The Way to Christ

Of T'rue "Resignation. 55 but what he ought to do ; such a one hath indeed put on the Spirit and Will of Christy and is His true Disciple. 38. But the outward Flattery of being accounted a Child of God by Imputation or external Application^ is false and vain. The Work Aon^ in, or by, the outward Flesh only, doth not make the Child of Qod, but the working of Christ in the Spirit maketh, and indeed is, the Child of Qod. Which inward working is so powerful that it shineth forth as a new Lightyin the outward Life; and proveth itself to be the Child of Qod by its external Conduct and Actions. 39. For if the Eye of the Soul be Lights then the whole Body is Light in all its Members. Now if any boast himself to be the ChUd of Cfody and yet suffereth the Body to burn in Sins, he is no true Oiild, nor capable of the Inheritance ; but lieth bound by the Chains of the Devil in gross Darkness, And if he doth not find in himself an earnest and sincere Desire of Well-doing in Love, then his Pretence to the Childship is but an Invention of Reason proceeding from Self He cannot see GOD, unless he be bom anew, and show forth by his Power and Life, that he is His true Child, For there is no Fire but hath Light in it ; and if the Divine Fire be in the Mind, it will shine forth, and the Mind will do that which GoD will have to be done.

40. But perhaps thou wilt say, ' I have a Will indeed to do so ; * I would willingly do it, but I am so hindered that I cannot ' 41. Nay, thou vile Man, GOD draweth thee to be His Child, but thou wilt not ; the soft Cushion in Evil is dearer to thee than to be so readily parted with. Thou preferrest the foy of Wickedness to the fqy of GOD. Thou art wholly swallowed up in Self still, and Hvest according to the Law of Sin, and that hindereth thee. Thou art unwilling to die from the Pleasure of the Flesh, and therefore thou art not in the Filiation, GOD draweth thee to it, but thou thyself wilt not. 42. O how fine a Thing would Adam think it, if he might be taken into Heaven with this Will of the voluptuous Flesh about him, and have the Child of Wickedness, that is full of Deceit, set upon the Throne of GOD. Lucifer also would fain have had it so, but he was cast out. 43. It is a troublesome Thing to mortify the evil Will ; none are willing to do it. We would all gladly be the Children of Qod^ if we might be so with this rough Garment of fallen Nature about us. But that cannot be. This World passeth away, and the outward Life must die; what Good can the Adoption in the mortal Body of Flesh and Blood only do me ?

44. If we would inherit the Filiation, we must also put on the New Man which can inherit it, as being like the Deity. GOD 56 ^he W^ay to Qhrist. will have no Sinners in Heaven^ but only such as are born anew and become Children^ and so have put on Heaven. 45. Therefore it is not so easy a Matter to become a Child of Qod^ as Men imagine. Indeed it is not a troublesome Thing to him that hath put on the Filiation,yf\iosQ Light shineth; for it is Joy to such a one. But to turn the Mind and destroy Self there is a strong and continued Earnestness requisite, and such a stout and steady Purpose, that if the Body and Soul should part asunder by it, yet the Will would persevere constantly, and not enter again into Self. 46. A Man must wrestle till the dark Centre, that is shut up close, break open, and the Spark lying therein kindle; and from thence immediately the Noble Lily-branch sprouteth, as from the Divine Qrain of Mustard-seedy as Christ saith. A man must pray earnestly, with great Humility, and for a while become a Fool in his own Reason, and see himself void of Understanding therein, until Christ be formed in this new Incarnation,

47. And then when Christ is born, Herod is ready to kill the Child, which he seeketh to do outwardly by Persecutions, and inwardly by Temptations, to try whether this Lily-branch will be strong enough to destroy the Kingdom of the Devil, which is manifested in the Flesh. 48. Then this Destroyer of the Serpent is brought into the Wilderness, after he is baptized with the Holy Spirit, and tempted and tried whether or not he will continue in Resignation to the Will of God. In which Temptation he must stand so fast, that, if Need require, he would leave all earthly Things, and even the outward Life, to be a Child of Qod. 49. No Temporal Honour must be preferred before the /Y/wtion. But he must with his Will leave and forsake it all, and not account it his own, but esteem himself as a Servant only in it, who is to obey his Master. He must leave all Worldly Propriety. We do not mean that he may not have or possess any Thing; but his Heart must forsake it, and not bring his Will into it, nor count it his own. For if he setteth his Heart upon it, he hath no Power to serve them that stand in Need with it.

50. Self is but a Slave to its temporal Possessions, but Resignation hath Rule over all that is under it. Self must do what the Devil will have it to do in Fleshly Voluptuousness and Pride of Life; but Resignation treadeth it all under with the Feet of the Mind. Self despiseth that which is lowly and simple; but Resignation sitteth down with the lowly in the Dust. It saith, * I will be simple in myself, and understand nothing, lest my * Understanding should exalt itself and sin. I will lie down in Of "True "Resignation. 57 * the Courts of my God at his Feet, that I may serve my Lord * in that which he commandeth me. I will know nothing of my- * self, that the Will and Power of my Lord may lead and guide * me, and that I may only do what God doth through me, and * will have done by me. I will sleep in myself until the Lord * awaken me with his Spirit ; and if he will not, then will I look ' up to him in Silence, and wait his Commands.' 51. Beloved Brethren, Men at this Time boast much of Faith; but where is it to be found ? The Modem Faith is but the History, Where is that Child, which believeth that Jesus is born ? If that Child vfQtQ in Being, and did believe XhdX Jesus is born, it would also draw near to the sweet Child Jesus, and receive him and nurse him.

52. Alas ! The Faith of This Day is but Historical, a, mere Assent to the Matter of Fact that Jesus Christ lived and died, that the Jews killed him, that he left this World, and is not King on Earth in the outward Man; but that Men may do what they list, and need not die Jrom Sin, and their evil Lusts. All this the wicked Child Self rejoiceth in, that it may fatten the Devil by living deliciously. 53. This showeth plainly that true Faith was never weaker since Chrisfs Time, than it is now. When nevertheless the World crieth aloud, and saith, ' We have got the true Faith ;' and contend about a Child^ with a Contention^ than which there were never worse, since Men were on Earth. 54. If thou art truly Zion, and hast that new bom Child which was lost and is found again, then let it be seen in Power and Virtue, Let us all openly see the sweet Child Jesus brought forth by thee, and that thou art his Nurse, If not, then the Children in Christ will say, thou hast found nothing but the Cradle of the Child, that is, the History,

55. Where hast thou the sweet Child Jesus, thou that art so exalted with the History , and with thy false and seeming Faith? O how will the Child Jesus visit thee one Day in the Father's Property, the Property of Anger ^ in thy own Turba which thou hast fatted ! It calleth thee now in Love, but thou wilt not hear, for thine Ears are stopped with Covetousness and Voluptuousness, Therefore, the Sound of the Trumpet shall one Day alarm thee with the hard Thunderclap of thy Turba, and rouse thee up, if haply thou wilt then seek and find the sweet Child Jesus. 56. Beloved Brethren, this is a Time of seeking, of seeking and of finding. It is a Time of Earnestness; whom it toucheth, it toucheth home* He that watcheth shall hear and see it ; but he that sleepeth in Sin, and saith in the fat Days of his Belly, 'AH is * Peace and quiet ; We hear no Sound from the Lord,' shall be 58 I'he JVay to Qhrist. blind. But the Voice of the LORD hath sounded in all the Ends of the Earth, and a Smoke riseth and in the midst of the Smoke there is a great Brightness and Splendour. Hallelujah. Amen. * Shout unto the Lord in Zion, for all Mountains and Hills are * full of his Glory : He flourisheth like a Green Branch, and who ' shall hinder it ?' Hallelujah.

How he that earnestly seeketh Salvation^ must sufFer himself to be brought out of the confused and contentious Babely by the Spirit of Christy that he may be born anew in the Spirit of Christy and live to Him only. Written in the German Language, y^OME out of Babylon^ my People^ that ye be not Par- (^ takers of her Sins, and that ye receive not of her Plagues ; for her Sins have reached unto Heaven^ and God hath remembered her Iniquity. — Rev. xviii. 4. The Author's Preface to the Reader. THOUGH I have in my other Writings set down a clear description of Regeneration, or the New-Birth, from the Ground thereof; yet because everyone hath them not, neither hath everyone the Capacity to understand them; I have therefore, as a Service to the simple Children of Christ, here set down a short Sum concerning the New-Birth. But if any desire to search the deep Ground from whence all floweth, and have the Gift to understand it, let them read these Books following. 1. The Three Principles of the Divine Essence. 2. The three -fold htfe of Man. 3. The forty ^estions of the Original Essence, Substance, Nature, and Property of the Soul.

4. The Incarnation and Birth of Jesus Christ the Son of God ; also of his Suffering, Death, and Resurrection. 5. The six Points treating of the Three Worlds how they are in one another as one ; and yet make Three Principles, viz.. Three Births or Centres. 6. The Mysterium Magnum, which is an Interpretation upon Genesis. And in them he shall find all that he can ask, and that as deep as the Mind of Man is able to reach. I have written this for the true Israelites, that is, for the Hungry and Thirsty Hearts that long after the Fountain of Christ, who are my Fellow ^Members in the Spirit of Christ : But not for the Ishmaelitts and Scorners, for they have a Book within them, wherewith they vex, persecute, and suppress the Children of Christ that are under the Cross ; and yet, though it be unwillingly and unwittingly to themselves, they must be Servants to such Children of Christ.

Showing how Man should consider himself. CHRIST said, * Except ye turn and become as Children, * ye shall not see the Kingdom of God/ Again, he said to Nicodemus; ' Except a Man be born again, of 'Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the * Kingdom of God ; for that which is born of the Flesh * is Flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.' 2. Also the Scripture positively declareth, that * the Fleshly * natural Man receiveth not the Things of the Spirit of God, for * they are Foolishness unto him, neither can he know or conceive 3. Now seeing that all of us have Flesh and Blood and are mortal^ as we find by Experience, and yet the Scripture saith, that ' We are the Temples of the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in * us,' and that * the Kingdom of God is within us,' and that * Christ must be formed in us ;' also that * He will give us his * Flesh for Food, and his Blood for Drink :' And that, * Who- * soever shall not eat of the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink

* his Blood hath no Life in him.' Therefore we should seriously consider, what kind of Man in us it is, that is capable of being thus like the Deity, 4. For it cannot be said of the mortal Flesh that turneth to Earth again, and liveth in the Vanity of this Worlds and continually lusteth against GOD, that it is the Temple of the Holy Qhost; much less can it be said that the New Birth cometh to pass in this earthly Fleshy which dieth and putrifieth, and is a continual House of Sin. 5. Yet seeing that it remaineth certain, that a true Christian is bom of Christ, and that the New-Birth is the Temple of the Holy Qhost which dwelleth in us, and that the New Man only, that is born of Christ , partaketh of the Flesh and Blood of Christ; it appeareth that it is not so easy a Matter to be a Christian. 6. And that Christianity doth not consist in the mere knowing of the History y and applying the Knowledge thereof to ourselves, saying that * Christ died for us, and hath destroyed Death and * turned it into Life in us, and that He hath paid the Ransom for

* us, so that we need do nothing but comfort ourselves therewith, * and stedfastly believe that it is so.' 7. For we find of ourselves that Sin is living, lusting, strong, 64 T'he JVay to Qhrist. and powerfully working in the Flesh, and therefore it must be somewhat else, which doth not co-operate with Sin in the Fleshy nor Willeth it, that is the New-Birth in Christ 8. For St, Paul saith, * There is no Condemnation to them * that are in Christ Jesus/ And further, * Should we that are * Christians be yet Sinners ? God forbid, seeing we are dead to * Sin in Christ/ 9. Besides, the Man of Sin cannot be the * Temple of the * Holy Ghost / and yet * there is no Man that sinneth not, for ' God hath shut up all under Sin/ As the Scripture saith, * No * one living is righteous in thy Sight, if thou imputest his Sins ' to him. The righteous Man falleth seven Times a Day ;' and yet it cannot be meant that the righteous falleth and sinneth, but his mortal and sinful Man, For the righteousness of a Christian in Christ cannot Sin.

10. Moreover, 5/. P^a/ saith, *Our Conversation is in Heaven, ' from whence we expect our Saviour Jesus Christ/ Now, if our Conversation be in Heaven, then Heaven must be in us ; Christ dwelleth in Heaven, and then if we are his Temple^ that Temple Heaven must be in us. 11. But for all this, seeing Sin tempteth us within us, whereby the Devil hath within us an Access to us, therefore Hell also must be in us too, for the Devil dwelleth in Hell ; wheresoever he is, he is in Hell, and cannot come out of it. Yea, when he possesseth a Man, he dwelleth in Hell, viz., in the Anger of GoD in that Man. 12. Therefore we ought to consider well what Man is, and how he is a Man; and then we shall find that a true Christian is not a mere Historical New Man, as if it were enough for us outwardly to confess Christy and believe that he is the Son of Qody and hath paid the Ransom for us. For Righteousness availeth nothing, imputed from without, that is, by believing only that it is so imputed. But it is an inherent Righteousness bom in us, by which we become the Children of Qod, that availeth.

13. And as the earthly Flesh must die, so also the Life and Will must die from Sin, and be as a Child that knoweth nothing, but longeth only after the Mother which brought it forth. So likewise must the Will of a Christian enter again into its Mother, viz., into the Spirit of Christy and become a Child va itself in its 07vn Will and Power, having its Will and Desire inclined and directed only towards its Mother. And a New Will and Obedience in Righteousness, which Willeth Sin no more, must rise from Death out of the Spirit of Christ in him. 14. For that Will is not bom anew, which desireth and admitteth Vanity into itself; and yet there remaineth a Will which longeth after Vanity, and sinnetk, even in the New-born or Regenerate Man. Therefore the Image or Nature of Man should be well understood, and how the New-Birth cometh to pass ; seeing it is not wrought in the mortal Fleshy and yet is wrought truly and really in us, in Flesh and Bloody in Water and Spirity as the Scripture saith. 15. We should therefore rightly understand what Kind o{ Man it is in us, that is the Member of Christy and Temple of QodvAxo dwelleth in Heaven. And then also what Kind of Man it is, that the Devil ruleth and driveth ; for he cannot meddle with the Temple of Christy nor doth he care much for the mortal Flesh; and yet there are not three Men in one another, for all make but one Man.

16. Now if we will understand this rightly, we must consider Time and Eternity y and how they are in one another ; also Light and DarknesSy Qood and Evil ; but especially the Original of Many which may be thus apprehended. 17. The outward World with the Stars and four Elements, wherein Man and all Creatures live, neither is, nor is called Qod. Indeed Qod dwelleth /;/ it, but the Substance of the outward World comprehendeth him not. 18. We see also that the Light shineth in Darkness, and the Darkness comprehendeth not the Light, and yet they both dwell in one another. The four Elements are also an Example of this ; which in their Original are but one Element, which is neither hot nor cold, nor dry, nor moist, and yet by its stirring separateth itself into four Properties, viz,y into Fire, Airy Water ^ and Earth. 19. Who would believe that Fire produceth or generateth Water? And that the Original of -FzV^ could be in Watery \i we did not see it with our Eyes in Tempests of Thunder, Lightning, and Rain ; and did not find also, that in living Creatures, the essential Fire of the Body dwelleth in the Bloody and that the Blood is the Mother of the Fire, and the Fire is the Father of the Blood,

20. And as God dwelleth in the World, and filleth all Things, and yet possesseth nothing ; and as the Fire dwelleth in Watery and yet possesseth it not ; Also, as the Light dwelleth in Darkness, and yet possesseth not the Darkness ; as the Day is in the Night, and the Night in the Day, Time in Eternity, and Eternity in Time ; so is Man created according to the outward Humanity, he is the TimCy and in the Time, and the Time is the outward Worldy and it is also the outward Man. 21. The inward Man is Eternity and the Spiritual Time and Worlds which also consisteth of Light and Darkness y viz., of the Love of God, as to the eternal Light, and of the Anger of God 66 ^he JVay to Qhrist. as to the eternal Darkness ; whichsoever of these is manifest in him, his Spirit dwelleth in that, be it Darkness or Light. 22. For Z/^ A/ and Darkness ^xt. both in him, but each of them dwelleth in itself, and neither of them possesseth the other ; but if one of them entereth into the other, and will possess it, then that other loseth its Right and Power.

23. The passive loseth its Power ; for if the Light be made manifest in the Darkness ^ then the Darkness loseth its Darkness, and is not known or discerned. Also on the contrary, if the Darkness arise in the Light and get the Upper- hand, then the Light and the Power thereof are extinguished. This is to be observed also in Man, 24. The eternal Darkness of the Soul is Hell^ viz., an aching Source of Anguish, which is called the Anger of God ; but the eternal Light in the Soul is the Kingdom of Heaven, where the fiery Anguish of Darkness is changed '\w\.o foy, 25. For the same Nature ol Anguish, which in the Darkness is a Cause of Sadness, is in the Light a Cause of the outward and stirring /c?j/. For the Source or Original in Lights and the Source in Darkness are but one eternal Source^ and one Nature, and yet they, viz.y the Light and Darkness, have a mighty Difference in the Source ; the one dwelleth in the other and begetteth the other, and yet is not the other. The Fire \s painful and consuming, but the Light is yielding, friendly, powerful ^ and delightful, a sweet and amiable /^j'.

26. This may be found also in Man ; he is and liveth in three Worlds ; the First is the eternal dark World, viz., the Centre of the eternal Nature which produceth or generateth the-F/r^, viz,, the Source or Property of Anguish, 27. The second is the eternal light World, which begetteth the eternal foy, which is the Divine Habitation wherein the Spirit of Qod dwelleth, and wherein the Spirit of Christ receiveth the human Substance, and subdueth the Darkness, so that it must be a Cause oi foy in the Spirit of Christ in the Light. 28. The Third is the. outward visible World in the four Elements and the visible Stars ; though indeed every Element hath its peculiar Constellation in itself, whence ih^ Desire and Property arise, and is like a Mind, 29. Thus you may understand, that the Fire in the Light is a Fire of Love, a Desire of Meekness and Delightfulness ; but the Fire in the Darkness is a Fire of Anguish, and is painful, irksome, inimical and full of Contrariety in its Essence. The Fire of the Light hath a good Relish or Taste, but the Taste in the Essence of Darkness is unpleasant, loathsome and irksome. For all the Forms or Properties in the eternal Nature, till they reach j to Fire, are in great Anguish, \

How Man is created. HERE we are to consider the Creation of Man. Moses saith, * God created Man in His Image, in the Image * of God created He him.' This we understand to be both out of the eternal and temporal Birth ; out of the inward and spiritual World which he breathed into him, into the created Image ; and then out of the Substance ol>ih& inward spiritual World, which is Holy. 31. For as there is a Nature and Substance in Hd^ outward World ; so also in the inward spiritual World there is a Nature and Substance which is Spiritual; from which the outward World is breatfied forth, and produced out of Light and Darkness, and created to have a Beginning and Time. 32. And out of the Substance of the inward 3ind outward World Man was created ; out of and in the Likeness of the Birth of all Substances, The Body is a Limbus (an Extract or a kind oiSeed, which containeth all that which the Thing from whence it is taken hath) of the Earth, and also a Limbus of the Heavenly Substance ; for the Earth is breathed forth outspoken, or created out of the dark and light World. In the Word Fiat (or creating Word) viz., in the eternal Desire Man was taken out of the Earth, and so created an Image out of lime and Eternity.

33. This Image "^^lS in the inward ^.nd spiritual Element, {rom whence the four Elements proceed and are produced. In that one Element was Paradise; for the Properties of Nature from the Fire-dark-and'Hght' World were all in Harmony and Agreement in Number, Weight, and Measure. One of them was not manifested more eminently than another, therefore was there no Frailty therein. For no one Property was predominant over another, neither was there any Strife or Contrariety among the Powers and Properties. 34. Into this created Image GCD breathed the Spirit and Breath of Understanding out of the three Worlds, as one only Soul, which, as to its Original Principle or Essence, is, or consisteth in, the inward dark Fire- World of the eternal spiritual Nature; according to which GOD calleth \iva\se\l ^ strong jealous God, and a consuming Fire. 35. And this now is the eternal Creaturely great Soul, a Magical Breath of Fire^ in which Fire consisteth the Original of Life, from the great Power of variation. Gqd'S Anger, or the - ' -.11 - - -— ^ — .1 ■ ■ ■_ I , , ^ 68 The Way to Qhrist. eternal Darkness^ is in this Property ^ so far as Fire reacheth without giving Light.

36. The second Property of the Breath of GOD is the Spirit of the Source of Light, proceeding from the great fiery Desire of Love^ from the great Meekness; according to which GOD calleth himself a loving, merciful GOD ; in which consisteth the true Spirit of Understanding, and ol Life in Power. 37. For as Light shineth from Pozver^ and as the Power of Understanding is discerned in the Lights so the Breath of the Light was joined to the Breath of the Fire of God, and breathed into the Image of Man. 38. The third Property of the Breath of GOD was the outward Air with its Constellation or A strum, wherein the Life and Constellation of the outward Substance and Body did consist. This he breathed into his Nostrils ; and as Time and Eternity hang together, and as Time is produced out of Eternity, so the inward Breath of GOD hung to the outward. 39. This three-fold Soul was at once breathed into Man ; and each Substance of the Body received the Spirit according to its Property, The outward Flesh received the outward Air and its Constellations^ for a rational and vegetative Life, to the Manifestation of the Wonders of GOD ; and the Light Body or Heavenly Substance received the Breath of the Light of the great Divine Powers and Virtues ; which Breath is called the Holy Qhost.

40. Thus the Light pierced through the Darkness, viz., throuL;h the dark Breath of Fire, and also through the Breath of the outward Air and its Constellation or Astrum, and so deprived all the Properties of their Power, that neither the Anguish of the Breath of Fire in the inward Property of the Soul, nor Heat nor Cold, nor any of all the Properties of the outward Constellation, might or could be manifested, 41. The Properties of all the three Worlds in Soul and Body were in equal Agreement, Temperature, and Weight. That which was inward ^x\A Holy ruled through and over the outward, that is, the outward Parts of the outward Life, of the outward Stars or Constellations and the four Elements ; and that original and universal Power of the inward over the outward constituted the Holy Paradise, 42. And thus Man was both in Heaven and also in the outward Worlds and was Lord over all the Creatures of this World. Nothing could destroy him. 43. For such was the Earth also, until the Curse of GOD broke forth. The Holy Property of the Spiritual World sprung up through the Earth, and brought forth Holy Paradisaical *■ .1 - ■ ■ ^' ■■—■■■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ ■»— - , ,1, ■ ■! ^

FruitSy which Man could then ^^/ in a Magical Paradisaical Manner. 44. And had neither need of Teeth^ nor Entrails in his Body. For as the Light swalloweth up Darkness, and as the Fire devoureth Water, and yet is not filled therewith, just such a Centre Man also had for his Mouth to eat withal, according to the Manner of Eternity. 45. And he could also generate his like out of himself without any dividing or opening of his Body and Spirit, in such a Manner as GOD generated the outward World; Who did not divide himself; but did in his Desire, viz., in the Word Fiat^ manifest himself, and brought that same Desire into a Figure according to the eternal Spiritual Birth, So also Man was created an Image and Likeness of GOD in that respect, according to Time and Eternity, out of both Time and Eternity , yet in and for an immortal Life which was without Enmity or Contrariety. 46. But the Devil having himself been a Prince and Hierarch in the Place of this World, and cast out for his Pride into the dark^ anguishing, painful and hostile Property and Source, into the Wrath of God, envied Man the Glory of being created in and for the Spiritual World, the Place which he himself once possessed ; and therefore brought his Imagination or Desire into the Image of Man, and made it so lusting, that the dark World, and also the outward World arose in Man, and departed from the equal Agreement and Temperature wherein they stood, and so one predominated over the other.

47. And then the Properties were each of them separately made manifest in itself, and each of them lusted after that which was like itself. That which was out of the Birth of the dark World, and also that which was out of the Birth of the light World, would each of them eat of the Limbus of the Earth, according to its Hunger ; and so Evil and ^^^<^ became manifest in Adam, 48. And when the Hunger of the Properties went into the Earth, from whence the Properties of the Body were extracted, then the Fiat drew such a Branch out of the Earth, as the Properties could eat of in their awakened Vanity ; for this was possible. 49. For the Spirit of the strong and great Magical Power of Time and Eternity was in Adam, from which the Earth with its Properties was breathed forth ; and so the Fiat, viz., the strong Desire of the eternal Nature, attracted the Essence of the Earth. And thus GOD let the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil grow for Adam, according to his awakened Properties ; for the great Power of the Soul and of the Body caused it.

yo I'he Way to Qhrist, 50. And then Man must be tried, whether he would stand and subsist in his own Powers, before the Tempter the Devils and before the Wrath of the eternal Nature ; and whether the Soul would continue in the equal Agreement of the Properties in true Resignation under GOD*S Spirit^ as an Instrument of God's Harmony, a tuned Instrument of Divine Joy fulness for the Spirit of God to strike upon. This was tried by that Tree^ and this severe Commandment was added, ' Thou shalt not eat ' thereof, for on that Day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt 51. But it being known to GOD that Man would not stand, and that he had already imagined and lusted after Qood and Evily God said, * It is not good for Man to be alone, we will * make him an Help-meet for him.' 52. For God saw that Adam could not then generate Magically, having entered with his Lust into Vanity. Now therefore Moses saith, * God caused a deep Sleep to fall upon him, and he slept;* that is, seeing Man would not continue in the Obedience of the Divine Harmony in the Properties, submitting himself to stand still as an Instrument of the Spirit of GOD; therefore GOD suffered him to fall from the Divine Harmony into an Harmony of his own, viz.^ into the awakened Properties of Evil ^.nd Qood ; the Spirit of his Soul went into these.

53. And there in this Sleep he died from the Angelical World, and fell under the Power of the outward Fiat, and thus bade farewell to the eternal Image which was of God's begetting. Here his Angelical Form and Power fell into a Swoon and lay on the Ground. 54. And then by the Fiat GoD made the Woman out of him, out of the Matrix of Venus^ viz., out of that Property wherein Adam had the Begettress in himself; and so out of one Body he made two^ and divided the Properties of the Tinctures, viz., the watery and fiery Constellations in the Element ; yet not wholly in Substance but in the Spirit, viz., the Properties of the Watery and Fiery Soul. 55. And yet it is but one Thing still, only the Property of the Tincture was divided ; the Desire of Self Love was taken out of Adam, and formed into a Woman according to his Likeness. And thence it is that Man now so eagerly desireth the Matrix of the Woman, and the Woman desireth the Limbus of the Man, viz., the Fire-Element, the Original of the true Soul, by which is meant the Tincture of Fire; for these two were one in Adam, and therein consisted the Magical Begetting.

56. And as soon as Eve was made out of Adam in his Sleep, both Adam and Eve were at that Instant set and constituted in ■ ^ I ■ I ■ ■ — ^^— ■■■■ - ■ —.I - M»- ■ — -. — ■■ ■■■■ ■■ ,,.-——■■ .11 ■■■■ »■ I ■» ^ ^. I ^■, 1^ the outward natural Life^ having the Members given them for Propagation, after the manner of the Brute Animals, and also the Fleshly Carcase, into which they might put their gross Earthliness, and live like Beasts. 57. Of which the poor Soul that is captivated in Vanity is at this Day ashamed; and sorry that its Body hath gotten such a Bestial monstrous Shape. Nothing can be clearer than this. For it is because Mankind are ashamed of their Members and Nakedness, that they borrow their Clothing from the earthly Creatures, For this they would not have done, had they not lost the Angelical Form, and assumed that of a Beast. 58. This borrowed Clothing, together with the awakened EarthlinesSy and Subjection to the Powers of Heat and Cold, is a plain and full Proof to Man, that he is not truly at Home in this World. For all Earthly Appetites^ Cares^ and Fears, together with this false Clothings must perish and be severed from the Soul again.

59. Now when Adam awoke from Sleep, he beheld his Wife^ and knew that she came out of him ; for he had not yet eaten of Vanity with his outward Mouth, but with the Imagination, Desire, and Lust only. 60. And it was the first Desire of Eve, that she might eat of the Tree of Vanity^ of Evil and Qood, to which the Devil in the Form of a Serpent persuaded her, saying, ' That her Eyes should * be opened, and she should be as God himself ;' which was both a Lie and a Truth, 61. But He told her not, that she should lose the Divine Light and Power thereby ; He only said, 'her Eyes should be opened, *that she might taste, prove, and know Evil and Good, as He * had done/ Neither did He tell her that Heat and Cold would awake in her, and that the Property of the outward Constellations would have great Power over the Flesh and over the Mind. 62. His only Aim was that the Angelical Image, viz., the Substance which came from the inward Spiritual World, might disappear in them. For then they would be constrained to live in Subjection to the gross Earthliness, and the Constellations or Stars; and then he knew well enough that when the outward World perished, the Soul would be with him in Darkness. For he saw that the Body must die, when. he perceived by that which God had intimated ; and so he expected still to be Lord to ail Eternity in the Place of this Worlds in his false Shape which he had gotten ; and therefore he seduced Man.

63. For when Adam and Eve were eating the Fruity Evil, and Good^ into the Body, then the Imagination of the Body received Vanity in the Fruity and then Vanity awaked in the Flesh, and the dark World got the Upper hand and Dominion in the Vanity 7 a I'he TV ay to Qhrist. of the Eartkliness ; upon which the fair Image of Heaven, that proceeded out of the Heavenly Divine World, instantly disappeared. 64. Here Adam and Eve died to the Kingdom of Heaven ^ and awaked to the outward World, and then the fair Soul as it stood in the Love of GOD, disappeared as to the holy Power, Virtue, and Property ; and instead thereof, the wrathful Anger, viz,, the dark Fire World, awoke in it, and so the Soul became in one Part, viz., in the inward Nature, a half Devil, and in the outward Part as related to the outward World, a Beast 65. Here are the Bounds of Death and the Gates of Hell, for \ which Cause Qod became Man, that he might destroy Death, defeat the Devil's Purpose, and change Hell into great Love again. 66. Let this be told you, Ye Children of Men ; it is told you in the Sound of a Trumpet, that you should instantly go forth from the abominable Vanity, for the Fire thereof burneth.

Of the lamentable Fall of Man y and of the Means of NOW when Adam and Eve fell into this Vanity, then the Wrath of Nature awoke in each Property, and in or through the Desire impressed the Vanity of the Earthliness and Wrath of Qod into itself. 68. And then the Flesh became gross and rough, as the Flesh of a Beast, and the Soul was captivated in the Essence therewith, and saw that its Body was become a Beast, and had gotten the Bestial Members for Multiplication, and the filthy Carcase into which the Desire would stuff the Loathsomeness which it was ashamed of in the Presence of GoD ; and therefore Adam and Eve hid themselves under the Trees of the Garden of Eden, Heat and Cold also seized on them. 69. And here the Heaven in Man trembled for Horror ; as the Earth quaked va Wrath, when this Anger was destroyed on the Cross by the sweet Love of GOD ; there the Anger trembled before the sweet Love of GOD. 70. And for this Vanity's Sake which was thus awakened in Man, God cursed the Earth ; lest the holy Element should spring or shine forth any more through the outward Fruit, and bring forth Paradisaical Fruit. For there was then no Creature that

could have enjoyed it ; neither was the earthly Man worthy of it any more. 71. God would not cast \ki^ precious Pearls before Beasts ; an ungodly Man in his Body being but a mere gross Bestial Creature ; and though it be of a noble Essence^ yet it is wholly poisoned and loathsome in the Sight of GOD. 72. Now when GOD saw that his fair Image was spoiled, he manifested himself to fallen Adam and Eve and had Pity on them, and promised himself to them for an everlasting Possession, and that with his great Love in the received Humanity he wouW destroy the Power of the Serpentine Property^ viz., of the Vanity in the Wrath of Qod awakened in them. And this was the Breaking of the Head of the Serpent which he would perform, viz,^ he would destroy the dark Deaths and subdue the Anger with his great Love, 73. And this Covenant of his Incarnation which was to come, he put into the Light of Life ; to which Covenant the fewish Sacrifices pointed as to a Mark or Limit, to which GoD had promised himself with his Love; for the Faith of the fews entered into the Sacrifices and Offerings^ and God's Imagination entered into the Covenant.

74. And the Offering was a Figure of the Restitution of that which Adam hath losty and so GOD did expiate his Anger in the human Property^ through the Offering in the Limit of the Covenant. 75. In which Covenant the most holy sweet Name fesus, proceeding out of the holy Name and great Power fehovah^ had incorporated itself ; so that he would again move and manifest himself in the Substance of the Heavenly World which disappeared in Adam, and kindle the holy Divine Life therein again. ^6. This Mark or Limit of the Covenant was propagated from Adam and his Children, from Man to Man, and did go through from one upon all ; as Sin also and the awakened Vanity did go through from one upon all. ^T, And it stood in the Promise of the Covenant at the End^ in the Root of David in the Virgin Mary, who was, in the inward Kingdom of the hidden Humanity, {viz,, of the Essentiality that disappeared as to the Kingdom of GOD) the Daughter of God's Covenant, but in the outward according to the natural Humanity, she was begotten by her true bodily Father foachim and her true Mother Anna, out of the Essences and Substance of their Souls and Bodies, like all other Children of Adam; a true Daughter of Eve.

78. In this Mary from the Virgin {viz., the Wisdom of God) in th^ promised Limit of the Covenant, of which all the Prophets 74 T'k^ Way to Qhrist, have prophesied. — The Eternal Speaking Word^ which created all Things, did in the Fulness of Time move itself in the Name JesuSy according to its highest and deepest Love and Humility, and bring again living, Divine, and Heavenly Substantiality into the Humanity of the heavenly Part^ which disappeared in Adam^ and from which he died in Paradise, into the Seed of Mary, into the Tincture of Love, into that Property wherein Adam should have propagated himself in a Magical and Heavenly Manner, into the true Seed of the Woman, of Heavenly Substantiality y which disappeared in Paradise, 79. And when the Divine Light in the Heavenly Essence was extinguished, the Word of GOD, viz., the Divine Power of the Understanding, did bring in Heavenly and living Substantiality ^ and awakened the disappeared Substantiality in the Seed of Mary ^ and brought it to Life. 80. And so now GOD's Substance, wherein He dwelleth and worketh, and the disappeared Substance of Man, are become one Person ; for the Holy Divine Substantiality did anoint the disappeared ; therefore that Person is called Christus^ the Anointed of God.

81. And this is the dry Rod of Aaron, which blossomed and bare Almonds, and the true High Priest; and it is that Humanity of which Christ spake, saying that, * He was come from Heaven ' and was in Heaven/ and that * no man could ascend into Heaven * but the Son of Man which is come from Heaven, and is in 82. Now when he saith, * He is come from Heaven/ it is meant of the Heavenly Substance, the Heavenly Corporeality ; for the Power and Virtue of GOD needeth no coining any whither, for it is everywhere altogether immeasurable and undivided. But Substance needeth coming ; the Power or Virtue needeth to move itself, and manifest itself in Substance, 83. And that Substance entered into the human Substance, and received it ; not that Part only of Heavenly Substantiality, which disappeared in Adam, but the wlwle human Essence in Soul and Flesh, according to all the three Worlds. 84. But He hath not received, or taken upon Himself, the awakened or impressed Vanity, which the Devil, by his Imagination, brought into the Flesh, by which the Flesh did commit Sin. Though He hath indeed taken upon Him the awakened Forms of Life, as they were gone forth from their equal Agreement, each of them into its own Desire.

85. For therein lay our Infirmity, and the Death, which He was to drown with his Heavenly holy Blood, Herein He took upon himself all our Sins and Infirmities, also Death and Hell in the Wrath of GoD, and destroyed their Power in the human Properties. 86. The Wrath of GOD was the Hell into which the Spirit of Christ went, when He had shed that heavenly Blood into our outward human Blood, and tinctured it with the Love ; therebychanging that Hell of the human Property into Heaven, and reducing the human Properties into equal Agreement, into the Heavenly Harmony.

How we are born aneWy and how we may fall into God^s NOW here we may rightly understand what our NewBirth, or Regeneration, is ; and how we may become, and continue to be, the Temple of Qod; though in this lifetime, according to the outward Humanity ^ we are sinful mortal Men. 88. Christ in the human Essence hath broken up and opened the Qates of our inward Heavenly Humanity, which was shut up in Adam. So that nothing is now wanting, but that the Soul draw its Will out from the Vanity of the corrupted Flesh, and bring it into this open Qate in the Spirit of Christ, 89. Qreat and strong Earnestness is required here; and not only a learning and knowings but a real Hunger and Thirst after the Spirit of Christ, For to know only, is not Faith ; but an Hunger and Thirst after that which I want, so that I draw it in thereby to myself, and lay hold on it with the Desire and Imagination^ and, make it my own ; this is the Truth and Essence of a Christian's Faith. 90. The Will must go forth from the Vanity of the Flesh, and willingly yield itself up to the Suffering and Death of Christ, and to all the Reproach of Vanity, which derideth it because it goeth fortli from its own House wherein it was born, and regardeth Vanity no more, but merely desireth the Love of GoD in Christ

91. In such a Hunger and Desire the Will receiveth and impresseth into itself the Spirit of Christ with his Heavenly Corporeality ; that is, the Soul in its great Hunger and Desire taketh hold of, and draweth the Body of Christy viz,, the Heavenly Substantiality, into its disappeared Image, within which the Word of the Power of GOD is the Working. ^ . — -— ^ — I — ■ ■ - ■' — — — ■ — • 1 ■ — -^ — — • y6 T'he JVay to Qhrist. 92. The Hunger of the Soul bringeth its Desire quite through Wit bruised Property oi its Humanity in the Heavenly Part, which disappeared in Adam ; which Humanity, the sweet Fire of Love in the Death of Christ 6\di bruise^ when the Death of that Heavenly Humanity was destroyed. 93. And so the Hunger of the Soul received into it, into its disappeared Corporeality^ through the Desire^ the holy Heavenly Substance^ viz., Christ's Heavenly Corporeality, which filleth the Father all over, and is nigh unto all, and through all Things ; and through that the disappeared Heavenly Body riseth in the Power of God, in the sweet Name Jesus.

94. And this raised Heavenly Spiritual Body is the'Member of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Qhost, a true Mansion of the Holy Trinity according to Christ s Promise, saying, *We will * come to you, and make our Abode in you.' 95. The Essence of that Life eateth the Flesh of Christ, and drinketh his Blood, For the Spirit of Christ, viz,, the Word, which made itself visible with the Humanity o{ Christ out of and in our disappeared Humanity, through the outward Man of the Substance of this World, swalloweth its holy Substance into its fiery ; for every Spirit eateth of its own Body. g6. Now if the Soul eat of this sweet, holy, and Heavenly Food, then it kindleth itself with the great Love in the Name and Power of Jesus ; whence its Fire of Anguish becometh a great Triumph oi Joy and Qlory, and the true Sun ariseth to it, wherein it is born to another Will, 97. And here cometh to pass the Wedding of the Lamb, which we heartily wish that the Titular and Lip-Christians might once find by Experience in themselves, and so pass from the History into the Substance,

98. But the Soul obtaineth not this Pearl of the Divine Wisdam and Virtue for its own Property during the Time of this Life; because it hath the outward Bestial Flesh sticking to its outward Man. 99. The Power of which Pearl of Divine Wisdom espouseth itself in this Wedding of the Lamb, and sinketh itself down into the Heavenly Image, viz,, into the Substance of the Heavenly Man, who is the Temple of Christ ; and not into the Fire-breath oi the Soul, which is yet, during this whole lifetime, fast bound to the outward Kingdom, to the Bond of Vanity, with the Breath of the Air, and is in great Danger. 100. It darteth its Beams of Love indeed very often into the Soul, whereby the Soul receiveth Light ; but the Spirit of Christ yieldeth not itself up to the Fire-breath in this Life's Time, but to the Breath of Light only which was extinguished in Adam^ in which the Temple of Christ is, for that is the true and holy Heaven, loi. Understand aright now, what the New-Birth or Regeneration IS, and how it cometh to pass, as followeth. The outward earthly mortal Man is not bom anew in this Life's Time, that is, neither the outward Fleshy nor the outward Part of the Soul. They continue both of them in the Vanity of their Wills which awoke in Adam, They love their M other y in whose Body they h*ve, viii,^ the Dominion of this outward World ; and therein the Birth of Sin is manifest.

102. The outward Man in Soul and Flesh, (we mean the outward Part of the Soul) hath no Divine Will, neither doth he understand any Thing of GOD, as the Scripture saith, * The natural * Man perceiveth not the Things of the Spirit of GOD,' &c, 103. But the Fire-breath of the inward World, if it be once enlightened, understandeth it ; it hath a great Longing, Sighing, Hunger^ and Thirst after the sweet Fountaiii of Christ ; it refresheth itself by Hungering dLi\d Desiring, (which is the true Faith in) the sweet Fountain of Christ from his Nezu Body, from the Heavenly Substantiality, as a hungry Branch in the Vine ChHst, 104. And the Reason why the Jf^r^ Soul cannot attain to Per* fection during this Lifetime, is because it is fast bound with the outward Bond of Vanity, through which the Z^^z///continualiy casteth his venomous Rays of Influence upon it, and so sifteth it, that it often biteth at his Bait, and poisoneth itself. From whence Misery and Anguish arise, so that the Noble Sophia hideth herself in the Fountain of Christy in the Heavenly Humanity ; for she cannot draw near to Vanity. 105. For she knew how it went with her in Adam, when she lost her Pearl, which is of Grace freely bestowed again upon the inward Humanity ; therefore she is called Sophia, viz,, the Bride of Christ.

106. Here she faithfully calleth to her Bridegroom the fiery Soul, and exhorteth him to Repentance, and to the unburdening of himself, or going forth from the Abomination of Vanity, 107. And now War assaulteth the whole Man. The outward Fleshly Man fighteth against the inward Spiritual Man, and the Spiritual against the Fleshly ; and so Man is in continual Warfare and Strife, full of Trouble, Misery, Anguish, and Care. 108. The inward Spirit saith to the fiery Soul : my Soul! O my Love I Turn I beseech thee and go forth from Vanity, or else thou loseth my Love and the noble Pearl, 109. Then saith the outward Reason, viz., the Bestial Soul ; *Thou art foolish; wilt thou be a Laughing-Stock, and the 78 "The Way to Qhrist. * Scorn of the World ? Thou needest the outward World to ' maintain this Life. Beauty, Power, and Glory are thy proper ' Happiness ; wherein only thou canst rejoice and take Delight. *Why wilt thou cast thyself into Anguish, Misery, and Re- * proach ? Take thy Pleasure, which will do both thy Flesh and * thy Mind good.' 110. With such Filth the true Man is often defiled; that is, the outward Man defileth himself, as a Sow in the Mire, and obscureth his noble Pearl. For the more vain the outward Man groweth, the more dark the inward Man cometh to be, until at length it disappeareth altogether.

111. And then the fair Paradisaical Tree is gone, and it will be very hard to recover it again. For when the outward Lights viz., the outward Soul is once enlightened, so that the outward Light of Reason is kindled by the inward Light ; then the outward Soul commonly useth to turn Hypocrite, and esteem itself Divine y even though the Pearlhe, gone ; which lamentable Error sticketh hard to many a Man. 112. And thus it comes to pass that the Tree of Pearl in the Qarden of Christ is often spoiled ; concerning which the Scripture maketh a hard Knot or Conclusion, viz,. That those who have once tasted the Sweetness of the World to come, and fall away from it again, shall hardly see the Kingdom of Qod 113. And though it cannot be denied, but that the Qates of Qrace still stand open, yet the false and dazzling Light of the outward Reason of the Soul so deceiveth and hindereth such Men, that they suppose they have the Pearl, while they yet live to the Vanity of this World, and dance with the Devil after his Pipe.

How a Man may call himself a Christ tan y and how not. HERE therefore a Christian should consider why he calleth himself a Christian^^XiA examine truly whether he be one or not. For surely my learning to know and confess that I am a Sinner ^ and that Christ hath destroyed my Sins on the Cross ^ and shed His Blood for me, doth not make me a Christian. 115. The Inheritance belongeth only to the Children, A Maid Servant in a House knoweth well enough what the Mistress would have to be done, and yet that maketh her not the Heiress of her Mistress' Goods. The very Devils know that there is a God, yet that doth not change them into Angeh again. But if the Maid Servant in the House shall be married to the Son of her Mistress, then she may come to inherit her Mistress* Goods And so it is to be understood also in the Matter of being a Christian, 116. The Children of the History ^x^ not the Heirs of the Goods of Christ, but the legitimate Children, regenerated by the Spirit of Christ are the only true Heirs. For GOD said to Abraham, Cast out the Son of the Bondwoman, he shall not inherit with the Son of the Free, For he was a Scorner, and but an Historical Son of the Faith and Spirit of Abraham ; and so long as he continued such a one, he was not a true Inlieritorol the Faith of Abraham, and therefore GOD commanded he should be cast out from inheriting his Goods ; which was a Type of the Christendom which was to come.

117. For the Promise of Christendom was made to Abraham; therefore the Type was then also set forth by two Brethren, Iscuic and Ishmael, in order to show how Christendom would behave Itself, and that two Sorts of Men would be in it, viz., true Christians and Lip Christians, Which latter under the Title oi Christianity would be but mockers, as Ishmael was and Esau, who also was a Type of the outward Adam^ as Jacob was a Type of Christ, and His true Christendom, 118. Thus every one who will call himself a Christian, must cc^t out from himself the Son of the Bond- Woman, that is, the earthly Will, and be ever-more killing and destroying it, and not settle it in the Inheritance, 119. Nor give the Pearl to the Bestial Man, for him to sport himself with in the outward Light, in the Lust of the Flesh ; but we must with our Father Abraham being the Son of the right Will to Mount Moriah, and be ready in Obedience to GOD to offer it up, ever in Will dying from Sin in the Death of Christy giving no Place to the Beast ^ Vanity in the Kingdom of Christ, nor suffering it to grow wanton, proud, covetous, envious, and malicious. For all these are the Properties of Ishmael the Son of the Bond' Woman, whom Adam begat in his Vanity on the wanton Whore the false Bond- Woman, by the Devil's Imagination, out of the earthly Property in Flesh and Blood,

120. This Mocker and Titular Christian is the Son of the false Bond- Woman, and must be cast out; for he shall not possess the Inheritance of Christ in the Kingdom of GOD. He is not fit, he is but Babel, a Confusion of that one Language into many Lan» guages. He is but a Talker and a Wrangler about the Inheritance; he means to get it to himself by Talking and Wrangling,hy the Hypocrisy of his Lips and seeming Holiness, although he is 8o I'he Way to Qhrist. no better than a blood-thirsty Murderer ol his brother Abel, who is the right Heir. 121. Therefore we say what we know^ that he that will call himself a true Christian must try himself, and find what Kind of Properties drive and rule him, whether the Spirit of Christ moveth him to Truth and Righteousness, and to the Love of his Neighbour, so that he would willingly do what is right, if he knew but how. 122. Now if he find that he hath a real Hunger after such Virtue, then he may justly think that he is drawn. And then he must begin to practise accordingly, and not be content with a Will only, without Doing. The drawing of the Father to Christ consisteth in the Will, but the true Life consisteth in the Doing; for the right Spirit doeth that which is right.

123. But if there be the Will to do, and yet the Doing followeih not, then the true Man is still shut up in vain Lust, which suppresseth the Doing. And therefore such a one is but an Hypocrite3ind an Ishmaelite ; he speaketh one Thing and doth another, and witnesseth thereby that his Mouth is a Liar ; for he himself doth not that which he teacheth, and consequently only serveth the Bestial Man in Vanity. 124. For he that will say, I have a Will, and would willingly do good, but the earthly Flesh, which I carry about me, keepeth ine back, so that I cannot ; yet I shall be saved by Qrace, for the Merits of Christ. I comfort myself with His Merit and Sufferings ; ivho will receive me of mere Qrace, without any Merits of my own, and forgive me my Sins. Such a one I say, is like a Man that knoweth what Food is good for his Health, yet will not eat of it, but eateth Poison instead thereof, from whence Sickness and Death will certainly follow. 125. For what good doth it to the Soul to know the Way to Qod, if it will not walk therein, but go on in a contrary Path ? What good will it do the Soul to comfort itself with the Filiation of Christ, with His Passion and Death, and so flatter itself with the Hopes of getting the Patrimony thereby, if it will not enter into the Filial Birth, that it may be a true Child, born out of the Spirit of Christ, out of His Suffering, Death and Resurrection ? Surely, the Trickling and Flattering itself with Christ's Merits, without the true innate Childship, is Falsehood and a Lie, whosoever he be that teacheth it.

126. lihis Comfort belongeth only to th% penitent Sinner, who ^striveth against Sin and the Anger oi GoD. When Temptations cohie, and the Devil assaulteth such a poor repentant Soul, then it must wholly wrap itself up in the Merits and Death of Christ, as its sole Armour of Defence. 127. Christ alone indeed hath merited Redemption for us; but not in such a Way as that for His own proper Merit* s Sake, He will freely grant us His Childship by an outward Adoption only, and so receive us for his Children^ when we are none. No. He himself \s the Merits He is the open Qate that leadeth through Death; and through that Qate we must enter. He receiveth no Beast into his Merits but those only that tum^ and become as Children. Those Children that thus come to Him are His Reward^ which he hath merited, 128. For thus he said, * Father, the Men were thine and thou * hast given them to me/ [as my Reward] * and I will give them * eternal Life/ But the Life of Christ will be given to none, unless they come to Him in His Spirit y into His Humanity^ Sufferings y and Merits and therein be bom true Children of the Merit.

129. We must be bom of His Merits and put on the Merit of Christ in his Passion and Death; not outwardly with verbal Flattery only, and bare comforting of ourselves therewith, while we still remain Aliens and strange Children, of a strange Essence or Nature. No, the strange Essence inheriteth not the Childship^ but the innate Essence inheriteth it. 130. This innate Essence is not of this Worlds but in Heaven^ of which St. Paul speaketh saying. Our Conversation is in Heaven. The filial Essence walketh in Heaven^ and Heaven is in Man. 131. But if Heaven in Man be not open^ and the Man stand without Heaven flattering himself, and say, / am. still without^ but Christ will take me in through his Qrace ; is not his Merit mine ? Such a one is in Vanity and Sin with the outward Man^ and with the Soul in Hell^ viz., in the Anger of GOD. 132. Therefore learn to understand rightly what Christ hath taught us, and done for us. He is our Heaven ; He must get a Form in us, or else we shall not be in Heaven. Thus then the Soul's inward Man^ with the Holy Body of Christ, viz., in the New Birth, is in Heaven^ and the outward mortal Man is in the World, of which Christ spake, saying, *My Sheep are in my 'Hand, and none shall pluck them away; the Father who

Of the Right and of the Wrong going to Churchy receiving the Sacrament Sy and Absolution. BELOVED Brethren, we will teach you faithfully^ not with flattering Lips to please the Antichrist, but from our Pearl, the Virtue, Power, and Spirit of Christ in us, from a Christian Essence and Knowledge ; not from the Husk and History, but from a New-bom Spirit, from Christ s Knowledge, as a Branch growing on the Vine Christ; from the Measure of that Knowledge '^\x\iAi is opened in us, according to the Will and Counsel of GoD. 134. Men tie us in these Days to the History, and to the material Churches of Stone ; which Churches are indeed good in their Kind, if Men did also bring the temple of Christ into them. They teach moreover that their Absolution is a Forgiving of Sins ^ and that the Supper of tJie Z^r^^taketh away Sin : Also that the Spirit of Qod cometh into Men through their Ministry. All which hath a proper Meaning, if it was rightly understood ; and if Men did not cleave merely to the Husk. 135. Many a Man goeth to Church twenty or thirty Years, heareth Sermons, receiveth the Sacraments, and heareth Absolu^ tion read or declared, and yet is as much a Beast of the Devil and Vanity at the last as at the first. A Beast goeth into the Church, and to the Supper, and a Beast cometh out from thence again.

136. How will he eat that hath no Mouth? can any Man eat that Food which is so shut up that he cannot get it ? How will he drink that can come at no Water ? Or how will he hear that hath no Hearing? 137. What good End doth it answer, for me to go to the material Churches of Stone, and there fill my Ears with empty Breath? Or to go to the Supper, and feed nothing but the earthly Mouth, which is mortal and corruptible ? Cannot I feed and satisfy that with a Piece of Bread at Home ? What good doth it to the Soul, which is an immortal Life, to have the Bestial Man observe the Form^ and venerate the Shell, of Christ s Institution, if it cannot obtain the Kernel thereof? For St. Paul saith of the Supper, — * You receive it to Condemnation, * because ye discern not the Lord's Body.' 138. The Covenant stands firm, and is stirred in the Use of the Institution. Christ proffereth His Spirit to us in His Word (viz., in His preached Word) and his Body and Blood in the Sacrament y and His Absolution in a Brotherly Reconciliation one to another.

139. But what good doth it to a Beast to stand and h'sten, who hath no Hearing to receive the inward living Word, nor any Qround wherein to lay the Word^ that it may bring forth Fruit ? Of such Christ saith, * The Devil plucketh the Word * out of their Hearts, lest they should believe and be saved/ But how can he do so ? Because the Word findeth no Place in the Hearing Mind to take Root in. 140. And thus it is with Absolution also : what Benefit is it to me for one to say, I pronounce or declare to thee the Forgiveness of thy Sins, when my Soul is wholly shut up in Sin ? Whosoever saith thus to a Sinner so shut upy erreth ; and he that receiveth it without the Voice of God within himself confirming the same, deceiveth himself. None can forgive Sins but Qod only. 141. The Preacher hath not Forgiveness of Sins in his own Power; but it is the Spirit of Christ in the Voice of the Priest that hath the Power, provided the Priest himself is a Christian. 142. What good did it to those that heard Christ Himself teaching on Earth, when he said, * Come unto me all ye that are

* weary and heavy laden, and I will give you Rest *? What good did this blessed Promise to those that heard it, if they laboured not, nor were heavy laden ? What became of the Refreshment or Rest then ? Seeing they had dead Ears, and heard only the outward Christ, and not the Word of the Divine Power, certainly they were not refreshed. Just so much good the Bestial Man hath of his Absolution and Sacraments. 143. The Covenant is open in the Sacraments ; and in the Offi^ce or Ministry of teaching also the Covenant is stirred ; the Soul doth receive it, but in that Property only of which the Mouth of the Soul is. 144. That is, the outward Beast receiveth Bread and Wine, which it may have as well at Home. And the^r;' Soul receiveth the Testament according to its Property, viz,, in the Anger of God it receiveth the Stibstance of the eternal World, but according to the Property of the dark World; it receiveth therefore, as the Scripture saith, to its own fudpnent or Condemnation, For as the Mouth is, so is the Food which is taken in by the Mouth. And after this Manner also it is, that the Wicked shall behold Christ at the last fudgment as a severe fudge ; but the Saints shall behold Him as a loving Immanuel.

145. God's Anger standeth open in his Testaments towards the Wicked; but towards the Saints the Heavenly Loving KindnesSy and in it the Power of Christ in the Holy Name fesus^ -^ M- 1 1 Ml 1- M^ ^ - ^r^r ■ I M— ■ ■- -m-i ■ ■ - - ■ - _ 11 * standeth open. What good then doth the Holy Thing do to the Wickedy who cannot enjoy it? Or what is it there, that can take away his SinSy when his Sin is only stirred and made manifest thereby ? 146. The Sacraments do not take away Sin ; neither are Sins forgiven thereby. But it is thus: When Christ ariseth, then Adam dieth in the Essence ol the Serpent; as when the Sun riseth, the Night is swallowed up in the Day, and the Night is no more : Just so are Sins forgiven. 147. The Spirit of Christ eateth of his Holy Substance ^ the inward Man is the Receiver of the Holy Substance ; he receiveth what the Spirit of Christ bringeth into him, viz.^ the Temple of God, Christ s Flesh and Blood. But what doth this concern a Beast? Or what doth it concern the Devils? Or the Soul that is in the Anger of GOD ? These eat of the Heavenly Bloody that is in the Heaven wherein they xlwell, which is the Abyss^ or Bottomless Pit.

148. And thus it is also in the Office or Ministry of Preaching : The Ungodly Man heareth what the outward Soul of the outward World preacheth ; that He receiveth, viz.^ the History ; and if there be Straw or Stubble in that which is taught, he sucketh the Vanity out of that. Yea, if the Preaching be mere Calumny^ Railing, and uncharitable Abuse, as is sometimes the Case, then his Soul sucketh the venomous Poison, and the murdering Cruelty of the Devil from it, wherewith it tickleth itself, and is pleased with learning how to judge and condemn others. 149. Thus if the Preacher be one that is dead^ and hath no true Life in him, but soweth only Venom and Reproach proceeding out of his evil Affections, thep it is the Devil that teacheth^ and the Devil that heareth. Such teaching is received into a wicked Hearty and bringeth forth wicked Fruits. By which means the World is become a mere Den of murdering Devils. So that if you look among the Herd of such Teachers and Hearers ^ there is little to be found but RevilingSy Slanderings, and Reproachings ; together with Contention about Words, and Wrangling about the Husk.

1 50. But the Holy Qhost teacheth in the Holy Teacher ^ and the Spirit of Christ heareth through the Soul, which is the Divine House of the Divine Sound or Voice in the Holy Hearer, 151. The Holy Man hath his Church in himself wherein he Heareth and Teacheth. But Babel hath a Heap of Stones, into which she goeth with her seeming Holiness and real Hypocrisy. There she loveth to be seen in fine Clothes, and maketh a very cfevout and godly Show ; the Church of Stone is her Qod, in which she putteth her Confidence. 152. But the Holy Man hath his Church about him everywhere, even in himself ; for he always standeth and walketh, sitteth and lieth down in his Church, He liveth in the true Christian Church ; yea, in the Temple of Christ ; the Holy Qhost preacheth to him out of every Creature. Whatsoever he looketh upon, he seeth a Preacher of GOD therein. 153. Here now the Scoffer will say that I despaie the Church of Stone ^ where the Congregation meeteth ; but 1 say that I do not. For I do but discover the Hypocritical Whore of Babylofty which committeth Whoredom with the Church of Stone^ and termeth herself a Christian^ but is indeed a Strumpet.

1 54. A true Christian brings his Holy Church with him into the Congregation. For the Heart is the true Churchy where a Man must practise the Service of Qod, If I should go a thousand Times to Church, and to the Sacrament every week, and hear Absolution declared to me every Day, and have not Christ in me, all would be false, an unprofitable Fiction and graven Image in Babel, and no forgiving of Sins. 155. A Holy Man doth Holy Works from the Holy Strength of his Mind. The Work is not the Atoftement of Reconciliation, but it is the Building which the true Spirit buildeth in his Substance ; it is his Hesitation, But the Fiction and Fancy is the Habitation of the false Christian, into which his Soul entereth with Dissimulation. The outward hearing reacheth but to the outward, and worketh in the outward only; but the inward Hearing goeth into the inward, and worketh in the inward. 156. Dissemble, roar, cry, sing, preach, and teach as much as thou wilt ; yet if thine inward Teacher and Hearer be not open, all is nothing but a Babel, a Fiction, and a graven Image, whereby the Spirit of the outward World doth model and make to itself a graven Image in Resemblance of the inward ; and maketh a Holy Show therewith, as if he performed some Divine or Holy Service to GoD. Whereas many Times in such Service and Worship, the Devil worketh mightily in the Imagination, and very much tickleth the Heart with those Things wherein the Flesh delighteth. Which indeed not seldom happeneth to the Children of Qod, as to their outward Man, if they do not take great Heed to themselves ; so busily doth the Devil beset and sift them.

86 T'he JJ^ay to Qhrist.

Of Unprofitable Opinions^ and Strife about the Letter. A TRUE Christian, who is bom anew of the Spirit of Christy IS in the Simplicity of Christ, and hath no Strife or Contention with any Man about Religion, He hath Strife enough in himself^ with his own Bestial evil Flesh and Blood. He continually thinketh himself a great Sinner, and is afraid of GoD : But the Love of Christ by degrees pierceth through, and expelleth that Fear^ as the Day swalloweth up the Night. 159. But the Sins of the Impenitent Man rest in the Sleep of Death, bud forth in the Pity and produce their Fruit in HeU. 160. The Christendom that is in Babel, striving about the Manner how Men ought to serve GOD, and glorify Him ; also how they are to know Him, and what He is in His Essence and Will. And they preach positively, that whosoever is not one and the same with them in every Particular of Knowledge and Opinion^ is no Christian, but a Heretic. 161. Now I would fain see how all their Sects can be brought to agree in that One which might be called a true Christian Church ; when all of them are Scorners, every Party of them reviling the rest, and proclaiming them to be false.

162. But a Christian is of no Sect: He can dwell in the midst of Sects, and appear in their Services, without being attached or bound to any. He hath but one Knowledge, and that is, Christ in him. He seeketh but one Way, which is the Desire always to do and teach that which is right ; and he putteth all his knowing and willing into the Life of Christ, 163. He sigheth and wisheth continually that the Will of GOT> might be done in him, and that His Kingdom might be manifested in him. He daily and hourly killeth Sin in the Flesh; for the Seed of the Woman, viz., the inward Man in Christ, continually breaketh the Hecui of the Serpent, that is, the Power of the Devil, which is in Vanity. 164. His Faith is a Desire after Qod and Qoodness ; which he wrappeth up in a sure Hope, trusting to the Words of the Promise^ and liveth and dieth therein ; though as to the true Man, he never dieth. 165. For Christ saith, * Whosoever believeth in me, shall never * die, but hath pierced through from Death to Life ; and Rivers

* of living Water shall flow from him,' viz., good Doctrine and Works. 166. Therefore I say, that whatsoever fighteth and contendeth about the Letter^ is all BabeL The Letters of the Word proceed from, and stand all in, one Root^ which is the Spirit of Qod ; as the various Flowers stand all in the Earth and grow by one another. They fight not with each other about their Difference of Colour, Smell, and Taste, but suffer the Earth, the Sun, the Rain, the Wind, the Heat and Cold, to do with them as they please; and yet every one of them groweth in its own peculiar Essence and Property, 167. Even so it is with the Children of GOD ; they have various Qifts and Degrees of Knowledge, yet all from one Spirit. They all rejoice at the great Wonders of GOD, and give Thanks to the most High in His Wisdom. Why then should they contend about Him in whom they live and have their Beings and of whose Substance they themselves are } 168. It is the greatest Folly that is in Babel^ for People to strive about Religion, as the Devil hath made the World to do ; so that they contend vehemently about Opinions of their own Forging, viz,, about the Letter; when the Kingdom of Qod consisteth in no Opinion, but in Power and Love.

169. As Christ said to his Disciples, and left it with them at the last, saying, * Love one another, as I have loved you ; for * thereby Men shall know, that ye are my Disciples.* If Men would ^.s fervently seek after Love and Righteousness as they do after Opinions, there would be no Strife on Earth, and we should be as Children of One Father, and should need no Law, or Ordinance, 170. For God is not served by any Law, but only by Obedience, Laws are for the Wicked, who will not embrace Love and Righteousness ; they are, and must be, compelled and forced by Laws, 171. We all have but one only Order, Law, or Ordinance, which is to stand still to the Lord of all Beings, and resign our Wills up to Him, and suffer His Spirit to play what Music He will. And thus we give to Him again as His own Fruits, that which He worketh and manifesteth in us. 172. Now if we did not contend about our different Fruits, Gifts, Kinds and Degrees of Knowledge, but did acknowledge them in one another, like Children of the Spirit of Qod, what could condemn us } For the Kingdom of Qod consisteth, not in our knowing and supposing, but in Power,

173. If we did not know half so much, and were more like Children, and had but a Brotherly Mind and good Will, towards one another, and lived like Children of one Mother, and as Branches of one Tree, taking our Sap all from one Root, we should be far more Holy than we are. 88 "The Way to Qhrist. 174. Knowledge serves only to this End, viz,^ to know that we have lost the Divine Power^ in Adanty, and are become now inclined to Sin ; that we have evU Properties in us, and that doing Evil pleaseth not GOD ; so that with our Knowledge we might learn to do Right. Now if we have the Power of God in us, and desire with all our Hearts to act and to live aright^ then our Knowledge is but our Sporty or Matter of Pleasure, wherein we rejoice. 175. For true Knowledge is the Manifestation of the Spirit of God through the eternal Wisdom, He knoweth what He will in liis Children; He showeth his Wisdom and Wonders by his Children^ as the Earth putteth forth its various Flowers. 176. Now if we dwell one with another, like humble Children^ in the Spirit of Christ, one rejoicing at the Gift and Knowledge of another, who would judge or condemn us ? Who judgeth or condemneth the Birds in the Woods, that praise the Lord of all Beings with various Voices, every one in its own Essence? Doth the Spirit of Qod reprove them for not bringing their Voices into one Harmony ? Doth not the Melody of them all proceed from His Power, and do they not sport before Him.

177. Those Men therefore that strive and wrangle about the Knowledge and Will of Qod, and despise one another on that Account, are more foolish than the Birds in the Woods, and the wild Beasts that have no true Understanding. They are more unprofitable in the Sight of the Holy GOD than the Flowers of the Field, which stand still in quiet Submission to the Spirit of Qod, and suffer Him to manifest the Divine Wisdom and Power through them. Yea, such Men are worse than Thistles and Thorns that grow among fair Flowers, for they at least stand still and are guiet, whereas those Wranglers are like the ravenous Beasts and Birds of Prey, which fright the other Birds from singing and praising GOD. 178. In short ; they are the Issue, Branches or Sprouts of the Devil in the Anger of GOD, who, notwithstanding must by their very tormenting be made to serve the Lord ; for by their plaguing and persecuting, they press out the Sap through the Essence of the Children of Qod so, that they move and stir themselves in the Spirit of Qod, with praying and continual sighing, in which Exercise of their Powers the Spirit of Qod moveth Himself in them.

179. For thereby the Desire is exerted, and so the Children of Qod grow green, flourish, and bring forth Fruit ; for the Children of Qod are manifested in Tribulation ; as the Scripture saith, * When thou chastiseth them, they cry fervently to thee.' Wherein Christian Religion consistethy and how Men should serve God and their Brethren, ALL Christian Religion wholly consisteth in this, to learn to know ourselves : Whence we are come, and What we are ; how we are gone forth from the Unity into Dissension^ Wickedness^ Unrighteousness; how we have awakened and stirred up these Evils in us ; and how we may be delivered from them again, and recover our original Blessedness, 181. Firsty how we were in the Unity ^ when we were the Children of Qod in Adam before he fell. Secondly, how we are now in Dissension and Disunion^ in Strife and Contrariety. Thirdly^ whither we go when we pass out of this corruptible condition ; whither with the immortal^ and whither with the mortal Part. 182. And Ictstly, how we may come forth from Disunion and Vanity, and enter again into that one Tree, Christ in us, out of which we all sprung in Adam, In these Four Points all the necessary Knowledge of a Christian consisteth.

183. So that we need not strive about any Thing; we have no Cause of Contention with each other. Let everyone only exercise himself in learning how he may enter again into the Love of Qod and his Brother, 184. The Testaments of Christ are nothing else but a loving Bond or Brotherly Covenant^ wherewith God in Christ bindeth himself to us and us to him. All teaching, willing, living, and doing, must imply, aim at, and refer to, that. All teaching and doing otherwise, whatsoever it be, is Babel and a Fiction; a mere graven Image of Pride in unprofitable Judgings, a disturbing of the World, and an Hypocrisy of the i?m/, wherewith he blindeth Simplicity. 185. TS^w^vy Preacher vo\A of the Spirit of Qod, who without Divine Knowledge, setteth himself up for a Teacher of Divine Things, pretending to serve GOD thereby, is false, and doth but serve the Belly, his Idol, and his own proud insolent Mind, in desiring to be honoured on that Account, and esteemed Holy, or a Divine in Holy Orders, He beareth an Office, to which he is set apart and chosen by the Children of Men, who do but flatter him, and for Favour have ordained him thereunto.

186. Christ said, 'Whosoever entereth not by the Door,* that iSy through his Spirit, ' into the Sheepfold, but climbeth up some 9© T'he Way to Qhrist. * other Way, the same is a Thief and a Murderer, and the Sheep * follow him not, for they know not his Voice.* 187. He hath not the Voice of the Spirit ofQod, but the Voice of his own Art and Learning only ; the Man teacheth, and not the Spirit of Qod. But Christ saith, * Every Plant which my * Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be plucked up by the 188. How then will he that is Ungodly^iasiX. Heavenly Plants, when he hath no Seed alive in its Power in himself? Christ saith expressly, * The Sheep hear not his Voice, they follow him not.' 189. The written Word is but an Instrument whereby the Spirit leadeth us to itself within us. That Word which will teach, must be living in the literal Word, The Spirit of Qod must be in the literal Sounds or else none is a Teacher of God, but a mere Teacher of the Letter^ a Knower of the History^ and not of the Spirit of Qod in Christ.

190. All that Men will serve GOD with, must be done in Faithy viz., m the Spirit. It is the Spirit that maketh the Work perfect, and acceptable in the Sight of GoD. All that a Man undertaketh and doeth in Faith^ he doeth in the Spirit of Qody which Spirit of Qod doth co-operate in the Work, and then it is acceptable to GOD. For He hath done it Himself and His Power and Virtue is in it : It is Holy. 191. But whatsoever is done in Self without Faith, is but a Figure and Shelly or Husk, of a true Christian Work. 192. If thou servest thy Brother, and doest it but in Hypocrisy, and givest him unwillingly, then thou servest not God. For thy Faith proceedeth not from Love, nor entereth into Hope, in thy Gift. Indeed thou servest thy Brother, and he for his Part thanketh GOD and blesseth thee, but thou blessest not him. For thou givest him thy Gift with a grudging Spirit, which entereth not into the Spirit of Qod, into the Hope of Faith; therefore thy Gift is but half gwtxi, and thou hast but halfXhy Reward for it. 193. The same is true of receiving a. Gift. If axiy giveth in Faith, in Divine Hope, he blesseth his Gift by his Faith: But whoso receiveth it untfiankfully, and murmureth in his Spirit, he curseth it in the Use or Enjoyment of it. Thus it is, that everyone shall have his own ; ' Whatsoever he soweth, that shall he

194. So likewise it is in the Office of teaching ; * whatsoever a * Man soweth, that also he reapeth.' For if any Man sow good Seed from the Spirit of Christ, it sticketh in the good Heart, and bringeth forth good Fruit ; but in the wicked, who are not capable of receiving t\iQ good Seed, the Anger of GOD is stirred. 195. If any sow Contentions, Reproaches, and Misconstrue- tions, all ungodly People receive that unto them ; which sticketh in them also, and bringeth forth Fruit accordingly. So that they learn thereby to despise, revile, slander, and misrepresent Ode another. Out of which Root the great Babel is sprung and grown ; wherein Men, from mere Pride and Strife, contend about the History, and the Justification of a poor Sinner in the Sight of God ; thereby causing the simple to err and blaspheme, insomuch that one Brother revileth and curseth the other, and excommunicateth, or casteth him to the Devil, for the Sake of the History and Letter. 196. Such Railers and Revilers fear not GOD, but raise the great Building of Dissension, And seeing corrupt Lust lieth in all Men, in the earthly Flesh still, therefore they raise and awaken Abominations even in the simple Children of Qod, and make the People of God, as well as the Children of Iniquity, to blaspheme. And thus they become Master-Builders of the great Babel of the World, and are as useful in the Church, as a fifth Wheel in a Waggon; yea, what is worse than ^ that, they erect the Hellish Building too.

197. Therefore it is highly necessary for the Children of Qod to pray earnestly, that they may learn to know ^v& false Building, and go forth from it with their Minds, and not help to build it up, and persecute their Fellow-Children of God. For by that means they keep themselves back from the Heavenly Kingdom, and turn aside from the right Way. 198. According to the saying of Christ to the Pharisees, ' Woe * unto you Pharisees ; for you compass Sea and Land to make * one Proselyte, and when he is one, you make him two-fold * more the Child of Hell than yourselves.' Which is truly too much the Case with the modem Factions and Sects among these Criers and Teachers of Strife, 199. I desire therefore, out of my Qifts which are revealed to me from God, that all the Children of Qod, who desire to be the true Members of Christ, be faithfully warned to depart from such abominable Contentions and bloody Fire-brands, and to go forth from all Strife with their Brethren, and strive only after Love and Righteousness towards all Men. 200. For he that is a good Tree must bring forth good Fruits, and must sometimes suffer Swine to devour his Fruits, and yet must continue a good Tree still, and be always willing to work with God, and not suffer any Evil to overcome him. And then he standeth and groweth in the Field of GOD, and bringeth forth Fruit to be set upon GOD's Table^ which he shall enjoy for ever. Amen. *A11 that hath Breath praise the Name of the Lord. ' Hallelujah.'

Scholar and his Master. How the Soul may attain to Divine Hearing and Vision^ and what its Childship in the Natural and Supernatural Life is; and how it passeth out of Nature into God^ and out of God into Nature and Self again ; also what its Salvation and Perdition are. Written in the German Language, By JJCO'B "BO EH ME TyF^^ speak the hidden Mystical Wisdom of Gody i^f^ which God ordained before the World unto our Glory : Which none of the Princes of this World knew : For had they known //, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. Buty as it is written^ Eye hath not seen^ nor Ear heard^ neither hath it entered into the Heart of Man^ to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit : For the Spirit searcheth all things ^ yea^ the deep 'Things of God. For what Man knoweth the Things of a Man save the Spirit of a Man which is in him ? even so the Things of God knoweth no Many but the Spirit of God. NoWy we have receivedy not the Spirit of the World, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we might know the Things which are freely given us of God. Which Things also we speaky not in the Words which Man's Wisdom teachethy but which the Holy Ghost teacheth ; comparing spiritual Things with spiritual. But the natural Man receive th not the Things of the Spirit of God: For they are foolishness unto him : neither can he know themy because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgethy or discernethyall Things. — i Corinthians ii. 7,8,9, 10, II, 12, 13,14,15.

JLife which is above Sense. In a Dialogue between a Scholar or Disciple THE Scholar said to his Master ; How may I come to the Super- sensual Life^ that I may see GoD and hear him speak ? His Master said, When thou canst throw thyself for a Moment into that where no Creature dwelleth, then thou hearest what GOD speaketh. 2. The Scholar. — Is T:hat near at Hand, or far off ? The Master. — It is in thee, and if thou canst for a while cease from all thy Thinking and Willing^ thou shalt hear unspeakable Words of God. 3. The Scholar. — How can I hear when I stand still from Thinking diwd Willing? The Master. — When thou standest still from the Thinking and Willing of Self, then the eternal Hearing, Seeing, and Speaking, will be revealed in thee; and so GOD heareth and seeth through thee. Thine own Hearing, Willing, and Seeing hindereth thee, that thou dost not see nor hear GOD. 4. The Scholar. — Wherewithal shall I hear and see God ; seeing he is above Nature and Creature ? The Master. — When thou art quiet or silent, then thou art That which GOD was before Nature and Creature^ and whereof he made thy Nature and Creature ; then thou hearest and seest with That wherewith GOD saw and heard in thee before thy awn Willing, Seeing, and Hearing began.

5. The Scholar. — ^What hindereth or keepeth me back that I cannot come to That ? The Master. — Thy own Willing, Hearing, and Seeing ; and because thou strivest against That out of which thou art come, thou breakest thyself off with thy own Willing from Qod's Willing, and with thy own Seeing thou seest in thy own Willing only, and thy Willing stoppeth thy Hearing with thy own thinking of 96 I'he Way to Qhrist. earthly natural Things^ and bringeth thee into a Qround of essential State, and darkeneth thee with that which thou Wiliest, so that thou canst not come to That which is Supernatural and Super-sensual. 6. The Scholar. — Seeing I am in Nature^ how may I come through Nature into the Super-sensual Qround^ without destroying Nature ? The Master. — Three Things are requisite here ; the first is, thou must resign thy Will to GOD, and sink thyself down to the Ground in his Mercy, The second is, thou must hate thy own Will, and not do that whereto thy own Will driveth thee. The third is, thou must submit thyself under the Cross^ that thou mayest be able to bear the Temptations oi Nature and Creature, If thou dost so, God will speak into thee, and bring thy resigned

Will into himself y into the Supernatural Qround; and then thou shalt hear what the Lord speaketh in thee. 7. The Scholar. — If I should do thus, I must forsake the World and my Life too. The Master. — If thou forsakest the World, thou comest into That whereof the World is made ; and if thou losest thy Life, and comest to have thy own Power faint, then thy Life is in That for whose sake thou forsakest it, viz., in GOD, from whom it came into the Body. 8. The Scholar. — God hath created Man in and for the natural Life, to rule over all Creatures on Earth, and to be a Lord over all Things in this World ; and therefore Reason suggests that he should possess it as his own. How Men may and should rule over all Creatures ^ and can be like all Takings. The Master. — If thou rulest over all Creatures outwardly only, then thy Will and Ruling is in a Bestial Kind, and is but an imaginary transitory Ruling; and thou also bringest thy Desire into a Bestial Essence, whereby thou becomest infected and captivated, and gettest also a Bestial Condition. But if thou hast left the imaginary Condition, then thou art in the Superimaginariness^ and rulest pver all Creatures in that Qround out of which they are created, and nothing on Earth can hurt thee ; for thou art like all Things, and nothing is unlike to thee.

9. The Scholar. — O loving Master, pray teach me the shortest Way how I may come to be like all Things. The Master.— With all my Heart; do but think on the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he said, * Unless ye turn and • become as Children, ye shall not see the Kingdom of God.' Now if thou wilt be like all Things, thou mwsX. forsake all Things, and turn thy Desire away from them, and not desire them, nor seek X.O possess that for thy own, which is something. For as soon as thou takest something into thy Desire, and receivest it into thee for thy own, then that something is the same with thyself, and it worketh with thee in thy Will, and then thou art obliged to protect it, and to take Care for it as for thy own Being. But if thou receive nothing into thy Desire, then thou art free from all Things, and rulest over all Things at once. For thou hast received nothing for thy own, and art nothing to all Things, and all Things are nothing to thee. Thou art as a Child which understandeth not what a Thing is ; or though thou dost understand it, yet thou understandest it without being affected thereby ; in that Manner wherein GOD ruleth and seeth all Things, and yet nothing comprehendeth or captivateth him.

Thou didst also desire that I would teach thee how thou mightest attain it. Consider then the Words of Christ, who said, ' Without me ye can do nothing.' In thy own Power thou canst not come to such Rest that no Creature should touch thee, unless thou givest thyself wholly up to the Life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and resignest thy Will and Desire wholly to Him, and Wiliest nothing without Him. Then with thy Body thou art in the World, in the Properties, and with thy Reason under the Cross of our Lord Christ ; but with thy Will thou walkest in Heaven, and art in the Original from whence all Creatures proceeded, and to which they go again. And then thou mayest behold all Things outwardly with thy Reason, and inwardly with thy Mind, and rule in and over all Things with Christ, to whom all Power is given both in Heaven and on Earth, 10. The Scholar. — O Master, the Creatures that live in me so withhold me, that I cannot wholly yield and give up myself as I willingly would. The Master. — If thy PT/Z/goeth forth from the Creatures, then the Creatures are forsaken in and by thee ; they are in the World, and thy Body only is with the Creatures, but in thy Spirit thou walkest with GoD. And if thy Will leaveth the Creatures, then the Creatures are dead in it, and live only in the Body in the World ; and if thy Will doth not bring itself into them, they cannot touch thy Soul. For St, Paul saith, * Our

* Conversation is in Heaven ;* also, * Ye are the Temple of the * Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in you ;' so then, the Holy Qhost dwelleth in the Will, and the Creatures dwell in the Body, 11. The Scholar. — If the Holy Qhost dwell in the WUl of 98 I'he Way to Qhrist. the Mindy how may I keep myself that He may not depart from me? The Master. — Mark the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ; * If * you abide in my Word, then my Words abide in you.' If thou dost abide with thy Will in the Words of Christ, then His Word and Spirit abide in thee. But if thy Will goeth into the Creatures^ then thou hast broken off thyself from Him, and then thou canst not any other Way keep thyself, but by abiding continually in resigned Humility y and entering into continual Repentance^ so that thou art always grieved that Creatures live in thee. If thou dost thus, thou standest in a daily dying from the Creatures^ and in a daily ascending into Heaven in and with thy Will again. 12. The Scholar. — O loving Master, pray teach me how 1 may come into such a continual Repentance.

How Men may come to continual Repentance^ and subsist The Master. — When thou leavestthzX. which loveth thee, and lovest that which hateth thee, then thou mayest abide continually in Repentance. 13. The Scholar. — What is that which I must thus leave? The Master. — Thy Creatures in Flesh and Blood, and all other Things that love thee ; love thee because thy Will entertaineth, nourisheth, and preserveth them. These the Will must leave and account as Enemies ; and the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ together with the Reproach of the World hateth thee, which thou must learn to love^ and take for a daily Exercise of thy Repentance, And then thou shalt have continual Cause to hate thyselj in the Creature, and to seek the eternal Rest, wherein thy WUl may rest; as Christ said, * In the World you shall have * Tribulation, but in me you shall have Rest.* 14. The Scholar. — How may I stand firm in such a Temptation as this ? The Master. — If every Hour thou dost once throw thyself beyond all Creatures, above all sensual Reason, into the mere Mercy of GOD, into the Sufferings of our Lord, and yield thyself thereinto, then thou shalt receive Power to rule over Sin^ Death, and the Devil, over Hell and the World, and then thou mayest stand firm in all Temptations.

15. The Scholar.— Poor Man that I am, what would become of me, if I should attain with my Mind to *That where no Creature is ! The Master. — Loving Scholar, if thy Will could break off itself for one Hour from all Creatures, and throw itself into that where no Creature is, it would be presently clothed with the highest Splendour of GOD's Qlory, and would taste in itself the most sweet Love of our Lord Jesus, which no Man can express ; and it would find in itself the unspeakable Words- of our Lord concerning his great Mercy, It would feel in itself that the Cross of our Lord Christ would be very pleasing to it, and it would love that more than the Honour and Goods of the World. 16. The Scholar. — But what would become of the Body^ since it must live in the Creature ? The Master. — The Body would be put into the Imitation of our Lord Christy who said, His Kingdom was not of this World. It would begin to die from without and from within ; from without, it would die from the Vanity and evil Deeds of the World ; It would be an utter Enemy to all Pride and Insolence. And from within, it would die from all Evil Lusts and Envy, and would get a Mind and Will in itself wholly new, which would be continually directed towards GOD and Goodness.

17. The Scholar. — But the World "would hate and despise a Man for doing so, seeing he must contradict the World, and live and do otherwise than the World doth. The Master. — He would not take that as any Harm done to him, but would rather rejoice that he is become worthy to be thus conformed to the Example of our Lord Christ, and be willing to bear that Cross after our Lord, merely that the Lord might bestow the Influence of his sweet Love upon him. 18. The Scholar. — What would become of him, when the Anger of God from within, and the wicked World from without, should assault him, as happened to our Lord Christ ? The Master. — Let him be thereunto what our Lord Christ was. When He was reproached, reviled, and crucified by the World and the Priests, He commended His Soul into the Hands of His Father, aqd so departed from the Anguish of this World into the eternal Joy. So also such a Soul would get forth from the Reproach and Anguish of all the World, and penetrate into itself, into the great Love of God, and be sustained and refreshed by the most sweet Name/^j^j, and see and find in itself a new ffVr/of springing forth through the ^«^^r of God; then should it wrap itself up therein, and account all Things alike. And thus whether the Body be in Hell or on Earth, yet would the Soul be in the greatest Love of GOD.

19. The Scholar. — But how would a Man maintain himself in the World, and those that belong to him, if he should thus incur the Displeasure of all the World? loo T'he JVay to Qhrist. The Master. — He thereby getteth greater Favour than the World is able to bestow, for he hath GOD, and all His Angels for his Friends^ who protect him in all Dangers and Necessities. God is his Blessing in every Thing, and though sometimes it may seem as if GOD would not bless him, it is but to try him, and is in truth the drawing of God's Love, that he might the more earnestly pray to GOD, and commit all his Way to Him. 20. The Scholar. — But he loseth all his good Friends^ and there will be none to help him in his Necessity. The Master. — Nay, he getteth the Hearts of all his good Friends into his Possession, and loseth none but his Enemies, who before loved his Vanity and Wickedness. 21. The Scholar. — How is it thdit he getteth his good Friends into his Possession ? The Master. — He getteth the Souls of all those that belong to our Lord Jesus to be his Brethren and the Members of his own Life. For the Children of GoD are but One in Christ, which One is Christ in all. Therefore he getteth them all to be his FellowMembers in the Body of Christ, for they have the Heavenly Qoods in common, and live in one and the same Love of GOD, as the Branches of a Tree spring from one and the same Sap.

Nor will he want outward natural Friends, any more than our Lord Christ did. For though the High Priests and Potentates of the World who belonged not to Him, nor were His Members and Brethren, loved Him not, yet those who were capable of His Words loved Him. So likewise those that love Truth and Righteousness, would love that Man, and associate themselves with him ; as Nicodemus did with Christy who came to Him by Night, and in his Heart loved Jesus for the Truths Sake, yet outwardly feared the World And thus shall such a Man have many Friends rise up who were not known to him at the Beginning.

22. The Scholar. — But it is very grievous to be despised by all the World. The Master. — That which now seems hard and heavy to thee thou wilt afterwards love most of all. 23. The Scholar. — How can it be that I should love that which hateth me ? The Master. — Though thou lovest the earthly Wisdom now, yet when thou art clothed with the heavenly, thou wilt see that all the Wisdom of the World is but Folly, and that the World hateth but thine Enemy, viz., the mortal Life ; and when thou thyself comest to hate the Will thereof, then thou also wilt begin to love that despising of the mortal Life. 24. The Scholar. — But how may these two stand together, viz., that a Man should both love and hate himself? Of the Super-Sensual Life, i o i The Master. — In thus loving thyself thou lovest not thyself as thy own, but as given from the Love of GOD ; thou lovest the Divine Qround in thee ; by which thou lovest the Divine Wisdom^ God's Works of Wonder, and thy Brethren. But in hating thyself thou hatest only that which is thy own, wherein Evil sticketh close to thee ; and this thou dost, that thou mayest wholly destroy in thee that which thou callest thine ^ when thou sayest / or myself do this or that. T^his thou wouldst wholly destroy in thee, that thou mayest become a Qround wholly Divine. Love hateth Self or that which we call /, because it is a deadly Thing, and they two, viz.^ Love and Self cannot well stand together. For Love possesseth Heaven, and dwelleth in itself ; but that which I call /, possesseth the World, and worldly Things, and also dwelleth in itself. And as Heaven ruleth the World, and as Eternity ruleth Time, so Love ruleth over the natural Life.

25. The Scholar. — Loving Master, pray tell me wherefore must Love and Trouble^ Friend and Foe be together ; would not Love alone be better ? How Love and Sorrow stand together in one; and what hove is^ what its Power^ Virtue^ Height and Greatness are ; and where it dwelleth in Man ; also the nearest Way to attain it. The Master. — If Love dwelt not in Trouble^ it could have nothing to love ; but its Substance which it loveth^ viz., the poor Soul, being in Trouble and Pain, Love hath cause to lose its own Substance, in order to deliver its Beloved from Pain, that itself also might be beloved again. Neither indeed could it be known what Love is, if it had not something which it might love. 26. The Scholar. — What is the Virtue, Power, Height^ and Qreatness of Love ? The Master. — Its Virtue is that nothing whence all Things proceed, and its Power is in and through all Things ; its Height is as high as GoD, and its Qreatness is greater than GOD. \Here is meant the Manifestation of the Deity in the glorious eternal Light of the Divine Essence^ Whosoever findeth it, findeth nothing and all Things.

27. The Scholar. — Loving Master, pray tell me how I may understand this. The Master. — What I meant by saying, ' its Virtue is that * nothing whence all Things proceed^ thou mayest understand thus. I02 I'he W^ay to Qhrist, When thou art wholly gone forth from the Creature^ and become nothing to all that is Nature and CreaturCy then thou art in that eternal One which is GOD Himself, and then thou shalt perceive and feel the highest Virtue of Love, But as to what I said that * its Power is in and through all * Things^ thou shalt perceive and find that in thy own Soul and Body^ when this great Love is kindled in thee, it will bum more than any Fire can do. Thou shalt see also in all the Works of God that Love hath poured forth itself into all Things, and is the most inward and most outward Qround in all Things. Inwardly ^ in the Virtue and Power ; and outwardly y in the Figure, Form and Shape^ of every Thing. The Meaning of that which I said, viz,y ' its Height is as high ^ as Qodj thou mayest also come to understand in thyself, in that it will bring thee to be as High as GOD himself is ; as may be seen by our beloved Lord Christ in our Humanity ; which Humanity Love hath brought into the highest Throne, even into the Power of the Deity.

But that which I further said, ' its Qreatness is greater than ' Qod'y is also true. For Love entereth into that where GOD dwelleth not, as when our beloved Lord Christ was in Helly Hell was not God but Love was there and destroyed Death, Also, when thou art in Anguish and Trouble of Soul, GOD is not the Anguish or Trouble^ but His Love is there, and bringeth thee out of Anguish into GoD. When GOD hideth Himself in thee. Love is there, and maketh Him manifest in thee. And that which I said, * whosoever findeth it, findeth nothing * and ail T kings ^ is also true, for he findeth a Supernatural Supersensual Abyss having no Qround, where there is no Place to dwell in. He findeth also nothing that is like it, and therefore it may be compared to nothing ; for it is deeper than any Thing, and is as nothing to all Things, for it is not comprehensible. And, because it is nothing, it is free from all Things, and is that only Qood which a Man cannot describe or express what it is. But that which I lastly said, * he that findeth it, findeth all

* Things,* is also true ; it hath been the Beginning of all Things, and it ruleth all Things. If thou findest it, thou comest into that Qround ixoTCi whence all Things proceeded, and wherein they subsist ; and thou art in it a King over all the Works of GoD. 28. The Scholar. — Loving Master, pray tell me where dwelleth it in Man } The Master. — Where Man dwelleth not, there it hath its Seat in Man. 29. The Scholar. — Where is that in a Man's Self where Man dwelleth not ? The Master. — It is in the Soul that is resigned to the Ground, where the Soul dieth to its own Will^ and Willeth no more of itself y but only what GOD Willeth. That is the Place in a Man's Self where Man dwelleth noty and there Love dwelleth. For so much of the Soul as its own Will is dead to itself m, so much Place Love hath taken up therein ; for where its own Will sat before, there now is nothings and where nothing is, there the Love of God is working alone. 30. The Scholar, — But how may I comprehend or attain it without the dying of my Will ?

The Master. — If thou wilt comprehend it in thy own Will^ it flieth away from thee ; but if thou yieldest thyself wholly up to it, then thou art dead to thyself in thy own Wtll^ and Love^V\ then be the Life of thy Nature. It killetk thee not, but quickeneth thee according to its Life^ and then thou livest^ yet not to thy own Willy but to its Will ; for thy Will becometh its Will, and then thou art dead to thyself but alive unto Qod. 31. The Scholar. — How is it that so few find it, when all would so fain have it .^ The Master. — Because they all seek it in something, viz., in an imaginary Opinion, in Self Desire, whereto almost all have a peculiar natural Lust or Inclination. And though Love should proffer itself to them, it could find no Harbour or Dwelling-place in them, because the Imaginativeness that is in their own Willy hath set itself in the Place thereof. And that Imaginativeness of Self Lust would fain have the Love in it ; but Love flieth away, for it dwelleth only in nothing, and therefore such Souls find it not.

32. The Scholar. — What is the Office of it in nothing? The Master. — Its Office is to penetrate without Intermission into something ; and if it find a Place in something which standeth still, then its Office is to take Possession thereof, and to rejoice therein with its flaming Fire of Love, more than the Sun in this World ; and without Intermission to kindle a Fire in something, and to consume the something, and to enflame itself therewith. 33. The Scholar. — O loving Master ! How shall I understand this ? The Master. — If it may but kindle a Fire in thee, thou shalt feel how it consumeth thy Selfhood, that which thou callest /, and rejoiceth so exceedingly in thy Fire, that thou wouldest rather suffer thyself to be killed, than to enter again into thy something. Its Flame also is so great, that it would not leave thee, though it should cost thy temporal Life ; it would go with thee in its Fire into Death ; nay if thou wentest into Hell, it would even destroy Hell for thy Sake. 34. The Scholar. —Loving Master, I can no longer endure I04 T'he Way to Qhrist.

that any Thing should divert me from this Love ; how shall I find the nearest Wsiy to it ? The Master, — Where the Way is hardest, there walk thou, and take up what the World rejecteth ; and what the World doth, that do not thou. Walk contrary to the World m all Things, and then thou takest the nearest Way to it 35. The Scholar.— If I should walk contrary to the World in every Thing, I must needs live in mere Misery and Unquietness^ and I should also be accounted a Fool. The Master. — I do not bid thee do Harm to any ; but because the World loveth only Deceit and Vanity^ and walketh in false and wicked Ways ; therefore if thou wilt act a quite contrary Part to the Ways thereof in all Things, walk only in the Right Way. For the Right Way is contrary to all the Ways of the World. But whereas thou Gayest thou slwuldest live in mere Anguish and Trouble : that indeed will be so according to the Flesh ; and will give thee Occasion oi continual Repentance ; and in such Anxiety the Love will most readily kindle its Fire,

What thou sayest also, viz., * that thou shouldest be accounted a ^fool^ is true ; for the Way to the Love of GOD is Folly to the World, but Wisdom to the Children of Qod, When the World perceiveth this Fire of Love kindled in the Children of Qod, it saith they are turned Fools ; but to the Children of Qod\X.\s the greatest Treasure ; so great that no Life can express, nor Tongue describe, what the Fire of the inflaming Love of GoD is. It is brighter than the Sun, and sweeter than any Thing. It is far more nourishing and vital thdXi any Meat or Drink, and vaor^ pleasant than all the Joy of this World. Whosoever getteth it is richer than any King on Earth, more noble than any Emperor, and more potent and strong than all Authority and Power. Whither the blessed and damned Souls go, when they depart from their Bodies ; and how Heaven and Hell are in Man. 36. Then the ScJtolar asked his Master further sayings Whither go the Souls, both of the Saved and Damned, when they leave these mortal Bodies ? His Master answered^ The Soul needeth no going forth ; only the outward mortal Life and the earthly Body do at Death separate themselves from the Soul. The Soul hath Heaven and Hell in itself before ; as it is written, * The Kingdom of God cometh

' not with outward Observation ; neither shall they say, lo here, ' or lo there, it is, for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.' And whether of the two States, viz., either Heaven or Hell, shall be manifested in the Soul, in that it standeth. 37. The Scholar. — Doth it not enter into Heaven or Hell, as a Man entereth into a House, or goeth through a Door or Passage, into another Place? The Master. — No, there is no such Kind of entering ; for Heaven and Hell 2x^ present everywhere, and it is but the turning of the Will either into God's Love, or into his Anger, that introduceth into them. And that cometh to pass in this Life, dLCcording to the saying of St. Paul, * Our Conversation is in Heaven ;' and Christ saith also, * My Sheep hear my Voice, and I know * them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal Life, * and none shall pluck them out of my Hand.* 38. The Scholar. — How cometh this entering of the Will into Heaven or Hell to pass ? The Master. — When the Qround of the Will yieldeth itself up to God, then it sinketh down from itself beyond all Qround and Place, where GOD only is manifest, worketh and Willeth, and then it becometh Nothing to itself, as to its own Willing, and so God worketh and Willeth in it.

Yea, GoD dwelleth in this re^ signed Will ; by which means the Soul is Sanctified, and so cometh into Divine Rest, Now when the Body is dead, the Soul is throughly penetrated and saturated with the Love of GOD, and throughly enlightened with the Light of GOD ; even as the Fire throughly inflameth a red-hot Iron, whereby it loseth its Darkness. This is the Right Hand of Christ ; where the Loveol GOD throughly possesseth the Soul all over, and is a shining Light and a nezv Life in it ; and thus the Soul is in Heaven, and a Temple of the Holy Qhost ; yea, it is indeed itself the very Heaven of God in which He dwelleth. But the Case oi\!cie wicked So\j\ is this : It will not in the Time of this Life enter into the Divine Resignation of its Will, but goeth on continually in its own Lust and Falsehood, in the Will of the Devil, It receiveth into itself nothing but Wickedness, Lies, Pride, Covetousness, Envy, and Anger, and yieldeth its Will unto them. By which Means the Hellish Element also becometh manifest and working in the Soul, and throughly penetrateth and possesseth it all over, as Fire doth a burning hot Iron. Now such a Soul cannot come to Divine Rest, for GOD'S Anger is manifested in it. And therefore when the Body parteth from it, then its eternal Qrief and Despair begin. For it perceiveth and findeth, that it is become a mere self-tormenting Abomination, and is ashamed to strive to enter with its false Will into GOD. Nay, it cannot ; for it is captivated

io6 I'he JVay to Qhrist. in the Wrath^ and is itself mere Wrath^ and hath shut itself up therein by its false and evil Desire, which it hath raised up in itself. And seeing the Light of GOD shineth not in it, and his Lave toucheth it not, therefore it is a great Darkness and an aching anguishing Source of Fire, which carrieth Hell in itself, and cannot reach the Light of God. Thus it dwelleth in itself in Hell, and needeth no entering into it, for wheresoever it is, it is in Hell ; though it should cast itself many Hundred Thousand Miles from the Place it is in, yet it abideth still in the same Property and Source of Darkness. 39. The Scholar. — How cometh it then that a Holy Soul in this Life-Time, doth not perfectly perceive that Heavenly LigJU and foy, nor a wicked Soul feel Hell, when both of them are thus in Man, and one of them of Necessity worketh in him ? The Master. — The Kingdom of Heaven in the Saints is working and sensible in their Faith ; th^yfeel the Love of GoD in their Faith, by which the PT/// yieldeth itself up into GOD. But the natural Life is environed with Flesh and Blood, stand eth in the Contrariety of God's Anger, and is also compassed about and closely beset with the vain Lust of this outward World. So that the poor Soul liveth in the Midst of its Enemies, having the World on one Side, the Devil on the other, and on a third the Curse of the Anger of GoD in Flesh and Blood;

which continually sift, try, and Xhxo\xgh\y penetrate the Life of Man, who is often brought into bitter Anguish, through these several Assaults of Hell, which would fain manifest itself in him. But the Soul sinketh down in the Hope of Divine Qrace, and standeth like a fair Rose in the midst of Thorns, until the Kingdom of this World falleth off from it in the Death of the Body; and then doth it become ^rj/ truly and really manifest in the Love of GoD, having nothing more to hinder or molest it. But during the Time of this Life in the Body it must walk with Christ, who will stand by it and deliver it out of its own Hell by throughly /^«^- trating it with his Love, and thus change its Hell into Heaven.

But to thy Question, why do not the wicked feel Hell in the Time of this Life ? I answer, he hath it indeed, and sometimes feeleth it in his evil Conscience, but not perfectly, nor doth he know that it is Hell. For he possesseth earthly Vanity as yet, with which he is enamoured, and in which he taketh Delight and Pleasure; also the outward Life hath yet the Light of the outward Nature, and so the Hellish Pain cannot h^ fully manifested and felt. But when the Body dieth, and the Soul can no longer enjoy temporal Pleasure, or be cheered with the Light of this outward World, then it standeth in eternal Hunger and Thirst after such Vanity, as it was in Love withal here. Yet it can reach nothing but that evil Will which it had impressed in itself, and too much gratified in this Life, though it v/as not, nor indeed could be, satisfied with such Gratification of it. However there it cannot gratify it at all, which maketh it to be in everlasting ^xiA fruitless Hunger and thirst after Vanity^ Wickedness^ and vile Lewdness. It would fain do more -ffz/// still, but hath notze/^r^- in or wJierewith to perform it, and therefore performeth it only in itself^ in its Will: And this Hellish Hunger ?SiA Thirst cdLtinot he fully manifested in it, till the Body dieth, wherewith the Soul hath played the Wanton in Voluptuousness, and which hath ministered to the Soul what it lusted after.

40. The Scholar. — Heaven and Hell being in us in Strife in this Life-Time, and GOD being also thus near us, where do the Angels and Devils dwell ? Where the Angels and Devils dwell in this World's Time ; how far Heaven and Hell are asunder ; and what and whence the Angels and human Souls are. The Master. — Where thou dost not dwell as to thyself and thy own Willy there the Angels dwell with thee and everywhere all over the Universe ; but where thou dwellest as to thyself and thy own Will, there the Devils dwell with thee, and everywhere all over the Universe. 41. The Scholar. — I understand not this. The Master. — Where the Will of Qod Wiileth in any Being, there GoD is manifested in that Being ; and in that Manifestation the Angels also dwell : but where GOD in any Being Wiileth not with the Will of the Being, there GOD is not manifested in it, but dvvelleth in Himself without the co-operating of the Being. In that Being its own Will is without Qod's Will, and there the Devil dwelleth, and all whatever is without GoD. 42. The Scholar. — How far then are Heaven and Hell from each other ?

The Master. — As far as Day and Night, Something and Nothing are from one another ; they are in each other, and they cause yicjy and Trouble one to the other. Heaven is through the whole World, and without the World all over the universal System of Nature, without being divided or included in a Place, and worketh through the Divine Manifestation y but only in itself, and in that which cometh into it, or in that wherein it becometh manifest ; and there GoD is revealed. For Heaven is nothing but a Manifestation of the Eternal One, wherein all worketh and Wiileth in quiet Love. io8 l^he Way to Qhrist. Hell also is through the whole Worlds and dwelleth and worketh only also in itself, and in that wherein the Foundation of Hell is manifested, viz., in Self, and in the false and ^z/// PT///. The visible World hath both Heaven and //i^// in it. Man, as to his temporal Life, is only of the visible World, and therefore during the Time of this Life he seeth not the spiritual World, For the outward World with its Substance is a Cover to the Spiritual World, as the Body is to the Soul. But when the outward Man dieth, then the spiritual World is manifested in and to the Soul, either in the eternal Light with the holy Angels, or in the eterncU Darkness with the Devils,

43. The Scholar. — What is an Angel or the Soul of a Man, that they may be manifested thus, either in God's Love or Anger? The Master. — They came from one Original ; they are Branches or Out-births of the Divine Science of the Divine Will, sprung from the Divine Word, and made Objects of the Divine Love, They are come out of the Qroundoi Eternity, from whence Light and Darkness spring, viz,. Darkness consisting in the harbouring and cherishing Self-desire,2ind Li^ht consisting in Willing the same with GOD. In which Willing the Love of GoD readily and ^/^^ worketh ; but in the receiving and entertaining Self in the Willing of the Soul, God's Will worketh in Pain, and becometh a Darkness that the Light may be known. Thus Heaven and Hell are nothing else but a Manifestation of the Divine Will^ either in Light or Darkness, according to the Properties of the spiritual World. 44. The Scholar.— What then is the Body of Man ? What the Body of Man is ; and why the Soul is capable oj receiving Good and Evil. The Master. — It is the visible World; an Image and Quintessence or Compound of all that the World is ; and the visible World is a Manifestation of the inward spiritual World, come out of the eternal Light and out of the eternal Darkness, out of the spiritual Compaction or Connection ; and it is also an Image or Figure of Eternity, whereby Eternity hath made, itself visible; where Self Will and resigned Will, viz., Evil and Qoodvtoxli one with the other.

Such ^ Substance is the outward Man. For GOD created Man of the outward World, and breathed into him the inward spiritual World for a i'^w/ and an intelligent Life, and therefore in the Things of the outward World Man can receive and work evil and 45. The Scholar. — What shall be after this World, when all Things perish, and come to an End ? Of the 'Destruction of the World ; of Man's Body in and after the Resurrection ; where Heaven and Hell shall be ; of the Last Judgment ; and wherefore the Strife in the Creature must he. The Master. — The material Substance only ceaseth ; viz,^ the four Elements, the Sun, Moon, and Stars. And then the inward World will be wholly visible and manifest. But whatsoever hath been wrought by the Will or Spirit o( Man in this Worlds Time^ whether evil or good, I say, every such Work, shall there separate itself in a spiritual Manner, either into the eternal Light or into the eternal Darkness. For that which is born from each Will penetrateth and passeth again into that which is like itself And there the Darkness is called Hell, and is an eternal forgetting of all Qood ; and the Light is called the Kingdom of Qod, and is an eternal Joy in and to the Saints, who continually glorify and praise GOD, for having delivered them from the Torment of Evil.

The Last Judgment is a Kindling of the Fire both of GOD*S Love and Anger, in which the Matter of every Substance perisheth, and each Fire shall attract into itself its own, that is, the Substance that is like itself :< Thus God's Fire of Love will draw into it whatsoever is born in the Love of GOD, or Love-' Principle, in which also it shall burn after the Manner of Love, and yield itself into that Substance. But the Torment will draw into itself what is wrought in the Anger of GoD in Darkness, and consume \}ci^ false Substance; and then there will remain only the painful aching Will in its own proper Nature, Image, and Figure. 46. The Scholar. — With what Matter and Form shall the human Body rise ? The Master. — It is sown a natural Gross and Elementary Body, which in this Life-Time is like the outward Elements ; yet in this gross Body there is a subtle Power and Virtue. As in the Earth also there is a subtle good Virtue, which is like the Sun and is one and the same with the Sun ; which also in the Beginning of Time did spring and proceed out of the Divine Power and Virtue, from whence all the good Virtue of the Body is likewise derived. This good Virtue of the mortal Body shall come again and live for ever in a kind of transparent Crystalline material Property, in spiritucd Flesh and Blood; as shall also the