The Reminder of Books written BY Jacob Behme viz. I. The First Apology to Balthasar Tylcken for the AURORA written Anno 1621. II. The Second Apology in Answer to Balthasar Tylcken; for Predestination. And the Incarnation and Person of CHRIST, and of the Virgin MARY. Dated 3. July 1621. III. The Fover Complexions written in March: 1621. IV. The Considerations upon Esaiah Stiefel's Book concerning The Threefold State of Man and the New 〈◊〉. Dated 8. April 1621. V. The Apology in Answer to Esaiah Stiefel Concerning Perfection. Dated 6. April 1622. VI The Apology in Answer to Gregory Rickter Primate of Gerlitz. for the way to Christ, etc. 10. April 1624. VII. Twenty five Epistles more than the 35. formerly Printed in English, with 2. as prefaces before other of his Books, the last of those here printed is Dated 23. May 1624. 5 more after without Date, which make 62. in all, also 1. Epistle more of his own hand writing: and 1. of Dr. Charles Weisners, relating much of J. B's. Life. Englished BY JOHN SPARROW. LONDON: Printed by M. S. for Giles Calvert, at the Sign of the Black Spread Eagle, at the West End of St. Paul's. 1662. The Englishers Preface to J. B's. Apologies. Courteous Reader. IN the Life time of Jacob Behme, some Learned Men there were of his own Country, that highly prized and Esteemed his writings though others Judged and found fault with them; to whom the Author in his Answers hath clcerly made it appear, they have NOT understood his Meaning, but injuriously made their own mistaken Sense, the Ground of their Censure; it is no wonder therefore, that among us of another Language, who have but a Translation, wherein much of the accurateness and apt expression of an Author is lost, that men here also find such fault with them as they do; but if it be examined, their want of the true apprehension of them, will be known to have caused that negligent and heedless Opinion, that his writings are not to be understood, yet it hath proceeded so far, that those, who think they apprehend his Deep Matter are suspected by some Academic wits, to be but miss-led into such a conceit: But those Eminent persons his countryMen, and adversaries have not once charged him with writing things not Intelligible, though indeed themselves have not rightly perceived the Author's meaning, as is apparent in these FOUR Books of Apology or Defence in answer to the few objections to some things contained in that Doctrine, set down at Large in the Treatises of his Sublime Mysteries, if they be read and weighed in the Balance of Due Consideration. The FIRST Apology was an Answer to Balthasar Tylcken, who wrote a treatise against several Clauses in the Aurora, concerning the knowledge of God in and by Nature, whereas, though God in himself be totally Incomprehensible and unmanifested in his Abyss; yet Nature is his Manifestation or Revelation; for if his Omnipotent power did not show itself by making itself discernible, it would never be known, but remain hidden Eternally, and indeed all the effects which we perceive to be wrought and produced at anytime in sensible things, are brought to pass, by the same Powers, that have and do and will work from Eternity to Eternity perceptibly in GOD. All that is in GOD is only Goodness, his very wrath is his Fire, and the cause of his Light and Glory in himself, and therein is most just and Good, also for the punishment of the perverseness of his Creatures, whom he made like himself very Good, and gave them power to Continue so; but they being Creatures were made out of Darkness and being Created and brought into the Light, could and did love themselves, and all Creatures without the Light or that loose the Light, are but Darkness, and by that means Exalted their Darkness above the Light in them, which is truly Self-love, and the root or spring of all Evil, which God cannot DO, nor BE, but that we might be able to get out of the perdition we are fallen into, God in his infinite Love and Mercy, to all men in and from Adam and Eve, (they two being one Flesh,) hath given, in the Light of their Life, the Spirit of Adoption, the Spirit of Christ his Son, the Seed of the woman, the Promised word, the word of Faith in our Hearts; which in US hath Power to overcome all the works of Darkness, and to bring us to his marvellous Light, the Light of Eternal Life; which also teacheth us to deny ourselves, and all ungodly Lusts of the Flesh, to take up our Cross with Patience and so follow or imitate Christ, in Newness of Life, and inward hearty Holiness of Conversation; God indeed Cannot deny himself, because his Darkness that is his wrath is always, subservient to his Light and Love which Eternally is his Life, and cannot be otherwise: but WE must Deny ourselves, and then our Darkness will give itself up into the Light, also, in us. If we follow or be like, his Light, we are Children of the Light which ruleth in us, and if we live according to his Darkness we are Children of Wrath, and at length if we convert not shall be confirmed Children of Perdition; All that have the dispositions or qualities inwardly or Outwardly, of Love and Gentleness, Kindness, lowliness or humility, sincerity, Truth, righteousness, virtue, honesty, chastity, temperance, purity and Holiness, are undeniably GOOD: On the Contrary, the wrathful, fierce, Envious, proud, surly, churlish, wanton, vain, stubborn, obstinate, crafty, false Liars, injurious, intemperate, violent, are accounted bad or EVIL, and they are so indeed; now that which is Evil cannot be like God's Love, but here is the general mistake, all Men consist both of an Outward and Inward Man; that which the outward, Esteems Good, is so as it is a similitude of that which is inwardly Good, but since the outward Man which is framed of the Earth, hath gotten the Predominancy in the Fall of Adam, who thereupon died to the Inward Man, that which most pleaseth the outward, doth make it the more strong and rebellious against the power of the Inward, and so by outward Good things, not knowing how to use them, by little and little, destroyeth the Inward, and therefore God in his Bowels of Compassion, sends us that which is fittest for us, to the weakening or daily Killing and slaying of our Outward Man, by tribulations afflictions Crosses and Contradictions or oppositions, from others, for the making us Conformable to the Image of CHRIST, who was Tempted, persecuted, and afflicted, and as the Apostle says, he that will live Godly in this world, must suffer Persecution; this measure our Author had from some, as is manifest by their Objections, and striving to bring his marvellous Gifts into dislike with those that knew not but the Censures cast upon him were right, thereupon, for the vindication of the Truth, and for the sakes of those that were but beginners in the ways of Christ, he then answered to the things that were laid to his charge, with such evidence that even his adversaries may be convinced and reconciled to acknowledge the same truth with him. The SECOND Apology was in answer also to a Book of Balthasar Tylckens, against Jacob Behme's hints of Predestination, mentioned in some of his treatises written before the year 1621. whereby the great Controversies between the Lutherans and Calvinists about the will of God, and of Man, are kindly Reconciled, but he not apprehending the Ground and depths in them, which resolve those Questions, did very much oppose this Author, also the Tutor to his children whose name was Dr. Charles Weisner, did take great distaste at him likewise, as may be seen by a Letter at the End of the Epistles, herewith printed, but by personal Converse with J. B. he received such Satisfaction and Content, that he asketh God forgiveness, for his former hard Opinion of the Author: But Balthasar Tylcken, wrote also against the Book of the Incarnation and Person of CHRIST and of the Virgin MARY, to all which, the Author hath answered particularly in this Apology. The Next Treatise is concerning the Four Complexions, Compiled at the Desire of some friends upon the necessary Occasion of a Person that was very much tempted afflicted and perplexed by Satan, and therein he hath very exactly deciphered the Nature of the Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, and Melancholy, complexions, with their Effects upon the Soul that inhabits them as a House, in this outward Tabernacle, also the Cures and Remedies to make them advantageous to the Souls progress in the way to Eternity, while it is in this Life: that, never any treatise was written before so fully briefly and yet convincingly, as far as hath been Commonly knòwn either among the books of Philosophy or Divinity: it was formerly translated into English by a worthy Person, in very Elegant language, which notwithstanding was thought to be the writing of another author, by those that delighted to read him, not having the same Phrase with his other Books, for which cause I was induced to re-translate it, though not in so good a stile, into that kind of Expression which makes it known to be one of his works. The following Piece, was his Considerations upon a Book set forth by Esaias Stiefel, concerning the Threefold State of Man, and of the Newbirth, of the River flowing out of Zion, and the New Jerusalem, wherein are handled distinctly that Threefold State and Condition of Man; also of the Resurrection at the Last Day, what that Body is, IN this Corruptible Body, which shall rise again and put on Incorruption, and in what Manner, with more plainness as I conceive then in his other Books. After that, is here placed, his THIRD Apology, in Answer to a Book of the same Esaias Stiefel, concerning Perfection: showing what the Inward and Outward Perfection is, which is attainable in this Life, and which way we are to demean ourselves, for the avoiding of the Errors incident thereto, and for the establishing and Confirming the Truth: Great Perfection was attained by some mentioned in the Holy Scriptures; as Enoch, in his walking with God, and his Translation; Moses, when his Face shone like the Sun, when he desecended from seeing but the glory that was left after God was passed by the Clift of the Rock, whereinto God himself had put him, lest he should be consumed before that Glory of God's Face; Eliah in his Miraculous Life and taking up alive in a Chariot of Fire into Heaven; Christ's Transfiguration when his Face also shone like the Sun and his Garments were Bright like lightning, in the presence, of Peter, James, and John, in Mount Tabor, before his Death; Stevens Face shining as an Angel when they Stoned him that he died; and all the Prophets and Holy Men in their Miraculous Conversation upon Earth; All these attained High Perfection in this Life, our not such as when Mortality shall be swallowed up of Life: yet the least among the children of God are of a perfect Heart. Other many excellent inquiries are unfolded in this Treatise, about the purity and impurity of the Holy Matrimonial Propagation, as when Moses said to the outwardly Holy Miraculous people, after they were brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and were to have the Law declared to them, be said come not at your wives; and David and his Men when he desired Bread of the High priest, was asked by him if the young Men had kept themselves at least from women, to whom David answered, the women have been kept from us these three days, by which a great Mystery is hinted, and exactly resolved in this Treatise. The FOURTH of his Apologies answereth the scandalous reproaches of Gregory Rickter Chief Minister of the City of Gerlitz, and Primate of the Country of Lusatia in Germany, under prince elector of Saxony: wherein this Authors rare temper of Spirit, and his deep decision of the Matters laid against him, are evident; In it Men may see as in a Lookingglass, the great hurt any do to their own Souls, who revile and reproach another contrary to the precept and example, of our blessed Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, who said, when men revile you, revile not again: But Love your Enemies, do good to them that Hate you and persecute you, and pray for them that DESPITEFULLY use you, that you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven: If we did know, how the wrath gets the upper hand, when we forbear earnestly to exercise ourselves in the sincere love to every one, without partiality and by respects, we would be more diligent and watchful over our own vile Hearts, that we might preserve our Crown of rejoicing which shall be put on to us in the World to Come, from being defiled here by our remisseness, it is worth our watching, that neither the Devil nor Man may hinder or disappoint us of it. The Last treatise is the residue of his Epistles to his friends wherein are many heavenly advices and Instructions in the ways of God, and of the New Birth, also they inform us, somewhat of his Conversation with Great Persons and Officers of the Emperor and of the Prince elector of Saxony, a little after his Banishment out of Gerlitz: among whom he was lovingly received and his writings and discourses well approved of, by the Prince elector himself, also by his Councillours and Learned Doctors and other; at the End of all is a letter from Dr. Charles Weisner about the whole transaction of that affair between Gregory Rickter and Jacob Behme, together with the opinion of Dr. Ho, one of the Chief preachers to the Prince elector: which signifieth how loath they were to Judge a Man whose Gifts they understood not, but it doth no were appear they either thought the Author did not himself understand them, or that they could not be understood by others, as some among us do. These are the total Remainder of of all his works Extant either in Print or Manuscript, which make up the Catalogue at the End of the 40. Question of the soul: and here at the End of this Book; so that now all his works are printed in the English Tongue. Judge not according to the appearance, but read, weigh, examine, and Judge righteous Judgement; Or rather Judge not that we be not Judged, which was one of the precepts of CHRIST, and the Apostle Paul says: If we would Judge ourselves, we should not be Judged. Judgement is the Mental framing or denouncing of the sentence and severity of the Consuming fire of God's wrath, what in Reality any one is capable of and will certainly receive at the Last day: which to do upon others whom we cannot know so well as we do ourselves, doth awaken that fiery wrath in ourselves, which ought not to be, for if the Eternal Fire which is in our hearts and souls, be kindled, against a Person that is not liable by his Gild, if it burn not him, it may and will burn Ourselves; but if we kindle that fire of Indignation against ourselves, as justly and deservedly we may, it will consume Self-Love, and all the Dark matter of our Sonles; and so change it into Light as fire doth Iron; and then the Eternal fire will have no Fuel to kindle upon, in us, now, or, at the Last Day, but we shall be able to dwell with Everlasting Burnings as the Light doth in the Fire, having Judged and Condemned ourselves, for we shall walk in righteousness, and speak in uprightness, we shall despise the Gain of Deceits, and shake our hands from holding of Bribes, and stop our Ears from hearing of Blood, and shut our Eyes from seeing of Evil, and then we shall dwell on High; our Defence shall be the Munition of the Everlasting Rock of Ages. For a close, I offer a Similitude of the Manner how the last Judgement will be effected, to be Considered of: All Seeds sown, will come up the same that they were sown, whether Good wheat or weeds, this Life time is the sowing of Thoughts words and Actions, in our Spirits, souls, and Bodies, whatsoever is retained and Nourished, grows up in our Lives and Conversations, the other Dies, be it the Good or the Bad, and the power is fixed in the fruit of what Grows in us here, and at the time of the Last Harvest the Seed will present its Fruit ready, and all will appear in the Effect, what hath been suppressed & what hath been cherished, if good, it is well with us; if Bade we are fit Fuel for the Eternal Fire, If our Desires which are the sprouting of our seed be infected with liking the Evil, or disliking the Good, when the Flower or Fruit comes to appear, we shall see the Effect apparently in One Moment, of what was hiddenly in the Seed from the first being of the Thought, word or work, in us: Thus every Heart may Judge of itself in this Life and amend in time, but however then they will be laid Open to the Eyes of ourselves and All Others, as the FLOWER in one instant shows the effect of all the virtues and powers that lay hid in the Seed, though they were really there before: as when we sow; it may be we Expect Rare Tulips, or whatsoever flower is most excellent; when it is full blown it appears either of a pale dead wan Colour, or of a Dull and distorted shape or figure, or else of Orient strong various exact Colours and delightful Figures, which shows, it sucked in, and nourished itself with, barren cold juice of the Earth, or drew in the Infection of the Air and Evil influences, or Else the strong fat warm Sap of a fertile Soil, and the Good Influences of the Stars of Heaven. Our Soul hath in it the Seed of God's Image planted and sown in the Inward word of the Heart, & it springs up in * Good Thoughts Words and Works are Gods. Good Thoughts, which Image is righteousness and Holiness, and will shine far brighter than the Sun: But if we suffer vices and Evil thoughts to possess our Hearts, Evil Thoughts Words and Works only are our Own. our Image will be dark, and that will form us into ugly deformed Beasts or Devils, and we shall no more appear in the right Colours, figures, Isai. 55. 7. 8. forms, beauty and brightness, but be as the Blackness of Darkness in anguish and Torment thence forth and for Evermore: Ch. 59 7. As when we have a Sickness, our beauty decayeth, the Blood is corrupt, looks pale, yellow and sometimes Black, by the distemper of the Fever, which disturbs the whole constitution of a Man, so that the Light of the Sun, Garden, Pictures, Music, or any thing that delights us most in health, is Irksome to us, than Darkness, the Night and Sleep doth most affect us, but then also the Fire of the Disease in the Corruption of our Mortal Body of Flesh, troubles us within, and the most pleasing Thoughts we have had, do much molest us, which shows that the inward Corruption and the wrath of God, hath gotten a life in Our Bodies, so also if it get a life in our Souls, it is much more grievous, even to Eternity; which will manifest itself in the Judgement, when all the Good that now allayeth the Evil in us, shall be separated distinct apart by itself, and will be the life of all Misery, which is the second or Never Dying Death: On the otherside; Health in this Life, giveth alacrity, beauty and pleasantness, which is a true Emblem of the health in the Soul, that shall make it full of Joy and bliss: If the matter that is grown in it here, be good and Holy, we should be able to Endure the sharpest Cold as a refreshment, and the Greatest heat Would be our life; as † Daniel's Companions, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, walked in the Hot fiery furnace of Nabuchadnezzar, and a Hair of their Head was not singed, Dan. 1. 5. 7. 17. nor the smell of fire upon their clothes, the Heavenly substance was but the more effectual and delightful to them by that Fire, Ch. 2. 17. 49. though heat seven Times hotter than formerly it use to be; Ch. 3. 22. 27. 28. whereas those that cast them in, in whom the Love of God had not Gotten a Life, were slain by the Flame that caught hold of them; by this we may collect the great power of the Inward Heavenly Substance; Also of the Hellish Fire; in their Effects, at the Great Day: But then God's brightness in all Things, will be Joined to himself, and his holy ones will enjoy it in their Measures, but the Darkness and filth of Corruption, will remain with the Devil and his Angels, and so the SEPARATION, will be undeniably of like to its Like: when the unquenchable Fire shall swallow up the Dross, Chaff, and Weeds, and the Light receive that which is pure, solid, sweet, and good Wheat, and retain it for Evermore. When I consider how long have known, more than some others, the inevitable danger of loving my Sinfulness, together with my careless negligence, in my endeavours to forsake it, and in that regard, how short I come of the precise Judging of myself, and of the amendment might be expected in me; and so how much I want of the Infinite effect of being able to dwell with the Eternal Burnings, I may well account myself one of the unworthiest of the children of Men, John Sparrow. The First APOLOGY To Balthasar Tylcken Being An Answer of the Author, concerning his Book the AURORA Opposed by an Enemicitious Pasquil or Opprobrious Libel. This Answer Written Anno 1621. By Jacob Behme Also called Teutonicus Philosophus. Englished by JOHN SPARROW. LONDON: Printed by M. S. for Giles Calvert, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Black-Spread-Eagle at the West end of St. Paul's. 1661. A brief, and well intended Answer of the Author concerning his Book AURORA, against the enimicitions Pasquil or Libel; in respect of some opposed and falsely recited Articles or Conclusions, and ill-understood by this Libeler. 1. INto what Calamity, Misery, Anxiety, and great Perplexity, we are plenged, by the heavy fall of Adam, is daily demonstrated, in that we have not only thereby obscured and darkened our Noble Image; so that we cannot any more see or apprehend the Divine Light; unless, we become borne of God again; but also we have thereby, awakened and made stirring in US, the Original fierce Wrath of the Eternal Nature, so that, the fierce wrath venom and poison thereof, is become Springing up and burning in us. 2. Which is rightly called GOD'S Anger-Fire, which should not become stirring and Manifest, but continue shut up in the Centre: for it should remain shut up in the Love in the Divine Light, and be only a cause of Life and Mobility. 3. Which so long as it remaineth shut up in the Light, is a Spring or Fountain of Joy and Knowledge: but if the Light Extinguisheth, is an Evil Opposite Poison, wherein nothing qualifyeth or operateth, but mere self Enmity or Hatred; where instantly all Love and desire of Good hath an End. 4. As we poor Children of Eve, must now feel in us with great pain sorrow and Misery, how that fierce wrath stirreth driveth and vexeth us; so that now we no more converse one with another in Love as Children of God, but very venomously, spitefully, hatefully, murtheringly and enimicitiously, do maliciously persecute, despise slander and reproach, also rob Murder and do all manner of Evil, and always wish death, fierce wrath and all Evil one to another. 5. Which great Misery and Evil is sufficiently to be traced in this Libel, and out of what manner of Mind knowledge and Will it is flown forth, in that he undertakes, not only to Misconstrue the words, but also to wrest the whole understanding into a false meaning or sense, and to pronounce the Author to be a Devil, and in a very vaunting reproachful, spiteful, Malicious and Odious manner, likeneth the Authors Will or Intent, thought or sense and mind, to the Devil, without any knowledge of him, who he is, how he is, or what Spirit's Child he is; whether he seeks God, or this World. 6. Thus he takes upon him to insinuate his innate poison, into the Heart thought or sense and Will or intention of the Author; all which is very horrible, lamentable and Miserable, in that he knoweth not himself, or from what Mind his Zeal proceeds, and in whose driving he runneth. 7. He cannot see, that his whole writing, is a mere venomons Pasquil or Libel: and Evil meaning or intention; for though that which is spoken is not reprovable by him, yet he can not leave it unreproached: whereby a man may clearly see, out of what Spirit, and Mind it is flown forth, and how the miserable fierce wrath hath ruled in him; and yet he dares set in his Title; that it is Christianlike, and well intended. 8. But if he would set any thing better in the room of it, it might indeed be born with. But I can find in all his Writing no Divine Knowledge and Light; which yet he highly boasteth of; as if he had an enlightened Mind and Thoughts, and were Exercised therein. 9 An Enlightened Mind or thoughts (if the Light be from God) proceedeth friendly, and lovingly, and instructeth a Man, what he should Do and leave undone; it owneth others in a brotherly Duty; it hunteth not men's Minds into the Jaws of the Devil, but they are Gentle in reproving and teaching, with Good instruction: They reprove in Generally, they catch not hold of a Man Privately particularly and Singly, and make not a Den of Thievery or Murder, by the Good Way side. 10. An Enlightened Mind, which hath Exercised Thoughts (as the Libeler would seem to have), knoweth the Gifts of God, that they are without End or Number; that God Leadeth his Children Wonderfully, and giveth to one a Divers gift to Express, than to another: as the Apostle also witnesseth the same. 11. That * 1 Cor, 12. 10, 11. God giveth to one from the gift of his Spirit to do Miracles or Wonders; to another, to interpret Tongues; to a Third to Prophesy; to a Fourth to speak with Tongues, etc. and all from the One only Spirit of God: which thus speaketh from the Great Wonders of the eternal Wisdom of God, and thus Driveth and teacheth the Children of God, that the unmeasurable Wisdom of God may appear in his Children. 12. If the Spirit of God ruleth in a Man, than he is NOT Crafty subtle Deceitful † Tuckisch. treacherous Lying, astonishing, ambitious, but reprovable teachable and Meek; he is not thorney prickly, Misconstruing and vainly frivolous, he suddenly apprehends what is in a Man, and from what Spirit he Speaketh: For the Spirit of God itself knoweth itself very well in a Man, it needeth no Witness, it * Psal. 7. 9 trieth the Heart and the Reins, Soul and Body, it speaketh the Truth and disgraceth or reproacheth no man, it drives on all to that which is good, and proveketh Men to Righteousness. 13. But this whole Libel or Pasquil, is nothing Else but a Misconstruing, poisoning and disgracing; he draweth the Scripture by the hair of the Head, and corrupteth it, that he may but take occasion to prick with Thorns: besides he hath no right understanding of the Scripture, that must serve him as he will have it mean; that he may therewith satisfy his fierce wrath, and bring it as fuel to his ficrce Fire, that it may burn far and near, and so make show of his Deep knowledge, though he should thereby tread his Brother Abel under his feet. 14. And yet his knowledge which he hath here brought forth to the Day Light Concerning GOD'S Will, is as to one part in Bibell, and he largely buildeth the Babylonish Tower therewith, as it shall be set before his eyes: which for my part I do unwillingly, but now necessity requires, I must do it. 15. Not for my own sake, but for the sake of those. whom he hath kindled with his envious fire, and poisoned, and hath insinuated into them very Erroneous Opinions, especially concerning God's † Predestination. Election of Grace: therefore it behoveth me to clear my meaning, how I have apprehended it, in Divine knowledge, and how also it is the True Ground, and Apostolic Foundation. 16. His reproaching and contempt, giveth me and My Conscience no stumbling block, but it rejoiceth me that I shall suffer reproach and contempt for the sake of the Dear Name of JESUS CHRIST; and I account it as sent from God, and an Exercise of Faith. 17. For, our Saviour CHRIST left us this at last, that * Math. 5. 11. when they would persecute contemn despise reproach us, and speak all manner of Evil of us for his Name sake, if it be false, that we should then rejoice and be glad; † Math. 10. 25. For if they have called the Master of the House Beelzebub; what will they may they not do concerning them of his Household: * Math. 10. 24. the Disciple is not better than his Master. 18. † Acts 14. 22. In Persecution, the Cross, and Tribulation, we shall Enter into the Kingdom of God; * Note. The Cross Driveth us on to Consider, that we should continually Cruefie our Corrupt perished Man, and give ourselves up continually into the Love of God in Christ, that the New Man in us may arise, grow, and Live, in God. 19 Also I Desire not to rage against the Writer of this Libel: or to contemn him, but to answer for myself against his Malicious charge against me: for he treateth therein against God and the Love of our Neighbour, also against his own Conscience, in that he lays to my charge, and falsely wresteth my Writings, which he himself doth not understand; therefore he judgeth his own Heart, seeing he knoweth nothing of me, and yet pronounceth me a Devil. 20. Surely, that I should write concerning myself as if I were a Great Master of the Scriptures or Arts and Sciences of the Schools or Universities of this World, that is NOT so. I am a poor simple Man, and have my Skill and high knowledge, not from Art or from Reason, neither have I sought so Great Art, but from my Youth up have sought only the salvation of my Soul, how I might inherit and possess the Kingdom of God. 21. But after I found in me, a powerful Opposition, viz. the Driving in Flesh and Blood, and the Mighty strife between the Woman's and the Serpent's Seed, I then once set myself so hard in strife against the Serpent's Seed, and my own Corrupt Nature, yet through the assistance of God, that I supposed I should overcome and break that innate evil Will and Inclination, and unite myself to the Love of God in Christ, to hide myself in the Heart or Bosom of God, from the terrible Tempest of the Anger of God, and the fierce wrath of the Devil, that, God's Spirit might rule Drive and Led me. 22. I purposed, to keep myself as Dead in my innate form and Condition, till the Spirit got a form in me, and that I laid hold on him, that I might lead my Life through and in Him. 23. Also I purposed, to Will nothing, but what I apprehended in his Will and Light; he should be my Will and Deed: which indeed was not possible for me to Do, and yet I stood in the Earnest purpose and resolution, and in very earnest strife and Battle against myself. 24. And what thereupon came to pass, none may well know but God and my ownsoul: for I would rather lose my Life, then Depart from that. 25. Thus I wrestled in God's assistance, a good space of Time, for the victorious Garland or Crown of Victory, which I afterwards with the breaking open of the Gate of the Deep in the Centre of Nature, attained with very great Joy, whereupon in my soul a Wonderful Light Sprung up, which was strange to the wild Nature. 26. Wherein I first apprehended, what God, and Man, was, and what God had to Do with Man; Which I never understood before, neither did seek in such a way: but as a Child that hangeth to its Mother, and longeth after her, so did my soul after this Light, but with no knowledge beforehand, what should or would come to pass, but as as a simple Child. 27. I little understood the high Articles of Faith; before only after the Manner of poor Lay people: much less Did I understand Nature, till the Light in the eternal Nature began to shine to me, whence I became so very much Delighted and ravished, that I began, and would needs write down my knowledge for a Memorial. 28. For the Spirit picrced through and through like Lightning, and saw into the Ground of the Eternity, or as a Tempest passeth on, what it Driveth that it Driveth: so it went in me, I began to write as a Child at School, and I wrote thus in my apprehension and zealous Driving, continually on and on, and only for myself. 29. I supposed all my life Long, not to be known thereby to any Man, but minded, to keep it by me all my Life long for a Memorial; though indeed it was continually given to me to write of Things to Come, as if it were for Many, as if it were a work laid upon me, which I must undergo. 30. I found mightile the will of the New kindled Light-spirit: but my soul was, to it, and in it, as a Child, without understanding. It went thus into its Mother's Garden of Roses, and Did as a Servant in Obedience; and all was given me after a, † After a hidden Mystical Manner or by way of Similitudes. Magical Manner, to set it Down in Paper. 31. For I wrote only my Mind sense or Thoughts, as I understood in the Deep; and made no Exposition upon it; for I supposed not, that it should come to be read by other; I would keep it for myself, else, if I had known, that it should have been read abroad, I would have written more clearly. 32. Also the Labour of my Spirit in it and with it, was a continual Exercise; wherein my soul Dived the longer the deeper into the Mystery of the Eternal Nature, as a Scholar which goeth to School, and strenuously execiseth himself. 33. For, the Spirit of the Light loved my Soul exceedingly, as the impartial Reader will see therein, how the Spirit hath exercised itself, and repeated many things very often and ever Deeper and Clearer, from one step to another, it was the right jacob's Ladder, upon which my soul climbed up, through Gods Will, whom it also pleased so to exercise me, and to bring me into the Heavenly School, into the Holy Ternary. 34, Concerning which, the Libeler knows Nothing, as his reproachful writings testify, that he understandeth nothing therein, but writeth, like a History, from the School of this World, which I leave to its own worth; but he boasteth unjustly of Enlightened Eyes, seeing he useth them for a reproach against the Children of God. 35. Now this is THAT * The AURORA. Book, which I wrote in my Childhood, when I was but an A. B. C. Scholar, which the Libeler takes upon him to Judge. But it was taken away from me by Satan's Suttlety, who thought to make merry with it, so that I knew not of it in Three Years, where it was; I supposed it was quite gone a great while before. 36. Moreover I was bereft of it before it was completed, so much did Satan hasten to make merry with it, or a Bonfire of it, and heaped Crosses and tribulation, also Enemies enough upon me, of purpose to Rob me of my Noble Pearl. 37. He exceedingly also covered me with his Thorn bush, by my Opponents, that he might bereave me of my Jewel: till after THREE Years, it was sent to me Written from highly Learned People, out of my writings, who earnestly exhorted me to finish it; Then I saw that ym writings were still Extant, and wondered at it, that it had so happened to them, and understood, that they had had them in their hands for TWO Years before, and that all along One Good Friend had given them to another to write out Copies of them. 38. I understood Also, that they were in the Hands of Many Men altogether unknown to me, and that Many enlightened and Honest Pious Hearts had great satisfaction therein, who sought not Poison, but a right may to the Divine Life and Christian Conversation therein. 39 Who doubtless had not such venomous Eyes, that the Aspect of the Serpent, so suddenly slipped into the Centre of their Mind, and sought to pervert it, but have left it to the Spirit of God, and asked Instruction, which also they obtained. 40. But some of them are so highly Learned and wise persons that the Libeler may not well compare himself with them, but I have not heard that any of them should say, that the Devil was sitting therein. I firmly believe, that he is sitting in the Libeler, in Mind Eyes Heart and Thoughts, and suddenly infected him, and drove him on to strife. 41. For, he acknowledgeth himself, in the Introduction, that he read it over in haste, and had not leisure enough; surely, the Serpent had very suddenly captivated him, and after that left him no time to ponder it, but only to make Sport with it. Certainly, if the Libeler, had searched further, he had found out the Author. 42. And if he had written to me never so little, to know how I came by such Meanings and Writings, I would have written to him of it very friendly and Christianly; this would have become a Christian well, especially an enlightened Mind. 43. But Sr Libeler, I conceive thereby, that your Artful Mind, is standing in BABEL, and would thereby slay ABEL, therefore you must answer it before the Judgement of God, let this betold you, you must know that you have opposed the A. B. C. 44. God hath bestowed so much Grace, that in the † The Three Principles. Second Book which is made, we have written much clearer than in the * The Aurora Pirst, and also, than you have written in yours; The sense is a little Deeper opened to US, then to YOU. 45. You must know, that I see YOUR Writings much better than yourself understand them; you would flee or soar aloft, to show yourself, and yet your writings are but a fight with a shadow, in the Mystery of God: all would be well, and men would be at peace, if you were not found to be a Scorner; as also having a proud unchristian Mind. 46. Read my Three Books of the Becoming Man or Incarnation of JESUS CHRIST, how we must be conceived and enter into, the becoming Man or Incornation of Christ, and become Newborn in Christ, and how we with Christ must enter into his Death, and be buried with and in him, die with him, and Continually slay the Old Man, also continually rise with and in Him, and Eternally live in Him. 47. Also; read the Book of the Threefold Life of Man, and ye will find the Elernall Divine Nauture, and also the Outward Nature of the Stars and Elements a little deeper and More fundamentally Described, then in your Libel or Pasquil: you will well see what Divine knowledge is, Moreover, what man is to do and leave undone, and What Faith and Blessedness or Salvation is. 48. Also you will find your Crippled, and altogether Misexpounded * Predestination. Gracious Election, rightly in the Ground: that will better accord with the Apostolic Faith and understanding, then yours. 49. Yours, bringeth Men to Desperation, to vanity, and into mere anxiety of Spirit, and not out of it again; but mine brings them to the Light, that they may see what the Holy Scripture understandeth by God's Election. 50. Also you find therein, right knowledge of God; and of the substance of all Substances; whereas, with you there is still a great Mist before it: you boast of your knowledge, yet Divine skill and knowledge standeth not in Reason, but in the Light of God. 51. If you will speak so highly of God, you must understand and fundamentally know ALL the THREE Principles; else your Speech continues to be only a fight with a shadow, and satisfieth not the Hungry Mind; Read my Book of the Three Principles of the Divine Substance; what will that avail, you shall see, whether I am a Man or no, you should not seek in ME for a Devil, as you have done in a very unchristian Manner, towards me, which ought highly to be reproved in you. If you will rightly seek the Heretic whom you reproach, you will find him in your own Bosom. 52. For he is a HERETIC, that wresteth the Scriptures falsely: and you do it not only to my meaning, and with my words, that are hidden to you, which stand yet partly in a Magic understanding, but you pervert the Scripture and draw it falsely to your Meaning, of the † Predestination. Election of Grace, and cast only a Mist before men's Eyes, driving them into God's Anger and there let them Lie: and go your way, and moreover forbid any Man to search further about it. 53. Yes indeed, the Devil might thereby be manifested or revealed; and that he would not have: or likely my Book hath hit you upon the Calvinist Vein. 54. I cannot remedy that, if you or others will not read my Book, let it alone; it is not Printed; who bid any, write a Copy of it? leave it to me, I have written it only for myself; it is nothing to you: I have not run about with it, and presented it to any body, it is come forth without my will and Desire, and without my knowledge; as they that first came by it, well know. 55. But now that you lay to my Charge; I have sought my same by it; that is an untruth; A Christian seeketh not his own honour, but God's honour, and, in his Love, his Neighbour's; CHRIST sought not his own honour but his Father's: He desired no honour from Man: what should it be desired for then by me? 56. The True knowledge of God is not from this World, but from God, why should a lodging then be sought for it here: behold and Consider yourself. 57 I say with good ground, in such a way you have no understanding of my writings; you do but fully them for me, with a strange understanding; as here further shall be set before your Eyes: yet briefly, and for the Readers sake; who readeth the reproachful Paper of yours; that he may discern us both. 58. He that desireth a full Explanation, let him read the book of the Threefold Life: he will find more than he would search for, especially in the Three Principles; which the Libeler or Pasquiller, dare not well believe: yet if he will be called a Christian, and Do that which is right, let him read that, he will see what Spirit's Child I am: perhaps we shall come nearer together, and he may of a Saul become a Paul; which I do heartily wish in his behalf, and had much rather have a hearty good and Christian Conference with him, concerning our IMMANVEL, than this Controversy. 59 Truly I say, that my Book which he opposeth in some places needs a better Explanation, for the simple understanding; I am also very ready to do it, if any desire it; for it stands in some places yet in a very * Mystical Typical. Magic understanding. 60. But there are also such Mysteries therein, that the learned Schoolman, Prophetical or in Parables or Similitudes. or Master † Math. 7. 6. Alexen, cannot number them, for it hath pleased God to have it so I look upon the writings of the Prophets, and see whether they be clear in all places; besides CHRIST himself taught also in Parables or Similitudes. † Men should not cast Pearls before Swine. 61. But what concerns the Articles of Faith, which in this Book are still in a Magic understanding; those in the other writings are set down clear enough: more than the Libeler or Pasquil requires or understandeth: yet if any desire more clearing, it shall be afforded him; and if he desire proof thereof, it shall also be given him. 62. But he that desireth it not, I have not written it for him, let him leave it to me; I write for myself, and run after none; I have not put it out to any Booksellers shop to sell; if some people fearing God, had not intimately Earnestly and in true Christian intention asked and entreated for it, I had not given it to any at all. 63. But since honest hearts fearing God are found, whose Christianity is indeed sincere and in Earnest; should Christian Love be withdrawn from them? Or hath God * Math. 5. 15. given me it, that I should put it under a stool; or † Math. 25. 25. bury it in the Earth? 64. Christ faith; none Kindleth a Light or Candle, and setteth it under a Stool, or under a Bushel: but setteth it upon a Table, that all that are in the House may see by it: The Divine Light will not be covered, those that God giveth it to, should let it shine, for God will require an account of his Talon. 65. Moreover, what is it, that Men contend about in the Christian Religion? and dispute much? The Christian Religion is no strife contention or Opinion, it consisteth in the New Regeneration out of Christ, in Faith, from the Holy Ghost, in Humility, Love and Righteousness. 66. A Christian must be borne of Christ, he must have a Christian Will and desire, and lead a Christian Conversation. It is not only knowing will do it, and comforting one's self with Christ's sufferings, and be a Dissembling Hypocrite in the presence of God; to speak one thing, and Will, Desire, and Do another; and let the evil poisonous Worm of the Corrupt Nature's Fire, burn still, and be but a Lip or Mouth-Christian. 67. It lieth not in knowing much, that a man should tickle himself with Christ's sufferings, and set them aloft on the Pinnacle, and yet retain the Evil Envious kindled poisonous worm Continually in the Heart, and continually carry Fuel to its Fire: I say, that very Mantle, will become hellish fire to Many: that he hath known Gods will, and will not enter thereinto, and give up himself to him. 68 A Christian must break his own Natural Will, and give himself up into God's Will; he must always quench his Fire-will, and Continually, bring all the Thoughts of his Mind into the Obedience of God, into the Love and Mercy of God in CHRIST, into his becoming Man or Incarnation, Suffering, Dying, Death, and Resurrection; he must will nothing, but Gods Will in Christ. 69. But this is his Desire, that God may be his Will and Deed, that God in him may be his knowledge; he should continually slay the will of his Flesh, and desire only GOD'S Will in himself: that it may rule, Drive, and be the Deed, in him. 70. * Note wherein Man's ability of doing Good consists. For man of himself doth no good thing; but the Law of God, which God writeth in his Nature, that Doth the Good: that very Law is the Eternal Word of the Deity: and putteth on to itself, Divine and heavenly substantiality, viz. the New Body; for it is become man, and must also become Man in us. 71. And in that Body standeth the right, willing, and doing, and the performance and the ability of a Christian Man; without that there is no Christian, but the † Rev. 17. 1, 2. Antichrist, and a spiritual Whoredom, as the Revelation of St. John Testisyeth. 72. Therefore it lieth not in Disputing, flying high and being acute, desiring and giving his brother to the Devil: for God * Tim. 2. 4. 〈…〉 〈…〉 as the V. Psalm speaketh: and * Ezek. 33. 11. Ezekiel the 33. As truè as I live, saith the Lord, I will not the Death of a Sinner, etc. And Christ saith, † Luk. 5. 32. I am come to call sinners to Repentance, and not the Righteous; Also Isaiah faith; * Isa. 42. 1. Who is so simple as my Servant. Also, † 1 Cor. 4. 20. the Kingdom of God consisteth in Power: What needs then such high flying and Contention? 73. * Psal. 51. 17. God respecteth a shiveered Broken Contrite and sighing heart, that is afraid of his wrath, that would always fain Do well, that always Desireth God and goodness, that Co-worketh with God: for what the Mind is desirous of, that it receiveth, be it necessity or Death, or else the Kingdom of God; for the Kingdom of God is not far off, but within us, we must become born of God, if we will see God, or receive Gods Will. 74. In Adam we lost Gods, will, and in the Promise of the Woman's Seed we found it again: for it presented itself with or by the Promise to all Men in the Light of Life; and Espoused itself to the soul for a Bride: Whatsoever soul is Entered thereinto, out of that is the Noble † The New Regenerate Man. Lily Twig or Branch Sprouted up again, and that is become Elected or Chosen to be the Child of God. 75. But he that hath not willed, but let the fierce wrath of the Eternal Nature, deteing him; hath the fierce wrath and Anger swallowed up into itself, and kept him in the Abyss of the Original in the first Principle, out of which the Worm of the soul ariseth Originally. 76. In that very regenerate will of God, Israel is become born in God, and in that very will, is, the Word of Eternal Life, which maketh Divine Essence, wherein the Divine Will becometh generated. 77. And that is entered into Mary's Essence, and Opened the, in Death, enclosed, Will, in MARY; and brought forth the Lily of God: and therein is become a true Man; and hath received or assumed a soul out of the, in Death, enclosed, and now through God's Motion, Sprouting forth, humane Essence, into itself; in which now, Divine ability standeth, for it is in the Word of the Light of Life: and to that very will we must unite and give up ourselves; that it also may become MAN, in US. 78. In Adam, the Ability was shut up in Death, for the Divine Light Extinguished in Alams soul; and in the Promise, it stood before the soul for an Eye-Mark; and in the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, it was brought again into the soul, and shone again in the Darkness. 79. Though indeed in itself, it was not Extinguished, but Adam's soul was entered into the spirit of this World; and gone forth out of the Divine Principle; it had received the spirit of this World for a Lodging: thus stood the Light in itself in the Shining, and was covered as to the soul. 80. For the soul is another Principle than the Light, as the Fire hath another source or quality, than the Light; so the soul is a Magick-fire, introduced into Adam out of the first Principle: and with the Moving of the Deity in the Divine Fiat, became generated a Creature. 81, For its Essence it hath been always from Eternity, but in the Creature, in the time of the Body's Creation, became form to the Image of God: and yet it is not solely or entirely the right Image; but the Essential fire to the Image; if it attain the Divine Ligh, viz; the Second Principle, than the Divine similitude groweth out of it, in which God Dwelleth, and in which Gods Will standeth, which hath Divine Power Might or Strength. 82. But if not, and that it standeth barely in his Magick-fire, and will not introduce God's will into itself; than it bringeth the Will of the Original, viz: of the first Principle, or of the Kingdom of this World, which standeth in the Ground of the first Principle, into itself, the Image whereof, also the Magic fire of the soul receiveth whence * Note, Why Christ called the Pharisees Generation of Vipers, and Herod a Fox. CHRIST called the Pharisees, a Generation of Adders and brood of Serpents, and Hered a Fox: understand according to the Image of the inward Man, which through the Imagination becometh generated and born. 83. Therefore it lveth in the Imagination, which when it receiveth the Divine Lightning in the aspect or Countenance of 〈◊〉 Light of God, becometh impregnate of the Word of God; and then is FAITH generated, which then Eateth of Christ's flesh, and Drinketh of his Blood, and taketh the Divine substantiality into itself, wherein the true similitude and the Image of God standeth, which then Eateth ex Verbo Domini, of the Word of the Lord, and of the bread of God, of which Christ saith; † Joh. 6. 56. Whosoever eateth my flesh and Drinketh my blood, he continueth in me, and I in him, 84. Read the Book of the Threefold Life, there it is explained with all Circumstances, and cleared; there a Man may understand, what a Principle is, and much more in the Three Books of the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ; and of or concerning his Mother MARY; and also of the Eternal Mother, where all is become brought forth out of the Centre of Nature. Also, read the Three Principles, there thou hast the Ground, which is here too long to write, neither doth the Libeler deserve it. 85. Therefore I say still, the true Christain Faith, stands in no Conceit or Opinion, much less in strife, but in the New Birth, out of the Word of Eternal Life, which became Man, and that must become Man in us, or else we cannot see God: as CHRIST saith to Nicodemus; therein shineth the Light of God. 86. We must give Divine sewell to our souls-fire, if it be to burn in a Divine source or quality, and if a Divine Light be to shine from it, earthly fuel giveth an earthly source or quality, and a Light according to that source or quality; whatsoever a man kindleth in himself, THAT burneth in him. 87. But God's kingdom standeth in Power, in Love, and Joy; it searcheth after nothing, for it hath all things beforehand: only the soul searcheth, it would enter into the kingdom of Rest; and in the Earthly Body it sticketh in unquietness; and therefore it searcheth after its Native Country, out of which it went forth in Adam from Jerusalem to Jericho, viz: into itself, into the original of the first Principle, and out of itself, though the first Principle, into the spirit of the outward World, into the Multiplicity, viz: into the Stars and Elements, into the source or torment-house, where if findeth and learneth ARTS; It will needs be as God, and will know, Evil and Good; yes indeed; it experienceth that: It were better to be in Paradise. 88 Therefore is all contention and strife, concerning the kingdom of God, only a fight with a shadow, a Babylonish work in the kingdom of Antichrist. 89. A True Believing Christian, ought not to strive or Contend with any about Religion; let him strive only against himself, against Flesh and Blood, and Endeavour for this, how he may work the works of God in the Love of his Neighbour; let him seek only Gods will, and give himself up to that, and Led his Life in Obedience to the Will of God: let him draw himself away from this World; for he is not at home in this world; and let him seek his brother as a Member of his own Soul, and take him along with him. 90. As one Member wisheth and doth all Good to the other; so will also a Believing Soul, Continually have his fellow Member with it, and endeavoureth for this, how it may show his Brother any Good; it always showeth him its Light, and with or by its Imagination sets it before the Eyes of the soul, † For an Object. to be looked upon, and saith, Come I pray hither; for which things sake, this Pen hath written so very much, which the Pasquil or Libeler, doth not understand, for the Sting is in him. 91. O how miserably and horribly hath he written, of the Propagation of Man, and Of the will of God: whereas a Man, whom the Devil assaulteth enough besides, might Despair upon it; therein sticketh Heresy, that a man dares pervert the will of God, who only willeth Good; and make of God's will, a will of Evil or Malice. 92. How very blind is he, as to the knowledge of God, how altogether Nothing doth he know of the Eternal Nature; and of the Original of the Will, what the will to Good and to Evil is: He rejecteth my * The AURORA. A. B. C. little Book, and sets the Babylonish Grammar, in the 〈◊〉 of it: Art 〈◊〉 do the thing. 〈…〉 Mine is bestowed upon me of Grace in the Love of God; I shall well stand with mine against your; it is as the Sun and the Moon, to one another. An honest Man, fearing God, who seeketh but Gods will, may very well distinguish my writings, and thine, asunder. 94. Dost thou suppose that men are satisfied by them? Can they satisfy the heart and poor captive soul, which sticketh in the Prison of Darkness? (Thou Teachest, that God hath not Elected them all:) That God Hardeneth one part of them, and draweth them not, in Christ, to the Father, and givest the Similitude of a Potter: As if the SOUL were made or Created; and though indeed thou dost not so state it in terms, yet it affordeth such an Understanding. 95. Why do you not set down the Original of the will to Evil and to Good, what is in GOD, that Draweth Men to Good, and, to Evil? Wilt thou boast thyself of an Enlightened Mind, than thou must know that, and set it down; for the Comfort of the poor soul; that it may not be wavering and unsettled, and to think that God hath not created it for a vessel of Honour; that it is not born or generated in the Line of CHRIST; as thou bringest it in concerning Cain and Abel; and usest the bowed perverted Scriptures and leavest out the Best, viz. the Love of God, which willeth not the Evil; and so thou Castest a snare about the Neck of the Soul. 96. Well: thou art come to my warehouse, to which I have invited the Children of God: But I tell thee, I have no such ware as thou seekest after; I have only Comfort for the Children of God; and Not Desperation for the Devils: I will set forth to thee, the Ware I promised, if thou wilt not buy, let it alone. 97. I have not invited the Devil's Advocates to it, but Christ's Children, who would fain be saved: although thou boastest Much, that the Election of Grace is not to be searched for out of Christ, but tellest not how it is to be searched for, in CHRIST: but layest it aside, as if God would not have all Men, as if he hardened some out of a Predestinate purpose. 98. In that respect I will show you some of my Wares; if you will buy, well and good, and so you may be a brother in Christ: but if not, thou thyself wilt not, God would indeed, but if thou thyself wilt not, than thou hardenest thyself. 99 The CENTRE out of which Evil and Good, floweth, is IN thee; that which thou awakest in thee, be it Fire, or Light; that will be taken in again by its Like; either by God's Anger-fire, or by God's Light-fire: Each of them Electeth or chooseth to itself, that which is like its property. 100 Will any be a Devil, than God's Anger will have him; for he is of its property: the Election or choosing is suddenly there; but will he be an Angel, then is the Election or Choosing also suddenly there. 101. But hath be been an Evil wicked Man, and likely that the Anger of God hath already chosen or Elected him to Damnation, and yet letteth in the sparkle of God's Love, again, into the Light of Life, which not withstanding, all the while the outward Man liveth, standeth presented to him, and calleth him; then is also as suddenly, the Elector or chooser to the Kingdom of Heaven in THAT sparkle, and besides, † Luk. 15. 7. with very great Joy and honour, more than for Ninety and Nine Elected which need no repentance. 102. The soul of Man, is from or out of that Centre, which is called God the Father, understand out of the Eternal Beginning less Nature: it hath the Centre to the fire, and Light, in itself; to evil and Good; what IT Electeth or chooseth for itself, of THAT it is re-Elected or chosen again and taken up; which is to be seen by the Devils. 103. They were Angels in God's Light; and their Centre Moved itself yet higher than the right of the Angelical Nature was, and awakened in them the Mother of the Original in the fierce wrath; and that also suddenly caught their will-spirit, and Elected or chose them to be Creatures of the Dark world. 104. Do you suppose now, that it was Gods Predestinate purposed will to have it so? then must God have a Devils will in himself, and also an Angelical: which is quite contrary to the Holy Scripture, also against God's Love, and against the Light of the Eternal Nature. 105. But the Pasquil or Libeler, understandeth NOT at all what Gods Love and Anger are; or what is called God. He will speak of God's will, and it is but a fight with a shadow and a Juggling. 106. But since he understandeth it not, and that, through the Grace of God, I see his miserable blindness, how he burneth in the poison of the Original, and thus affords a right Advocate to the Anger of God, as also to the Devil to bolt up and keep the poor foul in the Anger of God; therefore I will Discover somewhat to him. Now if he will buy, well and Good, then let IMMANUEL be for US, and the Dark world for the Devil. 107. But if he will NOT, than I have written for the Reader of his Pasquil or Libel; if the Reader be a Christian, and Intendeth to be saved, he will be well able in his Understanding and Mind, to distinguish between US. This shall be my Answer for this one Time. Here followeth further Information, and Refutation of the Pasquil or Libel, It is noted with the * The Number and Page of the Libel. Number, where it is to be found in the Libel. 108. First the Pasquil sets down for an Entrance, a great Register of the Prophecies of CHRIST concerning the last Times; How Seducers and HERETICS, would come, and say, Here is Christ, and that we should not then believe them: And that the Libeler doth to the End, that he may make to himself a stately Entrance and Door of reproach to the Pasquil or Libel; That he may proclaim the Author for a HERETIC: and a man may soon see what he hath in his Mind and Thoughts, and what Spirit's Child he is; his Christian vein, suddenly appears, so that he may lay it upon the Author. 109. Indeed Christ and his Apostles have rightly prophesied, and it is, or standeth so, in the substance, and it proteedeth at present with great prevalency, when every one Cryeth, * Math. 24. 23. 26. Here is Christ, or There is Christ; Run after Me, you is a Heretic and Babel at present is quite kindled with Clamour: it burneth also in the fire of God's Anger, in its senseless † Turbulence. Sectarianisme, so that indeed, * Math. 24. 24. if it were possible the Elect might be doveived. 110. But why doth the Pasquil or Libeler, wrest the words of the Prophecy, and not say what an HERETIC is? He thinks he hath catched a Mouse, and seeth not that he himself sticks fast in the Trap. 111. Certainly, HERETICS are such people as are generated or born out of or from Reason, out of or from ART which is from the Stars, which make an unsteadfast Matter or Substance, whereas to day one Constellation or Configuration, is made, and to Morrow that is broken by another; where a man must have many things to build with; where, a man doth but Exchange words, and Expounds words with words; where, the Mind never Experienceth what the Power and understanding of the words are, where a Man runs about with Reason and Art, and seeketh only favour and honour thereby; that the Man might have respect and repute. 112. And when a Man cannot retain that, than they Cry in the Ears of the Worldly power and Authority, and raise, Calumnies, Persecution, Wars and Shedding of Blood; then the uproar-Master, danceth in his heart; now thou hast gotten the day; and fall on to make Laws about Christian Liberty; and to Establish them with worldly authority, and put penalties upon Men, that they must believe and do what those uproar-Masters have carved out. 113. And then when it comes into a Custom, than they call him a Saint or Holy Person, and Men devise and sane Continually more and more to add to it, how they may flatter and serve the uproar-Masters; in the mean time not forgetting the Belly-Idoll, they draw all with suttlety and Tricks, and draw the SCRIPTURE of the Saints and Holy Men by the Hair of the Head to it, and that with great mixture of their own with it. 114. And there then is the right ANTICHRIST, for he doth what himself will, and not what God will; he is from or out of himself, born or generated out of or from the Starry-Reason, and not out of or from God. 115. Such, Men set up, for Teachers, to the World; and these now are mere Contenders, strivers, boasters, and HERETICS, and stir up nothing but Wars, Plagues, and Vexation; they Teach only reproachful words, they strive about words, they dispute about the Shell, and let the Kernel lie, also they know nothing thereof, for the kernel is a Mystery to them; † Exod. 32. 19 they Dance about the Calf as in Moses time; and leave Moses alone with God in the Mount, and likely slight whatsoever he shall say, when he cometh from the Mount. 116. They take not themselves concerned, though Israel be destroyed nay rather they will help towards it, and put the Sword into the Hands of violence; thus the Anger of God will have it, that he may but devour THOSE, who are NOT Gods children, and seek not God, but their own honour. 117. But he is a true Christian, who is Obedient to CHRIST, And, when those uproar-or Alarum-Masters, * Math. 24. 23. 26. Cry out, here is the Church of Christ, or there is the Church of Christ, Behold, he is in the Wilderness, He is in the Chamber; Also in the Supper, And the other saith no, he is not there, go not then forth; for CHRIST saith; † Math. 28. 20. Behold I am all the days with you, even to the End of the World; * Math. 24. 27, 28. as the Lightining Springs up in the East, and shineth to the West; so will also continually and even in Eternity, be the Coming of the Son of Man: Luke 17. 23. 24. for where a Carcase is, thither the Eagles gather together. 118. CHRIST is always the true Christians, Carcase, his Lightning is continually IN them, they continually Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood, and forsake boasting and playing the Herotick; they contend with none, they have no contention; Christ is with them, they are generated or born out of Christ, and Live in him, they seek only how they may do his Will. 119. † Note. Hath * Rom. 8. 2. Christ made us free from the Law of Sin, what need we then long hunt after any other? why should we despise and persecute others, since we are all extracted or begotten out of ONE Soul and Body? 120. In Adam we fell with thst ONE only soul, into Death and Eternal Darkness; In Christ we become again Newborn in that same ONE only soul: And nothing More is wanting, but that we all should Enter again into THAT ONE only soul of Christ; and become ONE in CHRIST again and not Two. 121. As the Libeler, shamefully, falsifies it, as to Adam, and hides and obscures the true Ground, and in the stead thereof sets up a plea as Advocate for the Devil: whereas he knoweth very well, that the Author, in his Book hath rejected that thing, yet he will set it up again, and the Pasquil or Libeler is ready for that End and purpose, if any understand the Matter; † sirach. or Ecclesiastions. sirach saith, He that throweth among the Dogs, and hits one, it will be discerned well enough which he hits. 122. Observe, I pray, his holiness, when he makes such an Introduction, that he can give the Author up to the Devil, than he holdeth it forth for a great piece of Holiness, that he will not Judge the Author, but leave the judgement of him to them to whom it belongeth, where likely he means the Devil, or the Hangman; as he all along pronounceth the Author to be a Devil. 123. O, Great Babylonish holiness! Mind repentance or else thou wilt not eat of Christ's Carcase: The Author is no Devil, but seeketh his * Math. 24. 28. Carcase CHRIST, and Destreth nothing Else. 124. Christ saith, † Math. 12. 34. How will you that are evil or wicked, speak that which is Good; also * Math. 7. 16. Can a Man gather Grapes of Thorns, or sigs of Thistles; If a Toad, did sit under a sweet-smelling Medicinal Herb, or in an Apothecary's Shop of Precious Ointments, or did Eat nothing but Sugar, and dainty Spice, yet it would suck only poison out of all, and continue an evil Toad still. 125. And so it is also with an Envious Man, that sucks only poison, out of all that is very Good; He turns all to the worst, he cryeth down that thing for Evil, which is better than himself; for every property desireth only its like, the other is contrary to it. Number I. Page 5. 126. THere the Libeler begins to reprehend, that which stands written in my Preface, † In the Preface to the Aurora. Vers. 27. viz: Till the Prince of Light came, out of the Heart of God, and became a Man in Nature, and wrestled in his humane Body, in the power of the Divine Light, in the wild Nature: that Kingly or Royal Branch or Twig, grew up in Nature, and became a Tree. 127. What fine knowledge he hath concerning the Soul of Man, and of the right Man, is here easy to be * Perceived or Discovered. traced; he rejects this description, and understandeth nothing thereof, how the Author's mind and thoughts are; for it is written in a Magic understanding: for the Author himself, who knew not of this Libeler, or of any other reader; He supposed, he had made a Labour for himself only, but God hath turned it otherwise. 128. But that, the Libeler, perverts the Author's meaning and Mind and Thoughts, very soolishly, and giveth it a strange understanding, a simple Man may very well understand it; though indeed, the Libeler with Consutation, is so blind, that he knoweth not what he babbles: He speaks just nothing of the meaning of the Author, but brings another sense in to it, that he may have but somewhat to reprehend. 129. For, the Authors Text is very right, but the Pasquil or Libeler, understandeth nothing therein, which by the foregoing Words of that Text is Demonstrated very well to him, what the Author saw if he had rightly taken in, the Magic understanding, else he should have let it quite alone. 130. The Author, had under his Pen, the poor fallen Man, and the poor captive perished Soul, and showed, how it becometh helped or saved again. 131. He looked in this Description, not only into the outward Kingdom, into the 4 Elements and Stars, but into the inward Kingdom, into the first Principle, whence the soul originally ariseth; He understandeth somewhat else by the Wild Nature, than the Pasquil or Libeellr understandeth. He meant not Stars and four Elements, also not the bestial flesh which is of this World, as the Pasquil or Libeler reproacheth: but he meant the Centre, the fire-source of the soul, which had Extinguished the Light of God, and introduced the earthly Imagination from the kingdom of this world. 132. He understood, how the poor soul after its fall became a Creaturely Magick-Fire in Gods Eternal Anger-fire: and THAT he called the wild Nature; for the soul standeth in the Eternal beginningless Nature, in the first Principle of God the Father, and is the Cause of the Image of God. 133. It hath all forms of the Eternal Nature in it, It hath in the Essence, ever been, from Eternity; but, in the Creation, passed into a Creature: It is from or out of the fire, wherein God the Father ever generateth forth his Light; And is in its Original without besides or beyond, the Light of God, an anxious horrible Substance, like a horrible brimstone worm: for it is a Magick-fire, from or out of God's fire, which is the Eternal Natures, Original. 134. Which when the Eternal fire of God moved itself, became desirous to have its re-awakening, and Comprised in its desire, an awakened similitude, according to and out of itself; understand, out of the Desire of the Eternal Fire, which is only a Spirit; and originateth in the will, which is the One-Element-fire, which standeth in the inward re-awakening, and Consumeth that again continually in the Comprised Substance of the Desire; and continually thereby only awakeneth itself, as is to be seen in the kindling in the outward Kingdom. 135. Out of that Eternal Nature, out of its properties, understand out of the Eternal, which is the Centre, and a Principle in itself; a Magick-fire of God, which itself, is God the Father according to the Eternal Nature; the Eternal Light becometh Generated, and shineth in that Nature in its properties, that the properties of the fierce wrath and Anger become not manifest, but are only a cause of the shining of the * Or Light. Life. 136. For the Light maketh also a Centre in itself; with other properties; That which in the fires property is a fierce wrath, that in the Lights property is a desire of the substance of the Light, and is called, Love, and Meekness: That draweth the fierce wrathful fire into itself, and Extinguisheth the fierce wrath of the fire therewith, so that out of the fire, Joy cometh to be. 137. For the Anxious fires desire is after Meekness, and the Meeknesses desire, is after the fiery Essence, that it may be a Life; Thus each desire maketh a Will-Spirit, one out of the Fire, and one out of the Light, and yet is but ONE only, but with TWO properties. 138. And God calleth himself a God, according to the Lights property, understand, * Exod. 34. 6. a God of Love, Meekness and Mercy; and according to the Fires property, he calleth himself, an Angry Zealous or † Deut. 4. 24. Jealous God, and a Consuming fire: and yet he is but ONE and not TWO: as in the Book of the Threefold Life, and in the Three Principles, is mentioned and expounded at Large with many Circumstances. 139. This, thus briefly mentioned, is now the Most Original Spirit, where, in the fires property the Eternal Nature is understood, and much more in the forms to Fire, which make the Eternal Centre, as is mentioned in the Three Principles. 140. And understand further, That the Desire in that Eternal Spirit, according to both properties, hath from Eternity Continually been a Delight Longing or Lust, to seek and to find itself, and hath continually found itself in itself, each property its like, both according to the fierce Wrath and the Love, according to fire and light, and according to all forms to the Fire, and according to all forms in the Light, of the Love. 141. That which is found hath been the Spirits Lookingglass: in the Love in the Light, the Looking Glass is called God's wisdom; and in the fierce wrath of the fire, it is called God's Anger-Eye. 142. In this Lookingglass, hath been seen from Eternity, the substance of this world, viz. the Third Principle: for it hath stood in the Magical Desire, indeed not in Substance, but in the Lookingglass, in the Desire of the Eternal Nature, wherein the Spirit hath discovered itself, and with the beginning of this world, with the moving of the Eternal Nature, by the Spirit of God in the harsh or astringent Fiat, created it into a Substance, into a similitude, according to the property of the Eternal Nature, according to all forms to Nature, and according to all Forms in Nature. 143. Whatsoever, became generated in Nature, viz. in the Principle, belonged to the kingdom of God, and hath the Name of God. But whatsoever became generated in the Forms to Nature; that belongeth to the dark angwish-world. 144. All properties became moved, and each property set itself in its Lookingglass, for a * Note. FIGURE, according to its Essence; understand according to the Desire's Essence. 145. The harsh or astringent Mairix to Nature, was the Fiat, which † Form or fashioned. comprised the similitude and Image, and brought it into a substantial Being, through Gods moving. 146. Understand, according to the will-spirit, which goeth forth out of the Lights Centre, and according to the Will-spirit which goeth forth out of the five Centre; and yet is but ONE, But in TWO properties, viz. Two Magic desires. 147. As Men see in the Creature, how Love and Anger stick in One Mind, and yet have Two Centres, all accordingly as the Outward Will-spirit discovers in any One, so is the awakening in Love and Anger: and Men see in this world in the Creatures, how there are Evil and Good, Wolves and Sheep, Serpents and good Fish, Poisonous Toads and lovely handsome Beasts and living Creatures; Every one out of its Mother's property, springing from the Eternal Original. 148. In this Eternal Lookingglass of the wisdom of God, hath also the soul of Man, from Eternity by the Spirit of God, been discovered in the Essence, which with the beginning of the first Moving in the Fiat of God, became form into a * NOTE. Creature, according to the similitude of the Birth or Geniture of God. 149. The Spirit of God discovered in the Lookingglass of wisdom, an Image, according to his similitude or likeness; understand out of both the Magic fires in the Principle of the Light, a Totall entire similitude according to the Deity, as to all the Three Principles. 150. If we would conceive of the Eternal divine Birth or Geniture, in the Light of the Majesty in its Triunity, and then of the soul of Man in its Image, Substance, and Being, we cannot perceive or think upon it better, in a similitude, then in Fire and Light; that is a direct or Exact similitude. 151. The Fire signifieth the Eternal Nature, which ariseth originally in the Desire in the Eternal Will, continually, from Eternity in Eternity, where the Eternal Will-spirit, out of the Eternal Nothing, viz. out of the Liberty of the Deity, manifesteth or revealeth itself, by or with its going forth into the Desire of Nature, and divideth itself, into two worlds or Principles, viz. Darkness and Light. 152. Where each World hath its Centre to the source or quality in itself, and yet neither departed away from the other, but ONE world is in the OTHER, the Light holdeth the darkness captive, but the darkness is a cause of the fire, and the fire is a cause of the Light: For in the Harsh or astringent and stern darkness, arise the Essences or the source or quality of fire and Nature. 153. Now we see plainly, in the fire and Light a twofold source or quality, and desire; and we see also how the fire burneth out of a Dark Substance, which signifieth the Dark world dwelling in itself. 154. The Fire signifieth the Eternal Nature, in the Father's Will in the Desire to Manifestation or Revelation; the Light signifieth the Eternal Liberty, without, besides, or beyond, Nature, which manifesteth Nature in Substance. 155. The Fire, hath in itself, the dark world's fierce wrathful Essence, and the Light hath in itself, the Eternal Liberty, viz. a meek, soft, quiet still Habitation or delight. 156. But now the Liberty and Meekness without the fire, would not be manifested or revealed; but would be a still Nothing, and the fire also would have no Glance or Lustre, without the Liberty; and so the fire and Light would be Nothing without the Desire; that is the Centre to the Genetrix, and holdeth or containeth in itself, the FIAT of the word. 157. And in the Desire becometh Generated, the Eternal Word, or the understanding, also the wisdom, as also the Anger-Looking-Glasse, out of the Root of the dark Centre. 158. And we see further, how the Fire dwelleth in the Light, and the Light in the Fire, and one comprehendeth not the other; the Light becometh generated in the fire, viz. out of the dying or Consumptibility, it shineth out of the Death, and sinketh down to the Death in itself, and maketh in itself another source or quality then the fire is: another Principle, where another Life goeth forth, viz. Meekness and amiable delight, whereas in the fire, there is only anguish and pain. 159. For, we see, that the Light is as it were a Nothing in respect of the Fire, and its Root: for it is incomprehensible, and it signifieth to us, the Eternal Liberty, without, besides, or beyond Nature, viz. the Divine Substance, and the Angelical world; and yet it is All: for it is all power of all Essences out of the Fire, and out of Nature in the Light, and is a Life of the understanding, also of Reason and Sensibility or Thoughts; whereas in fire is nothing but an opposite or Coutrary will, to be understood. 160. For, the forms of the fire Nature, are themselves at Enmity one with another, the Harshness Bitterness and Anguish, are one against another, which are the fires Root, where, in the Desire standeth the harshness, and in the harshness the drawing, where the Nothing becometh brought into Somewhat, and the will overshaddoweth itself, with that which is drawn in. 161. Whence, in the Desire, a darkness and Overshadowing exists, and then also, out of the first desire, the other or second Will, to go out from the Darkness, and yet there is no flying away from one another, but the other or second Will entereth into itself, into the Liberty without besides or beyond the Desire in the Darkness, and so bringeth the property of Nature along with it. 162. That fiery property, is, the Liberties; viz: the Nothings Revelation or Manifestation, for thus existeth the Glance or Lustre and shineing. For in the Liberty, is, the property which is brought along with the other or second will, put into the still meek delightful habitation, and out of that very property, a Love-desire cometh to be. 163. Thus, the Fire and the Light, in a sunilitude, signifieth to us the divine Substance, also the Soul and its Image: The MATTER out of which the Fire burneth, signifieth the Forms to the Eternal Nature, and the Dark world, and the FIRE signifieth the property of the Father. 164. The GLANCE or Lustre of the Fire, signifieth the Liberty without besides or beyond Nature; The shining or the LIGHT signifieth the other or second world, viz: another or second Principle, which becometh generated out of the first, viz: out of the Father's property, and the Son of God out of the Father. 165. The POWER or virtue of the shining of the Light, signifieth the Heart of God, viz: the Divine Centre, as also the understanding, ' Ingenium or Wit, and Wisdom: for in the power of the Light standeth the Right Life. 166. The twofold Spirit which originateth in the Fire, with a twofold source or quality, viz: Heat and Air, signifieth to us in a similitude, the Spirit of God: the HEAT signifieth the Anger and fierce wrath of God, according to the Eternal Nature of the dark world, according to the property of the fierce wrath; And the Meek AIREY, signifieth the property of Meek Light, in the Love-desire, out of the source or quality of the Light. 169. The MEEKNESS of the Light signifieth to us in a similitude the Divine Substantiality, or the water of the Eternal Life, wherein Paradise is understood, and in the fiery property, Heaven. 168. Now we see, how all Fire draweth the Air again to itself, and burneth in the power of the Air; for where Fire can have no Air, there it extinguisheth; for the Air bloweth up the Fire, and bringeth the Substantiality of the Light into the Fire again, viz: the Meekness of the Light, understand the Watery Matter, whence the Glance in the Fire Originateth. 169. For, the Meekness originateth from the Liberty, without besides or beyond the Fires Nature, viz: in the Nothing, and they ever pant the one after the other: The Fires or the Nature's fierce wrath: panteth after the Meekness; and the Liberty or the Nothing panteth after the Manifestation or Revelation, which in Nature becometh Manifested or Revealed. 170. Now we see, that the Light affordeth a very friendly richly Joyful Spirit, out of the source or quality of the Fire; that friendly and richly amiable aspect or Spirit, originateth out of the indrunk waters source or quality, of Meekness, viz: out of the Liberty. 171. And, in that, the Fire draweth the Lights meek Substantiality into itself, thereby it giveth forth that indrunk meek Spirit through the fierce wrath of Death, through the Consumptibility, into the Light again, and bringeth the Nature-property along with it: as we may apprehend by the Air, that it is a power of Every Life, and it is yet in itself not Nature; but ruleth as a mighty potent Spirit IN Nature. 172. Thus in this Type or Resemblance, is understood, the Divine Substance, and also the Eternal Naturér out of which, Desire and Substance, is become generated the Third Principle, viz: this outward visible World: and become Created in the beginning, into a Substantial Being, together with all Creatures. 173. For, from the Eternal Mother, is the beginning or inceptive Mother come to be, for where there is nothing, there nothing comes to be: but where ever somewhat hath come to be, there it is come to be out of the Eternal, which hath been, without beginning, and it is the eternals Similitude, Image, Substance, and Propriety, and yet we cannot say, that it is sundered from the Eternal, but it is distinguished, the one world is in the other, and each possesseth itself. 174. God is in Every thing or Substance, but every thing doth not comprehend him; That only comprehendeth him, that is gone forth out of his Eternal Substance; understand, that is of his Substance, that doth stand in HIM: For, God dwelleth not is the Out-birth of the outward Nature, but in the inward in himself. 175. God indeed is himself, ALL, but all is not called and acknowledged to be God, in respect of the difference of the source or quality: Nature is not God; but God is manifested or revealed through Nature; God is understood alone in the Eternal Light, according to the second Centre, viz. in the Liberty: and yet is not severed asunder from the Eternal Nature. 176. For if a shining is to be, than there must be fire, and yet also there is shining of fire, without or besides the Liberty; which the divine world signifieth. 177. The Glance or Lustre of the Fire, signifieth God the Father, and the Forms to Fire signify the Eternal Nature, and the power of the Light signifieth the Heart of God, viz: the true Deity, for it produceth another or second Centre, of another source or quality, than the fire, viz: a Love-Desire, and Meekness. 178. And the Out going Spirit, out of the Glance of the Fire into the power of the Light, out of the Lights Substance, drunk in by the Fire, viz: out of the Love and Meekness, signiffeth to us rightly the Holy Ghost, which continually goeth forth from the Father and the Son into the Divine power and Substamiality: as the Air from the Fire and Light, and ruleth in the Lights Substantiality. 179. The outward world is thoroughly a similitude of the Inward, for the Inward hath manifested or revealed itself with or by the outward, whereby a Man may understand, what the Invisible God, in the hidden Mystery, is. 180. Man ought not to think, that God is somewhat absent from any thing, or space or place, for he filleth ALL, but in his own Principle, viz: in the * Light world Middlemost World, which he himself is. 181. And now when the Invisible God once moved himself, according to the Eternal Magia, viz: in the Eternal Nature-Desire, he generated to himself in his wisdom, his likeness out of the properties of all the Three worlds, and out of Every Essence and property, created Creatures and figures. 182. For the Workmaster, viz: his Spirit, was in all things or substances, viz. in the Divine Light world, Angels and pure spirits; understand out of the Eternal Nature, viz: out of the Eternal Fires and Lights property, out of Divine Substantiality. 183. For a Spirit hath the Eternal Centre of Nature in itself, if it be an Eternal Spirit: it hath all forms to Nature, viz: of the dark world, and also of the Light world, in itself, for it is proceeded out of God's Mouth, it is Nature, else it were no manifested or revealed Spirit, with or among the Spirits. 184. Out of the Eternal Nature, God hath manifested or revealed his wisdom; for in the Essence, viz: in the divine wisdom, hath the Substance of the Spirits and Creatures been from Eternity; but with the Moving of God the Father, it passed into a form Creation, according to the property of the Essence, in Verbo Fiat, in the Word Fiat, in the word of Power, and therefore were the Angels called * Heb. 1. 7. Flames of fire, but throughly Enlightened with the Light of God. 185. The Light of God dwelleth in their fire-flames, so that the fire-source or quality, is nor manifested or revealed in them, but if it become manifested, than they have lost the divine Substantiality, out of which the fires Glance Existeth, and that Spirit standeth barely and nakedly in the Dark world, as is done by the Devils. 186. A Spirit, [proceeding] out of Nature, is a Magic Fire- source or quality, and is desirous of substance, or of the Substantiality of its form: the desire maketh substance, and bringeth that substance into its Imagination; that is the Magic fires, viz: the Spirits, Corporeity, whence the Spirit is called a † NOTE. Creature; Also that Substantiality is the Spirits Food whereof the fire liveth or burneth. 187. Here now is understood, the Devils and also Man's fall, for according to the Eternal Nature, they are both out of one Original; the Devil was an Angel, and should have set his Imagination in the Light of God, viz: in Love and Meekness, in the Divine Substantiality: and then he had conceived divine Substantiality in his Imagination, and his light had continued shining; his Magic fire-source or quality, had eaten of God's Meekness, and then also, had the fire-source or quality burned in such an Essence and property, and then he had Continued an Angel. 188. But he turned himself back into the Centre, after the Mother of the Genetrix, and set his Imagination, [to go] after the forms to Nature, and would needs rule terribly in the might of the Fire; he contemned the Meekness, viz: the Second Principle, and would domineer over God. 189. What he now desired, that he received also into his fiery Desire; viz: the Substantiality of the fiarce wrath, out of the forms of the Dark world, out of his own Centre; Thus now is that Substantiality the food of his Spirits Fire, and his Fire-source or quality standeth in a dark fierce wrathful Essence, and can conceive no desire more, in the Meekness, viz; in God's substance. 190. Thus he is a Devil, and dwelleth in the Centre of the Darkness, viz: in the forms to Nature; for his Light is extinguished, he can not kindle that again, it shineth no more out from his Essence, neither can his Imagination any more reach or attain it. and he continueth a sierce wrathful fire-source or quality, in the Darkness, and eateth of the dark Substantiality, and standeth in another Principle. 191. The Word Fiat, Verbum Fiat, which figureth his form or Image in him, is the Mother of the Dark world; viz: the stern forms to Nature, according to every Spirits property; as the source or quality in the Centre is, so is also the Will-Spirit. 192. Now then, the light being withdrawn, he can frame no other will, than his mother is, in her forms: for as the Genetrix is, so is also the will-spirit out of the Genetrix. 193. Thus understand also concerning Man's Soul; which is also a Magick-fire-source or quality, out of the Eternal Centre, out of the Eternal Nature; for after God created the body out of the Substantiality, than he introduced the Spirit out of all the Three Principles thereinto: He should be a similitude and Image of God; understand, according to, and out of, all the Three Worlds, viz; out of the Eternal Fires Nature, and out of the Lights Nature, and then out of this outward world's Nature, wherein the outward Man liveth. 194. For, God breathed into him the Living Breath, and then Man became a living soul: Now what can God breathe other out of himself, than himself; for God is the substance of all substances; but all is not called or known to be God: He calleth himself a GOD only according to his Heart, according to the property of the Light world, viz: according to the Love and Meekness, according to the second Principle. 195. God breathed into the Created Image the Spirit out of all the Three Worlds, viz: that is to say, Himself: viz: the Eternal beginninglesse Magic fire-source or quality, out of all forms of the Eternal Nature, that is, the first Principle, and it is the property of the Father, who according to Nature calleth himself an Angry Zealous or Jealous God, and a Consuming fire. 196. And then the Centre of the Light, as a Sparkle out of his Heart, out of which the Divine Will goeth forth, which appropriateth or uniteth itself to God again: and Imagineth according to its Mother, viz: according to God's Love and Meekness; That is the Second Principle, wherein the Angelical world consisteth. 197. And Thirdly, the Spirit-Aire, with the Spirit of this outward world, out of the Stars and Elements, viz: the Third Principle; Thus Man became an Entire Totall Image according to God, out of all the Three Worlds; An Image of God, wherein God dwelleth, wherein God beheld found and manifested or revealed himself. 198. Now the Eternal Word was his Law, of his spiritual Nature, that this introduced and in-breathed spirit of Man, should introduce its Imagination, into no other source or quality, but only into God's Love and Meekness; It should eat only of the Divine Substantiality, and drink the water of the Eternal Life, and then its Body had Continued paradisical. 199. The Body had paradisical fruit to Eat, which grew for it IN all fruits: The outward Body of this world, was in the source or quality of the Light world, as it were swallowed up, and yet it was there: As the Light swalloweth up the Darkness, and holdeth it captive in itself, and yet the Darkness remaineth, but, in the Light, is not Manifested. 200. So also should the outward 〈◊〉 of this world; as also the inward source or quality of the Fire, out of the first Principle, stand hidden in the paradisical Substantiality, and source or quality; and Man should bring his life and will into the paradisical source or quality. 201. He should set or put his Spirits Imagination into the Heart of God, viz: into the Lights Centre, and then had the Soul continually eaten of the Lights Substantiality; understand, the soulish Fire had conceived or received the divine source or quality into itself, and had burned forth, in the divine source or quality, viz: in Love and Meekness. 202. Through that burning or Life, would the divine Substance have been introduced into the outward Body; viz: heavenly Fesh; and the Holy Body would have stood in the Tincture of the second Principle; and the outward Dominion of the Outward World would have stood hidden in the Inward World, and have been manifested in the Outward. 203. Such a Body also was created in the Beginning, viz: out of the inward Substantiality of the pure Element, which is manifested in Paradise, and an outward Body of or from the Four Elements, which stood manifested in the outward World; but the inward should lead the Dominion, and hold the outward as it were swallowed up, as the Light doth the Darkness. 204. Understand, each Principle should stand free and barely in itself, and set or put its Imagination or Desire into God, and then would God's light have filled all in All, and the Earnest severe Fire-source or quality, of the first Principle, viz: the Eternal Nature of the Dark World; as also the outward Nature and source or quality of the Stars and Elements, would not have been manifested. 205. Man would have lived in the Divine Love source or quality, and would have continued Immortal and incorruptible, no sickness, neither want necessity nor Death would have touched him. 206. Therefore now if such a desire is to be in Man, out of which the Will-Spirit should barely be inclined or directed into God, then must Divine Substantiality needs be in the Souls Fire: out of which such a Will-Spirit might exist. 207. For, out of no Earthly source or quality, nor out of the Dark World's source or quality doth any divine desire exist; Earthliness, knoweth nothing of God; also the Dark World hath no Divine Love or Desire in itself. 208. Whereby we know, that we, according to the second Principle. viz: according to the paradisical Angelical World, have had flesh and blood, out of the heavenly Essence and Substantiality, which was the right Body of the Soul; and therein stood the Image of Heaven. 209. And the Spirit 〈◊〉 the Magick-Fire of the Soul, which shined in the power of the 〈◊〉, was the true similitude of God; according to the Trinity of GOD, the Image wherein God dwelleth; and wherewith God manifesteth himself: For that very Spirit is like all Angels in Substance and Being; of which Christ faith, Math. 22. 30. That * Math. 22. 30. in the Resurrection they are like the Angels of God. 210. When God had created Adam, he then stood in the paradisical World, viz: in the Image of God; but God knowing, how he with his Noble Jewel between the Inward Dark World, and then also the outward Elementary World, stood fast bound to BOTH, therefore he gave to the Souls Nature, the Law and Cormandment, and said; † Gen. 2. 17. Thou shalt not eat of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, for on what Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the Death, that is, die away from the Divine World; and in THEE, will, the Dark World, and then also, the Outward world, become manifested, and get the Dominion in THEE. 211. As also then it was so done, when Adam began and set or put his Desire and Imagination into the Outward World: then the souls fire did Eat of the forbidden Fruit, and brought the Earthly source or quality, and the substantiality of this World into his Noble Image, into the paradisical Angelical World. 212. He brought the earthly source or quality and substance, into the Pure Elementary Flesh, which was created out of the Divine substantiality, so his light extinguished; that is, he went with his will-spirit out of the Divine substantiality into the Earthly, into the Stars and four Elements. 213. Thus the Image became Earthly, and * Luke 10. 30. fell among the Murtherours, who smote it, and wounded it, and left it lying half dead: thus Adam went out of Jerusalem toward Jericho, as Christ said. 214. The Stars and Elements, put on to the Body the fierce wrathful earthly clothes or Garments of their Essence and substantiality; and the Dark-world gave to the souls fire also its fierce wrathful severe or earnest and stern source or quality, and now the Souls fire, burned in that fierce wrathful property, and so God and the Kingdom of Heaven was Lost; for the Divine Image disappeared or vanished, and the Earthly, began to appear; the Outward Fiat got the predominancy. 215. As soon as Adam was overcome by the Spirit of this World, than he fell into sleep, viz. into the outward Magia, which signifieth or resembleth Death; for the outward Kingdom hath beginning and End, and must break off from the Inward; THAT, is its Death; for the outward Life goeth again into its Mother, out of which it is proceeded, viz: into the Mystery of the Stars and Elements, and the Inward Life of the Soul, continueth in the Dark world, viz: in the Eternal Nature, whence it is Originated. 216. Therefore, the Regeneration from or out of the Heart of God is necessary for us, that the Dark Souls fire shut up in the fierce Wrath and Anger, might conceive or receive Divine substantiality again, that its Light, might shine again. 217. And THAT is it which I wrote in my † Aurora. BOOK. That all was shut up in the Anger; Till the Prince of Light, out of the Heart of God, came, and became a Man in Nature, and wrestled in the Power of the Light in the Wild Nature. 218. By Nature, the Author, understood, the Eternal Soulish Nature, the Centre of Nature, which, in the Soul, after the Image became Earthly, became Wild and Strange as to the Divine World. 219. And Adam and all his Children must needs have continued Eternally in the wild Nature and in the Anger and fierce wrath of God; if the Prince of Light out of God's Heart had not come, and put upon the Souls Fire, Divine Substantiality, that is, the Garment or Body of Angels; again; if God's Word or Heart itself had not become Man. Here follow the Pasquil's or Libelers Suppositions. 220. Now the Libeler sets it down thus, and he (understand the * Of the Aurora J. Behme. Author) will thereby, make CHRIST, as to his Innocent or Immaculate, Holy, Pure Humanity; Natural; and thereby prepare an Entrance and way for his Seduction from God, to Nature and Creature: especially, and because, as a Beaten and Expert Spirit, he knoweth, that this Tree of Life, will hence forward discover his Root out of which he is grown, but hath hitherto been covered with Earth: and will put an End to that, his Secret Mystery: whereby he may bring to the people, a Root, which bears Gall and Wormwood: and still seduce many from Christ, and catch them in his Net. 221. The Scripture saith of our wild humane Nature, thus, That † Eph. 2. 3. 1 Cor. 2. 14. we are all by Nature the children of wrath. And the Natural Man perceiveth not that which is of the Spirit. Is Christ become a Man in the wild Nature? then he was by Nature vain or corruptible, as all other Men. And how then hath he revealed the Mystery of God, of which the Natural Man knoweth and understandeth Nothing? could he pay our Debts, and offer an acceptible sacrifice for us, and reconcile us to the Father? 222. With these sayings, this Spirit, obscureth the distinction between the heavenly pure, and the Earthly perished Corrupt impure Birth and Nature. Also between the Woman's Seed and the Serpents, Abraham's and Adam's Seed, and will frame for us, A Natural Christ, in whom is Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, * Yea & Nay. Yes and No; and set our Salvation on a Gog. But the Scripture discovereth his falsehood and Groundlessness, and faith: † Rom. 9 7. 2. That not all Abraham's Seed are also therefore Children, but in Isaac shall thy Seed be called, and not in Adam, Cain, Ishmael, and Esau. The Children of the Promise are accounted for the Seed. 223. * Gal. 3. 16. He saith not, through the Seeds, as through many, but as through One, through thy Seed, which is Christ; out of which, viz: out of the Eternal incorruptible Seed, the Living Word of God: all Children of the Promise are born, as the Dew out of the Morning. 224. For, as his Children are † Joh. 1. 13. not born of Blood, nor of the Will of the Flesh, nor of the Will of Man, but of God: So also, according to his Humane Flesh, he cannot be born of Adam's Natural, but of Abraham's promised Seed, which he himself is; nor be of less Descent and Honour; then his children are, seeing * Heb. 2. 11. they all come from ONE, both that which sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified. 225. Which Seed is not a Natural Adamicall, but a Supernatural Heavenly Seed, wherein God and Man is united; God in Man and Man in God, out of which, Mary, as a † Gal. 3. 28, 29. Daughter of the Promise, even according to her Flesh must aforehand be born, ere Christ had assumed his body in her; as the Holy Apostle saith clearly, that * Rom. 9 4. 5. Christ proceeded from the Father according to the Flesh, to whom belonged the Filiation, the Glory of the Covewant, the Law, the Oracles, Ordinances or Worship of God, and the Promise, which Promise belongeth Not to Abraham's Natural, but to Abraham's Seed of Faith. Hitherto the Libeler. 226. * J. B. Answer. Are not these high inducing Vaunting Speeches: How should a simple Man be otherwise then lead blindfold by them; who would say he doth the Author wrong? But harken Libeler! you will not with this Description yet by a great deal lay bare the Root of the Covered Tree, as you suppose: you yet understand Nothing thereof, much less, the Author's Mind and Thoughts, only you falsify, and pervert it with a strange understanding. 227. Are you not a false Expositor; then tell me; where stands it written in my Book? that Christ became a man in this World's wild Nature, & that he was begotten of & proceeded from Sinful Seed, as thou explainest the meaning of the Author to be so; and settest down a heap of contradictory senseless meanings, and shamefully and reproachfully criest out upon him for a Devil, very blindly contrary to his meaning and understanding. 228. Art thou he that must Judge me: then learn first the Author's Mind and Sense: My Text saith. Till the Prince of Light came out of the Heart of God, and became a man in Nature, it is not, in the Wild Nature, but it is, And wrestled in his humane Body, in the Power of the Divine Light in the Wild Nature. 229. The Question is. What is the Wild Nature, wherein the Prince of Light out of the Heart of God, wrestled in the Humanity; Is it earthly Flesh? Or the source or quality of the Stars and Four Elements? No: For the Sake of that, the Prince out of the heart of God, came not. But it was the Soul, out of the eternal Father's Nature, which had through its Imagination, and Lust, introduced Death and Earthliness into itself; and awakened the Dark world's fierce wrathfulness in the Anger of God, and there was no Remedy, neither in Heaven, nor in this world, unless the Prince of the Love of God, came, and wrestled with the fierce wrathful Anger of God, and quenched the same in the Humane Soul. 230. And therefore the Prince of the Love of God, viz: Gods own Heart, became A MAN, in the humane Nature, in humane Essence, not in a strange One, as the Libeler wonderfully brings it in here: also not in the Wild, of the Stars and Elements, not in Bestial Flesh of the Corrupt or perished out-birth of the Four Elements, it is not in that Essence, that the Deity is united; it is not the Wild Adamicall Flesh which Christ assumed to himself, as the Libeler explaineth it, who yet hath no understanding at all of the Essence, wherein God is become MAN. 231. Adam's Soul had not an outward four Elementary Body on it; for it stood in God's Love, in Paradise: Paradise is not Four-Elementary, it standeth not in FOUR Elements but in ONE: It is the Divine delight or Habitation. 232. God dwelleth not in the Out birth of the Four Elements, but in Heaven in the pure Element, that is his Spirits Corporeal Substantiality, and that Substantiality Adam had also for a Body, and stood in the outward Body, as the Gold, hidden in the Course or drossy Stone. 233. The Inward Body keepeth the outward body hidden, as the Light doth the Darkness; and the Spirit of God dwelleth in the Inward body, for it containeth in itself the Second Principle, viz: the Kingdom of Heaven; an Image of the Divine Substantiality; the Soul hath its Meekness therein, it did Eat of that very Body wherein God dwelled: Its Fire became allayed or Meekened therefrom; for it received therein God's Love and Meekness. 234. But as soon as the Souls Fire, began, and Imagined according to the Earthliness: and would Eat of the four Elements and Stars, than the outward Kingdom viz: the Third Principle, drew-in the first Principle, into the Souls Fire, and also into the heavenly Body; and obscured the Noble Image, so that it fell, into inability, into Sleep; Then it was in inability, as it were captivated in Death, for the Earthly Source or Quality, dwelled now therein, whence the Souls Fire became fierce wrathful, stinging, and Murderous, for it must now eat Evil and Good, and the Noble Image of the Similitude of God Disappeared. 235. Now when God saw, that the Noble Image was disappeared or vanished, and that the outward kingdom became Lord in it; His Mercy Pitied it, and promised it the Woman's Seed and crusher of the Serpent, and said; * The seed of the Woman shall Crush or Bruise the Head of the Servant, which hath brought thee to Fall; He said the Seed of the Woman, should do this. 236. Understand, in the right humane and heavenly Substantiality which in Adam was shut up in Death, would God become Man; Not in the Earthly, introduced into the Noble Image and Soul; into the right humane Nature of the second Principle, in which God dwelled before Adam's fall, into that very Essence shut up in Death, is God's Word Entered: THAT, is the Seed of the Woman; and the Word, is God's Seed. 237. God was the Man or husband of it, who sowed his Word or Heart into the Woman's humane Essence; understand, in the Essence of the Soul and of the Flesh, is God become Man, Christ was One of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, and is become Adam; understand, † 1 Cor. 15. 46. to the 49. the second Adam, out of and in the First, and yet remains to be what he was. 238. He is not Strange to us, but is our Brother; as he said after his Resurrection; * Joh. 20. 17. Go, tell my Brethren, I ascend to my God, and to your God. 239. If Christ had assumed on himself a strange Seed, such as I am not, and which in Adam I was not, what would that help me? where would my poor Soul remain? How could he then be the Woman's seed, or my Brother? 240. He promised to Abraham, not a strange Seed of the Woman, but said; † Gen. 22. 10. In thy seed shall all People become blessed: that is, in Thine, understand, Acts 3. 25. in the heavenly Substantiality, in Adam, shut up in Death; shall the Messiah destroy Death: And thy seed, that is, in which thou in Adam wert put to Death, shall in Christ, in God's Blessing, Live again: Christ shall live in THEE, in thy Image, and thou in HIM, thou and Christ shall become one; he the Body, thou his Member. 241. It concerned God not only as to a Sacrifice, whereby his Anger should be appeased, that he let his Heart become Man, and let his Son be Crucisied; that so his will might be reconciled; No, But it concerned him as to his substance, that in Adam, was become shut up in Death, that was it, his Son should make living again. 242. For we believe a † NOTE. what Body shall rise again; see vers. 3. II. Rom. 8. II. Resurrection of our Bodies, which we had here; it is Not, the Earthly Body, that is the Image, which shall live eternally, but the Heavenly, which the Earthly Body HERE holdeth captive in Deaath. 243. But if Christ become born therein, than it is no more in Death, but liveth in Christ, and is only covered with the Earthly Body; and therefore must Christ, when he died on the Cross enter into Death, into the Anger of God. 244. The Love of God in Christ, went in the humane Soul into the first Principle, viz: into the source or quality of the Anger in the Father's Nature, and kindled the fierce wrathful Anger-source or Quality in the Soul with God's Love and Meekness; whence the Divine Light burnt forth again: That was † Heb. 2. 14. See vers. 513. Poison to Death, and a Pestilence to Hell, for Love and Anger are Contraries. 245. Now if Christ had not assumed adam's and Abraham's Natural seed, as the Libeler saith, how then is he † Math. 8. 20. and in Mark. the Son of Man? Is he only a Seed come from Heaven? and hath assumed nothing from Man, but a humane covering to himself, so that he only dwelled in Man, without any property of the humane Essence; Luke. what would that avail my perished Soul? John, in many places. 246. Hath he not assumed the humane Nature to himself? then he it Not the Son of Man, or My Brother, Acts 7. 56. as he calleth himself every where the Son of Man. 247. The Libeler saith, I will make Christ Natural, Is he not become Natural? then can he not be the Son of Man, also not the Seed of Woman, much less Abraham's Seed. 248. But that the subtle Libeler, will make the Virgin MARY supernatural, and saith, she was begotten or Extracted out of the Seed of God, ere Christ became conceived in her, and will thereby bring a strange seed thereinto, which is not humane, that is very Heretical and Antichristian, and he should do well to smell into his own Bosom, before he condemneth others, and passeth his judgement upon them. 249. Is not Mary extracted or begotten of Joachim and Anna, also Naturally conceived and borne, as all the children of Adam; then let him demonstrate it, else his conceit will till then remain untrue. 250. But if he say, if Mary were begotten of Joachim and Anna, then were Christ begotten of sinful seed; as his high flown Spirit, runneth on and supposeth; Then I say to him once for all, that he is altogether blind in the Divine Mystery; and understandeth nothing thereof. 251. He speaks indeed of the High Blessing of Mary, but he draweth it to a strange Seed, out of which Mary was begotten or extracted: but he saith not with any ground what kind of seed that was, whether it was barely the Spirit of God, or whether it was heavenly Substantiality, or the Seed in the Word, or was also somewhat of humane Essence. 252. For, the Humane Essence, is to Him throughout sinful, he will not at all be born of Man, but of God, in like manner as if God in Christ had introduced a strange humanity: and he throughout explains it so; He will only be born in Christ as the Dew of the Morning. 253. But Sir Libeler hearken! we will not be so evil as you are, we will readily of Good Will show you the true Ground in the Mystery, if you will not go in that way, then go aside; we have other Eyes than you have; Have you Art? then have we Light. 254. You are not our Judge, though you condemn me, I am a child of God in Christ, and my seeing is proceeded from Gods seeing; Therefore I will from a Good heart show you my open Face; though you are not able to apprehend, how Christ is become conceived and. born of Humane Essence, * Heb 4. 15. without sin; and you conclude throughout, that I speak of Christ, as if he were proceeded from sinful seed, though all indeed is very groundlessly Judged, and your meaning standeth in Babel. Therefore observe my Confession of Faith, and acknowledgement, as it followeth Exactly. 255. God said to Adam: when he stood in Paradise; and lived in the Divine source or quality and substantiality: What day thou eatest of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, thou wilt die the Death; by Dying, he meaneth not only, the Outward Body, which with the Beginning of Sin, first became Living. 256. For the Outward Body, fell not down instantly, when Adam transgressed the Commandment and Dyed; but he got now the Great Life, and became Lord: before, he was weak or impotent, and the right Man potent or Mighty: he formerly came behind and waited on the Image of God, and was a servant, but when the Soul introduced Earthly source or quality, than he was Lord; and the Image was shut up in Death. 257. The Spirit is the Life, the Flesh is not the Life, The heavenly Flesh's Life was God's Spirit, and the Earthly Flesh's Life was this World's Spirit. 258. When the Earthly drew into the Heavenly, and took the Dominion, than the heavenly vanished or disappeared; for the Spirit of the heavenly, departed away out of the earthliness, into its Principle; then stood the Image which was out of the Divine Substantiality, in Death, not in the fierce wrath of the Death of the Anger; so that the heavenly Substantiality were become kindled in God's Anger; but as a vanished disappeared Substance without source or quality, and Life. 259. For, that which is generated out of the Love, that receiveth no fierce wrath into itself: for the Lights Substantiality is water of Eternal Life; the water maketh no fierce wrath, but quencheth the Fires fierce wrath. 260. If now the heavenly Image or Substantiality, in Adam were taken out of the Heavenly Limbus, then surely its Original Mother was the Water of the Eternal Life; which originateth from the Meekness or Desire of the Light of God: as the Water in the Deep of this world, from the Meekness of the Sun's Light, Through Venus' Desire. 261. What fierce wrath or Anger then, would or could come into the heavenly Substantiality of the Holy Body in Adam? Also that Substantiality was not at all the Life itself: but the Spirit of God was the right Life in the holy Body. 262. But when the Spirit of God departed: then stood that Image, as dead, without Life; and the Soul lived, of the Earthly Fire-fewell, though indeed it is not quite Earthly Essence, yet that Earthly Essence is generated from the first Principle, wherein also the Soul standeth. 263. Therefore also the Soul lusted after that source or quality, there was given to the Soul a heavenly Body, of which it should Eat, and Not of BOTH Body's: It should set or put its Lust or longing and Imagination, only into the Heavenly, then would the Soul-Fire have had the Earthly Body in the Dark World, only hanging to it. 264. But when it would eat of Both, then came the Dark Body to have power or strength, and † The outward Light of this world. Light, and ruled over the right humane Body: Thus sin began in the Soul-Fire; for it became kindled with the fierce wrathful Essence; and so now the Soul Fire burnt, in that very source or quality, and the Divine Light of the Soul, which shone in the meek heavenly Substantiality, extinguished. 265. For in the Beginning, the right humane Essence of the Soul, was the fuel to its Life's burning, but afterwards the Earthly Essence was it: and that is now the Sin and the Opposite Will, and the Soul hath no Image or Body, which remaineth Eternally, unless it be through Christ Regenerated out of its first Substantiality, through the Death of Christ. 266. Therefore it is, that many kinds of Figures appear in the Souls Image in the inward; all according to what its desire is to a Substance, as, the Image of wild Beasts, also Serpents and Toads; In whatsoever Essence and Will, the Souls-Fire liveth and burneth, according to that Essence is also, the FIAT in the Will-Spirit, and it Imageth or frameth such an Image: so now, when the outward Body deceaseth, then standeth that Image, thus, in such a form and source or quality. 267. In the Time of the Earthly Life, it may alter its will, and then also its Fiat altereth the Figure, but after the Dying of the Body, it hath nothing more, wherein it can alter its Will; as is to be seen by the Devils. 268. Therefore said Christ, * Joh. 3. 5. To must become borne anew, through Water and the Holy Spirit, or ye cannot see the kingdom of God; understand out of God's Water, out of the water of the first right Image, wherein the Holy Spirit dwelleth, in which christ is become conceived and born. 269. That Water, hath not taken sin into its Essence, for, that cannot be: for that which is out of or from God's meekness, becometh not kindled in the fierce wrath of God, but is as an impotency or weakness shut up in Death, viz: in the stillness, in the still nothing. 270. Adam lost the Life, understand, the right Divine Life of his Noble Image, and that hath Christ brought again, he hath generated that Image out of Death again, the living Word, out of God's Heart, is entered into the Image shut up in Death, and hath assumed or taken, THAT Essence, to himself, and become a true Man, such a Man, to whom the outward Body only hung: which stood swallowed up in the right Image, but in the outward World, manifest. 271. He hath also therewith put on again to the Soul, the holy Body, viz: the Innocent or Immaculate; and into that holy Body, hath taken a humane Soul, out of Mary's Souls Essence-seede; therefore must † Math. 4. 1, 2. Christ afterwards be Tempted, Mark 1. 12. and want the outward food for Forty Days. 272. Luk. 4. 1, 2. For the Soul must be tempted, to try, whether now in that holy Body it would Eat of God's Substance, and satiate itself, and therefore it was permitted to the Devil, to Tempt the Soul. 273. Seeing he * The Devil. Excused himself, that he could not stand, because the Matrix of the fierce wrathful Nature had drawn him too hard, therefore now he should tempt, and try it, with THIS Man, as he had also tempted and tried it, with Adam, and overcame him. 274. Therefore God sent another or second Adam, and set him upon the Kingly Throne which he had, there he should tempt or try with him, whether he could also give him a Fall: † Math. 4. 8. He now set before him, the Glory of this outward World, Luke 4. 5, 6. viz: the outward Eating or food. 275. And though indeed that was not at hand, therefore, that he should with his Noble Image and Divine strength, go into the outward, and * Math. 4. 3. command Stones to become bread, to try whether he could bring it to that, Luke 4. 31. that the Noble Image might yet become captivated and shut up in Death. 276. And then he set before him, the Great power and authority he had, he should with the Divine Omnipotency in the outward kingdom, † Math. 4. 6. fly from the Temple, to try whether he might introduce him into the outward Lust, Luke 4. 9 so that God's Love Spirit might depart from this Image, whereas the Deity was only humble and Lowly he would introduce him into Pride. 277. Thirdly, he set before him, the Dominion of the Outward world; he should be a Lord in the Third Principle, that he would let him only be a Lord in the Inward, should fall down and pray unto him or worship him. 273. For the Devil had to do about the Kingly Seat, that this Man was to possess: Therefore it was permitted to him, viz: to the Devil, to Tempt HIM, so that if he stood, the Devil should remain a Liar, and his Judgement be upon his own Lying Mouth or Tongue. The Conception and Becoming Man or Incarnation of Jesus Christ, is with its Circumstances as followeth. 279. WHen the Divine Image in Adam was vanished or disappeared, Then God pitied it, and would that this Image might be helped again, and Promised to Adam and Eve, the Crusher of the Serpent, viz: the Word and Power of the Deity, that should take the Woman's seed, understand, the disappeared Image Essence, into itself, and therewith destroy, the sting of the Devil and the Anger of God, in the Soul. 280. That very Promised Word, stood nevertheless presented to the Noble Image, now shut up in Death, and desired its former dwelling house of its similitude for a Delightful habitation. 281. But by or with the Promise, it hath set itself before the Soul again, in the Light of the Life of the Soul; and set a Limit or Mark thereto, whereby it would again enter into the in Death enclosed right humane Essence; and awaken the Life from Death. 282. That Limit or Mark, was set in Mary the Virgin: and became blessed in the Word of Promise in Paradise; and stood as a Centre or * Or Mark to the humanity Limit of the Humanity. 283. God's Heart had promised and espoused or united itself: in that Limit or Mark, That Limit or Mark became adorned, with the highly precious Virgin of the wisdom of God, viz: with the Looking Glass or Eye of the Holy Spirit; indeed not with any strange thing, but with the first Life, understand, the Divine, of the Noble Image in Adam, from which Adam's Soul went forth into the Spirit of this outward world, viz: into the source or quality of the Stars and Elements, whose Centre, is the Abyss of the first Principle. 284. This blessed Limit or Mark, was promised to the Fathers, viz: to Adam, Abraham, David, and others, O, how have the Prophets delighted and rejoiced at this Limit or Mark! the sacrifices of the Jews were a Type of this Limit or Mark. 285. For, when Adam had lost the pure and fair Image, understand, the power of the Heart of God, which stood in his body of the Heavenly Substantiality, as a Centre of the Deity; then stood the Soul barely in the Father's Property, understand, the Eternal Nature, which without the Light of God is a fierce wrathful, and Consuming fire. 286. For the Soul is out of that Centre; viz: out of the Eternal Nature of the Father; and therefore was that Soul in Israel lead so long a while, even unto the Limit or Mark in the Father Nature. 287. The † Exod. 19 16. Law on Mount Sinai, was given in Fire and Thunder in the Father's Nature, and Moses was also called in the * Exod. 3. 2. Bush by the Fire-flame in the Father's Nature. Acts 7. 30. 288. And Christ also said thus when he came in the Flesh, Father, the Men were thine, and thou hast given them to ME, and I give them Eternal Life. 289. That highly blessed Limit or Mark, stood in the Grace Covenant of the Sacrifices with or in Israel; The Sacrifices were a Sign or Type of the Limit, which God set before them; and Israel became in the Sacrifices through the Limit or Mark ransomed from sin. 290. Israel offered Sacrifice with the blood of Beasts, that, God's Imagination looked upon, through the Limit or Mark of his Covenant; since Man was become Earthly, therefore God set the Limit or Mark before himself, for a Covenant of Grace, that his Imagination might not enter into the Earthly source or quality, and that his anger Fire might not be awakened, with Man's Earthliness and Sin, and so he devour them, as was done by Eliah. 291. The Circumcision of the Jews was also this, that Israel must shed its Blood, and, that, God's Imagination looked on, through the Limit or Mark of his Covenant: For Christ should destroy Death with the shedding of his blood: It should fall into the Anger of God, viz: into the Soul's Fire, and quench the kindled Fire of God. 292. Therefore now God Imaged or represented to himself in the Covenant, the bloodshedding of Christ, and quenched with this Imagination, the fierce wrath in the Soul: and through THAT, became Israel saved, such as with earnest sincerity have set or put their Will and Imagination into the Covenant, they have received or conceived the power of the Limit or Mark in the Covenant, viz: in Gods representing. 293. For in God, that which is done and passed, and that which is to come is all one; And therefore was the New Regeneration out of Christ reckoned or imputed to the Children of the Covenant, as iif they stood already in the New Body of Christ, as if Christ had already drowned the Anger with his bloodshedding, and that the Life were already become Generated out of Death again. 294. For that very Life out of the Limit or Mark, stood in God's Imagination: and with the Promise in Paradise it set itself therein, that very Life was Promised to Abraham, that it should be awakened again in his seed: Not in a strange seed, as the Libeler conceiteth, but in the seed of the Noble Image, which out of the Heavenly Substantiality, out of the Second Principle, was together given to Adam, for a Body. 295. And yet, with the Entrance of the Soul into the earthliness, was become shut up in the still Death, as in the Nothing; and that should again sprout out of Death, and therein rise again and be borne, A New Man, † Eph. 4. 24. in holiness, innocency, and Righteousness: it should again be put on to the Soul. 296. Understand it highly and aright: The Life of God in the Covenant of the Limit or Mark, which in Mary assumed the humanity, that very Life must from Christ enter into us, understand into our disappeared Image shut up in Death; That is the Grain, that is sown, into the Dead disappeared Substantiality, that, draweth that humane Essence again to it, and becometh again the Life of that Image. 297. Thus the Noble * Note the New Regeneration. Lily Twig or Branch, groweth up; which first is small as a Grain of Mustardseed, as Christ saith, and afterwards becometh as large as a † Lorber. Baum. Bay Tree; That is the True New Regeneration out of Christ. 298. My Libeler; put you other Eyes into your * Wisdom. Bride; and look upon the Old Testament and the Covenant of Promise, with or as to Adam and Abraham, rightly, do not embitter the Scripture; and drag it not about by the Hair of the head, in a strange understanding: Your Meaning or Opinion, Obscureth, the Noble Lily or Branch, which now should sprout or Grow out of the Mother, or Root; much more, than it doth serve, to the promoting of its growth. 299. If you would Judge in this Mystery, then must you be born again in Christ, you must see out of Christ's Eyes, if you would apprehend the Great Mystery Mysterium Magnum, but if you were born of Christ, than you would not be a † Math. 7. 3. Mote Judger, but a loving Brother. Luk. 6. 41. 300. Christ bids you * Luk. 6. 37. not condemn, but meekly to converse and friendly Instruct, not to wrangle, or scoff, or pronounce Men to be in the Jaws of the Devil: My friend, you are yet very blind concerning the kingdom of Christ: I will rightly show you the Door of the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ; as it is given to me from the Grace of God in the Love of Christ. 301. Not through my understanding, but in my resignation in Christ, from Christ's Spirit From Christ's Spirit have I conceived or received the knowledge, the Great, Mystery; Mysterium Magnum, I have not studied in your School, I have known nothing of that, neither have I sought it in that way, I sought only God's Heart, and more is come to me then I sought or understood. 302. Therefore if you would be brother in Christ, put your Bucks-hornes off, and then we may see one another with right Eyes, and a modest Mind, and instruct one another in the Fear of God. 303. Such Surlynesse and Scorn; is Babel, the Mother of Tyranny, and Great spiritual whoredom, whence Wars and Strife is arisen at all times: your Libel is, only a Bloody provocation, and a scoffing, an unseemly puffed up Pride, a Cainish property; go out from it, if you would see the richly Amiable countenance of Christ in the Holy Ternary, in Ternario Sancto: if you would see, the Wonder-Branch of the hidden LILLY, which at present Sprouteth out of the Root of the Tree. 304 If you would grow and sprout, with the Noble Lily Branch, out of the Old Tree, you must bring an humble Heart: and so you must stand in the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ; if you would grow spring or sprout and speak out of or from God. 305. For None know any thing of God, † ● J●h. 1. 18. but only the Spirit of Christ which is in God, the Some in the Bosom of the Father, searcheth out in our spirit even the Depths of the Deity; Our spirit must stand in the Spirit of Christ, if we we would understand the Divine Mystery. 306. It is not enough, for Men to put together or collect a heap of Scripture Texts, and Make an Opinion and Meaning out of them, no, my Friend, Opinion doth it not; but the Living Word, where the Heart experienceth the certainty, therein Consisteth Faith in the Holy Spirit. 307. In Opinions there is mere Doubting, whether it be right or not, Out of Opinions is the Antichrist Generated: If we would speak of God, than we must speak from or out of the Spirit of Christ, which alone knoweth what God is, or else we are very Liars. 308. Christ's Spirit must speak out of us, of the Divine Mystery, else we speak out of the Babel of Confusion: Christ is in our right humane Essence, understand, in Adam's Essence, become Man; not in the Essence of the Stars and Elements, but in the Essence of the * The one Eternal Element. One Element, through which before the fall, Paradise grew or sprouted in Adam. 309. † Luke 1. 25. to the 31. When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary, he Saluted her, and said; Hail, Graciously Amiable, the Lord is with Thee, Thou blessed of all Women, thou shalt be impregnate in thy Body, and bear a son, whose name thou shalt call JESUS. 310. Here it hath not that understanding, as the Libeler Explains it, that Mary was borne out of God beforehand, Ere Christ in her became Man, No, * Acts 26. 23. Christ is the first from the Dead, he first kindled the Life in Death, only the Limit or Mark, stood in Mary; that was the Blessing; For, in the Limit or Mark, was the Living Word, and the Spirit of God; Surrounded and Clothed, with the Noble Virgin of the Wisdom of God, in the Divine Substantiality. 311. When the Angel said, thou shalt be impregnate in thy Body, And she, the Virgin Mary, thereupon said: † Luk. 1. 38. Behold, I am the Maidservant of the Lord; be it done unto me as thou hast said; then the Life in the Limit or Mark of the Covenant, viz; the Heart of God, moved in * NOTE. what was Quickened that shall arise again; as vers. 2. 2. mary's in Death included Essence: That word was clothed or surrounded with divine Substantiality, out of the Water of Eternal Life, generated out of the Meekness of the Light of the Majesty of God. 312. And in that Substantiality, was the Tincture out of the Fire and Light of God, which is the Glance or Lustre and Ornament of the Substantiality. 313. And in the Tincture, was the chaste Modest Eye of the wisdom of God, and the Wisdom is the Holy Spirits Corporeity, wherein he dwelleth: It is his Eternal Lookingglass; wherein he hath discovered or discerned the Great. Wonders, from Eternity. 314. And the Holy Spirit is gone forth or proceeded from the Word, viz; out of the Centre or Heart of God, forth from the Father, viz: out of the Fire through the Light into the Majesty, into the Essence of the paradisical and Angelical World; understand, into that Essence, or into the Pure Element, viz: into the Substantiality of the Heavenly Corporeity. 315. This very Substantiality or Corporeity, as is now mentioned, was Christ's heavenly Flesh and Blood: For the Noble Tincture maketh the Water out of the Majesty, [turn] into Spiritual Blood. 316. That very Substantiality, which was in the Covenant, wherein the Promised Word of God, stood, is Entered into mary's Substantiality, viz: into the in Death enclosed Substantiality, and is become a Body, and hath made that which was shut up, living again: The divine and heavenly paradisical Substantiality in the Covenant, and Mary's Substantiality, is become ONE thing; the Life sprouted or grew in Death. 317. Therefore is Christ become our Life and Spirit, also our Flesh and Blood, and therefore he giveth us, understand, our Souls-Fire, his heavenly Body and Blood, to eat and to drink: Our Soul, hath with the Divine Substantialities Entrance, again gotten heavenly flesh for its Fire-Life: it burneth again in the divine source or quality, out of the Love-Substantiality. 318. The Holy Tincture according to the divine Fires Property, belongeth to the Soul, and the Water's property, viz: the Lights Meekness, belongeth to the Body, the Body is always under or beneath the Soul. 319. For, the Soul it out of the Eternal Nature-Fire, it is the Principle between the Dark and Light World: it hath the Centre of the Fire-World in itself. 320. And the Substantiality is out of the Centre of the Light-world, in the Divine desire it cometh to a Substance, for it is the substance of the Desire, the Desire is † NOTE. Spirit, and that which is comprehended in the Desire, is the Substance of the Desire. 321. And what can the desire comprehend, other, than itself, that is, the Meekness of the Light, that is, a sinking down of the Love and Meekness towards the Fire-Spirit that riseth up; That, the Fire-Spirit continually comprehendeth in its desire, and consumeth it, that is, it bringeth it through the sharpness of the Father, and there it goeth through death again forth into the Liberty, and maketh the source or quality of the divine World, for the Spirit of God, is understood therein. 322. Not that there is a dying or Death therein, but the Fire source or quality, is accounted for a Death, for the Root of the Fire, is the Dark World with its stern forms to the Fire-Nature: As in the Book of the Six Points of the Great Mystery, is expressly mentioned at Large. 323. Now understand the sense, aright: God's Substantiality, hath been from Eternity, it is unmeasurable, and unsathomable, it is every where all over, wheresoever a Man can say here is God, there is also the Divine Substantiality, yet not in the Outward World in the Third Principle; but in the Heavenly in the Second Principle. 324. Therefore said Christ, John 3. 13. * Joh. 3. 13. None goeth to Heaven but the son of Man which is come from Heaven, and which it in Heaven; his divine Substantiality was in Heaven, and yet it was come into the Humanity, and the Humanity, is without him, dead, in Adam. 325. Now, would any go into Heaven, they must then have his substance on them; He is † Gen. 28. 12. the Ladder that Jacob saw, which with one End reached to Heaven, and with the other End in the Humanity. 326. A Man is to understand it thus, that the Body of Christ, understand, the † Gen. 28. 12. Corporeity of the divine Substantiality, which hath revealed or manifested itself in the Corporized Substantiality of the Humanity in Mary, * Joh. 10. 29, 30. is Greater then ALL. 327. The divine Substantiality is not totally gone into the Creaturely Image, that cannot be; for it is unmeasurable, Only it hath revealed or manifested itself, in the humane Substantiality in the Created Image, in the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ; and kindled the humane, and given its Life, understand, into Adam's Image, which also was in Mary, and in all Men. Question. 328. Now it may be asked: What kind of Person was Mary: being the Limit of God's Covenant stood in her? Or, how did CHRIST get Body and Soul in Her, and yet remained what he was from Eternity? Answer. 329. Many was, First, a Bodily Issue and Daughter of Eve the Mother of us all, and of her right Mother Anna, and of her right Father Joachim: no immaculate pure virgin, understand, according to the outward World, for the Anger of God stuck also in her, and she is redeemed or reconciled through the Blood of Christ. 330. And according to the Second Principle, her Image stood also shut up in Death; But the Limit or Mark stood in her, understand, in her Image, but undiscernably and unperceivably; in that way and manner, as God is in all, and the Thing knoweth nothing of him: for God dwelleth not in the Thing, he possesseth Nothing, but only himself: Thus was the Limit or Mark in Mary; and Gods Promise in the Word of Life, was in the Limit or Mark, yet not dwelling in Mary, but in itself. 331. God had never according to his Heart, moved himself, from Eternity, and when once he moved himself in Mary in the Limit or Mark, than Mary became highly blessed; and in the Blessing impregnate with the Saviour: For the Life came into Death, into the, in Death enclosed, Essence. 332. Now yet the Seed of Man qualified or operated with the Body, and now when the divine Life came into the Essence of the Seed of Mary, than her whole Body, viz: the Images Body, according to the Second Principle, became Highly Blessed, And in this new Wondrous Entrance and Moving of God, was brought to Life, so that her Essence became living, and the Tincture of her Blood became kindled with the Divine Tincture, understand, the Seeds Tincture, which qualifieth or mixeth with the whole Body. 333. But the outward Kingdom of this World, was not at this time broken off from Mary, that held her still captive, SHE must through Dying, through her Son's Death, enter into the Eternal Life. 334. Her Body indeed, did not vanish or fall away, for it was in the Midst, in the Blessing, only the Earthly source or quality must break or corrupt in her, and all Adam's Children must enter through One and the same Entrance into Life, viz: through the Dying of Christ: when Christ quenched the Soul-Fire on the Cross in Death, than also mary's Soul-Fire became quenched, that is, rightly kindled in the Light of the Majesty. 335. The outward Body remained to be a Covering before it, so long as it stood in the source or quality of the Stars and Elements; Through Dying, the outward Substance of the source or quality, becometh broken off, and then the Image of God appeareth or shineth. 336. Understand it right, Christ had in Mary assumed all the Three Principles on to himself, but in Divine Order or Ordinance, not mixed, as Adam did, who introduced the outward Kingdom through the Imagination into the Inward: into the Soul Fire, whence the Light extinguished. 337. He had on himself, that is on to the Limit or Mark of the Living Covenant, assumed, on to the Living Substantiality, the Souls Essence, viz: the first Principle, and then the Essence of the Image, of the Second Principle; and then the outward Kingdom, the Third Principle; for he should be Lord of All. 338. He became after the End of Four Months, a living Soul, which now stood in the Image; but the Deity was in the Image the Centre, which neither receives Addition or Diminution: the Divine Substantiality also, receives neither Addition nor Diminution, it becometh neither less nor bigger, only it hath manifested or revealed itself in the Humane Image, and generated it to Life. 339. Thus in mary's Conception in her Seed a Living Essence arose, no more shut up in Death, not a sinful One; for where God's Light shineth forth, there is no sin within: Sin originateth in that place, where God's Light shineth Not; but where it shineth, there is mere Love and Meekness. 340. The Heart of God was the Ce●●● in the Person of Christ; the Essences were with the Moving of the ●●ity, sanctified and Enlightened; understand according to the Second Principle: for the Divine and humane Essence became Flesh and Blood, and became a Man, One only Person. 341. The outward Kingdom hung to the inward, but the inward had now in this Person the Dominion, the outward was Servant; therefore saith the Scripture, * Phil. 2. 7. he took upon him the Form of a Servant, that he might release us from Servitude, or Bondage. 342. Thus, I say, What Christ is according to our humane Image, and according to the Soul; therein he is a Creature, like us, assumed from us; but what he is according to the Deity, and according to the Divine Substantiality, with that he is above Nature, and higher than the Heaven, and is as to that, no Creature, but GOD himself. 343. But his Divine Substance is IN his Creature, viz: in the Humanity, manifest: he is according to the Humanity, such a person as Adam was before his Imagination and Fall; he is the second Adam. 344. The First Adam should possess the Kingly Seat, but seeing he stood not; therefore God generated to himself another or second Adam out of the First: Now if he had not been Natural, than he had been unlike the first Image, also he had not been the Son of Man; as the Libeler supposeth. 345. Had he not had a Natural Soul, than he had not in the Person, had all the Three Principles: What should he then have committed into the Hands of his Father at that present when he died on the Cross, or what had suffered on the Tree of the Cross, if he had not been Natural. 346. When he was risen from the Dead, he showed himself to his Disciples, and said, † Luke 24. 39 Behold me; a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as you see me have: Why then doth the Libeler say that it is I that would make Christ according to his holy immaculate humanity, Natural: I am not the first that make him Natural: He is my Brother, and the son of Man, therefore he must needs be Natural, yes the very Angels are Natural. 347. But That he saith: I have written: that he became a Man in the Wild; viz: in the Outward Birth; that is NOT true: The Text in my writing saith thus: and he wrestled in his humane Body in the Power of the Light, in the wild Nature, Hath he not, in Hell and on the Tree of the Cross, wrestled with God's Anger? Hath he not Died and taken away from our Wild Nature, * Joh. 15. 55. the sting of Death? 348. The Libeler saith; Christ is not from Adam's Natural Seed, if that were true; then he is not the son of Man; then hath not God assumed the humanity Naturally: the Word is indeed become Flesh; and is it not become Flesh in the Humanity? Then let the Libeler Tell me how Christ came to be the son of Man; or where remains our Salvation or Redemption, the Resurrection of our Flesh? 349. Is Christ not in our Flesh; then he will not awaken or raiseus up: What doth his Wounds help me if they are in strong Flesh? Hath not the blind Libeler seen; that in my whole Book I have distinguished the Earthly and the Heavenly Man? What need he mix himself in the Magic understanding, and find fault with that of which he hath no knowledge understanding or Ground: let him read my Book of the becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, he would find more than he can fathom. 350. But that he will say; that Christ is become Man in the promised Seed, and Not in Adam's and Abraham's; What is that Seed? You see that very Promised Seed hath breathed itself into the Humanity, and God and Man is become ONE Person. 351. He saith, Christ, viz: the Eternal Word, hath assumed the Seed of the pure holy Virgin, Elected to it from Eternity, which died away from Nature, and was totally blessed in God: viz: the forementioned Seed of Abraham: Tell me Libeler; Who is that Virgin that hath died away from Nature: then she must be a Monster without a Soul, without Flesh and Blood, and No Mankind. 352. What need God assume to himself heavenly Seed into his Substance? was not his Substance for certain on him from Eternity: What doth that help us? But that he is Entered into our humanity and awakened or raised up, our in Death enclosed Seed, and make it Living again; that I rejoice at, that I may truly say; that my Flesh † Luk. 22. 69. suiteth at the Right hand, in the Power of God. 353. If Christ hath assumed to himself, any other Seed than my Inward Man is, how then can my inward Man Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood? 354. Sir Libeler, Err not, God will not suffer himself nor his children to be mocked: we suppose easily, that you are altogether blind still in the Mystery of God; you know nothing of the inward Man; much less of the New Regeneration: learn first rightly to understand the Principles; and the Centre of Nature, before you Judge; you will needs be one taught of God or Learned in God, and yet know not one Letter in THAT School. 355. By, Nature, you understand, only, the outward Kingdom: what kind of Nature than hath the Soul? I suppose here your Art will know nothing of it: you know Nothing of the inward Man, which is the similitude of God: and yet will Judge: you understand not what God is: and yet you will Judge God's Children: you are justly to be condemned in this. 356. You bring places of Scripture, and understand them not; and besides you expound my sense and Mind altogether falsely: Who hath called you, that you should explain my obscure deep hidden Writing? I had written as a young child in the Mystery of God; when I was first come into that School, and hung still to the A. B. C: come you or any other to this Dance, and you will well see, whether you can be instantly a Doctor or no. 357. Such a foolish understanding as you impute to me, I would scarce look for in a Cow: have a care and consider, how you will be able to answer it in the presence of God: If your Fiction, should prevail, then instantly would another Antichrist be generated or born. 358. You come marching on with a twofold Seed in Adam, one must be Christ's Seed and the other Adam's Natural Seed, and found the Election of God upon it; but you look upon this Mystery, as a Cow looketh upon a New Barn Door; you understand nothing of it; you can not explain, and set it down with any ground, what the Seed of the Noble Image is, and yet you will Judge. 359. Indeed, thou layest a snare before men's Souls, especially the dejected sad sorrowful Tempted Souls, so that many a one thinketh thus, with himself, saying who knows whether I be begotten or extracted out of a right Seed, out of Christ; especially when he feeleth the Assaults of Temptation: then he should seek comfort, in this Libel. 360. You say, the Gracious Election is a great Comfort to the children of Christ, when they feel God's Grace in them; viz: the Woman's Seed; but where shall he rest that is Assaulted and Tempted by the Devil? he may well in your writings despair; he would think continually, he were out of or from Adam's Seed, and that God will none of him. 361. If you will speak so of the Grace-Election, than you must not leave out the Love of God, which willeth not the Evil; you should join with it that which Christ saith, * Joh. 17. 5, 6. Father, the Men were thine, and thou hast given them to Me, † Joh. 10. 28. and I give them the Eternal Life: Also * Joh. 17. 24. Father, I will that those whom thou hast given Me, be where I am: Also; † Luk. 5. 32. I am come to call the sinners to repentance, and not the Righteous; * Luk. 15. 7. there is in Heaven among the Angels of God, more Joy at one sinner that Repenteth, then at Ninety-nine righteous, that need Repentance: And † Ezek. 33. 11. As true as I live, saith the Lord, I will not the Death of a sinner, but that he turn and live. 362. If you will prove any thing with Cain and Abel, with Issac and Ishmael, also with Esau and Jacob; then learn first to understand the Three Principles, what the drawing to Good and to Evil is, reject not Nature, learn first to distinguish the Eternal Nature, from the beginning inceptive Nature; else you will but lay a snare upon the Bodies and Souls of your Disciples or Scholars, and will but tumble or Grope in the Dark in mere doubting. 363. You will build high, and yet a Man can find no sufficient ground in all your writing: It is as to the Mystery but a fight with a shadow: Tell me, if you be a Master, and have an enlightened Mind and Thoughts, as you suppose; What are the Two Seeds in Adam, out of one of which Cain, out of the other Abel is generated or borne: Is that the Predestinate Purpose of God, as you conceit it? then demonstrate it. 364. You must understand the Birth or Geniture, of the Holy Trinity, if you will Judge thereof; also, the understanding of the Dark World; also of the fierce Wrath, and of the Love of God, what God is in Love and Anger; what a Devil or an Angel is, and how he came to be a Devil. 365. Also, you must understand the Mystery of the Divine wisdom; Especially you must understand, how the Dear Name of God Originateth from Eternity; How the Nothing becometh introduced into Nature, so that out of the Nothing, a source or quality cometh to be; If you understand not THESE things, then stay with your conceits at home; read my Book of the Threefold Life of Man: and you will see with other Eyes. 366. Christ saith, You must be borne anew; through Water and the Holy Spirit, else you cannot see the Kingdom of God: He saith, YOU, not a stranger, YOURSELF! 367. There doth not come another strange Creature into us when we become born out of Christ; but, when we put our whole desire, into God, into the becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, into his suffering and Dying: and become sorry for our sins and desire God's Mercy in Christ; then our Soul's Will-Spirit goeth forth from sin and Evil or Malice, and entereth into the becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ; viz: into the Heavenly Substantiality, which is * NOTE. greater than all: and there the Will-Spirit cometh before the Centre, viz: before the Heart of God. 368. That Heart of God is desirous of the Humanity, and that graspeth with its desire into the Will-Spirit, after the Humanity, and thus the Will-Spirit receiveth the Power of the Centre, viz: a Sparkle of the Divine Power. 369. And that Sparkle, hath on itself the Divine Substantiality, viz: the Water of the Eternal Life, out of the Majesty of God, and therein, the Wisdom with the Heavenly Tincture: this the Will-Spirit which is become generated out of the Soul, bringeth again with great Joy, into the Souls-Fire. 370. And when the Soul-Fire, tasteth the sweet Love and Meekness in itself, in its own Essence, than the Essence is so very vehemently terrified, that it appeareth overcome, as it were dead, and loseth its Fiery right, and the Fiery Essence falleth into the Meekness of the Love, viz: into the Liberty of God, without besides or beyond Nature, and yieldeth itself captive to the Meekness, viz: to the Lights property; and is as if it were of the Fiery property, and yet were not of it: this is a terror of Great Joy, and the Aspect of God, in the Divine Power, whence Body and Soul do tremble for Joy. 371. For thus the Soulish Fire becometh put out of, the Earnest severe pain of the fierce wrath of God, of the Eternal Fires Essence and property, into another source or quality: viz: into a Love-Desire; for the Light of God kindleth itself in the Souls-Fire; for when the Meekness and Love Desire cometh into the Magic Souls-Fire, than the Love and Meekness feeleth the Great Life, out of the Father's Nature. 372. For, the Meekness is a Sinking down, it is the Water-Spirit, and without the Great Life, is as it were dead, in comparison of the Fire, but when it cometh into the Fire, it becometh, as vehemently terrified, as the Fire in it, and the terror is the kindling of its Life and of the Light. 373. Seeing then the Soul in the beginning of its Creation, was clothed and adorned with this Heavenly Substantiality; and it was the Souls right inward Body, and that the Soul, in Adam is gone forth, with its Imagination, away from this Substantiality; whence that Substantiality is again become shut up in Death, viz: in the still Nothing. 374. And it, the Soul, is entered with its Imagination into the Earthly Kingdom, viz: into the Substantiality of its Root: and nevertheless, that very first Image, which became shut up in Death, viz: in the inability without the Life, yet hangeth to the Soul: but without its apprehension or understanding. 375. Therefore now, when the Light of the Soul becometh kindled again, and the heavenly Substantiality out of God's Majesty receiveth the Life: viz; the Light in the Soul; then the dead Substantiality becometh Living again in the Lights power; and becometh, together with the now new introduced Substantiality, one Substantiality, one spiritual Body, for it is of one only Essence, and here Death riseth up in Christ, here God and the Inward Man become one Person. 376. Understand it aright: This new Light-Life, is Christ: He first introduced it again into the Soul, and our right humanity, so that God and Man is ONE: Now we must follow after God, we must put our Imagination into him: for he hath put his into Us, and then we become impregnate with the Saviour; we become newborn in his Limit or Mark, that God set in Paradise; wherein, he is become Man; Death riseth up again in that very Limit or Mark: we must be true Members of Christ, if we would see God. 377. When the Water, or the Water-source or quality out of the Meekness of God, cometh into the Souls-Fire, so that the Light kindleth itself, then is the Noble Tincture already generated out of the Water in the Fire, which is the Glance or Lustre and Ornament of Heaven, as a paradisical Delight or Pleasantness, in which the Substantiality of God shineth or appeareth; and therein the Holy Spirit, and in the Spirit, the Divine Centre, viz: the Power of Heart of God, and in the Heart of God the Mystery, viz: the Principle or the Father; viz: the Fire-World; and in the Fire-World, the Dark World; and in the Dark World this outward World, together with the Stars and Elements. 378. Thus ALL goeth out of ONE fountain-Spring, but the Heart of God is the Centre of All Substances, or of Every thing: it is all Magical, and in the Magick-Desire standeth the Substance according to each World's property, and according to the desire of each of them; for the Desire maketh Substance, according to the Desire's property, therefore, is the Fire the strongest, and the Light the Mightiest in the Power; the Fire giveth Life, and the Light giveth power, and understanding. 379. Understand it aright; The Dark World is the Centre of this outward World; The Dark World hath the forms to Nature, viz: the Great Magic Desire; wherein the source or Torment and Anguish generateth itself; It is the wheel to the Fire-Life, with its Forms, and hath in itself, the strong Magia of the Desire: It laboureth in its own form till to the Fire; and there its Principle * Schleusset sich. shuts up itself. 380. For, in the Fire, existeth the great Life, and another source or quality, and also another Principle, viz: the Light, with the quality or source of Meekness: whereas in the Dark World, there is only Anguish and a mere hunger Desire; The Light holdeth the Dark World captive: In these TWO now standeth the Drawing to Good and to Evil: my Sir Libeler. 381. The Light or the Power of the Light is a desire; and willeth to have the Noble Image according to God's similitude; for it is created to the Light World: so also the Dark World, viz: the Desiring of the fierce Wrath, willeth to have it: for Man hath all the Three Worlds in himself, and there is a great Strife in Man: to which of these now he uniteth or giveth up himself with his Desire and Willing, that getteth the Dominion in him; as the Apostle saith, * Rom. 6. 16. To which you give yourself in Obedience, you are servant of that; either of sin unto Death, or of Obedience unto Righteousness. 382. Each world standeth hidden in the other; for Each dwelleth only and barely in itself, neither possesseth the other in the fource or quality thereof; as you see it in Light and Darkness, how the Darkness dwelleth in the Light, and is not manifest in the shining of the Light: but if the Light departeth or Extinguisheth, than the Darkness becometh manifest. 383. Thus you see also, the difference of the source or quality, how one source or quality mixeth not with the other; by the Fire and Light; The Light dwelleth in the Fire, and yet hath not the Fires source or quality, but a meek amiable one: and Herein sticketh the Great Mystery, Mysterium Magnum: My Sir Libeler, seek it, and then you will find it. 384. In this Mystery seek the TWO sort of Seeds and Wills, and leave freewill to Man: else you are the Dark World's Advocate; which World soever in Man, gets the upper Dominion, that extracts or begets Seed out of its own Essence; that beareth fruit and worketh, the other stands hidden, be it the Heavenly or the Hellish. 385. When Adam's Soul went forth away from the Divine World out of Paradise into the Outward World, than the Soul wrought or boar fruit to Death in the Dark World: But when it apprehended the Cursher of the Serpent, in the Limit or Mark of the Covenant, than it wrought or boar fruit to Life again. 386. But being his Noble Image, without the becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, could not rise up our of the still Death, therefore both Dominions remained qualifying or operating in him; viz; the Hellish and the Heavenly, and are standing the whole Time, in strife one with another, about the Image; Each hath its Fiat in itself, and many a Branch is become rend off from this Tree. 387. And here seek Cain and Abel, also Jacob and Esou, Isaac and Ishmael; here you will find them, and not in the Light World in God's Predestinate purpose: Here you will find my deep hidden Magical † Aurora written, 1612. Book, which the Author at that time might not make more clear, but now through God's grace may do it. 388. Read the Forty Questions of the Soul, I'll assure you, you will become seeing, unless the Anger of God and the Devil's malice hath wholly blinded you, and that you are a total Cain: than you will see nothing but a Shell: And though you were such a one, yet then the Door of Grace standeth Open towards you, and desireth to have you, and you may IN Christ become generated anew. 389. The Possibility is in ALL Men, but * Rom. 9 16. in God's Mercy, not that he would not have any that came to him, HE will always readily, only it lieth not in humane conceits, running and own doing, none can make himself the Child of God; he must wholly cast himself into the Obedience of God, and then God maketh him a Child: he must be Dead, understand with the outward Reason, and then God in Christ liveth in Him. 390. He should not feign to himself ways to the Kingdom of Heaven, and make Opinions, as the Autichristian Church doth; for, in the Opinion he runs of himself, yet * Rom. 9 16. It lieth not in any Man's going or running, but in a lowly humble Penitent Heart, which goeth forth from sin, those God hath Mercy on, for it lieth in God's Mercy. 391. When Man converteth, and goeth forth from sin, than he becometh IN God's Mercy, Elected to be a Child of God: then the Spirit of Christ, draweth him to the Father, Christ saith † John 6. 44. None cometh unto Me except my Heavenly Father draw him. 392. Now he draweth not the wicked Will, THAT, the Devil and the Dark world draweth; only Man hath Free will, if he cast his Will into Righteousness into God, than the Spirit of God comprehendeth his Will, and bringeth it in Ternarium Sanctum into the Holy Ternary: and there the Noble Grain becometh sown in the Will, and then beginneth the Drawing of the Father to the Regeneration. 393. God hardeneth no Man, but the Dark world in the Devil's Imagination and Enchantment, they harden Man, viz; the Souls-Fire, they are a Door shut against the Light. 394. Though indeed the Scripture saith, * Rom. 9 18. God hath Mercy on whom he will, and hardeneth whom he will: yet it hath not that understanding, as if God would not hear the Poor Sinner: For Christ saith: † Math. 11. 28. come all to me, that are weary and heavy laden, I will refresh you: Also: * Luke 5. 32. I am come to call sinners to Repentance. Also, † John 12. 47. The Son of Man is come not to Judge the World, but that he might save the World: He that runneth in his own conceit hardeneth himself, for he will needs be Christ. 395. God's hardening is, when he letteth one run on whither he will; God knoweth his, very well, why should a Man pour Oil into those wounds to which it is poison, the Soar will be but the Larger. 396. Who will help him, who himself will NOT: Or shall Men * Math. 7. 6. cast Pearls before Swing; If a man lets the freewill go whither it will, than it cometh into its Father's Native Country, out of which it is gone forth; why doth Man lend the Devil his heart, that he may introduce an Evil Will or Desire thereinto: † Math. 7. 17, 18, A good Tree bringeth forth good fruit. 397. Why did Adam bring his Imagination into the Serpent's Poison, into Pride of Multiplicity, into the wonder of the fierce wrathful Nature: He had the Command not to do it, why was he disobedient? who compelled him? Even the Lust or Longing which came from the Devil: and therefore is HE Guilty of Man's Fall. 398. He must indeed stand in the Temptation, to try into which World he would give up himself; all the Three Worlds drew him, each had him on a Band, there he should show his valour as a Prince: he was free. 399. But that he was overcome by the Outward World, that the Devil caused by his Infection, as still at this very day he teareth many a little Sprout from the Tree: Therefore Man should not be secure, also not rely on, or be of himself; but continually give up himself into God's Mercy. 400. He can not better wrestle with the Devil then when he casts himself into God's Mercy, than he relies not on, or is not of, himself, but he is Gods; the Devil may dance in his Smoke Hole how he will, a Man can not hinder him of that, only let him not give his Will to the Devil, as Adam did. Number II. Page 18. 401. THe Pasquil or Libeler begins here again to Reprehend, but he perverteth the Author's Mind and Sense quite and clean; and casts Gall into it, where it stands written thus. 402. † Aurora Preface, vers. 77. But they that became generated or born in the Light of * Naturespirit. Nature and of the Spirit, and upon Earth never rightly knew the Tree of Life, but were grown in ITS Power, which hath overshadowed ALL Men upon Earth, as indeed many Heathen and People and Infants; they were also taken up, in that very power, wherein they were Grown, and their Spirit became clothed therewith, and they sung the Song of their Power. Now thus saith the Libeler. 403. And as this * The Author J. B. Spirit, determines of a Natural Christ, so will he also have the knowledge of him to be Natural, and from that, though they knew not the Tree of Life in Spirit and in Truth; might attain Eternal Life Externally; as if there were more ways than One to it. Thus far the Libeler. Answer. 404. Is not the Libeler sent. that he should Judge the People Tongues and Languages? and shall he not Judge the Child in the Mother's body or Womb? also the deaf and blind, which are born Deaf, especially, the Heathen and Turks? he letteth none of these into Heaven, for he hath the Keys of Peter; O thou miserable Blindness, how many will enter into the Kingdom of God before thee. 405. Is not the Father in the Son, and the Son in the Father and the Holy Spirit in them both? Now if the Heathen People, are, without understanding, Zealous for the Living God, and yet have not the knowledge of Christ among them, and know nothing thereof, but with a total earnest sincerity Desire the Love and Mercy of God: will God then cast them all away, because they have not Christ's Name. 406. He that apprehendeth the ONE only living God; he hath apprehended the Holy Trinity: The Publican in the Temple, knew not how to say any thing else but only this: O God be Gracious to me poor Sinner! If now a Turk or Heathen should come in such a Manner, with sincere earnest Supplication and Repentance, and yet knew nothing of the Kingdom of Christ: Sir Libeler, wouldst not thou admit him to the Mercy of God? 407. How do you know what God would do for you? or what have you given to him? that he hath of Grace bestowed his Son upon you; may he not then also receive Turks and Heathens to Grace, especially little Children: Harken thou blind Libeler: thou understandest not the author's saying. 408. My Text saith: Those who were become Born or generated in the Light of Nature and of the Spirit: The Light of the Eternal Nature is the Heart of God, the Light of the Majesty of God, and the Spirit from or out of the Light is the Holy Spirit: with this Description, the * Jacob Behme. New Birth. 409. Now if a man be generated or born out of THAT, than it is well and good; for he is born of God: there will be many people thus born in God, which knew nothing of the Name of Christ, viz; How God is become Man or Incarnate. 410. Doth now the blind Libeler understand Nothing, than I suppose the Devil hath blinded him: See further: But those that were grown in ITS Power, understand in the Power of the Tree of Christ, they were received: Dost thou here understand, the Natural Growth with or as to Flesh and Blood? then thou art blind indeed. 411. Do you not see my Text saith, Those who were born in the Light of Nature and of the Spirit; that is no fleshly Birth, that which is born in the Spirit of the Light, is born of God. Sir Libeler you have the Property of a Toad, which sucketh Evil out of Good, what shall I say, or write much thereof. Number III. Page 26. It standeth thus. 412. † Aurora Ch. 1. vers. 2. disliked by Bolthator Tylcken. But if a Man will speak of God, what GOD is, he must diligently consider the Powers in Nature; as also the whole Creation of Heaven and Earth, as the Stars and Elements, and the Creatures which are proceeded from them, than also, the Holy Angels Devils & Man, also Heaven and Hell. 413. * Justified by Jacob Behme. Harken Libeler; when thou rightly knowest, what an Angel is, than thou knowest thyself in thy Noble Image, and knowest God in his Love according to the Second Principle. 414. And when thou rightly knowest what a Devil is, than thou knowest Gods Angor and the Dark World. 415. And when thou rightly knowest, the Stars & Elements, than thou hast in the Outward Nature, the Similitude of the Inward Eternal Nature. 416. And when thou rightly conceivest of the Creatures, thou than seest by the Creation, God's wonderful Wisdom, and when thou rightly conceivest of the Heaven, than thou knowest the difference or distinction of the Principles. 417. But Harken Libeler, why should I talk long with thee about it; thou art indeed wholly blind as to my Writings, thou brigest every where other meanings thereinto, than I intended by it: Thou sayst; * Aurora Ch. 1. Verse 1. Flesh and Blood cannot Conceive of God, thou oughtest not to oppose me in that, I say so too: and that † 1 Cor. 2. 10. 14. the Outward Man knoweth, or understandeth Nothing of God, but the Inward Man, especially the Spirit, searcheth even the Depths of the Deity. 418. I say not; That a Beast should Consider the Angels, Devils, Heaven, Hell, Stars, Elements and Creatures: But an understanding Man, who is the Child of God, who shall have his refreshing therewith, that God's Love Groweth in Him. 419. But that which is said concerning the LAW of Nature, that those who live or have lived therein, and are grown in that Light's that, the blind Libeler expounds all concerning the outward Nature: he understandeth nothing in it. 420. The Law of Nature, is God's Commadment, when God said to Adam's Nature, Thou shalt not eat of the Tree; that Law is also written in our Mind: so that we know we should do right; the very beathens, and little Children understand THAT. 421. Now if a Man live in that Law; and doth that which he well knoweth, that it is RIGHT; and is generated or born out of the Light of the Eternal Nature, out of the Spirit, viz: out of God's Heart: who will Judge him? Thou Moate-Judger, stay thou at home. 422. When I in that Place speak of the Tree of * Or Tree of Life. vegetation, viz: of the sweet Tree; then I understand or mean not the will of the Flesh, but the Dominion of the Spirit of God, I also speak not of the Corporal and inceptive or beginning Birth, but of the Spiritual. 423. The sweet Tree is God's Spirit, as is formerly mentioned at Large, understand, it is the heavenly Substantiality, which the Word or Heart of God brought along with it; into the Essence of Mary, which became Man in Mary, that sweet Tree of the Divine Substantiality is greater than all; and moveth in the second Principle, over US ALL. 424. My whole meaning Aims at this, and though thou understandest it not, yet I know it, and say with assured Truth, that many a Heathen, Turk, and Infant, hath eaten of this Tree in God's Mercy, and though he hath not known it plainly by Name, that which the outward Man knoweth not, that the inward Man knoweth, yea the Outlandish People have even Adames Body and Soul as well as we. 425. Harken Libeler: what saith Paul, † Rom. 2. II. Rom. 2. 11. to the 16? There is no respect of Persons with God: * Verse 12. they who have sinned without Law, shall perish without the Law; and they who have sinned against the Law, they shall be judged by the Law; † Verse 13. for in the sight of God not the hearers of the Law are justified, but those that do the Law shall be justified; * Verse 14. for if the Heathen that have not the Law, and yet by Nature do the work of the Law, those having not the Law are a Law unto themselves, † Verse 15. whereby they show, that the Law is written in their Hearts, seeing their Conscience witnesseth, as also their Thoughts, which accuse or exeuse one another, * Verse 16. till the Day wherein God will Judge, the secrets of Manking, through JESUS CHRIST, according to my Gospel. 426. Why then doth the Libeler reject this which I have written, that the Law of Nature is written in Man's heart, and Every one by Nature Knoweth well, and his Conscience witnesseth to him, that he should do Right: now if there were a Stranger, who knew Nothing of Christ, and did from his whole Soul, christian works, in hope of the Divine Wages; Wilt thou condemn him? 427. Dost thou not understand, that they shall be judged by the Gospel, which hear the Gospel and do it not; and they which hear it not and do Evil, shall be so too: and they which heard not Christ Preached, nor knew of him, and yet were zealous in the Love, in the fear of God; shall in their zeal, enter into the kingdom of God, before the stiff necked Christians, which only bear the Name of Christ. 428. If thou canst, then blame Saint Paul to his face, as thou dost me; Thou unintelligent fierce wrathful envious Libeler; Thou Judgest me and Condemnest me, Contrary to the Commandment of Christ, who saith; † Luk. 6. 37. Judge not and you shall not be Judged, condemn'not, so you shall not be condemned; * Math. 7. 2. With what Measure you Meet to others, will others Meet unto you again. Mark 4. 24. 429. What need you spread abroad such a reproachful Libel among the People, and Judge my written unprinted Writings, which I wrote only for a Memorial to myself, which are come to Light without my will; and to condemn me in such a vain frivolous and altogether Diabolical manner. 430. Thou Moate-Judger; was this commanded thee it was not done in respect of the Author of the Book; but that thou mightest make show of thy fine high understanding Thoughts, what a Master of Scripture, and Man of understanding thou art: but I find thee in † or Confusion Babel with an unchristain Mind, go on so, and thou wilt be found, a very faithful Labourer to our Lord God in his Vineyard, will you not think you? 431. Thou hast in thy disgraceful Libel set it down thyself, that men should condemn none, but it is free for THEE only, what thou forbiddest to another, THOU only mayst Judge that which is secret. 432. Had I known that my Book should have been read, likely it had been written clearlier, with plain words, though it is clear enough, but thou art blind: The Moat or Splinter of the Thorn of Pride, to show himself to his brother Abel, like Cain, sticketh in thy Eyes. 433. But I tell thee, that thy Book the Libel, affordeth a good Root for a New Antichrist; I understand therein very new Things, which I suppose, to run quite contrary to the Holy Scripture: Especially concerning the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, and concerning his Mother Mary. 434. I believe, if men did not Read the Libel, it would be more conducing to their happiness, then for any to grope far after your new conceits, which are contrary to the Ground of the Scripture; it hath such an aspect, that it filleth the Eyes of the People, but not of those that understand aright, they do not all account thee a Master for it, it is even called Babel, and an untirnely or abortive unprofitable Libel. 435. Is this thy Christian Heart, that thou judgest and condemnest a zealous Man, who is zealous after Salvation: and if I did indeed err in my zeal, and yet in a right heart and sincere meaning, and that, really led with Ignorance and simplicity: shouldest thou condemn Me? Dost thou not Observe what Saint Paul saith of the zealous Heathens, as abovementioned, Rom. 2. 436. Art thou a Master and a Christian, why dost thou not first Instruct me, and teach me what is better; Dost thou not know me, I think it is not hidden to thee who I am, viz: a simple Man, and unlearned: Art thou highly learned, expert, and skilful, shouldst thou then deal so Tyrannically with me, as to cast me to the Devil? 437. Where is thy Christian Heart? show it me in thy Libel? shouldest thou condemn a Simple Man? I would have friendly conferred with thee, and given thee a good account of my doings, if thou hadst done as befits a Christian, with friendly Information. 438. But thy high puft up Mind would not; now I have answered to it; it deserves no better; since thou proclaimest me a Devil, I proclaim thee a Liar, for I am a Child of God, and am zealous day and night after my God, with Sapplication to his Mercy for Christ's sake, and steadfastly believe, that I am a Child of God, and Member of Christ's Body: I am also very certain in the power of the Holy Spirit, that he will preserve my Deposited Treasure, viz: the Noble Pearly Jewel in Christ, till that Day. 439. Thou proud Pharisee, thou shalt not take away the Noble Garland of Victory from me, which my Saviour Christ hath set upon me; but if thou desirest to take it away from me, have a care what thou dost, and where thou abidest, that the Anger of God do not devour thee. 440. I would as a Christian have thee warned, to abstain from such reproaching, and shameful condemning: for the kingdom of God, consisteth not is knowing much, but in an Earnest sincere obedient humble Mind and Will, in the presence of God, that we be Christains in the Deed, and not with the Mouth only. 441. A Christian hath no strife but only against HIMSELF, against his EVIL Nature: God saith, † Rom. 12. 19 Vengoance is mine, I will repay it, we live and are in God, Deut. 32. 35. why will we then strive about HIM? Let every one but judge himself, and turn to God. The Strife is always about the Shell; and the Kernel which belongeth to the Soul, men let that lie. 442. Hath any Learned somewhat, let him use it to the Honour of God, and the profit of his Brother; he should not despise any: God hath regenerated us in his Love, without all our knowledge or desert, through his Heart, viz; his great Mercy; when as formerly we were all of us blind, and knew nothing of his bringing us back again; we were * Rom. 3. 9 all under sin: and he hath bestowed on us the childship out of Grace: Gal. 3. 22. shall we then out selves judge one another. 443. Or, can we all speak with one and the same Tongue? There are, you know, many Gifts, and but One only Spirit, which giveth them, as Saint Paul saith; Shall we then call that very Spirit a Devil, which openeth God's Wonders to us, dost thou not know what the Scripture saith, † Luk. 12. 16. Whosoever blasphemeth or reproacheth the Spirit of God, hath no forgiveness Eternally. 444. Thou drawest the Judgement of God wilfully upon thyself, and makest the people the worse, that look upon thy Reproaching, so that they also become slanderers from your Mouth, whereas otherwise they would be quiet, that Sin might be brought forth with Sin, and so be reserved to the severe * Rom. 2. 5, 6. Judgement of God, who will give to every one according to his Deeds. Number IU. 445. THe Libeler sets it down thus: All men are created by God, according to the Flesh; and in that very † Same Measure. Mass or Lump, they are all shut up under Sin, disobedience, and Darkness, and none better than the other: but they are distinguished according to the Spirit: and the Children of the Light generated from or out of HIM: whom he delivereth out of the Natural Darkness; and maketh their Darkness Light; But the Children of the World he letteth sit in Darkness, and letteth their Light go out in the Midst of the Darkness; for he loved Jacob, and hated Esau. 446. Harken Libeler; why dost thou boil the Broth in thy Mouth, and tellest not all freely forth, as it sitteth in thy heart; you have it within you, I would have you fully give it forth: What mean you by the Two sorts of Spirits from the Mother's Body or Womb; are there two sorts of Souls generated or born? one out of God; the other out of the Flesh, as thou supposest: O thou blind Reason, what dost thou Teach? Wilt thou judge? when thou thyself understandest it not. 447. Of the Flesh, no Soul becometh Generated, but Soul of Soul, and Flesh of Flesh; we are from Adam all extracted or begotten of one Soul and Spirit: and no other; Adam is the Tree, we are the Branches; we stand all in that Tree as to the Root, and he hath destroyed us all. 448. Else, if it were so, that one Man did receive in the Mother's Body or Womb, an Earthly Spirit, and the other, one out of or from God, then were he which is Generated or born out of or from God, not guilty of Adam's fall; also he were no Sinner from the Mother's womb, and the other from the Flesh, were from the Mother's womb, Damned: as he finely Courtlike applies it to Jacob and Esau: this is his meaning, and the understanding soundeth just so; only he boyles the broth in the Mouth. 449. For what should God suffer, so long a while, that there is teaching and Preaching to the Damned; or what would it be profitable to the totally perfect? Is the Spirit, from the Mother's womb, of God, and hath it God's Light PERFECT; than it is without Sin, and needs no Teaching: But the Scripture saith, * Rom. 3. 23. They are all Sinners, and come short of the boasting which they should have in God. The Holy Apostles say; † Rev. 5. 9 O Lord, thou hast redeemed US with thy Blood. 450. ANd the Libeler saith further; Who then dare say that this is done without the command of the Lord; and that neither Good nor Evil cometh out of the Mouth of the Most High; Hath not a * Rom. 9 21. Potter power, to make of One Lump what he will, one vessel to Honour, and the other to Dishonour? And cannot GOD do so with US Men. 451. Yes indeed; that were a fine thing from one of understanding, who will produce Texts of Scripture, especially such sayings which give offence to the sad sorrowful tempted Mind, and that he also expoundeth it so, that he casteth a Snare about his Neck, and goeth away laughing at it, this is false wicked fraud. 452. Thou still supposest; that God makes One happy out of his Predestinate purpose, and Damneth the other out of his Predestinate purpose; whereas God saith in Exekiel 33. * Ezek: 33. II. As true as I live, I desire not the Death of a sinner, but that he turn and live. 453. If thou understandest not the Principle, between Light and Fire; which belongeth to the Soul, then be silent about the Election still; thou understandest nothing thereof. 454. Thou supposest God hardeneth the Soul, and it is not true; the hardening sticketh in the Principle, so that many become apprehended by the dark Centre of Nature, from the fierce wrathful Forms to Nature. 455. For the Principles stand in a Continual Wrestiling, as the Fire in the source or † Or Operation. quality; As it hath so happened to Lucifer, that he hath framed the Will of Pride in the Fires- Matrioc in respect of the Dark world: also it is to be seen by Cain and Abel. 456. The Light World, which is God himself, hath no desire to Evil or destruction: there is not the least sparkle in God, that desireth the Evil; God calleth himself God, according to the Light, according to the Love, and not according to the Fire-source or quality, much less according to the Dark World. 457. The Fire-source or quality, is fierce wrathfulness, and devouceth all whatsoever cometh into it, and the Dark World is a mere fierce wrathful hunger: and the Light World is a mere Love, Man hath all the Three in the Centre. 458. When the Life becometh kindled, then is in the Centre the Strife in the Forms to Nature; there many a Soul becometh apprehended in the Essence; THAT is not God's predestinate purpose. 459. God willed not, that Adam should fall, else he had given him no Commandment; also he willed not the Devils Fall: But, that his fierce wrath, hath apprehended Lucifer, as also Adam, that is the Creatures fault. 460. The Souls Spirit knew indeed very well, where its home was; It was free, as God also is free; he hath the Centre of Nature according to the substance of all Substances; why did he put his Imagination into the fierce Wrath? Pride and State bringeth * 〈◊〉 dejectedness of Mind; so it went with the Devil and also Adam. 461. The Devil would be a Fire-Lord, and Adam, Lord in this world, God did suffer it to be done, seeing they both had freewill. 462. The Soul is not made as a Potter maketh a pot, it becometh Generated, the Child's Soul is generated out of the Essence of the Parents; That would the Libeler feign obseure; only that he might out of God's predestinate purpose, Elect an Evil and Good Spirit, and thrust Gods Anger-will into the sad sorrowful heart, for Despair. 463. No, harken Libeler: Let me have them proceed. ALL out of ONE Soul; and then we have ALL equally together; ONE Door of Grace open; this I will have from thee, else I say, thou art a Heretic, and a perverter of the Scripture, and would bereave us of the Mercy of God. 464. I say in the Power of my high knowledge given me of God; that the Door of Grace is not yet barred up to the poor Soul, and though the Devil had it on his chains, and would go away with it, if it be yet in Flesh and Blood, in this world, there is remedy for it, if it bewail the Evil, and Convert, God forsaketh it NOT. 465. He hath Created but ONE only Soul; not to perdition but to Life, to his Honour and Glory; this he requireth also from all Men, and Man shall give an account, how hath used it; for it is his Noblest Jewel. 466. And according to the Soul and its Image, he is God's Child; and according to the Spirit and Body of this World, he is become a Beast, according to the source and quality of the Stars and Elements; As in the Book of The Threefold Life is expressed largely enough: The Reader himself may seek there, he will find the Grace-Election a little otherwise, and the Mark nearer, then in this Libel. 467. I may not here repeat the Deep Mystery with so large a Discourse: The frivolous scornful discourse in this Libel, also, is not worthy of it; a Man should not cast Pearls before swine; the Libeler hath made a heap of scornful expressions, to trim his conceit; but all that which is not very necessary, I count not worth an answer. Number. V. 468. THe Libeler produceth also the Text, Math. 24. where Christ saith; * Math. 24. 24. If it were possible even the Elect would be deceived, this he doth also upon pretence of the Election: but No, friend, that belongeth not to it; If any vematus steadfast in Christ; than it is not possible for the Devil or any Heretic, to be able to seduce him, and pluck him out of Christ's hands. 469. But if an enlightened Christian, though he be indeed in God's Love, will be secure or careless, and Dance to the Devil after his Pipe, and receive him in for a Guest; there it is very possible; but though it were possible, that the first Man, as also the Devil, did fall; yet cannot the Libeler be convinced with THAT. Number VI. 470. Then saith the Libeler; Gods WILL, whereby he Electeth one and rejects another, a man should not search for out of Christ; there thou hast it, make no more ado, search no further than so; but consider, when thou lookest upon any body, who knoweth? whether he be Elected? whether he be a child of God or of the Devil? 471. O thou Miserable Reason, wilt thou COMMAND † 1 Cor. 2. 10. the Spirit which searcheth even the Depths of the Deity, as Saint Paul saith? The Spirit searcheth itself; and when it comes to the very Centre, it knoweth its Father; for the Soul Originateth out of God the Father; out of the Eternal Nature. 472. O, Blindness and ownself Reason, who hath forbidden us to search? The Devil forbiddeth us it, that we might not search out his Kingdom, else we might fly away from him; what if thou forbiddest me, that I should not dare so much as to cough? how hath the Mist of obscurity blinded thee? should not the son dare to see what the Father doth in the House where he must needs manage all his works? 473. Why should I not inquire afteer my father's or my Native Country? out of which my Soul in Adam is gone forth, but IN Christ is introduced into it again? I say, it will of necessity be forbidden you, WITHOUT the Spirit, to search what God is: God's Spirit searcheth itself, else none can search God. If God be not in the Spirit; the Libeler needs not forbid it to search. Number VII. 574. THe Libeler saith further: But why do not all seek Grace in Christ, but endeavour to set up their own righteousness? THAT, a Man must leave to the Secret Council of God, which is possible for No Man to reach. 475. Harken Libeler: Make thy breath longer: Put away Pride and State, Covetousness, Envy, and Malice, and the brave little son Falshood out of the way, and then the wicked would seek † The Grace in Christ. it, the Lust and pleasure of this world Lieth in the way; Take a Besom, and sweep * Fear and dread of searching into Opinions and Tenants in Spiritual matters how right they are. Fear out of the World; and then all Men would seek the Grace. 476. Yet thou seekest also with all thy diligence, how thou mayst Condemn me: also thou wilt set up only thy own righteousness, against thy brother, whom thou shouldst Love as thyself; Thou searchest into many Scriptures, that thou mayst judge him; Smell but into thy Bosom. Number VIII. 477. THere the Libeler, supposeth he hath catched a Mouse: which must crouch under him, upon that where the Author sets it down; That † Aurora, Changed 14. from verse 41. to the 51. God knew not of Lucifer's Fall beforehand: there he hath certainly got him in his clutches, O now he will tumble and touse him. 478 Harken Libeler: That place is not expressed out of the Magic understanding: I will stand to it with you, in what I have written: but harken; dost thou suppose, it is not true? dost thou understand the Principles? dost thou know what is done in the Dark World? The Will of the Dark world is not manifest in Heaven: God doth not cumber himself with the will of the fierce wrath. 479. His fierce wrath and Anger hath known it very well, the fierce wrath is a cause of the Fall, but no such Imagination Entereth into his Love, there is not the least sparkle of the Devil or Darkness manifest in his Love: but a Mere Love desire: so also God calleth himself a God, according to the Love and Meekness; and according to THAT, now, the Question is Answered 480. Else if a Man saith: * Acts 15. 18. To God are all his works Manifest from Eternity, than a Man must say; God hath been in all things from Eternity: He is in every thing in the Essence, as the source or quality in every thing is: Psal. 18. 26, 27. as it is there written, † Pial. 18. 26. With the perverse thou art perverse. 481. The very Abyss and also Hell, is Gods: in Hell there is hellish Skill and knowledge; and in Heaven heavenly, and in this World * Starry or 4 Elementary. Historical: according to the First Principle, all Malice is from Eternity known to God: but Men call not that, God, but God's Anger: according to such a meaning was the Authors Mind, thought, or sense, so written only for himself. 482. He understood the sense well, but he knew not of the Libeler, else he had set it down more simply and plainly: When a Man speaks of the Totall God according to Love and Anger, according to ALL Worlds, than he saith rightly: † Acts 15. 18. To God hath all his works been known from * The Eternal Beginning. Eternity. 483. But harken Libeler: hast thou not seen, how the Centre of Nature was described in my Book; couldst thou not search after it, assuredly thou hadst come to the Ground or foundation? It is not my meaning here now at this time to metion any thing further of the Mystery, of Omniscience: read The Three Principles, and thou wilt find it: it would here require too long a Discourse, and besides it is not necessary. 484. But a Man cannot say, that God is the Essence; † Note whence Nature and the Essences Exist. but in the Eternal Nature, the Essences Exist: and in Gods Magia, Nature doth exist: He is IN All; but nothing apprehendeth him, as is beforementioned; He possesseth himself; as the Light possesseth itself, * How God possesseth the Evil as the Light possesseth the Fire. it dwelleth in the Fire without Source or Torment. Number IX. 485. THe Libeler hath many Conceits, and a total strange understanding, especially, upon that where it standeth written by the * J. B. Author thus: † Aurora Ch. 14. verse 36. That Lucifer was a Part, of, or out of God: there he will be simply blind and understand nothing as it is moant; he will know nothing of God's Eternal Nature, he understandeth, by Nature, only the Outward World; he will by no means understand; that an Eternal Spirit, as Angels and Souls of Men, is proceeded out of God's Eternal Nature and Substance. 486. My Libeler; Open thou thy Eyes, and observe, that I. by the Eternal Nature, out of which the Angels are Created, understand, not the Divine Principle: can you not see a similitude of it, in Fire and Light? Thou seest, thyself, very well, that the Fire is Nature, and not the Light: out of the Light can nothing be created; only out of the Substantiality, viz: out of the Meekness, can a thing be created, that, is Substance. 487. Yet now a living Spirit cannot be made out of Substance, the Life is not Substance, but a desire of Substance. 488. A Spirit, as Angels and Souls are, is out of the Magia or Desire, of the Fire-source or quality, proceeded out of the Forms to Nature, viz: out of the Centre: for Nothing is Eternal, unless it be proceeded out of the Centre of the Eternal property. 489. The Centre is a Desire to the Manifestation of the Abyss in a Ground, of the Nothing, in somewhat, to manifest or reveal the hidden Mystery of the Eternal Divine Substance. 490. The Light hath another Centre: God is understood or meant, by the Light: the Heart of God, is the Centre of the Light, and the Magic Desire is the Centre of the Fire; and in the Fire, is the Liberty, viz: the Nothing, manifest; spoken after a Creaturely Manner. 491. God is in respect of the Creature, as a Nothing: and yet he is indeed ALL: in the Fire, his Majesty becometh manifest: in the Fire is the finding of the Nothing: God himself findeth himself from Eternity in himself: He is not Nature, as to what concerns the Name God; The Nature becometh born or Generated in the Will of the Eternal Nothing. 492. There is but ONE only Will, which is the ABYSS, which is desirous of the foundation or Ground; viz: of the Manifestation or Revelation of itself: and in that desire becometh the Nature manifested: and the desire maketh the Nature, that driveth itself from one desiere to another, one form of the Desire maketh the other, even to the Fire: there is the Principle and Life generated. 493. The Fiat is the Mother; viz: the desiring or the hunger, as a Man may call it; It maketh the Desire to be Substance, according to the form of the Property, it figureth the Willing into a form or shape, wherein we understand the Centre of the Spirit. 494. Now than GOD himself, is the Abyss and also the Bysse, or Ground, in the Fire all becometh Manifest, both the Nature and also the Light of the Majesty: In the Fire is the Separation between * The Name God. God's Name, and † The Name Nature. Nature's Name, also between the Love-source or quality, and the Natural fierce wrath's source or quality. 495. In the Fire, exist Two Principles, viz: Two Magia's, Two desirous Wills viz: the Lights and the Fires. 496. The Light is a desire of Love, Meekness, and Substantiality, and that is in the Eternity called God: The Light is the Majesty, the Lights desire is the Other or second Centre, or the Heart of God: the Substantiality is God's Substance; it is the Water source or quality, or the Spirit of the Eternal Joys Life. 497. And the Fire maketh in the Water-source or quality, the Tincture, or Life, so that God's Substantiality is a Life: That very Lights Substantiality, is the Words or Hearts Cerporeity, wherein the Great Mystery of the Will of the Abyss, viz: the Wisdom, becometh Manifest. 498. And the Fire is another Principle than the Light, it hath a fierce wrathful, stinging, consuming, Desire, climbing up in Might and Pomp; it willeth to consume and swallow up all into itself, it is a cause of the Covetousness, its Bitterness is a Cause of the Envy, for it is the sting of Death and Anger. 499. And here go back into the Forms to Fire, and then thou wilt find the Dark World, and the hellish fierce Wrath, and in the Fire, GOD'S Anger, which the Light, viz: his Heart holdeth captive in the Love-Source or Quality, and allayeth or meekeneth the Fires fierce-Wrath. 500 For, the Water of the Eternal Life, generated or born out of the Meekness, viz: God's Substantiality, maketh out of the Divine Fire-source or quality, another source or quality, viz: the climibing up of the Divine Joys Kingdom: The Fire-source or quality, must only be a cause of the Life and of the Light, as also of the Spirit and of the Joys Kingdom. 501. And hear the Name God severeth itself in the Trinity; viz: In the First Centre to Nature, viz: the Eternal Will of the Fiat, which in the Fire is a stern severe zealous Substance, and in the Light, the cause of the Joys Kingdom, and of the Spirit of Life; That is the Father of all Substances, also of his Sons, viz: of the second Centres, of the Love-desires. 502. And The Other or second Centre, of the power of the Light, is his Son or Heart, and maketh in himself and in the Father the Second Principle, viz: the Angelical World, that, is our right Fathers or Native Country, which Christ brought into US again. 503. And The Spirit going forth from the Fire in the Light, is the Third Person: in the Light, in the Love, and the Joy-source or quality, He is called God, the Holy Spirit, understand according to the Son's Centre: and according to the Fires Centre, he is called, The Anger-Spirit of the Father. 504. In the Dark World HE is the Life of the Hellish source or quality, out of all Forms to Nature, In the Fire HE is the Flame of the fierce wrathful Anger of God the Father; and in the Light HE is the flame of the Great Love of God; He is the right Life of God, and is also the Life of all the Three Principles, of all the Three Worlds, in each World according to its property; and is only known or acknowledged and rightly called God the Holy Spirit, according to the Love, viz: according to property of the Son of God: Else he is called the Spirit of the Nature of all things or Substances. 505. Seeing we here go so deep, we will therefore show you somewhat more, out of true Love, and not out of a Desire so totally to reproach you, because of your unskilfulness or ignorance: for we know you better than you do yourself: and though we are zealous over you, yet it should be understood heartily, as a reproof of your high climbed stately proud Will, over, the Spirit of God, from which I have my knowledge. 506. Consider of the Principle of Fire, and see how the Dead ariseth and how he dieth: Behold! the Fire is a great hungry desire after Substance, and if it cannot have that, than it extinguisheth. 507. Here consider the Great desire of the Father after the Son, viz. of the first Principle after the second: how the Father thus in great desire, loveth the Son: for he is his life, else were the Father's Life a dry fainting hunger, like the Devils and the Dark World; for the Fire burneth not without the Substance of the Water-Spirit. 508. Here consider what befell the Devil when he lost God's Love and Meekness; then he remained to be a dry hunger in the fierce Wrath of the Eternal Nature: thus it goeth also with the Soul of Man, for they originate all alike out of the Eternal Nature. 509. Now see further, what in the Centre of the Fire, is the Possibility and Substance; you understand now, that the fierce wrathful Fire-source must have Substance, and that the Fire-source or quality itself longeth after Substance, and if the Fire get the Substance, or the Substantiality of the Water-source or quality, into itself, than the Fire consumeth that Substantiality, and then is the dying of the Substantiality, for the Substantiality goeth again into the Still Eternity, without, besides, or beyond Nature, viz: into the Nothing. 510. And you see rightly, that yet there is no Dying, but the Light goeth forth out of that very Death, out of the Consumtibility forth, and the Light is then first the power of the understanding and of the Thoughts or Senses: Thus Death ariseth, out of the Fire-Life, viz: into another World, viz: into the Eternal Nothing, into the Liberty, without, besides, or beyond Nature. 511. And you see now, that the Light dwelleth in the Fire without Source, Quality, or Torment, and knoweth nothing of the fierce wrath of the Fire, for it is in its Essence a Love Desire: Thus have I written that the Deity, viz. God's Centre, knew nothing of the fall of the fierce wrathful Devils; but the first Principle know it, viz: the Father according to the Fires Nature, and according to the Desire, and according to the hunger in the Dark world. 512. Here consider, beloved, Men and brethren in Christ, what the suffering and dying of CHRIST, as also OUR Dying, is: How our Soul, must in Christ's Death, be introduced into the Centre of the Hell of God's Anger, into the Principle of God's Fire, and go quite through the source or quality of the consumptibility; into the other World, viz: into the Liberty, into the Centre of the Love of God. 513. For, Adam's Soul had turned itself out, and was Dead to the Light in the Substantiality: and therefore the second Adam, brought the Soul again into the Fire, viz: into God's Anger-source or quality, and kindled the Light again in Death, and there the Light shone again in the Darkness; * Heb. 2. 14. See vers. 244. That was Death to Death, and a Pestilence to the Anger, viz: to Hell. 514. The Soul was gone forth out of the Liberty of God into the Nature of this World, viz: into the Substantiality of this World, and there the Divine Light shineth not. 515. And then it had nothing in this World's Substance, wherewith it could kindle the Eternal Fire source or quality, but only the Earthly Substance, wherewith the Soul kindled its Fire-source, so now also there shone a Sun-and Starlight, according to the Principle of this World, in the Soul; and Extinguished the Light of God; it got a Sun-Light instead of the Eternal Light, wherein it had been an Angel. 516. But as to what belonged to its Centre or Original, it was in the Dark World, that was its Ground, and according to the outward Light, it was in this world: and so now when the Body decaseth, than the Sun-Light is destroyed, and the Soul standeth Naked in the Dark World. 517. Therefore God brought Divine Substantiality, into the faded disappeared Image of Man, and brought it into the Anger, viz: into the Fire of the Father's Nature, and kindled again the faded disappeared Substantiality of the Image, so that the Soul could again eat of the Divine substantiality; and allay or meeken its Fire, whence the Noble Image riseth again out of Death, into another World, viz: into the Liberty, without, besides, or beyond Nature, into the Light of the Majesty. 518. As the Power, viz: the Second Centre, ariseth up out of the Death of the Fire of the Father into another World, viz: into itself: so also doth the Noble Image of Man; It is all but one and the same Entrance into the Divine Life. 519. And this letteth the Great Mystery Mysterum Magum befound by you, through God's Grace, this letteth the Root of the Tree stand open to you, if you be seeing and Not blind, not through conceits of Stories, but through a kindled Spirit, out of God's Grace: through seeing, and not by conjecture whether it be true or no. 520. I need no wrested forced strange cited Scriptures, to demonstrate it; I can demonstrate it in all things, I have all the THREE Worlds, together with all Creatures, for a witness, and yet I am Dumb or Mute to the unenlightened: I see and am NOT seen myself. 521. My Sir Libeler: Whence will you then take the Original of the Devil? you will not allow, the Devil to be a Great part of the Deity according to the Father's Nature, whereas yet Lucisor, is by Christ himself called a Great Prince: Now if you will not allow that, then show me another Nature out of which the Devil was Created, than, out of the Divine? 522. You must necessarily allow, that the Devils were Angels, now then Angels are children of God, out of God's Substance; they are Creatures, and a Creature must needs be out of or from Nature; now if they be Eternal Creatures, than they are also proceeded out of the Eternal Nature, and that is God the Fathers in the First Principle. 523. For you indeed know, that the Devils have the properties of God's Anger and of the Dark World, and so also have all wicked Souls of Men: From whence else will they have their properties, than from their Mother which hath generated them, if here you will not understand, than God help you. 524. The wicked Soul goeth certainly out of this World into the Dark World, into the Eternal Nature, into its Mother out of which it is gone forth and proceeded, and wherein it standeth Naturally: why should God else be willing to cast the Soul into Hellfire, into that source or quality, if it were not proceeded out of that source? 525. The Soul of the wicked goeth together with the Devils, again into that place, out of which it went forth in the beginning of its Creation, viz: into the Centre to Nature: and the Righteous go through the Death of the Fire, through Christ's Love-Fire into the Eternal Life, into the Liberty, without, besides, or beyond, Nature, in the Light. 526. When God Created the Angels, than the Father moved himself according to the Eternal Nature, his desire comprised the Essence out of his Substance, wherein stood the Wisdom of all Wonders: Thus out of Nature are Creatures come to be, according to the Property of every Essence. 527. In the Essence, have the Angels and Devils, and also Souls, been from Eternity, and have been seen in the Wisdom, but they went into Creatures in the beginning of the Moving of God the Father. 528. What have I now done to the Libeler, in that I have written, it was God, against God? Do you not understand that? The Devil was a Great Prince of the Place of this World, Created in the Moving of the Father's Nature; he Imagined according to his Mother: He should have * Or put his Imagination into the Light into the Love. set his Imagination in the Light in the Love and Meekness of God; And then he would have continued God's child and an Angel. 529. But he let the fierce Wrath draw him, and looked back into his Mother, and Imagined into the Fires property, and would be a Lord of the Light World, he would be above God; thus with his Elevation he kindled; the Substantiality of his Throne, of the place or space of this World; out of which Earth and Stones are come to be, which God with the Moving in the Fiat afterwards Created. 530. Wilt thou know this in very plain terms in brief; then observe it. When the Substance of all Substances had once moved itself, than all Forms would be Creaturely; for out of the One only Will which hath been from Eternity, hath in the Substance of all Substances, gone forth the Wills Form, according to Every Property, in the Wrestling Wheel of Nature. 531. But Luciser had the Light, if he had not now gazed Back into the Centre of Nature, he had been one of the Brightest Princes, for where there is Great Fire, there is also great Light. 532. Enough concerning Him: we shall be enough understood by those that are OURS: but for the proud selfconceited Spirits, we have set a fast Lock and Seal before it, that they cannot apprehend our sense or thoughts: also we shall herein mention no more to the Wanton, in pleasure and voluptuousness, but let it remain for the * Time of the Lily in the New-Birth. Lilly. 533. The Libeler Blames me very much; He saith, I have written that the Devil is like God; if he did set that down with Truth; it is, when he was an Angel; for than he was indeed like God, for God had through and in him, made himself Creaturely, but when he became a Devil, than he lost the Divine Principle, and became, like God's Wrath. 534. Now therefore the Strife was effected only in God's Anger: For, with the first Imagination, he lost the Love, and could no more reach the Heart of God: What should God now do to the false or wicked apostate or revolted Will? He gave him Hellish-Fire which he desired, to devour, instead of the Love, since he would not have the one, he must have the other; they were indeed both his; what he chose, that he had. 535. But that it is said; God could not withstand the Malicious Devil: that, the Libeler perverts, as one that understandeth nothing of my Writings, or else of mere Malice: Did he not see? how I have described with all Circumstances, that God's Heart or Love, went not into the Devil, for he, the Devil would not himself have it; now where the Will itself willeth not, there, is, an Eternal Death. 536. The Will-Spirit was indeed in the Original out of God's Nature, but when it demersed itself into the Centre, to hide itself from the Light of God; then remained fierce wrathfulness IN fierce wrathfulness. With what now should resistance be made, it was now in its most Original MOTHER. 537. Should God's Love go into the Hellish Fire, that is not to be; should God in his Wrath strive against it: it sat already in the Hellish Fire: Had not fierce Wrath striven with fierce Wrath, than had not God's Anger yet moved, in the place of this World. 538. Consider but the Earth, thou wilt well find it, thou blind World, with all thy Texts of Scripture which thou hast produced, thou wilt not put one word in my Book back from its place, only that thou settest a strange vizard upon me, that the people might not know me, which I esteem not, for I am to YOU a very strange Man. 539. Thou canst not in thy Hood look me in the Face, thou must put off thy skin, if thou wilt see the Spirit of the Mystery; Thou understandest Not, what thou writest against me, thou discoursest not concerning my apprehension, and that maketh that thou, seest somewhat that is strange; thou wilt not see, that it is the Root of the Tree; Thou wilt sooner leap into Hell, as Lucifer did, ere thou touchest one little twig thereof. 540. Thou runnest again into thy Centre, towards Babel, and settest upon an † Or University. Academy, out of which, Opinons and the Greatest Babel is grown; out of which, all Strife hath followed, where Men have contended about Words, about the Shell, and let the Kernel lie, but harken friend; tell but * See the Apology to Gregory Rickter verse 127. TEN, and thou wilt find it by Experience. 541. God hath Elected ALL of us in ONE Soul and in ONE Spiritual Body to be his Children; God hath not breathed into Adam TWO Spirits, but One only, which is the Spirit of all the Three Principles; of all Three Worlds, viz: a Fire-Light-and-Aire-Spirit. 542. Adam should have managed his Dominion with the Light-Spirit; then would the Fire-source or quality, have been hidden in its Principle, and have stood in great joy, it had burned only in itself. 543. Thus also the † NOTE. Spirit of this World, that should also have stood only in itself, and have been manifest in this World, and the Fire, and also, the Outward World, should have stood as if were swollowed up into the Light, and have been manifest only in itself, all desires should have been set in the Light, and then the Light had shined in all Essences and desires, and had filled all, as in ONE Will. 544. But when the Will of the Centre, viz: the Fiery Will, which is called the Soul, went into the Earthly kingdom, and Imagined after Evil and Good, than it received also the * Evil and Good. same, than its Light Extinguished, and it remained in its Mother, a dark dry hunger, and must help itself with the Spirit of this World, as with a Sun-Light. 545. Therefore it comes to pass, that many times when a Man goeth in the dark, he is astonished and terrified, and always afraid somewhat should lay hold on him, that is the fear of the Soul, whèn it perceiveth itself to be without the Light of the Sun in a dark Dungeon, it is afraid of Gods fierce Wrath in the Centre, and of the Devils that dwell in the Darkness. 546. Since then the Divine Light is Extinguished in the Soul, therefore Man's Life and Spirit, at present without the New Birth, standeth in two Regiments or Dominions, viz: in the Soul's Fire, it is the Dominion of God's Anger, and of the fierce Wrath, as the Fires property is. 547. And according to the Spirit of this World, it is Evil and Good, according to the Sun, and according to the Constellation of the Outward Starry and Elementary Spirit, it is always according to its Constellation which stood in its Birth, as also hath stood in its Conception; As that it is at all times aspected with the Conjunction of the Constellatison, with the Imagination of the Constellation; so is also the outward Will-Spirit: unless it be, that the Soul do attain the Divine Light again in the New Birth, and then the Soul constraineth the outward Spirit with the power of the Light, and leadeth it captive. 548. My Libeler; your conceit deceiveth you; I know of no more but ONE only Spirit, according to the Property of ALL THREE Worlds, which is in Man, and when the Light Extinguisheth, than it is in TWO Properties: that which receiveth the Light of God, that is Elected to be a child of God. 549. Now it lieth indeed in Man, that he should seek and desire it; for Christ saith; † Math. 7. 7. Luk. 11. 9 12. Knock and it will be opened unto you, seek, and you will find, Ask and you will receive; * Luk. 11. 13. Your Father will give the Holy Spirit, to him that asketh for it; Also, † 1 Tim. 2. 4. There is no son, that asketh for an Egg, and the Father giveth him a Scorpion: † 1 Tim. 2. 4. God willeth that all Men be saved. 550. Where now remains in these words and Promises, the predestinate purpose of God to the Hardening; or where are the Two Spirits, whereof God loveth the one, and hardeneth the other? We have indeed All, but One only Soul, and that is free, it may frame its Will in God's Love or Anger, into which soever it casteth itself with its desire, there it is. 551. It cometh to pass many times, that a Soul hath demersed itself with its Will-Spirit into God's Anger into the Dark World, in its fierce Wrath to all Devils, with its sins, and yet many in the time of this world, go out again and convert, and God receiveth them to Grace; He hardeneth them not. 552. Have you not an Example in the Prodigali lost son, who had consumed all his righteousness of his Father's Inheritance, with the Devil's Swine: and was become a Swinheard: What the Father did with him when he came again, how he fell about hu neck, and kissed him, and said, * Luk. 15. 24. This is my beloved son, whom I had lost, he was dead, and is become living: it is likely thou wilt say; God drew him, else he had not come. 553. The Soul is Free, God draweth every one; who incline towards him, when it entereth into him, than it is Elected to the Light World: so long as the Will remaineth in the fierce Wrath in the Dark World covered with the Outward; so long God willeth it not, and it is not drawn, but when it inclineth itself towards God's Face, and doth but a little Imagine into God's Love, than the Divine Life becometh stirring. 554. Understand, the Word is become Man or Incarnate, and standeth in the Soul, viz: in the Father's Principle, in the sound; for it hath by its entrance into the Anger, set the Looking Glass of his Covenant, viz: the Virgin of the Divine Wisdom, before the Soul, that it should behold itself therein. 555. The Wisdom saith continually, Come; then saith the Devil behind it also; Come: now to which so Ever it goeth, thereby it becometh Elected for a Child. 556. God letteth no Soul, (which hath Light) to Extinguish its Light out of his predestinate purpose: The freewill Extinguisheth it: The Devil set himself in the form of an Angel before the Soul, that it might Imagine in Evil and Good, thus than its Imagination eateth of Evil and Good, and so the Soul becometh blind, and captivated in its Imagination. 557. Else if God did harden any out of his predestinate purpose, and did let his Light Extinguish out of his predestinate purpose, than would not that be true which David saith in the 5. Psalm, Thou art not a God that willest Evil: indeed he permitteth it to come to pass, that an honest virtuous Man becometh Evil, when the Will inclineth into Evil, than he letteth his Light Extinguish. 558. But not out of his predestinate purpose; so that he would not sane have that very Man: surely he receiveth him if he cometh again: so long as a Man liveth in this Tabernacle, he hath power to become the Child of God: for the Apostle saith also thus; † Joh. 1. 12. He hath given us power to become the Children of God. 559. Understand, not out of or from the Will of the Flesh, viz: of the outward World; that belongeth not to God's Kingdom, but out of or from the Will of the Souls Spirit, which becometh Generated or born in God: For, God's predesfinate purpose is, that the right Divine Will, should always become Generated out of the Soul, which is done, when the Soul entereth into the becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, in that it becometh Generated or born again to be God's child. 560. For the Souls-Fire becometh introduced into Christ's Death, and Sprouteth again with a New fair blossom, out of the Death of Christ forth into the Divine Liberty, into the Angelical World. 561. That very Blossom or Spiritual Will, is God's Will, and in that very Will-Spirit the Soul is an Angel, for it possesseth the Second Principle, viz: God's Majesty; it continually introduceth Divine Substantiality, viz: Christ's Flesh, which filleth the Heaven, so that the Soul † Joh: 6. 54. eareth of Christ's Flesh, and drinketh his Blood, John 6. out of the Water of the Meekness of the Eternal Life. 562. Therefore, I say with good Ground: It is not God's predestinate purposed Will, that any one Man becometh Lost; but it is from the Will of his fierce Wrath and Anger, and of the Dark World and of the Devil. 563. Therefore he is a false or wicked Judger, and an Advocate of God's Anger; who will Judge, and blame God, and knoweth not, the difference, of what God is in Love and Anger, and knoweth not whence an Evil, and Good, Will, Originateth: and yet will be a Judger: he cryeth continually, God, God, it is, that doth a thing. 564. The Prophets and Apostles, have often, called the Totall God according to Love and Anger, as also according to all the Three Principles, by ONE WORD; but yet a Man should use a right understanding, and make a distinction between God's Love-Will and his Anger-Will. 565. We see very plainly in Man, that he willeth Evil and Good: he would always sane be an Angel, and would also fain have the Pride, in Covetousness and the Power of this World; Men should search, whence every Will taketh its Original; and not always say, God, God, God, willeth it. 566. He willeth only that which is like himself; his Love, viz: the Right Name of God, willeth only, that we should Love God, and our Neighbour, and Continue in his desire and will; HE willeth nothing else, but that all Men should turn to him, and go out from fierce Wrath into the Love; For, * Math. 7. 12. Ch: 22. 37. to the 40. the Love of God and of our Neighbour is the whole Law and the Prophets. 567. On the Contrary, his fierce Wrath and Anger, which is the Root of the outward World, willeth its like, to have sewell or wood for its Fire. 568. Now being God's Love, hath set before Man, the Lookingglass, of his Wisdom, in the becoming Man, or Incarnation of himself; why then doth he go into the Anger Lookingglass, and letteth the Devil sway him? God indeed sendeth Prophets and Teachers, out of his predestinate purpose; who reveal and signify, to the World, his Anger: why doth Man follow Sin? 569. That must needs be a wonderful thing: that God should cause any to be called to come to HIM, and yet would harden him out of his predestinate purpose, that he Could not: then God would be unrighteous; Indeed the Lust of the Flesh and of the Devil hardeneth the Soul, and holdeth it Captive. 570. If God had willed the Evil or the Fall of Man, than he would not have forbidden Adam the Tree of Good and of Evil, viz: the Lust or Pleasure of this World: But if he hath forbidden him, and hath also hardened him, that he could not do God's Will; who would now be righteous, God, or Man? 571. As the Libeler supposeth, that it is out of God's predestinate purpose, that two unlike sons were generated out of Adam, an Evil and a Good, and will make thereof two sorts of Seed: harken, make two sorts of Souls, and then it may be. 572. When Adam became Earthly, than he became drawn of the Spirit of this World, and God's Anger became Stirring in him, than did the Soul give way, that the Devil through the Spirit of the Outward World, thrust in Evil Seed into the Soulish Essence, for propagation, which the Constellation of the Configuration hath increased, so that a fratricide or brother Murtherour, became generated: but was that God's predestinate purpose? 573. Had not Adam made himself Earthly, then would not Gods fierce wrath have become Manifest or revealed in him, also then would the Constellation have had no power over the Soulish Seed. 474. For, the outward Kingdom, should not have possessed and governed Man in the inward Image, it should have been as an impotency or weakness in Man: He was paradisical. 575. But that it standeth written, the † 1 Cor. 15. 45. to the 47. Outward Man was Created to a Natural Life, thereby it is understood, that Nature is a Ruler or Manifester of the Wisdom of God: and then in the Mortal fall, Eve is understood to be a Woman, (and not a Virgin) of this World. 576. Whereas it could not be otherwise; and that Adam stood not in the Proba or Trial; he let him fall into the * Gen. 2. 21. sleep of the Eternal Life, and made a Natural fleshly Woman, out of him, out of his Matrix and Rib. 577. For the spirit of the outward World had captivated Adam, and introduced its substantiality into his Imagination; whence he is such a Naked, sfinking, hard, palpable, cold, bitter, and hot, Man, like a Beast, and is not the Noble Image, which is saded and disappeared in Death, which is created out of heavenly substantiality. 578. But, that thou wilt not allow me this, that in Man, understand in the Third Principle, a humane Image according to the Angelical World, out of the Heavenly substantiality, hath stood, in the Inward: yet I say, that God's Spirit, that in the Second Principle goeth forth out of the First, viz: out of the Souls Fire of the Father, into the Second, out of the Love and Light Fire into the Son, was never at all without substance; for it is the Driver forth of the Divine power and substantiality. 579. Hath now the Light and Spirit of God, been in Man? viz: in Adam? then also hath God's substantiality been therein: For, no Fire burneth in God's Love, unless it have DIVINE substantiality. 580. Therefore saith Christ: * Joh: 6. 53. Whosoever eateth NOT the Flesh of the Son of Man: he hath no part in HIM: He understandeth, the Corporeity of his unmeasurable Eternal Divine Substantiality in the Water of the Eternal Life; and in the Tincture of the Power out of the Fire and Light, in the Glance or Lustre of the Divine Wisdom out of the Words Body. 581. Now if Adam hath been a total sumilitude according to God, than he must not only have had Earthly Substance for his Body, if the Soul had had only Earthly source or quality to Eat, than it had not had the prohibition, but it had also the Corporeity of the Second Principle, out of the Heavenly Substantiality, that was the right Angelical Image, which became created in the Fiat of the Word. 582. But the Outward Fiat, according to the Outward Principle, Created the Outward Man, and God the Holy Spirit, breathed himself thereinto, according to the source or quality and property of all the Three Principles, into the outward Image, according to its outward Property, viz: the Spirit of the Great World, Majoris Mundi, of the outward World; and the Angelical Divine World, according to the Love of God's Heart, and according to the Eternal Nature, viz: according to the Fire-World; viz: according to the Father's Property, the right Soulish; viz: the Centre of the whole Man. 583. In Brief, what is it, that Men should make many words? Man was a Totall similitude according to God, according to all the Three Worlds, and their Properties, and that he must be again, or must be a hunger-Spirit in the Dark World. 584. What he maketh † Out of himself, or himself to be. of himself, that he is. He standeth here in the Field or Soil, either there groweth out of him an Herb on God's Table, or an Herb in Gods fierce Wrath; what kind of Essence so ever he will bring in the growing according to the relish of that, it will also get a Mouth, for it will eat, either of the Love or of the Anger. 585. The matter is not about the high knowledge only, but about the taste or relish, that any becometh the Bread of God which God Eateth; It lieth little in the knowing, but all in the DOING, it must be DOING, the Evil Branches must be Cut off, that good Wine may grow. 586. We should not judge and condemn one another for the knowledge sake: The Ploughman knoweth less than the Doctor, but he goeth many times before the Doctor, into the kingdom of Heaven: let us fall upon DOING, that we may get Divine Essence into our Sprout: let us reach after the LOVE, and then we have ALL. 587. MY high Knowledge maketh me not happy or saved; for I know not my self; it is not Mine, but God's Spirit knoweth it self in ME, he allures Me therewith to himself; when he departeth or withdraweth, than I know Nothing. 588. I have not my knowledge at all from Man, why should I then long contend with Man about it, no Man can either give it me or take it away from me. 589. I deal foolishly, in that I Strive with thee, for thou canst take nothing from me; but it is done, for the sake of other people, which through thy Mouth abuse my knowledge, else I would, for thy Cursings and Judge; not lift up a Finger. 590. Thou shouldst Converse in Love as a Christian if thou wouldst be God's child; but if thou Judgest thy brother into Hellfire, for the sake of his Gift, what will become of thee; how dost thou know what is befallen him, that he runneth on thus: How dost thou know, upon what Branch or Root God hath engrafted him? Thou wert not at all by, when he did sow the Spirit of his Wisdom. 591. You say it is from the Devil: and there was Joy in Heaven in Ternario Sancto in the Holy Ternary, especially in the Father's Nature, when this Seed was sown; I would NOT give the little Grain that was sown into me, for all this world's good; It is more dear to me, than Heaven and Earth, and thou treadest it underfoot, do but see what manner of Angel thou art. 592. Thou writest much, and if thou shouldst go with thy writings to the Centre, there would be no body at home; thou gatherest many Texts of Scripture together, which in themselves are GOOD, that thou mightst settle a framed Opinion, concerning that thou knowest no Ground for. 593. Thou canst not bring the Opinion into the Centre, and then bring it out again, there is no Spirit of Depth in thee, but collected Matter, from others Mouths, and thy own Mouth understandeth it not. 594. But I write, what I myself understand, and what I can bring into the Ground of the Centre. 595. Art thou a Master? then show thyself one: give me a writing concerning the Centre of the Eternal and also of the outward Nature, let it be seen what thou canst do: prove it in the Light of Nature, and not from a strange Mouth; Speak from your own knowledge, and then I will Answer thee. 566. Let thy contemining alone, and do thou direct it to the honour of God, and make if serve the profit and salvation of Man, that it may be a Sprour upon God's Table: and I will Answer thee that thou wilt Wonder, and if thou meanest piously, wilt highly rejoice: thou wouldst neither seek nor find any Devil in Me. 597. There is a great earnestness, in me to seek my Eternal kingdom in God; God hath not promised me a Scorpion instead of an Egg: he would not give me to the Devil when I prayed so earnestly to him for his Holy Spirit. 598. The Devil sets not upon a Man, a spiritual high Triumphant Crown or Garland of Victory in Ternario Sancto in the Holy Ternary, when a Man Fights against him: He hath none, of THAT which hath been done to this Spirit, which thou callest a Devil; and whence its knowledge proceeded. 599. I write not for my own Fame, which is in God, but to Teach Men, what they may expect from God, if they will but come to the Ring or Lists of this Earnest Fight: unless the outward voluptuousness in soft pleasure of the Flesh, be preferred. Number X. 600. THe Libeler hath very fleshly or carnal Eyes: upon that which I have written, which is; that The Man Adam, before his first Imagination, before the Woman was made, had a Powerful Body, and that he had no such Members for Propagation; he will merely have it to be an Earthly Man. 601. The Libeler understandeth not, that * 1 Cor. 4. 20. the kingdom of God Consisteth in Power, and that the Image of God was Created out of heavenly Substantiality, and that the bright angelical Image was Lord over the Outward Life, that Man had not such gross Bestial Flesh, till the Image became shut up in Death, as God said: † Gen. 2. 17. The Day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die. 602. He understood, or meant, not the Outward, he died not, to the Outward Life, but to the Noble Image of God's power: the Spirit of God departed from him; thus the Image out of God's Substance, came to be in the Nothing, viz: in the Eternal Death, without source, quality, or operation. 603. If ADAM had not Imagined according to the Earthliness, than had not EVE been made out of him; but he himself would have been able to have generated after a Magical Manner; He had the Matrix, and also the Limbus, he was Man and Wise before his Eve was, a pure chaste Masculine Virgin of God. 604. Therefore must the Second Adam again, be borne or generated of a Virgin without the concurrence of any Man, and be like the first Image, in which the Divine Light exercised the Dominion. 605. Though likely it was not manifested to men's Eyes in Christ's Time, we had not heavenly Eyes: yet * Joh: 8. 12. than he was the Light of the World; as himself saith: Such a one also was Adam before his sleep, before the Imagination into the Earthly kingdom; I understand in my Book, not a power-body according to the outward World, but according to the Image; although the † The outward was then such as shall arise at the Resurrection. outward was totally much otherwise than it is. 606. My Libeler: you suppose, that at the Last Judgement day, another Man will arise, other than Adam was before the Fall: God's purpose must stand; the first Image must come again, and even in † such a form as God Created it, to Eternal Life. 607. Or, can you not in the Light of Nature, understand somewhat thereof? how the Soul is ashamed of the Members of the Bestial Birth, and the Bestial Impregnation: do you not feel it in you. 608. Tell me; if we were Created Bestial in Adam, whence the shame proceeds? that the poor Soul is ashamed of the Bodies desormity, and of its propagation. 609. Do you not say, that those Members became manifested on Adam and Eve after Sin; and that * Gen. 3. 7. they were ashamed, that according to the Outward Man they were become Beasts; they saw not what the Outward Fiat had made in the Sleep, till the Earthly source or quality awaked, than the Soul became ashamed that out of an Angel a Beast was come to be. 610. While the Earthly Kingdom stood hidden, so long the Soul knew it not, but when it drew into the Soul, than began sorrow and horror before the Abyss: for the Soul saw its Root, which the Outward Body and Spirit understood not. 611. Or do you suppose: that Adam was created to Mortality? O no! But to the Eternal Life in Paradise; with paradisical source or quality: and with a Body, which was sit for Paradise; which was like to Paradise. But of this no more here. In the Book of the Becoming Man or Incarnation of Christ, and in the Book of the Threesold Life, also in the Three Principles, it is expressed at Large, read it there. Number XI. 612. COncerning the Last Words in the Book, where it standeth written thus; * Auroroe, Chap: 26. verse 152. Though Peter or Paul had written otherwise; and that I had set it down thus; † Chap: 18. verse 1. Chap: 26. verse: 122. That Moses was not by at the Creation, * Chap: 19 verse 100 but wrote the Creation from his predecessors Mouths; the Libeler takes on at it, and braggeth stoutly with a storm against Abel, he will suddenly kill him, and have in Hell. 613. Harken Libeler! that which is said of Peter and Paul, though Poter or Paul had written otherwise: is spoken in way of a Proverb: it is not; that Peter and Paul have written otherwise; but the Criers at Babel, the † Predestinatours. Grace Electioners, the Cripple Electioners, at Babel, Cry out, thus hath Paul written, thus Peter; thus another; and draw it to their Conceits: against THOSE I set THAT, * Aurora, Chap: 26. verse 152. though Peter or Paul had written otherwise, Men should look to the HEART upon God's Grace, and his Promise, and not hang or depend upon their Conceits that urge the Apostles words for them. 614. It is not my intention to blame the high Apostles, but the Cripple Electioners, such as thou art; who draw the Scripture about by the hair of the head, and leave out the Love of God, which willeth not the Evil; thou pervertest my Mind and Thoughts, therefore thou art a false wicked Evil Electioner. 615. As to Moses, † Aurora. Chap: 18. verse 1. where I say: there † * Chap: 21. verse 1. & 11. sticketh yet much in the Mystery in Moses Writings: I have NOT said that he hath written wrong, it is * Chap: 20. verse 2. briefly and summarily written, and needeth an enlightened explanation. 616. For a Philosopher, resteth not, unless he have the Cemer of a thing, after such a meaning, have I written of Moses, that a richly spiritual explanation were necessary: what have I done to the Libeler thereby; he seeketh cause where he can, he must be a right Contend, seeing he foldeth up all and wheeleth it about; it is no otherwise with him, than in an Academy, where he gets cause of contention; likely some other might come who would wipe his Nose, for him, who also had † For offence and defence Horns. 617. He need not contend with me, I have written for myself, and not for the * Or Predessinators. Grace-Electioners: much less for the New Babel, which Sprouteth up in the Libeler: it thrusteth out the Horns already, it will soon be borne, only it sticketh yet in the Margin: it is now high time to prepare for the † The Gift which Gossips give at Christen. Gossip's Gift. 618. If the Libeler had not a Mind to read my Book, he might have thrown it away at the first Leaf, what need he seek in it for so much Evil: Sure he hath an Evil Mind, full of fierce Wrath, that thus venteth itself, whereas it is not his Calling or Employment: He might only have that while thought upon his Mammon, or have taken care of his Soul, before he had Judged and Condemned other people; But Pride hath set him on Horseback, to ride overa Weak Man. 619. But it cometh to pass many times, that a Little one beateth a Great one; let him not rely too much upon Art, for it exposeth many a Man to derision. wer Gott vertraut, bat, wool gevaut, ob with use welt thut bassen: Ich trass ausf Goft Et wird mith nit berlassen. Who in God trusts Builds sure, not Lusts, Though the vain World do hate me. I trust in God; He, never will forsake me. * Math. 10. 25. If they have called the Father of the House Beelzebub, what will they do to those of his Household? faith Christ. † Math. 5. 11, 12. When they persecute you, and hate you for my Names sake, then do you rejoice, for great is your Reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. 620. Men say, an Enemy's Mouth, never speaks Good; there is nothing so Evil but some men make it worse. My Book is not Evil, it meddles with none; only thou makest it Evil, thou expoundest it in an Evil sense, and my sense was right and Good when I made it. 621. Thou fayest there is an evil spirit in me, if there were a good spirit in thee, than thou wouldst make the Evil to be Good, and wouldst not pervert all. 622. God's Spirit seeketh only Good, he contends with none: he Loveth Man; and where he is in a Man, there he driveth on to Love and Humility towards his Neighbour, he Teacheth and instructeth Gently and Meekly, he lifts not up the Horns; also he comes not with Thunder and Ligntning; as the Anger in the Father's Nature, upon Mount Sinai, and with Elias, did: but with a still meek Voice, as at the day of Pentecost. 623. God hath in Christ regenerated us in the Love, not in his fires property; that we should meet together one with another, with a Modest and amiable condescension and behaviour in a friendly Will and intention: and heartily admonish one another, as brethren. 624. We should help up the weak and erroneous, and friendly instruct them in the way, and not from the narrow path, plunge them into the Water, or else cast them into God's Anger in Hell-fire, as the Libeler doth, where he saith: Hell Fire is thine. 625. Christ saith; * Math. 5. 22. Whosoever saith unto his Brother thou Fool, he is guilty of Hell Fire, or Raiha, he is guilty of a Council; what is he worthy or guilty of, who calleth his Brother a Devil, and judgeth or condemneth him to Hell fire? O Man! Consider thyself, convert from such uncouth Paths. 626. We have indeed here is this valley of Misery; before hand in the way of our Pilgrimage, a very small narrow † Or Ladder. Bridge into God's Kingdom, why should we ourselves first throw one another down; doth one go astray, then let the other show him the way; let us deal one by another as Brethren. 627. We all are born blind, now than if sight be afforded us of Grace, why then doth not one Brother afford Eyes to the Other? Every one seeth, as God hath favourably afforded him, according as sight is given to him, why will one brother hate the other, for the sake of that, because he knoweth not what the Lord hath given to him. 628. O how Miserable is this Time of Ours, how the Devil hunteth for us with Snares and Nets, so that one Brother reproacheth despiseth contemneth and slayeth, the Other, that he may captivate us in God's Anger: How doth he not afford us the high honour, which he had, but lost it with Pride. 629. Dear Brethren, beware of Pride, especially those that are generated out of much Learning & Knowledge; it is the Pride of Reason, and it is Man's worst Enemy, it hath set up nothing but Wars and contemning of others. 630. sirach saith, * Ecclus. 3. 18. The higher thou art, the humblyer behave thyself, † Verse 28. Pride goeth before a Fall; † Prov. 16. 18. Our Reason-knowledge is * A foolish Virgin. folly, if God's Spirit in us kindle not the knowledge: if I knew all Scriptures outwardly, and had not the Spirit of understanding, what were my knowledge other, than a Conceit. 631. That, is not Divine knowledge, that any confirm an Opinion with many Texts of Scripture collected and put together; for every Text hath its proper understanding, in the place it standeth, according to the Matter treated of; oftentimes it signifieth much otherwise, than the purpose it is drawn by one for to HIS Opinion. 632. The Right knowledge, standeth in this, where any will Judge, there his knowledge in him should be confirmed from the Spirit of God; it must go forth from the Centre, and not from a strange Mouth. 633. Or dost thou suppose, that God's Spirit hath ceased to speak? or that it is Dead? so that the Spirit, which moveth in Gods seeing, dare not say any more; Thus saith the Lord. 634. The Spirit showeth it what it should speak; only it bewares and defends itself from the intermixture of the Spirit of this World, and from the Imagination of the Devil, that the right humane will spirit, which goeth forth out of the souls fire into the Light, be not infected with its Malignity or Curse. 635. There is no better Medicine or Antidote, than the Desire of Love, and the Humility: so long as it goeth on and judgeth, in Love and Humility in the seeing of the Divine Power, so long is his Word, GOD'S WORD, for it is approved by the Spirit of God: it goeth upon the wings of the Wind, in the pure humane will-spirit: as David saith, * Psal. 18. 10. The Lord Rideth upon the Wings of the Wind. 636. You find by no Prophet or Apostle, that any hath spoken from another's Mouth, but from his own Gift: sometime, the Spirit hath brought in a Text, and thereby cleared other Scriptures, but the Main Matter hath been set down out of his own Spirit and Mouth. 637. Who hath prohibited us, that we should not dare to speak out of the Gifts of our Spirit, but that we should only speak with a strange Mouth from our Spirit: as the Libeler would have it. 638. Who hath made a Law, that a man should take away the Speech from the Spirit; and change it into another Form, but even, the Antichrist, who hath set himself to be Lord over God's Spirit, and hath changed the Mouth of the holy Children into his Colour and Will. 639. Indeed the High Apostles have not commanded it: but they said: * NOTE. Keep in Remembrance JESUS CHRIST, who died for us and rose again, and did bid us Teach and Preach that: they have barred up the Spirit of no Man, or commanded his Tongue to be altogether changed into THEIR Words: They have all of them indeed spoken together every one out of his own Tongue, and yet out of ONE Spirit, which was CHRIST'S. 640. We have still at this very Day, the very SAME Spirit, if so be, we are born or generated out of HIM; dare it not then now speak, what is Necessary at this Time: what is the Cause, that the Centre of the Holy Trinity Manifesteth or Revealeth itself? even men's Seeking, their Desiring. 641. Men strive now about the Person of Christ, about God's Election, and Men raise Wars and reproaches about it, and that, God's Love will have no more, to be, and he will rather manifest or reveal himself, that Men should yet see what he doth, and so go out from strife about God's Will, into a right Apostolic life, and no more contend about the knowledge, as is done hitherto for a long time in Babel. 642. But, that now thus, a simple Mouth, must speak such great Things; and NOT one highly Learned: Ask that of God, why he doth it? If now a Shepherd as David was, should be a King, from the Command of God; the World would not believe it, at all, till he did sit in Kingly Honour and Glory. 643. CHRIST indeed came in a meek-lowly Form or Condition, also his Apostles were mean People: God can do so still; that he may bring to nothing the own self-Reason of this World. I say we speak what we Know and Witness what we see. 644. There groweth a Lily in the Humane Essence, which will in its own Tongues or Languages speak the Great Deeds and Wonders of God, which shall Sound over the Circuit of the Earth Halelujah. This Translation finished in English out of the High-Dutch and Low-Dutch Copies, September 4. 1659. FINIS.