Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

10. And thus yet the one must be parted from the other, viz. the kingdom of this world, which is a root, or stirrer up of the root of the fierceness, and therefore it was necessary that God should pass with the new body into the separation of the root, and of the kingdom of this world, as into the death of the fierceness, and should destroy death, and spring with its own virtue and power through death, as a flower springe th out of the earth, and so hold the inward fierceness captive l in his own l in the new virtue of the new body. *irtw or 11. And this we understand of Christ, who is truly entered in such a manner, and hath taken the strong anger (and the devil in it) captive, and hath sprung with his holy heavenly body through death, and hath destroyed death, so that the eternal life springeth forth through death ; and thus death was taken captive by the new eternal body, and it is an eternal imprisonment; so that an eternal life is grown in death, and the new body treadeth upon the head of death, and of the fierceness ; the property of death stand eth in the prison of the new eternal life.

12. And so the woman (in whom the eternal life springeth) standeth upon the earthly moon, 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 ; 1 source, or and so now the Word of God (as a living l fountain) actire pro- . ° party. is entered into death, and hath generated the soul in itself, and springeth forth out of the soul 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 eternal life in the Deity through death ; and you may understand how the new body in the love of God holdeth the eternal source of the auger captive, for the love is the prison [of the anger], for the source of the anger cannot enter into the love, but continueth only by itself, as it was from eternity, and therein the devils are imprisoned ; for the light of God striketh them down, they neither can nor dare behold that light in eternity ; a Principle is between ; for the love springeth

forth in the centre of the soul, and therein the Holy Trinity appeareth, [or shineth]. 14. Thus wejiave gotten a Prince of the eternal life, and we need do no more but to press in to him with a firm trust and strong belief, and then our soul receiveth his love, and springeth forth with him through death, and standeth upon that which is earthly, viz. upon flesh and blood, and is a fruit in the kingdom of God, in the body of Jesus Christ, and triumpheth over the fierceness ; for the love holdeth that captive, and that is a reproach to death ; as Paul saith, 0 Death ! where is thy sting? 0 Hell! where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who hath given us victory. 15. And because we clearly understand and apprehend it in the spirit, therefore we are indebted to shew the light to those that apprehend it not, and do 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 J scourged, and crowned with a1 Or whipped, crown of thorns, and at last be crucified between heaven and earth? Could he not die some other death, and so spring through death with his heavenly body? 16. These hard points cast down all Jews, 1 infidels or Turks, and l Pagans, and they keep them back from the Christian faith. Therefore now we must write for the sake of the Tree of Pearl, and not conceal what appeareth to us in the great wonder. Behold, thou child of man, consider what we set down here ; gaze not on the hand of the pen ; if you do, you err, and will lose the jewel, which in all eternity you will be sorry for ; consider thyself only, and thou shalt find in thyself all the causes [of the Passion of Christ] that are here written down ; for there was a wonderful pen in the writing of it, and neither thou nor the hand A knoweth him sufficiently, that directed it in the writing; though indeed the spirit knoweth him very well, yet the natural man is blind in it, neither can it be expressed with earthly words. Therefore consider thyself, and if you search into the new-born man, then you will find the Pearl.

The very horrible wonderful Gate of Man's Sins. 17. As we have, in the beginning of this book. 3 Or working, mentioned the eternal 2 birth in the originality, so we have mentioned the birth of the essences, and the seven spirits of the eternal nature ; and therein we shewed how there is a cross-birth in the eternal birth in the fourth form, where the essences in the turning wheel make a cross-birth, because they cannot go out from themselves, but that the eternal birth is everywhere so in all things, in the essence of all essences. 18. And we 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 overcoming of death (when Christ was to overcome death and destroy hell and captivate the devil) were predominant, for so it must be ; he must release the soul from all essences. 19. Now the cross-birth is the middlemost in the essences, yet before the fire ; l it standeth in * the crossthe anxious death in the fierceness of the hell, asb you may read before ; for from the fierce flash in the brimstone-spirit, the fire cometh forth, and in the flash the light, and the fierceness itself maketh the brimstone-spirit and out of that (in the light) cometh water, as is before mentioned. Now then the soul 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 itself into the fifth form 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 form (as an out-birth), and the paradise [being] between the fourth and the fifth forms, and the 2 element [being] in the fifth form, «the one pore and therein the eternal light of the Deity having element< opened another centre, and the soul having reflected back again into the fourth form, and entered thereinto, it made all essences predominant in it, which stood in the fourth form. 21. And now when the body of the soul, in the fourth form, was come to be a mass out of the water, with a mixture of the other forms, then stuck all essences, out of the fourth form, upon the soul, and it was captivated with this body ; and it had continued in an eternal prison, if the the centre of the fifth form, as was manifested in Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 22. And now when the time came that the Word became man, then the dear life came into the soul again. But when the strife came, that the fourth form should be broken, then the outward body of Christ and we all in the fourth form were environed with death, and then all the forms in nature did stir, and were all predominant together, whereupon the Person of Christ (in the garden) did sweat blood out of his body, when he cried, Father, if it be possible, take this cup from me : Thus the outward man cried out ; and the inward said, Yet not my will (understand [my] outward will) but thy will be done.

23. And now because the devil had so highly triumphed, and had man in the eternal prison, therefore it was now permitted to the spirit of this world, that they (viz. the Pharisees, who lived only according to the spirit of this world) all of them might do and bring to pass whatsoever the devil had brought into the essences, in the Garden of Eden ; and there all was turned into a substance, and to an essential work, for a terrible example to [shew] us, that all (whatsoever we suffer to come into the soul, and fill the soul full of, with a total will) standeth in the figure, and must come to light at the judgment of God. 24. For when Adam went out of the angelical form into the fierceness of the form of the serpent, then the devils mocked him ; and that mocking must at this time be essentially [or actually done] upon the outward man Christ ; and the devil's fatted swine (the high-priests) must have their pleasure upon him. 25. And so when Adam went out of the angelical form and property into the fourth form, then all the fierce [wrathful] essences fell upon him, and

1 wrought in him, and scourged him exceedingly. J qualified or But the Word of God in the promise mitigated S that again, though indeed we must still feel it enough ; if thou hast any reason, consider it. And now the outward man Christ underwent this pain also outwardly, when he was scourged ; for all the inward forms, which the man Christ must bear inwardly for our sakes, which caused him to sweat drops of blood, they stood also outwardly on his body, to shew that the outward man in this outward world stood and dwelt in such a source [property or condition]. 26. And as Adam (in pride) desired the kingdom of this world, and would be like God in it, and wear the crown of this world, so must Christ wear a crown of thorns, and must endure to be mocked by it, as a false king ; for so the devils also did to Adam, when they had set the crown of folly upon him with the kingdom of this world. 27. And as Adam (after his entrance into the spirit of this world) must have his essences broken, (when the woman was made out of him, and a rib was broken from his side for a wife), so must blood flow out of all the essences of Christ in his scourging, and his side must be opened with a spear, that therein we may behold the broken man within us, which the devil had mocked ; thus this Christ must bear the reproach for us in his body.

28. And as Adam went out from the eternal day into the eternal [dark] night, wherein the anger of God was, so this Christ must be bound in a dark night, and be led before the angry murderers, who all opened their jaws, and would pour out their fury upon him. 29. And as Adam in confidence of himself (desiring to be high and wise like God himself) went into the spirit of the fierce source [or property] in this world, so the second Adam must endure all mocking, torment, and pain to be 1 who were inflicted upon him from the wise l scribes, that we learned in the . . Scriptures, might see that in our greatest art (which we suppose to have from the schools and universities in this world) we are but fools, and that such wisdom is but folly before God ; and our own opinions and conceits stick therein, as in Adam, who thought he could not now fail, he was become lord therein [viz. in his self- wisdom], and he was but a fool. Thus also, when we fall from God, and rely upon our own reason, we are [but] fools. 30. How will ye then (0 antichristian fools) bind us to your art, that we should turn away from the Heart of God, to behold your invented fables and fopperies ? Whereas in your wisdom of this world ye are but fools, as Adam also was when he drew away his spirit from the Heart of God. The

same l ignominy must our dear Lord Christ bear i shame or upon his shoulders. Or do ye think again, that we re are mad ? Truly our folly will be set before your eyes at the Last Judgment, and thither we appeal. 31. And as Adam must carry the untoward gross body, that the spirit of this world had put upon him, and was scorned of all devils, because he had changed his angelical [body] into a monstrous vizard, so Christ must carry his heavy wooden cross, and was for our sakes scorned of all these wicked people. 32. A.nd as the fierce [wrathful] essences of the anger of God pressed into Adam, whereby he entered into death, (of which God spake, saying, If thou eatest of the Tree, thou shalt die the death, understand the death in the flesh, even while they were in the earthly life), so the sharp nails must pierce through the hands and feet of Christ, and so he must enter into death ; and as there is in the human essences (before the light of God) a crossbirth, so when the light of God shineth therein, 1 parted asunder, or broken. 2 upon the brain-pan of a man s skull, and of a woman's skull, thus,

all is turned into a pleasant flourishing blossom, wherein the sharp essences are not found or perceived. 33. And when Adam with his soul entered into the fourth form, into the spirit of this world, then that cross -birth was stirred ; and when his wife was made out of his essences, he was l divided in that cross-birth ; and so the woman hath the one half of the cross, and the man the other half; which you may see 2in the skull, as also in the essences ; and therefore Christ must die upon the cross, and destroy death on the cross. 34. And as the soul of Adam hung between two evil kingdoms, between the kingdom of this world, and the kingdom of hell, so Christ hung on the cross between two 3 murderers ; and thus Christ must restore again all that Adam had lost. And as the one malefactor turned and desired to be with Christ in his kingdom, so the one kingdom, viz. the earthly man, must also turn again, and the poor soul must enter into Christ again through the earthly death, and spring up again, like this murderer [thief, or malefactor], on the cross, who desired the kingdom of Christ.

35. And thus you may well believe, that all whatsoever happened in the fall of Adam, whereby Adam is fallen, the same was the second Adam fain to bear upon his shoulders, for * he was fallen into the anger of God ; and now if that must be allayed and reconciled, then the second Adam Oh. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 693 must set himself therein, and yield his outward body with all essences therein ; and he must go through death, into hell, into the anger of the Father, and reconcile it with his love ; and so himself must undergo that hard condition, wherein we must have been in eternity. 36. And now when this earnest business was taken in hand, that the Saviour of the world hung on the cross, as a curse, and wrestled with earth and hell, he said, / thirst. 0 that great thirst ! The fierce wrathful kingdom was weary, as also the kingdom of this world, they desired strength ; and the kingdom of heaven thirsted after our souls ; it was a thirst of all the three Principles. 37. And when he saw John with his mother under the cross ; he said, Behold, that is thy mother-, and to her he said, Behold, that is thy Son ; and instantly that disciple took her to him. His mother signifieth his eternal new humanity, which he had l received in his mother (viz. in the 1 assumed, holy Ternary) which we should take to us, and refresh ourselves 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 clear as the sun, that as the poor soul in us hangeth between two kingdoms, which both keep it altogether imprisoned, so must Christ hang between two malefactors ; take this into great consideration, and weigh it well, it is a most serious matter, and we see the whole terrible earnest [severity], that when the soul 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 sun lost its light ; and this we see clearly, and understand it from the mouth of Christ. 39. When he now had undergone all the reproach and sufferings, he said on the cross, 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 ignominy in which we stood before hell and the kingdom of heaven, he had all that laid upon him ; concerning which, Isaiah saith, Surely, he bare our infirmities, and took upon him our transgressions ; yet we held him as one smitten of God, tormented, and afflicted, but he took upon him our diseases, and all our miseries were laid upon him, and through his wounds we are healed ;

we all went astray like sheep, every one hath looked upon his own way ; and yet we could not help ourselves, but we went as miserable half-slain sheep, and we must let the devil (in the anger of God) do with us what he will ; for we bear on us a monstrous garment, and stand in great ignominy before heaven and hell. 1 Or scorned. 40. Even as God * reproached Adam in the

Garden of Eden, when he had put the outward garment upon him, saying, Behold, Adam is become as one ofus^ All this reproach [and scorn] must the man Christ take upon him ; also all torment and misery into which Adam was fallen this Champion in the battle must bear upon him before his heavenly Father, and there was the Lamb of God, and he hung upon the cross as a patient lamb in our stead ; for we should have been afflicted eternally in our cross-birth, and therefore there hung in great patience (as an obedient lamb for the slaughter) the Prince of the Eternal Life, and set himself before his Father, as if he himself were the * transgressor. ' Or guilty. The Gate of the Great z Secret. 2 or hidden 41. Here, my beloved Reader, if thou art born 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 s mute, neither Or dumb, are they from a blind centre brought forth into the light. Behold, here hung on the cross 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 kingdom, power, and glory, and in him is all ; and all is his ; the love is his Heart ; and the anger is his eternal strength ; the love is his light ; and the anger is the eternal darkness, and maketh another Principle, wherein the devils are. 43. Now it was the love that became man, and had put on our human soul ; and the soul was enlightened from the love, and stood with its root in the anger, as in the strong might of the Father ; and now the new man in the love commended the uitted or soul to the Father into his might, and l yielded up the earthly life, [which proceeded] from the constellations and elements, viz. the kingdom of this world ; and so the soul now stood no more in the kingdom of this world, in the 2 source of life, but it stood in death ; for the kingdom of this world, the blower up [of life], the air, was gone.

44. And now there was nothing more on the soul, but only that which itself is (in its own eternal root) in the Father. And here we should have remained in the anger, in the dark hell, but the bright Father in his glory took the soul to him, into the Trinity. Now the soul was clothed with the love in the Word, which made the angry Father (in the innermost source of the soul) pleasant, and reconcilable, and so in this moment (in the essences of the soul) the lost paradise sprang up again ; whereupon the earth trembled [viz. the out-birth out of the element], and the sun, the king of the life of the third Principle, lost its light ; for there rose up another Sun in death ; understand, in the anger of the Father the love was shining like a bright Morning-Star. 45. l And thus the body of Christ (on the soul) l Not«, out of was the pure element before God, out of which the S' sun 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 wrathful death had (in the Fiat) congealed and concreted the stony rocks together; and now the holy life went into the fierce wrathful death, whereupon the stones did cleave asunder, to shew that the life stood up again 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 souls in the Saviour (in whom they stood) in hope gat the upper hand, and put on their new body (in the body of Christ) and lived in him, in his [power and] virtue ; 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 now quickened in the virtue of Christ; for the virtue of Christ sprang up through death, and reconciled the Father, who held the soul captive in the anger, and they now entered with Christ into life. 47. Here, ye beloved sheep, observe : When Christ died, he did not cast away his body (which he had here) and yield it up to the four elements to be swallowed up, so that he must have wholly

of this world, which is in the stars and elements ; 'corruption and the 2 incorruptible swallowed up the corruptput on meorruption. ible, so that it is a body which liveth (in the virtue of God) in God, and not in the spirit of this [four elementary] world ; and Paul saith concerning the Last Judgment, That the incorruptible (viz. the new man) shall over-clothe the corruptible, and shall swallow up the corruptible, so that death shall be made a scorn, according to that saying, [0 Death /] where is thy sting ? 0 Hell ! where is thy victory ? 48. You must know, that Christ, while he lived upon the earth, and all we that are new-born in him, have and carry the heavenly flesh and blood in the earthly [man], and we carry it also in the new man, in the body of Christ. And when we die thus in the old earthly body, then we 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 the earthly is swallowed up in death, and we put on our Lord Jesus Christ, not only in the faith and spirit, but in the virtue [and power] of

the body, in our heavenly flesh and blood ; and so we live to God the Father in Christ his Son, and the Holy Ghost-confirmeth all our doings ; for all what we shall do, 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 we shall know and see the great wonders of God, and speak of them with rejoicing. 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 seen in this world, so also you shall see this temple (before the time that the incorruptible shall wholly swallow up the corruptible) in the lily in the wonders ; where the l anger * fierceness i i TI -n-i .11-1 and tyranny. opposeth the lily, till it be reconciled in love, and till the 2 driver be put to open shame (as was done 2 oppressor. also in the death 'of Christ) which the Jews hope

for. But their sceptre is broken, and the life standeth in the birth of Christ ; yet they come from the ends of the world, and go out from Jericho again into the holy Jerusalem, and eat with the Lamb ; this is a Wonder ; but the 3 driver is taken captive, and therefore we speak 3 persecutor, thus wonderfully ; and at present we shall not be oppressor, or understood, till the 3 hunter is destroyed; and then our life cometh to us again, and standeth in the 4 valley of Jehosaphat. 4 Or victory. The other Gate of the Sufferings of Christ. 51. It is clearly shewn to us, wherefore the man Christ must thus suffer himself to be mocked, despised, scourged, crowned [with thorns], and crucified ; also why he must endure to be cried out upon for one that had a devil ; and wherefore he must be so spoken against by the wise and prudent ; also wherefore the simple people only hung to him, and but some few of the honourable and rich of this world. Though indeed we shall not please every one, yet we speak not our own words, but we speak (in our knowledge and driving in the spirit) that which is shewn us of God : Therefore uDderstand [and consider] it aright.

1 innocent. 52. Behold, the l guiltless man Christ was set in our stead, in the anger of the Father ; he must reconcile [and satisfy] not only all that which Adam had made himself guilty of, by his going forth from paradise into the kingdom of this world, and so fell foully in the presence of God, and was scorned of all the devils ; but [he must make atonement for] all that which was done afterwards, and which is still done, or [will be] done by us. 53. And this we set before your eyes, in the knowledge of God, and in true earnest sincerity ; not that we will despise any man, and exalt ourselves ; we would rather be banished from this world, than that we should seek our own praise in pride ; that is but dung and dross, and the spirit of knowledge would not stay with us ; this ought well to be considered. Therefore we will write (in our knowledge)^ for ourselves, and leave the event to God. 54. Behold, when Adam entered into this world, pride wrought in him ; he would be as God, as Moses saith, the serpent (the devil) persuaded him to it. He [man] would have the third Principle working and flowing in him, and thereby he lost God, and the kingdom of heaven. But that it is true that pride acted in man, look upon (7am, 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 successors have set up a potent kingdom, 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 hath done whatsoever he listed ; he hath oppressed the needy at his pleasure ; he hath got to him the kingdom of the earth, and therewith exerciseth tyranny, wickedness, and wrong, and yet men must say to him, It is right ; he hath contrived all sorts of policy and cunning devices, and made laws of them [and established them for right], and afterwards sold them to others for rights, and hath brought up his children with wickedness and falsehood. He hath beaten down the conscience of the simple-hearted in his good meaning ; he hath invented rights, which in his laws serve to promote his deceit, contrary to the light of nature ; all reproach and blasphemies have subsisted in his strength and authority, whereby he hath terrified the simple-hearted, that his power might be great. 56. Thus falsehood is wrought with falsehood, and the inferior is become false also, who hath set lies to sale for truth, and so falsely cheated his superior ; from whence is grown cursing, swearing, stealing, and murdering, so that they have continually held one another for cozening cheaters, liars, and unjust ;

1 the superior for they are so indeed, and l they have exchanged feriorhave words for words, and therewith in lying and in reproach one truth also they rub one another with the bitter ier' unsavoury salt of devils in the anger of God, whereby the name of God is blasphemed and abused, and the world is found [to be] in the anger of God, and is become a den of thieves and 57. Seeing then out of this unrighteous people, there should an host [or generation] be born to the kingdom of heaven, and seeing none lived upon earth that was not defiled with this wickedness, and yet that in the love of God there was a possibility found [that such a generation might be brought forth out of mankind], so that we (who are sorry and grieved at this fore- mentioned evil beast, and desire to go out from it) might come to the grace of God, and yet no otherwise but in this Christ ; and yet that it is daily found among the regenerated Christians, that the old earthly body is so kindled in such wickedness, and that (although they would fain go out from it and leave it quite) yet they cannot, for the anger holdeth us captive in the old man, and the devil is lord therein, who driveth the body (in the spirit of this world) often into evil and wickedness, which man intended not to do, for the wickedness of the ungodly (by his cursing and falsehood) kindleth the anger of the 1 old man, and although he be inwardly [new] born l wherein the

m God, yet it is not known. liveth. 58. Therefore (seeing our falsehood and unrighteousness, as also our offences, are manifested before God, and appear in the tincture, and that we could not [otherwise] be freed from such evil) Christ hath taken upon him all our transgressions, and suffered himself to be accounted one that had a devil, and a sorcerer, seducer, and deceiver, as if he would have set up an imperial crown for himself, as the high-priests laid to his charge ; he suffered himself to be mocked, scourged, spit upon, and smitten on the face ; he suffered a false crown of thorns to be set upon his head ; and as we proceed against one another, and vex one another with falsehood and malice upon earth, where the potent doth what he listeth, to satisfy his anger ; and as we revile, deride, mock, vilify, and send one another to the devil, to deprive one another of credit and reputation through falsehood, so must Christ therefore take all this upon him. 59. And you see clearly, that the wicked Pharisees and Scribes put these things upon him ; for these things did not happen to him for nothing, or without cause ; for it was of necessity to be so ; for the Pharisees, Scribes, and rulers, had put that in his dish for him, which he must eat. Or shall we be silent ? We must tell it, though it should cost us our life.

60. Behold, thou wicked Antichrist, thou art the same which thou hast always been ; thou art an old, and not a new [Antichrist], thy cunning policy is born in the anger of God; the devil teacheth thee to do what thou dost. Among princes and kings (who have their ground and foundation in nature) thou stirrest up to wars and dissensions, that thou mightest be advanced by them, through thy deceit, hypocrisy, and knavish subtle cunning policy ; this thou dost out of pride ; 1 Or holy men. thou pervertest the Scriptures of the * saints, to promote thy vapouring haughtiness, and art a murderer of souls ; thou causest mockings among the ignorant, so that they think (when they many times persecute a holy soul) that they do God good service in it ; thou teachest them so, or else they would not think any such thing ; thus thou workest confusion, and art Babel , a habitation of whores, and of all devils ; even so saith the spirit. 61. This is their course one among another, one reproacheth and condemneth this, the other that, and it is a continual howling of devils ; all manner of love, charity,,,and union is extinct ; the mouth speaketh one thing, and the heart thinketh another ; they all cry out one among another, and none knoweth where the woe lieth. And Christ must thus take all this upon him.

Many ignorantly cried (by the instigation of the high-priests), Crucify him, Crucify him, he hath made uproars and disturbances among the people ; and yet knew not any cause why they said so. And so it is at this day, if Antichrist 1 entrappeth any in his * findeth any fierceness, he crieth out upon him for a sectary, a eva anT0' schismatic, a disturber of the peace, and maker of w uproars ; and then all cry, A heretic ! A heretic ! and yet their hearts can say no evil of him.

62. Thus behold, thou false opposer of Christ, and author of all uproars, mischief, and disturbance upon earth, how many ignorant silly people are there under this thy reproachful blaspheming, which thou many times causest to lay aspersions upon a holy soul ? Behold, now if that persecuted soul shall cry to God for deliverance, then it all cometh to be a substance, 2 and an essence before * or in reGod. And now if those poor souls many times (which thus ignorantly have slandered a holy soul) come before God, and would fain be saved, then if Christ now had not taken all these false reproaches and aspersions upon him, and reconciled his Father in himself with his love, where would you poor sinners abide? Therefore Christ commandeth us to forgive [others], as his Father in him hath forgiven us ; if we do not so, the same measure that we meet to others, we shall have measured to us. The Gate of a poor Sinner. 63. Therefore, thou beloved soul, if thou art fallen into heavy sins and blasphemies, through the deceit of the Antichrist, and the seduction of the devil and his followers, consider thyself instantly, continue not therein, do not despair in that condition ; forgive thy adversary his faults, and pray to God the Father, for Christ's sake, who hath borne all our wickedness and iniquities upon him as a patient lamb, and then they shall be forgiven thee. Nay, we should not in eternity have ever been able to come out of this evil and wickedness,

1 Bannhertz- if the l mercy of God (without our knowledge or igkeit, Merci- n \ii 111 fulness. desert) had not helped us out or it. 64. 0 how wholly of mere [mercy and] grace hath God the Father given us his Son, who hath taken upon him our transgressions, and reconciled 8 the Father. 2 him in his anger. All men are invited to this grace, of what condition soever they are, they may all come, whether they be Turks, Jews, Heathen, Christians, or what name soever they are called by, none are excluded ; all that are weary and heavy laden may corne to Christ, he will receive them and refresh them all, as himself saith. And whosoever teacheth, or saith otherwise, or seeketh any other way, is the Antichrist, and entereth not by the true door into the sheepfold. Amen. 65. And now if we consider the scornings, despisings, and mocking of Christ, and that all was done by the instigation of the great ones ; and that commonly they were the poor simple people that followed him, except some few that were wealthy; we then clearly find that which Christ said, That a rich man will hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is not meant concerning their riches, but concerning their vainglorious, proud, and covetous life, whereby they consume the sweat of the needy in pride, and forget God. 0 how hard it is for one that is proud, to humble himself before God and man; and the kingdom of heaven consisteth only in the virtue and power of humility.

66. Yet it is seen that some wealthy people did draw near to Christ, whereby it may be perceived, that the kingdom of heaven consisteth not in misery only, but in joy in the Holy Ghost; and none ought to esteem himself happy, because he is poor and miserable ; he is in the kingdom of the devil nevertheless, if he be faithless 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 kingdom of God consisteth in truth, in righteousness, and in love towards the needy ; to be rich damneth none that useth it aright ; thou needest not to lay down thy sceptre, 1 Or solitary and run into a * corner, crying ; that is but reserved life, , . mi 1-1 in a cloister hypocrisy. Ihou mayest do righteousness, and or monastery, , . 11-1 p n i • -i i T or private " better service to the kingdom ot Uod in holding thy sceptre, by helping the oppressed, protecting the innocent, and granting right and justice, not according to thy covetousness, but in love, and in the fear of God ; and then thou art also a brother to Joseph of Arimathea, and shalt shine brighter than others, as the sun and moon compared with the stars. It is only the pride, covetousness, envy, falsehood, and anger, that is the crown of the devil ; therefore conceive it aright.

Of Christ's Rest in the Grave [or Sepulchre^. 67. We know that the body without the spirit is a thing that lieth still ; for though the body of Christ (which the holy element generated in the "Barmhertz- 2 mercy) is from God, yet the mobility and life standeth only in the Deity ; and in us men in the spirit of the soul, and in the spirit of the great world, which are unseparated in this body upon earth. 68. Therefore now the question is, Where was the soul of Christ all the time that the body did rest in the grave? Beloved reason, do not like those that are blind concerning God, who say, the soul [of Christ] went away from the body down into hell into the earth, and during that time, in the divine power and virtue, assaulted the devils in hell, and bound them with chains, and destroyed hell. 0, it is quite another thing. The saints' rising out of the graves at the hour of the death of Christ declareth otherwise. 69. Reason knoweth nothing at all of God ; and if it be not possible to attain further from the gift of God, do not descend down into the deep, but in singleness of heart stay l on the article ; it will not i rest conendanger thy happiness. God looketh only upon that which the will of the heart. Thou must not search so

deep into everything, if it be not given thee, as it is to this pen ; this pen writeth in the counsel 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 shewn in a very difficult depth, which God alone will discover in due time, which is 2 unknown to us. « One copy 70. Thou knowest that God himself is all, and known 'to us. there are but three Principles (viz. three births •« Weiche von2' of distinction) in his essence ; or else all things ut3"— CJ.B.] would be one thing, and all were merely God ; and if it were so, then all would be in a sweet meekness. But where would be the mobility, kingdom, power, and glory ? Therefore we have often said, The anger is the root of life ; and if 3 it be without ' the anger. the light, then 3 it is not God, but hell fire ; but if the light shineth therein, it becometh paradise and 71. Therefore we can say no otherwise of the soul of Christ, but that he commended it into

his Father's hands, and the Father took it into his divine power ; it stood with its root therein before ; but its own root was (without the light of God) in the anger. And now the soul of Christ came with the light of God into the anger; and then the devils trembled, for the light took 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 devil dareth to take one glimpse [of light] in thither, he is blind before the light, and [the light] is his terror and shame. 72. And so thou must not think that the soul of Christ was then gone a great way from his body. For all the three Principles were on the cross, why also not in the grave? At that very moment when Christ laid off the kingdom of this world, the soul 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 souls : and so instantly the life did spring up through death, and death was destroyed, and made a scorn ; yet to the wicked (which remain in the anger) it is a death, but in Christ it is a life.

73. Thus the soul of Christ rested in the grave, in the Father, forty hours present with its body ; for the heavenly body was not dead, but the earthly only, the soul sprang up in the heavenly through death, and stood forty hours in rest ; these were the forty hours in which Adam was asleep, when his wife was taken out of him ; and also the forty days when Moses was on the mount, [and Israel was tempted to try] whether it were possible to live in the virtue or power of the Father in the kingdom of heaven. But when it was found to be impossible, then presently the people fell away from the law of the Father, viz. from the law of nature, and worshipped a calf that they had made, to be instead of God ; and Moses brake the Tables of the Law. 74. And God spake further to Israel in the fire, that they should see that it was not possible to enter into the Land of Promise, [into] paradise, till the right Joshua or Jesus came, who should bring them through death into life. Consider this further; I will set it down very clearly in the other books concerning the Tables of Moses ; search for it, and you will find the whole ground of whatsoever Moses hath spoken and done.

Of Christ's Resurrection out of the Grave. 75. As Adam went out of the clear light of God into the dark kingdom of this world, and the soul of A dam stood between two dark Principles (as between death and hell) and grew up in the body, so also would Christ (in his growing body) rise up from the dead at midnight, and make the night in his holy body to be a clear eternal day, whereinto no night ever came, but the light of God the Father and of the Lamb shone therein. 76. Thou shouldst not think that the soul of Christ these forty hours was in any other place out in the iron . , , . by the water's sprang up in great meekness upon the persecution MiihiCgof8it°,r [it had], as a rose, or fair flower out of the earth; " as also our souls in our rest, in the body of Jesus Christ, at the Last Judgment-day in the destruction of this world, shall in the new body break forth again out of the old ; and in the meanwhile the soul groweth up in the holy element, in the "ourap- body of Christ, till 2our forty hours also come about, and not one hour longer than the appointed time is. Thus is the body of Christ in the power or virtue of the Father (through the soul) risen again and gone forth, and hath in it the light of the Holy Trinity.

77. It was not needful that the stone should be rolled away [from the grave], but to convince the blind Jews, that they might see it was but folly in them to go about to detain or shut up God ; also because of the disciples' weak reason, that they might see that he was risen for certain ; for [when the stone was rolled away], they could go into the grave and see it themselves. 78. Also the angel appeared to them there, and comforted them. Thus will Christ comfort his afflicted ones, who are afflicted for his sake ; yea he is [present] with them, as he was with Mary Magdalene, and with the two disciples going to Emmaus. 79. Thou must know that no stone or rock can keep or retain his body, he pierceth and penetrateth through all things, and breaketh nothing; he comprehendeth all things, and the thing comprehendeth not him ; he comprehendeth this world, and the world comprehendeth not him ; he is hurt by nothing, the whole fulness of the Deity is in him, and is not included in anything ; l he 1 Note. appeareth a creature, in our human form, in the same 2 dimensions that our bodies have, and yet his a circum-

. . scription and body hath no end or limit ; he is the whole princely bigness. throne of the whole Principle. 80. When he was here upon earth in the earthly man, his outward body was circumscribed and limited, as our bodies are, but the inward body is unlimited, for we also (in the resurrection in the body of Jesus Christ) are unlimited, yet visible and palpable or comprehensible, in the heavenly flesh and blood, as the Prince of Life himself is ; 8 we can in « Note. the heavenly figure [or shape] be great or little, and yet nothing be hurt or wanting in us ; there is no need of compressing the parts of that body. 81. 0 dear Christians, leave off your contentions about the body of Jesus Christ ; he is everywhere in all places, * yet in the heaven ; and the heaven 4 Note. (wherein God dwelleth) is also everywhere. God dwelleth in the body of Jesus Christ, and in all holy souls of men, even when they depart from this outward body ; and if they be regenerated, then they are in the body of Jesus Christ, even while they are in this earthly body. A soul here in our body upon earth hath not the body of Christ in a palpable substance, but in the word of power [or virtue], which comprehendeth all things. In Christ indeed body and power are one [thing], but we must not understand [this of the four elementary] creature, [which is] in this world. 1 Or wit- 82. And the spirit * signifieth, that if you do not

leave off this contention, you shall have no other firTde?oSed sign [given 7OU] than tne 2 sign of JSlias, in fire, the unbeiiev- jn zeaj • the zeal shall devour you, and your con- ing captains * J and their tention must devour yourselves, you must consume yourselves. Therefore are you not mad ? Are ye not all brethren, and are ye not all in Christ ? If you did converse in love, what should you need to strive about your native country wherein you dwell ? 0 leave off, your cause is evil in the sight of God, and ye are all found to be in Babel. Be advised ; the day breaketh. How long will ye keep company with that adulterous whore ? Arise, your noble virgin is adorned in her orient garland of pearl ; she weareth a lily which is most delightsome ; be brotherly, and she will adorn you indeed ; 8 Note. 8we have seen her really, and in her name we write this. 83. There is no need of contention about the Cup of Jesus Christ, his body is really received in the Testament, by the faithful, as also his heavenly blood, and the Baptism is a bath [or laver] in the water of the. eternal life, hidden in the outward [Baptism with water], in the Word of the body of Christ. Therefore all contention [or disputation] is in vain ; be in brotherly love, and forsake the spirit of pride, and then ye are all in Christ.

84. These very deep and difficult matters are not profitable for you, you ought not to look after them ; we must only set them down, that you may see what the ground is, and what the error is. For we are not the cause of these writings, but you (in your high puffed-up lust) have stirred up the spirit, that you might find out the thoughts of your hearts ; let the resurrection of Christ be powerful [and effectual] to you, for his resurrection is your resurrection, and in him we shall grow and flourish, and live eternally ; only stick to him, and then you cannot perish in any distress, for if you have him, you have the Holy Trinity of God. 85. If you will pray to God, then call upon God (your heavenly Father) in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, [desiring] that he would forgive you your sins, for the sake of his sufferings and death, and give you what is good for you, and may further your salvation. Give up and yield all whatsoever is earthly to his pleasure and will ; for we know not what we should desire and pray for, but the Holy Spirit helpeth us in Christ Jesus, before his heavenly Father. Therefore there is no

need of many words [or long prayers], but a believing soul, which with its whole earnest [resolved purpose] yieldeth itself up into the mercy of God, to live in his will, in the body of Jesus Christ, and continueth constant ; then he is sure and safe from the devil. 86. That phantasy about the intercession of the saints is unprofitable ; it is but a vexation, whereby you disquiet the saints in their rest. Doth not God himself call you continually ? And doth not your virgin wait for you with a longing desire 1 Do but come, and she is yours ; you need not send any foreign ambassadors ; it is not here, as at court. Christ would always fain increase his heaven in his joy. Why stand you so long in doubt because of your sins ? Is not the mercy of God greater than heaven and earth? What do you mean ? There is nothing nearer you than the mercy of God ; only in your sinful impenitent life you are with the devil, and not with Christ, say what you will ; though you sent a million of ambassadors to him, if yourself be wicked, you are but with the devil still ; and there is no remedy, but you must yourself rise with Christ, and be born anew, in the body of Jesus Christ (through the power of the Holy Ghost) in the Father, in your own soul. If thou makest a feast [or keepest

the afflicted and needy, whereby God is praised in thy love, and that is well ; but if it be for the rich glutton, who only useth it out of pride and laziness, thou hast no benefit of that ; for God is not praised therewith, neither doth paradise grow therein. 87. And do not rely upon the hypocrisy of the Antichrist, he is a liar, and covetous, and a dissembler ; he mindeth only his idol the belly, and is a thief in the sight of God ; he devoureth the bread that belongeth to the needy ; he is the devil's hell-hound ; learn to know him. 88. Speaking then of the true resurrection of Christ, we will also shew [somewhat] concerning his conversation (those forty days) after his resurrection, before his ascension. Because we know that he is become a real Lord over heaven, earth, and hell, therefore we shew you how the kingdom of this world, with all the essences and qualities thereof, hath been subjected to him. And although he did not always converse visibly with his disciples, yet many times he shewed himself to them visibly, palpably, and staying with them, l according to the * according

f . . .. ,. , to the ruling kingdom of this world, according to his body which property of he had here, which was swallowed up by the new elements. body, which he must present again, as God would have it to be presented ; for God is Lord of everything, and everything must be changed (as he pleaseth) that he might thus shew his disciples his real body, and the print of his nails, which stand in the Holy Christ, in his holy body in eternity, as a sign of his victory, and shine brighter than the morning star. 89. He thereby confirmed his disciples' weak faith, and so shewed, that he is Lord also over the kingdom of this world, and that all whatsoever we sow, build, plant, eat and drink, is fully in his almighty power, and that he can bless and increase it, and therefore he is not separated or parted from us ; but as a flower groweth out of the earth, so his word, spirit, and power [or virtue] groweth in everything ; and if our mind be sincerely inclined to him, then we are blessed of him, in body and soul ; but if not, then the curse and the anger of God is in all things, and we eat death in all fruits [or food]. And therefore it is that we pray, that God will bless our meat and drink, also our bodies and souls in Christ, and that is right.

90. Secondly, we intimate also how Christ conversed upon earth forty days after his resurrection, understand, in the kingdom of this world, whereas yet he was in heaven, yet he bore that image without any outward glory or clarity before the eyes of men, and he had the body wholly with every essence, as it hung on the cross, except the ° else he had all essences in flesh and blood, and yet the outward flesh stood in the might [and power] of the heavenly. This we see, by his going in to his disciples, the door being shut, and passed with his body through the wood of the door. Thus you may understand, that the world is as nothing to him, and that he hath power over all things. 91. And further also we intimate to you, that these forty days are the forty days of Adam's being in paradise before his sleep, ere the woman was made out of him, where he stood in the paradisical temptation, where he was still pure and heavenly. And so this Christ must also stand forty days in the paradisical source [or condition], in the temptation, [to try] whether the body would continue paradisical before he was glorified ; and therefore he did eat and drink with his disciples in a paradisical manner (as Adam should have done) into the mouth, and not into the body ; for the consuming consisted in the virtue [or power].

92. Here it was rightly tempted, whether the body would live in divine virtue and power, as Adam also should have done, while he was in paradise in this world ; and though he was there, yet he was in this world, and yet he lived not in the source of this world, but in the paradisical property above the world, and also above the wrath of the anger in the hell ; he should have lived in the source of love, humility, meekness, and l mercy, ! Barmhertz- • 11 /•/-*! i i i u , Merci- 111 the friendly will of God ; and so ne should /w have ruled over the stars and elements, and there should have been no death or frailty or corruption in him. 93. Therefore, ye Turks and other superstitious people, you should observe and understand aright, wherefore Christ gave us such laws, as command us not to be revengeful ; and that when any strike us on the one cheek, we should present the other to him ; and so further, that we should bless them that curse us, and do well to them that hate ua and hurt us. Understand ye this ?

94. Behold, a true Christian (who liveth in the spirit of Christ) must also walk in the conversation of Christ ; he must not walk in the fierce stern revenging spirit of this world, but as Christ lived and conversed in this world after his resurrection, and yet not in the source or property of this world. And though it is not possible for us (while we live in the source of this world) to do so, yet in the new man in Christ (whom the devil hideth and obscureth) we may ; if we live in meekness, then we overcome the world in Christ ; if we recompense good for evil, then we witness that the spirit of Christ is in us ; and then we are dead to the spirit of this world, for the sake of the spirit of Christ which is in us ; and though we are in this world, yet the world doth but hang to us, as it hung to Christ after his resurrection ; and yet he lived in the Father in the heaven, even so do we also, if we be born in Christ. 95. Therefore let this be told you, ye Jewsr Turks, and other nations ; you need not look for any other, there is no other time at hand, but the time

See vers. 82. of the lily ; and the sign of that [time] is the l sign of Elias. Therefore take heed in what spirit you live, that the fire of anger do not devour you, and 1 eat you up. It is high time to cast Jezabel with J Or consume her whoredoms out of the house, lest you receive the wages of Jhe whore, and as you revile one another, so you devour one another. Truly, if the contentious disputations be not suddenly stayed [and these courses mended] the fire will burn out aloft over Babel ; and then there will be no remedy, till the anger eat up and consume all whatsoever is in it. 96. Therefore let every one enter into himself, and not speak of another, and hold his way to be false ; but look that he turn himself, and have a care, that he be not found in anger of the devourer ; else if he should hoop, and halloo, and laughing say, Look how Babel burneth ! then he must be burnt and consumed also, for he is fuel for that fire ; and whosoever feeleth a thought in himself, that doth but wish for the anger [to devour], 2 that 2 and he is proceedeth from Babel.

97. Therefore it is very hard to know Babel ; every one supposeth that he is not in it ; and yet the spirit sheweth me, that Babel 8 encloseth the 3 inciudeth • « i 111- ai'd encom- whole earth ; therefore let every one look to his passeth. own ways, and not hunt after covetousness, for the * driver destroyeth it, and the stormer eateth * the wrath it up and consumeth it ; the counsel of the wise that covetousman will not help then ; all the wisdom of this together. er< world is folly ; for that 6 fire is from the anger 6 Or the /^ • -11 devouring of God ; your wisdom will turn to your hurt punishment. Of Christ's Ascension into Heaven. 98. We know, when A dam had lived forty days in the paradise, then he went into the spirit of this world, whereas he should have gone into the Trinity ; for he stood in the time of the temptation, and if he had held out these forty days, then he had been fully with his soul in the light of God, and his body in Ternario Sancto [in the Holy Ternary], like this Christ.

99. For when he had conversed forty days (after his resurrection) in the proba [or trial] in this world, then he went up into a mountain, whither he had appointed his disciples to come, and went up aloft visibly with his own body which he had offered up on the cross (till a cloud came and did hide him from their sight) for a sure sign that he was their brother, and that he (in his earthly form and body) would not forsake them ; as he also said to them, Behold, I am with you to the end of the world. 100. Now then saith reason, Whither is he gone ? is he gone out of this world, aloft above the stars into another heaven ? Hearken, my beloved reason, incline thy mind to Christ, and behold, I will tell it thee ; for we see it and know it ; not I ; for when I say we, you must not barely understand it of my earthly man, for the spirit that driveth this pen is spoken of also ; therefore I write and say we, when I speak of myself, as of the author ; for I should know nothing, if the spirit of knowledge did not stir it up in me, and there could bs nothing found but in such a way ; the spirit would not be in any other way, but he did hide and withdraw himself, and then my soul was very much disquieted in me, with great longing -after the spirit, till I did learn how it was.

101. Behold, that which the ancients have invented and taught, is not the ground. They took upon them to measure how many hundred thousand miles it is to Hhe heaven whither Christ » coeium Em is gone. They did it to this end, that they might 25T' be gods upon earth themselves, as their invented kingdom sheweth and declareth, which standeth merely in Babel. Behold, when we speak of the thrones, it is quite another thing than that they mean ; and their blindness and ignorance is found, though there is a spirit in their knowledge which is not so much rejected ; but that spirit is not [or cometh not] ex Ternario Sancto [out of the Holy Ternary], out of the body of Jesus Christ, but it is out of the high eternity, which flieth up above the thrones ; which may be mentioned in another place. 102. We must continue in this throne [which is ours} What are the other thrones to me, where the principalities of angels are ? They are indeed our friends, and faithful helpers in the service of God ; we must look upon our own throne wherein we were created and made creatures, and upon our

prince in that throne, upon God. The first purpose of God when he created us, and beheld us in the eternal band, that must stand. 103. This was the throne of Lucifer with his legions, but when he fell, he was thrust out into the first Principle ; and then the throne in the second Principle was empty. In the same Principle God created man, who should continue therein, and he was tempted, [to try] whether that were possible ; and to that end it was that God created the third Principle, in the place of this world, that man also (in the fall) might notbecome a devil, but that he might be helped again. Therefore the enmity of the devil against Christ is because he sitteth upon his royal throne, and besides holdeth him captive with his Principle. 104. Thus the place of this world (according to the heavenly Principle) is the throne and body of our Christ ; and all (whatsoever is in this world in the third Principle) is his own also ; and the devil (who dwelleth in this place in the first Principle) is our Christ's captive [or prisoner]. 105. For all thrones are in God the Father, and without him is nothing ; he is the band of the eternity ; but his love in the body of Christ (as in his throne) holdeth the anger in the band of eternity (together with the devils) captive. And you must understand, that all is creaturely, his lover and also his anger ; and as is mentioned before^ so the difference [distinction or division] is a

birth ; and so it cannot be said, that the devils dwell far from Christ, no, they are near, and yet in eternity cannot reach to him ; for they cannot see the clear Deity in the light, but are * blinded by it ; 1 AS and we shall in eternity not see nor touch them, as that see in at present we see them not, because they are in blinded by™ another Principle, and so that Principle remaineth. * 'un' 106. Thus, my dear mind, know, 2that the2 AS the sun » f-n • • i . i8 the centre creature of Christ is the centre of this throne, of ail that from whence every life proceedeth, viz. whatsoever and' spring is heavenly ; for in that centre is the Holy Trinity, elements!^ and not alone in this centre, but also in all angelical thrones, also in the souls of holy men ; only we must thus speak, that it may be understood. Now the body (understand the creature, the man Christ) is set in the midst of this throne, and standeth also in heaven (understand in this Principle) sitting 3 in » Or with, his throne at the right hand of God the Father.

107. The right hand of God is where the love quencheth the anger, and generateth the paradise, that must needs be the right hand of God, where the angry Father is called God in the love and light of his Heart, which is his Son ; and this bodily throne (viz. the whole body of Christ) is wholly at the right hand of God. But when it is said, at the right hand of God, then understand the most inward root of the sharp might of the Father, wherein the omnipotence consisteth, where the Father himself goeth forth into the reconceived will, into the meekness, and openeth the gate (in the dispelling of the darkness) in himself ; thus Christ is set therein, and sitteth thus at the right hand of the virtue [or power] and omnipotence, in such a manner as we cannot more highly express it with our tongue, we understand it well in the spirit ; therefore it is not needful for you to search any further into it, but only look that you attain the body of Christ, and then you have God and the kingdom of heaven; but we must write thus, because of the errors in the world, and for their longings sake that are therein.

108. But when you ask : Doth Christ sit or stand, or lie along ? Then thou ask, as if an ass should ask about his sack he carrieth, how the man made it; yet the ass must have provender given him, that he may carry the burthen the longer. Behold, Christ sitteth in himself, and standeth in himself, he needeth no chair, nor footstool ; his power is his stool, there is neither above nor beneath there. And as you see in the vision of Isaiah, that was full of eyes behind and before, above and beneath, so the body of Christ, the Holy Trinity shineth in the whole body, and needeth no sun nor daylight.

Of the 1 Feast of Pentecost. Of the Sending of the i Whitsuntide. Holy Ghost to his Apostles, and the Believers. The Holy Gate of the Divine Power. 1. HVTOW saith reason, if Christ ascended thus 4-*l with his body, which he 2 offered up on 2 sacrificed. the cross, when was he glorified in his body ? Or how is his body now ? Is it now as his disciples saw him ascend into heaven ? My beloved reason, my earthly eyes see it not, but the spiritual [eyes] in Christ see it very well. The Scripture saith, He is 3 glorified, and Lord over all ; but we will 3 ciarified or open to you the gate of the great wonders, that you may see what we see. 2. Behold, * when God the Father had brought 4 Exodus xxiv. Israel into the wilderness to mount Sinai, and would give them laws, in which they should live, then he commanded Moses to come up the mountain to the Lord, and the rest of the elders must stay afar off, and the people below the mountain ; and Moses went up the mountain alone to the Lord, and there appeared the brightness [or glory] of the Lord, and on the seventh

1 became bright, and did shine day he called Moses, and spake with him concerning all the laws. And the countenance of Moses was 1 glorified from the Lord, so that he could stand before him, and speak with him. Thus also the man Christ, in Ternario Sancto, [in the holy Ternary], when he was ascended into his throne, was glorified on the ninth day in the Holy Trinity. 3. Understand it aright ; his soul in the creature was not first glorified, but his whole body, or princely throne ; there went forth out of the centre of the Holy Trinity the Holy Ghost, as you see clearly, that those (who had put on the spirit of Christ) were highly enlightened ; for the Holy Ghost went forth from the centre of the Trinity into the whole holy element, and did flow 2 Barmhertz- into the 2 mercy of God ; and as he triumphed in fulness. l ' the body of Jesus Christ, so also in his disciples, and in the believers. 4. There were opened all the doors of the great wonders, and the Apostles spake with the languages of all nations ; and so it may be seen clearly, that the spirit of God had opened all the centres of all essences, and spake out of them all ; for Christ was the Lord, and the Heart of all essences, and therefore the Holy Ghost went out of all essences, and filled the essences of all men who turned their ears with a desire to it, and in that he pressed into all ; and every one heard (out of his own essences and language) the spirit of God speak out of the disciples ; and the Holy Ghost was born in the

bodies of all their hearers, who had but an earnest desire to it, and they were all filled ; for the spirit of God pierced through into their hearts, as he pressed forth out of the centre of the Trinity into the whole body and princely throne of Jesus Christ, and filled all outwardly in the clarity [or glory]. 5. Thus all the holy souls were filled, so that their whole body in the essences was made stirring from the exceeding precious virtue [or power], which went forth in the wonders in power and in l deeds that were done there. And here is set *• Or miracles, before us the virtue [or power] of the Father in the fire, in his severe omnipotency on mount Sinai, also the still loving virtue of the Son of God in the love and mercy ; for we see that we could not 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 meekness 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 wisdom of God, in her highest ornament, with her garland of pearls ; there stood Mary in Ternamo Sancto, of which the spirit (in the ancients) hath spoken wonderfully. And here Adam was brought into paradise again.

7. And now if we will speak of the glorification of Christ, and of his body, which he visibly (and in that form in which he had conversed upon earth) ascended with, then we 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 1 the ruling hard palpable body of Christ, viz. the kingdom of this world, as if it were wholly swallowed up, s Or working whereas it is not swallowed up, but the 2 source of this world is destroyed in death, and the holy Ternary hath put on the body of Christ, not as a garment, but virtually [or powerfully] in the essences ; and he is as it were swallowed up (to our apprehension and sight) and yet is, really, and shall come again at the Last Judgment-day, and manifest himself in his own body which he had here, that all may see him, be they good or bad ; and he shall also come in the same form to keep the judgment of the separation, for in his divine glorified form we cannot behold him, before we be glorified, especially the wicked. But thus all generations shall see and know him, and the unbelieving shall weep and wail, that they went so out of their flesh and blood into another source [or condition], when they should and might in their own essences have put on God, and yet did put on the kingdom of the fierceness of the anger of God with the devils, and let the same into the essences of their souls, and caused themselves to perish.

8. Therefore we say, that in the soul of Christ, in its essences, the clear Deity, viz. the light of God, is comprehended, which hath quenched the anger in the source of the soul ; and thus that light l clarifieth the soul, and (through the pro- l gionfieth or ceeding virtue) the tincture is always generated out of the soul, and the Fiat in the essences maketh it comprehensible and palpable ; and that is the Temarius 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 we have, for he was not of the seed of a man ; but we speak only of the comprehensibility and visibility of it to our eyes, according to which he is our brother; and he shall appear at the Last Judgment-day in our fleshly form, 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 kingdom of heaven is his own body, and the whole princely throne of his Principle is paradise, wherein the blessed fruit in the virtue of God springeth up, for the Holy Ghost is the virtue [and power] of the fruit ; as the air in this world is, so the Holy Ghost is the air and spirit of the soul in Christ, and of all his children ; for there is no other air in heaven, in the body of Christ ; and God the Father is all in all. Thus we live and are (in Christ) all in the Father, and there is no soul that searcheth out to the depth ; but we live all in singleness of heart, and in great humility and love one towards another, and rejoice one with another, as children do before their parents ; and to this end God created us. 1 Or friend. 11. Thus, my dear 1soul, seek Christ and incline thyself to him, and so thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, who will new regenerate thy soul, and enlighten, drive, and lead thee ; and he will reveal [and manifest] Christ to thee. Leave off all opinions and human inventions, for the kingdom of God is near to thee ; and thou art kept out from God only by thy own unbelief, by thy evil works, viz. by thy pride, covetousness, envy, anger, and falsehood ; for thou clothest thyself with them, and so thou art in the devil's clothes, 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 soul, 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 soul ; and thou shalt spring up with thy new man through death, and appear in the same at the Last Judgment-day. The lGate to Babel. i the Gate bv 13. When we .consider with ourselves the many first entfll sects and controversies in religion, and from whence they come and take their original, it is as clear as the sun, and it manifesto th itself indeed, and in truth ; for there are great wars and insurrections stirred up for the cause of [religion or] faith ; and there arise great hatred and envy about it, and they persecute one another for opinions sake ; because another is not of his opinion, he sticks not to say, he is of the devil ; and this is yet the greatest misery of all, that this is done by / the learned in the high schools [or universities] I of this world.

14. And I will shew thee, simple man, their venom and poison ; for behold, every one among the laity looketh upon them, and thinketh, Sure it must needs be right if our 2 priest sayeth it ; he is = minister, a minister of God ; he sitteth in God's stead, it is preacher, or the Holy Ghost that speaketh out of him. But St te John saith, Try the spirits ; for every one's teaching is not to be believed; and Christ saith, By their works thou shalt know them ; for a good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and an evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit ; also he teacheth us plainly, that we should not gainsay the prophecy that is of God, but we should learn to try them by their fruits. 15. We speak not of perfect works done by the body, which is captivated in the spirit of this world, but [we speak] of their doctrines, that we [must] try 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 covetousness and haughtiness of the devil. For Christ teacheth us meekness, and to walk in brotherly love, wherewith we may overcome the enemy, and take away the might of the devil, and destroy his kingdom.

16. But when any fall to firing, killing with the sword, to undo people, ruin towns and countries, there is no Christ, but the anger of the Father, kingdom 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 them signs 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 daylight, and it must come to the light, for God would have it so, for the sake of the lily. 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 doue 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 thereby 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 only stuck in the old man, and had no knowledge of God ; and so taught according to their own conceits, from the written words, and explained 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 greediness of money ; for the simple people brought them presents or gifts, and they thought that the Holy Ghost dwelt in the teachers, whereas the devil of pride lodged in them ; and it came to that pass, that every one called himself after his master's name [whose doctrine he prized most] ; one would be of Paul ; another of Apollos ; another of Peter ; and so forth. And because the saints used not the same kind of words and expressions in their teaching and writings, though they spake from one and the same spirit, therefore the natural man (which being without

the spirit of God knoweth nothing of God) began all manner of strife and disputations, and to make sects and schisms ; and they set themselves up for teachers among all sorts of people, not for God's sake, but for temporal honour, riches, and pleasure sake, that they might live brave lives. For it was no very hard labour and work 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 born 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 1 might have for their children, and that their children * might rood mainten- -i • r i ance, or great llV6 bravely. fstiai 20. And so it fell out, that every one would get the greatest conflux of people he could, that he might be esteemed by most people ; and these lip-Christians did so multiply, that the sincere hearty desire to God was left, and they only 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 f learned in the schools and universities, and cried, Lo ! 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 keys of the kingdom of heaven, this cannot be amiss ; they do but deceive you, follow after me.

21. Thus the poor ignorant people looked upon the l mouth-apes, those greedy covetous men, which l Such as . ,4 , , apishly teach were no other, than * vizard-priests, and so lost their the words of dear Immanuel ; for Christ in them (from whence without the the Holy Ghost goeth forth, which driveth and they™a*° ' leadeth men, and who at first had begotten them 2 mock priests, with power and miracles) must now be nothing pnests, or 1 ° pnests in a but a history, and they became but history- pi»y. 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 sthey were not, there the history-priests 3 the Apostles misled them, as may be clearly seen in the disciples. 22. And so the kingdom of Christ grew not in power only, but for the most part in the history ; the saints born in Christ, they confirm that many times with great wonders [or miracles], and the history-priests of Baal, they always built upon those [miracles of the saints] that which was good for the promoting virtue and good manners ; many brought forth thistles and thorns, that they might make strife and wars ; many sought only great honour, dignity, and glory, that it should be conferred upon the Church of Christ and her ministers, as it may be seen in Popery, out of what root it is grown. And it came so far, that they mingled the Jewish ceremonies in their doings, as if the justification of a poor sinner did

lie in them, because they were of divine appoint- ment ; for which cause, the Apostles held the first Council at Jerusalem, where the Holy Ghost concluded, that they should only cleave to Christ in true love one to another, and that was the only justification before God. 23. But it availed not, pride would erect its throne, and set it above Christ, the devil would be 1 fair, subtle God ; and they made l glosses, that they might pretences and . . , , , . , expositions of bring it to pass in such a way, that the simple people might not take notice of it ; there the keys of Peter must govern the city, and they drew 2 Jus together with the keys 2 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 poor with Christ, who in this world (as himself 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 heap [of earth], that he might have something to take hold of. And here may be rightly seen our misery which Adam brought us into, that our essences always reach after the spirit of this world, and desire only to fill themselves with a great heap, from whence Adam and we all have got such a swelled, gross, untoward body, full of sickness, contrariety, and contentious desires.

24. Now when the historical Christendom and the true Christians grew together, the sceptre was always among the learned, who exalted themselves, Ch. 2G] OP THE FEAST OF PENTECOST 739 and made themselves potent, and great ; and the simple [Church] yielded to it as right ; and yet there was a desire after the kingdom of God found in men, viz. the noble Word of God (which had 1 imprinted itself in the promise [in paradise], in l imaged or the light of life, and which was made stirring by in the mind. Christ) that drave them indeed to the fear of God. And then they built great 2 houses of stone, and 2 temples or i-i , , -IT i churches. called every one thither ; and they said that the Holy Ghost was powerful there, and they must come thither; 3 besides, they durst be so impudent 8 saying, DO f -, i as we say. as to say (when they were tound to be so wicked and not as and malicious) that the Holy Ghost was powerfully in the mouth of the wicked. 25. But, thou hypocrite, thou liest ; if thou art ungodly, thou canst not raise 4the dead, thou canst 4 the dead in

IITI _ . trespasses convert none that in this world lie drowned in and sins, sins ; thou mayest stir the heart of the believer indeed (through thy voice) 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 poor sinner, which is drowned in sin, and lieth 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 sins, and with thy love, in thy tincture, catch him ; and then he will come to thee with a hearty desire, longing after the kingdom of heaven ; and then thou art his confessor, and hast the keys 1 the Holy Ghost 8 disputations, the and contro of Peter ; and if thou art void of l that, thou hast no keys. 26. As the confession is, so is the absolution. Is the patient an historical Christian ? so is the physician too. And in them both there is a mouth-hypocrisy. But hath the patient any virtue [or power] ? Then the voice bloweth that virtue [or power] up, not from the power of the physician, but in the virtue [or power] of God, who with his power even in a thorn-bush maketh it to grow, which is the power in all things : and so also in a voice, which in itself hath no ability.

27. Thus it became a 2 custom, that every one was bound [to come] to the temple made of stones, and the Temple of God in Christ stood and stands very empty ; but when they saw the desolation in contention, they called councils, and made laws and canons, that every one must observe upon pain 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 laws. If he reproved their errors, then they persecuted him ; and so the Temple of Christ in man's knowledge became very obscure ; if any came that was born of God, and taught by the Holy Ghost, and was not conformable to their laws, he must be a heretic. 28. And so their 4 power grew, and every one had great respect to it ; and they strengthened their laws still more and more with the power of St 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 councils, and what they ordained and instituted, that was from God, they were God's dispensers of the word ; men must believe their ordinances, for that was the way and 1 means for the poor sinner to be justified 1 means of

29. But where then is the new regeneration in Christ through the Holy Ghost? Art thou not Babel, a habitation of all devils in pride? How hast thou adorned thyself? Not for Christ, but for thy own pride, for thy 2idol the belly's sake, a god M and thou art a devourer. But thy 3 belly is become 3 Or idoL a stink, and hath gotten a horrible source ; there is a great fire of * anguish in thy source, for thou * terrible art naked and manifest before God, thou standest in that which as an impudent whorish woman. Why do you, laity, hang [and depend] on such a strumpet ? go ' Her own 6 usurped authority is her beast whereon 8 usurped ... TIIT T • i i • i T» i she rideth ; behold, and consider her in the Kevelation 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 only according to thy art ? From whom dost thou teach ? From thy belly, that thou mayest fatten thyself thereby. It is true, thou shouldst be fed, and thou shouldst have subsistence from men, if thou art Christ's disciple ; but thy spirit should not stick in covetousness, but in Christ ; thou shouldst not rely only upon thy art, but shouldst give up thyself to God, that God may speak from thee, and then thou art in the Temple of God, and not in the temple of the institution of man's inventions.

31. Look upon St Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, who converted three thousand souls 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 poor sinners. But thou teachest persecution only, consider thereby whence thou didst grow, viz. out of that first stock, where they fell from the Temple of Christ to human conceits and inventions ; where they sent forth teachers according to man's itching ears, for a fair show, that thereby thou mightest grow great in thy pride ; and because thou hast sought nothing else, therefore God hath suffered 1 reprobate thee to fall into a l perverse sense, so that out of sense. thee there come those that blaspheme the true 32. Behold, out of what are the Turks grown ? Out of thy * perverse sense ; when they saw that thou regardedst nothing but thy pride, and didst only contend and dispute about the Temple of Christ, that it must stand only upon man's foundation and inventions, then Mahomet came forth, and found an invention that was agreeable to nature. Because those others followed after 1 covetousness, and fell off from the Temple of

Christ, as also from the light of nature, into a and gain, or confusion of pride, and all their aim was, how the antichristian throne might be adorned, therefore he also made laws and doctrines [raised] from reason. 33. Or dost thou suppose 2it was for nothing?2 the rising-up . . , i and doctrine It is most certain, that the spirit 01 the great world Of Mahomet. hath thus set him up in great wonders, because the others were no better ; and therefore it must stand in the light of nature in the wonders, as a god of this world, and God was near the one as the other. Thy symbols or signs in the Testament of Christ which thou usest (which Christ left for a covenant), they stood in controversy, and were in disputation, and thou didst pervert them according to thy pride, and thou didst bend them to thy institution, ordinances and appointment ; thou didst no more regard the covenant of Christ, but the custom of celebration or performance of it, the custom must serve the turn ; whereas wood that burneth not is not fire, though when it is kindled it conies to be fire ; so also the custom without faith is like wood that burneth not, which they will call a fire.

34. Or shall not the spirit set it down before thy eyes, thou lascivious filthy strumpet ? Behold, how hast thou broken the state of wedlock, and opened a door to whoredom, so that no sin is 1 upon thy regarded ; hast thou not ridden l upon thy beast, power, might . , , , . n . .. and authority, when every one gazed on tnee, and did ride alter thee [in thy train]? Or art thou not that fine painted [adorned] whore ? Dost thou suppose we set thee forth in vain ? The judgment standeth over thee, the sword is begotten, and it will devour. Go out [from] Babel, and thou shalt live : though 'the strife, L . contention, we saw a fire in Babel, and that Babel was burning, and warring . .. that is in it. yet it shall not burn those that go out from * it.

Of the Last Judgment, of the Resurrection of the Dead, and of the Eternal Life. The most horrible Gate of the Wicked, and the joyful Gate of the l Godly. 1 Or saints 1. "\~\T^ know Christ hath taught us, that aP60?16- V V judgment shall be kept, not only for the punishment of the despisers of God, and for a reward to the good, but also for the sake of the creature, and of 2 nature, that they may once be 2 the outward delivered from vanity; and we know that the substance of this world, and the property thereof, must pass away ; the sun and the stars, and also the four elements, must pass away as to their source [or property], and all must be restored again ; and then the life will spring forth through death, and the figure of everything shall stand eternally before God, for which end it was created ; also we know that our souls are immortal, generated out of the eternal band ; and when this world passeth away, then also all its essences pass away, which are generated out of it, and the 3 tincture » Or the remaineth still in the spirit. e^nces°or '

2. Therefore, 0 man ! consider thyself here in snbstance- this world, in which them standest in the birth, them art sown as a seed or grain, and a tree groweth 1 field or sou. out of thee ; therefore now see in what * ground thou standest, that thou mayest be found to be timber for the great building of God in his love, and not for a threshold [or footstool] to be trodden under-foot, or that is fit for nothing but for the fire, whereof nothing will remain but dust and ashes. 3. It is said to thee, that the wood [or fuel] of thy soul shall burn in the last fire, and that thy soul shall remain to be ashes in the fire, and thy body shall appear like black soot. Why wilt thou then stand in a wilderness, yea in a rock where there is no water ? How then will thy tree grow again ? 0 ! what great misery it is that we are •grounder ignorant in what 2soil we grow, and what kind of 8 sap, juice, s essences we draw to us, seeing our fruit shall or substance. appear an(j ^ tasted, and that which is pleasant shall stand upon God's table ; and the other shall be cast to the devil's swine. Therefore let it move you, to look that you grow in the ground or soil of Christ, and bring forth fruit that may be set upon God's table, which fruit never perisheth, but continually springeth, and the more it is eaten of, the pleasanter it is. How wilt thou rejoice in the Lord !

4. The Last Judgment is appointed for that end ; and as we know that all things [in this world] have had a beginning, so they shall also have an end ; for before the time of this world there was nothing but the band of eternity, which maketh itself, and in the band the spirit, and the spirit in God, who is the highest good, which was always from eternity, and never had any beginning ; but this world hath had a beginning from the eternal band in the time. 5. For this world maketh a time, therefore it must perish ; and as it hath been nothing, so it will be nothing again ; for the spirit moveth in the l ether; and therein the zlimbus (which is 1 Or upholder. corruptible) is generated, from whence all things 2 the seed> proceed ; and yet there was no fashioner but the spirit (or the vulcan) in the essences, and so also there were no essences ; they were generated in the will of the spirit, and in that will is the 3 fashioner, which hath fashioned all things out ofsfranier, nothing, but merely out of the will. or former.

6. Seeing then it is fashioned out of the eternal will, therefore it is eternal, not in substance, but in the will ; and after the breaking of the substance this world standeth wholly and altogether (like a figure) in the will for [a 4 glass of] God's works of < figure, or wonder. And so we know now, that where there *" is a will, it must comprehend itself so that it be a will, and that comprehension maketh an attraction, and that which is attracted is in the will, and it is thicker than the will, and is the darkness of the will, and a source in the darkness ; for the will desireth to be free, and yet cannot be free, except it go again in itself out of the darkness, and if it do, then the darkness continueth in the first will, and the reconceived will remaineth in itself 1 liberty or in the l light. 7. Thus we give you to understand, that this world (when the will was moved) was created out of the darkness, and the outgoing out of the will in itself is God ; and the outgoing out of God is spirit, which hath discovered itself in the dark will ; and that which was

2 Or the discovered were the essences, and the 2 Vulcanus fire, which was the wheel of the mind, that divided itself the thoughts into seven forms. of the mind. , . _ . . , 8. And as is mentioned belore, these seven .forms divide themselves again every one in itself ȣ0r spark ling, into an infinity of forms, according to the 3 discovery of the spirit, and therein standeth the essence of all essences, and it is all a great wonder ; and our whole teaching doth but aim at this, that we men might enter into the light holy wonders ; for at the end of this time all shall be manifested, and everything shall stand in that wherein it is grown; and then when that substance (which at present it possesseth and bringeth forth) perisheth, then it is all an eternity. 9. Therefore let every one have a care how he useth his reason, that he may therewith stand in great honour in the wonders of God. "We know that this world shall perish in the fire ; it shall be DO fire of straw or wood, (that would turn no stones to ashes, and further to nothing), neither will there any fire gather together, into which this world shall -be thrown ; but the fire of nature kindleth itself in all things, and will melt or dissolve the body of everything (or whatsoever is palpable), and turn it to nothing.

10. For as all in the Fiat was held and created according to the [will of the] * fashioner, which was i framer or the sole and total workmaster in all things, in al the seven spirits of nature, which brake nothing when he fashioned it, nor threw one [part] from the other when he had made it, but everything separated itself, and stood in the source of its own essences, so there shall not need much blustering, thunder and lightning, and breaking, as this world in Babel teacheth, but everything 2 perisheth 2 Or passeth in itself; the source [or flowing forth] of the away' elements ceaseth, as a man when he dieth [ceaseth from working], and all passeth into its ether [or receptacle]. 11. And at the time (before this fabric [of heaven and earth] perisheth and passeth into its ether) cometh the Judge of the living and the dead ; there all men must see him in his, and in their flesh ; and all the dead must rise through his voice, and stand before him ; and there the angelical world shall be manifested. And all the generations of the earth (which are not comprehended in the body of Christ) shall howl, and then they shall be separated into two flocks ; and

the sentence of Christ passeth over all, both good and bad ; and there will be howling, trembling, yelling, roaring, and cursing themselves, the children cursing their parents, and wishing that they had never been born. 12. Thus one of the wicked curseth the other, who hath caused him to commit such wickedness ; the inferior his superior that hath given him offence, [and been a stumbling-block to him] ; the 1 ministers or laity curse the clergy or l priests, who have given them evil examples, and seduced them with false doctrine ; the wicked curser, swearer, and blasphemer, biteth and gnaweth his tongue, which hath so murdered him; the mind beateth the head against the stones ; and the ungodly hide themselves in the caves and holes of the earth, before the terror of the LORD ; for there is great quaking and stirring in the essences of the anger and fierce wrath of the LORD ; and the anguish breaketh the heart, and yet there is no dying ; for the anger is stirring, and the life of the ungodly floweth up in the anger. There the ungodly curseth the heaven and the earth that did bear him, as also the constellation [or stars] that led him, and the hour of

8 nativity. his 2 birth ; all his uncleanness standeth before his eyes, and he seeth the cause of his horror, and condemneth himself; he cannot look upon the righteous for very shame ; all his works stand in his mind, and (in the essences) cry, Woe ! to him that did them, they accuse him ; the tears of those he hath afflicted and oppressed are like a fiery stinging serpent ; he desireth l rest or ease, but 1 abstinence. there is no eomfort, despair riseth up in him, for hell terrifieth him. 13. Also the devils tremble at the kindling of the wrath, whose faces appear before the eyes of the ungodly ; for they see the angelical world before them, and the hellish fire in them ; and they see how every life burneth, and every one in its own source, in its own fire. The angelical world burneth in triumph, in joy, in the light of the 2 glory, and it shineth as the clear sun, which a clarity, neither devil, nor any of the wicked dare look brightness. upon, and there is praise [and Hallelujahs] that the driver is overcome. 14. And there then the judgment is set, and all men (both the living and the dead) must stand there, every one in his own body. And the angelical choir of the holy men (who have been killed for the witness of Jesus) is set ;

there stand the holy Patriarchs of the tribes of Israel, and the holy Prophets, with their doctrine ; and all that they have taught is made manifest and revealed, and standeth before the eyes of the wicked ; they must give an account of all their murderings of the saints ; for they that have been murdered for the truth's sake stand before the eyes of their murderers, whose lives the murderers must give an account for, and yet have no excuse to make, but stand speechless ; all a man's slandering reproaches

which he hath cast upon the righteous stand there 1 really. before him l in substance, and is a substance, about which the law is there read to him. 15. Where is now thy authority, thy honour, thy riches, thy pomp and bravery, thy power, wherewith thou hast terrified the needy, and hast made the right bow and bend to thy will ? Behold, it is all in substance, and standeth before thee ; the oppressed read thy lesson to thee ; all that was rightly spoken [by thee] in this world, is there recalled again, and thou abidest (in thy unrighteousness) a liar, and thou must be judged by those that thou hast here judged in falsehood ; 2 are really all lying and deceit stand 2 manifest in the subdiscovered in 1 1 i i • • the light. stance, all thy words stand in the tincture in the substance of eternity before thee, and are thy looking-glass ; they will be thy eternal gnawing whelps, and the book of thy comfort and trust. Therefore do but think what thou wilt do ; wilt thou not then curse and judge thyself ? 16. On the contrary, the righteous stand there in unspeakable great joy, and their joy riseth up in the source [or well-spring] of the Holy Ghost ; all their sorrow and heaviness (which they have had here) standeth before them in substance, and it appeareth how they have suffered wrongfully ; their comfort springeth up in the body of Jesus Christ, who hath redeemed them out of so great misery ; all their sins are washed, and appear as white as snow ; and there then they return thanks

to their bridegroom, who hath redeemed them out of such necessity and misery, wherein they lay captive here, and there is mere hearty joy that the 1 driver is destroyed ; all their good works, their * the evil, teaching and well-doing, appear before them; all wickedness, the words of their teaching and reproving (where- °r the deviU with they have shewn the ungodly the right way) stand in the figure. 17. Here will the Prince and Arch-Shepherd pronounce his sentence, saying to the 2 Godly, 3 Come, "honest, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom that™uSS.m hath been prepared for you from the beginning ; 3 MatthI have been hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison and misery, and you have fed me, given me drink, clothed me, comforted me, and visited me, and have come and helped me in my misery, therefore enter into eternal joys. And they will answer, Lord, when have we seen thee hungry, thirsty, naked, in prison, or in misery, and have served thee ? And he will say, What you have done to the least of these my brethren, you have done that to me. And to the wicked he will say, Away from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire ; for I have been hungry, thirsty, naked, in prison, and in misery, and you have never ministered unto me. And they will answer, Lord, when have we seen tbee so, and not ministered unto thee ? And he will say, What you have not done to the least of these my poor brethren, that you have not done to me ; and they

must depart from him. 18. And in that moment of departing, there 'perisheth. l passeth away heaven and earth, sun, moon, stars, and elements, and thenceforth time is no more. 19. And there then in the saints, the incorruptible attracteth the corruptible into itself, and the death and this earthly flesh is swallowed up ; and we all live in the great and holy element of the body of Jesus Christ, in God the Father, and the Holy Ghost is our comfort ; and with this world, and with our earthly body, all knowledge and skill of this world perisheth ; and we live as children, and eat of the paradisical fruit, for there is no terror, fear, nor death any more ; for the Principle of hell together with the devils (in this last hour) is shut up ; and the one [Principle] cannot touch the other any more in eternity, nor conceive any thought of the other. The parents shall no more think of their wicked children that are in hell, nor the children of their parents ; for all shall be in perfection, and that which is in part shall cease. Note, Read 20. And there then this world shall remain

more of this . in the answer standing in a figure and shadow in paradise, but to the thirtieth ~, Question, in the substance ot the wicked perisheth in that the Book of r „ , , , .. _. the Forty [ngure ot the world], and remaineth in the hell, concerning for the works of every one follow after them ; and there shall be eternal joy over the figures of all things, and over the fair fruit of paradise, which we To which help its, 0 Holy Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. What is wanting here, you may seek for in the other parts of my writings, especially concerning Moses and all the Prophets, and concerning the kingdom of Christ. In the fourth part of these writings, being the Forty Questions of the Original of the Soul, and what it is from Eternity to Eternity, this is clearly described. A true Information concerning the confounded To the Comfort of such as seek ; and set here for a Witness against the Mockers and Despisers. 21. Though now there be so many doctrines and opinions l manifested, yet the scorner (who is born i or broached. of this world only) ought not to fall on so, and

cast all down which he cannot apprehend; for all is not false, there is much that is generated by heaven, which [heaven] will at present make another seculum or age, which discovereth itself highly with its virtue [or power], and seeketh the Pearl ; it would fain open the tincture in its substance, that the virtue [or power] of God might thereby appear in it, and that it might be freed from the irksome vanity ; this was done in all ages, as histories shew, and as is well known to the enlightened. 22. For now there are many that seek, and they find also : One gold, another silver, another copper, another tin ; but this must not be understood of metals, but of the spirit, in the power, in the great wonders of God, in the spirit of the eternal power. 23. And though there be such seeking in the Mystery by the instigation and driving of the spirit of God, yet every one seeketh (in his own » Or form. banner) in his field wherein he standeth, and there he also findeth, and so bringeth his invention to light, that it may appear, and this 9 Or decree, is the 2 purpose of the great God, that he may so be manifested in his wonders. And it is not all from the devil, as the world in Babel (in its

» Or babble, great folly) doth 3 teach ; where they cast all down to the ground, and will make a bonfire of it, and set Epicurism in its place. 24. Behold, I give you a fit similitude in a sower ; a sower tilleth his ground the best he can, and soweth good wheat, but now there is other seed among the wheat, and though that were indeed wholly pure, yet the earth putteth forth weeds among the wheat, even thorns and thistles. And now what shall the sower do ? Shall he therefore reject the whole crop, or burn it, for the thistles and darnels sake? No, but he thresheth it, and fanneth it, he separateth the weeds and dross from it, and useth the good seed for his food, and giveth the chaff to his cattle or beasts, and with the straw 4 Or dung for he rnaketh 4 compost for his ground, and so maketh good use of his whole crop. 25. But to the mockery be it spoken, he is a weed, and shall be thrown to the beasts. And now, though other seed be found among the wheat (when it is fanned and sifted) that he cannot get out, Shall h6 therefore not use his wheat for food ? Every kind of grain hath its virtue ; one strengtheneth the heart, the other the stomach, another the other members of the body ; for one essence alone inaketh no tincture, but all the essences together make the senses [thoughts] and understanding.

26. Go into a meadow, and look upon the herbs and flowers which grow all out of the earth, and always one is fairer and more fragrant in smell than the other, and the most contemptible [herb] hath many times the greatest virtue. Now then the physician cometh and seeketh, and often turneth his mind to the lustiest and fairest, because they thrive so in their growing, and smell strong ; then thinketh he, these are the best ; whereas many times a small regardless herb will serve his turn better in his physic for his patient, whom he hath under cure. 27. Thus I must tell you ; the heaven is a sower, and God giveth him seed, and the elements are the ground into which the seed is sown ; now the heaven hath the constellation, and receiveth also the seed of God, and soweth all together one among another ; now the essences of the stars receive the seed in the ground, and qualify [or are united] with it, and carry themselves along in the herb, till a seed also be in the herb. 1 all men's minds and opinions. 28. Now since there are varieties of growth, according to the essences of the stars, and yet the seed of God (which was sown in the beginning) is in the ground, and so they grow together, Should God now therefore cast away the whole crop because all have not the same essences? Doth it not all stand in his wonders ? And is it not the joy of his life, and the quickening of his tincture ? [This is] spoken by way of similitude.

29. Therefore, my beloved mind, look what thou dost ; and judge not so hastily and unadvisedly, and do not turn beast because of the multitude of opinions, to whom belongeth only the chaff of the noble seed. ( The spirit of God sheweth himself in every one that seeketh him, yet according to the manner and kind of his essences ; and yet the seed of God is sown along in the essences ; and if the seeker seeketh in a divine desire, then he findeth the Pearl according to his essences, and so the great wonders of God are manifested thereby. ^ 30. If now you desire to know the difference, and which is a false seed or herb, (understand a false spirit, in which the Pearl or the spirit of God is not), consider it in its fruit, smell, and taste ; if he be vainglorious, a seeker of his own honour, covetous, a blasphemer, a slanderer, and despiser of the children of God, which casteth down all under his feet, and would be lord of * all, then know, that such a one is a naughty 2 seed ; and he is a thistle, and shall be sifted out from the seed of God.

wheel, and hath no foundation, nor any sap or such a provirtue from God, for the growing of his fruit ; but self, saying he groweth as a thistle, which pricketh only, and who shall •i.i -, i deliver me bearetn no good seed. fr0m this body 31. The good smell in the herb (which should now look for in the many opinions) is only the new regeneration (out of the old corrupted Adamical mixed man) in the body of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Ghost, viz. a new mind towards God in love and meekness ; which is not set upon pride, covetousness, and seeking his own honour, credit, and esteem, nor upon war, or any manner of stir, or insurrection of inferiors against their superiors, but groweth in patience and meekness, as a grain of wheat among thorns, and bringeth forth fruit in its season. And consider, that where there is such fruit [in thy mind], that is born of God ; and it is the noble virtue in that [man]. Go out from the other fruit, which teacheth uproars and dissension between inferiors and superiors, for such [fruits] are thistles, and will prick and sting [like nettles]. God will fan his wheat himself.

32. The lily will not be found in strife or wars, but in a friendly, humble, loving spirit, together with good sound * reason, this will dispel and drive » well- i »i j a • i. • grounded, away the smoke of the devil, and nourish in its convincing, time. Therefore let none think, that when strife realon* °ry goeth on, and he getteth the upper hand, now it is well and right ; and he that is under, and subdued, let him not think, Sure I am found to be in the wroDg, I should now go to the other opinion or side, and help that party to persecute the other ; no, that is not the way, such a one is merely in Babel. 33. But let every one enter into himself, and labour to be a righteous man, and fear God, and do right, and consider that this his work shall appear in heaven before God, and that he standeth every moment before the face of God, and that all his works shall follow after him, and then the lily of God springeth and groweth, and the world standeth in its seculum. AMEN. THE END OF THE BOOK OF THE THREE PRINCIPLES

FUNDAMENTAL AND TRUE DESCRIPTION OF THE THREEFOLD LIFE IN MAN First, Of the Life of the Spirit of this World in the Qualities and Dominion of the Stars and Elements. Secondly, Of the Life of the Originality of all Essences, which standeth in the eternal [indissoluble] Band ; wherein the Root of Man's Soul standeth. Thirdly, Of the paradisical Life in Ternario Sancto, viz. the Life in the new Regeneration, which is the Life of the Lord Jesus Christ ; wherein the angelical Life is understood, as also the holy Life of the new Regeneration. All searched out, very fundamentally, in the Light of Nature, and set down for the Comfort of the poor sick wounded Soul, that it might seek the holy Life in the new Regeneration, wherein it goeth forth out of the earthly, and passeth into the Life of Jesus Christ the Son of God. By the same AUTHOR. 1. 1 BECAUSE in our foregoing writings, there are J The Aurora JL) some words which the Reader may not perhaps apprehend, especially where we have written, that in the resurrection of the dead, we shall be in the body * Or a substance or reality. of Christ, in Temario Sancto, where we call the Ternarius Sanctus holy earth, which must not be understood of earth, but of the holy body out of the holy virtue [or power] of the Trinity of God; and by that body, Ternarius Sanctus, is properly understood in our writings the gate of God the Father, from whence all things proceed as out of one only substance ; therefore we will instruct the Reader of the l second book of our writings a little more fundamentally, that he may not hang so to the bare letter, and make an historical matter of our writings, but that we may observe the mind and spirit, what that [spirit] meaneth, when it speaketh of the divine life, and useth not always the same words and names.

2. For if we look into the creation of God, we find very wonderful things, which yet in the beginning proceeded out of one only fountain ; for we find evil and good, life and death, joy and sorrow, love and hate, weeping and laughing ; and we find that it all sprang out of one only substance, for that may very well be seen in all creatures, especially in man, who is the similitude of God, as Moses writeth, and the light of nature convinceth us. Therefore we ought to consider of the threefold life in man, which is found so also in the gate of God the Father. 3. If we consider of the alteration, how the mind is changed as it is, how suddenly joy is turned into sorrow, and sorrow into joy, then we ought well to consider from whence that taketh its original. For we find it all to be in one and the same mind; and if one form [property or quality] riseth and getteth above the other, then there presently 2 something f olloweth, so that the mind collecteth all its thoughts together, and sendeth them to the members of the body, and so the hands, the feet, the mouth, and all go to work, and do something, according to the desire of the mind. And then we say, that form [or property that driveth the work] is predominant, qualifying and working above other forms,

wherein yet all other forms of nature lie hidden, and are subject to that one form. And yet the mind is such a wonderful l thing, that suddenly (out of one form, that l essence or is now predominant and working more than all others) SD it bringeth forth and raiseth up another, and qucncheth the [form] that was kindled before, so that it becometh as it were a nothing, as may be seen in joy and sorrow. 4. Now therefore when we consider whence all taketh its original, we find especially three forms in the mind. We speak not here of the spirit of this world only, for we find that our mind hath also a desire [or longing] after another mind ; 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 ear hear it, nor the nose smell it ; which yet the noble mind can see, taste, feel, perceive and hear, if the form of the divine kingdom in that mind be predominant, or qualifieth more than the other two ; there then instantly the other two are as it were half dead and overcome, and the divine [form] riseth up alone, and then it is in God.

5. And we see also how instantly the mind raiseth up another form, and maketh it predominant, viz. the spirit of this world, in covetousness, pride, in the oppressing of the needy, and lifting up itself only, and so drawing all to it. Whereupon then instantly also the third form breaketh forth out of the eternal [indissoluble] band, as falsehood, envy, anger and malice ; so that the image of God is as it were dead and overcome, where then the mind (in this manner) 2 is in the anger of God, in death, 2 Or standeth. in the jaws of hell, over which hell in the anger of God insulteth ; for hereby its jaws are set wide open, and it becometh predominant. But when the divine form breaketh forth again, then the kingdom of hell is overcome, and as it were dead, and the kingdom of heaven cometh to be predominant and working again. 6. Therefore St Paul saith, To whom you yield yourselves as servants in obedience, his servants you are, whetJier of sin v/nto death, or of the obedience of God to righteousness. And that source or property we have, in that kingdom we live, and that kingdom with the property thereof driveth us. Seeing then here in this life all is in the sowing, and in the growing, therefore the harvest also shall one day follow, where then the one kingdom shall be separated from the other.

7. For there are in the mind of man Three Principles, all which three in the time [of tins four elementary life] he may open; but when the body is broken, then he liveth in one Principle only, 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 here. For we 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 soul is capable of [going into] the kingdom of hell, and standeth in the anger of God; where the jaws of hell then stand wide open against us, continually to devour us, and we have [made] a covenant with death, and wholly yielded ourselves up to it, in the sting of the anger, in the first Principle. 8. We not only know this, but we know also, that God hath regenerated us in the life of his Son Jesus Christ to a living creature, to live in him. And as he is entered into death, and again through death into eternal life, so must we enter into the death of Christ, and in the life of Jesus Christ go 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 we live rightly in Ternario Sancto, in the Holy Trinity of the Deity. For then we bear 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 himself 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 eternal Word in the Father is become true man, and hath the eternal light shining in him, and hath humbled [and abased] himself in the humanity, and hath put upon the image, which we here bear in this life, the image [which is] out of the pure unspotted element in the presence of God, which we lost in Adam, which standeth in the mercy of God, as is clearly mentioned in our l second book,- with all the circumstances : The Three of it, so must we also put on to us that image [which is] FnnciPlesout of the pure element, out of the body of Jesus Christ, and live in that bodily substance, and in that source [condition] and virtue wherein he liveth. 10. We do not here mean his creature, that we must enter into that, but we understand his source, for the depth and breadth of his life in his source is unmeasurable ; and as God his Father is unmeasurable, so also is the life of Christ so ; for the pure element in the source of God the Father in his l mercy, is the body of Christ ; 2 Barmhertz-

and as our earthly body standeth in the four elements, fu so the new man standeth in a pure element, out of which this world with the four 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 everywhere, in all places, and so is unmeasurable and infinite, 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 Son, viz. in the body of Jesus Christ, and the Son in the Father, as one only God ; and thus the Holy Ghost goeth forth from the Father in the Son, 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 we be born of God with our mind. 12. For as God the Father in his own substance comprehendeth all the Three Principles, and is himself the

substance of all substances, wherein both joy and sorrow are comprehended, and yet goeth forth in itself out of the source of the anguish, and maketh the kingdom of joy to himself, inconceivable to the sorrow, and incomprehensible to the source of his anger in the anguish, and generateth to himself his Heart in the love, wherein the name of God taketh original, so also the mind hath in it all the three Principles. And therein the soul is 1 the soul. comprised, viz. in the band of life, l which must enter again into itself, 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 merely in the history, or in the knowledge of it, and being able to speak of it, and suppose the words and discourse make a sufficient Christian, when the mind is still in mere doubt in Babel. No, that is not the regeneration, but it must be an earnest resolution ; the mind must in itself go forth into the humility towards God, and enter into the will of God, in righteousness, truth, and love. 13. And though indeed the mind is not able to do this in its own ability, 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 seed of love in his virtue [or power], out of which the new man in the life of Jesus Christ groweth. Therefore all lieth 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-born, in the life of Jesus Christ.