up a Potent Kingdome from whence Dominion proceedeth whereby one Brother aspireth above another and have made them slaves And thus horrible Tyranny hath been hatched and the Potent have done whatsoever they listed he hath oppressed the needy at his pleasure he hath gotten to him the Kingdome of the Earth and therewith exerciseth Tyranny wickednesse and wrong and yet men must say to him it is right he hath contrived all sorts of Policy and
before the Garden to keep and guard the way to the Tree of Life Who could understand it If God did not open our eyes wee should speak simply of a keeper with a sword and Reason seeth nothing else 40. But the Noble virgin sheweth us the Doore and how wee must enter againe into Paradise through the sharpnesse of the sword yet the sword cutteth the Earthly Body cleane away from the Holy Element and then the New Man may enter into Paradise by the way of Life And the sword is nothing else but the Kingdome or Gate of the fâ—ercenesse in the anger of God where Man must presse in through the fâ—erce bitter Death through the Centre into the second Principle into the Paradise of the holy Element before God where then the fierce grimme Death cutteth off the Earthly Body viz. the foure Elements from the holy one Element 41. And the keeper of the Garden is the Cherubine the cutter off of the source or quality of the Starres which holdeth the foure Elements for a while and then breaketh them and with its bitter sharpnesse severeth them from the soule and passeth away it selfe also with its sword this keeper is here in the way that wee cannot come to the Tree of the Eternall Life he is in the middest and suffereth us not to come into Paradise the grosse Garden of Eden which is our Earthly Flesh is the hedge or fortification before the Garden 42. Now if any body would come into the Garden he must presse in through the sword of Death though indeed Christ hath broken the sword so that now wee can much easier enter in with our soules yet there is a sword before it still but he that findeth the way aright him it doth not cut very much for it is blunt and it is bent and if the soule goe but into the Gate into the Centre then it is presently helped by the Noble Champion Christ for he hath gotten the sword into his e Into his power or jurisdiction hands he is the slaine Lambe of the House of Israel in the Revelation of John which took the Book of the f Shut barred or closed first Principle out of the hand of the Ancient of Dayes who sate upon the Throne with his foure and twenty Elders which Book had seven seales or seven Spirits of the g Generation or operation 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 h Working or revelation 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 i 〈◊〉 Law 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 k Evangelium Gospel of the Kingdome of God which our worthy Conquerour Jesus Christ hath l Instead of the Law or read or declared it to us 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 m The great world or Macrocosme 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 n Nor began to be conceived with childe 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 o Or incline 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
body Sulphur is first generated wherein the life becometh stirring and the n Beginning of the life Tincture generateth againe the Sulphur and the water wherein afterwards the bloud in the Tincture cometh to be And thus now as the beginning of the life is so much also the o Or Ordinance Order in the Regeneration be that the poore soule first receive the water of Eternall Life and be Baptized therein and then God giveth it the Graine of Mustard-seed of the Pearle that so if it receive the same it may become a new fruit in God 29. And therefore he sent his p Or Messenger Angel hither before him that he should baptize with the water of the Eternall Life for so q Come or began can the Eternall Body into which the soule must enter and in its Tincture in its bloud be new-borne againe be translated into the body of Christ to describe which a great space is requisite But I will finish here briefly and mention it more in another Booke and now wee will handle the matter of the use or Celebration for it is very hard to be apprehended by the simple And therefore wee will deale with him after a childish manner to try whether he may come to see and finde the Pearle for all shall not finde what wee in the Love of God have found though indeed wee could earnestly wish that all might have it yet there is a great matter between it viz. the r The vapouring foure-Elementary Life in the Learned swelled puft up Kingdome of this world and the Devill will set themselves against it as raging Dog but the smell of the Lilly will make Å¿ The Devill him faint and so now wee will speake as a childe 30. The t Or servant of Christ Minister in a Brotherly Christian office of the Covenant and Testament of Christ taketh water and upon the Commandement of Christ in his Covenant and Testament sprinkleth or powreth it upon the Head of he Inâ—â—t in the name of the Covenant and in the name of the Holy Trinity of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost this was the Command of Christ and therewith he hath set up his Covenant with us and it is a Testament which he afterwards confirmed with his Death and wee must doe it also and not leave it undone it is not in the u Arbitrium or free-will liberty of a Christians will to doe it or leave it undone but if he will be a Christian he must doe it or else he contemneth his Testament and will not come to him 31. For the Testatour standeth in the Covenant and saith Come and whosoever doth not desire to Come goeth not in to him Therefore it lyeth not in our high knowledge for he standeth in his Covenant and the childe that is newly Borne is as acceptable to him as an old finfull Man that repenteth and steppeth into his Covenant For it lay not in us that he became Man and received us into his Love but it lay in his Love in his x Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse Mercy for wee knew nothing of him nor did we know whether wee could be helped or no but he alone chose us and came to us out of Grace y Or into in our Humanity and took pitty on us and so also the Covenant of his Promise was a Covenant of Grace and not out of our foreknowing or merit And therefore whosoever teacheth otherwise is in Babell and confoundeth the Covenant of Christ 32. For Christ said also Let little Children come to mee for to such belongeth the Kingdome of God Say not What doth Baptisme availe a childe which understandeth it not The matter lyeth not in our understanding wee are altogether ignorant concerning the Kingdome of God If the childe be a bud growen in thy Tree and that thou standest in the Covenant wherefore bringest thou not also thy bud z Or in into the Covenant Thy Faith is its Faith and thy confidence towards God in the Covenant is its confidence It is indeed thy a Or Children are thy Branches Essences and generated from thy soule And thou art to know according to its exceeding worth if thou art a true Christian in the Covenant of Jesus Christ that thy childe also in the kindling of its life pâ—sseth into the Covenant of Christ and though it should die in the Mothers womb ir would be found in the Covenant of Christ For the Deity stanâ—â—eth in the Centre of the Light of Life and so now if the Tree stand in the Covenant then the Branch may well doe so 33 But thou must not oâ—mt Baptisme for all that for when the childe is borne into the world then it is severed from its Tree and is in this world and then it selfe must pâ—sse into the Covenant and thou must with thy Faith present it and with thy Prayer give it to God in his Covenant there needeth no b Bravery sump uousnesse or solemâ—â—y pomp about it thar doth dishonour the Covenant c Aâ—â— not a shâ—w or sceae to be acted it is an earnest thing 34. Thee are three Witnesses to this Covenant the one is called God the Father the other God the Sonne and the third is God the Holy Ghost these are the work masters who doe the office they Baptise or Administer Baptisme But if thou filthy trimmed whore now comest thus stately and bringest the poore soule to the Covnant of Christ and doest but stand 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 silent 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 are a filthy swine even in the Kingdome of all the Devils But the d Or Bath Laver of Regeneration if thou are 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 Parents there is no Faith but onely a false hypocrifie and yet will e Moch Christ and yet be accounted Christians in an Apish mockery see 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
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 flie 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 himseâ—fe 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 a Worketh or performeth effecteth its will the inward goeth right forward and consenteth not to the wickednesse of the outward but it runneth to its b It aimeth at 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 c Or aspect Conjunction but if d The outward Man it be compelled to leave off that which is evill that is not e From the influence or acting 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 f Or know 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 g Or bring it back 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 h Infecteth it that it burneth 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 i Or Regenerate 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 k Or stâ—ffnesse 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 thus yet the one must be parted from the other viz. the Kingdome of this world
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 f Or Miracles 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 g The ruling property Kingdome of this world as if in were wholly swallowed up whereas it is not swallowed up but the h Or working property source of this world it 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 his same forme to keepe the Judgement of the Separation for in his Divine Glorified forme wee cannot behold him before wee be Glorified especially the wicked But thus all Generations shall see and know him and the unbeleeving shall weep and wayle that they went so out of their flesh and bloud into another source or condition when they should and might in their own Essences have put on God and yet did put on the Kingdome of the fiercenesse of the Anger of God with the Devils and let the same into the Essences of their soules and caused themselves to perish 8. Therefore wee say that in the soule of Christ in its Essences the cleere Deity viz. the Light of God is comprehended which hath quenched the Anger in the source of the soule and thus that Light f Glorifieth or brightneth clarifieth the soule and through the proceeding vertue the Tincture is alwayes generated out of the soule and the Fiat in the Essences maketh it comprehensible and palpable and that is the Ternarius Sanctus or the Holy Earth that is the holy flesh for God enlighteneth in this body all in all 9. Thus his earthly body is swallowed up in God though indeed he never had such an earthly body as wee have for he was not of the Seede of a Man but wee speake onely of the comprehensibility and visibility of it to our eyes according to which he is our Brother and he shall appeare at the Last Judgement-Day in our fleshly forme in the power of God as Lord over all for all power in Heaven and in this world is subjected under him and he is Judge over all A Prince of Life and Lord over Death 10. And so the Kingdome of Heaven is his own body and the whole Princely Throne of his Principle is Paradise wherein the blessed fruit in the vertue of God springeth up for the Holy Ghost is the vertue and power of the fruit as the Aire in this world is so the Holy Ghost is the Aire and Spirit of the soule in Christ and of all his children for there is no other Aire in Heaven in the body of Christ and God the Father is All in All. Thus wee live and are in Christ all in the Father there is no soule that searcheth out to the depth but wee live all in singlenesse of heart and in great humility and love one towards another and rejoyce one with another as children doe before their Parents and to this end God created us 11. This my deare k Or friend soule seeke Christ and incline thy selfe to him and so thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost who will new regenerate thy soule and enlighten drive and leade thee and he will reveale and manifest Christ to thee Leave off all opinions and humane Inventions for the Kingdome of God is neere thee and thou art kept out from God onely by thy own unbeliefe by thy evill works viz. by thy pride covetousnesse envy anger and falshood for thou clothest thy selfe with them so thou art in the Devils cloaths without God 12. But if thou leavest them off and passest with the desire of thy heart into the Mercy of God then thou goest into Heaven into God the Father and thou walkest in the body of Christ in the pure Element and the Holy Ghost goeth forth out of thy soule and leadeth thee into all truth and the old corrupt Man doth but hang to thee which thou shalt destroy in Death and with thy Love in Christ still overcome and captivate the Anger of the Father in thy soule and thou shalt spring up with thy New Man through Death and appeare in the same at the Last Judgement Day The l The Gate by which Babell first entred Gate to Babell 13. when wee consider with our selves the many Sects and Controversies in Religion and from whence their come and take their Originall it is as cleere as the Sunne and it manifesteth it selfe indeed and in truth for there are great Warres and Insurrections stirred up for the cause of Religion or Faith and there ariseth great hatred and envy about it and they persecute one another for opinions sakes because another is not of his opinion he sticks not to say he is of the Devill and this is yet the greatest Misery of all that this is done by the Learned in the high Schooles or Universities of this world 14. And I will shew thee simple Man their venome and poyson for behold every one among the Layety looketh upon them and thinketh Sure it must needs be right if our m Minister Pastour Preacher or Teacher Priest say it he is a Minister of God he fitteth in Gods stead it is the Holy Ghost that speaketh out of him But Saint Paul saith Trie the Spirits for every onâ—s Teaching is not
Reader of the The Three Principles Second Booke of our Writings a little more fundamentally that he may not hang so to the bare letter and make a Historicall matter of our Writings but that he may observe the minde and spirit what that Sprit meaneth when it speaketh of the Divine Life and useth not alwayes the same words and names 2. For if wee look into the Creation of God wee finde very wonderfull things which yet in the beginning proceeded out of one onely Fountaine for wee finde evill and good life and death joy and sorrow love and hate weeping and laughing and wee finde that it all sprung out of one onely substance for that may very well be seene in all Creatures especially in Man who is the similitude of God as Moses writeth and the Light of Nature convinceth us Therefore wee ought to consider of the Threefold Life in Man which is found so also in the Gate of God the Father 3. If wee consider of the alteration how the minde is changed as it is how suddenly joy is turned into sorrow and sorrow into joy then wee ought well to consider from whence that taketh its Originall For wee finde it all to be in one and the same minde and if one forme property or quality riseth and getteth above the other there then presently Or a substance or reality something followeth so that the minde collecteth all its thoughts together and sendeth them to the Members of the Body and so the hands the feete the mouth and all goe to worke and doe something according to the desire of the minde and then wee say that forme or property that driveth the work is predominant qualifying and working above other formes wherein yet all other formes of Nature lye yet hidden and are subject to that one forme And yet the minde is such a wonderfull Essence or substance thing that suddenly out of one forme that is now predominant and working more than all other it bringeth forth and raiseth up another and quencheth the forme that was kindled before so that it becometh as it were a nothing as may be seene in joy and sorrow 4. Now therefore when wee consider whence all taketh its Originall wee finde especially three formes in the minde wee speak not heere of the Spirit of this world onely for wee finde that our minde hath also a desire or longing after another minde and that it is anxious for that which the eyes of the body see not and which the mouth tasteth not and the feeling of the earthly body doth not perceive neither doth the earthly eare heare it nor the nose smell it which yet the Noble Minde can see taste feele perceive and heare if the forme of the Divine Kingdome in that minde be predominant or qualifieth more than the other two there then instantly the other two are as it were halfe dead and overcome and the Divine forme riseth up alone and then it is in God 5. And wee see also how instantly the Minde raiseth up another forme and maketh it predominant viz. the Spirit of this world in covetousnesse pride in the oppressing of the needy and lifting up it selfe onely and so drawing all to it whereupon then instantly also the third forme breaketh forth out of the Eternal Indissoluble Band as falshood envy anger and malice so that the Image of God is as it were dead and overcome where then the minde in this manner Or standeth is in the Anger of God in Death in the Jawes of Hell over which Hell in the Anger of God insulteth for hereby its Jawes are set wide open and it becometh predominant but when the Divine forme breaketh forth againe then the Kingdome of Hell is overcome and as it were dead and the Kingdome of Heaven cometh to be predominant and working againe 6. Therefore St Paul saith To whom you yeeld your selves as servants in obedience his servants you are whether of sinne unto Death or of the obedience of God to righteousnesse and that source or property wee have and in that Kingdome wee live and that Kingdome with the property thereof driveth us seeing then heere in this life all is in the sowing and in the growing therefore the harvest also shall one day follow where then the one Kingdome shall be seperated from the other 7. For there are in the minde of Man Three Principles all which Three in the Time of this foure Elementary Life he may open but when the body is broken then he liveth in one Principle onely and then he hath lost the Key and can open no other Principle more he must continue Eternally in that source or quality which he hath kindled heere For wee know that Adam with his going out of Paradise into this world brought us into Death And Hell in the Anger of God groweth from Death and so our soule is capable of going into the Kingdome of Hell and standeth in the Anger of God where the Jawes of Hell then stand wide open against us continually to devoure us and we have made a Covenant with Death and wholly yeelded our selves up to it in the sting of the Anger in the first Principle 8. Wee not onely know this but wee know also that God hath regenerated us in the life of his Sonne Jesus Christ to a living Creature to live in him And as he is entered into Death and againe through Death into Eternall Life so must wee enter into the Death of Christ and in the life of Jesus Christ goe forth out of Death and live in God his Father and then our life and also our flesh is no more earthly but holy in the power of God and wee live rightly in Ternario Sancto in the Holy Trinity of the Deity For then wee beare the holy flesh which is out of the holy Element in the presence of God which our loving Brother and Saviour or Immanuel hath brought into our flesh and he hath brought us in and with himselfe out of Death into God his Father and then the Holy Trinity of the Deity is substantially or really working in us 9. And as the Eternall Word in the Father is become true Man and hath the Eternall Light shining in him and hath humbled and abased himselfe in the Humanity and hath put upon the Image which wee heere beare in this Life the Image which is out of the pure unspotted Element in the presence of God which wee last in Adam which standeth in the Mercy of God as is cleerly mentioned in our second Booke with all the Circumstances of it so must wee also put on to us that Image which is out of the pure Element out of the body of Jesus Christ and live in that bodily substance and in that source condition and vertue wherein he liveth 10. Wee doe not heere meane his Creature that wee must enter into that but wee understand his source for the depth and breadth of his life in his source is unmeasurable and as God his
work of Babell from whence strife and contention in selfe-Pride cometh for they aime onely at Pride and Advancement to Recreate themselves in the Lusts of the Flesh and in selfe They are no Shepheards or Pastours of Christ but Ministers of Servants of the Antichrist they have set themselves upon Christs Throne but they have erected it in this world 20. Yet the Kingdome of Christ is not of this world but consisteth in Power and there is the true knowledge of God in no Man except he be Regenerated in God out of his corrupted house of sinnes where then the fiercenesse changeth it selfe into Love and he is a Priest of God in the Life of Jesus Christ who alwayes seeketh that which is in Heaven in the Wonders of God and the New Man is hidden in the Old Man and is not of this world but he is in Ternario Sancto in the holy Body of Jesus Christ understand in the vertue of his Body 21. For such also his Covenant with us is both in the Baptisme and the Last Supper He tooke not the flesh of his Creature and gave it to his Disciples but he tooke the Body of the Pure Element that is before God wherein God dwelleth which is present in all Creatures but comprised in another Principle and gave it to his Disciples to eate and to drinke under Earthly Bread and Wine so also he Baptized the Outward Man with Earthly Elementary Water but the inward New Man he Baptiseth with the Water in the holy pure Element of his Body and Spirit which substance appeareth onely in the Second Principle and is present every where yet is hidden to the Third Principle viz. to the Spirit of this world 22. For as wee know that our Minde reacheth all over this world and also into the Kingdome of Heaven to God so also the Life of the Pure Element wherein the Creature Christ and our New Man is Christ standeth reacheth every where all over and it is all over full of the fullnesse of the Life of Jesus Christ but onely in the One Pure Holy Element and not in the foure Elements in the Spirit of the Starres 23. Therefore there needeth not in our Writings much toyle nor hard consideration or study wee write out of another Principle no Reader understandeth us rightly in the Ground except his Minde be borne in God there ought no Historicall skill and knowledge to be sought for in our Writings for as it is not possible to see God with earthly eyes so also it is not possible that an unenlightened Minde in the Earthlinesse can comprehend The Ground of our Writings it Heavenly thoughts and meanings â—n comprehend The Ground of our Writings it like must be comprehended by like 24. Indeed wee carry the Heavenly Treasure in an Earthly Or receptacle vessell but there must be a Heavenly Or vessell receptacle hidden in the Earthly else the heavenly Treasure is not comprised nor held None should thinke or desire to finde the Lilly of the Heavenly Bud with deepe searching and studying if he be not entered by earnest Repentance into the New Birth so that it be growne in himselfe for else it is but a Historie where his Minde never findeth the Ground and yet it selfe supposeth it hath comprehended it but his Minde maketh it manifest Of what Spirit it is generated what Spirits childe it is for it is written They are Taught of God 25. Wee know that every Life is a fire that consumeth and must have somewhat to feede its consuming or else it goeth out so also wee know that there is an Eternall Band of Life where there is a matter whereon the Eternall fire feedeth continually for the Eternall fire maketh that matter for foode to it selfe 26. So also wee know that the Eternall Life is twofold in a twofold source quality or property and each standeth in its own fire The one burneth in the fiercenesse and in the woe and the matter thereof is Pride Envy and Anger its source is like a Brimstone Spirit for the rising up of the Pride in covetousnesse envy and anger maketh together a Brimstone wherein the fire burneth and continually kindleth it selfe with this Materia or Materiall matter for it is a great L ke Gall. Bitternesse wherein the Mobility of the Life confisteth as also the Or Vulcan Striker up of the fire 27. Now wee know also that every fire hath a shining and Glance and that Glance goeth in it selfe forth from the source or quality and enlighteneth the matter of the source so that in the source there is a knowledge and understanding of a thing or substance from whence a Minde and the Might taketh its Originall of doing and comprehending a will to somewhat and yet was not there in the Originality and that will in it selfe in the source goeth forth and maketh a liberty for it selfe in the source and the will desireth the liberty that it might stand therein and hath its life from the will in the Light and in it selfe in the habitation liveth without source and yet there it standeth in the Originality in the Ground of the source 28. Thus my Beloved worthy seeking Or friend Minde know and observe that every Life standeth upon the Abysse of the fiercenesse for God calleth himselfe A Consuming fire and also A God of Love and his Name GOD hath its Originall in the Love where he goeth forth out of the source in himselfe and maketh it in himselfe Joy Paradise and the Kingdome of Heaven 29. Wee all in the Originality of our Life have the source of the Anger and of the fiercenesse or else wee should not be alive but wee must looke to it and in our selves goe forth out of the source of the fiercenesse with God and Generate the Love in us and then our Life shall be a joyfull and pleasant habitation to us and then it standeth rightly in the Paradise of God But if our Life stay in the fiercenesse viz. in covetousnesse envy anger and malice and goeth not forth into another will then it standeth in the Anguishing source as all Devills doe wherein no one good thought or will can be but a meere enmity in it selfe 30. Therefore these two Lives viz. the Life in the Loving Regeneration and the Life in the Originality of the source or property are one against another and because the Life in the Love is not Enimicitious therefore it must suffer it selfe to be pinched pierced-through and wounded and upon it the Crosse is laid to be borne with Patience of Meeknesse and in this Bud in this Ground soyle or field a childe of God must be a bearer of the Crosse and for this end hath God appointed in himselfe a Day of Judgement and of Seperation where then he will reape what is growne in every Life and herewith shall all formes of the Eternall Life be manifested and all must stand to the manifesting of Gods Deeds of Wonder 31. Therefore O Man looke to it
for want of Examining what is in themselves yet they may well perceive that the Ground of what hath ever been lyeth in Man for whatsoever any Man hath been or can be must needs be in that Man that attaineth to it as the Ground of the Most Excellent Flower is in the Roote from whence it groweth and then sure the Ground of all that was in Adam or any since or shall be is in any one of us for whatsoever Ground lay in God the same lyeth in Christ and in him it lyeth in us because he is in us all There is nothing but may be understood if wee doe but consider how every thing that ever was or shall be knowne truly is feelingly understood by and in him that knoweth it as he ought and he that thus knoweth God within him cannot but know the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Angels Men and all other Creatures even the Devils and may well be able to speak the Word of God infallibly as the Holy Men that Penned the Scriptures and others also and he that can understand these things in himselfe may well know who speaketh by the Spirit of God and who speaketh his own Phansies and Delutions as our Saviour said He that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven shall know of my words whether they be of God but if that will of his Father in Heaven had not been in them from the beginning of their life in their Conception in their Mothers womb how could they to whom he said this have done that will whereby they might know whence his words proceeded and according to this Rule may any discerne the words and writings of All therefore such things as these are necessary to be knowne There are some who have desired his writings might be Epitomised for ease of those that have not leisure to reade so large Treatises truly the spare time they spend in any other outward thing may be spent with more benefit a thousandfold in this and where he hath written at large it would not be understood if it were contracted more in briefe all his Books as large as they are are but a small sparke of the Great Mystery and where he hath written more in briefe it is so obscure to some that they think it impossible to be understood which he wrote both so briefly obscurely as I conceive that none but such as would be diligent in the practise of that which he hath written plainly and at large should be able to understand it It is intended that the Booke of the Threefold Life which with the Three Principles and forty Questions are a Compleate contence of All the Mysteries should be published in English with the soonest conveniency and in the meane time for a Tast of the Spirit of Prophecy which the Authour had there is a little Treatise of some Prophecies concerning these latter times collected out of his writings by a Lover of the Teutonick Philosophy and Entituled Mercurius Teutonicus In turning the German into English I retaine in some places the propriety of the German Language because the Authour should be rendred as neere as might be in his own Expression that those Excellent Notions which he layeth down might not be slipt over as men doe common current English but that the strangenesse of the words may make them a little stay and consider what the meaning may be having some difference from the vulgar English phrase also where it is somwhat hard at first sight to know what some of the words meane I have set the Synonima's in the Margin and sometime the English rendring between two such Semiquadrates In the Preface to the Lovers of Wisdome set before the 40 Questions in English there are some of the many benefits mentioned that would arise from the studying this Authours writings which may be there Read among the Rest there is a hint about reforming the Lawes by Degrees in every Nation and there is no doubt but if those in whose hands it is to make Lawes did but consider that the Spirit of God is and may be stirred up in them they would stirre him up make a Reformation according to that Spirit of Love the Holy Ghost and then they would be Gods true Vicegerents they would be Fathers of their Countrey deale with every Obstinate rebellious Member in the Kingdom as a Father would doe with a disobedient childe first tell him lovingly and shew him his faults if that will not do he will inquire the Reason and study some course to remedy the cause that hindreth his amendment but if he should goe beyond the bounds of reason and be beside himselfe he would take care of his safety livelihood and cure God taketh such care for us all though we be most obstinate enemies against him and we should do so for all our Brethren the sonnes of Adam though they be our Enemies wee should Examine their wants in all things and supply them that necessity may not compell them to be our enemies still and offend God that they may but live If they will not be quiet when they have their wants supplied and their wrongs redressed but will turne Murtherers and so deserve to live no longer in mercy let them be provided for as other more friendly children of the Common-wealth and removed to live by themselves in some remote uninhabited Countrey where they may have no occasion to doe hurt among those whom they would not suffer to live quietly but let them not there want that which may give them honest subsistence as others who are willing to transplant themselves and for those that desire to live quietly and peaceably at home let all their Earthly things be so ordered that they may easily understand what right and wrong is by having most briefe plaine easie Lawes to be Governed by and have their wants considered and supplied then all Hearts will blesse the Hands of such Reformers and Love will cover All the Ends of the Earth and the God of Love will give us his blessing of Peace all the world over and then the King of Glory will dwell with Men and All the Kingdomes of the Earth will be his Who would not desire such a Thing with mee The unworthiest of the Children of Men J. S. The Authors Preface to this BOOKE 1. MAN can undertake nothing from the beginning of his youth nor in the whole course of his Time in this world that is more profitable and necessary for him than to learne to know himselfe What he is out of what from whence and for what he is Created and what his a Duty employment or businesse is Office is In such a serious Consideration he will presently finde that he and all the Creatures that are come all from God he will also finde among all the Creatures that he is the most Noble Creature of them all from whence he will very well perceive how Gods intent is towards him in that
he hath made him Lord over all the Creatures of this world and hath endued him with b Or sense Minde Reason and Vnderstanding above all the rest of the Creatures especially with Speech or Language so that he can distinguish every thing that soundeth stirreth moveth or groweth and judge of every things vertue effect and Originall and that all is put under his hand so that he can bend them use and mannage them according to his will as pleaseth him 2. Moreover God hath given him higher and greater knowledge than this in that he can penetrate into the Heart of every thing and discerne what Essence vertue and property it hath both in the Creatures in Earth Stones Trees Hearbs in all moveable and immoveable things also in the Starres and Elements so that he knoweth what substance and vertue they have and that in their vertue all naturall sensibility c Growing vegetation d Propagation or encrease multiplication and life doth consist 3. Above all this God hath given him the understanding and perception to know God his Creatour What and whence Man is how he is and where he is and out of what he proceeded or was created and how he is the Image e Or Being substance f Inheritance or possession propriety and childe of the Eternall uncreated and infinite God and how he is created out of the substance of God in which God hath his own substance and propriety in whom he liveth and governeth with his Spirit by which God manageth his own work and loveth him dearely as his own Heart and substance for whose sake he created this world with all the Creatures that are therein which for the most part without the Reason and Government of Man could not live in such a g Or Qualification or manner of Life Condition as they doe 4. Tbe Divine Wisdome it selfe standeth in such a high Consideration and hath neither number nor end and therein is the Love of God towards Man knowne in that Man knoweth what his Creator is and what he would have him doe and leave undone and it is the most profitable thing for Man in this world that he can search for and seek after for heerein he learneth to know himselfe what matter and substance he is of also from whence his understanding cogitation perceptibility and sensibility is stirred and how he is created out of the h Essence or Being Substance of God and as a Mother bringeth forth a Childe out of her own substance and nourisheth it therewith and leaveth all her Goods to it for its own and maketh it the possessour of them so doth God also with Man his Childe he hath created him and preserved him and made him heire to all his Eternall Goods In and by this Consideration the Divine knowledge buddeth and groweth in Man and the Love towards God as of a Childe to its Parents so that Man loveth God his Father for that he knoweth that he is his Father in whom he liveth is and hath his being who nourisheth him preserveth him and provideth for him for thus saith Christ our Brother who is begotten of the Father to be a Saviour and sent into this world This is the Eternall Life that they know thee to be the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ 5. Now seeing wee our selves know that wee are created out of Gods own substance and made his Image substance and peculiar Inheritance it is therefore equall that wee should live in obedience to him and follow him seeing he leadeth us as a Father doth his Children And wee have also his Promise that if wee follow him wee shall obtaine the light of the Eternall Life without such a Consideration as this wee are altogether blinde and have no knowledge of God but we run on as dumb Beasts and wee look upon our selves and upon Gods Creation as Heifers look upon a i Which being strange they start backe at it and are afraid to goe into their own Lodging new Doore made to their Stalls and set our selves against God and his will and so live in opposition and enmity to the perdition of body and soule and of Gods Noble Creatures wee fall into this terrible and abominable Darknesse because wee will not learne to know our selves what wee are of what k Or matter substance what wee shall be whether wee are Eternall or whether wee are wholy transitory as the body is or whether also wee must give an account of our l Substance matters and doings seeing wee are made Lords of all Creatures and of the whole Creation and have all this in our power to manage 6. Even as wee see know and finde undeniably that God will require an account of all our Doings how wee have kept house with his m Or Creation works and that when wee fall from him and his Commandements he will punish us terribly of which wee have fearefull Examples from the beginning of the world and among the Jewes Heathens and Christians especially the Example of the Flood and in Sodome and Gomorrha also in Pharaoh and the Children of Israel in the Wildernesse and ever since till this very Time Therefore it is indeed most necessary that wee learne wisdome and learne to know our selves how great vice and wickednesse we carry about us how horrible Wolves are amongst us which strive against God and his will 7. For there is none that can excuse himselfe and plead ignorance because the will of God is put into and written in our Minds so that wee very well know what wee should doe and all the Creatures beare witnesse against 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 n Viz. our evill corrupt nature will which is inclined to all evill 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 he 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 o The chiefe ruling part 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 p Clarity 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 q Or which God hath a love to 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 r Or fayrest brightest Crowne of Heaven 13. Now seeing Man knoweth that he is such a twofold Man in the Å¿ Or Potentiality of being good or evill 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 t Source or sustenance 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 u Or Evill disposition 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 x Corpus or body or naturall substance 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 y Viz. through from Gods wrath love 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 z Imaging fashioning framing 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 a In briefe or in summe 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 Hâ—ly 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 b Beeing of all Beeings or substance of all substances not the pure Deity as Aristotle hath supposed but the Eternall Nature Gods love and wrath 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 world in so great danger between Heaven and Hell and must continually wrestle with the c All evill affections or practises of the Devill in the Anger of Goâ— Devill if perhaps through weaknesse I might fall into the Anger of God and thereby the Light of my knowledge might be withdrawne from mee that it may serve mee to recall it to memory and raise it up againe for God willeth that all Men should be helped and will not the Death of a sinner but that he return come to him live in him Eternally for whose sake he hath suffered his own Heart that is his Sonne to become Man that we might cleave to him and rise againe in him and departing from our sinnes and Enmity or contrary will
yet is Paradisicall and it cannot comprehend it but it maketh a p Or sowing of seed semination onely wherein there is again a centre to the birth And thus is the originall of both Sexes and their propagation yet it doth not attain the Paradisicall childe of love but it is a vehement hunger and so the propagation is acted with great earnestnesse 45 But that I now write that the starres doe rule in all Beasts and other creatures and that every creature received the Spirit of the starres in the creation and that all things still stand in the same Regiment this the simple will hardly beleeve though the Doctor knoweth it well and therefore we direct them to Experience Behold a Male and Female beget young ones and that often now they come forth out of one onely body yet are not of one kinde nor of the same colour and vertue nor shape or form of body All this is caused by the alteration of the starres For when the seed is sown the q The fashioner or the Fiat Carver maketh an Image according to his r Or desire pleasure Å¿ As of a Lion a Lion of a sheep a sheep yet according to the first essence he cannot alter that but he giveth the spirit in the essence to it according to his power or ability or dominion as also manners and senses colour and gesture like himselfe to be as he is and as the Constellation is in its essence at that time when the creature draweth breath first in its mothers body whether the essence be in evill or in good inclined to biting worrying and striking or to meeknesse or loving kindnesse and gentlenesse all as the t Or the Matrix heaven is at that time so will also the spirit and the beast be CHAP. IX Of the Paradise and then of the transitorinesse of all creatures how all take their beginning and end and to what end they here appeared The Noble and most pretious Gate or exposition concerning the reasonable Soule 1 NO Money nor Goods nor Art nor Power can bring you to the eternall rest of the eternall soft meeknesse of Paradise but onely the noble Knowledge into that you may wrap up your soule that is the Pearle which no Moath can eat nor Thiefe can steale away therefore seek after it and then you will finde the noble Treasure 2 Our wit skill and understanding is so very hard a Cold frozen or shut up knit up that we have no more any knowledge of Paradise at all and except we be again born anew by water and the holy Ghost the veile of Moses lyeth continually before our eyes when we read his writings and we suppose that was Paradise whereof Moses sayd GOD placed b Adam him in the Garden of Eden which hee had planted that he might till it 3 O beloved Man that is not Paradise neither doth Moses say so but that was the Garden in Eden where they were tempted the exposition whereof you may finde about the fall of Adam The Paradise is the Divine joy and that was in their minde when they were standing in the love of God But when disobedience entred they were driven out and saw that they were naked for at that instant the spirit of the world caught them in which there was meere anguish necessity turmoyle and misery and in the end corruptibility and death Therefore it was of c Needfull necessity that the eternall World did become flesh and bring them into the Paradisicall rest again whereof you shall finde the exposition in its due place about the fall of Adam 4 Paradise hath another Principle for it is the Divine and Angelicall joy yet not without the d Extra locum place of this world Indeed it is without the vertue and source or active property of it neither can the spirit of this world comprehend it much lesse a creature for it standeth not in the anguishing e Operation birth and although it thus taketh its originall yet it consisteth in exact perfection meere love joy and mirth wherein there is no feare neither misery nor death no Devill can touch it nor no beast can f Or attain it reach it 5 But when we will speak of the source or fountain and joy of Paradise and of its highest substance what it is we have no similitude of it in this world we stand in need of Angelicall tongues and knowledge to expresse it and though we had them yet we could not expresse it with this tongue it is well understood in the minde when the soule rideth in the Chariot of the Bride but we cannot expresse it with the tongue yet we will not cast away the g That little which wee can expresse of it A. B. C. but tattle or stammer with the children till another mouth be given us to speak withall 6 When God had created the Beasts he brought them to Adam that he should give them their names every one according to their essence and kinde as they the beasts were qualified or according to the quality and condition they were of Now Adam was in the Garden of Eden in Hebron and also in Paradise at once yet no beast can come into Paradise for it is the Divine h Or habitation or refreshment joy wherein there is no unclean thing also no death or corruptible or transitory life i Therefore the garden of Eden is not Paradise much lesse is there the knowledge of Good and Evill yet Moses writeth of it that in the Garden of Eden there was the tree of temptation which bare the knowledge of Good and evill which indeed was no other Tree than like the Trees we now eate of in the k Or In the transitory body corruptibility neither was it any other Garden than such as wee now have wherein earthly fruit Good and Evill grow as is before our eyes 7. But the Paradise is somewhat else and yet no other place but another Principle where God and the Angels dwell and where there is perfection where there is meere love joy and knowledge where no misery is which Paradise neither death nor the Devils doe touch neither doe they know it and yet it hath no wall of earth or stones about it but there is a great Gulfe or cliffe between Paradise and this world so that they who will passe from hence thither cannot and they who would come from thence to us cannot neither and the Hell and the kingdome of darknesse is between them and none can come therein but by a new Birth which Christ spake of to Nicodemus The soules of the Saints holy and regenerate must enter into it by the death of Darknesse whom the Arch-Shepherd with the Angels bringeth thereinto upon his l Note the Bride-Chariot is the true Resignation into the bosome of the Father Bride-chariot of which you shall finde an exposition in its proper place in order 8. But seeing
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 a Palpable 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 b Soyle or earth 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 c Fathomed 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 fight 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 so All the creatures returne into their d Receptacle Ether and the spirit corrupteth or fadeth but the figure and the shadow continue eternally 22. As also all words both the evill and the good which were here spoken by a humane tongue they continue standing in the shadow and figured similitude and the Good reach Paradise in the Holy Ghost and the false evill and wicked ones reach the abysse of Hell and therefore it is that Christ said Man must give an account of every idle or unprofitable word and when the harvest cometh then all shall be seperated for the Scripture saith also That every ones works shall follow them and all shall be tried by the fire of Nature and all false or evill workes words and deeds shall remaine in the fire of Nature which shall be the Hell at which when the Devils heare it they tremble and quake 23. All shall remaine in the shadow and every thing in its own source or property therefore it will be an eternall shame to the wicked that they shall see in the eternity all their works and words as a menstruous cloath which shall stick full of the wrath of God and shall burne according to their essence and according to their here kindled source or property 24. For this world is like a field wherein good seed is sowne into which the enemy casteth weeds or Tares and goeth his way which grow together untill the time of the harvest when all the fruit shall be gathered and brought into the Barne of which Christ also faith That the Tares or weeds shall be tyed up in bundles and cast into the fire and the wheate shall be brought into the barne The Holy Gate 25 REason which is gone forth with Adam out of Paradise asketh Where is Paradise to be had or found Is it farre off or neere Or when the soules goe into Paradise whither do they goe Is it in this world or without the place of this world above the starres Where is it that God dwelleth with the Angels And where is that desirable Native Countrey where there is no death Being there is no Sunne nor Starres in it therefore it cannot be in this world or else it would have been found long agoe 26 Beloved Reason One cannot lend the Key to another to unlock this withall and if any have a key he cannot open it to another As Antichrist boasteth that he hath the keys of Heaven and Hell It is true he may have the keys of both in this life time but he cannot open with them for any body else every one must unlock it with his own key or else he cannot enter therein for the Holy Ghost is the key when he hath that key then he may goe both in and out 27. There is nothing that is neerer you than Heaven Paradise and Hell unto which of them you are inclined and to which of them you tend or walke to that in this life time you are most neere you are between both and there is a birth between each of them you stand in this world between both the Gates and you have both the births in you God beckneth to you in the one Gate and calleth you and the Devill beckneth you in the other Gate and calleth you with whom you goe with him you enter in The Devill hath in his hand power honour pleasure and worldly joy and the roote of these is death and hell fire On the contrary God hath in his hand crosses persecution misery poverty ignominy and sorrow and the roote of these is a fire also and in the fire there is a light and in the light the vertue and in the vertue or power the Paradise and in the Paradise are the Angels and among the Angels joy The e Or dimme fleshly eyes grosse eyes cannot behold it because they are from the third Principle and see onely by the splendour of the Sunne but when the Holy Ghost cometh into the soule then he regenerateth it anew in
to every Quality as hard soure bitter cold fierce soft and so forth m In the springing essentiall powers 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 n By. with the Fiat and they continue standing essentially Therefore every o Or Company 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 p The learned in Reason 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 q Or fiercely 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 r Or set his delight or pleasure in it 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 Å¿ Corruption corruptibility but it was Paradisicall 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 t Or the stronger would have domineered over the weaker 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 ruled over all Beasts or living creatures also over the Starres and Elements no cold nor heat should have touched him or else God would not have created him so naked but like all Beasts with a rough or hairy skin or hide 10. But the Question is Wherefore grew the earthly Tree of the knowledge of good and evill for if that had not been Adam had not eaten of it or wherefore must Adam be Tempted Hearken Aske your minde about it wherefore it so suddenly generateth and conceiveth in it selfe a thought of anger and then of love Doest thou say it cometh from the hearing and seeing of a thing Yes that is true this God also knew very well and therefore he must be tempted For the Centre of the minde is free and it generateth the will from hearing and seeing out of which the imagination and lust doth arise 11. Seeing Adam was created an image and whole similitude of God and had all three Principles in him like God himselfe therefore also his minde and imagination should meerly have looked into the heart of God and should have set his lust and desire or will thereon and as he was a Lord over all and that his minde was a threefold Spirit in three
would not generate a perfect Paradisicall Man out of himselfe but an infected poysoned Man according to the lust and would fall into corruptibility And the Text in Moses soundeth further very right thus And God let a deep sleep fall upon Man and he slept or fell asleepe CHAP. XII Of the Opening of the holy Scripture that the Circumstances may be highly considered The Golden Gate which God affordeth to the last world wherein the Lilly shall flourish and blossome 1. LOving Reader I had need have an Angelicall Tongue for this description and thou an Angelicall Minde and then wee should well understand one another But seeing wee have them not therefore wee will expresse the Great Deeds of God with the earthly Tongue according to our received gift and knowledge and open the Scripture to the Reader and give him occasion to consider further whereby the Pearle might be sought and found at last therefore wee will worke in our Day-labour a And leade them that come after us into it according to our duty till the b Or Gate Pearle of the Lilly be found 2. Reason asketh How long was Adam in Paradise before his Fall and how long did the Temptation last I cannot tell thee that out of Moses description of the Creation for it is for great cause concealed yet I will shew thee the wonders of God and c Or search into them expound them according to the knowledge that is given mee whereby thou mayst the better learne to d Or understand consider the Temptation and the Fall of Adam 3. Beloved Reason look into the Glasse of the actions and deeds of God When God appeared to Moses in the e Or fire flaming burning Bush he said Pull off thy shooes for here is a holy place What was that Answer God shewed Moses thereby his earthly Birth For he would give him a Law wherein Man should live if it were possible and attaine salvation But who was it that gave the Law and commanded Man to live therein Answer It was God the Father out of his Centre and therefore it was done with fire and thunder for there is no fire and thunder in the heart of God but kinde love 4. Hereupon Reason will say is not God the Father one and the same Essence with the Sonne Answer Yes they are one essence and will By what meanes then did he give the Law Answer By the Spirit of the great world because Adam after the Fall and all men lived f In the Spirit of the great world therein therefore it must be tried whether man could live g In the Law therein in confidence towards God therefore he established it with great wonders or miracles and gave h The Law it clarity shining brightnesse or glory as may be seene in Moses who had a glorious bright shining face and when he had chosen to himselfe this people he destroyed the children of unbeliefe and brought i His chosen them out with wonders into the Wâ—ldernesse and there it was tried whether men could live in perfect obedience under this clarity Glory or brightnesse 5. What was done there Answer Moses was called by God out from among the children of Israel up into Mount Sinai and stayed there forty dayes and then he would trie the people whether it were possible for them to put their trust or confidence in God that they might be fed with k Manna heavenly Bread that so they might attaine perfection And there now stood the minde Majoris mundi of the l Or Macrocosme great world and on the contrary the eternall minde of God in strife one against another God required obedience and the minde of this world required or desired the pleasure of this transitory life as eating drinking playing dancing therefore they chose them moreover their Belly-God a Golden Calfe that they might be free and live without Law 6. Here you see againe how the three Principles strove one against another about Man The Law that was given to Adam in the Garden of Eden brake forth againe and desired to have obedience in like manner also the Spirit of strong fiercenesse or wrath brake forth againe in the false fruit and voluptuousnesse and sought the corruptible life And this strife now lasted forty dayes before they set up the Calfe and fell wholly like Adam from God so long the strife of the three Principles continued 7. But now when they were fallen away from God as Adam was then came Moses with Josuah and saw the apostacie or falling away and brake the Tables in pieces and led them in the Wildernesse where they must all die except Josua and Caleb for the clarity or brightnesse of the Father in the fire in the first Principle could not bring them into the promised Land and although they did eate Manna yet it did not helpe in the triall onely Josua and at length JESUS must doe it 8. And when the time came that the true Champion or Saviour returned againe out of Paradise and became the childe of the Virgin then the strife of the three Principles m Was renewed came againe For there he was againe set before the tempting Tree and he must endure the hard brunt before the tempting Tree and stand out the temptation of the three Principles which was not possible for the first Adam to doe And there the strife continued forty dayes and forty nights just so long as the strife with Adam in Paradise continued and not an houre longer and then the Champion or Saviour overcame therefore open your eyes aright and look upon the Scripture aright although it be briefe and obscure to reason yet it is very true 9. You finde not in Moses that Adam was driven out of Paradise the first day the temptation of Israel and of Christ informeth us quite otherwise for the temptation of Christ is to a tittle in all Circumstances the same with the temptation of Adam 10. For Adam was tempted forty dayes in Paradise in the Garden of Eden before the tempting Tree and tried whether he could stand whether he could set his inclination on the heart of God and onely eate of the Verbum Domini the Word of the Lord and then if he had stood God would have given him his body the heavenly Limbus to eate that he should eate it in his mouth not into his body he should have brought forth the childe of the Virgin out of himselfe for he was neither Man nor Woman male nor female he had the Matrix and also the Man or masculine nature in him and should have brought forth the Virgin full of modesty and chastity out of the Matrix without rending of his body 11. And here is the strife in the Revelation of John where a Woman brought forth a sonne which the Dragon and the n Or Serpent Worme would devour and there stood the Virgin upon the earthly Moone and despiseth the earthinesse and treadeth it
Gate of our Propagation in the Flesh 37. As I have mentioned above the noble Tincture is now hence-forth generated thus in a manly or masculine and womanly or feminine kinde or sex out of the soule The Tincture is so subtile and mighty powerfull that it can goe or goeth into the heart of another into his Tincture which the devillish bewitching whores well know yet they understand not the noble Art but they use the false Tincture of the Devils and a Or poyson infect many in their marrow and bones by their b Exorcismes Conjuration Adjuration Incantation for which they shall receive their wages with Lucifer who would faine have raised his Tincture to be above God 38. But know that the Tincture is in the menkinde somewhat divers from that in the womenkinde for the Tincture in the menkinde goeth out of the Limbus or Man and the Tincture in the women-kinde goeth out of the Matrix For the vertue of the soule frameth imprinteth fashioneth or Imageth it selfe not onely in the Tincture but in the whole body for the body groweth in the Tincture 39. But thus the Tincture is the longing the great desire after the virgin which belongeth to the Tincture for it is subtile without understanding but it is the divine inclination and continually seeketh the virgin which is its play-fellow the c Manly masculine seeketh her in the d Womanly feminine and the feminine in the masculine especially in the delicate complexion where the Tincture is most noble cleere and vigorous from whence cometh the great desire of the masculine and feminine sex so that they alwayes desire to copulate and the great burning love so that the Tinctures mingle together and try prove or taste one another with their pleasant taste whereas one sex continually supposeth that the other hath the virgin 40. And the Spirit of the great world now supposeth that he hath gotten the virgin he graspeth with his clutches and will mingle his infection with the virgin and he supposeth that he hath the prize it shall not now run away from him he supposeth now he will finde the Pearle well enough But it is with him as with a Theefe driven out of a faire Garden of Delight where he had eaten pleasant fruit who cometh and goeth round about the inclosed Garden and would faine eate some more of the good fruit and yet cannot get in but must reach in with his hand and yet cannot come at the fruit for all that for the Gardiner cometh and taketh away the fruit and thus he must goe away empty and his lust is changed into discontent Thus also it is with him viz. with the spirit of this world he soweth thus in his fiery or burning lust the e Graine or Corne. seede into the Matrix and the Tincture receiveth it with great joy and supposeth that to be the virgin but the soure harsh Fiat cometh thereupon and attracteth the same to it while the Tincture is so well pleased 41. Now then the feminine Tincture cometh in to ayd and striveth for the childe and supposeth that it hath the virgin and the two Tinctures wrestle both of them for the virgin and yet neither of them both hath her and which of the two overcometh according to that the fruit getteth the Mark of distinction of sex But because that the feminine Tincture is weake therefore it taketh the bloud also to it in the Matrix whereby it supposeth it shall retaine the virgin The secret Gate of Women 42. Hence I must shew the ground to them that seek for the Doctor cannot shew it him with his Anatomie and though he should kill a thousand men yet he shall not finde that ground they onely know that ground that have f Or attained it been upon it 43. Therefore I will write from the virgin which knoweth well what is in the Woman shee is as subtile as the Tincture but shee hath a life and the Tincture hath none the Tincture is nothing else but an exulting joyfull mighty will and a house or habitation of the soule and a pleasant Paradise of the soule which is the soules propriety or own portion so long as the soule with its Imagination g Sticketh to God and goodnesse dependeth on God 44. But when it becometh false so that its Essences flatter with the Spirit of the great world and desire the h Or Its fill fulnesse of the world viz. 1. In the soure harshnesse desire much wealth or riches to eate and drinke much and to fill themselves continually 2. In the bitternesse desire great power authority and might to rise high to rule powerfully and extoll themselves above all and put themselves forth to be seene like a proud Bride and 3. in the i In the active stirring of the wrath source of the fire to desire a fierce cruell power and by kindling of the fire of anger supposing in the lustre thereof to be brave and so are much delighted in themselves then cometh the flatterer and lyar and k Imageth or representeth himselfe formeth or figureth himselfe also in the Spirit of the great world as he did in the Garden of Eden and leadeth the soule 1. in covetousnesse to eating and drinking too much and saith continually thou shalt want and not have enough get more for thy selfe how thou canst by hooke or by crooke that thou mayst alwayes have enough to serve thy turne And 2. in the bitter forme he saith thou art rich and hast much aspire and lift up thy selfe thou art greater than other people the inferiour is not like thee or so good a man as thou And 3. in the might or power of the fire he saith Kindle or stirre up thy minde make it implacable and stout yeeld to none terrifie the simple and so thou shalt be dreadfull and make thy authority continue and then thou mayst doe what thou listest and all whatsoever thou desirest will be at thy service and is not this a fine brave Glory Art thou not indeed a Lord on Earth 45. And as soone as this is l That the soule listeneth and yeeldeth to the Devill brought to passe then the Tincture becometh wholly false for as the Spirit in a thing is so is also the Tincture for the Tincture goeth forth from the Spirit and is the habitation thereof Therefore O Man whatsoever you sow here that you shall reape for your soule in the Tincture remaineth eternally and all your fruits stand in the Tincture manifested in the cleere light and follow after you this the virgin saith in sincerity for a warning with great longing after the Lilly 46. And now if wee consider of the Tincture and search how various it is and that it is many times so wholly false then we may be able fundamentally to demonstrate the falshood of the many various Spirits and how they are generated Therefore wee will make a short entrance concerning the propagation of the
behold when the Gate of this world in the childe is made ready so that the childe is become a living soule out of the Essences and now henceforth seeth onely by or in the light of the Sunne and not in the light of God then cometh the true q The Master the Fiat Artificer instantly in the twinckling of an eye when the light of the life kindleth and figureth that which is his for the centre breaketh forth in all the three Principles First there are the foure Essences in the Fiat in the sterne might of God which there are the childe 's own the Worme of its soule which standeth there in the house of the great anxiety as in the Originality For the seede is sowne in the will and the will receiveth the Fiat in the Tincture and the Fiat draweth the will to it inwardly and outwardly draweth the seede to a r Concretion substance or body Masse for the inward and outward Å¿ Or Master Artificer is there 29. When the will thus draweth to it then it becometh inwardly and outwardly impregnated and is darkned the will cannot endure this viz. to be set in the darke and therefore falls into great anxiety for the light for the outward Materia or matter is filled with the Elements and the bloud is choaked checked or stopped and there then the Tincture withdraweth and there is then the right Abysse of Death and so the inward Materia or Matter is filled from the Essences of the vertue or power and in the inward there riseth up another will out of the sterne vertue of the essences that it might lift it selfe up into the Light of the meeknesse and in the outward standeth the desire to be severed the impure from the pure for that the outward Fiat doth 30. Wee must consider in the vertue or power of the virgin that the will first is threefold and each in its Centre is fix stedfast or perfect and pure for it proceedeth out of the Tinctâ—â—e In the first Centre there springeth up between the Parents of the childe the inclination or lust and the beastiall desire to copulate this is the outward Elementary Centre and it is fix in it selfe Secondly there springeth up in the second Centre the inclinable love to the copulation and although they were at the first fight angry and odious one to another yet in the copulating the Centre of love springeth up and that onely in the copulating for the one pure Tincture receiveth or catcheth the other and in the copulating the t Massa or concretion Masse receiveth them both 31. Now thus the love qualifieth or mixeth with the inward one Element and the Element with the Paradise and the Paradise is before or in the presence of God and the outward seede hath its Essences wbich qualifie first with the outward Elements and the outward Elements qualifie with the outward Starres and the outward Starres qualifie with the outward sternnesse grimnesse fiercenesse frowardnesse wrath and malice and the wrath and malice in the fiercenesse severity or austernesse qualifieth with the Originall of the first fiercenesse of the Abysse of Hell and the Abysse qualifieth with the Devills 32. Therefore O Man Consider what thou hast received with thy beastiall body to eate and to drinke of evill and good which God did forbid Look here into the ground of the Essences and say not with Reason It was meerly for disobedience which God was so very angry at that his anger could not be quenched thou art deceived for if the cleere Deity were angry it would not have become Man for thy sake to help thee look but upon the u Or aime mark in the Eternity and then thou wilt finde all 33. Thus also the Kingdome of Darknesse and of the Devill is sowne together in the copulating and the third Centre of the x Or hot zeale great desire springeth up along with it out of which the fiercenesse grimnesse or wrath and the house of flesh is generated for the pure love which reacheth the Element and consequently the Paradise hath a wholly modest and chast Centre and it is y Perfect or compleate fix in it selfe of which I here give you a true Example Diligently and deeply to be considered 34. Behold two young z Text Menschen people who have attained unto the * Or flower blossome of the noble Tincture in the Matrix and Limbus so that it be kindled how very hearty faithfull and pure love they beare one towards another where one is ready to impart the very heart within them to the other if it could be done without death this now is the true Paradisicall blossome and this blossome a Mixeth or uniteth qualifieth with the one Element and Paradise but as soone as ever they b Or Merry take one another and copulate they infect one another with their c Or brand or lust burnt to ashes as it were a fire-brand inflamation or burning lust which is generated out of the outward Elements and Starres and that reacheth the Abysse and so they are many times at deadly enmity or have venomous spitefull hatred one against another and though it happen that their Complexions were noble so that still some love remaineth yet it is not so pure and faithfull as the first before copulation which is d Or Warme fiery and that in the burning or burnt lust is earthly and cold for that must indeed keepe faithfull while it cannot be otherwise as is seene by experience in many how afterwards in wedlock they hunt after whoredome and seek after the Devils e Wanton lust Sugar which he stroweth in the noble Tincture if Man will let him 35. Whereby then you see here that God hath not willed the earthly Copulation Man should have continued in the fiery love which was in Paradise and generate out of himselfe But the f The divided nature in lust and wantonnesse Woman was in this world in the outward Elementary Kingdome in the inflamation of the forbidden fruit of which Adam should not have eaten And although now he hath eaten and thus destroyed us therefore it is now with him the Adamicall Man as with a Theefe that hath been in a pleasant Garden and went out of it to steale and cometh againe and would faine goe into the Garden and the Gardiner will not let him in he must but reach into the Garden with his hand for the fruit and then cometh the Gardiner and snatcheth the fruit out of his hand and he must goe away in his burning lust and anger and cometh no more into the Garden and in stead of the fruit there remaineth his desirous burning lust with him and that he hath gotten in stead of the Paradisicall Fruit of that wee must now eate and live in the g In the divided nature and in the earthly tabernacle and feed and multiply therein Woman 36. Thus I give you accurately to understand what
Man is and what Man soweth and what groweth in the seede viz. Three Kingdomes as is above-mentioned and seeing the three Kingdomes are thus sowen so are they in like manner before the Tree of Temptation and there beginneth the strugling and great strife there stand the three Kingdomes in one another the Element in Paradise will keep the pure minde and will which standeth in the love in the Tincture of the seede and the outward Elements viz. that which went forth from the Element will have the Element and mix it selfe therewith and then cometh the outward fiercenesse of the Starres and draweth it together h Or by with the outward Fiat and setteth it selfe in the rule or dominion whereby the inward will in the love together with the Element and the Paradise becometh darkened and the love in the Paradise goeth into its Ether and is extinguished in the Tincture of the seede and the heavenly Centre goeth under for it passeth into its Principle 37. And then cometh the Woman with her stopped or congealed bloud with the Starres and Elements and setteth her selfe in the Dominion And here is the Paradisicall Death where Adam in the living body dyed that is he dyed as to Paradise and the Element and lived to the Sunne Starres and the outward Elements concerning which God said to him That day thou eatest of good and evill thou shalt dye the Death and this is the Gate of the first Death in the Paradise in which now Man liveth in the Elementary Woman of this world in the corruptibility 38. And it highly concerneth us to know and apprehend that when the seede is sowne in the Matrix and that it be drawne together by the Fiat when the Starres and the outward Elements set themselves in the dominion and that the love and meeknesse is extinguished for there cometh to be a fierce substance in the stopping or congealing of the Tincture that before the kindling of the light of life in the childe there is no heavenly Creature and although i The creature it be figured or shaped with all the formes or parts of the body yet for all that the heavenly Image is not therein but the beastiall and if that body perish corrupt or breake before the kindling of the Spirit of the soule in the springing up of the life then nothing of this figure appeareth before God on the day of the Restitution but its shadow and shape for it hath yet had no Spirit 39. This figure doth not as many iudge goe into the k Or Hell Abysse but as the Parents were so is also their figure for this figure is the Parents till the kindling of its life and then it is no more the Parents but it s own The Mother affordeth but a lodge and the nutriment and therefore if shee destroyeth it willingly in her body shee is a murtheresse and the Divine Law judgeth her to the Temporall Death 40. Thus now the Starres and the Elements after the withdrawing of the love in the Tincture take the house into possession and fill it the first l Or Moone Moneth and in the second they sever the Members or parts by the soure Fiat as is mentioned before and in the third the strife beginneth about the Regions of the Starres and Elements where then they separate and every Element maketh its own house and Region for it selfe viz. the Heart Liver Lungs Bladder and Stomack as also the Head to be the m A dwelling for the senses and thoughts house of the Starres where they have their Region or dominion and their Princely Throne as it followeth further 41. And now after that the Starres and Elements as is mentioned before have gotten their Region and the house to dwell in then beginneth the mighty strife in great anxiety about the King of the life for the chamber of the building or fabrick standeth in very great anguish and here wee must consider the Originall of the Essence of all Essences the Eternall Birth and the Roote of all things as that there is in the house of the Anguish first one onely Essence or Beeing and that n Beeing Essence is the mixing of all o Or Beeings Essences and it hath first a will to p Or bring forth generate the light and that will is attractive astringent or soure 42. For the desiring is the attracting of whatsoever the will desireth and that will is first pure neither darknesse nor light for it dwelleth in it selfe and it is even the Gate of the divine vertue that filleth all things And thus the attracting filleth the will with the things which the will desireth and although it be pure and desireth nothing but the light yet there is no light in the dark anxiety that it can attract but it draweth the Spirit of the Essences of the Starres and Elements into it selfe and therewith the will of the divine vertue is filled and the same is all rough and dark And thus the will is set in the darknesse and this is done also in the heart 43. The will now standing thus in the dark anxiety it q Or conceiveth getteth another will to fly out of the anxiety again and to generate the light and this other will is the minde out of which proceed the senses or thoughts not to continue in the anxiety and the will appeareth discovereth it selfe in the Essences of the sourenesse as in the fierce hardnesse of Death and the glimps or glance breaketh through the Essences of the soure hardnesse as a swift or sudden flash and sharpeneth it selfe in the soure hardnesse that it becometh pale white or r Text Blanck glimmering like a flash of fire and in its sudden flight breaketh the soure darknesse and there standeth the hardnesse and the harsh sourenesse of Death like a broken turning wheele which with the flash of the breaking flyeth swiftly as a thought as also then the re-conceived will which is the minde appeareth so very suddenly and seeing it cannot flie forward out of the Essences it must goe into the turning wheele for it cannot get from that place and so it breaketh the darknesse and when the darknesse is thus Å¿ Or dispelled broken then the sharp glance discovereth it selfe in the pleasant joy without or beyond the darknesse in the sharpnesse of the will viz. in the minde and findeth it selfe habitable therein from whence the flash or glance is terrified and flieth up with strong might through the broken essences out of the heart and would out at the mouth and raiseth it selfe farre from the heart and yet is held by the soure or harsh Fiat and yet then maketh it selfe a severall Region viz. the Tongue wherein then standeth the skreeke or the crack of the broken Essences and seeing then it reflecteth or recoileth back againe into the heart as into its first dwelling house and findeth it selfe so very habitable and pleasant because the Gates of the darknesse are broken
knave in the sight of God yet wrestleth or holdeth fast till it hath prevailed many in the forme of a tame and gentle Beast very cunningly alluring and drawing to it selfe under a b Or colour of good faire pretence many in pride and statelinesse of body in carriage and manners which is a right diabolical Beast who contemneth all that doth not please him and elevateth himselfe above all meeknesse and humility and over the Image of God yea there is so very much of false untowardnesse that I may not mention it every one followeth the Region Rule or Dominion of the Starres even that which serveth most to the voluptuousnesse of the earthly life 25. c In Summa In briefe the Regiment of the Starres or starry Region d Or generateth no holy Man maketh not a holy Man and although men may converse under a holy shew yet they are but hyprocrites and desire to get honour and esteeme thereby their minde sticketh neverthelesse in covetousnesse and pride and in fleshly pleasure in meere base lechery and lust and they are in the sight of God according to the e Will or Lust desire of this world no other than meere knaves proud wilfull selfe conceited theeves robbers and murtherers There is not one who as to the Spirit of this world is righteous wee are altogether children of deceit and falshood and according to this Image which wee have received from the Spirit of this world wee belong to eternall Death but not to Paradise except it be that we become regenerated anew out of the Centre of the precious virgin who with her rayes averteth the minde from the ungodly wayes of sinne and wickednesse 26. And if the love of God which so deerly loved the Image of Man that it selfe is become Man did not stand in the Centre of the minde in the midst or f Or parting limit or mark point of seperation then man had been a living Devill and he is indeed such a one when he despiseth the Regeneration and g Or depart goeth on according to the in-bred nature of the first and third Principle 27. For there remaine no more than two Principles eternally the third Principle wherein he liveth here perisheth and if he desireth not now the second Principle then he must remaine in the first Originall eternally with the Devills for after this time it will be no otherwise there is no source which can come to helpe him hereafter for the kingdome of God goeth not back into the Abysse but it riseth up forward in the light of meeknesse this wee speak seriously and in earnest as it is highly knowne in the light of Nature in the Ray of the h The wisdome of God Noble virgin The Gate of the Difference between Man and Beast 28. My deare and loving Reason bring thy five senses hither and consider thy selfe according to the things above-mentioned what thou art how thou wert created the Image of God and how thou in Adam by the infection of the Devill didst let thy Spirit of this world take possession of thy Paradise which now sitteth in the roome of Paradise Wilt thou say that thou wert created thus as to this world in Adam at the beginning then behold and consider thy selfe and thou shalt finde another Image in thy minde and speech 29. Every i Animall or living creature Beast hath a minde k of having a will and the five senses therein so that it can distinguish therein what is good or ill for it But where remaine the senses in the will that come out of the Gates of the Deepe where the will discovereth it selfe or glimmereth in the first Principle in infinitum infinitely out of which the understanding proceedeth so that Man can see into all things into their Essences how high they are graduated whereupon followeth the distinction or different articulation of the Tongue for if a Beast had them then it could also speake and distinguish voices and speake of the things that are in substance or beeing and search into the Originality But because it is not out of the eternall therefore it hath no understanding in the light of Nature be it never so nimble and crafty neither doth its strength and force availe to the lifting it up into understanding no it is all in vaine 30. Man onely hath understanding and his senses reach into the Essences and qualities of the Starres and Elements and search out the Ground of all things in the Region of the Starres and Elements And this now hath its Originall in Man in the Eternall Element he being created out of the Eternall Element and not out of the Out-Births of the foure Elements and therefore the Eternity seeth into the l Inecptive beginning Out-Birth in the corruptibility and the m Or Inception beginning in the Out-Birth cannot see into the Eternity for the m Or Inception beginning taketh its Originall out of the Eternity out of the Eternall minde 31. But that Man is so very blinde and ignorant or voyde of understanding is because he lyeth captive in the Regiment or Dominion of the Starres and Elements which many times figure or fashion a wilde Beast in the minde of Man a Lyon a Wolfe a Dog a Fox a Serpent and such like though indeed Man getteth no such body yet he hath such a minde of which Christ spake to the Jewes and called some of them Wolves Foxes and Serpents Also John the Baptist said so of the Pharisees and wee see apparently how many men live wholly like Beasts according to their beastiall minde and yet are so audacious that they judge and condemne those that live in the Image of God and n Tame or bring under subjection subdue their bodies 32. But if he speaketh or judgeth any thing well he speaketh not from the beastiall Image of the minde wherein he liveth but he speaketh from the hidden Man which is hidden in the beastiall Man and judgeth against his own beastiall life for the hidden Law of the eternall Nature standeth hidden in the beastiall Man and it is in a hard restraint and judgeth or condemneth the malicious wickednesse of the o Fleshly carnall minde 33. Thus there are three in Man that strive against one another viz. the eternall proud malicious anger proceeding out of the Originality of the minde And secondly the Eternall holy chast humility which is generated out of the Originality And thirdly the corruptible animall wholly beastiallnesse generated from the Starres and Elements which holdeth the whole house in possession 34. And it is here with the Image of Man as Saint Paul said To whom you give your selves as servants in obedience his servant you are whether it be of sinne unto Death or of the Obedience of God unto Righteousnesse that driving or property you have If a Man yeeld his minde up to malice pride selfe power and force to the oppressing of the miserable then he is
of the soule figured by the Eternall Fiat 44. Now if the spirit of the soule remaine unregenerated in its first Principle which it hath inherited out of the Eternity with the beginning of its life then also at the breaking or deceasing of its body there proceedeth out of its Eternall Minde such a creature as its continuall will hath been here in this life 45. Now if thou hast had an envious spitefull dogged minde and hast grutched every thing to others as a Dog doth with a bone which himselfe cannot eate then there appeareth such a doggish minde and according to that source or property is its Worme of the soule figured and such a will it keepeth in the Eternity in the first Principle and there is no revoking all thy envious wicked proud works appeare in thy a Or active property source in thy own b Or kindling Tincture of the Worme of the soule and thou must live eternally therein nay thou canst not conceive or apprehend any desire or will to abstinence or forbearance of it but thou art Gods and the holy soules eternall enemy 46. For the doore of the Deepe to the light of God appeareth to thee no more for thou art now a perfect creature in the first Principle and now though thou dost elevate thy selfe and wouldst breake open the doore of the Deepe yet that cannot be done for thou art a whole Spirit and not meerly in the will onely wherein the doore of the Deepe can be broken open but thou fliest out aloft over the kingdome of God and canst not enter in and the higher thou fliest the deeper thou art in the Abysse and thou seest not God yet who is so neere thee 47. Therefore it can onely be done here in this life while thy soule sticketh in the will of the minde so that thou breakest open the Gate of the Deepe and pressest in to God through a New Birth for here thou hast the highly worthy noble virgin of the Divine Love for thy assistance who leadeth thee in through the Gate of the Noble Bridegroom who standeth in the Centre in the parting c Or limit of seperation mark between the kingdome of Heaven and the kingdome of Hell and generateth thee in the water and life of his bloud and Death and therein drowneth and washeth away thy false or evill works so that they follow thee not in such a source and property that thy soule be not d Or figured therein infected therein but according to the first Image in Man before the Fall as a new chast and pure noble virgins Image without any knowledge of thy untowardnesse or vices which thou hadst here 48. Thou wilt aske What is the New e Or second Birth Regeneration or how is that done in Man Heare and see stop not thy minde let not thy minde be filled by the Spirit of this world with its might and pompe Take thy minde and breake through the Spirit of this world quite f Or unite or give up thy minde incline thy minde into the kinde love of God make thy purpose earnest and strong to breake through the pleasure of this world with thy minde and not to regard it consider that thou art not at home in this world but that thou art a strange Guest captivated in a close Prison Cry and call to him who hath the key of the Prison yeeld thy selfe up to him in obedience righteousnesse modesty chastity and truth and seeke not so eagarly after the kingdome of this world it will stick close enough to thee without that and then chast virgin will meet thee in thy minde highly and deeply and will leade thee to thy Bridegroom who hath the key to the Gate of the Deepe thou must stand before him who will give thee to eate of the heavenly Manna which will g Or quicken refresh thee and thou wilt be strong and struggle with the Gate of the Deepe and thou wilt break through as the h Aurora Morning red or day-starre Day-breake and though thou liest captive here in the night yet the rayes of the breake of Day will appeare to thee in the Paradise in which place thy chast virgin standeth waiting for thee with the joy of the Angels who will very kindly receive thee in thy new-borne minde and Spirit 49. And though indeed thou must i Swimme or bath walke here with thy Body in the dark k In contempt dis-esteeme night among thornes and thistles so that the Devill and also this world doth read and teare thee and not onely buffet despise deride and vilifie thee outwardly but also many times stop thy deare minde and leade it captive in the lust of this world into the Bath or Lake of swines yet then the Noble virgin will help thee still and will call upon thee to desist from thy ungodly l Or doings wayes 50. Look well to it stop not thy minde and understanding when thy minde saith Turne doe m The evill it not then know that thou art so called by the deare virgin and turne instantly and consider where thou art lodged in how hard a house of bondage thy soule lyeth imprisoned seek thy native Countrey from whence thy soule is wandred and whither it ought to returne againe 51. And then if thou wilt follow n The Counsell of the wisdome of God it thou wilt finde in thy selfe not onely after this life but in this life also in thy Regeneration that shee will very worthily meete thee and out of what kinde of Spirit this Author hath written CHAP. XVII Of the horrible lamentable and miserable Fall of Adam and Eve in Paradise Mans Looking-Glasse 1. IF the Gate of the Deep were not opened to mee in my minde so that I can see the strife that is against the kingdome of God then I should also suppose that the matter of the Fall were meerly a Disobedience about the biting of an Apple as the Text in Moses barely passeth it over though Moses hath written wholly right 2. For the matter was about the earthly eating and drinking wherewith the Paradisicall Man was captivated by the Spirit of this world which now must qualifie or mix with all Men. This the Holy Scripture witnesseth and also Reason that Man is not at home in the Elementary kingdome of this world For Christ said My kingdome is not of this world and to his Apostles he said I have called you out from this world Also Flesh and bloud cannot inherit the kingdome of God 3. Also wee see that the kingdome of this world dieth to Man and passeth away or breaketh seeing then that Adam did beare the Image of the kingdome of God which was eternall and uncorruptible and stood in Paradise therefore wee can with no ground say that he a Before the Fall did beare the Image of the kingdome of this world For this world is transitory and b Or fragile corruptible but the Image
Treader upon the Serpent must also perish eternally But that wee may set downe a short Summary of the Fall because of our simple cold dull and dark minde for the Readers understanding who it may be doth not yet apprehend our sense and knowledge therefore wee will explaine it briefly and clearly and also readily impart our knowledge and minde to him as indeed f Or in according to the Divine Image wee ought to doe 47. Adam stood forty dayes in an Angelicall Image before his sleepe and there was neither day nor night in him also no time though indeed he was not as an Angel a meere Spirit for his body was out of the g The inward Element Element which is no understanding Spirit but is the attraction concretion or congelation in the will of God or the h Or the eternall Earth Limbus which standeth before god wherein the chast virgin the Divine Wisdome dwelleth which discovered and created the Image out of the Element by the Fiat 48. And out of this Limbus at the time when the Earth was corporised went forth the foure Elements as out of a fountaine and that which was discovered or manifested by the virgin the wisdome of God in the innumerablenesse were the Starres as a vertue power or procreation out of the Limbus and they are the Quintessence l Or before of the foure Elements not severed from the foure Elements but qualifying or mixing vertues one with another k The Starres with their fierce property are extracted out of the foure Elements and yet extracted from the foure issues with their sharp Essences and they are the seeking longing or hunger of the foure Elements or as I may expresse it by a similitude they are the Man and the Elements are the Woman and the heart of these things is the Element in one onely substance and the Essences in that one Element are the vertues or powers of the Wonders of the Wisdome of God and are called Paradise an exulting Joy 49. And the Spirit of the Eternall Essences which hath understanding and knowledge and also the triall and proving of every thing in which the source or active property of quality which is in Man consisteth that was breathed into him by the wisdome of God through the driving will which goeth l Or into Resignation forward out of the Eternall Minde out of the opened Gates of the Deepe through the Word together with the moving Spirit of God and he had the m Or stirring Touch of the Centre of the Abysse viz. the Eternall source n Or as the fire is behinde the light behinde him as a Band and before him the heart and light of God as a Glance of the joy and kindling of Paradise which springeth up in the Essences with the light of the joy and beneath him he had the foure Elements in the budding out of the Limbus which was in him 50. And as long as he set his Imagination in the Heart of God the Paradise was in him and he in the Paradise and the Bâ—â—d of the Abysse in him in the o Or property as the fire is the cause of the light and shining source was a Paradise of transcendent Joy and the Kingdome of this world held him from beneath also in the Band because it goeth forth from the Element but so long as he set his minde in the Heart of God it the kingdome of the foure Elements could not lay hold on him or master him and it was impotent as to him as this world is impotent as to God 51. And thus the Spirit and soule of Adam stood in the midst in the joyfull Paradise forty dayes as one onely day and all p Three had a desire to have him inclined to him one whereof was the kingdome of Hell of the Eternall Originality out of the dark Minde out of which his Worme of the soule in the opened Gate was gone forth and secondly there inclined to him the Deity of the Kingdome of Heaven in the opened Gate in the pleasant Lustre and thirdly the Spirit of the Starres and Elements inclined to him drawing him to their Bands and heartily desiring him 52. And thus Adam stood upright in the Temptation for his angry minde out of the Originality of the first Principle stood in Joy being enlightened from the light of God and the source of the fierce wrath made the rising joy for the light made all meeke and friendly that he might incline himselfe to love and thereby he stood on earth rightly in the Paradise 53. The foure Elements of this world together with the Sunne and Starres they could not qualifie or mix with him he drew no Aire into him but the Spirit of God in the virgin was his breathing and his kindling of the fire in the Spirit 54. But while he thus stood between the kingdome of Hell and the kingdome of this world in the Paradise bound with Bands and yet also wholly free in the might of God he reflected himselfe into or discovered himselfe in the great Deepe of the kingdome of this world in which the great wonders also stand hidden in the Centre as wee see that Man hath by his Eternall Minde discovered it and brought it to q Or the day Light as is seene before our eyes and in his discovering or reflecting he imagined and fell into lust for the Spirit of the world took hold of him and as a Mother maketh a mark upon a childe in the Mothers womb and he became in the lust impregnated from the Spirit of this world and then was blinde as to God and saw neither God nor the virgin any more in his minde And thus the Kingdome of Heaven continued in the opened Gate of the Omnipotence or Almightinesse in the Paradise in its own Principle to it selfe and the virgin in it hidden in the Centre and was in Adam and yet Adam with his minde was not in God but in the Spirit of this world and he became feeble as to the kingdome of Gods and so fell downe and slept 55. And then God by the Spirit of this world through the Fiat built or formed out of r Adam him the Woman of this world by whom he Å¿ Multiplyed or propagated increased his Kingdome The Woman was out of the Matrix which before the infection was a chast virgin which Adam should have t Or generated brought forth out of himselfe but when the modesty of the wisdome and ability or potency departed from him when he passed into the Spirit of this world he could not then bring forth or generate for in his sleepe the Spirit of this world cloathed him with flesh and bloud and figured formed or shaped him into a Beast as wee now see by very wofull experience and know our selves to be blinde and naked as to the kingdome of God being without any vertue or strength in the sleepe of the great misery cloathed
Treader upon the Serpent Indeed they did not wholly altogether know onely they saw that the Devill must depart from them and not shew himselfe outwardly any more but the minde in the Centre of the breaking through of the life into the Element into the presence of the chast and modest virgin the wisdome of God that understood it well for b Man he lodged a precious and worthy Guest for the Word which God the Father spake concerning the Treader upon the Serpent went out of the Heart and out of the Mouth of God and that was the sparke of Love proceeding out of the Heart of God which was from Eternity in the Heart of God wherein God the Father had knowne and elected Mankinde before the foundations of the World were laid that they should live therein and that the same spark or promise should stand in the rising up of the life and Adam also in his Creation stood therein 103. And this is it which Saint Paul said That Man is elected in Christ before the foundation of the world and not those dregges of despaire that are now taught about the Election of Grace they are not the right understanding I will shew thee Pauls meaning about his Election of Grace in its due place when I shall write of the c This the Author writeth of in his Book of the Election of Grace beastiall wolvish and doggish mindes of Men that will not d Or desire give way that the Treader upon the Serpent may enter into them so that the heavenly Father in his Sonne Jesus Christ through his Incarnation sufferings and Death might draw them to him they will not endure that drawing for they have the Essences of the Serpent which draw into Hell but this is not from God as if he did willingly leave them no but from their doggish nature ingrafted from the Starres and from the Devill which God knoweth well and will not cast the Pearle before swine whereas neverthelesse it were possible if they did but turne and did step into the New Birth they should obtaine the Jewell though indeed it seldom happeneth therefore God knoweth who are his 104. As is mentioned above so hath that same Word out of the Heart of God which God spake to Adam and Eve Imaged or formed it selfe in Adam and Eve in the light of the Life in its own Centre and espoused it selfe with the deare and worthy e The wisdome of God virgin of chastity to continue eternally with Adam and Eve and to defend them from the fiery Essences and Darts of the Devill as also if they would incline to that same Word that then they should thereby receive the rayes of the holy Trinity and also the wisdome of the virgin 105. And this word should enlighten the soule and at the departure of the body be the light of the soule and bring the soule through the Gate of the Darknesse into Paradise before the bright countenance of God into the second Principle into the Element where there is no paine 106. For there the Word clothed the soule and shut up the kingdome of Hell and there it shall waite till the day of the Restitution and then it shall get a body againe out of the Element out of the body that was here in this life when the f Wrath corruption 〈…〉 the grimnesse fiercenesse shall be washed and melted away in the fire at the last day and not a strange body but the same it did beare in the one Element hidden in the foure Elements that same shall goe forth and flourish as Adam had done in his Creation The Gate of the Redemption 107. And the same Word is propagated by the two first g Men 〈◊〉 Persons or People from one to another and that in the Birth of the life and in the kindling of the soule yet in the Centre and the kingdome of Heaven is neere in every ones minde and they can attaine it if they will themselves for God hath bestowed it to every one out of the Grace 108. Yet thou must know that the Word sticketh not in thy mortall flesh and bloud as thy flesh cannot inherit the kingdome of Heaven so therefore it cannot stick in the flesh but it sticketh in the Principle in the 〈◊〉 of the â—â—ule and it is the Bridegroom of the soule h Or continue in true resignation if th◠〈…〉 resteth in its bosom but if it turne 〈…〉 or goeth away out of the Worth The soule 109. For 〈…〉 in the doore way between◠〈…〉 in the Heaven and if the soule give◠〈…〉 that Gate then it looseth the Word k Incline to resignation but 〈…〉 forward againe towards the Gate then it attaineth that 〈◊〉 and the virgin who is the servant of the Word goeth continually along with the soule and warneth it of the evill wayes 110. But if the soule be a Dog an Adder or Serpent then the virgin goeth away to the Word into the Heaven and then the doore is shut And then there is a whole Birth between the soule and the Word whereas else there is but halfe a Birth between the Word and the soule and then there is need of hard striving and such a soule will hardly enter into the kingdome of Heaven yet it is possible enough 111. This word hath brought the soules of Men which have l Yeelded to the word inclined their mindes to it ever since the beginning of the world when their bodies have been dead into the bosom of Abraham into the Element into the Rest which is without source or paine and there the soule being yet without a body hath no Paradisicall source or active property or faculty but dwelleth in the m Or Opened broken Gate in the meeke Element in the bosom of the n Or wisdome of God virgin in the presence of their Bridegroome * Or upon after the long strife of unquietnesse and waiteth for its body without paine and as to the soule there is no time but it is in stillnesse it sleepeth not but it seeth without disturbance in the light of the Word 112. But because the Essences of the soule were infected with the poyson of the Devill and of Hell so that the soule could not be helped againe except it were o New-borne or regenerated borne a new through the word out of the mouth of God viz. through his beloved Heart if ever it should attaine the Paradisicall Joy and source condition or quality againe and qualifie or mingle in the p Or be strengthened with Paradisicall power Paradisicall Essences and if ever its body should come out of the Element againe to the soule then the Word in the virgin-chastity must q Or be incarnate become Man and take Mans flesh and bloud and botome a humane soule and enter into Death as also into the first Principle into the dark Minde of the Eternity where the soule hath its Originall
as he was before the Fall i Or be its clothing againe 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 k Or Well-doing 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 thâ—re is nothing impossible to Faith 28. And it is not hard for the holy soules which are departed from the body to appeare l Or upon 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 tiâ—es 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 â—People had when they laid downe their life for the Testimony of Christ by whose example many People also were converted 30. But now â—hat a Bâ—bell 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 m Chaire or Throne 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 n The Arme of the Civill power 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 o Or corruptible 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 p Or wrought great crimes sinnes and blasphemies 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 Ensigne of Triumph all thy works both the evill and the good which thou hast done follow thee in the shadow but
not in the substance nor in the source or in the working property Yet they will not be any q Detraction shame or disgrace prejudice in the Heaven to the holy soules which have turned into the Regeneration in Christ but they shall have their highest joy concerning them in that they have stuck in such hard misery and sinnes and have been plucked out of them by their Saviour Christ and from thence will arise meere joy and rejoycing that they are redeemed from the r Hunter or the Devill Driver of their sinnes and from great misery and that the r Hunter or the Devill Driver is captivated which tormented them day and night in such ſ Sinfulnesse sinnes 36. And there all the holy soules and Angells in one Love will highly rejoyce that the poore soule is delivered from such great necessitie or misery and the great Joy then taketh its beginning from thence of which Christ said That there is more joy for one sinner that repenteth than for ninety and nine righteous that need no repentance And the soule will praise God that he hath redeemed it out of these great sinnes and herewith the praise of Christ in his merit passion and dying for the poore soule springeth up in Eternity and it is the right Song of the redeemed Bride which riseth up in the Father where the soules so highly rejoyce that the Driver is captivated and his t Dependents Complices confederates or followers 37. And here is fulfilled that which King David descanteth upon Thou shalt rejoyce to see how the wicked are recompenced how the wicked Driver Hunter or oppressour and u Occasioner or stirrer up of evill Incendiary of malice and wickednesse is tormented in his Prison for the sinnes that are washed away shall not appeare in Heaven as in the Abysse of Hell in the forme of fire but as Isaias said Though thy sinnes were as red as bloud or scarlet if thou turne they shall be like wooll white as snow they shall stand in a heavenly figure for Men to sing of in a Hymne of Praise and a Psalme of Thankesgiving for their deliverance from the Driver 38. And now seeing the departure of soules is various so also their x Or torment source quality or condition after their departure is various so that many of the soules departed y Or have a Purgatory for a tedious while are indeed for a 〈◊〉 time in Purgatory if the soule had been defiled with grosse 〈◊〉 and have not rightly stepped into the true earnest Regeneration and yet doe hang a little to it as it useth to be with those that have been laden with temporall honour and might or authority and power where many times their own power and profit prevaileth over right where wickednesse or malice and not wisdome is the Judge and here a great burthen is laid upon the poore soule and that poore soule also would faine be saved 39. Here cometh Man and prayeth before God for forgivenesse of sinnes and the Fox hangeth behinde his cloake he would be justified and his unrighteousnesse sticketh in the Abysse and that will not suffer him to enter into the New Regeneration his covetousnesse hath taken too much hold of him his wicked Babell of Antichrists opinions will not let him come to the true earnest conversion they barre up the Gate of Love and the Spirit of this world in the lust of the flesh continueth alwayes predominant or chiefe 40. And yet how ever when the point or houre of Death cometh that the Conscience is rouzed and that the poore soule beginneth to tremble for great feare at the Torment or source of Hell then these also would faine be saved though there is very little faith in them onely meere unrighteousnesse falshood and pleasure of the Earthly life the groanings and teares of the poore stand hard before it and the Devill readeth the Book of Conscience to the minde and there standeth also before the minde the pleasure of the world and the party would faine live somewhat longer and promiseth to lead a life in forbearance of evill or abstinence and the minde inclineth a little towards God or Goodnesse but the sinnes beate that inclination downe againe and then there ariseth great doubt in z Or unrighteousnesse unquietnesse yet neverthelesse many of them lay hold on the Saviour by a Threed 41. And now when Death cometh and severeth the body and soule asunder then the poore soule hangeth by a Threed of Faith and will not let goe and yet its a Budded essentiall vertues Essences stick fast in the anger of God the source or paine of the grosse sinnes b Boyle up in it torment it the Threed of Faith in the New Regeneration is very weake and here therefore now they must presse through the Gate of the Deepe through the passion and through the Death of Christ through the kingdome of Hell to God and Hell hath yet a strong Band about the soule the falshood is not yet washed off 42. There then saith the Bridegroome Come on the other side saith the poore soule I cannot yet my Lamp is not yet trimmed neverthelesse it holdeth the Saviour fast by the Threed of Faith and setteth its Imagination or Desire through the Threed of Faith and confidence further into the Heart of God where then at last it is Ransomed out of the Putrefaction through the Passion of Christ 43. But what its Putrefaction is my soule doth not desire to try by participating with them for it is their abominable sinnes which are kindled in the anger of God there must the poore soule c Or swimme Bath till it come into the Rest through the small faith where its Clarification or Glorification shall not in Eternity be like the true-borne Saints Although indeed they are Redeemed out of Hell and have fruition of the heavenly Joy yet the greatest Joy standeth in the earnest Regeneration wherein there springeth up Paradisicall vertue or power and wonders 44. And thy worldly Bravery Glory Beauty and Riches will not exalt thee before God as thou supposest nor yet thy Office which thou didst beare here be it the Kingly or Priestly Office if thou desirest to be in Heaven then thou must through thy Saviour be new borne thou must endeavour to bring thy Subjects unto righteousnesse and then thou wilt shine with thy Office as bright as the lustre of Heaven and thy works will follow thee O Man consider thy selfe in this 45. But thou earthly Babell what shall I write much of thee for Indeed I must shew thee the ground that thy hypocrisie may be brought to light and that the Devill may not continue in such a manner to stand in an Angelicall forme and in the voluptuous kingdome of this world in Man be a God which is his highest endeavour 46. Behold thou callest thy selfe a Christian and thou boastest that thou art a childe of God this thou confessest with thy mouth
fierce anger of God is also pleased because they qualifie or mingle one with another and out of one and the same roote 20. Doest thou suppose that all the Prophets have spoken from the pleasant kinde love of God from the Heart of God when they said to the Kings of Israel Enter into Battell thou shalt overcome God shall give you victory Indeed they spake from God but from his fierce wrath against sinnes through the Spirit of the Great World which would devoure againe what it hath made because the Love was extinguished 21. Or doest thou suppose that God sent Moses to slay the Kings of the Heathens in the Promised Land and that he is so well pleased with murtherings No friend look under the vayle of Moses and thou shalt finde it cleane otherwise 22. Why did God keep Israel forty yeares in the Wildernesse and fed them with l With Manna Heavenly Bread that they should be a people full of love such as love one another and should depend on God in one Love and therefore he gave their Lawes brightnesse or clarity to see if they could live in the Love of the Father and then he would have sent them among the Heathens to turne them with their wonders as was done at the time of the Apostles and in that he fed them from the Heaven and that none of them which gathered much or little had any want thereby they ought to have knowne that the Kingdome the power and all is Gods and that they were in him they ought to have left their covetousnesse and to converse among one another with brotherly Love none ought to look after covetousnesse because he horribly punished m Covetousnes it 23. Also when the Heathens should heare that God would send this People which he had brought out of Egypt with great Wonders or Miracles among them to destroy them that they should turne to God and depart from covetousnesse and enter into brotherly love therefore he gave n The Heathens them a long time of respite as also to Israel whom he fed from Heaven for an Example that one people should be an Example to the other that there is a God that is Allmightie But they being earthly both of them and onely evill and being they did live in the Fathers fierce anger therefore the anger and severity of God lusted also to devoure them because they continually kindled o His wrath it 24. Therefore he said to Joshua Passe over Jordan and destroy that people and leave none of them among you that you be not polluted This saying of his proceeded not out of his Love when he did bid him to kill the Heathens as also the Prophets did not all speak from his Love but from his Anger which was awakened by the wickednesse of Man so also he speaketh many times through the Spirit of the Prophets in the Great World in the Prophets and in Moses in the fire or in other terrors in an angry Zeale 25. And should wee therefore say that God is well pleased with anger and strife No the Prophets complained often in the Holy Ghost or Spirit of God that this evill people offended their God when they moved him to anger so that accordingly his severe wrath went forth and devoured them David saith in the fift Psalme Thou art not a God that art pleased with wicked wayes 26. Now if Man awaken sinne then the fierce anger or severity of God is stirred in himselfe viz. in Man which otherwise if Man did stand in humility would rest and be turned into great Joy as was often mentioned before But now when he burneth in wrath then one people devoureth the other and one sinne destroyeth another if Israel had been p Honest vertuous or had feared the Lord. upright they had not been put to make warre but they should have entred in with Wonders and have converted the People Moses should have lead them into the promised Land with his Miracles or Deeds of Wonder but because they were wicked they could not enter in with the brightnesse of Moses with deeds of wonder in the lustre or glance of the Father to convert the Heathens but Moses with his deeds of wonder must stay in the Wlldernesse and the whole People was consumed and devoured in the wrath and Joshua must warre with the Heathens and destroy them for one q Or one sinne wrath devoured the other 27. Whereas Joshua was an Image and similitude that Israel because they could not subsist in the Fathers clarity and love should be led by the second Joshua or Jesus out of the wrath into the Love through the breaking of his body and entring into Death Moses must enter through Death into life and bring his clarity through Death into life even as he appeared with Elias on mount Thabor to the second Joshua or Jesus in the claritie of the Father and shewed him the pleasure of the Father viz. that he the second Joshua should bring Israel through his Death and clarity into the Promised Land of Paradise 28. Yet it could not be how vigorously soever it was sought after that Man in his own power could enter into Paradise and therefore poore captive Man must sit in this world in the Devils murthering Denne where now the Devill hath built his Chappell close by the Christian Church and hath quite destroyed the love of Paradise and hath in the stead thereof set up meere covetous proud selfe-willed or selfe-conceited faithlesse sturdy malicious Blasphemers Theeves and Murtherers which lift themselves up against Heaven and Paradise and have built themselves a Kingdome according to the Dominion of the fierce foure Starres or Constellations wherein they domineere with silver and gold and consume the sweat one of another whosoever is but able oppresseth the other to the ground And though he flie before him yet then he onely putteth forth his Dragons tongue and spitteth fire upon him he terrifieth him with his harsh voyce and plagueth him day and night 29. What can be said of thee O Cain doest thou suppose that God doth not see thee Thou Monstrous Beast thou shalt stand naked as the Spirit in the Wonders doth signifie that thy Ornament may be made knowne How art thou become thus O Eve are not all thy children which thou hast brought forth all come out of thy loynes Was it then the purpose of God that the evill should domineere among the Good and one plague another 30. O no But the Devill who is a cause of the r From the grimme wrath the Devill or Weeds or Tares are sowen among the Wheate wrathfulnesse Adam was made good out of the pure Element but the longing desire or lust of the Devill deceived him so that he went into the Spirit of this world 31. And now it cannot be otherwise the two Kingdomes wrestle one with another in the children of Men the one is the Kingdome of Christ Generated through the New Birth
members and must aime in the feare of God at the getting of children or else the wantonnesse or lust in it selfe without that true love of the state of wedlock is f Or every way continually a Beastiall lust infection and sinne and if you in the state of wedlock seek nothing but the lust and lechery then in such a condition thou art not a jot better than a Beast and doe but consider it rightly that without this thou standest already in a Beastiall Birth or Generation contrary to the first Creation like all Beasts For the holy Man in Adam was not fore-appointed to have propagated so but in great modest Love out of himselfe 56. Therefore O Man looke to it have a care how you use the beastiall lust it is in it selfe an abomination before God whither it be in the state of wedlock or out of it But the right love and fidelitie or faithfulnesse in the feare of God covereth it before the countenance of God and through the Sonne of the Virgin it is Regenerated to be a pure undefiled creature againe in the Faith if thy confidence be in God 57. But for the Whores and Rogues who run a whoring without marrying in lustfull lechery wee have no other Language for them g Then that which is mentioned a little before neither can wee finde any otherwise in the Light of Nature than that it is an abomination or loathing in the anger of God and if earnest Repentance with Mary Magdalen be not there performed in the Regeneration then wee finde nothing else but the anger of God and Hell-fire to be their wages Amen Of the innocent and righteous Abel The Gate of the Christian Church 58. Seeing then that Adam and Eve had yeelded themselves to the Spirit of this world and did live in two Kingdomes viz. in the holy Element before God and also in the Out-Birth viz. the foure Elements which reacheth that which is most outward viz. the Kingdome of the soure fierce grimnesse so there were also two sorts of children generated out of them viz. one a Mocker or scorner and another a plaine honest Man as is sufficiently to be seene by Isaack and Ishmael the sonnes of Abraham also by Jacob and Esau 59. And although the Church in Babell will prattle much here about the Election from the purpose of God and yet hath as little knowledge thereof as the Babylonish Tower whose top should reach to Heaven had of God As if it were not possible that a childe could goe out of the Anger into the Love of God whereas the Love in the breaking of the Anger doth h Or imperfection fully appeare or shine forth and t is for want of repentance that Man suffereth himselfe to be held by the Devill 60. And the hardening is not so wholly in the Birth that the soule from the Mothers womb should be quite dead to God or that God did not desire it The anger is in the flowing working or boyling of the Father and the Father is God indeed and generateth his deare Heart and Love in the breaking of the Gate in the Habitation out of himselfe should he then be at oddes with himselfe because his anger is under the roote of his Love Should he be at Enmity against himselfe his Anger is his Strength and Omnipotence or Allmightinesse and Consuming fire and his heart in the Love is his i Or hum lity meeknesse and so now that which approacheth and entereth into his Anger is captivated in the Anger 61. But it is possible to goe out from the Anger as his deare heart is generated out of the Anger which cooleth pacifieth or stilleth the Anger and is rightly called the Paradise or the Kingdome of Heaven And his Anger is not knowne in the Heaven and so there also his Election goeth alwayes over the children of Love which belong to the Kingdome of Heaven and St Paul speaketh no otherwise of his Election but meaneth it of them that draw neere to him and enter into his Covenant and give up themselves ro him and these the Father draweth with the Holy Ghost through the Death of Christ into the pure Element that is before the Father Isa 44.2 Feare not thou O my servant Jacob and thou k Honest sincere obedient faithfull one upright one whom I have chosen 62. But that God out of his purpose should harden the will of any and make it darke that is not true the Spirit of God is withdrawen from the wicked who onely wrestle for the might or power of the fire for he himselfe goeth out from God and desireth not to enjoy God God withdraweth himselfe from none Man hath a free will he may lay hold on what he will but he is held by two by Heaven and by Hell to which he yeeldeth he is in that 63. Cain was not rejected in the Mothers womb or body though it be plaine that God doth not love such a false or evill seede yet it standeth free it may presse into the Love or into the Anger and l Or both will receive it the one as well as the other wiâ—l receive it as Paul also saith To whom you yeeld your selves servants in obedience his servants you are whom you obey whether it be iâ— the obedience of God to righteousnesse or of sinne unto Death 64. Now God have no malicious soule to be in the Love but in the Anger and he is the m Or knower of the hearts Searcher of the Hearts and knoweth well what is in Man and what he will doe even whâ—le Man is in the seede and will not cast the Pearle before swine and yet the false or evill seede is not come out of his will and purpose else he must also have willed the Devill to be a Devill 65. And know you not that the band of the Eternity standeth free and maketh it selfe but that which inclineth to him is also n Or borne of God generated in God And yet the Love presseth not into the Anger o As the light is generated out of the burning of the fire and is free from the fire but the Love is generated out of the Anger and is wholly free and therefore the Heart of God in the Love is p As the light is another thing than the fire another Person than the Father and the q As the Aire goeth forth from the fire and the light issue or going forth from them is the Holy Ghost who goeth not back againe into the Anger 66. Then wherefore doth not the soule of Man goe also therewith out of the Anger into the Love and so it should be generated to be another creature in the Love Saint Paul saith Whom he hath foreseene those he hath sanctified that they may be like his Image the foreseeing is in his Election he alwayes electeth or chooseth his Sheepe Those who come to him he assureth them the Eternall Life But that he hardeneth those
upon the Earth and therefore the q The mysteries were not so dark to them Mysteries were not so very hard and close hidden to them but all was found out very easily especially by Adam who had the Mysteries r Or naked open and plaine in his hands and was but entered out of the Wonders of Paradise into the Wonders of this world who kwew not onely the Essences Å¿ Or kinds Natures and properties of all the Beasts but also of all Plants and Mettalls he knew also the ground of the seven liberall Arts arising out of the seven formes of Nature yet not so altogether out of the Ground or fundamentally But he was the Tree out of which afterwards all the rootes and branches grew 9. But the Depth in the Centre of the Birth he knew much better than wee in our Schooles or Universities which is shewed by that t Speech or word saying That he gave names to all things to every thing according to its Essence u Or kinde Nature and property as if he had stuck or dwelt in every thing and tryed all x Or beeings Essences whereas he had the knowledge of them only from their sound also from their forme and aspect smell and tast the Metalls he knew in the Glance of the Tincture and in the fire as it may yet well be knowne 10. For Adam was the Heart of every thing in this world created out of the Originality of all things his soule was out of the first Principle throughly y Or shining or enlightened illustrated with the second Principle and his body was out of the one Element out of the z Or warme hatching Barm or Birth out of the Divine vertue which is before God which body was entered into the out Birth of the one Element viz. into the foure Elements and wholly gone into the Spirit of this world viz. into the third Principle And therefore he had the Tincture of every thing in him by which he teached into all Essences and proved or searched all things in the Heaven Earth fire aire and water and all whatsoever is generated from thence 11. And so one Tincture took hold of the other and the stronger hath proved or tried the weaker and given names to all things according to their Essences and that is the true ground of Adams fall that he went out of the Eternall being into the Out birth of the corruptible being and hath put on the a Or transitory corruptible Image which God forbad him 12. And here the two strong Kingdomes of the Eternity are to be seene which have been in strife with one another and are alwaies so and the strife continueth to Eternity for it is also from Eternity viz. between b The wrath and the Love the fiercenesse and the meeknesse If the fiercenesse were not there would be no mobility but it overcometh in this world onely c The wrath ruleth in all that is evill in the foure Elements and in that which is good it maketh the exalting joy according to the Kâ—ngdome of Hell and in the Heaven it maketh the ascending Joy and the Meeknesse 13. And it is hâ—ghly to be sound and considered by us in the light of Nature how the fiercenesse or wrath is the Roote of all things and moreover the Originality of the Life therein onely consisteth the Might and the Power and from thence onely proceed the Wonders and without the fiercenesse or wrath there would be no enmity but all would be as it were a noth ng as is formerly mentioned 14. And then wee finde also how the Meeknesse is the vertue and the Spirit so that where the meeknesse is not there the fiercenesse in it selfe is nothing but a Darknesse and a Death where no d Working fruit or bringing forth growing can spring up and it cannot generate nor discover its wonders and thus wee finde that the fiercenesse wrath or sourenesse is a cause of the Essences and that the Meeknesse is a cause of the joy and a cause of the rising and budding oâ— growing forth of the Essences and then that the Spirit is generated by the flowing working springing and rising up out of the Essences and that the fiercenesse so becometh the Roote of the Spirit and the Meeknesse is its Life 15. Now there can be no meeknesse without Light for the Light maketh the Meeknesse and there can be no fiercenesse without the light for the light maketh a e A desiring or attracting Longing in the darknesse and yet there is no darknesse there but the longing maketh the darknesse in the will so that the will attracteth to it selfe and impregnateth the longing so that it becometh thick and dark for it is thicker than the will and therefore it shadoweth the will and is the darknesse of the will 16. And if the will be thus in darknesse then it is in anguish for it desireth to be out of the darknesse and that desiring is the flowing or working and the attracting in it selfe where yet nothing is attained but a fierce source in it selfe which by its attraction maketh hardnesse and roughnesse which the will cannot endure and thus it stirreth up the Roote of the fire in the flash as is afore-mentioned whereupon the re-comprehended will goeth forth from the flash into its selfe and f Dispelleth breaketh the darknesse and dwelleth in the broken darknesse in the light in a pleasant joy or habitation in it selfe after which joy or habitation the will in the darknesse continually lusteth from whence longing ariseth and thus it is an Eternall Band which can never be g Or Dissolved loosed and thus the will now laboureth in the broken Gate that it may manifest or discover his wonders out of himselfe as may be seene well enough in the Creation of the world and all Creatures 17. But wee should not here againe wholly set downe the Ground of the Deity so farre as it is meete and knowne by us wee account that needlesse here for you may finde it before the incarnation of a Childe in the Mothers womb or body Wee set downe thus much here to the end that the Region of this world may be understood and thus wee give the Reader exactly to understand and know how the Region of Good and Evill are in one another and how it is an unfadable thing or substance so that one is generated out of the other and that also the one goeth forth out of the other into another substance or being which it was not in the beginning as you may learne to understand this in Man who in his beginning in the will of Man and Woman viz. in the Limbus and in the Matrix is conceived in the Tincture and sowen in an Earthly h Field or Ground soyle where then the first Tincture in the will breaketh and his own i Or Life Tincture springeth forth out of the anxious or aking chamber of
therefore he is so maliciously enraged and his source or quality standeth in the anguish not towards the Birth but towards the k Or Torment of fire 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 of Ruling was most profitable that the wicked l Hunter persecutour or oppressour Driver might be stopped by power and authority 40. And so it is seene how the Providence of God is come to the help of the Kingdome of this world and hath by the Spirit of this world stirred up Rulers who have inflicted punishment yet the Spirit of God complaineth of them that they are turned Tyrants who suppresse all with their power and the Abellish Church in love consist not therein but the strong might of God for the suppressing of evill Doers 41. It is true indeed the Judges and Kings as also Princes and Rulers or Magistrates are the Officers of God in the house of this foure Elementary world whom God because of sinne hath set to punish secretly that thereby the wicked drivers and oppressours might be stopped 42. And their state condition Jurisdiction or authoritie is founded in the Originality of the Essence of all Essences where God in the beginning created the Thrones according to his Eternall Wisdome where then both in Heaven and also in Hell there are m Or Throne-Princes Thrones and Principalities and also a Region or Dominion according to the seven Spirits of the Eternall Nature of which here much ought not to be said for the World holdeth it impossible to know such things whereas yet a Spirit borne in God n Or hath knowledge of searcheth into the Kingdome of Heâ—ven 43. But a true Judge who judgeth according to righteousnesse he is Gods Steward Viceroy or Vicegerent in the Kingdome of this world and that it might not be needfull that God should alwayes powre forth his wrath upon the people and Nations therefore he hath put the sword into their hands to protect and defend the righteous and to punish the Evill and if any doe so in earnest uprightnesse in the feare of God and nothing partially for o Or for by-respects favour then he is Great in the Kingdome of Heaven for he beareth the sword for righteousnesse and he shineth as the Sunne and Moone exceeding the Starres 44. But if he turne tyrant and doth nothing but devour the bread of his subjects and onely adorneth his state and dignity in pride to the oppression of the needy and hunteth after nothing but covetousnesse accounting the needy to be but his dogges and placeth his Office onely in voluptuousnesse and will not heare the oppressed then he is an insulting tormenting Prince and Ruler in the Kingdome of Antichrist and is of the number of the Tyrants and he rideth upon Antichrists Horse 45. And wee are to consider how the true Christian Church is environed with the Cainish Antichristian Church and how they live in one onely Kingdome in this world As the first Principle incloseth all and yet can comprehend or hold nothing but the Kingdome of Heaven is from Eternity brought forth out of the Anger as a faire sweet smelling flower out of the Earth so also the holy Church standeth in the Antichristian where they both together goe to pray before God and one is accepted by God and the other is accepted by the Spirit of this world each Image goeth into its own Region or Kingdome 46. There is nothing more secret in this world than the Kingdome of Christ and also nothing more manifest than the kingdome of Christ And it is often so that he who supposeth he hath it and liveth therein hath it not but hath the Kingdome of Antichrist and he is an hypocrite and scorner and hath the Serpents p Or Image figure and his heart also is but the heart of a greedy Wolfe and he standeth not in the Angelicall p Or Image Figure 47. On the contrary many a one is in great anguish and longeth after q The kingdome of Christ it and generateth very painfully he would faine have q The kingdome of Christ it but then the Devill rusheth upon him and after stirreth up irksomnesse vexation and discontent and also overwhelmeth him with great sinnes so that he knoweth not himselfe and then dejecteth him with impatience and doubting and his heart standeth continually in anguish it would faine get out of Evill and endeavoureth continually for abstinence or r Forgivenesse comfort or rest forbearance many times with groanes sighing and longing But then the Devill holdeth his sinnes before him and barreth up the doore of the Grace of God that he might despaire 48. Yet he soweth the Pearle in his afflicting anguish and the Devill covereth it in him that he may not know it neither doth he know himselfe he soweth into the Kingdome of God and knoweth not his own seede but the seede of Sinne and of the Hunter And so he consenteth not to the sins which he committeth but the Devill with his Å¿ Sect. followers or associates over-powre him so that the Adamicall Man in the Anger doth that which the new-borne Man in the holy Element willeth not now though he doth it yet the new Man in the Image doth it not but the old Man in the t Or in the striving soure Elements Anger And therefore there is in him a continuall strife and he runneth continually to repentance where yet the hidden Man in the t Or in the striving soure Elements Anger cannot reach the Lilly but the hidden Man doth it 49. Therefore he standeth often in doubt and impatience and in such a Man there is great strife he knoweth not himselfe he seeth and knoweth nothing else but his wickednesse and yet is borne in God for his Spirit continually breaketh the gate of the Darknesse but then the Anger in him doth hold him back that he cannot enter in but yet sometimes he reacheth a Glimpse from whence the soule is cheared and the Pearle is sowen in a very dark valley 50. And then when he considereth the sweet fore tast of the Pearle which he had then the soule would faine goe through and it seeketh the Pearle but then cometh the Black Spirit and covereth it from him and then the storme and strife about the Pearle beginneth each would have its right the soule would have it and then the
Devill covereth it and casteth the wrath and u Or infirmities in the way of the Pearle sinne before it that the soule should behold it selfe therein then there falleth to be weaknesse and neglect so that the poore soule becometh weary faint and timorous and so sitteth still and thinketh continually of some other way to Abstinence or x Comfort or Rest Amendment how it might best get the Pearle 51. But the y Driver or Persecutour the Devill Hunter is a cunning Artist which cometh then with the Region of this world with worldly lusts of the flesh with temporall honour and riches and holdeth them before the poore soule that it might bite at his z Husks or Crabbs Swines-Apples thus he leadeth many a one for a long while with his Chaines captive in the Anger of God 52. But if the Noble Graine of Mustard-seede be sowen then the Noble virgin of God preserveth it and maketh the poore soule continually carefull to endeavour for Abstinence and to enter into fight with the Devill O what a wonderfull way is it the Children of God goe in this miserabfe house of flesh which the Reason of the Hypocrites neither comprehendeth nor can beleeve onely they that have tryed it know it 53. Though indeed the high precious knowledge is not attained except one hath overcome in the storme and hath vanquished the Devill so that the soule hath once attained the heavenly Gate and gotten the Garland of Victory which the lovely virgin of chastity setteth up as a triumphant Ensigne of its conquest in its deare Champion Christ and there riseth up the a Or the knowledge in the wonders which neither eye hath seene nor eare heard nor ever entered into the heart to conceive wonderfull knowledge yet not in perfection 54 For the old Enemy is subtile and strong who still assaulteth the soule againe to trie how he may afflict and deceive it if he cannot overwhelme it with sinnes then he beginneth an outward warre with it and stirreth up the children of b Or Iniquity malice against it so that they contemne mock deride and vilifie it and doe all manner of evill to it and so they lay waite for its body and goods they jeere reproach and scorne it and account it as the of-scouring of the world they upbraid it for its infirmities if it doe but reprove their faults and unrighteousnesse then it must be an hypocrite with them 55. Not onely the Children of malice doe thus but the Devill many times bringeth the Children of God by his snares to be against it so that in their blindnesse they grow furious and raging as Saul at Jerusalem did against Stephen Thus the poore soule must be afflicted among Thornes and Thistles and continually expect when the evill world shall teare away the body The victorious Gate of the poore soule 56. Now saith Reason What is the best Counsell and Remedy for the poore soule What shall it doe in this Bath of Thornes and Thistles Behold wee will shew thee the counsell of the c Or Wisdome of God virgin as it is given us for a victorious comfort and wee will write it for a firme Memoriall to our selves for it may come that wee our selves may stand in need of it as wee have already for a tedious while sweltered in this Bath of Thornes and Thistles wherein wee also attained this Garland and therefore wee must not be silent but set forth the gift of the virgin which helpeth against all the d Or power Gates of the Devill 57. Behold thou poore soule in thy Bath of Thornes where is thy home Are thou at home in this world Wherefore then doest thou not seek the favour and friendship of the world Wherefore doest thou not hunt after temporall honour after pleasure and riches that it may goe well wich thee in this world Why doest thou make thy selfe a foole to the world and art every ones Owle and footstoole Wherefore doest thou suffer thy selfe to be despised and abused by those that are inferiour to thee and know lesse than thou Why shouldest thou not be stately and brave with those appearing holy hypocrites and then thou wouldst be beloved and no body would abuse thee and thou wouldst be more safe and secure in thy body and goods than in this way wherein thou art but the worlds Owle and foole 58. But my loving virgin saith O thou my beloved Companion whom I have choseâ— goe with mee I am not of this world I will bring thee out oâ— thâ—s â—orld into my Kingdome there is meere pleasant rest and wellfare in my Kingdome is meere joy honour and glory there is no e Hunter persecutour or oppressour Driver in it I will adorne thee with the glory of God aâ—d put thee on my bright Ornament I will make thee a Lord in Heaven and a Judge over this world thou shalt help to judge the e Hunter persecutour or oppressour Dâ—iver in hâ—â— wâ—ckednesse he shall be laid at thy feete for a footstoole and he shall not open his jawes against thee but he shall be barred up for ever in his fierce Gate thou shalt eate at my Table there shall be no grudging nor want my fruit is sweeter pleasanter than the fruit of this world thou shalt never have any woe arise from it all thy doings shall be pleasant cheerfulnesse and amiable discourse meere humility in great love shall shine before thee All thy Companions are so very beautifull thou shalt have joy in them all wherefore doest thou esteeme thy corruptible life thou shalt enter into an Incorruptible Life that shall endure Eternally 59. But I have a little against thee I have drawen thee out of the thorny Bath wherein thou wert a wilde Beast and have figured thee for my Image and yet thy wilde Beast standeth in the Thorny Bath which I will not take into my bosom thou standest yet in f In the foure Elements in flesh bloud thy wilde Beast now when the world taketh its wilde Beast which belongeth thereto then I will take thee and so every one shall have its own 60. Wherefore doest thou love that wilde Beast so much which doth but afflict thee And besides thou canst not take it with thee neither doth it belong to thee but to the world let the world doe what it will with it stay thou with mee it is but a little while before thy Beast breaketh and then thou art unbound and abidest with mee 61. But I alâ—o have a Law in my Love viz. I not onely desire to have thee but also thy brothers and sisters which are in the world who are yet in part unregenerated whom the g Hunter or persecutour Driver holdeth captive thou must not hide nor bury thy Pearle but shew the same to them that they also may come into my Armes thy mouth must not be shut thou shalt walke in my Law and h Or Tell the Truth declare the
say of Mary shee hath comprehended the Holy Heavenly Eternall Virgin of God and put on the Holy and Pure Element together with the Paradise and yet was truly a virgin in this world generated by Joachim and Anna. But shee was not called a holy pure-virgin according to her earthly Birth the flesh which shee had from Joachim and Anna was not pure without spot but her holinesse and purity is according to the Heavenly h The wisdome of God virgin besides shee brought not the heavenly virgin to her out of her own ability for the Angel said to her The Holy Ghost shall came upon thee and the Power of the most High shall over-shadow thee therefore that holy thing that shall be borne of thee shall be called the Sonne of God 35. Here understand and consider it rightly the vertue or power is the heavenly virgin for shee is the i Mercifulnes Mercy of God and the holy thing is the Centre in that vertue or power and that is the eternall Birth of the holy Trinity and the Holy Ghost which goeth forth out of the Centre of God overshadowed the Humanitie of Marie Thou must not think that the corrupted Humanity hath comprehended the holy Deity as its own so that we might as it were say that Mary in her corrupted humanity is like God No the very pure Element together with the Paradise is inferiour to God and though indeed wee are generated out of his power or vertue yet that vertue is substantiall and God is purely Spirit for the Name of God hath its Originall in the Centre of the Spirit and not in the Heaven onely the Light in the Centre is the holy thing and the light ham no Centre for it is the end of k Or of Nature All things 36. Therefore wee say of Mary that shee hath received the heavenly Pledge which was unknowne to Nature and which shee in her outward Man knew not at all viz. the heavenly chast virgin of God and in that shee received the eternall Word of God the Father which continueth eternally in the Father out of which the Holy Ghost goeth forth Eternally wherein the whole Deity is comprehended 37. Wee cannot say that the heavenly virgin of the l Barmhertziegkeit Mercifulnesse Mercy of God viz. that which entred into Mary out of the Counsell of God is become Earthly but wee say that the soule of Mary hath comprehended the heavenly virgin and that the heavenly virgin hath put the heavenly new pure Garment of the holy Element out of the chast virgin of God viz. out of the Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse or Mercy of God on to the soule of Mary as a new Regenerated Man and in that same shee hath conceived the Saviour of all the world and borne him into this world Therefore he said to the Jewes I am from above but you are from beneath and of this world I am not of this world and be said also to Pilate My kingdome is not of this world This ought highly to be Considered 38. You are to know that as Mary did beare the heavenly Image viz. a new Man borne out of the Mercy of God in the old Earthly Man viz. in the kingdome of this world which kingdome shee had in her as her own which yet did not comprehend the New Man so also the Word of God entred into the body of the virgin Mary into the heavenly Matrix into the Eternall virgin of God and that word in that Eternall virgin of God became a heavenly Man out of the Paradisicall holy pure Element in the Person of the new Regenerated Man of the virgin Mary and with his Eternall Deity was together generated in the beginning own soule of Mary and with his entrance of his Deity hath brought the soule of Mary againe into the holy Father so that the soules of Men which were gone out from the Deity were new-borne againe in the soule of Christ and begotten to the Heart of God 39. For Christ brought no strange soule out of Heaven with him into the highly blessed heavenly pure virgin but as all soules are generated so Christ also received his soule in his body though in his undefiled body of holinesse which was become Maries own For wee must say that the pure Element in the m Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse Mercy of God became Maries own wherein her new body n Or belonging to in her Originall soule consisteth The most precious Gate 40. For no o New or strange other soule is generated in any Man but a new body but the soule is renewed p Or by with the pure Deity and Christ with his entrance into Death where he severed his holy Man from the Kingdome of this world severed q The soule it also from the fierceness of the eternall Anger and from the r Or working property source of the Originality 41. And as the pure Element which is in the presence of God and wherein God dwelleth is truly every where in the whole space of this world and hath attracted to it the Kingdome of this world viz. Å¿ The pure one Elements own Out-birth it s own Out-Birth as a body and yet this very body doth not comprehend the Element no more than the body comprehended the soule so Christ also hath truly in the body of the virgin Mary attracted to him or put on our humane Essences and is become our Brother yet these humane Essences cannot comprehend his Eternall Deity onely the new Man borne in God comprehendeth the Deity after the same manner as the body doth the soule and no otherwise 42. Therefore the body of Christ is inferiour to the Deity and in these onr humane Essences he suffered Death and his Deity of the holy Man in the pure Element entered together also into Death and bereaved Death of its power and did seperate the naturall soule which Christ commended to his Father when he dyed on the Crosse from the Kingdome of this world also from Death from the Devill and from Hell in the strong divine Might or power and opened a Gate for us all who come to him and incline our selves with minde and thoughts to him then the Father draweth our soule which is in him into the pure love of Christ where then it putteth its Imagination againe through Christ t Or in true Resignation forward into the holy Trinity and is fed againe from the Verbum Domini the Word of the Lord where then it is an Angel againe cleane seperated from the Kingdome of the Devill and of this world in the Death of Christ 43. And for this cause God became Man that he might in himselfe new generate the soule of Man againe and might redeeme it from the chaines of the fiercenesse of Anger and not at all for the Beastiall bodies sake which must melt againe into the foure Elements and come to nothing of which nothing will remaine but the shadow in the
onely upon the Heart of God and m Or submit to it give it selfe up to that that it might be carried onely in the will of God and become an Angel in humility and not relie onely upon it selfe to flie in its own might or power 95. And here the Devils Master-piece is seene in that he n Alleadgeth Scripture useth the Scripture and saith The Angels will beare thee up whereas here the matter was not about the body but about the soule which he would bring into Pride that it might teare it selfe off from the love of God and relie upon the Angels bearing it up and that it should break it selfe off againe from the new body which can flie well enough with that and leap down in the old Body and relie upon the Angels and so should flie out from God into the Spirit of this world againe 96. But here his valour is seene though he stood with his earthly Body upon the pinnacle of the Temple yet he committed his Earthly Body to God and trusted in him and that he was every where in God and said to the Devill It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God Here the Devils Pride in the Kingdome of wrath was rightly overcome and the humility the strength and the might remained to be our Christs and the soule of Christ is entered into the holy Ternary as into the humble Love and espoused it selfe with the humble chast virgin of the Divine Wisdome 97. Now when the Devill had lost twice then he came at last with his last powerfull Temptation as he did also to Adam he would give him the whole world if he would fall downe and worship him The businesse with Adam also was about this world he would draw this world to him and so be like God with it that as God had drawne this world to him to manifest his great Wonders therewith so the soule in Adam thought with it selfe thou art the similitude of God thou wilt doe so too and so thou shalt be like God but thereby he went forth from God into the Spirit of this world Now therefore the second Adam must hold out the standing of the first Adam whereby it was tempted or tried whether the soule would continue in the new holy heavenly Man and live in the Barmbertzigkeit the o Or Mercy Mercifulnesse of God or in the Spirit of this world 98. And thus stood the soule as a valiant Champion and said to Satan Get thee hence Satan thou shouldst worship the Lord thy God and serve him onely I have no more to doe with thee there the Devill Hell and the Kingdome of this world was commanded to be gone and the valiant Champion hath gotten the victory and the Devill faine to get him gone and the earthly part was overcome And here now the Noble Champion standeth upon the Moon and receiveth all might in Heaven Hell on Earth into his power and ruleth with his soule in the holy Ternary in this outward body over Death and life and here this world is become Christs owne for he had overcome it be could live in God and needed not the earthly food nor drink 99. And the Reader must know that the Combat with the Temptation was held in body and soule and that this Temptation concerneth us al 's ohe hath overcome for us if wee put our whole trust in him then wee have victory in him over sinnes Death Hell and the Devill and also over this world for he held the last victory in his Death when he brake the sword of the Cherubine and destroyed the Hell of the Devill and hath led captivity captive that thereby thou mightst live by the Death of Christ 100. And wee see that all is true as is above-mentioned for when he had overcome in the Temptation and had stood forty dayes then he had wholly overcome till the last victory in Death for so long Adam was in the Temptation in the Garden of Eden and p Viz. after the Temptation 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 q Over the living and the dead quick and dead and face 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 be 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 a Rule or Government Dominion out of the Priesthood of Christ 2. O you high Priests and b Or the learned in the Scripture 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 chem 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 c Note this 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 d Humility and Love water is dried up or what have I to doe with thee that I must
Fall he did illustrate or manifest himselfe by the holy Eternall Virgin of his Wisdome in the Eternall Wonders in x Barmhertzigkeit 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 y Fruit. 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 z Or upon it as by an Example 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 a Or seede Limbus of God in the Holy Ternary and that is the water which baptizeth the soule when wee keepe the b Or Celebration 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 Mew Man And should I not rejoyce that my soule is in the body of Christ and that the soule of Christ is my brother and that the Holy Trinity is the foode and vertue or strength of my soule Who can judge mee lay hold of mee and c Spoyle or hurt mee destroy mee when I am in my true Man in God When as I am Immortall in my new Man wherefore should I be much afraid in the Earthly Man which belongeth to the Earth Let every thing take its own and then my soule will be d Or rid of the Driver freed from the e Or from corruption Driver 26. Or what shall I say Must I not in this Body which I here in the Earthlinesse carry about mee through the New Man reveale the Wonders of God that so his Wonders might be manifested I speake not onely concerning my selfe but concerning all Men good and bad every one must manifest the Great Wonders wherein he standeth in f Gods his Kingdome whether it be in Love or Anger after the breaking or dissolution of this world it must all stand in the Figure For at present this world standeth in the Creating and in the t Or seed time Sowing and is like a field which beareth fruit 27. Thus wee every one of us labour and finish our dayes-worke every one in his own field and in the Harvest every one shall stand h Or be in his employment by his Labour and enjoy his fruit which he hath sowen therefore my hand shall not be weary of l Diving or searching digging this wee speake seriously according to its high worth in the Wonders of God knowne in the Counsell of the k The wisdome of God Noble Virgin Of the l Celebration or Participation use of the highly Precious Testaments of Christ the Sonne of God 28 Christ began the use of the Baptisme by John who was his forerunner and John was borne into this world before Christ which hath its signification therefore open thy eyes As the water is in the Originality and a cause and beginning of the life and then in the water by the Tincture the m Or beginning of the
be forgiven thee Nay wee should not in Eternity have ever been able to come our of this evill and wickednesse if the z Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse 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 a The Father 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 scorning 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 b Or solitary reserved life in a Cloister or Monastery or Private life 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 c Barmhertzigkeit 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 d Rest contented with that which the Scripture saith 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 e One Copie hath it known to us 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 f The Anger it be without the Light then f The Anger 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 Kingdom 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
to be beleeved and Christ saith By their works thou shalt know them for a good Tree bringeth forth good fruit and an evill tree bringeth forth evill fruit also he teacheth us plainly that we should not gainsay the Prophesie that is of God but should learne to try them by their fruits 15. Wee speake not of perfect Works done by the body which is captivated in the Spirit of this World but wee speake of their Doctrines that wee must trie them whether they be generated of God For if that Spirit teacheth blasphemies slanders and persecutions then it is not from God but it proceedeth from the covetousnesse and haughtinesse of the Devill For Christ teacheth us meeknesse and to walk in brotherly Love wherewith wee may overcome the enemy and take away the Might of the Devill and destroy his Kingdome 16. But when any fall to fireing killing with the sword to undoe people ruine Townes and Countreys there is no Christ but the Anger of the Father and it is the Devill that bloweth the n Or the Cole fire For the Kingdome of Christ is not found in such a way but in Power as the Examples of the Apostles of Christ declare who taught no revenge but they suffered persecution and prayed to God who gave then signes and great Wonders so that people flocked to them and so the Church of Christ grew mightily so that it overshadowed the Earth Now who is the Destroyer of this Church Open thy eyes wide and behold it is Day-light and it must come to the Light for God would have it so for the sake of the Lilly It is the Pride of the Learned 17. When the Holy Ghost spake in the Saints with power and Miracles and converted people powerfully then they flocked to them they honoured them greatly they respected them and submitted to them as if they had been Gods Now this was well done to the Saints for the honour was given to God and so humility and love grew among them and there was all loving Reverence as becometh the children of God and as it ought to be 18. But when the Saints comprised their Doctrine in Writings that therby in their absence it might be understood what they taught then the World fell upon it and every one desired to be such a Teacher and thought the Art skill and knowledge stuck in the Letter thither they came running old and new who for the most part onely stuck in the Old Man and had no knowledge of God and so taught according to their own conceits from the written words and expounded them according to their own meanings 19. And when they saw that great respect and honour was given to the Teachers they fell to ambition pride and greedinesse of money for the simple people brought them presents or gifts and they thought that the Holy Ghost dwelt in the Teachers whereas the Devill of Pride lodged in them and it came to that passe that every one called himselfe after his Masters name whose Doctrine he prized most one would be of Paul another of Apollo another of Peter and so forth And because the Saints used not the same kinde of words and expressions in their Teaching and Writings though they spake from one and the same Spirit therefore the Naturall Man which being without the Spirit of God knoweth nothing of God began all manner of strife and Disputations and to make Sects and Schismes and they set themselves up for Teachers among all sorts of People not for Gods sake but for temporall honour riches and pleasure sake that they might live brave lives For it was no very hard labour and worke to hang to the bare Letter and such strife and contention arose amongst them that they became the most bitter enemies and haters one of another and none of them were borne of God but their Parents held them close to the Scripture that they might come to be Teachers that so they might be honoured in and for their children and that their children o Might have good maintenance or great Livings for their Beastiall Man might live bravely 20. And so it fell out that every one would get the greatest conflux of people be could that he might be esteemed by most people and these Lip Christians did so multiply that the sincere hearty desire to God was lest and they onely looked upon the Lip Priests who did nothing but cause strife and contentions and they all vapoured and boasted of their own Art and skill which they had learned in the Schooles and Universities and cryed loe here is Christ come running hither thus and thus hath Paul written and another saith come hither here is Christ thus and thus hath Peter written he was the Disciple of Christ and had the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven this cannot be amisse they doe but deceive you follow after mee 21. Thus the poore ignorant people looked upon the p Such as Apishly Teach the words of Holy Men without the understanding they had Mouth-Apes those greedy covetous Men which were no other than q Mock Priests Monsters of Priests or Priests in a Play vizard-Priests and so lost their deare Immanuel for Christ in them from whence the Holy Ghost goeth forth which driveth and leadeth Men and who at first had begotten them with power and Miracles must now be nothing but a History and they became but History-Christians yet so long as the Apostles and their true Disciples lived they stopped and reproved such things and shewed them the right way but where r The Apostles and their Disciples they were not there the History Priests mis-led them as may be cleerly seene in the Ephesians 22 And so the Kingdome of Christ grew not in Power onely but for the most part in the History the Saints borne in Christ they confirme that many times with great Wonders or Miracles and the History-Priests of Baal they alwayes built upon those Miracles of the Saints same that which was good for the promoting vertue and good manners many brought forth thistles and thornes that they might make strife and warres many sought onely great honour dignity and glory that it should be conferred upon the Church of Christ and her Ministers as it may be seene in Popery out of what Roote it is growne And it came so farre that they mingled the Jewish Ceremonies in their Doings as if the Justification of a poore sinner did lye in them because they were of Divine appointment for which cause the Apostles held the First Councell at Jerusalem where the Holy Ghost concluded that they should onely cleave to Christ in true Love one to another and that was the onely Justification before God 23. But it availed not Pride would erect its Throne and set it above Christ the Devill would be God and they made Å¿ Faire suttle pretences and Expositions of Scripture Glosses that they might bring it to passe in such a way that the simple people might not take
notice oâ— it there the Keys of Peter must govern the Citie and they drew together with the Keys t Jus Divinum Divine Authority to them and so could use the Divine Power in deeds and wonders no more for they desired to be rich and wealthy upon Earth and not to be Poore with Christ who in this world as himselfe witnesseth had not whereon to lay his head they would not be such Christians in power and wonders As Adam who would not live in the Power but in a great Heape of Earth that he might have something to take hold of And heere may be rightly seene our Misery which Adam brought us into that our Essences alwayes reach after the Spirit of this world and desire onely to fill themselves with a great Heape from whence Adam and wee all have gotten such a swelled grosse untoward body full of sicknesses contrariety and contentious desires 24. Now when the Historicall Christendome and the true Christians grew together the Scepter was alwayes among the Learned who exalted themselves and made themselves potent and great and the simple Church yeelded to it as right and yet there was a desire after the Kingdome of God found in Men vâ—z the Noble Word of God which had u Imaged or figured it selfe in the minde imprinted it selfe in the Promise in Paradise in the Light of Life and which was made stirring by Christ that drave them indeed to the feare of God And then they built great x Temples or Churches Houses of Stone and called every one thither and they said that the Holy Ghost was powerfull there and they must come thither y Saying doe as wee say and not as we doe besides they durst be so impudent to say when they were found to be so wicked and malitious that the Holy Ghost was powerfully in the mouth of the wicked 25. But thou Hypocrite thou lyest if thou are ungodly thou canst not raise z The dead in trespasses and sinnes the Dead thou canst convert none that in this world lyeth drowned in sinnes thou mayest stirre the heart of the Beleever indeed through thy voyce which is a work of the Spirit but thou bringest forth none out of Death into life it is an impossible thing For if thou wilt convert a poore sinner which is drowned in sinne and lyeth captive in the Anger then the Holy Ghost must be in thy mouth and thy Essences must take hold of his and then thy Light will shine in him and thou shalt raise him out of the Death of sinnes and with thy Love in thy Tincture catch him and then he will come to thee with a hearty desire longing after the Kingdome of Heaven and then thou art his Confessour and hast the Keys of Peter and if thou art voyde of a The Holy Ghost that thou hast no Keyes 26. As the Confession is so is the Absolution Is the Patient an Historicall Christian so is the Physitian too and in them both there is a Mouth Hypocrisie But hath the Patient any vertue or power then the voyce bloweth that vertue or power up not from the power of the Physician but in the vertue or power of God who with his power even in a Thorne-Bush maketh it to grow which is the power in all things and so also in a voyce which in it selfe hath no ability 27. Thus it became a b Or fashion Custome that every one was bound to come to the Temple made of Stones and the Temple of God in Christ stood and standeth very empty but when they saw the Desolation in the c Disputations and Controversies Contention they called Councels and made Lawes and Cannons that every one must observe upon paine of Death Thus the Temple of Christ was turned into Temples made of stones and out of the Testimony of the Holy Ghost a worldly Law was made then the Holy Ghost spake no more freely but he must speak according to their Lawes If he reproved their Errours then they persecuted him and so the Temple of Christ in Mans knowledge became very obscure if any came that was borne of God and taught by the Holy Ghost and were not conformable to their Lawes he must be a Heretick 28. And so their d False power usurped supposed Jus Divinum Power grew and every one had great respect to it and they strengthened their Laws still more and more with the Power of Saint Peter till they raised themselves so high that they impudently set themselves as Lords over the Doctrine of the Apostles before God and gave forth that the Word of God and the Doctrine of the Saints must receive their value worth and authority from their Councels and what they ordained and instituted that was from God they were Gods dispencers of the Word Men must beleeve their Ordinances for that was the way and means e Meanes of salvation for the poore sinner to be Justified before God 29. But where then is the New Regeneration in Christ through the Holy Ghost Art thou not Babell a Habitation of all Devils in Pride How hast thou adorned thy selfe not for Christ but for thy own Pride for thy f God Maufim the belly God Idoll the bellies sake and thou art a Devouter But thy g Or Idoll Belly is become a stinck and hath gotten a horrible source there is a great fire of h Terrible devouring in that which thou hast made thy God Anguish in thy source for thou art naked and manifest before God thou standest as an impudent whorish woman Why doe you Layety hang and depend on such a Strumpet Her own l Usurped Jus Divinum usurped Authority is her Beast whereon shee rideth behold and consider her in the Revelation of John how the Holy Ghost setteth her forth in her colours 30. Wilt thou be an Apostle of Christ and wilt be but a Minister for the Belly and teach onely according to thy Art from whom doest thou teach from thy Belly that thou mayest fatten thy selfe thereby T is true thou shouldst be fed and thou shouldst have subsistence from Men if thou art Christs Disciple but thy Spirit should not stick in covetousnesse but in Christ thou shouldest not rely onely upon thy Art but shouldst give up thy selfe to God that God may speake from thee and then thou art in the Temple of God and not in the Temple of the institution of Mans Inventions 31. Look upon Saint Peter on the day of Pentecost who converted Three Thousand soules at one Sermon he spake not from the appointment of the Pharisees but out of the Spirit of Moses and the Prophets out of the Temple of the Holy Ghost that pierced through and enlightened the poore sinners But thou teachest Persecution onely consider thereby whence thou didst grow viz. out of that first stock where they fell from the Temple of Christ to humane conceits and Inventions where they sent forth Teachers according
Father is unmeasurable so also is the Life of Christ so for the pure Element in the source of God the Father in his Barmhertzigkeit Mercifulnesse Mercy is the Body of Christ and as our Earthly Body standeth in the foure Elements so the new Man standeth in a pure Element out of which this world with the foure Elements is generated and the source of the pure Element is the source of the Heaven and of Paradise and so also it is the source of our Body in the New Regeneration 11. Now that Element is in the whole Principle of God every where in all places and so is unmeasurable and infiniâ—e and therein is the Body of Christ and his quality and in that is the Trinity of the Deity so that the Father dwelleth in the Sonne viz. in the Body of Jesus Christ and the Sonne in the Father as one onely God and thus the Holy Ghost goeth forth from the Father in the Sonne and is given to us to regenerate us to a new life in God in the life of Jesus Christ and the Earthly Man in his Image and source or quality and property hangeth but to us in this Life time which is well understood if wee be borne of God with our Minde 12. For as God the Father in his own substance comprehendeth all the Three Principles and is himselfe the substance of all substances wherein both joy and sorrow is comprehended and yet goeth forth in it selfe out of the source of the Anguish and maketh the Kingdome of Joy to himselfe unconceivable to the sorrow and incomprehensible to the source of his Anger in the Anguish and Generateth to himselfe his Heart in the Love wherein the Name of God taketh originall So also the Minde hath in it all the Three Principles and therein the soule is comprized viz. in the Band of Life The soule which must enter againe into its selfe and create a will in the Life of Jesus Christ and endeavour after it desiring it with a strong will and purpose and not stay meerly in the History or in the knowledge of it and being able to speake of it and suppose the words and discourse make a sufficient Christian when the Minde is still in meere doubt in Babell no that is not the Regeneration but it must be an Earnest Resolution the Minde must in it selfe goe forth into the humility towards God and enter into the will of God in Righteousnesse Truth and Love 13. And though indeed the Minde is not able to doe this in its own abilitie because it is captivated with the Spirit of this world yet it hath the Purpose in its power and God is presented with and in the Purpose and receiveth it in his Love and soweth therein the seede of Love in his vertue or power out of which the New Man in the Life of Jesus Christ groweth Therefore all lyeth in the true Earnest Purpose which is called True Repentance for the Receiving of the Word of God in the obedience of Love groweth not in the Earthly Life but in the New-borne in the Life of Jesus Christ 14. Therefore the Kingdome of Heaven is a bestowed Bounty of Grace for all those that earnestly desire it not that it is enough to say to ones selfe I have indeed a will to yeeld my selfe earnestly to God but I have need to have this world for a while and afterwards I will enter into the obedience of God and that continueth from one time to another and from one day to another and in the meane while the Or the childe of perdition evill Man groweth if you deferre it to the end and then desire and think to be a Heavenly fruit or Birth when all the Time of your life you have growne in the anger of God in the Abysse of Hell no that is deceit thou deceivest thy selfe 15. The Priests in Babell have after that no Key to open the Kingdome of Heaven for thee thou must enter in thy selfe and be new-borne or else there is no remedy for thee in this world nor in Heaven thou standest heere in this life time in the Ground and art a Plant but when Death cometh and cutteth downe the stock then thou art no more in the growing but art a fruit and then if thou art not foode for God thou doest not belong to his Table and then God will not dwell in thee 16. For wee know that the Deity onely is the vertue to the New Birth which vertue if thou longest for it and desirest it with earnestnesse soweth it selfe in thy minde and in thy soule out of which the New Man in the Life of Christ groweth so that in this world the Earthly Man doth but hang to it Thus the New Man is in God in the Life of Jesus Christ and the Old Man is in this world of which Saint Paul writeth cleerly in his Or Epistle Letter to the Romans that if wee thus live in the New Birth wee live to God but as to the old Adam wee are in this world where then the source of the Eternall Band in the soule is also changed and the soule entreth in it selfe into the Life of Christ into the Holy and Pure Element which in some places of my Second Booke I call the Ternarius Sanctus 17. Not according to the understanding of the Latine Tongue but according to the understanding of the Divine Nature by which words is excellently expressed the Life of Jesus Christ in God the Father as also the Characters or Letters themselves and the Spirit in the syllables doe signifie wherein the Birth unigeniture or Eternall working of the Deity is excellently understood though indeed it is hidden to the Historicall Man of the Or universities Schoole of this world yet it is wholly comprehensible to those that are enlightened from God who then also understand the source or working property of the Spirit in the Letter which is not at this time fit to be set downe here and yet it shall be brought to the understanding 18. And there is nothing more profitable for Man for his beginning to the New Birth than true earnest sincere Repentance with great earnest Purpose and Resolution for he must presse into the Kingdome of Heaven into the Life of Christ where then his Regeneratour is ready deepe in his Minde in the Light of Life and with desiring and earnestness helpeth to wrestle and so soweth himselfe as a Graine of Mustard seede into the soule of Man as a Roote to a New Creature And if the earnestnesse in the soule of a Man be great then the earnestnesse in his Regeneratour is also great 19. And it is not possible to describe the New Birth in Christ fully for he that cometh into it can finde it onely in himselfe by experience there groweth another Bud in his Minde another Man with other knowledge he is taught of God and he seeth that all the labour in the History without the Spirit of God is but a confused