Mysterium Magnum, OR An EXPOSITION of the First Book of Moses CALLED GENESIS. CONCERNING ●he Manifestation or Revelation of the Divine Word through the Three Principles of the Divine Essence; also of the Original of the World and the Creation. Wherein The kingdom of Nature▪ & The kingdom of Grace, are Expounded▪ For▪ the better understanding Of the Old and New Testament and what Adam and Christ are. Also, How Man should consider and may know himself in the Light of Nature, where he is, and where his Temporal, and Eternal Life, Consist; also, where his Eternal Blessedness, and Damnation, Consist. And is an Exposition of the Essence of all Essences for the further Consideration of the Lovers, in the Divine Gift. Comprised in Three Parts: Written Anno 1623. BY Jacob Behm. To which is added, The Life of the Author. And his Four Tables of Divine Revelation. LONDON: Printed and are to be sold by 〈…〉 next 〈…〉 THE PREFACE Of the Author JACOB BEME, To his COMMENTARY upon GENESIS, Called the * The Great Mystery. MYSTERIUM MAGNUM. 1. WHen we consider the visible world with its Essence; and consider the life of the creatures, than we find therein the likeness of the invisible spiritual world, which is hidden in the visible world, as the Soul in the body; and see thereby that the hidden God is nigh unto all, and through all; and yet wholly hidden to the visible Essence. 2. We have an example hereof in the mind of man, which is an invisible fire; that is inclined to light, and darkness; viz. to Joy, and Sorrow; and yet in itself is none of these; but only a Cause thereto; an invisible, incomprehensive Sourcive fire; and yet as to its own Essence is included in nothing, save only in the Will of life. 3. The body cannot comprehend the mind; but the mind comprehends the body; and brings it to Love, or * Or sufferance and Sorrow. dislike; this likewise is to be understood of the word, and Power of God; which is hidden to the visible Sensible Elements: and yet dwelleth through, and in the Elements; and worketh through the Sensible life, and Essence, as the mind in the body. 4. For the visible sensible things, are an essence of the invisible: from the invisible, and incomprehensible, the visible, and comprehensible is proceeded: the visible Essence is come to Be from the expression, or Spiration of the invisible Power: the invisible Spiritual Word of divine Power worketh with and through the Visible Essence, as the Soul * In. with and through the body. 5. The inward Spiritual soul of man was breathed in to the visible Image by the in-Speaking, or inspiration of the invisible Word of the divine Power; (for an understanding to the Created Image) wherein man's Science, and knowledge of the invisible, and vissible Essence consisteth. 6. Thus man hath now received Ability from the invisible Word of God to the re-expression: that he again expresseth the hidden word of the divine Science into formation, and severation: in manner and form of the Temporal Creatures; and formeth this spiritual Word according to Animals, and Vegetables; whereby the invisible wisdom of God is portrayed, and modelized into several distinct forms: as we plainly see, that the understanding of man expresseth all powers in their property, and giveth names unto all things; according to each things property; by which the hidden wisdom is known, and understood in its power: and the hidden God is made manifest † In. with the visible things; for the Delight, and play of the divine Power: so that the invisible might play with the visible; and therein introduce itself into the sight, and Sense of itself. 7. As the mind doth introduce itself with the body, and by the body into Senses, and thoughts; whereby it worketh, and Acteth Sensibly to itself; so also the invisible world (worketh) through the visible, and with the visible world: we are not in any wise to conceit that a man cannot search out what the hidden divine world is, and what its Operation, and essence is, for on the visible Essence of the Creation we see a figure of the internal Spiritual operation of the powerful world. 8. And we ought not to think otherwise of God; but that he is the most internal ground of all Essences; and yet so, as that he cannot be comprehended of any thing by the own-peculiar power of the thing; but as the Sun doth introduce itself with its light, and Power into the sensible living things; and worketh with [or in] all things: and introduceth itself also into an essence; the same likewise is to be understood concerning the divine Word with the life of the Creatures. 9 Seeing then this visible world is the expressed, Form word, according to God's Love, and anger: viz. according to the Grand Mystery of the Eternal Spiritual nature, which spiritual world is hidden in the visible; and yet the humane Soul is a spark out of the Eternal Speaking Word of the Divine Science, and Power: and the Body an Ens of the Stars, and Elements; and also as to the internal ground an Ens of Heaven, viz. of the hidden world; therefore he hath Might, and Ability to speak of the Grand Mystery whence all Essences do Originally arise. 10. Since then the great Mysteries, the Beginning of and Original of all things do befall us by divine Grace; that we are able (as through the ground of the Soul) to understand the same in real knowledge with the inspired word of the divine Science; We will write down its ground, (so far as it's permitted to us,) in this Book: for a Memorial to ourself, and for the exercise of divine knowledge to the Reader. 11. And I. we will signify, and declare what the Centre and ground of all Essences is. II. What the Divine Manifestation (through the speaking of the word of God,) is. III. How Evil and Good have their Original from one only ground; viz. light and darkness: Life, and Death: Joy, and Sorrow; and how it is in its ground; also whereunto every Essence and Source is profitable, and ‖ Text unavoidable. necessary. IU. How all things have their ground from the Grand Mystery, viz. from the spiration of the Eternal one. V How the Eternal one introduceth itself into sensation, perception, and Severation, to the Science of itself, and the play of the divine Power. VI How man may attain to the true knowledge of God, and to the knowledge of the Eternal and Temporal nature. VII. Also how man may come unto the Real Contemplation of the Being of all Beings. VIII. Also of the Creation of the world and of all creatures. IX. And then of the Original, fall, and Restoration of man; what he is according to the first Adamicall man in the Kingdom of nature: and what he is in the new Regeneration in the kingdom of Grace, and how the new birth comes to pass. X. Also what the old and new Testament are each in its understanding. 12. And we will enlarge this exposition through, all the chapters of the first Book of Moses; and signify how the Old Testament is a Figure of the New: what is to be understood by the De●ds of the holy Patriarches: wherefore the Spirit of God did give them to be set down in Moses: and at what the figures of these written Histories do look, and aim; and how the Spirit of God in his children before the times of Christ did allude with them in the figure, concerning the Kingdom of Christ; whereby then God hath always represented this Mercy-Seat [or throne of grace] Christ: by whom he would blot out his Anger, and manifest his Grace. 13. And how the whole time of this world is portrayed, and modelized, as in a watch-work: how afterward it should go in time: and what the inward spiritual world; and also the outward material world is: also what the inward, Spiritual man, and then the external man of the Essence of this world is: how time and Eternity are in one another, and how a man may understand all this: 14. Now if it should so fall out, that when these our writings are read, the Reader might not presently apprehend, and understand the same (seeing this ground which yet hath its full foundation, and pregnant Concordance, as well with the Scripture, as through the light of nature; hath for a long time been very dark, and yet by divine Grace is given to plain simplicity) let him not despise, and reject the same according to the course, and custom of the wicked world; but look upon the ground of practice which is therein intimated; and give himself up thereunto; and pray God for light and understanding: and at last he will rightly understand our ground, and it will find very great Love and acceptance with him. 15. But we have written nothing for the proud, and haughty wiselings, who know enough already; and yet indeed know nothing at all; whose Belly is their God, who only adhere unto the Beast of the babylonical Whore, and drink of her poison; and wilfully will be in blindness, and the Devil's Snare: but we have laid (with the spirit of our knowledge,) a strong bolt before the understanding of folly, not to apprehend our meaning; being they wilfully, and willingly serve Satan, and are not the children of God. 16. But we desire to be clearly, and fundamentally understood by the children of God: and do hearty, and readily communicate our knowledge given to us of God; Seeing the time of such Revelation is borne: therefore let every one see, and take heed, what Sentence and Censure he passeth: Every one shall accordingly receive his reward, and we commend him into the Grace of the meek and Tender Love of Jesus Christ. Amen. Sept. 11. Anno 1623. DE Mysterio Magno. OF THE GRAND MYSTERY. THAT IS, Of the Manifestation of the Divine Word, through the Three Principles of the Divine Essence. The first Chapter. What God Manifested is: and of the Trinity. 1. IF we would understand what the new birth is; and how it is a Wrought, or effected. brought to pass: then we must first know what man is; and how he is the Image of God: and what the divine b Or how God dwelleth in man, and filleth all things with his presence. inhabitation is: also what the Revealed God is; of whom man is an Image. 2. When I consider what God is, than I say, He is the One; in reference to the Creature, as an Eternal Nothing: he hath neither foundation, beginning, or Abode: he possesseth nothing, save only himself: He is the will of the Abyss: he is in himself only one: he needeth neither Space, or Place: He begetteth himself in himself; from Eternity to Eternity: He is neither like or resembleth any thing: and hath no peculiar place where he c Or no Sundry habitation above the Stars in an Emperean Heaven, as Reason phancieth. dwelleth: the Eternal wisdom or understanding is his delight: He is the will of the Wisdom: the wisdom is his manifestation. 3. In this Eternal Generation we are to understand three things: viz. 1. An Eternal will. 2. An Eternal mind of the will. 3. The d Efflux. effluence the proceeding-forth. Egress from the will and mind, which is a Spirit of the will and mind. 4. The will is the Father: the mind is the e Comprehension, or Receptacle. Conceived of the will: viz. the Seat, or habitation of the will: or the Centre to Something: and it is the Wills Heart: and the Egress of the will and mind, is the Power and Spirit. 5. This f Or Tri-Une. threefold Spirit is one only Essence; and yet it is no Essence, but the Eternal understanding: an Original of the Something: and yet it is the Eternal g Or mystical Mystery. hiddenness (as the understanding of man is not confined in time, and place, but it is its own comprehension, and Seat) and the Egress of the Spirit, is the Eternal Original Contemplation, viz. a Lubet of the Spirit. 6. The h That which is flown forth from the One Eternal Will. Egressed is called the Lubet of the Deity, or the Eternal wisdom, which is the Eternal Original of all Powers, Colours, and Virtues; by which the threefold Spirit in this Lubet comes to a Desiring; namely; of the Powers, Colours, and Virtue: and its desiring is an Impressing: a conceiving itself: the Will conceiveth the wisdom in the mind; and the conceived in the understanding is the Eternal Word of all Colours, Powers, and Virtue: which the Eternal Will i Or Speaketh forth. expresseth by the Spirit from the understanding of the mind. 7. And this Speaking is the Motion, or life of the Deity; an Eye of the Eternal Seeing, where one power, colour, and virtue, doth distinctly know each other: and yet they all stand in Equal k Text Property. proportion or Analogy devoid of weight, limit, or Measure, also undivided one from another; all the Powers, Colours, and Virtue, lie in One; and it is a distinct Mutual well-tuned Pregnant Harmony: or, as I might say, a Speaking Word: in which Word, or Speaking, all Speeches, Powers, Colours and Virtues are contained, and with the Pronouncing, or Speaking, they do unfold themselves, and bring themselves into sight, and ken. 8. This is now the Eye of the Abyss, the Eternal Chaos; wherein all, whatsoever Eternity and time hath, is contained: and it is called Counsel; Power: Wonder, and Virtue; its peculiar and proper name is called GOD or JEOVA or JEHOVAH: who is without all Nature, without all beginnings of any Essence: a Working in himself: Generating, finding, or Perceiving himself; without any kind of Source from any thing, or by any thing: He hath neither beginning, nor End; (he is immense: no number can express his largeness, and Greatness) he is deeper than any thought can reach: he is no where far from any thing, or nigh unto any thing: he is through All, and in all: his birth is every where: and without and besides him there is nothing else; he is time and Eternity, Bysse and Abyss, and yet nothing comprehends him save the True understanding; which is God himself. CHAP. II. Of the Word, or Heart of God. THis is now what Saint John saith; Chap. 1. In the beginning was the word: and the word was with God: and God was the word: the same was in the beginning with God: the word l In signifieth in the. (In) is the will of the Abyss: ( m A●fang. beginning. beginning) is the Conception [or apprehension] of the will; where it conceiveth, and bringeth itself into an Eternal Beginning; the * Wort signifieth the word. Which words in the High-Dutch he expounds according to the Language of Nature. (Word) is now the Conceived, which in the will is a Nothing, and with the Conception there is a generation: this was in the beginning with the will, and in the will: but with the Lubet of the will it receiveth its beginning in the Conception of the will: therefore it is called [a] Heart; viz. a Centre, or Life-Circle; wherein the Original of the Eternal Life is. 2. And John saith further: By the same were all things made: and without it was not any thing made that was made: In it was the life, and the life was the light of men: here O man take now this light of life, which was in the Word and is Eternal: and behold the Being of all Being's, and especially thy Self; seeing thou art an Image, life, and being of the unsearchable God; and a Likeness as to him: here consider time, and Eternity; Heaven, Hell: the world: light, and darkness: pain, and Source: life, and death: Something and Nothing: Here examine thyself, whether thou hast the light and life of the Word in thee, so that thou art able to see, and understand all things: for thy life was in the Word; and was made manifest in the Image which God Created; it was breathed into it from the Spirit of the word: now lift up thy understanding in the light of thy life; and behold the Form Word: Consider its inward Generation; for all is manifest in the light of life. 3. Sayest thou, I cannot; I am corrupt, and depraved? hear me! thou art not as yet borne again of God: otherwise, if thou hadst again that same light, than thou couldst: Go to then! we all indeed come far short of the Glory, which we ought to have in God: but I will show thee somewhat: have a care; and conceive it aright: be not a Mocker, as the Confused Babel is. Lo! when we would speak of the Being of all Being's; than we say, that from God, and through God are all things: for Saint John saith also, that without him was not any thing made, that was made. 4. Now saith Reason, whence or how hath God made Good, and Evil, Pain, and Joy, Life and Death: is there any such will in God which maketh the evil? Hear Reason beginneth to Speculate; and will apprehend it; but it goeth only about the outside of the Circle, and cannot enter in: for it is without▪ and not in the word of the Life-Circle. 5. Now then behold thyself, and consider what thou art: view what the outward World is with its Dominion; and thou shalt find, that thou with thy outward Spirit and Being, art the outward would: thou art a little world out of the Great world: thy outward light is a Chaos of the Sun and Stars: else thou couldst not see n Or receive light from the Sun. by the light of the Sun: the Stars give the Essence of distinction in the intellective Sight: thy body is fire, air, water, earth: therein also lieth the Metaline property, for of whatsoever the Sun with the Stars is a Spirit, of that the Earth with the other Elements is a o Essence Substance, or body. Being, a Coagulated Power: what the Superior [Being] is that is also the inferior: and all the creatures of this world are the same. 6. When I take up a stone or clod of earth and look upon it; then I see that which is above, and that which is below, yea, the whole world therein; only that in each thing one property happeneth to be the chiefest and manifest; according to which it is named: all the other properties are jointly therein; only in distinct degrees and centres, and yet all the degrees and centres are but one only centre; There is but one only root whence ●ll things proceed: it only severizeth itself in the Compaction, where it is Coagulated: Its original is as a Smoke or vaprous breath from the Great Mystery of the Expressed Word; which standeth in all places in the re-expressing that is, in the Re-breathing (or echoing forth) a likeness according to itself: an Essence according to the Spirit. 7. But now we cannot say, that the outward World is God, or the speaking word, which in itself is devoid of such essence; or likewise that the outward man; is God: but it is all only the expressed Word: which hath so coagulated itself in its re-conception to its own expression; and doth still continually coagulate itself with the 4 Elements, through the Spirit of the desire (viz. of the Stars) and bringeth itself into such a motion and life; in the mode and manner as the Eternal Speaking word maketh a Mystery, which is Spiritual, in itself; which Mystery I call the Centre of the Eternal Nature; where the Eternal Speaking Word bringeth itself into a Generation, and also maketh such a Spiritual World in itself; as we have materially in the Expressed Word. 8. For I say, the inward world is the Heaven wherein God dwelleth; and the outward world is expressed out of the inward: and hath only another beginning then the inward; but yet out of the inward; it is expressed from the inward (through the motion of the Eternal Speaking Word) and closed into a beginning, and End. 9 And the inward world standeth in the Eternal Speaking Word: the Eternal Word hath spoken it (through the wisdom) out of its own Powers, Colours, and Virtue, into an Essence, as a Great Mystery. from Eternity; which Essence also is only as a Spiration from the Word in the wisdom, which hath its re-conception to Generation in itself; and with the Conception doth likewise Coagulate itself, and introduceth itself into forms, after the manner of the Generation of the Eternal Word: as the Powers, Colours, and Virtue do generate themselves in the word through the wisdom; or as I might say, out of the wisdom in the Word. 10. Therefore there is nothing nigh unto, or a far off from God: one world is in the other: and all are only one: but one is Spiritual, the other Corporeal: as soul, and body are in each other; and also time and Eternity are but one thing; yet in distinct beginnings: the spiritual world in the internal [Principle] hath an Eternal beginning, and the outward a temporal: each hath its birth in itself: but the Eternal Speaking Word ruleth through and over all: yet it can neither be apprehended or Conceived, either by the Spiritual or external world, that it should stand still; but it worketh from Eternity to Eternity, and its p Or operate. Work is Conceived; for it is the Form Word; and the working Word is its life, and incomprehensible: for it is without all Essence; as a bare understanding only, or a Power that q Or worketh itself out in the Essence. bringeth itself into Essence. 11. In the inward Spiritual world, the Word conceiveth itself into a Spiritual Essence as one only Element, wherein the four lie hid: but when God, viz. the Word moved this one Element: then the hidden Properties did manifest themselves; as there are four Elements. CHAP. III. How out of the Eternal Good, an Evil is come to be; which in the Good r Or 〈◊〉 had no beginning to the Evil: and of the Original of the Dark World, or Hell, wherein the Devils dwell. 1. NOw then, being Light and darkness; moreover Pain and Source, are seen in the outward world: and yet all Originally proceed from the Eternal Mystery: viz. from the inward Spiritual world: and the inward Spiritual world proceedeth out of the Eternal Generating and Speaking Word; thereupon we are to consider, how out of the Eternal Good, an Evil is come to be? which in the Good hath no beginning to the Evil; whence Darkness, Pain, and Source arise? and then from whence a lustre or light ariseth in the Darkness? 2. For we cannot say that the Eternal Light, or the Eternal Darkness, is created; otherwise they should be in a Time and a Comprehensive beginning; and of this they are devoid: for they are concomitant in the Generation; yet not in the * Note. wisdom, or Generation of the Word of the Deity; but they take their Original in the Desire of the Speaking Word. 3. For in the Eternal Speaking Word (which is s 〈…〉 without. devoid of all nature, or beginning) is only the Divine understanding or Sound: there is neither Darkness nor Light, neither thick nor thin: neither Joy nor Sorrow: moreover no Sensibility, or t Finding 〈◊〉 apprehension Perceivancy; but it is barely a Power of the understanding in one Source, Will, and Dominion: there is neither friend nor foe unto it: for it is the only Good, and nothing else. 4. Seeing then this Eternal good cannot be an unsensible Essence, (for so it were not manifest to itself) it introduceth itself in itself into a Lubet, to behold, and see what itself is: in which Lubet is the wisdom: and then the Lubet thus Seeing what itself is; it bringeth itself into a desire to find out, and feel what itself is: viz. to a Sensible Perceivance of the Smell, and Taste of the Colours, Powers, and Virtue: and yet no perceivancy could arise in the free spiritual Lubet, if it brought not itself into a desire, like a Hunger. 5. For the Nothing hungreth after the Something, and the hunger is a desire: viz. the First Verbum Fiat: or Creating Power: for the Desire hath nothing that it is able to make or Conceive: it conceiveth itself; and impresseth itself: it Coagulateth itself: it draweth itself into itself: and comprehends itself: and bringeth itself from Abyss into Bysse: and overshadoweth itself with its Magnetical attraction: so that the Nothing is filled, and yet remains as a Nothing: it is only a Property: viz. a darkness: this is the Eternal Original of the darkness: for where there is a Property; there is already Something; and the Something is not as the Nothing: it u Or causeth Darkness. yields obscurity unless something else, viz. a Lustre, doth fill it; and then 'tis Light, and yet it remaineth a Darkness in the Property. 6. In this Coagulation, or Impression, or Desire, or Hunger, by any of which I might express it to the understanding; I say, in this Compaction or Comprehensive Complication, we are to understand two things: 1. The free Lubet, which is the Wisdom, Power, and Virtue, of the Colours: and 2. The Desire of the free Lubet in itself: for the free Lubet viz. the wisdom, is no Property; but it is free from all inclination; and is one with God; but the Desire is a Property: now the desire ariseth from the Lubet; therefore the desire doth conceive and comprehend the free Lubet all along in the Compaction, in the Impression; and bringeth it also into feeling, and finding. 7. And understand us aright, and punctually here: the desire ariseth out of the Will to the free Lubet, and maketh itself out of the free Lubet, and bringeth itself into a desire: for the desire is the Father's Property; and the free Lubet, viz. the wisdom, is the Son's Property: albeit God being he is x Or One. a Spirit, is not called Father, or Son in this place: until the manifestation through the Fire in the Light: and there he is called Father and Son, but I set it down by reason of the birth of nature, for a better understanding of the true Ground, that man might understand: to what Person in the Deity, Nature, and to what, the Power in nature, is to be ascribed. The Centre of the Eternal Nature; how the will of the Abyss bringeth itself into Nature, and Form. 8. THe Desire proceeding from the will of the Abyss is the first Form: and it is the Fiat, or let there Be: and the Power of the free Lubet is God, who Governeth the Fiat: and both together are named Verbum Fiat, that is, the Eternal Word, which Createth where Nothing is; and [is] the Original of Nature and all Beings. 9 ♄ Saturnus. The first Property of the Desire is Astringent, Harsh Eargerly-impressing, Conceiving itself, Overshadowing itself; and it maketh, first, the Great Darkness of the Abyss: Secondly, it maketh itself Substantial in a Spiritual manner▪ wholly rough harsh hard and thick, and it is a Cause of coldness, and all keenness, and sharpness: also of all whatsoever is called Essence: and it is the beginning of Perceivancy, wherein the free Lubet doth find and perceive itself, and introduceth the Contemplation of itself; but the desire in itself bringeth itself thereby into Pain and Source: Yet the free Lubet doth only so receive finding [or Perceivancy.] 10. ☿ Mercurius. The Second Form or Property is the Constringency [or attraction] of the Desire; that is a Compunction, Stirring, or Motion, for each desire is attractive and constringent; and it is the beginning of Motion, Stirring, and Life, and the true Original of the Mercurial life of the Painful [or tormenting] Source: for here ariseth the first enmity between the Astringency, or hardness, and the Compunction or Sting of Stirring: for the Desire maketh hard, thick, and congealeth, as the cold stiffneth and freezeth the water▪ thus the Astringency is a mere raw coldness, and the Compunction, viz. the Attraction, is yet brought forth with the impression [or close constringent Desire.] 11. It is even here as Father and Son; the Father would be still, and hard: and the Compunction, viz. his Son, stirreth in the Father, and causeth unquietness: and this the Father, viz. the Astringency cannot endure; and therefore he attracteth the more eagerly, and earnestly in the Desire, to hold refrain, and keep under, the disobedient Son; whereby the Son groweth only more strong in the y Or Sting. Compunction: and this is the true ground and cause of Sense: which in the Free Lubet is the Eternal beginning of the z or Manifestation. motion of the Powers, Colours, and Virtue; and of the Divine Kingdom of Joy: and in the dark Desire it is the Original of enmity, Pain, and Torment: and the Eternal Original of God's Anger, and all unquietness and Contrariety [or Antipathy.] 12. ♂ Mars. The third Property is the a Contrition or distress. Anguish, or Source, or rising Spring, which the two first Properties make: when the Compunction, viz. the Stirring striveth, and moveth with rage in the hardness. or Impression; and bruiseth the hardness; then in the b brokenness. Contrition of the hardness, the first sense of feeling doth arise, and is the beginning of the Essences: for first it is the Severation, whereby each Power becometh c Feeling o● distinct. Sensible and Severable in itself in the free Lubet, in the word of the Powers: it is the Original of Distinction: [or different variety] whereby the Powers are mutually manifest; each in itself; also the Original of the Thoughts, and Mind. 13. For the Eternal Mind is the All-Essentiall Power of the Deity: but the Senses arise through Nature with the motion in the division of the Powers: where each Power doth perceive, and feel itself in itself: it is also the Original of Taste, and Smell: when the Perceivance of the Powers in the distinction hath mutual intercourse, and entrance into each other: then they feel, taste, smell, hear, and see one another; and herein ariseth the Source of life: which could not be in the Liberty in the stillness of the Power of God: therefore the Divine Understanding bringeth itself into Spiritual Properties, that it might be manifest to itself: and be a Working life. 14. Now we are to consider of the Anguish in its own Generation and Peculiar Property: for like as there is a mind, viz. an understanding in the Liberty, in the Word of the Power of God; So likewise the first will to the Desire bringeth itself in the Desire of the darkness into a mind: which mind is the Anguish Source: viz. a Sulphurous Source: and yet here [the] Spirit is only to be understood. 15. The Anguish-Source is thus to be understood: the Astringent Desire conceiveth itself, and d Contracteth. draweth itself into itself; and maketh itself full, hard, and rough: now the attraction is an Enemy of the hardness: the hardness is retentive: the Attraction is fugitive: the one will into itself; and the other will out of itself: but being they cannot Sever, and part asunder one from the other: they remain in each other as a Rolling Wheel: the one will ascend, the other descend. 16. For the Hardness causeth Substance and weight: and the Compunction giveth Spirit and the e 〈◊〉 flying. Active Life: these both mutually Circulate in themselves and out of themselves, and yet cannot go any whither [parted,] what the Desire: viz. the Magnet maketh Hard, that the attraction doth again break in pieces: and it is the Greatest unquietness in itself; like a Raging madness: and it's in itself an horrible Anguish: and yet no right feeling is f Or to be understood. perceived until the Fire: [or the enkindling of the fire in nature, which is the fourth Form, wherein the manifestation of each life Appeareth,] and I leave it to the Consideration of the true understanding Searcher of Nature: what this is, or meaneth; let him search and bethink himself: he shall find it in his own Natural, and Paternal Knowledge. 17. The Anguish maketh the Sulphurous Spirit, and the Compunction maketh the Mercury; viz. the Worke-Master of Nature: he is the life of Nature: and the Astringent desire maketh the keen Salt-Spirit: and yet all three are only one: but they divide themselves into three Forms, which are called Sulphur, Mercurius, Sal: these three Properties do impress the Free Lubet into them; that it also giveth a material essentiality; which is the oil of these three Forms (viz. their Life and Joy) which doth mollify, meeken, and allay their wrathfulness: and this no rational man can deny; there is a Salt, brimstone, and oil in all things; and Mercurius, viz: the g Or poyson-Life. vital venom maketh the Essence in all things; and so the Abyss bringeth itself into Bysse, and Nature. 18. ☉ Sol. The fourth Form of Nature is the Enkindling of the Fire: where the h Feeling and Understanding. Sensitive and intellective life doth first arise: and the hidden God manifesteth himself: for without Nature he is hid unto all Creatures: but in the Eternal and Temporal Nature, he is perceived and manifest. 19 And this manifestation is first i Or brought to pass. effected by the Awakening of the Powers, viz. by the three abovementioned Properties: Sulphur Mercurius, and Sal, and therein the oil, in which the life hath its vital being and beauty k Text, burneth and shineth. life and lustre: The true life is first manifest in the fourth Form: viz. in the Fire and Light; in the fire the Natural, and in the light the Oily Spiritual: and in the Power of the light the divine intellectual [or understanding life is manifest.] 20. Reader attend, and mark aright: I understand here with the Description of Nature, the Eternal nor the Temporal Nature: I only show thee the temporal Nature thereby; for it is expressed, or spoken forth out of the Eternal, and therefore do not foist in or allege Calves, Cows, or Oxen, as 'tis the Course of irrational Reason in Babel to do. 21. First know this: that the Divine understanding doth therefore introduce itself into fire, that its Eternal Lubet might be Majestaticall and l Or a light. lustrous: for the Divine understanding receiveth no Source into itself: it also needeth none to its own Being: Note. for the All needeth not the Something: the Something is only the Play of the All, wherewith the All, doth melodize and play: and that the TOTALL, or All might be manifest unto itself, it introduceth its will into Properties: Thus we as a Creature will write of the Properties: viz. of the manifested God; how the All, viz. the Immense, abyssal Eternal understanding, manifests itself. 22. Secondly, the abyssal and divine understanding, doth therefore introduce itself into an Anxious Fire-will, and Life, that its great Love and Joy, which is called God, might be manifest: for if all were only One, than the One would not be manifest unto itself; but by the Manifestation, the Eternal Good is known, and maketh a Kingdom of Joy: else if there were no anguish, than Joy were not manifest unto itself; and there would be but one only will, which would do continually one and the same thing: but if it introduceth itself into Contrariety; then in the Contest, the Lubet of joy becomes a Desire, and a love play to itself; in that it hath to work and Act; to speak according to our humane Capacity. 23. The Original of the Eternal Spiritual and Natural fire is effected by an Eternal Conjunction or Copulation, not each Severally, but both jointly: viz. the Divine fire, which is a Love-flame: and the Natural fire which is a Torment, and Consuming Source: understand it thus, as it is. 24. One part: viz. the will of the Father or of the Abyss introduceth itself into the Greatest sharpness of the Astringency: where it is a cold fire: a cold painful Source: and it is sharpened by the Astringent Compunctive Anguish: and in this Anguish it comes to desire the Liberty, viz. the free Lubet, or meekness: and the other part is the Free Lubet, which desireth to be manifest; it longeth after the will of the Father, which hath generated it without Nature; and useth it for its Play: this here doth again desire the will: and the will hath here reconceived itself to go again out of the Anguish into the Liberty: viz. the Lubet. 25. Undestand; that it is the reconceived will which desireth the Free Lubet of God: but now it hath taken into itself, the horrible Astringent hard Compunctive sharpness: and the free Lubet is a great Meekness, in reference to the wrathful Nature, as a Nothing and yet it is: now both these dash together in one another: the sharp will Eagerly and mightily desireth the Fire-Lubet, and the Lubet desireth the Austere will, and in that they enter into and feel each other, a Great Flagrat is made, like a flash of Lightning: in manner as the fire, or celestial Lightning or etherial blaze, is enkindled in the Firmament. 26. And in this Flagrat the Fire is Enkindled: for the Astringent harsh darkness which is cold, is dismayed at the light and great Meekness of the Free Lubet, and becomes in itself a Flagrat of Death, where the wrathfulness, and cold Property retireth back into itself, and closeth up itself as a Death: for in the Flagrat the Dark mind becomes essential; it sadly betakes itself into itself; as m As being afraid▪ or dismayed at the light. a great Fear before the light; or as an Enmity of the light: and this is the true Original of the dark world, viz. of the Abyss, into which the Devils are thrust, which we call Hell. CHAP. IU. Of the Two Principles: viz. God's Love, and Anger: of Darkness, and Light, very necessary for the Reader to consider of. 1. IN this Flagrat, or Enkindling of the Fire, two Kingdoms Sever themselves; and yet are only one; but they divide in the Essence, Source and will; and are invisible to one another: the one comprehends not the other in its own Source; and yet they proceed from one Original; and are dependant on one another; and the one without the other were a nothing; and yet both receive their Source from One Original: understand it thus. 2. When the blaze, or Flagrat ariseth, than it is in the Punctum, and and maketh in the Twinck a Tri-Angle , or a Cross: and this is the true meaning of the Character : First it is the keenness of all things; and God manifested in Trinity: The Triangle betokeneth the hidden God: viz. The Word or Divine understanding; which is threefold in its Eternal un-inchoative birth: and yet only one, in its Manifestation: In the fire and light world this Trinity doth manifest itself in the Birth; not as if there were any place, where such a figure did stand, no; but the whole Birth is so; where ever the Divine Fire manifesteth itself in any thing, it maketh in its inflammation a Tri-angle, which the children of men ought seriously to observe, and how likewise the life doth enkindle itself in a Tri-angle: which betokeneth the Holy Trinity: and being the light of life was in the Word of the Deity; which [word] was breathed into man; (as John saith in his first Chapter) and yet did disappear in Paradise▪ in relation to God; therefore it must be borne again on the . The Exposition of the foregoing Characters. 6. Now the will Severs itself in the Fires Flagrat into two Kingdoms, where each dwelleth in itself: viz. The Flagrat in the darkness is God's Anger: and the Flagrat in the re-conceivement to the free Lubet, becomes the Highly Triumphant Divine Kingdom of Joy in the Free Lubet: for thus the free Lubet is Elevated and brought into a wrestling Love-play, and so it becomes Springing and working. 7. Not that we mean, that God thus receiveth a beginning: but it is the Eternal beginning of God manifested: viz. how the Divine understanding doth manifest itself with Power in distinct variety, and worketh itself forth into a Kingdom; which is an Eternal Generation: we only speak here how the unvisible, unperceivable God doth introduce himself into Perception for his own Manifestation. 8. Now we are to understand by the inflammation of the fire, a twofold fire, a twofold Spirit, and a twofold Essence: viz. a Love-fire in the free Lubet which is made Essential with impression or Desire: and in the fire the Spirit and Essence do severize; and yet they are mutually in one another; as Soul, and body are one: and now as the Spirit is, so is the Essence: and as there is an holy sweet Essence, and an holy sweet Spirit, in the impression of the free Lubet: so likewise in the dark impression, there is an Astringent harsh raw and bitter Essence and Spirit: as the Essence is, so is also the Mind of the Understanding and will in the Essence. 9 Albeit the Eternal [Essence] in reference to the Temporal, is Spiritual; yet the true Spirit is much more Subtle, then that which it maketh to a Substance in the conception: for out of the Substance, the true intellective Spirit primely proceedeth, which before the Substance, is only a Will, and not manifest to itself: for the will doth therefore introduce itself into Substance and Essence that it might be manifest to itself. 10. Now we are to consider of the Severation in the fire: when the fire is enkindled, then is the fire-blaze or Flagrat salnitral, where the powers do mutually unfold, and display themselves, and come into division, where the Eternal only power of God, doth manifest itself, and in the distinction, doth Sunder itself into Properties both Spiritually and Substantially: as is to be seen in this World: whence also the manifold Salts do arise: which with the Creation came to be such Matter, which in the Eternity was only a Spiritual Essence, but in the beginning of Time became Gross and hard. 11. Also the manifold Spirits both good and evil, do originally spring from this Eternal root; and likewise the manifold Stars with the four Elements, and all whatsoever liveth and moveth; but the Separation in itself is thus to be understood: when the blaze ariseth, than out of the fire proceedeth the Severation: the Fire-Flagrat is Consuming, it apprehendeth the Conceived Essence, both in the free Lubet, and in the Austere impression, and consumes it in a twinkling of an Eye, for here, the Eternal Will which is an Abyss becomes manifest in the fire: no Essence can subsist before it; it devoureth all into it's Nothing. 12. And here is the Original of the Eternal Death, or devoration; and in this Devoration is the highest Arcanum, or Secret: for the true essential lively Spirit and understanding proceedeth out of this devoration, and maketh another Beginning; for the first beginning is Gods, who introduceth himself from the Abyss into Bysse to his own Contemplation: but this Beginning, which proceedeth again out of the devoration, is a Spiritual Beginning, and maketh three worlds: namely; 1. The dark fire-world in heat, and cold; a Rawness wholly Austere devoid of Essence: 2. The other world is the Spiritual light, or Angelical world: 3 And the third began with the beginning of time: when God moved both the inward worlds: he thence brought forth and created this outward visible world into a form of time. 13. Now the Separation in the fire of devoration is thus to be understood: the Powers, which the first impression made essential; are in the fire reduced into a spiritualness: viz: 1. From the free Lubet proceedeth forth a Spiritual Mysterium: which is, as to the Deity, (viz. the Eternal understanding) Spiritual: and it is the angelical light, and Life; and also the real humane [Life;] and so of all whatsoever is like unto them: for they are Powers of God: therefore the Angels bear in them the Great Name of God: and likewise all true men who have the divine Power. 14. From the Essence of the free Lubet there proceedeth forth in the fire an oily Power, which is the body or Essence of the understanding; therein the fire burneth; and thence the shining Lustre or Glance ariseth. Thirdly, from the Understanding and Spiritual Oil there proceedeth forth a moving Lubet like an Element: and it is also the Divine Element. 15. Fourthly, out of the Element there proceedeth forth a watery Property; and yet it i● only to be understood Spiritually: this is the water of which Christ said; he would give us to drink: and whosoever should drink thereof it should spring up in him to a fountain of Eternal Life: it is the water above the Firmament of which Moses speaketh; that God hath separated from the external waters under the Firmament: This watery and Elemental Property proceedeth from the Essence of the Free Lubet, which is consumed in the Fire and the Word of the understanding (which hath now manifested itself in the fire) doth express these Powers from itself, as a living and moving Essence, and herein the Angelical world is understood. 16. In the Separation which is from the dark Property, there proceedeth forth, through the Speaking Word in the Separation out of the fire: viz. out of the Astringent harsh Impression, 1. An hellish thirsty wrathful Source, being as another Principle, or beginning of another Property; which Source is wholly Rough like the cold or hard stones; a mind which is horrible like to the fire-blaze: 2ly. There proceedeth forth from this fi●ry Spirit, from the darkness, an Oil which is of a poisonful Property: for it is the Evil Mercurius arising from the Compunction in the anxious Astringency. 17. 3ly. The Anguish likewise maketh a moving mind like the Element: but altogether in an exceeding wrathful very piercing Property: in which the great fires might and will in the Anger of God, or the wrath of God, ariseth, which Lucifer desired to be, and to rule therein; and therefore he is a Devil, that is, one spewed out of the Love-fire into the Dark fire: 4ly. There proceedeth forth also from the wrathful Property through the Devoration in the fire, viz. from the first dark impression, a watery Property: but it is much rather a poisonful Source, in which the n Text, the da●k life burneth. life of darkness consisteth. 18. But my writing here of the Oil and water is thus to be understood: in the enkindling of the fire in the Flagrat; (both in the Flagrat of Joy in the Ens of the free Lubet and in the Flagrat of the wrathfullnesse in the impression of the dark Spiritual Ens) the Essence, which the first desire hath Coagulated or amassed, is Consumed in the fire-Flagrat; that is, it doth as 'twere die to it self-good; and is taken into the Only Spirit; which here hath manifested itself in the fire of the wrathfulness, and in the light-fire of the Kingdom of Joy: which [Spirit] doth now re-expresse it, or breathe it forth again out of itself as two Spiritual worlds. 19 Understand it aright; there proceedeth forth out of the fiery Property in the Spiration the vital Source; which according to the Free Lubet is holy and joyful; and according to the darkness painful and wrathful: the wrathfullnesse and painful Source is the root of joy, and the joy is the root of the enmity of the dark wrathfullnesse: so that there is a contrarium whereby the good is made manifest and known that it is good. 20. And the Mortified Essence in the fire (which the first desire in the free Lubet hath Coagulated and made dark) proceedeth forth through the Fires-mortification as a Spiritual Oil: which is the Property of the fire and light; and from the mortification there proceedeth a water, viz. a mortified Senseless Essence, being a house of the oil; wherein the fire-Source or Spirit hath its vital Region: which oil is the food of the fire Source which it draweth again into itself, and devoureth, and thereby allayeth the fire-Source and introduceth it into the greatest meekness, in which the life of the great Love ariseth: viz. the good taste: so that the fire-Source becometh an humility, or meekness in the oil through the mortification in the water-Source. 21. For no fire-Spirit can be meek without the mortification of its own natural Propriety or peculiar Essence: but the water which before was an Essence, amassed out of the free Lubet, and yet mortified in the fire; that can change the Essence of the fire into a meek desire. CHAP. V Of the five Senses. Love-fire ♀ Venus. 1. THe fift Form or Property, is the Love-desire; viz. the holy life; or the displayed light-fire; which is awakened or raised up in the wrathful Consuming fire: that is; it receiveth its lustre, and shine from the fire; a similitude whereof we have in all outward fires: where we see that the light ariseth in the fire; but yet hath far nother Source than the fire: for the fire is painful, but the light is meek, pleasant, Lovely, and yields Essence. 2. The Fire causeth light, and air; and out of the air cometh the water by reason of the meekness of the light; for the Lubet to the fire is mortified in the fire-blaze: and so, that which is mortified in the fire is a meek Essence, yet it's only a Spirit: but when it proceedeth from the fire in the light, it Coagulateth, and is the death of the fire: whereby the fire goeth out: but if it be of a spiritual nature it is the food, and refreshment of the fire: and we see plainly, that every burning fire putteth forth an air, and out of the air a water: which air and watery Spirit the fire draweth again into itself, for its own life and lustre: else if it cannot have it; it is soon extinct, and goeth out: that is; it smothers: for the air is its life; and yet it begetteth the air. 3. Thus likewise we are to consider of the divine Being: how the Eternal Understanding of the Abyss introduceth itself into the Bysse and Essence: viz. into an Eternal Generation and Devoration, wherein the manifestation of the Abyss consists; and is an Eternal Love-play; that the Abyss doth so wrestle sport and play with itself in its own conceived [or amassed] Bysse: it gives itself into the something; and again takes the something into itself: and thence brings or gives forth another thing: it introduceth itself into a Lubet, and desire; moreover into Power Strength, and Virtue, and mutually produceth one degree from the other, and through the other, that so it might be an Eternal Play, and Melody in itself. 4. And this we are to consider of in the fifth Form of Nature: when the Powers of the Eternal Word or understanding, are made manifest through the Eternal spiritual fire, in the Eternal light of the Majesty, (that each Power or property is manifest in itself, and entereth into a Feeling, Tasting, Smelling, Hearing, Seeing Essence; which is effected through the fire, where all things become Spritfull, quick and full of life:) even then one Property entereth mutually into another▪ for they are all proceeded out of one: viz. out of the free Lubet: therefore also this free Lubet is yet in all, and they all jointly desire to enter again into this free Lubet; viz. into the One; and there, when one tasteth smelleth feeleth heareth and seethe the other in the Essence, they do embrace each other in their holy Conjunction: wherein then the real divine Kingdom of joy consisteth; so likewise the growing and flourishing life of this world: as may be understood by way of Similitude in the Seven Properties, and the light and power of the Sun. 5. The divine Kingdom of joy in the Heaven of God (viz. in God manifested in his Expressed or Spirated Essence, as I might speak it to the understanding) consisteth in the Love-desire: viz. in the Power which hath manifested itself through the fire in the light: for the fire giveth unto the meek free Lubet Essence and Source; that it is Severized, and moved, and becomes a Kingdom of joy. 6. And thus we are to consider of the darkness; whatsoever is a desiring Love in the light, wherein all things rejoice and melodize in Love: that in the darkness is an enmity: for the fire is cold and burning hot in the darkness: moreover bitter astringent Compunctive; the Properties are wholly rigorous and full of enmity and opposition: they seek not the One: but only the advancement of their own might: and the greater their Elevation, and inflammation is; the Greater is the o The Kingdom of joy. joy in the light. 7. That which is good and holy in the p Or light of power. powerful light that in the darkness is anxious and adverse; the darkness is the greatest enmity of the light and yet it is the cause that the light is manifest: for if there were no Black, then white could not be manifest to itself: and if there were no Sorrow, than joy were also not manifest to itself. 8. Thus the joy doth triumph in itself, that it is not as the Sorrow: and the Sorrow triumpheth in itself, that it is a Might and strength of the fire, and light: hence arise Pride, and Self-will; because the dark fires Might giveth the Essence and motive Source to the light: which did so affect, and move King Lucifer, that he exalted himself in the root of the fire, to rule and domineer over the fire, and light, and therefore was cast out of the light into darkness: and the light withdrew from him. 9 Therefore understand us well here, what Hell and the dark world or the Anger of God, is: of which the holy Scripture speaketh plainly that there is an hell, that is, a Gulf of Desperation, or pit devoid of the hope of God and all good: now we are not to understand it to be any local Place apart, but it is the first ground to the Eternal Nature: the place is between the Kingdom of God and this world, and maketh a peculiar Principle, dwelling in itself, and hath neither place, nor local abode, and is every where, but inhabiting itself only, and yet it giveth Essence to the light-and outward-world; that is, it is the Cause to the Source, viz. the Fire: and is the whole Being of all God's Beings. 10. In the darkness he is an Angry zealous God, and in the fire-Spirit a Consuming fire: and in the light he is a merciful Loving God: and in the Power of the light, he is especially, above all other Properties, called God: and yet 'tis all but God manifested; who manifesteth himself through the Eternal Nature in ingredient Properties: else, if I would say what God is in his Depth: then I must say: that he is wholly without Nature, and Properties: being an understanding, and Original, of all Beings; the Beings are his manifestation, and thereof we have only Ability to write; and not of the unmanifested God, who also were not known to himself without his manifestation. The Original of Life ♃ . Jupiter. 11. THe sixth Property of Nature and of all beings, ariseth also out of all the rest, and is manifest in the fire through the light in the Love-desire; it is Nature's understanding, voice, Sound, speech; and all whatsoever soundeth, both in things with life and without life: its true Original is from the Astringent desire or impression of the first, second, and third Form, whence the motion, and hardness ariseth: the Essence of the Coagulation is Consumed in the fire, and from the Devoration there proceedeth such a spirit, both according to the property of the light, in the Love; and according the annoying hateful Source, and anxious Property, in the darkness: and this we are thus to understand. 12. Each Spirit desireth Essence after its likeness: now there proceedeth forth no more save one Spirit from the fire (which is a Spiritual understanding, that is, the manifestation of the Understanding of the Abyss or God) which doth re-conceive itself in the Love-desire: and formeth itself in the properties of the Powers: and this mutual intercourse, Consent, and intimate entire assimulation, one with another, is the pleasant taste of Love. 13. But the Conceived in the Love-desire; where the desire doth again Coagulate the Powers and introduce them into Forms, viz. into a substantial Spirit, where the powers are able manifestly to move and Act; that (I say) is now the natural and creatural understanding which was in the word (as John 1.) in him was the life, and that life was the light of men. 14. This harmony of hearing seeing feeling tasting and smelling, is the true intellective life; for when one power entereth into another than they embrace each other in the Sound, and when they penetrate each other, they mutually awaken and know each other; and in this knowledge consists the true understanding which is innumerable, immense, and abyssal, according to the nature of the Eternal Wisdom, viz. of the ONE, which is ALL. 15. Therefore one only will, if it hath divine light in it, may draw out of this fountain, and behold the infiniteness, from which Contemplation this Pen hath written. 16. Now there belong unto the manifest life or Sound of the Powers, hardness and softness, thickness, and thinness, and a motion: for without motion all is Still: and yet there can be no clear Sound without the fires Essence, for the fire first maketh the Sound in the hardness and softness. 17. Also there could be no Sound without a Conception, and therefore all forms belong unto the Sound: 1. The desire maketh hardness. 2. The Compunction moveth. 3. the Anguish doth amass it into an Essence, for distinction. 4. The fire changeth in its Devoration, the grossness of the first amassed Essence, into a Spirit or Sound. 5. Which the desire doth again receive in its Softness and meekness and formeth it to a voice, tone, or express, according to the Powers. 6. And the Conceived or form is the vital Sound, or distinct understanding [or the articulate knowledge of all Sounds voices, powers colours and virtues in Nature and Creature.] 18. This is now the Manifested Word, which in itself is only One Power, wherein all Powers are Contained: but thus it manifesteth it self through the Eternal and Temporal Nature, and puts forth itself in Forms, for its expression, for the form word hath the like Might in it as to re-produce its likeness: viz. such a being as the birth of the Spirit is. 19 In the light of God which is called the Kingdom of Heaven, the Sound is wholly soft, pleasant Lovely pure and thin; yea as a stillness in reference to our outward gross shrillnesse in our pronouncing Speaking Sounding sing and chanting; as if the mind did play and melodize in a Kingdom of joy within itself, and did hear in a most entire inward manner, such a sweet pleasing Melody and tune; and yet outwardly did neither hear or understand it: for in the Essence of the light all is Subtle, in manner as the Thoughts do play and make mutual melody in one another: and yet there is a real, intelligible, distinct, Sound and Speech used, and heard by the Angels in the Kingdom of glory: but according to their world's Property: for where the Sound is gross harsh, and shrill, there it is strong in the dark impression; and there the fire is vehement and burning: as we men after the Fall of Adam, have so awaked and enkindled the fire of the dark world, in our Vital Essence; that our vital Sound is gross and Beastlike, resembling the Abyss: and the like is to be understood of the Sound in the darkness; for as the generation of the word, is, in its manifestation in the light, in the holy Power: so also in the darkness: but altogether rigorous harsh, hard and gross: that which giveth a pleasing Sound, and lovely tune in the light that maketh in the darkness a dulsome harsh Hideous noise, devoid of any true sound: and this proceeds from the Essence of the Astringent hard, Compunctive Anxious Generation: viz. from the Original of the coldness, or cold fires Source. CHAP. VI Of the Essence of Corporallity. The Seventh Form of Nature. ☽ Luna and ♄ Saturnus. Beginning— End. 1. WE acknowledge that God in his own Essence is no Essence; but only the Alone Power or the q Or Original. understanding to the Essence: viz. an unsearchable Eternal will wherein all things are couched: and the same is ALL, and yet is only ONE; but yet desireth to manifest itself, and introduce itself into a spiritual Essence, which is effected in the Power of the light, through the fire in the Love-desire. 2. But yet the true divine Essence, (understand Essence, and not the Spirit of God,) is nothing else but the understanding manifested, or the formation of the Powers, and it consists in the desire, that is in the Love-desire, where one power doth experimentally and knowingly taste smell feel see hear another, in the Essence and Source of the Property: whence the great ardent Longing desire ariseth: in these Properties the manifested God is understood, as in a fiery flame of Love-desire, wherein there is a mere pleasing taste, sweet-breathing smell ravishing melody, Lovely and delightful Seeing, Smiling and friendly Aspect, a gracious delight pleasure or feeling: and yet it is only a spiritual Essence, where the Powers only, (which have introduced themselves through the Impression, into property, and manifested themselves through the fire in the light,) do mutually as in a Love-play wrestle with, and in one another, like a pleasant Song, or pregnant harmony, or Kingdom of joy: this is now the Spiritual Essence of God manifested; [and] how the Powerful All-essentiall word, doth manifest itself in its own Peculiar generation, wherein the melodious Play of the divine wisdom, is understood. 3. But if we would speak of the heavenly or divine Essentiality, wherein the divine powers, do introduce themselves again into formings more externally, than we must say, that the powers of the formed, and manifested Word, do again in their Love-desire introduce themselves into an Externall Essence, according to the property of all the Powers; wherein they, as in a mansion, may Act their Love-play, and so have somewhat, wherewith and wherein, mutually to play and melodize one with another, in their wrestling sport of Love: and this is thus to be understood. 4. As a Mineral Power lieth in the earth, and is enkindled by the Sun: whereby it beginneth to stir and spring, and becomes desirous of the powers of the Sun, and attracts them into it: but in this longing desire it doth amass itself and form itself to a body, viz. a root, or the like: from which root, there groweth forth in this hungry desire, such a body, or herb as the first Power was; thus likewise the manifested Powers of God do form themselves into an external Degree: viz. into an Essence, or Corporallity; to speak in reference to the Spirit, whereas we must only understand a Spiritual Essence, but yet Corporeal or Essential, in reference to the Spirit of the Powers: as the water is a thicker substance than the Air: for the air penetrates the water: the like is to be understood concerning the divine Powers and Essence. 5. The Powers stand manifest in an oily Property; but the oily is manifest in a watery Property: therefore the Essence of the divine Powers consisteth in a Spiritual water, viz. in the holy Element whence this world with the four Elements, (as a degree more external,) was brought forth and created into a Substantial Form. 6. And in this holy Element, or Spiritual water we do understand holy Paradise in which the manifested Powers of God, do work: which holy Element in the beginning of this outward world did Penetrate, and pullulate through the four Elements: in which Power there grew such fruit, wherein the vanity of the wrath was not manifest; which man negligently lost: so that the lively buddings of the holy Element, through the four Elements and the Earth, did cease: for the Curse of vanity was manifest, and did effectually work and spring forth out of the earth. 7. Thus by the seventh Form of the Eternal Nature we understand the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven wherein the Power of God is Essential; which Essence is tinctured by the Lustre and Power of the fire and light; for the Lustre of the Spiritual fire, and light, is the working life in the Spiritual water: viz. in the holy Element: for this water (being the amassed or congealed Essence of the divine Powers) is moving: but yet it is as an Essence void of understanding in reference to the divine Powers; for it is a degree more external, as every Substance or body is inferior to the Spirit; the oily Essence is the Spirit of the water: viz. of the watery Spirit: and the manifested Powers of God, are the Spirit of the oil or oily Spirit; and the Eternal Understanding of the Word, is the beginning of the manifested Powers: and one degree goeth forth mutually from another: and All r Or Beings; or all the Universal created Substance, is only God revealed, God manifested, God expressed. Essence is nothing else, but the manifested God. 8. When we consider, what kind of life Motion and Dominion was before the times of this outward world, in the place of this world: and what Eternity is: then we find; that it was, and is unto Eternity, such a life motion and Dominion, as is above mentioned. 9 The outward world with the four Elements and Stars, is a Figure of the internal Powers of the Spiritual world, and was expressed or breathed forth by the motion of God, (when he moved the internal Spiritual world,) and amassed by the divine desire of the inward Powers; and introduced into a creatural Being, both out of the internal spiritual dark-world, and also out of the holy light-world. 10. This outward world is as a smoke, or vaprous steam of the fire-Spirit and water-Spirit, breathed forth, both out of the holy and then also out of the dark world; and therefore it is evil and good; and consists in Love and anger; and is only as a smoke or misty exhalation, in reference and respect to the spiritual world: and hath again introduced itself with its Properties, into forms of the Powers, to a Pregnatresse; as is to be seen in the Stars Elements and creatures; and likewise in the growing Trees and herbs; it maketh in itself with its birth, another Principle or beginning; for the Pregnatresse of time, is a Model or platform of the Eternal Pregnatresse; and time coucheth in Eternity: and it is nothing else, but that the Eternity in its wonderful birth and manifestation in its Powers and strength, doth thus behold itself, in a form or Time. 11. And now as we do acknowledge, that in the Spiritual holy world there is an Essence: viz. a comprehensive Essence: which consisteth in the Spiritual Sulphur, Mercurius, and Sal in an oily, and watery Bysse: wherein the divine Powers play, and work: so likewise in the dark world there is such a Property: but altogether adverse odious opposite spiteful envious bitter and compunctive: it hath also Essence s Or, of. according to its desire: but altogether of a fell raw indigested watery Nature, wholly sharp and harsh, like to the Property of the rough hard stones or wild earth; of a cold and scorching, dark and fiery Property: all which is a contrarium to Love: that so it might be known what Love or Sorrow is. 12. That the fullness of joy might know itself in itself, the Keen Tartness of the Source must be a cause of the joy; and the darkness a manifestation of the light; that so the light might be manifestly known, which could not be in the ONE. 13. But to answer the Readers desire briefly and fully, concerning the seven Properties of the Eternal nature which make three Principles, or worlds, I will (out of Love, for the sake of the simple,) yet once more set down the forms in brief, as an A. B. C. for his further Consideration and meditation. I. Form; Astringent; Desire. 14. LO! the Desire of the Eternal Word, which is good: is the beginning of the Eternal Nature, and is the Congealing of the Eternal Nothing into Something; it is the Cause of Essences; also of cold and heat; so likewise of the water and air; and the formation of the Powers: and a cause of the taste, a mother of all Salts. II. Form, bitter; Compunctive. 15. THe motion of the Desire viz. the attraction is the other Form of Nature, a cause of all life and Stirring; so also of the Senses; and distinction. III. Form; Anguish, Perceivance. 16. THe Anguish viz. the Sensibility is the the third Form, a Cause of the Mind, wherein the Senses are moved and acted. iv Fire, Spirit; Reason; Desire. 17. THe fire is a cause of the true Spiritual life, wherein the holy Powers of the free Lubet are delivered from the Astringent undigested roughness; for the fire in its Essence devoureth the dark Substance of the Impression; and works it forth out of itself, out of the light, into Spiritual Powers. V Form; Light, Love. 18. THe holy Spiritual Love-desire, where the holy will of God hath exacuated itself in the harsh impression; and manifested itself through the fire with the Power of the Omnipotence; that now brings itself forth through the fire in the light; and so in the Powers it is introduced into life and motion, in the desire; and herein the Holy Generation, and the Triumphant Kingdom of the great Love of God, doth consist, and is manifest. VI Form, Sound, Voice, Word. 19 THe sixth is the Sound of the divine Word proceeding from the divine Powers; which is form in the Love-desire; and introduced into a manifest word of all Powers; wherein the manifestation of the divine Kingdom of joy, in the free Lubet of God's wisdom, consisteth. VII. Form; Essence, Being, Mansion. 20. THe seventh is the form Essence of the Powers, viz. a manifestation of the Powers: what the first six are in the Spirit, that the Seventh is in a Comprehensible Essence, as a mansion and house of all the rest or as a body of the Spirit wherein the Spirit worketh, and playeth with itself: also it is a food of the fire, whence the fire draweth Essence for its Sustenance, wherein it burneth; and the Seventh is the Kingdom of the divine glory: and the Seven are thus named or expressed, 21. The Out-Birth or Manifestation is this. The Seven Spirits of God, or powers of Nature; as they show and manifest themselves in Love and Anger; both in the Heavenly and Hellish Kingdom, and also in the Kingdom of this world Anger Love 1 Astringent, Desire. Hellish. Heavenly. Hardness Cold covetousness. World. Earthly Kingdom 1 Cold, Hardness, Bone, Salt. 2 Attraction or Compunction of Sense Compunction Envy 2 Poison Life Growth Senses. 3 Anguish or Mind. Enmity. 3 Sulphur, Perceivance, Pain. 4 Fire or Spirit. Pride, Anger 4 Spirit, Reason, Desire. Love Fire 5 Light or Love-Desire. Meekness 5 Venus-Sport Lifes-Light 6 Sound or Understanding. Divine Joy. 6 Speaking, Crying, Distinguishing 7 Body or Essence. Heaven. 7 Body. Wood Stone. Earth. Mettle, Herb. This was received from the Author in such a form by Abraham von Somerveldt 22. Courteous Reader, understand the sense aright and well; the meaning is not to be understood so, as if the Seven Properties were divided, and one were near by another, or sooner manifest than another: all Seven are but as one: and none is the first second, or last: for the last is again the first; as the first introduceth itself into a Spiritual Essence; even so the last into a Corporeal Essence: the last is the body of the first: we must speak thus apart, to write it down and decipher it to the Consideration of the Reader: they are altogether only the Manifestation of God; according to Love and Anger; Eternity and Time. 23. But this we are to mark; that each Property is also essential: and this essence is jointly as one Essence in the Kingdom of heaven: and it's a Mysterium, whence heavenly plants spring forth out of each, Powers property: as the earth is a Mysterium of all trees, and herbs so also of the grass and worms: and the four Elements are a Mysterium of all Animals: and the Astrum a Mysterium of all operations in Animals and Vegetables. 24. Each property is to itself essential, and hath also in its Essence the Essence of all the other six forms; and maketh the essence of the other six forms also essential in its essence; as we see in the Earth and stones, especially in Metals, where oftentimes in One Compaction, all seven metals are couched together: and only one property is principal, which doth Coagulate, and captivate all the rest in itself: and always one is more manifest than the rest: according as each property hath its powerful predominancy in a thing: the like is also to be understood in vegetables; where ofttimes in an herb or piece of wood, there is an Astringent sour harsh bitter anxious or Sulphurous property, also a fiery sweet or luscious flashy or watery quality. CHAP. VII. Of the Holy Trinity, and divine Essence. 1. THe Eternal, and Temporal nature is especially understood in the dark and fire world, viz. in the four first forms: as 1. in the astringent desire: 2. in the bitter Compunction: 3. in the Anguish, or Sensation. 4. In the fire; where the Severation proceedeth forth in the Enkindling [of the fire] in the Flagrat; but the powers both in the internal and external world, are all understood in the light, or love-fire viz. in the love-desire. 2. For their first ground is the Eternal Word viz. the One; wherein all things are couched: the Second ground is the free Lubet of the word; viz. the wisdom; wherein all the Colours of the only Power are manifest in the will of the Deity: the third ground is the Love-desire: wherein the free Lubet with its colours and virtues of the powers hath exacuated itself through nature; and introduced itself through the fires inflammation into a Spiritual Dominion; which [Lubet] displayeth itself with the powers in the light in an Eternal Kingdom of Joy. 3. The fourth ground is the oily Spirit; in that the free Lubet doth amass itself in the fiery Love-desire in the meekness: as in its own peculiar form: and co-amasseth the Lustre, and essence of the fire and light, and introduceth it into the first Essence; which power of the fire and light in the meekness of the free Lubet in the oily property, is the true and holy Tincture. 4. The fift ground is the watery Spirit, arising from the mortification in the fire, where the first Spiritual Essence in the Astringent harsh dark desire was consumed in the fire: now out of the Devoration of the fire there proceedeth forth a Spiritual Essence; which is the oily ground; and a watery Essence from the mortification, which depriveth the fire-spirit of its wrath; so that it is not able to set its wrathful properties on fire in the oily ground: so that the fire must burn through death, and be only a light: else the oily ground would be inflamed: thus the fire in its Devoration, must beget the water, viz. its death; and yet must again have it for its life: else neither the fire nor the light could subsist: and thus there is an Eternal Generation, devoration, receiving, and again Consuming; and yet also it's thus an Eternal Giving: and hath no beginning nor End. 5. Thus we now understand what God and his Essence is: we Christians say, that God is threefold, but only one in Essence: but that we generally say and hold that God is threefold in person, the same is very wrongly apprehended and understood by the ignorant, yea by a great part of the learned: for God is no person save only in Christ: but he is the Eternal Begetting Power, and the Kingdom, with all Beings; all things receive their Original from him. 6. But that we say of God; he is Father, Son, and holy Spirit; that is very rightly said: only we must explain it: else the un-illuminated mind apprehends it not, the Father is first the will of the Abyss: he is without all Nature or beginnings: the will to Something; which doth conceive itself into a Lubet to its own Manifestation. 7. And the Lubet is the Conceived Power of the will, or of the Father: and it is his Son, heart, and Seat: the first Eternal Beginning in the will: and he is therefore called a Son, because he receiveth an Eteernall beginning in the will, with the wills own Conception. 8. Now the will speaketh forth itself by the Conception out of itself, as a Spiration, or manifestation: and this Egress from the will in the Speaking or Spiration is the Spirit of the Deity; or the third Person as the ancients have called it. 9 And the Spirate is the wisdom; viz. the Power of the Colours, and the Virtue of the will, which it Eternally conceiveth to a Lifes-Center, or Heart for its habitation; and doth again Eternally speak it forth out of the Conception; as from its own Eternal form; and yet eternally conceiveth [or Comprehends] it for his Heart's Centre. 10. Thus the Conception of the will viz. of the Father is from Eternity to Eternity, which conceiveth his Speaking Word from Eternity, and speaks it forth from Eternity to Eternity; the Speaking is the mouth of the wills manifestation: and the Egress from the Speaking or Generation, is the Spirit of the Form Word; and that which is spoken forth, is the Power, Colours, and Virtue of the Deity: viz. the Wisdom. 11. Hear we cannot say with any ground: that God is three Persons: but he is threefold in his Eternal Generation: he begetteth himself in Trinity; and yet there is but only one Essence and Generation to be understood in this Eternal Generation; neither Father, Son, nor Spirit, but the only Eternal Life, or Good. 12. The Trinity is first rightly understood in his Eternal Manifestation; where he manifesteth himself through the Eternal Nature, through the Fire in the light. 13. Where we understand three properties in one only Essence: viz. the Father with the fire-world: and the Son with the Love-desire in the light, viz. with the light-world, or with the great Meekness in the fire; and the holy Spirit with the moving life in the Tincture; in the oily, and watery life: and Dominion; who is manifest in the fire, and light: viz. according to the Property of the free Lubet, that is, the Divine property, he is manifest in a great fiery flame of light, and Love: and then according to the property of the dark fire-world, in a wrathful, painful, Sourcive property: and yet he is the only one; in the light he is the Love-fire-flame: and in the enkindled fire in nature he is a Consuming fire, according to which God is called a Consuming fire; and in the dark wrathful Source he is an angry zealous avenger, in which property the Spirits of the dark world consist. 14. The Father is only called an holy God in the Son, that is, in the power of the light in the divine Kingdom of joy; viz. in the great meekness and Love: for that is his proper manifestation wherein he is called God: in the fire he is called an angry God: but in the light, or Love-fire he is called the holy God: and in the dark nature he is not called God. 15. We must make distinction; each world hath its Principle, and Dominion: indeed All is from one Eternal Original: but it severizeth itself into a twofold Source: a Similitude whereof we have in the fire, and light: where the fire is painful, and Consuming, and the light meek and Giving: and yet the one were a nothing without the other. 16. The fire receiveth its Original in nature but the light hath its Original from the free Lubet; viz. from the Powers of the Deity: the will of God doth therefore introduce itself into a fire, that he might manifest the light and the powers, and introduce them into Essence. 17. Albeit I have written here of the forms of nature (understand the etetnall nature) yet it must not be understood as if the Deity were circumscribed, or limited: his wisdom, and Power in divine property is devoid of limit or measure, innumerable, infinite, and unspeakable; I writ only of the properties; how God hath manifested himself through the internal, and external nature; which are the chiefest forms of his manifestation. 18. These seven Properties are to be found in all things; and he is void of understanding that denyeth it: these seven properties, make, in the internal world, the holy Element; viz. the holy natural life, and motion: but this only Element severizeth itself in this external world, into four manifest properties: viz. into four Elements: and yet it is but one only; but divides itself into four headsprings: viz. into fire, air, water, and earth. 19 From the fire ariseth the air: and from the air the water; and from the water the earth, or a Substance which is earthly: and they are only the manifestation of the one internal Element, and are, in t Or before. respect to the internal, as an enkindled smoke, or vaprous steam: so also the whole u Or Constellations. Astrum is nothing else, but Powers breathed forth from the inward fiery dark and light world; from the Great Mind of Divine Manifestation; and is only a form Model or Platform, wherein the great mind of divine Manifestation, beholds itself in a time, and playeth with itself. CHAP. VIII. Of the Creation of Angels, and their Dominion. 1. THe Creation of Angels had a beginning, but the Powers out of which they are created never had any beginning; but were concomitant in the birth of the Eternal beginning; not that x Viz. The Powers. they are the holy Trinity, or in the same; but they were conceived of the desire of divine manifestation, out of the Eternal dark fiery, and light-nature; out of the Manifested Word, and introduced into creaturely forms and shapes. 2. God who is a Spirit, hath by and through his manifestation, introduced himself into distinct Spirits, which are the voices of his Eternal pregnant harmony in the Manifested Word of his Great Kingdom of joy; they are God's Instrument, in which the Spirit of God melodizeth in his Kingdom of joy: they are the flames of fire and light, but in a living understanding Dominion. 3. For the Powers of the Deity are in them, in like manner, as they are in men, as John saith Chap. 1. the life of men was in the word; so also the life of the angels was in the word from Eternity: for Matth. 22. ver. 30. it's written; in the Resurrection they (understand men) are as the Angels of God in Heaven. 4. And as we understand principall-formes in the divine manifestation through the Eternal nature: so likewise we are to understand archangels, or Angelical Principalities, with many legions: but especially in three Hierarchies according to the property of the holy Trinity, and also the three Principles, as cannot be denied. 5. As 1. One Hierarchy is to be understood according to the dark world with the Kingdom of Lucifer, who hath plunged himself thereinto; and the other is understood with the light fiery, and dark world: and the third is understood with the Mystery of the outward world; wherewith the internal hath made itself manifest. 6. Each Hierarchy hath its princely dominion and Order: viz. they in the dark world, in God's wrath; and those in the holy world, in God's Love; and they which are in the outward world, in God's great wonders, both according to Love, and Anger. 7. They which are in the dark world bear the Name (or the names) of the great Anger of God according to the Properties of the Eternal nature in the wrath: and they, which are in the light bear the names of the holy God, viz. of the divine Powers: and they which are in the creation of the wonders of the outward world, bear the names of the manifested powers of the outward world; viz: of the Planets, Stars, and four Elements. 8. They which are in the dark world, domineer in the nature of the manifested wrath: viz. in the properties of God's Anger, and have their Princely Dominions therein: and they which are in the holy world rule in the Powers of the Triumphant world: viz. in the great holy Kingdom of joy in the wonders of the holy wisdom: and they which are in the outward world reign over the Powers of the Stars, and four Elements, and have also their Princely Dominion over the world; and their Kingdoms and Principalities, for defence against the destroyer in the wrath. 9 Each Country hath its Princely Angel-Protectour with its Legions: also there are Angels over the four Elements, over the fire, and over the air, over the water, and over the Earth; and they are altogether only ministering Spirits of the Great God, sent forth for the Service of those which shall obtain Salvation; as it's written, the Angel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear him: they are the officers, and Servants of God in his Dominion, who are active and full of motion. 10. For God never moveth himself save only in himself: but seeing his manifestation of the Eternal and Externall Nature is in Combat: thereupon the Spirits of the dark world are against the Spirits of the holy world but especially against man, who is manifest both in good and evil: God hath set the one against the other, that his Glory might be manifest both in his Love, and in his Anger. 11. For as we men have Dominions upon the Earth: so likewise the Superior Hosts under the y Or Starry Sky. Astrum have their Dominions: so also the oily Spirits in the Element Aire: the whole Deep between the Stars and the earth, is inhabited and not void and empty. Each Dominion hath its own Principle: which seems somewhat ridiculous to us men; because we see them not with our Eyes; not considering that our eyes are not of their Essence and property; so that we are neither able to see nor perceive them; for we live not in their Principle, therefore we cannot see them. 12. As in the Divine Manifestation of the Divine Powers, one Degree orderly proceedeth forth from another, even unto the most external manifestation: the like also is to be understood of the Angels or Spirits: they are not all holy which dwell in the Elements; for as the wrath of the Eternal Nature is manifest in the dark world; so likewise, in the outward world, in its property. 13. Also the Spirits of the external world are not all Eternal, but some are only z Having a beginning, and an end. Temporal. inchoative, which take their Original naturally in the Spirit of the external world, and pass away through nature, and only their shadow remains, as of all other Beasts upon the Earth. 14. Whatsoever reacheth not the holy Element and the Eternal fire-world, that is devoid of an Eternal life; for it ariseth out of time: and that which proceedeth out of Time, is consumed and eaten up of Time; except it hath an a Eternal being, essence, property, life or Principle. Eternal in its Temporal: that the Eternal doth uphold the Temporal. 15. For the Eternal dwelleth not in time: and albeit it be clothed with the Essence of time; yet the Eternal dwelleth in the Eternal in itself, and the Temporal in the Temporal: as it is to be understood with the Soul and Body of man; where the Soul is from the Eternal, and the external body from time; and yet there is an Eternal in the Temporal body; which verily disappeared in Adam as to the Eternal light; which must be borne again through Christ. 16. And we are not to understand, that the holy Angels dwell only above the Stars without the place of this world, as reason which understands nothing of God, phancieth: indeed they dwell without the Dominion and Source of this world; but in the place of this world: albeit there is no place in the Eternity: the place of this world, and also the place without this world is all one unto them. 17. For the beginning of the Source, viz. of the four Elements, together with the b Or Planetick Orb. Astrum maketh only one place: there is no place in the internal; but All wholly entire: whatsoever is above the Stars without this world, that is likewise internally without the four Elements in the place of this world; else God were divided. 18. The Angelical world is in the lieu or place of this world internally; and this same world's Abyss is the Great darkness, where the Devils have their Dominion; which also is not confined or shut up in any place; for the Eternity is also their place, where there is no Bysse: only the Essence, and property of their world is the Bysse of their habitation; as the four Elements are the habitation of our external humanity: they have also in the darkness an Element, according to the dark world's property, else God were divided in his wrath; for where ever I can say, here is God in his Love: even there I can also say; that God is in his Anger, only a Principle Severs it. 19 Like as we men see not the Angels and Devils with our eyes; and yet they are about us, and among us: the reason is, because they dwell not in the Source and Dominion of our world; neither have they the property of the external world on them: but each Spirit is clothed with his own world's Property wherein it dwelleth. 20. The beginning of each world's Source, is that limit, which divides one world from the view and ken of the other: for the Devils are a nothing in the heavenly Source: for they have not its Source in them; and albeit they have it, yet it is unto them as if it were shut up in death; like as an iron that is red hot; so long as the fire pierceth it, its fire: and when the fire goeth out, it's a dark iron: the like is to be understood concerning the Spirits. 21. So likewise the Angels are a nothing in the darkness; they are verily in it: but they neither see nor feel it: that which is a pain to the Devils, that same is a joy to the Angels in their Source: and so, what is pleasing, and delightful to the Devils, that the Angels cannot abide: there is a great Gulf between them; that is, a whole birth. 22. For what else is able to sever the light from the darkness, save only a birth of Sight, or light: the light dwelleth in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not, John 1. As the external Sunshine dwelleth and shineth in the darkness of this world; and the darkness comprehends it not: but when the light of the Sun withdraweth, than the darkness is manifest: Hear is no other Gulf between them, save only a birth. 23. Thus we are likewise to conceive of the Eternal light of God, and the Eternal darkness of God's Anger: there is but one only ground of All; and that is the Manifested God: but it is severed into sundry Principles and properties: for the Scripture saith, that the holy, is unto God a good Savour to life, understand to the holy divine life: viz. in the Power of the light, and the wicked is unto God a good savour to death: that is in his wrath: viz. in the Essence Source, and Dominion of the dark world. 24. For the God of the holy world, and the God of the dark world, are not two Gods: there is but one only God: he himself is the whole Being▪ he is c In his wrath, Plagues▪ and Hell Torment. Evil and Good, heaven and hell, light▪ and darkness, Eternity and time, Beginning and End: where his love is hid in any d Being Essence or Substance. thing, there his Anger is manifest: in many a thing Love and Anger are in equal measure and weight; as is to be understood in this outward world's Essence. 25. But now he is only called a God according to his light in his Love, and not according to the darkness, also not according to this Outward world: Albeit he himself be ALL, yet we must consider the Degrees; how one thing mutually proceeds from another: for I can neither say of heaven, nor of darkness, or of this outward world; that they are God: none of them are God: but the expressed and form Word of God; a Mirror of the Spirit which is called God: wherewith the Spirit manifesteth itself: and playeth in its Lubet to its self with this manifestation as with its own Essence, which it hath made: and yet the Essence is not sundered from the Spirit of God: and yet also the Essence comprehends not the Deity. 26. As body and Soul are one; and yet the one is not the other; or as the fire and the water: or the air and the earth are from one Original, and yet they are particularly distinct; but yet they are mutually bound to each other: and the one were a nothing without the other: and thus we are to conceive and consider likewise of the Divine Essence; and also of the divine Power. 27. The Power in the light is God's Love-fire; and the Power in the darkness is the fire of God's anger: and yet it is but one only fire: but divided into two Principles, that the one might be manifest in the other: for the flame of anger is the manifestation of the great Love: and in the darkness the light is made known, else it were not manifest to itself. 28. Thus we are to understand; that the evil, and good Angels dwell near one another: and yet there is the greatest immense distance [between them]: for the heaven is in hell; and the hell is in heaven: and yet the one is not manifest to the other: and although the Devil should go many millions of miles desiring to enter into heaven, and to see it; yet he would be still in hell, and not see it: also the Angels see not the darkness, for their Sight is mere light of divine Power; and the Devil's sight is mere darkness of God's Anger: the like is also to be understood of the Saints, and again of the wicked: Therefore in that we in Adam have lost the Divine Sight; in which Adam saw by the divine Power: Christ saith: you must be borne anew; else you cannot see the Kingdom of God. 29. In the fire-Spirit we are to understand the angelical Creation: where the will of the Abyss introduceth itself into Bysse: and manifesteth the Eternal Speaking Word or life with the fiery birth; viz. with the first Principle, where the spiritual Dominion is manifest by the fire-birth: In this Spiritual fire, all Angels do take their Original; viz. out of the forms to the fire-Source; for no creature can be created out of the fire: for it is no Essence; but out of the properties to the fire a Creature may be apprehended in the desire viz. in the verbum Fiat; and introduced into a creatural form and Property. 30. And therefore there are many, and divers sorts of Angels: also in many distinct Offices: and as there are three forms to the fire-Source; so there are also three Hierarchies; and therein their Princely Dominions: and likewise three worlds in one another as one; which make three Principles or Beginnings: for each Property of the Eternal Nature hath its Degrees; for they do explicate and mutually unfold themselves in the fire-blaze, and out of those degrees, the different distinction of Spirits, is created. 31. And we are to understand nothing else by the Creation of the Angels and of all other Spirits; but that the abyssal God hath introduced himself into his manifested Properties and out of those Properties into living Creatures: by which he possesseth the Degrees, and therewith playeth in the properties: they are his Strings in the All-Essentiall Speaking: and are all of them tuned for the Great Harmony of his Eternal Speaking Word: so that in all degrees and Properties the voice of the unsearchable God is manifest and made known: they are all created for the Praise of God. 32. For, All whatsoever hath life, liveth in the Speaking Word: the Angels in the Eternal Speaking; and the Temporal Spirits in the re-expression or Echoing forth of the Forming of Time, out of the Sound, or breath of time; and the Angels out of the Sound of Eternity: viz. out of the voice of the manifested word of God. 33. And therefore they bear the names of the several degrees in the manifested voice of God; and one degree is more holy in the Power than another; Therefore the Angels also in their Quires are differenced in the Power of the Divine Might: and one hath a more holy Function to discharge then another; an example whereof we have by the Priests in the old Testament in their Ordinances; which were instituted after an angelical manner. 34. Albeit earthly; yet there was even such an angelical understanding and meaning couched therein; which God did represent upon Jesus which was to come into the humane Property; and so alluded with Israel in the Type, at the Eternal which was to come, which, Jesus out of Jehova did restore, and introduce into the humane, property; which the Earthly Reason hath neither apprehended or understood: but seeing the time is e Manifest or come about. borne, and the beginning hath again found the End, it shall be manifest, for a witness unto all Nations: showeth the Spirit of Wonders. CHAP. IX. Of the Fall of Lucifer with his Legions. 1. ALbeit selfe-Reason might here cavil at us, and say, we were not by, when this was done: yet we say that we in a Magical manner according to the Right of Eternity, were really there, and saw this: but not I, who am I, have seen it; for I was not as yet a Creature; but we have seen it in the Essence of the Soul which God breathed into Adam. 2. Now then, if God dwelleth in this same Essence; and hath from all Eternity dwelled therein: and manifesteth himself in his own mirror; and looketh back through the Essence of the Soul, into the beginning of all Beings; what then hath Reason to do, to taunt, and cavil at me about that, wherein itself is blind? I must warn Reason; that it would once behold itself in the Lookingglass of the understanding, and consider what itself is; and leave off from the Building of mad Babel; it will be time. 3. The Fall of Lucifer came not to pass from God's purpose or Appointment; indeed it was known in the wrath of God, according to the property of the dark world, how it could or would come to pass; but in God's holiness, viz. in the light, there was no such desire manifest in any such property; otherwise the holy God must have a devilish or hellish wrathful desire in his Love; which is nothing so; but in the Centre of the Eternal nature, viz. in the forms to fire, there is verily such a property, in the Dark impression. 4. Every good Angel hath the Centre in him; and is manifest in a creatural Property in one degree or other in the Centre; what property is f Chiefest, most predominant. or manifest. greatest in the Creature, according to that, it hath its office, and Dominion. 5. Yet the Angels, which were created out of the degrees of the Centre, were created for and to the light; the light was manifest in All; and they had Free will from the Manifested will of Gods will. 6. Lucifer had still been an Angel, if his own will had not introduced him into the fires-Might, desiring to domineer in the strong fiery-Might, above and in all things as an absolute sole God in darkness and light; had he but continued in the Harmony wherein God had created him; [what would have cast him out of the light?] 7. Now Reason saith, he could not: then tell me who compelled him? was he not I prithee the most glorious Prince in heaven: had he introduced his will into the Divine Meekness, than he could [have been able to stand;] but if he * In his own will, which was from the Eternal will, was both the possibility and Ability. would not then he could not; for his own desire went into the Centre: he would himself be God; He entered with his will into Self g Selfehood, or selfness. ; and in Self is the Centre of Nature; viz. those properties wherein his will would be Lord and Master, in the house. 8. But God created him for his Harmony, to play with his Love-Spirit in him, as upon the musical Instrument of his manifested and form Word: and this the self-will would not. 9 Now saith reason; how came it, that he would not? did not he know the Judgement of God and the fall? yea, he knew it well enough: but he had no Sensible Perceivance of the fall; but only as a bare h Or Noticnall Theory, in the Mystery of his mind. knowledge; the fiery Lubet which was potent in him: did egg him on; for it would feign be manifest in the Essence of the wrath; viz. in the root of fire: the darkness also eagerly desired to be creatural, which drew Lucifer, its crafts-Master, in the great Potency of fire; indeed it drew him not i Outwardly. from without; but in the Property and will of his own fiery and dark Essence: the Original of the Fall was within the Creature and not without the Creature: and so it was in Adam also: Self-will was the beginning of Pride. 10. Thou askest; what was that which did cause it in himself? Answer: his great beauty, and glory; because the will beheld what itself was in the fiery mirror: this Lustrous glance did move and affect him so that he did eagerly reach after the Properties of the Centre; which forthwith began effectually to work: for the Astringent Austere Desire, viz. the first form or property, did impress itself, and awakened the compunction, and the Anxious desire: thus this beautiful Star did overshadow its light; and made its Essence wholly Astringent, rigorous, and harsh, and its meekness and true Angelical Property, was turned into an Essence wholly Austere, harsh, rigorous and Dark: and then this bright Morning Star was undone; and as he did, so did his Legions: and this was his fall. 11. He should have been wholly resigned in the holy Power of God; and hear what the Lord would speak and play by his own Spirit in him; this, Self-will would not do; and therefore he must now play in the dark: yea his will is yet opposite; albeit now after the fall he cannot will [viz. to resign to the divine will of the light] for his meekness, whence the Love-will ariseth, is shut up and Entered again into a Nothing: viz. it is retired into its own Original. 12. Now the Creature still remaineth, but wholly out of the Centre viz. out of the Eternal Nature: the free Lubet of God's wisdom is departed from him; that is, it hath hid itself in itself; and letteth the wrathful fire-will, stand: as happened to Adam also, when he imagined after Evil and good, than the free Lubet of the holy worlds-Essence did disappear in his Essence. 13. This was the very death, of which God told him, that if he did eat of the tree of the knowledge of good, and evil; he should die the very same day: thus it was in Lucifer, he died to the holy divine world, and arose to the wrathful world of God's Anger. 14. Thou sayest; wherefore did not God uphold him, and draw him from the evil inclination? I prithee tell me wherewith? should he have poured in more Love and meekness into this fire-Source? then had his Stately light been more manifest in him; and the Looking-glass of his own knowledge, had been the greater, and his own fiery Self-will the Stronger: I pray was not his High light, and his own-selfe-knowledge, the Cause of his fall. 15. Should he then have drawn him with Rebuke? was it not his purpose aforehand to rule the magical ground as an Arstist: his Aim and endeavour was for the Art, that he would play with the Centre of the Transmutation of the Properties; and would be and do, all whatsoever he alone pleased; had he not known this, he had still remained an Angel in humility. 16. Therefore the children of darkness, and the children of this world also, are wiser than the children of the light as the Scripture saith. Thou askest, why? they have the Magical root of the Original of Essences manifest in them: and this was even the desire of Adam: however the Devil persuaded them that they should be wiser; their eyes should be opened, and they should be as God himself. 17. This folly caused King Lucifer to aspire, desiring to be an Artist, and absolute Lord, like the Creator. The water of meekness had been good for his fire will; but he would none of that: hence it is, that the children of God must be the most plain, sincere and Simple; as Esaias prophesied of Christ; who is so simple as my servant the righteous one who turneth many unto righteousness: viz. k Or to. upon the way of humility. 18. All Angels live in humility and are resigned to the Spirit of God, and are in the Eternal Speaking Word of God as a well-tuned pure-Sounding Instrument, in the harmony of the Kingdom of heaven; of which the Holy Ghost is chief Master, and Ruler. 19 But the Devil hath forged to himself a strange fooles-play; where he can act his gulleries with his sundry Interludes, and disguizments; and demean himself like an Apish fool; and transform himself into monstrous strange, and hideous shapes and figures: and mock at the Image of Angelical Simplicity, and Obedience; and this was his aim and intent, for which he departed from the harmony of the Angelical Quires: for the Scripture saith, tthat he was a murderer and liar from the beginning; his juggling feats, and fictions, are mere strange figures and lies; which God never form in him; but he brings them to forms and shapes in himself: and being that they are contrary to his Creation, they are lies and abominations. 20. He was an Angel, and hath belied his Angelical form and obedience; and is entered into the Abomination of fictions, lies, and mockeries: he hath awakened the envious hateful forms and properties of the dark world, in his Centre, whence wrath and iniquity springeth: he sat in heavenly Pomp and glory; and introduced his hateful desire, and malicious will, into the Essence, viz. into the water-Source; and cast forth his streams of Enmity and malignity. 21. His Properties were as the venomous stings of Serpents, which he put forth out of himself: when the Love of God was withdrawn from him, he figured his Image, according to the Property of the wrathful forms; (wherein there are also evil Beasts, and worms in the Serpentine shape,) and infected, or awakened the Salniter of the Centre of nature in the Expressed Essence, in the Generation of the Eternal nature; whence the Combat arose, that the Great Prince Michael fought with him, and would no longer endure him in Heaven among the fellowship of the holy Angels. 22. For which Cause the will of the Abyss: viz. of the Eternal Father moved itself, and swallowed him down, as a treacherous perjured wretch, into the Gulf and Sink of Eternal darkness: viz. into an other Principle: the Heaven spewed him out of itself; he fell into the darkness as lightning, and he lost the mansion of God in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the holy Power; and all his servants with him: There he hath the Mother for his enchanting delusions; there he may play them juggling feats, and Antic tricks. 23. Moreover we are to know, that he had his Royal Seat in the Place of this world: therefore Christ calleth him a Prince of this world: viz. in the Kingdom of darkness in the wrath in the place of this world. 24. His Kingly Throne is taken from him; and another hath possession of it in the heavenly world's Property, in the place of this world: he shall not obtain it again. 25. Also (at the instant of the Creation of the Stars and four Elements) another King was established over him, in this place in the Elements; which albeit we could mention; yet at present it remaineth in Silence by reason of the false Magic; also by reason of other Superstitions and Idolatries we will not speak any thing of it here: and yet hint enough unto our School-fellowes. CHAP. X. Of the Creation of Heaven and the Outward World. 1. IT seems strange, and wonderful to Reason, to consider how God hath Created the Stars, and four Elements; especially when it doth contemplate, and consider of the Earth with its hard Stones, and very rough indigested harsh, substance; and seethe, that there are great stones rocks and cliffs created, which are in part useless, and very hindersome, to the employment of the Creatures in this world: than it thinks, whence may this Compaction arise in so many forms, and properties: for there are divers sorts of stones, divers metals, and divers kinds of Earth whence manifold herbs and Trees do grow. 2. Now when it doth thus muse and contemplate, it finds nothing, save only that it doth acknowledge, that there must be an hidden Power and Might, which is abyssal, and unsearchable; which hath Created all things so; and there it sticks; and runs to and fro in the Creation, as a bird that flies up and down in the air; and looks upon all things, as an Ox upon a new door of his Stall, and never so much as considers what itself is; and seldom reacheth so far as to know, that man is an Image extracted out of this whole Being: it runneth up and down as a Beast void of understanding: which desireth only to eat and procreate; and when it comes to its highest degree as to search out and learn Something; than it searcheth in the outward fiction, and artifice of the Stars; or else in some carved work of outward nature: it will by no means simply and sincerely learn to know its Creator; and when it comes to pass that one attaineth so far, as to teach the knowledge of him; yet than it calleth him a fool, and fantastic; and forbids him the precious understanding of God, and imputes it to him for sin, and revileth him therein. 3. Such mere Animals we are, since the Fall of Adam; that we do not so much as once consider that we were created in the Image of God; and endued with the right natural and genuine understanding, both of the Eternal, and Temporal nature; so as to mind and bethink ourselves by Great Earnestness, to reobtain that which we have lost: whereas we have yet that very first soul, wherein the true understanding lieth: if we did but seriously labour to have that light which we have lost, to shine again in us; which yet is offered unto us out of Grace. 4. Therefore there will be no excuse at the great day of the Lord, when God shall judge the Secret and hidden things of mankind, because we would not learn to know him, and obey his voice; which daily hath knocked amongst us, and in us; and resign up ourselves unto him; that so our understanding might be opened: and a very Severe Sentence shall he receive who will undertake to be called Master▪ and l Sir. Rabbi; and yet neither knoweth the way of God, or walketh therein, and that which is yet more heinous m Or hindereth. forbiddeth those that desire to know, and walk therein. 5. The Creation of the outward world, is a manifestation of the inward Spiritual Mystery: viz. of the Centre of the Eternal Nature, with the holy Element: and was brought forth by the Eternal Speaking Word through the motion of the inward world as a Spiration; which Eternal Speaking Word hath expressed the Essence out of the inward Spiritual world; and yet there was no such Essence in the Speaking, but was only as a breath or vaprous exhalation in reference to the internal, breathed forth, both from the property of the dark world, and also of the light world: and therefore the outward Essence of this world is good and Evil. 6. And we are with very entire and punctual exactness to consider of this Motion of the Eternal Mystery of the Spiritual world. 1. How it came to pass that such a wrathful rough gross and very Compunctive Essence and Dominion, was brought forth and made manifest, as we see in the outward forms of nature, as well in the moving things, as in the stones and Earth. 2. Whence such a wrath did arise, which hath compacted and introduced the Powers of the Properties into such a harsh nature, [or rude quality] as we see in the earth and stones. 7. For we are not to think, that there is the like in Heaven, viz. in the Spiritual world; in the Spiritual world there are only the properties of Possibility; but not at all manifest in such a harsh property; but are as it were swallowed up; as the light swalloweth up the darkness, and yet the darkness doth really dwell in the light, but not apprehended. 8. Now we are yet to search out, how the desire of the darkness became manifest in the Power of the light; that they both came mutually into the Compaction, or Coagulation: and yet it affordeth us a far greater and more profound consideration; that when man could not stand in the Spiritual Mystery of the paradisical, property, [and estate] that God cursed this Compaction, viz. the Earth; and appointed an Earnest judgement to sever the good in this Compaction again from the Evil: so that the good must thus stand in the Curse, that is, in death; he that doth here see nothing is indeed blind; why would God curse his good Essence; if something were not come into it, which was opposite to the Good; or is God at odds with himself, as reason would be ready to fancy: for it is written in Moses; that God looked upon all that he had made, and behold it was very good. 9 Now Man for whose sake the earth was accursed; had not introduced any thing into the earth, whereby it was now made so Evil, as to cause God to curse it, save only the false and faithless Imagination of his desire to eat of the evil and good: so as to awaken the vanity; viz. the Centre of nature in him, and to know Evil and Good▪ from which desire the hunger entered into the earth; whence the outward body was extracted as a Mass; which set the hunger of its desire again upon its mother; and araised the root of vanity out of the dark Impression of the Centre of nature, whence the Tree of Temptation viz. Evil and good, grew manifest to him; and when he did eat thereof the Earth was accursed for his sake. 10. Now if man by his Powerful Desire, did awaken the wrath in the Earth; what might then Lucifer be able to do, who was likewise an enthroned Prince, and moreover had many Legions? Lucifer had the will of the Strong Might and Power of the Centre of all Beings in himself, as well as Adam, Adam was only one Creature, but Lucifer was a King, and had a Kingdom in possession: viz. an Hierarchy, in the Spiritual world, viz. in the heavenly Salniter in the Generation of the Manifested Word: he was an enthroned Prince in the manifested Power of God: therefore Christ calleth him a Prince of this world: for he sat in the Essence, understand in the Spiritual Essence, whence this world was breathed forth as a Spiration. 11. He it is that by his false desire, which he introduced into the Essence, did awaken the wrath in the internal; as Adam araised the Curse; he raised the Centre of nature with his dark wrathful Property in the like wrathful properties: for he had first awakened the wrath of God in himself; and then this awakened wrath entered into its mother, viz. into the Magical generation; out of which Lucifer was created to a Creature: whereupon the Generation was made proud and aspiring contrary to the Right [or law] of Eternity. 12. Also he sat in his Angelical form in the good holy Essence, as to the Generation of the divine meekness; and therein exalted himself to domineer in the will of his wrath above the meekness, as an absolute peculiar God contrary to the Right of Eternity. 13. But when the Speaking Eternal Word in Love and Anger, for his malicious iniquity sake, did move itself in the Properties; viz. in the Essence wherein Lucifer sat; to cast this wicked Guest out of his habitation into Eternal darkness; then the Essence was compacted: for God would not beteem that he should any longer have these manifested Powers, wherein he was a Prince; but created them into a Coagulation, and spewed him out of them. 14. And in this Impression, or Conjunction, the Powers, viz. the watery and oily Properties, were compacted; not that Lucifer did compact, or Create them; but the Speaking Word of God, which dwelled in the manifested Powers, and properties: the same took away the disobedient child's Patrimony, and cast him out as a perjured wretch out of his inheritance into an Eternal Prison, into the house of darkness, and Anger; wherein he desired to be Master over the Essence of God's Love; and rule therein as a juggler, and Enchanter, and mix the holy with unholy, to act his juggling feats and proud pranks thereby. 15. And we see very clearly with quicksighted eyes, that it is thus: for there is nothing in this world so evil, but it hath a good in it: the Good hath its rise Originally out of the good or heavenly Property, and the Evil hath its descent from the property of the dark world; for both worlds, viz. light, and darkness, are in each other as one. 16. And therefore they also went along together into the Compaction or Coagulation; and that from the Degrees of the Eternal nature: viz. from the properties to the fire-life; and also from the properties in the oily, and Spiritual watery lights Essence. 17. For the Metals are in themselves nothing else but a water and oil; which are held by the wrathful properties; viz. by the Astringent Austere desire; that is; by a Saturnine Marshal, fiery property; in the Compaction of Sulphur and Mercury, to be one body: [or congealed bulk] but if I wholly destroy this body, and severize each into its own property; then I clearly find therein the first Creation. I. Saturnus: Sal. 18. AS first according to the Property of the dark world; according to the Astringent Desire of the Fiat: viz. of the first form to nature, I find a hardness and coldness; and further according to this Astringent Property, a deadly baneful stinking water, from the Astringent Impression: and thirdly in this stinking water, a dead Earth; and fourthly a sharpness like to Salt; from the native right and quality of the Astringency: this is now the Coagulated Essence of the first form of nature, according to the dark world; and it is the Stony substance (understand the grosseness of the Stones) and of all metals, so likewise of the Earth, wherein the mortal part (or the close-binding death) is understood. II. Mercurius. 19 SEcondly I find according to the Second form and property of the dark nature and world's Essence; in the Compaction of the Metals and Stones, a bitter Compunctive, raging Essence; viz. a Poison; which maketh a strong harsh noisome taste in the Earth and Stinking water: and it is the cause of growth: viz. the stirring life: its Property is called Mercurius; and in the first Form according to the Astringency it's called Sal. III. Sulphur. 20. THirdly I find the third Property: viz. the Anguish; which is the Sulphurous Source in which consisteth the various dividing of the Properties; viz. of the Essence. IU. Salniter. 21. FOurthly I find the fire, or heat, which doth awaken the Salniter in the Sulphurous Source, which Severizeth the Compaction; and that is the Flagrat; this is the Original Raiser of the Salniter out of the brimstony, watery, and Earthly Property: for it is the awaker of death: viz. in the mortal Property: and the first Original of the life in the fire: and even to the fire the property of the dark world reacheth, and no further. V Oil. 22. FIftly we find in the Compaction of t●e Metals and Stones, an Oil which is Sweeter than any Sugar can be; so far as it may be separated from the other Properties: it is the first heavenly holy Essence: which hath taken its Original from the free Lubet: it is pure, and transparent; but if the fire-Source be severed from it (albeit it is impossible wholly to Separate it, for the band of the great Triumphant joy consisteth therein) than it is whiter than any thing can be in nature: but by reason of the fire it continues of a n Or Crimson purplered. Rosie-red; which the light changeth into yellow according to the mixture of red and white; by reason of the earthly property, and predominant influence of the Sun. 23. But if the Artist can unloose it, and free it from the fire of the wrath and other properties; then he hath the Pearl of the whole world, understand the Tincture: for Virgin Venus hath her Cabinet of treasure lying there: it is the Virgin with her fair Attire: [or Crown of Pearl.] 24. O thou earthly man hadst thou it yet! here Lucifer and Adam have negligently lost it! O man! didst but thou know what lay here, how wouldst thou seek after it? but it belongeth only unto those, whom God hath chosen thereto: O precious Pearl, how sweet art thou in the new birth: how fair, and surpassing excellent is thy Lustre. VI The living Mercury; Sound. 25. Sixthly we find in this Oily Property a Sovereign Power from the Original of the manifested Powerful Divine Word, which dwelleth in the heavenly property, in which Power, the Sound or tone of metals is distinguished; and therein their growth consisteth: for here it is the holy Mercurius: that which in the Second form of nature in the darkness is Compunctive, harsh, rigid, and a Poison; that is here in the free Lubets property, (when the fire in the salnitral Flagrat hath divided Love and Anger) a pleasant merry Mercury, wherein the joyfulness of the Creature consisteth. 26. And here ye Philosophers lieth the effectual virtue and Powerful operation of your Noble Stone, here it is called Tincture: this operation can Tincture the disappeared water in Luna: for here your Jupiter is a Prince: and Sol a King; and Virgin Venus the King's sweetest Spouse; but Mars must first lay down his Sceptre: also the Devil must first go into Hell; for Christ must bind him, and Tincture Simple Luna which he hath defiled, with the Oil of his heavenly blood: that th● Anger may be changed into joy: thus the Artists Art is borne: understood here, by the children of the Mystery. [VII. Essence, Body.] 27. SEventhly we find in the Separation of the Compaction of the Metals, a white crystalline water, that is; the heavenly water: viz. the water above the Firmament of heaven: which is severed from the oil, as a body of the Oily Property: it gives a white crystalline Lustre in the Metals; and Venus with her Property makes it wholly white; and that is Silver: and Venus in Sol, Gold; and Mars in Venus, Copper; and again Venus in Mars, Iron; Jupiter in Venus, Tin; Saturn in Venus, lead: Mercurius in Venus, quicksilver; and without Venus there is no metal, neither fined, nor Mineral. 28. Thus understand by Venus, heavenly Essentiality, which consisteth in an oil and Crystalline water, which giveth body unto all metals; the spiritual body; it's own peculiar Essence, without the influences of the other properties, is the great Meekness, and Sweetness: its real Peculiar Essence is a sweet Pure water; but the Power of the Manifested Word doth separate the holiest through the fire into an Oil; for in the Oil the fire giveth a shine and Lustre: when the fire tasteth the water in itself; then out of the Taste it giveth an Oil: thus the Oil is Spiritual, and the water corporeal: the Oil is a o Text Corpus. body of the Power; and the water a body of the Properties, which are living in the oil; and do make or use the water for a Mansion: in the water the Elemental life consisteth; and in the oil the p Or life of the Spirit. Spiritual life; and in the Power of oil the divine life, viz. the life of the expressed word, as a manifestation of the Deity. 29. Now we see here, how in the Compaction of the Verbum Fiat, the holy Entered along with the unholy into a Coagulation; for in all things there is a deadly and also a living water: a mortal poisonful virtue, and a good vital virtue: a gross, and a Subtle Power; an evil and a good quality: all which, is according to the nature of God's Love and Anger. 30. the Grossness of the Stones, Metals, and Earth proceed from the property of the dark world, all which, are in a Mortal [property] understand the Substance and not the Spirit: the Spirit of the Grossness is in the poisonful life, in which, Lucifer is a Prince of this World. 31. But the heavenly part holds the grossness and poisonful Source captive; so that the Devil is the poorest Creature in the Essence of this world; and hath nothing in this world for his own possession, save what he can cheat from the living Creatures which have an Eternal being; that they enter with the desire into the wrath of the Eternal; viz. consent unto his juggling Incantations. 32. If we would rightly consider the Creation; then we need no more than a divine light, and Contemplation: it is very easy unto the illuminated mind, and may very well be searched out: let a man but consider the degrees of nature and he seethe it very clearly in the Sun Stars, and Elements: the Stars are nothing else but a crystalline water-spirit; yet not a material water, but Powers of the salnitral Flagrat in the fire. 33. For their Orb, wherein they stand, is fiery; that is a salnitral fire; a Property of the Matter of the Earth, metals, trees, herbs and the three Elements, fire air and water; what the Superior is, that is also the inferior; and that which I find in the Compaction of the Earth, that is likewise in the * Or Constellation. Astrum; and they belong both together as body and Soul. 34. The * Or Constellation. Astrum betokeneth the Spirit; and the Earth the Body; before the Creation, all was mutually in each other in the Eternal Generation; but in no Coagulation, or Creature; but as a Powerful wrestling Love-play without any such Material Substance. 35. But it was enkindled in the Motion of the word, viz. the Verbum Fiat: and therewith the inflammation in the Salnitrall Flagrat, each Property did divide itself in itself; and was amassed by the awakened Astringent impression (viz. the first form of Nature, which is called the Fiat) and so each became Coagulated in its Property; the Subtle in its Property, and the gross in its Property; all according to the Degrees; as the Eternal Generation of Nature derives itself from the unity into an infinite multiplicity. 36. Good, and Evil is manifest in the * Or Constellation. Astrum: for, the wrathful fiery Power of the Eternal nature, so also, the power of the holy Spiritual world, is manifest in the Stars, as an essential Spiration: and therefore there are many obscure Stars all which, we see not, and many light Stars, which we see. 37. We have a likeness of this in the matter of the Earrh, which is so manifold, whence divers sorts of fruit grow, viz. according to the Properties of the Superior Spheres: for so is the Earth likewise; (being the grossest Substance) where the mortal water is Coagulated. 38. The Earth was Coagulated in the Seventh form of Nature; viz. in the Essence; for it is that same Essence which the other six Properties do make in their desire: it chief consisteth in seven Properties, as is above mentioned; but the unfoldment or various explication of the Properties, is effected in the salnitral fire, where each Property doth again explicate itself into seven; where the Infiniteness and great q Or Potency. possibility ariseth, that of one thing, another can be made, which it was not, in the beginning. 39 The Being of all Beings is only a Magical birth, [deriving itself] out of one only, into an infiniteness; the one is God, the infinite is time and Eternity, and a manifestation of the One; where each thing may be reduced out of one into many, and again out of many into one. 40. The Fire is the chief workmaster thereunto, which putteth forth from a small Power a little Sprout out of the earth, and displayeth it into a great Tree with many boughs, branches, and fruits; and doth again consume it, and reduceth it again to one thing: viz. to ashes and Earth, whence it first proceeded: and so also all things of this world do enter again into the One whence they came. 41. The Essence of this world may easily be searched out, but the Centre or Point of motion, will remain dark unto reason, unless there be another light in it: it supposeth that it hath it in the r Or Mathematically describe and demonstrate it. Circle, and can measure it; but it hath it not in the understanding. 42. When we consider the Hierarchy, and the Kingly Dominion, in all the Three Principles in the place of this world: so far as the Verbum Fiat reached forth itself to the Creation of the outward world, with the Stars, and Elements: then we have the ground of the s central fire or radical heat; the Point of motion, the virtue of the light. Punctum, and the Royal Throne, of which the whole Creation is but a Member. 43. For the Stars and four Elements, and all whatever is bred and Engendered out of them, and live therein, doth hang, [or appertain] unto one punctum; where the divine Power hath manifested itself from itself in a form: and this Punctum standeth in three Principles, viz. in three worlds: nothing can live in this world without this Punctum, it is the only Cause of the life and motion of all the Powers; and without it all would be in the t Or Eternal Silence. stillness without motion. 44. For if there were no light; then the Elements would be unmoveable: all would be an Astringent harsh Property, wholly raw and cold: the fire would remain couched in the cold: and the water would be only a keen Spirit like to the property of the Stars: and the air would be hid in the water-Source, in the Sulphur: and be a still unmoving Essence. 45. We see in very deed; that the light is the only Cause of all Stirring, Motion and life: for every life desireth the power of the light: viz. the disclosed Punctum: and yet the life is not the Punctum; but the form of Nature: and if this Punctum did not stand open; then the Kingdom of darkness would be manifest in the place of this world; in which [place of wrath] Lucifer is a Prince, and possesseth the Princely throne in the wrath of the Eternal Nature in the place of this world. 46. Therefore oh man consider with thyself, where thou art at home: viz. on one u Viz. As to thy body and outward carcase of clay, thou art a guest for a while in this outward world, travelling in the vanity of time. part in the Stars, and four Elements; and on the other x Viz. As to thy soul in its own self and creatural being, without the divine light, or re-generation, in the Abyss of Hell. part in the dark world among the Devils; and as to the third y As to thy divine Image, and Spirit of Love, in the Eternal light. part in the Divine power in heaven: that Property which is master in thee, its Servant thou art: prank and vapour as stately and gloriously in the Sun's light as thou wilt, hast thou not the Eternal [light], yet thy fountain shall be made manifest to thee. 47. By the two words (Heaven Himmell and und Earth Erden) we understand the whole ground of the Creation; for the understanding is couched in the language of Nature in those two words: for by the word (Heaven Himmell) is understood the Spiration of the Verbum Fiat; which created that Essence (wherein Lucifer was enthroned) with the Creative word out of itself; that is, out of the Spiritual holy world, into a time or Beginning: and by the word (Earth Erred) is understood the wrath in the Essence; that the Essence was amassed in the wrath: and reduced out of the Properties of the dark Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt; viz. out of the powers of the Original of Nature; and introduced into a Compaction, or Coagulation. 48. This Coagulation is the Syllable (ᶻ Er) the other Syllable (de or den, is the Element: for the Earth is not the Element; but the [Element is] the moving, viz. the Power, whence it was Coagulated, this is that Element which is spiritual, and taketh its true Original in the fire; where the nature which is a Senseless life dyeth in the fire: from which dying, or mortification then, there proceedeth forth a living motion; and from that which is mortified [in the fire], a dead matter viz. Earth: and a dead water: and also a deadly fire; and venomous air; which maketh a dying Source in the Earthly bodies. 49. When nature was enkindled, the Element did unfold [and display] itself into Four Properties: which yet in itself is only one: the real Element dwelleth in the Essence which is mortified in the fire: otherwise the Earth could bring forth no fruit: those which now are called the four Elements, are not Elements; but only Properties of the true Element: The Element is neither hot nor cold, neither dry, nor moist: it is the motion or life of the inward heaven, viz. the true angelical life as to the Creature: it is the first divine manifestation out of the fire, through nature: when the Properties of the Eternal nature work therein; it's called Paradise. 50. By the word * Himmel. (Heaven Himmell) is understood how the water, viz. the Grossness in the mortal part, was Coagulated, and Separated from the holy Crystalline water, which is Spiritual; where with the material, time began; as an Essence expressed [or spirated] out of the Spiritual water. 51. The Spiritual water is living, and the Spirated is liveless, Senseless, void of understanding, and is dead in reference to the living water, of which Moses saith God hath Separated it from the water above the firmament. 52. The Firmament is another Principle viz. another beginning [or inchoation] of motion: the water above the Firmament is the Spiritual water, in which the Spirit of God ruleth and worketh: for Moses saith also, the Spirit of God moveth upon the water: for the Spiritual Element moveth in the four Elements; and in the Spiritual Element the Spirit of God moveth on the Spiritual water: they are mutually in each other. 53. The Heaven wherein God dwelleth is the holy Element: and the firmament, or Gulf between God and the four Elements is the death; for the inward heaven hath another birth, (that is, another life) than the external Elementary life hath: indeed they are in one another, but the one doth not apprehend the other: as Tin, and Silver never mix aright together: for each is from another [or sundry] Principle, albeit they resemble each other; and have very near Affinity to each other; yet they are as the inward and outward water to one another; wherein also they are to be understood: for the inward and outward Venus are Step-Sisters; they come indeed from one father, but they have two mothers: the one whereof is a Virgin, the other deflowered; and therefore they are Separated till the judgement of God, who will purge away her reproach and shame, through the fire. 54. Moses writeth, that God created the Heaven out of the midst of the waters; it is very right; the a Understand by the word Astrum, the whole Starry Heaven, with all its powers, properties, Influences, and Constellations, internal and external. Astrum is an external water-Spirit, viz. Powers of the outward water: and the material water is the body wherein the powers work: now the fiery, airy and also Earthly Source is in the Astrum: the like is also in the material water: the Superior [Astrum] is the life and Dominion of the inferior, it enkindleth the inferior, whereby the inferior doth act move and work; the inferior is the body or wife, of the Superior: indeed the Superior is couched in the inferior but as weak, and impotent. 55. And the Superior were likewise as weak and impotent as the inferior, if it were not enkindled by the light of the Sun: the same is the heart of all external Powers; and it is the Open Punctum even to the Tenth Number; if we were not so blind as to contemn all that we see not with our Calves-eyes, it were right and requisite to reveal it; but seeing God hath hidden the Pearl, and also himself, from the sight of the wicked; therefore we'll let it alone, yet hint enough to our School-fellowes: we will not give our Pearl unto Beasts. 56. Thus we understand what the outward heaven is, namely the Powers or Conception of the water: the word or Power Fiat, which began with the beginning of the world is yet still b Or in the creating. a Creating; it yet continually createth the heaven out of the water: and the Spirit of God still moveth upon the water: and the holy water is yet continually Separated from the water under the firmament. 57 This holy water is that, of which Christ told us, that he would give us it to drink: that should spring up in Us to a fountain of Eternal life: the holy heavenly Corporallity doth consist therein; it is the body of Christ which he brought from heaven; and by the same, introduced heavenly paradisical Essentiality, into our dead or decayed body; and quickened ours in his; understand in the c Mark or limit. Aim of the Covenant in the Essence of Mary; as shall be mentioned hereafter. 58. In this heavenly Essence the d Baptism▪ and the Supper. Testaments of Christ do consist: and this holy Essence of the heavenly holy Virginity, with the holy Tincture, hath destroyed death, and bruised the head of the Serpents Might, in the wrath of God; for the Divine power is the highest life therein. 59 Thus we understand how the holy heaven, wherein God dwelleth, moveth in the Fiat or the Created [heaven], and that God is really present in all places; and inhabiteth all things: but he is comprended of Nothing. He is manifest in Power in the inward heaven of the holy Essentiality; viz. in the Element. This holy Element (in the beginning or inchoation of the four Elements) did Penetrate through the Earth; and sprang [or budded] forth in the holy Powers Property, and bare fruits, of which man should have eaten in a heavenly manner: but when it did disappear in man; the Curse entered into the Earth; and so Paradise was quashed in the four Elements; and continued retired in itself in the inward Element; there it stands yet open unto man, if any will departed from this world's Essence, and enter into it upon the Path which Christ hath made open. 60. The Punctum of the whole created Earth belonged e Ad Centrum Solis, to the Centre of the Sun. unto the Centre of Sol, but not any more at present: he is fallen who was a King: the Earth is in the Curse, and become a Peculiar Centre; whereunto all whatsoever is engendered in the vanity, in the four Elements, doth tend and fall: all things fall unto the Earth; for the f Or Creation. Fiat is yet in the deep, and g Or draweth or Concreteth. createth all earthly Essence together unto the judgement of God for Separation. 61. We mean not, that the Earth came h Or only. wholly from the Place of the Sun; but from the whole Sphere, out of both the internal Spiritual worlds; but it hath another A. B. C. in that the Earth belongeth unto the judgement of God for Separation; even than it shall be manifest wherefore it is said: it belongeth unto the Punctum of Sol. 62. For the worst must be a cause of the best: the Eternal joy consists in this, that we are delivered from Pain; God hath not Eternally rejected his holy Essence; but only the iniquity, which mixed itself therein: but when the Crystalline Earth shall Appear; then will be fulfilled, this Saying, it Appertains to the Punctum of Sol; here we have hinted enough to the understanding of our school-fellowes; but further we must here be Silent. CHAP. XI. Of the Mystery of the Creation. 1. THe Reason of the outward man saith; whence is it, that God hath not revealed the Creation of the world unto man; that Moses, and the children of God have written so little thereof, seeing it is the Greatest and most principal work, whereon the Main depends. 2. Yes! dear Reason smell into thy own bosom; of what doth it Savour: contemplate thine own Mind; after what doth it long; likely, after the cunning delusions of the Devil: had not he known this ground, very like he had been yet an Angel; had he not seen the Magical birth in his high light, than he had not desired to be a selfish Lord and maker in the Essence. 3. Wherefore doth God hid his children, which now receive the Spirit of knowledge with the Cross; and cast them into tribulation, and mire of vanity? for certain, Therefore, that they might play the Tune of miserere; and continue in humility; and not sport in this i Text, Time. life with the light of nature; else if they should espy, and apprehend what the Divine Magic is: then they might also desire to imitate the Devil, as Lucifer did, for which cause it is hid from them: and neither Moses, or any other, dare write clearer thereof, until the beginning of the Creation beholdeth the End of the world in itself: and then it must stand open. 4. And therefore let none blame us: for the time is come about: that Moses putteth away his veil from his Eyes, which he hung before his face when he spoke with Israel: after the Lord had spoken with him: Moses desired to see it: in that he said, Lord if I have found grace in thy sight: let me see thy face; but the Lord would not; and said, thou shalt see my back part: for none can see my face. 5. Now the Eye of God was in Moses, and in the Saints, they have seen and spoken in the Spirit of God, and yet had not the through-vision of the Spiritual birth in them, save at times only: when God would work wonders; as by Moses, when he did the wonders in Egypt: then the Divine Magic was open unto him: in manner and wise as in the Creation. 6. And this was even the fall of Lucifer; that he would be a God of nature; and live in the transmutation: and this was even the Idolatry of the heathens, in that they understood the Magical birth they fell from the only God unto the magical birth of nature, and chose unto themselves Idols out of the Powers of nature. 7. For which cause the creation hath remained so obscure; and God hath covered his children in whom the true light shone, with tribulation; that they have not been manifest unto themselves, Seeing Adam also according to the same lust, did imagine to know and prove the Magic, and would be as God; so that God permitted him, that he defiled his heavenly Image with the vanity of nature; and made it wholly dark, and Earthly, as Lucifer also did with the Centre of nature; when he of an Angel became a Devil. 8. Therefore I will seriously warn the Reader, that he use the Magic aright: viz. in true faith and humility towards God: and not meddle with Turba Magna in a Magical manner: unless it conduceth to the honour of God, and Salvation of mankind. 9 For we can say with truth: that the Verbum Fiat is yet a Creating: albeit it doth not create Stones, and earth; yet it Coagulateth formeth and worketh still in the same Property: All things are possible to nature; as it was possible for it in the beginning, to generate stones and Earth, also the Stars, and four Elements, and did produce them, or work them forth out of one only ground; so it is, still, unto this day: by the strong Desire (which is the Magical ground) All things may be effected, if man use nature aright, in its order to the work. 10. All Essences consist in the Seven Properties: now he that knoweth the Essence; he is able by the same Spirit of that Essence, whence it is come to be an Essence, to change it into another form, and likewise to introduce it into another Essence; and so make of a Good thing an Evil, and of an Evil thing a Good. 11. The Transmutation of all things must be effected by i Assimulation or likeness. Simility: viz. by its own native Propriety: for the Alienate is its Enemy: like as man must be regenerated again by the divine Essentiality in the Simility; by the simility in his holiness of the divine Essentiality, which he lost. 12. And as the false k Magus or Magician. Magist woundeth man through Enchantment with the Assimilate, and through the desire introduceth Evil into his Evil viz. into the Assimilate; and as the upright holy faith or divine desire also entereth into the Assimilate, and forfendeth man, so that the false desire takes no place. 13. Thus all things consist in the Assimilate; Every thing may be introduced into its Assimilate, and if it comes into its Assimilate, it rejoiceth in its Property be it Good or Evil, and beginneth effectually to work: as is to be seen both in Good and Evil. 14. As for example: let a man take down a little poison: it will presently receive with great desire the poison in the body, which before rested; and therein strengthen itself, and begin to work powerfully; and corrupt and destroy the Contrary: viz. the Good: and that now which the Evil is able to do in its property; that likewise the Good can do in its property: when it is freed from the wrath, it may also introduce its Assimilate into the real true joy. 15. The Essence of this world consisteth in Evil and good: and the one cannot be without the other: but this is the greatest iniquity of this world; that the Evil overpowreth the Good; that the Anger is stronger therein than the Love; and this by reason of the Sin of the devil, and men; who have disturbed nature by the false desire, that it mightily and effectually worketh in the wrath as a poison in the Body. 16. Otherwise if nature in its forms did stand in the Property in Equal weight, and in equal Concord, and Harmony, than one property were not manifest above the other: heat and cold would be equally poyzed in the operation, and qualification: and then Paradise would be still upon the Earth: and though it were not without man; yet it would be in man: if his properties were in equal weight [number and measure, if they did yet stand in the Temperature] then he were incorruptible and immortal. 17. This is the Death, and misery of man and all creatures that the Properties are divided, and each aspiring in itself, and powerfully working, and acting in its own will: whence sickness and pain ariseth: and all this is hence arisen; when the one Element did manifest and put forth itself into four properties: then each property desired the Assimilate viz. an Essence out of and according to its self; which the Astringent Fiat did impress, and Coagulate; so that Earth and Stones were produced in the properties. 18. But now we are to consider of the greatest Mystery of the outward world between the Elements and the Astrum: the Elemental Spirit is severized from the astral Spirit, and yet not parted asunder, they dwell in each other as body and Soul: but the one is not the other: the astral Spirit make thits bodies as well as the Elemental, and that in all Creatures; in Animals, and Vegetables. 19 All things of this world have a twofold body viz. an Elemental from the fire air water and Earth; and a Spiritual body from the Astrum: and likewise a twofold Spirit: viz. one astral the other Elemental. 20. Man only (among all the Earthly Creatures) hath a threefold body, and Spirit: for he hath also the internal Spiritual world in him; which is likewise twofold: viz. light, and darkness; and also corporally, and Spiritually: this Spirit is the Soul; but this body is from the water of the holy Element, which died in Adam, that is, disappeared as to his life, when the divine Power departed from him, and would not dwell in the awaked vanity. 21. Which holy body must be regenerated, if his Spirit will see God; otherwise he cannot see him; except he be again borne anew of the water of the holy Element in the Spirit of God (who hath manifested himself in Christ with this same water-Source: that his disappeared body may be made alive in the holy water and Spirit: else he hath no sense, nor sight in the holy life of God. 22. This twofold outward body is now punctually to be pondered, and considered of, if we would understand nature: and without this understanding let none call himself a master [or Learned] for in these (bodies) the dominion of all external creatures, and Essences is couched: they oftentimes are contrary one unto another; whence Sickness, Corruption, and death ariseth in the body; that one severeth from the other. 23. The Sydereall body is the highest excepting the divine in man: the Elemental body is only its Servant or dwellinghouse, as the four Elements are only a body or habitation of the dominion of the Stars. 24. The Elemental Spirit, and body; is inanimate and void of understanding: it hath only Lust and desire in it: vegetation is its right life: for the air hath no understanding without the Astrum; the Astrum giveth the distinct understanding of the knowledge of all Essences in the Elements. 25. But the inward light, and power of the light, giveth in man the right divine understanding; but there is no right divine apprehension in the Sydereall Spirit: for the Astrum hath another Principle: the Sydereall body dwelleth in the Elemental; as the light-world in the darkness: it is the true rational life of all Creatures. 26. The whole Astrum is nothing else but the external expressed Word in the Sound: it is the instrument whereby the holy Eternal Speaking Word Speaketh and formeth externally: it is as a Great Harmony of unsearchable manifold Voices and Tunes, of all manner of instruments: which play, and melodize before the holy God. 27. For they are mere Powers which enter into and mutually embrace each other, whence ariseth the Sound in the Essence: and the desire viz. the Fiat receiveth this Sound, and maketh it Substantial: this Substance is a Spirit of the Stars: which the Elements receive into them: and Coagulate it in them, and hatch it, as an Hen her Eggs: whence the true rational life is in the Elements: and thus also the Sydereall Spirit is hatched, and Coagulated in all Creatures. 28. For the Male and Female, do mutually cast a Seed into one another; which is only a Sulphur of the Astrum and four Elements, afterward it is hatched in the Matrix, and Coagulated to a living Spirit. 29. And when the fire is enkindled in the Seed which is sown in the Matrix: the Spirit severs itself again from the body, as a Propriate; as the light from the fire according to the right of the Eternal nature: and two become manifest in one, viz. a Spiritual body from the Astrum, and a fleshly body from the four Elements. 30. And this Sydereall Spirit is the Soul of the great world which depends on Punctum Solis; and receiveth its light and life from it: as all the Stars do take light, and power from the Sun; so likewise their Spirit. 31. The Sun is the Centre of the Astrum: and the Earth the Centre of the four Elements: they are to one another as spirit, and body: or as man and wife: albeit the Astrum hath another wife, where it hatcheth its Essence, viz. the Moon, which is the wife of all the Stars; but especilly of the Sun; I mean it in the Essence of operation. 32. Not that we mean, that the Astrum is wholly arisen from the Punctum of Sol, in that I call it the Centre of the Stars; it is the Centre of the Powers: the Cause that the Powers of the Stars do Act in the Essence: it openeth their Powers, and giveth its Power into them; as a heart of the Powers, and they mutually rejoice in its Essence, that they are moved to act or desire, in its Essence. 33. And even here lieth the great Mystery of the Creation, viz. that the internal (viz. God.) hath thus manifested himself with his Eternal Speaking Word (which he is himself) the external is a Type of the internal: God is not alienate: in him all things live and move, each in its Principle, and degree. 34. The outward Properties dwell in themselves in the external, viz. in the expressed Word, and are wholly external: they cannot in their own strength reach the Powers of the holy world: only the holy world penetrates them: it dwelleth also in itself: but in the Punctum of Sol the eighth Number is open: viz. the Eternal Nature: the Eternal Magical fire: and in the fire the Eternal Tincture: which is the ninth Number: and in the Tincture the Cross, where the Deity manifesteth itself: which is the tenth Number: and m Or fr● beyond this manifestation is the Eternal understanding: viz. the ONE (that is God JEHOVAH) viz. the ABYSS. 35. Not That God is divided [or a far off] only we speak of his manifestation: from what Ability and Power the Sun hath its shining Lustre: that the same is immutable, so long as time endureth; namely from the Lustre of the fiery Tincture of the Eternal Spiritual Magical fire. 36. For its Lustre or shining light, hath a degree of a more deep Original than the external world hath manifest in itself, this the wise heathen have observed, and Adored it for God, seeing the True God, who dwelleth without all Nature in himself, was not konwn unto them. CHAP. XII. Of the six day's Works of the Creation. 1. THat God hath created Heaven and earth, and all things in six days, as Moses saith; is the greatest Mystery, wholly hidden to the external Reason: there is neither night, Morning or Evening in the Deep above the Moon; but a Continual Day from the beginning out of the outward world even to the End of the same. 2. And albeit the Creation was finished in such a time as in the length of six days: yet the dayes-workes have a far more Subtle [or abstruse] meaning: for the Seven Properties are also understood therewith; Six whereof belong to the Active Dominion to good and Evil; and the Seventh (viz. the Essence) is the rest: wherein the other properties rest, which God hath expressed, and made visible. 3. We have in the Dominion of the Planetick Orb the figure, how the six properties of the Active life (which rest in the Seventh) have in six days introduced and manifested themselves out of the inward Spiritual world in an external visible world of four Elements: for the Planetick Orb hath its rise from the Punctum of Sol: for there was the Royal Place of the Hierarchies; of which the whole Circle (between the Stars in the internal and external) is a Member or Corpus. 4. But seeing the Prince of the Hierarchies (when he sat in the Heavenly Essence in the rest) did fall, and Aspired for the Centre of the Eternal nature; he was cast into the darkness: and God by his motion created him another Prince out of this Place (but without divine understanding) for a Ruler of the Essence; and that is the Sun. 5. From this Place proceeded in the Divine Motion the Seven Properties of nature: (understand the Planets) which govern the Essential Being in Good and Evil (in which [Essence] Lucifer sat, and whence he was cast) and lost his Dominion in the Essence; and as the Seven Properties have their Dominion in the beginning of Each day in the week: even so were the six dayes-workes of the Creation. 6. For Lucifer forsook the Rest of his Hierarchies, and entered into the Eternal disquietness: now God hath created all things of this world in six days and rested on the Seventh day from the Creation, which is n Dies Saturni vel Sabbathi. Saturday according to the Scripture, that is, from the day of Rest, understand from the Eternal day of Rest he hath moved himself to the Creation; and in the first form of nature he began the first day: that is; he hath brought it forth out of the Impression; and moved himself with his Word: this was the most inward motion according to the Speaking Word of Power. 7. Then began in the expressed Word Sunday, that is the paradisical Day, where the Powers did mutually work in each other in great holiness and glory; for on Sunday the Enkindled Sulphur, and Salniter of the Earthly Property was created out of the great deep of the whole Hierarchy, out of the Spiritual worlds into a o Or Lump. Mass (which is the Terrestrial Globe) and put forth out of the Austere Property of the first form of Nature. 8. Even than began the first hour of the first day: and the Power of Nature did mutually rule in great joy in the expressed Word; out of which Power of joy the Sun was created on the fourth day in the Princely Place: so that this Power whereout the Sun was created, ruled the first hour of the beginning of the world; and so it began its Dominion, which continueth even unto the End of the world: and therefore the Sun ruleth the first hour on Sunday; and the day is rightly so called. 9 The words of Moses concerning the Creation are exceeding clear; yet unapprehensive to reason: for he writeth thus: In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth, Gen. 1. v. 1, 2, 3, 4. and the Earth was desolate and void: and it was dark upon the deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the water, and God said let there be light, and there was light: and God saw that the light was good: and God Severed the light from the darkness; and called the light Day; and the Darkness Night: and p The Evening and Morning were the first day. out of the Evening and morning was the first Day. 10. The whole Understanding is couched in these words: for the beginning is the first motion: which came to pass when Prince Michael fought with the Dragon; when he was spewed out with the Creation of the Earth: for even then the Enkindled Essence (which with the Enkindling did Coagulate itself into Earth and stones) was cast out of the internal into the external. 11. And he, viz. the Dragon fell from Heaven (viz. out of the holy world) upon the wrath of the Earth as lightning: as it is written: I Saw Satan fall from Heaven as lightning saith Christ: moreover it was wholly dark in the deep above the Earth: and the Austere enkindled wrath was manifest: for Hell was prepared for him, whereinto he fell viz. into the Great darkness of the first Principle, wherein he liveth. 12. Here now lieth the veil before Reason, that it cannot look into the eyes of Moses for he saith: and the Earth was desolate and void: yea Desolate indeed; had not the Spirit of God moved upon the internal water (which was amassed with the Fiat in the Heaven) and had not God said, let there be light: the Earth should have been yet Desolate, and void. The first Day. 13. WIth the Word, when God said, Let it be light; the Essence of the Ens did powerfully move itself in the lights Property, not only in the Earth but also in the whole Deep: p Out of which Power or virtue in the lights Property. whence on the fourth day the Sun was created, that is, enkindled in its Place; and in this word q Germ. Schuff. Fiat the Earth's Mass, and also the very Power which is called heaven, Amassed itself in the Essence all which before was only a Spirit, a Spiritual Essence. 14. And with the Speaking, as God spoke; let it be light: the holy Power, which was amassed in the wrath; moved itself: and became light in the same Essence, in the Power; and with this coming to be light: the devil's might and strength was wholly withdrawn from him in the Essence, for here the light shone in the now anew awakened Power, in the darkness; r Light. which the Prince of wrath could not s Receive or perceive. comprehend; it was also of no benefit to him, for it was the light of nature, which is useless to him. 15. And Moses said: God severed the light from the darkness; which is thus to be understood; the darkness remained in the wrathful Property, not only in the Earth but also in the whole Deep: but in the lights Essence the light of nature did arise [or spring forth] from heaven, viz. from the quintessence, whence the Astrum was created; which Essence is Every where in the Earth, and above the Earth. 16. Thus the darkness remained in the wrath's Property in the Essence of the Earth, and also in the whole deep of this world, and the natural [light] remained in the lights essence, as a working life; through which, the holy Element did operate, and work; in which Operation, Paradise t Sprang. budded through the Earth, and bear fruit until the Curse of God, and then the holy bloomings or growth, ceased, and the holy Element remained as an inward heaven steadfast, retired in itself; and yet it doth diffuse its Power through the light of nature, yet not so powerfully as in the beginning, for the Curse is the cause of its withdrawing; indeed there is no total departing; but yet it is nothing so now as before the Sin of the Second created Prince, Adam. 17. Thus in the first motion of the Verbum Fiat, the Heaven (that is, the Circle, so far as the Verbum Fiat reached itself forth to the Creation) was Amassed, or enclosed; and the Earth was amassed with the Verbum Fiat, and created to the Planetick Orb; Thus by the Separation, viz. of the light and darkness; and by the expelling of Prince Lucifer, we are to understand the Creation of the first day. 18. Now the first day with the manifested word did convey itself through the other five dayes-workes even into the day of Rest; where the beginning entereth again into the End; and the End again into the beginning; for the first motion of the word (where the light of nature hath enkindled itself in the Essence) is the joy of the Creation, or Creature; which did open itself with the other days through all the Properties of nature; where each Property may be called a heaven: for it hath and bringeth also its Peculiar operation and efficacy along in itself into the u Understand into the rest of the Properties or days. rest, and each day one Property did move and manifest itself; wherein a Peculiar Sundry work was manifested, and revealed. Of the Second Day. 19 THe Second day we call Monday, and therefore, because the Moon ruleth the first hour of the day: and it is very likely that the ancient x Philosophers. wise men have understood somewhat thereof in the light of nature, which they have kept Secret and mystical, rather deciphering it by figures then clearly explaining it: and it is to be seen in the Names of the seven Planets, that they have for certain understood the same: in that they have given them names according to the Seven Properties of Nature; which do so wholly agree and accord, as well with the Creation as Nature, that me thinks they have in part understood the ground of the Creation aright, seeing the names of the Planets have their rise and derivation so fully, and punctually out of the language of Nature: but the reason why it hath not been made clear plain, and manifest is (as before mentioned) because of the false Magic that it might remain hidden unto the Artists of juggling and Collusion in nature, by reason of the Great Abuse; wherefore we also shall still let it so remain, and yet hint enough to the understanding of our school-fellowes. 20. Now of the Second day Moses writeth thus: and God said let there be a firmament between the waters: Vers. 6, 7, 8. and let it divide between the waters: then God made the firmament; and divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament; and it was so; and God called the firmament heaven, and out of the Evening and morning was the Second day. 21. Moses saith; that out of the Evening and morning was the Second day; that is; out of the manifestation of the first, the Second manifestation proceeded and broke forth; and saith further; that on the Second day God created the firmament of Heaven: and Separated the waters; the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament; here now lieth the hidden veil, wherein we have hitherto been pointed and directed unto, a heaven Scituate a far off above the Stars without the place of this world: so very blind is Reason as to God that it understands nothing of him; and doth not consider, that the Scripture saith of God: am not I he, which filleth all things: and that time and place cannot divide him: much less is it understood what the water above the firmament is which they will flatly hold to be a place afar distant, viz. above the Stars, whither also, we have been shown into heaven. 22. But seeing that God out of Grace doth bestow upon us the understanding; therefore we will set it down for our fellow-schollars who are able to apprehend it; and yet herein we shall write nothing for the Selfish wiselings of outward Reason: for they have it already in the eyes of their reason, and they cannot miss: they can judge all things: what the Spirit of God revealeth, that must be a Heresy unto them, albeit they do not understand it: so that they remain without, and do not so much as once know God. 23. The Firmament is the Gulf between time and Eternity: but that God calleth it heaven and maketh a division of the waters; gives us to understand, that the heaven is in the world and the world is not in heaven. 24. The water above the firmament is in heaven and the water under the firmament is the external Material water. 25. Hear we must understand the difference between the holy and the outward water: the water above the firmament is Spiritual in the birth of the holy Element; and the water under the firmament is mortal, for it is apprehended in the Dark Impression, the Curse and the Awaked vanity is therein, and yet one water is not without the other. 26. When I look upon the external water than I must also say, here is also the water above the firmament in the water under the firmament: but the firmament is the middle, and the gulf therein between time and Eternity; so that they are distinct; and I see with the external eyes of this world only the water under the firmament: but the water above the firmament, is that, which God hath appointed in Christ to the Baptism of Regeneration, after that the word of the divine Power had moved itself therein. 27. Now the outward water is the instrument of, the inward; and the inward water is understood [therein]; for the moving Spirit in the word is he which ruleth the inward water in the Baptism: dear Christians; let this be spoken to you: it is the real ground. 28. But that Moses saith, God created the firmament, and called it heaven; is the most intimate Secret, of which the earthly man is not able to understand any thing: the understanding is barely in the Power of the water above the firmament, viz. in the Heaven, or (as I might set it down) in the Spirit of God; if he be awaked in man in the water above the firmament, which disappeared in Adam, as to his life; that [man] seethe through all; otherwise there is no understanding here; but all is dumb, and dead. 29. The creating of the heaven is understood, first how the Speaking Word hath y Conceived or form. amassed the manifested Powers of the Spiritual world, wherein it is manifest, worketh, and also ruleth: secondly, it is understood of the manifested Powers of the external world, which the Spirit hath amassed into the Essence of four Elements, and closed into the external firmament: that the Devil, viz. the Prince of Anger cannot reach them; by which he would work with the internal water: so that the Powers of Eternity do work through the Powers of time, as the Sun illustrates the water, and the water comprehends it not, but feels it only; or as a fire doth through-heat an iron, and the iron remaineth iron: so likewise the outward heaven is passive, and the inward worketh through it, and draweth forth an external fruit out of the outward; whereas yet the inward heaven lieth hidden therein in the Firmament: as God is hidden in the Time. 30. And we are to understand with the Second days work the manifestation of the internal heavenly and the external heavenly Essence, viz. the manifestation of the water-Source, understand the Essence of the Seven Properties, viz. the Corporallity, or the z Operate or workhouse. Laboratory of the other six; wherein the Soul or Spirit of the outward world worketh and ruleth in the external: this a Or operation. working is in the most external, or inferior heaven next the earth, ascribed unto the Moon, for it is the manifestation of the Lunar Property, not of the b Star, or Planet called the Moon. Star which was first created into the external on the fourth day to be a Governor therein, but this same Property [is] in the inanimate outward life, viz. in the vegetative life: the vegetative life was opened on the third day. 31. And when God had ordained the water into Sundry places upon the Earth, than he moved the external expressed word in the vegetative life: now Moses saith, God spoke, Let the Earth put forth herbs, and grass yielding Seed, Verse 11, 12. and fruitful trees; each bearing fruit according to his kind; and let each have its seed in itself: and when it came to pass, out of the Evening and morning was the third day. Of the third day of the Creation. 32. IN the Original of the Eternal nature, which is an Eternal Original, the manifestation of the six day's works is very clearly to be found; how the Eternal Word hath unfolded them out of the invisible spiritual [Property] and brought them into the visible: also the form thereof is to be found in the Planetick Orb, if any hath skill to apprehend it. 33. For in the Eternal nature's birth there is an Eternal day; whatsoever God hath manifested, and made visible in six c Or distinctions. diversalls, which are called dayes-workes, that standeth in the Eternal nature in six distinct degrees in the Essence, viz. in the Seventh Property, in which the six degrees of nature work, and yet also do eternally Rest from working, they are themselves the working, which they give in, to the Seventh, as into their own Peculiar Rest, wherein their perfection, and manifestation consists. 34. And we are to understand nothing else by the Creation; save that the Verbum Fiat hath amassed the Spiritual birth, and introduced it into a visible external dominion, and Essence: for we see it very clearly in the writings of Moses; albeit we have a glass besides to see: that when God the first day had created the Gross part into a d Lump or Chaos. mass, that he extracted the fine part out of the same first day's work, and Severed, and amassed the waters, viz. the Spiritual Essence, and produced it out of the first day, viz. out of the holy Power into a time: that is, out of the Eternal Day into an inchoative day. 35. Now the third accomplishment of the third day's work, is the moving growing life, in which on the first day the light of nature did shine in the Essence of the Ens after an external manner: it shone likewise now through the Second day, viz. through the water and the heaven: and in this shining light the expressed Word did move itself in the Essence, and wrought effectually; and even then the power of the expressed Word from the light of the inward nature did pullulate, and spring forth, through the external nature out of the heaven through the earth: [and so] now the Potentate who was a King and great Prince hath lost his Domination; for the Essence of the wrath was captivated in the light of nature and he with it: and so he lieth between time and Eternity, imprisoned in the darkness, until the judgement of God. 36. In the third days work the Sulphureous, Mercurial, and Saltish life out of the Centre, was opened out of the Anguish in the outward world's Property; and yet there is no anguish to be understood until the fire, but only a senseless forth-driving life, viz. a growth: for the fire-blaze ariseth out of the anguish, viz. out of the third form of nature: and this is the salnitral Flagrat, which Severizeth the Powers in the Properties, which was moved in the third day's work, where the Properties opened themselves, and were mutually unfolded in the salnitral Flagrat, each out of itself; which the Impression did again receive into itself, and made them Corporeal in the water; and thence arose and proceeded trees, herbs and grass: each Property became g Or putting or budding forth. excressive in the Salniter, and did manifest itself with fruit: as we see plainly, how the Property of the dark world did mightily force itself along in the outward Power: whereupon some herbs and plants are so venomous and malignant; for the Earth proceeded out of both the inward worlds into a Compaction. 37. Now Mars on Tuesday hath the first hour of the day, in * dominion: which day is the third in the Creation: and this salnitral fire- flagrat is even the Property of Mars: as he is wrathful and fiery: so is likewise this Property in the Sulphur: where we than do understand the salnitral flagrat for the poisonful Mars; which is the Cause of motion and Stirring and the Compunction in the first Impression in the Eternal nature, viz. in the dark world. 38. In the third day's work, God moved the third Property of nature, viz. the Sulphurous Source, in which the fire Enkindled, and in the fire Flagrat is the division of the powers; where each Property became manifest in itself: now when God said, Let the Earth bring forth grass herb, and trees: that is nothing else, but that when he moved the expressed Word of the Powers in the properties, the properties found and felt the light of nature in them; whereupon they became hungry, and were impressed, that is, amassed and Compacted or Coagulated: now when as the light of nature found itself in a Perceivance, and the nature did feel itself in the sweet light; thereby arose in the Coagulation the dominion of joy, viz. the pullulation and growth: for all growth consisteth in the light, and water, when the light penetrateth the Sulphur and water-Source; then Mars springeth up for great joy in the Sulphur. 39 This Opening began on the third day, and continueth unto the End of the world: on the first day the Earth was desolate and void: for the * Or Ability. Possibility to the growth was not yet opened: here the earth was moved and the Properties opened, and not only the Earth, but the whole deep, in the Centre of the outward nature; the inward nature made itself external and yet remained also internal. CHAP. XIII. Of the Creation of the fourth Day. 1. THe fourth day Mercurius hath the first hour of the day, who causeth the Sensitive life: here we understand very fully and exactly the ground of the manifestation of the inward nature into the external: for on the fourth day the Sun and Stars were created, which are the right Mercurial life: here the fires property opened itself in the Sulphurous Source through the water, and the fift Essence became manifest through the light of nature, which is a Mercurius Salnitri, an incentive Mercurius, a quick perceptive Mercurius. 2. In the third form of nature there is a Senseless life in Sulphur and Mercurius, but in the fourth there is a feeling life: for the Properties are made painful in the fire: and in the oleous [life] they become meek pleasant and full of joy: therefore now the motion in the oily is feeling from the painefullnesse. 3. Hear we now understand very fundamentally how the Separation in the fire of the Eternal nature hath manifested itself in the Essence of the outward world, with form, and shape: for in the Enkindling of the fire in the salnitral Flagrat, two Essences do Severize, viz. one watery from the Devoration in the fire: where the fire devoureth the rough harsh Source of the Impression in itself; then out of the Consuming there proceedeth a great Meekness, which is mortified to the fire, and is unsensible, and giveth the water-Source. 4. Secondly the fire-Source doth sever itself likewise into its Principle, viz. the properties to the fire-Source, (which now with the Enkindling of the fire are full of pain and sense); this fire-Source could not subsist, unless it did again devour [or take] the water into itself, whereby it doth strengthen itself: whence also the salnitral Flagrat ariseth, where the wrath is dismayed at the Essence of the waters meekness; whence the feeling, so also the Lustre of the fire ariseth. 5. For that water which is devoured in the fire is dissolved into a Spiritual oil, in which the fire shineth; and out of the oil proceedeth the Air, viz. the moving Spirit of the fire which is motive in the fire. 6. The Air is nothing else, but the moving life, where the Speaking Word doth diffuse itself in the water-Source through nature, through the powers of nature, through the fire, in the oil of the nature of the light: it is the fires life: but it is mortified to the fire, and yet it is made manifest by the fire; it is the life of nature according to the property of meekness. 7. Thus h Or by, or with. in the enkindling of the fire in the light of the fire, which is the light of nature, four Properties are to be understood, viz. a fiery, an airy, and an oily wherein the light is manifest, and a watery; all which, do originally spring forth out of the first desire to nature; in that the free Lubet introduceth itself into a desire, and nature: and they all display themselves through the fire into a moving life; and yet there is no intellective life, but only Properties to the true life: the intellectual life is the Spirated Word which manifesteth itself through the properties: these properties are impressed in the Create; that is, in the Verbum Fiat, and brought into an Essentiality; wherefrom is come a Sulphur Salnitri, that is; a Magical Astrum, in manner and mode as the Mind of man is; which also hath thence its Real Original. 8. This salnitral and Sulphureous property, was brought forth out of the third day's work, viz. out of the fire- flagrat; and thence the fourth motion is arisen, viz. the Mercurial, which the Fiat hath amassed, and impressed it into it, and made it visible, which are the Stars; which are nothing else but properties of the powers of nature▪ whatsoever narure is in a little Spark in itself, that the whole Astrum is in its Circle; and what nature is in its hiddenness, and Secretness, the same the Astrum is, in an open working life: understand it thus. 9 Each Star hath the property of all Stars in it but hidden in nature, and it is manifest only in one sole Property: else, if the whole nature were manifest in each thing, than all things, and Essences would be but one thing and Essence: and therefore God hath by his Speaking Word moved the Sulphur Salnitri according to the properties, that the distinct Severation might be manifest: and this manifestation is a Mercurius; for the the Eternal Speaking Word, which is called God, hath manifested his voice or will, through nature. 10. Therefore the whole Astrum is a pronounced voice (or breathed tone) of the Powers, an expressed Word, which doth again give forth from itself its spiration and speaking out of the Properties; it is an Echo out of God's Love and Anger; out of the dark and light world. 11. i Next the Stars. After the Astrum are the four Elements, which also have their Original out of this fountain: which also, have their mutual Spiration [or outbreathing]: they also speak forth their properties out of themselves, and they are as a Body of the Stars: for they speak, or breath forth from themselves, a corporeal Essence; and the Stars do breath forth a Spiritual Essence: and this twofold Essence ruleth mutually in the visible world, as body, and Soul. 12. And we give you this rightly to understand, in each Element there lieth a whole Astrum, the fire hath a whole Astrum in it, and also the air, wrter, and earth: but it is not manifest in them: therefore God hath enclosed [or encircled] the Place of this world with a manifest Astrum: that it might enkindle the other Astrum in the four Elements, that the manifest Astrum might work in the hidden Mystesterie, viz. in the Astrum of the four Elements, and procreate wonders; for so a wonderful figure and Property may be produced out of a thing, which otherwise is impossible for nature to do, in its own [naked] Self. 13. Also we are to know that there is an Astrum in the divine Magic; which is the fountain of the Eternal Mind of the Abyss, whence nature, and all Essences are arisen: likewise there is an Astrum in the manifest heavenly world, and also an Astrum in the dark hellish world: and these k Or Constellations. Astrums are but one only Astrum, but they are Severized into distinct degrees and Principles; that which is in the outward world open and manifest in the Figure; the same is manifest in Power in the Spiritual world, and not in forms. 14. And we understand; that the Verbum Fiat on the fourth day moved the fourth Property of nature, viz. the fift Essence, and opened it out of the Sulphureous property out of the fire- flagrat, viz. out of the third Property: and thus an Astrum became manifest in the Air which are the visible Stars: and an Astrum in the fire, which is the rational life of all Creatures: and an Astrum in the water, which is the vegetative life: and an Astrum in the Earth, which is the wrathful Earthly life. 15. The Fiery, [viz. Astrum,] giveth Soul; and the airy, Spirit; the watery, affordeth the mansion of the soul and the Spirit, viz. blood; wherein the Tincture of the fire and light dwelleth; and the Earthly, giveth flesh: and every of the four Astrums, giveth a Spirit, and body according to its Property: only God hath thus associated one unto another, that the one might be manifest in the other, and be jointly together one body: like as all the four Elements are only one Element but they divide themselves into four Properties according to the Centre of nature. 16. These four l Constellations. Astrums do procreate out of themselves their Officer, viz. the outward nature, that is, the Soul of the outward world, as a constantly enduring Mind; wherein lieth the Omnipotency, as a manifest great Mystery: in this Officer God hath awakened and raised a King, or as I might set it down by way of Similitude a nature-God with six Counsellors, which are his assistants: that is, the Sun with the other six Planetick Stars, which were spoken forth out of the seven Properties out of the place of Sol; and in the Speaking were introduced into a rolling Sphere according to the Property of the Eternal Generation in the Centre of nature: and this was opened in seven degrees out of the birth; where the first degree of the motion in the light of nature, (from the inward Spiritual fire and light world) was the Sun, which receiveth its Lustre from the Tincture of the inward fire and light world: it standeth as an opened Punctum to the fire-world. 17. And with the Spiration, the sixfold life of the six degrees of the dayes-workes and forms of the Centre, came forth externally and Severized itself, after the kind and nature of the eternal birth: as first, Venus which is the water-Source out of the meekness out of the mortification in the fire, which is a desire of meekness m By reason of. from the fire, for the fire enkindleth the meekness whence is desirous, this is now the love-desire according to the Spirit, and according to its Essence, it is water, which water in the metals affordeth the noble Corpus Solis. 18. This Venus, being she (as to her own natural right) is mortified to the fire, is submissive, and giveth the holy water; understand as to her own peculiar Property: n Water. which is holy in the Spirit, and yet in the Essence it is captivated in the wrath, where it giveth the material water according to the deadly property: it giveth body unto all the Seven Metals, and Essence to all the six Planets; which we see in the metals, for each Planet maketh its Essence in its Property according to itself: as the Sun, in gold; the Moon in Silver; Jupiter in tin; Saturn in Lead; Mercurius in quicksilver; Mars in Iron; and yet it is the Essence of the only Venus' Property: but they give their Power and Spirit into it, and hold the body for their own, being they rule the same. 19 This Venus Property in the place of Sol sunk downwards in the first Egress: and the fire-Source above it, is Mars; and out of Venus' Property beneath, the heavy Sound, and that is Mercurius out of the Sulphur Salnitri through the water: and upwards out of Mars, the power of the fire and light, that is Jupiter: and beneath from Mercurius, the Essence of the desire, where Venus comprehends the Essence in her fiery desire, as a body of the Powers, that is, Luna: and above Jupiter, Saturnus, viz. the expressed Impression of the first form of nature. 20. These Properties were spherated in the Spiration, in manner as the birth of nature is in the Essence, which the Verbum Fiat received and amassed into a body, and ordained it for dominion unto the four Astrums, over which he hath appointed Angelical Rulers as a Supreme Counsel: which we give only a hint of here, being we have spoken thereof at large in another place. CHAP. XIV. Of the Creation of the fift Day. 1. NOw when God had Opened the Astrum, and four Elements as a moving life, wherein the Superior Astrum gave the distinction in the moving life and actuated the four Astrums in the four Elements; then he Educed out of the Essence of all the Astrums, and Elements (through the motion of his Speaking Word in the Verbum Fiat, the Impress, or express; as the Power of that same life, which was free from the pain, and amassed it through the Verbum Fiat, and spoke forth that same life (by the holy Eternal Speaking Word through the Fiat) into forms and shapes, according to the properties of the Astrums in the Spiritual Corpus, in which the Fiat, or the desire attracted the Elements according to the outward Essence unto itself, as a body. 2. And thence were creatures produced in all the four Elements; in each Astrum according to its Property: as birds in the Astrum of the Air: fishes in the Astrum of the water: cattle and fourfooted beasts out of the Astrum of the earth, and four Elements: so likewise Spirits in the fire- Astrum, which also is in the other Elements: and we see very exactly in the difference of the creatures that the degrees of the Astrum [or constellations] are so distinct, and various: for the worms of the Earth live in the third degree, viz. in the fire-flagrat, in the Sulphur, Mars, and Mercury, in the life devoid of understanding; and whereas they have an understanding [or instinct] by the enkindling of the Superior Astrum, in which third degree in the property, also grass, herbs, and trees do stand, and yet they receive assisting influence from the Superior [Astrum] in the Enkindling, by which they are otherwise qualifyed. 3. And we see, that each kind hath a Spirit and body according to the Degree of its Astrum; for we understand, that out of one Constellation [or Astrum] many kinds of creatures do proceed: the cause whereof is, that each Astrum hath again its degrees in it: for there is in each Astrum, whatsoever all the Astra have; but yet in sundry distinct degrees in the manifestation; and therefore the Properties in each Astrum are manifold: so also divers sorts of creatures are proceeded from each Astrum, the Spirit of each kind is from the Astrum, but all kinds must use the four Elements; for they arise out of that fountain whence all the Astra do originally proceed: 4. On the fift day Jupiter hath the dominion the first hour of the day among the Planets: and that, because he hath his Original in the Creation of the Astrum out of the fift Degree of nature, viz. out of the power of the Sulphureous and salnitral oil, and that on the fift day, this jovial property was opened and educed, out of the fourth day's property▪ as a pleasant powerful life, out of all the Constellations: unto which life God created all Creatures (except man) each out of the property of his Constellation; out of his Degree; so that they might all live in the Soul of the outward nature, and be under the Government of one Officer; which is the outward Constellation wherein the Sun is chief Regent. 5. Each Constellation hath its Compaction of Sulphur and Mercury: the Sulphur giveth Essence, and Mercurius give Spirit into the Essence: and from both these Sal is generated, viz. out of the sharp Fiat according to the property of Sulphur and Mercury: and out of these three properties, viz. out of Sulphur Mercurius and Sal all creatures entered into a life and creatural being: and now such as the Sulphur was on each place in every Punctum in the property, as was taken or conceived in the Fiat, in the motion of the fift Property, in all the Elements; even such a creature was opened or brought forth, as the Compaction was Coagulated in each Punctum: and so each Kind had its Spirit and Seed in it, to generate, and bring forth again. 6. The two Sexes, viz. the male and its female arise from the Separation of the watery and fiery Tincture in Sulphur: for the Separation was in the Verbum Fiat: where, out of one Sulphur in one only Punctum two Sexes came forth out of one Essence, viz. the fiery property in itself to a male, and the lights or waters property, to a female, where then both tinctures severed. 7. And as we see, that the fire cannot burn without the water, and the water were a nothing without the fire, and they mutually beget one another, and also do again vehemently desire each other; and their right life consisteth in their conjunction in that they have produced each other and afterwards do enter into, and mutually embrace, each other as one; where also they are again changed in the fire into one: and yet do again proceed forth from the fire in one Essence, viz. in an oleous Property, in which they stand in the bond of the highest Love-desire; for their light shineth in the oil: and as the fire-world desireth the light-world and the light world the fire-world, as Father and Son: the like also is to be understood of the two Sexes. 8. The Female is from the male; as the tincture of the light and water is from the fire: and they jointly belong together in nature as one: thus the one may not be without the other, and they have a very Ardent Longing after each other for the Tincture of the light, viz. Venus' Tincture desireth the fires- tincture and the fire the lights, as its * Meekning. pleasing delight. 9 For Venus giveth Essence, and the fire taketh the Essence to its life, and yields out of the received Essence the light; and in the fiery light the oil, and out of the oil again the water and Essence; and hence it is that all creatures do desire copulation each with its own kind; and so they do generate a third, viz. an Assimilate according to two in one: every Ens brings forth a Similitude according to itself. 10. And we see very clearly that each Kind is created out of a sundry Ens, each out of a different degree: and how each kind liveth in its mother whence it hath taken its Original; and that it cannot live in another Degree: as the Beasts upon the earth; which are a limus of the earth and air: therein they live; and thence they take their food and nourishment; for the Fiat extracted them out of the Earth's Property and amassed them in the fift manifestation of the Essence as a Sulphur of the fift Ens; whereon the four depend. 11. The Birds were created in the Sulphur of the air, therefore they fly in their mother: also the fishes in the Sulphur of the water: and the worms in the Sulphur of the Earth: thus each thing liveth in its mother whence it was taken in the beginning, and the contrary is its death. 12. And the Essence, and life of this time is nothing else, but a Contemplation of the inward Spiritual world; what the possibility of Eternity hath in it, and what kind of spiritual play is in the Ens of the inward spiritual world, accordingly it came forth into a creatural being, out of good and evil, into a Time, and that through the Divine Motion. 13. And hereby the Kingdom and Dominion of the Prince of the place of this world was taken from him, for the Ens hath introduced itself into another Principle, wherein he cannot be; for he was not made a creature in this Principle, and he hath no life therein, save only in the property of the awakened wrath in the Vanity. CHAP. XV. Of the sixth days work of the Creation. 1. THe sixth day in the Creation is Friday, on which Venus ruleth the first hour of the day; which doth rightly signify unto us the order of the degrees, how the Eterall-speaking Word hath manifested itself with nature, through the time; how the Spirit hath brought forth the six Properties of nature into six degrees or days, into a working life, and yet hath introduced them all again into the Seventh, viz. into the Rest, or into the mansion, wherein they should work; denoting, that all whatsoever they should work manifest and produce out of the wonders of the Eternal wisdom, should re-enter into the one, viz. into the Rest; which is the Seventh Property; viz. a house of the working life, wherein it should stand as a figure to the Contemplation of the Great Glory of God. 2. Now when God had educed the five days of nature through five properties or degrees, into five Constellations, (all which are not indeed Constellations, but a fountain of an astral Property) viz. into a Sundry Peculiar heaven; as it might be given and expressed to the understanding: then he did on the sixth day educe out of the Jovial property, viz. out of the fift Constellation, the sixth, viz. he produced out of the Jovial Power, the fiery Love-desire; wherewith the ruleth through all the Constellations: whence it is, that each life doth long after its likeness; that is, it again desireth such a creature as each life hath in it. 3. Each life desireth, in this Venus Property, to generate again, such a creature as it is in itself: hence ariseth the strong ardent imagination and fiery desire, that the properties do again desire into one, viz. into the fountain whence they proceeded; for in the same they may generate the Assimilate of themselves. 4. Now when God had educed this fiery Love-desire out of the Centre through all the properties, than nature was now desirous (in this Love-property) of the likeness of God, viz. a Similitude according to, and in the Generation of the holy Love-desire; that so this holy Constellation of the Love-desire, might also be creaturized, and figurized. 5. And being this Love-desire was Educed out of all the properties of nature and the heavens, viz. out of the Verbum Fiat: wherein all the Creatures lay from Eternity in a Mystery; and introduced into a Separation, viz. into a sundry distinct Degree: therefore now the Property longed to be an Image of all degrees and properties: viz. a living rational and understanding Image, according to the manifestation of this manifested property. 6. Now said the Speaking Word in the Verbum Fiat; Let us make man: that is out of the * Mass or Mixture. Mesh of all Essences; out of the Property of all Powers and Constellations; the Love-desire desired a Lincus out of all Essences for a living Image: An Image that may be like and resemble Us: and let them have dominion over the fish of the Sea and over the fowl of the air; over the Cattle and over all the Earth, and over every worm (or creeping thing) that creepeth upon the Earth. 7. Understand this thus: the sixth Property of nature (viz. the Love-desire) was produced expressed or breathed forth out of all the properties, and was the desirous life in the joy, viz. in the light of nature: this was not itself a Lincus; but it was the desire to the limus: for the Speaking Word which God expressed, moved therein: viz. the intellectual life; God was therein manifest. 8. This manifested word of God, desired in this Love-desire a limus out of the earth, and all the created Essences, out of all the Constellations and degrees, for a * Corpus. Body, unto itself: therefore God said, an Image that may rule over fish, fowl, beasts, worms, and over the Earth, and all the Essences of the Constellations: now if it must have dominion therein, than it must be thereout, for each Spirit ruleth in its mother whence it is arisen and proceeded; and eateth of its mother. 9 But here we must rightly understand this Love-desire in the expressed Word; the expressed Word had in this Venus-desire the desire of all heavens, that is of all entities and properties in itself, viz. the properties of the inward Spiritual holy heaven, which is the mansion of the power of God; and of the outward created heaven with the heavens of all constellations and Elements; yet not essentially [or in substance] but as a Spiritual desire: and these properties, desired in the Spiritual desire to be essential. 10. Now the Text in Moses speaketh very clearly and fully: where it saith; and God created man in his own Image; in the Image of God created he him: by the creating is understood the body, which is twofold, viz. a Spiritual body and a Corporeal; for the Venus-desire is a spiritual body, and that which it hath attracted unto itself in the Fiat into the desire of the spiritual body, that is a fleshly body: the Verbum Fiat itself did figurize and form it into a Spiritual man, out of all the three Principles, viz. according to the inward divine world, both according to the fiery-light-world and the outward world. 11. And the Spiritual body is the Image of God: which the Fiat clothed with the Essence out of all the Essences, viz. it clothed it with the heavenly holy Essence, the heavenly holy Corporality of the inward holy Love-desire: and from the outward Love-desire it was clothed with the limus of the Earth and the other Elements, together with the visible Constellation of the third Principle. 12. The inward holy man was in the heaven of God, and the outward man was in the outward heaven a limus of the outward heaven: and the inward man a limus of the holy Spiritual heaven: therefore saith Moses very right; God created man in IN his Image, TO ZUM the Image of God: for, IN (betokeneth that) he was known by the Spirit of God in this Essence from Eternity in the mystery of wisdom as a Constellation of Magical Power: Into this knowledge God introduced the Essence and created the Essence TO the ZUM Image of the Magical Image of God. 13. Thus understand by the inward creating, the true heavenly Image, viz. an holy Spiritual man out of all the properties of the Angelical divine world: understand the inward body for the one only Element, whence the four were expressed: and understand the outward man for the outward world with the Stars, and four Elements viz. fire, air, water, and Earth, and also for the outward Tincture, which is linked with the inward in the holy expressed Word, and is only Severed by a Principle: where also the inward putteth forth an external life: the inward is holy and the outward [life or Principle] in the Tincture, were likewise holy, if the Curse were not come into it by reason of the awaked vanity: yet if the vanity be Severed * Or from. by the Tincture: than it is holy and a Paradise, which shall open itself at the End of this world. 14. And Moses saith further: God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living Soul: this signifieth the living, Speaking, understanding Spirit, out of all the three Principles, viz. out of the inward fire-world; which is manifest through the dark world: and out of the holy light-world, and out of the outward Aerial world; this is the Soul. 15. The inward fire-breath is the true Eternal creatural Soul, and the Lights-breath is the true understanding Spirit of the soul: wherein it is an Angel: and the outward air-breath is the rational Soul in the vegetative bestial life, wherewith man ruleth over all the Creatures of this world. 16. As the only understanding of the abyssal unsearchable Deity, hath manifested itself with three Principles; so likewise he hath breathed in the true life out of all the three Principles into the Created Image: the body is a limus of all beings, and the Soul is the expressed Word, viz. the Power and understanding of all Essences, viz. the manifestation of the divine Understanding. 17. The Spirit of God hath inspired or given in itself, from the properties of all the three Principles, into the Created Image: viz. the Father of all Essences hath breathed or spoken forth the Spirit out of all the three Principles through his Eternal Speaking Word out of the whole Essence of the Powers; or as I might set it down, he hath inspoken it, viz. the Egressed Sound or expressed voice of the understanding; which through the motion of God did Educe and manifest itself, through the Eternal and Temporal nature; the same [Spirit] God did again in▪ Speak or as the Text in Moses hath it, breath in to this only Image, for a Ruler of the body and all other Creatures. 18. And the Soul in its real life and understanding, consists in three Kingdoms: the first is the Eternal nature, viz. the Potent might of Eternity, the dark and fire-world, according to which God calleth himself a strong zealous Angry God and a consuming fire, in which the Devil hath wholly plunged and diabolized himself. 19 The Second is the holy light-world, where the Eternal understanding hath displayed itself through the fires-sharpness, in the light of the great fiery Love-desire, and turned the wrathful dark and fiery property, to a Kingdom of joy; which is the true manifestation of the Deity; and it's called the holy heaven of the Angelical delight, and bliss. 20. The third Kingdom or world, is the outward astral and Elemental Kingdom, viz. the air, with its domineering Constellation, wherein all the five outward Constellations rule, viz. the Superior, and the inferior of the four Elements: out of which [constellation] the five Senses take their Original: wherein the vegetable and reasonable life consisteth: this is the animal [or bestial] Soule; which ruleth over all the creatures of this world; so also over all the outward heavens or Constellations; and over all the Earth, or Essences of the outward world. 21. Understand it thus: the fire-breath out of the first Principle ruleth in its Original, viz. in its own mother, whence the Spirit of God amassed (or moulded) it, viz. in the Centre of the Eternal nature; in the Might of the darke-and fire-world: and it is the Cause of the light life: and also of the air-fire: if that were not, none of the other would be neither. 22. And the lights-breath ruleth in the Second Principle, viz. in the holy Kingdom of the manifested Power of God, which is the Mansion of the holy Spirit of God, the Temple of God, viz. in the heavenly holy Essence; understand in the holy Spiritual body of the holy Pure Element, which with its properties standeth in equal weight and measure; as a fit prepared Instrument of the Spirit; wherein he manifesteth God's wonders out of the Eternal wisdom, and introduceth them into the melody of joy, viz. into the holy harmony of the Eternal Speaking Word of God, into the divine Kingdom of joy, viz. into the manifestation of the divine Powers; in which the holy Spirit is the true Musician. 23. And the air-Spirit hath dominion also in its mother whence it ruleth over the outward world over the figure and Similitude of the inward world, viz. over the outward Mystery of time, and manifesteth its mother, which is brought forth out of Eternity into a time, to the Contemplation of the Wonders of the wisdom of God. 24. And yet they are not three Souls, but only one; yet it standeth in three Principles; viz. in the Kingdom of God's Anger, and in the Kingdom of God's Love, and in the Kingdom of this world; and if this were not, than it could not be said, the soul went into heaven or hell, if a Heaven or Hell. they were not in it; when the Air, viz. the outward Kingdom of time doth leave it, then is the Soul manifest either in the dark fire-Kingdome of God, or in the holy Kingdom of light, in the Love-fire of the Power of God; whereunto it hath given up itself in this life-time, therein it standeth, when it foregoeth the outward life. 25. And we are in no wise to think, that the soul is God himself, (who is neither nature nor Creature, also dwelling in nothing save only in himself, and yet dwelleth through all things, and is neither f●r off or nigh unto any thing): but b The soul. it is the expressed Word; the Form Word; it is the Spirit and the life of the three Principles of divine manifestation; but if it were God, than it were immovable, uncontrollable, and no judgement could pass upon it. 26. But a judgement may pass upon it, if it departeth out of that Order wherein God introduced it in the beginning; if it goeth out of the divine harmony, out of the Order of the manifested word of God's Power: if it doth manifest or produce another will in itself, viz. other properties, out of the Strong Might of the Eternal nature. 27. The whole man with body and Soul, is threefold; and yet but one only man: the body is out of a threefold Essence: and the Soul is out of a threefold property of the Spirit: an example thereof you have in the fire light and air: the fire hath another property than the light and air have; the fiery body is the Eternal Constellation, viz. the Magical Constellation, the Great Mystery, out of which the outward Constellation was produced, and brought into a creatural Being. 28. The fire-Spirit, viz. the fiery Soul dwelleth in the fiery Spiritual body: And in the lights body (which is from the holy Element, viz. from the true heavenly Image, which consisteth in a Spiritual Sulphur Mercurius and Sal) dwelleth the holy Soul, viz. the true Spirit of the soul which is of a Temple of God: and in the outward Body (which is a limus of the Earth and the other Elements) viz. in the outward Constellation of the five Senses, the outward Soul, viz. the real Spirit of the outward world; doth dwell. 29. Each Property of the Soul hath a Corporeal property in itself, which may be called an heaven, viz. a Sundry Special Magical Astrum: As the fiery Property of the soul hath a body from the inward Constellation of the dark and fire-world, which is a Spiritual Body. 30. And the c Or light. Lucid Property of the Soul, hath a spiritual oleous, and watery Body, wherein the two properties, of the highest Tincture of the fire and light doth open the Lustre and beauty of the Colours wonders and virtue of the divine wisdom: this water is the water above the Firmament, of which Moses speaketh; and this oil is the holy Oil of the divine Powers, and this was a usual Type in the old Testament, in that the real oily body of the heavenly property, did disappear in Adam in the awaked vanity, God ordained the Type of the new Regeneration with an unction of Oil, wherein he powerfully wrought, through the promised Covenant, as in a Type. 31. The Third outward Property of the Soul, hath likewise every way, such a body of many Constellations in it, as the inward properties; all which multiplicity of properties, may be called heavens: for each property of the outward body hath a Magical Constellation: as there is a body of the Sulphurean Constellation of the Earth: also a Body or Constellation of the Mercurial poisonful life: also a body of the Salt-Powers of Bodies: also a body of the soul of the outward world, viz. of the upper Created Constellation; all according as the outward Powers of the outward soul are: thus each Power hath a Corporeal property in it: and thus also the inward Powers of the Spiritual Property, are to be understood with the inward body. CHAP. XVI. Of the difference of the Heavenly and Earthly Man. 1. WHen we consider the Image of God which God created in Paradise unto the Eternal uncorruptible life, than we can in no wise say of the gross fleshy Image, that the gross property of the earthliness is the Image of God, which can possess the holy world: for it is not of the same Essence and Ens; whereof also Christ speaketh John 6. The Spirit is life; the flesh profiteth nothing: also flesh, and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven: and yet verily the true Body is couched in this bestial gross property; as the Gold in the Oar. 2. All that is Earthly on man, that is bestial and corruptible, and not man; Albeit God created Man an external body out of the limus of the Earth: yet it is not to be considered of us, as now it is; for the true humane Body according to the inward world, is a Spiritual Sulphur, a Spiritual Mercurius, and a Spiritual Sal: each property of the Soul hath a Coporeall or Essential quality on it. 3. God created such a Body, as the Soul was in its Essence, viz. in the Spirated Word of the understanding; and breathed the Soul thereinto for the Understanding; also the outward Sulphurean body, is in no wise the Gross Beast, which passeth away and returneth not again; the true real body which is hidden in the Grosseness, is a spiritual body, in comparison to the Grossness: it is created in deed in flesh and blood; but in a fixed steadfast [uncorruptible flesh and blood.] 4. By the Lust and Imagination of Adam, the Grosseness was manifest; the True outward body is a Sulphureous, Mercurial, and Saltish Property; a pure Essential Power according to the nature of the Soul: That which the Soul is in the Spirit, the same is the true humane body in the Essence, as a mansion of the Soul. 5. All the Properties of the inward holy Body, together with the outward, were (in the first man) composed in an equal harmony, none lived in selfe-desire, but they all gave up their desire unto the Soul, in which, the divine light was manifest, as in the holy heaven: the light shone through all the Properties and made an equal Temperature in the properties: all the properties gave their desire into the light, viz. into the manifested sweetness of God, which penetrated all the properties; in which Penetration they were all Tinctured with the Sweet Love: so that there was nothing but mere pleasing relish Love-desire and delight betwixt them. 6. The inward holy Corporallity * Of. from the pure Element penetrated through the four Elements, and held the limus of the Earth (viz. the outward Sulphureous body) as it were swallowed up in itself; and it was really there, but in manner as the darkness dwelleth in the light, and yet its darkness cannot be manifest for the light, but if the light extinguisheth, than the darkness is manifest. 7. Thus the inward man held the Outward captive in itself, and penetrated it, as a fire through-heats an Iron, that it seems as if it were all fire: but when the fire goeth out, than the dark swart Iron is manifest. 8. Thus likewise was the first man when he stood in Paradise, in his fixed condition, in manner, as time is before God, and God in the time; and they are distinct, but not parted asunder: as the time is a play before God, so also the outward life of man was a play * Before. unto the inward holy man, which was the real Image of God. 9 The outward Spirit, and Body, was unto the inward as a wonder of divine manifestation, according to the fire-darke-and light world, a mirror of the Great Omnipotence and Omniscience of God: and the inward was given unto it for a Ruler, and Guide. 10. As God playeth with the time of this outward world, so likewise the inward divine man should play with the outward in the manifested wonders of God in this world, and open the divine wisdom in all Creatures (each according to his Property) so likewise in the Earth in stones and metals, in which also there is a twofold Essence, viz. one from the original of the fire-dark-world, and one of the Original of the holy-light-world. 11. All this was given him for his play: he had the knowledge of all Tinctures: all was subject to him, he ruled in heaven and earth and over all the Elements, so also over all the Constellations; and that because the divine Power was manifest in him: no heat nor cold did annoy him; as a Tincture penetrates a body and preserves it from sickness, and as the warmth of the Sun defends the body from cold; so likewise the highest Tincture of the fire and light, viz. the holy Power of the inward spiritual Body, penetrated the outward Body of flesh and blood, and took every outward Elemental properry, as also the limus of the Earth, into its preservation or protection. 12. For as there was a Temperature in the body of the inward and outward man: so likewise there was nothing without the Body that could either destroy, or annoy this Temperature: as Gold endures in the fire, and as a Tincture penetrates all things, and yields or gives way unto nothing; so likewise, man was not subject unto any thing, save only and alone to the only God, who dwelled through him, and was manifest in him with the Power of the holy Essence; and this was an Image and likeness of God, in whom the Spirit of God inhabited. 13. Reason will understand us amiss, and say, I speak of a twofold man: but I say no! I speak only of one only man, which is a likeness according to God, viz. according to the manifested God; according to the expressed Form word of the divine Power; of divine understanding. 14. As all things are in God d Text in Essence. Essentially, and yet he himself is not that very Essence; and yet that Essence ruleth every Essence according to its Property; so likewise the inward spiritual man is an Image of the form Word of divine Power, and the outward an Image of the inward, viz. an Instrument of the inward; as a Master must have an Instrument wherewith to finish and perform his work; so likewise the outward man from the limus of the Earth and four Elements, with its outward Constellation, is only an Instrument of the inward, wherewith the inward frameth and maketh what the inward Spirit of the soul willeth. 15. As we see that the Will is the Master in all purposes and undertake; and see further, that the inward man hath divine will and desire, but the outward a bestial will, which is so by reason of the fall: the whole man is but one only man: but his property lieth in Sundry degrees according to the inward and outward heavens, viz. according to the divine manifestation through the Seven Properties of Nature. Of the Creation of the Seventh Day. 16. GOd created all things in six days out of the Seven properties, and introduced the six day's works of the manifestation of his Creature into the Seventh, wherein every life should work as in one body; for the Seventh and first day belong mutually to one another as one: for the six properties of the Eternal nature are all couched in the Seventh, as in a e Operate or workhouse. Structure of the other six; the Seventh Property is a Mystery, or Essence of all the other: and out of the Seventh day the first day hath taken its Original and beginning. Seventh Day, Saturnus. 17. FOr on the Seventh day, viz. Saturday, Saturn hath his dominion the first hour of the day in the Planetick Orb; which is a figure of the sevenfold Generation of the Eternal nature; for like as the first form of the Eternal nature is the Astringent desire, viz. the Fiat, which in the desire impresseth the Free Lubet (which is as a thin nothing in the Eternal will of God, in the divine understanding) and introduceth it into a Spiritual Essence, in which Desires Essence, all the properties do arise as is above mentioned. 18. So likewise Saturn, or the Seventh Property of the Seventh day, is the Rest, or mansion of the other six day's works, wherein they work as a Spirit in the body: the Seventh Property standeth still as a senseless life. 19 But that now Moses saith: God rested on the Seventh day from all his works, and sanctified the Seventh day for rest: this hath a very peculiar Emphatical deep meaning, and yet it were but plain and childlike, if we were in Paradise and dwelled in the Sabbath: understand it thus. 20. Out of the Verbum Fiat, viz. out of the divine Word, and out of the divine desire, which is the Fiat in the Word, wherewith the Word formeth itself, or introduceth itself in the Spiritual Essence to the dark fire-and light-world; the six properties of the Eternal and Temporal nature, proceeded; and each hath introduced itself into a sundry degree of a sundry Property, which degree may be called a Heaven, or a Magical Spirituall-Constellation. 21. For each Property is a Spirated Essence, viz. a Heaven: for * Text Himmell, expounded in the Language of Nature. Heaven Himmell doth properly and exactly denote and signify, in the language of nature, a Spiration, or formation; where the Fiat formeth what the Word Speaketh or breatheth forth; and thus the Spiration, or Speaking was introduced into six degrees or dayes-works. 22. Each Spiration continued a time, viz. the length of a day and night in the formation and Conception, and each property of a day was mutually spoken or breathed forth out of the other, even unto the sixth, in which the Form word was manifest, which in the fift form, viz. in the Love-desire did receive its Aspect or illustration through the fire from the light; and Amassed or form itself in the sixth form of nature; in which formation, the Image of God (man) was Created, as an Image of the form Word, which God introduced into the Sabbath, viz into the Seventh day, understand into the Verbum Fiat, viz. into the first divine desire to nature, wherein Paradise and the Eternal Day was. 23. For in the Seventh Property lieth the Eternal day, whence the days of Time are proceeded; and the Ancient have called it f As to the word. Sun Evening, or the Evening of the Sun. In our English Saturday. Sonabend; but it is rightly called g The Evening of reconciliation: or Saving day. Suhnabend; wherein God's Love, doth appease and Atone the Anger; as when the six properties in the Operate, do enkindle themselves in the Impression in the wrath's property, they are atoned and reconciled in the Seventh property, viz. In the manifested holy power of God in the Love-desire; (which holy power manifesteth itself in the fift and sixth Property, and doth encircle the Operate of all the rest as an holy heaven) and so are introduced into one only Essence, wherein they Rest, as in the h Text, in verbo Domini. Word of the Lord; which hath introduced itself with the Seven properties into Nature and Essence, and thereof Moses speaketh rightly, God rested on the Seventh day from all his works, and hallowed the Seventh day. 24. Understand it here aright: God Rested with his Form Word (which he first introduceth into darkness and fire) viz. into the first Principle, according to which, he is called a Consuming fire), in the Second Principle, viz. in the form holy Word, where he educeth himself through the fire in the light in the love-desire, viz. in the holy Fiat: and resteth Eternally with his manifested Word therein; his Rest therein, is a Dominion of joy; where the Anguish-Source of God's wrath, of the Eternal nature, is changed into a divine Kingdom of joy. 25. And this Rest is the holy heaven in the Natural heaven, where time worketh in itself, and setteth forth its operate for the day of Rest, viz. the day of Separation, where, at the end of the days of this world, the evil shall be Separated from the good and each thing shall possess its own heaven, viz. the property of its original [or sourcive] Spirit, whence it was Generated. 26. But in this time, God's Love and Anger must mutually work in one another, and manifest the Wonders of God both according to the fire and light world, and the Verbum Domini resteth in the Seventh manifestation of the properties, and shineth with its i And virtue. power into the operation of the Six days, viz. into the six properties; and affordeth aid and help to every life. 27. In the seventh property all things are brought into their End, viz. into the first day of the beginning of all Essences; for the Seventh day, viz. the Seventh property of the Eternal nature, is the transparent Glassy Sea before the throne of the Ancient in the Revelation, whence, as out of k Ex Mysterio Magno. the Grand Mystery, this world was created into sundry Peculiar heavens and forms, and Form in the Verbum Fiat: the Seventh day was from Eternity without and beyond all Time, for it is the Form Word of the Divine understanding; in it, the Eternal wisdom of God is manifest, viz. the Powers and Wonders of the divine understanding, in which the Deity worketh. CHAP. XVII. Of Paradise. 1. MOses saith; that when God had made man, that he planted a Garden in Eden, and there he put man, to till and keep the same: and caused all manner of fruits to grow, pleasant for the Sight and good for food: and planted the Tree of Life also and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, in the midst. 2. Hear lieth the veil before the face of Moses; in that he had a bright shining Countenance, that Sinful Israel cannot look him in the face; for the man of vanity is not worthy to know what Paradise is; and albeit it be given us to know it according to the hidden man: yet by this description, we shall remain as dumb, to the Beast, but yet be sufficiently understood by our fellow-schollars. 3. The Garden Eden was a place upon the Earth where man was Tempted: and the Paradise was in heaven; and yet was in the Garden Eden; for as Adam before his Eve [was made out of him,] before his sleep was as to his inward man in heaven, and as to the outward, upon the Earth; and as the inward holy man penetrated the outward, as a fire through-heats an iron: so also the heavenly Power out of the Pure Element penetrated the four Elements, and sprang forth through the Earth, and bare fruits, which were heavenly and Earthly, and were qualifyed [sweetly Tempered] of the divine Power: and the vanity in the fruit was held as it were swallowed up, as the day hideth the night, and holdeth it captive in itself, that it is not known and manifest. 4. Paradise was nothing else but the Seventh day's property; the heavenly Essentiality of the second Principle is couched or shut up in the Earth, the curse of God hath hidden it, it budded (in the beginning of the world) through the Earthly Essentiality, as the Eternity is in the time, and the divine Power is through all things; and yet is neither comprehended or understood of any earthly thing in selfehood. 5. But in Paradise the Essence of the divine world penetrated the Essence of time, as the Sun penetrates the fruit upon a tree, and effectually works it into a pleasantness, that it is lovely to look upon and good to eat: the like also we are to understand of the Garden in Eden. 6. The word ‖ Ede expounded according to the Language of Nature. Ede is nothing else, but what Moses saith of the Earth: that it was * Void. eed, and empty: that is, it should not manifest its Might according to the wrath of vanity, it should be still, as a mother to bring forth: for the internal would rule through the external, as the Spiritual world through time, heaven through the Earth; the Earth was empty without fruit: but the heaven was its husband, which made it fruitful, and bare fruit by it until the Curse, where heaven did hid [disappear, or withdraw] itself, from the Earth. 7. The whole world would have been a mere Paradise, if Lucifer had not corrupted it, who was in the beginning of his Creation, an Hierarch in the place of this world; but seeing God knew well, that Adam would fall; therefore Paradise sprang forth and budded only in one certain Place, to introduce and confirm Man therein; whom, (albeit God saw that he would again departed thence,) he would again introduce thereinto, by Christ, and establish him anew in Christ, to Eternity in Paradise. 8. For Lucifer poisoned the first Paradise with his false and wicked desire, therefore God promised to regenerate it anew in Christ; for the seventh day which God appointed for Rest, is nothing else but Paradise regenerate anew in the Spirit of Christ in the humane property, wherein the poor soul shall rest Eternally from the Source of the six dayes-workes, viz. of the six properties of the life. 9 Also it is the Seventh time or manifestation of God, in which the Mystery of God's Kingdom shall be finished, when it shall be again Pure in the place of this world, when heaven shall be again manifest in the world, and the Devil driven out with his l Text evil Essence. wickedness: whereinto no unclean thing shall any more enter; for this world, in which, Adam was, before his Eve, must again return, as it was, before the Curse, in which, Righteousness shall rule: but the vanity shall be purged away through the fire of God's Anger, and given to the dark world. 10. But that Moses saith, the Tree of life stood in the midst of the Garden; and presently next after setteth down, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and Evil: Hear lieth the veil before his eyes, that the earthly Sinful man, cannot behold him; for he is not worthy of it; for his earthliness in the Curse of the bestial vanity, shall not inherit Paradise. 11. The precious Pearl lieth in [the knowledge of] the difference of the two Trees; and yet it is but only one, but manifest in two Kingdoms for the Tree of life standeth wholly in the midst of the Garden: for it standeth in two Principles, in the midst, viz. in the holy world, between the Eternal dark world of God's anger, where God is an angry zealous God, and a Consuming fire; and the outward visible world. 12. The holy Power of God in the Tree, was the middlemost Kingdom, and Paradise was the outermost Kingdom; for the middlemost penetrated, the outermost and manifested itself with the outward; this was the Knowledge of the Good; which Adam should have as little known, in its Original, as the Evil: he was created for an Instrument of God, with whom God would manifest his wonders in figures; he should only keep a childlike mind, and be resigned unto God. 13. Now the Tree of the Knowledge of evil, was the dark world, which also was manifest on this Tree; likewise the vanity, as m As at this Day. now it is; all earthly fruit▪ was manifest therein▪ therefore Moses distinguisheth the Tree, and saith, the Tree of life; thereby he understandeth the property of the Eternal life in the Tree; viz. the Second Principle; and by the words of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil he n Or meaneth. understandeth the wrath of the Anger of God, which was manifest by the Essence of the outward world, in earthliness in this Tree, of which Adam should not eat; for he should o Or eat. have eaten with the inward mouth, and not with the Earthly desire but with the heavenly, for he had such fruit growing for him, which the inward mouth could enjoy▪ indeed the outward mouth did also eat thereof, but not into the worm's Carcase. 14. For as the light p Avalleth. swalloweth up the darkness, so the celestial swallowed up the Terrestrial, and changed it again into That, whence it proceeded; or as the Eternity swalloweth up the Time, and in it, is as a nothing; so likewise there were two Centres in Adam's mouth, for the Kingdom of God stands in Power; and Adam also before his Eve stood in the Kingdom of God, for he was male and female with both divine heavenly Tinctures: and neither the Fires or Lights Tincture or desire, should be manifest in him, for they should stand in Equal weight [in the true Temperature] resigned q Or to▪ in God. 15. But in the Tree of the Knowledge of good and Evil; the properties, viz. of God's Love, and also the earthliness, as it is at this day in the Curse, were peculiarly manifest, each in itself, and did eagerly put themselves forth, that is, they were departed out of the likeness out of the equal harmonious Accord; and all the three Principles were each of them, in an especial manner, manifest in this Tree, and therefore Moses calleth it, the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 16. Reason saith: wherefore did God suffer this Tree to grow seeing man should not eat thereof? did he not bring it forth for the Fall of man? and must it not needs be the cause of man's destruction? This is that, about which, the high schools contend, and understand it not, for they go about to seek and apprehend the inward in the outward, and it remaineth hidden and dead unto them, they understand not what Man is. 17. Man was created out of all the three Principles; and was placed in the principle, in the properties of the inward and outward world, in equal number weight and measure: none of the Principles did exceed the other: there was an agreeing harmony: the Divine light temperized all the properties, so that there was a mutual melody and play of unanimous Love between them. 18. The Fiery dark world rejoiced in the holy light-world, and the light-world in the outward [world], as in its manifestation; again, the outward world joyed itself in both the inward worlds; as in its life: and there was a mere pleasing harmonious will, pleasure, and sweet delight, between them: the Mercury, viz. the Sounding, hearing, and feeling life, viz. the manifestation of the divine Word in the Fiat, did mutually penetrate all Essences, in a very exceeding joyful Property. 19 The property or essence of all the Three worlds reached r Or set their desire upon the light. with the desire after the light; and in the light the expressed Word was holy; this holy word gave its power and virtue to the Sound of the inward dark fireworld; and also into the Sound of the outward Elemental world; viz. it gave itself into the inward fiery Word, or life, and also into the outward earthly life. 20. Thus the holy divine World was predominant through all the three Principles of the humane Property, and there was an Equal Accord; and no Enmity or opposite will was manifest betwixt the Principles, but a mere harmonious affection and inclination of will, pleasing relish, ravishing melody, sweet Smell, a friendly smiling, and most pleasant Aspect, a meek and kind sense, and mutual fruition of delight. 21. For, Man was on the sixth day, taken and created unto a divine likeness and Image in the sixth manifestation of the Seven properties of the divine harmonious manifestation in the Expressed Power, which hath diffused and manifested itself through the fift property, viz. through the fiery Love-desire; his true lifes-Centre was the fift property of the Eternal nature, viz. the fiery Love-desire; which held the Fire, and darkness, hidden [or shut up] in itself, and used it to its joy and delight. 22. But it is very needful for us to understand aright in this place, whence the desire to fall away from the Equal Accord did arise both in the Hierarch Lucifer, and also in Adam the second Herarch or Royal Prince in the Divine Image. 23. When the Eternal Only God once moved himself through the Eternal Spiritual nature, viz. in the Eternal great abyssal Mystery, and Comprised [or amassed] this Mystery into a Circumference or Place, to manifest his great wonders; and introduced the Eternal wisdom into a formal visible contemplation, and manifested all the seven Properties of the inward Eternal Spiritual world, and introduced them into a Creation of the Angels; then all the properties were moved, and affected, and each desired to be in a creatural form, in the Place, so far as the Verbum Fiat, had s Or given itself in. put itself forth to motion and manifestation. 24. And the Angelical Princes also with their Legions, were taken and created out of the properties in the Verbum Fiat; even from the first Centre where the Eternal Lubet betaketh itself into a desire, and introduceth itself into nature, unto the most external manifestation, each hierarchy in its heaven or Property. 25. But being Lucifer, was in his Creation or formation of the properties apprehended in the Principle of the Property, where the Enkindling fire ariseth, where the light is manifest, thereupon he became so Aspiring in himself, as the most Mighty Prince; and being in the root of his creatural Original, he understood the great Magical Constellation, viz. the Mystery of the Ground of all beings, but yet in the dark property, which yet was now moved and affected; which Magical constellations also t Or would be. desired to be manifest and creatural in the dark world) thereupon it set its desire upon this mighty Prince and Hierarch. 26. And he, viz. Lucifer, turned himself away from the divine light into the fiery Mystery, towards the darkness, whence the fire ariseth; and so the Magical Astrum of the Grand Mystery of the dark world, apprehended him; for, his desire, which the Verbum Fiat had extroduced through the fire in the light, turned itself back again thereinto, and would be like the Creator of all beings, and change himself and the Essence according to his own pleasure. 27. Thus he contemned the meekness in the light, viz. the Second Principle, which [ariseth] through the fire-death, (where the wrath or the Spiritual Essentiality of the wrathful dark Property, dyeth in the fire; and out of which death of Devoration, the Second Principle, viz. the holy Love-world of great meekness and humility, is generated) and went back into the first Principle, viz. in magiam naturae into the Original of the Eternal Nature; and would be an Omniscient Artist: he would rule and domineer, in and above the whole Creation, and be a Co-former in all Properties. 28. Thus the light was extinct to him, for he made his Angelical Essence which stood in great meekness and in fiery Love-desire, wholly rough, Austere, cold, wrathful and fiery, in the dark wrathful property; and the properties of Enmity instantly arose in him, for, in the light they could not be manifest; but when the light extinguished they were manifest; and he became a Devil and was driven out of the Angelical world out of his own heaven of the Second Principle. 29. Thus we are to know, that the fall befell him from his creature, for had he not turned away his creatural desire from the divine meekness and Love, in Pride, and stubborn will to rule in the Matrix of the Pregnatresse which took him as a Player; he had remained an Angel: had he continued under God's Love-Spirit and will, than his anger-Spirit and will, had not captivated him. 30. But seeing he hath freely and willingly broken himself off from God's Love-will; he hath now God's Anger-will in him, wherein he must be a Manifestour and worker of the dark world's Property, for it would also be creatural; Hear it hath a right captive, that can artificially act in Apes-sport; and now as the dark world is in its property in its desire; such is also its Hierarch or creatural Prince. 31. And here it is very requisite for us to know aright, how man came to fall. Man was created in the stead and place of extruded Lucifer, understand the inward Spiritual man; he was created in the same heaven according to the inward humane Soul, and should possess the Hierarchy which Lucifer had lost; and hence the Devil's Envy against man is arisen. 32. But seeing God did well know; that the Devil would Tempt him, and not beteem him that honour; the deepest Love of God (viz. the high Name Jesus out of JEHOVAH) hath freely given itself herein, to regenerate this Hierarchy which Lucifer had defiled; and to purge it through the fire, and to introduce his highest Love thereinto, and to overcome the wrath (which Lucifer had awakened) with Love, and change it again into divine joy, viz. into an holy heaven; u Or unto which end the last judgement is appointed. in which place the Last Judgement standeth: and this is that which Saint Paul saith, Man was chosen [or elected] in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world was laid. 33. And for this end, God created man out of three Principles in One, that [being] he did not live wholly in the Place of Lucifer, that so he might help him; for God saw very well, according to the property of his wrath, that Man would fall; but he would bring him again through and in the Name Jesus through the corruptible Death, into the Royal Kingdom whence Lucifer was fallen; in whose stead the Man Christ God and man in one Person, should sit as an Hierarck, high Priest, or the Great Prince of men, in the Name and Power of Jesus out of JEHOVA. 34. Therefore we are here rightly to consider of the fall of man; how he stood in Paradise and was tempted; and what the Paradise was; man stood in three Principles, which indeed stood in man himself, viz. in body and Soul, in equal Accord and harmony, but not without him; for the dark world hath another desire than the light-world; now the Image of God stood between three Principles; all which three did set their desire upon this Image; each would be manifest in Adam, and have him in their Dominion for a Ruler, and manifest their wonders through him. 35. But he viz. the man, should have introduced his desire only into the sixth Property of the divine manifestation, wherein he was created to an Image of God; he should be wholly resigned to God: he should only live in the manifested Divine Word, in obedience to God, and not enter into his own will, but introduce his desire into God's will, viz. into the sixth Property; that so the manifested Word of God might be his will, knowing, and Doing: even as the holy Angels do so live and rejoice only in the Divine Will, and melodise in the holy Ghost, as he doth open and manifest himself in them according to the Divine wisdom; and thus they live, will, and Act, with a childlike mind and will. 36. Paradise, or the Garden in Eden did indeed stand with its properties, in equal Concord as to man: but the properties were in themselves an Awaked hunger, each in itself; which verily the Divine light did again intoduce into a Temperature: but the Devil opposed man, in his Enkindled Envy, and insinuated his venomous Imagination into the humane Property, and Enkindled the humane properties in the Centre in the first Principle of the Souls Property, wherein the Soul standeth in like Essence and Being, with the Angels and Devils. 37. Whence Adam's Imagination, and earnest hunger did arise, that he would eat of the Evil and Good, and live in his own will; that is, his will departed out of the equal Concord into the multiplicity of the properties: for he would prove, feel, taste, hear, smell, and see them; as the Devil did persuade them also in the Serpent; they should be as God and their eyes should be open in the properties, which also happened unto them in the Fall, that they knew tasted see and felt Evil, and Good: whence arose unto them sickness disease, pains, and Corruption [or the dissolution of this carcase.] 38. And being the Divine Providence, did afore know that the Devil would tempt man, Note. and bring him into strange lust; lest he should long after the Centre of the dark world, and become a Devil as Lucifer did, God did represent unto him, the Tree of life, and of the knowledge of Good and Evil, wherein the dissolution of the outward life was manifest. 39 For it was long of Adam, when he was yet in Paradise, when he lusted after vanity, and brought his Imagination into the Earth, viz. into that Essence, whence the limus of the outward body was extracted; and desired out of his mother to assay of the Enkindled vanity which the Devil had inflamed, thereupon the Fiat drew him forth such a Plant out of the Matrix of the Earth, whence also it had extracted Adam's body, so that Adam's hunger, had to eat. 40. For the Essence in the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, and the hunger of the desire in Adam, were alike; what he desired was represented unto him by the Fiat; Adam's Imagination was the Cause of it. 41. Reason saith; wherefore did God suffer it to come to pass? Christ said, if you had Faith as a grain of Mustardseed, and should say to this Mountain be cast into the Sea, it should be done: I prithee, was not the Souls spirit sprung forth out of the Great Divine Omnipotence out of the Centre of the Eternal Spiritual nature, whence all Beings were created, and should it not then be potent? 42. He was a fire-spark of Gods Might, but when he was form into a creatural being of the Creatures, he withdrew into Self lust, and broke himself off from the Universal Being, and entered into a selfefullnesse, and so he wrought his own destruction, and this he had had, if God's Love had not redeemed him. 43. The Souls power was so potent before the vanity, that it was not subject to any thing; and so it is still powerful, if the understanding were not taken away from it: it can by Magic alter all things whatsoever are in the outward world's Essence, and introduce them into another Essence, but the vanity in the outward Airs Dominion hath brought a darkness thereinto, so that it doth not know itself, the Curse of God hath cast the defiled child into the dirt, that it must pray for a Laver; and must be in this life time it's own Enemy, that it may learn to be humble, and continue in the divine Harmony, and not become a Devil. CHAP. XVIII. Of the paradisical * Dominion life or condition. State, showing how it should have been if Adam had not fallen. 1. I Know the x Or Sophist. Sophister will here cavil at me; and cry it down as a thing impossible for me to know; being I was not there, and saw it myself: To him I saw, that I in the Essence of my Soul, and body, when I was not as yet I, but when I was in Adam's Essence, was there, and did myself fool y Negligently lose. away my Glory in Adam; but being Christ hath restored it again unto me, I see in the Spirit of Christ, what I was in Paradise; and what I am now in Sin, and what I shall be again: and therefore let none cry it out as a thing un-knowable; for although I Indeed know it not; yet the Spirit of Christ knoweth it in me; from which knowledge I shall write. 2. Adam was a z A husband and also a wife. Man, and also a woman, and yet none of them [distinct] but a Virgin full of chastity, modesty and purity, viz. the Image of God: He had both the Tinctures of the fire, and light, in him; in the Conjunction of which, the own Love, viz. the Virgineall Centre stood; being the fair paradisical Rose-Garden of delight, wherein he loved himself; as we also in the Resurrection of the Dead shall be such; as Christ telleth us: Matth. 13. and 22. that we shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage, but be like the Angels of God. 3. Such a Man, as Adam was before his Eve, shall arise and again enter into, and eternally possess Paradise, not a Man, or Woman; but as the Scripture saith, they are Virgins, and follow God, and the Lamb, they are like to the Angels of God, yet not only pure Spirit, as the Angels, but in heavenly bodies, in which the Spiritual Angelical body inhabiteth. 4. Seeing then Adam was created in Paradise to the Life Eternal in the Image of God; and God himself breathed his life and Spirit, into him; therefore we can well describe him, how he was in his innocency, and how he fell, and what he is now, and shall again be at last. 5. If God had created him a Or for. unto the Earthly corruptible, miserable, naked, sick, bestial, toilsome life, than he had not brought him into Paradise; if b God. he had desired [or willed] the bestial copulation, and propagation, than he would instantly in the beginning have created Man, and woman, and both Sexes had come forth in the Verbum Fiat, into the division of both Tinctures, as it was in the other earthly creatures. 6. Every creature bringeth its clothing from its c Or mother's body. Dam; but Man cometh miserable, naked, and bare, in deepest poverty, and un-ability; and is able to do nothing; and in his arrival to this world he is the poorest miserablest, forlornest, and most shiftless Creature amongst all kinds, which cannot at all help himself; which doth sufficiently show unto us, that he was not created of God unto this misery, but d Or unto. in his perfection, as all other creatures were, which [Perfection] the first man fooled away [or lost] by false lust; whereupon God afterward in his sleep did first figurize him in the outward Fiat to the Natural life in Man, and Woman, according to the Property of all earthly Creatures, and hung upon him the worms- Carcase with the bestial members for propagation, of which the poor soul is to this day ashamed, that it must bear a bestial form on the body. 7. Two fixed and steadfast Essences were in Adam; viz. the Spiritual body e Or of. from the Love-Essentiality of the inward Heaven; which was God's Temple; and the outward body, viz. the limus of the earth▪ which was the mansion, and habitation of the inward Spiritual body, which in no wise was manifest according to the vanity of the Earth, for it was a limus, an extract of the good part of the earth; which at the last Judgement shall be Severed in the Earth from the vanity of the Curse, and Corruption of the Devil. 8. These two beings, viz. the inward heavenly, and the outward heavenly, were mutually espoused to each other, and form into one f Text, Corpus. body, wherein was the most Holy Tincture of the fire and light; viz. the great joyful Love-desire, which did inflame the Essence, so that both Essences did very earnestly and ardently desire each other in the Love-desire, and loved one another: the inward loved the outward as its manifestation, and Sensation, and the outward loved the inward, as its greatest sweetness, and joyfulness, as its precious Pearl and most beloved Spouse, and consort; and yet they were not two bodies, but only one; but of a twofold Essence, viz. one inward, heavenly holy; and one from the Essence of time; which were espoused and betrothed to each other to g Or eternally. an Eternal [being.] 9 And the Magical Impregnation [or conception] and birth did stand in this fiery Love-desire; for the Tincture penetrated through both Essences; through the inward and outward, and did awaken (or stir up) the desire; and the Desire was the Fiat, which the Love- Lubet [or Imagination] h Conceived. taken, and brought into a Substance; thus the likeness of the express Image was form in this Substance being a Spiritual Image according to the first: As the Fiat had conceived, and form the first Image, viz. Adam, so also the likeness was conceived out of the first for propagation; and in this Conception also the Magical birth was forthwith (effected,) where, in the birth, the Spiritual body became external. 10. Understand, if it had been that Adam had stood, than the Magical birth had been thus [effected,] not by a sundry peculiar issue from Adam's body, as now; but as the Sun through-shineth the water, and rents (or tears) it not; even so, the Spiritual body, viz. the birth, had been brought forth, and in its coming forth had become Substantial, without pains care and distress, in a great joyfulness, and delight; it had been in a manner, as both seeds of man and woman do receive in their Conjunction a pleasant Aspect; even so also the magical Impregnation and birth, had been a Virginlike Image wholly perfect according to the first. 11. Which afterward, when Venus' Matrix was taken from Adam, and form into a woman, must be done through Anguish trouble smart, pangs, and distress; as God said to Eve; I will multiply thy Sorrows when thou conceivest, thou shalt now bring forth Children with Sorrow, and thy will shall be subject to thy Husband; Wherefore? because it was sprung forth from the Man's will: Eve was half the Adam, viz. the Part wherein Adam should have loved and Impregnated himself; the same, when as he stood not, was taken from him in his sleep, and form into a woman: therefore when Adam saw her, he said; she shall be called * Or Manness. woman, because she is taken out of man. 12. Man should have walked naked upon the Earth, for the heavenly (part) penetrated the outward, and was his clothing; he stood in great beauty glory, joy, and delight, in a childlike mind; he should have eaten, and drunk in a magical manner; not into the body, as now, but in the mouth, there was the Separation; for so likewise was the fruit of Paradise. 13. All things were made for his sport, and delight; no sleep was in him; the night was in him as the day; for he saw with i Glorified, illustrious. pure eyes in k in his own genuine innate light. peculiar light; the inward man, viz. the inward Eye saw through the outward; as we in the other world shall need no Sun; for we [shall] see in the divine Sight, in the light of the Peculiar nature. No heat, nor cold had touched them; there had also no winter been manifest upon the earth, for in Paradise there was an equal Temperature. 14. The Tincture of the Earth had been their delight and pass-time; they had had all metals for their play until the time that God had changed the outward World: no fear or terror had been in them, also no Law from any thing, or to any thing; for all had been free unto them; Adam had been their chief Prince; and they had lived in the world and also in heaven, inhabiting in both worlds at once; Paradise had been through the whole world. 15. But seeing the divine Providence did well know, that Adam would not stand, being the earth was corrupted by its former Prince; in that the wrath of God had moved itself, and l Or took Amassed the Essence into an Impression; therefore God created all manner of fruits and beasts, also all sorts of m Or Sovereign healing Animals vegetables and minerals. Medicines for the future sickness of man; and likewise all kinds of meat; that the man might have food, and raiment also in this world. 16. For he had determined to send another Prince, by whom he would redeem man from his sickness and death, and purify, and purge the earth through the fire of God, and introduce it into the holy (being) as it was when Lucifer was an Angel, before it came into such a n Or creatural being. creature. 17. And Adam was created only o Or in. unto the divine Image which should be eternal; and though it was known in the wrath of God, that man would fall; yet the p Or restorer. Regenerator was also known in God's Love; q Text, for. to whom this Hierarchy should be given for a Royal Possession in Lucifer's stead. 18. But that the Fall * Or might not so much as appear to arise from the divine decree. might not proceed (or come) from the divine Appointment, God made man perfect, and created, and ordained him unto Paradise, and forbade him the false lust, which the Devil stirred up through the limus of the earth, in Adam's outward body, with his false Imagination, and Hungry-desire. 19 And Adam was (before his Eve) forty days in Paradise, in the Temptation, before God made the woman out of him; if he had stood steadfast, then God had so confirmed him to Eternity. 20. But that I writ of forty days, contrary to the Custom [and opinion] of other writers, is, that we have certain knowledge and sufficient ground of the same, not only by conjecture, but from another knowledge, of this also we will show you the Types. As (first) of Moses upon Mount Sinai when God gave him the Law, this was done in forty days, and Israel was tried whether they would continue in divine obedience; but seeing they made a Calf, and an Idol, and fell from God, therefore Moses must break the first Tables of the Law, signifying, the first Adam in the divine Law, who departed from it: therefore the same was broken from him, and he fell into the r Destruction. breaking of his body, as Moses broke the Tables in piece. 21. And God gave Moses another Scripture or writing upon s Round ba●l▪ or Globe. a Table of Stone; which signifieth the Second Adam (Christ) who should restore the first, and again introduce his Law into his Table of the heart, viz. into the life into the humanity, and write it with the living Spirit in the sweet Name JESV; thus the other Law was also written, how Gods Love would destroy or break in pieces the Anger; of which the Covenant in the Law was a type, as shall be hereafter mentioned in Moses. 22. The Second figure of Adam in Paradise are the forty years in the wilderness; where Israel was tried in the Law with the Heavenly Manna, whether or no they would be obedient to God, that the Anger might not so much devour them. The Third figure is the true real one, viz. Adam's hard t Combat. encounter with Christ in the wilderness, where he stood in Adam's stead before the Devil and God's Anger, where he did eat forty days magically, viz. of the u Text of the Verbum Domini. word of the Lord, in which Adam also was tempted, whether he would remain wholly resigned unto God's will, Christ was Tempted in Adam's x Place or lieu. stead in Adam's Temptation, and with all that whatsoever wherein Adam was tempted, as shall be mentioned hereafter. 23. The fourth Figure are the forty hours of Christ in the Grave, where he awaked Adam out of his first sleep. The fift Figure are the forty days of Christ after his Resurrection in the last Proba, where the humanity was last of all tried, whether it would now stand and be wholly resigned in God, being that death was destroyed, and the inward humane life newborn in God. 24. These five figures belong unto the five degrees of nature; from the first form of nature even to the fift, viz. to the holy Centre of the Love-birth; if it were not too large we would set it forth very clearly, it shall be shown in its place. 25. These forty days Adam was y Or stood in the Proba. tried in his Innocency, whether or no he would or could stand, to possess the Throne of Lucifer, as an Hierarch, and Prince of God; but seeing God knew that this would not be, he determined to move himself with his deepest Love in this Adamicall, Angelical Image of the inward holy man, which did z Vanish or withdraw. disappear in Adam, and to regenerate him anew, viz. in the seed of the woman, understand in the Love-desire's Seed, wherein Adam should have impregnated generated or brought forth himself in a Magical manner. In this seed the Mark or Bound of the promised Covenant a Or with. in Christ was set; who should restore the Angels-Image, viz. the divine man, as it is effected. 26. These forty days, Adam, viz. the Soul of Adam in the flesh, was tempted betwixt three Principles; for each Principle drew the Soul in the flesh, and would have the upperhand or Dominion. 27. This was the Right b Trial. Probra of what the free will of the Soul would do; whether it would remain in the divine Harmony, or whether it would enter into the Selfehood; Here it was tried in Soul and body, and drawn by all the three Principles, each would accomplish [or work forth] its wonders c With or by him. in him. 28. Not that the three Principles did stand in unequal measure, and weight, in Adam, they were in equal weight in him, but not without him; moreover the Devil was very busy in God's Anger in the first Principle, with his false Desire; and introduced continually his Imagination into the Soul, and into the outward flesh, viz. into the Lincus of the Earth, and insinuated it into the first Principle, viz. into the fiery property of the Soul, even into the Eternal Nature; whereupon the first Principle in the soul was moved to speculate itself in the Devil's Imagination (or glass of fancy) viz. to contemplate in the magical birth, how, and what, Evil and Good were, how it would relish, and be, in the * In the dissimilitude or various disparity of the properties which were without itself. unlikeness of the Essence, whence the Lust did arise in the soul▪ 29. Viz. The Earthly lust to eat of the manifold properties did arise in the outward part of the Soul; and in the inward fiery part of the soul the lust of Pride did arise, to know and prove evil and good; desiring to be like God, as the Devil also did, when he would be an Or crafts-master. Artist in the magical birth; after which Adam here also lusted. 30. Albeit Adam did not desire to prove the first Principle, as Lucifer hath done, for his lust was only bend to taste, and prove evil and good, viz. the vanity of the Earth, the outward Soul was awakened so, that the hunger entered into its mother, where from it was drawn, and introduced into another Source. 31. And when this hunger entered into the Earth to eat of Evil and good, than the desire in the Fiat drew forth the Tree of Temptation, and set it before Adam; then came the Severe command from God, and said to Adam: thou shalt not eat of the Tree of the Knowledges of good, and evil, in that day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death. 32. And Adam also did not eat thereof in the mouth, only with the Imagination or desire he did eat thereof, whereby the heavenly Tincture disappeared, which stood in a fiery Love; and the earthly one did awake in the outward Souls property, whereby the heavenly Image was obscured. 33. Thus the magical birth was spoiled, and it could not then be, although Adam f Or had stood. stood in Paradise, yet it had not availed g Or them. him; for in the Imagination or hunger after evil and good the outward man did awake in him, and obtained the Dominion; then Adam's fair Image fell into a Swoon, and drew near to the h Or Rest. Cessation of its operation; for the heavenly Tincture was captivated in the earthly desire; for the outward desire impressed into it its essence out of the vanity, whereby the man was darkened, and lost his clear pure i Constant permanent. Steady Eyes and Sight, which was from the divine Essence, from whence before, he had his sight [or Seeing.] 34. Now Moses saith; that, the Lord God said, it is not good that this man should be alone, we will make an help meet for him; when God had created all creatures with the whole creatural host, Gen. 2. v. 18. Moses saith; and God beheld all things which he had made; and lo! it was very Good; and confirmed all to its propagation; but here he saith of man; it is not good that he should be alone; for he saw his miserable Fall, that he could not magically propagate himself; and said, we will make an help for him. CHAP. XIX. Of the * Or framing. building of the Woman; showing how Man was ordained to the outward Natural Life. ANd Moses saith, God caused a deep steep to fall upon the man, and he slept, and he took one of the ribs out of his side, Gen. 1. v. 21. and built a woman thereof, and closed up the place with flesh. Moses saith the woman was made of a rib out of Adam's side; who will understand this, without divine light? but here lieth the veil before the brightness of Moses' face, by reason of the unworthiness of the bestial Man. 2. For we find, that the woman was taken and form in the Fiat out of Adam's Essence; i Or out of his body and Soul. both in body and soul. But the Rib betokeneth Adam's dissolution, or breaking; viz. that this body should, and would be k Or destroyed. dissolved; for in the place of this rib Longinus' Speer must afterward, when Christ was crucified, enter into the same, and tincture, and heal the breach in the wrath of God with heavenly blood. 3. Now when Adam's hunger was set after the earthliness; it did by its magnetic power, impress into his fair Image, the vanity of evil and good; whereupon the heavenly Image of the Angelical world's Essence did disappear; as if a man should insinuate some strange matter into a burning and light-shining candle, whereby it should become dark and at last wholly extinguish: so it went also with Adam, for he brought his will and desire from God into selfehood, and vanity, and broke himself off from God, viz. from the Divine Harmony. 4. Even then, he forthwith sunk down into a l faintness, or impotency. swoon, into Sleep, viz. into an unability, which signifieth the death: for the Image of God which is immutable, doth not sleep: whatsoever is eternal hath no time in it; but m Or with. by the sleep the time was manifest in man, for he slept in the Angelical world, and awaked to the outward world. 5. His sleep * Signifieth or was the real type. is the Rest of Christ in the Grave, where the new regenerate life in Christ's Humanity, n Or was to. must enter into Adam's sleep, and awaken it again to the Eternal life, and bring it out of time into the Eternal being. 6. But the breaking [or dividing] of Adam's Essence, when the woman was taken out of him, is the breaking or bruising of Christ's body on the Cross, from the sixth hour unto the ninth; for so long was the Fiat in Adam's Sleep o Or a making the Sex of Male and Female. in the Separating of the Man and Woman; for in such a space of time the woman was completely finished [or brought forth] out of Adam into a female person [or Image.] 7. And when Christ on the Cross had again accomplished this Redemption of our Virginlike Image from the divided p Text, from the Man and woman. Sex of Male, and female, and tinctured it with his heavenly blood in the divine Love; He said, it is finished: for before, he stood in Adam's thirst: As Adam did thirst after the vanity; so Christ did now fill or satiate this thirst of vanity, with the holy divine Love-thirst, and turned about the will of the Soul, that it might again introduce its thirst into God: and when this was brought to pass, he said; now it is finished, and converted; Christ turned back Adam in his sleep from the vanity, and from the Man, and woman, again into the Angelical Image. Great and wonderful are these Mysteries, which the world cannot apprehend; for it is as blind in them, as a man that is borne blind, is, to behold this world; but he that Regardeth and findeth them, hath great joy therein. 8. Eve is the right q Understand; as to the right life which was then manifest, but afterward disappeared, for in her lay the woman's seed, which was to break the monstrous Serpent of the earthly Eve. magical child; for she is the Matrix in which the Love-desire stood in Adam, viz. the Magical r Conception. Impregnation and birth; she was Adam's paradisical Rose-Garden in peculiar Love, wherein he loved himself; For the Amassing [or conceiving] of the Magical Impregnation, or Incarnation, or divine formation of propagation, was [or did stand,] in the conjunction of both Tinctures. 9 And God said, after the eating of the Apple, unto them, the woman's Seed shall bruise the Serpent's Head; the Ground, and Cornerstone lieth here in this Matrix; for the woman's Matrix wherein the divine formation stood; was as to the Right life, heavenly, being out of the heavenly Essentiality, wherein consisted the Right Paradise. 10. But Adam with his Imagination brought earthliness and vanity thereinto, viz. Self-will; and then the holy part, viz. Venus' desire, which was the divine Centre in the humanity, viz. the manifested Love-word in the Image of God did disappear in this Matrix; therefore Eve s Out of, or by reason of. from this strange will introduced into the Matrix brought forth at first a self-willed proud murderer; for Adam with his false Imagination had introduced this vanity, so also the Devil's desire, [thereinto.] 11. But the divine Love-will would not forsake this disappeared Angelical matrix; and gave himself by promise thereinto with the Dear and precious Name of Jesus, who should again awaken it in the holiness's property; and bruise the head of the Devils insinuated desire and false Rebellious will, that is, destroy, and take away the Might of its life, and introduce it again, through divine Love, into the First life; and even in this holy matrix, which the word, and power of God did again awaken in the sweet Name [of] Jesus in the Seed of Mary in the t Aim, mark or limit. Bound of the Covenant, the Serpent's poison in the Soul and flesh, was destroyed. 12. And this is the Seed of the woman: dear brothers, observe it, it is highly known: The u Text, the promised mark of the Covenant. Aim of the Covenant of Promise was pight [or set] into this Matrix: but Eve was not the very child; for the part of the Heavenly Matrix stood disappeared in her but [yet it was] in the Covenant of God, as the dry rod of Aaron (which budded forth afresh) did tipify unto us. 13. She was indeed the whole Matrix of Adam, but the holy part was shut up in her; and the outward part of the outwrrd world with evil and good, viz. the matrix of the third Principle, which had indeed an half soulelike property, but (captivated) in the prison of God's anger: the holy Covenant of Love Rested in the disappeared part, in the midst of the awaked anger; from which Covenant, the Prophetical Spirit in the old Testament spoke, and prophesied of the future opening (or manifestation) in the Covenant. 14. The greatest mystery is to be understood in the formation of Eve; for a man must very entirely, and intimately understand and apprehend the birth of nature, and the original of man, if he will see the ground; for she is the half Adam; not taken only and wholly out of Adam's flesh, but out of his Essence out of the female part: she is Adam's Matrix. 15. The woman received no more from Adam's flesh and bones, save the rib in his side, and the half Cross in the x Or skull. Head which was the life's birth-Crosse, whereon Christ destroyed death: The Matrix of the heavenly part was in Adam, y Or Magically. Magical, that is moving in the Essence; but the outward part of the outward world was made fleshy; and both were mutually bound [or espoused] to one another; as the Time with the Eternity: the Holy part was in heaven, and the heaven itself; and the outward fleshy part was in the outward world in z in the matrix of the third Principle. matriee mundi. 16. Thus the Female property was in the Fiat extracted out of Adam's Essence, as his dearest Rose-garden, and he kept the limbus celestial and terrestrial, according to the Eternal Fathers manifested Property, viz. the fire-soules matrix's property; and the woman [kept] the part of the Spirits Soules-property; the woman had the Centre of the angelical world, in her disappeared part of the Soullike property, viz. the manifested Love-word, viz. the fift property of the Eternal nature; and the man had in his limbus the divine fire-world, viz. the centre of a Or to. of the light world; the Centre of all beings. 17. The man's limbus which he kept when the woman was made out of him, was the Father's property, according to all beings; and the woman out of [or proceed from] the man, was the Son's property, according to all beings, understand the heavenly part (both of the limbus, and matrix) therefore Christ became man in the woman's part, and brought the man's part again into the holy matrix, so that the limbus and female matrix were again one b Or person. Image, viz. a manly Virgin, above and in all the three Principles, as a creatural form God, in whom the Eternal unformed God dwelled, with universal fullness, both in the formed, and without the Form [divine creature or God-man;] for thus was Adam also, before his Eve, and so must we also be in Christ, if we would be the Image and Temple of God. 18. Now when the pregnant matrix was taken from Adam, the woman was every way form with such members for propagation as she is at this day; and so Adam also; for before when Adam was Male and Female, he needed no such members; for his birth was Magical, his Conception moving in the Matrix [was to be] done through Imagination; for the Fiat was manifest in him. 19 And the bestial worm's carcase of the bowels, with the formation of other inward Principal members pertaining to the earthly life, was hung upon Adam in stead of the female Matrix, and the like wormes-carkasse was also hung upon the woman in stead of the heavenly limbus, that they might stuff in, a deal of vanity, and live like the Beasts, seeing they did so eagerly lust after Evil, and Good. 20. Reason will object against me, and say; God created Adam in the beginning such a man, and even with all members as he now is; which, notwithstanding it cannot make out or demonstrate; seeing the soul is ashamed of this bestial property: also I would feign know of this selfefull Reason; whether or no such an Adam (if he were created so miserable, destitute, naked, and bare, unto this bestial life) were created to eternal life without defect▪ and also without need distress, and death? and whether this Sink [or filthy carcase of earthly flesh and blood] were the Paeadise, and Temple of God; and how could he have been able to defend himself from hurt, and ruin? for such a beastlike man may be drowned in the water, and burnt in the fire, and also crushed to pieces with Rocks, and stones. 21. But if thou sayest, that God did well know, that it should be so with Adam, therefore he created him so at the very first? Against this the Scripture declareth, saying, God created man in his Image, yea to the Image of God created he him; not to the bestial Image; what Sin would God have imputed or charged upon man, if he had created him in a bestial Image; what then would the new birth avail him [too what end then should he be borne again?] The new birth contains in real Sum, this; That the Angelical Image must be borne again, which God created in Adam. God form Adam in the Image of God, and though he known, that he would not stand; yet he appointed him the Saviour, who should bring him again into the first Image, and therein establish him for ever. 22. Now it plainly appears that Adam stood in the Divine Image and not in the bestial, for he knew the property of all creatures, and gave Names to all creatures from their essence, form and property; He understood the Language of nature, viz. the manifested and form Word in every one's Essence, for thence the Name of every Creature is arisen. 23. Now being he knew how the word of Power was c Text, stood in the form. form in every creature, thereupon we cannot esteem him d Or make a mere animal of him, as the schools in their brutish reason do, who understand not what Adam was, before he lost the Image of God. Bestial; he was without doubt Angelical; for none other man shall arise, but such an one as Adam was before his Eve: God created him perfect, but he stood not in the Proba; whereupon it must now follow; that God suffered him to fall into the outward Magic; and ordained him to the Image of this world; and set him into the natural life, viz. into the e Degeneration, and Regeneration. Corruption and new birth, for in heaven there is neither Male nor Female, but all one kind in peculiar Love without further propagation, in an Eternal Confirmation. 24. This therefore doth set forth unto us, that Adam died in Paradise, as God said unto him; if thou eatest of the Tree, thou diest: he died to the holy [heavenly] Image, and lived to the awaked bestial Image. For now, when Adam did awake from sleep, he was indeed still in Paradise, for the vanity in the flesh and Soul did not yet actually and effectually work, and was yet dumb, still, and senseless, until they did eat of the forbidden fruit; and then the earthly Dominion began to rise; then the vanity awaked, viz. the forms of the life, each in its selfehood, and forsook severally their mutual harmony, and forthwith heat, and cold fell upon them; for the outward (Image or being) did assimilate [or ensource] with the inward, and the heavenly Image at last quite disappeared; which in Adam's sleep, and also in his awakening, did yet live both in Adam and Eve, but in a very obscure, and impotent manner. 25. Adam in his Perfection, while he was man and wife, and had the magical conception in him, did amuse himself on (or Imagine after) the Beasts, and introduced himself into bestial lust, to eat and generate according as the beasts do: and so likewise the Fiat took in the same lust, and form him in his sleep even as the lust was; and every member was form in its place to the Conjunction of the beastlike copulation; for each Desire hath obtained its mouth to manifestation: Thus the Image of God form itself in the Verbum Fiat into such a beast as we are still to this day; and this same (was done) in itself, viz. Man's own Fiat, viz. the first form of nature, which is the desire of God's manifestation, did effect it, and none other maker from without him. 26. We are not to conceive, that there was any thing else upon Adam, which made his Eve out of him, or that form them both to the outward natural life, save only the Verbum Fiat in them, their own very propriate, and not any alienate (or any thing strange,) from without them, as the first creation of Adam and all kinds of creatures, was so brought to pass; the Verbum Fiat Coagulated each Ens, and the manifested word Severed itself in the Ens according to its property, and form the Creature according to its Astrum and kind; where also in every Ens the Matrix was separated from the limbus, and form into a Male, and Female, [into an He, and She.] 27. The picturing of God as a man in making Adam, and afterwards standing over Adam as he sleepeth, and making a woman out of him, is more Idolatrous than real; and God hath earnestly forbidden in Moses to make the likeness of any God, for he is no Image save only in the Creatures, according to the Expressed Form Word, both according to the creatures of Eternity, and of time: he is no [such] maker, but a former of the properties, a creator, and not (such a) maker. 28. The Creating is the Fiat which amasseth [or formeth], and the Word in the power of the Amassed [or conceived being,] gives the distinction according to the Ens: As the Ens is in the generation of the Spirit, so a thing is form; for the body or substance of all things is nothing else but a Signature or mansion f Or of. according to the Spirit, as the Birth is in the Ens where the Spirit formeth itself, so is likewise the body of all kinds of Creatures both in Animals, and vegetables; as we plainly see, that the first Creator, who hath moved himself and brought himself into a creatural Manifestation, hath left in all creatures a Power to their own Multiplication, or Increasing, propagation, and g Text, making. procreation, and incorporated the Fiat in them as a Maker, for their own propriety [or most innate Instinct] CHAP. XX. Of the lamentable and miserable fall and Corruption of Man. NOw when Adam did awake from sleep, he saw his wife Eve standing before him, and took her unto him; for he knew that she was his own; that she was his Matrix; and cast the property of his desire upon her, as he had done before when he loved himself, so now also the Fiery Tincture of Adam's soul entered into the Spirits or lights Tincture in Eve. 2. But they both stood yet in Paradise in the Garden in Eden, and knew neither Evil, nor Good; for they lived yet in joy, and delight, in the Kingdom of Heaven, and it was Eves first longing to eat of good and evil: for Adam's desire had introduced and imprinted it into the Magical Image while it was yet in Adam's Essence, as a child receiveth a mark [or Impress] in the womb, which the mother imprints on it. 3. Thus also Adam did Impress the false desire into his Essence, whence the woman was made: therefore the woman so soon lusted after the vanity; as to this day, mere earthly Lust of the flesh is found in most of them: so soon as this Sex comes but to any years, the selvish lust [and will] doth predominantly appear in pride and glistering shows of fleshly desires, and they soon long after the forbidden tree, contrary to the Virginlike modesty, chastity, and angelical humility. 4. The Abomination which Adam introduced into his Matrix, is so exceeding strong in them, that they are as 'twere h Or very weak, and poor. in Naked shame, before the Image of God which God himself created in Adam, therefore they must be subject to the man, in that they are the cause, that the vanity was enkindled, to which the Devil also was a strong i Solicitor. promoter. 5. For when he saw Eve, he then knew his insinuated desire in her, which he had introduced into Adam; the same did show forth and discover itself in Eves lust; therefore the Devil came now in a strange form, viz. in the Serpent's Essence, which was the most subtle Beast, and laid himself on the tree of temptation towards Eve, that the introduced Concupiscence in Eve which the Devil had also infected, did k Was much taken with. amuse itself upon the outward Serpent, and so one lust took another; whereupon Eve did strongly Imagine, and long after the forbidden fruit, which the Devil persuaded her to eat; and then her eyes should be opened, and she be as God, and know Evil and Good. 6. Which indeed was true; this knowledge did stick in the fruit; for the Essences were discordant, and un-like therein; but he told her not that the enmity would awaken in the Essences of her body and that heat, and cold, moreover sickness, and death would force into her; Herein he was silent, and fairly coloured it over, and drew her in by collusion; as if God had withheld some great thing from them, which she might find as a treasure; so craftily did he deceive Eve. 7. And when she yielded to discourse with the Serpent, she was taken in the voice; for the Devil infected the same with false delight, until he persuaded her, she should be wise, if she did eat thereof. 8. For the Devil thought, that if Eve should bring forth chidrens in Paradise, than his l Text, his cause might prove naught. Design would miscarry: they might then possess his Angelical Kingdom. 9 Now the question is: wherefore the Devil did deceive Eve by the Serpent only, and not by some other means? could he not do it in his own form, why did he even speak m Or in▪ through the Serpent to Eve? and wherefore did the Serpent address itself to the Tree to persuade her, against God's prohibition? 10. Hear the veil lieth before Moses his clear eyes, for he sets down the History very right, but how can an un-illuminated mind understand it; in that he writeth of the Serpent; saying, that the Serpent spoke with Eve, and deceived her; whereas indeed it cannot speak, and also is only a beast, without divine understanding, and in its self cannot know the Image of God, much less did the Serpent understand the heavenly Powers, or the Prohibition. 11. But hear what Moses saith: the Serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made: Here the first question is, whence its suttlety came, that even the Devil would choose to speak through its suttlety, and deceive Eve: Herein sticketh the Mystery. 12. When God moved himself according to his Expressed Word, in the Verbum Fiat, according to both the inward worlds, viz. according to God's Love and anger, according to the Eternal Nature of the darkness, and according to the Eternal nature and power of the light; then all the properties in evil and good did n Or were brought into a Compaction. amass themselves; for the Fiat was the Centre in all those properties, as well as in those wherein the divine Power was manifest in holiness: now according as each [central] point was opened; understand, according as the Lubet to the manifestation of the Grand mystery of all beings [was in every punctum], even so the Fiat, viz. the first form to nature, did apprehend and bring forth an Ens, or limus, out of the earth, and so also above the earth in each Magical o Star. Astrum according to the degrees of Severation; and so in the same Ens there was a Spirit according to the same degree or magical Astrum, and the Fiat did figure, and shape even such a body or corpus as the same Spirit was. 13. Now being that Prince Lucifer did sit as an Hierach in divine pomp, and would domineer in divine power in the fires-might, above and in all, and contemned God's Love, and humility, and entered with his false desire into the Essence of the expressed Word in the Fiat, as a p Or false Magician. Juggler or wicked Impostor, that would also form and make [according to his proud perverse will,] thereupon he infected that same Essence, according to the dark world's property; which came forth also in the Fiat into a Compaction, viz. into an Ens, wherein evil and good are mutually linked together. For he (viz. the Devil) did as an Apostate rebellious Juggler desire the greatest suttlety proceeding from the Centre of nature, and would domineer in the Revealed Magic in the Fiat. 14. And out of the like Ens proceeding from this Infected Ens (where Evil and Good was manifest in great Power), the Serpent was created in the Fiat: therefore Moses saith very right; it was more subtle than all the beasts of the field; for the Devils will, viz. his desire, which he introduced into that Ens, whence it was created, was in it; it had the Devil's suttlety, and will; and as the Devil was an Angel in the beginning, and was from a good Essence, and yet introduced himself into an evil one: so likewise the Serpents Ens was good before the Devil's infection, before its creation, but in the Devils desire it was brought into a property of subtlety, and craft. 15. For the Devil's desire drew forth the Compunctive Stinging thorny sharp subtlety out of the Centre of nature, and introduced it through the Enkindling of the fire into the Heavenly Salniter, viz. into that property wherein he sat and was an Angel; and here that very craft came forth along in the same Ens into a Compaction in the Fiat. 16. For the Serpents Ens was as to one part, viz. as to the Heavenly, a great Power; as also there was a great Heavenly power in the Devil; for he was a Prince of God; and so he brought his extracted sublety and lies into a powerful Ens desiring to play his enchanting feats thereby as a peculiar uncontrollable God. 17. This the learned Searchers of nature do in like manner understand, viz. that there lieth excellent Art, and also virtue, in the Ens of the Serpent; if the Devil's poison be taken from it, the greatest Cure doth then lie in it for the Healing of all fiery venomous hurts and distempers; yea the best Antidote, against poison, and all whatsoever hath the Semblance of a fiery poison; for therein the divine Power lieth in a fiery Hunger, but hidden in the Curse of the Anger of God. 18. As God doth dwell hiddenly in the Cursed Earth; so likewise it is here; yet it is given to the wise Godly Searcher of the Art, and he need not be astonished or afraid of the Curse: for he shall rule in divine power in faith over all creatures; if he were not so much captivated in a bestial and proud manner in the Serpent's Essence, our sense and meaning might be opened unto him, and he might here well find the Arcanum [or Secret] of the world. 19 This crafty Serpent was now in external show and Semblance, an exceeding wellfavoured, comely, handsome, neat, fine, brave, pretty beast, accurately dressed, and set forth, according to the pride of the Devil; not that we are to conceive, that the Devil was a creator of the Serpent, but the Fiat was manifest in it according to God's great good power, and also very potently manifest according to the power of his wrathful Anger. 20. This Serpent was a living figure of the Tree of Temptation; like as the Tempting Tree was a dumb power [or liveless resemblance] so the Serpent was a living power, and therefore the Serpent applied itself to this tree as to its likeness, even the likeness of its Essence; which the Devil saw, and possessed the Serpent in the part of his infected, and introduced poison, and armed its tongue, and spoke out of its great Subtlety to Eve, so that she knew not the horrible Enemy, and very hideous ugly Guest the Devil. 21. And the Devil therefore brought the Serpent to the Tree of Temptation, (being he saw that Eve was taken much with beholding of the Tree, and feign would eat of its fruit) that so he might make Eve q Or, form strange Imaginations of pride, in seeing the fair Serpent. monstrous by the Serpent; and the true eye-mark [to reach the, real understanding of the Serpent's deceiving Eve] is this. 22. Eve did now long after the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good, and Evil; for Adam had introduced this lust into his Ens whence Eve was created: but now the Command stood against it, and she feared God, and would not do contrary to the prohibition; therefore the Devil cunningly insinuated into the Serpents Ens, viz. into the greatest Subtlety; and yet craftily puts forth the great power and wit in the Serpent's Essence; that Eve might see, and know how prudent wise and Subtle the Serpent was; and hung there upon the Forbidden tree, and it did it no hurt, and she looked upon the Serpent and set her mind amusing after it, in manner as a woman with child doth amuse herself and strangely or monstrously form herself [in her mind] and bringeth such a figure upon the child, even so did Eve amuse herself upon the wit, and craft of the Serpent, and also upon its nimble Agility, and Art, whereupon she longed to eat of the tree; for the Serpent persuaded her by the Devil's voice, and speech, and pretended that it had its craft, and Art from the Tree. 23. Eves Essence was heavenly, but already somewhat poisoned and infected by Adam's Imagination; now Eves good desire of the good Essence in her, entered into the Serpent's great power and inward virtue, which it had from the heavenly Essence, viz. from the good part of the Ens of the Earth; and the infected property of Eve, which Adam had insinuated, and let in by Imagination, entered into the Serpent's Craft, viz. into the Centre of the dark world, into God's anger; and on the other side the Devil's strong desire, and Imagination, entered through the Essence of the Serpent, into Eves Essence; both by the sound and voice in their intercourse of speech, and also by the Conjunction of both desires. 24. And here Eves desire, and the Devil's desire, were espoused [or united] in this conjunction; for the Devil's desire made Eves lust wholly monstrous, and did so egg or force her on in the lust, till he overcame her; and she gave full consent thereto in her desire; she would feign also eat of the Tree of understanding, and wise subtlety; and desired likewise to be, or be made so wise, prudent, and crafty, as the Serpent. 25. For the Devil said: the fruit would not hurt, but the eyes of her sharp understanding would be opened; and they should be as God; this Eve did like of very well; that she should be a Goddess, and wholly consented thereunto; and in this full consent she fell from the divine Harmony, from the Resignation in God, and from the divine desire, and entered with her own desire into the Craft, distemper, and vanity of the Serpent, and the Devil. 26. Hear in this juncture [or point of time] the Devils desire, took full possession of Eves will, and introduced it into a Serpentine Substance; and even here Eve became monstrous in her own Essence, according to the Essence of the Serpent; and here the Devil built up his Fort Rampant, and strong hold, in the Humane Essence; and here r Or was. is the Death of the Heavenly Essence, viz. of the Heavenly being; Hear the Holy Spirit of God departed from Eve her Essence: thus in this point [of time] the heavenly part of man, viz. the heavenly limus, in the flesh, did disappear; and this is it, which God said, in that day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the Death, 27. When Eve had turned her will from the obedience of God, and introduced it into the Serpent's craft, than the power of the heavenly meekness and humility in the heavenly Limbus, did disappear; not that she fully received the dark world's Essence into her Essence; but as God said to her; thou shalt die; that is die or disappear s Or as to. , in the Kingdom of heaven; for the Kingdom of heaven receiveth no true Death; only when the light of the divine Principle extinguisheth, than that Essence wherein it did burn, and from whence it shoane, is dumb, and as 'twere dead, without feeling, and understanding, as a Nothing; like as a candle burning in a dark place maketh the whole Room light, but if it goeth out, there is not the print or impression of it, to be seen, its power entereth into the Nothing, in manner as God made all things of Nothing. 28. Not that we are to understand that man's Heavenly Ens became a Nothing; it remained in man; but it was as 'twere a nothing to man in its life; for it stood hidden in God; and was un-apprehensible without life, to man; Nothing dieth in God; but the holy Ens in the humane life, did disappear. 29. And as Eve did now reach to the Tree, take the fruit, and pluck it off; the same she had already done by the earthly limus; and by the will of the Soul, which desired the suttlety from the Centre of nature; which suttlety [or discretion] she already perceived in her, in the Centre, and yet was not manifest in the divine Power, and in the Resigned Humility: In this essay the devil's desire, reacheth along in her monstrous Image, to the fruit; and when she took the fruit into the mouth, and did eat thereof, that her body's Essence, received in, this Essence, the humane Essence took the Essence in the Tree. 30. And being she did not forthwith fall down and die, she thought it would not hurt her, for the Anger-source yet rested still in her, and she persuaded Adam, that he also did eat thereof, being he saw that it hurt not Eve. 31. But now when they had eaten, the wrath of God's Anger did awake in the monstrous Image, viz. the properties of the dark world, viz. the Devils introduced desire, which now had its Seat in the monstrous Image in the Serpent's Essence: in this instant, all the forms of suttlety and craftiness did awake in the Humane t Or hiddenness. Mystery; for so long as man stood resigned in God, in the Equal Accord, in the divine Harmony, the heavenly part, viz. the life of the heavenly limus, penetrated the earthly limus; and the properties could not be manifest; for they were all in equal measure and weight; as the time is in God and God in the time. 32. But when mans own will began effectually, and actually to work, than also the properties of the universal Magical Astrum began also to work in him each [Astrum or Star] in its selfehood; for the universal Magical Astrum lay in man, for he was created on the sixth day in the sixth manifestation of the divine Mystery, as a limus of all beings; a limus, or extern [or extracted] birth, whence all the creatures were created; an Astrum of the universal Astrum; for he should rule above all creatures of this world, and be Lord over all creatures, and yet not be ruled or lorded over by any. 33. For he stood in Equal Essence; but now every Astrum of every Essence of all the creatures do departed from their mutual accord, and each steps into its selfehood; whence the strife, contrariety, and enmity arose in the Essence, that one property doth oppose itself against the other: thus likewise the outward Spirit of the outward Astrum, and four Elements did presently domineer in them, and heat, and cold were also manifest in their body; moreover the property of all evil and good Beasts: all which properties before did lie hidden. 34. Hear the craft, and suttlety of the Serpent was manifest, and the precious Image was corrupted, and became according to the limus of the Earth, a Beast of all beasts; whereupon there are now so many and various properties in man; as one a Fox, Wolf, Bear, Lion, Dog, Bull, Cat, Horse, Cock, Toad, Serpent; and in brief as many kinds of creatures as are upon the earth, so many and various properties likewise there are in the earthly man; each of one or other; all according to the predominant Stars which make such a property in the Seed, in the time of the Seeding, by reason of their predomination or [potent influence,] that Astrum which is most predominant in the Constellation, that hath its desire in the Seed, and if it be sown, such a property is hatched forth in the earthly part of man. 35. Not that the whole man is such a [very brute beast in outward shape] but there is such a figure of the desire in the earthly Essence; and the man must bear such a Beast in the body, which stirs him up and drives him to the bestial property; not that he hath this form according to the outward [person]; but really in the earthly Essence: according to the outward [personal shape] he remains in the first formation [or platform.] 36. Yet this Beast doth somewhat put forth its Signature externally in every one; if one do but heed and well mind the same, he may find it: Hence Christ called the Pharisees a generation of Vipers, and the Seed of Serpents; also others he called wolves, ravening wolves, foxes, dogs and the like; for they were such in the earthly Essence: and He taught us; that we must be borne anew; and forsake this bestial property; and become as children or we should not possess the Kingdom of God. 37. For as the Essence is in the body, even so the Spirit doth figure, and form itself internally, and the poor soul stands in this prison, bound, and married to such a beast, unless that a man be borne anew: for which ground [and end] God ordained the Circumcision in the old Testament; and in the new the Baptism in the Spirit of Christ. 38. Hear we are highly to consider, what horror lamentation and misery; Anguish, fear, and distress, did arise and awake in man; and was manifest as a false life and will in man; of which we have a type in the Death of Christ, when he destroyed the Death in our Humane awakened property, upon the Cross; and overcame [it] with the great Love in his heavenly blood, which he introduced thereinto; that even then the earth, viz. the limus of the earth, whence Adam's outward Essence was extracted did tremble and shake at it; now when the great Love forced into the humane earth wherein the anger of God was living and effectually working, in the Curse, [I say] when it now was to die, and to be changed into another Source, it did tremble before this great Love-fire; like as the Love-fire in Adam and Eve did tremble in the awakening of the anger in them; whereby they were astonished, and creap behind the trees in the Garden; and were afraid, for the dread and horror of God's anger was awakened in their Essence, and they knew their bestial properties. CHAP. XXI. Of the Impression, and Original of the Bestial man; and of the beginning and ground of his sickness and mortality. WHen Adam, and Eve were become monstrous; the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the part of the heavenly limbus, departed; for the part of the Heavenly property disappeared in the Soul, in which [part] the divine light shoane; and in which the Divine power of the holy Tincture dwelled. 2. Understand, the power of the light u Or withdrew. departed from him into the Centre, in manner as a shining light which flameth forth from a candle, extinguisheth, and the fire- Source only, of the light, remaineth; even so likewise the Magical fire-source only of the soul's property remained, viz. the Centre of the Eternal nature, viz. the Fire-world, and the darkness. 3. And on the outward part of the soul, the Air-Spirit with its Astrum, remained, wherein the light of the outward nature shoane, which now, the fire-soule must make use of; for the Fiat was enraged in the wrath of God, viz. in the fiery property of the soul, and also of the body, and in a fiery hunger, in the awakened Flagrat of God's anger, had entered into, and taken possession, of the Essence in soul and body, and with hard Attraction did impress itself in the Essence of the x Or matter outward Essence substance, in the y Or limus. limbus of the body, whereupon the flesh became gross hard thick and corruptible. 4. For in the Flagrat of the wrath, all the properties of each Astrum according to the property of all the creatures, did awake in the Essence, whence the enmity antipathy, and contrariety, did arise in the Essence of the body and soul, so that one property is against another, one taste z Or a loathsomeness to another. against another's: for all departed out of the Temperament, pain, tormenting malady and sickness a Or arose in them. happened unto them. 5. For if an opposite Essence entereth into another, it makes an enmity, and an hateful overmastring, and destroying each the other: one property annoys weakens, and destroys another, whence the death, and dissolution of the body is arisen. 6. For whatsoever stands not in the Temperature cannot subsist eternally; but whatsoever standeth in the Temperature, that hath no destroyer; for all properties do [there] mutually love one another: and in the Love is the growth, and preservation of the life. 7. And we are here fundamentally to understand, how the gross properties in the wrath of the Fiat in the Essence of the body have obscured and wholly shut up the heavenly essentiality in the Sulphur, so that the heavenly man was no longer known; as Lead doth hold the Golds spirit b Or blended. avalled in itself, that it is not known [or discerned.] 8. For the desire viz. the first form of nature, which is the Fiat, hath swallowed, c Or with, in the grosseness, the heavenly part both in man and Metals: like as all the sovereign power, of [or from] the holy world's Essence, which is in all herbs, and all other fruits, lieth shut up in the wrath and Curse of God, in the dark world's property in the Earth; and springeth forth by the strength of the Sun, and the light of the outward nature, in the Essence, through the Curse, and wrath; which budding or pullutation giveth a Sovereign power, and healing virtue for the malignant Essence in the living bodies, whence the Physician is arisen, who seeketh and learneth to know the virtue [and temperature thereof,] that he may resist and remedy the opposite Essence in the body; which notwithstanding is only a lukewarm, and faint Sparkle thereof, if he be not able and skilful, first to Separate the gross raw wildness, (which is from the dark world's property) from his Cure. 9 For if the captivated Essence of the heavenly world's property, may be redeemed from the Curse and wrath of nature, than it standeth in the Temperature; and if it then so cometh into a living body, it doth awaken also the shut up [or imprisoned] life of the heavenly worlds- Ens, if that likewise be in the body, and expelleth the wrath, whereby the Sickness is destroyed, and the Essence entereth into the Temperature. 10. That this is certainly thus, we may see by Adam and Eve, when the wrath did awaken in their Essence, and the Fiat did Impress the bestial properties, and form (them) in the Essence, that when the soul, viz. the Image of God, did experimentally know this, it was ashamed of the bestial deformity, and of its being in a bestial vessel, viz. in another Principle. 11. For the outward part of the Soul, viz. the Air with its Astrum, did arise, and obtain the upperhand; as we may plainly see, that amongst the greatest part of men; the outward part of the Soul beareth the sway and domination over the whole body, in that the bestial man doth only seek and labour after the pleasure of this world, viz. after external honours, authority, and beauty, and also how to pamper, fill and gluttonize the Beast; and so to vapour and proudly prank with the beast as with a God, and yet it is only a Corruptible Evil Beast, in which the real true man lieth shut up without life. 12. Also this Gross Beast shall not possess the Kingdom of God; and also it profiteth not at all; John 6. but the Hidden man, which lieth shut up in this beast, as the Gold in the gross Oar, which [hidden inward] man the gross beast scarce regardeth or gives any respect unto, save only that it doth sometimes a little play the hypocrite with it, and comforteth it with devout words, but exalteth itself in its place as a proud Peacock; and bravely trimmeth adorneth and fatneth his beast, that the Devil may have an horse to ride upon, and thereby mock God: and he rideth thereupon in the vanity [of this world] in the Kingdom of God's anger, as upon a false Whore which desireth to live in its own selfefull might and wit. 13. For such a [beast] the Serpents craft did awaken and stir up in Eve, in her awakened bestial monstrous property; that now every man almost carrieth a beast in the body which doth plague molest, and burden the poor captive soul, whereby it doth make itself also Monstrous, and amuse itself on the beast, and brings itself into a bestial figure; which, so long as it hath this Image and figure in it, cannot see, or feel the Kingdom of God: it must be again transmuted into an Angel's form, or else there is no remedy for it; therefore saith Christ, unless ye be borne anew, you shall not see the Kingdom of God. 14. The enclosed body of the heavenly part must be again borne anew in the water of the heaven, viz. in the Pure Elements-water, in the Matrix of the water, and in the Spirit of Christ, out of the heavenly Essence; that the Souls holy part of the Angelical world may be revived and quickened, and live and work in its disappeared, and again newborn body in the divine heavenly Essence; and therein receive its food from the divine Power of the Second Principle; otherwise the heavenly Image which God created in Adam is not capable of the Kingdom of God; and without the same also it cannot possess it: no glistering shows of devout hypocrisy, flattery, [seeming holiness, or soothing the mind with an outward application of Christ's merits] or tickling consolations, do avail any thing; it must be borne [anew] or quite forlorn; for the Pearle-tree is withered in Adam, and Eve, it must reobtain divine Essence and Dye to the Beast; or else it cannot spring forth, and bear fruit for the soul to eat 15. Now when Adam and Eve were awakened in the bestial property, the beast stood then naked and bare; for before, the heaven's Image did wholly penetrate the outward man, and clothed it with divine Power; for the beast was not afore manifest: this property lay hidden in the temperature, as likewise it is so, without the creature; but now when the Image of the heavenly Essence did disappear, than the beast, viz. the bestial property was manifest; so that now the poor soul which was from the first Principle, stood forth encompassed with this beast wholly naked, and bare. 16. But if the Beast had been manifest in the beginning of man, than it had also brought its clothing along with it from its Essence as other Beasts did; but the man was not created unto the bestial life; and though God knew, that it would so come to pass; for which end he created so many kinds and sorts of beasts for his Food and Raiment; yet he created man in and unto the true Image of God out of the heavenly Essence; so that if this Image fell, he might again bring it, through a new motion and Regeneration into its first state, as it is brought to pass in Christ. 17. The Scope and eye-mark of our writing is, to search out the Image of God; how it was created, and how it is corrupted, and how it shall come again into its first estate: thereby to understand aright the new-birth out of Christ, and to know the inward and outward man, even what the mortal and immortal [man] is, and how he is become mortal; and what he is to do that he may come again into his first estate. CHAP. XXII. Of the Original of Actual Sin, and of the * Enkindling stirring up or provocation. Awakaning of God's Anger in the humane Property. THe Scripture saith God hath made all things by his word, and without the same, nothing was made which is made, John 1. out of his Expressed Word (which was Essential in the Verbum Fiat) all things came forth into formings: first into an Ens, or desire of a property, and out of the same propriety, into a compaction of Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt, as into a form nature; and out of the same Ens in the form nature the word becomes a creatarall life; and brings itself forth out of the Cumpaction of Sulphur Mercury, and Salt d Or into a body. out of the Body, that is, it manifests itself in a plain visible being; to which end God hath created nature and creature. 2. Thus each creature hath a Centre to its re-expressing, or breathing forth of the form word, in itself, both the Eternal, and temporal creatures, the unrationall, as well as man: for the first Ens was spoken forth out of God's breath through the wisdom out of the Centre to the fire and light, and taken into the Fiat and brought into a Compaction. 3. This same Ens is out of the e Or eternal being. Eternity, but the compaction of the four Elements are out of Time: thus an Eternal [Ens] lieth hidden in every thing in the Time, in all things with life, or without life, in Elements and creatures, in vegetative and un-vegetative; The first Ens is in every thing, whence the form of Compaction, (which is arisen from the time,) was Spoken forth out of the spiritual worlds being, as an Eternal Ens out of the Eternall-Speaking Word, through the wisdom into a time, viz. into a form Essence according to the Spiritual Ens; which Ens cannot be destroyed by any Element or thing whatsoever. 4. And although the Elemental Compaction, viz. the body, (which the Ens hath attracted to itself, that is, breathed it forth from itself, as an external Degree) doth vanish and come to nothing; (for it hath a temporal beginning); yet the first Ens cannot perish: As we also see, that all things enter again into their mother from whence they are arisen and come forth, viz. into the four Elements. 5. Now, in this Consideration, we find the true ground of Sins. Original: Seeing that the living powerful understanding Speaking Word, was breathed forth out of all the three Principles into the Ens of Man's Image, for his f Intellectual faculty. understanding, that he should and could rule the properties of the compaction of Sulphur Mercury and Salt, but he hath now introduced this understanding, viz. the Speaking powerful Word again, into the Compaction of time, viz. into the earthly limus: where also the Fiat of time is Awakened in the body, and hath taken the understanding, viz. the inspired g Sound or harmony. breath captive in itself, and placed itself master over the understanding. 6. So that we do now see by woeful h With great lamentation. experience, how it is now with us; that when we would speak (albeit the understanding Word doth [Idea or] conceive itself in the inward Ens, and desires to manifest the truth) yet the awakened vanity in the earthly limus of the body, doth soon forthwith catch it, and [cunningly blendes] and works it forth, into its own property, [or Serpentine suttlety]; so that the word of the humane understanding, doth breath forth Lies, iniquity, malice, falsehood, and such cunning vanity, and foppery, in which voice the Devil's desire doth mix itself, and makes it to a Substance of Sin, which the Kingdom of God's Anger doth receive. 7. For in what property every word doth form and manifest itself in Man's Speech, when he speaks it forth, let it be either in God's Love, viz. in the holy Ens, or in the Ens of God's anger, of the same it is again received, when it is Spoken, the false word proceeding from the false Ens being infected by the Devil▪ and Sealed to destruction, is also taken into the Mystery of the wrath, viz. into the property of the dark world: Every thing entereth with its Ens into that, whence it takes its original. 8. Seeing then the Speaking Word is a divine manifestation, wherewith the Eternal word of God hath manifested itself, and that this same Speaking Word is inspired into man, we are therefore here to consider what Man doth manifest with this Speaking Word: understand it thus: if the humane Lubet and desire (which is the Fiat or the creating of the humane word) doth conceive the form of the word, in the holy Ens, viz. in the heavenly part of the humanity, than the word i Or speaketh. soundeth from an holy Power, and the mouth speaketh Truth. 9 But if it be from the vanity, from the Serpent's craft, which Eve imprinted into herself, and thereby awakened its Suttlety, than the word sounds from the Ens of the dark world, viz. it proceeds from the Centre to the fire-word; and thereinto also it entereth (in its k Ens. End) when it goeth forth out of the form, viz. out of the mouth, and whithersoever it goeth, it l Worketh. bringeth forth fruit. 10. If it entereth into another man's m Text, into the mansion house of his Tone or Hearing faculty. Hearing, in whom the hunger of craft, and vanity, stands in open desire, it is soon received as into a fruitful Soil, and takes deep spreading root and brings forth such evil fruit; whence also such sharp words and stinging n Text, Thorns, or jerking Taunts. Taunts of the Devil are hatched in the devilish essence. 11. But if it proceeds forth empty and bare only, into the false Imagination, than it ascends into the will of the Mind, and conceives itself in the Mind into a Substance, for a Seat of the Devil's desire, even for his murdering Fort which he hath in Man. 12. But if the false word be uttered against an holy man, in reviling, and reproaching him, and the holy man will not let it take place in him, and not stir or move himself in the evil part of his property with the like evil word, than the wrath of God receives it from without the man, and is thereby mightily Enkindled; and not only the inward Ens of God's anger according to the Spiritual dark world's property is thereby enraged, but also the outward Ens of the wrath in Turba magna is inflamed, and hangs over the wicked man's Head, and doth even encompass him, and he is therewith taken, and possessed as if he sat in the Hellish [flames of] fire. 13. Of which Christ said, that when the wicked did curse us we should bless him, that is, Echo forth the word of Love against his fiery word, and not suffer his malicious word to enter into us for to take root, and then it goeth bacl again, and apprehends the wicked Reviler himself, for Christ said: we heap fiery coals upon his head. 14. For Every word of man proceeds from an Eternal Ens; either from the Ens of God's Love, or from the Ens of God's Anger; and if now it be brought forth out of the Ens, viz. out of its own place, or mother, it will have again a place of its Rest, wherein it may work. 15. Now if it cannot take rest and work in its likeness, without the wicked man, who hath awakened and brought it forth out of his Ens, and introduced it into a Sound, or o Vocal. wordy Substance, than it catcheth or surrounds its Expresser [or author] who hath brought it into a Substance, and entereth again with its root into its mother whence it did arise; that is, with the Enkindled Spirit, and with the Substance (of its contrived matter) it doth lay hold of and apprehend the p Or expressors' Speakers. Inventors' Body; viz. the outward Essence of the outward Sulphur. 16. For every word when it is expressed, is outwardly made and form; for in the expressing or pronouncing thereof the outward Spirit, viz. the outward part of the Soul receives it to its own Substance; and afterward being enkinded in the wrath, and infected by the Devil in its coming forth, in its witty glancing suttlety of the Serpent, doth enter again into the Soul and Body of the monstrous Image; and worketh according to its property Enkindled and infected by the Devil, and continually bringeth forth such evil fruits, and words,; as we plainly see, that out of many a wicked mouth nothing but vanity proceeds. 17. Moreover we have a very great and weighty point here to consider of, concerning the Serpent's craft; that if the Devil hath infected the word (when it is borne in the Heart and form in its Ens, and have taken possession of the will, and made it substantial) this Serpent's craft doth then hold and entertain the fame in the Devil's murdering Fort, as a fine adorned pleasant q Text, Kittling. brat; as the Serpent lying on the Tree spoke very pleasingly and takingly with Eve, until it could by its friendly intercouse, catch her in the desire: even so likewise the false, crafty, conceived Serpents word, which proceedeth from the false heart doth hold forth itself as a very lovely Eloquent persuasive Siren, and calls itself holy, till it can discover man's desire set open for it, there it lays open its very heart, and entereth in to the desire [of him], and maketh itself a place to work, and re-procreate [its like.] 18. Hence now do come the false close backbiters tale-bearers, perverters and wrong interpreters of other men's sayings, secret liars who are very fair before and behind are a Serpent, Revilers and foul mouthed slanderers who take away a man's good Name from him; and in this false smooth and well-coloured and adorned Serpents property, the Devil hath his Counsel Chamber, his school, where he learneth the children of Eve his Art, viz. juggling delusions, foppery, pride, Covetousness, Envy, Anger, and all vices and abominations proceeding from the Abyss of the dark world's property. 19 Thus the Devil ruleth man in Body and Soul by the crafty Essence of the Serpent, and worketh abomination with abomination, iniquity with iniquity, Sin with Sin; and this is even the first Original of Actual Sin, that Eve and Adam did introduce the Serpent's crafty Essence which the Devil had infected, into their [will and] desire; and so made themselves forthwith Monstrous in the Serpent, where upon the dark world's Essence did awake in them, that so soon as this was brought to pass, the will did imagine into this monstrous property, and form itself into a Substantial word. 20. Even thus the word was now also manifest in man in the property of God's Anger, viz. in the dark world's Ens; and thus man doth now speak lies and truth; for there is a twofold Ens in him, viz. one from the dark world awakened and stirred up by the desire of the Serpent, and Devil; and one from the Heavenly limus which is now stirring in man, wherein the free will taketh the word that is, whence it doth generate a fruit out of the divine Expressed, and form word, which is again received of the likeness, either in heaven or hell, that is in the darkness or light. 21. For the two worlds are in each other as one, the wicked formeth and maketh [for] God a good word in his wrath unto Death, viz. unto the sting of Death, and Hell; and the holy man formeth and maketh [to] God, out of his good Ens, a good word unto the holy life, and Operation, as the Scripture speaketh very clearly: the holy is to God a sweet savour unto life, and the wicked a sweet savour unto death, viz. to the dark world. 22. Now every man is a creator [or framer] of his words powers, and Do; that which he maketh and frameth out of his free will, the same is received as a work of the manifested word, into each properties likeness. 23. For God's word is also manifest in the dark world; but only according to its property, as the Scripture saith, such as the people is, such a God they also have: God's word is manifest in all things, in each thing according to its Ens, whence the free will proceedeth; the free will is the creator or maker, whereby the creature maketh [formeth and worketh] in the r Or revealed. manifested Word. 24. There is no herb or thing whatsoever that can be named, wherein there lieth not an Ens from the manifested Word of God, an Ens both according to God's Love, and Anger, according to the dark and light world: for this visible world was breathed forth out of this same Word; now each Ens of the forth-breathed Word hath a free will again to breath forth out of its Ens a s It's own likeness. likeness according to itself. 25. But this is now the Greatest Evil, that the Ens in its Centre is departed out of the likeness [and harmony] of the property into an Elevation, viz. out of one only Ens into many entities, into many properties; of which, the Devil being an Hierarch of the place of this world, and also the Curse of God upon the Earth, is a cause, which Curse man stirred up and awakened. 26. For now, an evil Ens, which is from the Awakened property, doth t Text, or is borne carried in, etc. infuse itself into a good vessel and corrupteth the vessel, whence the free will should u Or create. draw from a good property: but the evil doth mix itself into the good; and both come forth again in the form Word, into a Substance; as an evil man doth oftentimes stir up an evil word and work in a good man which he never before conceived [or purposed] in his will. 27. For the Anger is become stirring [or quick] in the humane Ens, and adhereth to the good Ens, and the will of the fire-soule is free, it x Formeth. createth or draweth forth. conceiveth as soon in the Ens of anger, as in the Ens of Love, nay, in many a one the Love-Ens is wholly impotent, and as 'twere dead or extinct, He worketh only from the craftiness of the Serpent, fruit, unto God's Anger, and though his mouth doth flatter in the Serpent's craft, and make a devout show of the holy Word, and sets forth itself as an Angel, yet it is only the Ens and form of the crafty Serpent, in the light of the earthly nature, and the man deceiveth himself. 28. Therefore Christ saith, unless that ye be converted, and become as children, ye cannot see the Kingdom of God: the free will must wholly go out from the Ens of the Serpent, and enter again, in the Spirit of Christ, into its heavenly Ens, which did disappear in Adam, and again awaken and stir up this Ens in the hunger of its desire, that it also may be again awakened and borne unto a living Ens, in the new Regenerated Word in the humanity of Christ, and which did araise, and powerfully quicken itself, in the great Love-property in the man's property, in the person of Christ: where also, the free will becomes a new innocent child, and neither willeth nor letteth in the Serpent's Craft, otherwise the free will cannot form, and manifest Gods holy Word in itself, the free will must draw only out of the good Ens, if it will work and live in the holy Word. 29. Now understand aright our writing concerning the Serpent's Craft, and it's Adorned Art, and false virtue; (I say) understand our very profound and high meaning, opened out of the Counsel of God, thus: The Serpents Ens and Original was a virgin of heavenly pomp, a Queen of Heaven, and Princess of the Beings of God, apprehended, and form in the Fiat of the divine desire, through the fire in the light: in like manner as Hierarch Lucifer was so, and Prince Lucifer sat in heavenly pomp in the Serpents Ens, who had infected the Ens out of which the Serpent was created, and therein awakened the dark world's property, viz. the Centre of the Eternal nature, whence evil, and good do take their Original, but when the Good did in the Fire, sever itself into the light, and the Evil into the darkness, the Serpents Ens which was good, was then infected, filled, and possessed, with the darkness; and from hence cometh its Craft. 30. For even such a craft the Devil desired, which also took him in the Eternall-Speaking word, in such a property, and confirmed him therein to y For ever. Eternity; for it is also a Wonder in God, how an Evil could come to be, out of a Good, that the good might be known, and manifest, and the creature might learn to fear before God, and hold z Willingly submit to. still to the Spirit of God; that he only might act, and work in the Eternall-Speaking Word, and make, and do what he please with and by the creature. 31. And to this End Lucifer was swallowed up in the wrath, seeing his free will went forth from the Resignation and departed from God's Spirit, into the Centre, to be its own selfefull maker and creator; that the Angels now have an a Warning, Text, Looking glass. example in this revolted fallen Prince and Puissant Hierarch; for the Kingdom of God, which is [peculiarly and properly] called God's Kingdom, stands in the deepest Humility, and love, and not at all in the wrathful fires-might, but in the lights Ardent might, viz. in Power. 32. But the Devil's Kingdom, after which he longed, and laboured, stood in the wrathful fires-might, but the same was b In the being Essence or Substance. Essentially taken from him in his place, and he was spewed out into the eternal hunger of the darkness. 33. And that he had infected and possessed the Ens of the Serpent which was so crafty, may be seen in its Body, which is only a dry, hungry Skin, and fills itself with poison in the Tail, in which property the great craft ariseth, and therefore the Serpent carrieth the poison in the Tail, which may soon be pulled off, in that the same in the beginning was introduced into its virginlike Ens. 34. For the Serpent is therefore called a Virgin according to the Right of Eternity, because it hath both Tinctures; which is in no kind of earthly creatures besides; but it is now in the curse of God, yet if the Artist knew what its pearl was, he would rejoice at it: yet by reason of the world's false desire, which seeketh only the false magic, it remains Hidden, also [it is not manifest] that the wicked may bear his Rebuke. 34. For the Pearl of the whole world is trodden under foot; and there is nothing more common than the same, yet it is hidden; so that the holy Ens might not be introduced into an ungodly one which is not worthy of it; and so God's power and Word in the Virginlike Essence be thereby brought into a Serpentine [Ens] as it is to be understood in the Serpent: enough for our schoolfellows. 36. Thus we do fundamentally understand the Original of Sins birth; how Sin was borne, and opened in the Humane Word; and how God is provoked to anger in his Expressed Word by the Humane Re-expressing: for man beareth the Word which created Heaven and Earth in his Ens, for the same word is brought to Substance. 37. Now God hath inspired into man's Ens, viz. into the form Compacted Word, the living Soul, viz. the c Or understanding. Original out of all the three Principles, as a Spirit of the form Word; this understanding hath now power and might to re-conceive, and to Generate again a formal Voice in the Ens, viz. in the Form Compacted Word. 38. But being the Serpent's craft, viz. the Devils introduced desire, became manifest in the Ens of Adam and Eve, viz. in their Compacted, and form Word: thereupon the free will doth now draw forth from this Serpent's Essence, mere Adders poison, and death, and formeth its word therein, unless the holy Ens or Seed of the woman be again awakened in the newborn Love of God in Christ; then the free will may conceive in this same holy Ens, and bruise the head of the Serpents, and Devils Ens in the Anger of God; that is, reject and abhor the evil will, which desireth to Idea, and imprint itself, from the Serpents, Ens in the formation of the words, and bruise it in the will of the Thoughts, with the Ens of the woman, viz. of Christ, and esteem it as the Devil's Mire, and Dirt, which in the children of God is a continual Combat and strife between the Ens of the Serpent in the flesh, and between the Regenerate Ens of the heavenly part. 39 Also know this: Every Thought which is form in the Will, so that a man consenteth unto lies, or any thing else which is false, or if his will hath conceived [and contrived] any thing that is unjust, and he bringeth that contrivance into the desire, that he would very willingly do it, or express it in the false Evil form word, if he could or knew how, and yet must let it alone, either for fear, or shame sake; this same is all Sin; for the will hath form itself in the Serpents Ens. 40. But understand it well; if a good will doth d Or form itself. conceive in a good Ens, and yet the evil desire doth adhere to it, and willeth to poison the good; if then [I say] the good conceived will overcometh the evil, and casts it out, that the evil cannot also be form or received into the Compaction or Substance; it is no Sin; and though the evil desire which adhereth to the good be Sin, yet if the good will doth not close with it and bring it into Substance, but rejects it out of the good will, as an Evil, than the sinful desire cannot come into Essence, and the good will hath not hereby wrought any Evil, if it hath not consented to the Craft of the Serpent. 41. Every Sin is borne of the strange Ens; if the free will departs from the Ens, wherein God hath created it; then the Sin which is conceived in the will in false desire, and brought to Essence in the Ens of the will (so that man would feign do wickedly or unjustly if he could but bring his intent to pass) is also great in the sight of God; but if it proceeds so far as to hurt, and injure any one, by word or deed, than the Sin is double; for it is form in its own Ens, and formeth itself also in that whereinto it introduceth the false word, so far as the false word in its Speaking finds a place of Rest to work [and bring forth its evil fruit.] 42. And therefore the holy word shall judge the False; as also at the end of this time the holy word shall cast out from itself all false e Carved work of fancy. Idol Opinions, and all whatsoever hath been form in the Serpents Ens, and give them to the dark world. 43. All those that take, or conceive the word in them, in their devilish, and Serpentine Ens, and use it against God's children, in whom the holy Ens is manifest, and do stir up also an offence [or occasion of stumbling] in the children of God, that the free will in them doth also conceive itself in the Serpent's Ens, viz. in Anger, and averseness, where always the holy Ens doth likewise form itself, and the Spirit of zeal ariseth: these false author's beginners and Causers, do all sin against the holy Ghost. 44. For they do extremely despite, and defy him, that he must even proceed forth, through the anger of the children of God, whereby he is stirred up, and oftentimes shows himself in the Turba of the children of God, and falls upon the neck of the wicked; as may be seen by Elias, and Moses, and also by Elisha, who cursed the Boys, that the Bears came out and tore them to pieces; for thus the sword of God comes forth, through the mouth of the Saints; if the holy Spirit be extremely displeased, and set into a fiery zeal: then he awakeneth Turba magna, which draweth the Sword against a wicked people, and devoureth them. 45. Thus understand it in its full scope, and meaning; Man hath God's Word in him, which created him; understand; the word hath imprinted, and form itself with the Creating; both in its Holiness, and also in the Anger; and that also f Or out of. in the outward world; for the limus of the Earth, or the Earth itself was amassed and compacted, through the word; so that the form Word which took its beginning in the divine desire, viz. in the Fiat, is an exhalation forth-breathed from the Spirit of God out of Love and Anger: therefore it is evil and good, but the Evil was hidden, and as it were wholly swallowed up in the light, as the night in the day. 46. But the sinful desire in Lucifer and Adam, hath awakened the Anger, so that it is become essentially manifest: now the Gates of the form Word both in Love, and Anger, do stand open in the earth, and also in the limus of the earth, viz. in man, and also in the free will of man, whatsoever he doth now form and amass in his free will, that he hath made, be it either evil or good. 47. But now the Evil shall in the judgement of God be separated from the Good; and in what part [either of the evil or good] the humane understanding, viz. the soul shall be found, thereinto it must enter, with all whatsoever it hath done, as into its own made habitation; and therefore Christ saith; their works shall follow them, and be purged (or proved) by the fire: Note. also at the end, when the books of the Essence shall be opened, they shall be judged according to their works; for the work be it evil or good doth embrace the soul, unless it doth wholly departed from the [evil] and destroy it again, by reconciliation of his offended and wronged brother, and drown the Substance in the Blood and Death of Christ, else there is no remedy. 48. Therefore a man must well consider what he will speak; for he speaketh from the form Ens of God's manifestation; and well bethink and ponder with himself, before he intendeth [or conceiveth in the will] to do any thing; and by no means consent unto any false backbitings or approve by a yea, neither privately nor openly. 49. For all forged tales, and sharp taunts, proceed from the Serpents Ens; all Curse, and swear, and stinging girds, proceed from the Serpents Ens; yea though they be but in Jest, yet the Serpents Ens hath stuck itself with them to the good, and compacted them with the word: therefore Christ saith, swear not at all: let your speech be yea yea, nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil; Note. that is, it is borne of the Serpents Ens. 50. All Cursers, and swearers, have introduced their free will, viz. the poor soul, into the vanity of the Serpents Ens, and form their Curses, and Oaths, with all their lewd wanton talk, which is wrought, in the Serpents Ens, and sow into God's anger: and on the contrary all God's children, who are in right earnest, do form their words in the holy ens, especially the Prayer, when the free will of the soul, doth amass or conceive itself in the holy Ens (which is opened by Christ's humanity) than it formeth the true essential word of God in itself, so as it comes to Substance. 51. Therefore Saint Paul saith; the Spirit of God doth mightily intercede for us in the sight of God as it pleaseth him; for the Spirit of God is form in the desire of the holy word; he is taken (or apprehended) and this taking or receiving is that, which Christ said, he would give us his flesh for food, and his blood for drink. 52. The souls will taketh Christ's Ens, and in Christ's Ens, the word of Christ became man, which the soul's desire, or Fiat doth receive or impress into its holy Ens disappeared in Adam; and here Adam ariseth in Christ, and becomes Christ [the second Adam or the Anointed one] according to the heavenly Ens and divine word, and from this Ens of Christ, proceeds forth, divine knowledge, out of the word of God. 53. Thus the children of God are the Temple of the holy Ghost which dwelleth in them, and so they speak God's Word; and without this there is no true knowing or willing, but mere fable, and Babel, a Confusion of the crafty Serpent. 54. Therefore Christ called the Pharisees, a Seed of Serpents, and a generation of Vipers, and although they were the High Priests, yet he knew them to be so in their essence, for they had form their will in the Serpents Ens; they carried the words of Moses in their mouth, and therein they mixed the Serpents Ens; as many still do to this day; where the incarnate Devil carrieth God's word upon his tongue; and yet doth only hid the Serpents Ens thereby, and introduceth the Diabolical Ens into the literal word, whence Babel the mother of all Spiritual whoredom is borne, a mere verbal contention, and wrangling about Words, where the Ens of the Devil and the Serpent, doth oppose the divine Ens in the Form Divine Word. 55. But so it must be, that the form and Conceived Word in God's children may be stirred up, whetted and exercised, and the truth come forth to light; Dear brethren: this is the Inheritance which we have received from Adam and Eve; and that is the cause that the Body must Die, and wholly putrify, and entet again into its first Ens; for the Serpent's Ens must be wholly done away, it cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. 56. The first Ens in the limus of the Earth which was coagulated in in the Verbum Fiat, must be wholly renewed in the Spirit of Christ, if it will possess the Kingdom of God, but if it remaineth captivated in the Serpents Ens, it shall never be any more manifest, understand the holy Ens which disappeared in Adam, and was captivated in the Serpents Ens, whereby Death came into the flesh. 57 Therefore a man must consider what he speaketh, thinketh, and doth, lest he conceive his Thoughts in the Serpents Ens, and frame a will in the Mind, in the Ens of the Serpent; for else the Devil doth set himself therein, and hatcheth a Basilisk, viz. an hellish form in the word. 58. For all wrath which is conceived in man for Revenge, doth primarily arise in its Centre out of the nature and property of the dark world, viz. in God's anger, and forms itself further in the Serpents Ens to Substance; let it be what zeal it will, if it brings itself into a wrath to its own Revenge, it is form in the Ens of the Serpent, and is devilish. 59 And though the same were a Prophet, and an Apostle, and yet would bring himself in the wrath to his own Revenge, than this Substance is form from the Anger of God in the Serpents Ens, and goeth into the wrath of God; and the Anger of God is therein zealous, which oftentimes doth so stir up and form itself in the holy children of God, that * The Saints. they must against their purposed will, bring down the Turba upon the house of the wicked, also upon his Body and Soul, as may be seen by Moses, upon Chorah, Dathan, and Abiram, whom the Earth swallowed up; so also by Elias in the Fire, concerning the two Captains over fifty, whom the fire devoured, also by Elisha, and many other Prophets. 60. And there are many remarkable examples to be found concerning this in in the holy Histories, how oftentimes the children of God have been forced to carry the Sword of the Turba in them: a great example whereof we see in Samson, and also in Joshua with his wars, and likewise in Abraham; how the zeal of God did enkindle itself in them; that they in their spirit of zeal have oftentimes awakened the Turba magna in the Anger of God, and raised great Rebukes judgements, and plagues, upon whole Countries; as Moses in Egpit did with the plagues upon the Egyptians. 61. But we must here distinguish, if the zeal of God should awaken itself in an holy man without his purposed will, and give him the Sword of God's anger) such a one differs much from those who in their own Thoughts contrive and plot in the wrath, and introduce the Conceived or purposed will into the Serpents Ens and make it to Substance, for that is Sin, yea though the g The greatest Saint. most holy man should do it. 26. Therefore Christ so emphatically and punctually teacheth us in the new birth, Love Humility and Meekness; and would that a Christian, should not at all Revenge, Note. also not be Angry, for he saith, that whosoever is angry with his brother is guilty of the judgement; for the Anger is a conception in the Serpents Ens, which must be cut off, by the judgement of God, from the Good Being: and whosoever shall say unto his brother Racha, shall be in danger of the Counsel: for the desire of * Or Revenge. Racha ariseth in the Centre of the dark fiery wheel of the Eternal nature; therefore in the fire-soule there is a form of the fire- word [in manner] of a wheel like a madness; and the soul's fiery-forme stands in the Racha as a mad furious wheel, which confounds the Essence in the Body, and destroys or shatters in pieces the understanding: for every Racha desireth to destroy God's Image: thus the soul hangeth on the wheel of the Eternal nature, viz. on the Centre of the horrible Anxious birth; as is before mentioned concerning the Centre of the birth of nature. 63. Moreover Christ saith; Whosoever saith to his brother thou fool shall be in danger of hellfire: this is thus wrought, when the Conceived will hath form itself in the furious wrath of God's anger, and introduced it into the Serpents Ens, than it standeth in the furious wheel as mad, and if it doth now purposely go on, and so form the word, and casts or speaks it forth against its brother, and enkindles in him also an hateful enmity in the Serpents Ens, the same burneth in his Expressed Word in the fire of God's anger, and he is guilty of it, for he hath enkindled it in his Racha. 64. Therefore said Christ, if thou wilt offer thy Gift, go first, and be reconciled to thy offended brother or neighbour, for otherwise he bringeth his wrath into thy offering, and withholdeth thee in thy desire towards God, that thou canst not reach the holy Ens which else washeth away the Turba in thy Enkindled vanity. 65. For, the Word fool, is in itself in the Essence, nothing else but an enkindled wrathful fiery wheel, an outrageous madness; and he that so calleth his neighbour without a cause, he hath brought forth a word in the fire-wheel in God's wrath, and is guilty of it; for the forth-produced word is arisen out of the Ens of the Soul and Body. 66. Every word when it is form; doth first awaken its own Ens, whence it taketh its original, than it leads itself forth through the Counsel of the five Senses against its brother: now whosoever useth such a wrathful devouring fire-word against his brother, he soweth into the Anger of God and is in danger to reap the fruit which he hath so sown, when it springeth up, and groweth. 67. Therefore take heed and beware O Man what thou thinkest speakest, or desirest to do, look well always in what zeal thou standest, whether it be divine, or only of thy own poisonful nature! thou Father, thou mother, thou brother, and Sister, which proceed and come from one blood, from one Ens, and mutually Assimilate each with other as a tree in its branches: think and consider what kind of Sound [or tune] thou introducest into the vital Ens of thy fellow-twiggs and branches, whether it be God's Love-word, or his Word of Anger, if ye do not destroy the introduced Evil again with Love, and introduce again the Love- Ens into the Anger [to overcome and reconcile it] then the Substance must come * Or before. into the judgement of God and be separated in the fire of God; as the Devil is Severed from the good Ens; and so shalt thou oh wicked man with thy wicked form Word, [which thou hast conceived], out of the Ens of God's Anger. 68 And therefore God hath introduced his holy Word out of his deepest Love again into the humane Ens, being the same was introduced into Adam and Eve in the Anger, that man might conceive [or form his will and do] again in the introduced Love of God in Christ Jesus, and in him destroy the wrathful anger: and therefore Christ teacheth us that he is the Gate which leads us into God, that he is the way and the light, whereupon we may enter in to God, and in him Regenerate [or quicken again to life] the holy Ens. 69. And therefore Christ forbids us to be angry; and conceive our will and word in the Revenge: but if any one did curse us we ought to bless him; and if any did strike us, him we should not resist; lest our Turba should be stirred up in the newborn Holy Ens of Christ, and introduce the Serpent's craft, iniquity, and Ens, thereinto. 70. But we should be as children in Love, who understand nothing of the Serpent's craft; therefore we declare in divine Knowledge, as a dear and precious truth, that all contention, covetousness, Envy, Anger, War, false desire, or whatsoever may be of the like name [and nature] doth take its original out of the Centre of the h Or devoureing property or wolvish gulf. Revenge of the wrath of God, out of the dark world, and is brought in the Serpents Ens to a Substance, wherein the false Serpents Ens will behold and contemplate itself, in Pride. 71. Whatsoever doth strive, and contend in this world about selfehood, selvish interest, temporal honour, it's own profit, for its own advancement; the same is bred and borne of the Serpents Ens; be it either rich or poor, in Superior or inferior, no order rank or condition whatsoever excepted: all men who would be called Christians, or children of the Love, they must be borne again in their First Ens (which disappeared, and corrupted in Adam) out of the Divine Love in the holy and heavenly Ens, or else none of them can be a child of the Love of God: All the greediness, and covetousness of all Places and Politic Powers under what name or Title soever doth wholly proceed from the Serpents Ens. 72. I speak not of the Offices but of the falsehood of the Officers: the Office in its place and station is God's Ordinance, if it be carried on in holy desire, and ariseth out of a divine root, for good, if not, but that it riseth only out of a root for selfehood, and pride, than it is from the Serpent's craft, and goeth into Destruction. 73. All war however blanched over, and under what pretence soever taketh its original out of God's Anger; and he that beginneth it, doth it from a selfefull desire to Selvish interest, from the Serpents Ens: unless that war ariseth from the Command and injunction of God, that a Nation hath brought forth (it self) in his wrath, that he would his Anger should devour it, and ordain an Ho●ier in the room, as was brought to pass by Israel among the Gentiles, otherwise it is wholly borne in the Selfefull Turba in selfehood. It doth not belong to any true Christian borne of Christ to raise the Sword of the Turba, unless the zealous Spirit of God doth stir it up in him, who often will Rebuke Sin: whatsoever exalts itself in the wrath about its own Honour, and pride, and brings itself to Revenge [or bloodshed] is from the Devil, be it either by Nobles or ignobles, none excepted; before God they be all alike. 74. Earthly Dominion and Government hath its Original from the Fall, in the Serpent's craft; being man departed from the Love-will, from the Obedience of God, therefore he must have a Judge to Rebuke the false desire in its Substance, and destroy the false Substance; therefore Magistracy, and Superiority, Note. is ordained of God for a defence of the Righteous Substance and will, and not for its Selvish interest, and its own perverse will, to break down and destroy Governments at its pleasure, and to oppress the poor and impotent, whatsoever doth that, is arisen from the Serpents Ens, let it glister and colour over itself with what Hypocrisy it will; and though it were clothed with Gold, and Pearls, yea even with the Sun, it is bred and borne out of the Serpents Ens, and hath the Serpents Ens in its Government, and tendeth into Destruction, unless it be borne anew [in the Ens of Christ] 75. Whatsoever is not borne out of the Ens of Love, and beareth forth a will of righteousness, and truth, to work something that is good upon the earth for the Service and profit of his neighbour, the same is Idolatrous; for in Adam we all are one Tree; we are all sprung from one only Root. 76. And God hath begotten us in his Love, and brought us into Paradise, but the Serpent's craft hath set us at variance, so that we are departed out of Paradise, and come into its villainous subtle craft, into Selvishness; whence we must again departed, and enter into a Child's Coat. 77. We have nothing in this world for our own propriety but a shirt whereby we cover our shame before the Angels of God, that our Abomination may not appear naked; and that is our own and nothing else, the other is all common: Whosoever hath two coats, and sees that his brother hath none, the other coat is his brothers, as Christ teacheth us. 78. For we come naked into this world, and carry away scarce our shirt with us, which is the covering of our shame, the Rest we possess either by necessity of Office, or else out of covetousness, out of the Serpent's false desire: Every man should seek the profit and preservation of his neighbour, how he might serve and be helpful to him; as one branch of a tree giveth its power Essence and virtue to the other, and they grow and bear fruit in one desire; even so we are all one Tree in Adam. 79 But we are in Adam withered in the Serpents Ens as to the Love-will; and we must all be newborn in Christ's Love- Ens, and will; without that, none is a child of the Love of God; and though there may be Something of the divine Love in many an one, yet it is wholly covered with the Serpents Ens; which devilish Ens doth continually spring forth above the love, and beareth fruit. 80. There is not any who doth good in selfehood, and own will; Note. unless that he forsake in the own (appropriating) will, all whatsoever he hath, even to the Infants-shirt, that he must keep for his own and give it none; for it is the Covering of his shame, the other is all Common, and he is only a servant and Steward of the same; a Guardian, and distributour to every one in his place. 81. whosoever suffereth the poor and miserable to be in want and distress under his charge; and gathereth into his Mind Temporal Goods for his own property, he is no Christian but a child of the Serpent, for he suffereth his under branches to whither, and keepeth away his sap and power from them, and will not work forth fruits by his fellow-branches. 82. We do not hereby mean the wicked Idle Crew which will only suck the sweet, and not work and bring forth fruit themselves in the Tree, that they should be pampered, to exercise pleasure and vanity: but we speak of the twigs which stand in the tree, and cooperate, and would feign grow and bear fruit, from whom the great branches of this world do withdraw the Sap and hold it in themselves, that they as lean overdript twiggs do whither, by and under their charge: such are the rich, Potentates, and Nobles; with them, the Spirit of zeal doth here speak; so far as they do keep and hold their Sap within themselves, and suffer their small branches to dry up and whither, and wholly withdraw the Sap from them, they are branches on the tree of the Serpent, which is grown up in the Curse of God's anger, and is reserved for the fire of God's Anger; saith the Spirit of Wonders. CHAP. XXIII. How God re-called Adam and his Eve when they were entered into Sin and vanity, and awakened in the Serpents Ens; and laid upon them the * Estate or calling, or Ordinance. Order of this toilsome laborious world, and ordained the Serpent-bruiser for an Help (or Saviour) to them. NOW when Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and were become Monstrous by the Serpent; Moses writeth of it thus: Their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, Gen. 3. v 7. and they sewed Figg-leaves together and made themselves Aprons: Hear the Soul did even now know the monstrous Image, and was ashamed of it; that such a gross beast with gross flesh and hard bones should awaken [or show itself], with a bestial wormes-carkase of vanity in their tender delicate Body; and they would have covered the same from the eyes of God, and for shame crept behind the trees; so very ashamed were they of the foul deformity of the beast, for the Bestial Ens had swallowed up the heavenly, and got the upper hand, which they had not before known; now they could not tell for shame what they should do. 2. The Serpent's craft would not Hear cover the shame, but did lay it only more open, and accused them, as revolting faithless Rebels; for God's anger did awake in them, and arraigned them now before the Severe judgement, to devour them into itself, as into the dark world, as happened to Lucifer. 3. And this is the * State, Condition or Thing which caused the Earth to Tremble, etc. Place whereby the Earth trembled in the death of Christ, and the Rocks clove in sunder: Hear God's Anger shut up the holy Ens of the heavenly humanity in Death; which, Christ when he destroyed death on the Cross, did again Open, at which the wrath, in the Curse of the Earth, and rocks, shaken and trembled. 4. And here was the Soare combat before God's Anger, in which combat Christ in the Garden (when he prayed, and was to overcome this Anger) did sweat drops of blood, when he said; father, if it be possible let this Cup pass from me; but if it be not possible but that I must drink it, thy will be done. 5. Christ on the Cross must drink down this wrathful anger, which was awakened in Adam's Essence, into his holy heavenly Ens, and change it with Great Love into divine joy; of which the drink of gall and vinegar, being a mixed Draught which the Jews gave him was a type, signifying what was done inwardly in the humanity of Christ. 6. For the outward Image of man should also be redeemed from the Anger and death and again arise out of the Earth: therefore Christ's outward humanity from the Kingdom of this world must also drink of this Cup, which God the Father had filled to Adam in his anger; the same, Christ must drink off, and change the anger into Love; therefore said Christ; is it possible then let it pass from me: but it was not possible to overcome the anger, unless the sweet Name Jesus, drink it into itself, and change it into joy: then said Christ, Father! thy will be done, and not the will of my humanity. 7. God's will should also have been fulfilled in Adam, but he exalted his own will by the Serpent's craft: now the Humanity of Christ upon the Cross must give this own self-will unto the Anger for to devour it: but the holy name Jesus brought it into the death of selfehood, that it must die in the wrathful death; and enter again through death in his Resurrection into the true Resignation viz. into the divine Harmony. 8. Adam when he had awakened the Anger in him stood in Paradise in great shame and scorn, before God and all holy Angels; and the Devils did mock and deride him: that this Image of God which should possess his Royal Throne, was become a monstrous Beast: and into this Scorn Christ must enter, and suffer himself to be reviled, mocked, spit upon, whipped, crowned with Thorns, as a false King; for Adam was a King and Hierarch, but become false, and Rebellious. 9 Hear Christ stood in his stead; and was condemned to death; for Adam also should have been judged by God's Anger; Hear Adam that is Christ in Adam's humanity, stood in his stead: Adam should have been rejected as a curse, even as a scorn before Heaven and Earth, and and in Sum, the whole process of Christ from his Incarnation unto his Ascension, and sending of the holy Ghost, is Adam's estate, what Adam had merited as a malefactor; Christ himself must take upon him in Adam's person, and bring again the life out of death. 10. Adam was made by the word of God, but he fell from God's Love-word into his Anger-word; thus God out of mere grace did again awaken his Love-word in the deepest humility Love and mercy in Adam's wrathful Image, and introduced the great Love- Ens into the Ens of the awakened anger, and changed the Angry Adam in Christ into an holy ONE. 11. Moses describeth it very clearly, but the veil lieth before the bestial man, that he doth not know him: for he saith: And they heard the voice of the Lord God, Verse 8▪ which walked in the Garden, when the day grew cool, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the Trees. 12. Moses saith; they heard the voice of the Lord God, which walked in the Garden: what is now this voice which was [or stirred] in the Garden? for Adam's ears were dead to the Divine hearing, and were awakened in the wrath; he could not in his own might hear any more Gods holy voice, for he was dead as to the Kingdom of Heaven, as to the divine holiness; as God told him: in that day that thou eatest of this Tree thou shalt die. 13. The voice was God's Anger, which forced in to Adam's Essence, when the day became cool, understand the Eternal day in Adam's Essence was awakened in cold, and heat; therefore now they heard the voice of God the Lord in his Anger in their Essence; for the Turba was awakened: the Tone or Hearing of the dark world did Sound [or ring its sad knell.] 14 But that which walked in the Garden, and re-called Adam was another voice which broke forth out of the Anger; and walked [or moved] in the Garden for the word (which Der walke● gieng in the Garden in Garten) is the difference, or note of distinction, and signifieth the voice JESUS proceeding from * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 JEHOVAH; the voice was * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Nomen Quatuor Literarum, That Name of four Letters. TETRAGRAMMA, but that which walked in the Garden was TUN, viz. the Centre of the light world; and the voice TETRAGRAMMA is the Centre to the fire-world, viz. the first Principle, and the TUN, the Second Principle, as fire and light are one, but they Sever themselves in their coming forth to manifestation into a twofold Source, the like also is to be considered concerning this. 15. The voice of the fire-world entered into the Essence of Adam and Eve; the same they heard, therefore they were afraid, and crept among the Trees: but the voice of the light-world is this, whereof Moses spoke, which Der walked gieng in the Garden: in Garten the holy voice walked in the Garden of Paradise, for the Word ( * Text, Der. which Der) denoteth the Person of Christ, who walked in the Spirit, in the Garden, and went forth from the fires Centre, who took possession of Paradise, and would invest Adam again with it. 16. Therefore saith Moses now: and the Lord God called unto Adam: and said unto him, Verse 9 where art thou? wherefore said he not Adam and Eve where are ye? no, He called to Adam; viz. to the first Image which he created in Paradise; and not unto the man, and woman; for He that called, was He which walked in the Garden; viz. the word of the light-world, the voice of the Second Principle, which called back again in [and from] the enkindled Anger, and espoused itself again unto the disappeared heavenly Ens, that it would araise, and stir up itself again therein, in the Name Jesus, viz. in the deepest love of the Deity, and unite, and manifest itself in the fullness of time, in the disappeared Ens with the introducement of the holy divine Ens of the heavenly worlds- Essence thereinto, and open Paradise again; and in the mean time bruise the Head of the Serpents Ens; this Serpent-bruiser said to Adam; where art thou? 17 Now saith Reason; He saw him well enough, wherefore said he then, where art thou? he did indeed see * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adam, but Adam did not see him; for his eyes were departed from * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adonái, from the divine world, into time, viz. into the outward world; into the Serpent's Ens [both] evil and good; into the Death and Corruptibility, out of these Monstrous eyes Adam saw in the property of the Fires Tincture; but the property of the lights Tincture, which he had wretchedly lost, said unto him, where art thou Adam? which is as much as if he had said, Seek me, and see me again: I am come to give myself again unto thee; Verse 10. and Adam said I heard thy voice in the garden and was afraid for I am naked. 18. This Calling him was nothing else, but the voice or Sound of the holy word introducing itself again into the vital light, else Adam could not have heard this voice: therefore he said; I am naked, and afraid. 19 Of what was he afraid? he felt in him the world of God's anger, and feared, that it would wholly enkindle itself, and devour him as happened to Lucifer: therefore he trembled at the Call of the holy Voice; as the Anger trembleth at the Love, as may be seen on the Cross of Christ; for even here was the fear and dread of the Serpent; for she knew the voice which called into Adam's Ens; and feared before the face of God, for it knew [or perceived] the falsehood, which was in it, which it would hid. 20. And God said, who told thee, that thou art naked? that is, Verse 11. the Serpents Ens hath told thee, that thou shouldest imagine after the bestial property, and awaken the same. 21. And we see here very clearly; that Adam knew nothing of this naked bestial property in his innocency; but if it had been manifest in him, surely he had then known it; but now God saith to him; who hath told thee it; hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat? Did not I charge and command thee that thou shouldest not awaken the property of nakedness in thee; wherefore hast thou by Lust brought thyself into the Bestial property? did not I create thee in the Angelical property; wherefore art thou then become a Beast in my Power: have not I made thee in and through my word? why hath thy own free will changed my Word? 22. And he said; Verse 12, 13. the woman which thou didst join with me gave me and I did eat of the Tree: and God said to the woman wherefore hast thou done this? and she said, the Serpent beguiled me and I did eat. Herein it is plainly and clearly laid open, that the Devil in the Ens of the Serpent, did deceive Man, as it is before mentioned; and that they both, Adam and his wife, were made monstrous by the Serpent. 23. For God said to the Serpent, by whose property the Devil had made himself a Seat, and habitation in man's Image: because thou hast done this be thou accursed above all cattle, Verse 14. and above all the beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go; and Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. 24. But here the veil lieth before the face of Moses, who passeth by the Serpent, and doth not describe what it was: but seeing now God said unto it, that it should go upon the belly, and eat earth, and no Law was given to it in the beginning; thereupon we are here well able to find what it was; being it was the most subtle Beast among all the Beasts, and slew Eve her virginlike chastity, that she lusted after the bestial copulation; thereupon we understand in the Serpent's property, the desire of [carnal] brutal copulation, and all unchastity, wanton uncleanness, and Bestial Whoredom of man. 25. For it, viz. the Serpent in its inward limus whereinto the Devil introduced his desire * Or had been. was a virginlike Ens; understand, in the good part of the heavenly Ens which was taken in the Verbum Fiat, and brought into a creatural Image according to each property; as also the Devils Ens before his Creature- [ship] was a virginlike Ens of Angelical property. 26. This Serpents Ens was modellized, and engrafted in Adam and Eve, for the desire of Eve took hold of this bestial property, and imprinted it into herself, as a blemish [or foul mark] into the right pure Virginity, into the Pregnant Matrix; therefore God cursed the Image of the outward Serpent, and bid her go upon the belly, and eat earth, and herewith also the mark [or blemish] of the impressed monstrous Serpent [was enstamped] in Man. 27. For as now the outward Serpent must go upon the belly and eat earth, which had brought its figure into the Matrix in Eves Belly, so must now the Belly of Eve eat of the Cursed earth, and the Matrix goeth as a subtle Serpent upon its belly, and beguileth the limbus of of the fires Tincture; thus it longeth after its Belly and Serpent-creeping, whereas it is only, that this Serpents Matrix might exercise whoredom, and effect a bestial work, as Eve did deceive Adam, so that he did eat of the fruit, and as the outward Serpent was cursed so also the Serpents Matrix of the bestial property in Eve, from whence all her children are corrupted, and are all borne of a monstrous Matrix, which is a * Text, an whore. deflowered Maid in the sight of God; for Adam had already corrupted it when as he stood in both Tinctures; but when Eve was separated from Adam it came with her into Act. 28. And God said: I will put enmity between thee and the woman; between thy Seed, Verse ●●. and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt sting it on the Heel. Now the ground doth lie herein; for God did not mean hereby the outward bestial Serpent i Extra Hominem. without Man, which hideth itself in holes, and crannies of the Rocks, and inhabiteth in the rude Solitary places [of the earth] but the monstrous Bestial Serpent in Man, which was figured in the woman's Matrix. 29. For when God called Adam when he hid himself among the Trees, and was ashamed, and feared; then the voice of the holy Word entered again into the vital light; and here when God said; I will put enmity, the Seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpent's head; then the holy voice of God went forth out of JEHOVAH, which would once more move itself in time, and manifest JESUS in the woman's matrix, in the disappeared heavenly Ens; and incorporated itself anew with the holy Word [therein] as into an k Mark, limit or Bound. Aim of an Eternal Covenant. 30. And this word which did promise inhest and incorporate itself into the Woman's Seed, was that same word which did move itself in Mary's Seed, and opened the Name Jesus out of the Centre of the deepest Love in the word, and quickened the disappeared heavenly Ens with introducing of the holy living Ens into the disappeared Ens of Mary. 31. Understand the heavenly chaste Virginity was again revived in the Name of Jesus in the Seed of Mary in the motion of the Incorporated Word; and this Incorporated [or Engrafted, or In-Spoken] Word stood in Eve her Seed in the Matrix as an l Butt, limit, the Eternal Love's Eye-mark. Aim of a certain Covenant; and was all along propagated in Eve's seed, from man to man in the Heavenly part, as a Sound, or Incentive of the divine holy lights fire, wherein the Name Jesus was all along propagated in an Aim, and Covenant, as a glimmering Incentive, until the time of the Awakening [or manifestation] of it in Mary, where the Covenant was m Text, stood at the end. fulfilled, and the doors of the shut Chamber were again opened: and this is that Holy Fire out of which the Name Jesus was manifest, which holy Fire did burn in the Jewish offerings, which appeased [or Atoned] the Anger of God, and bruised the head of the monstrous Serpent in man, viz. the monstrous fire-Spirit, and wil 32. The bruising of the head, is nothing else but to destroy the Abomination of the Serpent, to take away its power by a right desire of Faith; and by such a strong importunate Imagination of faith on the promised Word, to take the same word, and introduce it into the Serpents Ens, and therewith destroy and ruin the Devil's Theft-fort; and thereby kill the matrix of the whorish desire, and introduce the matrix with its desire into the virginlike Ens, into the Aim of the Covenant. 33. In which Covenant the n The female and male property. Woman and Man shall and must Die; and the chaste Virgin must be borne out of the Death in the word of the Covenant, with both Tinctures of Peculiar Love, and then the Serpent in its desire in the Anger of God, will sting the virgin-child of the new-birth in the Faith on the heel. 34. For the Virginlike child is fast bound by the heel with a strong chain, all this life time, unto the monstrous Image; and is not able to get quite rid of the Serpent's chain all this life-time; this chain is the brutal bestial monstrous man, in whom lieth the monster of the whore, and Serpent; a figure whereof we have in the Revelation of John, where the woman standeth, with the Crown and twelve Stars upon the Moon. 35. The Moon signifieth the bestial man, and the woman signifieth the virgin like matrix in the Aim of the Covenant, out of which the virgin-child is borne. 36. When as Adam was man and woman, and yet none of them both, the virginity according to the lights Tincture in the holy Ens was poisoned and infected in him by false desire, for the fiery property of the Soul carried [or directed] its lust into the earthliness; and out of that virginity, the woman, by the adjoining of all the Three Principles, was made; and the woman made herself monstrous by the Serpent, and corrupted the virginlike matrix, and by her Lust did introduce a bestial monstrous Serpentine o Or whorish property. [matrix] thereinto, infected with the Devils will and desire. 37. Now this holy Virginlike matrix in Eve was captivated by the monstrous property, and the Image of the heavenly Ens did disappear in her, and in this heavenly Ens, understand in the Right virginlike Seed of chastity, Sanctity, and Purity, which was captived in Eve by the monstrous Serpent, and bestial Whores-desire, the word of God did p Inspire infuse or recall or apply itself as a Balsam, that is, put or promise itself. inhest itself with the dear precious and holy Name Jesus; that it would again introduce [a] living heavenly Ens into this captived disappeared Ens and bruise the head of the Serpents Ens, viz. the Whore's Monster, and mortify its desire, and cast away the Whores-Image [or Bastard] and overpower and allay the Enkindled anger of God in this virginlike matrix with the deepest Love of God, and wholly kill and q Or do away. null the Monster [of the Serpent in flesh and blood], and this is that which God said, the Seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpent's head. 38. Understand it aright, the virginlike Seed of Eve in the word of God, should do it in the Name and sweet power of Jesus: the Seed included in the Covenant of God, whereout the Virgin-child is borne as the dew out of the morning, that (I say) should, and must do it. 39 For the child which is from the blood of the man and woman, shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; but that which is [born] of the virginlike Ens, in the Aim of the Covenant, out of the promised Word of God; the child of the man and woman is a Monstrum, and must die, and putrify, and rot in the earth; but the virginlike Ens which lieth hidden in this Monstrum, is the true Seed, of which the children of Christ are borne, yea even in this life time, for the life of this child, is the true Faith and great divine desire. 40. This virginlike child doth live in Christ's children in the Spirit and flesh of Christ, in a spiritual body outwardly covered with the Monstrum in the child of the whore and Serpent; there is no man, which doth not outwardly carry on him the Serpent's child. 41. But the virgins-childe, borne of the divine virginlike Ens, of Jesus, doth not live in all: there is indeed in many an one a glimmering incentive thereunto, viz. a Weak Faith, and r Or godly. divine desire; but the true holy, and precious life of the virginity is not borne, it standeth captivated in the judgement of God. 42. Yet well for those, who have but an incentive in them; to those we give this direction; that their Souls desire should in the Spirit of Christ s dip, plunge or baptise. dive itself into the divine Incentive; and with the fire-desire enkindle that Incentive, and also forsake and hate the Serpent's Monster, and bastard, and introduce their great hunger and thirst into the virginlike Ens, into the Word of God's Covenant, and into the fulfilling of the Covenant viz. into the humanity of Christ, and ever mortify, and trample under foot the Whore's Monster in the will of the desire, as a venomous stinging evil Serpent, a false bastard, that cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, and is only an hindrance to the Virgin's child. 43. For the word of the promise in the Covenant would not incorporate itself into the man's Tincture, viz. in the Souls-fire- Ens, but into the woman's, viz. into the Lights Tincture; into the virginlike Centre, which should have brought forth magically in Adam; even into the heavenly Matrix of the holy pregnatresse; in which lights Tincture the fiery Souls Ens was weaker, then in the Man's Fire- Ens. 44. In this Lights Ens God would araise the Fire- Ens, viz. the true Soul, and as it were beget it anew, as may be seen in the person of Christ, according to the humanity, who in this virginlike Ens did assume a manly fire-soul from the woman's property, from the female virginlike Seed, wholly contrary to nature's proper and peculiar Ability, for the Image of God is a Manlike virgin, neither woman nor man. 45. And if a man will rightly consider both properties according to the divine property, then let him ascribe the male to God the Father, viz. to the first Principle, where God's word doth manifest itself with the fireworld, which is the first Centre of the Creature; and the Female let him ascribe to God the Son, viz. to the Second Principle, where the divine eternal word doth manifest itself in the light of Love, and openeth another Centre in the Love-desire, and cometh into the Fires-Centre; in manner, as the fire produceth a light; and the light [is] a great meekness of an oily, watery, and aery property, which property the fire draweth in again, whence it receiveth its shining Lustre, and also its life to burn, else it would smother and suffocate. 46. And as these three, viz. the fire, light, and air, have one only Original, yet they give a very evident distinction in their property; the like also we are here to mind: into this property in the life of man's Soul, the most sweet name JESUS hath incorporated itself in the word of promise; as into the likeness, which stood in the lights Centre of the heavenly matrix, viz. in the Right virginlike Ens, inspired out of the lights property into Adam; and hath awaked [it self] in the same limus, as a true Centre of the Second Principle, viz. of the Angelical world, a ●eall Temple of the Spirit of God; an open, and t Or stirring. wide Gate of the divine wisdom, in the highest beauty excellency and love, wherein the holy Angelical life consists, and beareth therein the Name of the great holy God, viz. the holy word of the Deity. 47. Into this property the word of God did betrothe and espouse itself in the Covenant; for it was opened out of the holy Word in Adam; God would not forsake his holy Manifested Word, which had introduced itself with the Creating of Adam into an Ens, which the Devil obscured and darkened in the Serpents Ens from the Anger, but would again open the same, and thereby bruise the head of the Serpents Ens, and beget the humane Soul out of this divine Ens, to a manlike virgin, viz. to an Angel, Servant, and child of God. 48. We do not mean, that this holy Ens did receive the Serpents desire into itself, when Adam and Eve became monstrous, no; but it disappeared; yet the soul according to the first Principle, took it into the fires property, viz. into the Fiat, and introduced the Serpents Ens with the desire of the Fiat into the Earthly Lincus, whereupon out of the One only Element four Elements were manifest in man. 49. Therefore the virginlike Ens of the One only Element must now bruise the head of the introduced Serpent's Ens in the four Elements; and the man of the four Elements must die and putrify, and the first [man] must return at the last Day clothed with the Virginlike Ens in the One only Element wherein all things lie in equal weight, [or perfect harmony.] 50. For this virginlike Ens, newborn in the Spirit of Christ, dyeth not any more, although the four Elements man, viz. the Image of this world dyeth, but it liveth in God's Kingdom; and shall in the Resurrection of the dead embrace and put on the limus of the earth, Note what shall rise again at the last Day. vix. the third Principle, as a Garment of the wonder-deeds of God, but the Serpents Ens remaineth in the Earth; and shall be burnt away at the last Day through the fire, from the pure limus of the Earth; where the dark world shall devour it with all its Works. 51. Thus we herein understand very clearly; how God out of great Love, hath promised the Serpent-bruiser to the fallen man, and espoused, and betrothed it unto the virginlike, and disappeared Centre, and given in itself, therewith, for an help, and companion; for when they were fallen from God, and had made themselves monstrous, than the Image out of the limus of the Earth, became wholly brutal, and lived in opposition, in distemper, in sickness, and also in heat, and cold, as all other Beasts. 52. Now therefore God told them what their labour work and employment should be in this world, viz. that they should bring forth children in Sorrow with painful smart, in trouble, and distress, and eat the herb of the field, and now clothe their bestial Image in turmoil, and cumbering care in toil and labour, until the four Elements man in the bestial Serpent's Image should again be broken and dissolved, and return unto the earth, from whence it was taken, and extracted as a limus. CHAP. XXIV. Of the Cause, and rise of the Curse of the Earth, and the Body of Sickness. Gen. 3.17, 18. GOds Cursing of the Ground for man's Sins sake that it should bring forth Thorns, and Thistles, and commanding Man not till after Sin was committed, to eat of the herb of the field, and in the sweat of his face to eat his bread, doth plainly and sufficiently show us, that this had not been in Paradise, the Ground should not have borne Thorns and Thistles, and other evil herbs, which are poisonful, but in the Curse, all these properties became manifest; for as the body was after the fall, so likewise its food, the halfe-Serpentine man must now eat such food as his desire required, [or coveted.] 2. The Curse is nothing else, but the Holy Element hiding of itself, viz. the holy Ens, which budded forth through the Earth, and bare fruit, and held the property of the four Elements as 'twere captive in itself; [did withdraw or closely conceal itself]; the Heaven in the earth hide itself from the Earth; the holy Tincture, from the awakened vanity, viz. the heavenly Part, which was from the heavenly Ens (did keep Secret) from the Part in the Curse, viz. in the Ens of the dark world. 3. Thus the heavenly part was a mystery unto man, and so remained in the Curse between time and Eternity, half dead as to the heavenly part, yet anew embraced with the promise in the Aim of the Covenant, and as to the earthly [part] strongly bound, to the band of the Stars, and four Elements, infected with the distemper of the Serpent and the Devil, very hard tied with three strong chains from which he cannot get free till the total dissolution of his earthly Body; for the Curse of the Earth and the Serpent forced also into the earthly man, viz. into the limus of the Earth. 4. For God said, thou art Earth and unto Earth thou shalt return; Verse 19 for when the desire of the limus of the Extract of the Earth, (viz. of the outward man) did enter again into the Earth, and Imagine after the earthly fruit, than the Devil infected this desire by the property of the Serpent, and in each desire is the Fiat, which doth t Or amass it into fashion form and figure. Impress and make the desire essential; thus the earthly hunger became at this instant wholly earthly; therefore God said now unto him: thou must turn again to Earth from whence thou wast taken; for the heavenly, disappeared in the earthly, as the Gold is disappeared in Lead. 5. Thus an Earthly body is now Sown into the Earth, and the Earth receives it as its own propriety: but the Ens which is from the Eternity (which cannot be destroyed) lieth in this earthly u Or interred. sown body; nothing is broken or dissolved but the gross beast, viz. the being [or Substance] of time; As a fixed metal is not destroyed [or corrupted] in the Earth; even so also the fixed part of the humane Body; and as the Artist brings forth an excellent Gold out of the Earth, so likewise the humane Gold lieth buried in the earth, and waiteth only for the Artist to raise it up. 6. And as there is a various, and manifold diversity of metalline property in the Earth; so likewise of the Ens of humane property; therefore all things shall be proved through the Fire; what kind of property every one hath in this Time assumed to himself, and impressed on his Body, (viz. with the desire of the Fiat) that shall be tried in the fire, whether or no he hath impressed a fixed steadfast property from the divine Ens into himself, or an hellish bestial one; all this shall be tried and proved in the Fire of God, and as the Ens is, in each body, such a fire also shall be enkindled, in the same Ens. 7. And as Quicksilver doth Evaporate in the fire; even so shall all the wicked devilish Serpentine works, which have been x Brought forth or form. Impressed out of the dark world, and Devil's desire. 8. Now if a man hath in this life time impressed into himself [a] divine Ens by earnest Faith and divine desire; understand by the humane Soul, introduced into the mortal part of the limus of the Earth, than it lieth shut up in the mortal part, yet as a glimmering incentive which longeth and laboureth to burn and shine, or as the precious Gold lieth shut up in a gross drossy Oar, or in Lead, and waiteth only for the Artist to come and release it, even so likewise shall the delivery, and releasement of man's body be, out of the Earth. 9 Now also we do herein understand the body of sickness, and the Physician [or Curer thereof], for when the heavenly Ens did disappear, and was captivated with the earthly, as the Gold in the Lead; then the outward Astrum awakened in the Body; and now as the outward Astrum doth mutually destroy and ruin one another's Ens, and change it into another Ens according to the greatest and most predominant power; so likewise the humane Mind (which is a Magical Astrum) is hereby governed and ruled, and the Body also; and is thereby brought into Strange desire and lust; whereby man doth weaken plague, and perplex himself; and one introduced Ens doth martyr weaken and annoy another both through Meat, and thoughts, or cumbering molesting care. 10. As we plainly see, that man for the most part doth rack and plague himself in the astral mind, with the desire about that which cannot be his own, which stands not open in his Astrum; and his Astrum cannot apprehend take or receive it, about this the false introduced desire from the strange Astrum doth plague perplex and spend itself day and night, whence the great Covetousness doth arise, that man doth desire and introduce that into his Astrum, which is an hurtful poison, and plague unto him: and yet with such [infoisted] strange matter, cannot make any fixed steadfast [thing or being] in him, which may subsist in Eternity. 11. All whatsoever the own peculiar Astrum (viz. the lifes right Astrum) doth impress [or foist] in to itself from [or of] a strange Astrum, is false, and an adverse will; whence enmity (viz. the great Envy in nature) doth arise, that the humane Mind willeth to domineer over the strange Ens; and if he cannot get it, yet that strange infoisted introduced Ens burneth in him in a spiritual manner as a poisonful hungry fire of Envy; that doth not freely beteeme that to any, that it willeth to possess itself. 12. And though it comes about, that it may through the Serpent's Craft, draw it, to itself, or possess it, yet it hath no fundamental Seat [or true root] in its Right lifes-Astrum; for it is not capable of it, but the desire doth advance, and set it up as a King, and vaunt itself therewith, as an absolute peculiar God, which hath taken upon itself, Might over others, and sets itself upon Strange Authority, and domination; whence the Pride of Riches, and Self-assumed Honours, and Domination doth arise, and yet in its ground and original it hath taken its rise from the Devil, (through the Serpent's Ens), who also departed with the free will from his own peculiar Ens into strange desire, whereby he hath introduced and awakened in himself (by reason of his strange infoisted Ens) the hellish torment pain and Sickness, so that his lifes Astrum, is wholly departed from its mutual accord and harmony, and entered into an Enchanting Sorcering property; and so likewise it goeth with the fallen man. 13. But now, Man hath his Cure, and the Devil hath not; for when the divine providence knew that he would not stand, he caused all manner of Medicine [for hunger and health] to grow out of the Earth, to resist and withstand the strange introduced property, both from the Astrum and Elements; and for the Cure of the Mind God hath given his holy word; that the mind should Immerse itself into the word, and through the Power of the word, continually cast away the introduced Strange Abomination. 14. And if it doth not this, but continueth in the strange introduced Ens (which the Devil continually introduceth through the Serpent's Image) than the strange Ens becomes Substantial, and Surrounds the Hidden Ens of the heavenly worlds Being; and even then that Ens which is from and of the divine property, remaineth disappeared in Death, and cannot attain the Place of God; and hence cometh the eternal death, as is to be seen in Lucifer, in whom also his divine Ens, is included or shut up into the nothing, viz. into the greatest hiddenness, [or privation] that he in his Magical Astrum in the creatural property cannot reach or obtain the place of God. 15. Therefore it is very necessary for man wholly to sink, and dive himself into the promised incorporated Word of God; and continually, and fully reject, and cast away the strange introduced Ens, which the Devil insinuates into his Mind, whereby he desireth strange things, and only take that he may obtain with good truth, and real upright honesty, which befalleth him in his y Employment Business or Affa●res. Calling for his Corporal necessity, and livelihood; the same, his Right life's Astrum doth bring unto him, and he is capable of it, and it creates him no vexation trouble discontent and pain, if he doth not let in the Serpent's Covetousness, pride, envy, and Anger thereinto. 16. And it is the greatest folly that man doth eagerly and tearingly strive and hale for z Heterogene and hurtful to his soul. strange things, and bring that into his desire, which doth only discontent, and disturb him, and at last cast him quite from God; which doth shut up his heavenly Ens in body and Soul; what profit is that unto him, which he sees without him, and doth exalt himself in an outside lustre [as in a specious shadow and resemblance of a lookingglass] and yet is not capable of the same? and if he doth get to be capable of it he turns it to his temporal, and Eternal vexation, and disquietness. 17. God hath created man naked, and given him nothing in this world that he can or may call his own, saying this or that is mine; Indeed all is his, but it is Common: for God created only One man, to that one only man he gave all whatsoever is in this world, now all men are proceeded out of this only man, he is the Stem or body, the other are all his branches, and do receive power from their Stem, and bring forth fruit upon one, and each twig enjoyeth the Trees Ens, also they do all enjoy the four Elements and the a Or Stars. Astrum alike. 18. What folly [and madness] is it then, that the twig willeth to be an own [selvish] Tree; and grows up of itself as a strange plant, as if its fellow-twig did not stand also in its Stem; it is the Serpents introduced Ens which seduceth, and divideth the branches on the life's tree of man from the Only life of man, bringing each twig into a peculiar Sundry hunger, desiring to be a tree by itself in selfefull Power, and domination; and therefore it desireth the b Or abundance. muchness of this world for its own propriety, that it might greatly enlarge itself in the Serpent's Ens, and be a great, thick, strong, fat, well spread Tree. 19 O thou selfe-exalting Vapourer; of what dost thou smell, and Savour? even of the Serpent's wantonness, Lust, concupiscence and Poison, and the Temporal and Eternal Death; and this thou art in thy own selfe-Tree, and not a whit better, and though thou wert a King, yet that which is under thy jurisdiction is only for thy Office, and not thine own. 20. If thou wilt enter again into the life-Tree and be a twig on the only life of man, than thou must utterly forsake in thy mind and desire, all whatsoever is in this world; and become as a little child; and look only upon that which thy own life's Astrum doth cast upon thee in thy estate calling and place; and therein thou must work, and not say it is mine alone; albeit thou art a Steward therein, yet thou servest therein the root only, upon which thou standest; thou bearest fruit to the root in thy Labour, which thou must let stand free, and therewith be diligent and careful in preserving thy Calling, and place, to serve thy brother, and help to increase his Sap, that he may grow up with thee, and bear fruit. 21. In all c Selvish interests, minehood, and thine-hood, meum & ●uum. selfehood, and own-hood there is a false plant; one brother should be the Sovereign Cure and refreshment to another, and delight or content his mind with the Insinuation of his Love-will, There were enough, and enough, in this world, if Covetousness drew it not into a selvish propriety; and would bear good will to his brother as to himself, and let his pride go, which is from the Devil. 22. He runneth with great pride, and Belly-carking, only to the Devil in the d Into the Abyss. bottomless Pit: he will be Noble, and better than his brother; but whence will he have it? did not God give but one life to man, and out of that one cometh the life of all men. 23. But that he phancieth to himself that he is more Noble and Gentile therein (than others) and vaunteth therewith; is an Apostasy and fall from God, and his word: for in the word of God was the only life of man, which the Word breathed into the created Image, and this same One only life is from Eternity, and never had any beginning; wherefore doth man then bring in a strange life thereinto, that doth disquiet and disturb the only life; now it must come to that pass, that he doth either with his will and desire enter again into the Only childlike life, and forsake all whatsoever he hath introduced; or else remain for ever in disquietness in that his infoisted Essence [or life.] 24. Now then, being I must forsake all whatsoever I have introduced into myself for propriety, and that the same is only my e Loss, or damage. hurt, wherefore then do not I forsake this false desire, which bringeth Death and hellish vexation and torment into me? better it is to quash and destroy the desire, than afterward the Substance with great Anguish and sadness; as it is a very difficult, and painful combat when a man must come to destroy the Substance in him by an earnest Conversion into the childlike life. 25. But if the freewill doth in the beginning break and quell the desire and lust, so that the lust becomes not Substantial, than the Cure is already produced, and afterward there need not be such an Earnest Purpose and Endeavour, as he must have, who is to departed from his Contrived Abominations, and forsake and destroy that Substance [or matter] which he hath forged, and made in his mind, and yet it must come so about, or else he cannot attain the Gates of the Eternal Only life, which God gave to man; and if he reacheth it not, than he also f Or enters not into Paradise. reacheth not the Gates of God. 26. For the only Eternal life must be introduced into the Nothing without [or beyond] every creature, and g Substance or thing. being; for it hath its Eternal original out of the Nothing, viz. out of the divine understanding and it is in a disquiet Source in the Something; unless that its Something be also bend and set with its desire into the nothing; and then the Something is a joy to the life; that the life of the Nothing in itself may dwell and work in Something. 27. For God in reference to the creature is as a nothing, but if the creature introduceth its desire into him, viz. into the Nothing; then the Creature is the Something of the Nothing, and the Nothing moveth willeth and worketh in the Something of the Creature, and the Creature in the Nothing; and in this Working, no Turba can arise, for it is its own Love-play, a mutual Loving itself, and it stands at the end of Nature with its life. 28. Thus we understand what inheritance Adam hath left us, viz. the Curse, and the vain desire, and we consider the outward man in its life as a monster of a true humane life, unless that the precious noble mind be borne again in the Spirit of Christ, else the outward Centre in the Mind is a Serpent. 29. And in this Serpent, the Gross Beast which is from the Astrum and four Elements, doth sit, and holds possession in the house of the mind; and according to its bestial property produceth various desires, one desiring this, another that, and causeth manifold figures in the Minds of men; one maketh in his mind a fixed h Project, devise, or matter. Substance, another a [shattered] ruinable matter, that which he maketh to day that he breaks down to morrow, and hath an unconstant Beast in the Mind, falleth sometimes upon this, sometimes upon that [and often changeth his mind.] 30. But he that brings up a fixed Beast, he holdeth it in him for his Treasure, and vaunteth therewith as if it were the virgin-child, and gathereth up Earthly Treasures for his bestial pleasure, and yet before God he is only a fool with his beast, for he must leave it to the Earth and the judgement of God. 31. But he in whom the Virgin's child is borne, he treadeth the beast in the Mind underfoot, and must indeed suffer it outwardly upon him, to creep and falter, as a Laden Ass that must carry the earthly Sack; but he hath enmity with it, as God said to Adam, I will put enmity between thee and the Serpent, and between the Woman's Seed and the Seed of the Serpent, which shall bruise the Serpent's head, viz. the Serpent's Beast: This monster of the Beast in the earthly mind, the true man doth bruise the head of its desire and Might. 32. Thus a godly man must have enmity in himself, and trample under foot the monster, viz. the Serpent's child, and continually kill it, for if this bestial Serpent's Seed i Or had not been. were not impressed, and wholly incorporated in us, God would not have said, I will put enmity between the woman's and the Serpent's Seed, the enmity is within man and not without man with the Creeping Serpent; this Serpent's Seed in man is the Devils riding Horse, his strong Hold and Fort, where he is able to dwell in man. 33. And therefore because the Devil was a Prince of this world, and still is so, in the Anger, it is his will and Aim to possess the Image of God, which God created in his stead, and to rule it under his jurisdiction, and bring it into his Kingdom, and this the Curse of God's anger hath brought along with it, which now worketh mightily unto Destruction. 34. And on the contrary the Serpent-bruiser worketh unto Eternal life, and the humane Mind stands in the midst of these in the freewill, to which the freewill doth k Inoculate, or incorporate. Engraft itself, therein the mind worketh: it bringeth up a beast, and also an Angel, or a beast and a Devil, according to the outward world a Beast, and according the inward spiritual world an Angel or Devil. 35. Here a grain of seed is sown, which standeth in three Principles, and is fit or pregnant to bear a creature in and to all three; for the Divine possibility from Gods manifested word in love and anger, viz. the Verbam Fiat lieth therein: as the freewill conceives itself so it begets (or generates) an Ens; and in the Ens the spirit ariseth, which formeth it a creature out of the Ens, and the spirit signeth itself in the Body, what it is: and so stands its figure. CHAP. XXV. How God drove Adam out of Paradise, and laid the Cherub before the Garden. WHen God had cursed the Serpent, and the Earth, than the Beast-Man was no longer profitable in Paradise, for he could not any more enjoy the fruits of Paradise; therefore he laid upon him the labour, and toil of the world; and drove him out of the Garden of Eden, and placed the Cherub with the fire sword of judgement before it, that if the new born virgin-child of the seed of the woman, would again return and enter into Paradise, this Angel with the fire-sword should cut away the Serpents-beast from it, and not any more suffer l Understand the beast. it to come into Paradise. 2. The Angel with the fire-sword is the right destroying Angel, who carrieth death and life in his Sword; he hath therein God's Love, and Anger, and when man Dyeth in this world, than he cometh before the Gates of Paradise, before this Angel: and even there the poor Soul must pass through this [Garden] judgement. 3. Now if it be captivated in the Anger of God, than it cannot pass through this judgement, but if it be a virgin child, born of the Seed of the woman, than it may pass quite through this Sword, and then the Angel cutteth off the Beast begotten of the Serpents Ens, and even then the Soul is an Angel of God, and serveth him in his Temple, in Paradise, and expecteth the Day of judgement, viz. the Resurrection of the outward body, when this Angel with the fiery Sword shall Sever the Earth from the Curse, than the right humane body returns again, for it must also pass through this Sword, and the Sword will cut off its Beast, that he may be only a Man and no more a Beast. 4. The Speech of Moses concerning this Mystery, is wholly hidden to the Earthly Man: for Moses speaketh of an Angel, and Sword; and albeit the Outward figure was even just so (for so was Adam driven out) yet it hath far another A. B. C. internally, the natural man without God's light understands nothing thereof. 5. This Sword is in man, when man converteth and entereth into sorrow for his committed Sins, and casteth away the vanity, and steppeth into the Infant's Shirt, than the morning- Star ariseth in the spirit of Christ, in the virginlike m Or shut up Ens. occluse Ens, in the true woman's seed. 6. And in this Anxious Sorrowful Gate of true Repentance, the Angel standeth with the fire-flaming sword, and the virgin-Bud forceth quite through this fire-sword into Paradise, viz. into the light, into the life of Christ, and groweth forth through this sword. 7. And now the virgin-child standeth with its fair Rose in the New Plant in Paradise, and the poor Soul which begetteth this child, standeth the whole time of this life, under the reach and Swinge of this fire-sword, and is fast bound with a band, to the gross beast in the outward world, where the virgin-child is sufficiently thrust at, and wounded with this fire-sword; for the fire-soul, which in the fire-Sword of God's Anger, is bound to the Serpent's Monster, doth daily amuse itself upon the Serpent-Monster, and Sinneth; and even then this fire-sword doth cut away the Sins, and devours them into God's Anger, where they are examined and judged. 8. Therefore the poor virgin-child which is borne out of the Soul must stand under Christ's cross, in Christ's death; and the piercing Sword of Tribulation and grief passeth quite through it; it must suffer itself to be drawn quite through this flaming Sword; and the fire burneth away the Abomination which the soul continually brings into itself from the Serpent's n Or false Image. Monster; and even then it is in a Sore strait, when that is cut off from the fire-soul, which it feign would have from its Monster. 9 Then must the virgin-child Supplicate the fire-soule and tender it the Love, that it should only forsake the Monster of the Serpent; here than ariseth strife and opposition; for the part of the fire-soul hath introduced the Serpent's Monster into it, and desireth also to have its joy therein, and loveth the Evil Beast. 10. Then Sophia, viz. the Second Principle, viz. the Part of the light world doth speak against it, and hence cometh up the Strife betwixt the Seed of the woman and the Seed of the Serpent, and then man goeth up and down in Sorrow and Sadness, trouble and perplexty, sometimes the virgin-child prevails, and sometimes the Serpent-childe. 11. And then the Devil stirs up, and incenseth all Monsters against the virgin-child, to strike it, to mock it, scorn it, revile, and laugh it to shame, and make it ridiculous; that it may by no means be known, lest the Devil's Kingdom should become manifest. 12. Thus the virgin-child must be exercised by this, in the Spirit of Christ, and suffer itself to be whipped, persecuted, and injuriously reproved, and often called, one possessed by the Devil; be cursed, and continually accounted an offscouring of the world, until the outward Beast hath finished its Course in its Constellation; and then the Cherub cutteth off the gross beast, and lets it fall even unto the judgement of God, and then the part of the fire-soule must forthwith force through the judgement of this Sword. 13. Now if the fire-soul hath o Impressed. taken in much vanity into itself, viz. much of the Serpent's craft, and lust; then the part of the fire-soule must stand p Or in. under this Sword, until the fire of God's Anger consumes this introduced vanity, which to many a one is q Refining fire. Purgatory enough; which this present too too wise world will not believe, and will be only an Adopted child from without, and so have an external washing away of Sins in Grace; but it hath another A. B. C. here, God will not let the Serpens Ens, neither in body nor Soul, come into Paradise. 14. The fire-soule must subsist in the fire of God, and be so pure as the clear refined Gold, for it is the husband of the Noble [virgin] Sophia, [which is] from the woman's Seed, it is the fires Tincture, and Sophia the lights Tincture; if the Tincture of the fire be wholly and throughly pure; then it's Sophia will be given to it; and so Adam receiveth again into his arms his most precious and endeared Bride, which was taken from him in his sleep, and is not any r Or from thence forward. longer man or woman, but a branch on Christ's Pearl-tree, which standeth in the Paradise of God. 15. To the description whereof we need an Angel's Tongue, and yet we are understood well enough by our School-fellowes; we have not written this for Swine; for none but those only who have been by and at the marriage of the Lamb do understand what kind of entire inward great joy and Love-delight is therein: and how s Excellently with surpassing beauty glory and delight. dearly the Bride receiveth her Bridegroom in his pure clear and bright fires property: and how she gives him her Love-kiss: unto others, this is dumb. 16. When Reason heareth one speak of Paradise, than it understandeth only a certain place apart: and it is even so, there was a certain place which was called the Garden in Eden where Adam and Eve were tempted, and from which place they were driven after the fall; but yet the whole world was such a Paradise before the Curse: yet seeing God knew the fall, the holy Paradise was only opened unto them in one certain place: for to what End should the whole world bring forth paradisical fruit, seeing there was no creature upon the Earth that was capable to enjoy the same. 17. But Adam and Eve were however brought into Paradise, that, although this first Body should fall and come to ruin, yet they and their children might by the new Regeneration in the Spirit of Christ, enter in again through this fire-Sword: this Mystery is exceeding Great. 18. For Prince Lucifer, before the time of the Created Earth, sat in the heavenly Ens in the Angelical world in the Place of this world, wherein the Ens of the Earth was comprehended in the Fiat, and brought into a Compaction, his false Imagination had t Made it subject to infection and pollution. tainted the limus before the Compaction, it was the place of his Hierarchies: now the outward body of man was taken out of the limus of the Earth in the Verbum Fiat, and form according to the property of the humane life, which was in the Word: the word, form (by or through the Fiat) the Ens or limus of the Earth according to the form of the humane soulelike life which was in the word; and being God had set himself, through his word, to be judge, against the false Infection and desire of the Devil, to judge him and his enkindled whickednesse which he had brought to Substance, the judicial u Or Sword of execution. Sword was already in the limus of the Earth whereof Adam was made. 19 For when God created the Earth, he x Certainly appointed and set a time. founded its time, when he would keep the judgement, and sever the evil from the good, and give the evil for an habitation to the Apostate Prince; but being the Good in the occluse Earth was without heavenly creatures (seeing its Prince was cast out;) God created Adam an other Hierarch out of this good Ens to be a Ruler of this place; and hence came the Devil's Envy against Man and all good creatures of this world. 20. But now we are here to consider of the Apostasy of man, with the Sword of the Cherub; for Saint Paul saith: we are chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world was laid; and even here this saying of Paul doth belong: God knew that this Ens, of which Adam was to be created, was already somewhat subject to false lust by reason of the Devils introduced desire; therefore God y foresaw or provided for. chose this limus in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world, out of which he would make man; that he would through the judgement of the flaming Sword bring it through death, and through the fire, and wholly burn away the false infected desire of Lust; and regenerate him anew in Jesus in his deepest Love in his Word in Jehovah, that is opened out of Jehovah, and introduce a new limus into the tainted one; and bring them together, quite through the judgement of the fire-Sword, and purge and purify them wholly and throughly. 21. And here also is Christ's descension into hell, where the Love of God in Christ entered into this fire-sword, and changed the wrath into Love; and did also destroy the sting of death which was insinuated into the limus of the Earth out of which Adam was created according to the outward humanity; and this fire-sword had its raising and Original in the Corruption of Lucifer. 22. For albeit Adam was created as to one part out of the heavenly Essentiality, that was in the word of man's life, which was inspired and breathed into his outward and inward limus; yet this fire-Sword lay hidden as a glimmering incentive in the earthly limus of the outward body, which also assaulted Adam, so that he lusted against the command of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven; in which incentive the Devil also introduced his desire into him, and provoked him to fall; which being God well knew that the poor man would not stand, he ordained an help and Saviour in Christ, to guide, and bring him into that holy Ens whereinto he should be brought, viz. into the true Sabbath, and Eternal rest. 23. Indeed Adam was set wholly perfect in equal harmony and accord, and brought into Paradise (to try) if the soul could have overcome the incentive [of vain lust] and therefore the tree of temptation was represented to him, to see if it were possible for the soul to overpower this contamination of lust, and remain wholly and fully in the likeness [and harmony]. 24. But it was not possible; therefore Christ must afterward z Undergo this Proba. come into this place; and be tempted forty days in the wilderness in adam's Ens, and in his new introduced heavenly Ens, to see whether the fire-soul would stand in perfect purity; and being it did now stand in Christ, the new intoduced heavenly Ens did destroy the sword in the death of the outward body of Christ, and brought the outward body which he, in Mary, received from her Seed, quite through this sword of the Anger of God into the holy Ens, and in this Power the outward body did arise from death and got victory over death and this fire-sword, and took the fire-sword into its power, wherewith at the end of the world he will purge his Floar; as a judge over Devils and men; as well as of the Earth. 25. For the main ambition was about the fire-Sword, for King Lucifer had changed it from the pure clear light into fire, wherewith he willed to domineer and rule as a God; but God sent to him another Prince and King, who took it from him; and thrust him from this Throne; and should turn this Sword in the Ens of the Earth again into the divine property, and cast out, and judge the Devil, with this Sword. 26. And there is not such a silly, and narrow Meaning of the fire-sword as hitherto hath been generally understood; although it hath been hidden by the Counsel of God, yet we should now open our eyes, and deeply consider what this manifestation importeth; that it doth even foretell and signify the judgement of this sword; that he will come, who carrieth it in his mouth; and it is also a messenger, [declaring] that Babel shall [soon] come to its End by this Sword, and be given to this Sword to be devoured. 27. Now saith reason; wherefore did not God examine this Ens afore, out of which he created the Earth, and man out of the same Earth, before he created the Earth and man? forsooth, dear Reason, here thou hast hit the matter right; God's Omnipotence, and omniscience must serve thy turn; whereby thou art able to bring all things into God's will, as rational fancy dictates: harken, o Reason! dost thou know, whence the Earth is generated? thou sayest, through the Word, viz. in the Verbum Fiat; I say so too: now, what was this word? Here look upon the Earth and the whole Creation and thou wilt see what the desire of the word hath brought into Essence out of the spiritual Ens, thou wilt every where see good, and Evil, and find out God's love, and anger. 28. The Word was a full Spiration from the spiritual fire-and light-world, according to which God calleth himself a Strong jealous angry God as to the fire, and a merciful Loving God as to the light. 29. Now if God should have a Nulled abolished or taken away. quelled the first Principle, viz. the fire-Source, in the Ens of the Earth, out of which it was created; whence should the light have its might? doth not the Father viz. the fire-world, beget the Son viz. the light-world; but now being the word in the fire-world was vehemently enkindled by God's motion to the Creation, as we may see by the Coagulation of the Stones; if we were not blocks, and had only calvish understandings; wherewith then should this Fire but especially the enkindled Ens in the Coagulation be reduced and brought again into the light into the Equal Temperature and harmony; God's Love must then only do it. 30. Now; how will [or can] a creature, viz. a fire-soule or Angel, come into a creatural being or formation, if the fire-Source were not moved and stirred in an especial manner: Like would only then remain in Like; and if it be only a mere Likeness, than it hath its Sport with and in itself, as it was from [and in] Eternity; and therefore the unchangeable God hath moved himself according to the fire and light, and stirred up the fires property that he may make him a play, and melody, viz. a form Word out of himself; that there might be a play before and in the un-formable Word. 31. Now we do here understand this, that if God should have again introduced the enkindled Ens, out of which the Earth and man were created, into the un-formable Word, viz. wholly and fully into the likeness, into the Love, than no creature might have been produced, or brought forth; for every Soules-Spirit; yea the Angels, and whatsoever liveth, must be a stirring [or working] fire. 32. Now no fire-Soure can be generated out of the perfect likeness, unless the likeness doth move itself: yet the Eternal likeness viz. God, had before moved himself in his Mystery with the creation of the Angelical Thrones; now if he should have changed this motion, which was Enkindled, and also poisoned by the Hierarck Lucifer with false distemper, into Love, before he had created the Earth and man, than he must yet once more have moved himself according to the fires property, if he would have created another Hierarck, and Angelical Prince. 33. But being that might not be, he created the Earth, and out of the Earth, Man, out of the first motion, and breathed into man the Light-and fire-soule out of that breath of his manifested and moved word, viz: out of the first motion, for out of the first motion of the word, another Prince should come into the princely created Throne of Lucifer, and take in, and possess the first motion. 34. And God appointed the Judgement to the first motion; and took away Lucifer's Domineering Fire-Sword, and gave it unto Adam; and afterward introduced the deepest Love of God in Christ, into Adam, and brought the Moved Word again into the likeness, viz. into an Eternal Confirmation, and gave Adam in Christ the Fire-Sword over the fallen Prince Lucifer. 35. For Adam, viz. the corrupted limus of the Earth, should, in Christ its first enjoyed Prince, judge with this flaming Sword; as Christ hath told us, that the Saints shall judge the world; understand, the Enkindled Ens of man and of the Earth, should judge the false Prince of Lies, who had perversely changed the Truth in the holy Ens into Lies, and corrupted it with such [false desire.] 36. But being the Ens of man was corrupted, and could not, God out of his deepest hiddenness introduced the most holy Ens into the Corrupt Ens of man, viz. into the heavenly part, and brought the outward [part] also through the Sword of the fire and death into the inward, into an Eternal likeness [or temperature:] And thus there is here a Looking-glass for Reason; if it be illuminated of God, It will then understand us here; but if it be not, then there is not any possibility to understand this. 37. And we faithfully and seriously warn the caviller and carper; not to say, it is a blasphemy: let him first put away his Calvish and Bestial Eyes; and look us here in the face, before he takes upon him to censure and cavil at us, it hath far another A. B. C. then Reason hath. It must have its Birth a degree deeper. 38. Thus we are able very well to understand the casting out of Adam, wherefore he was tempted, and driven out of Paradise: being his Ens was somewhat enkindled by the Devil's poison, he could not possess Paradise, and therefore God drove him out from thence, with the Sword of judgement into death and corruption, and yet gave the promised word of his deepest Love to be with and in him in the Ens of the heavenly worlds-being, for a sure and certain Covenant; wherein Adam and his children should Trust; and believe that at the end, and accomplishment of this time, he would in this Incorporated Word bring them again with the introduction of the holy Ens, out of death through the fire-sword; and clean cut off the false infection and lust with the Sword of judgement, and set them as Angels of God in the place of fallen Lucifer; and this is the mystery of the Angel and Sword of Paradise. 39 The Angel did bear the Name of the Covenant, out of which God would manifest Jesus, viz. the High and Almighty Prince; and it was even this Angel, which afterward wrought many wonders upon the Earth, who was with Abel Sem Enoch Noah Abraham, and Moses, who appeared to Moses in the fire-sword of flame in the bush and brought Israel out of Egypt, and went before them in a fiery Pillar [by night] and in a cloudy Pillar by day; who gave them the Law in the fire, and at last brought them by Joshua (being the type of him who was to be borne out of the fire-sword) into the Land [of] Israel. 40. This fire-Angel turned its internal light outwards, and manifested itself in Christ's person in the humanity, * Or in which. with whom, Christ, viz. the holy Anointing Oil of the deepest hidden Love, changed the fire-sword of the Angel into a Love-sword, and holy Dominion. 41. And this is the true Cherub which drove the false Adam out of Paradise, and brings him in again by Christ, the virgin's child, new born out of Adam in Christ; and it hath no other ground or meaning. CHAP. XXVI. Of the Propagation of man in this World and of Cain the first borne the murderer of his brother. 1. WE are here to consider this weighty Point, in right earnestness; and not to make Conclusions with fictions and fables as hitherto hath been done as touching the Election of Grace; whereas it hath been handled only in a very blind and absurd manner, and no right [fundamental] understanding hath been found thereof. 2. Seeing that men have only sought in Reason; and have not been able through true Repentance to force through the fire-Sword and see with divine Eyes; thereupon the fire-Sword of God's Anger, and Severe purpose and Decree of judgement hath remained only in the eyes of [their] Reason; and further they have not seen, therefore they have made dreadful and dangerous conclusions without fundamental and plain understanding. 3. But Christendom is hereby faithfully and truly admonished, once throughly to awake, and shake off the conclusions of Reason, and to see Gods clear countenance, which desireth no evil nor can desire it; but hath also set himself to be judge against all wickedness; and will destroy all such Conclusions in the Sword of his anger, and do away the Cherub. 4. Now it doth here offer itself to our consideration, how it came to pass, that Adam and Eve at first brought forth an evil child and a murderer: to this, Reason saith, that it was from God's purpose, who hath made to himself an Election, and chose one company of men to damnation, and the other unto his love. 5. Forsooth! dear Reason; whence art thou borne, and from whence dost thou speak under the covert of the Scripture? Dost thou not speak from the Ens, and words of the Serpent? who brought the false Ens into Eve her Matrix, wherein Cain was apprehended? did not the Devil do it through the Serpent, and make the matrix of Eve monstrous? 6. Dost thou not understand how the word of promise did forthwith incorporate itself in to the matrix of Eve in her Seed, and that the contest betwixt God's anger and God's Love did presently begin; for God's Love had incorporated itself [and betrothed itself] to bruise the head of the Serpent's Monster in the anger of God; and thereinto the fire-soul, which lay captivated in God's anger, should give its freewill. 7. For the fire-soul is a root proceeded from the divine Omnipotence, and therefore it hath freewill, and nothing can deprive it thereof; it may conceive either in the fire or light. 8. But if thou askest, why the Serpent-bruiser did not forthwith bruise the head of the Serpents Ens in the first seed; and not suffer the Serpents, murderous, poisonful will, to get the upper hand in the Souls Ens? It is just as if I should ask; wherefore did not God when he saw that Adam became evil, wholly reject him, or make him to nothing, and create a new Adam? thus likewise will Reason judge of the Devils, saying, that it hath pleased God that there should be Devils that it might be known what an Angel is. 9 Harken Reason! I have already above answered thee, that if God should once more have moved himself for man's sake, and introduced the first motion in the humane and earthly Ens into a stillness, than the six day's works of the creation must have retired back; and have been brought into a worke-lesse Rest; and this, God would not; the whole creation, should and must subsist in its first motion; its first form Ens in the Verbum Fiat must stand, be it either in Love or anger; let who will apprehend either; the Anger was open, and so was the Love also. 10. The Love only is called God, the Anger is called his Strength, and might; Now what the freewill would desire, therein it should be confirmed either in the Love or anger. 11. For the freewill was borne or sprung forth from the Love and Anger, viz, from the fire-and light-world: and so likewise it might choose itself a place for its working Life; If Gods Love should have drowned the freewill in the Ens in Eve's seed in the Love, in which [seed] b The free will. it was enkindled in the Anger, than the fiery motion in the matrix must have ceased; now out of the light's Ens only and alone, no soul may be brought forth. 12. Also the corrupt Ens of the earthly limus, must have then been presently judged through the fire, which could not be, for the motion of the new Regeneration, and the opening or full explication of the divine Sweetness and the overcoming of the fire, viz. of the anger of God, did belong only to the Name of Jesus. 13. The word which had incorporated itself, had from without, the fire-sword, viz. the Cherub, and from within, the Jesus who should overcome the fire-sword with Love: thus the Name JESV stood hid in the fire-sword and was not manifest until the Time that God would move himself therein, and manifest the same. 14. Thus the insinuated Ens of the Serpent, that Eve had introduced through Imagination into lust, must be wholly cast away; for in Cain the murdering c Or the evil corrupt nature and property. Image of the Serpent was manifest, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; but on the contrary the Mark of the Covenant in the promised word was in the freewill and in the heavenly disappeared Ens of the Soul, into which [covenant of the promised Grace] the Soul should enter. 15, And although the Serpent's Ens should have been rejected, as it must be, in all the children of Eve, yet the part of the heavenly worlds being, lay hid in the Covenant of the Word in the disappeared Ens, as a possibility to the new Regeneration; therefore God said to Cain, when the murdering Spirit persuaded him, Rule over the Sin. 16. If thou sayest, wherewith? he could not: but wherefore could he not? the Serpents desire held him, and brought him to kill his brother: wherefore? the freewill had given itself up into the Serpents Ens which held him captive. 17. Now saith Reason; God would have it so, else he had turned away his will. No: indeed Gods Anger-will in the Serpents Ens which had captivated the freewill, would have it; but yet Gods Love-will said in him Rule over Sin, that is over the wrath and Anger of the Serpent, and let it not have its power and prevalency. 18. And here we are rightly to know, how God's Love and Anger are in continual contest, understand, in the manifested Word in the limus of the Earth, and in the Ens of the humane property out of the Earth; for the Anger- Ens is stirred up and driven by the Devil, and desireth continually to devour the Love- Ens, and possess this Kingdom in the Anger- Ens. 19 The Anger- Ens desireth to have man; for it hath its King in Lucifer; and the Love- Ens desireth also to have him; for it hath its King in Christ, and therefore Christ must bring the humane Love- Ens through death and the Anger- Ens, and open another Principle, viz. another Kingdom, and leave Prince Lucifer in his own Anger, for his freewill had chose it him. 20. Thus also the freewill in Cain did choose the false, viz. the Devills-will: but thou sayest; was then the murthering-will wholly rejected; it did d Reprobate or abandon. NOIE. reject itself; but if the freewill had again conceived in the Love Ens it would have been again borne anew, yea even after the murder, which we leave unto the judgement of God, whether it were so or no, seeing the Text in Moses doth give him so bare a name in despair; for the word out of which the Name Jesus was made manifest, was given, to call, poor lost Sinners to Repentance, and not the righteous ones, who were apprehended in the Love; as Christ said. 21. Cain was a type of the first corrupt Adam in Sin, and Abel was a type of Christ the second Adam, viz. of the virgin-child; for the Tree of evil and good began in Adam; and so likewise the fruit did forthwith appear, viz. Christ's children, and the children of the Devil and the Serpent. 22. Now reason saith: was Cain then wholly conceived of the Serpents Ens in the Anger of God and predestinated to damnation? Answer: no; He was (conceived) of the Ens of Adam's soul and body; and so also of the Seed and Ens of Eve her body; but the Monster in the matrix of Eve did environ the sown Seed, and it was that which did seduce and beguile him; but the mark [and Aymer] of the Covenant lay hidden in the Ens of the Soul and body; for the Ens of the Seed of Adam and Eve was out of the heavenly disappeared [limbus] and then also out of the earthly awakened limus, but the will of the Serpent, and of the Devil took possession of the house; as the like was in the Devil, who was an Angel but the will of the dark world took possession of the house in him, and got the upperhand, so also it was here in Cain. 23. But thou askest, how this came so to be? hear, and see thou fair child in the will of Adam and Eve, what their desire was before and after the fall, they only desired the Earthly Kingdom; as we see that Eve was so wholly and only minded, for when she brought forth Cain; she said, Gen: 4. Verse 1. I have gotten a man [who is to be] a Lord; she thought him to be the bruiser and breaker of the Serpent, he should take in and possess the earthly Kingdom, and expel the Devil; she did not consider that she should Die to her false earthly fleshly will and be borne anew e Or with. in an holy will; and such a will she also brought into her Seed, and the like did Adam also. 24. And hence now the will in the Souls essence did arise; the tree brought forth a twig out of (or like) itself; for it was cain's desire only that he might be Lord upon the Earth; and being he saw that Abel was more acceptable in God's Sight than himself, his free-beastiall will in him did elevate itself to slay Abel, for cain's Aim and endeavour was only about the outward world, to domineer and be Lord and master therein; but Abel Sought Gods Love. 25. Thus there are yet Two such Churches upon the Earth; One which only seeketh worldly pleasure might honour and the outward God Mammon and Mausim, and therein it lodgeth the Serpent's child, the other which seeketh the virgin-child, and God's Kingdom, and must suffer itself to be persecuted, reviled, reproached, and killed by the Cainicall Church, as Cain did to Abel. 26. For the Devil will yet be continually a Prince of this world in the Serpent's child; and if the virgin's child which bruiseth the head of the Serpent be not manifest in the Serpent's child, than the Devil is and remaineth Prince and Host in the house of the Soul, as happened to Cain. 27. And do but understand the ground aright: in the birth of this world two Kingdoms lie manifest; viz. Gods Love: Kingdom in Christ, and the Kingdom of God's Anger in Lucifer: these two Kingdoms are in Contest and strife in all creatures; for the Original of all Spirits is in the Contest, and in the Combat of the fire the light is made manifest: the fire is a cause of the light, God's anger is a cause that God did yet once move himself in his deepest Love in the Name Jesus and thereby vanquish the Anger. 28. Now what can the Love do, if the freewill espouseth itself to the Anger? or what can the Anger do against it, if the freewill conceiveth in the Love and destroyeth the Anger? must it not hold still and suffer it to be done; and though it doth oppose and rage's against it, yet the Love pierceth quite through it, and changeth it into Joy; the Anger is the root of Love as the fire is the root of the light; but in the freewill is the understanding, which maketh itself to what it pleaseth. 29. Dost thou not see this in the Earth, that the freewill in the Ens of the word hath made itself stones, metals, and Earth: the stones and Earth are not the freewill; but the freewill hath introduced itself into such an Ens, and by its Lubet, and motion introduced the Ens into a Compaction or coagulation; there was no other maker there but the freewill in the formed and manifested word: thou mayest indeed see wonders enough. 30. Behold the unreasonable Creatures, as worms, toads, Spiders, and other wild venomous and horrible Beasts, and thou shalt see somewhat in very deed, if thou be'st not dead; but thou sayest, God hath created it so: yea, Right! his desire in Love and anger hath amassed the Ens with the motion, and compacted each Ens according to the freewill into a form; there was no other maker there, but the freewill in the word. 31. The desire in the word was the Fiat, which introduced the freewill into an Ens; thus the same Manifested Word is yet in all things, and hath the Fiat, viz. the desire in itself; As the freewill in every thing introduceth itself into a Spirit, even so the Fiat formeth, and Signeth each thing; every Root bringeth forth from itself a branch of its own likeness; but when the branch or sprout is to be borne, and receive its beginning in the Ens of the root, the Ens doth then form itself to such a twig, as the root at that time is apprehended in its power and free will both by the Superior and inferior constellation. 32. The like is also to be understood in man; as the will is in the Seed, that is, as the desire of the father and mother, together with other Influences from the Stars and Elements, yea oftentimes from the Devil's assaults and insinuations, are at that time, Even such a Spirit is form in the Ens of the Seed, sometimes an Angel if the Parents be in Holy Desire [or in the true faith of the engrafted Word] Sometimes also a beast, a Serpent, and Image of the Devil, both according to the Ens of the Soul and the outward flesh. 33. The power of the manifested Word doth give in itself into all things, into every thing according to its will, according to the desire in the Ens, for the desire in the Ens is that which formeth the word, viz. the Sound of life; as it is written; such as the people is, such a God they also have, with the holy thou art holy▪ and with the perverse thou art perverse; this is wholly to be understood, concerning the Expressed Word in the Fiat, viz. in the desire of nature: and therefore God hath espoused and betrothed another word out of the Centre of his Love to the Image of man, that, although he be arisen out of an evil property, yet the freewill * Note. hath power and information to disclaim its Selfehood, and die to its Self in this holy incorporated Word; and then the Fiat begetteth and formeth another new creature in the freewill out of the Ens. 34. The Possibility lieth in all men, but the making or forming of the child of God belongeth now to the holy Fiat in the new introduced Word, for it lieth not on any man's self- willing, contriving, running, and toiling, but on God's mercy: He hath mercy upon whom he please, Note. viz. upon those only who with their freewill dye to their Selfehood in his grace, and resign up their selves to him; and he hardeneth whom he please, viz. those only who run with selvish Cain, and would themselves take the Kingdom of God in their own evil will, and will not die to their own selfe-full-will. 35. Now saith the Scripture: hath not a Potter power to make of one lump of clay what he please; Note. a vessel to honour, and a vessel to dishonour; that is; will the selfefull will be Angry, if it be Evil, that the Fiat in the Word makes it to be a vessel of the Anger; or will it therefore be angry, if the holy Fiat in the holy Word maketh that will (which diveth itself into the Love and Mercy of God, and dyeth to its Selfehood) to be a vessel of honour; hath not this Potter power to do with his clay, viz. (with the Ens or Seed) what he please; whereunto every Seed is good and profitable, thereunto he maketh him a vessel either to the use of his Anger or the use of his Love. 36. The Holy is unto God a Sweet Savour to life; and the wicked a sweet Savour to the death in his anger; all must enter into his Glory, and praise him, one in the property of his Anger, who must call the Evil good; the other in the property of his Love who must call the Good, good; for so it must be, that the difference of the Good and Evil, of the light and darkness, of the life and death may be known; for if there were no death then the life were not manifest to itself, and if there were no darkness, the light were not manifest to itself. 37. And therefore the Eternal freewill hath introduced itself into darkness, Pain, and Source, and so also through the darkness into the fire, and light even into a Kingdom of joy, that so the nothing might be known in the Something, and that it might have a Sport in its Contra-will, that the freewill of the f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ Abyss might be manifest to itself in the g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Bysse, for without Evil and Good there could not be any Bysse [ground or foundation.] 38. For the Evil maketh pain and motion, and the Good causeth Essence and power, and yet both Essences are only One Essence, as fire and light are only one Essence, also darkness and light are only one being; but it Severs itself into two mighty distinctions, and yet there is no Sundry Separation, for one dwelleth in the other, and yet doth not comprehend the other; the one doth deny the other, for the one is not the other. 39 God dwelleth through all and that all is not God, also it doth not reach him; but whatsoever quitteth itself free of its freewill, that falleth into his possession, that he must have, for it is will-lesse and falleth into the Nothing; and he is in the Nothing: thus the Resigned will may dwell in the Nothing, and there is God's Mercy; for he will have Something out of the Nothing, that he may be manifest in the Something, and therefore he hath mercy upon the Something, which is fallen into his Nothing, and maketh it in himself to be his Something; which he himself ruleth, driveth and acteth with his Merciful Spirit. 40. And herein lieth the precious Pearl, dear brothers who are driven too and fro with Contention; if ye did but know it; you would leave off from strife and call Reason a fool: no Search of Self, obtaineth it, but the will freely Resigned into God's Mercy, which entereth in by the way of Earnest Repentance, and mortification of its own evil will, that falleth into God's Mercy, and doth apprehend [and obtain the right understanding], and without this, there is mere selfe-running walking, and willing; and yet nothing can be obtained, save only in the will freely resigned into God's Mercy. 41. We have a very excellent and notable example and type of this in the first birth, which opened the womb, that it was to be sanctified, and offered up to the Lord, and yet the true living offering proceedeth from the Second, new birth, as we may see in Abel Isaac and Jacob. Cain Ishmael and Esau were the firstborn, the inheritance belonged to them; but the lot, and Mercy fell upon Abel Isaac and Jacob; for the first Ens of man was infected and made crazy by the Devil; therefore it must be given to the fire for an Offering, and food; and out of the offering, viz. out of the fire of God's Anger, the Love of God was made manifest in Mercy; and the first Adam was the h Inmate; or of his family, Servant. Sojourner of the Second in Christ, for the Second redeemed the first. 42. The Devil's desire and the bestial Ens of the Serpent had got the upper hand in the matrix of Eve, and apprehended the first Seed in the desire: now the Kingdom of God did yet belong to the first man, but being he did lose it by his negligence, the first Adam must be offered to the Earth, and also its first Seed to the Anger. 43. And after this first Seed, Abel came forth in the holy Covenant, and offered his sweet blood for the sinful Seed, to the Anger, that the anger might let its flame fall, and suffer the first birth to press i Viz. through death and the anger into life. through in the blood of the Second. 44. The first birth was a murderer, which signifieth the Devil in man; the Second was the offering of [or for] the first, that the Anger-Devill in the first Adam might be appeased in the offering of the Second. 45. Not that we would exalt or take in the wicked, into the offering of Christ, so long as he is wicked; the Devil devoureth most of the wicked crew: only the wicked Sinner hath an open Gate made for him in the offering of the Second [Adam] if he did convert, and turn himself (from his wickedness.) 46. But that some write, there was a twofold Seed which did Sever itself in Eve, viz. one wholly devilish from the Ens of the Serpent, and the other from the Ens of Christ [or the promised Seed of the woman] in the Covenant, is nothing so; these have not at all learned the A. B. C. in this school; they have only a dreaming shadow and fiction of the Mystery, and not the true Sight; thus they build the Election of grace upon this; but they are much mistaken: Note. they speak only the Serpent's words, which desired to have it so: observe it thus: 47. Adam had only one limbus to his Seed, and Eve only one Matrix for her Seed, but they both stood in three Principles: the Principles were in Contest, as still they are at this day: the Second Principle viz. the Kingdom of God, or Angelical world, did disappear in the Souls Seed, and God espoused his only most holy word again therein unto the new-birth. 48. And this espousal or betrothment stood aswell in cain's Ens, as in Abel's Ens, but cain's Ens was apprehended in the Contest of the three Principles in the Anger, and covered with the Serpent's Monster; not so, to an impossibility, as if he were borne to condemnation; but even to a possibility of the freewill, whether he would lay down the selfefull assumed and self appropriated Right in Adam, and live in God's will, or whether he would live unto himself; upon this was the Election set. 49. Now God knoweth whereinto the freewill is entered: if it be entered into iniquity, and selfehood; then God's Anger establisheth or confirms it in its choice to condemnation; but if it be entered into the word of the Covenant, than God confirms it to be a child of Heaven, and here that saying hath its proper signification and application: I have mercy on whom I will and whom I will I harden: God knoweth his children even in the Ens in the mother's womb; to what end should he give his Pearl to him, whom he yet knoweth would turn himself away from him; the Pearl's ground lieth indeed in him but hidden, and shut up, if he brought his will into the Pearl it would open itself in him. 50. All men proceed from one only Seed; but in one the holy fire glimmereth and in another it lieth as 'twere shut up, and cannot, by reason of the Mire of the Serpent. 51. Thou sayest then: is the Serpents Ens more mighty than God's Love: I have already answered thee: that Love and Anger are in Contest; whereinto the Ens doth espouse itself, of that it is apprehended and confirmed, yet so, that the will is free to go from the Evil into the Good, and from the Good into the Evil; and that while it liveth upon the Earth, both doors stand open unto it: for the free will is not bound: but if it were bound then no judgement could with righteousness pass upon it: it hath Laws and instructions, which are given it, not unto death but unto life, but if it transgresseth these, and continueth in the transgression; now the judgement passeth upon it; for every judgement [or sentence of Condemnation] ariseth from the transgression of the Command. 52. Thou sayest he cannot keep them; he is drawn [to transgression], yea very right; doth not the Truth rebuke him even to the face, that he is a faithless wretch, that suffers himself to be drawn to Evil: the Law to do Right is in his vital light as a continual Looking-glass: he seethe and knoweth it very well, that he is a liar, and walketh upon the way of the Devil: it showeth him the way of truth but the freewill rejecteth it, at present he is predestinated to condemnation, yet so that the will is free, so long as he is in this Cottage; but the heavy band of God's anger in the drawing of the Devil's desire, draws many an one to the damnation of death. 53. Reason saith: if a man hath freewill, than God is not omnipotent over him, to do what he please with him: The freewill is not from any beginning, also not amassed or taken out of any ground, into any thing, or form by any thing; it is its own peculiar Original out of the word of the divine Power out of God's Love, and Anger; it formeth, itself in its own will, a Centre to its Seat; it begetteth itself in the first Principle to the fire and light; its right and genuine Original is in the Nothing, where the Nothing, viz. the (or as a man might unfold it A. O. V) doth introduce itself into a Lubet to contemplation; and the Lubet brings itself into a will, A. O. V. and the will into a desire, and the desire into a Substance. 54. Now the Eternal Original, viz. God, is a Judge over the Substance; if the Lubet (which is departed from him) hath introduced itself into an Evil being; then he judgeth that being or substance in its Principle; in what Source and property soever, or in what Ens soever, the Lubet, proceeding from the departed , hath introduced itself into a Principle; therein the universal Eternal freewill which is the Abyss, and Cause of all Bysse, doth confirm and settle it. 55. The abyssal judgeth That which doth intoduce itself into Bysse, and severs the good▪ (which hath introduced itself into a good Ens) into the good, viz. into the divine Love; and the Evil (which hath brought itself into an Evil Ens, and set, and form itself into a Centre to an evil Spirit, and will) into his wrath and Anger. 56. For how can he judge a thing whose own it is not? how would God judge the will of the creature if it were not sprung [or arisen] from him? or rather how can a Judgement pass upon a thing, which is bound, and not free in its willing and working? 57 The humane and Angelical will is arisen with the motion of the Abyss (when the Deity once moved itself in its Contemplation and Sensation, and with the motion introduced itself into a beginning of the Spirits) [the will of Men and Angels did spring forth] out of this beginning; now every beginning goeth into its End; and the End is that which was before the beginning, and there is the trial of the beginning; [which shows] whereinto the beginning hath introduced itself. 58. Now God is before and without all beginnings, and from him every beginning proceedeth, also he is the End of all beginnings; now the middle of all inchoated things standeth between the beginning and the End; for it must with its beginning enter again through the End into that whence it did arise. 59 Seeing then that God is a jealous God and a consuming fire, and also a loving merciful God: Every free will with its introduced Centre hath its own judge borne in its self; either divine Love, or divine Anger; for when a thing beginneth; it goeth into a time; but when this time is apprehended of the End, viz. of the Eternity; than it is in its own Eternal [beginning, and End] whence it hath introduced itself into a Compaction, so confirmed to Eternity. 60. Therefore the free will hath its own Judgement either for the good or evil in itself: It hath its own judgement in itself: it hath God's Love and anger in it, what it amasseth, and desireth, that it formeth in itself; and doth only so form its own self in its own Lubet into a Centre. 61. For thus the world hath likewise its Original: namely in the freewill of the two Eternal Principles, both from the dark fire-lubet and also from the divine lightfull fire-lubet; The freewill introduced itself in the Verbum Fiat into distinct and several Entities; and that even according to the Possibility of the Eternal Pregnatresse; as the Will in the Verbum Fiat conceived itself in each place in the Pregnatresse, even such an Ens was brought forth, and out of the Ens arose its Spirit according to the Ens, viz. from God's k Breathing or stirring up. Spiration or motion in the Principles. 62. But being the Principles were together as one; no thing was ever amassed or form in the freewill but the same hath a good and an evil in it; according to the nature and Power of the Eternal Pregnatresse to light, and darkness. 63. But now every Spirit ariseth with its freewill first out of the Compaction of its Centre, and is, after its effected birth, free, and may draw into itself either out of God's Love, or Anger, and introduce its will as it pleaseth: but this is the main thing; as the mother (viz. the Ens) is, whereof the Spirit is borne, even such a Lubet ariseth also in the Spirit. 64. Now the Spirit hath understanding, and the Ens hath none; also l Viz. the Spirit. it hath a Law, for it knoweth what is evil and good, what is right, and wrong, also God hath given it laws, that it should break the lust [too evil] and with the understanding of the light, rule over the Lubet of the darkness. 65. Now if it doth not, but departeth with the Lubet out of the understanding into a Selfe-Lubet, than the Lubet or lust doth amass itself into a Substance, whereof a new false will is again borne, and this same is a bastard before God and the Eternal nature; for it ariseth not out of the Law and Right of the Eternal nature but out of Self; and upon this the judgement of the Eternal nature doth pass; and at its end (when the Centre of the Spirit shall step again into the beginning) it will be spewed out from the freewill of Eternity. 66. Understand Us but aright: The first freewill, which was breathed into Adam, was good, indeed it was both from God's Love and anger, viz. from the Centre of the Eternal Pregnatresse, of the Eternal Spiritual nature; but it had the understanding in it to rule and govern itself, so as it might stand and subsist Eternally. 67. But the crafty distemper or infection introduced by the Devil was in the Ens of the Earth m Or whereof. whence Adam's outward body was form: into this earthly Ens the Devil brought his desire by the Serpent, viz by the Serpent's crafty Ens, so that the Lubet arose in the Ens of the body, whereinto the first freewill of the inspired Soul entered, and assumed the Lubet of the body, and introduced this Lubet into a desire to Substance. 68 And out of this Substance another new Selfefull will did now arise, viz. a bastard, a false Serpent-childe; and this bastard, Adam did Originally propagate to his Eve, and Eve to her Son Cain, and so one man to another: thus we have now in this Earthly flesh this same false will proceeded from the Serpent's Substance, whereinto the Devil introduceth his desire, and tempteth us, and continually makes us lust and long after the devilish property [viz. pride, covetousness, envy, and anger,] that so his desire which he insinuareth into the false bastard in us, might become substantial and essential; out of which such an whorish and devilish Serpentine Seed is continually begotten; and out of the same false Ens [or Seed] a Devils will. 69. Thus the Devil rideth in and upon man, in and upon body and Soul: but now the first introduced freewill, which God breathed into Adam, lieth yet in all men, for it is the true real Soul, the Centre of the fire and light, a spark of the Divine Power and Omnipotence, but wholly hemmed in and captivated in this wicked introduced Bastard. 70. Therefore God hath again n Imputed introduced recalled, or really promised into the Soul. in-hested, and incorporated the Aim of his new Covenant, in the word of the divine holy power, in the Name of Jesus into the property of the lightfull fire (v●z. into the disappeared heavenly holy Ens, which did disappear in the darkness) that the first freewill which now lieth captive, in the child of the whore and Serpent, should introduce its desire into this Aim of the promised Covenant (which he hath fulfilled in Christ's humanity), and with the desire of the Souls freewill re-introduce the holy Ens of Christ (which he in the Seed of Mary introduced into our disappeared Ens) into its disappeared heavenly Ens; and if it doth bring it so to pass, then out of this introduced Ens of Christ, ariseth Christ's Spirit which destroyeth the false will of the Serpent's Bastard in the flesh, and trampleth upon its head. 71. Now saith Reason: God giveth this holy new Ens of Christ to whom he will, and suffereth whom he please to harden, and remain captive in the Serpents Ens: yes very right: He giveth none this holy Ens into the Self-will of his Serpents-child; there belongeth far another earnestness thereto; for selfehood cannot now any more take any thing of God. 72. But this is the process which the freewill must go, if it will receive the holy Ens: it must wind itself out of the Serpent's desire, (out of its selfish self and somethingness) and wind itself into God's mercy; and become a deadly mortifying Enemy to the fleshly desire in itself, it must wholly forsake and departed from the selfefull desire of the flesh; and bring its hunger wholly and only into the mortification of its selfish somethingness, desiring and endeavouring continually and willingly to die to its iniquity and false desire which sticketh in the flesh, in the Serpent's child, and in Christ's Ens arise with a new will. 73. This desire, which departeth from the Serpents Ens, and hungreth after God's mercy, receiveth Christ's Ens into itself, whence a new will is borne, which bruiseth the head of the Serpent in the flesh, for it is the new-birth out of God in Christ Jesus. 74. But if thou wilt say, thou canst not desire any good, that is not true; only thou sufferest the Serpents will in thy right Eternal Souls will, to hold thee; and with the Souls will, dost play the whore with the Serpents will, in the flesh; from whence ariseth God's Election. 75. God knoweth the false whorish soul, which doth only woe and wantonnise with the Serpent, (with the Idol Babel) and will still live in the lust and will of the flesh and of the Serpent; and yet willeth to be an outwardly Adopted child: God should forgive it its sins by an outward Word-speaking, but it willeth still to hang and cleave to the wanton Love of the Serpent in its false lust; this, God chooseth to Judgement. 76. For the freewill, which was inspired into Adam, and which * The Soul. it hath inherited from Adam hangeth on Lucifer; and therefore God Confirms it unto the Kingdom of darkness with Lucifer; but the Gate of grace standeth yet open unto it this time of the outward life. CHAP. XXVII. Of cain's, and Abel's offering, and of the false and antichristian Church, and also of the true Holy Church. A Looking-glass for the World. 1. Here again, the veil lieth before the face of Moses, in respect of the Offerings of both these brothers; wherefore God willed to have them offer, whereas the Reconciliation, and Atonement consists only in the earnest will toward God's mercy, in prayer and Supplication to God, that a man departed and turn away from his evil will, and repent, and introduce his Faith and Hope into God's mercy. 2. They must verily needs know, wherefore they offered Incense; what pleasure and delight God took therein; which Moses hath not once so much as mentioned, and that from God's purpose; and yet it hath not been hidden to the children of the Saints, and also not to Moses, but he hath a veil hanging before his Eyes. 3. Israel (being for the most part they were evil children, and also Idolatrous, as soon appeared by making them a Golden Calf) might not know it by reason of the false Magic; and we also shall write only to those that are of our Tribe, and yet plain and easy enough to be understood: Observe and mark it, thus. 4. The Souls freewill, is as * Or subtle. thin as a nothing, and though it be, in its body indeed, encompassed with the Something; yet it's Amassed or conceived Something is in a false distempered Essence, by reason of the Original of Sin. 5. Now if the freewill would approach to God with the desire, than it must departed out of its false Something, and if it now doth so departed, than it is bare, and impotent, for it is again in the first Nothing: for if it will come to God, than it must die to its false selfehood, and forsake it, and if it forsakes the same, than it is barely and merely as a nothing, and so it cannot go, work, or move: if it will show its might, than it must be in Something, wherein it doth Imaginate and form itself. 6. An example hereof we have in Faith: if Faith would effectually work, than it must immasse [or Imaginate] itself into Something wherein it may work; God's freewill hath conceived [or immassed itself with the inward Spiritual world and worketh through the same; and the inward world's freewill hath conceived itself in the outward world and worketh through the same: even so, the Souls freewill, which also hath its Original out of the Abyss immasseth itself in Something, that it might be manifest, and thereby be able to move and act in God's Sight. 7. Seeing then Adam's Body was out of the limus of the Earth and also out of the limus of the holy heaven, which limus of heaven in Adam was now disappeared, wherein the freewill had power to immasse, [or conceive] itself into an holy form, and act, work, pray and Supplicate before God; therefore they made burnt-offerings of the fruits of the Earth; as Cain, he brought of the fruit of the ground, Genesis FOUR verses 3, 4. and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and these they enkindled with fire. 8. But understand a magical fire (as that of Moses) for Moses declareth so also; God looked graciously upon the offering of Abel and not upon cain's: that is, they brought offerings before God, and the freewill of the soul should earnestly press with its prayer, in to God; therefore it would have a o Subject or means. Substance, when it would go out of the humane house of corruption into God, that it might work in Something, therefore the Imagination of the will did Immasse [or Imaginate] itself, through the offering, and God enkindled the offering of Abel with the holy fire in the Aim of the Covenant, which in the fullness of time should again enkindle itself in the Souls fire. 9 In this, the will of Abel's Soul did p Fashion or Idea. inform itself into an holy Substance, and pressed with the desire of the Informed free souls will, before and into God's freewill, and this the will of the Devil and the Serpent could not brook; and even this the will of the Serpent and Devil in Cain did well understand; that the Aim of the Covenant did open itself in the Holy Fire in Abel's desire and prayer. 10. And therefore he would kill the Body of Abel according to his earthly limus; lest such children should be begotten of him, and so he might lose his Kingdom in man; But God would not enkindle the offering of Cain, now Moses maketh a veil here before it, and saith, God would not look q Or have respect to. graciously upon cain's offering. 11. The Enkindling of the external offering was a figure of the internal Spirit: for the soul's Spirit in the freewill (as to the Centre of the light) was enkindled with God's Love-fire, and the Imagination of the Body also [understand of the heavenly part] was enkindled in offering with the fire of the holy part of the Earth which lieth hidden in the Curse; and therein the freewill of the Soul, and the freewill in the Ens of the heavenly part of the body, did Immasse itself into a Substance; and therewith did press in before the holiness of God. 12. And here the Serpent's head was first bruised; for it was a figure of the new birth out of Christ; not that Abel had at this time put on Christ in the flesh; but indeed the Spirit of Jehova, in the Aim of the Covenant; in which, the Name of Jesus stood hidden in God as a Regeneratour, which would move, and manifest itself in the fullness of time, in this Aim [of the Covenant] and introduce an heavenly holy Ens into the disappeared Ens of the heavenly part, and quicken it to life again in the opened power of Jesus. 13. If a man would rightly and fundamentally understand the r Sacrifices. Offerings, he must consider that, whereof the Offering consisted, and what severed itself with the Enkindling in the fire, out of the fire, viz. out of the Enkindled offering; for in the Enkindling, nothing is seen or perceived, but 1. the wood to the fire. 2ly The matter of offering. 3dly. The fire, and light. 4ly. The Smoke of the fire, which ariseth from the burning wood and matter of the offering; all this without the faith and divine desire is as an abomination, and indeed Nothing in God's sight and attaineth not the Gate of God: 14. But if Man brings his faiths-desire thereinto, than he resigneth the freewill thereinto, and will thereby as by a means (in which fire the freewill of the introduced Sinful abomination doth burn and consume away) press in to God's Eternal freewill: and now how this is effected and comes to pass, understand as followeth. 15. God's Imagination or Lubet meeteth the Free-inspired-will of the humanity, and the humane freewill meeteth the deity, here is now the Conjunction. 16. But now Man's freewill is become Sinful, and God's freewill (from whence the humane free will did first take its rise in its in-Spiration) is holy, and pure: as yet the humane freewill cannot press into God's will, unless it also become pure before God. 17. But being God will out of freegrace receive it into him for the delight and harmony of his praise: there is no other way or remedy, but that God move himself in the Centre of the Eternal nature according to the fire of the Second Principle, viz. according to the holy fire, and devour that enkindled Anger and vanity of man's freewill; and annihilate it in the mortification of death, viz. in the Anger-fire of God, that the humane will might become pure before Gods will, and so might enter into God's Love-will: and therefore God's Love-desire did itself enkindle the offering of Abel and Moses, that so the holy-and Love-fire might devour and swallow up the Turba in the humane free-Soules-will, in the Anger-fire of the Eternal nature, in the Father's property. 18. But, that there must be an Earthly offering thereunto, is thus to be understood: the Body of man as to one part is a limus of the Earth, and as to the other part a limus of heaven; and into this Body the freewill was inspired, and body and soul is only one man. 19 But being in the fall, the earthliness and false suttlety of the Serpent (by the insinuation of the Devil's desire) was awakened in the flesh of man, and so the earthly bestial property got the upperhand in his Ens, and devoured the right humane will in the bestial property, that is, took it captive; thereupon the earthly will which was from the limus of the Earth must also be offered up in the fire. 20. For the limus of the Earth shall arise again out of earth; but for to make it an offering it must also be offered in an earthly Elemental fire of its likeness; so that an heavenly fire, and an earthly Elemental fire might be in one another, and each will in the offering might respectively find a place for its own comprehension and capacity: viz. the will proceeded from the earthly limus of the Earth from the Kingdom of this world; and the heavenly will; out of the heavenly limus, viz. out of the Ens s Of the Seminal and central Love of the word of the Lord. of the Verbum Domini; each property of the freewill went into the offering, and from the offering into the fire, where the Atonement was. 21. For the Covenant of the promise touching the Serpent-Stroyer did manifest itself by the holy fire, which holy fire enkindled the Elemental fire, for the holy fire shall awaken and raise up from death the Elemental man out of the limus of the Earth, and in the holy fire Man (who hath taken his Original from Time) shall be purged and tried in the Resurrection; who verily must first go through the fire of the Anger, but the power and might of the holy fire shall bring him through the Anger-fire, and cleanse and purge away his introduced abomination of Sin (in the Serpents and Devils Ens [in him]) from the limus of the Earth, that the limus of the Earth may be no more earthly but as a fine purified Gold which subsists in the fire. 22. Even thus the Earthly man shall be purified in the Resurrection through the fire, of which the Offerings were a type, and yet they did really subsist in their power, as to the Spirit: but the Body must die, and the true corporality, and Regeneration, must come forth [or begin to spring afresh] in the opened body of Christ, who with his Entrance into, and manifestation in the humaniry, did again open the heavenly disappeared limus in the humane Ens, which did disappear [or fade] in Adam and Eve. 23. Thus understand us aright: Abel and Moses offered the fat of beasts, and enkindled that with the holy fire, which fire was first enkindled by God; for the bestial property became manifest in the outward earthly man of the limus of the Earth; the humane limus of the Earth was turned to a Beast, and was moreover sinful and evil, full of the Serpent's poison, and Cunning Suttlety. 24. The freewill did immasse itself in the Serpent's craft and Devil's desire; and form to itself such a figure in the Ens of the flesh as the desire was, whereupon the Body was more vain in God's sight then a beast. 25. But being the heavenly Ens lay hidden and shut up in the earthly property, God would not utterly forsake the whole Image; which Abel and Moses did understand, in the Spirit of God, by their offerings; and therefore they offered the Fat viz. the oil of the beasts and other earthly good fruits, that so the desire of the true man, created out of the limus of the Earth, who shall arise from death, might in the enkindling of the offering in the fire, have a Substance whereinto it might give itself, and Imaginate itself; and so in the property of the holy fire it might be able to enter with its will into the Aim of the Covenant, which stood before God in the figure, until [the promise] of the woman's Seed was fulfilled and accomplished. 26. In which Seed the dear and precious Name of Jesus did open itself out of Jehovah and did again awaken the heavenly life in the disappeared Ens in the humanity, and offered up this whole Image in the Person of Christ, to the Anger fire of the Father, and with the holy Love fire Regenerated and enkindled in the humane life, did bring it quite through the Anger, viz. through the fire of the Eternal nature of the Father's Manifestation, and changed the anger-fire into a love-fire, and this was just thus prefigured in the Offering; for the Love-fire enkindled the offering, and in the offering was yet the Curse of the Earth aswell as in the humane free will, and when the offering was offered, it was a Sin-offering whereby the freewill of man's Soul was t Reconciled with God. propitiated before God. 27. Now if Sin shall be reconciled and appeased, than it must be brought into the Anger, viz. into the judgement of God, into the sword of the Cherub, that it may cut off the same, which (Cherub) is the Sword of God's anger: and if then the humane will be wholly Sinful and altogether capable of the fire of Anger than God Enkindleth the Sin-offering, in which the Anger-fire lay hidden in the Curse, with the holy fire that the humane will which was apprehended in the Anger-fire might be atonened in the Love-fire. 28. For the Love-fire of God tinctureth the souls desire in the Offering, as a tincture tingeth brass and Iron and changeth them into Gold: even thus the humane Souls freewill, which was inspired wholly pure and spotless into man, was tinctured and again purified before God, that so it might enter into God's mercy: for the mercy was hidden in the Love-fire, viz. in the Aim of the Covenant, in the Name of Jesus in God, in which Covenant, and Name, the Anger of God was Reconciled and Atonened in the offering, and laid down its Anger-burning flames, and suffered the soul's freewill to pass quite through it. 29. But as touching the offering in itself, with the Wood, Fire, Light, and Smoke; understand it thus: Abel offered of his flock, without doubt, sheep, or oxen, as Moses did the like; namely, the fat of them, now the offering (viz. the wood and Smoke) on the outward part as to the matter, was earthly; and so was Man as to the outward Body, earthly, and in the earthliness lay the Curse, both in Man and in the Offering. 30. But when the Offering was Enkindled, it was Spiritual, for from the wood proceeded the fire, which took the Offering and consumed it, and out of the consumptivenesse, went forth, first from the fire the smoke, and afterward the light; this was the Figure, whereinto Man's and also God's Imagination entered, as a Compaction or Conjunction. 31. In the Enkindled Consuming fire was the desire of the Angry Father, viz. a Conjunction of the eternal natures-fire with the Temporal fire; the Eternal is Magical, and the temporal is the Substance and matter of the magical, viz. its u Or Amassement. Reception and in the enkindled Light was the holy love-fire, which is also magical, as subtle as a will, which did also immasse itself in the enkindled light and in the forth-proceeding smoke, which is an Elemental Sulphur and Mercury, viz. a life of the quality; the smell or taste went forth also, which signifieth the humane power of the Body, and the outward spirit of nature. 32. In this power which proceeded forth from the offering, out of the fire and light, the Spirit of God which proceedeth forth from the Father and Son did Amass itself in the Amassement of the humane Faith's desire, and so took the humane Faiths desire into itself, and did Amasse itself into a Substance of the fire light and power proceeding forth from the Offering, and brought it through the Gates of God's Anger, upon the holy Altar, in the Aim of the Covenant, upon which the Lamb of God should be offered for the sins of the whole world. 33. For this Lamb of God, viz. Christ, should complete, perfect, and make this introduced offering fully acceptable, upon the Great Altar of the Angelical world; that it might be to God an Eternal Sweet Savour of his deepest Love, which he represented in Man, in his introduced offering in the Lamb of God Christ, and Mankind, in this Representative offering. 34. The humane offering was the Sojourner of the true Lamb and offering of God in Christ, and now where the offering is, there is also the spirit of man, for man's spirit is gone forth, and departed from God into Time, and in the Time it hath defiled itself, therefore it must forsake the Pollution, and enter in again through this Offering to God. 35. But if it will enter, than it must do it in manner and form as it went out; for it brought itself into false desire, and lust: even so likewise it must introduce itself again by a Returning into a Sorrow and conversion, and in the Sorrow or Repentance again, into a divine desire which is called Faith. 36. But that it might apprehend or lay hold on the divine desire; Note. it did bring the faith or the believing desire into an offering, and so amassed or form the believing desire in the offering, into a Substance or Essence, that the Faith also might become essential, and this essentiallity of faith received the holy fire of God, which would in the fullness of time open itself in the essentiality of faith, and bring the humane Substance thereinto, and also bring it forth in itself through God's Anger, and change it in itself into a Love-fire, for all the words of prayer in the offering were also received into the Substance of Faith. 37. For as all things were form Amassed and introduced by the word of God into a Substance; so likewise the words of the prayer of Abel and Israel in the offering were form and amassed to substance viz. unto an Incorruptible Essence, in which Essence, Christ, God's Son, in the fullness of time broke forth out of the Covenant, and took upon him this same Essence together with the humane Essence, and as a potent Champion and mighty Conqueror destroyed the Kingdom of death and the Devil. 38. And to this faith's Essence in the Spirit of Christ in all his children and members, was given the Judgement over the world, yea over the Kingdom of the Devil and of death; thereby to destroy and bring to nought their works, and Possess the Royal Throne. 39 This was the real offering of Abel; for the Spirit of the holy love-fire, in the Aim of the Covenant, had opened itself in him, so that he understood it; and therefore he offered, that so his believing desire might be accepted before God and be brought into a substance to the new Regeneration; for he looked upon the promise of the Serpent-Stroyer, and introduced the desire of his faith, into him, and desired that his faith, spirit, and life, might be confirmed in the Serpent-Stroyer, who was promised; he would fain be therein accepted before God; as it was granted him, so that the fire of God did enkindle his offering, and received his prayer in the Love-fire; and in the Sweet Savour of the offering, it was brought by the Spirit of God in the power of the light, into an holy Substance, and it is rightly said: his offering was acceptable before God. 40. The offering alone could not have been able to have done it, only the Faith which did Idea, or lay hold on the promised Messiah in the offering, which apprehended the Covenant, and the true very precious and dear Offering; the same did effect it; the offering was only a figure of that which was therein accomplished and performed, as the outward world is only a figure of the inward Spiritual world, whereby the Spiritual world doth introduce itself into a figure and Essence, and beholds itself therein as in a Looking- glass. Of cain's Offering. 41. BY cain's offering we rightly understand the verbal Christendom, the titular Christians, in the spiritual babylonical har●ottry, the Type and Image of whom is Cain; and as Cain in his offering sought only the outward world, might, and pleasure, and would be an outwardly adopted and received child; God should permit his evil Beast to be Accepted, and offered up; he desired to be Gods acceptable child with the selfehood in the Serpents Ens and falsehood: he was an Impenitent proud man, who thought to be a Lord of the world, and to domineer over Abel and his posterity; and just thus is the Antichristian Church upon the Earth, it buildeth also Churches and Altars, preacheth, singeth, and tincketh, and doth likewise offer in the bequeathed Covenant and Testament of Christ, and so covereth itself with the offering of Christ, and will be an outwardly accepted, and adopted Son, notwithstanding that, its offering is not accepted in the Covenant and Testament of Christ, nor brought to Substance. 42. The cause and ground of it is this: men depend and rely only barely and nakedly upon the offering, and teach, that the offerings take away Sin, Christ's testaments do absolve Sin: but as little as the offering of Cain was acceptable before God, and took away his Sin, and as little as cain's desire was introduced into the divine Substance, so as to have the divine fire to enkindle in his offering, and receive his Faith's desire into it, even so little also doth the verbal (lip-laboring) Christendom enjoy the offering of Christ in his humanity: it must be an Abel only, that doth enjoy it, the Titular Mouth-Christian attains only the Smoke of the true offering; It must be only a right hungry thirsty converted soul, which desireth wholly and fully to departed from the Serpents Ens and all vanity of this world, and striveth to mortify, the Serpent and all vain will, in the Death of Christ, and desireth to arise in a new will totally Resigned in all Submission in God. 43. This true hungry will offereth rightly with Abel, and its offering, is received into the holy fire of Christ, and form [or amassed] in Christ's humanity into a Substance: there must be earnestness and Power, which earnestness stirreth the Love-fire of Christ in his Testament, so that it doth enkindle itself in the desire; and then the desire becomes a true right Faith, for there is no right Faith without divine x Comprehension Amassement or formation. Taking. 44. When Man's Desire introduceth its hunger with earnest Sighing and prayer of introversion, Resignation, and departing from vanity into the offering of Christ, even than the Souls desire, doth form itself, in the heavenly Essentiality, in the humanity of Christ, upon the High Altar of God, into a Substance; the hungry desire, becomes in the word of God, in Christ's Testaments, flesh, an heavenly supernatural flesh, and this flesh is the true Offering of God, which God taketh to his habitation, and not the bestial mortal Man. 45. In this holy Substance only, is the true Faith of Abel, without this, there is only an historical painted and feigned faith, a cain's offering which doth not take away Sin: for Sin must always be brought into the judgement of God, wherein it was borne; and the holy Love-fire of God must drown and wash it away, else there is no forgiveness; neither offering nor Covenant doth avail any thing without it; also no going to Church, neither Singing nor devout showing doth attain it, nothing else at all doth it but only the hungry desiring Faith through the Alone Offering in the blood and Death of Christ, where the Desire doth wholly die in the death of Christ to its Selfehood, and arise in Christ's Resurrection with a true Faith and christianity, not in a specious show of holiness but in the inward Essence in words and works. 46. For He is yet far from a Christian, who calls himself a Christian, or is so termed only, but he is one, who is borne in the offering of his humanity in him: neither Covenant nor Laws avail any thing before God, but a new creature: no Cathedral Stone-Church meetinghouse or hypocrycie, or whatsoever it be called, can inherit God's Kingdom, but only and alone the true living Offering of the new regeneration arising from the Covenant of promise in Paradise, through the quickening Word in the Offering of Christ. 47. It is only and alone the Temple of the holy Spirit, where God's word is taught and taken, without that, is Cain with his glistering Stone-Church full of pride, and stinking Ambition, the Great building of Babylon, where the Language of God's word, viz. of the written word is confounded and divided into manifold contentions, and Languages, where there is nothing but wrangling, jangling, and snarling about the Letters, and no true real living effectual and powerful knowledge. 48. Now where the living knowledge of Christ is, there is the Altar of God in all places, where the hungry Soul may offer the true acceptable holy offering, in prayer, there it may introduce the prayer in the Word, in its hunger, into a Substantial Faith. 49. Not that we would hereby wholly abolish and raze down the Stone-Churches, but we teach the Temple of Christ, which ought to be brought along [in the heart] into the Stone-Church, or else the whole business of the Stone-Church is only an hypocritical antichristian whoredom, a cain's offering, both of the Preacher and hearer: so that one is not a whit better than another, unless he enter through the true door Christ in Spirit and power in the Temple of Christ into the Stone-Church, or at least resolve to fix betake and fasten himself there, into such an earnest desire, [that he will take and hold fast that which is good only for the amendment of his life] else Cain goeth to Church to offer, and cometh out again a Killer of his brother. 50. As it often appears; that when men in the Stone-Churches have taken and amassed io their Minds a deal of revile, reproaches, and Censures; [that have fallen from the false smoky Cain-like fury and pretended zeal of the Preachers] then they forthwith come with all and murder Abel and Christ's members, as this Spirit hath many hundred times found by experience, and that only for the sake of the Temple of Christ. 51. Now if we would rightly consider of the offering of Cain; then we must look him into the very Essnce of his will and desire, for he also would offer and be acceptable to God, but he loved only his ownhood, and selfefull self; his aim and endeavour was not, to be or become a new creature, but God should so take away his Sins in the offering from him, but he would still remain the old Cain, and so offer to God, that he might be so accepted with him: the Devil came in the form of an Angel before God. 52. Cain y Or did not acknowledge. knew not his evil Serpentine property, the poor Soul was captivated therewith and had set itself up in the Serpent's wit and pride, it would needs be an outwardly adopted child and heir of God, the offering must make reconciliation for him; as Babel doth, which taketh also the Mantle of Christ upon her, and saith, Christ hath undertaken and suffered for all my Sins upon the Cross, I cannot purchase or do any thing for myself, my works avail nothing before God, I need only believe that Christ hath done it, and comfort myself therewith, and then I am already justified and acquitted from all my Transgressions. 53. Thus she cometh before God, and thanketh God that he hath paid the reckoning and score, in his Son, and offereth with Cain and the Pharisee in the Temple, and remaineth in herself a brother-slayer with Cain: and this is the babylonical fruit; like as Cain would take the offering upon him for a cloak and Covering; so also his succeeding Church taketh on it the offering of Christ for a cloak, and Covert of its Sins, and false murder; and covereth its murderous Spirit, so that men must call it an holy devout Christian. 54. Saint Paul must serve their turn thereto, when he saith; I do that I would not, now if I do it, it is not I but Sin that dwelleth in my flesh, but that he saith; now then with my Mind I serve God, but with the flesh the law of Sin: the same, Cain will not understand, how the Mind must without intermission rule and reign over the Sinful will and desire of the flesh, and mortify the lust. 55. Saint Paul speaketh of the heavenly Abel-like desire, how Sin must be mortified in the flesh, and not rule over the Mind, as it did in Cain, when he saw his brother was accepted before God, and that he himself was not; then the murdering Spirit arose in his Mind, which should have been mortified in the offering by true Repentance and conversion. 56. Thus also goeth Babel under the Mantle of Christ, which offereth also to God, and thanketh him for the offering of Christ, but itself remaineth in the Mind of the Cainicall brother-slayer, in pride, covetousness, Envy and Anger, in Persecution, in war, and Contention, it fighteth about the Offering, and about the Outward Covering, lest it should be stripped thereof; and doth in the mean time fatten itself under it, with the bestial offerings of the fatness of the Earth, and still remains the Cainicall Beast, and doth also continually murder Abel in Christ's Members, and comforteth itself with the death of Christ, the same must be a Covert for the false murdering Spirit. 57 The heart and mind is far from the new creature: it is only the old Cainicall brother-slayer, which bemantles itself with Christ's offering, and offers with Cain; such, and nothing better remains now of z Or Christendom. Christianity among all Sects, except the children of Christ, who are here and there hidden with Abel. 58. Cain's Church was never more potent, and predominant upon the Earth than it is even at this time, whereas notwithstanding men cry out with full mouth-cry, and great ostentation; Come all h●●her: we have found the offering of Abel in Christ: yes forsooth dear Babel thou hast indeed found the Mantle of Christ, but behold thy Cain-like heart, and thou wilt see whether thou offerest with Abel from the new creature, or from the false brother-slaying Spirit; where are thy fruits? where is Love, and Righteousness? where is truth? where is patience and meekness? where is the Mind that with Paul serveth God? where art thou, thou fair Christian Church upon the Earth? art thou not become a murdering Den of the Devil? now show thy Christian virtues; art thou not full of contention and murder, both in the Church and without the Church? thy mouth is only a prater of God's Kingdom, like as cain's mouth prated of the offering, but his heart was a murderer. 59 Thus likewise men do prate in the Stone-Houses, of the mantle and offering of Christ, and yet in the mean while in this Prate and Babble do murder the children of Christ, condemn and judge them, and make a whole heap and crew of reviling devouring wolves, that do all cry out, snarl and snap, and none knoweth where the Hind is which they hunt, save only that the Devil doth thus act and drive on his sport by them, so that the true real offering of Christ may remain covered and hidden, and be only as a Mystery in this world. 60. For we poor children of Eve do sojourn here in this Cottage in a strange * Or harbour. lodging, wherein the Devil in God's Anger, is Host: we dwell upon the Cursed Earth, where the Devil rideth over our Soul and Body, and at all times tempteth us: we had need be wary and watchful and at no time secure: it costeth Body and Soul. CHAP. XXVIII. Of cain's * Fatricide. killing of his brother; viz. of the Proud Haughty Antichristian hypocritical Church, upon the Earth; and also of the true Christendom hidden under this Antichristian Church. WHen the Devil in God's Anger, in the wrath of the Eternal nature, had introduced his Throne, and Seat, into the humane property, and awakened the Centre of the wrathful nature, in him, there forthwith arose up such a desire out of the awakened Angers property in the humane Ens or Seed, in the Propagation, out of which property, Babel, viz. the Antichristian Church, is begotten and brought forth. 2. And now as God had incorporated, and promised the Serpent-bruiser of this false property, (who should bruise the head of the Serpents Ens and will or desire) unto the heavenly Ens of man, which disappeared, in and to Paradise, which word of promise was a Mystery, and a very Secret hiddenness to the earthly Man; even so also the false Cainicall Church of hypocrisy and seeming holiness, whose heart and desire is only [of] the outward world, hath gotten aloft this whole time, and hath the outward dominion and Name as if it offered to God: but the true real Christian Church is hidden under it, as a very secret Mystery, and is not known of the Cainicall Church. 3. cain's Church sets forth itself very devoutly, and glisters on all sides with specious Ceremonies, and pompous ostentation; giving forth, that it is holy righteous and good; that it also offers in the Covenant of Christ, but its heart is only a glozing soothing bravely attired Harlot, full of Cainicall murder, reviling and blasphemy, full of censure and selfe-speculation, in pride, in covetousness, and high mindedness; but Abel's Church is hidden under it in great plainness and with no Respect and Reputation, and is accounted but foolish in reference to the glittering show of Cain; and is continually slain by Cain in its simplicity. 4. Now saith Reason; what, had God any pleasure herein, that he suffered Cain to kill Abel; and why is it still to this day that the children of God, are slain, despised, contemned reproached mocked scorned and cried down for false, by Cain, viz. by his posterity; one cause hereof is this. 5. Prince Lucifer was an Hierarch in the Kingdom or place of this world, (as Christ even calleth him a Prince of this world, viz. in the Kingdom of darkness in the Anger of God) and was cast for his pride sake out of the light into the darkness. 6. But being God then created another Prince, viz. Adam in and for this place, with whom he bound himself even with his deepest Love before the foundation of the world in the dear and precious Name JESUS, that he would break down and destroy, the throne and Kingdom of proud Prince Lucifer in the humane property, and overcome and be predominant with Love; thence forthwith arose his Envy, and wrath against man. 7. Secondly, the Cause is this; In the fall of man, the wrath of the Eternal and also of the Temporal and inchoative nature, obtained the Superior Sway and dominion in the humane property; for the Kingdom of Heaven did extinguish in Adam and Eve when as they became Earthly; and in the room and stead thereof the Kingdom of the Devil did awake, in the Serpent's wit and pride, in them: for the a Man's will. humane will had broken itself off from God, and was entered into selfehood, and no longer understood any thing of the Mystery of God's Kingdom. 8. But seeing that the Kingdom of God did again bud, and break forth in the ATM of the Covenant in Abel and the children of God; the Devil's Kingdom and will in the Serpent-Monster could not brook it; Also the Love-Kingdome, is a great Enmity against the wrath of the Eternal nature according to the dark property, for the humane Essence was become according to the dark world's property, as to the Soul an half Devil, and as to the outward world's vanity an half Beast, in which Beast the false subtle crafty wicked lustful proud covetous envious and angry Serpent's worm, did sit, infected with the Devils will. 9 This wrathful vile malicious monstrous beast would live in its own self property; therefore the Angelical virgin-child which should destroy and possess the Kingdom of this Evil Beast, did appear against him in Abel; This was now a Great Enmity, for the Anger of God had captivated Man, and would work and rule in him; therefore God's Love broke forth out of the Anger, as a light out of the fire, and would kill the Anger, and change it into Love, and help again poor man's Image, and redeem it from the Eternal Anger and death. 10. But being the Anger had got the upper hand and sway in man; and yet the virgin-child of the Angelical world's Essence should spring forth and grow out of the Covenant of God, out of the disappeared Ens, through the Anger, as a clear delightful light, shines forth out of the Candle, through the wrathful fire, which depriveth the darkness of its power and prevalency; therefore the outward body in [Abel, and] the children of God must suffer itself to be slain, and persecuted by the wrath of God; for b The outward Body. it was a strange figure on the virgin child. 11. For Abel in his outward flesh had the Awakened vanity lying in him as well as Cain; he was also Sinful as to the outward man, but internally the Angelical word and Image of Paradise did spring and bud forth again in the Covenant; this was now a great enmity against each other; the inward man bruised the Serpent-Monster upon the head of its false desire, and the Serpent-Monster stung him on the heel of his Angelical will, and openly mocked the Angelical Image; as it is so still to this day; so soon as the virgin-child is borne in the Spirit of Christ, the outward earthly body together with the virgin- child, is by the children of Cain persecuted, contemned, reviled, and accounted as a strange child of the world. 12. For the Serpents-Monster is as a fool before God, and being the noble and precious virgin-child must bear such a Monster on it in the outward flesh, to which the Devil hath yet continual access, therefore this body is strongly assaulted and struck at by the Devil in the Anger of God, and its children; they would continually slay it; for the virgin-child worketh through the outward man, as a light through the fire, and manifesteth itself: it teacheth and reproveth the wicked Sort: and this the Devil cannot endure, for it is against his Kingdom, as the offering of Abel was against cain's. 13. For Cain offered in the proud Serpents desire as an hypocrite, and would be an honest demure devout and Godly child in his Serpent's desire; but Abel humbled himself before God, and set his desire into God's mercy: God's Love-fire took his offering, and penetrated through the earthly offering and fire; and the like also is to be understood in the Body of Abel; as the Incorruptible [being] shall swallow up the corruptible, so also the heavenly took the earthly captive in itself. 14. But that Cain slew the outward body of Abel hath this c Signification. type and figure; that the outward body shall be d Or mortified. slain in the Anger of God; the Anger must devour and mortify the outward Image which is grown up in the Anger; and out of Death springeth forth the Eternal life. 15. Abel was a figure of Christ; the children of God's Anger must execute the Right of God's Anger upon the outward earthly, and also bestial Image of the children of the holy One; even as the Pharisees, (who before God were only false Serpent-childrens as Christ called them) must persecute, and kill the humanity of Christ; so likewise was Cain a type of these Serpentine wolvish Pharisees, and also of the verbal Titular Christendom. 16. As the false Serpents-child is a monster and fool before the Angelical world, so likewise the children of darkness do account and esteem the children of the light for fools; for there must be a contrary, that the one might be manifest in the other; if the Anger had not taken hold of the humanity, and devoured it into itself, than the deepest Love of God would not have been manifest in Man. 17. But thus the Love taketh Cause by the Anger to overpower and prevail over the same with its motion and manifestation; as the same may be known in Christ: the true Son of God gave himself into our Image which was awaked in the Anger, that so he might be made manifest with his Love in the Anger, and change the same into joy. 18. Christ gave our humane Image to the Anger of his father to be devoured in death, and brought his life into death, and yet manifested his Love in the life which death had devoured, and brought forth the life in Love through the death; as a Grain of corn which is sown into the earth, the same must die in the earth, but out of that mortified grain grows a fair new body; even so the corrupt body of Adam shall and must be offered to death, and the Anger; and out of the Death and Anger the body of the divine Love shall be manifest. 19 It was exactly Typified, and prefigured in Cain and Abel, how it would be in the Succeeding and future generations; being Abel outwardly did bear the Earthly Image; and yet in the Spirit he was an Image of heaven; his outward body in the Corruption was only a e Text, Larva or strange disguised person. vizard before the outward world; for there was another Spirit hidden therein, which was not of the outward world's Essence and property, therefore because he was not wholly a right child of the earthly world, it would not suffer him (being as a strange child) in it; for the Devil was Prince in the wrathful Essence in this world, who would not that a child of the light should spring forth through the wrathful Essence [and be in his Garden.] 20. Thus the Image or person of Cain and Abel is a true figure of the false, and then also of the holy and true children of God; of the outward Sinful corrupt and mortal Man, and of the inward now regenerate holy man, when Christ with his Love-Kingdome ariseth from death out of the disappeared Ens, than Adam's earthly Image must die in Christ's death; and if it now be, that the outward body must yet live, it is only a scorn and fool before the Heaven's Image, and so also before the natural f All natural men. life of this world. 21. For so soon as Christ is borne, the Sinful life is condemned to death; and standeth in scorn, and open shame before all the false children in the Anger of God, as an whore in g At the house of correction. or whipped through the streets. Bridewell, whom other whores likewise help to deride and scoff at, and yet they do but only judge, and condemn themselves thereby; for if Christ be born, than the judgement passeth upon the false bestial life, and that man must stand in the judgement of God, as a malefactor, and be termed a fool, a Heretic; and be jeered scoffed and reviled, yea even utterly defied and slain, that the Monster may be judged before God's Anger: but those that do it, are the children of the lusty, pampered, and well-fatned, Anger of God, whom the wrath of God useth for its Instrument, for God is a Spirit, therefore he accomplisheth his judgement by a material h By some outward substantial means or Persons. Image. 22. For so soon as Abel did in his Offering put on, or attract the Love of God in the Covenant anew into his humane desire, and comprehended [or amassed] the same into his Essence, than forthwith the judgement passed upon the external mortal Man; and God's Sword of Anger took him, which Cain executed, and slew the outward body of Abel, and at this time also the judgement passed upon the false Image of the Anger in Cain, for he stood there, and cried My Sins are greater than can be forgiven me. 23. This doth now hint, and point at the figure of Christ, how the Anger of the Father must i Or swallow up. devour the life of Christ in death, and when as the Anger had devoured the life in death, than the holy life of the deepest Love of God moved itself in the death and the Anger, and devoured the death and anger into itself, whereat the Earth trembled, and the Rocks clove asunder, and the Graves of the Saints opened. 24. And so likewise the Love-fire k Good and evil now mixed and in contest one with the other. and the Anger-fire in the place of this world (which wrathful fire was enkindled in the Creation when the Apostate [Lucifer] fell) shall at the Last Day be again changed into the Divine joyfulness, and be Avalled or swallowed up in the Love; understand it shall be thus in the third Principle where Love and anger do strive this Time one with anorher: but l Lucifer. HE remaineth in the darkness in the first Principle. 25. The true Cause wherefore Cain murdered Abel was by reason of their Offerings and worship of God, viz. Religion; as this Contention continueth still to this day; the Cainicall Church is not yet one with the Abelicall. 26. Now saith reason, I see it well enough, that all contention and strife ariseth from Religion, but what is the ground and most undoubted cause and reason thereof: behold! this is the Cause: set before thee the false Serpent's child which is Evil and good, and then set before thee the virgins-childe borne of Christ, and then thou hast the fundamental Cause exactly drawn to the life, before thine eyes. 27. The Cainicall Church drives a subtle Trade with external Ceremonies, and will appease God with some external thing or other: it will be outwardly an accepted and adopted child, it must down right be called honest godly holy and heavenly, it adorneth and trimmeth up itself very finely, and standeth mightly upon its Calling, which it hath itself Ordained, and Instituted, it makes a very specious and Renowned show in the white sheep's clothing, and therein lodgeth the High Priest of selfehood without Christ's Spirit, and rules and masters the work of the outward letters, and whosoever learneth to transpose and compose the same boldly and bravely [according to their form of forged opinions] he is an high Priest in their Office and Order: he putteth Christ's garment of innocency on him for his Cloak and Covert. 28. The other party of the confused cainicall Church cryeth out, and holdeth forth the Goodly glistering child to m Makes good merchandise of its religious ceremonies. sale for Money; and hath bound the Kingdom of Heaven to its Ceremonies, and will sell it for Money; so that the Man may but fat himself in this world under the white Garment [of its hypocrisy.] 29. The third party giveth forth that they have so holy an Order, that it doth even Sanctify and save them, and they above all others will be esteemed holy. 30. The fourth party (or Sect) will obtain the Kingdom of God by their n Text, mouth-cry. lip-labour with muchness of Speaking, Reading, Singing, Preaching and Hearing, and it rebukes, censures, and reviles, all that will not approve of, praise, and give diligent attention to its lip-labour [and fine conceited long Prating.] 31. This Party hath clothed itself with the (white) Garment, and set itself upon the letter [or writings] of God's children, and therewith it doth so lustily bestir and lay about it, as a Beggar, that casteth stones at the Dogs; and sometimes hits a * Or Evil. churlish one, sometimes a * Or Good. quiet one, and he that is hit at makes him hear of it, and then others fall on pell mell, and by't and worry him; and there is a continual biting tearing confounding, reviling reproaching, cavilling and jangling about the Letter, a mere external work, whereby men [blindly zealous] suppose to serve God, and obtain Grace; a very Cainicall Offering. 32. The Cainicall Church, is in the outward world, evil and good, it buildeth, and breaketh down, and is only a figure o Or according to. of God's Love and Anger; what one party buildeth and calleth holy, that, another pulleth down and revileth, with one mouth it buildeth and with another it teareth down; what One hypocrite praiseth, that, another dispraiseth; and thus there is only a Confused [shattered] Babylon; Evil, and Good; a wonder of nature and time. 33. All these run on in their self-contrived and devised Orders, and rely upon their received Orders, and so they offer the Letter of the word and the work of their own hands before God, and will needs be outwardly adopted and accepted children before God, God must have respect unto their Offering, and forgive them their Sins by a word speaking, as a Lord out of favour and clemency freely gives a malefactor his life; such an unmeasurable matchless heap of Grace they have brought into their literal Offerings, and into the works of their hands; so that their Teaching, and the hearing of them is accounted for the most holy way wherein salvation is to be had, and whosoever doth not worship and honour this their way with exceeding diligence, and subject himself thereunto; him they reproach persecute and kill, or else hold him for an Heretic. 34. But Abel's children in Christ have far another worship and Service of God, they dwell indeed among cain's children, and do also appear in their Orders and Offerings; they Offer to God a broken and bruised heart, and an humble Contrite mind, in true Sorrow for, and Conversion from, their committed Sins; and with their Spiritual will do go out from and forsake all their creature-selfefullnesse and selfish interests and arrogation, and die to their their selfhood in the Death of Christ; and become as children who neither know nor will any thing but only their mother which hath brought them forth; they cast their selves into her bosom, and they take in Patience whatsoever she pleaseth to do with them. 35. For their internal will is quite mortified to the outward world with all its glozing show and alluring glory; they account themselves very unworthy before the great Grace of God, and their vanity which the flesh desireth is always in their sight; and to this the inward spiritual will is a deadly opposite Enemy, and yet it cannot be wholly separated from it in this life-time; their whole course through this world is a mere work of Repentance, for their Sins and Impurity do appear continually in their Sight. 36. There is a continual, and constant Combat in them, of the flesh in the earthly desire against the divine desire, and of the divine desire against the lust of the earthly flesh, for the divine desire doth * Betake. amass itself into God's Grace and Mercy, and brings itself into a Centre of a working life, and penetrates through the earthly false lustful life, and striketh the false lust and Imagination down; and then the false Imagination falls into great Sadness, when as it contemplates and beholds the voluptuous pompous stately brave glistering Course of this world, and finds itself so mean and foolish, that it must forsake and forgo that, wherein it might have its chief joy pleasure and delight. 37. Also the Devil he cometh forthwith with his temptation, and bringeth his desire into the false Imagination; and shows him the fair Kingdom of the world, and rebuketh his Intent as a false Fancy and mere conjecture; stirreth up the crew of the wicked against him, who scorn jeer reproach and contemn him; and then sometimes the Sprackling glimpse, and divine desire, doth even lose itself, for Christ, viz. the virgins-childe in the Spirit of Christ, is lead into the wilderness, and is tempted of the Devil and of the Anger of God, and also of the Carnal world's spirit, and oftentimes the Spirit of Christ doth hid itself, as if the virgins-childe were quite gone and passed Hopes, also the Devil makes his address thereto, and brings him into Doubt as if the virgin's child were not borne. 38. For the virgin's child is hidden in the Desert, and then the poor captivated Soul is in great Sorrow and lamentation, sigheth, and cryeth to God, also it cannot love, or away with, the bestial Image, but it doth stir up itself as a great assaulting Storm in the Body, and seeketh the Gates of the deep in its Original; and forceth with might [or holy violence] into that word which hath form it to be a creature, and diveth itself thereinto as an Impotent, will-lesse child, and desireth its first mother, whence the first Soul was born, for its Nurse, and makes itself wholly will-lesse in this mother, and lieth only at her Breasts, and sucketh her Love and grace into it, the mother may do with it, what she please: this is the true meaning, and the right manner of dying to selfehood and selfefull Imagination and lust in ones self, and becoming as to the will of the Soul as a child in ones self; as Christ saith, unless ye be converted and become as children, ye can in no wise see the Kingdom of God; self, and selfefull Reason in the lust of the flesh, can neither taste or see it. 39 From this mortification, of the Selfefull will, and earnest Resignation into God's mercy, the virgins-childe doth again Spring forth out of the Desert with its fair and glorious Pearl-blooming Tree with very excellent and new fruit, for so it must be tried in the fire of God's Anger, that the Abomination of the introduced earthly will, may die in it. 40. For the fire-soule, viz. the first Principle, hangeth upon the Band of the outward world, and continually and eagerly introduceth Something of vanity into it, whereby the virgin-child of the Angelical world's Essence, viz. of Christ's essentiality, is defiled, obscured, and darkened, therefore it must be so refined purified and purged again; and many a cold piercing rautish wind of tribulation Anguish and great perplexity, bloweth upon this child; it must be continually as an offscouring of the world, for its Kingdom is not of this world; as Christ said, my Kingdom is not of this world. 41. But the effect is this; when the fair morning Star doth dawn and arise in the virgin-child, than the outward life is even illuminated Or while it ●ives here. in this time, and it giveth itself up unto the obedience of the Internal [life] as an instrument and Servant of the internal. 42. And then the holy Spirit of God shineth forth through the virgin-child, and preacheth Christ crucified, and reproveth the world for its Sins and wicked malicious do, and shows them their false hypocritical erroneous way, that they will needs be the children of God in the outward Kingdom, in their self-contrived and devised ways, and will seek an external forgiveness of Sin, in their own conceited, and received ways; and yet will still remain in the vanity, and in the pleasure of their flesh; and desire only to make devout shows before God, and give good words in a soothing glozing gloss of fine hypocrisy, as if they served God, in their contrived Conjectures, and Opinions, but still they will continue in selfehood in the outward show and Ostentation. 43. These, the holy Ghost doth rebuke and reprove by the Virgin's child in Christ's Spirit, and calls them hypocrites and wolves in sheep's clothing, and crafty Foxes borne of the Serpents Ens, in whom there is the very property of Toads, Dogs, and wild Beasts; and shows them, that they draw near to God with their lips, but their Heart is full of murder, gall, and Serpent-desire, and hath no true upright Love-desire in it; also it shows them, that they are but mere flatterers and dissemblers in their Office, who only seek pleasure and Temporal Honour and Respect thereby, that so they might be able to domineer and Lord it over men's bodies and Souls Goods and Estates, and thus they serve God only from without with hypocritical mouths, but their heart hangeth to the whoredom of Babylon, full of devilish murder and poison against him, that doth but touch their Conscience. 44. Such children in the Serpent's craft, who are best able as cunning Crafts masters in Sophistry, to turn this Suttlety most takingly and artificially, the children of the world do set up unto themselves for Teachers, and will learn the way of God from them. 45. These Teachers do assume unto themselves [and presume upon] the writings of the Saints, and proclaim with open mouth, that they teach God's word, the holy Spirit is poured forth by their teaching and preaching; and though their conscience doth even convince them, that they are not capable of the Office of the Ministry, and that they are in no wise the Temples of the holy Spirit, who should teach in and by them, yet they care not for that, it brings them money and Honour; Christ is gone up to heaven, and hath placed and Ordained them to be Stewards and Vicars in his office, they must compose, and contrive their Doctrine out of the writings of the Saints, and out of their Reason upon the Letter of the Scripture; their heaping together and composing of the words [in the form of their Suttle Reason] must be the voice of the holy Spirit, they say the holy Spirit is thereby poured forth into the Hearts of men. 46. And though they themselves be only Cain, and in their q Or composing of the texts, or bare letter of Scripture. literal and Bookish rhapsody in their Sermons, do cast forth a great deal of light lewd Cainicall scorn, and brother-slaughter, and oftentimes mix lies and truth together, yet the holy Spirit must have taught, and the Congregation must thank God for such holy [sound orthodox Evangelicall] Doctrine as they call it, and after their kill of their brother there, they must also help with boldness courage and zeal, to murder and slay Abel, and the little child Jesus, in his members, with words, and deeds. 47. Such Teachers the world sets up to learn the Kingdom of God from, and whosoever can but lustily cavil, censure and condemn others in their Gifts; and propose it with fine Distinctions, and subtle Arguments; and cloth them with the mantle of Reason, and hid the Wolf (which thereby murthereth, and devoureth Christ's flock) under the purple mantle of Christ; to him they give diligent attention, for the fleshly Serpent's Heart doth therewith soothe up and flatter itself in its evil property; It hath even such an Artificial nature and Constitution. 48. Such Seed these Teachers chosen of men do sow, who only desire the Calling for temporal Honour and pleasure but are not called of God, and are also without divine knowledge, [and understand not what true divinity is] they enter not by the door of Christ; but they come into place by the Election and favour of men; through the means of their own willing, walking, and running: these can no way be acknowledged for the shepherds of Christ, for they are not borne of Christ, and chosen to this Function and divine calling. 49. They are only the great Master-builders of Babylon, where the Languages are confounded, and men thereby set at odds and variance, and they set up war and contention upon the Earth, for they wrangle, and jangle about the mere Husk, viz. about the written word and Letter, and they have not the living word of God dwelling in them, from which they ought to teach, the Spirit of Christ itself must be the teacher in the word with the living voice [or Expression] the Spirit r The humane Spirit. of man must know and feelingly find Christ in it, otherwise none teacheth the words of Christ, only dumb [senseless] words without power and Spirit. 50. Now the Spirit of Christ in his children doth reprove these, and shows them the true way viz. how we must die wholly in Christ's death to the selfehood and the false selfefull desire of temporal pleasure, and honour, and be borne again of Christ's Spirit with another new will and desire out of Christ's s Or body. Love in peculiar Real knowledge, and preach and teach Christ from our [own peculiar, and singular knowledge of him in our] self. 51. This, Babel in Cain cannot endure, that one should teach, that Christ himself must be the teacher in the humane Spirit; they plead their Cause from the forewritten Apostolical word, and say, if they teach the same, than the Spirit of God is poured forth; yes forsooth! very right, I say so too, if the same be taught in Christ's Spirit and power, then 'tis so indeed. 52. But the Spirit of Christ in his children is not bound to any certain form, that it need not [or ought not] to speak any thing which stands not in the Apostolical Letter; as the Spirit in the Apostles was free, and they spoke not all one and the same words, but from one Spirit and ground they did all speak, every one as the Spirit gave him utterance; even thus likewise the Spirit speaketh yet out of its children, it needeth no form aforehand composed and gathered together out of the Literal word, it indeed doth put man's Spirit in mind of what is comprehended and contained in the letter; for Christ said; the holy Ghost shall take of mine, and declare it unto you. 53. Christ is Alone the Word of God that teacheth the way of truth through his children and members; the literal word is only a manuduction, and manifestation of Christ; that we should have the same before us as a Testimony and witness of Christ [showing] what he is and what he hath done for us that we should conceive set and fasten our Faith therein, and yet with the desire, enter into the living word▪ Christ; and be ourselves borne to life therein. 54. None is a shepherd of Christ, but he that hath Christ's Spirit and teacheth from him; no Art nor University makes one a shepherd of Christ, unless he be capable of the office in Christ's Spirit, if he hath not that, living, and working in him, than Man hath only chose him to be a Carver and builder of the Great Babylon; a letter changer, [a verbal jangler and wrangler] without divine understanding, and knowledge; for the Scripture saith, the natural man perceiveth nothing of the Spirit of God; how will then he teach the way of God, who himself understands nothing thereof. 55. And Christ saith; he that entereth not into the sheepfold by him, viz. by the door of his Spirit, but climbeth up some other way, as by Art, and Reason, or by the favour of man, into the same: whosoever seateth up himself not being called of God's Spirit to be a shepherd of Christ, for humane and temporal repute, and Revenue's sakes, he is a Thief and Murderer, and the sheep hear not his voice, for he hath not Christ's voice, and cometh only that he may rob and steal. 56. But they say, the written word is Christ's voice, yea, it is indeed the Cabinet thereof, viz. a form of the word: but the voice must be living which opens the same, and likewise acts it in due motion as a watch-worke: the Letter is as an Instrument thereunto, as a Trumpet, but there must be a true and right breath and air which agrees with the air or tune in the letter. 57 The word of the letter is a prepared * Or work. Instrument, what kind of Trumpeter takes it in hand to play thereon, even such a sound it gives: Is not I pray the Great Babel built out of this work, every one hath sounded the Trumpet of the Letter, as his own Air and Tone hath been in him, and so it hath been approved and received by each Trumpeter, and brought into a Substance, and this same substance is the Great Babylon, where evil and good is built into a building. 58. But if men had not introduced any Exposition upon the Apostolical Word, and brought or contrived the same into other forms, than the Instrument had remained Pure: but the un-illuminated mind hath set itself up to be a master therein, and bowed the same according to its own Imagination and well-liking; for the humane pleasure hath thereon set itself, and form and expounded the same according to the Rule of fat Benefices for the Belly sake and worldly pleasures. And thus the Spirit is extinct; and 'tis turned to an antichristian Order and Custom; men have taken and form the word as an Organ, and so they have brought it into a fashion, and custom that a man must play thereon and others must hear the Sound and tune which he makes; and thus for the most part such Organists are only used, who strike the Organ from without, and make a fine contrived and composed Piece which they willingly and readily hear, but the Organ Soundeth only as the Master t Or plays on it. strikes it. 59 But to this Christ saith: Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up: also whosoever is of God he heareth God's word: Christ said; the Son of man speaketh nothing but what he heareth the Father speak in him: so likewise must a teacher of Christ hear the Father's Spirit in Christ speak in him; he must hear God's Word in the Spirit of Christ in him; as David saith, I will hear what the Lord speaketh in me; he must be a Temple of God in whom God dwelleth, and from whom he speaketh, being only an Instrument thereto; for Christ said; we will come to you and make our Abode in you also I will put my word into your mouth; saith the Prophet; also the word is nigh thee namely in thy mouth, and heart; here the Spirit of God speaketh of the living Word; and not of a Bell without a clapper. 60. This, the Spirit of Christ in his children, doth teach, and reproves the wooden clapper in the right bell, which hath hung itself up to be a clapper in the Bell of the divine word, and yet hath no power to make the Bell sound: this, Cain in his offering, can by no means brook, that one should tell him, his offering doth not please God. 61. He setteth forth himself with very fair glozing and glistering outside shows, and hath made himself such a brave glorious form; moreover he is chosen of the high schools and worldly might thereto, and if a mean Layman without humane calling should come thereinto (as Christ was accounted for a Carpenter's Son) and offer to reprove such an High Priest in such great dignity Honour and Respect; the same the world believeth not that it is from God; that he is sent. 62. The Great Bear thinketh presently, this is only a sheep which I will take into my mouth, and devour him, what? shall a sheep reprove me who am a Bear? will a disesteemed sheep nullify my Reputation and esteem among men, and dare to quetch at me, I will soon rid him out of the way, and so defile him, that he shall not be known that he is a sincere and single-hearted Lamb of Christ and speaketh from Christ's Spirit, I will so wallow and mire him in the Dirt disgrace and scorn, that he shall be held for a filthy Beast, or a very defiled Swine. 63. In the mean time I live in my delicious Days of pleasure, and remain Lord over Soul and Body, but if the sheepling shall offer to stir, and show more than a sheepling of Christ, than I will help the Butcher drive it to the slaughter-house. 64. Thus it goeth with the Simple single-hearted children of Christ, whom the Spirit of Christ driveth, and out of whom he teacheth here in this world etc. they are only as sheep among Wolves, as Christ said I send you as sheep among Wolves, the earthly man is a Serpentine Wolf, under whom the virgin-child viz. Christ's Lamb must dwell; and then beginneth and ariseth murdering * Or robbing. slaying, and killing. 65. But it doth not at all hurt the virgin-child; It's Externall Wolf is also by this means bitten off, by another: for the outward Wolf of all men is grown from the Anger of God, and arisen with the Sin in Adam; therefore it must be given for food to the Anger of God that the virgin-child of the woman's Seed may become manifest. 66. For thus they do Separate themselves as two Enemies, and are continually opposite Enemies one against another in the time of this outward life, for the Judgement is given to the virgin-child against the introduced Serpent's child of Sin; In the Resurrection the virgin-child shall condemn the Serpent-childe into the Fire of God, there the limus of the Earth shall be proved and purged from the Serpents Ens, and again put upon the virgins-childe. 67. Now saith reason; what pleasure hath God in this murdering of his children, can he not defend them from the Enemy? thus it must be, that the light may be manifest in the darkness, else the light would stand still in the darkness and bring forth no fruit: seeing then the light receiveth into itself Essence and perceivancy, also Sensation, from the darkness, viz. from the Source of the fire, therefore, one is set against the other, that so one might be manifest in the other: the joy against grief, and grief against joy; that it may be known what Evil or good is. 68 For if there were no grief then the Joy were not manifest to itself; but yet all is in the freewill, as every thing doth introduce itself into evil or good, so it runneth on its Course, and the one is but the manifestation of the other, for if there were no night or darkness, than we should know nothing of the Light or Day: thus the great God hath introduced himself into Severation, to his own contemplation and Sport of joy. 69. The like also is to be understood in the various diversity and Severalty of Men touching evil and good; The Evil must be a Cause, that the good be made manifest to itself; and the Good must be a cause to manifest the Evil in its wicked malicious Suttlety and iniquity; that all things may come into their contemplation, [and visible ken,] and every thing might manifest its judgement in itself unto the Great Separation- Day of the LORD of all beings, where every thing shall give in itself into its Barn for its usefulness and profit, that, in the Eternity, the Great God may be known, in a creatural and formal manner, according to light, and darkness. 70. For all things were created by the word, and brought into a form; seeing then God is an angry jealous God, and a consuming fire, and also, a mercifull-Loving meek God of light and Giving, [or Freegrace] in whom there cannot be any Evil at all, therefore he hath introduced fire, and light, Evil and good one with another in the Verbum Fiat, into a freewill, whereby, the will may u Or work. form either in the evil or good; and yet he hath created all things good, and to the light, and set them into the freewill, to multiply themselves in the freewill, to conceive in Evil or good; and yet hath associated to each thing its likeness, viz. to a male its female, that so nothing hath cause to x Or fall from its place and order into Destruction. degenerate, and to man he hath given Commands what to do and leave undone. 71. Thus all things stand to the judgement of the Great God, and in this time they must be in Contest, that one may be manifest in the other, but then in the Great Harvest every thing shall have its own Seat in itself; when strife shall be taken up and cease, and all things must stand to the Honour and Admiration of the wonderful works of the great God, who Alone knows whereunto every thing shall be good, and for what he will use it. CHAP. XXIX. Shows how the Adamicall Tree hath put forth and opened itself out of its Stock, and introduced itself into boughs branches, twiggs, and fruit, out of which pullulation or manifestation the Invention of All Arts, and * Or Polities. Governments is Arisen. The Deep Gates out of the Centre of the Eternal and also the Temporal Nature, showing how the Eternal Wisdom hath introduced itself into a formal [visible and Ideal] Contemplation. Gen. FOUR ch. 1. THe Eternal divine understanding is a freewill, not arisen either from any thing or by any thing, it is its own Peculiar Seat, and dwelleth only and AlOne in itself, un-apprehended of any thing, for beyond, and without it is nothing, and that same NOTHING is only ONE, and yet it is also as a Nothing to itself; It is One only will of the Abyss, and it is neither near, nor far off, neither high, nor low, but it is ALL, and yet as a Nothing; for it is in itself no contemplation Sensation or perceivancy, whereby it might find a likeness in itself. 2. It's Finding is its own forth-proceeding, so that it beholdeth itself in the y Or proceed-forth. Egress, for that which is proceeded forth is its Eternal Lubet, Sensation, and perceivancy, and it is called the Divine Wisdom; which Wisdom, the unsearchable abyssal will apprehendeth in itself to its Centre of z Or Imagination desire▪ or Magia. Lubet, viz. to an Eternal mind of the Understanding; which understanding the freewill formeth in itself to its own a Or express Image. likeness, viz. to an Eternal- Speaking, living, [working] Word, which the Free will doth speak or breathe forth out of the form wisdom of the Lubet. 3. And the b Or Spiration. Forth-breathing is the Spirit, or Mouth of the understanding in the formed will of the wisdom, which doth distinguish [or variously Severize] the Speaking Word, so that the Mind, and the understanding of the mind, becomes manifest and revealed, in which Manifestation, the Free Lubet, or wisdom, is, in the Speaking or forth-breathing, form of the freewill, by the Spirit, into diversity and variety. 4. In which formation; the powers of the divine properties do arise; so that it is truly said and declared concerning God: that he is the Eternal will, Understanding, Mind, Counsel, Power, and Wonder; c Or with in which wonders of powers he hath moved and form himself from Eternity; in which formation consists the invisible spiritual world, wherein the Spirit of God hath melodized and Sported with itself from Everlasting, which also hath neither ground limit bounds or Original. 5. For it is the Divine e Contemplation. Vision of the form wisdom; its Centre is the form Will, viz. the Word forth-Speaking out of all Powers, and its life is the Spirit which proceedeth in the Speaking or breathing, which distinguisheth and formeth the Lubet of the wisdom, so that the form wisdom playeth before the life of the Deity, as little children play before their parents who have begotten them, out of their Essence, for their joy, and in them the parents take their delight, and Pastime. 6. Thus likewise we are to understand the Being of Eternity; which Being, the Eternal freewill, hath in the forth-breathing word introduced into a Desire, viz. to an external comprehensiveness, in which comprehensibility the beginning of the Corporeal Being is arisen, viz. the Centre of the Form Nature, wherein the desire hath Amassed form and introduced itself into properties, viz. into darkness and light, into Pain and Source, into joy and Sorrow; and yet we must not understand any Sorrow to be in the Pregnatresse; but so the freewill doth form and conceive itself in the desire to the Contemplation, and manifestation of the wonders; that so the properties might be peculiarly manifested and revealed in each other. 7. For if there were no Contra-will then there would be no motion in the properties; but being the freewill hath introduced itself into Love, and Anger, viz. into Evil and Good; a twofold will is arisen in these properties viz. a wrathful [will] according to the Nature of the fire, and of the darkness, and a good Love-will according to the nature and quality of the light; so that one might dwell in, and manifest the other. 8. Not that this Birth hath received only a temporal beginning: it f Or hath been. is Eternal, and is the manifestation of the Divine vision, Sensation, and perception: only in the Creating of the Creation this Birth introduced itself into a Compaction or Externall comprehensiveness that it might have a Distinct Dominion to work in for its own Sport and play. 9 Also we are not to conceive that in the Creation, the Evil proceeding from the darkness and fiery property was Separated from the Good, and placed in a Peculiar Sundry working Dominion, but the one is in the other: yet the light shoane through the darkness, and the darkness could not comprehend it: Every life in the Creation proceeded forth from the fiery property and the Spirit of the rational understanding did arise from the lights property; In the Creation Every fiery life was brought forth in its beginning g In or for. to the light. 10. Moreover the Creator of all Being's hath given the Creatures, of the outward world (which hath a Temporal beginning out of the Eternal word) An Universal light for visible contemplation; also every life in the Creation hath received the light of nature out of the Centre in itself, out of which the understanding ariseth, so that the Creature can rule and govern itself. 11. And nothing was created Evil or to the Dominion of iniquity; for though on one part it hath an Ens of the wrath in itself for its life, yet on the other part it hath also an Ens of the light and good virtue in itself; and it is set in the freewill to conceive [or work] in Evil or Good; for there is nothing so Evil but it hath a Good in it, whereby it may rule and be predominant over the Evil. 12. But man was in Equal Accord in his properties, no property was manifest above the other; for he was God's Image; like as there is no Evil manifest in God, unless he would himself manifest the wrath of the Eternal Nature in a thing; Even so also the divine freewill was given to man. 13. And with all, the Command, that he in his freewill should not lust after Evil and Good, viz. after the divided properties, he should continue steadfast in the equal harmony of the properties, and rule with the light over the Darkness, and then the properties of the wrath had stood in mere Joy delight and melody in him, and he had been a mirror and form of the divine wisdom, which had seen and beheld itself in him according to the Kingdom of Joy. 14. But being that he did contemplate with the freewill in the dissimility, how evil and good were each of them in its own peculiar selfefull property, and brought his Lust and longing thereinto, desiring to taste thereof in the Essence; whereupon this same property did also take him in his lust, and prevailed in his will, and also in the Ens whence the will did arise, to its own Contemplation, and Dominion; and thus the first man, who was good in the beginning, became a Stock or Tree of the Taste of the Knowledge of Evil and good, viz. a Contending Dominion, in which both wills viz. the Good, and the Evil ruled in one another. 15. But being the fiery wrathful will so overcame the good, which was from the lights Essence, that the lights Ens was taken captive in the wrathful Ens, this Image fell under the power and Command of the outward Dominion, which was Evil and good; and also under the wrath of the inward nature, viz. of the fiery darkness; upon which Image, God had compassion, and did re- * In-promise. inhest the Covenant of Grace into the Captivated, disappeared and (as to the divine wisdom) blind Ens of the holy worlds being, and did Incorporate the same as a Covenant of a new Regeneration of a new Holy Will, and life. 16. Thus now we are to consider aright of the Stock of the humane Tree, how it hath spread forth and displayed itself in the properties, and introduced itself as a Tree (evil and Good) into boughs and branches; and from whence his Temporal Government of distinct, and Sundry Offices, and Callings is arisen, which He did awaken in him, when he lusted after evil and good, and thereby brought himself in Subjection to nature, being he fell under its Dominion. 17. And we see very clearly, that Moses hath described and set down in his * Genesis. first book, how the humane Tree hath opened itself in Evil and good, and introduced itself into boughs, and branches for its fruit; also we see how the fiery wrathful property hath always gone before, and first of all brought forth its fruit: we have a clear and plain understanding hereof in the Names of those which the Spirit of God, hath put, by Moses, in the h Geneology. lines of Propagation. 18. For first he setteth Cain, whereby is understood in the Language of nature, a Source out of the Centre of the fiery desire, a selfefull will of the fiery might of the Soul, viz. a Sprout or Twig out of the first Principle, in which branch or Sprig the first Principle, did in an especial manner prevail and would Sever itself into a selfefulnesse, and break itself off from the Love- Ens; yet not as a Dark Source, but as a Source of selfefull Lust, and also [of] fiery Strength and might. 19 For out of the Ens of Cain (as the same was in the Centre of the Begetting nature in the wrestling wheel of life) arose his will; and out of the will, the desire; and out of the desire, the Substance, in which Substance the false mind is understood; wherein the dominion of the outward, did form, and fasten itself; whereinto the Devil also in the wrath of nature croap in with his desire, and desired the Lordship and domination of this world in Selfehood; as the fallen Devil doth always desire domination in the Place of this world in the inward Eternal, and outward Temporal nature. 20. But being the word of divine Power, and Holiness, had i Or espoused itself. incorporated itself with a Covenant of Regeneration, into the woman's Seed, viz. into the disappeared Ens of the Spiritual world's Essence, that it would deprive the fiery wrathful will, proceeding from the Centre of the dark world, of its fiery might of Selfehood; thereupon after Cain, there Sprung forth out of the humane Tree a Sprout out of the Aim of the Covenant, viz. HABEL, whose Name in the Language of nature, signifieth an Out-breathed Angel, which in the first will of the Essence, whence the soul ariseth, had form and fixed itself in the Centre of light, in the Love-desire, and penetrated quite through the fires Centre; whereupon the fiery desire, did desire to cut off the Earthly life which hath its Original out of the fiery desire, as its propriety; for which cause Abel and all his * Or Successors. Posterity became Marters. 21. For this is the Doar of Christ who must give himself into this Death of the wrath, and Penetrate the Humane Centre of the Souls Original according to the fire-world, with the Love- Ens, viz. with the deepest Love of the deity, and change the fiery wrathful desire of the dark world's Essence into Love. 22. Adam was the Stock of the universal humane tree, but when Eve was made out of him, than the tree was divided according to two Principles, not wholly in the Essence, but according to the nature and quality of the Centres of fire and light; for the Centre of the light, viz. the ground of the Love-desire did stand in Eves Matrix; but it disappeared as to the Creature in her fall; therefore the Divine Word did k Espouse betrothe or promise. re-inhest itself therein to a Centre of Regeneration. 23. Now Cain, and Abel were the two twigs which grew out of this tree from the property of both Principles, viz. of the fire, and light; and they were a Type of the whole Tree with its fruit which it would bring forth; but being Abel was a type of Christ who was to be conceived without the help of man only and barely of the incorporated word in the Seed of the woman, who should suffer death for Man; therefore Abel must pass through without branches and fruit; for the fruit which Christ should bring forth, was to Generate anew the humane tree; and not produce other twiggs out of his Loins and therefore Habel also being the type of him should not generate any twig out of his loins; for the line of the Habelicall Seed remained in the Covenant, and pointed at Christ, who should spring forth out of the Habelicall Line, and again manifest the spiritual world's Essence. 24. Therefore Adam must bring forth another branch by his Eve out of the vital Tree; which was to be like Adam in his Image; viz. SETH; which Name doth signify in the Language of nature a forth-running, or leap, where a glance or aspect of a Love-will ariseth out of the fiery will; which notwithstanding is withheld, and hindered by the outward worlds being, Essence, and Substance, viz. by the Corrupt house of flesh. 25. Now Christ must come to help this captivated forestalled and obscured will; which notwithstanding hath its first ground out of God's love, and free it from the band of wrath, wherewith the divine Ens was captivated; for this was Christ's Office, not that he should beget, but give himself into the Generation of Seth, and Redeem Seth and his branches from the wrath, and regenerate him anew in himself; he was not to beget children to this world, but to bring forth, Seth out of this world, and bring him in himself into the Spiritual world. 26. Now in Seth the Line of the Covenant went forth, in which Christ would manifest himself according to the humane Tree; but in Cain the line of the wonders, viz. of nature and its Government went forth; Genesis 4. v. 17. for Moses saith that unto Cain was born * Enoch. Hanoch, and he built a City and called the Name of the City after the name of his Son Hanoch; now Cain was the first man borne of a woman and Abel the Second, whom he slew. 27. Now Moses saith, that Cain built a city, whereas indeed if we would go merely upon reason, there were not men who might be able to build a city, and inhabit it; for the Spirit doth here make a veil before the understanding, which lieth in the Word City; for he saith; cain's Son was called Hanoch, and also the City; now this is verily true; but the Spirit in Moses looketh upon the root of Cain, and Adam; how the Tree Evil and Good, hath opened and displayed itself into its boughs and branches; for by the Name of Hanoch the Spirit looketh upon the property of the branch, viz. of cain's Son, intimating what kind of people would arise from thence viz. a * Or Commonwealth. City, and Dominion of the outward world in Selfehood; for in the Language of nature it is to be understood in the Name. 28. HANOCH signifieth a forth-breathing of life, and a reassuming to a Selvish contemplation; a child of Self, which in nature doth introduce itself into a selfefull Dominion and will, so that it doth Imagine and frame in its Mind, a Dominion, or Region, Country, or City, desiring and aspiring in its will to be a Tree, or Prince of men; for when the humane life departed from the Spirit of God into selfehood; than it would be a Peculiar Selvish Lord, which will's Son was Hanoch, viz. a City or Amassed Substance to a Selfefull domination and Government. 29. From which Government and dominion, the branches or children were borne, concerning which the holy Spirit complained in Noah; that * Genesis 6.3. they would not suffer his Spirit to reprove them any more, for they were a tree or branch sprung forth from the tree of Selfefullnesse; from which the worldly Principalities and Superiorities have taken their rise and Original, for when the humane life fell unto the Stars and the Spirit of the outward world, than the same brought it into its own Dominion; from the Angelical into the astral and outward elementary Dominion, according to its figure; this the City of Cain viz. Hanoch doth signify unto us, viz. the Dominion upon the Earth. 30. But now Hanoch cannot be the Ruler, but the City is HE, that is, the branch or the Country of the children of pride, who departed from God in their own selfish power and authority; now the multiplicity of wills must have a Judge, being * 1 Sam. 8.7. they would not suffer the Spirit of God to rule them; therefore the Spirit in Moses saith, and Hanoch begat IRAD, Gen. 4. v. 18. this is now the Governor who out of their own essence set himself up to be Judge, and Lord over them, viz. a Potentate, and Tyrant. 31. For the Name is very pregnant in the language of nature, and signifieth a forth-breathing of life, where the life doth soon l Or take. form itself in the Centre of the fiery property, and Strong Might; viz. in the Anger of God which was become Ruler over the life; the same took Irad, as a Lord, and Tameour of the life, and set him over Hanoch. 32. From this root the Rulers of the world are arisen; for being that man would not have God for a Ruler of his life, and will, God m Or permitted. gave them the Ruler in Nature, from among themselves; that they might lord it over and rule one another. 33. For God hath not given man any Law or Government among themselves but made him only to be Lord over all creatures, so that he should rule over all things; but he himself would rule with his Spirit over man and Govern the humane life; but being that selfehood would not, than Irad, that is the fires Strength and might sprang forth forcibly out of the humane Tree, and set itself over the City Hanoch upon the Earth. 34. But now Irad must have something wherein and wherewith all to set up himself to rule and Reign, for the fires wrath and fury would not have suffered them; and also the Government must be somewhat profitable and advantageous; therefore Moses writeth now very right and exceeding wonderfully and saith, Irad begat MEHUJAEL, which intimateth very emphatically in the Language of nature, an n Or apprehension taking forming, or amassing to itself. assuming of the outward and inward Centre of nature, viz. of the outward and inward world; a Self-conceived bold courageous vainglorious Arrogant mind, which would possess the Riches of the outward world in its Domination and Superiority, viz. all manner of Creatures and Fruits; and especially it denoteth a Splendour of the inward assuming viz. an Earthly God, which externally sets itself in God's Office; out of this Name, Babel, viz. the Beast with the Whore, was afterwards brought forth. 35. And Moses saith further: Mahujael begat Methusael; this is now the right wonderful Name, wherein is signified how the Life doth arrogate divine power to itself; for METHUSAEL would intimate in the Language of nature thus much, that is to say; Mine is the divine Might; I am an Angel set therein by God, or I am the Ordinance of God, which indeed is true, but according to the first Principle by the outward nature, viz. a natural Power and Ordinance. 36. Moreover in this Name there is hidden under the Angel, the praise of the children who should be Subject to this Might, and live under the same as under the divine Ordinance; but this Angels Name in divine Power doth first form itself in the fleshly Selfehood; for the syllable ME- which beginneth the word of the Name doth first o Text, take or conceive. form itself in the outward world's birth; in the Minehood, and showeth that this Ordinance doth not arise out of the Kingdom of heaven in God's holiness, but out of the first Principle, which formeth itself in the third Principle, viz. in the outward world's nature in to such an Order, and therefore it shall and must be abolished, and proved through the Judgement of God. 37. And Moses goeth on to write and saith; Methusael begat LAMECH; now in this Name the hidden Mystery of the divine Ordinance by the Angelical counsel is contained; and it signifieth in the Language of nature in this place, as much as, a Sending of the Angel over the Dominion of the humanity; viz. over the Regions of the world, over the fleshly life, which should be Subject to the Supreme governing Prince in nature. 38. For here the Wound which Adam received is sought: in that two Superior Princes do reign over the humane life; viz. the ordained good Angel, and the incorporated Evil Angel in the flesh; also hereby is understood the powerful assault of the Evil Angel from without, and from within, for the inward Spirit in the name goeth forth out of the Covenant of God, and passeth into the outward world, which denoteth how man would become lewd and profane and also vilify the Covenant of God; and yet with the Assuming goeth again into Selfehood, and formeth itself in the forth-proceeding Angel's Name, which denoteth an hypocritical whoredom in an Angel's form; which entereth again into the external and at last casteth away the Covenant, together with the Angel's Name, quite from itself. 39 Further Moses writeth; Lamech took two wives the one was called Ada and the other Zilla. Gen 4. v. 19 Hereby is understood in the generation of the life's Tree, thus much; viz. that the humane life knew the wound which was arisen in its p Stem or body. Stock; and thence forward took two wives, that is, a twofold Essence and will; viz. ADA signifieth: how the Soul goeth with the will through the Mind, and formeth itself with the desire in the first stock of Adam, and would be feign honest again; but the life had also taken to itself ZILLA for wife of the pregnatresse; viz. fleshly joy and pleasure. 40. The wife or will Ada would exercise a good Dominion, and rule and maintain itself upon the Earth according to God's Command, and she bare Jabal: JABAL betokeneth the Simple plain man; such as Countrymen are &c. for Moses saith; Verse 20. that from him proceeded such as dwell in Tents and keep Cattle. Verse 21. 41. But the other brother saith Moses was named Jubal; who was the Father of all those that handle the Harp and Organ; for the other will proceeded from the spirit of the outward world into temporal pleasure and joy, and devised all kinds of joyful Sport and pastime for the recreation of its life; and this signifieth JUBAL: viz. an external Jocund Angel with whom the inward Spirit sported before itself in a likeness. 42. And Zilla, saith Moses, Verse 22. she also bare Tubal-Cain a master in all Brass and Iron-workes: that is, ZILLA is the fiery desire which formeth itself in the humane property into a Substance of Sulphur and Mercury, and brings itself forth with its Spirit out of the Substance into a contemplation and visible ken, in which understanding man hath found out the Arts of Metals. 43. For the Sister of Tubal-Cain was Naema; Here lieth the precious pearl, dear masters; NAEMA is heavenly in her property, clothed with the external vesture, so that you do not know her, for the earthly man is not worthy of it; for her Essence is virgineall, a virgin of purity; it pointeth in one part at the inward new man, viz. the Sister of the Sulphurean man; and on the other part it signifieth the Gross Metal of the Earth, and also the precious Metal, viz. Gold and Silver. 44. For Tuball-Cain is the brother of Naema, they lie in one womb; but Tubal-Cain is of this world; and Naema is a virgin hidden under her brother, and herein the twofold Earth is understood, viz. in a twofold property; one heavenly, and the other gross Earthly; viz. an Essence out of the dark world's property, and an Essence out of the lightfull world's property; and thus also it is to be understood in Man; for by the property of God's Anger, viz. by the dying of the earthly man Naema becomes manifest. 45. Wherefore doth Moses add the Name Naema and yet speaketh nothing either of any that she brought forth, or that she married? Answer; because that in the Regeneration the natural Generation ceaseth; the new virginity in the Spirit of Christ doth not produce any creature more, but they must all proceed out of the first Centre and stock, so that they may be all One Tree; and by the fire the Metal, viz. the virgin which is Tubal-Cains Sister, is made manifest. 46. The Name TUBALCAIN hath an excellent understanding in it, for it showeth how the Sulphureous Mercurial wheel doth open itself in the birth and generation of Metals and also in the Original of life; for God Subjected all things to man; and gave him all things for his delight and play; therefore Tubal Cain must open and discover himself in the humane Tree, that so they might understand it; Hereby we have signified enough to those that are our School-fellowes. 47. And Lamech said to his wifes Ada and Zilla: Verse 23.24. Hear my voice ye wives of Lamech, and mark what I say: I have slain a man to my wound, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and seven fold. This is a wonderful strange and marvellous saying; who would understand what the Spirit signifieth here, without its own peculiar exposition: I do seriously admonish the Mocker to leave our work here uncensured, for he understandeth not our Spirit and Sense. 48. Lamech saith that he slew a man to his wound, and a young man to his hurt. This man is Abel according to the outward humanity of the Kingdom of this world and the young man is the Image of Christ proceeding from the virginlike line out of the Seed of the woman in him: the Man he slew to his Rebuke, viz. to an un-curable wound, and the precious young man in the Man to an hurt, which would gall and trouble him as an Evil hurt bruise or Bile in the conscience of Sin: for the wrath of God wrought in this Bile, and the wound being a great and woeful hurt might not be healed; for the Curse of the Lord went forth out of this Bile into the wound, in which the Earth was cursed, so that the humane Dominion became a valley of misery. 49. For Lamech saw the sore wound, and returned; and thereupon took two wives, that is, a twofold will into his Mind for his Government, whereby he would rule upon the Earth, viz. one went forth from Ada into the Grazing and keeping of cattle and the hard labour of the hands for a temporal livelihood, wherein he found the Curse and wound; and the other went forth out of the branch of Zilla into the Earth after the Metals, to make useful Tools and Instruments for the Tillage and husbandry of the Ground, and for other necesaries; and so he found in the metals the rusty Bile and sore in their metalline nature; for the precious tincture or the fair blossom of the Earth was hidden in the Curse, viz. Environed and beset with an Evil Bile and sore. 50. Now Lamech knew the woeful Hurt, and said; harken ye wives of Lamech, and mark what I say; he would feign express the Hurt and damage,; he saw back again into the Tree of man, and considered the revenge of God, which had laid hold of man's life, and said, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, and Lamech seven and seventy fold; for God said also to Cain when he stood and cried; * Ver. 14.15. thou drivest me out this day from * Or from the Land and Country. the face of the Earth; and it will come to pass that whosover findeth me will slay me; [but the Lord said to him] whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold, and he set a mark on Cain, that none should kill him. 51. These are most wonderful and hidden sayings Cain shall be avenged Sevenfold and Lamech seventy and seven fold? wherefore shall Lamech be avenged Seventy and sevenfold, and Cain sevenfold? who hath done any thing to Lamech? Hear the Spirit pointeth out of the Centre of the humane life upon the time which was to come, intimateing, how it would afterward go with man, in this Wound, when as men should multiply and Increase, and make unto themselves Kings, and Princes, Dominions and Governments; that the wrath of God would also forcibly exercise itself in man's will, and even open and display itself in the humane Life and Dominion. 52. Now if a man would understand what Lamech saith concerning the Revenge; then he must look upon the Centre, for the life of all creatures consists in Seven Degrees or properties, as it is above clearly mentioned; now Adam was the Stock; for Adam and Eve are one Tree; from the parting and division of which, Evil and Good did arise; and Cain was the first twig which sprung forth from this tree, wherein the Seven properties of life did put themselves forth out of the right divine order and harmony in the life, and destroyed the Image of God; which was long of the Devil, who egged him on also in the divided properties to the brother-slaughter, so that he slew Abel; now God said: Cain shall be avenged sevenfold if any one slay him; and he set a mark on Cain that none should kill him. 53. The Devil had folded up himself in the wrath of God, and cunningly insinuated himself into the Seven properties of Life, being they were departed from their mutual Harmonious Accord, and he would be Lord in the place of the Spirit of God in the life of man, and would wholly murder and slay the life as to the Kingdom of God, therefore God set a mark with the Promise of the Covenant therein, so that none could slay it. 54. For Cain did not cry out only for fear of the outward life, but he feared that his right Eternal life might be slain, that his life should be wholly blotted out from the Face of God; for he cried also and said, Lo! thou drivest me out this day from off the Earth; and I must hid myself from thy face; and I must be a fugitive, and a vagabond in the Earth, and it will now come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me. He cried out for fear of being killed, and was sore afraid, and yet there was no man besides him upon the Earth, save only his Father Adam, and without doubt his sister whom he took to wife. 55. Cain feared the Spirits, who had moved him to slay his brother, that they would also kill him; for he saith, I must be hid from thy face: now this was not in any external manner, but in an internal, for God dwelleth not in the view of the outward eyes but in the inward Spiritual [vision]; therefore God said; whosoever killeth cain's internal life, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold; and he set the mark of the Covenant on his life so that no spirit in the wrath could murder it; for he was a twig out of the Tree of life. 56. Although the Seven properties of nature in him were departed from their mutual accord in each other; yet he was not the sole cause of it, for he had so received his life from Father and Mother in the divided property, and therefore the Grace passed as well upon him as upon Abel; except only that Abel proceeded out of the other line; but the Centre of the Soul was alike to them both; but the motion in the Seed was unlike; for they were the two types of the world; viz. Cain the type of the Selfehood in the wrath and Abel the type of the resignation of life; where, from the Resignation, another world springeth forth through Death out of the Centre. 57 Not that Cain was borne to destruction, but that evil awakened property in the dissimility, viz. the Soul of the outward world, broke forth forcibly in the Seed; and took the Centre of life into its Power, and therein God set a mark, viz. his Covenant, that the murderers should not slay the Souls life. 58. But if it should so come to pass, that the own peculiar will would give itself to the murderers, than the life of Cain should be avenged sevenfold, that is, through all the Seven properties: and the freewill which did slay the life of God which was in the Word (John 1.) should be rebuked and punished sevenfold through all the Seven forms of nature, both temporally, and eternally; and this is the meaning: whosoever killeth the life, [that is] what freewill soever murthereth its life, vengeance shall be taken on it Eternally in the Seven properties of the dark world. 59 And in this place we are further to consider aright of the great mysteries; for the Seven properties of the humane Tree producing and manifesting the life of the Wonders of God, had now Spread forth themselves even unto Lamech; the Dominion of the world was now wholly brought forth with Lamech in nature; for Lamech was the Seventh man in the Root of the Wonders arising from the first Stock: that is; Adam was the first; Abel belongeth not unto the Line of the Wonders, but unto the Regeneration: Cain was the Second in the Line of the Wonders: Hanoch the third: Irad the fourth, Mahujael the fift, Methusael the sixth, and Lamech the Seventh. 60. Now Lamech did spring forth from cain's Root out of this Line of the Wonders of God; and he was an honest upright man, but was a Taken or beset. environed with the Spirit of the Wonders, and he Looked back upon the Wound, and also upon the b Or Seal. Sign of Grace in the Covenant, and knew for certain that even now the Spirit of the Wonders should be fully brought forth, and manifested in the humane life; whereby all Arts of the world should be found out. 61. And he saw also forwards, how it would fall out in these Wonders of the world; how his children would introduce his life which they should receive from him by propagation into a Babylon of folly, and Corrupt the same; and hereby also he looked especially upon the word whence the humane life was Sprung; and how the life in the Spirit of the Wonders of the world would introduce itself into a seaven and seventy-fold word of Languages, and Nations, as came to pass at Babel; and how the freewill of Nature would go astray from the Only God, and be corrupt, and that it should be avenged seven-and-seventy-fold; that is; every tongue and speech should be Avenged in the Anger of God: and therefore, because they would Corrupt Lameches life which they received of him by propagation; and this the Wrath of God would Avenge in the freewill of his children; divided into several Speeches. 62 For the Spirit saw forwards how the freewill would give up and addict itself to Selfehood, and Apostatise from the Only God, and ●ow the Anger of God would Seize upon and confound the Natural Spirit of the Wonders in man: viz. the Soul of the outward world, from whence the Great Babylon of Contention about Gods being and will would arise; and this the Spirit said should be avenged seven-and-seventy-fold in Lamech. 63. For this was a Seven and Seventy-fold Racha [or Avengement] upon the Word of the understanding in the humane life; that out of one only tongue; out of one only Speaking Word and vital Spirit, a Seventy and sevenfold tongue (viz. a Confusion of the understanding) should be made; before, the understanding lay in one Sound [voice or Harmony] but now the Racha came into it, and Confounded and shattered it into Seventy and seven parts. 64. For the humane wheel of the Sound or understanding was turned round, and the Ten forms of fire, wherein time and Eternity doth consist, did open themselves in every form of nature; which was seven times ten, which makes Seventy; whereto also belongeth the Centre with its Seven unchangeable forms of the Eternal nature; which is together seventy and seven. 65. And herein (Dear brethren) lieth the * Mysterium Magnum. Grand Mystery; if ye were not clothed with the Garment of the Contentious Languages; then we would be bold to declare something more in this place unto you; but ye are yet all captivated in Babel; and are contenders about the k Or Meaning. Spirit of the Letter; and yet have no understanding of the same; ye will also be Doctors and learned Masters (forsooth) but yet ye understand not your own Mother-Tongue: ye by't and devour one another about the husk of the word, wherein the Living word doth form and amass itself, and ye neither desire nor understand the living word; ye speak only out of Seven and out of seventy and seven, and yet ye have the Word in one Number, wherein the c Or the understanding of all things. whole understanding is contained, ye have it moving upon your tongues, yet ye cannot comprehend it. 66. And the Reason is, that you will only speak out of Seven, and seventy and seven, viz. out of the wrath, which hath divided the tongues; and doth Avenge the Life of Lamech Seventy and Seven times in your Tongues and Speeches: but if ye would d Or enter into. go unto the Centre, and open your eyes, than you would see how the babilonical Whore leads you captive by her String, and how she hath set herself over the life of man with e One Copy hath it seven, seventy and seven. seventy and seven numbers; and hath wholly hidden our Sister Naema with the Numbers; that the Beast of the Numbers might Reign and rule in the wrath of God over the life of our Sister Naamah. 67. But we have heard a watchman say: Away; the Beast, with the whore, which stood upon the Earth in Naamahs' stead, is quite fallen, and given to the Press of the sevenfold f Vengeance Racha in the Seventy and seven etc. the Racha ariseth up in Lamech, and goeth through the seventy and seven; and this none can hinder. AMEN. 68 For Naamah shall be manifested to all Nations tongues and Speeches; and even then out of the Seventy and Seven there shall be but One word of understanding; for the life of man proceeded from ONE only word of God, and hath form and divided itself in Selfehood in the Spirit of the wonders of the world, into Seventy and Seven properties of the Only Word: Now cometh the time that the life's beginning shall again enter with the Spirit of the wonders and Speeches into the End, viz. into the Beginning, and therefore the child of the wonders which hath given itself forth g Or before. in the Sight of God, must be made manifest in the Unity. 69. And being that the freewill hath given itself into the vanity of the Speeches and the multiplicity of the Powers, and defiled and slain the life of the Only Word, the Racha proceedeth forth from the Murdering Spirit through Seventy and seven, until the Beast together with the Harlot be consumed, and devoured with the fire of God's Anger. 70. And then Tubel-Cain findeth his Sister Naema in Golden Attire, and Ada rejoiceth in her Son Jabal, who is an Herdsman: for Lamech hath again found his children which he left in the Racha: and the Pride of Self, and also the craft Deceit and Suttlety of the Serpent ceaseth: * Or, for. Then Every Beast shall eat its Own Pasture, the Time is near, HALLELU-JAH. CHAP. XXX. Of the Line of the Covenant. THe Line of the Covenant is not so to be understood as if the Covenant fell only upon this Line; no, the Covenant * Passeth upon, belongeth to, or is Entailed upon. befalleth the only Life, which was in the word before the times of the humanity: the Line of Seth passeth only upon the manifestation in the flesh, in which line, the Word in the Covenant, would externally manifest itself in the flesh: but the Spirit proceeding from the Centre in the Covenant, falls as well upon cain's line as upon Abel's, yet in cain's [line] in the Spirit, and in Seths in the external mouth [or manifestation] viz. in the formed and conceived Word, that is, in the office and ministry of Teaching and Preaching: for Seth was sprung forth according to the Spirit, out of the Covenant, where the Spirit moved itself in the incorporated Word in the Covenant; and Cain was comprehended under the Spirit of nature. 2. For by cain's line the Arts were brought forth to light, which were a Wonder of the Divine wisdom, Contemplation and formation viz. of the Form Word through and in nature; and in Seth the word was brought into a formal Life, viz. into a spiritual contemplation, wherein the word of God did behold itself with the wisdom in a spiritual * Form, or Figure. Image; and in cain's line it beheld itself in a natural form Word; and both Serve to set forth the wonderful deeds of God. 3. Not as Babel judgeth, that God out of his purpose and determinate counsel hath thus predestinated and chosen one Part of men in his Anger to condemnation, and the other Part to life: they that so judge are yet under the Number Seventy and Seven in the multiplication of the word; for the Promise was Given to Adam before Cain was conceived: the Covenant touching Grace rested in Adam and Eve; but the Spirit of Sanctification, and Regeneration by Christ, passed only upon the Seed of the Woman, viz. upon the Seed of the Kingdom of Heaven which was shut up: that is, upon the lights Tincture, upon the Matrix of Venus, wherein Adam when he was Man and Woman should have propagated himself in Peculiar Desire and Love, which, seeing it could not be [by reason of Adam's strong Earthly Imagination] was taken from Adam, and made into a woman. 4. But when the woman became earthly, the heavenly Part of this Matrix [which was to the producement] of the heavenly birth, was shut up in death, into which Matrix the word of God did again incorporate itself with the Covenant, to open and manifest himself in this Matrix with a living and heavenly Seed, and to destroy the Power of death. 5. For the word would not open itself in the form word of nature, viz in cain's Generation, but in the disappeared heavenly Ens; and by the same revived and requickned heavenly Ens, that is, by the Woman's Seed of the heavenly Part, bruise the Serpent's Head, viz. the Devils introduced desire in the wrath of nature; that is, overcome the wrath [and curse of God] in the Generation of Cain and Seth. 6. The word in the Covenant did open itself in Seth and Abel, it being as a Voice of the Teacher, and cain's Generation should in its life receive this Voice, and impress it into its Life, so that it might produce the New Regeneration; but that many of them have continued in death, and contemned this Voice, is long of the freewill which suffered itself to be held by the Devil in the Anger of God, and still to this Day doth suffer itself to be held, in that the Cainicall will doth Love nature, and Self, too much. 7. For if the freewill of the Soul will apprehend the Word in the Covenant, than it must Die to its natural Selfehood, and selfefull Will, and be wholly Resigned to the Own will in the Covenant, that it may with its Desire follow the Word and Spirit in the Covenant, as the same doth lead guide and move it. 8. And This Cain is very loath and unwilling to do; he will be a Selfish Lord, and with the desire doth figure and shape a monster, and an Evil Beast in his freewill, which doth not resemble the first Image of the form Life in the word of God: now against this Beast the words of Christ are directed, when he saith; Unless ye be converted and become as children (that is, unless you do departed from, and utterly disclaim the will of the Selfe-Generated Beast, and enter again into the form of the first Life) ye cannot else see the Kingdom of God: also, ye must be borne again of the water of the Heavenly world's essence, and of the same holy Spirit proceeding from the Covenant, otherwise ye cannot see and behold God. 9 This Evil Beast of the Godless form, Note. is predestinated to condemnation; but the Covenant is in the Life; if the free will Resigneth itself up to the Covenant, than Christ ariseth in his humanity, out of the Covenant, in the Life; and even then the strange Beast dyeth in Christ's death, and the will formeth itself again into the first Image according as God created it, and this is not annexed only unto Seth, but unto Adam's life, viz. unto the Only life of man which was in the Word of God, and passeth from one upon all, as all branches in one tree do receive sap from the Only root of the stock. 10. But the properties of nature, viz. of the natural life, have brought themselves out of Adam's stock into sundry boughs, and branches, whence the multiplicity of Nations, Tongues, and Speeches, is arisen, but the Life is only One, and the Covenant in the life sprang forth from the root of life, viz. from the Word of God, out of which the Life came upon all, even as the Sin, viz. the fall and apostasy passed upon all, none excepted; for the Children of Seth were concluded under Sin as well as cain's; but the Covenant * Or, the open and outward manifestation of the Covenant. with its manifestation passed upon SETH; for his name signifieth in the Language of nature, a forth-breathing Spring out of the Life through the first Centre of the Soul, wherein the word of God would open itself through the Life. 11. And Moses saith; Seth begat Enos, Gen. 4.26. and then began men to preach of the Name of the Lord: for the Name ENOS signifieth in the Language of Nature, a Divine Lubet through the life, wherein the Form Word would behold itself in the Sound and Voice of the Life; therefore the Spirit of God began to Teach out of the Covenant through the Life of man, concerning God▪ and his Being, and Will: this was the beginning of the Divine Contemplation through the form Wisdom in the word, where the word did behold itself through the wisdom of the form Humane Voice. 12. And as the Life did form itself by cain's line through the wonders of the form wisdom in Nature with all manner of Arts, and works, and also Dominions, Governments, and Orders, and introduced them all for the Setting forth of God's wondrous Deeds and Acts, viz. to a Contemplation of Evil and good, light and darkness; so likewise the Spirit of God did bring forth out of the Line of the Covenant in the manifested Word, the wonders of Divine Holiness, Truth, Righteousness, Love, and Patience; and by the Preaching of the form word did declare what the holy and Spiritual Kingdom of God is. 13. In Cain the Kingdom of nature was represented, and in Abel and Seth, the Supernatural Divine Kingdom: both these arose together and went all along one in another to the Remonstrance or Contemplation of the Divine Lubet in the form wisdom; and Each put itself forth in an especial manner into its visible Ken as a wonder. 14. For from Adam even unto Lamech in the line of the wonders there are Seven Generations, and in the other line, viz. in the line of the Covenant from Adam unto Enoch, are also Seven Generations, Enoch is the Eighth, viz. a beginning of the prophetical Spirit; for in the first Seven Generations, the form of the Spiritual Kingdom proceeding from the Life's Tree, was set forth. 15. Adam was the stock, for his life taketh its original out of the word, but being the Life of nature in him did predominate over the life in the form Word, and would have the Supreme dominion, and obscured the life proceeding from the word; the word itself freely gave itself with a Covenant to be a Life therein; and set forth its figure in Abel how the natural life should and must be broken; and the word of the Divine power should again spring forth afresh out of the first Life. 16. Thus Abel was the Figure of the Second Adam, Christ, and therefore he must be slain for the Covenants sake; for Christ should kill the exalted haughty natural will, and being forth a new one; and therefore Abel also should not beget any natural child; else it had been strange to nature; for they should all proceed forth out of one stock, and the word would spring forth anew through the Only Tree in the Covenant; that so the Children of Grace might be brought forth out of the Tree of nature, as the dew out of the * Or, Morning daybreak. 17. For thus also the figure of the new birth was represented out of the Stem; namely, the line went forth out of Adam, he was the first, Abel the second, Seth the third, Enos the fourth, where men began to teach of the Spiritual Kingdom: * Or, Cainan. KENAN the fift, which signifieth in the language of nature a forth-going * Re-apprehend. reconceived Lubet or desire of the divine Contemplation, in which the word Taught did form itself, viz. in Prayer and in the wills desire and also in their Offerings. 18. MAHALALEEL was the sixth, and signifieth in the language of nature an Angelical form of an Angelical Kingdom, where the spirit did typify and portray the Kingdom of Christ in this Name. 19 JARED was the Seventh; by this Name is understood in the language of nature, a Priest or Prince of the Spiritual Kingdom: for as Irad should be the Regent or Ruler in the Kingdom of nature, so Jared should be the Regent in the Spiritual Kingdom; for out of Jared came the office of Moses; and out of Irad proceeded the Kingdom of worldly principalities, and framed Governments and Dominions. 20. But the language of nature showeth very clearly, that Jared is only a type of a spiritual Kingdom; for the Name carrieth forth the Cherub along with it through the word; for the spiritual Kingdom upon the earth was all along captivated in the wrath of God, until Christ who destroyed the Anger. 21. The Office of this Jared is twofold, viz. externally it is the figure of the Spiritual Kingdom, bound with the wrath of God; and internally it is the true holy Kingdom which the Penitent man receiveth or taketh possession of: Outwardly it is Moses; and inwardly Christ. 22. From this outward Kingdom the great mother of the babylonical whoredom is Arisen in the Kingdom of Moses among the Pharisees; and in the Kingdom of Christ among the * Text, The Letter crie●, or Literalists. verbal and titular Christians; who do all Only boast, and gloriously set up themselves in the figure, as an Idol; and appear as if they were the holy spiritual Kingdom; but the Cherub carrieth forth the Sound through their word, as a consonant of the wrathful Anger of God. 23. And therefore they must contend about the Kingdom of God's will; for they have not the Spirit of the inward Spiritual heavenly Kingdom; but only the voice out of the figure, where Evil and good are in contest; they have, and use the letter, but as an Empty unprofitable instrument, as a figure of the spiritual Form; for thus also the Spirit did represent it by the name Jared, as a mixed Kingdom upon the earth, whereby the inward spiritual newborn children should be exercised and proved. 24. And by this form it did signify and foretell how that the greatest part in this Spiritual Office would be taken in the Sword of the Cherub, and that their Office would be cut off by the Cherub from God's holiness, and given to the Spiritual Eternal Kingdom of the Anger. 25. For as Lamech in cain's line took two wives, viz. two wills, and confirmed his Kingdom therein, and at last brought forth [or pronounced] the Seventy and sevenfold Racha proceeding from the Centre of nature (even from the seven properties) upon the Murder of the freewill, which would murder and slay his life, in many: even so likewise Jared carrieth two wills in his Nature's Name: viz. One into God's Love and mercy in the Covenant, and the other into the Figure, in which the Anger of God ariseth up and carrieth the abominable Idol (the Belly-God) along with it; which is here deciphered and painted forth to the Life. 26. And Moses saith further, Jared begat Enoch. Here the great and wonderful gate doth open: for out of Jared, viz. out of the Kingdom of the wonders, the Prophet must arise: for the Prophet is the mouth of the Kingdom: he showeth what the Kingdom is, and how it is taken and apprehended in the Evil and good, and what the issue, and end of all things shall be; also he declareth and pointeth out the * Or the middle, viz. what hath been done and acted by the Turba in the wonder of Time. Means, how the Turba hath apprehended the life; and denounceth severe and earnest Threaten concerning God's anger; how the sword of the Cherub will cut off the false [man or Prophet.] 27. HENOCH signifieth in its own Speech as much as a forth-breathed breath of the divine * Or Lubet. good pleasure, which hath in the time thus beheld itself with the out-breathing in a form; which power of the forth-breathing, doth again draw the form breath into itself, and doth only give forth its Sound, as a voice of the Divine will: and First it doth point at a Twigg, springing from the line of the Covenant; viz. out of the internal Priestly office, out of the holy divine Lubet of the wisdom of God, out of Jehovah; the Spirit would comprehend the deepest Love in Jehovah in one Name and Word, which is called Jesus; but in the mean time it did thereby play in the Time of the Figure, in the holy wisdom, in the Line of the Covenant, as with an internal hidden holy Kingdom, which he would manifest in the fullness of time. 28. Secondly, it signifieth the power of the form word; viz. the Person, or the Body out of the Lincus of the Earth; [viz.] of the heavenly part of the Earth; intimating that this body should be taken into the holy word; and translated from this earthliness; as the light doth withdraw and swallow up the darkness, even so likewise the good part of the true humanity in Adam's first Image * Text, should or is to be. shall be translated [extracted, or drawn forth] by the word out of the earthliness, and arise out of the earth, which enoch's Translation from this world doth point out and signify. 29. Thirdly it signifieth and pointeth at the Prophet, viz. the Voice of the Divine Lubet, Note. which did declare and set forth the Kingdom of Christ, and also the Kingdom of the wonders in their future transactions and junctures of Time; for the prophetical voice did manifest itself again out of the translation, and did foretell and signify out of the Essence of the spirit, viz. out of the most spiritual Kingdom, that is, out of the Humane Angelical Kingdom, through the Souls spirit: and then also from the whole Body of the Kingdom: viz. from the nature of the wonders, from the Lincus of the earth, and of the Stars [I say it did set forth both from the spiritual and corporal Kingdom] how the outward Kingdom of man should afterwards arise in this worlds-being, and what should happen and come to pass therein. This the inward holy omniscient spirit doth signify * Or by. through the outward, viz. through the wonders of the pregnatresse [or mother] of the outward beings, viz. through the Spirit of the outward world: for the inward spirit did view itself through the form wisdom of God, and did contemplate and behold itself in the form spirit of the wonders: this the Name Enoch signifieth unto us. 30. Now the Spirit in Moses doth further demonstrate and saith: Enoch was 65. years old, and he begat Methusalah, and after that he begat him he continued in a divine life three hundred years and begat Sons and daughters: Gen. 5.21, etc. so that the whole Age of Enoch was three hundred sixty and nine years: and being he lead a divine life God took him away and he was no more seen. Here the veil hangeth right before the face of Moses, by reason of the unworthiness of man: and the Spirit signifieth very clearly in Moses, if we had but the eyes of our understanding open, when these Mysteries should be manifested [or fulfilled.] 31. But seeing the most High hath freely granted us by his Counsel to understand this, we will, so far as we * As we ought. dare, somewhat unfold these Mysteries to our school-fellowes, and show the precious Pearl unto the children, and yet with all, suffer a Bolt to lie before our description, that the false heart shall not enter into it, but we shall be sufficiently and fundamentally intelligeable unto those that are Ours. 32. Moses pointeth in each degree in the Lines, only upon one person, which he also setteth into the Line through which the Spirit of wonders goeth; afterwards saith Moses, and he yet lived such * Or so long. a time and begat Sons and daughters; of which he saith nothing any further: thereby he would intimate and signify unto us, the Spirit of the manifestation of the wonders of God in each line, their Age, which the Spirit setteth down, denoteth the * Note. Times how long each Dominion and government, both the worldly and Spiritual [or Ecclesiastical Kingdom] should stand in its form and Structure: that is to say, how long each * Beginning growing arising. prevailing Monarchy of the Secular and worldly power and domination should continue, and so likewise of the Spiritual Monarchy. 33. And these * Or Monarches. Monarchies of the wonders are forthwith represented out of the first twigs, springing from the beginning of the humane tree: that is: they are set forth in each line in Seven numbers; from Adam through Cain even unto Lamech; and in the other line from Adam unto Jared: by which Numbers and Names the Spirit pointeth in each line especially at Seven of the forth-proceeding properties of the Tree, and powers of the wonders: intimating how the powers of the wonders should afterwards bring themselves into Goverments, and how one figure should arise out of the other, and how one should destroy and break down the other, and set forth out of the destruction another form as it hath been brought to pass in the * Ecclesiastical and Temporal. Spiritual and worldly Goverments: for always the worldly Government is to be understood with the Spiritual: for the outward form Word in the dominion and Regiment of nature doth evermore set forth its form by with and in the Spiritual [or Ecclesiastical] form [or manner of Discipline,] therefore observe and mark here with precise Exactness. 34. There are Seven Times appointed to proceed from the Tree of life in the word of power; the first proceedeth from the pure life of Adam; for before the creature, the life was in the word, whence it was brought pure into the Image; this continued until the fall: from this pure life there springs forth a twig in the inward [Kingdom] this same was Abel, but being the fall hung on him externally, this same pure life was carried through Death into the holy world: this signifieth and pointeth at the Kingdom of Christ, who should bring us through Death into the pure Life. 35. The Second time gins with Seth, for Moses saith: that Adam was an hundred and thirty years old, and begat a Son in his own likeness, and called him Seth: understand, he was such an Image as Adam w●s after the fall: and was set in the Spiritual Line of the Wonders, and Cain also with him in a worldly natural line of the wonders, for both * Secular, and Ecclesiastical. Kingdoms go together: Seths' time continueth till the Deluge, and beareth the Supremacy even to the Deluge or Noah's flood. 36. The Third time gins with Enos under Seths' time, and carrieth forth itself all along as a Spiritual Ministry, or Knowledge of God, under Seths' time as an hidden Kingdom, and continued till Abraham to whom the Covenant of Christ was established in the flesh. 37. The Fourth time gins with Cainan which is the Spiritual form in prayers and Spiritual offerings, wherein the word form itself in the wisdom, and carried itself forth all along, under Seths, and Enos his time, and manifested itself with Moses; like as Enos his time was first truly manifested with Abraham with the promise in the Covenant; this time of Cainan continued in its manifestation and dominion under Moses till Christ in the flesh. 38. The fift time gins with Mahalaleel; and 'tis the Reception or formation of the Angelical form, viz. of the new Regeneration out of the Covenant; and goeth Secretly all along under the Ministry of Enos, under Seth and Cainan, in the word of the promise, through all the Three times, and did manifest itself with the fulfilling of the Covenant in the humanity of Christ, where the true Mahalaleel and Angelical Image, which did disappear in Adam, was again manifest in the humanity of Christ. 39 The sixth time gins with Jared; which is the spiritual Priesthood under the external, where outwardly Seth Enos Cainan Mahalaleel were in their Times in their Orders [or outward forms,] as the ministry and preaching of Enos concerning God and his being and will; so likewise the preaching of Abraham concerning the Covenant and Circumcision; Also Moses with the Book of the Law: under all these the inward Priest Jared went along hiddenly. Inwardly this Spiritual Priesthood is Christ in the new man; and outwardly in the selfe-elected Priests it is Babel. 40. This sixth time began in the Kingdom of Christ after the Death of the Apostles, when as men chose themselves Teachers out of favour, and outward respects; that is, it did even then first open itself out of the * Or veil. hiddenness of the shadow, and put itself forth in the Churches of Stone, where the Church stood in stead of the holy Temple of Christ: then indeed the holy Jared, viz. Christ's voice, ruled in Christ's children internally; but externally the Cherub with the Sword did only bear rule; for the outward authority which these selfe-elected Priests do manage is the Sword of the Cherub: which is signified in the Name Jared: * That is, in the word JARED the Language of Nature doth emphatically express, that the Sword of the Cherub should Domineer the whole Time of the sixth Seal among the Priests, who should have taught the Love of Jesus: but by this Sword they fall. AMEN. which powerfully forceth itself forth all along in the word, in the language of Nature. 41. This sixth time is hidden and manifest; it is known, and also not known: for Christ said, my Kingdom is not of this world. So that this time hath been feign to pass away as it were in a Mystery under Antichrist, where inwardly in the children of God, Christ's Kingdom hath been manifest, but in the Rest (who have also lived under this time, and have been called Christians) Babel and the Antichrist hath only been manifest, both in the Priests, and their Hearers: for they which have been borne of God, have heard the true Jared, viz. Christ's voice in them: but the other have heard only the Outward voice in Babel, viz. disputation and Contention about Christ's Kingdom. 42. For all war which the Christians manage, is only the Sword of the Cherub proceeding from Babel: true Christians wage no war; for they have broken the Sword of the Cherub in the death of Christ, and are dead with Christ, and risen again in him, and they live no longer to the external Might and Dominion; for their Kingdom is manifest in Christ, and is not of this world. 43. This sixth * Or sixth Seal. Kingdom, beginneth after the death of the Apostles, and continueth with its outward Government even to Mount Zion till translated Enoch doth again appear in Spirit, and power, for Enoch is the prophetical Root, and holdeth in his * Or Regiment. Dominion Noah, Moses, and the Sword of Elias, at the End of this sixth time the Outward Jared falleth, and with him that same Outward Building, viz. the City Babel. This Figure was thus delineated in the Author's Manuscript, and so received, by Abr: von Somervelt. 45. The Seventh Time gins with * Read the 35. quest. of the 40 Quest. of the Soul. Enoch, viz. with the Prophetical Mouth, who declareth the Secret wonders of God under all the Six times; laying open what should Be [and have been] done, and brings itself all along quite from under the veil of Noah, Abraham, and Moses, even into the Kingdom of Christ, where this same prophetical Spirit * Or, hath been. is translated in Christ's Spirit, till the end of the sixth time; then he manifests himself in the Number of the Triple Crosse. When the Triple Cross doth manifest itself, then stands the Right Triple Crown upon the Cross: and even then the Enochian Prophet's mouth doth express and speak forth the Great wonders of the Triple Cross, that is, he speaketh no more Magically [viz. in Types and Parables] but showeth the holy Trinity in the figure, viz. the Form word of God in all visible things, and revealeth all Mysteries, within and without. 46. And Even then is the time, when Enoch and the children under his voice, do lead a Divine Life, of which the first life of Enoch was a Type, and then there is a blessed and Golden year, till enoch's last translation comes, and then the Turba is born (which, when it shall enkindle its fire) the Floar shall be purged, for it is the end of all time. 47. Enoch begat Methusalah, who was the man of the longest Age, and was translated three hundred years after: This intimateth and declareth, that the Spirit which in Enoch did bring forth a twig, viz. Methusalah, who attained the highest Age, shall rule in the Last, and highest Age [of the world] and in the mean while hid itself before that time, and remain as it were Translated, as Enoch was translated, and was no more Seen. 48. His translation was not a dying, or a putting off of nature and creature, but he went into the Mystery, betwixt the spiritual and outward world, viz. into Paradise, and is the Prophetical Root, out of the Stem of Adam, in the line of the Covenant, out of which Spirit afterwards the prophetical mouth spoke. 49. This spirit was translated in Christ's Living voice, when it spoke in the flesh, and must be silent, till the voice of Jared i● finished, than he proceedeth forth again from his first root, through All voices, viz. through the voice of Noah, who denounceth the deluge of Anger to come upon Babel, and through the Stock of Noah, and the whole forth-spreading propagation of his Tree through all the Lines, viz through the * Through Hams, Japhets, and Sems-line. Heathenish, Japheticall, and Sem●● line, and through Abraham's, and Nimrods' children in Babel, through Moses, and the Prophets, and lastly, through the voice of the manifested Word in the spirit of Christ, and revealeth the whole Mystery of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 50. For through his voice all the forementioned voices of the wonderful Lines (whence the Kingdoms of this world have had their rise) shall be changed into One voice and knowledge, and transplanted into one Kingdom, viz. into the first Tree of Adam, which is no longer called Adam, but Christ in Adam: All Nations, tongues, and speeches, hear this Voice: for it is the first word, whence the life of mankind proceeded, for all wonders do join again together in the word into one Body, and that body is the form divine word, which at first with Adam did introduce itself into One Only Stem; and through him into a Tree of manifold boughs, branches, and fruits, to the contemplation of the Divine wisdom, in the wonders of the powers, colours, and virtues, according to Evil and good. 51. This High Tree doth disclose, and clearly open itself, what it hath been in time, and what it shall be Eternally, and in its * Disclosure, or Opening· manifestation, Moses puts away his Veil, and Christ his Parables in his Doctrine, and then the prophetical mouth of this Tree of wonders, doth express in Divine Power, all the voices of the Powers of the Tree, whereby Babel taketh her End, and this is a wonder: and in this same wonder all Numbers and Names are made manifest, and this no man can hinder. 52. For that which is Lost in the Spirits of the letters shall be again found, and the * Spirit of the letter shall be found again in the form word of the Creation, and in the Creation shall be found and known the Being of all Being's, and in the Being of all Being's the Eternal understanding of the holy Trinity: Even than the contentions about the knowledge of God, his Being, and will, do cease: when the branches shall know that they Stand in the Tree, they will never say that they are peculiar and Singular Trees, but they will rejoice in their Stem, and they will see that they are altogether boughs and branches of one tree, and that they do all receive power and life from one Only Stem. 53. And Here Moses shall keep sheep, and Every sheep eateth his own pasture; therefore observe, it when this approacheth near to be fulfilled, than Noah denounceth the Deluge, and Elias brings the flaming Sword upon the false Israel, and the Turba in the fire of the wrath devours the wild Tree with its fruits, and branches; let this be told thee Babel. 54. For as concerning enoch's Divine time, our Speech is taken from us, seeing Babel is not worthy of it, and also shall not see it, and likewise we must be Silent concerning the discovery of the Times of the Ancient, whose Number shall stand open in the Rose of the Lilly. CHAP. XXXI. Of Enoch's Wonderful Line. MOses writeth: Enoch begat METHUSALAH, Gen. v. 21. this Name signifieth in the language of Nature, as much as a * Or, Out-going. forth-proceeding Voice, which intimateth, and denoteth the Spirit of Enoch; which voice doth * Frame, or comprehend. form itself into a Body, viz. into Nature, and goeth forth in strong Might through the word; and when the conceived or form word is proceeded forth, it doth then contemplate itself; for the Syllable (- SA-) is a fiery glimpse of Light; and the Syllable (- LAH.) is the forth-proceeded Word, which beholdeth the property, of what kind of Ens it is, wherein the word hath form (or comprehended) itself: the Divine Sound beholdeth itself in the humane Ens, and Word, contemplating how the freewill proceeding from the humane Ens, hath introduced the Divine voice or Breath, into a form of the Spirit. 2. Now saith Moses; And Methusalah begat Lamech, the Spirit did now put itself forth by Methusalah, even out of the Ens into another twig; and called it Lamech; viz. a Contemplation, and beholding of the Great affliction and wound, that the humane Ens was Corrupted; for like as Lamech in cain's line did Express the Wound of Corruption [and misery that was broke in upon Mankind] and spoke of a Seventy-and-seven-fold Racha upon the freewill which did Corrupt the life; Even so here the Divine Spirit said, the humane Ens is Lamech; that is, the wound is too Great, it prevaileth; although the strong, and mighty breath of God in Methusalah, proceeded forth out of the Prophetical Voice, yet the Ens in propagation did form itself in the Corrupted nature in Lamech; that is, in Two wills, as Moses saith, the first Lamech in cain's line took two wives, viz. Adah, and Zillah; Even so here likewise it would not be otherwise. Vers. 28. 3. Now Moses saith; And Lamech begat Noah: with this Name the spirit goeth forth out of the wound of Lamech into the End of Time, and bringeth the End into the beginning; for NOAH▪ Signifieth in the Language of Nature, End and Beginning; now the Spirit findeth in the End, the holy word, which had espoused and incorporated itself in the Covenant, Vers. 29. and saith, This same shall comfort us in our labour and toil upon the Earth which the Lord hath Cursed. 4. For the Comfort of man must come out of the beginning and End; for in the Beginning is, and was, the word of God, which is the beginning of all things; and in the End is also the Word of God, which is the comfort of all things; that the creature shall be delivered from the vanity; whereunto the Spirit looked, and said; this Same (where he meant the word which would manifest itself in the humanity) shall comfort us in our labour upon the earth which the Lord hath cursed; for Noah could not comfort men, for he Preached to them the Rebuke, Punishment, and Perdition; but he that was in the Beginning and End, he comforted mankind in their Labour and toil upon the Earth, which they had in the Curse and Anger of God. 5. In this Name Noah the Spirit in Lamech looketh forwards into the End, and backwards into the Beginning; and conceives itself in the Beginning and End into a form, and calls the same Noah, that is, an Ark of the wonders which were in the Beginning and End, and in the whole Time; and displayeth or putteth forth this same spirit of the whole form through Noah into Three Branches, which went forth out of the Tree of wonders, viz. out of the prophetical Ens of Enoch in the humane property; and thereof Moses saith, And Noah begat Sem, Ham, and Japhet; these were the Three twiggs of the Second Monarchy, under which, most excellent Mysteries are given us to be understood. 6. SEM signifieth an out-breathing Divine Lubet [or desire] out of the Line of the Covenant, out of the Life of man, and a Comprehension of the Lubet, viz. a type of that, which Secretly passed forth afterwards, under the Lubet: it pointeth at the humanity of Christ in the flesh, the Type of which, was Sem, viz. a representation [or express form] in the same Lubet, in which Lubet also the Covenant was made with Abraham, concerning the Seed of the woman, wherein the Blessing should appear. 7. The other branch or Twigg the Spirit called HAM, which signifieth a Strong breathing out of the Centre of Nature, and a gross amasment or compaction into a flesh: which denoteth, the earthly, natural fleshly man, which holdeth Sem captive in itself; [understand by Sem] the inward man, which shall * Note. Concerning the Resurrection. arise from death out of the Earth: understand the man proceeded from the Lincus of the good part of the earth, which was in Sem * Or taken into the Divine Lubet. formed according to the Divine Lubet. 8. We do not hereby understand the Totally spiritual man, which is only as a spirit, But that [man] which is from the Lincus of the good part of the earth, which lieth captive in Ham, that is, in the gross bestial flesh, and is as dead, without the Divine Lubet, which the spiritual Christus, viz the totally spiritual man shall put on at the End of the days in Noah [that is, out of the Beginning and End:] This inward hidden man, his gross earthly brother Ham, viz. the gross earthly flesh, (which is nothing worth, John 6.) doth devour, and swallow up. 9 And from the Lubet of Sem springeth forth the third branch out of the Centre of Nature, where the Divine Lubet doth behold itself through nature; and this the Spirit called JAPHET, which is in the language of nature an Appendix of Sem, a birth out of cain's Line of Wonders, where the Divine Lubet doth bring itself through nature into a form of the wonders of the Divine wisdom: with Sem it introduceth itself into a contemplation of the spiritual wonders in the holiness of God, and in Japhet into a Natural Wonder, viz. into the Septenary of the Eternal, and Temporal Nature, understand, into a form of the Seven fold * Orb, or Sphere. wheel, or life's forms, in which † Or, life's wheel, vital sphere the Spirit of God appeareth as a glorious Glee, or Gleam of the Wonders. 10. Sem is a type of the light-world, and Japhet is a type of the fire-world, where the light doth through-shine: Japhet a Type [or Image] of the Father: and Sem a type of the Son: but Ham is an Image and type of the outward world. 11. For the type and figure of the Three Principles stood in the Three brethren, and clearly pointeth out the Second Monarchy, even to the End of the World; and withal shows, what kind of men would thenceforward possess the world, viz a spiritual world, and a natural world of wonders, and a bestial world of folly; these are the Three Sorts of Men, viz. out of the stock and family of Sem came Israel, and out of Japhets the Gentiles, who Governed themselves in the light of Nature, but Sem's (Generation were disciplined) in the Covenant and Word of God; But Ham [both in Sem and Japhet] he ruled himself in the bestial brutish property, against whom the Curse of God was pronounced through the Spirit in his Father Noah: for Christ said, that flesh, and blood, shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. 12. And Moses speaketh now further thus: Gen. vi. 1. etc. But when men began to multiply upon the earth, and daughters were born unto them; that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and took unto them wives as they pleased; Then said the Lord, Men will not suffer my Spirit any more to reprove them, for they are flesh; yet I will make their * I will yet give them 120 year's respite. Days an hundred and twenty years. Here Moses hath again the veil before his Eyes; for he saith that the children of God looked upon the beauty of the Daughters of men, and took unto them wives according as they listed, and would not suffer the Spirit of God to reprove and admonish them. 13. The meaning of it is this; the children of God, in whom the Spirit of God did manifest itself, looked in the lust of the flesh, after fleshly Women, although they were of the Generation and lineage of Ham, without God's Spirit, yet if they were but fair and beautiful for their lust of the flesh, they introduced the Seed of the holy Ens into such bestial vessels, and afterward brought forth such * Giants. Tyrants, and fleshly minded men, who would not suffer the Spirit of God to rebuke them for they were only flesh without divine Spirit and will. 14. They should not have mixed themselves with the bestial Daughters, but look after those in whom the Spirit of God was, even those who feared and loved God; but they looked only at the lust of their eyes, and flesh, and corrupted the holy Ens in the Covenant, in which God had * Incorporated. espoused and betrothed himself: against these the Spirit here complaineth, that they would not be instructed and reform, but follow the lust of the flesh. 15. We see this very emphatically set forth unto us in Sem, Ham, and Japhet: that it is so, that the Spirit would not that the children of God should mix themselves with the very carnal or bestial People; for after the Deluge the Spirit divideth the three brethren into three Families, and would that each family, should remain apart by itself. 16. For therefore came the Deluge upon the Earth and destroyed these mixed people, and afterwards made a Separation amongst them according to the Nature of the Three Principles; that each property might possess its Choir, and line, in the Nature of the Wonders; but yet it would not do; so that at last, the Spirit divides them with the Confusion of the Languages at Babel, that so they might come into a Several division; for the properties of the Tree did there divide and spread forth themselves into Seventy and seven; viz. into the Wonder of the Nature of the form Word. Vers. 5, 6. 17. Now saith Moses, And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the Earth, and that all their Thoughts and Imaginations in their Hearts, were only Evil continually; than it repent God that he had made man on the Earth, and it grieved him at his very heart, and said; I will destroy man which I have created from off the face of the Earth, both man and Beast and creeping thing, and all the fowls of the air; for i● repenteth me that I have made them; these are marvellous and wonderful say; that the Spirit saith it repent God that he had made man, and the creatures: who would understand this without divine knowledge; that any thing should grieve the unchangeable God: Reason would be ready to say; hath he not known aforehand what would be? how can his will, which is himself, grieve and repent? 18. Here we must go into the Centre. In God there is no grieving or Repentance; Nothing can grieve or trouble him: but there is a grieving in his expressed formed Word; for it repenteth the form word in the Devils, that the Ens of Light is turned into an Ens of Darkness; it grieveth the Devil, that he did not continue an Angel; also it repenteth the wicked man eternally that he stood not in the divine Ens in the form word, and hath turned the power of the word into malice and iniquity; also there is a grieving in the form word in Nature over all kinds of creatures that the property of the wrath in the Curse of the Anger doth rule and domineer in the form expressed Word: it grieveth the Love-Ens of the word, that the Devil and wrath domineereth in it, and corrupteth, and destroyeth many. 19 Now when God saith, it repenteth him: It is to be understood according to the creation of the form word, not according to the Eternal- Speaking word which is unchangeable, but according to the Good property in the creation, that it must be laden with Evil against its will: for the Spirit saith in Moses: and it grieved him in his heart: yea! it did truly grieve or trouble him in his HEART, the good Ens of the Earth which went also along with it into a compaction, which is from the spiritual world's property from the holy word, the same was in the Sin [or fall of man], captivated in Death, and shut up in the Curse in the Earth: now the form word grieved at it, and troubled or affected the Eternal Speaking word, viz. God's Heart. 20. For our Soul cryeth unto God's heart, viz. unto the Eternal Speaking Word, and moveth troubleth or affecteth the same, that it should move itself in us according to its Love. Now the humane word worketh in the divine; and stirreth the divine; so that the divine [word] entereth into our Sorrow for Sin, and helpeth us to repent of our Sins: for the Spirit in Moses said; when Lamech had begotten Noah; this same shall comfort us in our Labour. 21. This was now the Spirit of the beginning and End of all things; it repent through nature, of the iniquity of man, and grieved at the captivity of the vanity of the creatures; and wrought Repentance into the holy Eternal Speaking word; the Spirit in the form word of the whole creation of this world, said: It grieveth me: that I have brought me into such an Evil property in the creatures: And wrought Repentance into the living Eternal Speaking word, from whence the out-breathed form word was flown forth and proceeded. 22. For, That this is so; Note. let us take an example on our repentance; we cannot work any Repentance, unless our inward humane Soul doth repent that it hath made form or brought forth the Beast of vanity in itself; but if it will repent, than its form Word must enter, or make its earnest approach into the Heart of God, and press the same with an uncessant importunity, and move in it; and now when this comes to pass then presently the deluge cometh upon the evil man of the vain will, which must forthwith be drowned in its Sorrow in the word of Death, Here then God repenteth in man; that the Evil beast full of Sinful desire, is born, and in this same divine Sorrow it must be drowned in God's Love, and die unto the wrathful evil life and will. 23. Now understand God's Sorrow or repentance, in the Creature of the Creatures, aright: The Spirit in the whole creation even in every life which moveth in the fire and air, said, it grieveth me, that I have figured this Image of vanity on me; and this Sorrow of the form Spirit in the expressed Word grieved, that is, moved the Eternal Speaking word in it, than said the Eternal word I will yet give them an hundred and twenty year's respite, (for even so long the time in the Dominion or Government of Seths' Spirit did continue) and then the Turba in all flesh shall perish or be thrown down; for this Sorrow was nothing else, but that the Word in the Covenant did grieve at the misery and vanity of man, and would comfort mankind by the Covenant through Noah, which comfort did first open itself in Abraham, viz. in Enos his manifestation. 24. For the comfort went forth in the Love of the Covenant and opened itself with its branch at its right Limit or juncture of time; for God hath confined all things into a certain limit, when every thing shall come to pass; and from the comfort of the Moving Word in the Covenant, proceeded forth the judgement that the old Adamicall man, with all his desires concupiscences and lusts should in the Covenant (when the same should open itself in the flesh) be drowned and mortified in the same New humanity of Christ; and out of the comfort of the Covenant, a new humane Spirit, and will, should arise, which should live in righteousness, and purity; of which the Deluge was a type. 25. For, the grief or Repentance came out of the Covenant upon the form word in the life; and therefore seeing the same word Repent of the vanity; thereupon the vanity of the creature must be drowned; for the will in the Covenant went forth from the vanity, and grieved the life of God; and moved the matrix of Nature in the water's birth, and drowned the fiery wrath in the fires Nature. 26. But the Spirit in Noah, doth especially complain here against man, for their Sodomitical bestial Concupiscence and filthy lusts of the flesh: viz. Against unchastity, and unclean lascivious wantonness; and also against the High Oppressors, and Tyrants, who put forth and advanced themselves in their own lust, and would rule and domineer, and no longer suffer the Spirit of God to rule in them, and reprove them that they had intruded themselves, to compel, and tyrannize over, one another, without Command: all this was an abomination before God; and it grieved the Spirit in the form Word, that it had brought forth such Evil Beasts, and would no longer endure them. 27. Even this same prophetical Spirit, whose root did open and display itself in Enoch, which also by Enoch did propagate and put forth its Line with its branches: which also by Noah did grieve at the wickedness and iniquity of mankind, and drowned them with the Deluge; even this is he, which now also doth grieve at the Great Sins, and vanity of Men: for his mouth is at present opened; he hath been translated in the Spirit of Christ: Now this word which became man doth Repent at the vanity and wickedness of men: that its children of the new Covenant will not * Suffer the Spirit of Christ to draw them. give willing obedience to the Spirit of Christ, therefore this prophetical Mouth doth now disclose and put forth itself, for it is the Time of its manifestation; and proclaimeth the Great Deluge of God's Anger, and the Flaming Sword of Elias, who also was Translated into the Mystery; for he must draw forth his Sword in the Turba. 28. Let this be told thee Babel, he complaineth mightily against thy bestial unchastity and Tyranny; Against thy own usurped power force, and violence, wherewith thou art proud, and wanton, and hast thereby set up thyself in God's Government; he will drown thee with thy Tyranny, and bestial wantonness in the fire of Anger: Seeing thou wilt not repent thee of thy vanity, therefore he repenteth through thee, with the Turba, and will drown thy Turba, that so His Repenting may be made manifest in his children, and also his refreshing Comfort and consolation might be manifested out of his Repentance. 29. For without Gods repenting there is no true Sorrow or repentance for the vanity, for the natural spirit desireth not to Repent, yea if it could be more wrathful malicious Evil and vain, it would please Love and delight itself therein; for it is Nature's spirits Strength, and Might: but the Word of God which in the creation did Impress and give itself into the humane Ens for a Sovereign powerful [and holy] life, the same [incorporated engrafted Word of life] if it be stirred and moved, doth repent, and grieve, that it hath such an Evil Beast in Nature on it; that saith; it repenteth me that I have created the evil beast in nature. 30. But this Sorrow is not a Sorrow to annihilation, as if he would have no more to do with the creature, but it is a Sorrow which saddeth and moveth God's Heart, viz. the holy divine word, and setteth the natural spirit a time for to repent, that so it might enter into divine Sorrow, but if it doth not, than he will drown the Natural Spirit in its Evil will and ways as came to pass in the Deluge. 31. God said: the Earth is corrupt, and full of perverseness; Vers. 11. and the End of all flesh is come before me I will destroy them: Here is again a great Mystery, in that God said, the Earth was corrupt before him; that all flesh had corrupted its way; and that the Earth was filled with * Violence. perverseness through them, and lo! he would destroy them. The Earth was afore with Cain accursed according to the vanitie's property; but now he saith also in this place; all flesh hath corrupted its way, the end of all flesh is come before me▪ This is not so mean and slight a thing as one would look on it to be; for the Spirit complaineth against all flesh; that all things were become vain in his Sight, and full of perverseness. 32. Now saith Reason, a Beast doth not Sin it doth according to its Nature's property, how can any perverseness be attributed to it? so far doth reason go, and further it knows not; also it understands nothing of the divine mystery; It understands nothing of the form Word that hath form itself through the Nature of time: It saith only God hath created and made: and considereth not that all things are created in the word, that the Word hath introduced, and compacted itself into an Ens: Also it will know nothing of the Eternal Spiritual Nature of divine Manifestation; it understands nothing of the Ground, or Original of the outward visible world with its creatures, when it saith God hath made all things out of Nothing, than it meaneth that he hath so spoken it forth, and yet it is wholly blind, and Senseless in it: it looketh only upon the outward Colour, and knoweth not from whence it taketh its Original; thus it is only learned in the external Colour, and prateth of the painted work of the outside and shell; and concerning the Ens whence the Colour ariseth, it is dumb and senseless. 33. The Spirit complaineth against all flesh upon the face of the Earth, even * Text, liveth in the air and fire. whatsoever hath breath and Sense; the outward Nature had corrupted itself in Every kind of life, and brought the form expressed Word into an Ens of Vanity; this was the perverseness and violent selfe-willednesse of the natural life, the Spirit of nature which taketh its Original in the fire, had exalted itself in its fiery property, and introduced itself in to a wrathful life, and driven itself even to the utmost End of Meekness. 34. For the Devil was an insinuating predominant Prince in the wrath's property, which had incited and stirred up the Centre of the outward nature in the fires Matrix, and had not only corrupted the Natural life of man, but also the creatures; for he Moved and Acted Man in God's Anger, who used the creatures for their Service and food, so that the Curse, and the Vanity was also manifest in Every life; and man in his Conversation stood in the Curse and vanity, and so came in the vanity in the Curse even into the Abyss, viz. into the End of this world, therefore said the Spirit; the End of all flesh in its perverseness and violence is come before me: Every life had through the vanity of man brought itself unto the End of the outward nature; and the Throat of wrath was Open in Nature, and would devour and swallow up all things in the wrath. 35. For the Kingdom of God's Anger, viz. the dark world, had gotten the upper hand in its property, and brought the Good part of Nature even unto the End, therefore the form expressed word did Move, or Repent through Every life of this vanity, that it should bear the Abomination on it; and said, that it would destroy the womb or pregnatresse of Vanity proceeding from the fires mother, with- water, and break its power and force. 36. For before the Flood the fires-root was more strong and potent than the water's root, and that, from the Original of the fiery Motion, that is, the Fiat stood in the fiery property, and compacted the Earth and Stones, so that there was then a great wrath poured forth in nature, and that by reason of the Casting out, or Ejection of the Hierarch Lucifer into the darkness. 37. And Here by the flood or Deluge the force and violence was taken from the wrathful fire-root, in the Centre of Nature; for the Repenting or the Grieving of the form Word was Nothing else, but a Type of Christ, where the Eternal living Divine word in the humane property, did repent and grieve in the form creatural word, at our Sins, and Vanity, and * Dyed from the vanity. mortified the same vanity in his Death in the creature; and drowned the form creatural word in the humane property with the divine water of love and meekness in the holy heavenly Blood. 38. So also in this place, the form Word grieved at the vanity of the Creatures, in that they were laden therewith, and brought the life of all the Creatures into death; and in its Sorrow moved the meekness of the water-Source in Nature, so that all the fountains of the deep did open themselves, as Moses saith, and devoured the fire-source in the water: this signifieth unto man the Baptism of Christ, where the fire-source of the Soul in God's Anger was in the word of Christ's Covenant baptised with the Regenerated water of the Spirit, understand the Spiritual water, which shall quench the fire of God's Anger: As it was above mentioned concerning the Seven times, that Each time of the Seven degrees of nature, hath brought itself unto its End, and in the End there was a sorrow for the Abomination, and in the Repentance and Sorrow the Turba was broken and destroyed. 39 Now behold here aright, by Noah with the Flood the Second Time, viz. Seths' time was at the End; and with Adam in the fall, when he lusted to Eat of the vanity, the First time was at the End. 40. In Adam the Word repent, and gave itself with a Covenant into the life, to help comfort and restore the life; and by Noah the word repent and moved all the fountains of the deep in nature, and drowned the wrath, and opened the Covenant of Grace. 41. And when the time of Enos was at the End in the days of the children of Nimrod, the word grieved at the vanity of Man, that they would not know God, and drowned the Understanding of the one Only Tongue, and divided it, and gave * Or, out of. by its Repentance the certain Understanding in the Covenant with Abraham. 42. And when the time of Cainan was at the End, that the children of Abraham's Covenant were compelled in the Vanity of Servitude: the Word grieved at the Vanity, and destroyed Pharaoh, and afterwards all the men of the children of Israel in the Wilderness, save Joshua and Caleb, and gave them, out of its Sorrow and Repentance, the Law of his Covenant, a True Type of Christ, who should drown the Abomination in his Blood. 43. Thus also when Mahalaleels Time was come to the End, the Word grieved in the deepest Repentance, and brought the life of God in Christ Jesus into the formed creatural Word in the humane Ens, and drowned the Turba in the humane Ens, with God's Love and Mercy, and gave them the spirit of comfort, and the Gospel. 44. Thus Even Now also; where the Time of Jared is at the End, which hath been covered with Babel: Even now at this present, the Word doth Repent and grieve at Our great Vanity, and will destroy the Abomination with the devouring jaws of wrath: with Sword, hunger, fire, and death, and Giveth, out of its Sorrow, grief, and Repentance, a Lily out of enoch's mouth in God's sweetness. 45. And when enoch's line shall be at the End, that the vanity doth again grow in the Turba: then cometh the greatest grief and sorrow of all, upon the Nature of the wonders; that it is at the End, and there is no more any Remedy for it; Even than cometh the Last Motion * Or, of. with the Turba in the first Principle of the Eternal Nature, and swalloweth up the outward Nature in the fire: Even than the form Word shall be wholly freed from vanity, and giveth * From, or out of. by its last REPENTANCE the Holy Spiritual World. AMEN. CHAP. XXXII. Of the Covenant between God and Noah. 1. GOd said to Noah, I will establish a Covenant with thee, and thou shalt go into the Ark with thy Sons, Gen. VI 18. and thy Sons wives with thee. A Great pregnant and remarkable Example we have here in Noah, and his Children: the Covenant was made with Noah; for his spirit was a discovery or beaming forth of the form word in him, in the Beginning and End of Time: and the beginning and End was the Eternal word, which had espoused itself in the Covenant, in which Covenant the Soul of Noah, viz. the form word of the Eternal Nature, found Grace, and obtained the Confirmation of the Covenant of Grace. 2. As his Name doth properly and peculiarly signify in the language of Nature, a Beholding of the Beginning and End. In this same Beginning and End, viz. in the Eternal Speaking Word of the Father, which would manifest and open itself again in the humane life, Grace was opened and presented to Noah, so that God did establish and Confirm the Covenant with him. 3. And here we have a very Excellent, and an Emphatical example, which is exceedingly worth the mentioning, in the Three Sons of Noah, which in their Properties were sprung forth from the Stock of Adam in a threefold Line; for we see that three Nations [Several Sorts of People] did arise from them, and that God did include them all Three with their wives in the Covenant of Grace, and commanded them also to go into the Ark, into the Second Monarchy, and did not exclude the fleshly Ham. 4. This is first highly to be considered, that a Gate of Grace standeth open to all men, and that God hath not Set any Election or Predestination in nature; but the Election or choice doth arise out of the freewill, when it turneth itself from the Good into the Evil. 5. Secondly it is a Type of the Three Principles, viz. Sem is a type of the Spiritual light-world in the Covenant; and Japhet of the fire-world, which should be a Sojourner of the light-world, and a Mirror of the great Joy in the light-world; and Ham is a figure of the Lincus of the Earth, to which the Curse and the Anger of God doth hang; all these Three, God took into the Covenant with Noah, and brought them into the Ark. 6. For Every man hath these three worlds upon him, and in him; and the Covenant in the word was therefore given, that the whole man should be Redeemed. 7. For Japhet Signifieth the fire-Soule; and Sem the Image of God out of the light-world, viz. the spirit out of the Holy word; and Ham betokeneth the Lincus of the Earth with the outward Dominion or Region of the Air, and of the magical Etherial Constellations, together with the Body, which shall be freed by the Covenant from the Curse, and arise again out of the Earth. The three Brothers were a type of these three Principles. 8. Not that One did wholly arise out of one Principle alone; No! Sem and Japhet had likewise Hams property in them, as did plainly manifest itself afterwards in the Jews, who became so wicked and vile a people: Only we speak here of the Superior Dominion or predominant property, of which Principle the Creature hath had in the outward life in its figure. 9 Ham had the outward earthly Elemental Kingdom in the figure, which stood in the Curse; therefore his Image [or person] was also Cursed of his father, in the spirit; for the earthly Image shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, but he also had a Soul from Adam, which stood in the Covenant; but the freewill doth very Seldom work any Good thing in such a Lodging, and very easily attains the Curse upon the soul, as we see that the Curse did afterwards come upon this Generation; that Israel must destroy them by their Entrance into the Land of Promise; albeit they did not wholly destroy them all, yet the Curse was come upon them. 10. There is a very great Mystery in the Ark of Noah, which the Lord commanded him to build after that manner, and shown him how High, How Long, and how Broad, it should be, and directed also that it should have Three Several stories; also concerning the Creatures which he commanded him to bring thereinto; which is such a Mystery, that the wicked malicious man is not worthy to know it: and we also shall not mention it in the ground [or depth of its meaning] for it hath its Time wherein it shall be opened, viz. in the Lilly-time, when Babel hath its End; but yet to set down somewhat for a furtherance and direction to our fellow-Branches, to whom in its due time it shall break forth and grow out of Our Ens of this Lily (which also shall be a Rose in the lilly-time) we will set it down in an hidden Exposition. 11. The Mystery of the holy Trinity; also the Three Principles: also the Three Sons of Noah, also the Three men that appeared to Abraham in the Plain of Mamre; also the Vision of the Great Temple in Ezekiel; and the whole Revelation of John belongeth unto this figure; also the Temple of Jerusalem. 12. Set before thee, the figure of the Ark with its Three Stories, with its height, length, and breadth, and place it in the Three Principles; and in the three Principles open the Mysteries of the * Or, Hierarchies. Hierarchy of Christ in the Three distinctions of Heavens, which yet are only One; but in three properties; as Fire, Light, and Air, are Three; and yet but One: Place in these distinctions [or Several differences] the Three Sons of Noah; and go out of their properties into their Monarchy in the world, which continueth to the End of days: also set before thee the form Word according to all the Three Principles; and so you will find the Ground of all: especially Set before thee, Moses, Elias, and Christ, in their appearance, and Transfiguration upon the Mount: the Ark of Noah is the first Type of all these figures; and the Hierarchy of Christ is the fulfilling of them at the End of days: enough to ours. 13. And the Lord said, come thou and thy whole house into the Ark, Gen. VII. 1. for thee have I seen Righteous before me at this * Or, Generation. time: The Scripture saith elsewhere, Before thee none living is righteous if thou wilt impute sin: but here God saith, I have Seen thee righteous before me at this time: the Creature was not the Righteous One, without Evil; but HE, who at this time did in Noah open and manifest himself out of the Covenant, who grieved at the evil of this time, and introduced his Sorrow into God's Love and Mercy, and so brought the Righteousness of the mercy into the Sorrow, and manifested the Grieving mournful Spirit in the Ens of the Covenant in the creature; thus Noah was righteous before God at this time, when the Covenant did move itself in him. 14. This time is (or signifieth) the motion of the Covenant, which made Noah righteous, for this was the time. When Noah received Life in the womb, the spirit looked with his first glimpse of life out of the Divine Ens of the form word into the Beginning whence the life was come, and into the End which was the Kingdom of Christ: in this Aspect [or Divine glimpse] the life of Noah receives the Righteousness in the Mark of the Covenant at this time, for that was the time in him wherein he was found Righteous. 15. God brought Eight persons into the Ark, and of the clean Beasts * Or, Seven pair. Seven and Seven, the male and its female. The Seven persons point at the seven properties of the natural life, that God will have children out of all the properties into his Eternal Ark; the Eighth person was Noah, and in Noah was the Righteous One, that was the Covenant, out of which the Kingdom of Christ should come, therein stood the Ark of Noah; but the Ark hath three Stories, which are the three Principles in one only Divine manifestation, for each property of the three hath its own peculiar Heaven and Certain Quite in itself. 16. The Seven pair of clean Beasts, are Even the very same Mystery, for the Centre hath Seven properties, and yet they are but one in the Divine Power: but according to the Eternal nature there are Seven of them as to the Divine manifestation: which signifieth unto us, that the Creatures were brought forth into life out of this sevenfold Ens, where each degree hath again Seven in it, to its manifestation, whence the infiniteness, viz. the form of God's wisdom, doth appear, and shine forth, and that in the form wisdom, whose Image and figure shall not vanish or perish, although their life, and the creature, which hath a Temporal beginning, doth pass away, but the * The Form shall remain in the Figure. form shall remain in the Divine wisdom, viz. in the Ens of the form Word in the Figure, to the Praise of God's wondrous deeds; indeed not to a restauration of their Creature, but for a visible mirror or Looking-glass in the form wisdom of God. 17. But of the unclean Beasts God commanded Noah to take only one Pair of each kind with him into the Ark: understand it thus, the unclean Beasts have on one part, their Original out of the Lincus of the Earth according to the Grossness, viz. according to the dark world's property; although their spirit taketh its rise out of Nature, yet we are to consider the difference in nature in respect of that which came forth, in the Verbum Fiat out of the Source of the dark world's property, into a Compaction, whence such an Ens doth adhere unto many an unclean creature, and it signifieth unto us in the Right Understanding, that the dark world, viz. the unclean world shall appear before the wisdom of God only in one manifest form, viz. in the darkness, but the properties shall be manifest only in the creatures themselves each in its own peculiar Self and nature. 18. For the form wisdom as to the darkness is the Heaven of them all, which is only manifest according to the darkness, wherein the property lieth hidden, according to which God calleth himself an angry zealous God: out of this dark heaven, Every creature receiveth its Power and virtue according to its property, according as its hunger is, so it sucketh with its desire from thence: and it signifieth unto us, that the unclean Beasts each kind of them in their form, shall appear only in One form in the wisdom of the darkness, viz. in the figure, as they were created in the beginning, and not in Seven properties according to the Centre of nature, in all (properties according to light, and darkness) as the rest shall; for they are in the figure of the first Principle, which in the pure heaven shall be manifest only in one property viz. according to the burning [property] wherein the Light is * Movable and formable. Moved, and the wisdom form. 19 But here I will warn the Reader to understand our sense and meaning aright, and not to put me Calves, Cows, and beasts, in their spirit and Body, into heaven; I speak only of the Eternal form wisdom whence Evil and good hath been brought to manifestation. 20. Moreover God said to Noah; for yet seven days will I cause it to rain upon the Earth forty days, and forty nights; and every living Substance which I have made will I destroy from off the face of the Earth; wherefore did God say after seven days the flood shall come? why not presently, either sooner or later; why doth he set even Seven days: In this the Seven properties of nature are contained mystically, in which the Verbum Fiat had introduced itself into an Ens viz. into the form Word; that is, into the creation of the world; in which Creation the Form Word Repent at the vanity of all creatures, and moved itself through the generatresse of Nature, in the Form Word to destroy the Turba. 21. Now the first motion, and information of the word in the creation with the Six day's works and the day of Rest being Seven days, was brought into a form of Time, and it yet stood so, in its form; now then when the word (which said it would drown every life with water) did open disclose and manifest itself, through the Seven properties of nature to the waters-birth, it came to pass in the Form wherein the word had given in itself with the Creation viz in the same Sevenfold operation, which should open itself in its own peculiar order, and not enkindle or elevate any one property above the other; but if all Seven would open and manifest themselves according to the waters-birth; then the Only fountain or head-spring of all the deeps in the Centre of nature should break open: and being they came in Seven days into their outward formed working Dominion; the Speaking word did also proceed in the opening thereof in Seven days unto the limit for its manifestation of that which it desired; as namely to drown the Turba. 22. And let none look upon this as a fiction or laugh at it, for whosoever doth so, doth not yet understand our spirit and meaning at all, nor hath any knowledge at all of the Form Word, but hath only an external understanding of nature (like a brute Beast) or a Bird that flieth in the air, and knoweth not what the essence is. 23. Now saith reason: wherefore did it Rain just forty Days and forty Nights; could not God have drowned the world in one hour? Answ: In the space of forty days the Turba was borne in the humane property, viz. Adam before his Eve stood in the Image of God forty days and nights, which yet in the Image of God were only as one Day; there he wrought forty days in his desire, viz. in the Fiat, and brought forth the Turba in himself, in his lust after the Grossness of the Earth: the Good part of the Lincus of the Earth, which was drawn, in the Verbum Fiat, into a Mass, did hunger after the Evil gross part which was of the dark world's property. 24. And even in forty days the grosseness did arise in his Imagination in the good Ens: viz. a selfefull will to the perception or intromission of the gross earthliness, in which Evil and Good was made manifest, and when this same wills-spirit was arisen in the desire, it entered into its own selfefull Dominion, and in its fiery and earthly might, strongly suppressed the holy Spiritual Ens in the word of Power, even than Adam fell asleep viz. into an impotency and disability of the Angelical Spiritual world, and the woman was taken out of him; and both were in this Turba * Text, figured. form unto the outward natural life. 25. This Turba is that wherein God did also set the Curse; which with Noah was first at the End; when God said; the End of all flesh is come up before me: and out of this forty-dayes-produced Turba, the fountains of the deep did arise in the water-Source and drowned the Turba in the flesh of these Sexes. 26. For from the Sin of Adam came the Deluge over the world; and this forty-dayes-produced Turba was the Sin in the flesh; otherwise if the water-fountaine had not opened itself, the fire-fountain had proceeded forth out of the Turba in the wrath of God. Therefore God said; it repent him that he had made the creatures; and his Sorrow went into the Turba, and drowned it. 27. And let the Reader be put in mind, that so often as he findeth the number forty in the holy Scripture, that it altogether, in the Beginning pointeth at the forty days produced Turba: viz. the forty Days of Moses upon mount Sinai: Item; the forty years in the wilderness: also the forty hours of Christ in the Grave: also the forty days after his resurrection before his Ascension, do all belong unto this: and all the numbers forty in the Secret and mystical prophetical say of the Prophets: for out of this Turba the Prophet is arisen with his Prophecy. 28. But in that I say, that if the water-fountaine had not been opened, the fire-fountaine would have broken forth: is also true: for the children in the Turba would have also burnt Noah in the Ark with fire, if the most high had not hindered and prevented them with the water: for the fires Turba was moved in them: this was the world's end or the end of all flesh: for at the End all shall be purified and purged in the fires Turba: for it will enkindle itself. 29. There is a very great Mystery in that which the Spirit saith in Moses: Noah was five hundred years old when he begat Sem Ham and Japhet, which otherwise is against the ordinary Course of nature, to beget children in such a natural Age; also there is a very great mystery in that God said that he would give the world an hundred and twenty years' respite, and yet the Deluge came in the Six hundreth year of Noah, viz. in the hundreth year after the warning or notice thereof, and it signifieth the abbreviation of time in its natural course, and also the End of the world, how that there shall be an abbreviation or shortening of time in the Circle of the conclusion of all Beings, Quere this Treatise by itself. of which we will mention something in a Treatise by itself, if the same be permitted us. 30. When Noah entered into the Ark; Moses saith: Vers. 16. the Lord shut him in: the intimate signification of the Spirit here, is: He shut up the Second time or Age of the world, which was at the End, being the fire would feign have moved itself, therefore the Lord shut it up with water, and herewith also [he opened] the Gate of his Entrance to go forth in the Third time, and begin the Second Monarchy in the outward world: for the first time was in Paradise; the Second under Seths' manifestation: in the third Enos' manifestation should be opened, and set forth. 31. And Moses saith further: Chap. VIII. vers. 3.1.2. and the waters stood upon the Earth one hundred and fifty days, than God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the Ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the Earth and the waters assuaged, and the fountains of the deep and the windows also of heaven were stopped. Moses saith, God Remembered Noah: now reason thinketh, had he then forgotten him? whereas he is present to all things, and is himself through all, and in all things: the Spirit in Moses doth here hang a veil before the Mystery, that the natural man doth not understand it. 32. God's Remembrance here is the beginning of the Third Time, even the Beginning of the Second Monarchy in the four Elements with the creatures: for in the Covenant made with Noah the Second Monarchy was comprehended, which went forth out of the Centre of the Generatresse through the divine wisdom in Nature. 33. And Moses speaketh further: Vers. 4. when the waters were abated the Ark set itself down upon the Mount Ararat. This Name [ARARAT] doth plainly hint unto us in the language of nature a mountain, or a Compacting and an Amassing of an Essence out of the Centre of nature, even out of the wrathfulness, being the Anger of God had then reposed itself there; the Ark stood upon the Allayed Anger, but the last Syllable in this word Ara-RAT, doth signify that the wrath of the eternal nature proceeding from the Centre, hath betook or form itself into an active Dominion, and would thence forward ride through nature, as a warrior; and mightily exercise its Power and violence in the humane property, whereby they would undertake wars, and advance themselves in Pride Pomp and Power, and butcher and slay one another, Eagerly Contending about this mountain of the wrath's Might, or Severe humane Authority. 34. This Mountain Ararat denotes the Houses of the Great ones, or domineering Potentates upon the Earth, viz. the Great Castles, Forts and Bulwarks; the mighty mountains of the Power violence and strength of the Rich; and also the high Nobility sprung up from the mystery of the Great world; upon which Kingdom the Ark of Noah hath set down itself, but the Covenant with Noah I mean the Kingdom of Christ, hath set itself to be an Eternal Lord over this mountain of the warlike might, and force of Arms sprung up from the Anger of God, which dominion and Reigning Power of Christ, shall abolish and take away the Kingdom of this Mountain, and quite suppress it: and it denoteth unto us truly, fundamentally, and exactly; that this Power and Authority would take upon it, in its own Power, the Ark of Noah, viz. the Divine Covenant, and carry it: yea put it on as a Garment, and proudly perch up itself therein, as if it had the Kingdom of Christ in its own Power. 35. And also it shows and denotes unto us, how that this mountain of the wrathful Anger of God in the humane property [or in man's Nature] would beautify trim up and adorn itself with the Ark of Noah; and would proclaim it to be the holy Ark of Christ; and yet it would be only founded upon the wrathful Anger, and be only an Antichristian Kingdom: which indeed would Carry the Ark viz. the Name of divine holiness in the mouth, but its Heart would be only this Mountain, A Vessel, and Confused heap of God's wrath; and yet it would make devout shows of holiness, and glory in having the Ark upon itself, but the Aim and intent of the heart would be set upon the Strong Holds; the preferment power and Riches of the world. 36. Furthermore it denotes, that the Potent, and Mighty of the world would build the Ark, viz. the Service and Worship of God upon their Heart and Reason, with Great Stone-houses, and Churches, and that these houses thus built up of Stone, should be their God, whom they would Serve in the Ark, and they would wage war for the houses of Stone of their own contriving and framing, and for their devises and Opinions therein maintained; and contend about the figure of the true Ark, and not consider, that the Ark standeth upon their mountain; that God hath set it above them; and that they ought to walk under God's Dominion in humility and suffer the Ark to stand upon them, and not usurp unto themselves the Power of the holy Ghost, or take it away, and bind him unto their feigned Power and hypocritical forms, and command him to be Silent, as they do, in that they cry with full mouth: lo! here is an assembly of Divines; here is the true Church of Christ, this you must believe and do, This is the law and Ordinance of the Church; no, the Ark stands above them, they are under as the Mount Ararat was underneath the Ark: Christ is the Ark; and not the Contrived Heaps of Stone; or any form of man's devised Worship or Opinion. All Assemblies, Congregations or Synods are under the Ark Christ, and not above, for the Ark of Noah placed itself above the Mountain, to Signify that the mountain must bear the Ark: we must bear the Ark of Christ upon us, and have the Temple of this Ark within US▪ 37. Furthermore, it denotes how the figure of this Ark, viz. the * Ecclesiastical Clergicall Priesthood. Spiritual Kingdom upon the Earth would place itself upon the mountain of power domination and lordliness, and would rule with the Mountain in the Ark; and take upon itself to meddle with the worldly Dominions and authority; and bring the mountain, viz. the Power of the Secular Arm above the Ark: whereas the Ark ought to stand upon the mountain, and Noah with the Covenant to remain in the Ark, till the Lord bid him come forth, that is, till Christ deliver the Ark to his Father. 38. And Moses saith further, At the end of forty days, Ver. 6, 7. when the Ark had set itself down, Noah sent forth a Raven, to see whether the water was abated, but the Raven flew too and fro till the waters were dried up from off the face of the Earth: The Raven denotes the earthly Man, and shows, how that he would first put forth himself upon the Mountain Ararat, that is, advance himself in his Selfehood, and earthly lust, and build up his Kingdom in the Second Monarchy. 39 And though he came forth out of the Ark, yet he would fly to and again in the Kingdom of his Selfehood, and not returns into the Ark, from whence he departed in Adam, and would only be a covetous Muck-worm, and a greedy devourer of fleshly temporal pleasure in his own will, and remain as the Raven, and not return to the Ark, desiring to enter into it, but mind only to possess the Kingdom of this World in Glory and State: also it betokens that the Generation of this Raven would have the chief place, pre-eminence, and Government, in the Second Monarchy (like the Devil in the wrath of God) as Histories witness that it so came to pass. 40. Afterwards he sent forth a Dove from him, to see if the waters were abated upon the Earth, Ver. 8, 9 but when the Dove found no Rest for the Sole of her foot, she returned again unto him unto the Ark, and he put forth his hand and took her to him into the Ark. This sets forth and denotes the figure of God's children; who soon after come also under the Government of the Raven's property, and are brought into the Government of this world, for they are also with Adam gone forth out of the Ark to behold and prove this Evil corrupt world, and live therein; but when their Spirit can find no rest in the earthly dominion, than they come again before the Ark of Noah, which is set open in Christ, and Noah receiveth them again in Christ, into the first Ark, whence Adam departed. 41. Moreover the Raven betokens the sharp Law of Moses, in the fiery Might under God's Anger, which binds, and slays man, and brings him not into the Ark: but the Dove betokens the Gospel of Christ, which brings us again into the Ark, and saves the life: for the Mount (Ararat) doth as an exact type and figure, point out unto us the Kingdom of Moses, and the Ark wherein the life was kept and preserved, signifieth the humanity of Christ. 42. And he stayed yet other Seven days, and again he sent forth a Dove out of the Ark, and it came to him about Evening, and lo! Ver. 10, 11. she had plucked off an Olive-leaf, and brought it in her mouth: and he stayed yet other seven days, and let a Dove fly forth out of the Ark, which returned not to him any more. The Spirit in Moses showeth by these Three Doves, and the Raven, which Noah sent forth out of the Ark, a great Mystery, which albeit he doth not clearly unfold, yet for certain is couched therein; the Raven doth also denote the Law of Moses in Nature, which will remain in its Self hood, and will not return in true Resignation, and Selfe-deniall, under the obedience of God, but will enter in to God by its own strength, Power, and ways. 43. The first Dove signifieth the prophetical spirit, which arose under Moses, viz. under the outward Law, and offerings, and pointed through the offering into the Ark of Noah, and Christ, this Prophetical Spirit went all along through the office of Moses: it indeed flew under Moses, but it tended again into the Ark with its Prophecy, as the first Dove which Noah sent forth flew indeed into the world, but came again into the Ark of Christ. 44. The Second Dove with the Olive branch which also came again to Noah into the Ark, denotes the Word in the Covenant of Noah, which came forth out of the holy Ark of God into this world, viz. into our humanity, and plucked off an Olive-leafe in the World, and brought it to Noah, that is, it pulckt off a Branch from our Humanity, and took it into the holy Word, viz. the Mouth of God (as the Dove the Olive-leaf) and brought the branch to Holy Noah, that is, to God the Father, but that it was an Olive-leaf, denoteth the Unction of the holy Spirit, that the same should Anoint the Humanity, and bring it again with this Dove into the holy Ark. 45. The Third Dove which Noah let fly, which came not again to the Ark, betokeneth the Kingdom of Antichrist upon the Earth, which indeed is flown forth with its Doctrine out of the Ark, but its spirit remaineth only upon the Earth, feeding upon the fat grass [upon the Riches, Honour, and beauty of this world] and so it stayeth only in Selfehood [and returns not to the Ark] it indeed maketh devout shows of holiness to God, and giveth good words, but the man with its Senses and Reason will not forsake the world, and return again to the Ark. They build themselves stately Palaces without the Ark for the pleasure of the flesh, and are very zealous and devout in hypocrisy without the Ark; they will be accounted children by an external Imputation of Grace, and Adoption, but they will not enter into the Ark, but they say Christ is in the Ark, he hath purchased and paid all, we need only to comfort ourselves therewith, he will bring us in well enough. 46. The other Party saith; they have Christ in their Works of hypocrisy, they take the Ark along with them when they fly out in their fleshly Pleasure: all these remain without the Ark in this World, and return not to the Ark. This the Third Dove denotes: for the Antichristian Kingdom walketh demurely in the shape of a Dove, and as a sheep, but it is only a figure and darksome shadow of Christ's Kingdom, which consists in the Spirit in Power, and is really in the Ark. CHAP. XXXIII. Of the beginning of the Second Monarchy, and of the Covenant of God with Noah, and all creatures. ANd Moses saith: Then God spoke with Noah, Gen. VIII. 16, etc. to the end. and commanded him to go forth with Every living thing, Each with its Kind: but Noah builded an Altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean Beast, and of every clean Fowl, and offered burnt-Offrings upon the Altar, and the Lord Smelled a sweet Savour, and said in his heart, I will not henceforth curse the Earth any more for man's Sake; for the Imagination of man's heart is evil even from his youth, and I will not any more smite every living thing as I have done, while the earth remaineth, Seedtime, and Harvest, cold, and heat, Summer, and winter, Day and night shall not cease. Moses saith that God smelled a Sweet Savour, and Said in his Heart, he would not again curse the Earth, or smite every living creature any more, for man's sake. This is a figure or mystical Type, as is before mentioned in the Offering of Abel. 2. For his Heart is the word in the Covenant, which took the Prayer and will-spirit of Noah through the holy fire in the Offering, and brought it in the word to Substance; and withal smelled in the Divine Power, the humanity of Christ, who was to Resign himself in the Covenant into the Word of Power; that is, it desired to have the humanity in his Power and virtue as a pleasant Savour; and from this Smell [or sweet savour of holy Rest in the paradisical property] the Spirit of God declared, that he would not again destroy Man and the Creatures any more; so long as the Earth should endure, these Creatures should also continue. 3. For Noah offered all manner of clean beasts, and fowl; and the Spirit saith, that he Smelled herein a sweet savour of rest: now [he doth not mean] that he took pleasure in the Smell or Savour of the offering, for all Beasts are in his Power and are continually before him; but he spoke it in reference to the hidden offering in the Covenant, which the inward world in the creatures did smell, which hereafter would deliver them by its own peculiar * That is, the inward central fire, which shall purge the floor, and cristalize the Earth into transparent Gold. Offering from the abomination of vanity, and set their figure into the holy wisdom, viz. into the spiritual world. 4. When Noah offered, than the Lord (that is, God manifested in the Offering by the unmanifest holy Name JEHOVAH through JESUS) did Smell the holy disappeared humanity in Adam; that is, he did taste in the Lubet or good pleasure of his wisdom, how the same should be again manifest in the holy Name Jesus. And then he blessed Noah and his Children, and said, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth; and the fear and dread of you be upon every Beast of the Earth, Gen. IX. 1, 2, 3. and upon every Fowl of the air; Even upon all▪ that creepeth upon the Earth; and upon all the Fishes of the Sea; into your hands they are all delivered; Every living thing shall be meat for you; Even as the green Herb I have given you all things, but the flesh * Or which yet liveth in the blood. with the life thereof, that is, with the blood thereof, you shall not eat; for I will require the blood of your lives, of every Beast will I require the same; and at the hand of every man, will I require the life of man, being that he is his brother; and whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for God created man in his own image: And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply, and be industrious upon the earth, that you may increase abundantly. 5. When God blessed Noah through the Offering proceeding from the Covenant, and bade them be fruitful, he gave them again the whole world, withal its Hosts in possession; all whatsoever liveth and moveth, should be Subservient to them, and be their own; and he gave it them all in common, he made there no difference between Noah and his children, no * Master. Lord nor servant, but he made them all alike, none noble or ignoble; but like as many branches and twiggs grow out of one Tree, and yet all together are but one only Tree; so also he established the humane Tree upon the Earth, and gave them all beasts, fishes, and fowls in common, with no distinction, restriction, or prohibition, save only that they should not eat their life in the blood, lest they should become monstrous in their life * Or with the Eating the life of the B●asts. with the bestial life. 6. God Commanded them to rule over all the Beasts, and Creatures, but in this place he gave them no peculiar Domination, or ruling Power over one another: for all Domination, Lordly rule, and authority, whereby one man ruleth over another, doth arise out of Ararat, that is, from or through the Order of nature, according to its properties, according to the Constellations, and outward Dominion of the Princes under the Constellations, or Astrum. 7. The true Image of God hath no other Dominion in its members, than the Body hath in its members, or the Tree in its branches, but the bestial Image from the Stars, and four Elements, maketh itself a Dominion and Government, according to its mother, whence it taketh its rise, and wherein it liveth. 8. Also all Laws, and external Ordinances which God hath appointed man, do all belong unto the Order of nature, viz. unto the expressed form Word, the same, God hath given man for a propriety, that he should rule therein with the inward spiritual man of Understanding, according to the wisdom of God, and make himself [Laws and] Order according to the spirit of wisdom. 9 Over which Orders and Ordinances of men, which they make unto themselves, HE [viz. the Lord] hath set himself as Judge, and thereupon hath appointed the Last Judgement, to separate wrong from right, and whatsoever proceedeth not from Truth, Righteousness, and Love, and tendeth to the same, against that the judgement of God is set; for it is generated or hatched through the false spirits of darkness in Turba Magna, and introduced into the humane property as a false Lust and Suttlety; and is a stranger or Bastard wisdom, which shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. 10. All Royal, and Princely Highness and Excellency, together with all Governments, and Dominions, do arise from the Order of nature, in the Image of God there is no compulsion [no force violence or oppression] but a mere free willing desirous Love-Service, as one member in the body, or as one branch of the Tree doth freely and readily serve each other, and rejoice in each other. 11. But being that man hath introduced himself into the outward form Word Evil and Good, viz. into the Kingdom of nature; the Kingdom of nature hath deprived him of the holy Dominion; and hath placed itself with its power over the humane property; therefore if he will have the same again, he must be borne anew of God, and then he may rule with the new regenerated life in the Spirit of God, over the Kingdom of nature. 12. Indeed there are Orders of Princely Angels or Hierarchies, in the Spiritual world; but all without compulsion in one Harmonious delightful Love-Service and will; as one member in the body doth readily serve another. 13. All whatsoever man in the Kingdom of nature doth draw under his power, and abuseth it to Superfluity, and excess; and thereby withdraweth from his fellow-members, whereby they are put to want, poverty, and distress, and their freely given, right, and due, is wholly withheld from them; the same is imprinted [or comprehended] in Turba magna, as an abomination of nature, and put into the judgement of God, to the day of Separation. 14. Nature requireth only Order, and giveth distinction of places and Offices; but the Turba bringeth its abomination from the dark world's desire, thereinto; viz. Pride Covetousness Envy Anger and falsehood. 15. These five vices or iniquities, are the Whores Bats in the Kingdom of nature, and shall not inherit the Kingdom of God; God holdeth the Kingdom of nature, for his Order, and hath given the same into the power of man, that he [as God's instrument in this world] should sever the Evil from the Good, and choose himself a Judge to pass righteous judgement upon the iniquity and malice of the false desire and lust [of man], for he saith; whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; viz. by the Order and institution of nature; not that any should revenge himself upon others by his own selfish power or force of Arms; but through the Order of nature, through God's Law, and appointment; the same is the true Avengeresse; for God said, I will avenge your life's blood, and will avenge it upon every beast; here he meaneth, by the Order of his Law and its Officers who officiate in the right and due execution of the same. 16. Not that a Prince or Lord hath Power to shed blood without the Law of God; if he doth so; then the Law of God condemneth him also to Death. Here there is no peculiar Selfefull Power given, over man's blood; let him be King or Prince; for they are only Officers over the Order of the Divine Law, and they ought not to go further than the Command of God gives leave: indeed they have the Law of nature committed to their charge as Servants of the same, but they must deal therein only according to righteousness, and truth, and not do any thing through Selvish [covetous proud and envious] desire, for God hath created man in his own Image; now the Kingdom of nature in its Offices hath no power over this divine Image to kill the same, but the office or Commission in God's Order * Or hath power over. passeth only upon the outward Image of nature. 17. Therefore if an Officer of nature [viz. any Magistrate] take away the life of a righteous man; him, nature appointeth unto the Judgement of God to the Day of Separation, wherein God will judge all the unrighteous Acts of man: what will then become of the Tyrants who turn the truth into Lies, and shamefully abuse, and condemn the Children of God for their divine knowledge and profession sake, and stir up war and Contention, to desolate and destroy country and people: all these belong unto Turba Magna to the judgement of God; for they manage the Sword of the Turba in selfefull Lust and pleasure; unless the Spirit of God command them, and then must do it for their Office and charge sake [and execute the just judgement of God upon those who have filled up the measure of their iniquity] as Israel was commanded to do among the Heathen. 18. Whosoever sheddeth blood out of his own pleasure to advance his authority, without urgent absolute necessity or God's command, he is moved, Acted, and driven, by the wrathful fire of God's Anger, and falleth at last to be a captive in the same Kingdom. 19 Every warrior [or Soldier] is a Rodd of God's Anger; wherewith he doth through his wrath and Indignation, rebuke, and devour the iniquity and malice of man: and it doth not belong at all unto the Order [or ordinance] of nature, but unto the wrathful desire, unto Turba Magna, unto the order of the eager fierce-devouring wrath, whereby God's Anger doth overturn and lay waste Countries and Kingdoms. 20. Understand, it is the Order of the dark world's property, which by God's permission advanceth its mighty force in the Time of man's wickedness, and then it goes as the wrath will have it, until the same be well satiated in the blood of man. 21. For this is even the Revenge of God's Anger, of which he saith, that, he would take vengeance for [or require] the blood of man; therefore he often taketh one man and by him in Anger slayeth another that hath deserved Death. 22. When the Great and potent Rulers shed innocent blood; then cometh the Anger of God with its Officers and sheddeth their people's blood, and bringeth the Sword of the Turba upon them, whence War ariseth; but this is not from the divine Order of the Good Nature in which God Governeth with his wisdom. 23. The wisdom of God desireth no war, but the Anger of God according to the dark world's nature, doth eagerly desire it, and effecteth the same in the vanity and iniquity of man. 24. If we lived as the children of God one among another, we need not have any warring and fight; but that we wage war, we do thereby testify, and declare, that we are only children of this world and fight for a strange Inheritance, which yet we must forgo, and thereby we serve the God of Anger as obedient Servants; for no warrior or Soldier shall inherit the Kingdom of God, while he is such a one; but [he that is] a child newborn of the Spirit of God, which forsaketh this world. 25. And God said further to Noah, and to his Sons with him: saying, Lo I, Vers. 8, 9, 10, 11, etc. even I establish my Covenant with you, and with your Seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, and of the Cattle and of every Beast of the Earth that is with you, even of all that came forth out of the Ark; that hence forth all flesh shall not any more be cut off by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more come a flood to destroy the Earth; And God said, this is the token of the Covenant which I have made between me and you, and every living creature that is with you from henceforth for ever: I have set my Bow in the Clouds, the same shall be for a Token of a Covenant between me and the Earth, and it shall come to pass, when I bring a Cloud over the Earth, the Bow shall be seen in the Cloud; and then I will remember the Covenant which is between me and you: This Covenant with man is a type of the Three Principles of the divine Being, viz. of the Being of all beings. 26. For the Rainbow is the Sign and token of this Covenant, that God doth here mind, and very intimately look upon, that man was created out of Three Principles into an Image, and that he should live in all Three; and beheld now the unability and great peril of mankind; and set the Sign of this Covenant before him as a representation that his wrath should not any more be stirred so to destroy every life. 27. For the Rainbow hath the Colour of all the three Principles; The Colours of the three Principles in the Rainbow. viz. the Colour of the first Principle is red, and darkish-brown; which betokens the dark and fire-world, that is, the first Principle, the Kingdom of God's Anger; the Colour of the Second Principle is white, and yellow; this is the majestaticall Colour, Signifying as a type of the holy world, Gods Love. The third Principles Colour is Green and blue; blue from the Chaos, and green from the water or Saltpetre; where, in the flagrat or Crack of the fire the Sulphur and Mercury do sever themselves, and produce distinct various and Several Colours which betoken unto us the inward spiritual * Or world. worlds, which are hidden in the four Elements. 28. This Bow is a figure of the last judgement showing how the inward Spiritual world will again manifest itself and swallow up or Avall into itself this outward world of four Elements. 29. And this is even the Sign or token of the Covenant of Grace, which Sign in the Covenant betokeneth the Judge of the world, viz. Christ, who at the end of Days will appear in all the three Principles, viz. according to the fire-signe as a Severe Judge over the Turba, and all whatsoever shall be found therein, he will manifest the fiery judgement, and enkindle the Turba, so that the first Principle shall appear in its fiery property, for all things of this world's being, must be tried or purified in the fire of the first Principle viz. in the Centre of the Eternal nature; and even then the Turba of all beings shall be swallowed up in the fire. 30. And according to the lights Sign he shall appear as a pleasant visage to all the Saints even in the midst of the fire; and defend his in his Love and meekness from the flames of the fire. 31. And according to the Kingdom of the outward nature of this world, he shall appear in his assumed humanity; and the whole outward Mystery of the four Elements according to Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt, even according to all the properties of the Wonders of the Expressed and form Word, even all shall be made manifest before him according to light and darkness [viz. according to their Good and Evil.] 32. Of this the Rainbow is a type and figure, for it is a reflex [Antitype] or contra-glance of the Sun; showing what kind of property [or virtue] there is in the deep; the Sun casteth its shining Lustre into the four Elements towards the Chaos, and then the Chaos whence the four Elements do proceed doth manifest itself according to the Principles with its Colours: and it denoteth and pointeth out the hidden or mystical Ground of the four Elements, viz. the hidden world, and also the hiddenness of the humanity; for in this hiddenness [or Secret Mystery] of the Creation, God did set forth his Covenant, that he would not destroy its Image any more with water; that the fountains of the deep should not be any more opened in the Chaos, as came to pass in the Flood, and in the Creation of the world, 33. The Rainbow is an opening of the Chaos in nature; and it may very well if the Sun be in a Good Aspect in the Elements, produce and bring forth a wonderfulll birth both in the vegetables, and Animals; also there may thereby be a creatural Living Being produced in the (deep) even according to the property of the Sun's powerful influence; according as it findeth in the Elements a properry from the Astrum or Constellations either to Evil or good; as oftentimes to worms, flies, grasshoppers, and the like, and also to a good life according as Saturn, and Mercury are enkindled in their desire. 34. For when the Chaos doth open itself, than the harsh-Astringent Saturnine property doth attract, as an hunger or desire, unto itself, and taketh the property of the Chaos (wherein the hidden Powers are contained) into its desire and coagulates the same, and forthwith Mercury becomes quick in Sulphur, for the Sun enkindleth the fiery Mars in its property, whereupon Mercury is stirred up or becomes active; this, Saturn frameth [Amasseth] into a body, viz. into an Ens; now the Saltpetre cannot agree or unite itself with Mars, and therefore there is a Severation or motion; and being that they cannot * Or escape. get rid of Saturn viz. the Fiat of the outward world; it becomes a flying life [or creature] according to the property of that same constellation. 35. Saturn [hath such a power or property in it as that it] may if the Sun be in a good Aspect, take in, the distilling dew out of the Rainbow, into itself, understand into the Saturnine property, which afterwards falls upon the water, which some fish do eat down, and Coagulate in them, whence precious Pearls may arise. 36. Eor the paradisical property doth open itself all along in the Chaos, if it be not hindered by evil malignant Aspects: which Master * The false Philosopher or Sophister. Wiseling will scarce believe: He can speak of the ground of nature exactly, and hath it at his finger's end, and yet is blind in the Mystery, and understands not either the inward or outward [part of nature] for such, I have not written any thing: for I need not such * Text, Calves. Animals to the understanding of my writings, but good clear quicksighted illuminated Eyes; unto all others they are dumb and absurd let them be as wise and learned as they will. 37. The Chaos is the root of nature, and yieldeth of itself nothing else but a good property, but if the Constellation be evil, the evil malignant desire taketh the good property into itself and changeth it into evil; as a good man among evil Company doth change his good also into an Evil. 38. And the Rainbow is especially represented [or freely given] unto man, for a Token of the divine Grace; so that he might behold and view himself as in an open and perspicuous Glass, what he is; for the sign of Good and Evil is manifest as a type of the Centre of nature, out of which Evil and Good take their rise, over which the Son of man was set by God, to be Judge. 39 For the Type or form of the Ark of Noah is also in the Rainbow; if we were not blind it would plainly appear so unto us; also the Trinity of the Deity is therein portrayed: for the red colour betokeneth the Father, the yellow and white the Son, and the blue the Spirit. 40. And God hath set forth himself in a figure according to his manifestation in the Sign of the Covenant, that we should fly unto his Grace, and receive his Covenant, and be always mindful of his Revelation to come, where he will again manifest the Spiritual world; as he hath set it forth unto us by way of Similitude in the Rainbow; to the end that we should see what is in Secret, and how his Covenant is Eternally established with us in Secret, and standeth ever before him. CHAP. XXXIV. How Noah cursed his Son Ham, and of the mystical Prophecy concerning his Three Sons and their posterity. AND Noah began to be an Husbandman, and planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine and was drunken, and lay uncovered in his Tent, Gen. IX. vers. 20, 21, 22, etc. and Ham Canaan's father saw the nakedness of his father, and told it his two brothers without, and Sem, and Japhet took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father, and their faces were backwards, so that they saw not their father's nakedness; now when Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger Son had done unto him; he said cursed be Canaan a servant of all servants he shall be amongst his brothers; and he said further; blessed be the Lord God of Sem; and let Canaan be his Servant; and God enlarge Japhet, and let him dwell in the tents of Sem; and let Canaan be his Servant; This is an exact real Type of the humane property according to the Three Principles or worlds: for the Spirit in Noah speaketh from the Centre; and the Three Sons of Noah did now stand before the Spirit in a figure; typifying what kind of People should arise from them. 2. By this figure the spirit of Noah prophesied or declared from the very Stock or root of the form word of the humane property, what the Second Monarchy should be: Noah was drunk, and lay naked with his shame, at which his Son Ham mocked and also declared it to his brethren, that they also should do the like: here the Spirit intimateth and pointeth out, whence the Curse arose upon Ham, viz. from the shame of his father. 3. For this was even the Abomination before God's Holiness; out of which root Ham and his generation viz. the man of vanity doth arise, for in the Image of God the shame is an abomination. 4. Therefore God commanded Abraham to be circumcised on this member, to show that this member was not given to Adam in the beginning, and that it should be again cut off from the Image of God, and not inherit the Kingdom of God; upon which Cause and reason also, the Souls spirit is ashamed to uncover it. 5. But being that Adam did not stand in the Image of God when his Eve was made out of him, it was hung upon him for to propagate in a bestial nature and kind; thereupon also this bestial Tree viz. the fleshly spirit of vanity, came to be propagated all along from this property, and adheres to man, the figure of this was Ham, and therefore he mocked his own property in his father. 6. The Spirit of this property mocked its Ens which it had from the Centre of nature: it beheld itself in his father's shame from whence it had its rise, as in a lookingglass of its selfehood: and thus this spirit [of fleshly Ham] forthwith broke forth as a Life of vanity and manifested what itself was; viz. a scorn [disdain or mock-god] of heaven. 7. Which the Spirit of God's Image in the form word of the good Ens in Noah did well know, and did awaken in him the fire-Centre of the Soul in the wrath, and cursed this spirit of vanity; that it should not co-inherit in the Kingdom of heaven: the Scoff-Spirit shall not possess the Kingdom of God, but be cut off from the Image of God, that is from the outward Image of the form creature. 8. For the same property from whence the shame ariseth, is Good in itself; but in Adam's Imagination after the bestial property it became Monstrous Bestial and Strange in the Image of God; and therefore this strange form and shape shall not remain for ever. 9 From this strange false shape the Scorner or Scoff-Spirit did arise; the Devil insinuated into the Figure of Hams strange spirit, and mocked at the Heavenly Generatresse, that it was now even become a Monster in the Image of God; and therefore the spirit of Noah cursed the false scoff-spirit [in Ham and all his generation.] 10. Not that we are to understand that Ham was accursed in his Soul, and Soules-spirit, but according to the figure [He and all his were accursed] in the property of the reviling mocking Spirit, which broke forth and manifested itself out of the monster; but He (that is the earthly Image of the Lincus of the Earth) should be hidden with its own self-will in the Image of God and be only as a Servant, or instrument of the divine Image proceeding from the holy Ens, the Earthly Spirit should not rule, but the heavenly, viz. the Soul with its spirit; the Monster, that is, this vile reviling spirit must not be manifest: but being the freewill did awaken and stir up the Monstrous spirit, which was only a scorner of the Mystery and hiddenness in the Covenant; Noah cursed * Or it. him, and said, he should be a Servant of his brethren. 11. For he said blessed be the God of Sem, and let Canaan be his Servant; God enlarge Japhet and let him dwell in the tents of Sem: The God of Sem was he who had espoused or incorporated himself with the Covenant in the Seed of the woman; the figure and type of this (in the Spirit) was Sem; and Japhet was the figure of the poor Soul captivated in the monster; God should let this Japheticall (or Souls) property, dwell in the tents of Sem and enlarge it in Sems' figure. 12. But Hams figure according to the monstrous spirit should not have any dominion or Reign in the life of the new-birth, but be only as a servant or as an instrument without self-will or any peculiar life of Selfeness, must serve and administer to the use of the Spiritual Kingdom; in manner as the night is hidden in the day, and yet 'tis really there, and yet so as if it were not; and it is the Handmaid to the day's operation and power. 13. Thus in like manner the Spirit did express how the three properties of the humanity, viz. the woman's Seed, and the creatural Souls Seed, and the Earthly Seed in Hams figure, should stand in their place order and rule in the Regeneration in the Spiritual Kingdom; and thereby it did declare and point at the Kingdoms of the world, intimating that this same figure would all along put forth itself in the Kingdom and Dominion of the * Or mankind. humanity upon the Earth, and thus keep its figure externally so long as mankind should live in the dominion of the four Elements; as it hath thus fallen out. 14. For Sem's figure passed in the Covenant upon Abraham and Israel, among whom the word of the Covenant was manifested and spoken forth; and Japhets' figure went along in nature; viz. through the wisdom of nature in the Kingdom of nature; whence the Gentiles arose, who looked upon the light of nature and Sem's lineage looked upon the light in the Covenant; thus Japhet, that is the poor captive Soul which is of the Eternal nature dwelled in Sems' tent, viz. under the Covenant: for the light of nature dwelleth in the light of Grace and is a tenant or inhabitant of the light of Grace, viz. of God's light, it is even as a form or framed Substance of the unformed un-comprehended Light of God. 15. And Hams line passed upon the Animal bestial man proceeded from the Lincus of the Earth, in which was the curse; whence the Sodomitical and almost wholly brutish people did arise; who esteemed neither the light of nature, nor the light of Grace in the Covenant. 16. This signifieth and pointeth out, the outward part of the Soul from the spirit of this world; which in the regeneration in the Spiritual world shall be a formed and very fixed will; which may not or desires not to rule in the manner and condition of a Selfish peculiar Spirit; but shall be as a Servant and Minister of the cre●turall Soul and God's Spirit in the holy lights Image, it shall not be manifest in any Selfefull arrogative understanding of Selfehood, but remain hidden, as the night is hidden in the day, and yet it is really there. 17. For the Animal Soul shall not inherit the Kingdom of light; although it shall and will be therein; yet it hath no dominion or predominant virtue of its selfness; as an Instrument is a dead senseless thing in reference to the master, and yet it is the master's Tool wherewith he maketh what he pleaseth; the same in like manner we are to understand concerning the Animal Soul in the Regeneration. 18. But in the Time of the four Elements, it will have the upper hand and Sway, for it hath brought itself into a proper selfehood, and Imaginative life of Selfish propriety; and therefore God hath accursed it, and condemned it to Death; so that it must die to Selfehood. 19 For when Adam did awaken the earthly properties out of the Lincus of the Earth in his desire, so that they went forth out of their just accord and mutual Harmony, each of them into its own self-will and lust, to behold, and look upon its Self as a peculiar self-life; the bestial Soul was hereby brought to its predominant power and force; and this same is Hams property; which God hath ordained to be Servant under the Angelical Kingdom; and Cursed its jeering Scorning Power; in that it did mock at the heavenly Matrix, and set forth its own figure and form. 20. The Spirit saith in Moses; that Sem and Japhet took a Garment upon their shoulders and went backwards to their Father and covered him; Gen IX. Vers. 23. so that their faces were turned backwards and they saw not his shame. O thou wonderful God How very Mystically and Secretly dost thou carry thy works: who would know and understand thy ways if thy spirit did not lead us, and open the understanding. 21. Both these brothers took a garment upon their shoulders and covered the father: wherefore did not one do it alone? or wherefore did Noah drink himself drunk? and lay so naked with his shame? This, reason looketh upon, as if there were nothing more in it, but only an History of such an Act: but being that Ham was thereby cursed, and made to be a Servant of his brothers, and not only he, but also all his posterity out of him; we see thereby very clearly what the Spirit doth hereby signify; viz that it is a Type Character and figure of that which should afterward come to pass. 22. The Earthly spirit, which the Devil had made monstrous, was a Scorner and jeerer of the heavenly birth; it indeed saw the shame which it must bear upon it as a Monster, but He went away as a Beast, and mocked the new regeneration of the heavenly Matrix; but Japhet viz. the poor Soul, and Sem, that is, the disappeared Heaven's Image, which was moved stirred or quickened again in the Covenant, they took a Garment upon their shoulders: this Garment was the new humanity which should open itself out of the Covenant out of the Angelical world. 23. And they went backwards, and covered the Father's shame; this intimateth and betokeneth that the freewill of Self, must and shall wholly turn itself away from the bestial Monster of Selfefulnesse and ownhood wherein the shame standeth open, and enter again into the Resigned filiation or child-ship; and go no more forwards but retire again backwards, and must take the Garment of the new humanity viz. Christ's innocency merit and Satisfaction upon it, and therewith cover the shame which our father Adam hath with the monster passed upon us by inheritance: This was the Type which was here set forth. 24. And that Sem did not carry the Garment alone and cover the father, doth figure out unto us, that the Soul viz. Japhet; that is, the inward Kingdom of the inward Eternal nature, must help; for the Soul is of the Father's property; and this Japhet doth typify: and the Souls spirit viz. the fair Image of God in the light, which did vanish or disappear in Adam, and stood * Or in the Image. typically in the Covenant, of which Sem was the figure, doth point out unto us the Sons property, who should open the Covenant; thus also we are to understand that the Father in his will, who freely gave us the Son, took on one part the Garment of our Sins Covering, and this was typified by Japhet; and the Son on the other part who covered our shame with the Father's will, and this Sem was a figure of. 25. For if Christ shall lay the Covering Garment upon our shame, than the Soul must help, that is, it must give up and resign its will wholly thereinto; and go backwards with its will towards the Bosom of the father; and not any longer parley with itself in its own will and knowledge, how it goeth or will go; but so it must take the Garment in true repentance upon its shoulders; and leave the other part upon the shoulders of Sem, viz. unto the true Image of * Or God. Christ which is the precious noble Sophia. 26. Both these take the heavenly Garment, and go backwards to the Father; and though they cannot see how they go yet they go in Faith trusting on God's Mercy, and turn away their eyes from the shame, vanity and false will; for going backwards and covering the shame in this place signifies nothing else, but to Convert the Selfehood naturally going forwards in its own will and way, and go back again into the ONE, out of which the freewill departed and came into the monster, or shame. 27. Noah's▪ drunkenness signifieth, that when Adam entered with his Lust and desire into this world's property, he became drunk, in the beastall property; and therein he uncovered his shame; that is; he disclosed and made bare therein the bestial Lust; now when this was done, he stood before God in great shame; and then the bestial spirit in this Monster of false lust and poisonful concupiscence broke forth, and reviled the precious heavenly Image, and made itself Master. 28. And thus Christ must in our Soul and in our disappeared and again revived noble Sophia cover the shame of our father Adam, and his children; for he would therefore not be borne of the Seed of man; but out of the heavenly disappeared Ens▪ and brought his living Ens of the holy world, thereinto; that so he might cover our monstrous * Text, Seed. Shame of the Souls property which adam's lust had uncovered, with the heavenly Ens. 29. The corrupt nature which had opened itself now in Paradise, went along in all men; and though the Image of God was again regenerate in the Spirit of the Saints, as in a figurative form until the fulfilling of Christ in the flesh; yet the monstrous Image was propagated all along in all in the earthly property. 30. But being the First earthly world of the humane property was drowned in the flood, and there the first Monarchies ceased; the same figure did forthwith represent itself again in Noah and his Three Sons: so that now the spirit doth here signify from the very stock and root of the humane property, how it should afterwards be viz. the Tree of man would in its properties introduce itself into boughs and branches; that is, spread forth itself into distinct Nations and Governments; and that they would not all know the Only God according to the light of his Grace; and how that God would represent unto them the light of Grace in the Generation of Sem. 31. For Noah saith; blessed be the God of Sem and let Japhet dwell in Sems tents; by the God of Sem he meaneth the holy word in the Covenant, intimating how the same would manifest itself; and then the Japhites or Gentiles, which lived in the light of nature should come to the light of Grace manifested from the Generation of Sem; and enter into Sems Tents and dwell therein; this did point at the Gentiles who before knew only of the Light of nature, but when the word did manifest itself in the Person of Christ with the gracious light of the Gospel; they came into the Light of grace. 32. And even here Ham viz. the fleshly lust-spirit, must be in its own property and selfehood a servant among the children of light, for the children of God do compel him to servitude and keep him under, and take away his reviling scorning will; for the spirit of Ham which Noah cursed, doth intimate how this Hams spirit would be great upon the Earth, and go on only in its own proud monstrous and bestial knowledge, and scoff at the children of the light, account them fools because they hope upon something else, which they do not outwardly see. 33. Thus the spirit in Noah pointeth out unto us three Sorts of men; first it signifieth the children of faith, who nakedly and merely look upon the hidden light of God's grace, and have the same shineing in their Hearts. 34. The other would look upon the light of Nature and Reason, and would endeavour to fathom and search out the hidden light, by the strength of reason, and that they would therefore contend dispute wrangle and jangle, and bring forth many wonderful strange monsters and Conceits out of the light of nature, and set them up for Gods or God's light, as it hath so come to pass among the Christians and Gentiles. 35. The Third Sort would be of Hams nature and Generation; and know neither the light of nature or grace; but walk as the Beast, and be only Titular verbal praters and literal children, and moreover mockers scoffers, and fleering Apes, who would also be called the children of God; but their knowledge would be only of the external Stone-Church; a mere custom, and verbal round of a * Or Divine Service as they call it, Service of God, where the mouth would use indeed the Name of God; but the heart would only bring forth a bestial spirit to earthly pride lust and pleasure. 36. Thus the spirit of Sem Ham and Japhet would dwell together in one Congregation: Sem's generation in faith hidden among the Japhites as a poor disesteemed contemned abject people; but the tribe of Japhet would set forth themselves with great plausible words, with great and huge ostentation of God's Service; but yet it would be but as an hypocrisy and seeming holiness proceeding from the light of nature; but Hams lineage would be full of gluttony and drunkenness scoffing and reviling, and they would mock at both, viz. the children of the Caine-like seeming holiness, and also at the children of the true light; and would live as the wild brute beast; and yet in their Swinish life would be children of Grace by an outward appropriation or Adoption. 37. This Ham hath now the dominion in Christendom; he hath flattered with Japhet, so that he hath set him up by the light of nature an external specious divine worship; as a Titular God: This Titular God hath covered Ham in his bestial Sodomitical spirit with a very fair and glorious covering under the purple mantle of Christ; and laid under his Head great * Or Satchels full. Sacks full of the light of Grace; and these the bestial mouth-spirit of Ham must take along with it; and when it must indeed die than it hath whole sacks full of the light of Grace. 38. But the light of Grace remaineth only in the Sacks; and Hams spirit remaineth in itself an Evil Beast; and cannot truly open the Sacks and take out the light of Grace; this Hams spirit is accursed, and shall not inherit God's Kingdom; unless it be really born again out of the light of Grace; or else the sacks, and cover avail him not at all. 39, For a Beast goeth into the Sanctuary [or to holy Service of God] and remains a Beast when he comes thence. Thy seeming Holiness and Devotion, thy comforting flattering and soothing up thyself, avails nothing, unless thou return again into thy first mother from whence man is originally proceeded, and become as a little newborn child, and let Ham and Japhet go with all their Arts, and Prating. 40. For Japhet obtains it not in his specious glistering Kingdom; unless he enter into Sems tent, viz. into the light of Grace; so that the same may be born in him: outward adopted children avail not in God's account; but innate children born anew of the heavenly Ens in Christ Spirit; and whosoever hath not the same is already judged. Joh. chap. 3. The Second Part. THE SECOND PART OF THE Mysterium Magnum Beginneth with the Propagation of the Humane Tree through Noah's Children. AND The building of the Tower of Babel and Confusion of the Speeches, and their Division into Several Nations. This is The other Tree Wherein the Powers of the Properties unfold and form themselves into the Languages; even out of One into many Languages Tongues and Speeches. Beginning with the X Chapter of Genesis and the 35th Chapter of the Mysterium Magnum: and ending with the XXXV. Chapter of Genesis and the 64. Chapter of the Mysterium Magnum, at the 5th verse. Written by JACOB BEHM Teutonicus. LONDON, Printed by M. Simmons for H. Blunden, and are to be sold at the Castle in Cornhill. 1654. CHAPTER XXXV. Shows how the * Or Tree of Mankind. Humane Tree hath spread forth itself in its properties by the children of Noah; and how they were divided and Severed at the Tower of Babel in their properties, by the confusion of the Tongues into distinct Nations. EVERY tree groweth first (after that it shooteth out of its pregnant * Grain Kernel pippin. Seed) into a Stock, Gen. X. afterwards into Branches and Boughs; and bringeth forth further out of its Ens, the Blossom and Fruit; thus also we are to understand of the Humane Tree, according to its virtue and manifestation of its hidden wonders of the divine wisdom, which lay hid in the humane Ens, and put itself forth in time out of each Degree of the properties. 2. Adam was the first Ens to the Grain [or pregnant fruitful seed of mankind] and this same Ens which produced the humane life was in the divine wisdom in the word of the divine power of the divine understanding; The Spirit of God brought this holy Ens out of the divine wisdom, and lubet, into the Verbum Fiat, viz. into the desire of the forming word, viz. into Nature; and therein the Spirit of God figured the Ens of divine wisdom, through the Speaking Word, into a formal life; and the nature of the three Principles, into a Body; into which body (understand the Ens of nature) the Spirit of God breathed this same figured shaped creatural life of Divine Understanding. 3. And hence man had his rise, and became a living Soul, both out of the heavenly spiritual Ens; and out of the temporal Ens of the Earth, and four Elements; both out of the constellation or Astrum of the divine Magic, and natural Magic; a complete perfect likeness of God; a delightful Tree of the life of divine wisdom and Contemplation engrafted into the Paradise of God, viz. into heaven, and into the Time of this world, standing in both; fit to * Generate again or propagate. regenerate, and form his like out of himself; like as out of one Tree many twiggs broughs branches and fruits, do grow: where every fruit hath a Grain Kernel or Pippin in it, fit to produce a new Stock and tree; the like we are also to understand concerning the tree of mankind. 4. The inward spiritual Ens grew in its power in Adam's life, until the outward earthly natural one overcame him by the infectious persuasion of the Devil; and then the natural Ens put itself forcibly forth in the powers of the wonders of Nature; and brought forth its branches and boughs out of the essence of nature. 5. And though the holy Ens of the heavenly world's Essence and being, did disappear in Adam by his infection and poisonful Imagination, yet the word of divine power did give is self again thereinto by Covenant; so that this Ens of the heavenly world was propagated all along in this tree, until the time of its now springing forth in the Ens of Mary, where the Covenant was accomplished [stood at its aim and limit.] 6. Adms spiritual holy Stem grew until his fall, and there it stood still; and then the word freely gave itself by the Covenant thereinto as into a disappeared [expired] Ens to regenerate it again in its true Entity; and the outward natural Stem obtained the power and the selfe-growing life, in the fall, where then the Elements, each of them in its property, became sensible and full of its own selfefull power and operation, and grew so unto the flood, especially before the flood, in its boughs and branches, and did show itself as a full grown Tree according to all the properties in Evil and Good. 7. But the Powers had not as yet unfolded and explicated themselves therein, for all men had only one Language; the Languages were made manifest, out of the properties before the flood. 8. They indeed understood the Language of Nature, viz. the form word in its difference, but this difference or distinct variety was not as yet form and framed into Tongues, until the Stock of the Humane Tree, did, after the flood, bring its power into the Branches; whereupon the tree of mankind began to bloom and bloossme forth out of the properties of the powers of the form Natural Word, viz. out of the Blessing, wherewith God blessed Noah and his children, viz. the branches of the tree, and bade them be fruitful, and fill and replenish the Earth, and gave them the Covenant of Grace. 9 For in Cain this Tree was cursed, but in Noah it was again blessed, that the properties of the form natural word should put forth themselves with the Tongues through the property of nature as a Wonder of many words or Gods in the Only living Word. 10. The Image of God in the form word, should bring forth the formation of the only word, out of the first Ens, into many formations or forms of tongues and Speeches, according to the nature and manner of the Princely Dominions of the high Spirits, which also are in their distinct Degrees and differences in the form word, and in the Deep of this world do rule in the properties of nature above the four Elements, yea also above the operation of the Stars in the Soul of the great world; which also bear the Names of God in the form word of nature, as an instrument of God, whereby he, in a formal manner, ruleth in his Dominion and Love-delight or Harmony. 11. That the * Patriarches. Ancient Fathers lived so long before the flood; was, because that the powers of the form word of the divine property, were yet undivided and un-manifested and un-explicated in them, as a young Tree, which is full of power virtue and Sap, doth excellently manifest and display itself in its Branches and spreading growth, but when it gins to bloom, than the good power goeth into the Blossoms and fruits. 12. The like also we are to understand concerning the first Age of mankind; when the powers were couched in One property in the Stock, than men did understand the Language of nature, for all Languages did lie therein; but when this Tree of the one only Tongue did divide itself in its properties and powers among the children of Nimrod, than the Language of nature (whence Adam gave names to all things, naming each from its property) did cease, and the Stem of nature became faint feeble and weak, by reason of the divided properties in the word of the powerful understanding. 13. Thus they did not any longer live so long; for the true power of the humane life, whence the understanding floweth, is * Or proceeded. come out of the word of God; but being that the understanding did divide itself into many Tongues and properties, Nature grew weaker and weaker; and the high understanding of the properties of the Spirits of the Letters did fall, for the internal brought itself into an external, in manner and wise as a man relateth and speaketh of a thing which he hath by hear-say, and yet hath no right understanding of the same, also is not able to see it. 14. Of Such a Gift (as the understanding of the Language of nature) mankind was deprived of at Babel, when as they so highly exalted nature, and would by the outward nature, build them a Tower, whose top should reach even to heaven; which hath a very subtle hidden and innate understanding; and it lieth very excellently and emphatically in the Names of Noah's children and children's children; which the spirit in Moses hath set down in the line of their forth-spreading Generations; wherein the properties of the division of the only understanding and Language, may be understood; for they do entirely intimate, how the properties of the understanding, do give forth and unfold themselves one out of another, and how each, mutually brings itself into a Sundry particular Speech; as into a peculiar Selfely word. 15. For, the names of the children of Noah and their children (from whom the Second Monarchy had its rise upon the Earth) are Seventy two; which the spirit in Moses doth point out; and herein lieth the Great Mystery of the Tower of Babel, viz. the division of the Tongues. 16. For d 77. Seventy Seven is the whole number of the divine manifestation through the form word; e 72.5.1, ● seaventy two, are Babel, viz. the tongues of the wonders; the other Five are holy, and lie hidden under the seventy two, and they take their Original out of JOTH, and the JOTH standeth in the , viz. in the one, which is the Eye of Eternity without ground and number. 17. Through the five holy Speeches proceeding from JOTH, the Spirit in the form word of nature speaketh holy divine words in the children of the Saints; and through the Seventy two Tongues, he speaketh through the Nature of the wonders both from the Evil and good, according as the word doth form and amass itself in an Ens. 18. The five Speeches belong to the Spirit of God, who speaketh by his children, when, and how he pleaseth, but the Seventy two belong to man's selfness and particular ownhood, whence man's self-ful understanding speaketh Lies and Truth; therefore the seaventy two Languages, viz. Babel, must pass through the judgement of God, and the pure, shall be separated from the Impure, and tried in the fire. 19 For him, who is taken under, and capable of this knowledge we will give a short direction and manuduction, to trace out our Sense and meaning, (which yet we in this place will keep to ourselves) and thereby intimate unto him, how he may search out all Mysteries and Secrets which lie couched under these Names, which the holy Spirit, in Moses hath marked out. 20. The Spirit in Moses sets down Seven Names in Japhets' Line; viz. the Seven Sons which he begat; which are these; Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meschech, and Tiras: Now Japhet is the first, and betokeneth the first Principle; and therein the Kingdom of nature, intimating, how even out of Nature the Seven free Arts or liberal Sciences should be found under a natural Philosophy; and these were found out in this Japhets' line in a natural manner, by the heathenish Philosophy; for this was the twig which should dwell in Sems' Tent as Noah foretold. 21. For the Seven Sons of Japhet signify and point out the Seven properties of nature, and under their Seven Names lieth the great Mystery of the Japheticall Lines in the Kingdom of nature; intimating to us what kind of people and Kingdoms should arise from them, even unto the end of the world, concerning the manifestation and writing of which, our Speech is stopped and taken from us; but it shall be freely and fully manifested to our school-fellowes in its Time; and be wholly made known and revealed. 22. After this the Spirit mentioneth only two Sons of Japhet which begat children; viz. Gomer and Javan; he passeth over the other children of Japhet in Silence, and mentions not at all what children they begat; and this is not without cause; the Spirit pointeth at the two sorts of men among the Gentiles in the Kingdom of nature; viz. under Gomer he setteth three Names, Askenaz Riphath and Togarmah; these were the Sons of Gomer; who do thus manifest themselves in the Language of nature, viz. they form [conceive or Amass] the Ens of nature, viz. the form Word, into an Ens, and bring it into a Contemplation, that is, into an acute speculating Reason; and make a figure out of it; viz. a Dominion (or form of a Government of self-will) according to the Kingdom of nature, for Temporal Glory and Renown. 23. And under the other Son Javan, he setteth four Names, viz. Elisa Tharsis Kittim, and Dodanim; and he saith, that of these fourteen Names, all the Isles and Languages of the Gentiles were filled, and that they had their rise and Original from hence: These four Names do intimate out of the properties of nature, thus much, viz. by the first [Name ELISA] a good half Angelical will: by the second [TARSHISH] an introduction of the good will into the wrath of nature, from whence an Evil warlike selfness ariseth; by the third [viz. KITTIM] a false understanding, whereby the Angelical Good will, is brought in the selfehood of Reason, even to be a fool, and sets forth itself with a strange outside Lustre, and it signifieth the heathenish Idolatry whereinto they brought themselves through Reason, without God's Light, and thereby did set up heathenish Idols, and made themselves Great Kingdoms; so that the spirit of Nature hath brought them under its power and might, into its own form; and under the Name DODANIM the spirit intimateth the Kingdom of nature in Selfehood with its selfely Divine Service, viz. an external visible God, which may be shown by the pointing of the finger. 24. And under these fourteen Names in Japhets' line, the Humane Kingdom of nature is wholly portrayed and typifyed; and we are in an especial manner to observe, that the angelical will is therein concluded, betokening the wise and deep understanding Heathen in the light of nature, in whom the inward Holy Kingdom did behold itself, who, notwithstanding they lay shut up in the true divine understanding, and saw by an external light [or reflex] into the Restitution of all Being's, shall, when the Covering is taken away, live in Sems' Tent, viz. in the Form Word of nature, yet in their property. 25. Out of this fourteenth number of the fourteen Names of Japhet came the Prophetical, and Apocalipticall Numbers; 14. Names. from which the Spirit prophesied how the wonders of nature should open themselves one after another, and what should happen in each Degree of their manifestation; which we will here pass over in Silence, and mention it in its due place. 26. Under Ham, the spirit bringeth the greatest intimation of the Kingdom of Nature, for he fully sets forth the external form of Reason, for he saith; Ham begat Chush Mizraim Puth and Canaan. CUSH giveth in the Ens of the pregnant Generating Nature, a signification of a form of sudden conceived Swift ascending lust in Selfehood, like to a Running, or far and wide domineering and Reigning might; and it is the root of the Princely Government according to the third Principle; but Japhet is the same ground [or work] according to the first Principle. 27. MIZRAIM signifieth a forth driving Power, which doth forthwith comprehend itself again in the Lust, in which the Centre of Nature doth go forth all along in a strong through-breaking lust and desire, and breaks open the form of the Lust; intimating unto us the Original of the divided Tongues, and how the power of the only form word of the understanding should be divided. 28. The Name PUTH showeth forth even from the Ens of nature, a High City or place whereby the will [of these men] would advance itself on High in contriving and framing how to build them an High Tower; CANAAN signifieth a Land of lowliness and humility; showing, that God would be found in the lowly and humble, and it especially signifies, that this high flown aspiring will shall be overthrown and cast down. 29. Although the Reader may not be able to understand us in this Tongue, yet I set this down only to the end, that he may learn to consider and meditate on the Great Mystery, which the Spirit of God hath signified under these Names, from whence such a purpose of a few men did arise; that it is even wholly a mere wonder, whence the Tongues and speeches do take their rise and Original: for the Spirit doth set down afterwards, that Chus begat Nimrod, who began to be a mighty Lord upon the Earth; and was a mighty hunter before the Lord; who would now understand what kind of mighty Lord and hunter he was before God, without the understanding of the Language of nature; which being it is not every man's gift to understand, we will only intimate the sense and meaning; even what the Spirit doth thereby understand in the word of the Essence. 30. Nimrod became a mighty Lord, and was an Hunter before the Lord: Now if I be able to see the Spirit in its Essence, in the formation of the word, than I see what a Lord and Hunter Nimrod was, for the Spirit doth herein signify and point at the properties of nature, showing how the same have opened themselves in man's nature, and brought themselves into an external form to a contrived framed Government among men; the Spirit signifieth by the Name how the humane freewill hath form itself in the Nature of the understanding; and Imagined such a Model, and platform into its mind, out of which Imagination and fancy the outward work arose. 31. For the Name NIMROD doth give a very clear signification, in open understanding; that he came from Chus; for he is in himself a taking apprehending or an Arrogation of Power and might out of nature; intimating, how nature doth form and frame itself into a Government in the Mind; and hath put itself forth with Power, and hath hunted suppressed and oppressed the inferior properties; therefore the Spirit saith, an Hunter before the Lord; for the Nature is before the Lord, therefore the Spirit speaketh here of an hunter before the Lord; for look as an Hunter doth hunt drive take and tame wild Beasts; even so the spirit intimateth, that out of this selfe-advanced humane Nature, such evil Beasts would arise, who would live only to the outward nature. 32. Now out of the wrath of nature, arose, over these foolish bestial men, the Hunter; viz. the outward domination; which should hunt catch kill, and keep them in Awe, so that the Hunter might Tame them, and hold them under a Government, else there would be only a General raving, raging, biting, tearing, devouring and eating up each other, among the Bestial men; being they would not suffer the Spirit of God to rule and guide them, they must suffer the Office of nature to rule them; for otherwise what need hath the Lord of an Hunter, that the Spirit in Moses saith, that he was a mighty Hunter before the Lord; that which hunteth before the Lord of all beings, doth not hunt Hares or other Beasts. 33. Moses hath a veil before his clear shining Eyes; the Spirit doth hereby hint at the Government of nature; showing how the humane Government hath form and contrived itself in the Soul of the outward world; and how it should afterwards be among them; and what Hunters would arise over them; and compareth the humane Dominion to an Hunter, who hunteth for Beasts to catch and slay them; and thus it would be also among them; that these Hunters would Hunt after Men; to take them and bring them under Slavery and Servitude; and chase and course them too and fro by their Bloodhounds; by't tear slay and devour them by war and murderous acts; and tame and bring under all, with force fury and violence; and excellently well manage the Government of the Hunter in their own self- assumed Power. 34. For Man was fallen under the possession of God's wrath in nature; the same forced forth itself now with its desire, and form itself into a Government according to the outward Constellations and the four Elements; as they do build up and break down; even so did this Hunter do with his Beasts in his Sport. 35. Here the world may take an exact Looking-glass to behold itself in; it is the true Original Ground of the worldly Dominion and * Lordship. Rule; and although the same ground of Government hath an internal spiritual Original; yet it is in the outward form only, before God, as a bestial Huntsman-ship among the Beast-men, who must be bound and tamed. 36. For the inward spiritual Government standeth in great humility in an Angelical form; whereunto God also created man; if he had but remained in Paradise, than he should have had no need of the Hunter, but being he would be a Beast, God ordained him also an Hunter, who might keep under the wild unruly bestial, men: and the Hunter, and beast, are both alike before God, in this world's bestial property; but being it may not be any otherwise, God holdeth it for his natural Order; for he hath given every thing its Government [Station and Order.] 37. But it is to be lamented, that this Hunter doth hunt slay and devour the Tame humane beasts, which do not belong to his Game: but what shall we say; or wherewith shall the children of God excuse themselves, or quit themselves of this Hunter, before God, seeing every man bears externally the Hunter's Hind on him, over which the hunter of nature hath power; the inward spiritual man must leave his outward Beast unto the Hunter; for his outward Beast is also evil. 38. The spirit of Moses setteth under Hams lineage twenty nine Names, which came from Ham; 29. Names. which intimate the twenty nine properties proceeding from the third Principle, viz. from the spirit of the outward world; hinting how the form word should be manifested through the outward nature: both in Tongues and Properties, whence the Governments and Orders of Countries and Nations have had their rise; albeit each property hath again its extern Birth; like as one branch or sprout of a tree doth produce and bring forth other Twigs, yet the spirit in Moses doth point at the chief head root, and the properties under these Names; showing what kind of people should arise from thence, and what their alterations and their final conclusions should be; all this lieth hidden under their Names. 39 Thus Ham hath twenty nine Names of his children, 29. and he is the thirtieth, twenty nine is the set Numbers of his children and children's children, under which the number of the end lieth in Hams Government and Dominion. Thirty is his whole Number, whereof the Prophet speaketh, 30. that this Ham would sell the righteous One for thirty pieces of Silver; and give the same for a Potter's field: as a Pot is accounted of in reference to its maker, even so is the fleshly man Ham in regard of God; he taketh his thirtieth number, which he ought to bring into God's Kingdom, and giveth it for an earthly vessel, which doth resemble a field, and in that, doth sell the righteous one, who lieth hid under the thirtieth number in the word of Power: thus the righteous one under the thirtieth Number, doth by the death or mortification of Hams flesh, Sever himself from the twenty nine Numbers of these properties, which have gotten the upper hand in Ham; for in the thirtieth year, the Righteous one, viz. Christ, did separate himself unto his Office, and in the thirtieth Number lieth this same Mystery; this is understood by our fellow-schollars, and only hinted at in this place. 26. Names. 40. Sem hath in his line of Propagation twenty six Names; and he is the twenty seventh. 27th. Name. And the spirit in Moses speaketh very hiddenly; Gen. 10. Vers. 24. saying, that he was the Father of all children of Eber; and Eber begat two Sons; the Name of one was Peleg, for at his days the world was divided; 25. and the other was named * Or Jaketan. Joktan: all whatsoever the spirit in Moses speaketh of the outward Acts of the Patriarches, he hath under them a single inward eye upon the line of Christ; for he saith that Sem was the father of all the children of Eber; although Eber be first in the Third degree after Sem; yet the spirit looketh so punctually upon the word in the Covenant, wheresoever it doth open itself in a Line. 41. For EBER signifieth in the forming of the word, as much as a Sound, or manifestation of the word out of the Centre; and saith further; that he begat Peleg; and called him so by reason of the division [of the earth] the spirit doth not only look upon the outward division of Lands and Countries, but much rather upon the Line in which stood the * Or Mark. limit of the Covenant, for in Eber the limit of the Covenant did open itself in the word as in the Sound or manifestation and went all along in the Seed upon Peleg; and the line of Adam and Christ did there sever itself in the two brothers; as afterwards it did among the children of Abraham and Isaac: with Isaac and Ishmael; and with Jacob and Esau; thus likewise it was here with Peleg and Joktan: externally the world was divided; and internally the Kingdom of Christ, and the Kingdom of the world; Not that we are to understand, that Joktan did not remain in the Covenant; only the spirit doth here look upon the motion of the Seed, in which line the limit or mark of the Covenant was to be moved, wherein the word would again move itself in the disappeared humanity of the heavenly Ens, and manifest itself in the Humanity. 42. The Names of Sems children and grandchildren are mere intimations and significations of the properties out of the wonderful line of the prophetical spirit of Enoch; where these same properties were brought forth out of the Stock into Boughs; but here into Branches. 43. The spirit in Moses a Gen. 10. from 26. vers. to the 30. setteth * 14. Names. fourteen names under Jocktans' line which are the wonderful Number of this bough in the trees property, being the Kingdom of Christ according to the property of nature: b Gen. 11.18. 1. Name. and of Peleg he saith no more but of One Son, which he calls Regu, whom he begat when he was thirty years old, intimating and pointing at the line of Christ wherein the main limit and eye-mark of the Covenant stood: the Spirit denoteth only One, for by One the Covenant should be opened; for the spirit looked with the one upon the Kingdom of Grace; and with his brothers fourteen Names, it hinted at the humane Kingdom. 44. And in that he saith, that he begat Regu, when he was thirty years old, the Spirit therein looketh forwards upon Christ, 30. years. who should arise and come forth out of this Stock; and manifest himself the thirtieth year of his age in his Office; as also likewise all the Ages under the line of Christ, which Moses hath set down, have a very certain intimation and Prophecy, and point at the Times of the motion in the Covenant; as [may be seen] through the Prophets and other Saints in whom the Covenant hath moved itself. 45. The spirit of Moses setteth five Names of the children of Sem, 5. Names. which came forth of his loins; and though he did beget more (for Moses saith that * Gen. 11.11 he begat Sons and daughters) yet the spirit mindeth only the properties of the form Word in the Covenant of the humane property; these Five Names do figure out and set forth as in a type the Five head speeches of the spiritual Tongue through the form Word, proceeding from the High Name of God; Five head Speeches. out of which Tongues, the prophetical and Apostolical Spirit, * Or spoke. speaketh. 46. And though we could set down a form of the same; yet we should be but as senseless or dumb, to the Reader which understands not the Language of Nature; and therefore we have but given an hint of it, to our School-fellowes; for the spirit doth also, under the Names, point at the Kingdoms and Dominions, and they are Gods, who with his Name doth Order govern guide and lead every Kingdom, according to the property of his Name: as the property of each Kingdom is, even such is the Tongue Language, Phrase, and manners of the same; as it is written, such as the Nation is such a God it also hath. 47. Not that there is more than one God; only we understand therein, the divine manifestation, how God doth give himself forth, in his manifestation in the form word, to all Nations, according to every Nations and people's property; so that every Nation and people doth use or bear forth, the same only Word according to its property, the external form and division of which, is Babel; for o Gen. XI. Vers. 6. all people had only one tongue and language, and dwelled together. 48. The Only Tongue, was the Language of nature, out of which, they all spoke; for they had it in one form, and understood in the Language and speech, the Sense, viz. the Ens, even how the will form the Ens; for so also was the spirit in the Ens; of which we will give a short intimation and manduction, to the understanding and illuminated mind to consider of, to prove exercise and make trial of it in himself, not that a man can express it, and bring it into a certain form, no, that cannot be, for it is the spirit of the wisdom of God, his manifestation. 49. The spirits of the Letters in the Alphabet are the form of the Only spirit in the Language of nature; Alphabet. 5. vowels. the five vowels bear for●h the holy Tongue of the five holy Languages out of the Name Jehovah, from whence the holy spirit speaketh; for the five vowels are the holy Name of God according to his holiness; for the Name Jehova hath nothing in it, save only the five vowels A, E, I, O, V, the other Letters signify and express the Nature, even what the Name of God in the form Word is in Nature, both in Love and Anger; in darkness and light: but the five vowels do signify only and alone what he is in the light of holiness; for Nature is Tinctured with the five vowels, so that it becomes * Text, a Kingdom of joy. full of joy and delight. 50. But that the Ancient wise men, skilful in this tongue, did interpose an H in the Name JEOVA; and called it JEHOVA; the same was done with great understanding, for the H. maketh the holy Name with the five vowels, even manifest in the outward nature, it showeth how the holy Name of God doth breath forth and manifest itself even in the creature: the five vowels are the Hidden Name of God, who dwelleth Alone in himself; but the H signifieth the divine Lubet, or wisdom, showing, how the divine Lubet doth breath forth itself out of itself. 51. The inward understanding in the five vowels is this: I. is the Name of JHESUS. E. is the Name * Germ. Engel. Angel. Engel. O. is the form WISDOM, or Lubet of the I, viz. of JESUS, and is the Centre, or the HEART of God. V is the SPIRIT, viz. the * Viz. the Sweetness. SUS in JESUS, which proceedeth forth out of the Lubet. A. is * Germ. Anfang. the der beginning Anfang and und the das End, End viz. the will of the whole comprehension, and it is the FATHER. 52. And these five do fold themselves up with the comprehension or formation into Three, viz. into such a Word; , that is, A. O. V Father, A. O. V. Son, holy Ghost: the Triangle denotes the Trinity of the properties of the persons, and the V on the Triangle, denotes the spirit in the H, viz. in the breathing, where the universal God doth manifest himself spiritually with his own proceeding forth or procession out of himself. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 53. The other Letters without the five vowels, do all proceed from the Name * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. TETRAGRAMMATON, viz. out of the Centre of the Eternal nature, out of the Principle; and do denote, and speak forth the * Varieties. Differences of the form wisdom, viz. of the form word in the Three Principles, wherein the whole creation lieth, they are the sense of the creation, viz the property of the Powers, and the true Revealed God in the word of nature: understand this further thus. 54. When as the Lubet of man, viz. the freewill of man, doth conceive or form itself into a desire, than it conceiveth the whole Alphabet; for the desire is the Fiat, and the Lubet to the desire is the contemplation of the freewill, viz. the form word of wisdom, wherein the freewill doth behold itself, and contemplate whereinto it will introduce the Lubet of the wisdom; either into Evil or Good; and when the freewill hath thus be held itself, it doth conceive with the Lubet, in the Letters, viz. in the Sense of nature, and composeth the Senses of the Letters together, and formeth the Lubet into a word, the same standeth in an internal form, viz. in a conceived Thought. 55. And even then the freewill taketh the H, viz. the Spirit of the forth-breathing, and bringeth the form Thought before the counsel of the five Senses, who behold the form word, and prove the same, whether it be apt or not, if it doth but please them, than the H, viz. the breathing Spirit, taketh the word, and brings it upon the Tongue, into the Mouth; there is the chief framer v●z. the Fiat, which, is the divine Instrument, and figureth the Senses of the properties out of the letters, as the freewill hath set and composed them into a Substance to the Sounding or pronouncing, manifestation or Expression. 56. Now mark and observe us here, very exactly; how every word is form or brought in the mouth to * Note when a word is form or expressed, it is brought to Substance. Substance; viz. to the expression; How the chief worker and contriver viz. the Fiat which is in the Senses doth shape and figure it, and how the Tongue cooperates or frames itself therewith, when it takes it, and by what way it brings it forth, whether through the Teeth, or above, or with open Mouth; also how the Tongue doth frame itself in the conjunction of the word, which Sense it doth again draw back, and will not wholly cast forth, as there is many a sense which is not half put forth, but many, fully, and many again are drawn half backwards towards the heart. And now as the word was form, so is also the thing in its form and property, which is named by the word, (provided that the freewill giveth it also a right Name, and doth not impose a strange Name on it out of Malice or Ignorance) so it is externally noted, and internally in the compaction of the Senses it hath such a virtue, or ill malignant property. 57 Now whosoever hath the understanding of the Senses viz. of the Spirits of the Letters, so that he doth understand how the Senses are set or compounded in the Lubet, he understands it in the framing of the word, when the same is form or brought forth to Substance, and is able to understand the Sensual [Natural or essential] Language of the whole creation, and understands whence Adam gave Names unto all things▪ and from whence the Spirit of God hath prophesied in the Ancient. 58. This is now the ground of the Head Languages; when as all people spoke in one Language than they understood one another; but when they would not use the * Text Sensual. Natural Genuine tongue; then the true and Right understanding was put out in them; for they brought the Spirits of the genuine tongue of Sense into an external gross form, and framed the subtle Spirit of the understanding into a gross form, and learned to speak out of the form only; as at this day all Nations speak only from this same form of their contrived sensual tongue. 59 Now No people do any more understand the Language of Sense, and yet the Birds in the air, and the beast in the fields understand it according to their property. 60. Therefore man may well think and consider, what he is deprived of; and what he shall again obtain in the New-birth; although [perhaps] not here upon the Earth, yet in the Spiritual world; for in the Language of Sense all Spirits speak one with another; they use no other Language, for it is the Language of nature. 61. Our Learned ones do term themselves Doctors, and Masters, and yet none of them understands his Mother Tongue; they understand no more of the Spririt, than the Country man doth of his Tool to the tillage of his ground; they use only the bare contrived form of the gross compounded words, and understand not what the word is in its Sense; hence ariseth the contention and strife wherewith men contend and jangle about God and his will; men will teach what God is, and yet understand not the Least of God. 62. The five holy Speeches in the Language of Sense, are God's Word; they are his operation through the Sence-tongue, viz. through the properties; as it cannot be denied, that God giveth power virtue and life to all creatures and vegetables; for his holy Name is through all; and Adam had this holy Name as a proper possession, working, ruling, and sensibly efficacious in his Senses; and even this jewel he lost, which is now again restored and enkindled in the holy Name JESUS. 63. Therefore none can with Right be called a Divine, or Learned in the holy Scripture, much less a Doctor of the same, unless that he understands the SensVAll tongue, and knows how the holy Spirit hath spoken by the Sensual tongue in the holy Penmen of the Scripture, if he understands not the divine Sense in the holy Scripture, Let him not undertake to be a Master over it, to censure or interpret it, he is not at all learned therein; he is only a changer of letters; a Chop-logic in the Scriptures, and understands not one letter in its Sense. 64. Thus understand us herein concerning the children of Noah; viz. Japhet, Sem, and Ham; and their children and grandchildren; they had lost the SensVAll Language, and had made themselves a form contrived one, and so spoke in a form Language which they themselves understood not in the true Sense; therefore God was hidden to them; for they understood no more, the voice of the holy Spirit in their Language, viz. the Mental Tongue of the five vowels. 65. And they looked about, or Imagined, where God should be; and supposed that he must needs be something with form, and dwelling apart from them; and being they could not understand any thing of God upon the Earth, either what, or where he was (and yet had heard so much of God spoken by their forefathers) thereupon they thought, that he must needs dwell on high above the Stars; and thought them not able to reach thither,; therefore they undertook to build them a Tower whose Top should reach to heaven, that so they might ascend up to him; also they would thereby make themselves a Great Name; that it might be said, they had built a Tower even unto Heaven. 66. Such a knowledge the form understanding, had of God; as still to this day such Doctors are to be found, who know and understand no more of God's habitation and being, than these Builders of the Tower, and build in their Art, altogether (except the true genuine understanding one's) upon this high Tower, and can never ascend up to God, and therefore they contend about the Building; every one saith how it might be built sooner and better, and yet they could never agree; for they have all built themselves even to Death thereon, until the Lord sendeth a watchman and shows them, that it is in vain; that they shall not find him on High; but that he is even among them under the Letter, and they have not known him. 67. At this we do exceedingly rejoice, that the time is borne, that we are lead from the Tower of Babel, and are able to see the holy God in the SensVAll Language: Hallelujah. The Tower is broken, and fallen down; at which our fathers have built themselves to Death; and yet have not built it up; the foundation thereof shall not be any more laid while the Earth standeth, saith the spirit of wonders. 68 The hidden Mystery of the Tower, and the divided Languages, is this: mankind had framed the Sensual Language of the holy Spirit into a dumb form; and used the form word of the humane understanding, only in a form, as in a contrived vessel, or vehiculum; they spoke only with the outward contrived vessel, and understood not the word in its own proper Language of Sense; they understood no● that God was in the Speaking word of the understanding; as at this Day the like comes to pass, and is. 69. But, being God, had in the beginning of the creation, incorporated himself with his word, into man's Image, viz. into the properties of the Senses, and would not be without Sense, or in one only conceived form: and likewise, seeing that all things do stand, in growth Seeding and Harvest, even now was the time of the humane Trees Blooming, where the spirit of the Senses did put forth itself in its properties with Blossoms; and manifested the properties through the Blossoms, and out of the Blossoms brought forth the Fruit; and like as every blossom doth open and put forth itself, at the outmost part, or highest of the stalk, or branches of the Tree or stock; even so the spirit [of nature] driven the children of men to the extremest Height, that they also would build them an High Tower like to an high Tree, or tall stalk; for it would manifest its blossom, and fruits also, in the highest of the stalk; and upon the Tower which they would build up unto heaven, the SensVAll Spirit opened itself with the Blossom. 70. For man's will was, that they would ascend up to God; and the God of [nature, or] Sense, put forth himself in the same desire and will, for they sought him, only, in a circumscribed, [Local, outward,] manner; and even so he applied himself to them in a Conceived form of Sense out of the contrived form tongues and Languages, wherein notwithstanding they were dumb and knew him not. 71. They were entered with the Sense, viz. with the b Or the spirit of their Mind. Mental spirit into Nature, and nature had captivated them in the understanding; therefore God also manifested himself to them with the Sensual Spirit in the contrived form of the tongues out of the seventy two properties, 72. Properties. through the Three Principles; viz. through a threefold Sensual Alphabet according to the Three world's property; viz. through * three times four and twenty letters; and they brought the Sensual spirit of the letters in their contrived form through the Tongue out of each Letter, through the three Principles; viz. into Three properties of tongues and Languages, according to the property of the Trinity of the Deity. 72. And hence arise seaventy two Languages out of one only Sensual tongue, 72, Languages. wherein all Speeches and Languages are contained, and each Tongue and Language fell upon its people; according as every Family of the Stock of the humane Tree had a property out of the form word, even such a Language befell them out of their Sense, viz. out of the same property of the form word. 73. For, the Sense of man's speech, that he is able to speak, doth come unto him originally out of the divine word, which introduced itself with the Verbum Fiat into a creation, now this word brought forth itself through the compacted properties, according to their Compaction, nature, kind, form, and property; for so distinct and various also are the Senses in the quality even in the place of this world, far otherwise in one Country, then in another, and even so God did likewise form the Languages according to the property of every Land and Country. 74. For being that people were to be dispersed into every Country and Climate; he opened to each people a Language, according as it should be in a Land; which did apply itself unto the same quality of Sense, and accord therewith; so that the quality of the Country did not introduce the Turba into it, if they with the word of their voice agreed to the Sound of the form spirit in the Soul of the Great world in that place. 75. For, as the manifestation of the form word was in the spirit of the world in every place; even so the Spirit of God did form, through the nature of the properties, the Language and speech in every Country; first the seventy two head Languages out of nature, and afterward the c Or Dialects of Language. collateral affinities, proceeding from the Senses of every head Language; as we plainly see, that a man doth scarce find, in any place of the world, among all the head Languages, one and the same sense in any head Language, within the compass of fifteen or eighteen miles: 15. or 18. miles. According to the Elevation of the Pole, Climate or Zenith and Nadir. they altar and change almost every fifteen or eighteen miles, all according as the properties of that Pole, or Elevation, are: Look what kind of property the Lubet hath in its predominant Constellation, even such a property the vulgar people have in their Language and Speech. CHAP. XXXVI. Of the Antichristian babilonical Whore of all Nations Tongues and Speeches; showing what is contained under the Languages and Tower of Babel. An open Gate of the Mystery of the Great Babylon. Courteous Reader, I desire to warn thee in Love, that thou wouldst not understand our Sense and meaning according to partial affections, to detract, Revile, or especially to contemn or despise any, as from us; much less, to set upon them, in their Office Function and Dignities, out of passion; but we shall speak in General: Let every one prove himself; he shall indeed find the Great Mystery of the babilonical Tower, in himself; and also the * Number of the Beast. Number of the false Beast. Let him but read our meaning with Patience, and take himself along, as to his evil innate hereditary property, under the same, as, really the earthly mortal man, in all men, belongeth unto this text. 2. we will here write what the time hath brought forth and manifested, and if it were not manifest by Man, yet the beasts should be driven to manifest the same; for the time is * Or fulfilled. borne and nothing can hinder; the most High accomplisheth his work. 3. Moses saith; Nimrod, Hams [Grand] Son, began his Kingdom at Babel, and was the first Lord upon the Earth after the flood, Gen. X. 8.10. and was the first Erectour of the Tower and City Babylon; yet we are not to understand that only Hams children would build the Tower, but also Japhets, and Sem's, for they were yet All together as One people, and would build them a Tower whose top should reach even unto heaven, that they might thereby make themselves a great Name. Gen. XI. 4. 4. This Tower, on which the Tongues were divided, and where the Great City Babel stood, is a figure of the fallen earthly man who is entered into Selfehood, and hath made the form word of God in him, unto an Idol; for the nature of the Tower was even this; viz. that it should there stand as a great wonder, which men had made in their own contriving Fancy, whereupon they would ascend up to God; and signifies, that man hath lost the right understanding of God and his habitation and essence. 5. Man had compacted [or framed] his understanding through the desire of selfe-elevation, and exaltation into the Sensual tongue; and contrived or conceived the same into a selfely propriety, in which conception or comprehension, the spirit of the Mental Tongue of the five vowels, was departed from him. 6. Not that we are to conceive, that this spirit was departed from its creature; only the freewill of man, had, in the form word of the * Or speechless dumb letters. Consonants (wherein, the spirit of the five vowels, viz. the unformed spirit of God, did manifest itself) brought itself forth, (as a peculiar God) out of the Resignation to the unformed spirit, into a self fullness, and self-willed weening, and fancy; the type whereof was the Tower, where the men of Babel would come and climb up to God in their own conceived will and Thoughts; they themselves were gone forth from the spirit of God, and would through their own power and Ability take the Kingdom of God to themselves in Selfehood; they would enter with their own will, selfe-borne in evil and good, into the property of God's holiness; this denotes and declares the divided tongues, where every property had brought itself forth out of the universal SensVAll tongue into a selfishness, and a peculiar Selfly understanding, so that they did not any longer understand one another; where the understanding was compacted and brought into a propriety out of, and according to, the Three Alphabets. 7. This compacted formed Tongue, the holy Ghost did open on the day of Pentecost in Saint Peter's Sermon, where Peter from the opened Sensual tongue spoke in one Language all Languages; and this was also Adam's Language, whence he gave Names to all creatures. 8. Thus understand us aright, what Babel and the Tower of Babel doth typify and point out. The City Babel is the Ham-like man, who buildeth this City upon the earth; the Tower is his Self-chosen God, and Divine worship: all Reason-taught, from the school of this world, are the Master-builders of this Tower; all those who have set up themselves to be Teachers, and are chosen thereunto by man without God's spirit, they are the Master-worke-men at this Tower, and the Idol of the world, None excepted; they carve and frame altogether only Stone and wood for this Tower. 9 For the Name NIMROD showeth us very clearly also in its own sense of the form word, that it is a self contrived form amassed and compacted lust, which did advance itself on high as a selfly God; the Type whereof was the Tower; God suffered them in their confounded understanding to set forth the figure of their property, as a type what Man would be in the presence of God. 10. Now saith Reason, wherefore did God suffer it to come to pass? Answer: Thus it must be; that the wonders of the wisdom in the unformed Word of the five vowels might introduce themselves through the form word of the three Principles, into a form or external contemplation, as a counter-plat-form, draught, pourtracture, or formation; for the dark world of God's Anger, was become manifest in man, whence the gross earthly property was generated, which also had wholly captivated man, and the same did here likewise represent its image as a selfly God. 11. Now then, the Tower was a type of the dark world, where man would behold God in the dark selfehood; and denotes the earthly man, who standeth in God's sight as this Tower, and is an Image and resemblance of * Or Gods contempla- divine Contemplation according to evil and good, as a Painted life; for the true humane life was the form life; which became, in own desire to Selfehood, such an Image, before God, as this Tower. 12. All men even from Adam who have taught of God, without the divine vision of the Spirit of God in them; they have all spoken and taught from this Tower of the confounded tongues; and even hence hath the Strife arisen about God and his will, and Essence; so that man hath contended and jangled about God, in Selfehood: one hath said, they must bring Bricks to the building of the Tower, another Stone, a third Lime, a fourth, wood, water, or other needful Materials; and their chief Master-builders have been manifold, every one according to the property of his own Tongue: every one hath desired to build the Tower upon his own foundation and proper ground; one hath had in the property of his Country and Climate Stone for the building thereof; another lime, the third chalk or clay, the fourth wood; and every one hath thought good to build the Tower alone for himself out of the material of his own property for a great wonder, that all the world might look and behold that which he hath built. 13. And then, when people of other Countries have seen what that hath built, than they have contemned it, and said, that the property of their country's material hath been better for the erecting the Tower; and have begun to reject it, and to build the Tower for themselves, and praised that also, which likewise hath again been despised of others, who have accounted their country's material better, so long till they have fallen quite out, in Pride and Contention, and have left off from the Tower, and have fallen upon one another, and persecuted slain and murdered one another about the Knowledge of the Tower of Babel, and that party which hath then got the victory, that hath again built the Tower out of its own property, till other people have also risen up and accounted their own matter and stuff for the Best. 14. For the Speeches of the understanding were confounded and divided; and therefore the people neither knew nor understood one another's property; and each people or Nation, hath supposed and looked upon the other, to be strange in the power of the understanding in the form word; from whence the Contempt of Religion, viz. of the knowledge, and confession of the word, hath arisen; for the Sensual [intelligible] tongue was compacted according to the multiplicity of the properties. 15. And thus the wrath of the eternal nature (and also the Prince who dwells therein, viz. the Devil in his Legions) doth satiate, and recreate itself in the strife and contention of man in the compacted word of the tongues; and thus the Antichrist, who is the Tower of Babel viz. the Self-will of the Ham-like man, domineereth in the Temple of God, and there hath set himself up in the place of the Holy spirit. 16. For, the Temple of God, is the form word of the humane Languages and tongues in man's understanding; as it is written, * Rom. X. 8. the word is nigh thee; namely in thy mouth and Heart, and the Seat and habitation, of the opposite adverse Devil, is the monstrous property out of the dark world. 17. In this form word of divine understanding, the Antichrist, viz. the will of Self out of the properties of nature, hath set up and established himself, and pranketh and set forth himself, with his property of nature, as if he were God, and yet he is the condemned accursed Son chosen to death, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, for he was not made a creature out of God's will, but out of the will of Self; as the Devil, who was an Angel, yet became a Devil, from the will of the dark world which advanced itself in him. 18. The like also we are to understand concerning the Antichristian babilonical Beast of Reason's self will, which termeth itself divine, and is only a monster of the true man which died in Adam to the holy Image of God's spiritual world, and shall and must be borne anew in the word, which did again manifest itself in the humane property, in Christ; or else it cannot see the Holy word, viz. the unformed Divine word of power. 19 This same holy word, must again enter into the Compacted Sensual tongue, and bruise the same, so that the whole and perfect understanding of all tongues may be again manifest in one, as Christ said of the Cornerstone that it should be * Rom 9.33. 1 Pet. 2.8. a Rock of offence; upon whomsoever it should fall, him it should bruise. 20. Thus understand us now what the Antichrist or the babilonical Whore with the Dragon Beast is, as may be seen in the Revelation: Every man which is not born again of God, hath the mark of the Beast and the false whore in him. 21. The Beast is the Animal [natural] earthly Ham-like man, who is from the Lincus of the Earth, according to the Earth's grossness and malignant Malice, which ariseth out of the dark world, and standeth in the Curse of God. This beast did arise in Adam and Eve, when they did Imagine after evil and good; and came into its selfefulnesse, away from the divine power and will; and is before God only as a beast: This beast, the Devil hath infected, with his desire, and made it wholly monstrous, and insinuated his desire thereinto, so that it only lusteth after vanity as a Cow doth after Grass. 22. But the whore of the Beast is the poor Soul captivated in vanity; which soul, had its rise in the form word of the three Principles, which was God's Image, but now by the Lust of the beast, it hath begotten to itself, an own self-will, which is departed from God into selfehood, as a selfwilled self-born creature; which doth what it pleaseth, and not what God's Spirit willeth: this self-will revoulted and apostatised from God, is the whore of the beast, which whoreth with its self in the Pride of selfehood. 23. But now the poor captive soul lieth in this Gross beast, and is captivated in its own selfe-borne will, viz. in the whore, and longeth after God, from whom it proceeded and was inspired into the created Image; and looketh about on all sides, where its true native Home of Rest should be, and it findeth that it is clothed and covered with this whore; and than it bringeth its desire into this whores will: and seeketh the place of God for Rest, and then the whores will taketh the poor captivated souls desire into itself, and thereby doth exalt and set up itself; it persuades itself, that it, in the soul's desire, is the fair child of God which shall possess Heaven, and gives out, that it is holy, and sets forth itself, as a God, which men must honour and adore. 24. And being this Bastard, viz. the false will of selfehood, cannot see or behold the place of God, either what or where God is; then the false will goeth on in the way of its property, and betakes itself unto, and appropriates to itself, the manifested Word of the Letter, viz. the form voice of God's children, who spoke from the Living word, and setteth its contrived form of its own conceived Ens into the Literal word, and clothes itself externally with the literal word, standeth forth with boldness and selfe-achieved confidence, and saith, here is the place of God; here is heaven; here is God manifest; but it is only a Bastard and is predestinated to Condemnation; for God hath not created it; Note. Predestination. but it was born and brought forth out of the Lust of the Soul, when it did turn its face from God into the Centre, and would taste, and prove evil and good. 25. This Harlot's Brat, sitteth upon the bestial monstrous man, and rideth upon him as upon its horse, and is half Devil, and half brute Beast, which shall and must die, or else the soul will not be redeemed so as to see the face of God again. 26. This whore hath taken its power and understanding out of nature, viz. out of the Compaction of Evil and Good, that is, out of the dark and outward world, and hath swallowed up [or avalled] the precious Image of God in itself, which after God, was created out of the heavenly Ens. 27. Here is the Swinheard, as Christ said; who had consumed his father's inheritance with the Swine; he meaneth the poor Soul, which hath devoured, spent, and consumed, its heavenly Goods in the heavenly Ens with this whore of the evil Self-devillish will, so that it standeth in God's sight as a tattered patched Swineherd, and keepeth the fruit of the evil whore, viz. of the Devil's fatted swine, upon the Earth, which are the wicked ones, in their fruits. 28. Thus we understand what the Antichristian babilonical whore in man, is, which hath arisen out of the divided properties, viz. out of Adam, in whom the properties departed out of their mutual and Equal Accord, each into its own desire and lust to selfness, whereby Adam became earthly and mortal; out of whom afterwards the Tree of the multiplicity of tongues and speeches did arise out of one only tongue. 29. Now know this; that the multitudes or variety of Faiths are generated out of the divided Tongues; so that almost every Nation hath brought itself into sundry several and peculiar Opinions, of Gods being, and Essence, and therein consists the Confusion, viz. the Mystery of the great Babylon; concerning which the Spirit of God did prophecy and declare out of the prophetical root (both out of the Line of Christ, how Christ should come to restore and remedy the poor captive soul, and regenerate its right true life: and also out of the Turba magna) how this Beast together with the whore should be cast from the face of God into the fiery furnace. 30. With this whore of Self, all the false Spiritual * Clergicall and Ecclesiastical. ones or priesthood, have clothed themselves; who set up themselves to be Teachers of the mystery of God's Kingdom, without God's Spirit: they have externally covered themselves with the prophetical and Apostolical word, and pleaded the Testimony of the Bible, but they have introduced their own sense out of the Whores Ens thereinto, and have hung, in their heart, to the babilonical fleshly whore, and have not understood the Prophetical and Apostolical Tongue in its Sense. 31. They have spoken from the sense of their own bestial selfehood, through the prophetical, and Apostolical word, and have brought and used Christ's words to their own selvish babilonical Harlottry, and committed whoredom; and likewise have Adorned and trimmed up their Bastard under Christ's purpur-mantle with Silver, Gold, and precious stones, and also with worldly dignities Honours favour and riches. 32. After these, men have run, and have even adored and esteemed them as Gods, falling deeply in love with their Bastard; although their hearts have never agreed, or stood upon the only true ground, but have been at variance with each other: and this is that of which the Prophet Daniel speaketh, saying, * Daniel 11. they shall honour a God whom their fathers knew not, with Gold, Silver and precious stones; and unto those that help them to strengthen their [strange God] * God of forces. Maozim they will divide the Land for inheritance; this whole chapter doth belong hereunto. 33. Now, when we consider aright what this babilonical Tower is at present in Christ's Kingdom upon the Earth, and what it was under Moses, and among the Gentiles; then we find very clearly, that among all Three it is of one property; and so also among the Turks and present Jews; every Nation builds it, out of its own materials for in the Right universal Sensual tongue, (if it be manifest in one) we are altogether but one only people and Nation even from Adam. 34. But the very cause that we are divided, and brought into Opinions, is, by reason of our Master-builders and founders viz. of the high schools, Priests, Popes, Bishops, Doctors; also the Rabbis and Masters of all nations; who are set as workmen to the building of the Tower; all these have judged from their own Language, and natural understanding, viz. from their conceived and form sensual tongue, from the outward letter; and have indeed neither known God or the Light of nature; but have been blind and dumb as to both; both the Jews and Gentiles; and also the Selfe-made Teachers of the Christians. 35. Whosoever have run, devoid of God's spirit without divine understanding, either among Jews and Gentiles, Christians and Turks; they have built only this Tower, in their own essence, and the same is even a Tower of the great wonders of God, of divine Contemplation both according to light and darkness, life and death, joy and sorrow. 36. Not that we are to understand that this Tower is not at all profitable before God; it is even the great Mystery of God's manifestation according to Love, and Anger; as God hath created out of the great mystery all manner, kinds, and sorts, of Beasts Birds Worms Trees and Herbs, evil and Good; and that all, to the manifestation of the Great wonders; thus likewise the humane Tree hath brought forth such wonders out of its Sensual tongue, out of the multiplicity of the properties, and introduced them into a Substance, for its Growth and glory, viz to the great Harvest of God; where each property of Love and Anger, Light and darkness, shall reap in, it's own fruit, and every thing shall possess its heaven in itself in its own formed and conceived Ens, out of the only word of God which hath given forth itself to every life, (even unto every life and Being according to its own proper quality and virtue, according to, and out of, its Principle) as an universal word, to the glorious manifestation of Eternity. 37. Now, when we further consider of this Beast, with the Whore; what it is in itself, within, and without, than we find, that it is the form compacted word of the spirits of the Letters; for men are all of one only property as to their life; all are begotten out of one flesh and Soul; and have all but one only kind of life; as a Tree in many boughs and branches, where the boughs and twiggs do not perfectly and wholly seem alike, or the same, in form, but all have one only Sapp and virtue: so likewise the creature of mankind, among Jews, Christians, Turks, and Heathens. 38. And the only difference is this; the spirits of the Letters in the form word, do sever us in the understanding; else we live all alike in the four Elements, and eat of the fruits of one Mother, and remain in her, when we die to this outward life. 39 The compacted Sensual tongue, which is divided in the spirits of the Letters, doth confound us, and make us to err; so that we do suppose we are strange one to another, and yet we are all but one only Tree; which the Devil hath poisoned with his desire in Adam, so that the equal Temperature or Accord was brought into distemper and discord, whereupon the spirits of the Letters were [variously] made manifest, so that we speak from many speeches; that is; we have introduced the powerful word of God into the multiplicity of the divided properties; and have made, in each tongue's property, a Selfehood, or a Self-ish desire, to arrogation, self-apprehension and assumption. 40. Hence arise the contrarieties, differences, and * Text Images. Opinions; in that we have introduced the unformed word into the form of our own selfe-made Image; now we contend and strive about these Images and conceits; and every one supposeth his own to be best; and when we bring all these Images and several Semblances again into one Language and Speech, and mortify them; then the Only Quickening Word of God, which giveth power and life to all things, is again manifest; and strife ceaseth, and God is all in all. 41. Therefore we say as we have found it in the Grace of the One; that all men's Imaginations opinions and Know of God, his being, and will, without the divine light, [or * The undoubted Unction of the holy Ghost illumination of the Spirit] are this same whore's Beast, which is flown forth and arisen from the compacted spirits of the Letters; whereby men contend about the Spirits of the Letters. 42. We have lost the Five vowels in the Alphabet; which do introduce all the spirits of the Letters into one pure harmony; and the five vowels are as 'twere senseless or dumb in reference to the other letters, and yet they are the life of the rest, for there cannot any word be form, but there must be a vowel. 43. Now there is no better way or remedy to bring us into union, that so we may become ONE again with one another; One people, One Tree, One man in Soul and body; then to destroy and kill all the Images or forms of the Letters in us; and suffer none of them at all to have its own self-life: not desiring to know or will any more of God save only and alone what God willeth to know in us and through us; and also that we do immerse or resign the Souls hunger and desire merely only and nakedly without any other knowing or willing, into the five vowels; and therein the great holy Name of JEOVA or JESUS (viz. the living word) is manifest, which giveth life unto all things, and not according to the property of nature, desire and will the different variety of many things, but give up ourselves into the one only Love-Sun, therein He is manifest. 44. As the outward Sun giveth life and power to the whole world; so likewise this only Name, in its Power, giveth life and understanding to all the Letters; and understand us aright what we mean by the whoredom of the Letter. 45. The letters, viz. the properties of the Sensual tongue, have introduced themselves into an external form, or selfefull will and understanding, and brought themselves with the vowels into a compaction [selfe-comprehension or particular formation] and when this was done, than JESUS viz. the holy Name JEOVA, died [or disappeared] in the Sensual tongue in the Letters with the five vowels of the one only holy mental tongue; that is; the spiritual Man, which was resigned in [and to] God, died to the divine understanding and will. 46. Now there is a self-willed Beast of selfishness and own-hood brought forth out of the spirit of the other letters, which doth only kill, Christ in Paul. 2 Cor. 3.6. and bring forth dead fruit: for Christ saith; the letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive; understand this thus. 47. The divided Sensual tongue killeth us, sets us at odds and variance, leads us into Babel; but the spirit of the vowels; viz. the holy Name of God, doth again revive and quicken us in him; therefore the holy word of the five vowels did again (when as the spirits of the letters were divided and brought into the Selfehood of the wonders of God) espouse and incorporate itself forthwith in Paradise with the precious covenant, into the Letter viz. into the Natural man; for to manifest itself again with a motion in the Compacted Tongue, and to introduce the holy Sense again into the Sensual tongue. 48. Thus understand us aright; the literal form in the Sensual tongue, is now the Evil Beast, which will domineer in its own power: now into this evil Beast the spirit of the five vowels viz. the Name JEHOVAH (which with the H, hath breathed the JESUS thereinto) hath given in itself, and killed the evil Beast viz. the Self-will, and hath again Tinctured the spirits of the Letter, viz. the right natural man, with the Tincture of the holy Name of the vowels or JEHSUS; and with the Love hath slain the death or deaths in the letters, and destroyed their self-will; so that the spirits of the letters, cannot any more introduce themselves into a selfefull Compaction of the Sensual tongue; for they are dead in their own will; and the Spirit JEHOVAH in JESUS is become their life; Rom. 6.2. so that they live no longer to their selfhood; viz. to the nature of the wrath, but in that they live, they live to God. 49. Thus now the Beast of the whore is in us outwardly, viz. in the mortal man; and inwardly is Christ in the immortal man, who is passed through the death of the letters and hath turned the death into life. Joh. 5.24. 50. Now it behooveth man, and his main happiness depends thereon, that he also die unto the Images of the letters in him; and disclaim or departed from all Reason's scholarship, or knowledge of nature, and all babylonical Master-builders however they be called; and enter into the one only life JEHSUS; and not at all dispute about the way, where it is; but only d Or consider. think that it is in him; that he must forsake all, whatever he hath, either Art wit or skill etc. and become one barely and nakedly in himself, bring himself into the ONE, viz. into God's will, and be freely willing with whatsoever it will work or do with him: he must give up himself will-lesse; and leave himself wholly in God's Mercy; and bring all his learn into this one only Thing; that he in his teachings and learn will not do or speak any thing but what God willeth through him: and thus all Images [opinions and conceits] do dye in him; and the Souls life falleth into the only living word, which hath manifested itself again in the humanity. 51. For this is the great Beast of the babilonical whore in us, that we bring ourselves into the Images and forms of the Letters; and make Opinions to ourselves: that Opinion, is a Beast. 52. Also we must not desire to know and will▪ ourselves; but die continually with our own self-will; and in all things give God the honour; and give him again that which he giveth us; viz. whatsoever understanding wisdom and skill we have; and acknowledge that it is not our own, but that the divine Sun shineth out of, and through, us, and worketh in us as it pleaseth. 53. Thus likewise we must diffuse and give out again our power and virtue, which the divine Sun worketh in us, universally to all, without any gain, advantage, or hire, from any; whosoever shall help to maintain and nourish our life, unto him we must be thankful, and not flatter any for his authority's sake; or receive his false glance show or lustre, into this Sun-light; but all must be in General or Common, as the Sunshine doth give itself universally, and gives no strong Great or Potent thing, any more but its purity and brightness, it Tinctureth the Earth and its children with one only power and virtue, and giveth life, and strength to all things. 54. Herein now we shall know, whether one be a Teacher sent of God; or whether he hath his rise and original only out of the spirit of the Letter; if he be born universally out of the Love, than he hath the light of divine knowledge, viz. the Sensual divine understanding, a Tongue, Tinctured from the divine Ens of the five vowels, and speaketh from the Spirit of God; rebuketh and teacheth powerfully without respect of any man's person; and hath no Image [or mental Idol] in him; for he teacheth from the Spirit of God, even what the same [spirit] teacheth in him. 55. But if he be a Master-builder of the Tower of Babel, born of the spirit of the letters, viz. of the disharmony [or diversities] then he is a hypocrite, and flatterer, a glozing fawner, that will say any thing to please those that are gainful and advantageous to him; a soother of those that do help to honour his Maozim, and adorn his Letter-God in the divided tongues; a scorner, evil speaker, and bold censurer of those that do not honour him in his form, and Sect of religion; a selfe-applauder, ambitious, proud, and under a glistering show of Religion and seeming holiness, a covetous, malicious envious one; putting forth himself with ostentation; that so he may be known and honoured; he will be applauded and set by, of man; attributes to himself understanding and wisdom; and boasteth of wisdom and a rectified judgement and understanding, and yet hath none of them; but he is only a builder on the Tower of Babel; viz. of an external figure and form; a painted Christian; he will undertake to teach others, and yet he himself was never taught of God; he teacheth only from the form of the compacted spirits of the letter, which have compacted themselves in evil and good, he taketh these into his own power and ability; and compacts, and sets the words together into an Opinion. 56. And that opinion, is the Tower of Babel, and they which run after him, and associate gather and bind themselves with him in the opinion, are the City Babel, viz. the children of Nimrod; who will climb, and ascend up to heaven upon this Tower, and are continually a climbing up, their whole life, yet come not to heaven in the opinion, but when the time of the outward literal constellation is out, than this built Tower falleth down; viz. the outward man, together with his opinion, and all shatters and breaks to pieces, even to the only soul, which then standeth naked and bare before God. 57 Here is now no remedy, unless that it hath the one only spirit of the Sounding Letter, viz. the informed word of God in it, so that it is able in its desire to attract and draw the same to itself, and clothe itself therewith, that the same doth cleave and break in pieces all the form contrived compacted tongues and Images of the letters, and introduce them into one only tongue and will, which is God all in all; all things must enter again into the ONE, viz. into the universal; in the multiplicity there is nothing but strife, and disquietness, but in the Oneness there is an eternal Rest, and no enmity or contrary will. 58. Now when we do truly consider again what the Tower and the City Babel is in its form Image upon the Earth, and what and where it is, than we find it clearly portrayed before our eyes, that it is the great Houses of the Churches, Cloisters, Fortresses, and also the strong walls, and Towers of the Cities upon the earth, wherein men hid themselves from force and power, and in the Opinions play the Hypocrites before God in the Church's Cloisters, and strong holds; and cry unto him that he should receive and accept of them in their contrived framed, and received opinion of the letter. 59 What is all this? an Idolatry and hypocrisy; An Antichrist with show and glistering glory; what do men bring into this glozing hypocritical Babylon; nothing but Images mental Idols and selfe-contrived opinions forged out of the form of the letter; what do men carry home with them from this hypocritical specious house? only the Images of the letters; into these Images, and conceits the poor captive soul doth wrap itself, which notwithstanding is full of fear doubting and trembling, by reason of the conceived, and received Image or opinion; and is continually in fear lest another people might break in upon its received framed Images and destroy and overthrow these its received Images, and therefore men have made Fortresses Bulwarks and Towers and strong walls about their Cities and Churches; that so they might defend themselves lest the Tower upon which they would ascend up into heaven should be destroyed. 60. Now saith reason; these are indeed houses of meeting, where men do teach and instruct the simple and ignorant, where men sing and pray etc. lo! externally, in, and among, the literal men, they are only the Tower and City Babel; but internally among the children of God, in whom the Temple of God is, where the Images and mental Idols are destroyed, there is Christ: that is, in those who have pulled down and broken all Images, and opinions in them, and are entered through the conversion from Images and conceits only and alone into the only mere naked Grace Mercy and Free compassion of God, and esteem themselves as wholly unworthy empty Nothings, and become as 'twere dead in themselves, willing, or desiring nothing else save only the mere purity of God in his Love-will, and account themselves too unworthy of attributing or taking any thing to themselves, and freely fall in deepest humilty into God's tender mercy, as if they were not: and wholly cast their desires and wills into God's compassion; so that, what he wills and doth in them, that they also will, and nothing else; in these I say it is a house of teaching and an house of hearing, a Temple of God; where the Spirit of God teacheth heareth, singeth and praiseth in the Soul; for they are dead to all selfehood, and selvish willing and weening, and do melodize with unity and oneness of Spirit in the praise of God, in the knowledge of the holy Ghost; these are the Church of Christ. 61. But the rest have only the Tower at Babel in the opinion, in their conceits and Images; these Idols they carry with them into the Houses of stone, and glory in them, worship them, and carry them again home with them; and fight for them, as if they had the living God in them; and wage great wars for these Images; laying Country and people waste and desolate; and yet they are more foolish than the Birds in the air, which do all praise and honour God in one tongue, and understanding; for they are all without any Images; whatsoever the great God doth with them therewith they are content. 62. The humane Tree is only one Tree; if they continued in the one only God who hath created them; and did not make unto themselves Images, who would set them at odds and variance about God? they indeed * Acts 17.28. are and live in the one only God, and yet they contend and jangle about God. 63. Wherefore do they contend? for the Idols of their heart, for the Stone-houses of the Churches and for the pride of the Images, [and forged opinions] every one will honour his Image, and set it up aloft as an high Tower; that so he might have great respect in the City Babel; and therefore they build themselves strong holds, and make great bulwarks, and walls to defend and keep the Image, and flatter themselves in hypocrisy, and understand and mean by the contrived and painted Image, the God Maozim, viz. the fat-belly God, and pleasure of the beast, viz. of this whore's Image; they set the Image upon the Tower for the show of their holiness, and therewith they are very devout in glistering appearances before God; as with a peculiar Selfe-born God; but they immure the Beast within their Stone-houses that it may be secure, and there fat itself. 64. What is now this beast with the whore; it is halfe-devill, which hath its Kingdom upon the Earth, and it is half beast, this evil Beast hath devoured man, viz. the Image of God. 65. And for this cause God became man, that he might destroy, slay, and nullify the works of the Devil; and we must put on this divine humanity, and destroy the Devil's Kingdom in us, and mortify all Images, otherwise we cannot see God; the living word must mortify the literal Image. 66. The living word is therefore become man, that the literal Image might die, and the first man, which was form out of the living word, in God's Image, might be regenerated anew in Christ's Spirit, viz. in the living word; and if now he be borne, than all the Image-teachers are more prejudical than beneficial to him; for they introduce their Images only into the Temple of Christ, and destroy the Image of God. 67. And let this here be declared concerning the children of Nimrod, and the Tower of Babel; as the Spirit hath so given us to know; and we do admonish the Reader, in Love, to prove and examine himself; he shall find where he is: this is not written to reproach any; but thus the Spirit speaketh with open mouth, and sheweth, what all things are, from whence they come, and into what End they shall go. 68 But the reason why so much is written of the Beast and the Whore of Babel, is, because it is at its End, and shall soon be broken in pieces; therefore it must be revealed, that men may see and know it; for Babel falleth not unless that all whatsoever hath made the Images doth likewise fall: all Images [Opinions and Sects of Religion] together with the Beast and whore must fall; else there is no Cure, or remedy. 69. Men have for a long time been a patching and pieceing of it; and have verily thought, to have made a virgin of the whore, but her whoredom hath thereby been only adorned, trimmed up, and made the greater: if this whore shall fall; then all Sects, which are only the Images of the whore, must fall down and come to naught, together with Beast upon whom she rideth: every man must break down and destroy the Images and Idols in himself, and where they will not do it, there the zeal of the Lord doth it. 70. How very finely doth the whore at present perck up its head, and being it heareth that the spirit doth intimate [great and glorious things] of Zion, viz. of the Adorned holy bride of Christ; than it thinks that it is the fair child, which God will bring into a golden Temple, wherein there shall be a brave Golden Time, and mere joy pleasure and delight▪ and it looketh about, to see from whence this fair Temple of God should come, into which it should enter, and become a virgin; it hearkneth continually from whence these holy People should come, who as it supposeth should make a Golden world. 71. But it thinks not to leave off from its covetous voluptuous whoredom, and be converted; no! it groweth worse and worse; and more unchaste and abominable, full of blasphemies; so that there is scarce any good at all in it; and it standeth before God, as an arraigned condemned whore. 72. Harken thou Adorned and crowned Babylon, full of evil and wickedness in the sight of God, and his Angels; we have heard a watchman say; Away! the city together with the Tower of the whore, and the beast, is fallen, and judged of the most High: thou shalt not see the city of God for ever, unless that thy children do put off and cast away the defiled Garment full of shame; and fall down wholly naked and bare, without any Image, at the feet of the most High; and turn unto him▪ such as these may indeed see it; but as for others who hope for golden mountains and seek for Temporal honour, money, and pleasure of the flesh; not any of them. AMEN. 73. Reason will, here, in the above mentioned Text, where it is mentioned, that a true Christian must die to all Images Opinions and Selfe-knowledge, and be wholly annihilated in himself, begin to speculate, cavil and say, that we do forbid man the natural knowledge and external Rational wisdom, whereby men do Govern the life and all things of this world, and if this were so all understanding would be abolished. 74. Unto him, we declare, that nothing is hereby taken away or abolished in man, neither understanding skill or Art; for all these arise out of the divine wisdom, we do not nullify the expressed Word of the form wisdom, but only the Beast which will rule in divine contemplation, viz. the beastlike will of Self, and selvish ownhood and propriety, which is departed from God, which honoureth itself as a false selfly God, and cannot believe or trust in God. (This is even the Antichrist which hath * 2 Thess. 2.4. set himself up in God's place:) and we withal, do teach, that man must wholly die to the Antichristian Image; that he may be born again in Christ, with a new life, and will; which new will hath might and ability in the form word of nature, to see and behold with divine eyes, all the wonders of God both in nature and creature, in the form wisdom. 75. For if the Antichrist dyeth in the Soul, than Christ ariseth from death; for he resteth in the five vowels in his grave, viz. in the mentall-tongue, which died in Adam, and lieth captive in Antichrist; when this same ariseth from death in the mental tongue, and is made alive, than he openeth all the treasures of the heavenly wisdom in the Sensual tongue; so, that man doth far more clearly understand the spirits of the letters, viz. the form word of nature, in all the three Principles, than he did before in the Antichristian whores child. 76. For the new birth is indeed effected and brought to pass in the mental tongue, viz. in the disappeared Image of the heavenly humanity; but it Tingeth, and casteth away the false antichristian Image of the natural humanity; viz. of the spirits of the dumb senseless letters, and doth make them all senseless and dead, in their selfhood; and gives them their own life; so that they do behold themselves in the new humanity; and make all their assumptions and formations in the new humanity. 77. These new assumptions and formings are effected and wrought forth, in the divine will, in Resignation, and they are the heavenly Images and formings which are form and shaped in the holy Ghost to the honour of God. 78. For if the holy Name of God, be not in its power, in the forming of the words, viz. in the spirits of the Letters, which are the form word, and helps to form the word in the Sensual tongue, than the false Antichrist speaketh only from his own self- assumption of the literal form. 79. For the Spirit of God doth form and imprint into the word of the mouth (when as the Sensual tongue takes it;) righteousness, truth, faith, Love and patience; viz. divine power, and virtue; but the Antichristian child doth co-forme in the conception of the word out of the Serpents Ens, lies, falsehood, Tales, unfaithfulness; pride, covetousness, bitter stinging envy, anger, backbitings, revile, and all whatsoever is against God, and maketh the form word of the letter, to a Beast, and wicked Bastard, which is rejected from the face of God upon which the Judgement passeth. 80. The like is also to be understood concerning the external wisdom and Art; if the divine wisdom worketh therein, than the understanding and Art, is very good, and grounded in the divine wisdom; but if it be otherwise, it standeth in mere antichristian false Image [and Fancy] to the Judgement of God. Note. 81. Therefore Let a man prove and try himself, what falls in, and suggests itself, into the Sensual tongue in the formation of his words; if it be truth righteousness faith in hope, Love in patience, an earnest full unfeigned desire to speak and do the truth and that for God's sake, in hope of Eternal life, than it is well with him; let him continue steadfast in such exercise; and work more and more effectually and powerfully therein; and his precious Pearl Tree stands in its growth and increase. 82. But if the contrary be found in him, that when he will speak, that then lying, a proud look, great words, for pomp and ostentation, also envious bitterness, false speaking against his neighbour, falsehood, Anger, a revenging desire, false and evil interpretings, and wrong harsh censurings do fall in and imprint themselves into the formings and Fancy of his words; then he may ceratinly and really know, that he hath the antichristian babilonical whore together with the false wicked Dragon-Beast sitting in his Heart; which doth introduce and insinuate and imprint such will and desire in his words; for the forming and building up of the Hellish Images; for these false insinuations and suggestions are all brought to Substance in the formation of the Sensual tongue. 83. Therefore know O man! Note. (and prove thyself) that thou art the Image of God according to the divine word and understanding: if thou speakest willest and dost righteously, than thou art that same Image of God, wherein God dwelleth speaketh willeth and worketh, but if otherwise, and the contrary is found in thee, than thou art the apostate rebellious Lucifer in his Generation and train; and dost, willest, and desirest even that which he willeth and doth. 84. And though thou desirest not Hell-fire; Lucifer also did not desire it; but there is no other reward for the false Image; being it forms itself out of the Abyss, it must verily enter into its Father's country. 85. For, the speech, and understanding, of man, doth not befall him from the Stars and Elements; for then other creatures could also speak and understand: Man hath the same, Originally, from the incorporated formed word of God, it is the Name of God, which he must not abuse, upon pain of eternal punishment: This incorporated word, man hath, out of all the Three Principles, in himself: and hath a free- own-peculiar-will to form a Substance, out of which Principle he will; and thereupon also follows the Separation, and reaping in, of every thing into its receptacle [or appointed place.] CHAP. XXXVII. Of Abraham, and his seed, and of the Line of the Covenant in its Propagation; and also of the Heathenish Gods. IF we look upon the History of the Acts of the Ancient holy Patriarcks, with right eyes of understanding, than we see therein, mere wonders; for the lines [or Races] of the children of God, are like unto a tree, which groweth into boughs, and branches, until it bears fruit: thus also the line of Christ grew in the Stem of the promised word in the Covenant, from branch to branch, even into the height of the twigs, unto its right Age, until the Power of the Tree, that is, the word in the Covenant, put forth itself with the glorious Sovereign fair blossom. 2. Out of which blossom the holy Image of God is again grown in flesh and blood viz. in a holy Body: we see its boughs and branches so fair and excellent, that the soul doth most exceedingly rejoice at this contemplation, and truly desires to bud and grow forth along with these boughs and branches, to the great Praise of God in our Angelical Tree of the Hierarchies of Christ, * Text of. in the holy Paradise. 3. God made a Covenant with Adam after his fall, when he died to the heavenly Ens, in him, that he would quicken him again, and regenerate him anew; and this Covenant was the root in the disappeared Ens which grew in this line of Adam from Seth and his children and posterity, even unto Noah, in one * In the Stock or body of the tree. Stem of the tree; and with Noah God renewed the Covenant. 4. For the undivided Sensual tongue, wherein the spirits of the letters did rule in one harmony, continued until the flood, so that all men spoke in one Tongue, in which Tongue the divine Spirit of the five vowels, viz. the divine understanding, moved. 5. But being they had introduced the Image and Beast of vanity, into the sensual tongue, and fell wantonly in Love with the babylonical whore of self-hood, therefore God complained against them; that they would not suffer his spirit any more to rule them; and said; that it repent him that he had made man. 6. For as the Sorrow to destruction did manifest and open itself, even so also the sorrow of repentance to the new regeneration out of the Covenant: thus the sorrow of the form word in the only Sensual tongue destroyed every life and being which lived in the Air, that is, in the manifested Spirit of God, viz. in the third Principle; and the word of the Sensual tongue, did, after the flood, put itself forth in a compaction of the spirits of the Letters. 7. For God said to Noah: the men are flesh, and moreover vain and wicked even from their youth; thus the holy Spirit would not any more manifest himself in the evil contrived Sensual tongue, but left them to follow their own Fancy; seeing they refused to follow him: he suffered the power and force of nature to manifest its wonders out of evil and good viz. in Images of the dark and outward world, where their Images were trimmed up and set forth in the glory and light of the outward nature, wherein evil and good are mixed together, to the contemplation of the wonders of God, according to Love and Anger; from which ground, the Heathens understanding, with their Idols, did arise and spring forth. 8. For the understanding of the spirits of the letters, did bring itself into the formings of many speeches, and in those formings of Self, the Images were brought forth in the understanding, wherein the outward nature did behold itself; and also the Devil did from God's wrath, introduce his Imagination and desire into men, thereby to lead them from the true understanding into Images; so that they did not know the True God. 9 For all the Oracles of the heathenish Gods do take their Original out of the outward, and inward nature of the dark world; as a Figure, or understanding of the Soul of the outward and inward dark world; like a peculiar Selfely God; understand, a Nature God; for as the Sensual tongue was become such a Nature-God, and understanding, which did play the hypocrite with itself, and form the Images in itself: so God suffered it to be, that nature did likewise represent itself to them as a God in the Oracles, and spoke through the Images. 10. For the Heathens worshipped the Stars, and four Elements; being they knew, that they governed the outward life of all things; their understanding of the Compacted Sensual tongue, viz. the Comprehended word of the understanding, did also enter into the form Compacted and amassed word of nature in them; and one understanding moved the other, viz. the humane understanding, in their desire, moved the understanding in the Soul of the outward world, viz. of the expressed and form word out of the inward dark and fire-world, and out of the astral and elemental world, in which Soul the meaning of the Sphere of Time, is in the understanding. 11. Through which understanding of the Soul of the outward world, the Prophetical Spirit hath signified from the Spirit of God, how the formed and expressed word of nature and time should afterwards bring itself into forms, of pulling down and setting up, among the Nations, viz. into the building and rearing up of Kingdoms, and of their destruction and ruin, in which Soul of the outward world, all things stand in time limit measure and weight, like to a clock, or Horologe, of which, the Scripture speaketh much. 12. From this Soul; viz. from the Horologe of the understanding of nature, the Heathens were answered by their Images and Idols; viz. through the Sense of the Astrum which their faith (that they powerfully brought thereinto) did move and stir up. 13. And not wholly by the Devil, as the Calf's eyes judge, who know nothing of the mystery and say, only Devil, Devil, and know not what God or Devil is: they are themselves Idols and men-Devills, and serve their Image-God Maozim [and Mammon] in selfehood, and are as much, counterfeit Images and Idols, as the heathens were. 14. And they have at present made, the Turba in them, a false God, which will even bring the Deluge of fire upon their Necks; of which they have no understanding or faith; and say continually there is no danger [a brave time of Reformation] whereas they have brought the Horologe of nature, to its set limit, to destruction: for the withheld Spirit of the wonders is at the end and limit of its imprisonment, and manifests itself out of the great Horologe of the inward and outward nature, with the mental tongue, through the Sensual compacted tongue; and this is a wonder, which none can hinder. 15. Now as we are to understand and consider thus, of the Sensual compacted tongue of the form understanding of the Gentiles, who were of Hams and Japhets' generation; the like also we are to understand, of the mental (yet compacted) tongue in the Covenant, which in the manifestation of it from Sems children and generation, fell upon Abraham, where, after the flood, the first spiritual holy Oracle did open itself out of the mental tongue of the five vowels, out of the holy Name of God; viz. out of the holy fire of the Love of God; through which fire, the divine voice was made manifest. 16. And we see very excellently, and fully, how the Spirit in Moses doth intimate and declare it in the Geneology even in the Names; how all the † Read the 1. Question of the 40. Questions of the Soul. Ten forms of fire viz. the Ten properties of the holy tongue * Of; or producing the fire-life. to the fire-Life, (understand to the fiery Tongue) are set forth, in the Names of the children of Noah, even unto Abraham. 17. For, in Abraham, the Spirit of the fiery tongue [viz.] of the holy understanding, of the mental tongue, did open itself out of the Covenant, and set forth also its figure out of its compacted formed mental tongue, viz. the circumcision and the Offerings, [or Sacrifices] which figures, did all point at Christ, who should open and unloose the band of the mental tongue to the divine understanding, and again enkindle the light of Grace in Love, even in the form word in the Letters of the Sensual tongue, and destroy the Beast of the form tongue; in which, the Devil sported, and set himself therein as God. 18. This Guest, the holy flaming Tongue viz. the Spirit of Christ, did drive forth, in the opening and manifestation of the Covenant; and took possession of the Throne of Prince Lucifer in the humane property, in God's children. 19 Moses setteth down ten Names from Noah to Abraham in the line of the Covenant, viz. Sem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Pelegg, Regu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram: and he sets down very wonderfully, that Terah begat three sons viz. Nahor, Haran, and Abram: this is even a type of the three Principles, intimating how all three should be opened in this holy flaming line of the Covenant, through the holy fire, and be Severed from Vanity; and how the whole man should be borne anew and form to the Image of God, through the holy fire in the Covenant: as indeed the names of the three brothers do represent and hold forth so much, in the tongue of Sense; if a man doth but introduce the true Mental understanding thereinto, than he seethe it in the form of the composed spirits of the Letters; which although we could well give an hint of, yet the un-illuminated reader would not understand it, but to our School-fellowes we need not decipher it, they have it already in the understanding. 20, By the Ten forms of fire I understand first the form word in the Seven forms of nature, 10. Forms of fire. and the Eighth ninth and tenth forms are the inward world, which is unformed; viz. the Eighth number is the fire of the Eternal nature of the divine manifestation, also the Strength, and Omnipotence, which at the end of days shall purge the floar: the Ninth number is the heavenly Tincture of the fire and light; and the Tenth number is the Love-fire, viz. the Triangle of the holy Trinity in the majesty; Signified enough to those that are our school-fellowes: The 40. Questions. it is explained at large in the Forty Questions of the Soul; even the Philosophic discourse at the beginning and entrance of the same [Questions.] 21. Out of these Ten properties of the Names in the line of the Covenant, the Oracle, viz. the divine voice was made manifest in Abraham; and therefore the Spirit of the Lord commanded him to go from his own Country, and from his kindred; for the voice of the divine manifestation with the Messiah or Christ should not come forth out of his Kindred, viz. out of his own blood, but out of God; but yet in him lay the vessel, viz. the Ens, in which the divine voice would manifest itself; and therefore, because another Seed should be introduced into his own feed, viz. an heavenly Ens, Joh. 3. he commanded him to get out from his kindred, and father's house. 22. For the possibility and Ability to the divine manifestation, did not stand in man's Ens but in Gods; but man's Ens must come thereunto; that so Adam's heavenly disappeared Ens, might be quickened in Christ's living Ens, and in Christ, arise from death, therefore God said to Abraham; get thee into a Land, that I will show thee; here the Spirit signifieth; that he should not see God in his father's Country; that is in the earthly man, but in the Land which the Lord would show him, in his Seed, which was another Seed out of the divine Ens, in this strange Seed he would bless his own seed, that is, tincture it with the divine tincture of the ninth number in the Sacred Ternary, even with the Tincture of the holy spiritual world. 23. For thus said the Lord to Abraham: Gen. XII. 1, 2. Get thee out of thy Country, and from thy Kindred, and from thy father's house, into a Land that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great Nation, and I will bless thee; and make thy Name great, Thou shalt be a blessing. I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee. The Great Name which he would make him in his seed, that was not to be understood only as to the Kingdom of this world, for Abraham was only a stranger upon the Earth, and must wander up and down from one place to another, and possessed no Princedom or Kingdom, as the great Names of the Gentiles out of the Sensual compacted tongues; for he was to be a stranger and Pilgrim upon the Earth in the promised Seed, and blessing, for Christ said also, his Kingdom was not of this world. 24. But the great Name which should be a blessing, wherein God would bless all Nations, was the hierarchy of Christ, in the Covenant, which would open itself in Abraham's seed: This was an Eternal great Name of a Royal Hierarchy of an Enthroned Prince in divine Power and Omnipotence, which should rule over the Curse; for God said, he would curse them that cursed him, viz. the apostate revolted Devils, and all wicked men, who would curse this holy Seed and blessing, upon their Head this Seed should tread. 25. And here, under Abraham's great Name and blessing, the person of Christ is wholly to be understood; for he said, in thee all Nations shall be blessed, and thou shalt be a Blessing. Now all the families of the Earth could not be blessed in the outward mortal man of Abraham; for Abraham died and his children and grandchildren were a long time strangers, Servants, and bondmen in strange Countries; as in Egypt for three hundred years and upwards, and had no Sceptre till under Moses; who also was no King, but a Prince of God [which Princedom] continued unto King Saul; where they would indeed have a King against God's command and will; whom notwithstanding God did afterward reject, and set up David to be King (out of the prophetical spirit in the compacted Mental Tongue) under Christ's person, who should bring forth and manifest the geat Name, and Eternal Blessing. 26. But here now we are rightly to understand what the Person of Christ should be under this Name and Blessing; not wholly a stranger [or another person] which should not be out of Abraham's, and Adam's Seed; as some do err concerning it, and install or set Christ only in the promised Seed viz. in Abraham's promised Seed; wherewith the poor captive Soul would be little benefited; also hereby the * The Resurrection of our Earthly Bodies. Resurrection of the dead out of these our present bodies would be wholly nullifyed. 27. For if Christ were wholly another, than also another [or wholly a strange person] must be borne in us out of Christ's seed and flesh, which would not be I or myself, but wholly another man, as some do Err; that we are so borne of Christ, as the dew is out of the morning, which indeed is true, but my Ihood [or personality] which was created in Adam out of the divine Ens, (viz. out of the good part of the Ens of the Earth, which came forth also out of the heavenly worlds being, as to the good Ens into a Coagulation) must also be therewith joined, as the like is also to be understood in Abraham. 28. For God said, in thee all Nations shall be blessed; he said not, alone in me, but he said, I will bless thee and make of thee a great Nation, and make thy Name Great; and thou shalt be a blessing, thou thyself shalt be it, that is, Christ should become Abraham, and Abraham Christ. 29. For the Seed which disappeared in Adam and died to the mental life, into which God engrafted or incorporated the Limit or Aim of his Covenant, with the quickening Word; the same is that, into which God would introduce his Blessing, viz. the living divine heavenly Ens, and would bless Abraham and Adam and their children in this requickned Ens or disappeared Seed, and make them truly alive; the living Ens of the word in the Covenant and the Adamicall disappeared Ens in Abraham, should become one person and body; for the same are one kind of Ens. 30. But the poisonful malignant Sensual desire which the Devil had made monstrous, had shut up this holy Ens in Adam in death, and covered it with the gross earthly property; like unto a fair piece of Gold which were changed into Lead, so that one would say, the Gold is dead and gone, and 'twere truly so indeed, if the Artist did not again redeem it. 31. Thus likewise the heavenly Artist would not reject Adam's disappeared Gold, and make, clean another new thing, but he took his own Tincture and of his own Gold, out of which he had made Adam's Gold, and tinctured Adam's Gold with his own Gold; even with his Tincture, that is, with the word (viz. with the power) of God, and with the Essence of the word, viz. with the heavenly corporallity. 32. So that Christ became a God-man, and Adam and Abraham in Christ a man-God; God and man One person undivided, according to, and out of, all the three Principles of Eternity and Time, according to, and out of, Body and Soul; with every property of man, and every divine property: Except the Serpent's property which Adam lusted after, took in, and imprinted on himself; the same he did not assume; but the Ens, understand the humane Ens, whereinto the Devil had sown his seed, that he must assume, and therein bruise the head of the Devil, and of the insown Serpents Ens, and destroy the prison of death, which held the heavenly Ens shut up; and spring forth afresh, as the dry Rod of Aaron which budded and bare green Almonds was a lively representation of this: and this is the true understanding of the Seed of Abraham and his Blessing, as he meaneth. 33. Abraham in the spirit of Christ should be a blessing; for Abraham's Ens, and Christ's Ens hath blessed all Nations; understand the line of the Covenant, in which the promised word stood in the Aim or limit of the Covenant, viz. the Spirit of the five vowels, the Great Name JEOVA, which God, by the motion of the Covenant in Abraham's Seed, made to [be] JEHOVA, or JEHOVAH, as an inspired or inbreathed God, who should bless the whole Alphabet of the * Or Tongue that expresseth the sense of all Languages in One. Sence-all Tongue, understand, the form compacted word, viz. all Nations, Tongues, and speeches: a blessing of the Jews and Gentiles. 34. For he said, all Nations shall be blessed in thee, no nation or people excepted, but all, even All, not only the line of the Covenant, but Adam in his children; the line of the Covenant should bless the line of Japhet and Ham; for Japhet should dwell in Sems' Tent, that is, in Christ, viz. Japhet should be received into Sems' line. 35. But the gross earthly Ham (understand the gross flesh) is accursed in Ham and Cain and shall not inherit God's Kingdom, Joh. 6. not Ham in Soul and body is cursed, but the Serpent's man, whose figure according to the outward, Cain and Ham must represent, so that all properties might be manifest in an external figure. 36. Therefore we admonish the Jews, that they learn to know their Messiah, for the time of their visitation is at hand, wherein they shall be redeemed from the Captivity of their misery, and be made free again. 37. Also we admonish those that are ours, that they grant Mary to be the daughter of Abraham, and Adam, and Christ's mother as to the Soul and adam's created Image, and not according to the deity, or according to the Ens in the word of life which came from heaven, for that was not her propriety, indeed it stood in her, but [it was] in the word of the promise in the Eye-mark of the Covenant, (which was accomplished or) at the limit, [in her.] 38. But she is not the mother, which hath brought forth, or born, God, as the Jews, and Turks do say that we so teach; but God hath brought forth and blessed the same in her Seed; she in her Seed received the power of the holy Ghost in the word, and brought forth the creature which was God and man. 39 And not the property of the deity, which hath neither beginning nor End, also doth not possess either time or place, but is through all, and in all from Eternity to Eternity, and hath only manifested itself in the humanity, as the fire doth through-heat an Iron, and changeth it wholly into fire; and yet the Iron remaineth Iron still; so also the man or the humanity which Mary brought forth out of her Essence and out of God's Essence in one only Essence, is to be understood. 40. She brought forth the humanity, and God the Father hath from Eternity brought forth the word which did manifest itself in the humanity, and filled the humanity, as the fire doth through-heat an Iron, and the Sun illustrate or through-shine the Water or Glass. 4. She indeed hath brought forth the heavenly body, but not from the power of her Ens or seed, but from the power and ability of that Ens which did manifest itself in her seed; as the Essence or being of Eternity manifested itself through time, and yet the time was not able or capable to receive the Essence of Eternity into its own might; but the Essence of Eternity assumed or taken on it the Essence of time; as the inward heaven and world, hath brought forth and assumed the outward heaven and world: so likewise the Eternity assumed the Essence, that it breathed into Adam, which died or disappeared, in the Seed of Mary, understand in her own humane Seed. 42. And this is the great Name of Abraham in Christ, and the Blessing of Abraham, wherewith God blessed Abraham, and his children, and not a strange person, as some erroneously conceive, who understand not the Three Principles. 43. The Person was strange but it is become an indweller in us; the heaven took on it the world, and made the world in it to heaven, and yet each remained dwelling in itself; viz. the form word of the body, a creature, in itself; and the unformed word in itself, God over all, and in all, and through all; thus also we are to understand and consider of the heavenly living Essence, which gave itself into Adam's, and Abraham's Ens, as filling All in the person formatively, and without the person at once through all, and with the word of Power as an habitation or mansion of the power also through all or every where, but not to be comprehended of any thing; as the Sun's Power and influence, and the Air, do penetrate through all things, and give life to every being; the like is here to be understood. 44. We must by no means abolish the Creature in Christ's person, for that which he assumed both from the Soul and body of man, the same, is creature; but that which he introduced out of the deity into the humanity, that is, neither nature, nor creature, yet in our humanity formatively, but immense, uncircumscribed, not particular; like as the air, and Sunshine is whole or entire, so likewise it is here; and we are in like manner to understand it, as if the Sunshine did introduce itself in Something, into a form, and yet were wholly One thing with the shine or light without the form: thus likewise Christ's heavenly divine Ens which he introduced into our humanity, is to be understood. 45. God did often appear to Abraham, and spoke with him as one man speaks with another; therefore reason saith; how was it done? did God assume the form of a body? God appeared to Abraham in the Ens and Essence, wherewith, he would manifest himself, in his seed viz. in Christ's person, and spoke from the word of the Covenant in the Limit, in Abraham's seed, even unto the Mental Tongue of Abraham, which moved itself in the Covenant, and this the Sensall Spirit in Abraham did understand. 46. For otherwise Abraham was not able to see God; but in the form Ens of the heavenly Essence, Abraham was able to see in the spirit of the Covenant, viz. in the same Spirit, which would manifest the represented type, and Essence, in the humane Essence. 47. For it is written in Gen. 18. that God appeared to Abraham in the form of Three men, and told him of a Son which should proceed forth out of his Loins, whom Sarah should bear unto him, upon whom the Covenant passed; now what did the Appearance of these Three men typify? nothing else but the Trinity of the deity, and the manifestation of the divine form word through the Three Principles: therefore the divine Image was represented in Three men; for it is a Threefold Ens, but one only Essence; viz. Three worlds, and yet in one another as one, but differenced in three Principles; viz. with the dark wrathful fire-world, and with the holy light-and-Love-fire-world, and with the outward visible world. 48. Out of these three world's man was created, even into an Image of the divine manifestation; therefore God shown himself to Abraham in the same Ens and Essence, as in the form of the Angelical Message, and yet spoke of himself. 49. For the represented Ens through which God spoke, was Angelical and humane, it would become humane, for Christ as to the person of the creature should be a Prince or an Angelical Hierarchy; so likewise God appeared to Abraham in this Entall Essence and property with his own in dwelling voice. 50. Very exceeding wonderful is the history concerning Abraham, for the Kingdom of Christ is therein wholly represented, not only the Kingdom upon the Earth in the time of the four Elements, which also is portrayed and set forth under it, but yet only as a Pilgrimage, which should not be the right Kingdom, for Abraham must continually wander up and down, and also his posterity, and yet God promised him the Country wherein he was a Pilgrim for his propriety, that he and his children should eternally possess the same. 51. For so God said to Abraham, Gen XIII. Verse 14. Gen. 13. Lift up thine eyes and look from the place where thou art, Northward, Southward, Eastward, and Westward; for all the Land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy Seed for ever: but now they obtained possession of this Land a long time after; and were first brought in by Joshua; and Abraham and his grandchildren lived not to obtain it, and they were very often driven out from thence; and yet God said he would give it Abraham and his children for an eternal possession. 52. But we see at present that they have it not in possession; for the Turks have now possession of it; and Abraham's seed, viz. the Jews have at present neither Land nor Princedom, but are almost in all places only as captives, but now the purpose of God must stand, his word must be true: Abraham in his seed shall eternally possess it, for Eternal is not Temporal only. 53. Therefore also God spoke of the Place, and showeth the same to Abraham, that he might see it with his eyes: and even here lieth the Great Mystery; for Paradise was in the world, and Adam lost Paradise; but in Abraham's seed viz. in Christ, Paradise was again restored, not according to the mortal man, but according to the heavenly. 54. Now we see at present that Christendom hath not these Lands or Countries in Possession; and so likewise the Jews have them not: and now being that Abraham shall eternally possess them in his seed, viz. in the holy Seed; thereupon we are to consider of the place of the holy Paradise aright; as the Prophetical Spirit in Ezekiel, and Daniel, and others of them do signify and declare; but especially Saint John in the Revelation, Rev. 21. concerning the holy Jerusalem which cometh down from God out of heaven, as a Bride prepared, and Adorned to her Bridegroom; and in all, thus much is signified, that Christ in Abraham's Seed shall take in his Kingdom. 55. For with the dissolution of the four Elements, when the four Elements shall be in equal weight [or brought into the true Temperature] and the Earth crystallized like a glassy Sea, Reve. 4.6. as may be seen in the Revelation; even than that which was promised to Abraham concerning the Eternal possession shall be performed; for Christ said: my Kingdom is not of this world: but now the Kingdom of this world was shown and promised to Abraham; therefore we must thereby understand the heavenly Kingdom, and even that very place which was shown unto Abraham, when Paradise shall be again made manifest and Abraham in Christ shall appear to the eternal possession. 56. For although at present the Turk hath it according to the four Elements in possession, yet Abraham in Christ hath it with his seed in possession according to Paradise; viz. in the paradisical world; Abraham is arisen in Christ, and possesseth his promised Land in his Principle: He is in Paradise and the Turk in the outward world. 57 Paradise is in the world, yet not in the third Principle, but in the Second: the one doth not confound the other: when Abraham's children in Christ do part from the earthly Body, than they take possession of this promised Land according to the spiritual man, and possess the same Eternally. 58. And this is that which God so often said to Abraham, That he would give him the Land to an Eternal possession, for when he promised it him, than he commanded him to go away from that place, to signify, that he did not mean the Externall Kingdom, but the Eternal; and set him forth a figure in the Stars of heaven, saying, that even so his Seed should be multiplied and increased; and as the Stars have a pure clear body in comparison to the earthly bodies, so likewise the seed of Abraham should be an heavenly Eternal One. 59 But that Abraham's children; viz. the Jews are at present cast out from thence, and dispersed into the whole world, the reason of it is, their blindness and obstinacy, until the time of the Gentiles be accomplished; they have not known the Lord of glory but have rejected him; but when they shall know themselves, they shall be planted again into the Root. 60. Not that they are cast out of the Root, but they must be blind, that their light might shine to the Gentiles; Note. until the Gentiles also become blind in this light of Abraham (as indeed they are at present really blind) and even then the light of Abraham shall again arise out of its own root and Stem, and shine unto all Nations: even than Japhet shall dwell in Sems' Tent, and Israel shall be brought together unto the open grace-fountaine of all Nations: concerning which all People are as yet blind. 61. But the time is near; and the morning Star is appeared; if any be able to see: but the babilonical whore hath blindfolded all; so that all Nations walk in the Night; her Abominable whoredom is come before the most High who will blot out her shame, which hath defiled the heaven. This thou shalt soon find by Experience in thy Drunkenness, saith the Spirit of Wonders from its own Root. CHAP. XXXVIII. A clear manifestation of the beginning of the heathenish war: how Abraham delivered Lot his brother's Son; and of the Royal Priest Melchisedeck of Salem, to whom Abraham gave Tithes. HEre we see very clearly, Gen. XIV. what the Imaginations purposes intentions and undertake of men have been, even from their youth upward; how they have brought themselves out of the Image of God into half bestial and half devilish properties, viz. into Pride covetousness, and selfefull domination, in like manner as the Devil desired the same, and therefore was cast out from his Kingdom. 2. For here the Gentiles, and the children of Ham at Sodom and Gomorrah, and in the whole Region thereabouts, did now begin to exercise their domineering Power, among whom Abraham was only a stranger, and dwelled in the Plain of Mamre as in a wilderness, where he kept Cattle, but the Gentiles did tear and rend for the Kingdom of this world, and for the external might and power, striving how one people might rule over another, whose will and Dominion hath continued even to this day, and hath received its beginning from the heathens, and the children of Ham; viz. from Babel, from the divided tongues. 3. When the Powers of the form word, viz. the properties of Nature did divide themselves, and each introduced itself into a selfishness, than Strife, and enmity did arise among them for the Centre of the nature of the dark world, hath obtained his Dominion in the fallen property of man; for men were as dead, to the Kingdom of God, viz. in the Love and humility, and lived at present to the outward Stars and the four Elements. 4. Also the Devil had built his strong hold in the Serpents Ens in man; therefore they sought only after that which made them Great and Potent in the world, and yet we may see, how the Devil did only fool and Ape them in the wrath of God, so that they s●ew one another, and esteemed Temporal pleasure higher than their life, which is the greatest folly under the Sun, that man should bring his life into death's danger, for a poor silly pride sake, whereas yet he knows not whether he shall hold and possess that, for which he murthereth killeth, and slays. 5. And we see how soon the Devil in his envy and pride ruled in them; for though they had the whole Earth before them to possess, and many Countries, and Islands were un-inhabited, yet they undertake war, that so they might but domineer over one another, and rob, and plunder one another; thus the Devil as man's Enemy, brought them into his pride that they might serve him. 6. 'tis not in vain that Christ calls him a Prince of this world, he is a Prince according to the property of the wrath of the dark world; in and according to the same property he ruleth man in body and Soul, in will, and mind. 7. For all war and contention doth arise out of the nature, and property of the dark world; viz. from the four Elements of the Anger of God, which produceth in the creatue, Pride, covetousness Envy, and Anger, these are the four Elements of the dark world, wherein the Devils, and all evil creatures live: and from these four Elements ariseth war. 8. For although God bade the people of Israel drive out the heathen, and wage war, yet the Command was wholly from the Angry zealous God, viz. from the fires property; for the heathen had stirred up the wrath and indignation which would devour them; but God, so far as he is called God, desireth no war, yea he cannot desire any thing that is evil or destructive▪ for he is according to the Second Principle only Good, and giving, and giveth himself to all things. 9 But according to the dark world's nature he is an Angry zealous God, and a consuming fire, if his wrath be awakened; according to this property he desireth to consume all that moveth and enkindleth itself therein; and from this property, God bad Israel fight, and Smite the heathen; for his Anger was set on fire in them; and they were as wood cast into the fire, which the fire desireth to consume. 10. Therefore the wrath of God bad one Nation slay another, that it might even out of his wrath be taken away; otherwise the fire of his Anger would have Enkindled itself, as happened to the five Kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah; thus the wrath of God did satiate itself in the life of the wicked, which it devoured into itself, in that they slew one another. 11. As it yet now adays so comes to pass, that oftentimes men cry unto God, for to give them Success, and Victory, against their Enemies, that they might murder them, but God giveth them not victory therein, but the Sword of his Anger, which they awaken with their prayers fierce desires and will: were they true men, and children of God, they would need no war, for the holy Spirit doth not wage war, but he only loveth and giveth, but according to the property of the Anger he consumeth all ungodliness and wicked do, and is thereby more blown and stirred up in indignation. 12. For the more a man addeth wood to the fire, and stirs it, the more it doth elevate and inflame itself until it devoureth whatsoever it can reach; the like also is to be understood concerning the zeal of God: this Enkindled Anger-zeale of God was set on fire in Adam; and it did devour his Image of the holy world, and passed from Adam upon all men. 13. For they which were in the line of the Covenant had the Enkindled zeal, according to the first Principle, viz. according to the Soul and body, also in them; the one not better than the other; the Serpents Ens lay as well in Abraham, and his children according to the Enkindled Soul; and according to the gross bestial property of the mortal, as in the Gentiles; except the Line of Christ in them, which was not the Sinful man's Selfehood, but it stood in God's power, as the heaven standeth in the world, and yet the one is not the other; and as the heaven stands in hell, and hell in heaven, and yet the one doth neither confound or comprehend the other; or as the night is in the day and the day in the night; or as the light of nature dwelleth and shineth in the darkness. 14. Thus we are to understand, how the children of the Saints have waged war against the crew of wicked men, and drove them out; viz. in the Angers property, which managed its Sword by them, to destroy the heathen and the Generation of Ham; Gen XIIII. Verse 14. for Abraham went out with his whole house and people, against the Heathen who had carried away Lot his brother's Son captive, and he smote the heathen, and delivered his brother. This was done in the zeal of God; which thus delivered his children through the might of his Anger; for what conduceth to the wicked for destruction the same conduceth to the holy men for life and deliverance. 15. But that those who will be called Christians (who ought in and with Christ to be dead to the Anger and wrath of God in Christ's death) do wage war; they do it not as Christians, but as heathens; No Christian warreth; for if he be a Christian than he is dead in and with Christ's death to the four Elements of God's Anger in Self; and born a new man in Christ's spirit of Love; who liveth in Righteousness, in Love, and patience, and liveth not to himself, but to God in Christ. 16. For a true Christian leadeth his conversation and will in heaven, in the life and Spirit of Christ; as St Paul saith our conversation is in heaven; but when the Christians do wage war they do it from the heathenish property, and not from Christ's property; for a Christian is not of this world; his Kingdom is in heaven; and he is dead in Christ to the world, according to the new spiritual man in him: the Heathen-man, viz. the halfe-devillish man (who hath his Kingdom in this world, who never hath room enough upon the Earth, but liveth in the four Elements of God's Anger, viz. in Pride covetousness Envy and Wrath) the same desireth in the Christians, to war fight and slay. 17. Saint Paul saith; give your members to be weapons of Righteousness; for why do men fight? for the Kingdom of this world; Rom. 6.13. and yet as Christ said; his Kingdom was not of this world, James 4.1. so also his children's Kingdom in him is not of this world; Joh. 18.36 now than if we give up our body and Soul for weapons of God's Anger, and seek only thereby Self [interests, liberties, and privileges of Mammon] and slay one another for the Kingdom of this world; I think we are herein Christians indeed in the mouth, but the heart and Soul is an heathen, and not born out of Christ's Spirit. 18. When Abraham had smote the heathen; he desired nothing of the goods which he took, but restored to the King of Sodom what the Heathen had taken from him, and was only zealous in the Lord; he did not fight for Country, and Kingdom; but to deliver his brother Loth; this was a true zeal, which the Lord drove in him; he did not stand up, and fight for Country, or City, and albeit he obtained it, he desired it not, but went again unto his own place. 19 And here the Spirit in Moses speaketh very wonderfully and saith, that when Abraham returned from the Slaughter, that the King of Sodom met him; and Melchisedech King of Salem brought forth bread, and wine; who was a Priest of the most High God, possessor of Heaven and of Earth, and blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him Tithes: And though we find almost nothing elsewhere in the holy Scripture of this Priesthood, yet the same was really in the figure of Christ; for the Spirit saith in another place, of Christ; that he was an High Priest in the order of Melchisedech. 20. Thus the Spirit of God doth very secretly, and mystically represent the Figure of Christ by Abraham; and calleth him a King of Salem; and a Priest of the most High God; viz. a Priest of Salvation and the holy Unction as it intimates in the SenSAll Tongue; that is, Christ hath blessed Abraham, and brought him forth bread and wine; viz. his flesh, and blood; and is the high Priest before God that makes Atonement for Abraham and his children. 21. For Abraham had managed the Sword of God's Anger against the Heathen, now came Melchisedech, and blessed Abraham again, lest the Sword of the Turba should lay hold on him; and he gave him forth bread and wine, that is, the heavenly Ens; which he would introduce into Abraham's Seed, and change it into flesh and blood; and here he appeased the Father's Anger in the Covenant as in the Type. 22. For this Priest with Abraham is really to be understood in a spiritual manner; for although Abraham might have externally a Priest after the same manner with him, under the figure of Christ; yet Moses saith, he was a Priest of God; and said to Abraham: blessed art thou Abraham unto the most High, who possesseth heaven and earth; who hath shut up thine Enemies into thy hands; here is none other to be understood but Christ, who very often appeared to Abraham in the figure, and blessed him always; for the Spirit in Moses calleth him also a King of Salem; which is nothing else, but a King of Salvation. 23. And Abraham gave him Tithes: indeed he might have such a Priestly Order with him, to whom he gave Tithes: but this King and Priest was he of whom he preached; to whom Abraham gave tithes; viz. the Tenth Property of the humane properties of the fiery tongue of the Soul, and the Priest gave his bread and wine, and his blessing thereinto; viz. the Love-fire, the Tincture of the light, together with the heavenly Substantiality; that so Abraham might receive the lights Tincture into the Souls fiery Tincture and become again a complete Image of God; which was separated in Adam with the woman: therefore Christ, viz. the woman's Tincture, gave him again the lights Ens, that so the male and female property might become one Image or person; this the Spirit doth here signify in Moses, under the Royal Priest of Salem. 24. For Esdra, when he dictated the lost Bible, in the knowledge of the Spirit of God, to his Scribes, saw this very well; Note. Esdra dictated the Bible that was Lost. 2 Esdra 14. and therefore the holy Spirit doth so set it down: and we see very exactly, how Esdras wrote the histories of Abraham in the vision of the Spirit; for the whole history of Abraham is delineated under Christ's Person, and is an Image, or Type of Christ. 25. Abraham saw in the Spirit, this Priest of Salem; and when Abraham offered Sacrifice, than this Priest was in the offering, and offered to God; for he was to make reconciliation for the world with an offering; therefore he was a Priest of God. 26. He brought Abraham's will-offering viz. his prayer and desire in faith, into the holy Ens of God, and in the same Ens, viz. in the divine Essentiality, heavenly bread and wine was brought to Abraham's Soul, that it might eat at God's Table, till this Priest became Abraham; that is; did manifest himself in Abraham with the heavenly Corporeity, viz. with the Souls food in the Right bread and wine. CHAP. XXXIX. How God appeared to Abraham in a vision; and established the Covenant with him in his Seed, and how Abraham's faith laid hold of the Covenant, which God accounted unto him for Righteousness, and how God commanded him to offer Sacrifice, and what is thereby to be understood. MOses saith, After these things it came to pass, that the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision; and said, Gen. XV. Vers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. fear not Abram I am thy Shield, and exceeding great reward; but Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me seeing I go childless; and the steward of my house hath a Son; this Eliezer of Damascus; and Abraham said further: To me thou hast given no Seed; and lo! this son of my servant will be mine heir; and behold the Lord said unto him he shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir; and he commanded him to go forth and said, look towards the Heaven, and number the Stars, canst thou number them? and he said unto him even so shall thy Seed be; Abraham believed God, and that was counted to him for Righteousness. 2. In this portion of Scripture lieth the Root of the Christian Faith, for God said to Abraham, that he was his Shield and Reward, that he would give him the seed out of his loins: God would be Abraham's reward; and give him a Son of his own, whose Seed should be as the Stars in heaven, which are innumerable; and his Steward's son should not be heir; viz. the Animal humane Seed full of the Serpents Ens shall not inherit: but God's Reward, Gods Ens: He would give in his Reward into his Seed, viz. into the Power of his loins, which should be a Seed like unto the Stars of Heaven; he looked upon the Seed in the Covenant, viz. upon the Eternal Kingdom, which should be as the Stars in Heaven, so pure, bright, clear, and innumerable; and this Abraham believed and it was imputed to him for Righteousness. 3. Believing here is this much; viz. he received and laid hold of the word; he took it into his desire viz. into the humane Ens; the Aim in the Covenant in the form Compounded word, viz. in Abraham's nature and property, Received the Speaking word of God, viz. the Promise; and both these were form into One, and in this One Abraham's faith was Right; for God counted the word, which Abraham received into his faith's desire, unto him for Righteousness, for propriety and for Justification. 4. For thus received or intaken word, justified the creatural word, viz. the expressed, created word, understand, that word which had form itself in the humane property, and brought itself into a creature; and put itself forth out of the Three Principles into an Image; in which Image the Self-will had, through desire, and lust, elevated itself with the dark world's property viz. in the fire of God's Anger, and introduced itself into an Earthly grossness; into which Gross Image the Devil also had introduced, by the Serpent, his Ens, will and desire. 5. Now the living Eternall-Speaking holy word, came forth out of the Light's and divine Love's property, to help this Ens, this compacted Word, and created Image; and became its Reward; this same, Abraham's natural word, and power, received into itself; and this same Word of God, intaken, and fixed in the desire, justified abraham's Corrupted word; it was his Righteousness; the same destroyed the Anger, and ruinated the Devil's desire and will; understand in man's Ens, viz. in the form word, this was effected. 6. For there is no Faith without God's word and power; therefore Abraham did now take God's power, and promise, into his Ens in him, and form or conceived the same into a Substance of his Spirit; this was the Faith of Justification; that God's word and the humane will and desire came into one spiritual Substance: Thus God accounted the Received or in-spoken Apprehended Word, unto Abraham for Righteousness; viz. for propriety; and this is the ground and root of faith; that he took in or imprinted Gods promise into his desire, as his very own; and let not the same pass from him in Doubt; as Jacob did, who took the word of promise into him, and said; I will not let thee go until thou dost bless me, and wrestled the whole night with the word of Power, until he obtained victory; so that the promised word gave in itself to him, for propriety; viz. to a blessing, or a great Reward, as here in Abraham. 7. Thus understand us very accurately; the Incorporated word of the Covenant in Paradise, which God promised to Adam concerning the bruiser of the Serpent's head, did here at present wrestle through jacob's form word of the humane property, with the new promised word, viz. with the living word (which did at present move itself in him) and would, that the corrupt humane Ens might be blessed with God's Love, that the wound might be healed; and it did long and pant after the fulfilling of the Covenant; that God would be pleased forthwith to introduce the holy Ens of his heavenly essentiality into man's Essence, that Christ might be born out of Gods and man's Essence; therefore Let Christendom know, that Faith is not only an history or knowledge [but a real Substance.] 8. Faith is nothing else, but the uniting of one's will to God, and the receiving of God's word and power into the will, that so both these, viz. God's will and man's will become both one Substance and Essence; that the humane will be even Gods will; and even then Christ in his Suffering, death and Resurrection is accounted unto his own humanity for Righteousness; so that man becomes e Viz. Christ· Christus, or the Anointed; understand according to the spiritual man: and thus we put on Christ in Abraham's faith, and are twiggs, shoots, and branches in his vine, and the Temple of God; he that teacheth and believeth otherwise, is yet in the compacted un-contrite or un-cloven Tongue of unbelief, in the whoredom of Babylon. 9 This is the true real ground of our Christian faith; that as Abraham put on Christ in the faith, so we also at present do receive, and in our heavenly part of the humanity put on Christ in his humanity, according to the heavenly world's Essence, in the same flesh and blood which Melchisedech represented and brought to Abraham, in the heavenly bread, and wine, viz. in the Type thereof, yea wholly receive it into our Ens of the heavenly world's Essence, which died in Adam, and become alive therein and arise from death in Christ, and dwell very essentially with our spiritual man, in him; and even then he is our own Righteousness, we in him, and he in us, Only One Christ, One God, One Faith, One Tree in the Paradise of God, in the Stem which is God, and in the Power and virtue thereof which is Christ, and in the branches of the tree which are we Christians, wholly One Tree, not two; we understand not herein the gross bestial man full of the Serpents Ens which shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, John 6. but the true man, which God created in his Image. 10. Let Master Sophister or wiseling of Babel look us right in the face, and see what spirits child we are: we understand not the Beast, but the man Christ, which died in Adam, which was again Regenerated out of Abraham's Seed, and deprived death of its might, and destroyed Hell in man, and slew the Death in us, and arose again from death, and liveth for ever; the same we mean by a Right Christian, and not Calves, and Oxen, Dogs, Adders, Serpents, Toads and the like, who would with their Beasts of vanity be outwardly Adopted, and Regenerate children of God; no such Beast cometh into heaven, only and alone and none else but a Christ, viz. a child of Christ, which is born of Christ's flesh and blood; * Rev. 22. 1●. without are Dogs. 11. Therefore Let it be told thee, O Babel, thou ride upon the Dragon of thy own contrived half devilish, and half bestial tongue in thy own words and will, and hast not Abraham's faith, viz. in the received and form word, which became man; but thou howlest with the Dogs; and wilt with thy snarling jeering contentious dogs-will in a strange child, be Abraham's heir. 12. But God said to Abraham; thy servants child, shall not be thy heir, but he that is begotten out of thy loins, who is borne of the Faith of Righteousness, he shall be God's heir, and not the Son of the bondwoman, viz. the Strange introduced gross bestial Serpents Ens. 13. And God said to Abraham: I am the Lord, that hath brought thee out of VR of the Chaldees to give thee this Land to inherit it; Genesis XV. v. 7, 8. etc. to the 17. but Abraham said Lord God whereby shall I know, that I shall possess the same, and he said unto him; take me an Heifer of three years old and a Shee-Goat of three years old, and a Ram of three years old, and a Turtle-Dove, and a young Pigeon; and he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each Piece one against another but the Birds he divided not; and when the fowls fell upon the Carcases, Abraham drove them away, and when the Sun was gone down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham, and lo! an horror of great darkness fell upon him; and he said to Abraham, by this thou shalt surely know, that thy Seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs; and they shall be compelled to serve, and be afflicted 400. years; but I will judge the Nation whom they must ser●●●; and afterwards I will bring them out with great Substance, and thou shalt go to thy fathers in Peace and be buried in a good old Age; but they shall come hither again after four Generations; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full; now when the Sun was gone down and it was dark; lo! a Smoking furnace, and a fire-flame passed between the pieces. Here the right figure of Christ's Offering for the humanity, is represented; and also his suffering and death, his persecution; and also his victory, is deciphered herein; and likewise the Man of Sin and vanity; intimating, how he must fill up his measure, and whereunto each is appointed. 14. God gave Abraham the Sign how it should go with his Seed; in that Abraham said, Lord God whereby shall I know that I shall possess the same? then God set the figure of the Seed, before him (for he had comprehended it in his Faith, which was made his righteousness) and shown it him in a figure: for the Offering, signifies the Offering of Christ; the three sorts of Beasts, viz. the Heifer, Shee-Goat, and Ram each three years old, betoken the part of the outward humanity of the time, viz. out of the limus of the Earth. 15. But that they must be three years old; betokens, the whole outward threefold man, of the Sulphur Mercury and Salt, viz. the three properties of the three Principles which lie in the Earth in one Essence or Substance. 16. And that Abraham divided these three beasts, and laid one right over against the other; Signifieth the twofold limus of the Earth; viz. the Gross property out of the dark world's property; and then Secondly the limus out of the heavenly world's property which lieth in one Compaction in the Earth, whence man was created as to the body. 17. But that Abraham divided them; signifies; that the grossness which adam's desire introduced, must by death be Separated from the pureness of the humanity, and one must lie right opposite to the other, and be divided from one another, each into its property, as light and darkness are divided, and yet are near one another. 18. The Turtle-Dove betokens the poor Soul captivated in this bestial property; and the young Pigeon signifies the inward disappeared humanity of the poor Soul, which shall become young again in the offering: viz. a new birth. 19 But that the two Doves were not divided but offered whole, Signifieth, that nothing shall be taken from the Soul, and from the inward man of the heavenly limus, they shall remain whole and entire in their Substance, and be offered whole to the Angry fire of God in Christ, and be brought quite through the fire of Anger; through death; viz. through the great darkness and horror of death and hell, as this was the figure thereof. 20. When Abraham had set forth his Offering, he fell into a deep sleep, and horror, and great Darkness did encompass him: the sleep Signifieth the death of Christ, and the horror, the wrath of God, viz. the Abyss of Hell; and the darkness, the Dark world, into this, the word, which had given in itself into Abraham's faith, to be a Seed of the children of God, should enter with the Offering in the whole humanity (both with soul and body) and resign itself up wholly to the Anger of the father to be devoured. 21. And the Enkindling of the fire which passed between the Pieces was now the holy fire of God which came forth out of the holy burning, viz. out of the Love-flaming word, which gave in itself to Abraham's faith, in the humanity of Christ in Soul and body, when he stood in the father's Anger, in the death and darkness in Hell, and cast the humanity in Soul and body unto the Anger, and changed the Anger into Love-fire, for the wrath of the father according to the Eternal nature of the dark world, which was enkindled in the humanity must in the humanity receive such an holy Ens, wherein the Anger, might in its fire, be changed into a light or Love-fire. 22. This holy Ens in the word of faith must enter into the great horror of God's Anger; for the Soul stood therein essentially in its property; it is out of the father's fire-property, (out of his Strength and omnipotence) viz. out of the first Principle; and here the Second Principle, viz. the Love-fire came to help it; therefore it must enter again into its own Root from whence it came to be a creature; and be Tinctured in the power of the Love-fire, in the divine light, and be changed into an excellent pure divine Gold; of which this Offering was a Type. 23. And that the fowls fell upon the carcases, which Abraham drove away; signifieth the hungry, essence of the wrathful property of the Anger of God in man, which hungered after the humanity and would devour the same into itself, but the word in Abraham's faith drove away the Devourer from thence; it should not be devoured; but be offered; that so one Essence might enter into another and overpower the other. 24. The Offering of Christ, (viz. the humanity of Christ) did indeed give itself wholly as an offering or Sacrifice into the Father's Anger, into his fires Essence▪ but the Love-Spirit of God hindered the wrathful Essence of the fire, so that the fire could not devour the humanity of Christ; it took only the Self-will of the humanity, and brought it again into the first universal Entire will; out of which man's will was given him; which had corrupted him; and brought him to selfehood; Here it was again introduced into the father's will, viz. into the first root; for so also Christ said (when he in this condition or Trial on the Mount of Olives Sweat blood) Father Thy will, Luke 22.42. not my will be done. 25. The divided word of man's property which had turned itself away from the universal perfection, viz. from the ONE into a self-hood, must enter again into the ALL, and be tried purged and purified through the fire of God; and live, and move in the One; viz. in the father's only will. 26. The figure of the Servitude in Egypt signifieth, that Christ in his members should be only a pilgrim and stranger in this world, and that the outward man which is of this world's Essence, should be subject to the dominion and power of this world's essence; and be plagued; and always accounted only as a Carpenter's Axe, whereby men do build the house. 27. For a Christian man is even as God's Hatchet, wherewith God builds his house for an Habitation; both as to the holy children, and also to the Wicked; they must build both, inwardly from God's spirit they build God's Temple, and outwardly with their hands they must be in Servitude; for the outward Kingdom wherein they dwell, is not theirs, but the Heathens, which have their Heaven therein, and work therein in God's Anger. 28. As it was very fully and mystically told to Abraham that he should be subject to servitude in his children, until the iniquity of the Amorites was full; so that herein we see very clearly how Gods children must serve the Amorites, viz. the Gentiles, until they also obtain their inheritance in the wrath of God, and wholly accomplish their works also in the Anger of God for a Building of the dark world; for God said, they should serve the Egyptians, and have only plagues for their reward, until they had accomplished and filled up their measure: thus the wicked must wholly finish their works; and the children of God must be * Note. embroiled also in servitude with them. 29. Therefore dear children of God albeit you oftentimes must serve wicked Lords and people, and be accounted as Bondslaves as it yet at present so falls out; yet think that ye also serve God therein; for as ye in your hearts and mouths do build God's Kingdom to your Possession; so you must likewise with your hands help your Masters to build their Hellish Seat, for ye are Gods instruments, fit enough for all kind of Structure; you must not do it from your choice, and well-likeing, but from the command of God you must do it. 30. For in that the Potent do compel the poor and force them into servitude, and slavery, that he doth from his God, viz. from the Kingdom of Nature, from the Stars, and from Selfehood, wherein he buildeth up the house of his wonders to the Kingdom of nature; this is his Office whereunto his God useth him; and it is also a great Wonder before the Eternity; but it ariseth from the divided Tongue, where the properties entered into selfehood each in itself; over which, the strongest domineer; unto all these, viz. to the Kingdom of nature▪ the earthly man I mean, the outward man, must be Subject, else he * Note. resisteth the Kingdom of Nature, viz. the form Word. 31. Now it doth not belong to the children of God to resist or oppose, but to do all for God's sake, whereto only God will use them, they must think that they in this world and in the Eternity are God's Servants, will serve him in his Order [or Ordinance]. 32. We do not hereby judge or condemn the worldly Magistracy and Order; but we show the ground of all Mysteries; Dominion and rule ariseth out of the Kingdom of Nature, and may indeed enter into God's Kingdom, if it manageth its authority and power as a Servant of God in the Kingdom of Nature, and not as a self-willed God, who will do what he please; if Rulers acknowledge and behave themselves as God's Stewards and officers in his Kingdom of Nature, and transgress not the Order of nature and do not advance themselves higher than the office of nature sets them, and so make themselves Petty-Gods to command and impose what their will and lust leads them to, then well and good; but if it be otherwise, they shall find it, as God said to Abraham; This People whom they must serve I will judge. CHAP. XL.. Of the History, and exceeding wonderful Typification of God's Spirit concerning Hagar Sarahs' Maid, and her Son Ishmael, and his rejection from the Heir-ship and Inheritance of Isaac. WHosoever will read the Acts of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, Gen. XVI. and rightly understand what the Spirit of God doth signify and mean by the same, he must not look upon them only as an History, as if nothing else were couched therein then an outward achievement or relation of an Act or thing done: the whole Kingdom of Christ together with the Kingdom of Nature is therein set forth exactly; not only the work of man's Redemption; but also what men, how or what in man, shall possess and inherit God's Kingdom; not as the Jews boast, that they alone are God's people; no! It is far otherwise, God looketh not upon one Sort or Generation of mankind; but upon the Stem or Root of the Tree. 2. In the two brothers, viz. in Isaac and Ishmael; Both Kingdoms are Typifyed; viz. in Ishmael, the Kingdom of Nature, and in Isaac the Kingdom of Grace; and thus also in Esau and Jacob; for at present two lines went forth out of Abraham; viz. Japhets and Sems; Ishmael was the first, as Japhet among Noah's children; and so likewise Cain among Adam's children; these point at the Kingdom of Nature, which hath its Original out of the Father's property, and must always be the first, if a creature shall be brought forth [or to the producing of a creature.] 3. Afterwards comes the Kingdom of Grace which taketh in the Nature; as first there must be a fire, ere there be a light; the fire begetteth the light; and the light maketh the fire manifest in itself; it taketh the fire, viz. the nature into itself, and dwelleth in the fire. 4. The like also we are to understand concerning the two properties of the humanity, viz. in the Two Principles, according to fire and light; viz. according to the Fathers, and Sons property, according to the Anger, and according to the Love, both which are in one essence. 5. But being man's will had subjected itself to the Kingdom of Nature; the kingdom of nature did now also represent its property in man's Image, to the Highest God, especially in this wonderful Man Abraham, in whom the Spirit and Word of God moved itself; now the figures of the Eternal Principles, viz. of both wills were represented out of one man to the word of God, which had brought forth and form all essences: viz. the revolted disobedient (will) in Ishmael, and the holy obedience, which sprung forth from the Power of the received word of faith, in Isaac. 6. Two types were here set forth; viz. in Ishmael the poor sick distempered evil corrupted Adam, fallen from the will of God; and in Isaac the Image of Christ was represented, which was come to help the poor corrupt Adam, and to introduce his Apostate will into death and mortification, and purify the same again in the fire of God; and regenerate it anew in the Love-fire, and in the first Only eternal will of God, where the Father and the Son are one only will and essence, in the wrathful Anger-fire, and in the Love-light-fire. 7. For with the motion of the divine property, when God moved the Nature, and crea●ed the creatures, the two properties, viz. of the Love and the Anger in nature, did sever themselves; so that the mystery of God, viz. the invisible spiritual World might be manifest, and come into a wrestling [Love-striving] sport, in the strife, and Counter-will. 8. For if there were but one only will, than all essences would do but one thing, but in the Counter-will each exalteth itself in itself to its victory and exaltation; and all life and vegetation stands in this contest, and thereby the divine wisdom is made manifest, and comes into form to Contemplation, and to the kingdom of joy; for in the Conquest is joy; but one only will is not manifest to itself; for there is neither evil nor good in it, neither joy nor sorrow; and if there were, yet the One, viz. the only will must first in itself bring itself into a contrary, that it might manifest itself. 9 The like also is here to be understood concerning Isaac and Ishmael, for Christ must be born of Abraham's seed; and the corrupt man must also be born out of this Abraham's seed, whom Christ should help and save. 10. For Christ, viz. God's word and will, took unto him, on his holy heavenly Ens, man's revolted Ens and will, and brought the same in him into the mortification of selfhood, even into the Root whence mans revolted apostate will did arise in the beginning of his creation; viz. into the wrath of the eternal nature; into the Father's property as to that nature; and regenerated the revolted humane will in the same fire through the Love-fire; and united or Atoned God's Love and Anger, viz. the divided nature, in the humane will; which nature, in the creation of the world had introduced itself into a Contrary, to the manifestation of the Wonders. 11. Now understand us here aright, according to the very acute depth▪ Christ must be the King and Hierarch, viz. the Humane Prince in the Eternal Kingdom; and the Kingdom was his own Peculiar; now his Subjects, viz. his Servants must be other persons than He, all which, must introduce their will into him, as into one Stock; He must be the Tree▪ which should give to his branches, viz. to the rest of mankind, Sapp, Power, and Will, that so they might bring him forth fruit; but being the branches on his Tree, which was himself, were become Evil, he gave himself into their evil essence, and put forth his power and virtue in them, that so they might become good again, and flourish in him. 12. And that this might be effected, the Tree, and the Branches of the Tree must be distinguished or ●everized, that so the wonders of the form wisdom of nature in this Tree might not cease and come to nought; for which [wonders] sake, God had moved himself to the creation, and severed the will of nature, viz. his form word, into a Contrary. 13. Isaac was conceived in the Ens of Christ, viz. in the apprehended or form word of Faith, of Abraham's Ens in the faith, and stood in the figure of Christ; he was not wholly and only out of the heavenly Ens; but out of both together; out of Abraham's Adamicall Ens, and out of the conceived or apprehended word of Faith; and Ishmael was out of Adam's Ens, of Abraham's own nature, according to the corrupt property, he was wholly out of the essence of Abraham's soul and spirit, but not out of the apprehended word of Faith which passed upon Isaac. 14. Now Ishmael was even as his father Abraham before the conceived word of faith; and should also take or receive that same word of faith in the desire out of Isaac's heavenly divine innate or imbred word, and bring it to a Substance of faith in him; for God anointed the humanity of Christ, and the humanity of Christ anointed his boughs and Branches, viz. those who also bring their desire into him; and so they also come even to the same ●●●ction, wherewith God anointed Abraham's seed in his faith's desire. 15. Thus the figure of Christ was represented in Isaac, and Adam's figure in Ishmael; and in Abram God and Adam did stand as 'twere opposite: God received Adam again in Abram into his Covenant, word, and will, and out of this same Covenant, word, and will, which Abraham received of God, in which Abram was justified, Christ was born, who received Ishmael, and all the poor corrupt children of Adam (who do but introduce their desire into him) into his word and heavenly Ens, and delivered them to his Father, viz. to the bosom of Abraham, into which his Father had embosomed or immersed the eternal holy word of divine Love, wherein standeth the Compassion over us the children of poor Eve. 16. Thus understand us now aright in this, concerning Abraham's Bondwoman, and concerning the Free▪ What doth that mean which was said to Abraham, * Gen. 21.10. Gal. 4.30. The Son of the bondwoman shall not inherit with the free; it was not only spoken concerning the outward inheritance only, but concerning the Eternal inheritance of the Adoption or filiation of God. 17. The rebellious self-will of nature was in Ishmael, which he inherited from his mother Hagar, and from Abraham's natural Adamicall will, which was a mocker of the new birth. 18. For the Devil had introduced his will into the humane will inclined to selfehood in the Serpents Ens, which will did only mock and scorn the new birth, just as the Devil is only a scorner and contemner; when he is told, how that the Anger, viz. the wrath of the eternal nature, of which he is a Prince and possessor, shall be changed in man again into Love, the same seems ridiculous to him; this false spirit was a reviler and mocker in Ishmael; of whom God said; Cast out the Son of the Bondwoman, viz. this Scoffer; for the scoffers spirit and will shall not inherit with the free; viz. with the only will of God. 19 But now we are not to understand this concerning the whole Person of Ishmael; as if God had rejected him out of his purpose from the divine Adoption: No, no; the contrary plainly demonstrates itself; for when Hagar waxed proud, being that she had conceived, and not her Mistress; and lightly set by Sarah her Mistress; and Sarah reproving her sharply for it, Gen. XVI. 7. she fled from her; then the Angel of the Lord met her, and said unto her; Hagar; Sarahs' maid, whither wilt thou go? return again to thy Mistress, and humbly submit thyself unto her, I will so multiply thy seed that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 20. And the Angel of the Lord said further unto her; lo! thou art with child, and thou shalt bear a Son, and his name shall be called Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy afflistion. He shall be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren; and she called the Name of the Lord who spoke with her; Thou God seest me; for she said, here I have seen him, who hath looked after me; therefore she called the Well, where this was done; the Well of the living who hath looked upon me. 21. Understand this figure thus; Hagar fled in the will of Self, viz. in disobedience, that is, in the will of Nature, in which the Devil according to the wrath's property, desires to be a Prince; this will would not humble itself under the Covenant, and obey the Free one, viz. God's only freewill: Hagar fled away in the figure; for the will of selfehood must fly away, and wholly die, and not inherit the Covenant, and the Adoption; but the Angel of the Lord met Hagar, and said, Whither wilt thou go, Hagar, Sarahs' maid, return again to thy Mistress, and humble thyself under her hand; behold! thou art with child, and shalt bear a Son, whose Name thou shalt call Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction; the meaning of it is this. 22. Thou poor miserable man, captivated by the kingdom of nature; nature hath indeed brought thee forth in its contrariety, in its wonders; and the Devil hath poisoned thee, so that thou must be a wild man upon the earth, to the opposition of God's children, so that they must be tried and excised by thee, and be brought into Tribulation, that so they also might powerfully put forth out of the holy Ens, the sap of their Root of Salvation, and in the pressure, move, act, and penetrate with the ardent desire, through the Love Ens, which is wholly meek, soft, and still, so that in this contrariety and contest, fruit might also grow upon the divine One: thy wild will, must indeed be cast out, and mortified; but return again to the free, viz. to the only will of God, and humble thyself before the free One; for I have looked upon thy misery and affliction, and have not cast thee from my presence, but only the wild property, viz. the will of the natural selfehood. 23. But I must have it also in the Time of this world, for it shall dwell in the presence of all its brethren, and exercise them in the fear of God with its opposition; but return thou only in Repentance unto the Free, I will so multiply thee that thy seed shall not be numbered. 24. Why must even the Mocker be thus done unto? because in him lay the Kingdom of the wonders of God's manifestation out of Nature, viz. out of the fire world, out of God's strength and omnipotence, which he will again introduce in Christ into the Love, viz. into the only free One; but Hagar, viz. the will of the fire-Soules nature, must be converted and enter into repentance; humble itself before the Free, viz. the only merciful Love-will, viz. before the Covenant and Seed in Isaac, and cast away the rebellious will from itself. 25. And therefore the Lord sent his Angel to meet her and manifested himself unto her with his voice, and she called the Name of the Lord, Thou God seest me: here I have seen him who hath looked after me; that is, the contrary or rebellious will ran away from the free, viz. from God; but God looked again upon the poor miserable, and captive Soul, and called it again; and then said the Soul; Certainly, here I have seen him, who hath looked after me; after that my will of Self, viz. of Nature was run forth from him; which is thus much, 26. When as the mocker, viz. Self-will is gone forth in its nature; and hath brought itself into an opposition against its * Understand the powers of the soul; and also all holy men in whom the light prevails. brethren, (who sometimes will not work in their heavenly allotted Ens) and set itself against them with contempt and scorn; and performed its office of nature given unto it for the exercise of the children of God; then God looketh also upon the Mocker, as his instrument to the exercising of the Soul, and wills not that the soul should perish; he looketh on it again, instructeth it, and calleth it, and draweth it also in man's conscience unto himself; This now is the meaning; He hath looked after me, even when I had almost accomplished the work of Nature in the will of self. 27. Hagar being thus seen of God, when she became disobedient to her Mistress, and ran away from her; and without doubt in an opposite will against her Mistress, the same did much trouble, move, and affect the woman; Thereby her Mistress, viz. Sarah was also exercised, so that she was earnestly moved in herself, and called, and prayed to God, that he would take away her reproach, in that she was barren, and bless her, and make her fruitful; that she also did purify the house or vessel wherein she should receive the holy Seed of Abraham in his blessed Seed, and not introduce any humane wantonness of nature into Abraham's blessed Seed; but desired she might have a right divine desire in her, wherein she might take the seed of Abraham. 28. And even therefore God made her barren, even to her old age, lest the bestial lust should be predominant in her, and mix itself in Abraham's blessed seed; for she should give all her humane power, (viz. the woman's seed in the Covenant, which did move itself in her, as to the kingdom of Nature) into the seed of Abraham; not out of the wantonness of bestial lust, but out of the desire of the Nature of the form word; and therefore the bestial lust introduced by Adam, (in which lust the Devil had made his murdering Den) must be first even as quite mortified in her that so the inward nature might yet stand only in the desire; viz. the form words Ens as to the creature. 29. For the promised word in the Covenant with Abraham should give itself out of Abraham's seed into Sarahs' seed; viz. into the woman's matrix in Venus' Tincture, and take unto it the female Ens out of the Love-Tincture, which had parted itself from Adam into a Woman, indeed not according to the manifest life of the holy heavenly Ens shut up in her, which disappeared in Adam and Eve, which was first made manifest in Christ; but according to the kingdom of the form word of nature, in which the heavenly Ens lay shut up, until the motion of the Covenant in the Ens of Mary, where the limit or Eye mark stood at the End of the Covenant. 30. Thus Hagar and her Son Ishmael (who as to the will of self, viz. as to the Devils introduced desire and his outward Constellation, was a mocker of his brethren, and did exercise them) must be an Instrument of Nature, whereby God manifested his Wonders. 31. But as God will not for ever cast away the nature from him, but thus useth it in time in a contrary, to the opening of his wonders of wisdom out of Love, and Anger; as a Generatress of his wonders [in good and evil] The like also we are to understand concerning the evil innate property in man, which cannot judge the Soul. 32. But the freewill which it hath, if it therewith continueth in the iniquity in selfehood, that condemneth it; for it will not enter again into the One, viz. into the quiet Rest: * Note. Its condemnation is in itself, and not without it, it maketh its hell in itself; that is, it awakeneth, out of the centre of the eternal spiritual nature, God's wrath in itself; viz. the property of the dark fire-world; in which it is not the child of God's Love, but of his Anger, of which substance and essence itself is. 33. For if the soul dyeth to self will; than it is dead unto hell, viz. to the Kingdom of the wrathful nature: now it cannot do this in its own self ability, No selfe-ability. unless God look upon it again, as here happened to Hagar, when she said; Thou God seest me; and therefore she called this place or fountain, the fountain of the Living and Seeing; for the fountain of life did even there manifest itself in her, and brought her again to Conversion. 34. For she should not be cast out with her Son from the purpose or * Note. Election of God, but God did only set forth the figure of both Kingdoms in their seed; viz. in Ismaels', and isaac's: For thus said God afterwards to Abraham; Gen. 17. Ch. 20. verse. Moreover concerning Ishmael I have heard ● he also, behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and multiply him exceedingly: Twelve Princes shall he beget; and I will make him a great Nation. 35. Now what God hath blessed; that the Bishop with his Reason shall not unhallow or make execrable: * God He hath set a Ishmael. him up to be a Ruler in the Kingdom of nature, that he might manifest the Wonders of Nature, and not predestinated him to condemnation, as Babel judgeth; in whose hand a Shepherd's crook were more comely and fitting, then to expound the mysteries of the Scripture with earthly eyes [or apprehensions]▪ and make conclusions therein; which indeed serve the Devil, and make men lewd, and profane. 36. For though Ishmael was afterward cast out with his mother Hagar, so that he attained not to the Inheritance of Abraham's goods; the same hath far another figure then reason seethe in it; God set Ishmael to be a Prince in the Kingdom of Nature, and Isaac to be a Prince in the Kingdom of Grace; Ishmael must possess strange [or another sort] of goods; because he was not sprung forth out of the line of the Covenant; and Isaac was of the line of the Covenant; and therefore God gave Isaac Abraham's goods, viz. the blessed Inheritance, because he was born of the blessing, and out of him the Lord of the goods should come; Therefore he in the mean while should be a possessor of the same dominion, until the Lord should come; and Ishmael must be a servant and minister of the same Lord who was to come after. 37. For the children of Nature are Servants in the kingdom of Grace, not Lords in self-will; they must not with the own self-will enter upon the inheritance of the kingdom of Christ; for * Rom. 9.16. it lieth not in any man's own willing, weening, running or going to will and take the same in their own selfe-wills ability; but it lieth in God's mercy, it is a kingdom of Grace; not a kingdom hereditary to one generation of men only, but God gave it of Grace to Abram in his Seed. 38. The mocker Ishmael must be cast from the blessed inheritance, for he was not born of the line of inheritance, viz. out of God's special gift as Isaac was, who represented the person of Christ; for Christ alone should be the heir of God's blessing, who had the same out of the Right of nature, all the rest one with another must be as his Sojourners; for Japhet must dwell in Sems' Tent, not as a Lord and Master of the Tent, but as a Servant. 39 For the person of Isaac also according to his innate Adamicall Nature was not otherwise therein, then as a Servant; but that he was chosen to be Heir, the same was from God, who bestowed it on him as a Vicar or Deputy of his Lord, who should spring forth out of him; whose property given of God, he did carry in himself as in the place or Mansion of the Covenant; understand, he bore Christ in himself in the Covenant of God, and to him alone the goods did belong out of the Right of nature, for he was God's child by divine nature, and an heir of all whatsoever God had created. 40. But unto all others the heavenly goods did not belong out of a natural right, for they had lost the Right of nature in Adam, and attained thereunto only by the Free-Gift and gracious Donation of the giver, even by the Mercy of God; therefore Ishmael was cast out from the inheritance of Abraham's peculiar goods; for the figure of Christ's kingdom to come, was here represented. 41. And we may yet see this clearly, sufficiently, and fully set forth, in that Abraham lay with an Egyptian strange maid, and begat a Son of her out of his seed, viz. out of the essence of his body, and soul, and yet afterwards rejected this Son from the inheritance, so that we plainly see here the figure of the right children's inheritance, that none can come to the Adoption [or true childship of God], unless he be born out of this Covenant, out of Christ's flesh and Spirit. Note. Predestinate to Condemnation. 42. The old Adamicall man as to its own self-will out of the Serpents Ens is wholly rejected, and cast away: he is nothing profitable, [or wholly unfit] for the kingdom of God, he is only an Instrument, whereby God proveth, and exerciseth his children, as a Besom wherewith the house is swept. 43. The soul must forsake its own will unto all eternity, and must have a new body born or generated in it out of the heavenly Ens, which heavenly Ens did disappear in Adam as to God, and was introduced again thereinto out of Christ's Spirit. 44. The gross introduced bestial property, is also * Alike rejected or Reprobate. alike rejected from the kingdom of God in all men who are born of Adam's sinful Seed, as well in Isaac and Abraham as in Ishmael; but the Ens in the Covenant shall live for ever, and at the Last Day it shall again put on the true man created in Adam out of the limus of the earth, which is of the kingdom of this world's essence; yet not the grossness of the earth, but the * Note. The Resurrection of the Body. Ens of the form word, which hath given forth itself into a creation. 45. The inward Ens of Christ (which the soul putteth on it for an heavenly body out of Christ's spirit, and out of his flesh, and blood,) is spiritual; It is a spiritual body, which dyeth not at the death of the outward man, yea it is not buried; neither doth it arise again; but it is dead and buried, and risen again in Christ, for all, and in all, and liveth eternally, for he is passed from death to life. 46. And therefore Ishmael came not to the inheritance of his father's goods, for he had not yet put on Christ in the flesh and spirit, but Isaac had put him on in the Covenant, viz. in the incorporated word, and had Christ now in the Covenant from God's Gift, as a natural Right in himself; not from his own power and ability, but from the power of the Giver, even from the power of the Covenant. 47. But now Is●ael must put on the Covenant from Christ, and not from the inherited adoption or childship as Christ who had it from God in a childlike [or filial] Right; and now Ishmael must do this for the obtaining of it; viz. he must behold himself in the fountain of the seeing, and living, as his mother Hagar did, and return again with the lost Son to the Father; and fall down before Abraham's feet, that is, his heir Isaac in Christ, and pray, that he would receive him into his house, (which is Christ's humanity, viz. the spiritual world) as a servant, and Day-Labourer; for he hath had no more any Right to his inheritance; he hath been begotten and born only as a Step-Brother (or Son in Law) of a strange Mother, viz. of the Kingdom of Nature. 48. And for their sake Christ came, that he might have Mercy on them, for he himself also said when he was in the flesh, * Or, justified one. Matth. 9.12. He came not to seek the Righteous, but the poor Sinner, his brother in Ishmael, and Adam, not his line in Isaac; for the * Or, justified one. Matth. 9.12. whole hath no need of the Physician; but the sick wounded poor Sinner. 49. And we will not herein conclude so blindly concerning * Note. Predestination. Predestination, and Election of Grace, as Babel doth, which teacheth, that God hath ordained a certain number, and company to Damnation, and the rest to Salvation. 50. If this were so, then Nature must needs be limited, confined, and determined, when it should beget and bring forth a child of God, and nothing would be in the free condition or liberty; yea God must then confine and shut up his unchangeable [one, infinite] will into a beginning and limit, and nothing at all could be free in the humane property, but whatsoever any one did, that must avoidable so come to pass, let him rob, steal, murder, or blaspheme God, and live as he pleased, it must be so; if this were true, than the Ten Commandments, and all Doctrines, Teachings, and Laws were to no purpose, and none need Repent, unless God compelled him threunto. 51. I say whosoever teacheth so, he useth and * Exod. 20.7. taketh the Name of God in vain, and horribly profaneth the holy Name of God, which is free, from eternity, and offereth itself to all poor Sinners, and * Exod. 20.7. bids them all come unto him. Matth. 11.28. 52. The Covenant was indeed * Set forth. established in Isaac, viz. the divine might and dominion; but it was given to no man in the line of the Covenant, but only and alone to the Man Christ, so that none came, out of a peculiar Right, to God, but all in the Grace of the one, and God did declare his mercy and compassion in Christ unto all, and without him there was no Door of grace, to the Jews, viz. Abraham's Seed, and also to the Gentiles; all are only children received out of Grace, and newborn in him; and none either of the Jews or Gentiles without the life of Christ, [are received to mercy], all men who have pressed [or earnestly come] in to God, viz. to his Grace, those he hath all received in the Grace which he offereth in Christ. 53. Therefore Christ also prayed for his Enemies, which knew him not, but crucified him, that God would forgive them in him, and receive them to favour; in which Access, all Nations who knew not Christ in the flesh, have an open Gate, and are taken into God's Mercy. 54. For, * Without. besides Christ no man cometh to the childlike inheritance; to him alone the goods do belong, viz. the Hierarchy of men; as he himself also said; * Joh. 17.6. Father the men were thine, but thou hast given them me, and I give unto them the life eternal; and therefore it belongs unto him, because he is God's Son, born of his Essence, from eternity. 55. Adam was also God's natural Son, which he created out of his Essence, but he lost the childship, and the inheritance, and was cast out, and with him all his children, as Ishmael was cast out from the childlike or filial inheritance. 56. For in Abraham the inheritance of the true Sonship was again manifested; but Ishmael was not born of the inheritance of the Sonship, but of the rejected Seed; but now God offered again, out of freegrace his holy inheritance in Abraham; that he would generate the rejected Seed in this new Mother, which gave in itself into Abraham's Seed again in himself to a childlike Seed. 57 Not that the rebellious Runagate Adamicall will in the Selfehood in Ishmael, should be received into this Mother, no, the same is wholly cast out with Ishmael in all respects from the filial Inheritance; he cannot be born anew, unless he die to his self, and own willing, and come in a converted will to God in Christ as the lost Son, who neither wills nor desires any thing from a natural proper Right, but only, that the Lord of the Goods would have Mercy on him, and receive him again to be a Day-labourer; This converted will God doth * Text. Engraft, or in-linage. take in, to his gracious free-given inheritance, viz. into the goods of Abraham in Christ, and maketh it to be Heir in Isaac's goods, viz. in isaack's freely given Inheritance in Christ. 58. Ishmael was cast out from Abraham's, viz. from Gods, goods, that he might come unto his Son, to whom he gave the whole inheritance, and entreat him for the filial inheritance; for, the natural Adamicall man had lost it; and that which was lost was again freely given to the Covenant of Abraham, viz. to the blessed Seed, that is, to the man Christ; and he now doth freely give it unto them who come unto him. 59 All men who come unto God the Father, and pray unto him for the Eternal * Or, Sonship. Adoption, unto all them, he giveth the Adoption in his Son Christ, unto whom he hath freely granted the whole inheritance, viz. the Hierarchy of mankind, viz. the possession of the Throne of the Angelical World, even in the place of this world; and given unto him all the power of rule and dominion; as he said; Matth. 28.18. all power in Heaven and in Earth is given to me of my Father. 60. For God the Father ruleth the place of this world in his Son Christ; and all men who now come unto God, they come to him in Christ, who is the Lord; viz. the mouth of his Father. 61. Christ is the Staff, wherewith he [guides and] feeds his sheep: in Christ's voice all poor Sinners who turn to God are born to a new will and life; and in the filial birth in Christ's voice they die wholly unto the own will of selfehood in Christ's death. 62. For Christ is dead to the humane Selfehood in the Father's Anger▪ and buried with the will of Self in the eternal death; and is risen again in his Father's will, and liveth, and ruleth to all eternity in his Fathers will. 63. God the Father introduced his Voice and Word, viz. his manifestation into the Seed of Abraham, viz. into man's will of Self; and brought that will of the humane Selfehood with his own introduced voice into the death and into hell, which death and hell were manifest in the Selfehood of man's own will; and in the Power of his manifested voice, He did destroy the death and hell in the Voice and Word of man's Selfehood; so that man should not any more will to himself, but what he now willeth, the same he must will in the manifested voice of God. 64. So long as Ishmael * Or, would take the inheritance. willed in the voice of his scorning contemning Self, he could not be heir of these introduced free-given goods: but when he hath turned to God, and forsaken the will of Self; then God also sendeth the Angel to him, even while he is in his Mother's Womb; and saith; * Gen. 16.9. Return again to the free; and humble thyself under her hand, and thou shalt live. 65. For Ishmael was run away from God in the womb; which signifies the fugitive runagate nature of man in Selfehood; and in the Mother's womb God sent him an Angel to recall him: noting; that * Note. all wicked men are called inwardly by the voice of God while they are yet in the womb, and also the time of their whole life, in their own essence, and being; Only the natural will of Selfehood stoppeth its hearing, so that the voice of God is not manifest therein. 66. That is, like as the Sun shineth all the day long, and giveth itself unto every Essence which will but receive its power; so likewise the voice of God soundeth through all men, to recall [and reclaim] them, the whole time of their life: so soon as the Seed is sown in the womb, the voice of God is sounding [or working] therein to a good fruit; but on the contrary also the voice of God's Anger soundeth in the Essence of man's Selfehood; there is a continual combat betwixt them; as with heat, and cold; that which gets victory, of that is the fruit; this strife continueth as long as man liveth in this world. 67. Therefore we declare with good ground; that men ought not to make conclusions concerning the children of God's Saints; as if God had so out of his purpose begotten one to condemnation, and hardened him that he could not come to the Adoption; and chosen in himself another that he could not be lost; it is a mere groundless fiction; [There is no footing or foundation at all for it, either in the book of Nature or in the holy Scripture, it proceeds from the Abyss and bottomless smoky pit, of darkness and hypocrisy.] 68 By the * Or, the Stems. Tribes of the Saints (in whom the divine Covenant hath opened itself, viz. by the Patriarches, as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) there are always two figures represented, viz. Christ and Adam, a good, and an evil man. 69. Cain, Ham, Ishmael, and Esau, were types of the corrupt man, and Abel, Sem, Isaac, and Jacob, were types of Christ, who opened himself in this line, and set himself forth before the corrupt children of Adam as a light, and Preacher to convert them. 70. For * Joh. 3.17. God hath not sent his Son to condemn the world, viz. the poor corrupt man, but he hath therefore sent him into the world among the Godless crew of evil men, to teach and call them; and those who have a willing desire to hear he will save, even those that have but a sparkle of the divine Ens, which is capable of hearing, in them. The quickening and renewing voice of Christ doth cry and call in that little spark which is in all these, that is, it bloweth up that little spark that it may become a divine fire. 71. And that we may open wide the eyes of the blind Selfe-named Christendom, and also of the Jews in their boasting, that they may not so brag, and stand upon their knowledge, as if they only were the children of God, because they know the Name of God, and flatter themselves with the knowing it, and condemn other people, who are deprived of knowing as they know, and have introduced another knowledge, as they alas! do most blindly; in so much, that one Nation and people doth exercise [or evilly entreat] another, know; that Cain, Ham, Ishmael, and Esau, are the types of the Turks, and Heathen, whom God blessed in Ishmael; and gave them to possess the Princely Dominions in his Kingdom of this world, and cast them out in their own contrived knowledge from the knowledge of the * Or, Sonship. Adoption of Christ; as he cast out Ishmael; but recalls them in the Womb by the Angel of the great Counsel, unto the free; viz. to God's goods, that they should return to him. 72. For they lie shut up under the vail of Christ, as Christ did under the levitical Priesthood under Moses; and as the Children of Israel under the Law were not justified through the Law, but through him who was hidden under the Law, and thus they are now hid under the true knowledge, and lie as it were shut up in the mother's womb. 93. But the Angel of the great Counsel, calls them by their mother Hagar, viz. by the Kingdom of Nature; that she (the mother and her child) should return home to Sarah; viz. to the free, that is, to the one only God, who hath born his Son of the free▪ thus they come as it were under the vail in the mother's womb to the free, viz. to the one only God; who hath born unto them of the free [woman] the true Lord, unto whose goods (they being strangers are received in Grace) as sojourners. 74. For as Ishmael did not go to Isaac for the inheritance, which did of Right belong to Isaac, (because the Lord was in him, who freely bestowed it upon him, and set him as a Steward) but would have it of the Father; even so the Turks have turned themselves from Isaac, viz. from the Son, to the Father, and will have the inheritance of God from the Father. 75. Now the Father is manifested to us in the Son; and when they now do call upon the Father, he heareth them only in his Son, viz. in his voice manifest in the humane property, and they yet serve the Son in the Father. 76. For we men have no other God at all without Christ the Son; for the Father hath manifested himself towards us with his voice in the Son, and heareth us only through his voice manifested in the Son. 77. Now when the Turks worship the Father, he heareth them in the Son, and receiveth them to adoption in the Son, in whom God hath only manifested himself in the humane property, and in no other property besides. 78. Now saith Reason, how can they attain to the Adoption of Christ, when as they will not have the Son to be the Son of God, and say, that God hath no Son; hear O man! Christ said; * Mat. 12.32. Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, to him it shall be forgiven; but he that blasphemeth the Holy Ghost, to him it shall never be forgiven: that is, as much as if he should say. 79. Whosoever reproacheth the humanity of Christ in Ignorance; [considering of it] as his own flesh; to him it may be forgiven; for he knoweth not what the humanity of Christ is; but he that blasphemeth the Holy Ghost, viz. the only God, who hath manifested himself in the humanity; wherein Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are One only God; he hath no forgiveness for evermore, that is, he that rejecteth the only God, he hath quite broken himself off from him, into an ownhood of Self. 80. Now the Turks do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, who manifested himself in the humanity, but they reproach the humanity, and say a creature cannot be God. 81. But that God hath wrought, and done * Or, Miracles. wonders in Christ, that they confess, and blaspheme not the Holy Spirit which hath wrought in Christ, viz. in the humanity; blindness is happened unto them, so that they walk under a vail. 82. Now saith Reason, God hath taken away the Candlestick from them, and rejected them; hear O man! what was the cause that God (as he threatened by Saint Paul) did take away the Candlestick from them, and shut them up under the vail, thinkest thou that it was done without his foreknowledge, without his will, no, it was done with his will. 83. He permitted the kingdom of nature to give them a Doctrine of Reason; seeing Christendom became blind in their Reason, in respect of Christ's Person, and did wrangle and jangle about Christ's Humanity, and put all manner of scorn, reproach, and disgrace upon his Person, as it fell out among the Arians, when they denied his Deity, and the Bishops in their covetousness did apply his merits in his humanity for the Belly-sake to their Belly-Orders, and did practise all manner of lewdness and profaneness (even with swearing, cursing, juggling and sorcery) by his suffering, and holy wounds; so that there the holy Name of God, which had manifested itself in the humanity▪ was abused; thereupon God did hid himself from them in their understanding, so that first they became blind with the Arians in respect of the Deity of Christ. 84. But afterward when as they would be only blind Beasts, he hide himself also from them in respect of the humanity by the * The Doctrine of Mahomet, or the Alcoran. Turkish Religion, so that they were wholly deprived of the Candlestick of the world, and it went with them, as the Prophet said to Israel under their King; Ah! * Isay 1.26. I must give thee Judges as in former Times. 85. Thus the King of light in the humanity was withdrawn from them, and the Judicature of nature was given them again for a guide and Governor; so that they returned again into the mother's womb, viz. into the Root, out of which man was created, that is, to the only God; so that the Name and Knowledge of the holy humanity of Christ is yet put out with them. 86. And that they might not use the same so vainly, and uneffectually for swearing, and false defence [or covering] they must again enter into Hagar, as into the mother's womb, and have now verily been a long time a people run away in their mother Hagar from Abraham's house, viz. from the humanity of Christ. 87. But know, and declare this as a word of the most High, known in the Sound of his Trumpet, which he hath prepared to awaken all Nations, and to visit the face of the whole Earth; That the Angel of the great Counsel, viz. the holy voice of Christ is not departed from them eternally to forget them, * Isay 49.15. So little as a mother can forget her child, that she should not have pity upon the Son of her womb, albeit he were disobedient to her. 88 For as the Angel came to Ishmael (being yet in the womb) when his mother fled from Sarah; and did enrich him with a blessing and worldly Dominions, and bad the mother with the child return to Sarah; Thus likewise when the Eastern Countries entered again into the mother's womb with their knowledge of Religion, God gave unto them in the kingdom of nature power and authority over the Princely Dominions of the world, for to possess and rule them under the light of nature, till its time, and then they shall come in again with great joy, and with great humility to Abraham, viz. to Christ. 89. And not in the form of the babylonical, formal, literal Christendom, in their invented and contrived Orders; which are only * Verbal, outside. letter christian's (so that a Testimony [or some outward footsteps] of Christ, and his Kingdom have still continued upon the earth) but they shall be born in spirit, and in power; for they are the lost Son which is wandered away from the Father, and is become the Swineherd. 90. But when the Angel shall bid them return, they come in the humility of the lost Son returning to the Father, and then there will be Great joy celebrated by Christ, and his Angels; That the dead is made alive, and the lost is again found, and the true Golden Jubilee-year of the Marriage of the Lamb ariseth up among them. 91. And albeit the Elder Brother (who hath continued in the letter) doth grumble at it, in respect of the different form which he hath made to himself (for the most part for his Belly, and Honour) yet they are not moved at it; they are merry with the father. 92. Now then, if we truly compare * Painted. counterfeit Christendom, and the Turks together; and look upon them a right; then we see that they (since the Turks departed from them) have been but one people (before God in righteousness, and holiness) with different names. 93. And they are the two Sons, * Mat▪ 21.28. to one whereof the Father said, Go and do this; and he said, yea, but did it not; and to the other also do this, and he said no, but did it; which doth so highly advance or set forth the Turks in the kingdom of nature, which the blind Christian world doth not understand. 94. Not that we justify the Turks, and say, that they should remain in their blindness; no; but to the * Painted. counterfeit [verbal] Christians we declare, that they are alike (with them) before God, in that they are as blind as to Christ's Kingdom as the Turks: as it plainly shows itself, in that Christendom is full of strife, and contention, about Christ's Deity, and humanity; and abominably profaneth the holy Name in his humanity; and use it only for a form and custom to swear [and Covenant by] also to Idolatry [and hypocrisy] and are gone from the Sword of the holy Spirit, unto a bloodthirsty confounding Sword, wherein is nothing but contending, and contemning one another, and the whole Titular Christendom is turned into mere Sects, and Orders; where one Sect doth despise, and brand another for unrighteous: and thus they have made of Christendom a mere murdering Den, full of blasphemies about Christ's Person; and have bound the Spirit of Christ, in which a Christian should live in deepest humility, to the Forms and Orders of Disputation; and have set foolish Reason to be a * Or, to judge what the meaning of the Holy Spirit is in the Scripture. master of the understanding above Christ's Kingdom. 95. But ought we to speak so of Christendom, and the Turks, as if they were alike? Thus we say, The Turk is openly an Ishmalite, and a mocker of Christ's humanity, and holdeth him not for the Son of man, and God too; for he understands not the heavenly Ens in the Person. 96. But the Sects of Christendom do indeed cover themselves with Christ's Mantle, but do attach him in his humanity, and Deity, and revile him in his whole person; tear, and rend one another [with words, and swords] about his person; the one will have it this way, another that way, every one will be master over his words, and spirit; and de●ide Christ in his members, and are as revolting rebellious and fugitive Ishmalites as the Turks, and live in lemma ourself will; and serve the kingdom of nature in their Self-hood, and worldly interests, and pleasure. 97. A Christian should be dead with Christ, to self; and be risen again in Christ; and be born anew of Christ, and put on Christ; that so he might be a Christian in Christ, in the spirit and heavenly flesh of Christ, according to the internal spiritual man. 98. But instead hereof men have put on ●abel, and the Antichrist; and do bo●st themselves of their Ordinances, [and of the divine Orders in the performances of devout duties in lip-labour and much prating.] And in the Stone-houses of the Churches, cathedrals, and Cloisters of Christendom; where indeed they do counterfeit somewhat of Christ; seeing that they there read the writings which the Apostles left behind them: but afterward in their Preaching, for the most part, they foist in the Kingdom, and Government of nature, with brawling, and disputing; and spend the time with disputing, confuting, and contending about Sects, and their different mental Idols and Opinions, in so much that one party is brought wholly to condemn another, and the Ears, and hearts of the hearers are so infected with Gall, and bitterness, that one Sect wilfully opposeth another, and cries it down for devilish; whence nothing but wars, and disdainful provocations do arise, to the desolating of Countries, and Cities. 99 Thus they are alike before God, and lie as it were shut up in Hagar, in the dead Reason, except the true Children of God, which verily are here and there to be found among all Nations, and Sects, but wholly simple, and despised; also covered under Christ's Cross, to the Reason-wise world. 100 For as the four Elements receive the powerful influence of the Sun; and we see in the Substance, the body, but not the Sun; although it worketh therein; so likewise the Spirit of Christ is hid in the children of God; but as an herb springing from the earth, doth by the virtue of the Sun▪ put forth a fair Blossom, and fruit; so also God's children out of their disregarded form, [o● homeliness to the lewd worlds or prating hypocrites eye, do bring forth the fair fruits, of humility and piety.] CHAP. XLI. Of the Seal of the Covenant of Circumcision, and of Baptism. WHen God had made a Covenaant with Abram, and blessed him; Gen. XVII. and made him a father of many Nations; which should be blessed through him, viz. by Abraham's Blessing in the Covenant; then he gave him the Seal of the Covenant, viz. the Sign and the Figure upon what Ens the blessing passed; and shown him in this figure, what in man should Inherit and possess the eternal blessing; that is to say, not the gross earthly bestial Man, which is conceived and born in the lust of the flesh, out of the Bestial lust of Man and Woman; which did involve or insinuate itself into Adam, according to the Brutish, and bestial property of the divided life's Essence; upon this the Covenant, and blessing doth not pass; but upon the Ens of the Word form out of the heavenly world's property, out of the Lincus of the Earth; not upon the introduced Serpent's Ens out of the dark world's Ens, and property; but upon the Soul, and its right Body, which was created to it in Adam. 2. And we here see by the Circumcision, the Types that the bestial copulation of man and woman, is an abomination before the holiness of God, which yet is borne withal, by divine patience, and permission, seeing now it cannot be otherwise with Man, he having lost the magical birth of Paradise; for here God set forth the figure in the Circumcision; that every Male must be circumcised on this member of the propagation of the masculine seed, in that, man soweth his own will out of the property of nature in his seed; therefore God set forth the figure with the Circumcision, both of the earthly Seed, and also of the member and will; for the spirit in the Covenant must out off through Christ's death this figure in the inward spiritual man, together with this bestial will and desire. 3. For the bestial gross earthly Seed of the man or woman shall not put on the Covenant, and blessing; as Christ also said; but He, * Joh. 1.13. who is not born of the will of man, nor of the flesh, but of God; the bestial birth with its members must be cut off through the Temporal death; and die in the spiritual birth through Christ's death, and be buried in the eternal death, viz. in the nothing. 4. But being the Covenant of God had incorporated itself in Abraham's seed to a propagation, God did here set before him by the Circumcision, the person of Christ, in whose death, this Beast and Monster should die, and out of his death a new Angelical form should come forth; for the Circumcision was not the Atonement, but the apprehended [or conceived] Ens of faith was the Atonement; out of which Ens of faith Christ should be born; but the Circumcision was the Sign, that the Ens of faith in the word of God, should cu● off the earthly Seed. 5. For the living word of God looked into the Covenant; and in the Covenant, the humane Seed of the heavenly part, lay disappeared; and in the disappeared Ens stood the Aim or Limit of the new Regeneration in Christ's motion, where the word of the divine Tincture, and power, would again move itself in the true humanity created in Adam; and also it did move itself in the Spirit of the children of faith, so that they were received and accepted of God in the Spirit (upon the Promise, of the motion or manifestation of the shut-up Ens) as dear innate children. Note. 6. Not that they had put on Christ in the flesh before his manifestation, but indeed the same Ens in their faith, and this same received or intaken Ens of Faith was the Circumcision, which circumcised the heart and mind, and rend in twain the sinful veil, and pointed at the cutting off of the earthly introduced Serpents Ens in Adam, viz. of the earthly Seed, and the earthly members to the Bestial propagation; it shown; that Christ (when the incorporated Ens of faith should manifest itself in the humanity) should, and would cut off this Beast, and destroy the life of death, and hell therein. 7. We must not look upon the Circumcision only and barely as a sign or figure, for it is the Seal of the Covenant, which stood as a Seal imprinted on the Ens of faith, for the Spirit of the promised word to the new-birth, was in the Seal, as among the Christians it is in the Seal of Baptism. 8. And therefore God said, that soul that shall contemn this Covenant, shall be rooted out from among his people, and commanded the Natives and strangers to be Circumcised, although they were not of the Seed of Abraham, to signify, that the Covenant passed upon all people, who would but receive the Ens of faith; even there the Circumcision should be done. 9 For that was not the right Circumcision which was done outwardly on the flesh, but it was the Sign only of the Circumcision; the true Circumcision was effected in the Ens of faith, in the Covenant, in the power of the word, and Holy Spirit, where the word, in the spirit of Christ, doth cut off the Serpents Ens from the right humane Ens of the heavenly Part; viz. it cuts off the Ens of the dark world introduced and insinuated through Adam's evil desire, and the Devils in-flying poisonful desire. 10. The Baptism of the Christians, and the Circumcision of the Jews hold wholly one and the same Right; among the Jews the Circumcision was effected or performed in the word of power, the Holy Spirit baptised them with the holy fires Baptism, understand, it baptised their true man corrupt [and withered] in Adam, the same was Tinctured with this Baptism, viz. in the Ens of faith; for the Ens of faith was the Baptism of the Jews, where the Holy Spirit did inwardly baptise them unto Christ's humanity. 11. But now being this same word of faith; (viz. the Ens of faith) hath put on the humanity, and quickened it in itself to life; this same Spirit doth now Baptise with water, pointing at the humanity of Christ; Note. for the water of eternal life, viz. the heavenly world's substance, was disappeared in Adam, and made alive again in Christ's heavenly Ens, (being also the water of the heavenly Powers) introduced into our (in him assumed) humanity; therefore the humanity of Christ was the firstborn from the dead. 12. And with this same heavenly water, which Gods word and power introduced into the humanity of Christ from heaven (understand from the holy spiritual world, viz. from the Second Principle) the Holy Spirit of Christ doth baptise the Christians in their Baptism of water; which externally is also but a Sign of the internal Seal, in which Seal the Holy Ghost baptizeth. 13. And therefore Christ hath appointed the Seal of the Circumcision into a baptism of water; being the fire-baptisme in the Covenant, is become manifest in the water of life in the humanity; so that this fire-baptisme, viz. the flaming-Love-word, is made flesh; therefore Christ said John 3. We must now be born anew through the water, and spirit, else we shall not see God. 14. For in the water wherein the flaming Love-word in the Ens of the Covenant hath manifested itself in our heavenly disappeared water (which is become incarnate) all the children of Christ must be newborn, and take this water in their faith's desire; in which water the eternal flaming Love-word of God hath incorporated itself; this same water baptizeth the inward man which disappeared in Adam to the new regeneration; Note how we are Baptised into Death. and the earthly bestial half-Serpentine-and-Devillish man to mortification and Death; it circumciseth the poor captive soul, and putteth the Covenant and humanity of Christ upon it in the inward spiritual man, now disappeared or withered, as to the kingdom of heaven. 15. Understand it aright ye Jews, and Christians; you have but one only baptism; the Jew is baptised inwardly on the soul in the Ens of the Covenant, and circumcised on the disappeared Ens of the Right heavenly humanity; viz. the Serpents Ens is cut off from the heavenly Ens in the Power of the word's humanity, and the flaming Love-spirit in the Ens of the word, Tinctureth the true humanity, and baptizeth it with the intaken or conceived Ens of Faith; the Faith in the Spirit of God, baptizeth it with its heavenly water. 16. And the Christian is baptised even with the same very word and water in the faith; it is wholly One and the same; only this is the [external] difference, that God hath appointed and established the Covenant of Circumcision in the baptism of water; being that this fire-baptisme hath manifested itself in Christ's humanity in the water of life. 17. And that you may yet see, that they are both One; Christ was circumcised as a Jew, and was baptised as a Christian; thereby to declare, that he, in his Love revealed in the humanity, had manifested the fire-baptisme in the water, viz. in great meekness, and long-sufferance, and changed them into One. 18. The Ens of faith was not yet become incarnate among the Jews, therefore God gave them the Sign of the inward Circumcision by the cutting off of the outward foreskin, that so, they might have a Sign, that the Holy Spirit in the Ens of faith in the Covenant, would cut off their Sinful birth; whereby, they were the children of Grace in the Ens of faith. 19 But this same Ens of faith was first made flesh among the Christians in Christ's humanity, and is also now incarnate in the children of faith in their true man: the Christians do now in their faith's desire, put on Christ, (viz. this Ens of faith, which the Jews did also put on in the flesh) in the heavenly flesh, viz. in the heavenly living water in the divine manifestation. 20. This water is the heaven, wherein the only holy Element is the motion, and essence; it is Christ's, viz. Gods, holy corporeity, viz. the form wisdom of the forth-breathed or form word of the divine powers, Gods living, eternal speaking word, which is a spirit, and the divine understanding, which again attracteth to itself its own forth-breathed essence, viz. the forming of its wisdom. 21. The father's will, draweth the Soul, which is a fire-breath out of its fire-spirit, unto itself; and the Sons will draweth the noble Image created out of the wisdom, viz. out of the heavenly essence; to itself, and the Holy Spirit draweth the whole moving humane understanding, to itself, so that it is a God-Man, and a Man-God, God made manifest in an Image; and this is the Image of God; and thus also, the Circumcision and the Baptism is to be understood, which in both is the ground, and chief corner stone to the new-birth, among the Jews, and Christians. 22. Now in that the Males were to be circumcised and not the Females, Note. Why Miles only Circumcised. Why Males and Females both Baptised. and yet all are to be baptised among the Christians is thus to be understood, as followeth; mark it aright ye Jews, and Christians, and all other Nations, we tell and declare it unto you all, for ye are hereby called, the Time is come about, that the Antichrist must die. 23. Adam was the Image of God, he was man and woman and yet neither of them, before his Eve, but a masculine virgin in peculiar Love, full of chastity and purity; The Tinctures, viz. the Power of the fire and light according to the property of the Father and Son were both in each other as One, in an uncessant Conjunction of desire, wherein stood the peculiar fiery Love-desire. 24. But being the Devil assailed the property of the fires-Tincture, and brought his false desire thereinto, so that the fires-Tincture was divided in the properties of the eternal nature, each property on the centre gave itself forth into its Selfehood, whence the selfly revolted will and the false lust did arise, which lust desired to prove the dark world's essence, viz. the earthly essence out of the dark world's desire, and to taste in itself, how the same would relish, if evil and good (each manifest in itself) were together, viz. in the dis-Temperature without the divine One; hereupon the false fiery desire shut up the property of the lights Tincture with the introduced vanity of the Devil's desire, and with the earthly hunger after the vanity (proceeding from the dark world's essence) in the earth, and in the Elements, so that the heavenly female or right virgin-ike life was extinct in the Ens of the light. 25. For the Holy Spirit departed from the introduced vanity; and so the holy matrix, viz. the heavenly Generatress, disappeared, and the mother of the outward nature, viz. the outward natural woman, understand the property of the woman, got the upper dominion in the birth, so that Adam must now be divided and figured into a man and woman. 26. But being the fiery property of the Tincture, (which now hath the dominion in the man, and is called man by reason of the father's property) was the cause of the poisonful infection; so that the Tincture of venus, viz. of the woman or the light, was mortified; and being he introduced in himself the abomination of lust into the woman's property, (whereby afterward the woman, viz. his Eve, did so eagerly lust after evil and good, and began the earthly Eating) Thereupon we are here to consider, that this same fires-soul, viz. the man's Tincture, must be baptised again with the divine Love-fire, that so it might not introduce the Ens of the Devil, and Serpent, insinuated into the masculine Seed; so poisonful, into the woman's matrix; it must be tinctured, and baptised again with the divine Love-tincture, viz. with the holy Love- Ens, which came to pass in the Ens of faith, in the promised incorporated Word, of the power of God. 27. But the Woman, viz. Adam's virginity, was now transformed or form out of Adam's nature, and essence, into a woman or manness, and in her the holy virginity, disappeared as to God, viz. the Tincture of the Love, and light, did still remain, but as it were dead or disappeared; for the outward mother, viz. the elementary mother lived now in its stead in her, and was the Generatress of nature, which must receive Adam's, viz. the man's Seed, into itself. 28. Into this disappeared heavenly Tincture of the light, viz. into the true holy virginity; the Eternal holy word of the power of God, which had created Adam into an Image of God, did promise inhest, and incorporate, itself, with a Covenant, to bruise the head of the Devil, and the Serpents Ens. 29. Thus understand us here, very accurately; like as the Father generateth the Son; and as out of Adam, who betokens the Father's property, the woman; viz. his Love-Tincture, was taken; and as before, while the woman was in the Man, the fires Tincture penetrated into the lights Tincture, and loved itself, therein; and as man and woman are one Body, so likewise the fire-baptisme of the Circumcision went forth out of the man's fire-Tincture into his female Tincture in the woman; God baptised the fires Tincture in the Man, and out of the Man's Seed cometh both the male, and the Female Sex. 30. Thus the man's Covenant and Baptism entered into the woman, viz. into the female property, for the Woman's Tincture had in it (already) the holy Ens in the Covenant, that God's word in the Covenant would become man, in her shut up [barren] Ens, and quicken again therein the disappeared virginity. 31. Therefore the woman must not put on the Seal of Baptism in her own peculiar will or desire but have it from the man, being she was taken from the man, that so she might become a right woman [or manness] in the man's Baptism, that so the Image of God in her might obtain the fires-Baptisme and Tincture from the man. 32. For St Paul understood this very well, when he said, * 1 Tim. 2.15. The woman shall be saved by bearing of children, if she continues in the Covenant, and in the Love; for the woman hath her soul from the man's soul; and when she is given to the man, than she is one body with him, and brings forth children to the man, she is his woman, his instrument; an half-man, and the Man an half-woman. 33. And that the man's property might again obtain the perfect Love, viz. the female Ens, and the woman the Masculine Ens; the Holy Spirit baptised the man's, viz. the fi●es Tincture, with the heavenly holy virginlike Tincture, and the man baptised the woman's essence in his Seed with the fiery and also divine Tincture; therefore God commanded the males only to be circumcised. 34. For in the Jews fire-Baptisme the Spirit baptised only without water, but among the Christians the Spirit baptizeth through water; the Jewish women could put on the Spirit indeed in the man's fire-Tincture, but now being this same * Burning, ardent. fire-word is become flesh; they ought now of right also to put on Christ in the flesh, and be baptised; for their heavenly disappeared virginity must also put on Christ's introduced heavenly virginity, so that they might be true manlike virgins in the spirit and essence of Christ. 35. Now Reason asketh further, Circumcision the 8th Day. Wherefore must the male-childrens be circumcised just on the Eighth day? why must it not be either sooner, or later? did it not lie in man's choice and power to delay the same if it were weak? Herein is contained the mystery, and wonder; dear brethren cease from the contention of the letter, and learn to understand the hidden mysteries, we shall deal with you in a childlike manner; do but look us in the face, from whence we come, and whence it is that we know and understand all this. 36. God Commanded the Boys to be circumcised upon the Eighth day, and wherefore? Six days are the Man in nature, the Seventh is the day of Rest in him, viz. the heavenly disappeared Ens, wherein the six spirits of nature do work; As God made the Creation in six days; viz. out of the six properties of nature, and brought them to Rest into the Seventh, viz. into the Emanation or flowing forth of the heavenly Ens, which God hath co-imprinted into the compaction of the creation, which is the rest, and right life of the six properties. 37. Thus man hath gotten seven days for his own, the Seventh is his day of Rest; understand the Seventh property is the heavenly nature, which died in him, whereby he came into disquietness; therefore the Eighth day came out of mere Grace to help him, and gave itself again into his Seven working days, viz. into the Seven properties of his own essence; and THIS DAY is Christ in the Circumcision and in the Baptism. 38. For God in this process holdeth the order with the Regeneration of man, in manner and nature as he created him out of seven days; understand in six days his natural life was brought out of the six properties of the inward and outward nature into an Image, and the Seventh property was the Paradise, viz. the * Text. The Sun-Evening, or ●he Evening of atonement, according as the word will bear it. See Chap the 16 of this book. Paragraph 16, 17, etc. Saturday, in which the six spirits of nature in their operation were reconciled, and Atoned, for it was the spiritual world. 39 And hence arose that command unto the Jews, that they should sanctify and rest, even externally on the Saturday, viz. the Sabbath, to signify, the inward holy Eternal Sabbath, in which the Spirit of God worketh in man and every creature, in each, according to its property; for every created being resteth in him. 40. And therefore he commanded the male children to be circumcised on the Eighth day; viz. in himself, for he himself is this Eighth day which circumciseth; for before Christ's humanity the process went in the form of nature; but being now Christ hath fulfiled the nature of man, and given himself into the Seven days of man's property; children may now be baptised every [or any] day. Baptised every Day. 41. We see here a very excellent figure by the beginning [or first institution] of the Circumcision; and Covenant of the fire-baptisme, against the makers of the reason-conclusions upon the letter, who will needs have it, that some children are damned from the womb, and even therefore, because they are taken and born out of the corrupt Ens of nature; For Ishmael who was by nature a mocker, and captivated in the poisonful, and corrupt Adamicall Ens; Even He, must be the first man which Abraham circumciseth; who was baptised in the Covenant. 42. Ye reason-wise! I pray set this looking-glass before your eyes; and think what you do with your Conclusions concerning Predestination; we show it you in humility, if you will not see, it shall be shown you with fire▪ which is certainly known; for Christ came for Ishm●els sake, and for those that are like him, to help, and save them, if they would themselves; but in Isaac shall the Seed be called; viz. the Eighty day, which is come to help the other six days, and introduce them again into the Seventh, viz. into the day of Re●●. 43. Dear brethren be instructed aright; the God of Love, He will not the death of the poor corrupt man; but hath poured forth his best Treasure (which he had in himself, and is himself) in Grace, over all men; like as the Sun doth shine unto the good, and evil; but the wicked doth corrupt, and spoil the * His precious image. Treasure in himself, and will not receive it; but taketh in the Ens of the Serpent full of vanity, and is baptised with the fire of God's Anger in the will of Self. 44. But if he went with his own will into the death of Christ; and desired from the bottom of his heart, to die unto his selfehood and own will, in God's Mercy, and cast his whole trust and confidence in God, and thought that he had nothing of his own, in this earthly cottage, but that he was only a Servant, and Steward of God and his neighbour, in all that he hath and possesseth; and forsook the propriety and [selfish-interest] thereof, in his mind, he should soon be baptised with the Holy Spirit, and put on Christ in his will. 45. But these mischievous earthly Temporal Goods; Temporal honour, and pleasure of the flesh, captivate him in the Ens of the Serpent, so that he is not capable of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 46. Also the Selfe-elected unfit and unprofitable Teachers (trained up in the School of the disputing Reason, and chosen by the favour of Man) are wholly blind herein, and teach only of the husk or outward vessel of the regeneration; they will needs be outwardly adopted children (forsooth) by an external imputation of Grace; albeit they live only in the will of Self; they will preach the holy Spirit into the Beast of self-will, which yet is no ways capable of the Holy Spirit; They understand nothing fundamentally, either of the Baptism, or the Lord's Supper; the new-birth is strange unto them, they deny the divine essential indwelling in God's children; viz. the Temple of God, and so stand before the Jews, when they should declare unto them, What Christ is IN US, and what Baptism, and the Lords Supper is, just as pictured Christians, or as Idols. 47. For the Jews know that God hath spoken with their fathers, and given them the Circumcision, and the Covenant; there they stick; but could the Christians fundamentally demonstrate to them what the Covenant, and Circumcision is essentially, and effectually, together with their * Sacrifices. offerings, they would forsake the Sign and enter into the Substance. 48. But that it hath so fallen out, that both the Jews, and also the Christians have walked in blindness, even till this last time, and so also the Turks, who by reason of the blindness, contention, and ungodliness of the Christians, have turned themselves unto Reason and nature; God hath therefore permitted it, because the Christians and Jews both in the old and new Testament, received and appropriated to themselves the Covenant, and the Seal of the Covenant in the outward shell only, viz. in the vessel, [or literal notion and apprehension] and lived only to the outward earthly mortal man; they all ways minded, and provided for the Earthly kingdom and life, more than for the eternal. 49. They would understand in the Husk, viz. in the outward letter, what God hath spoken; and chose to themselves reason-wise people, which were gifted in the outward, formal, logical, and notional, understanding of the letter, who had not the spirit and power of God's word and life in the new-birth, in them; but only the spirit of Self, pride, and the earthly Belly-God, contriving thereby how they might be rich, in Christ's poverty, upon the earth; These men have blinded them, so that both among the Jews and Christians men have minded, and loved, only the Earthly Ens. 50. Therefore God hath permitted, that the wonders of nature in the power of his anger should be opened and brought forth in them, and that they should thus stick in blindness, yet in controversy and contests, (so that the name and memory of his Covenant might not quite be extinguished) and one Nation hath by reason thereof exercised and evilly entreated another in the contention and contrariety, whereby oftentimes a fair green Twigg hath sprung from the right understanding, which hath been strange unto them, by reason of their received Opinion, and they have contemned, and persecuted it; for the earthly man in Self is not worthy of the holy Covenant, and Seal. 51. And seeing God knew very well that they would run of themselves without being sent of him, and would abuse the holy Ens in the Covenant; thereupon the vail of Moses hath beset the Jews, and the Tower of Babel with the Antichrist (viz. the outward Christ instead of the holy Ens in the Covenant, that is, God's presence) the Christians; so that they have been evermore seeking, in this Antichrist, what God is, in his Covenant, will, and essence. 52. Thus they have been exercised in contention, and persecution, in that they have persecuted one another; yet so, as that God's children have sprung forth, in the Cross; and Christ hath been inwardly manifest to them, but outwardly Babel hath yet stood both among the Jews, Christians, and Turks; the Antichrist is only the same among all, for he is the Titular- or letter-God, wherein the Self-will seeketh and worshippeth God in the Husk. 53. Hear therefore, ye Christians, Jews, Turks, and Heathen: even all Nations of the earth; what now (yet once more for a farewell in this world's being) is freely tendered unto you, in the visitation of the merciful God in the voice of his Trumpet, by his Love-will and spirit; the Sound of the Trumpet concerns you all; let it enter into your ears, and do but open your ears and hearts a little from self, and then you shall hear the Sound in you; it Soundeth through all, even to the ends of the earth, but no Self-will hears it. 54. The only divine way, wherein man may see God in his word, being, and will; is this; that man become wholly one in himself; and in his own will forsake all, whatsoever he himself is or hath; let it be Authority, Might, Power, Honour, Beauty, Riches, Money, Goods, Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Wife, and Child, Body, and Life, and become wholly a nothing to himself: He must freely resign up all, and be poorer than a Bird in the air, which yet hath a Nest, the true man must have none; for he must travel away from this world, that so he be no more to himself in this world; He must be a nothing to the world's self and interests; for the substance of this world which he possesseth for a propriety, is the Tower of Babel, and the Antichrist, wherein men will be their own God; and with this self made God they will ascend upon the Tower to heaven, and place themselves * Or, with God. for God. Understand it thus. 55. It is not meant that one should run from house and home, from wife, children, and kindred, and fly out of the world, or so to forsake his goods as not to regard them; but the own self-will which possesseth all this for a propriety, that he must kill, and annihilate. 56. And think, that all that, of which he is a master, is not at all his own, let him thrive or go behinde-hand, gain or lose, be rich or poor, wise or simple, high or low; let him have something or nothing; let him esteem all these things alike; a fair Garment as a course patched one, the prosperity of this world as the adversity, life as death; his authority as a servants place; a kingly Crown as an old Hat; and forsake it all in his mind, and not account it for his own. 57 But think, and wholly resign up his will thereinto; that he is but a servant of all whatsoever he hath; and is only a Steward in that Calling, Profession, Office and Order, wherein he is; that it is Gods and his brethren's in common, that he only serveth God and his brethren therein, and let him look that whatsoever is conferred and put upon him, be so received of him, and managed by him, as that it may conduce to the general brotherly order and profession, and that God may make such Orders in this world, as a figure of the Angelical world, that so he might serve him therein. 58. And not at all insinuate his mind into selfehood, as to think (let him be either King, Counsellor, or Judge of the people) that he is therefore better before God, or before man; he must continually look upon his naked bosom, and think, that one naked man doth always resemble and is like another; and also that his Gown of state, and Office, over which he hath charge, is the brotherly Societies. 59 And all whatsoever is bestowed and conferred upon him, either for honour, power, wealth, and goods, to return and give it back again to God his Creator, and say unfeighnedly in his mind, Lord! it is thine, I am unworthy to have command over it, but being thou hast placed me therein, I wholly, and fully resign up my will unto thee; Govern, and work thou by me as thou pleasest, that it may be done in thy will, and conduce to the profit, and service of my brethren, whom I serve in my calling, as thy Command; do thou, O Lord, all, through me, and say only in me, how, and to what, I ought to direct the works of my hands; to whom I should give, and bestow money, goods, power, and honour; and thus continually think, how he in his place may please, and pleasure (not himself, but) his brethren. 60. But if he be a Servant, then let him think that he serveth God in his will, and Men in Gods, and the General brotherly Function, and that is, in that little which God hath given him, in this Cottage, for food and Raiment, is as rich as a King, for if he looks upon himself naked, he seethe the Truth. 61. And when man bringeth it so far, that all is One unto him [that he is able to esteem all things alike, and be content with any condition, as St Paul teacheth] then he is as the poor Christ, * Matth. 8.20. Who had not whereon to lay his head; and rightly followeth Christ, who said; * Mat. 19.29. He that forsaketh not house, Court, moneys, goods, brethren, sisters, wife, child, and denieth himself, he is not worthy of me. 62. And for this Self and unworthiness sake, God hath turned away his holy countenance from the Nations, so that they have known him only through a dark word and shadow. 63. But he that entereth into this total Resignation, he cometh▪ in Christ, to divine contemplation, so that he s●eth God in him, and speaketh with God, and God with him, and understands what God's word being and will is, this man is fit to teach, and none else; he reaches God's word from him; for God is made known and manifest to him in his Covenant, of which he is a Servant and Minister; for he willeth nothing save what God willeth through him. 64. He teacheth when God commands him; let it be either to friends or foes in their season, or out of their season; he thinks that God must do in him as he please, and albeit that he must therefore suffer scorn, yet 'tis all one unto him; if he be honoured and respected of men, he humbleth himself before God and his brethren, and giveth God and his brethren the Honour, and takes it not at all unto himself; but if they curse him, and smite him on the face, he thinks thus; I now stand in Christ's estate of persecution, it shall turn unto the best for me and my brethren. 65. Lo! Loving brethren, this is a Christian, and such a kingdom he now offers to you, by the wonderful Sound of his Spirits Trumpet, and there must and shall be such a kingdom soon manifest and come into being, for a witness unto all the Nations of the earth, of which all the Prophets have prophesied. 66. On the contrary, he offers to all wicked, unwilling, stubborn men, his anger, wrath, and hardening, to devour them, and to make an end with Babel; This say not I, but the Spirit of the wonders of all Nations. 67. Therefore truss up thyself in Armour, and lay lustily about thee thou Antichristian Babylon, and devour much blood, for thou thyself art even he that destroyeth, and qui●e ruins thyself; For thee, there is no remedy [thou wilt take no counsel, thy own Cain like fury in hypocrisy doth harden thee] also there is no repentance in thy will, but for the children of God under thee, we have written this as we have known, and seen it. 68 Now saith Babel; whence shall this people come that shall know the Lord, and live in God? Hear O Babel! among thy brethren in the time of thy affliction and tribulation, they are brought forth, in their disrespect and misery; and thou callest them fools, and knowest them not; let no man wait for another coming; the time is already come about; the voice of the caller and hearer is already present, the Covering is put away from this voice, thou art not at this time called under a vail, but with open mouth, very clearly. 69. This voice of the Crier openeth Gods clear Countenance in his Children, and in the ungodly, the angry Countenance, seeing they desire fully to purse up all, in covetousness, into Self, viz. into the Antichristian bag, and to bring the whore of Self even to the very top of the babylonical Tower. 70. The Sign of this Image, and its destruction, is the Covetousness, and envy; its Sign stood before in Silver and Gold; that was the Banner, and Standard of Antichrist; but now the Banner hath changed itself into Copper, being Mars is the Soul, viz. the man or husband in Copper, so that this * Or, Sword. Mars is given to Babel for a Banner and Ensign, which shall Rule, till Babel hath an end, and no wicked man shall know this; and though he carry the Sign in his hands, yet he calls it only his Loving Companion. 71. But upon the Kingdom that is, and is not, and yet is, shall the glorious Ornament of Gold be put, for the Prince of the powers of the earth hath given it to them. Amen. CHAP. XLII. Of the Three men which Appeared to Abraham in the Plain of Mamre, who went towards Sodom, and set the Cities of the Children of Ham on fire from the Lord. The meaning of this figure. Gen. XVIII. AT first, while Abraham was called only Abram, God appeared to him in the Vision as One; and when he had sealed the Covenant with the Circumcision, he called him Abraham, viz. a Company or multitude of Nations, a forth-breathed manifest people of God, in whom God had forth-breathed or manifested himself, and he appeared to him also afterwards in the manifestation of the holy Trinity, viz. in Three men, which were only One, wherein the manifestation of the holy Trinity in the Deity was set forth and represented in man's Image, how the whole Trinity of the Deity would now manifest itself in this Covenant in the humanity, that the Trinity of the Deity should be seen in the flesh. 2. And hereby is declared the great humility in the Deity, viz. in Christ, how Christ would visit man kind, and take care of man, and also condescend to be entertained by man; as he came, in these three men, to Abraham, and suffered his feet to be washed, and did eat and drink; which betokens, that men must cherish or lovingly entertain the poor Christ, who is poor in this world, in his members, and children, who also would be poor contemned and despised people; and what men do unto them, that they have done unto these three men, viz. to Christ the holy Deity in the humanity. 3. The words of this figure run thus; * Vers. 1. to the 16. And the Lord appeared unto him in the plain of Mamre, as he sat in the door of his Tent in the heat of the day, and he lift up his eyes, and looked, and lo! three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the Tent-door, and bowed himself ●owards the ground, and said; My Lord, if I have found grace in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy Servant; let a little water be fetched I pray to wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts, after that, you shall go on; for therefore are ye come to your Servant; they said, do as thou hast said; and Abraham hastened into the Tent unto Sarah, and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth: and Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it to a young man, and he hasted to dress it; and he took butter and milk, and of the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the Tree, and they did eat. 4. And they said unto him, where is Sarah thy wife; and he said, behold, in the Tent, and he said, I will certainly return unto thee again, * Or▪ in that manner. As Our translation. Acc●●d●ng to the time of life. as I live, and lo! Sarah thy wife shall have a Son; and Sarah heard it as she stood behind at the Tent-door. Now Abraham and Sarah were both old, and well stricken in Age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women, and therefore she laughed within herself, and said, now I am old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, and say, Is it of a certain, that I shall bear a child which am old? is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come unto thee again as I live, and Sarah shall have a Son; then Sarah denied it, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid; and he said nay, but thou didst laugh. 5. O thou great and wonderful God; how plainly and simply dost thou represent and portray the kingdom of thy Son in the humanity; how lively and fully are the greatest Mysteries delineated herein; and indeed they are so plainly Represented in such entire singleness and simplicity, as Christ, who notwithstanding was the King of Israel, did ride into Jerusalem upon an Ass; here the proud world may have a very true lookingglass, and see if they be the children of this Simplicity. 6. The great Love, and humility of God in Christ's person, is fully represented in this figure, how God came in the deepest humility, and simplicity into the humanity, when the humanity was inflamed with highest heat of the wrathful indignation of God's Anger, as the figure here denotes. 7. The three men came before Abraham's Tent, in the very heat of all the day; This signifieth, that God did first incorporate [or betrothe] himself with his Love-Covenant, and also with the fullness of time touching the Covenant, when the humane day, understand the six properties of the days, were most of all inflamed and set on fire in the wrath of nature in man; that is, in the fall. And afterward in the fullness of time when the humanity of these six days was in the very exceeding burning heat, of vanity, and the bestial property; he did manifest himself with his tender humanity out of the Ens of the holy Covenant, and came in three persons of the Deity before the earthly man's essence, or earthly Cottage, viz. the Souls- Tent, and appeared to Abraham, that is, to Adam in his children; viz. to the humane Essence. 8. And here is fully set forth the Type, and Image of Christ; When Abraham espieth these men he goeth to meet them; and boweth himself towards the earth; and runneth away from the door of his Tent unto them; and prayeth them to rest under the tree, until he should do that for which they came. 9 We must look upon this figure thus: when the divine voice had represented itself in the Ens wherein it would become man, in three persons to Abraham; then Abraham's apprehended Ens of faith set itself forth also to this Image, viz. to the triune humanity in the figure; for the Ens in the Covenant in Abraham's faith was surrounded with the great heat of God's anger when the humane day was grown hottest in the humane essence. 10. But when he looked up, and saw the Type of the Triume Deity, standing before him; this faiths Ens in deepest humility in Christ's person (being that which was to become Christ) did bow itself before the Trinity of the Deity, which was come unto him; which would in the fullness of time give forth and manifest itself with the voice (which now spoke in these three men with him) in this Ens of faith; (being the humanity of Christ before his Father) and said; Lord, if I have found Grace in thy sight, pass not away from this Ens of faith, viz. thy servant. 11. For Abraham was now in the Spirit; and spoke from his faith's Ens in Christ's humanity, and before him stood the Type and Image of Christ's Deity; and said in the great humility of the humanity of Christ; Let a little water be fetched, and wash your feet; this is the great humility of Christ, who washed his Disciples viz. his children's feet (as these three men here were washed) signifying, and pointing out, that Christ should wash with his blood, the feet of God's children, who should be born of these three men, viz. of the Trinity of the Deity; whereby they might come to God. 12. And he had the three men rest under the tree; This now signifieth the tree of life, under which Gods children should sit down; and then he would bring them a morsel of bread to refresh and comfort their hearts; and afterward they should go, that is, when Christ hath washed his children's feet with his blood, whereby they are able to go to God, viz. the holy Trinity, than he giveth them a morsel of Bread, that so they may recreate and Strengthen their hearts; that is, he giveth them the bread of life, viz. his heavenly flesh for food, so that they wax strong, and are able in the divine Power, to go from Abraham's earthly ●ent through this world in God's Anger, to meet the Lord, and bow themselves before him, as this figure signifieth. 13. An he saith further; For ye are therefore come to your Servant: understand it thus: the holy Trinity was here at this time represented in an Image of our humanity, and Abraham stood in the type of the humanity of Christ, even as Christ and his children are in reference to each other; the holy Trinity leadeth the children of Christ in the div●ne drawing to the humanity of Christ; and now these three men stood there in Our stead before Christ, viz. before the figure; for the Father draweth them to Christ, and through Christ * Or, in. to the Father; they are washed and atoned in Christ, therefore now said Christ to the three men, which God represented to him in his person; even Therefore are ye come to your Servant. 14. For Christ must be our, viz. these three men's, servant; and God bringeth his three men, viz. us, who approach unto him, in himself, viz. into the will of the holy Trinity, unto his Servant the Man-Christ; that so he may wash and feed them; and then they are able with boldness and confidence to come unto the holy Tri-une Deity. 15. And the Men said to Abraham, Do as thou hast said; that is, Christ offereth himself to his Father, viz. to the Three-One God for a Servant; understand; the word, which the Three-one God did in-spire into Adam concerning the bruiser of the Serpent's head, offereth itself for a Servant unto the Three-one God, viz. unto the children who should possess the kingdom of heaven; now the Tri-une God saith, Do with these thine and my children as thou hast said, that is, with these children which are now set before thee; for they shall be Angels, and thou shalt thereunto help them, for I am therefore come in them unto thee; now do as thou hast said. 16. Here God fully gave the man-Christ to accomplish the Consummatum with them, as he had said; and the whole, entire, excellent and holy figure of the new-birth is therein emphatically and lively set forth; and it shows, how the holy Trinity doth delight itself with figures concerning the Word incorporated and inspoken into Adam, and now opened in abraham's Ens of faith; and sets it forth with types, and playeth in figures with this Christ, who was to come; where God representeth the person of Christ in Abraham; and the children of the new birth, whom Christ should beget anew; in the person of the three men, viz. in the Three-one Deity, which bringeth them through Christ into itself, and placeth them in the Angelical Choir; as these three men did appear in the form of three Angels; and also in the person of the holy Trinity; signifying that the holy Trinity would dwell in these Angelical men, and that they should be the Image, viz. the manifestation of God. 17. Abraham commanded to take three measures of fine Meal, and to knead it▪ and bake cakes that the men might eat; what doth this mean? these three men had no need of any such eating: it is the figure of man's regeneration: the three measures betoken the three Principles, viz. the three worlds in man: the fine meal pointeth out the heavenly humanity; viz the divine heavenly Substantiality, that this heavenly and divine * Or, Essences. Substantialities property, should also be kneaded, & mixed with ours disappeared in Adam; and a divine Cake, viz. sweet bread for food of God's children should be baked thereof, understand in the fiery heat. 18. When Christ stood in the fire of his Father's Anger, viz. in hell, than these sweet cakes were baked for God's children, which they should eat; and the three measures are now the three worlds (viz. the whole man without the Serpents▪ and beasts property) which shall be mixed with the divine Ens into a * Or, Batch. lump, and cakes baked thereof; this is now Christ's flesh, which he hath joined or mixed with our humanity; and giveth us now the Sweet cakes thereof, to eat, viz. the heavenly flesh; here the Holy Spirit did play therewith in the figure. 19 And Abraham ran to the Herd, and made ready also a calf tender and good; that is, he gave it to his young man to dress it. O thou wonderful God how much doth simplicity please thee? how plainly and simply dost thou represent the great mysteries unto us? I thank thee, that thou showest me unworthy man such things, wherein the whole world is blind, O God, open thou their eyes, I pray, that they may see, and turn unto thee, and enter into humility. 20. The tender Calf, which was made ready for this Meal, is the Lincus of the earth, viz. the outward man, which is before God as a Beast; understand, it is a * Marvellous or wonderful. wonder-Beast, like as the whole outward world, before the divine understanding, is only as a beast, wherein God formeth himself with the holy spiritual Ens into an external Body, to the manifestation of his deeds of wonder, both of Love, and Anger; which figure of the outward world, viz. the divine Beast, shall * Note. What shall arise at the Resurrection. not be wholly turned into Nothing, but the vanity only shall be separated from the Good into the kingdom of darkness. 21. In like manner, God will not wholly cast away the divine Beast on man, which indeed dyeth here, but only the introduced Serpent's Ens, and the vanity of the dark world's Essence: the divine wonder-Beast, which is the Servant of the divine spiritual Image, and shall be so in eternity, the same shall arise at the Last day, and be proved through the fire of God; where it shall be made very pure, as a crystal, in which the Angel, viz. God's right Image, shall dwell, in which Angelical Image God is primely manifest, and thence shineth through the Beast, as the Sun through a crystal; this now is the signification of this Tender and good Calf, which was dressed for this Meal, and shows that the outward man according to his right Image created in Adam out of the Lincus of the earth, shall be brought upon God's Table. 22. But that Abraham saith; He gave it to the young man to dress, that is, the Servant; doth betoken that this heavenly Beast-man is the instrument of the Angelical man, who is prepared to be a servant of this Angel's Image. 23. And Abraham took Butter, and Milk also, and set it all before these three men, and came before them under the Tree, and they did eat. When Christ hath fed his people with his Body, and Blood, (and even while he feeds them) he cometh in his power in his children, before the holy Trinity, and waiteth in his children upon these three men, and giveth them from this prepared food, wherewith he feedeth his children, Praise and spiritual food. 24. These three men, viz. the holy Trinity, do eat these holy spiritual meats, out of the power of Christ's Body; for man's will giveth itself wholly, peculiarly, and fully, to these three men, for a food of praise, with an holy voice and prayer of Thanksgiving; and this voice of praise, eateth the power of God into itself, in manner as a man willingly eateth the tune, harmony, or pleasant air of a delightful music into his hearing, and is therein merry and pleasant; even so, God doth awaken or manifest himself in his power in his word of hearing, or divine Sense, with man's pure humble voice or melody of praise. 25. For thereunto God hath created Angels and Men, viz. to his own joy; and know, that we speak from the true ground, and not from conjecture or * Or, Parables. Similitudes, but from the Open Seal of God, as we really see; do but understand it aright. 26. And now when God had delighted, and fed himself with Abraham in the heavenly Ens, which he would, by the opening of the living word in the Seed of the Woman (being also the heavenly Ens) manifest, and introduce into the Ens of the Covenant; and had sported in the Ens of Abraham's faith; viz. in the power of the praise of Abraham; viz. in his humility; then God asked after Sarah, whom he well knew, but Sarah knew him not; that even the Lord should be in such a form; then he said to Abraham▪ Where is thy wife Sarah? that is; she was not yet in this Play until she had received abraham's Ens of faith, and then this Play would awaken itself in her; therefore she laughed at this; for she knew not the Mysteries; they did at present only manifest themselves in Abraham's spirit, where the Ens of Faith lay; and he said, She is in the Tent; that is: 27. She is in the humane Tent covered with the Earthly Tent, that she doth not see who now is with me; and the Lord said; I will come again to thee, * Ger. So. signifies, As, or If. As I live, and lo! Sarah thy wife shall have a Son; that is; I will come again to thee with the motion of thy Seed: and when Sarah shall conceive; then I will open and unloose her in her shut up Seed, and come into thy Seed; that is, move; for, to come, signifieth to move: when God cometh, than he moveth man, and cometh or goeth in and with man. 28. But that he saith; As I live; this is spoken after an essential manner; for God told him how he would come; not before him, as at this time he did; but * Or, If. As, that is, as the lightfull influence, and power of the Sun giveth itself into a fruit, which when it cometh doth not step near to the fruit, but * Or, If. As; that is, it penetrates essentially with the As into it; for As is as much as thus, I will see into it [or open my Love-aspect in the Ens of its life.] * Or, If. As I live; hereby we are not to understand; as if he had said; if I yet live, but he would live in the As; he would come in the As, viz. Essentially, and not figuratively and typically, as at this time he did. 29. For when God cometh, than he comes not otherwise, then * Or, If. As, that is, like the Sunshine into the fruit: this is understood in the Language of nature Essentially, with emphatical excellency; for if God speaketh of his own Coming, than he speaketh only essentially, in nature and manner of the uncompacted tongue of Sense. 30. And Sarah laughed at this; she thought that she should bring forth a Son from Abraham's lust only, from the humane cohabitation in the concupiscence of the flesh; therefore she said, Shall I, now I and my Lord are both old, take pleasure; the bestial worlds-spirit laughed at its youth, in that it was now weak; and should now again become youthful; and thought with itself, this were a sport, if thou couldst; As if one should tell an old man; thou shalt become young again; and receive such a desire and lust as when thou wert young; at this, nature would laugh; and think, yes indeed; would that were true; as if doubt and hope were coupled together; thus it was also with Sarah: for the world-spirit understands not the mysteries of God; it is before God only as a beast; and being the world-spirit did now hear that it should so come to pass; than it thought thou shalt be the workmaster; oh that thou couldst, thou wouldst very fain; and laughed at itself, that it should become young again. 31. The natural man understands even as much of God, as a beast; when it sees the Hay, than it thinks, now there is somewhat for me to eat; but if it sees nothing; than it hopeth for it out of Custom; but Sarah had now hoped, until she was ninety years old; and thought it to be very wonderful, that God would do somewhat unto her above the ordinary and usual course of nature; and Imagined it unto herself after the manner of humane pleasure. 32. But the Lord said; Wherefore did Sarah laugh at it, and she was afraid and said, I laughed not; but the Lord said, it is not so, thou didst laugh, should any thing be too impossible for the Lord to do: Here is the Type of Eve; when she had turned her vain curiosity into Self lust, to eat of the forbidden tree; and God afterward asked her, Wherefore she had done so, she denied also her own lust, and laid it upon the Serpent. 33. And being that now God had here alluded with Abraham concerning the new birth, he also doth the like with Sarah concerning the lust of Eve, which this woman's Seed should slay as a lie; for Sarah must here therefore tell a lie, that she did not laugh, in that Eve also lied; God did here represent before him the lie of Eve, and that he would confound it with the eternal truth, and reclaim her; as he did to Sarah, and convinced her so of her lie, that she must be ashamed of it. 34. And here we are to understand that God hath represented (or delineated) the whole process, how he would regenerate anew the true man which he created; and how the same should come to pass, and how he would burn the Serpents Ens in the Eternal fire, and how he would put the lie of the poor Soul to open shame, and death, on the Cross; for we see this here very excellently in the Type. 35. After that God had set forth the process of the new birth; these three men went towards Sodom; and would burn Ham, viz. the evil Ham-like fleshly property, with fire from the Lord, as it also came to pass, so that we see it very emphatically, how the judgement of God gins at the House of Israel; How Christ is set to be a Judge of the Devils Ens and will, who shall burn the Devil's Essence, with fire; as this following figure signifieth. CHAP. XLIII. Of the Ruin, and Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, how the same was foretold of God unto Abraham. ANd the Lord spoke to Abraham, when he had blessed Abraham, and had said, Gen. XVIII. that he would command his children to walk in the ways of the Lord, and that he would also bless them, as is before mentioned; Behold! there is a cry of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is Great; and their Sin is exceeding grievous; therefore I will come down and see, whether they have done altogether according to the cry which is come unto me; and if not so, I will know; and the men turned their faces from thence, and went towards Sodom. God said, How can I hid from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that he shall become a great and mighty Nation; and thereupon shown him what he would do. 2. The un-illuminated Reason looketh upon this figure very wonderfully; that God said; he would come down and see if the cry was true; that he might know whether it were so or no; reason supposeth with itself; is he then * Comprehensible or measurable. Concluded in a place severed and apart by himself. Circumscriptive, or dwelleth he aloft only and above, doth he not know all things before? doth not the Scripture also say of him; Am not I he who filleth all things; also the heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool; would he then first come down like unto a * Comprehensible or measurable. Concluded in a place severed and apart by himself. circumscriptive being, which were separate from time and place? 3. Much more is reason uncapable to search out the Cry which came up before him; and hereupon the creatural reason thinketh, that God dwelleth only on High above the Stars, in an heaven, alone, and looketh down here beneath, as the lustre of the Sun looketh and shineth from its body upon the Earth; so far reason reacheth, and further it knows not what God is, or where he dwells: it knoweth not that he is every * The whole Being, Substance, or Essence. Essence, and dwelleth through every essence or being, and possesseth no locality, also needs no place or space for his habitation; and yet that he (so far as he is called God) is no * Substance, thing, or being. Essence, but is as a Nothing in reference to the Essence; and yet he is even through all things, and giveth in himself, in an energetical working manner, to every Essence, as the powerful influence of the Sun to the fruit; but worketh with the creature, and its life, not from without into it, but from within out of it, to his own manifestation; and that the nature and creature is his manifestation; if * Reason. it did but understand this aright, it would here make no further Question, [but be undoubtedly satisfied in itself what God is.] 4. Now, understand the sum of all briefly thus; God dwelleth in himself, both according to the Love, and according to the Anger, each property seethe only into itself, and is not manifest in the other with its own property; as ye have a similitude of this in the day and night; viz. in the light and darkness; the light dwelleth in the darkness, and seethe it not; also the darkness seethe not the light; and as the light dwelleth in its great meekness in the fire, and yet receiveth not the source and pain of the fire to itself, but remaineth only Good, without any feeling life of the fire, and yet it ariseth through the consuming of the fire, viz. through the dying of the * Material substance. Essence; in like manner also understand the being of God. 5. God's Love-Eye doth not see essentially into the wicked rebellious Apostate Soul; neither also into the Devil, but his Anger-Eye, seethe thereinto; that is, God according to the property of the Anger, or fire of wrath, seethe in the Devil, and in the false Soul. 6. Therefore God said; There was a cry come up before him; there he understood, before his manifested Word, viz. before the voice in the divine revealed Ens of these three men; It was come before the Ens, and before the Hearing which had now in the promised Ens represented itself, in three persons, unto man, concerning the humanity of Christ. 7. For the judgement over all the Devils, and wicked men, was given unto this word, or Hearing; for it was the * Affective▪ or Effective. movable Hearing whereby God the Father heard in the humanity, and whereby he would separate the evil from the good. 8. Now this Hearing, viz. the Hearing which would manifest itself in Christ's person in the humanity, heard the voice of the Sodomites, viz. of the children of Ham in itself; that is, according to the property of the Anger; and brought the Hearing before the infinite Hearing into the first Principle, viz. into the Original of nature, and creature: for the Sodomites, viz. the children of the flesh, do all live in the Hearing of this world; viz. in the expressed form Word, in the figure of the Deity, where Evil and Good are manifest together in one Essence. 9 Now understand us here very punctually, and accutely; the Angelical world is * Or, is said to be. called above, and the form outward is * Or, is said to be. called below; in manner as we may say when a fire is enkindled, than the light is above, and the Substance [or matter] below; when we speak of Gods [being] Above, than we mean and understand within, for the [being] within, * Extra substantiam. without the Substance, is the [being] Above; for without the Substance [or matter] there is all Above, No below, that which is under the Substance, is also above. 10. Now the Cry of the Sodomites was come before the * Or, Highness. Above, viz. before, and into the first Principle, where the * Or, Highness. Above doth conceive or comprehend itself out of the Nothing in the first Eternal beginning; viz. to a nature, and formation of the Powers, or Word; and Gods form word or voice out of the Fathers and Sons property, out of Love and Anger, (which had betrothed itself by promise to be a Christ to man, and form itself into a divine Ens) heard the Cry in the property of the Anger, wherewith he is a Judge of the wicked Ens, or ungodliness. 11. Therefore said the Father; I will come down that I may see whether it be so or no; that is, he came down, that is, * Or, from on High. out of the Above with that form Hearing of these three men, in the Ens which God had form to be Judge of the world, which was to become the Christ. 12. For this Ens was to be creatural in the Person, therefore it was formative, in an Angelical manner, in the conceived word of the promise; and therewith it came from above, that is, out of the Above, viz. out of God; out of the unchangeable God; and heard first in Abraham into the Ens of the Covenant, into the Aim or limit of his Covenant with his Love; and with the Anger, viz. with the Hearing of the fire, he heard into the iniquity and vanity of man; and saw with the Anger what they did; that is, his wrath saw essentially into the vanity of man, in manner as an incentive fire should arise in any piece of wood or fuel, and would devour the wood; so likewise God looked with his Anger-Eye in the form Ens (through the same judicial word in Christ's Ens, wherein he will judge the world) into the wicked infection and will of the children of Ham at Sodom and Gomorrah. 13. For when God had set before him, in Abraham, the new birth of his holy children out of his Love-Ens; he also set before him, the Judgement in his Anger Ens, how he would through this Christ, prove the wicked in the fire. 14. And the judgement upon Sodom is a figure of the Last Judgement; As the three men which came before Abraham were a figure of our new Angelical humanity, where God dwelleth in man; so was also his Anger in the wicked; and we see here, that God will Judge the Devils, and all wicked men, by the Children of the Saints; as he now did represent the figure of the Judicial Office in an humanity of three, and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah from the world. 15. Also God said to Abraham; How can I hid from Abraham the thing which I do? It was hidden unto the Earthly Abraham, but unto the heavenly out of God's Ens, God would not hid it; and here he set forth, the figure of his Love, and his Anger; viz. the humanity of Christ in the great humility and Love; and his truth, and Righteousness in the Two Angels. 16. For thus saith the Text in Moses; Chap. XVIII. from the 22. to the 25 verse. And Abraham stood yet before the Lord, viz. before these three men, which he here calleth only one, and came near to him, and said; Wilt thou also destroy the Righteous with the wicked, peradventure there are fifty Righteous within the City, wilt thou also destroy them; and not spare the place for the fifty Righteous that are therein, that be far from thee to do so, to slay the Righteous with the wicked, and that the Righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee; that thou who art the Judge of the whole Earth, shouldst so judge. 17. This is now the very excellent and pregnant figure; how Abraham (in the Ens of faith in Christ's Person and Spirit) cometh before God, viz. before the Tri-une God, before the Severe Righteousness of God; and will reconcile and atone the Father; and prayeth for his children, which dwell among the Company of the wicked; that his Father would be pleased to spare that place (where yet righteous people dwell) from Rebuke, and draweth his Mercy into his Righteousness, and saith; Thou wilt not so judge who art the Judge of the whole world. 18. This figure is nothing else but God in his Righteousness, and God in Christ with his Mercy: Here the two types stand both together; what should it else mean, that a man would withhold God from doing what he please? 19 The Man Christ doth withhold God's righteousness, and severe judgement from falling on the crew of wicked men, else they had been devoured at the first disobedience in Paradise; this is he which cometh before God, and into God, viz. into God's Anger, for he is of God, and therefore he can come before God [draw near to, or intercede with God.] 20. That is, the form word, viz. the creature, standeth before the judgement, and sits in judgement, and suffers not the Anger to judge, so long as there are righteous people; as is here to be seen; If there had been but ten righteous persons, God had spared them; indeed there were but Three persons only which were righteous before God; viz. Loath, with his two daughters, his wife was also not fit [or capable of this mercy,] therefore although she went out of Sodom, yet she remained still, and was turned to a pillar of Salt, as shall afterward be cleared, and expounded. 21. Abraham, that is, the Spirit of Christ, entreateth so far with God, that God would spare all these places for ten persons sake; but they were all revolted, and gone astray, save his brother's Son, who was a stranger among this people, whom God first brought out, before he enkindled the wrath. 22. The Spirit here speaketh very covertly and hiddenly in Moses and Esdras, who wrote again these Acts in the Spirit of God, Note, Esdras wrote the Book of these Acts, viz. Genesis. etc. after that they were lost among the children of Israel, and we here see very fully and pregnantly, how exactly, and punctually the Spirit here aimeth at the figure in Abraham, and pointeth out what thereby is to be understood. 23. For at the Appearance unto Abraham, he speaketh of three men; and here he speaketh of two Angels, which went towards Sodom, and destroyed the Cities, to signify, that the person of Christ is the Third, which went not along, for here only two went, viz. God's Truth, and God's Righteousness; viz. the judgement, and the truth; the judgement remained * Upon. Gen. XI X. vers. 1. etc. in Sodom, and the Truth brought Lott out. 24. And when both these [Angels] at Even (when their time was out, and their day passed) came to Sodom; Lot sat at the Gate, and when he saw them, he arose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face towards the ground, and he said, Behold now my Lords, turn in I pray into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways, but they said nay, but we will abide in the street all night; and he earnestly entreated them; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and he made them a Feast, and baked them unleavened cakes and they did eat. 25. If we should declare, and explain this in its right understanding; then we would express it after this manner; the cry of the Sodomites was the Curse, which Noah laid upon Ham when he cursed him, by reason of his unchaste wanton beastial Eyes, and desire; this same cursed, bestial, spirit, had propagated & bred up itself in the malicious profane wholly earthly and serpentine property, in the flesh and soul of this generation of Ham, so that it had established itself in a Kingly Dominion, under which they lived more like to Beasts, then true Men. 26. This Cry of the cursed Serpents Ens grown up to its full height in the Anger, was made manifest, and sounded aloud in its Mother, viz. in the Anger of God in the dark world's property, and had awakened the judgement upon and in itself; and now God sent his judgement upon the Serpents Ens; this was now the time of Enos his hidden, and at present opened Seal (as it is before mentioned concerning the Seven * The 30 Chap. of this Book. verse. 36. Lines [or General junctures of time.]) where his mystery was at the end; and was now revealed as a Sound of his preaching in the word of power, both in Love and Anger. 27. As in Abraham in Love; for here the form word which began to be taught in the days of Enos, did now manifest itself in the form pregnant and Grown Ens [or being] in Abraham with the promised and holy Seed of Faith; And in the children of iniquity, who were of the generation of cursed Ham, the property of the Anger did here manifest itself out of Enos his Preaching, wherein he threatened God's judgement and Rebuke; this same was now grown up in the children of iniquity, and brought to Substance. 28. And now seeing the Seal of this Enos did open itself, being his mystery was at the End; and was forthwith to be manifest according to Love and Anger; thereupon each property set forth its Substance to the divine Contemplation; viz. whatsoever the word in the Love Ens had wrought under the sound or voice of Enos, and also what the Sound of the denunciation of the Anger of God had wrought: Here now the Essences of both properties did open themselves, and set themselves into the judgement, to the final sentence of the righteousness of God; Now in this final Arbitration, or determination of the divine Justice, viz. in Abraham, there stood Christ in the judgement of Enos his Preaching of Repentance; and in Enos his threaten of plagues, and punishment, the earnest and severe judgement of God, viz. Prince Lucifer, did there stand (in the judgement in the children of the curse in Ham) to execute the fame in the wrath of God as a servant of the house of darkness. 29. For God said to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai, * Exod. 20.5. I will visit, and punish the iniquities of the Parents upon the children, even unto the third and fourth Generation, which is here to be seen in Ham, Noah's Son; here came first the curse of Noah into Judgement. 20. And here two Angels were sent (that is, in the power and might of the judgement) in Christ's stead, being Christ was not yet in the flesh, and in Office, for Christ's Office continued in Abraham before the Lord, and prayed for the Rebellious men of Sodom and Gomorrah. 31. But when they were tried in the judgement, (viz. in the Office of the Love of Christ before the Lord) whether there were any men of Sodom who were capable of the office of Christ in the Love, and yet none were found; then the office of Christ in Abraham remained behind, and went not unto Sodom, but the Office of divine Righteousness and truth, went in the form of two Angels to Sodom, and looked very intimately into their essence and being, and proved the same in itself, as it is to be seen, that as soon as these two Angels came into the City, the property of the People did open and manifest itself, and they would have these Men brought forth among them. 32. For these two Angels had stirred up or moved their properties, and set them in open view before the Lord, to see what was in them; and then they found, that they were only bestial, unchaste, lewd murderers; which brought them into judgement; and now they must be judged according to their Essence. 33. But that the Spirit in Moses signifieth; That Lot sat at the Gate, and knew these Angels, and entreated them earnestly to turn in unto him, that so he might wash their feet, and bake them cakes, and that they did eat; and yet at first did deny to turn in unto him; The same is a very hidden mystery; for it is the Spirit of truth, and righteousness, which Lot knew very well, for it was moved in the Essence, and entered first with the Trial into Loth; and when as he humbled and bowed himself before the Lord, he was proved and found upright in himself. 34. But the truth did first refuse to go into his house with the Righteousness, viz. with the judgement, and would remain in the street, for it was because of Lotts' wife, who, when she was proved, and the judgement passed through her, was cast as to her Temporal life, for she continued in the judgement, as a * Prima Materia. first matter, [viz.] as a Sulphur, Mercurius, that is, an * The hard Astringent. impressed matter of the judgement, as a transmutation into the first Essence out of which the Body was created. 35. Yet not so soon before the execution of the judgement, but when Lot went with her out of Sodom, and the judgement began, she drew the judgement back again on her, as is to be seen in the judgement, which then laid hold on her, for it had taken her in the probation. 36. Yet the Command was given her not to look back, and so she might have overcome, if she had forthwith entered into Repentance, and broken the evil earthly will, and fallen down with Lot, at the Lords feet: and this was the cause, that the two Angels refused to turn in unto Lott. 37. And by Lotts' wife the earthly Matrix is signified, which shall not go along through the judgement, although it must help to work and bring forth fruit, as an instrument; yet it is not in its outward form chosen unto the kingdom of heaven; for it was adjoined to Eve in the sleep in Adam's fall, and shall remain in the Judgement, and be changed again into its first matter out of which it was created; it is not condemned into the Abyss, but it shall pass into the mystery, viz. into Sulphur, and Mercurius, which * In Mysterio Magno. in the Grand Mystery is a Salt-spirit, viz. a cause of all corporality, as it shall be mentioned hereafter concerning Lots daughters, who for this very cause were to be gotten with child of their father. 38. Thus understand the figure farther internally, Let baked cakes of unleavened dough, and made them a feast, and they did eat. Now the Angels do not use any such food; but they were only form Angels in an Angelical shape, for Abraham and Lot also called them, Lord: it was God's judgement, and truth. 39 This Feast was eaten in manner as the Offerings of Abraham, and Moses, as is beforementioned; for the wills-desire * Amasseth, conceives. formeth itself therein into a Substance: God eateth only the word of the will, but the food is consumed in the outward spirit, in which it is wrought. 40. For Lot his Faiths-desire was the divine food of these men; but with the feast, which Lot gave them out of his good Love-will, Lots will was form into a Substance; that so he might be preserved in this judgement outwardly as to the earthly life, and inwardly as to the will of faith. 41. For these Angels did eat of Lotts' food as if they had eaten of his Body and Spirit, which was therein apprehended, in manner as it is to be understood in the * Or, Sacrifices. Offerings, as is before sufficiently explained concerning the * Or, Sacrifices. Offerings of Cain and Abel: for the unleavened cakes were (or did signify) the informing, [or Impression], as may be seen every where in Moses, and they denote the Body of Christ, whereinto the Imagination of God entered as into a Type, and yet was only conceived or apprehended in the Faith. Vers. 4. 42. Furthermore, the Spirit in Moses saith: And before the men lay down; the men of the City Sodom came▪ and encompassed the house round about young, and old, even all the people from every quarter; and called for Lot, and said unto him, where are the men that came in unto you the last night, bring them out that we may know them. 43. This is now the figure, as it is beforementioned; the Judgement (after that it had bound itself with Lott in the Feast) did now penetrate and press in the probation of their Essence and Being, into All; that they came pe●me● on heaps, running as mad enraged people, driven forced and compelled to the Judgement. 44. For the zeal of the Lord, which longed after them, drew them to itself; it hungered earnestly to devour their vanity; therefore they run altogether young, and old, and would know the Mouth which hungered after them, for they in their blindness know not what they did; thus the Anger drew them to itself. 45. And Lot went out unto them at the door, and shut the door after him; and said; ah! I pray dear brethren do not so wickedly, I have two daughters which have never known man, let me I pray you bring them out unto you, and do with them what seems good in your eyes; but unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof; but they said; Come hither, thou art the only stranger among us; and thou wilt rule, well, we will deal worse with thee then with them. 46. Here the ground of their Sin is finely deciphered and laid out in its colours; wherein their cry was come before God; as namely, Uncleanness, Lasciviousness, Tyranny, Selfwilled perverseness; and the greatest of all was, the Contempt of God; for Lot had told them of the punishment, which God would bring upon them; and then they said, Thou art the only Stranger among us, and wilt go about to rule and judge us, we will yet plague thee worse than those; to signify, that God had before sent them warning by the Messengers of his mouth, and that they had only plagued, and contemned them, therefore they said also to Lot, wilt thou govern us with thy Threaten, and contem and nullify our works, we will serve thee worse than them. 47. For when they understand, that Men of God were come in unto Lott, who threatened them with ruin and destruction; they made an uproar against them, and would kill them; as the mad blind world hath always done, when God hath sent them Messengers, who have rebuked and reproved them; then the babylonical Whore hath cried out, run, run, there is a new Heresy, which would teach us other Doctrine, and reprove our way which we go in. 48. Thus it was here; the selfefull rebellious Devills-will, in his Serpents Ens would be uncontrollable, unreprovable; and Being these men were come they cried out * Murder. Mordio; and said there were false Prophets and Teachers come, to rebuke and contem them, as the babylonical Whore hath always done; for she will not hear what the Lord speaketh through his children; but that only must be accounted Sacred, which 〈◊〉 speaks from the Serpents Ens. 49. This Whore hath covered herself with the Literal Word; and gives forth herself for Holy, and boasteth much in a Strange Attire, but her heart is only Sodom, and Gomorrah, when she seethe these two Angels come from Abraham, that is, from Christ, to her in her Sodom and Gomorrah, and lay open her shame, than she makes the whole City of an 〈◊〉, with a cry of murder; so that all people, young, and old, come running together, and think that there is some strange wonderful Beast arrived, 50. Tanned when they can perceive no new strange thing in God's Messengers; and hear that they do only Teach, and reprove; then they think, O! Our Minister, and our Pastor calls him a new upstart, an Heretic, and false Prophet, there is a fool and a frantic fellow, sure enough he is worse than out of his wits; and they begin to wonder at him [like birds] at an Owl, and assault him, and his house, his wife, and his children with scorn, reproach, and contempt, as the Sodomites did Lot; every one thinketh, that he doth well, if he can but Jeer, and revile these Messengers. 51. And although he knows no other ground or reason in the world, but only that the * Or, Some noted Minister. high Priest (who hath put on the whore of Babylon) doth set him at nought; yet he is very raging mad, and suffers a false wind (viz. the spirit of the Babylonish whore) to drive him, and raveth in misunderstanding, as here the Sodomites did, who (both young & old, small and Great) do force upon Lot, and the two men which were come in unto him; that they might know them; That they might plague them, scorn, revile, and reproach them; for thus the Anger of God doth drive itself into a fire, for its own enkindling: And thus mad also must the people be, when the punishment shall come, that they must all make up the measure of their iniquities. 52. And we will not hid from thee, thou unclean, lascivious, rebellious, selfwilled, lewd, Idolatrous, murderous Babylon, full of all vices, sins, and abominations; that now also these two Angels, viz. God's truth and judgement, are come into thee; and declare unto thee, now at the end of enoch's Seal, which was hidden (but at present is opened in its sound and voice) thy destruction and overthrow; for the Time of thy Judgement is at hand; and behold thyself aright; and observe it very narrowly; thou hast at present cast scorn, reproach and contempt upon Lot, and the two Angels, as the Sodomites did; and therefore thy punishment hangeth over thee; and observe it; when the two Angels shall carry forth Lot under the opened Seal from thee; then the Day of thy destruction is at hand, which now thou wilt by no means believe, but must be forced to find it so by sad and woeful experience, saith the spirit of wonders. 53. We may see very fully what was the Sodomites vice, and great Sin; the cry whereof was come up before God; for Lot would bring out his two daughters, which were yet virgins, unto them; that so they might but cease from the raging uproar against these Angelical Messengers, for he knew well enough, that they were wholly drowned in uncleanness; if so be they might satisfy their desire. 54. The inward figure in the spirit giving us to understand what Moses doth hereby typify, is this: The judgement gins at the house of God, as here in Lot, the children of God must be first brought into judgement, and proved; if there be children of God in any place which may withhold the Anger, so that the punishment may be kept back, than the spirit taketh the children of God and proveth them in the same vice and sin of that City or Country, [to see] if they be capable of the same lewdness. 55. Lot must set his two daughters with entreaties into judgement; he would give them to the unclean lascivious people to be tried; for, that which he said, was so directed by the Spirit, which had the two daughters of Lot in the judgement, and had brought the Proba or Trial into their Essence, and hereby signified and laid open the sin and shame of the City, viz. that they were only unclean Harlots-beasts. 56. But when these two virgins were not capable of this vice, the spirit, viz. the two Angels defended them; understand, God's truth protected them from the judgement of this people, and also from the sin of uncleanness; for Lot did not speak so of set purpose, as if he would suffer his daughters to be deflowered, and defiled; but the Spirit did set forth its figure. 57 And know for certain that this first book of Moses was written wholly from the Prophecy of the Spirit, intimating what each Act, or sentence of the History holds forth in the figure, and whosoever will read, and rightly understand these Acts [of the Patriarches]; he must modelize or represent in his mind, the old and new man; and set Christ and Adam one against the other; and then he may understand all, and without this, he understands nothing hereof but a childlike History; which yet is so rich and full of Mysteries, that no man from the cradle unto the longest age, is able to express them; although he had obtained the knowledge, and understanding thereunto in his childhood; and we in our gifts do also give but some glances, and hints thereof, albeit we have obtained the apprehension and meaning of them from the gift of God; yet we cannot express all, and the world were not able to * To understand or apprehend it aright. V 9, ●0, 11. receive it. 58. And Moses saith; The men of the City pressed sore upon the man Lot, and when they drew near together to break the door, the men put forth their hand and pulled Lott into the house to them, and shut to the door; and the men which were before the door of the house were smitten with blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves, and could not find the door. 59 This figure was * Acted or done. achieved thus externally; so that they were thus blind with visible eyes, and could not see the door, and did no hurt neither to Lot and the two men with him, or his house either; but in the spirit, the figure stands thus. 60. When God sendeth these two Angels, viz. his truth, and judgement, into a man's spirit, viz. into the house of his heart; as here it came to pass in Lott (in whom also the spirit, viz. God's truth, and judgement was manifest, and therefore he rebuked Sodom, for which cause they did encompass him about, to slay and murder him) than the Judgement passeth first upon this man, who is represented unto the Sodomites, as if he were a fool, whom they must vex, plague, and perplex, and they also do without intermission revile and rail at him, and condemn him for false. 61. But he must reprove, rebuke, and teach them, and he hath no external protection of man, they all cast the dirt of their mouths upon him, and they that should hinder it, do but laugh at it; let him look where he will, he hath no Deliverer; then supposeth the common people, God rebukes and punisheth him on this wise. 62. But these two Angels are with him in his Heart, and stand in his person, as in their vessel and instrument, even amidst the enemies; but the common people do eagerly labour and bestir them to destroy him, and his house. 63. And when it comes to the trial in earnest, than these two Angels, do put forth their hand upon the wicked malicious men's heart, and strike them with blindness, that they are confounded, and know not how they should get * Or, 〈◊〉▪ by this Lott, and the two Angels; one casteth forth this, another that; one saith he is honest, another reviles him and saith all evil of him; so long till they cannot find the door, wherein they would break in unto him, and do him mischief; for these two Angels do shut him up in themselves, that they cannot see the door of Revenge; as may be seen here in Lot, how God doth deliver the messengers of his mouth, and hides them from the enemies; and this * Underhand the Author. Pen hath so found it by good Experience. Vers. 12, 13. 64. And these men said unto Lott, hast thou here any besides? Son in law and sons and daughters; and whosoever belongs unto thee in the City, bring them out of this place, for we will destroy this place; because the cry thereof is waxed great before the Lord, who hath sent us to destroy it; and Lot went, and spoke to his Sons in law * English translation, which married. which were to marry his daughters; and said, Arise, get ye out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this City; but he seemed unto them as one that mocked. 65. This is now an excellent Mirror, how God also gave warning unto these men, and would have spared them for Lot's sake, if they would but have followed him; but the wrath had captivated them, and wholly hardened them; that they did but laugh and jeer at him; and as it were said unto him, what is happened to the fool? he thinks the sky will fall. 66. The inward figure stands thus: God's truth in the Love drew these men Lots Sons in law, and would deliver them; but the wrath was stronger in them, and had captivated them in the probation of their heart; they continued in the judgement, as Lot's wife, whom notwithstanding Lot brought forth with him before the City, yet the wrath drew her back again into judgement; so that she (being she was for Lot's sake freed from the fire-sword) must go into a Transmutation, until the Last Judgement, which is a terrible Example. 67. In this figure this present world may behold itself, and take warning; for as certain, and as true, that the Preaching of Lot was true; and the punishment followed thereupon; so certainly also shall the * Or, Judgement. punishment of the sixth Seals Time (which Seal is even now at hand and hath already opened itself) suddenly follow. 68 But that the warning hereof came so long ago; declareth that the time of the sixth Seal in its manifestation, is the most wonderful of all the Six Seals; till the Seaventh * Or, Seal. Number which is yet more wonderful; for it is the End of this world, and the Last Judgement. 70. The hardened surprised and apprehended crew is already Judged; for the Dolefull sifting Sword hath taken hold of them; they run now in a raving raging manner as mad people in Pride, Covetousness and Envy, and contem what the Angel's Trumpet soundeth. 71. The Cry which the Angel's Trumpet soundeth is this; Go out from Babel; Go out from Babel; Go out from Babel; she stands apprehended and captivated in the Flaming Sword. AMEN. CHAP. XLIV. How Lot departed out of Sodom, and of the Terrible overthrow of this whole Region in Hams Generation; of the circumstances thereof, and how it was effected. WHen as the wrath of the Judgement was now set on fire, Gen. XIX. vers. 15. etc. and the day Appeared, that the Sun shone bright, and every man thought, all is in peace and quiet; there is no danger; The Angels commanded Lot to make haste, and said; Arise take thy wife, and thy two daughters which are here, lest thou also perish in the iniquity of this City; and while Let lingered; the men took him, and his wife, and his two daughters by the hand (the Lord being merciful to him) and they brought him forth, and set him without the City. 2. The internal figure stands thus: the Spirit in Moses setteth the figure so clearly, that a man may easily take it; for he saith; when the morning came, and the Sun was risen; they took him by the hand, and brought him and his wife, and his two daughters forth out of the City. And now as the figure was externally, in the arisen light of the day and the Sun; so it was also internally in God's Truth and Judgement. 3. Namely, in the truth the figure was internally thus: In Lott, and his two daughters, the light of the understanding concerning the Messiah was arisen in God's truth; which Lots daughters knew very well; that it [viz. the light of the Sun of righteousness] in God's truth had moved itself in their father Lot; from which cause afterwards when they were gone out from Sodom, and the night approached, they made their father drink sweet wine to the full; and lay with him; that they might receive Seed, viz. the holy Seed from him; for the Spirit, both in Lot and his daughters did also signify thus much, in their risen light, and shown it to them. 4. And now as the Sun was externally risen, and it seemed to be a very lovely pleasant day; so also internally in God's truth, the Sun of the Covenant, viz. the holy Sunday was risen according to the probation in their Essence, for they were now passed through the judgement: And likewise on the contrary, the Sun of the dark world's property, viz. the working of God's Anger, was risen now in the children of Sodom, and forced mightily into God's Righteousness; therefore the Angels bad Lot make haste; for the Sun of Anger was already risen, and had apprehended the children of Iniquity. 5. Like as the holy Sun in God's truth (which had apprehended Lot and his daughters in the Essence of Faith) took Lot and his daughters by the hand, and brought them forth from them; so likewise the Wrath had already taken the children of Sodom by the hand of their Essence; and brought them into the judgement of Execution. And we will signify and apply (O Babel) this figure unto the time of thy Seal; mark and observe it ye Daughters, children of Lot: it concerns you. 6. When God will punish a Land, he first sends them Messengers, and exhorts them to Repentance, and declares unto them his Grace; soon after he sends them the Angel of righteousness, who tryeth and sifteth them whether they be capable of the Grace that is tendered unto them; and sets judgement before them with threats of their ruin; denouncing great war and Plagues upon them to blot and root them out if they will not return and repent; and showeth them also by his Messengers, the light, and way of Righteousness; and suffers them to run on in the light that is tendered to them, till they be weary and glutted with it, and hold it only for a common customary thing, and an history, and again become a Sodom. 7. And then he sends them both Angels together, to wit, the Angel of righteousness, and the Angel of truth; and first threatneth them severely, and exhorts them, and sets the judgement before them; but when they * ar●●e. grow wholly a Sodom, he leaveth off from the outward figure, and let's them fill up their measure, and then it seems as if the Sun were risen upon their Sodom, and now it should be good and Prosperous; but even then saith the Angel of truth in his children hasten and go out; the Punishment and Ruin is at hand. 8. Thus we declare unto thee Babel, that God hath already long since sent thee Messengers, and with the declaration of the Gospel hath tendered thee his Grace; and therewith also hath mightily threatened, to punish thee with Ruin; but thou hast made only a contentious disputing Babel of the light of the Gospel, and art now the well-fatted Sodom. 9 And know for certain, that the Lord for a farewell hath now sent thee two Angels, one hath the truth in him, and bids Lot with his daughters to go out from Sodom; and the other hath the Severe judgement, and hath now at last sifted thee, and turned thy inward Signature outwards, and set it before the Lord; and thy * Thy Cain- like crying for ruin upon others. murderous Cry is come up before the presence of the most High; and it is exceeding great; he hath sent his Angel to destroy thee, and to overturn the Cities. 10. Thy signature wherewith thou art now outwardly marked is the Great Covetousness and Envy, together with thy Ammunition-money; and the great wrathful severity of thy Oppression of the poor and miserable, in that thy covetousness hath served itself so high, that it desires to devour all into itself, whence thy great * The scarcity and deerness of commodities, and all oppression ariseth from the covetousness and pride of man, who seeks to maintain it by the sword. Enhancement of men's Necessaries is risen. 11. But thou sayest now it is a good, and a prosperous time; the Sun is risen upon me, and shineth on my purse, so that I can fill it as I please; it is a good and a fine time for me; it shall now be a good and a golden time sure enough; I shall certainly enjoy it, and arise in High power and authority, and be respected. 12. But hear now, what at present the Sound of the Trumpet declareth; it saith go out from Sodom; the Sun is risen in Love and Anger, this we will not hid from you; the Angel of truth hath now already taken Lot's daughters, with the father, and his wife, by the hand; and bids them go; it is time; this thou shalt soon see by woeful experience. 13. For the Angel of Anger hath also taken thee into Judgement, and therefore thou art so wrathful, covetous, murderous, and wicked; do but behold thyself whether we speak truth; thou gettest thyself much to spend in thy Signature; and thou hast indeed a storehouse full of provision in the Abyss: he that can see, let him see; in whom there is but the least inkling of the Trumpets Sound, let him go out of Sodom: there is no longer any tarrying. 14. And Moses speaketh further; and when he had brought Lot forth, Vers. 17. ●. the 23. he said, escape for thy life, look not behind thee, and stay not also in this whole Plain, escape unto the mountain lest thou be consumed; but Let said unto him; oh not so my Lord; behold now being thy Servant hath found Grace in thy sight; be pleased to magnify thy mercy which thou hast shown unto me, in that thou hast saved my life; I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die; behold there is a City very near unto which I may flee, it is a little one; O let me escape thither (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him; see, I have accepted thee concerning this thing, that I should not overturn the City for which thou hast spoken; hast thee, escape thither; for I can do nothing till thou be come thither; therefore the Name of the City was called Zoar: and the Sun was risen upon the Earth when Lot came into Zoar. The inward Figure stands thus. 15. The spirit of truth had moved the spirit in the Covenant in Lot, and taken him by his spiritual hand, and brought him forth out of the Judgement; understand, the soul of Lot, in which the word of promise in the Covenant had opened itself according to the spiritual property, into which also the now sent voice of truth and judgement did force, and defended Lot from and in the judgement. 16. For with the Judgement, the first Principle, viz. the Souls Centre, was sifted and proved through all the properties of the Eternal Nature; into this, the Lords hand, viz. the Angel of the Lord, did put itself, with the Grace of Christ's Covenant in Abraham, and drew Lot out of the judgement, and from the children of Sodom; therefore the Angel said Deliver thyself, and look not behind thee into judgement, viz. into the enkindled wrath, lest the same take thee; as happened to Lot's wife, who turned her desire back again to see and behold what the wrath of the Lord should be. 17. As Adam and Lucifer also did the like, who would essentially behold and prove, Gods, viz. the Eternal Nature's wrath, which yet is a consuming fire, and forth with proveth spirit, and body, and if it reacheth any thing of which it is capable, it devoureth it into itself. 18. Now the Soul of Lot trembled and stood in fear before the Angel of the judgement, viz. before God's righteousness; and entreated his truth, that he would be pleased to magnify his Mercy in the Covenant towards him, lest the Turba should take hold of him; and it is a very excellent example; how God taketh his children, in the Time of punishment and judgement, into his Love, defendeth them, and brings them forth from great destruction; as he did here unto Lot, and also, unto the upright children▪ in the final destruction of Jerusalem. 19 Also the Angel of vengeance said; I can do nothing, until thou be come thither: Oh! thou wonderful God, who can hinder thee? but this is even thus to be understood; the spirit of his Love in the Covenant, had set or established itself with the Truth, in Lot, and kept off the Anger that it could not burn until Lot came out. 20. And we see that oftentimes the children of God are able to withhold great plagues, and punishment of God [from coming down on a people] there is even such a might in them, that God's Anger is able to do nothing; and is as it were impotent where they are present; also they are a might and power against Hell, and the Devil; for such a thing is true real Faith, that it can withhold, and overpower God in his Anger. 21. Therefore the Lord said to Lot; I cannot do any thing; until thou be gone out, and he spared also the little City called Pella, or Zoar, (viz. a diversion or turning away of the Anger) for Lot's sake; for when he came thither, the Turba must be extinguished, as the Name, in the uncompacted tongue of Sense, doth express it. Ver. 24, 25, 26. 22. And then the Lord reigned upon Sodom, and upon Gomorrah, brimstone, and fire from the Lord out of Heaven; and overthrew the Cities, and all the Plain; and all the Inhabitants of the Cities; and all whatsoever grew upon the ground; and his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of Salt. 23. This is now the figure of the kingdom of Christ, who had opened himself to Abraham in the Love, how he would sit in Judgement over the world; and how the Might and Dominion is given unto him of God, that he should destroy the Devil's Kingdom upon the earth, and give all wicked men unto the Anger of God to be devoured; for when he had manifested himself to Abraham, and confirmed the Covenant of Righteousness, he then sent these two Angels, viz. God's truth, and judgement to Sodom, to blot out and destroy the children of Ham, viz. the malicious, vile, rebellious, halfe-Devills, men; that so the Devil's Kingdom might be lessened, and not grow so great upon the earth, and hinder his Kingdom. The inward Figure stands thus. 24. It reigned brimstone and fire from the Lord from Heaven, saith Moses: This was not the inward hellish fire, which at the End of days shall purge the Floar; otherwise the four Elements would have been changed: it was only a figure of the future: The Original of the brimstone, and fire was generated in Turba magna in the third Principle: it was only a Sword of vengeance: The inward fire consumes earth, and stones, and all Elements: but this was only a fire, as is generated in the * Thunderclap. Tempest in Turba magna in the * Or, Excrement. Egest, which the Constellation casteth forth from itself, which is a materia thereunto; although it be no palpable matter or substance; yet it is a spiritual substance, in which Mercurius doth enkindle itself in the Salniter, viz. in the fire crack, where then also the flagratt or fire crack doth fix itself into a Substance or Essence, which is Brimstone. 25. For the Three [first properties] viz. Sulphur, Mercurius, and the Salt-sharpnesse are in the Original (as they are yet a spirit) only one Thing; but when Mercurius, viz. the Sound of the form word, doth move itself in the Principle, viz. in its first Original by an Opposition or Contrary Aspect; then he is terrified in himself: that is, the motion stirreth the Original of the heat and cold; viz. the Original of the first Principle according to the cold and hit fire; which is the beginning of the Contrariety and horror; from whence the fire-flash or salnitral flagratt doth arise; where also the Three first; viz. the heat, the cold and the Sound, do each impress and introduce itself into a peculiar substance in the Flagrat, viz. the heat into Brimstone, and the cold into a saltish property, and Mercurius into a watery property; and yet they were not wholly separated, and each of them of another or sundry substance by itself, but fixed together according to one property. 26. The like also we are here to understand concerning the Brimstone-fire: the wrath of the first Principle, viz. God's Anger according to the eternal nature, did behold the outward nature in the third Principle with an * Or, Dar●ing flash. Aspect, which is called Turba magna, being a Turba in the Soul of the outward world in the spirit of nature, whence the outward nature doth inflame and enkindle itself; and the * The prime Ternary of nature. three first [properties] do fix themselves into a Substance, viz. into Brimstone, Salt, and into a Mercurial poisonful water, in which the flagrat or flash of the fire did enkindle and impress itself; and so being enkindled did rain upon Sodom, and Gomorrah, and upon the Plain of the Country, and destroyed all; this is it which is said, The Lord reigned brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven. 27. Not that this matter of the Brimstone and fire came from the inward heaven; but the wrath came forth from the inward into the outward [Principle] so that the outward in the Might of the inward did impress and enkindle itself out of the properties of the inward; and this is a real Type of the inward dark world; if the same nature doth move itself, than it is even so in spiritual property, which God calleth his wrath, and Anger, and a consuming fire; for if this inward spiritual dark World did move itself, the outward World with the four Elements would forth with be swallowed up in this same spirit-fire; which shall come to pass at the End of Days. 28. And here we have a figure of this in Lot's wife, who was turned to a Pillar of Salt: that the three First [properties] had moved themselves; for she, after that she had looked back into the Turba was apprehended or taken in the Salts-spirit in its Impression; which denoteth, that she was * Or, that property was most predominant in her. most of that very property, viz. Covetous in the desire, in which she also was taken and apprehended in the sifting Probation of the Angel. 29. And though the Angel had defended her from the fire-wrath, yet she was taken in the wrath of nature of her own peculiar property; viz. the Turba magna laid hold of the Body, viz. the substance of the third Principle, and changed it into its own peculiar property, viz. into the might of the first, which was chief predominant in her Body, according to which property also she was apprehended in the Turba. 30. And we ought not to account this a strange thing; for we have very much hereof in the Scripture: Let us look upon Vzza, who was apprehended and smitten by the Ark of the Covenant, when he did only touch the same, when the wrath of God was moved but in the * That is, awakened and stirred up, and not atoned. Sound. Let us see also, how it seized on the Philistines, when they had the Ark of the Covenant with them: also how it devoured Chorah, Dathan, and Abiram, by Moses in the Wilderness: all these have but one Original; but each is peculiarly manifest in its own [matter and manner] according as the Turba is enkindled among the Three First, [properties.] 31. But if Lot's wife had apprehended, and laid hold of the word of Truth and Mercy in the Message of the Angel, it had well protected her, but she did not believe what the Angel said, and very like she loved her Temporal goods, all which she must forsake, and looked back again, and earnestly longed after the Temporal, and the Turba of Time did also apprehend her; so that she according to the substance of the Body must remain in the first matter (out of which God had extracted the Lincus of the earth, and form it into a spiritual living Image) until the Lord shall again transmute the same substance into a spiritual Essence. 32. And it was done to the End, that man should yet see, what he is according to the outward Body, if God withdraweth his Spirit therefrom; and that he requireth the ground of the heart, and not only a mouth-hypocrisie and flatteries of a seeming holy devout lip-labour, that a man should only comfort himself with the Grace tendered [feeding himself with an outward apprehension or application thereof] and receive the same only as a free gift of grace from without, and yet remain an Evil Beast in the spirit and will. 33. As the present babylonical Christendom doth, which also with Lot's wife receiveth the grace only externally [or by a strange Imaginary Imputation] and comforts itself with the grace, but remaineth in the heart in selfehood and the lust of the flesh, unconverted, and hath turned its eyes only towards Sodom, but with the mouth it is gone out of Sodom, and the body is yet at Sodom, and looketh with Lot's wife only upon Covetousness, and temporal pleasure, and will not go with the heart out of Sodom. 34. Therefore the Angel of the wonders saith; Thou art sifted, and * Taken or captivated. apprehended in the Turba, thou art guilty, and capable of the Brimstone-fire: thy verbal hypocrisy, in that thou sayest, that thou art gone out of Babel, and Sodom doth not at all avail thee; thou art wholly captivated with Lot's wife in the three First; being thou hungerest only after the three first; and usest the Spirit of Christ only for an external covering, and wilt not hear in thee what now the Lord speaketh; but hearest only what the Antichrist speaketh in his pride, covetousness, envy, and Anger, how thou mayst please thy Earthly mortal Idol Maozim, and Mammon, viz. Self-love, Self-will, Selfe-Sence. 35. Thou seekest and honour'st only the external Idoll-God, viz. Silver, and Gold, Copper, and the fullness of the Belly to thy Luxurious sumptuous, and Stately Sodomitical pleasure: and this Idol is also sifted for thy sake, and is made nigh and far off unto thee, and thou understandest not what it means: thou sayest; there is no danger, and it may well be helped and amended; we may contrive it well enough to a good use; but thou knowest not what is thereby Signed, and signified. The most inward figure of Lot's wife being turned to a pillar of Salt is this. 36. When these two Angels came from Abraham, viz. from the Spirit of Christ, unto Sodom to Lot, and he bowed himself before the Lord unto the earth, and entreated these Angels to turn in unto him; they entered according to the divine property Essentially in unto him, in manner as they came in unto Abraham with the Ens of faith; even so it was here; for it was but one Covenant; but in Abraham the Seed to Christ's person was named, and not in Lot; as Moses declareth very sufficiently. 37. Lot's faith took the Ens from the Angel, who brought the same to him from Abraham's faiths- Ens; for of one, (viz. of him, who did move and manifest himself in Abraham) they must all be sanctified; now Let by the Administration of the Angel (understand form Angels sent out of the divine property, out of Christ's Ens and word) was sanctified as a * Or, line of affinity. proxime line, or branch on the Ens of Abraham. 38. And being Lot's daughters were capable of this Sanctification, and not the mother, the mother must go again into the first matter; and Lot must copulate with his two daughters in the blessed Seed; for they were capable of it, and none else in the world; for two Potent Generations were to arise from thence, viz. the Moabites, and the Ammonites, A Great people, as the Spirit in Moses doth also speak very covertly and hiddenly concerning Lot's daughters; that the one said unto the other; Lo! there is not a man on the earth to come in unto us after the manner of men; come let us give our father sweet wine to drink; and then we will lie with him; that so he may not know it, and we may preserve Seed of our father: for the mother was not capable of this holy Seed, being she was captivated and taken in the * Or, sifting Trial. Probation in the Turba. 39 Now Reason would object, and say; wherefore did not the daughters of Lot marry with Abraham's Generation; why would they lie with their Father, Contrary to the Right, and Law of Nature, and all Nations? Answer; This might not be, for the Seed of Christ was called in Abraham; but now there lay two other lines in the Seed of Christ; as near affinities; which should be born of Abraham's faith; viz. of Christ: As Abraham's faith was born out of JEHOVA, out of the Name Jesus, so these two lines of Affinity were in the Tree of Wonders, which should spring forth from God's Truth, & Righteousness, and be brought into the Love of Jesus; this manifestation the Angels brought unto and into Lot, which opening and manifestation did spring forth in Lot's Seed. 40. But being his two daughters did also stand in this judgement, and were apprehended in the same Spirit which opened itself in Lot, and received also the same properties as their father, it must be so, and it was so permitted of God, that these two sons, Ammon, and Moab, must be born of two Sisters of One Seed; for they were to be two Nations proceeding from two Lines of nature, yet from one root. 41. But in that the Spirit in Moses doth so cover it and saith, The two daughters caused their father to drink sweet wine, that he did not know what he did, and so were gotten with child of their father in the father's drunkenness, (which yet seems to be wonderfully strange without God's work) The same is thus to be understood; Not that it did not so come to pass; it did so come to pass, as the Text in Moses declareth; but this was a work of the Spirit of God, and hereby also he covereth the external shame. 42. For the outward work is only a shame in God's sight, and also in the sight of all People, but the inward work in its figure, must be so; and it is the true figure, that the Man Christ, viz. God's Son should be born through a shame, which also was a shame before God; but so he took our shame, and reproach upon himself, and hung it as a curse upon the Tree of the Cross, and offered it up unto the righteousness of God; so likewise both these lines must be covered with a Shame; that they both might be sanctified only and alone under Christ's shame on the Cross; and they should not dare to say, that they were pure before God, and nature; for the Scripture saith; * Rom. 11.32. He hath shut them up all under Sin, that he might have Mercy upon all. 43. And that this was truly and certainly a work of God, appears in this; that on the same day the mother was turned to a pillar of Salt, and Sodom destroyed doubtless with all their householdstuff and Goods, that yet they that same night they set about this work, whereas they continued all night in a Cave of the Mountain by Zoar [so that we may well think] no natural fleshly instigation did provoke them thereunto. 44. But it must be, that the father should be drunk, that the humane understanding might not do it; but that it might be God's work; also that the Soul of Lot might not be Turbated in the Tincture of the Seed with the shame of the daughters; it must be done therefore as it were in man's drunkenness, and misunderstanding, lest the Nations should make a Right or Custom thereof; for the daughters of Lot were also as 'twere drunk in the spirit, so that the spirit might do what he would, and they only were an instrument. 45. And that they did understand that the father was sanctified, and they willingly would conceive of the holy Seed, appears, in that they said; There was not a man upon the earth who could come in unto them after the manner of mankind; and therefore they would lie with their father, that they might preserve Seed: there were indeed many upon the earth, but none was capable of this Seed, but these his daughters, this the spirit in them gave them to understand. 46. Therefore we ought narrowly to observe what it means, when the spirit in Moses draweth a vail before his face, that it doth not appear wholly pure before God, and yet for the unavoidableness sake, it must be so. 47. And we ought not also to judge in the deeds of God according to Reason; for Reason looketh only upon the outward▪ and understands nothing of the inward: it knows nothing of the Root of this tree; and of its Boughs and Branches, from whence each Branch or People must take its unavoidable rise and Original. CHAP. XLV. How God lead Abraham very wonderfully, and how he always stood by him in Temptation, and defended him; what we are to understand hereby. ABraham must be only as a Pilgrim upon the earth, Gen. XX. and travail from one place unto another, and dwell in Tents; and was every where Tried, and Tempted; his wife Sarah was twice taken from him; but wonderfully protected, and preserved of God; as once by Pharaoh in Egypt, and then by Abimilech King of Gerar; but both times protected by God. 2. And now that Abraham, viz. the Stock, and beginning of the conceived Ens of faith, in which Christ was understood, must thus wander from one place to another, and could have no abiding place upon the earth, and moreover must stand in fear and Temptation; the same is the true Type of Christendom upon the earth; how the same should not be bound unto any certain place; Not unto any People that God did choose thereto in a peculiar manner; but that Christ was given, with his Gospel of the Kingdom of God, to all Nations. 3. And how he would wander with his knowledge from one people to another; and have not where any constant abiding place with a people, but be among the Nations with his children upon the earth, only as a Sojourner or Stranger; and how they would continually try to destroy * The true Christians. Christendom among the Nations, and cast reproach upon it, as they would sinfully reproach Sarah Abraham's wife. 4. And how the Christians should be continually tempted and exercised of the Nations, and plagued with Contention and war: also how Christ would go with his Gospel from one people to another, when they should be weary and glutted with the same, and hold it only for a Custom and a common ordinary thing; and so they would grow wholly blind in it, and make only a * A work of prating and fair spoken discourse. fine devout lip-labour thereof, and suppose to find out Christ by their acute disputations and Arguments. 5. And then he would departed with the understanding and spirit from them, and come unto another People, which also would be only fleshly, and account, and look upon Christ externally as a mere Man; as Pharaoh and this King Abimilech looked upon Abraham, and his wife; and desired to have carnal knowledge of Sarah, by reason of her beauty; which did signify and denote, that they would put on Christ in the flesh in an outward bestial manner, but not in power, and spirit. 6. As it is here to be seen in Abimilech, and also in Pharaoh, that when they desired to know Sarah carnally, that the Lord came in among them with punishments▪ and plagues, and shown them his Angry countenance, shut them up, and dismayed them, as if he bond them with the chains of his might; and made their women barren, and terrified them with visions and presages; as he did to this Abimilech; and threatened him with Death in the Dream; and made known unto him, that Abraham was a man of God; and how he was blessed of God. 7. Through which means God brought the Nations to the faith; [for] when he came unto a fleshly unbelieving People, than he shown himself in power and wonders; which the carnal Nations seeing, did convert themselves, and turn unto God. 8. Thus Abraham must be a Type of Christ's Kingdom upon the earth; and go up and down from one People to another, whereupon the people which he left, did yet boast themselves of Abraham, and called themselves after his Name, but were only historical children brought forth of strange women without Abraham's faith and spirit. 9 Thus also it hath fallen out in Christendom, when they have been * Negligent of▪ weary of the spirit of Christ; and made only a prating business thereof the Spirit of Christ hath then departed, and hidden itself from them; and then these people have indeed stood yet in the History, and boasted themselves to be Christians, but have been indeed only the children of the Bondwoman, viz. of Hagar; and the sons of mockerey, who with Disputing and wrangling about Christ's Name and will, have mocked, scorned, reviled, contemned, reproached, and branded each other for Heretics, and mere Ishmalites have risen of them. 10. As it is as plain as the day, that now men go from the scorning and reproaching each other, to the Sword of murder; and will wholly slay and root out Christ [in his members] and set the babylonical Tower in Christ's stead, whereby a man shall be able in self-will and power to climb into heaven; so that a man need not enter in through the mortifying of the old evil man, but may be able to come in, after a fine hypocritical way with the Selfehood of the evil man; or indeed as outwardly adopted children covered with Christ's purple-mantle; where yet the will of Self is unmortified, and cannot truly come to God. 11. Now as these people were afterwards judged when Abraham departed from them; they being only mockers of the children of Abraham, as may be seen in Pharaoh, and the Heathens also, especially in the Land of Canaan: so likewise it hath happened to the Christians, that these Nations which continued only under the Name of Christ, and yet were only heathenish in the heart, were always judged and banished by such heathenish People, as may be seen by Asia, Egypt, and Griece, and many other Nations besides; how God hath pulled off the Mantle of Christ from them, as verbal hypocrites, and mockers of Christ, and given them a darkened heart and understanding, of the Kingdom of Christ, and ●ast away their Candlestiks, that they could no longer say, we are Christians, and belong unto Christ, but Turks, and Barbarous People, begotten of the wild Tree of nature. 12. Thus Christ must here in this world wander only as a light from one people to another, * Mat. 24.14. For a Testimony unto all People: And unto thee, O * And to thee also O England. Germany it is now shown [and also to those Nations of whom thou art born with the Name of Christ] in that thou hast for a long time walked under the Mantle of Christ with an heathenish heart, and boasted of the Adoption, but lived only in the iniquity of the flesh: That thy Judgement is nigh at hand. 13. For the Angel of the judgement calleth aloud to the residue of Abraham's children in Christ, Go out of Sodom: Abraham in Christ is gone away from you; ye have no more of Christ then an empty breath; and a disputing verbal lip-labour; a mockery; whereby one brother doth contemn, scorn, and mock another for Christ's Knowledge sake, and only killeth Christ in his members. The City Jerusalem and Babylon wherein thou hast gloried [and proudly percked up thyself in thy devout hypocrisy] shall go to ruin, Amen. 14. Lon Star shineth from the East and North, which shall blindfold thee, and break down thy walled Towers and Strong Holds in Jerusalem and Babylon, for thou art called no longer Jerusalem, but Babel; and the children which sit in the shadow of the night, and which lie imprisoned in Babel, shall be delivered, and come forth, and enter into the City of God, which he hath set open to all Nations and tongues of the earth, that his glory may be known: A light for All Nations, [or people.] 15. The figure of Abraham, Sarah, and Abimilech (Gen. 20.) is an emphatical Type of Christendom, how they should be weak in their own power, and be delivered by God only; as Abraham was of a faint and timorus spirit, when he was to go among these Nations, and prayed his Sarah, that she would say of him, that he was her brother; that so they might not slay him for her sake; to signify, that a Christian in his own strength is not able to do any thing, or to take unto himself therein the spirit of Christ, who gives courage; but he must go only naked among his enemies; and not at all rely on himself and his knowledge, but merely and only upon God's Grace. 16. For he himself cannot stand, only Christ in him must be his sole courage, and steadfast perseverance; As Abraham here in his own abilities was full of doubt before Pharaoh, and Abimilech, and continually fearful of his life, and must see only when, and how, God would shield him, and his Sarah; and this history is excellently, elegantly, and exactly written of * Note, Esdras. Esdras in the vision of the spirit of Christ concerning Christ's Kingdom, as if the spirit had on purpose figured this History concerning Christ's Kingdom, for it aimeth directly thereat. 17. But the outward man understands nothing of the Kingdom of Christ; as we may see in Sarah when she conceived, and brought forth Isaac, she said, the Lord hath made me to laugh, the people will laugh at this, that the very Aged Sarah should give a child suck; she did not yet understand the * Image. Type of Christ; but the Spirit of Christ in her understood it; and not the natural man in Selfhood, but the will which was resigned and given up to God, the same only did apprehend the Covenant and the Spirit of Christ. 18. But Reason, viz. the selfefull will, did not perceive any thing thereof, it was only matter of mirth and laughter to it; for it looked only upon itself, what it was; As Abraham's will of selfe-own hood, looked only on it self, and was afraid and dismayed; and yet in him there was the great might over all Powers and Principalities; but it did not belong to the humane own-hood. 19 For Christ in his children doth not belong to the humane own-hood, viz. to the selfewill; neither doth he appropriate or give in himself to it; but unto the humble resigned will; to that he doth incline and appropriate himself; and sometimes he doth also defend the own will thereby. 20. For the own self-will is of the nature of this world, born of flesh and blood; but the Resigned will dyeth to the world; and is brought forth to life in God; Thus also we are to understand in Abraham and in all Christians, a twofold will; viz. one of this world; which always stands in fear; and then according to the Second Principle, viz. the Kingdom of Heaven, the poor captive souls will, which diveth and immerseth itself into God's Mercy in * Note. Hope. Hope. CHAP. XLVI. Of Isaac's birth, and the casting-out of Ishmael, with his Mother Hagar. What thereby is signified. Gen. XXI. THe Spirit in Moses setteth the figure of man's Regeneration in its process, so exactly and orderly together in the history of Abraham, that a man may even lay hold of it, much more see it, how he doth set the natural man in self, and Christ, so punctually by each other; and points even with the finger at the figure: for when God had destroyed Sodom, and Gomorrah, and that Plain, over against which Abraham dwelled; and brought forth Lot; then Abraham journeyed from thence towards the South; showing that when the Kingdom of Christ should be * Corrupt. despoiled in any place, that then Christ would departed thence. 2. And He lived under the King Abimilech, and sojourned as a stranger at Gerar; In these two Names, viz. Abimilech, and Gerar, the figure stands plain in the generation or formation of the word without any interpretation or exposition; wherefore the Spirit in Moses wrote down this History; and from whence he looketh as through an exact Perspective: for ABIMILECH denoteth the man of ingenious and discreet Reason; viz. the true man, but without Christ; only in the creature as he is created: GERAR betokeneth the strong Austere life of nature, wherein the understanding must dwell, which nature, is corrupted, and from that corruption casteth or darteth Temptations and oppositions continually into the life's understanding, or Reason-light; so that the life stands in a constant contrariety, and is uncessantly sifted winnowed and proved, which is the * Note. Cross of the children of God; that they see, that while they live in themselves in selfe-Reason, they can do nothing else but go astray, slip, and err; as may be seen here in Abraham. When God lead him away from the borders of the Sodomites, he went towards the South unto King Abimilech. The inward figure of this stands thus. 3. When God had manifested himself to Abraham, and set forth the figure of Christ and his Kingdom, and also the Power of Judgement upon the whole earth, than God hide himself again from Abraham; and than Abraham went towards the South Country; that is, into his Reason; viz. into man's own understanding; and dwelled at Gerar, that is, in the corrupt nature; which manifests itself plainly, in his carriage towards Abimilech, where he in the fear of nature, in the Temptation, did deny his wife, and said, that she was not his wife, that so he might but preserve himself by the suttlety of Reason; and we see here also, how that that very thing, by which he thought in Reason to keep himself from mischief, must reprove and teach him; as we see how Abimilech reproved him in that he had denied his wife, with whom he had almost sinned if the Lord had not warned him; and the exposition is this. 4. If we see a man whom the Spirit of God driveth, and by whom he oftentimes speaketh, we must not so take it up, and think, that he is something more than other men; as Abraham was no more than others in his own Reason; the selfe-reason in them is as wavering, dubious, and imperfect, as in other men, and That what they know, and teach of God, is not their own propriety; as we see here in Abraham, how he out of fear did not spare his Sarah, (but denied her out of a timorous conjecture; though Abimilech had taken her away from him to be his Concubine) that so he might but live, and it might be well with him for her sake. 5. Thus God proveth his children, that they might see, that they in their own ability are no more than all other sinful men; and that men should not so set by them and hold them for a God; thus oftentimes God permits them to go astray and err, and yet then he rebukes them also by those whom they ought to teach, as we see here in Abimilech; how he must reprove Abraham, and make him ashamed, that he would not spare his wife for a small fears sake, but would deny her. 6. And although it doth fall out that sometimes we see, such a man whom God driveth to err, yet we ought not therefore presently wholly to reject him, and set him at nought, and think that he is wholly without God, as the world doth; but think that God doth thus set his children under the Cross to prove them; that they should learn to know themselves; and then the Sun ariseth again upon them; as here it did upon Abraham; when God had suffered him to go unto Gerar; that is, into his natural rational life, wherein he committed a great offence before Abimilech. A twofold Sun did afterwards arise and shine on him; viz. one was, that Abimilech did acknowledge him, and learned to fear the Lord; and gave the Land for a possession unto Abraham; he gave him also Gifts for rebuke; as the Reproof of the Saints, is, that men should fear at God's reproof; Thus the Sun of King Abimileches favour arose upon him. And then the other Sun which shoan on him, was, that Sarah conceived; and a branch sprang forth unto him out of the line of the Covenant from the divine Sun's Power, and Isaac was born unto him. 7. And that we may understand the very truth; we see, how always the Cross stands by the children of God; and Adam and Christ are continually set by each other; as here Abimilech and Abraham; and Ishmael and Isaac; and also the man of right reason; and the corrupt nature against reason; which uncessantly sifts, and tries reason; as we may see it here in Hagar, and Sarah, which also were set one against another, that one did exercise the other; as Hagar in the property of corrupt nature, viz▪ in adam's life; and Sarah in Christ's Person; so that Hagar did exercise and prove the natural Sarah; that she pressed forth out of the Reason [or carnal * Or, natural carnal wisdom. wisdom of the flesh] into God. 8. And we have here in Sarah and her Maid Hagar, with her Son Ishmael, and with Isaac Sarahs' Son; how Sarah cast out the Bondwoman with her Son; which seemed grievous to Abraham, and yet was right in the sight of God, such an excellent mirror, as we find not the like again in the Bible; showing how Christ and the natural man dwell * Sojourn together. by one another; and how the natural man with Ishmael and his mother must be wholly cast out from the right of Inheritance, and self-will; that the natural own will is no heir of God. 9 And when the resigned will hath wholly cast * Understand the selfe-assuming will of nature, which seeks to be master in man. him out, than the poor nature of man sitteth in its rejected will in fear, and trembling, and utterly despairs of life; as here Hagar with her Son Ishmael; when she was cast out from Abraham, she wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, that is, in the brokenness of her heart; and looked upon herself as one wholly forsaken; and as one quite spent and faint, despaired of her own and her Son's life; for she had lost the Inheritance, and the favour of her Mistress also, and all her goods, and there was neither water nor bread for to preserve life, and they were, as given up to death; for she went and sat a stones cast from the child, because she would not see him die; and when she had even wholly given on herself to die; then the Angel came again unto her and called her, and comforted her, and shown her also a fountain; and told her, that she should not be so afraid of death; her Son must yet become a great Nation. The inward figure of this is thus. 10. When Isaac, that is, Christ is born in the Convert, than the spiritual newborn will rejecteth its own evil nature; it contemneth it, and condemneth it to death; casteth it out also from itself, with its Son the mocker, viz the false interpreter [and perverter of the truth]; as if it would even burst the same in the Mind; so very an hateful enemy the newborn spiritual will becomes to the natural will in its Evil qualities; viz. to Ishmael the Son of the natural will, who is only a mocker, scoffer, pharisaical censurer, liar, backbiter and unrighteous. 11. And when the newborn will hath thus cast out the evil nature with its wicked children from itself, than the poor forsaken nature stands in great distress, trembling, and desertion; for the internal holy Soul doth forsake it; and than it even gives up itself wholly to death; and wandreth in itself in the wilderness; and looketh upon itself as a foolish and simple one, who is every one's byword, and laughing stock. 12. And then when the nature doth willingly give itself thereunto; that it also will now die wholly to its selfeness, and despairs wholly on itself, as a poor forsaken woman, that is deprived of all the worldly glory, riches, beauty, and the pleasure of the outward life also; being wholly cast out from its former desire; and almost quite forlorn; so that the own desire gins to faint and quail within itself, then comes the Angel of God to the nature; and comforts it; and bids it not to despair; and gives it also water to drink; that is, some faithful upright man, [or some inward ray and beam of light from the new-birth of Christ in the heart] which comforts it in its forsaken condition; and helps to nourish, and cherish it, and tells it, that it shall not die, but become a great Nation, but not in its innate and inbred heritage; viz. in the evil Self-will, but in Beer-sheba; that is, in the true Contrition in the wilderness, viz. in the valley of tears in the desertion; that is, the poor nature must work in this forsakenness, and in its present banishment and exile [from the sensible and full enjoyment of Paradise] bring forth much fruit, which fruit the Angel brings again into Abraham's Tent to be a sojourner of Christ. 13. That is (we must understand) when Christ is born in man, he rejecteth the vanity of nature, with the will which worketh and desireth vanity, and maketh the natural will to be Servant, whereas before it was Lord and Master; but Nature standeth in the wilderness, in the vanity of death, encompassed with Sin; and now it must work and bring forth fruit, and yet it looketh upon itself as wholly impotent; and as one wholly cast out from the inward spiritual will of Christ; and in itself it seems as one foolish, and contemned of the world; and every way beaten off from its own will; and than it gins even to sink and quail in itself; and to leave off from its own will; and all things are of small esteem with it: That which before did rejoice it, that now is against it; and it stands always as if it should die; it hopeth, and doubteth; that is, it hopeth amendment, that it might yet once be delivered from the scornful contempt, and be set again into the honour of its selfehood; but it drieth up also it's well of water; and God's anger appears in its sight; that is, all its friends depart from it, with whom before in its Temporal goods and prosperity it had pleasure, respect, and honour; so that it looks upon itself as continually a dying. 14. And when this comes to pass, than it is right in the way to Beer-sheba; and wandreth in the wilderness; for it knows not what it shall do; it is every one's scorn; whatsoever it looks upon, rebukes it for a fool, in that its power is taken from it; that it must now forgo the beauty, riches, and honour of the world, and all whatsoever might advance and prefer it in temporals; and yet it would fain have them; but yet it is drawn from them by the inward man in Christ's spirit, and * Blamed or upbraided. reproved in these temporals for unrighteous, and abominable. 15. And then indeed it enters right into Beer-sheba, viz. into the Contrition of the heart, and sets reason by the empty water-pott of Hagar; and goeth a stones cast from its Son Ishmael; viz. from the own desire of nature; and stands and compels also the thoughts of nature; and will not give any thing any longer to its own children, viz. to the Senses and cogitations of the mind; but casteth them away (as children that now must die) a stones cast, that is, a while from itself, that it might not see the death of its children; so wholly doth Hagar, viz. the nature with its Son, give up itself to the mind for the mortification of the selfehood of the own will; sits also and mourns in itself in Beer-sheba, viz. in the broken and contrite heart; and wholly despairs of its Reason; would fain die, that it might be but freed from the miserable forlorn condition. 16. And then when it is thus prepared, that it quite despairs of its Self, & gives up itself wholly into the death of selfehood; then cometh the Angel of God to Hagar, that is, to the poor forsaken and dying nature; and saith; What aileth thee Hagar? God hath heard the voice of the Lad, where he lieth; arise, take up the Lad, and hold him in thy hand, for I will make him a great Nation; and than God openeth the eyes of Hagar, viz. of nature; and she sees a well of water, and then filleth her bottle with water, and gives the Lad drink, who grows in the desert, and is a good Archer, and dwells even in the wilderness of Paran, and must take an Egyptian wife. The inward exceeding precious and worthy figure of this stands thus. 17. When man hath put on Christ in Faith, and is entered into right true Repentance, and hath in his mind forsaken the whole world, even all its honour, goods, and things temporal; then the poor nature of man doth thus stand in the mortification of self, as is abovementioned concerning Hagar, and her Son; for it desireth also to die, even to the Senses and cogitations of the mind; and to enter wholly into Resignation. 18. And when it stands thus in the thoughts of death, having given up its will and cogitations into mortification, than the inward Voice of God's Word manifests itself in the Mind and * Thoughts, meditations. Senses; and even there the divine word heareth the voice of the child's crying; viz. the troubled disconsolate Mind in its * Cogitations, meditations. thoughts; for it soundeth therein in the divine voice; and saith in the divine voice to nature; viz. to Hagar; What aileth thee thou troubled and perplexed nature? fear not, God hath heard the voice of the Lad; viz. of thy thoughts, which thou hast offered up in the desire to God: Arise, that is, lift up thyself to God in this resignation; and stand up in the voice which hath graciously heard thee, and looked upon thee, and take thy cogitations, viz. thy Son, by the hand of faith; and guide and govern the powers of the Mind; they shall not die, but live, and go; for I will make them a great Nation; that is, to a great divine understanding and capacity in divine Mysteries; and God openeth unto nature the fountain of living water; so that it receiveth, into the Bottle of its essence in itself, of God's wellspring, and therewith it gives the Lad, viz. the Senses [or powers of the mind] drink. 19 And then God is with this Lad of the Thoughts, and he groweth great in the wilderness, that is, in the corrupt nature, the right discreet and intellectual child, groweth great in the Spirit of the Lord, and becomes an Archer; that is, an Archer of the Lord, and his brethren; who shoots the Birds of prey, and the wild Beasts; understand, he shooteth down out of his Spirit the evil beasts and birds in his brethren, with the holy Spirit; he teacheth them, and reproveth them with divine Arrows. 20. But he must dwell in the wilderness of Paran, viz. in the corrupt flesh; and in the wilderness amongst ungodly People, and there he must be an Archer of God; and his Mother, viz. nature, gives him an Egyptian woman, that is, nature layeth a fleshly woman by the noble Mind born in Christ's Spirit, with which the noble newborn Mind must sit in wedlock, and be plagued with this Idolatrous fleshly woman; understand it thus. 21. This Egyptian woman is his flesh and blood with Reason, wherein the Idol Maozim, viz. the babylonical whore sitteth, where the Devil hath his Pulpit, which, to the precious Mind, is the Cross of Christ, where the woman's Seed, viz. the Spirit of Christ must uncessantly bruise the Serpent's head, viz. the Devils introduced desire in this Whore of Babylon. 22. This whore is now the Exercise, and Probation of the spiritual cogitations or senses in the Christian Mind; but this whore doth not hurt the children of Christ; indeed it hath a false lust, and is a very wedded Harlot, which shall not see the Kingdom of God; but it must yet serve for good to the children of God; for by it the Cross of Christ is laid upon the precious mind, so that the mind must continue in humility, and not say, I am righteous, I am holy; No! no! the holiness is not this childes own; but it is God's Mercy, who hath heard the crying of the Lad, viz. of the poor forsaken mind: thus the noble holy mind, viz. the new man, born in Christ's Spirit, must be wedded with this Egyptian, evil, malicious, Idolatrous, whorish, ungodly woman, which is * Note, how we cannot so much as think a good thought. neither able to do, will, or think, any good, and bear with it the foul shame and reproach, so long, till the unclean Idolatrous whore dyeth; and then this Lad is led of the Angel into Isaac's Tent, viz. into Christ's flesh and blood. 23. And this is the very real figure of the Spirit in Moses, wherefore he hath so punctually, and emphatically deciphered this figure; for the Spirit in Moses aimeth so directly and fully at the mortifying of man's selfehood; and plainly speaketh, that the Selfewill must be cast out from God; and where Christ is born, there the same is brought to pass; as here when Isaac the Type of Christ was born of the free woman, than the Son of the Bondwoman must be cast out; for in Isaac the seed which should inherit the Kingdom of God was to be called; it should not proceed out of the selfefull nature, of the flesh and will of man, but out of Gods will: out of the mortified will of our nature, which dyeth to its selfehood, and despairs of itself, a Christian must be born: that is, Ishmael, viz. the poor Sinner (when he becomes an enemy to sin, reputes of it, and wills it no more) shall be born in God's mercy, indeed nature must and shall be there, even with its evil earthly flesh, but Christ is brought forth from thence, as a fair blossom out of the wild earth, as a pleasant fruit out of the kernel. 24. A very excellent figure, the Spirit in Moses doth present unto us, in Abraham and Sarah; when Sarah would cast out the Son of the bondwoman from the inheritance; so that the Son of the bondwoman should not be heir with the free; the same seemed unjust to Abraham being he was of his Seed and his own Son; but God said to him; Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the Lad, and because of the bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, harken to her voice; for in Isaac shall thy Seed be called. The inward precious figure of this is thus. 25. When a man is born again in Christ's Spirit, as it was here with Abraham; then he thinks sometimes, that he is wholly new, and knows not himself yet aright, and that he hath the whorish Egyptian bondwoman with her scoffing Son of vanity in his Arms; and now, when it happeneth that oftentimes the mocker, viz. Ishmael the Son of the Bondwoman doth break forth out of him, yea even wholly without his will and purpose; that Sarah, (that is, honest Minds, to whom God doth make it known) do reprove him; nay and is oftentimes reproved of the evil, so that it is plainly declared to him that this mocker should be cast out; This Abraham, viz. the man will by no means brook; he will be uncontrolled, and yet he doth not know, that he in this time of his earthly life stands in the judgement of God; that his words, and works must be daily proved, and judged; he will often go in a way of justification, and maintain his own cause, and will be praised, and in the mean time forgetts the Egyptian Bondwoman in his Arms and her scoffing Son, who sometimes peeps forth in his words with evil interpretations, wrong meanings, and evil surmises, and covers itself finely under a glozing mantle of glistering hypocrisy; this now the free woman casts out, that is, the Spirit of Christ casts it out, by other people's mouth; and yet this seems to be unrighteous to the man; being the word is born of his body, and arisen out of his very Mind. 26. But the Lord speaketh in the Spirit of the humility of Christ; let it not seem grievous in thy Sight, that people do find fault with thy words, and reject thy labour; Harken to Sarah, viz. to the divine voice; and do thou thyself cast out from thee whatsoever thou hast at any time spoken or meant evilly, wrongfully, or partially, for in Isaac, that is, in thy deepest humility, thy Seed shall be called, where, in thy words and works the Spirit of God worketh in Love, and not in thy natural selfeness and peculiar ownhood of reason, wherein the Son of the bondwoman speaketh and worketh. 27. And the children of God ought well to consider this figure, and think, that whatsoever is spoken and done from favour, affection, and partial siding, be it either towards honest or dishonest men, the same proceeds from the Son of the Bondwoman, which must go into judgement to be tried; and must be judged of men; viz. of the evil and good; it must be cast forth among a company of evil, and good Tongues; where every one passeth his sentence and judgement thereupon: God judgeth upon the earth externally by men, both by the Evil and Good. 28. This now must seem so very grievous and heinous to Abraham, viz. to Man, when his words and works are judged and proved, and think, that his divine Seed must be brought forth only in the Love and humility, and that whatsoever he speaketh, judgeth, or doth from partiality or favour, doth belong again unto judgement, where it must be proved, and purged; As Hagar with her Son Ishmael was, and then, when it is judged; that is, cast out by the people; then comes the Angel of God, and speaketh to the natural man, that he should not despair in this judgement; but take it in good part, and be content, that his words and works are judged. 29. Therefore we say as the Lord hath given us to know it, that whosoever will read and understand aright the history of the old Testament, he must set before him two Types; viz. externally Adam, viz. the earthly man, and internally Christ, and change both these into One, and so he may understand all whatsoever Moses and the Prophets have spoken in the Spirit. 30. He must not be so blind as to look upon it as the Jews and Babel do, who make only of this History, Conclusions of reason in respect of the Election of God, as if God had thus only chosen to himself a sundry and peculiar Nation or sort of people to be his children: the Election of God passeth upon the figure only, showing, what people should bear the figure of the inward kingdom of Christ in the outward, in which people God would set forth and manifest the kingdom of Christ externally: the Jews have had only a mirror and type hereof externally, and so likewise the Christians, who looked upon Christ in the flesh as a mere pure man. 31. These figures have remained very speechless to the world, even to this last time, and that from the purpose of God, being man is such a piece of mere vanity, and flesh, and so soon weary of the Pearls, and afterwards comes to trample them underfoot, Therefore God hath dealt with man in Types and Parables; as Christ also did when he came upon the earth; He spoke all these mysteries in Parables for man's unworthiness sake. 32. But now at present there is Great Cause (as all the Prophets have prophesied thereof) that the same should be made manifest; and the Cause is this, that in this Last Trumpets Sound the * Rev. 10.7. mystery of the kingdom of God shall be finished; and the bride of Christ, viz. the wise virgins shall be prepared, who shall meet the Lord in his Appearance; and it betokens the day of Christ's Coming, when he will appear with the holy City the New Jerusalem, and bring home his Bride: Therefore the mystery of the Kingdom of God must first be unfolded and explained out of its Types, and become wholly manifest. 33. And this will be the fall of the fleshly Sinful man, in that the man of Sin must be made manifest, as Saint Paul plainly prophesieth thereof, * 2 Thess. 2.3. that the child of perdition shallbe revealed to all Nations, speeches, tongues; and the Beast with the whore shall go into the bottomless pit; that is, when the Kingdom of Christ becomes wholly manifest; then the Beast, and the whore of flesh, viz. the false Bondwoman, with her scoffing Son, stands in great shame, and is Judged of Every one, as an whore in the Cage, that Every one scorns and scoffs at. 34. As indeed hitherto men have reviled Christ in the outward Image of Simplicity in his children and members, in which, Reason hath seen and known no more, than Hagar and Ishmael in their miserable banishment; under which notwithstanding, the voice of the Angel hath been; which they have scorned and mocked in the foolish plain simplicity under the vail, and have set up the mocker Ishmael in Christ's stead; which hath been only an Antichrist: Now this mocker and Antichrist shall be revealed under this Trumpets Sound; and be cast out * Or, by. of the children of God into the * ●●te. Abyss, this Babel shall see in a short time, Declareth the Spirit of the wonders of God. 35. We see all an excellent figure of this in Abimilech, that, when God will manifest himself to a people, how he terrifies them in the midst of their Sins, and appeareth to them in Anger; as to Abimilech in the vision; and to Moses in the bush of fire; and also to Israel upon the Mount Sinai also in the fire; and also to Elias in the fire and wind; where always the rebuke of God's wrath is foresignified, how God doth bruise the hearts of men that they may fear and tremble before him, as here Abimilech when the Lord appeared to him by night in a vision, and threatened him by reason of Sarah, he was astonished, and told the same in the ears of his people, and the people were sore afraid, and Abimilech called Abraham, and made a Covenant with him. 36. This is an excellent figure, and pregnantly intimates, how God terrifieth the Enemies, and comforts poor dejected nature when it quails for fear; and turns its fear into Joy; and how the miserable, and afflicted if he be honest is at last drawn out of misery and affliction; and how at last his Enemies who before he thought to be his Enemies must serve him, and advance him; so wonderfully doth God lead his children, if they do but endure Temptation and continue under the Cross of Christ in humility, and not look upon Selfe-revenge, but put on Patience in hope and persevere steadfast in the faith; at last all a man's adversaries must see and acknowledge that God is with the man, and that the world hath dealt wrongfully and unrighteously with him. 37. Also this is an excellent emphatical figure how Abraham (when God would punish Abimilech) did pray unto God for Abimilech, and made reconciliation, that God did bless Abimilech; and this whole History stands in the figure of Christ, and holds forth how Adam and Christ are together; how Christ is come into the Selfe-assumed Kingly own-hood or selfeness of man, and terrifieth Sin and Death, and how the poor corrupt nature doth turn itself in the horror, and acknowledgement of Sin, to God, as here Abimilech turned unto Abraham; and how it then giveth the kingdom of nature for a possession unto Christ; and the inward figure in the Spirit of Moses (who was the Type and figure of Christ, who yet pointeth, out of the Father's property, upon the Son in the flesh, viz. in the humanity) can be understood no otherwise, then even thus; It is the true Ground. CHAP. XLVII. Of the Covenant of Abimilech and Abraham, showing what the same is, in the spiritual figure; and what the Spirit in Moses under his vail, doth here point at. A very precious and excellent Gate to the Children of God in Beer-sheba. 1. COurteous and friendly Reader, know, that if a man should write many hundred Books of the history of Abraham, yet he could not sufficiently express the abundant richness which lieth hid under this figure, but we will afford a little Service to the children of God in their weakness, and somewhat unveil this figure, being otherwise it is not to be understood by the natural man; and yet the Lord doth thus lead us in Grace [to the understanding thereof;] therefore I shall here lend and give him the hand thereto; observe it well, there is couched under it a peerless matchless Pearl, which shall here stand open, and yet also continue hidden, which cannot be purchased with the goods of the whole world; it is hidden unto Reason. The outward figure in the Text of Moses stands thus. 2. And it came to pass at that time, that Abimilech, Gen. XXI. v. 22. to the last verse being 34. and Pichol the chief Captain of his host, spoke unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou dost; Now therefore Swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal * Unkindly. unfaithfully with me, nor with my children, nor grandchildren; but according to the kindness which I have done unto thee, thou shalt also do unto me, and to the Land wherein thou art a Stranger: And Abraham said, I will swear: And Abraham reproved Abimilech, because of a well of water, which Abimileches Servants had violently taken away. And Abimilech answered, I know not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me; neither yet heard I of it, but to day. And Abraham took sheep, and Oxen, and gave them unto Abimilech, and both of them made a Covenant together; and Abraham set seven Ew-lambes of the flock by themselves, and Abimilech said unto Abraham, what mean these Seven Ew-lambes which thou hast set apart by themselves? And he answered; Seven Lambs thou shalt take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me that I have digged this Well: Whreupon he called that Place Beer-sheba, because they there swore both of them; and thus they made a Covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimilech risen up, and Pichol the chief Captain of his host; and they returned into the Land of the Philistines; And Abraham planted trees in Beer-sheba, and preached there of the Name of the Lord the Eternal God; and was for a long time a Stranger in the Land of the Philistines. This figure seems outwardly, as if Abimilech was afraid of Abraham; being God had given him to understand in a vision, that Abraham was a Prince of God; thereupon he desired a Covenant and Oath from Abraham, lest he should root out him, and his Posterity. 3. But the Spirit of Christ under the vail of Moses hath ciphered out before him far another figure, wherewith he alludes, and prophesieth; for under all the Acts of Abraham which the Spirit of Moses hath written down, we are to understand, a twofold figure, viz. externally an history relating something done; and under that same history, the Spirit of Christ in the Covenant, doth so aptly, and exactly set its figure, as if he played therewith. 4. For the place here mentioned, is even the same whither Hagar fled with Ishmael; it is even the same Beer-sheba, and the same fountain of water signified, which the Angel shown Hagar; which Abraham, that is, Christ digged; where afterwards Christendom * Or, called on. preached of the Name of the Lord the Eternal God, in Christ, by this well of water in Beer-sheba. 5. And the Covenant betwixt Abimilech and Abraham, is the Covenant of Christ with the humanity, where Abraham, that is, Christ swore, that he would not destroy the humanity; as he also said when he came into the flesh; that * Joh. 3.17. he was not come into this world to condemn the world, but to save the world, that is, to bless and keep Covenant. The inward holy figure stands thus. 6. Abimilech and Pichol, who spoke with Abraham concerning the Covenant, the Spirit doth here represent in the Type of God the Father, and then also of nature: King Abimilech points at the Father in the soul's property, and Pichol his field-Captain points at nature, viz. God's Officer; both these approach to the Type of Christ, viz. to Abraham. For mankind was given to this Christ: he should be a Prince of God in and over the humanity. 7. Now Nature had brought itself out of the Father's property into false lust, (understand in the humane nature) for it desired to manifest Sarah, viz. the free woman, understand the heavenly virginlike matrix, in the earthly bestial property, which came to pass in Adam when he brought his female property into a bestial lust; now the Spirit here in Moses doth hint at this figure, and representeth under King Abimilech, Adam in the Father's property and nature. 8. As Adam lusted to manifest himself with his female property, viz. with the mother of the holy birth in the earthly bestial mother, or to prove, try, and taste in the Tincture of Venus the root or the ground of the third Principle; So here King Abimilech in the same nature (understand the masculine out of the Father's property) did lust after the mother of the Covenant which was now moved in Sarah, to know the same; which the holy God would not have; and therefore came unto Abimilech; and terrified this nature of lust, and threatened punishment, and destruction to it. 9 Now understand in King Abimilech the Soul out of the Father's property; and by Pichol understand the outward nature, viz. the third Principle; which is the field-Captain or Servant of the King, viz. of the Soul, and by Abraham understand Christ in the humanity, or in the Ens of the faith of the Covenant, as the Spirit signifieth, and sets forth pregnantly by way of allusion in this figure. 10. God the Father bringeth the poor Soul, viz. the King of the humane property, unto Christ, after that it had given itself to lust with its Servant, viz. the body of nature; and now the Soul speaketh to Abraham in the figure of Christ; Wherefore didst thou not tell me, that God was in Sarah, viz. in this Image? wherefore didst thou not say unto me that she was thy wife, understand Christ's wife, which is called the Woman's Seed in this mother; for I had almost heinously offended towards her. 11. Understand, the Soul of Adam knew not Christ in its heavenly matrix in the Tincture of Venus; it thought, that it was the fair pleasant child; therefore it went with this holy Tincture into selfefull lust, but now when God shown the Soul this holy Tincture in the Covenant; then the Soul said, I did not know it; viz. that this female property, as it was in me, was God's wife, who bringeth forth by it; and spoke by the field-Captain, viz. by the outward nature to Abraham in Christ. Take now thy wife, viz. the heavenly matrix in me; for, lo! God is with thee in all that thou dost; that is, I will restore again unto thee whatsoever I have taken into my Selfe-possession, viz. the matrix of the divine world's property, which is closed up in me, and now awakened in thee; take it, it is thy wife; and when Abraham, understand Christ, took the same, * Gen. 20.17. Then all the women, and maids of Abimilech, and his Servants, understand the daughters of Eve, were healed in the Heavenly matrix through Christ's wife, viz. through Sarah in the Covenant, that they again might bring forth God's Children. 12. Now the Soul in the Father's property, spoke to Abraham in Christ, being * Mat. 28.18. all power over the humanity was given unto him, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt not show any * Or, Vnfaithfullness. un-kindness to me, nor my Children, nor my Nephews; but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee; do thou also unto me, and to the Land wherein thou art a Stranger; That is, as if God the Father in the Soul should speak with Christ his Son, to whom he had given the whole * That is, all mankind. humanity for a peculiar possession, and say thus; being I have given thee the Power in the humane property which is mine, to be thy own, Swear now unto me by God; that is, deeply bind thyself therewith into an essential Oath, or One Eternal Covenant; that thou wilt not show any unkindness to my nature in the humane property, nor to the children, viz. to the Branches which spring forth anew out of their property; nor to their Nephews, or grandchildren; that is, to those children who spring out from the wild property, where oftentimes a wicked husband or a wicked wife are joined together, the one being ungodly, and the other honest; but according to the kindness which I have done unto thee, even unto thy Image; (in that I have restored unto thee again this heavenly matrix, which in Adam was captivated in my wrath, and disappeared from thy Image, in my Anger; thou shalt do likewise to me; and unto the Land, that is, unto the outward man, wherein God's children bear the heavenly Image; that is, unto the Land wherein thou sojournest. 13. For, Christ is a stranger in our earthly humanity, and our earthly humanity doth oftentimes make our children or grandchildren strangers to God: there the Father of nature in the Souls property said unto Christ, he was a Stranger in Our Land; as Christ also said, that his kingdom was not of this world, that is, of the earthly man; but Christ should show kindness in this Strange Land, understand the strange humanity, and not reject the children which should be born therein, as the Father had done to his Image of the heavenly humanity, which disappeared in Adam; this Christ should Swear unto God; as he also sweareth in the Prophet Ezekiell; * Ezek. 33.11. As true as I live, I will not (or have no delight in) the death of the wicked or sinner, but rather that he should turn and live: for Abraham in Christ, viz. in the figure, said I will Swear, that is, I will do it. 14. And Abraham reproved Abimilech because of the well of water which the Servants of Abimilech had taken away by force; that is, Christ reproved the Soul, that the Souls servants, viz. the essence of nature, had taken away the wellspring of the Essence from the heavenly corporality, viz. Christ's body in Adam, whereupon the heavenly Image died or disappeared; for Christ's holy fountain of water sprung up in the Souls fiery Essence, but the Souls Essence had taken this fountain of divine Sweetness into its own Selfefull power, and changed the same in itself to another property. 15. And Abimilech answered, that is, the Soul, I wots not who hath done this; that is, I did not know that the Devil had deceived me, that the false lust was arisen in the very Essence of my nature; and who hath done this hurt; also thou didst not tell it unto me, that is, thou didst not declare unto me that thy Image was in me; that this holy divine fountain was thine▪ which my Servants, viz. my Essences have * Turned it to a selfish own-hood. taken it to selfehood; moreover, I heard not of it, but to day; that is, thou hast not revealed to me that this fountain is thy Seat, save to day only, that is, to day, where thou dost again manifest thyself in me in Adam with a Covenant of Grace, where now I heard thy voice in me. 16. And Abraham took sheep, and Oxen, and gave them to Abimilech, and they both made a Covenant with each other; that is, than Christ took his sheep, that is, children; and his Oxen are the Gentiles: the sheep are the children in whom the Covenant was manifested, viz. the Jews, and gave them to the Father; and made between Christ's Spirit and humanity, and between the Jews and Gentiles, an eternal Covenant, that it should be one humanity and not two. 17. And Abraham set seven lambs apart by themselves. These seven lambs are the seven properties of the natural humanity of Christ, which he did manifest in our humanity; and in that the Spirit saith, by themselves, signifieth, that Christ in his humanity of the seven properties is a distinct Person; so that we men (viz. Jew's and Gentiles, who come to his Grace) ought not to say, we are Christ, but we are his house in which he dwells: the Power of the holy fountain of water is his; we are only branches on his tree: he is with the seven lambs of the divine property * Or, by himself. apart in us; they belong not to man's selfehood. 18. Only in the Right Resignation Christ and man is wholly One, when man's will wills nothing any more without Christ, but gives up itself wholly in Christ, than it is dead to Self, and Christ only liveth in it; also it doth signify that his creatural Person with the seven properties of the humanity shall dwell among us as a distinct Person, as eternal high Priest. 19 And Abimilech said, what mean these Seven Lambs which thou hast set by themselves; that is, God the Father made an allusion, through the Essence of the Soul in this figure, with Christ's figure in Abraham, and said, what mean thy seven properties of our divine nature by themselves? Wherefore being thou shouldst regenerate mankind & dwell in them, wilt thou also set forth thy seven properties of our divine nature in a distinct humane person? and Christ answered in the figure of Abraham; Thou shalt take Seven Lambs from my hand, that they may be an Eternal Testimony unto me, that I have digged this well; that is to say, Christ speaketh to his Father in man's Person; thou shalt take the figure, or the Image of my seven properties of the humane creature, for an Everlasting Testimony, that I in my Suffering and death have again digged the wellspring of Eternal Life in the humane property; that man's new-digged fountain of life is mine. 20. And the Spirit in Moses speaketh wholly under a vail; therefore, or from hence, the place was called Beer-sheba: this is the very precious place where God the Father and his Son in the humanity swore both of them together; the place was called Beer-sheba; viz. a bruising of death by the will of him that liveth and seethe in the disappeared humanity, where, in Christ's humanity, (which he assumed from us men) death was bruised, and broken in pieces, and the wellspring of Love did flow forth again out of the living God in our bruised humanity of the heavenly part into the Souls creaturall-fountain: now the spirit of Moses speaks here very pregnantly, that the place was called Beer-sheba, where the Testimony of this Oath, (viz. a fountain of Grace) was eastablished. 21. And the place of God at Beer-sheba is shown to us poor men, where God the Father hath made an Everlasting Covenant with us in Christ Jesus; viz. in the penitent Contrite Soul; when the poor Soul in this precious Covenant and Oath doth wholly give up itself with a broken and contrite heart to Repentance; then the Oath of God in the Covenant of Jesus Christ, stands open to it in Beer-sheba, viz. in the Souls Contrition; where God in Christ Jesus hath sworn, that he will not destroy the poor Soul, and its children, and grandchildren; nor do any hurt to this Land of the Soul, viz. to the Body of the humanity. 22. Thus now we ought steadfastly to trust our dear Immanuel Jesus Christ, who hath sworn a precious Oath to his Father, in our Souls property, that he will not turn away his Mercy and love from us; we should but come to him in Beer-sheba, and receive the Oath as our own; that is, with contrite penitent hearts. 23. And Moses saith further; When this was done; then Abimilech arose and Pichol his field-Captain, and they returned into the Land of the Philistines; that is to say; when God the Father had given over the humanity to his Son Jesus Christ, with this Covenant and Oath; then he went with his regiment or host; viz. with Pichol, that is, with the outward nature, again into the Land of the Philistines; that is, into the dominion or Regiment of the outward and inward nature, which is * Or, Philistineall. Philistrean, that is, inclined to Good and Evil: this denotes that the poor Soul, although it hath taken on it the Covenant and Oath of God; and sworn with Christ to God, yet it must in this life time dwell in the earthly body; viz. under the heathenish * Or, Philistine. philistrean essence of the flesh; which is a constant adversary to this King Abimilech, viz. to the poor Soul, and only forsaketh the Covenant and Oath; and brings itself in its * Or, Philistine. philistrean selfish lustful concupiscence and desires, into selfehood, as into its own Land. 24. And hereby it is signified to the poor Christians, that they must lodge and lie with the new birth in this * Philistine Land. Philistrean land or house of flesh, as mere strangers, and cannot be wholly freed in this life time; for Pichol the field-Captain of the Soul, viz. nature, must have its rule and work in this time, in evil and good, and be an hard Cross, and continual Temptation to the precious Image of Christ, viz. to the new-birth, by which cross the noble and dear Tree of Pearl is moved, stirred, and caused to spring and grow; as a tree which comes out of the earth must grow in heat and cold, in wind, rain and snow; so also must the precious little Tree of Jesus Christ, which is a stranger with Abraham in Beer-sheba, viz. in the Earthly Cottage. 25. And the Spirit in Moses speaketh further; saying, Abraham planted trees at Beer-sheba, and there preached of the Name of the Lord the Everliving God; and was a stranger in the Land of the Phylistins a long time: this is as much as if he should have said; The spirit of Christ in Abraham, when the Soul hath received the Covenant, and Oath, that it is contrite in true repentance, doth plant trees in Beer-sheba, that is, it bringeth forth heavenly branches in this penitent heart in the Strange Land the earthly man; and preacheth, from these new branches, of the Name of the Eternal God, and dwelleth a long time, viz. the time of the whole earthly life, in this * Philistine. philistrean Cottage. 26. And this is a real figure of the poor penitent Sinner, which in Christ's Spirit becomes a new creature according to the inward man; showing how he must enter into repentance, and plant out of Christ's Spirit the little tree of Christ in his contrite and truly broken mind, and dwell also with this little Pearl-tree of Christ among a company of wicked men in a strange Land, viz. in the evil corrupt flesh and blood; and there teach of the Name of God, and instruct the heathenish, and * Philistine. Philistrean children, that they in his Preaching may come to him in Beer-sheba, that is, into true and unfeigned repentance. 27. Thus very exactly doth the Spirit in Moses play here with the type of Christ under an external history in a simple childlike form; and shows us how we must continually stand in temptation, trials, danger, and opposition; and how God doth thus wonderfully deliver his children, that even those of whom they are afraid, and do also wish them no good, must at last make a Covenant of peace with them in their conscience, and also how the poor Soul by reason of great fears and horror hath no rest in itself, unless that it come through earnest repentance in Christ to God, and make a Covenant with Christ in God, so that the poor dejected conscience and nature be comforted; without this, there is mere distress, anguish, horror, unsettlement; as happened to Abimilech when he was enkindled in false lust towards Sarah: then God terrified his Conscience, that he went to Abraham, and humbled himself before him; and with great recompense and gifts made a Covenant with him; thus also it goeth with the children of Christ when they endure temptation, and continue steadfast in the faith; then at last their enemies must be ashamed, and return back, as it is to be seen here in this figure. CHAP. XLVIII. How God Tried Abraham, and set forth the figure of Christ's Offering in his Suffering and Death. AFter that the Spirit in Moses had deciphered the figure of the Covenant of God, established in Christ Jesus with his children, Gen. XXII. showing, how we poor children of Eve should and must departed out of this earthly will of Selfness, and be born in Christ with a new will, and life; he here now sets forth the figure, how the same should and must be brought to pass; how Christ must again offer up our Soul and humanity to his Father, even as he also was to be cast as an offering into the fire of God's anger, and wholly die in the wrath of God to the humane Souls selfness and own will, and yet spring forth powerfully with the divine Only will of God, through death, and the Anger of God, and break in pieces and make a scorn of death which held the humanity captive, and so bring the humane Soul again to God his Father into the only Eternal divine will, and * 1 Cor. 15.24. deliver up again the kingdom unto him, which he had given him in the humanity, so that afterward, and to all Eternity * 1 Cor. 15.28: God might be all in all, and the creature might not live any more to its own will, but sound only as an Instrument of a divine Tune in a divine Harmony, and the whole Humane tree might be only one in all its boughs, and branches. 2. The Spirit in Moses doth set forth this figure very clearly, even to the end of all his writings, and playeth, under the outward figure, with the inward, which shall remain for ever. I will therefore set down this figure of Abraham's Temptation in respect of his Son Isaac, likewise in the spiritual figure, and show what is thereby to be understood; for although the learned have expounded it, that God tempted Abraham to see, if he would continue steadfast in the faith upon him, yet it hath far another meaning and interpretation; * Note. for God knows well aforehand, what man will do; also man cannot without his Grace stand in the Temptation, as may be seen here in Abraham, when he denied his wife before King Abimilech as he came in to Gerar. 3. Abraham is here represented in Adam's stead, and his Son Isaac is represented in Christ's humanity, and the voice which came to Abraham is God the Fathers, these three stand here in the figure of the process of the work of man's redemption; showing how Abraham, that is, Adam should offer up his * Text. Image. person in Isaac, that is, in Christ to the voice of God in the fire of God, that so the humanity might be proved in the fire of God. Gen. XXII. vers. 1. 4. Now the voice of God spoke to Abraham; and said; Abraham, and he answered here am I; that is, God called to Adam in Abraham, viz to all men, Vers. 2. and said, take thy Own Son Isaac whom thou lovest, and go into the Land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-offring upon a mountain which I will tell thee of. Here the Spirit looketh with Isaac upon Christ, for in Isaac lay the Covenant, and the Ens of Abraham's faith, out of which Christ should come; now said the voice of God to Adam in Abraham, take thy Son whom thou lovest, and offer him for a burnt-offring upon the Mountain which I shall tell the off, that is, the Jews, viz. Adam's children should offer Christ for a burnt-offring; that is, the divine Ens should give in itself into Adam's Ens, which the children of Adam should offer up one with another in the fire of God; and it betokens, that every man when he hath received the Ens of faith, must offer up himself wholly unto God, and die to his own will in the fire of God, and in the divine Ens of faith be born anew through the offering in the fire of God. 5. For said the Spirit in Moses: Thy Son whom thou lovest, viz. thy own will, which hath brought itself into Self-love: this Self-will must be offered up to God, that it may leave the own selfish will in the fire of God, and wholly give over its ownhood, and no more will, and live, to itself but to God; and it rightly points out, how Christ in our humane will, which had broken off or turned itself in Adam from God, should again wholly offer, and give up himself in Adam's person to God his Father; and how the wrath of God should devour the will, viz. the will wherein Adam had introduced himself into selfehood. 6. In which devoration of the fire of anger, the Love Ens, in the word of faith, of divine power, viz. the true Man created in Adam must be form, and also preserved in this devouring fire as Gold or Silver in the Crucible; where the Copper, and all that is impure * Evaporates. purgeth from it, and only the Gold or Silver subsists in the fire; so likewise the humane assumed Own-hood, together with the assumed Ens of the Serpent, and Beast; and all whatsoever subsists not in the divine fire, must be consumed in the offering. And that we might have again, in Christ's person, an wholly pure entrance, and open fountain of Grace, Christ must offer up our humane will of Self to his Father, & resign it up to him wholly, and that upon the Mount Moriah, that is, in his death, where he, for * 2 Cor. 5.15. all, and in all, should die to the Humane Selfehood; * Note. How Christ's Death was effectual to All men. even as when the Stock of a tree dyeth, than also all its branches in it do die; and as the tree doth renew its youthful growth; it also introduceth its new power and strength into its branches, which indeed is not possible to the outward nature, but in God it is very possible, as may be seen in the dry Rod of Aaron, which was dead to its sap and life, and yet in one Night sprang forth afresh, and bare fair Almonds. 7. Now said God; upon the mountain which I shall show thee; that is, it must not be done according to Adam's will; also it must not be done in us according to our will, as if we should prescribe to ourselves where and how we would offer up ourselves in Christ to the Father, as Babel doth; no; but upon the mountain; that is on the place, in the property, and in the death, as the Lord appoints, orders, and sends it to us, we must be only Obedient with Abraham, and give up ourselves willingly thereunto when he will have us offer unto himself; not whip, beat, and plague ourselves, but only sink with our will into him, and wait till the Lord shows us the place, where and how he will have us offer unto him: we must give up unto him our whole heart, and will, with body and soul, and commit it to him what he will further do with us; where he in the * Image, or Likeness. Type of Jesus Christ will offer us according to the body; and when the Lord calleth us to the offering with his Cross, or will offer us up to the Temporal death, than we should say with Abraham; lo! here am I, Lord! do what thou pleasest. 8. And Abraham risen up early in the morning, and * Text, g●●t. Saddled his Ass, Gen. 22.3. and took with him two young men, and Isaac his Son, and clavae wood for the burnt-offring, and risen up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. This figure stands thus. When the voice of God calleth us, than we should with Abraham go presently; for early in the morning signifieth here, when the voice breaks forth as the Dawning of the day; when God in us calleth us; when man hath a Thought come into him, saying, thou shouldst return, amend, and truly repent; than it is time; he must forthwith girt his Ass, viz. the Bestial man with Power, although he cries, stay yet a while, it is time enough to morrow; yet it should be done presently in the first look of the will to God; for this is the Hind which is hunted Early in the morning, as the prophetical Spirit prophesieth: for Christ must gird this Ass early with the voice of God and go to the Offering. 9 And the two young men which Abraham took along with him do betoken the Soul from the first Principle, and the Soul of this world viz. the outward Spirit of the outward life, these must go with Isaac, that is with Christ in the old Abraham, that is, Adam, to the offering of God; and Abraham, that is, the man Adam, in his children, must himself cleave the wood, upon which the offering must be burnt, that is, when he confesseth Christ, than he cleaves the hearts of the wicked, who run with him to the death, and the Offering of God; for Adam in his humanity clavae God's Love and Anger; and now also Abraham must cleave the wood for the offering; for Christ should also cleave death and life asunder, and offer up himself upon the cloven wood of death and life, unto God's Anger. 10. And on the third day Abraham lift up his eyes, Gen. 22.4. and saw the place a far off. Hear the Spirit pointeth at the sleep of Adam; wherein he slept to the Angelical world; and on the third day after his falling asleep, when as now the woman was made out of him, and the fall effected; he saw Christ, viz. the place of God in the Covenant a far off; also herein is included the Resurrection of Christ on the third day, where he saw his place (where he would, and should offer, and give up man to God his Father) viz. the last Judgement, and the final offering, a far off; also it signifieth that Abraham in the Spirit saw the offering of Christ a far off, viz. above 2000 years then to come: And that the Spirit saith, Abraham lifted up his eyes on the third day, and saw the place, is nothing else, but that Christ did again lift up on the third day our humane eyes out of the Grave, from the dead, unto God; and also that it was yet a far off in the days of Abraham▪ thus the Spirit doth allude with the outward figure, at that which was and is to come. Gen. 22.5. 11. And Abraham said unto the two young men, which he took with him, Abide you here with the Ass, and I, and the Lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. The figure of it internally stands thus. The two young men must tarry there with the Ass, and not go, at this time, unto the offering, only Abraham and Isaac must perform that; that is, we poor children of Eve must abide with the first and third Principle of our life, this our time with the Ass, viz. with the outward Body here in this world; but Christ in Isaac and Abraham in Adam, must go forth to the offering, that is, Christ stood in Abraham's, viz. Adam's Person, and also in his heavenly humanity; who should only go, and offer up the offering of his Body to the Anger-fire of his Father, and worship for us, unto God his Father; therefore he said he would go yonder, that is, when he should offer up his life, he would go yonder, that is, to God, and worship for us, unto God. 12. This points at his Ascension according to the humanity, when he had finished the Sacrifice, he went * Yonder, or to that place. thither, and worshipped in our assumed humanity▪ unto God his Father; that is, our assumed Soul in divine power and property, doth pray and intercede for our weaknesses and ignorances', unto, and before God. Therefore saith Abraham, we will go yonder and worship; that is, we, God, and Man, and when we have worshipped we will come again to you; that is, we poor children of Eve must in the mean while tarry with the As●, until the time of its offering, and Prayer be out; and then he comes again unto us; when we have finished the course of the outward Asinine life. 13. Also it intimates very pregnantly, that he, (when the Time of the Offering in Prayer is out) will certainly come again unto us, from the place whither he is gone, and dwell visibly with the creatural humanity among us; as the two Angels said unto the men of Israel, * Note, Jesuses coming again. Act. 1.11. Ye shall see this Jesus come again in like manner as he is ascended; which time is now near; and his voice to prepare the bride hath already sounded; and therefore hold not this for an uncertain fiction; the Morning Star, and Messenger of the Annunciation is Appeared. Gen. 22.6. 14. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his Son, and he took the fire in his hand, and the knife; and they went both of them together. The inward figure stands thus. Adam had divided and rend asunder God's Love, and Anger, in himself, and brought himself with the creatural life into the Anger, which had amassed the earthly vanity to itself; now the Spirit of Moses doth here point at this figure; how Christ should take our introduced Sin upon himself, and carry it to the burnt-offering. 15. And Abraham took the knife, and fire: Abraham denoteth Adam, who took the fire of God's Anger into himself; and the knife, signifieth Death, that Christ should be killed, and offered up in Abraham's, that is, in Adam's Anger-fire, to the Father; and it clearly denotes, that Abraham, that is, Adam, should do it to Christ; for Christ should be offered up of man: being the man Adam had taken on himself the fuel (viz. the Sin) for the offering; therefore also man, viz. the Jews must offer it up to the Anger of God, that so man might be Atoned by man, understand by the humanity of Christ. 16. And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said; My Father; Gen. 22.7, 8. and Abraham answered, here am I, my Son, and he said, lo! here is the fire, and the wood▪ but where is the Lamb for the burnt-offring? And Abraham said my Son God will provide himself a Lamb for the burnt-offring; and so they went both of them together. The precious figure is thus. The Spirit here playeth in Christ's person, who was come in great humility into Adam's humanity, and presents himself to his father in Adam's essence, with his heavenly humanity; and saith; behold my father! here I have taken on me the Sin and death in the humanity; here is now the fire of thy Anger; viz. the divided life's forms of man's property, Selfehood, and own will; in this now I have the fuel; wherein thy fire of Anger burneth; here now I have the wood, viz. the Sins of all men; and also thy fire to the offering; where is now the * Sheep. Lamb, viz. the Patiented Lamb which shall be offered up in this fire, and Abraham answered from his strong faiths Ens, God will provide himself a Lamb for the burnt-offering; and they went both of them together. 17. Here Christ doth in Isaac's figure present himself in our assumed humanity to his Father; and saith, where is now the Lamb for the true Peace offering? but the faith of Abraham had apprehended the patiented Lamb, which lay in Isaac, viz. the heavenly humanity, which God would open in the Ens of faith in our disappeared and also heavenly humanity, and said God would provide himself a Lamb for the right burnt-offering; and hereby he secretly points at the heavenly humanity, which God would introduce into Christ's humanity, viz. into our humanity, which should be the Patiented Lamb, that God would provide for himself, which Abraham had already apprehended in faith; and hints at. 18. And that the Spirit of Moses saith; They went both of them together, understand, unto the offering; betokens our Adamicall humanity, and Christ's heavenly supernatural humanity of divine essentiality, that both these should go together to the offering of God; as Christ offered on the Cross his heavenly humanity in our humanity to the Father; and with the heavenly reconciled ours, captivated in the Anger of God; and preserved it in the fire of God's Anger, as the Gold is preserved of the Tincture, in the fire. 19 And when they came to the place of which God had told him; Gen 22.9, 10. Abraham built there an Altar, and laid the wood in order upon it; and bound Isaac his Son and laid him on the Altar upon the wood; and Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his Son. This is now the right Earnestness, viz. the figure, how God would bind his Son by Adam's children, viz. by Abraham's children, the Jews; that is, he would bind our Sin, and lay it upon the wood; that is, hang it on the Cross; viz. on the figure of the holy Trinity, which was become in man an wooden earthly Cross, whereas before the life's cross, viz. the figure of the Deity, was spiritual, and holy in Adam; but in the earthly lust it had made itself earthly, and as 'twere wooden; thus also the death, viz. the dying of the holy Cross in man must be again offered up to God upon a wooden earthly Cross; and be again changed out of the earthly death into the holy spiritual figure. 20. Christ should not be slain, but hung up on the Cross, pierced through in his hands and feet, for the Anger of God was awakened in the conversation and works of our hands and feet; and therefore also Isaac in the figure of Christ must not be slain; and also burnt; for he was not the right one, but the figure only in our humanity; for he could not accomplish this offering in its powers; and it denotes that we are indeed bound with Christ, and laid upon the wood, and also must die for Christ's sake, but with our death we cannot attain this offering, as Isaac also could not effect that; but the Ens of faith in Abraham, and Isaac, out of which, Christ arose, the same did effect it, and can yet now in these day's effect it in the Christians in Christ in his humanity in us. 21. And as Isaac was represented in Christ's figure as if he were to be the Sacrifice; even so Every true Christian must with Isaac enter into Christ's figure; he must willingly resign himself into Christ's death; and bind his Sin with the will in the Spirit of Christ, and offer it upon the Altar of Christ, and with a full and free will, die wholly to Sin; then cometh the voice of God, as it came to Abraham, and to Hagar in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, and saith, Do not any thing to nature, viz. thy Son; now I know thou believest God. 22. But it must come so far with the penitent Sinner, as here it did with Abraham and Isaac, where Isaac was laid ready bound upon the wood, and Abraham took the knife to slay him; There must be a very real sincere earnestness in this matter; the sinful man must bind the Sin with all his thoughts and mind, and give himself wholly into the process; that he will now die unto Sin, and offer it up in faith, and confidence, to God in Christ's death; he must take the knife with Abraham into the hand; that is, he must wholly take and fasten into his mind to Do the work of earnest Repentance in dying to Sin: It must come to the real and effectual practice, and not only come before the Altar and say, I am a Sinner, God hath offered Christ for me, and yet keep the sinful will; but he must bind sin in Christ's death, and lay himself wholly with all power and strength on the burnt-offerings Altar upon the wood. 23. The evil earthly will must be bound, and resigned up with Earnestness, and cast upon God's Altar in Christ's death; and be also offered up in Christ's dying; and not only comfort the sinful man, and flatter it with Christ's death, saying; God takes away sin from us in Christ's satisfaction, and merit; we need only comfort ourselves therewith, and apply it from without to ourselves: no, no; but we also ourselves must die to sin in Christ's death, and put on Christ's offering in his death, and as an obedient Isaac, we must cast ourselves on God's mercy, in the spirit and will of Christ, and arise in Christ, in and with him, that God may justify us from the Altar of sin-offering, with Isaac, in Christ, which is the true offering in the figure of Isaac. 24. Not as Babel teacheth; There must be an entire and sincere earnestness, and not only a comforting [and applying promises of consolation] but we must with Abraham obey God, and then we put on Christ's suffering and death; and Christ's death avails only in us, and here 'tis truly said; Ye are saved by grace in Christ's merit; The will of Self attains it not, but that which entereth into Christ's death, and dyeth; it must come to the death and mortification of the own self-will: the Souls will must be an utter destroying enemy to Sin in the flesh, viz. to the lust of the flesh; there must be an opposite enmity between them, else Christ's death is * Note, To whom Christ's death is not profitable. Gen. 22.11. not at all profitable to any. 25. And Moses saith; The Angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said; Abraham, Abraham: that is; when man resigneth up his will wholly, and willingly desireth to obey the voice of the Lord; having given himself into Christ's suffering, death, and reproach; that he now will in the cross and suffering hold still, and steadfast to God, under Christ's Red * Ensign. Banner; then God calleth man with a * Twofold. double voice, as here he did Abraham; where God said unto him; Abraham, Abraham; that is, he calleth to him in his own Voice in his word, and also in the voice of the humane Essence; that is, he openeth to him the divine hearing in himself, so that he heareth God from without in his word of his Servants, and also from within in his own life's word, viz. in the SensVAll Voice, which was divided in Babel by the children of Nimrod, and form into the spirits of letters, where the mental Tongue was then compacted; Here it ariseth again in the uncompacted SensVAll Tongue, so that man heareth what the Lord speaketh in him; of which Babel knoweth nothing, nor can know, nor will know, but climbeth up continually in the compacted tongue on the Tower of Babel into an Heaven of humane Selfehood; and hath put Christ's garment outwardly upon itself; but it hath not the twofold voice; therefore also it doth not hear when God calleth Abraham. 26. And Abraham Answered; Here am I, and he said, Lay not thine hand upon the Lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; Gen. 22.12. for now I know that thou fearest God; and hast not spared thy only Son for my sake. That is thus; when man hath wholly resigned up his Self, viz. his own will or Son; and put it wholly to the mortification in Christ's death; then the nature of man falls into Sadness; for it hath lost its right [its own law and will] then saith the Spirit of God by the Soul, do nothing to thy nature; now I know that it is given up and resigned to me, and that the Soul hath now * Plerophory. an assurance of confidence in God; and is fully bold even to leave the outward life, for God's sake, and give over its will to me in Obedience; as here Abraham had fully resigned up his will unto God; he would now do whatsoever God commanded him. 27. And as Abraham did not spare his Son, and would have given him up unto death; so also God did not spare his Son, and gave him to death for us; even so should we also not spare even our own will, but rather be willing to leave all whatsoever the own will hath taken possession of, and delights in, and willingly die to all temporals for God's sake; let it be Principality, Dominion, or Kingdom, Temporal Honour, or Goods, or whatsoever it may be, that is our dearly beloved Son; all this a Christian must give over, and resign up in the mind; and account, and esteem himself only a Servant therein; yea esteem his outward life not for his own; but in his Mind departed from, and forsake every creature; and then he lieth bound upon the wood of the Burnt offerings Altar, and waiteth for the Voice of God from Heaven, which calleth to him; and becomes the Voice, and Mouth of his life; and this is truly with Abraham, to believe God; where God believes in man; and than God saith; Now I know that thou fearest God, and puttest thy trust in him alone, for the humane will sinketh into the most pure Being of God. 28. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and lo! a Ram was hung in a thickett by his horns, Gen. 22.13, 14 and he went, and took the Ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his Son; and Abraham called the name of the place; * Jehovah-jireth. The Lord seethe; as it is said to this day, upon the Mount where the Lord Seeth. This is the golden figure which showeth; that the kill, death and dying, doth not reach the true man, but only the Ram with his Horns, which sticketh in the flesh and blood in the Thorns of Sin; and it chief denotes that the true * Text. Soules-man. humane Soul in Christ, and his children, shall not die in this burnt-offering of God; but after that it hath resigned up the will of Self, than God openeth its eyes, that it seethe the Ram behind it, viz. it spieth the will of the wild evil flesh, and learns to know it, which will, sticketh with its pushing beasts-hornes, in the thorny Thickett of the Devil, in flesh and blood, viz. in the desire of the vanity of the world in Selfefull Lust: This the Resigned Soul seethe and offereth it up for a burnt-offering in the stead of the true Nature; for the right nature is delivered in this burnt offering from the Ram of the flesh: the Horns are the injections, oppositions, and assaults of the Devil, and the thickett of Thornes is the Serpents Ens, which the lust of Adam hath introduced. 29. Thus we must understand in this figure, that the whole man in Christ's person should not be given to the Anger of God; as if the Adamicall man should be wholly consumed and devoured by it; no; but the wild Ram only; the Enmity, the opposite will, the property of Apostasy and Rebellion; but the life's Essence should remain forever: the same Adam, which God created unto Paradise▪ the same shall remain eternally; but the division or dissonant disunion of the life's forms, in that they are rend asunder and brought into the property of Selfehood, whence strife and enmity is arisen in man; I say, this evil Ram; viz. this introduced infection, vain desire, and adverse will, must be offered up in Christ in the fire of God's Anger: This was the Beast for the burnt-offering: The Lamb of God in Adam shall not be consumed in the fire; but it must only shed its blood; it must immerse and sink itself wholly with the humane nature into the One, viz. into the Eternal Nothing, without all nature; and then this place is called here the Lord Seethe; that is, when the Ram is offered, than this place is afterwards the Temple of God, where the Lord Seeth. 30. And the Spirit of Moses speaketh very hiddenly hereof, and saith, Hence it is said still to this day, upon the Mount where the Lord Seeth: the Mount is the life's nature, where the Lord hath seen not only in Abraham and Isaac; but he seethe in Christ's spirit, yet, at this day upon this Mount in the children of God: when the Ram is offered up then the Spirit of God seethe through nature, as the Sun through-shineth a Glass, or as a fire through-heats an Iron. 31. Therefore a man ought not to be so foolish as to torment his whole life in his repentance and conversion, and to offer it up in the fire of death without God's command; but he must only sacrifice the Sin, and Self-love of vanity; he must offer up only the Ram, and not do any violence or mischief to nature; not, strike, whip, and beat it; or creep into a corner, and suffer the Body to * Note. starve for hunger; no, he must not out of his own purpose Give the Image of God, to death; but the Ram he must; he merits not any thing by plaguing, martyring and torturing himself; for God hath bestowed his heart to that end, to redeem us from Pain and Torment. 32. When the Soul with the Right nature hath tamed itself from the Ram of the flesh; than it must Sacrifice the Ram to the death of Christ; but it must remain steadfast in great humility, in the Resignation in God; and not any further afflict and rack itself, either with doubts, or with any other external inflicted tortures, and also give nature its necessary nourishment, and not Enfeeble and distemper itself; for it is the Temple and the Image of God; but it must daily and continually mortify the Ram in the flesh; viz. the selfish lust of the evil flesh, and the will to the Selfehood [or ownhood] of this world; and although the flesh be disquieted, being it must forsake what it fain would have, yet the true nature and the Soul must not give heed to it; Also it must not take care for the sake of the flesh, where that should have its maintenance, but commit it to God, and go on in his calling as a day-labourer in the Service of his Lord and Master, and let God take care for the Ram, and give it what he please. 33. And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time, and said, by myself have I sworn saith the Lord, Gen. 22. v. 15. to the 19 because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only Son, that I will bless and multiply thy Seed as 〈◊〉 stars of the Heaven and as the Sand that is upon the Seashore; and thy Seed shall possess the Gate of his enemies; and through thy Seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice; and so Abraham returned to his young men, and they risen up and went together to Beer-sheba, and dwelled there. This is now the Seal of Faith; when man hath wholly given himself up to God, than God sweareth unto the humanity by himself; that he will bless man; that his life's essence shall thence forward spread forth itself in his Power, and grow unto a great Tree of divine Essence in the wisdom, whose fruit, and knowledge shall be infinite and innumerable; as he swore unto Abraham, that out of his body or life's essence many Nations should arise; also how his life's essence should possess the Gates of the enemies, viz. of the Devil, and Death, as here he gives a full and pregnant hint concerning Christ and his Christendom; how they should destroy the Devil's Kingdom, and break down his Gate in man: This the faith in God's children is able to do. 34. For so soon as the judgement of the earthly man hath been held in the penitent man; so that the Soul rejecteth the will of the evil flesh, viz. the will of the Animal Soul, and brings it into judgement to the condemnation of death, and resigns itself up wholly unto God; then God sweareth in Christ Jesus, this Oath, unto the Soul, and sets it to be a Prince over the enemies; viz. over the proud, and haughty Devils, even to judge them, and obtains full power over them, and drives them out. 35. After these things Moses mentioneth how the blessing of Abraham did spread forth itself, and he maketh a relation of his brother Nahor, how Milcah bore unto him eight Sons; from whom great Nations did arise; viz. the Assyrians; who indeed did not spring forth out of the Ens of faith, viz. in the line of Christ, as Abraham; but out of the natural Adam, upon whom also the blessing of Abraham did * Passed or went. light; for the history is so exactly deciphered that a man may see, that God hath not only chosen the natural line of Christ, proceeding from Abraham and Isaac, but also the lines of nature in the Adamicall Tree, which he would also bring together, and manifest himself to them, and they who would believe in God, should be engrafted into the line of Christ; that is, those who should be capable of the divine Ens in the voice of the Lord, whose will should direct itself too God. 36. As we may see again in this figure, how God hath not rejected the Kingdom of nature in man, but that he in Christ will deliver it out of the Anguish and Enmity; and that a man should, and must continue in the Kingdom of nature; as Abraham when he had finished this offering, he went with his Son and two young men to Beer-sheba, and dwelled there; by which the Spirit of Moses signifieth, that when Abraham had performed this Calling in the figure of Christ before the Lord, he returned again unto his natural affairs, viz. unto the doing of this world's business; he went to Beer-sheba; that is, into the toil, and labour, whereinto Adam hath brought us, where a child of God in the cloven and broken nature, viz. in Beer-sheba, must work in God, with teaching, and praying, and also in nature, with the labour of the hand to maintain the outward man, and follow the wonders of the outward world in the form word, and help to form, manifest, and bring them forth in ●●●ure, to the Contemplation of the wisdom of God. 37. Also hereby is hinted very clearly, that a child of God in this world's being, doth not stand daily and hourly in the Operation of the spiritual figure, that his Spirit can see and know that [only]; but also in the natural, where the Spirit of God goes also along working in the work of nature, and manifests itself in another property in him; as it may be seen here in Abraham, and all the Saints; that God did sometimes manifest himself to them in the figure of Christ, and sometimes again in the Cross, and labour, in the Temptation and contrariety of the nature of the corrupt Adam; so that they have lived in weakness and infirmities, as all Adam's children [have don and do]. 38. And we ought not to look upon, and consider this figure concerning Abraham in all that the Spirit of Moses and * Text. Ezra. Note concerning Esdras. Esdras hath written down, but as a Type of Christ and Adam; viz. of the Kingdom of Christ, and the Kingdom of nature; that hereby God hath represented the figure of Christ and his Christendom, how he would again Redeem and deliver them from the Great Toil, and Labour. 39 Wherewith also the Kingdom of darkness in the Pain and Torment is continually represented, and how the same doth pant and reach after man, and how man doth stand, here in this life, as in a field, and grows; on Whom sometimes the Sun of divine Love doth eglimpse and shine; and sometimes again God's wrath and Anger, and how man must be purged, tried, and purified; and the chiefest and most especial point herein is this; that a man must give up, and resign himself to God, in faith, and full assurance, and hold still unto him, and let him work in him as he please; and how also he must learn to bend and bow his own nature, and lead it towards God; that it, in all things may desire to be God's instrument and Servant, and desire and will to work nothing but what belongs to the divine manifestation in the wonders of nature, for the Contemplation of God's wisdom; and on the contrary reject the Own will of the Devil, and all desire to Selfehood. 40. And we should not look upon the written History of Moses concerning the Patriarches, so blindly as the Jews, and Babel do; as if they were only a mere History; no; the same is not only full of the types of Christ and Adam, viz. of the old, and new man, but there are also secret and mysterious intimations, and prophecies concerning the hidden spiritual world, showing what shall be after this time. 41. Reason must know, that the Spirit of God hath not laboured in the work only to set forth the histories of the Ancient, which for the most part seem but simple and childlike; no; they are set forth for a Type and information. 42. The Spirit of God hath represented the greatest wonders therein, which he would accomplish in man, and that in a plain simple, and childlike manner, that so the pride of the Devil, and the suttlety or wisdom of Reason might be confounded and made foolish thereby. 43. For we must know, that the greatest power and virtue together with the wonders doth lie in the humility, and lowliness; and how God is so near unto all things, and yet nothing apprehends him, unless it stand still unto him, and give up the Own will, and then he worketh through all; as the Sun through the whole world. CHAP. XLIX. Of the death of Sarah, and the hereditary Sepulchre of Abraham: What is understood, and signified thereby. THe Spirit in Moses hath set before him, the whole figure of man, by Abraham, showing what his condition should be in this world; Gen. XXIII. and what hereafter should become of him; for after he had first spoken of the beginning, viz. of the Stock of the humane tree; showing whence it did spring; he afterwards declares its boughs, and branches, together with its power, and virtue, and mentioneth how this tree is corrupted in its power and essence; and that God hath bestowed the highest Tincture upon it to tincture it again, and renew it; and how the Poison in the essence of the tree * Or, hath been withstood. is to be resisted. 2. Here he doth now very wonderfully signify how this tree hath stood in the corrupt property in a strange field, and rooted itself with the root into a strange or alienate own hood, wherein the root was not native; and how the root of the humane tree must forsake the strange field, together with the strange introduced essence; and wholly give itself freely out of its life's will and desire. 3. Also hereby is signified, how the place whence the humane root did spring, is between the holy spiritual world, and this earthly corrupt world; and that man's propriety, from whence he is sprung, doth stand in a double * Our Text hath it, The Cave of Machpelah, which here in the German version is rendered a double Cave or a twofold Pitt. cave, viz. in two Principles; and how he must be buried in this twofold pit, as a kernel which is Sown into the ground; and how also [this cave of Machpelah] this twofold pit, is man's propriety, of which essence or substance he himself is, essentially. 4. The figure of this we see here in Abraham, that when he conversed in this outward world; he possessed upon the earth no Land of his Own, but went from one place unto another, and was every where a Stranger; but when his Sarah died, than he would have a burying place for a certain possession for his wife, himself also, and his children; and moreover he would not have it for nothing, but buy it; all which is a very wonderful typification, and not only a bare history, as the Jews have held it to be, before whose eyes the vail of Moses is hung: but we will here also set forth the inward figure with the outward; and see what the Spirit in Moses doth here signify. Gen. 23.2. 5. Moses saith; Sarah died at Hebron in the * Our Text, Kiriach-arba. head City in the Land of Canaan: this may very well thus be, but the Spirit hath his figure under it; for he looks upon the Centre, where the death of the Saints is; and where the true man must die; as namely in the head-city Hebron, that is, in the form Word; where he hath introduced the own hood, and selvish lust, into the form word of his life's property; and set himself up into a selfefull Dominion and Regiment, as into an Head City, where the self-will hath framed, and contrived to itself a City, or propriety, in the form word, and built it up for its own peculiar Land of possession; where he indeed supposeth, he is a God, or Something of his Own, that he may do with and how he please; now this self-will must die in the head-city, viz. in the form Ens of the Word in its Centre, viz. in the City of its own-hood. 6. And this City Hebron lieth right over against Mamre, viz. between the eternal, and temporal nature; where [the cave of Machpelah,] the twofold Pit is, viz. the Kingdom of God, and of nature; for in this twofold Pit, Abraham would bury his Sarah, and have the Pit for his Own. 7. That is to say, when the children of the Saints in Hebron, viz. in the City of humane own-hood, do die unto the selfefull outward natural life or Selfehood, than the true resigned life will no longer stand in a strange field or strange essence, but in its own, from whence it is Originally arisen, but being it hath lost this same life's field in Adam, and rooted itself into a strange field, viz. into the Serpent's field of falsehood, the life cannot take unto itself again, of due Right, the first true field, but it must buy it; this is even the figure; that Christ hath bought it for his Blood of the heavenly essentiality, (for the holy Tincture) understand [he hath thus purchased it] of the eternal nature, wherein God's Anger; viz. the wrath of God in the Centre of nature, was manifest, and had devoured this field in the humane property into its self as its own; for out of the Centre of nature the Word of the humane property was brought into a formation; This, the children of Self had taken into possession; therefore saith the Spirit, the children of Heth had this field for their own possession. 8. This signifieth, that God's children must wholly forsake the nature-Right in this field of the form life or word; for they have lost the natural Right in it; but in Christ they must buy it again of the Father of nature: they must take Christ for their Ransom; and give the Father four hundred shekels of Silver for the same; and these are the four Centres in the spiritual body's property, which are born in the holy Tincture, viz. in Christ's property. 9 The first shekel is the true magical fire; the Second is the Light; or Love-desire: the third is the holy Sound of the mental tongue; the fourth is the form or conceived Ens out of the other properties, where the holy life is form, and stands in an Essence; this is the pure Silver without any spot or foulness; under which the Spirit of Moses points, that, Abraham in Christ, hath given to the children of Heth, viz. to Ephron; understand to the Father or the Father's property [for his cave of Machpelah] for his twofold pit; viz. for the centre of the Father's nature according to Eternity, and for the centre of the Temporal Nature; in both which the divine * Or, Good will and Pleasure. lubet hath brought itself out of the property of both centres, into an Ens, and into the creature of the humanity, which humane creature hath broken itself off from the universal being, and put itself into a selfishness; therefore it must be again rooted into the universal; for which end it must be tinctured with the most holy Ens, and engrafted in; which the Spirit doth here compare to pure Silver, and so secretly intimates in the figure. 10. When Abraham conversed upon the earth he desired to buy no field for his own possession; but now when he was to bury his Sarah, he would have the Sepulchre hereditary, and peculiar; * Gen. 23.7▪ and bowed himself before the children of the Land; and entreated them for it; whereas they would freely have given him the field, and bowed themselves before him also; but the Spirit of Moses hath its figure here; for he hath represented Man to him in a very perfect model; for which cause also he playeth in the Process in the figure; showing, that the children which belong unto Christ must bow themselves before God the Father, from whom all beings do originally come; that he would sell unto them the * The Cave of Machpelah the double Valley. twofold Pitt; viz. the Kingdom of nature, and the Kingdom of Grace, in Christ's blood, for the same, with the four centres of humility and the Love-birth, the Father takes for Payment. 11. And that the children of Heth, and Ephron, would freely give it to Abraham, and yet at last upon the desire of Abraham, took money for the same, intimates, unto us; that God the Father hath indeed freely given us the Kingdom of Grace; for he gave it freely to Christ his Son, in our humanity; but Christ would have it for a natural due right; therefore he offereth his humility to his Father; that he would be pleased to take his payment for it; viz. his humane property, of him; as here Abraham did in Christ's figure; although he could have taken the field, yet he would not; for the cave of Machpelah should not be taken but dearly purchased with the most precious Substance: God took the Earnest or Ransom of Christ, for his * Twofold Pit. cave of Machpelah, for Payment; therefore Abraham must stand in Christ's figure; for the body must be buried in the cave of Machpelah (in this twofold Pitt) viz. in the eternal and temporal nature, viz. in the form Compacted Word, if so be it shall arise again in the motion in the voice of this same word, and Subsist in its Image which it first had. Gen. 23.2. 12. For Moses saith; Hebron is situate in the Land of Canaan, which God promised to give unto Abraham, and understand by Canaan the holy Crystalline world, or earth; viz. the City of God; which shall hereafter be manifest; wherein Hebron lieth; viz. the head-city of the Land; whereby externally the outward world with its figure is set forth; and internally the holy eternal Land of Canaan. 13. And we see very clearly; what the spirit of Moses meaneth in its figure; for first it representeth by Isaac Christ's figure with his offering and death; and presently thereupon it sets forth also man's Own death, and where man must die, namely, in his City Hebron, the City of humane Self, and whereinto he must be buried and put, namely, into the twofold Pitt; viz. into the Kingdom of God, and this world; and it is therefore called a twofold Cave, because there are two mansions, viz. a twofold continent of life in two Principles, whence man did originally arise; but if he be buried in the will of his selfehood in the Serpent's desire, than he doth not reach this twofold Cave; and though he should be therein, yet he liveth only in the Apostate Essence in the ownhood of the Devil, viz. in the introduced Serpent's Ens in the dark world's property which is manifest and predominant in the Serpents Ens. 14. The chiefest piece in this figure is; that the Spirit of Moses doth point at the twofold life; how this world hath a twofold life, and essence, which he intimates by the twofold Cave, wherein Abraham would have his burying-place; to signify that his twofold humanity, viz. One out of the divine Ens out of the eternity, and heavenly spiritual essentiality▪ and the other which is out of the time, even out of this world's being and substance, should be buried and put into an Eternal Sepulchre, where the substance of the twofold body shall lie in its Original Mother; and leave the Own will in this Eternal Grave in death, that so the Spirit of God might alone live, rule, and will, in the spirit of the creature, viz. in the Soul: and the life of man might be only his Instrument wherewith he might work and will, how and what he please. 15. For so it must be, that the humane will might be brought again into the only will of the Deity, and Eternity; for it was, in the beginning, when God breathed the Soul into the flesh, in the Eternal Living Word (John 1. Chap.) and Gods Spirit did form it into a likeness of the Deity, viz. into a creatural Soul; which Soul had turned itself away from the only Eternal Word of God into a Selfehood, that so it might be manifest in Evil and Good, and Rule in the unlikeness or distemperature. 16. This un-likeness or distemperature should be buried or put again into the Likeness or Temperature, viz. into the Essence out of which the soul and body did a rise; that is, each Essence's property should return again into its mother; and the mother is a twofold cave; viz. the inward spiritual and divine Kingdom, and the outward visible, sensible, palpable Kingdom of the external world, wherein Abraham would have his burying-place. 17. For the outward Kingdom remains for ever, for it is produced out of the Eternal, as a model, platform, or visible Image of the inward spiritual Kingdom; but the Dominion in the Stars and four Elements doth not remain for ever in such ownhood or propriety; but only One Element, wherein the four are understood, but in equal Accord and Harmony, in just and equal weight, number, and measure, in One Only Love will; where the ascending domineering stirring Might, of the divided figure, four Elements, doth no longer rule, but the soft meek and still humility in a pleasant Lovely delightful * Musical Air. Air [or still harmonious Sound.] 18. The Compacted property of the Word, in the Soul of the outward world, viz. in the Own-hood or selfness of the third Principle, doth cease, the outward spirit of the world is changed into the inward, that the inward might rule and Govern wholly through the outward; which at present, the great motion of the enkindled might of the dark world, doth withhold, and carry in its dominion; in which, [dark world's property, which is now so predominant] the Devil is an aspiring assaulting Prince; and all things work and tend to the Great Severation; that so the properties of the three Principles, might each become creatural in themselves, to which End the Eternity hath brought itself into a Fiat, or desire, to the formation of the Essence, viz. of the * Mysterij Magni. Grand Mystery; that thus one might be manifest in the other; the Evil in the Good, and the Good in the Evil; and each thing might have its Own Seat and habitation. CHAP. L. Of Abraham's sending forth his Servant to take a wife for his Son Isaac: what we are to understand under this figure. ABraham strongly engageth his Servant; Gen. 24.2, 3. who was the chief Ruler in his family Government, and laid an Oath upon him, that he should not take a wife unto his Son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom he dwelled, but go unto his kindred, and to his father's house, and take him a wife. Reason doth look upon this figure, in a mean and simple manner, as if Abraham did hate and abominate this people among whom he dwelled, because of their evil conversation; but the Spirit of God in Moses who hath thus noted down this figure, hath his Secret and mysterious meanings couched herein; and playeth with the whole written History of the * Genesis. first book of Moses, as with a most pleasant Interlude; and pointeth continually by the outward Act of the external man upon the spiritual figure of the spiritual eternal man, in the Kingdom of Christ. 2. The Servant must swear unto Abraham an Oath, that he would take a wife unto his Son out of his Family, Stock, and Kindred; wherefore did Abraham lay an Oath upon him; whereas the Servant must obey his Master without taking an Oath; and Isaac would not have taken a wife contrary to his Father's mind and will? but the spirit of Moses doth look here into the internal figure. Isaac stands here in the figure of Christ; and Abraham's Servant stands in the figure of nature; and the Canaanites do stand in the figure of the introduced Serpent's Ens, out of which, the rebellious selfish will of man's selfehood, is arisen; viz. in the figure of the Bestial man, which shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, these three the spirit of Moses doth set before him in the Type, and thereby points at the true man which shall subsist Eternally. The inward figure is thus. 3. Abraham requirs his Servant, who was the chief in his whole family. Abraham here betokens God the Father, and the Servant, by whom he Governeth, betokens nature: nature must here in its might and strength swear unto God; that is, deeply engage and essentially bind itself; that it will not take unto Isaac, that is, to the Christians; viz. to God's children, a wife, that is, a matrix of the Canaanites, viz. of the Serpents Ens; or associate with it to the propagation of the Serpents Ens; that it will not assume, the Poison of the dark world's property, unto it; viz. the Cananitish property; and introduce it into the children of Christ for their wife, viz. into the Tincture of Venus, which is the true female matrix in men and women; but that it will join the true Adamicall man, which God had created in his Image, (viz. the true humane Essence proceeding from the first Original tree out of the first root, viz. from Abraham's Stock, who betokens Adam) unto the Ens of Christ; viz. to the true Isaac in the children of Christ. 4. Understand this thus: Adam hath introduced into our flesh and Soul the Ens of the Serpent and the Devil, which nature hath taken into Soul and body, and hath begotten and brought forth therein a selfish rebellious will, which is disobedient unto God. 5. But now being that God had again introduced the holy Ens of his holy word into Isaac, which Abraham apprehended in the desire of faith; and represented the same here in Isaac, with a new twig springing forth out of the corrupt tree of the humane property, and born out of Christ's spirit; Thereupon Nature, viz. God's Officer must here deeply engage itself to God, and swear, that it will no more take the Serpents Ens for a wife, viz. for its beloved companion and yoke-fellow; (understand that it will not take its consort out of the poisonful Serpentine property of the introduced iniquity of the adverse opposite will) but God's Officer, viz. Nature must take Essence and Substance out of Abraham's true climate, where Abraham's home was, in Adam, viz. out of the right humane Essence; and bring the same to Isaac, viz. to Christ's members in their heavenly spiritual holy Ens of faith as a spiritual woman, with whom the true man taketh delight in himself, with the heavenly matrix, in pure desire of Love, and loveth his own nature in God's Love, and not in the Cananitish selfish Serpents Ens, in the Apostate rebellious ungodly will; that so the new birth might be holy in its virginity as to the inward man. 6. For, Man in his Essence or being, doth stand in a twofold Essence; viz. in the natural and Supernatural; in the divine Ens of the form word, and in the natural Ens of the centre of nature in the Fiat, viz. in the divine Desire, in which desire, nature, and the bright-burning world, do take their Original, which bright flaming nature should not any more take the false lust of the bestial Serpent's property, into itself; of which the Spirit here doth prophecy in the inward figure. 7. And Abraham's Servant said; How, if the woman will not follow me, Gen. 24.5. shall I bring thy Son again unto the Land from whence thou camest? The meaning hereof in the inward understanding is this: nature speaketh to God, and saith, How, if the right humane Ens will not follow me, being it hath a cleaving affection to the Serpent's poison; shall I then bring thy Son, viz. the holy heavenly Ens again into the Land, viz. into the place from whence it came, along with me; that is, when God betrusteth the Officer of nature with his holy Ens, to bring the same into the humane property, and to take the humane Ens for a wife of the heavenly man; then saith nature, viz. God's Officer, how then, if the woman (understand the humane Ens) will not follow me and come with this Isaac; that is, with the Ens of Christ, into the true humane Land, viz. into the true Adamicall paradisical Tree, shall I bring thy Son again, viz. thy holy Ens into the place of God? 8. And Abraham said, beware thou, that thou dost not bring my Son thither again: The Lord God of heaven which took me from my father's house, Gen. 24.6. to the 9 and from the Land of my kindred; and that spoke unto me, and swear also unto me, saying; unto thy Seed I will give this Land; he shall send his Angel before thee, and thou shalt there take a wife unto my Son; but if the woman will not follow thee; then thou art clear from the Oath; only bring not my Son thither again; and then the Servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his Master, and swore unto him concerning this matter. 9 The inward meaning is thus: God saith to his Officer Nature; have a care, that thou dost not go according to thy Reason, and conceive another will, and bring my holy Ens again thither from whence it is come, for it must dwell in man. The God of heaven, who hath taken the humane Ens from the Eternal word, from his Eternal native Country, which is the house of the Eternal Father, who hath promised man the Land of Canaan according to the paradisical property, and moreover hath Sworn to him; he shall send his Angel before thee; that so thou mayst take a wife unto my Son there; even where the Angel, viz. the divine will shall guide and direct thee; that is, when God will betrothe and bind himself with his Word and Power in his children, with an Eternal Marriage, than he sendeth his Angel before, viz. his will, into the humane Ens; that the same doth convert and turn itself too God. 10. The nature of the mind must not in its will of Reason take upon it to Lord and Master it, and doubt at what God will do, when the office or charge of a Servant is laid upon it, it must not make itself its Looking-glass and doubt, when it seethe that the Soul lieth captivated in the Ens of the Serpent, it must not think with itself, I shall not here arrive with a prosperous success with my divine Message, but it must leave that to God, and discharge its Message according to God's command, and commit it to God, how he will bring the woman, viz. the humane spirit, and betrothe and join it with the Son Isaac, that is, with Christ in the divine Ens. 11. But if the woman will not follow thee, than thou art clear of the Oath, that is, if the humane will, when I send my will before thee in man, will not follow thee, than the Messenger, viz. God's Officer, with the Sent heavens-Ens is clear; only bring not my Son thither again; that is, bring not the heavenly Ens again into that Essence out of which it is come, but stand still therewith, and hear, whereunto God shall direct and incline thee; for the Rain from heaven shall not ascend up again empty without fruit, so likewise God's Word and Command shall not return home empty, but work and bring forth fruit, in its form wisdom. 12. If one man will not, than the same word falls upon another which is capable of it: therefore nature, viz. the Messenger, Officer, Advocate or Petitioner of the heavenly Message, must not bring the word with the divine Ens back again into that place, viz. into the inward divine voice; for what God once speaketh forth by his Word in Power, that shall, and must stand in a divine form, to the divine Contemplation; Nature must go forward as a Messenger his way, and declare, that the Lord hath given Isaac all his Goods; that is, he hath given to Christ all his Goods; and desires now a wife; viz. Man, who should give himself in marriage with Isaac in Christ. Gen. 24.9. 13. And the Servant laid his hand under the thigh of Abraham his Master, and swore unto him concerning this matter: That is, when God * Did dive, immerse, or baptise. put his holy word with the heavenly Ens or Essence, viz. with the form wisdom into the natural Ens of Mary, as into God's Servant, and God and Man became One person: then the humane nature swore under the thigh of the Father's Eternal nature * Or, in God. unto God, that it would obey God, and hence forward go forth, and seek the humane wife, and marry it to the divine Ens; All which is to be understood in Christ's person, who in his assumed humanity, as abraham's, or God his Fathers, Servant, in the natural property, should go forth with his word, and seek this Woman, viz. his Bride and Spouse, which the Angel of the Lord, viz. God's will, should bring unto him. Gen. 24.10▪ 14. And the Servant took ten Camels of the Camels of his Master, and departed, and had with him all sorts of his Master's Goods; and arose and went to Mesopotamia the City of NAhOr. Here now the Spirit looks upon the process of God; and intimates, how God sent his Angel, or Messenger Gabriel, with the voice of nature to the humane nature in Nahor, viz. to Adam's nature in the Ens of Mary; in which voice the living holy word was hidden with the heavenly living Ens; and gave also the Father's nature Ten Camels; that is, the * 10 forms. Ten forms of the three Principles to the natural and Supernatural fire-life; viz. * 7 forms. Seven forms of the Centre of nature, and * 3 forms. three forms of the three distinctions of the Principles; all which are Gods camels whereby he beareth and carrieth all things. 15. And the goods of the Lord are the form wisdom of the great wonders and Powers: all these, God's Officer took along with him when he had the divine word in himself, and introduced the same into the humane natural Ens, even into the Ens of Mary; or awakened opened or manifested the same therein; as a man might express the great deeds and works of God; whereas indeed the outward compacted, bound-up, SensVAll tongue, cannot give words sufficient enough to the deep Mental understanding. 16. For here the spirit of Moses doth take the Angel's message along with Isaac's figure, and playeth externally in the figure, with Isaac and Rebecca, as Christ's figure; and inwardly he playeth with Mary, as Adam's Essence, and with Christ's, as the Virginlike divine Ens. 17. And the spirit of Moses saith further; Gen. 24.11: And the Servant caused the Camels to kneel down without the City by a well of water at evening time, even about the time, that women use to go out to draw water; This signifieth and noteth out internally, how the mystery of the nature of the three Principles, being the bearers or carriers of the form wisdom of God, hath laid itself down by the divine fountain without the City; the City betokens the hidden mysteries of the divine holy Ens of the form wisdom; about which, the * Or, the three Principles of nature. nature of the three Principles hath laid itself; for nature is external, and a Carrier of the mysteries of God: it lieth by the wellspring of God, viz. by the birth of the holy Trinity. The outward figure is thus explained. 18. At Evening; that is, in the last days of the world; or towards the Evening time in man; when the Eternal night draws near; then God bringeth his * Or, Carrier. Bearer, viz. the will of the Father's nature, which lieth down by the fountain of the divine property in man, and will there give his camels, viz. his will, drink; like as towards the Evening; that is, in the last time, he did lay his will to the humane nature in the Ens of Mary, by the true wellspring of the Covenant, and there gave the humane nature, drink. 19 And as the Servant of Abraham standing by the well of water in Mesopotamia, did purpose, and endeavour to fulfil his Master's will, and yet did not look upon himself [and cast about in his reason] how it should be, but commended his cause to God, to do as he would please, and only set a Lot before him, that he might see, what way God would lead and direct him; even so also the spirit of Moses doth here play in the figure of Christ; for nature in the Ens or Seed of Mary was the Servant of God, which pitched down before the Ens of the Covenant, as an Instrument of God, and gave God the honour, and committed it unto him, how he would bring it to the holy virginity in the holy Ens of the Covenant in Mary; as here Abraham's Servant commended it to God, when he came before the fountain, how he would lead him and whither, or what he should do; that God might bring him to the true virgin, whom God would give his Masters Son. 20. So likewise it was not effected by and from the purpose, understanding, or power, of nature, that nature was brought to the holy Ens in the Covenant, and married the divine Virgin in the Ens of the Word of God; nature understood nothing of it, how it should be brought to pass, or what it should do to purchase or accomplish the same; it knew not the holy virginity in the Covenant; but when Gods Command did sound or speak unto it, by the Angel Gabriel, than it gave God the honour, and committed it to him what he would do and work through it; that God might espouse it to the virgin of wisdom; as here Abraham's Servant prayed unto God, that he would bring the right virgin which God had chosen for him, to the fountain of water. 21. For, by the well of God, nature shall know, what kind of virgin shall come and give the camels, or the Bearer Nature drink; as Rebecca came forth by God's instigation, and gave the camels of Abraham's Servants drink; so likewise the divine virginity in the Ens of Mary came and gave the Essence in the Seed of Mary, drink, and took the humane nature for a Spouse and Consort. 22. And the humane nature in the Covenant, in the Seed of Abraham, in his Ens of faith, (when he apprehended the word of promise in the faith, which was his righteousness) had the fair Golden-fore-head- * Or, Earrings. Jewel in itself, and the two bracelets, which it hung on the word of God, which moved itself in the Angel's Message in Mary, where then the Ens of faith was espoused or married with the now-moving voice; which Motion, beset and embraced, nature; as here Abraham's servant, when he saw, that God had brought to him the true Virgin, he drew forth the free gift of his Master Abraham, and hung it on the virgin. 23. Thus also nature, in the Covenant, in the Seed of Mary, did put the fair Jewel, which God promised Adam in Paradise, and opened in Abraham, which Abraham apprehended in the spirit and faith, upon the voice of God, viz. on the living moving word of God, which founded in the Angel's message, in Abraham's Ens of faith; and herewith also, itself. 24. For Abraham had laid hold on the word of the Covenant in faith; so that it was form into an Ens, but not wholly in to the humanity, and this Ens was the fair Jewel, which nature bore as an hidden treasure in itself, until the limit of the Covenant, even towards the Evening of the world, and then God's living voice sounded into nature in the Seed of the Woman; and so nature, viz. God's Servant gave forth the hidden Pearl, and hung it on the forehead of the virgin-like-Love of Jesus, which was moved in the Angel's Message, and came now to the fountain to draw forth the shut-up virginity, in man, from the divine Ens; and there it obtained its bridegroom, viz. the Soul of man, with the Father's Jewels and great goods: with this, the spirit of Moses doth here play, and holds forth a Secret intimation under the outward Act. 25. Abraham's Servant made him a Lot, to know the virgin by, which was this; She that should come and give him, and all his Servants and Camels drink; Gen. 24.14. that even she should be the right one: thus also God hath planted this Lott, and put it into the nature of the Soul, and the Right humanity, that the virgin, which should refresh the Soul with the true humanity out of God's Love-fountain, the same the Soul should desire for its eternal Spouse. 26. As it came to pass in Mary, when the Angel greeted her; he refreshed the Soul, and also her seed of the Souls nature proceeding from the woman's Tincture, whereby this Souls essence, brought its desire, towards the Sweet spring-water of the fountain of Jesus, and drank of this water of the Love of Jesus; whereby, and wherein it was married to the sweet Love of Jesus, in JEHOVA, so that in this Seed of Mary, in the limit of the Covenant, a Manly virgin of God was conceived, which is Christ Jesus in Our humanity, and in the divine Ens, in the Power of the word of God, a formed God, according to the creature; but according to the divine voice, God all in all; understand, a formed God, according to the humane property, viz. a visible Image of the Deity, and therein the whole invisible immense God in Trinity in Essence. 27. This whole figure stands in the process of the new Birth, and shows how it should come to pass; for Abraham in his faith, stands in the figure of Adam, viz. in God the Father's figure; who created him in his very Image and likeness; and Isaac his Son, stands in the figure of the humanity of Christ, viz. in the Son's figure. 28. God the Father hath given all his goods, understand, of the form word, viz all created, and procreated beings, in the Place of this world, unto his Son, who manifested himself in the divine Image of the humanity; even as Abraham gave all his goods to Isaac, who was the Type of Christ. 29. And as Abraham would take a wife unto his Son Isaac of his kindred, and sent out his chief Officer to take a wife unto his Son, and yet did not beforehand name the same unto him, and tell him who she should be; but bade him go only to his father's house, and to his kindred, and see what woman God would bring unto him for his Son Isaac to take; so likewise God hath sent his Officer (who ruleth chief in his whole house, that is, Dominion, which is the voice of his Revealed Word) into the world, to the Right Adamicall man, and not to the Cananitish Serpents Ens; but to the disappeared virginlike Image of God, and to the living Soul, which is of God the Father's house; that is, property; and looks out, about a virgin, for a wife to his Son Jesus Christ; viz. he woos for the heavenly virginity in man, which disappeared in Adam; for, this virgin, God's Officer of nature, doth woe, by his Servants, which he sendeth forth, and bids them make suit for this virginity, for a wife to his Son; and join it with him in marriage. 30. And as Abraham did not name aforehand the virgin unto his Officer, but commanded him to go unto his father's house, and there look up unto God, and see, where he should bid him make suit, and take that virgin which God should choose, and bring unto him; so likewise God hath sent his Officer, viz. his holy word by his Servants, into the world to the true man; not to the Serpent-beasts, for these hear not God's word, they have no hearing in them, thereto; like as the Canaanites in the Serpent's Ens were even wholly bestial, and half dead, as to the divine Hearing, by reason of their iniquity, and Self-will. 31. And he causeth his Servants, viz. Officers, to sit down by the fountain of his holy word; with command, that they should in their office and charge committed unto them, call upon God, and pray, and teach his word, until God draweth the virgin's heart, and brings her to the fountain of his word, to draw water out of the wellspring of God's word. 32. And when this virgin, understand the inward divine Image, which was obscured in Adam, draws water in the fountain of the divine word: then the Officer, Abraham's Servant, viz. the Father's will, speaketh in the Soul, saying, Give me to drink of thy sweet water of the Eternal virginity; and the precious virgin saith, to the will of God, Drink my Lord; I will also draw [water] for thy Camels; understand by the Camels the Essences of the humane nature proceeding from the Father's property; and by the virgin, understand the nature and property of the light in the Love; viz. the Essence of the divine Ens of the Angelical world, which disappeared in Adam, and now cometh again to draw water for its Bridegroom the Soul. 33. And now when the Officer (viz. God's will) with his Camels, viz. the Essences of nature, is refreshed with drink by the virgin; then the forth-sent will of the Father, in the Essence of nature, giveth thanks unto the true deity; that God hath brought this virgin unto him; that he should take this virgin of the Love and humanity of Jesus Christ, for a wife. 34. And forthwith the will of God the Father, taketh the precious Jewels which God did incorporate into Adam's Soul, even into the light of his life, in Paradise, with the precious Name Jesus; yea, which Jewels were incorporated in the Centre of the Soul * Eph. 1.4. before the foundation of the world was laid, which have been wholly hidden to the Soul, which Jewels are the holy fire of the hidden Love-desire, and hangeth the same on the noble Virgin of the heavenly world's Essence; as a golden * Or, jewel for the forehead. ear-ring of half a shekell weight. 35. This golden jewel [or ear-ring] of * Half a shekel. half a shekell weight, is the new heavenly essentiality which came down or proceeded from heaven; as Christ said, Joh. 3. That he was come from heaven; there he means the Ens proceeding or coming from thence, which was the halfe-holy humanity, viz. the holy Ens in the word, which did unite itself to the disappeared heavenly Ens, in the humanity; so that this golden jewel of half a shekell weight, belongs to the divine Sound or word, which cometh into the humanity, and is hung upon the heavenly virginity in man. 36. And now when the marriage is celebrated, and the virginlike Ens betrothed to this holy Ens, so that the virginity receiveth this jewel proffered unto it; than it is an * A whole shekel. whole shekel of gold; half of the deity, and half of the humanity. 37. And the two Bracelets, which Abraham's Servants, viz. the will of the Father in the Souls nature putteth on the virgin, which are of * Ten shekels. Ten shekels weight of gold, they are the ten forms of the holy fire which are hung with the new introduced humanity of Jesus Christ his divine Ens, on the disappeared virginity; whereby it again receiveth its true life. 38. And when this virgin hath thus received this Jewel and Bracelets, than it rejoiceth, and runneth to her brother Laban; viz. to the third Principle of the outward humanity, proceeding from the limus of the earth; that is, to the outward Soul; and telleth this unto him; that is, when the virgin's Image doth receive the Ens of Christ, viz. this fair and precious Jewel of half a shekel, together with the holy fire of the word, than it penetrates, with its voice of the divine Essence, through the outward man (viz. its brother) and declareth the divine Power; whereby the outward man, understand the third Principle, is glad, and exceedingly rejoiceth with the virgin of the inward man, and runneth also unto the fountain of the word of God, and prayeth God, that he would be pleased to come in unto him with his word; as here Laban prayed Abraham's Servant to come in to him; which Abraham's Servant, viz. God's will, doth willingly, and turns in unto the outward man as Abraham's Servant did. 39 Thus doth the humane nature likewise, when it heareth the voice of Christ Sounding in the inward man, and seethe the Ornament, which the holy Spirit hath put on the virgin's Image; then Laban, viz. the brother of the inward Image doth earnestly entreat the will of God to come in. 40. And when the will of God (here typified by Abraham's Servant) is come in unto Bethuel, and Laban, viz. into the third Principle of the humanity; then the Officer of God, viz. the word of God which cometh into Man; saith; I will not eat of thy food; (understand of the outward life's Essence) except I obtain my Errand; that thou givest my Master, viz. my Master's Son (that is, the humanity of Jesus Christ) thy Sister, viz. the heavenly virginity to wife; and he relateth the Mission or Errand of God to the humane nature; that is; he openeth to it the divine understanding, so that even the natural man doth learn to understand the will of God, in which, before, it was blind. 41. And then the poor nature with the Soul gives up itself into God's will; and then thus speak Laban and Bethuel, This cometh from the Lord; we shall not speak any thing against it; behold here is thy place, do with me and with my inward [ground] as thou pleasest; Here is Rebecca, viz. the form word of the heavenly property; take it, and marry it to thy Master's Son, viz. to the humanity of Jesus Christ, according to thy goodliking, as the Lord hath spoken. 42. We see here very exactly, how the spirit of Moses doth speak in the figure, for he sets Laban, viz. Bethuels' Son before the Father; viz. the outward Soul before the inward fire-Soul, the Air-Soul before the Right fire-Soul; albeit they are not two, but One, yet they are understood in two Principles; for the fire-Soul gives answer through the air-Soul; the fire-Soul useth the uncompacted tongue, but the Air-Soul useth the Compacted formed Language. 43. Therefore the spirit of Moses doth set Laban Rebecca's brother, first, as if the business were done by Laban; to signify, that when God's Officer, viz. the will of God, in the * Drawing of the Father, doth come into man; and seeketh a Lodging, and the virgin, than the outward spirit of man must give its promise; for it is turned away from God and the true resignation; now it must again give its will wholly and fully into Gods will. 44. And when it comes to pass, that the outward Soul, with the inward fire-Soul, doth wholly consent unto this holy Match, and give up itself to God; then the will of God, viz. the Officer, in the drawing of the Father, doth bow himself again towards the true deity; that is, he cometh again unto its seat and place; and brings forth out of Abraham's treasure; that is, out of God the Father's treasury of his form wisdom, the Silver and Golden jewels, and hangeth them on Rebecca, viz. the heavenly virginity. 45. For these jewels do not belong to Laban, or Bethuel (understand to the outward, or inward fire-Soul) while it is here in this earthly life, but to the true virgin Rebecca, proceeding from the divine Ens of the form holy word, according to the Angelical world's property; viz. according to the Second Principle, viz. the inward spiritual new man, which is, with Rebecca, married to the Right Isaac, Christ; and therefore the spirit of Moses sets down, Gen. 24.53. how Abraham's Servant gave Rebecca the golden ear-ring and bracelets with silver and golden jewels and Raynient; but unto Laban, viz. unto Rebecca's brother and her mother also, he gave * Our Text, precious things. Spices. 46. O thou wonderful God how plainly dost thou set forth the great mysteries? the silver, and golden jewels are the Treasure of the divine wisdom in the word of life, which treasure the divine word brings along with it to the right virginity, which died in Adam, and is again brought in Christ to its beloved; and giveth it wholly and peculiarly for the Ornament of the Banquett; and the Raiment is the New humanity, wherewith she cometh before her Bridegroom; and the Spices, which were given to Laban and the Mother, are the power and virtues of the holy Spirit, which are freely given to the fire-Soul and the Air-Soul, by the Coming in of the tender humanity of Jesus Christ. 47. For the outward Soul is not in this life time (being yet the Earthly body adheers unto it) clothed with the new Raiment; neither is the Silver and Golden jewel of the humanity of Jesus Christ given in this life time wholly unto the peculiar possession and power of the fire-Soul; but the spices only; that i●, the virtue and pleasant aspect of the holy Spirit; for the fire-Soul might become proud and haughty again, if it should have this virgin in its Own power, as Lucifer and Adam did, therefore the fire-Soul must here in this life time remain in its Principle; and in the Air-soul, viz. in the third Principle, where the earthly Evil man liveth, it must take on it the Cross of Christ. 48. But virgin Rebecca or Sophia with her Bridegroom Christ, remains in their own, viz. in the Second, Principle, in heaven; for Saint Paul saith; * Our conversation is in heaven; understand the conversation of the virgin [Sophia], where she with her beloved Christ, stands in wedlock; and Christ and virgin Sophia are one person; understand the true Manly Virgin of God, which Adam was before his Eve, when he was man and woman, and yet neither of them, but a Virgin of God. Gen. 24.54. 49. And now when these Nuptials are celebrated; then Abraham's Servant with all his Servants sits down with his obtained Bride and with father and brother at the Table, and eat together the Marriage-Feast; that is, when man, understand, the inward virginlike spiritual man, is married to Christ; then God eateth of man's will and words; and again man eateth of Gods will and words; there they sit at one feast, and then 'tis truly said, and applied; * Whosoever heareth you, he heareth me; whosoever heareth these men to teach and speak of God, he heareth God speak, for they speak in the power of the holy Spirits spices, and eat together of the great Supper of Christ. 50. O what a very glorious, and sumptuous feast is there kept! where this wedding-day is celebrated in man, which no Cananitish Serpent man is worthy to know, or taste of, yea he doth not experimentally taste of it to all eternity; neither knows he what Meat or food is there eaten; also what internal joy is there, where Christ and virgin Sophia are Bride and Bridegroom; and the inward and outward Soul sit by the Bride, and eat with her of this feast; which we leave to the consideration of the children of Christ, who have been at this wedding feast; no man else in this world understands it: none knows any thing thereof but the right Laban and Bethuel. 51. But this Bridal doth not last continually, but when Abraham's Servant had obtained the virgin, and celebrated this feast and wedding-day with the Father, and Mother, and Laban; and had continued there all night, he arose up early in the Morning, and said, let me go unto my Master. Gen. 24.54. The inward figure stands thus. 52. When Christ hath married himself with virgin Sophia, viz. with the inward humanity, soon after, the voice of God Soundeth in the Soul, and saith, I will go away from thee with the virgin, and it is continually as if he would force away, and departed from man; then the poor Soul must make continual prayers and supplications, that he would be pleased to tarry still longer with it; but the voice oftentimes sounds, hinder me not, I must go, or make my journey, to my Master, thou art vain, evil, and sinful, I may not tarry with thee any longer. 53. And then the poor Soul calleth virgin Rebecca, viz. Christ with his Bride; and puts him in mind of his precious word and promise, in that * Mat. 28.20. He hath promised to remain with us even to the end of the world, and to make his Abode in us; and thus one day upon another it is delayed, and yet Christ goeth with his Bride into his native Country, viz. into the Second Principle, but the marriage is celebrated in all the three Principles. 54. A very excellent figure we have in this also; Gen. 24.61. to the 67. That when Rebecca went home with Abraham's servant, and Isaac met her in the field, and she asked him what man that was, and Abraham's servant told her, that it was his Master Isaac; how she lighted off the Camel, and put a vail before her eyes, and was ashamed, and how Isaac took her and carried her into his Mother's Tent. The inward figure is this. 55. When the inward disappeared humanity, doth again obtain the precious Jewel, and is quickened in the spirit of Christ, and discovers its beloved Christ in itself, than it falls down into the deepest humility before the holiness of God, and is ashamed, that it hath lain so long captive in the bestial man, and that it was a Queen, but hath lost its Kingdom in Adam; than it vaileth its own face before God's glorious Clarity, and humbleth itself: but Christ taketh her into his Arms, and leads her into his Mother's Tent, viz. into the heavenly world's Essence, from whence he is come with his heavenly essence, and there she becomes his wife; and thus Isaac is truly comforted for his Mother, viz. for the disappeared Matrix in the Tincture of Venus which died in Adam, and which he again doth now obtain in virginlike chastity for his Spouse; as here the history concerning Isaac soundeth. 56. And we seriously admonish the Reader not to contem, scorn, or deride at our exposition, it is the true ground; for when Isaac met his Bride, Gen. 24.62. he came from the well Lahai-roi, [from the fountain of the living and Seeing One]; as Moses saith: if any desire to understand our meaning and knowledge, he must then make towards this fountain, that so he may be received with Rebecca; and then he will see, from what spirit this pen hath written, and in what * Seal, vial, or Trumpet. Number and Voice [it is arisen.] 57 If any here see nothing, he may well blame himself for blind, and no man else; the Jews, and Turckes, and also Babel, may here open their eyes wide, and look upon the figures of the old Testament aright, they will even find them so. CHAP. LI. How Abraham took another wife of whom he begat six Sons, to which he gave gifts; and unto his Son Isaac he gave all his goods; but the other he sent away from his Son Isaac while he yet lived; and also how he died, and was buried by his Sons Ishmael and Isaac: what hereby is signified unto us. Gen. XXV. 1, 2. MOses saith; Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah, and she bore unto him Zimran, Jochshan, Medan, Midian, Ishback, Shuah, from whom sprang forth six generations; but of Sarah Abraham begat only one Son, at which the whole history pointeth; but of Keturah he begatt six Sons, concerning whom no peculiar or especial thing is mentioned, but only their families or generations. This is thus to be understood in the inward figure. Abraham and his Sarah must be first old, before he begatt Isaac, to signify, that Christ should be manifested in the flesh in the Old Age of the world. 2. Isaac was begotten and conceived of Abraham's nature, and of the Ens of faith in an old, and almost dead Matrix, as to the humane nature, that so the divine Ens might have the pre-eminence; but when Sarah died, Abraham took unto him Keturah; and soon begatt of her Six Sons: Kethurah doth in its Name express the Centre of nature: when we form the SensVAl un-compacted spirits of the letters in this word Keturah, than we understand, that KETURAH is a formed matrix of nature; which signifieth to us, that Abraham after he had begotten the Type of Christ in the Ens of faith, should now beget his own likeness as to Adam's nature out of the Six properties of the natural spirits life, and also set forth and represent his own natural likeness; and therefore he must also have such a vessel thereunto. 3. Sarah must bring forth but One Son, to signify, that the kingdom of mankind is given but to one; and that they all do belong to this one; and should in him become the same only one as branches on one tree; which [one] should be Christ in All. 4. But here Abraham did now with Keturah, beget Six Sons, according to the Six properties of the form nature, of the operation of the Six day's works; and Isaac, that is, Christ, is the Seventh; viz. the day of rest, or Sabbath, wherein the Six Sons should enter into Rest; even as the six days of the creation, understand the six properties of the Centre of nature, (viz. the working Spirit-life) do rest in the Seventh; thus the Spirit of God doth represent the figure in Abraham. 5. And we have here a very excellent figure against the Reason-wise, who say, that whosoever is not born by nature in the Ens of faith [that is naturally as it were begotten of the Seed of the woman which works only by a particular election of God as they feign) the same is hardened, and cannot attain to the Adoption of God, he is not drawn by God, that he should come to the new-birth: this figure quite strikes down their fiction, and shows the true ground; and first, it sets forth Isaac, viz. Christ; and declareth plainly that to him alone the kingdom of God is hereditary and peculiar, and that no man can have it any more for, or from the Right of nature; and how we are altogether cast out from thence with Adam, and have lost the same; as the children of Keturah were all cast out from the inheritance of Abraham's goods, and Isaac only did inheritt them. 6. And he sets down hereby, how Adam's children were also begotten of Abraham, and how he gave them Gifts of his goods; betokening, how free gifts were given to Adam's natural children, Gen. 25.6. out of God the Fathers, and Christ's Goods; as Abraham's goods were given them of grace as a free gift. 7. For Abraham did not cast out his natural children from him without gifts: so likewise God did not cast Adam out of Paradise without his * Note, where the Free Grace of God was given to Mankind. free Gift; he first gave him the bruiser of the Serpent in the word of the Covenant; and afterwards he cast Adam from the childlike inheritance of the natural Right; and yet he received him again in the free Donation; as Abraham also did not here reject his children and cast them out from the child-ship, but from the natural Right of his goods; yet they were dear unto him in the child-ship; therefore he freely gave them gifts of his goods, and thereby he signifieth to us, that the Kingdom of heaven doth indeed belong only unto Christ, viz. to the true Isaac: but as he freely of Grace gave the Covenant to Adam; and as Abraham gave Gifts out of Isaac's Right to the Sons of the Concubines; so God the Father doth still to this day, give adam's, and Abraham's natural children, the Covenant, and heritage of Christ as a free Gift of Grace. 8. And as Abraham's natural children were not disinherited from the Covenant, but only from his Goods; so likewise no man is disinherited from the Covenant of God, established in Adam, and Abraham, Every man receiveth the free given Covenant in the womb, in which his free-given Covenant, he hath power to turn in unto Christ's goods. 9 But he hath not the goods in the Right of nature, to take the same at or by his own will, but as a free Gift; he shall and must resign himself up unto the Covenant as a Servant, wholly giving up his own natural will in the Covenant, and forsake the will to the Right of nature, and become wholly the Covenants own; so that he doth not any longer introduce his own natural will into the Covenant and free Gift, but give up his will to the Covenant; and then the free gift standeth in the place of the own will; and the nature of Adam liveth in the free gift, and also enjoyeth the inheritance, but not in the self-will, but in the true Resignation, where the will of the Covenant becomes man's will. 10. For the will of the Covenant inheriteth the Sonship in the right of nature, but the will of the natural Selfeness is cast out from it, the same must die unto the assuming own-hood; and when it is brought so to pass, it ariseth in the Covenant in Christ, and possesseth the free gift in the Right of Grace; Christ hath manifested himself in the Covenant in Adam's freely given gift in the humane nature, and is become the life, and will of the Covenant, and fulfiled the same. 11. But now this free-given Covenant which God bestowed on Adam, lieth in all men, for as Sin passed as a birthright from one upon all, so also the Covenant and the free gift of grace passeth from one upon all; Every man hath Christ in him; but the own will doth not apprehend him, but it crucifieth him, and will not die to its Selfness, that so it might enter into Christ's death, and arise in the Covenant in the will of Christ. 12. The Own will desireth only to be an outwardly assumed or adopted Son of Grace, and yet it is cast out from the presence of God, as Abraham cast out his natural children from his goods, and disinherited them, and gave the goods only to Isaac; so likewise the kingdom of God belongs only to the will of the Covenant. 13. Which indeed lieth in all men, but no man can receive or see the Kingdom of God, unless he become the child of the Covenant, so that he forsake the natural forth-proceeded will, and put on the will of Christ in the Covenant; so that his will in the Covenant be born anew in Christ; and then he is * John 15.5. a branch on the vine of Christ, and receiveth Christ's spirit, will, and life; and becomes as to the Covenant Christus or one anointed; and thus Christ then dwelleth in Adam and Adam in Christ; and this is that which the spirit of Moses doth represent in this figure. 14. But that Abraham did send the children of his Adamicall nature away out of his house with Gifts, and did not keep them with him as Sojourners; betokens, that the external man, will, while it is in this life, live in the will of Self upon the earth, and that it cannot wholly put off the same according to the earthly man; but this same earthly Self will is cast out of the holiness of God, viz. from the Kingdom of heaven. 15. And although the free gift of the Covenant lieth hid in him, yet the outward earthly man is cast out from Paradise, and the Covenant of God, and shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven (Joh. 6.) but he only shall inherit it who is born of the free gift of the Covenant, not Adam but Christ in his Members; not the Serpents Ens, and the selfish rebellious Ismalitish scoffing false will; but the will of the Covenant in Ismaels' circumcision, where the mocker is cut off from the Covenant; and Ishmael then becomes Isaac's brother. 16. The Own selfe-made gross earthly Adam, who by his own lust hath made himself a Beast, and received and taken in the Devil's desire and will, into the selfly assumed Beast, the same cannot be or remain in the Image of Christ: he is cast out from thence, and walketh in the world of vanity, and his own lust, so that he is not capable of the free gift in the Covenant. 17. But the right Adamicall man, which God made out of the matrix of the earth, out of which the Earth had its Original; in the same is the Covenant, and the free gift; even as a tincture in the gross Lead, which doth swallow up in itself the grossness, viz. the gross Saturn in its own desire, and mortifieth the Saturnine will; and advanceth or sublimeth its own (understand the Tinctures will and propriety) in the Lead▪ whereby the Lead is changed into Gold. 18. Thus likewise we are to understand, that the gross Saturnine Self-will, proceeding from the dark world's property, in man, cannot dwell in God's house 〈◊〉 is without in the corrupt world; God hath cast it forth out of Paradise; as Abraham cast out his natural Adamicall children from Isaac's goods, so also our earthly man as to it's assumed grossness, and ownhood, is not at all fit for, or profitable unto, the kingdom of heaven, it is only the Axe wherewith the Carpenter builds in this life time, in heaven he hath no need of this Axe, for he shall not need build him an house for his propriety, but Christ, viz. the form word of God is his house. 19 For as Abraham cast out of his house the Sons of his Concubines with gifts▪ so likewise the Adamicall man is cast out from God, whom Christ, viz. the Father's free gift, receiveth again unto himself; for when Christ was come into our humanity▪ * God suffered him to be hung upon the Cross, and be put to death▪ but received him again in his free favour, * and set him at the right hand of the Power of God in heaven; and our humanity also with and in him; but the humane self will, must die on the Cross. 20. Thus likewise the spirit of Moses doth here signify in the figure, concerning Abraham and his natural children; that the outward natural man shall not dwell in the Ens of Christ, for he is cast out of Paradise in Adam; therefore also he cannot be received according to his Bestial selfish propriety unto the possession of Isaac's goods; that is, unto the Ens of faith, viz. in Christ; and albeit Christ, viz. the free gift of the Father, doth dwell in the inward true man which God created in Adam; yet the gross Beast, viz. the earthliness and vanity shall and trust in every respect be cast away from Christ; yea Every man who desireth to be a Christian, must cast out the earthly will, which longeth and breatheth after vanity and Self ●●st. 21. As Abraham (in this figure) did not spare his own children, but cast them out; so likewise a Christian must not spare or forbear his children; viz. his own lust and vain desire; and all whatsoever doth hang or depend thereon; but daily and hourly cast them out by the understanding, out of the true Temple of Christ; viz. out of God's free gift, and crucify the old Adam; else if it be not thus effected the old self-willed Adam crucifyeth Christ in him, and so Christ indeed must hang on the Cross; and be put to death. 22. And this figure also Concerning Abraham's casting out his natural children, doth signify, that, when Christ, viz. the true Isaac came into the flesh, viz. into the humanity, Abraham's natural children, viz. the Jews, should, under the kingdom of Christ, be cast out from the natural goods, viz. from all Dominion, from Country and Kingdom; and their Rule and Dominion should cease; for the Dominion belongs only unto Christ, viz. to Christendom; for Christ brought an Eternal Kingdom with him: the goods were all his; as Abraham's goods belonged to Isaac. 23. And although it hath not dominion over all, as Isaac had possession and rule of that only which his father left him; for the natural children of Abraham, born of Kethura, became afterwards heathen, and ruled over the outward goods as children of the outward nature: yet Abraham's children, who were in the Covenant under Circumcision, must when Christ did manifest himself, be cast out, to signify, that the earthly man also, viz. Self in the Serpents Ens which is on the children of the Covenant, must be cast away from God. 24. Thus in Abraham and his Son Isaac the figure of the Kingdom of Christ was represented: but when Christ came into the flesh; God put away the figure; and took from the external children of Isaac the outward goods of the Land Canaan; to intimate, that now the holy Land of Canaan is become manifest, where Isaac's children shall take possession of the true promised inheritance in Christ, and no longer have the figure only, but the Essence of the figure, viz. the perfect substance, and now forsake the outward goods with the figure, and put on Christ in the flesh. 25. But that the Jews, viz. Isaac's and Abraham's children, viz. the children in Christ's figure, did not all turn unto Christ, when he did manifest himself in the flesh, hath this meaning; God gave them the law of nature; where, in the law, the Government of nature was understood externally, and internally Christ, viz. the Covenant, and the promised free gift of God in Paradise; so that the law of nature was to be Christ's Sojourner, and the true man also was to live under the law of nature in a * Note. Right rationality, and yet bring his own nature into Christ's house; and thus the figure of the law must continue among some of Abraham's children, viz. amongst some of the Jews, to signify, that the law is Christ's Sojourner. 26. Understand, that the nature of man shall remain, for it is not so rejected of God, as if clean another new man should arise out of the old; but the (new man) shall arise out of Adam's nature, and property, and out of Gods, in Christ's, nature and property; so that man is become an Adam-Christ, and Christ, a Christ-Adam; a Man-God, and a God-Man; and therefore the figure continued still among the Jews; and for this cause they were not all converted to Christ; that so nature might keep its figure, and due right; for it shall deliver up its children under the Law, viz. the figure of Christ, to God the Father, in Christ, but its figure shall be proved in the fire of God, so that it shall be known, who hath been the true child of the natural Law in the figure of Christ, that hath been born in the spirit in the law out of the figure of Christ, and who hath not. 27. It is not he, that hath the words and Title of the law, that is a Jew born in the figure, and in the law, but he who is born of the promise in Abraham's faith; he that liveth in the figure of Christ, viz. in the law in profession, and practice (with mouth and heart) the same, the law of God in Christ's figure hath comprehended, and will bring him into the fullfilling of the figure. 28. For it doth not only depend on man's knowing, that Christ hath given himself into the law, and is become the fullfilling in the law, as the Titular Christian boasteth; but it depends on God's * Ordinance. Order, on the mercy of God; whosoever hath been a true Jew, and hath put on Abraham's faith in the law, he hath put on the Ens of Christ, which Abraham conceived or apprehended, which Ens of faith, the humanity of Christ hath fulfiled; and it is hidden to him what it is, for he worketh in the office of nature in the law of God, which Christ hath taken into himself and fulfiled; so that he serveth God in the office of nature, and the Office of nature serveth Christ, for it is become Christ's own propriety. 29. For unto him all power is given both in heaven and on earth (Matth. 28.) under which power, the office of nature also is, in the law; for God, in the spirit of Christ, is Even the self same who gave the law and the office of nature to do Righteousness, together with the figure of the kingdom of Christ, with the Ens of faith, to Abraham and Moses; and he is also the very same who fulfiled the Faith, and the law. 30. Thus the Jew worketh in his faith in Christ's office, viz. in the Law, wherewith Christ governeth in nature; and hath put on Christ in the Covenant, and in the Ens of faith in Christ's figure, which Christ hath fullfied. 31. For the Christian who confesseth Christ in the flesh, worketh in his Faith in the flesh of Christ, and hath the Law of nature, viz. God's officer, to do uprightly, in his faith; for Christ ruleth in the Law of God, which he hath fulfiled and made a Servant, in his children, and killeth the law of Sin through the fullfilling of his Love in his blood and death, both in them who live in the dominion of his Law, and also in them who live in the dominion of his Conquest, as the Christians do. 32. For the faith which presseth or cometh in unto God in the law, in the figure, in the Covenant, the same cometh unto God in the Ens of Abraham's faith, out of which, Christ was born; and he that cometh in unto God in the fullfilling of the same, doth come or press in to God in the humanity of Christ, viz. in the whole process of his suffering, death, and resurrection. 33. A Christian is Christ in the inward humanity, and a Jew is Christ in the figure, and in the office of his law, viz. according to nature: but now Adam in his nature and Christ in the divine nature, are but one person, one only Tree; * Rom. 8.34. Who now is here that judgeth. 34. Saint Paul saith; ‖ Rom. 2.11, 12, 13, 14, 15. There is no respect of persons before God; for as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law, and they who have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the Law; for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified; for when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves, which show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness to them, and their thoughts within themselves either accusing or excusing each other; That is, or signifieth, thus much. 35. When the Gentiles do apprehend Christ, than they do apprehend the Law of nature to do uprightly, for Christ is the beginning and the fullfilling of the law; but the Jews have the law; now whosoever transgresseth, and sinneth, either the Jew in the law of nature, or the Gentile who acknowledgeth Christ in the law of the fullfilling each shall be punished or judged in his law; viz. the Jew in the law of God the Father in Christ, and the Christian in the law of the Gospel, viz. in the law of the Accomplishment. 36. For here is no respect of name, in that one saith, I am a Jew, the other I am a Christian, the name maketh no difference in the Adoption of God, but the spirit in the heart to do uprightly, to obey God; they all come in the Grace under the obedience of Christ unto God; both the Jew and Christian. 37. For without Christ there is neither law nor Gospel, Christ is the Righteousness which availeth before God in the law, so that man, without Christ, hath no God; now let him run either in the Law or Gospel, if he runneth in the desire to obey God, than he runneth in the law of the Accomplishment; for Christ is the only obedience which availeth before God, both in the law and Gospel; all men who give up themselves in obedience unto God, they are received in Christ's obedience, viz. in the fullfilling of the obedience, the Jew and the Christian, and so likewise the heathen who hath neither the law nor Gospel. 38. For if the Gentile desire to obey the only God, and yet knoweth him not according to the essence of his manifestation; but presseth in to the obedience of God, than he is a law unto himself; and declareth indeed that God hath written his law in him, which he hath fulfiled in his Son, as Paul saith; for he who knoweth the law and Gospel, knoweth the same only as a Gift of the Giver, who hath given him the knowledge; but he that doth not know it, and yet desireth the power of the law and Gospel, in him, God in Christ, knows, what he pleaseth. 39 For Grace doth not only lie in knowing, that one knoweth the Grace in Christ, but it lieth in the pressing into that Grace, and in the mercy of God. One presseth in to mercy in the law, the other in the Gospel, and the third without the law, and without the knowledge of the Gospel; he that hath neither, but hangs on the Grace of God, the same is freely given without his knowledge of it. 40. Even as the branch on the tree doth not know, whence the Stock doth introduce the sap, and power into it, it only longeth and gaspeth after the power and virtue of the root, and draweth with its desire the sap into its self; even so likewise many an ignorant man doth long after his eternal mother, out of whom he is arisen with Adam, and cometh in his ignorance [or un-knowing condition] again unto the free gift of Grace which God freely bestowed on Adam, in his fall, for the Covenant and Grace passed from Adam upon all originally or by way of inheritance, even as Sin passed from one upon all: whosoever desireth the Grace of the only God, he obtaineth it in Christ, who is the Grace itself. 41. The Jews will not believe the outward humanity of Christ, and do deny the same; but the Christians do believe it, and yet defile the same, with ungodly conversation, and the one is as the other before God, except the children of Faith among the Jews and Christians, whose defiled garment is washed in the blood of Christ. 42. We do not hereby confirm or speak for the unbeleef of the Jews, and Gentiles, that they should or might remain in blindness, for the time of their visitation is * Text. born. at hand, that they shall see, but we hereby disclose and lay open the wicked Antichrist among the Jews, and Christians, in that every one boasteth of his Name, and condemneth another; the Jew in the Law, and the Christian in the Gospel, and the Heathen in his Superstition. 43. Each of them will be God's child in his knowledge, and yet the disobedience and unbeleef is as great among one people as another; and they are in the knowledge, only as a figure before God, and none is saved by his knowledge only; for, that I do believe and hold for a truth, that Christ was born, died and arose again from death for me, doth not make me a child of God; the Devil knoweth it also, but it doth not avail him; I must put on Christ in the desire of faith, and enter into his obedience, into his incarnation, suffering and death, and arise again in him, and put on the obedience of Christ, and then I am a Christian and not before. 44. The judging censuring and condemning others without God's Command is only the Antichrist among the Jews, and among the Christians: without God's mercy none cometh to the Sonship, we must all enter in through the free Mercy of God; the Jew, and Christian, the knower, and he that knoweth not, our knowledge must be filled and abound with the love of Christ effectually, so that we love one another, else knowledge is not at all available: if I bring not my knowledge with the desire into the Love of God wherewith he hath loved us in Christ, and love my neighbour in the love of God in Christ, with that love wherewith God generally loveth us, and loved us when we were his Enemies, than I have not as yet the love of God dwelling in me. 45. But how will he Love his brother, who contemneth him for his knowledge sake: did not God Love us when we knew nothing of his Love; if a man hath not this Love of God in him, wherewith God loved us when we knew him not, why doth he boast then of God's Sonship; if he be the child of God, than he hath the free love of God, wherewith he loveth all things, if he hath it not; he is not then as yet capable of the Adoption: now than if any one contemneth, and condemneth his brother, which hath not as yet his knowledge, how can he boast of the Love of God, wherewith God loved his Enemies in Christ, wherewith Christ prayed for his Enemies. 46. O thou false cold Love of the titular Christendom, how doth the Eternal truth strike thee in the face of thy Conscience, in that thou only dependest on thy knowing, and contendest about the mere knowledge, and hast not Love; thou judgest thyself only in thy judging others: One Sect and company judgeth and condemneth an other, and before God they are no other than the natural children of Abraham, born of Kethura, one laying the blame upon another that the father had cast them out from the inheritance, and yet they could not see what was the fault, namely, that it was by reason of the evil corrupt nature, which was not a true Heir. 47. So likewise your judging and censuring others doth not Entitle you to the goods of Christ: nay, the same is wholly cast out from the inheritance, both of the Jews, Christians, and also of the Turks; all your contention is nothing else but the Mocker Ishmael who mocketh Christ in his members; ye do all abuse the Name of God with your judging, and condemn the manifold Gifts of the Spirit of God among you, and judge only in Self, and not according to the Love of Christ. 48. Your judging one another is only the hurt and wound of the world, wherewith ye make the ignorant to Err, and bring them to blaspheam, ye teach them the art of censuring and condemning, and ye yourselves have not the true knowledge in the spirit of God, ye do not teach yourselves, and yet ye will be teaching, and judging others; and in this way and course ye are all, one with another, the disinherited children of Kethura; ye contend, by't and devour one another about Abraham's, viz. Christ's goods, and yet ye have them not; if ye had them then ye would have the Love of Christ, which is the true goods. 49. No knowledge without the love of Christ is at all available to the Sonship, it is only Babel, and fable, Teaching and yet an effecting and doing nothing, save only honouring the Idol Maozim in itself; the knowledge of the High Schools, and the knowledge of the Devil, without the spirit of Christ in Love, do both of them bring only contention and desolation. 50. If the Devil had not known in Self, than he had been an Angel; and if Adam had not desired the Selfe-knowledge without God's Love, he had continued in Paradise; if the high Schools did not know the sharp acute disputing, they had continued in the simplicity of Christ, and had not brought the whole world with their contention and dispute into Opinions, and judge of one another, so that now there is nothing but contemning, and condeming in Christendom, and all Love, and truth is extinct; and men have set and put Salvation in opinions [in this or that way and form] and bound the Master to the Servant, so that Antichrist domineereth over Christ, and yet pretends all for Christ, but indeed her hereby only honoureth and mindeth his Lucifer, and Belly-God Maozim, as it is plainly to be seen. Gen. 25.6, 7, 8, 9 51. Now after that Abraham had sent away all the children of the Concubines from Isaac's goods with Gifts towards the East, as Moses saith; they came into the East Country; that is, into the Dominion and Government of nature, where the Essence beginneth, and Abraham died in a quiet Age when he was old, and full of years, and was buried by his Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah which is before Mamre. The inward figure is this. 52. Abraham's natural children of the Concubines went towards the East: here the spirit points at the figure of the whole man, when Christ hath manifested himself in man, and possessed his goods, as here Isaac, than nature goeth into the * Text. beginning. East, viz. into the Father's property, and worketh according to the soul in the first and third Principle, and Christ sitteth in the midst, viz. in the second Principle, and ruleth over that which nature in the Father's property doth form and fashion in the divine wisdom. 53. Therefore Moses saith here; that they went towards the East, and pointeth secretly in his figure at the property of man, signifying how nature doth possess the * Text. morning. East, viz. the beginning or rise of the Dominion; even as Christ also said, that He was as a Vine-dresser who did glean. In God's kingdom nature is Christ's Servant, but in the kingdom of nature's Self or propriety, Christ hath given himself with his humility to be a Servant, and an assistant, and serveth the Father in his natural manifestation, and continually picketh up or gleaneth; what the Father formeth through nature, that the wisdom bringeth into its Treasure. 54. Therefore saith Saint Paul, that ‖ 1 Cor. 14.32. the spirit of God is subject to the children of God, and goeth along with them in the Searching even into the depths of the Deity: and when it comes thus far, than man is in a quiet old age, and then all things stand in order in him; viz: nature in the * East. Morning in the Father's property, and Christ in the * West. Evening, in the humility, and then man hath enough of the outward evil sinful life, he longeth continually to enter with his Essence into the Cave of * That is, the twofold pit, as the Dutch translation hath it. Machpelah, viz. into the Eternal Mother, as it is before ‖ In the 49. Chap. mentioned. 55. And when he hath brought his life's forms into the divine Order, as here Abraham had set all things into Order, than he giveth up himself wholly and fully in One Essence into the Eternal Generatress, and with his own will he resigneth up himself into mortification and death, and is wholly tired, and weary of the life of Self, and so resteth in his God. CHAP. LII. Of the history of Isaac, and also of the Birth of Esau and Jacob, and what hath been acted concerning them; the meaning thereof is hinted to us in this Chapter. MOses saith; After the death of Abraham God blessed his Son Isaac, Gen. XXV. vers. 11. and he dwelled by the well of the * Laha●●●●. Living and Seeing. Reason understands this externally of a place where Isaac dwelled, but the spirit looketh upon the figure of the life's form, showing, how the humane nature and creature hath dwelled by the wellspring of the divine Ens in the Covenant, which Abraham laid hold of in faith; viz. the Soul of Isaac dwelled by the wellspring of the holy Trinity, in which the Soul received its light, and saw, and knew the will of God, out of which wellspring the highest love of the Deity did manifest itself to the Soul; and out of which fountain, afterwards, in the fullness of time the holy Name Jesus out of Jehova did manifest itself and espoused itself for a Bride unto the Soul. 2. The soul of Isaac dwelled by this fountain of the living and Seeing, until the same fountain afterwards did power forth, and open itself in the humanity of Christ in the Soul; and then afterwards the Soul dwelled in the fountain, when it was exalted in Christ's person to the right hand of God; and then the fountain of God did spring forth through the soul, where then it received the divine might as a Prince of God, or as an Image or express likeness of God, or as a form word of the voice of God, through which voice God was made known and manifest. 3. So likewise our Soul when it forsaketh the earthly will of its assumed Self, and apprehendeth the Ens of Christ in the Covenant, and turns itself to God, than it dwelleth also by the fountain of the living and Seeing, that is, by God's Eye, which he hath again with Christ manifested and opened in the humanity: indeed our soul doth not in this time of the earthly cottage dwell in the wellspring of God, as if it did apprehend the wellspring in Self, but like as the Sun through-shineth the Glass, and yet the Glass is not turned to be Sun, but it dwelleth by the Lustre, and virtue of the Sun, and suffereth the Sun to work and shine through it; even so is the soul in this time. 4. And further yet, As the Sun doth give its Tincture into the Metalline Ens, and the Metalline Ens giveth its desire into the Sun's Tincture, so that out of them both the fair and precious Gold is generated, so likewise it is to be understood concerning the Soul and the fountain of God; the Deity * Or, dwelleth through the soul. inhabiteth the Soul, but the soul comprehends not the same as to its creatural power; but the Eye or light of God with the holy Love-tincture from the lights lustre, giveth itself into the desire of the Soul. Note what the Fiat is. 5. For the desire of the Soul is the Fiat, which takes the power of the holy Love-tincture into itself, and makes it essential; so that the divine tincture proceeding from the desire of the true Love-spring (viz. from the fountain of the living and Seeing) and the soul's believing desire, do become one Essence. 6. Understand a spiritual Essence, and this same spiritual Essence is the inward new man, viz. a new house or habitation of the Soul, in which it dwelleth according to the inward heavenly world: the name of which Essence is Sophia, viz. the Bride of Christ, Christ's humanity, in which the glorious Jacobs-Star of the dear and precious Name Jesus is a shining light, whereby the Soul seethe and knoweth God. 7. The Soul is not changed into the Deity, viz. into Lahai-roi, the fountain of the living and Seeing, for it is the Eternal and Temporal natures; but the Deity is not natures, but the will to nature, and manifesteth itself through the Souls nature, as the fire manifesteth itself through the Iron, where then the Iron seems as if it were mere fire, and yet it keepeth its own nature, and the fire also its own, and the one doth only dwell in the other, and one is the manifestation of the other. The Iron hath no power over the fire, only the fire giveth itself to the Iron, and the Iron giveth its Ens to the fire, and so both are changed in to one, and yet remain two Essences, so likewise it is to be understood with the Soul and the Deity. 8. And as the fiery property is different from the gross Iron, and hath another Source: so likewise the new spiritual humanity in the Ens of Christ in the divine Love-fire is far another essence than the earthly body, albeit the Soul is understood in the fire, and in the lights lustre the body of Sophia, for the power or virtue of the light is the tincture or the beginning to the new spiritual body; which power, the Souls believing desire, taketh, and formeth or bringeth it into an Essence: that is, it makes it essential: it becomes an essence or spiritual body from the desire, which spiritual essence is the Temple of God, of which the Scripture speaketh. 9 But our Babylon will understand nothing hereof, but will be wholly blind therein; for she will not know how Christ is born in the faith in us, and how faith comes to essence, but she will downright make the halfe-Serpent man to be an assumed and adopted child of Grace, and set it in God's Temple: but it avails not; shall the Devil sit at the right hand of God in the fountain of the living and Seeing, he hath been once cast away from thence, he shall not any more possess the same: a Beast is not Sophia; the Scripture saith; * Matth. 18.3. Ye must be converted, and be born anew as children, else ye shall not see God. 10. The Soul cannot see God save only in its newborn Image, only through and in virgin Sophia in Jacobs-Star, viz. in the Name of Jesus it Seethe in Jehova in the wellspring of the life of God; it is not its self this very fountain, it giveth only the fire to the manifestation of this fountain: but the fountain is understood in the light, viz. in the meekness of the light. 11. Now the souls magic fire-source could not so be enkindled that a shining lustre of a light might arise in the Souls fire, if the divine Love-desire, viz. the Love-Ens, had not given itself into the Souls fire; the Ens of Christ out of the divine Love, giveth itself into the Souls fire-Source, which the soul's fire eateth into its fiery Essence, and thereupon the life of the wrathfullness dyeth, and the fair precious light is thence generated; for here Christ ariseth out of the consuming fire of the Father's property, according to his anger, from death, out of the fire of another life: here the magical Souls fire becomes the precious Sophia's Bridegroom, and here are man and wife; viz. both Tinctures of the fire and of the light become one person, viz. an Angel of God. 12. Here Lucifer looseth his throne, and the Serpent his viperous Seed, and Christ sitteth at the right hand of God in man; and man then dwelleth truly by the fountain of the living and seeing; and this is that which the spirit of Moses sets forth by this figure concerning Isaac's habitation, if we would but once become Seeing, and forsake the mere husk, and know our selves aright, not according to the earthly Beast, but according to the inward spiritual heavenly Man. 13. As to the part of the bestial soul [of Man], that attains not the precious Image, in this life time for propriety, the mortal soul either from the Stars or four Elements attains it not, only the inward Soul, out of the Eternal word of God, out of the Eternal Nature, out of the form word, out of God's Essence according to God's Love and Anger, viz. out of the Centre of the Eternal Nature, which hath its Original out of the divine desire through the eternal * Word. Verbum Fiat, whereby the divine Lubet formeth and fashioneth the wisdom into a Substance, to the Contemplation of the Deity: This [soul is that which] is betrothed to Sophia. 14. The outward Soul is now betrothed and espoused to the Stars and four Elements, to form and bring forth the wonders of Gods form wisdom in Figures, both in words and works: this outward Soul obtains sometimes only a look from Sophia, for it hath the death and mortality in itself, but it shall after this time be changed again into the first Image, which God created in Adam, and leave the Serpents Ens to the earth, which shall at the end of days be tried in the fire of God, where the Serpents introduced desire shall evaporate from it, and then the whole Image of God out of all the Three Principles stands in One Essence, and even then * Ephes. 1.23. God filleth all in all; this is here to be understood by this figure. 15. Further the spirit of Moses describeth the children of Ishmael, and relates how he begatt twelve Sons, Gen. 25.16.18 from whom twelve Princes arose in their Generations, and he sets down, at last; He fell in the presence of all his brethren; here he meaneth before Isaac's generation; and yet he waxed great in worldly Dominion before them, and potent Nations did arise from him; and Isaac with his children and posterity were only as Pilgrims, and traveled up and down from one place to another, until they were at last redeemed from the Egyptian Bondage, and possessed the promised Land. The inward figure. 12 Princes. 16. Ishmael in his twelve Princes typifieth the kingdom of the Corrupt Nature of man's property, which kingdom is twofold: viz. six numbers out of the inward life's figure; 6 Inward. and six numbers out of the earthly outward life's figure; 6 Outward. viz. the outward visible palpable Man, and the inward spiritual Soulish man: both these have twelve numbers in the figure, whence Twelve Princes arose, according to the inward and outward nature's property: these the spirit of Moses puts in the figure and saith, that they fell in the presence of all their brethren, to signify, that the twelve dominions of the inward and outward nature of the humane property in its corruption, fell before the twelve dominions newborn of the Ens of faith in their corrupt Self; for the Devil had set his dominion and power into these properties. 17. But when the promised Seed of faith was conceived in Abraham, it did suppress and beat down the Devil's power in the dominion of man's Self; and then happened the spiritual fall in Ismaels' line, wherein the Devil as an haughty Prince had set himself to bear the chief sway and domination; for Christ killeth the pride of the Serpent in man. 18. Now saith Moses; Ishmael fell in the presence of all his brethren; this was nothing else but a spiritual fall of the humane Selfness before God, for as to this world they were famous renowned people, as their Princely dominions do testify; whereas on the contrary Isaac's Generation were only strangers among the Nations; which signifieth, that Christ's kingdom and Dominion is not in this world's nature; and yet the kingdoms of this world shall fall before Christ, and be in subjection to Christ. 19 Afterwards the spirit of Moses describeth Isaac's children by Rebecca, and saith, that she was barren, and Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, and God was entreated of him; and Rebecca conceived with two Sons, which strove together in the womb. Here now the figure of the kingdom of nature, and also of the kingdom of Christ in the new birth is clearly set forth: for Rebecca's two sons which she brought forth, viz. Esau and Jacob, point at two lines: viz, Esau proceeds from Abraham's own Adamicall corrupt nature; and Jacob ariseth in the Ens of faith, in which Abraham's faiths Ens had incorporated itself into his Adamicall nature, in which also the Covenant and the line of Christ stood, who should bruise the Serpent's head in the Adamicall nature. 20. And here is deciphered and held forth how the two kingdoms in the two brothers; viz. the Devil's kingdom in the corrupt nature of Esau in Adam's own nature, of the introduced Serpent's Ens; and also the kingdom of Christ in Jacob in the Ens of faith, did both strive together while they were children even in the womb; where then the kingdom of nature in Esau began to fall before the kingdom of Christ in Jacob; for here the woman's seed, already bruised the head of the Serpents Ens, its might, in Esau, and the Serpent already stung the woman's seed, viz. the Ens of faith in Jacob, on the heel, and therefore they struggled together in the womb. 21. Also we have here a very emphatical pregnant figure in Rebecca, in that she was shut up and could not be opened to conceive of Isaac's seed, until Isaac had entreated the Lord, that he would open the * Stop or strong bar. Barrenness. withholdment in the Covenant in Rebecca; where then the Lord was entreated in the Covenant concerning the barrenness of Rebecca, so that he did open the Tincture in the woman's seed to this Impregnation or conception. The inward figure stands thus. 21. The seed of faith was in Isaac inherited from his father Abraham, but Rebecca had not this Ens, indeed she was in the Covenant, but the Ens of faith was not in her in the Essence, but only in the Covenant, and therefore her matrix was shut up, & was not capable of the Ens of faith, so long, till Isaac immersed his believing desire into the Lord, understand into the Centre of nature in Rebecca, so that the spirit of the Lord did move itself in the Covenant in Rebecca, and moved also the Covenant together with her Adamicall nature, so that the barrenness in her matrix was disclosed both in the shut up Ens in the Covenant, and then likewise the Adamicall Matrix, whereupon she conceived two sons, of two kingdom's property. 23. And this is the meaning of the saying, The Lord was entreated; when Isaac brought his faith's desire, through the Eternal and Temporal nature, into the Lord, and therewith did earnestly press for his wife Rebecca, that the Lord would be pleased to open her through his prayer and faiths-desire, that so she might be with child by him, which faiths desire, together with the Adamicall nature's desire, gave in themselves into the barrenness of the matrix in Rebecca, and opened her, whereupon she conceived both nature's properties, from a twofold seed of Isaac. 24. Not that we are to think or understand that Jacob was wholly conceived of the Ens of faith, but as well of the Adamicall Sinful nature as Esau; only the kingdom of Grace in the Covenant, set forth its figure in the Ens of faith in him; and in Esau the kingdom of nature; viz. the right corrupt Adamicall nature did set forth its figure; not as a separation, sundry partition or Rejection: but to signify, that Christ should be conceived, and born, with his holy divine Ens in the Adamicall corrupt nature, and destroy death, and the strong hold of Sin, together with the self-raised desire to ownhood and propriety in self, and mortify the same with the Love desire in the divine Ens, and ruinated the Devil's rampant fort of prey, which he hath built up to himself, therein; and change the wrath of God according to the eternal nature, in the Centre of the dark fiery world's property, into divine love, and joy, and Tincture the Adamicall nature with the holy Tincture of the Love-fire. 25. Therefore the corrupt Adamicall nature in its Type was represented in the womb in Esau, with the type of Christ in Jacob, and they both must be form of one seed, to signify, that Christ should give in himself to our corrupt nature, and redeem our corrupted right Adamicall nature from corruption, and introduce it into his own holy nature in himself. 26. Also God did represent in Esau the figure of his wrath, and the Devils Might, who had possessed the kingdom of nature in man, and shows how he would fight, and exercise great enmity against the Ens of faith, and the kingdom of Grace, which should deprive him of his strength. 27. Reason saith, wherefore should God permit the Devil to fight against the kingdom of his Grace: hear and hearken thou very blind and altogether ignorant Reason: Learn the A. B. C. in the Centre, how God's Love, and the kingdom of Grace and Mercy, would not, nor could not, be manifest, without Strife and Enmity, and then thou hast here no further Question; go forward into the centre of this Book, and thou findest the ground. 28. And when the strife between the two kingdoms began in these children in the womb, so that they strove or spurned against each other, Rebecca became discontented and troubled at it, and said; * Gen. 25. 2●, 23. If it should be thus with me, wherefore am I with child? and she went to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord said unto her; two Nations are in thy womb, and two manner of People shall be separated from thy Bowels, and one people shall be stronger than the other, and the greater shall serve the lesser. 29. These two Nations which were conceived of one seed in Rebecca, are on one part the Man of the Adamicall selfish nature in Selfness, viz. the Original of man; and on the other part the new spiritual man regenerated of the kingdom of Grace in the Covenant, these came out of one seed; one out of the Adamicall nature only, and he was the Greater or Elder, viz. the first man which God created in his Image, which became corrupt and died as to God; the other came indeed out of the same Adamicall nature, but the kingdom of Grace in the Ens of Faith had given in itself unto it as a Conqueror, and this was as to the Adamicall nature the younger, but God was manifest in him; therefore the greater should serve, and be subject to the lesser, who was the Least according to the humane property, but the greatest in God. 30. And yet we do not see that Esau was subject to Jacob, but it is the spiritual figure, showing how the kingdom of nature in man, should be broken by the children of God, and made subject to the kingdom of Grace, viz. to the divine humility, and wholly dive itself into the divine humility, and be born anew of the humility, thus the Spirit of God shown this, by the Answer to Rebecca, saying, that it should be a striving or fight kingdom, where indeed the first corrupt man being the greater or elder in nature should strive against the lesser, viz. the Spirit of Christ in his lowliness and humility, and persecute him: but the Adamicall man must at last be obedient and subject unto the humility of Christ, if he will be Abraham's child, and heir, but if not, than he must be so long cast out from abraham's and Christ's goods, till he doth humble himself and freely yield under Christ's humility, and forsake the own-hood of the greater and elder Self, and Enmity, assumed in Adam. 31. By Rebecca's trouble, discontent, impatience and regrett, in that she runneth to inquire of the Lord, wherefore the strife was in her, that the children did so struggle together, is signified thus much unto us: that when Christ doth manifest himself in the Adamicall nature, then gins and ariseth the strife of both these kingdoms, viz. the Devil's kingdom in God's Anger in the Serpents Ens, and also Christ's kingdom: when Christ bruiseth the Serpent's head, then ariseth great disquietness in the mind, for the Serpent stingeth Christ, viz. the new birth on the heel, and then ariseth this kicking and spurning, viz. a lamentable and woeful distress: and then saith reason in the mind with Rebecca; if it should be thus with me, wherefore am I entered into the divine Impregnation, into Repentance? am not I thereby come only into disquietness, and thereby become a Fool to the world, and to my reason also; and then ariseth the combat, and Satan's bruising, in the mind, with Anguish and grief, and then the mind knows not whither to betake itself, but runneth into Penitency, and asketh the Lord, wherefore it goeth so with it? 32. And then the Lord shows him in his language, that Christ now is in him in hell, and assaulteth the Devil's strong rampant fort of prey, whereupon there is such contest and disquietness in him; and shows him how his reason, and the Adamicall nature, viz. the greater part of his life, must be broken, and dive itself wholly into Resignation, into the deepest humility, into the process of Christ under his Cross, and become a stranger to itself, yea it's own Enemy, and go with the Reason, and the Greater Adamicall will, into its Nothing. 33. And when this is done, than Esau, viz. the Adamicall nature is indeed born, and cometh forth always first; but Jacob, viz. the spirit of Christ cometh soon after, and deprives Esau of the kingdom and power, and maketh nature a Servant; and than Esau, viz. nature must serve Jacob, viz. the spirit of Christ; than it is even here, as the Son said unto the Father; * John 17.6. Father, the men were thine, and thou hast given them me, * Joh. 10.28. and I give unto them Eternal life. 34. Understand, Nature is the Father's property, for it is the strength and might, viz. the fire-spirit: this fire-spirit was given to the light or Love-spirit in Christ, viz. to the holy name Jesus, which introduced itself in Abraham's believing desire into an Ens, out of which, Christ, and then the new man out of Christ, is born, unto whom the kingdom of nature in the Father's fire-property was given; and he wholly gave his Love-ens for food unto the Father's fire-Source, viz. to the fiery Soul in the Father's nature: and even there Christ with Love took possession of the Father's fire-strength, and changed it into the Glory of the Triumphant kingdom of joy; and thus also it is to be understood in the new-birth of man. Gen. 25.24, 25, 26. 35. And Moses saith further: And now when the time came, that Rebecca should be delivered, behold there were Twins in her womb; and the first which came out was Red, and all over rough like an hairy hide; and they called his name Esau; and presently after came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's Heel, and they called him Jacob. Here now stands the figure so lively and so clearly set forth, that Reason may even see it: that which before was hinted at with words in the spiritual figure, that stands here in a lively Personal figure; for Moses saith; Esau came forth first, who was Red, and had a rough skin. 36. Red betokeneth the Father's nature in the fire: Rough betokens the earthly bestial nature, which Adam with his lust introduced into him from the earthliness. His Name is called ESAV from the SensVAll language, from the property of the formation of his nature's property; the same in its formation in the language of nature stands thus: E. is the Original ex uno, viz. [ aus dem Einam out of the One]: and is the true Angelical property created in Adam: ( * Saw signifieth Sow, or the earthly swinish property. SAU) is the form beast of Selfe-lust, which hath enclosed and shut up the E. and obscured and slain the same in itself; that is, when it was extinct in it as to the lights fire, yet the SAU, viz. the outward bestial man who had changed the E. viz. the [Angelical Engels] Image into a Beast, did yet remain in its form: therefore the spirit called his name ESAU, viz. a formed or amassed Image of Lust turned from its fine pureness into grossness, wherein notwithstanding the E. did still remain, but wholly encompassed and shut up with the SAU. 37. After this Esau cometh Jacob, viz. the type or Image of Christ conceived in the Ens of faith, and holdeth Esau by the heel: this declareth, that the Adamicall Image which God created, shall and must be first born, for the same is it, which shall live for ever, but not in its Rough beasts Hid: for in that Jacob holds Esau, viz. the first man by the heel, signifieth, that the Second Adam, viz. Christ is born after the first Adam, and takes hold of him behind, and brings him back again from the course of his own self-will, into the first mother, from whence nature is arisen, viz. to another new birth. 38. But that Esau goeth forward with his birth, and Jacob by holding him by the heel cannot withhold him: betokeneth, that the earthly man in his Selfness should go forward and not go wholly in this life time back again into the mother of the new birth, but he would walk up and down with the bestial man through this time; for the beast, shall not be new born, but the Image of God, which was lost or perished, in Adam. 39 And it further denotes, how Christ should take the true Adamicall created man by his heel, that is, by the mind of his conversation, and put him back again into the first mother, whence he did arise; and how the spirit of Christ should follow after the earthly man in this life time; when as the Devil should be the earthly man's chief guide in the anger of God, than Christ should come after him, and take the inward property of the poor fallen and captivated man, viz. the poor corrupt mind of the Soul into his Arms, and draw it back again out of the Devil's nets and snares, as Christ said, * That he was as a Vine-dresser who gleaned: for in this life time the Adamicall nature's Image stands before, and the Image of Christ behind; therefore the natural man must die, and Christ must arise and put himself forth Eminently in him. 40. And it shows further, how the spirit of Christ in jacob's line should take Esau in this life time by his heel, and hold and rebuke him; and by his children labour to hinder and suppress his evil conversation and wicked walkings; but the Esavitish generation would contem despise and only trample it underfoot; and lay about them as an evil malicious fiery beast; as it even so comes to pass, when God sends his Prophets, that they must reprove and rebuke men; then they even spurn them away from them as dogs, and will by no means endure them; but Jacob, that is, the spirit of God holds them yet by the heel, and makes them naked, and bare, so long, till jacob's foot-step or impression is known. 41. JACOB signifieth in the formation of the Name in the high tongue, a strong lubet or desire out of the mental Tongue, viz. out of the Name JEHOVA brought into a compaction or Ens; where the (I) takes the (A), and exalts itself in the (A) and takes the SensVAll tongue into the mental, viz. into the (COB) so that the (O) is set for the Centre of the word, where then the profound Name of God is conceived or brought into the (O), and therein it is rightly understood, how the Father's nature, viz. the Spirit of Sense in (A) (C) and (B) doth form itself into the (I) and (O), for (I) is the Centre of the highest Love, and (O) is the Centre of the perceptive word in the Deity, which is understood [to be] without or beyond all nature. 42. This the spirit hath understood in Isaac, therefore they call him JACOB, so long till this Name was moved through the (I) in the Ens of faith, so that the (I) opened the (C) and (B) and put forth the formed or conceived Ens in the (O) (being the (I) had form itself with the (O) in nature); through nature as an holy blossom; and then the Name was called JESUS: for the (I) brought itself again into the enclosed shutt-up [Angels Engels] property in Adam's nature, and then the (A) was put into (E:) for the Father gave his nature in the humanity to the Son, viz. to the (I) and the Son made again an [Angel Engel] of it through the (I) for the (I) entered into the deepest humility, and lowliness, and then the figure stood thus (IE) out of which the fiery love-spirit went forth, and made itself predominant; and set forth before it its character with the (S) and (V) for the (S) is the character of the holy fire, and the (V) is the character of the efflux, issuing forth, or Emanation, out of the fire. 43. Thus the Name Jacob was in the fullness of time in the Ens of Mary changed into the Name Jesus, which understanding hath been as dumb and dead both to the Jews and Christians; being no Nation doth any more understand its own language; and contend only about the Compaction of the form nature of the outward name, and understanding; the Mental Tongue, none will learn to understand, how the same hath form, imprinted, and * Modelized. Ideafied itself in the words, and Names in the sensual tongue; and yet the whole understanding lieth therein without opinions: if we were not so very blind and shut up in ignorance, suffering self in pride, to rule and govern us, we should soon attain to the deepest understanding, but the Antichrist beareth the supremacy, therefore Esau only ruleth in the understanding. Gen. 25.27, 28. 44. And Moses saith further; And when the children were grown up, Esau was a cunning Hunter, and a man of the field, and Jacob was a * Honest. plain man and dwelled in Tents, and Isaac loved Esau, and loved to eat of his venison; but Rebecca loved Jacob. O thou wonderful God, how very simply and plainly are the greatest Mysteries typifyed and deciphered: who can be able to understand without thy Spirit, from whence it was, that the precious man Isaac in the Type of Christ loved the natural man in Adam's corrupt Image, Esau, more than Jacob in the Type of Christ in his figure: if thou hadst not in thy knowledge, vouchsafed me to understand the same, I must be here even stark blind; but it is thy Counsel O Lord, that we know thee; and thy time is born, that thou revealest the Secrets. 45. Moses saith; that Esau was an hunter, and a man of the field, and the Father loved to eat of his venison, and loved him above Jacob; here stands an external figure, as if Isaac loved Esau for his Activeness, cunning skill or worldly exercise, and loved him more than Jacob: so wholly hath the Lord the heart of the wise and of his children in his hand; that his children must not in their will do what they please, and oftentimes well understand, but what God wills. 46. Also we herein see how oftentimes God withdraws the Mysteries from the most holy, that they must be even children in them; and although they bear the divine play in their Hands, and 'tis their work and exercise, yet they must have a childlike Heart in the understanding thereof, as it may be seen here in Isaac. 47. He loved Esau more than Jacob; why so? the Ens of Christ lay in him, which ruled him; for Christ should love his Enemies, viz. the corrupt Esau, and his natural children; him he loved more than his divine nature; for he brought his divine nature into the death of the corrupt Adam, and loved * Not his sin in the nature, but his poor undone nature by sin, which he by death freed from sin and death. Adam's corrupted nature more than his holy Ens, which he for man's corrupt nature's sake gave into the fire of God's Anger, that so he might redeem it in his Love; of this, Isaac was here a figure in the Image of Christ, who loved his Hunter in his Evil nature more than Jacob; he did not love his iniquity, but his childlike nature, to which he would do much good, as Christ loved us in our Adamicall nature, and did us good: he did not Love us according to the will of Sin in us; as Isaac also did not therein Love his Son Esau, but according to the Father's nature, and property, according to the childlike filial nature. The inward figure stands thus. 48. When Isaac entreated the Lord, that his Rebecca might conceive, his natural desire with the * Earnest longing. lubet of the divine Ens of faith entered into Rebecca, whereby Rebecca was opened; and so the natural Love of Isaac, which was environed with faith, was propagated in his seed, and opened itself in Esau: Isaac's love did not open itself in Esau as to his corrupt nature; (I say) not according to the kingdom of the nature of this world, but according to the Covenant, according to the Second Principle, viz. according to God's kingdom, which the external nature in him had not as yet apprehended; as, the divine Ens in Abraham, did open and manifest itself according to the Second Principle, and not in the mortal corrupt Adamicall nature of the outward world: the like also is here to be understood in the figure in Esau. 49. Not that Esau did receive the Ens of Christ in the Covenant as Jacob, but his Father's Love-desire, in which the hidden Covenant stood unmoveable; now there was thus a Conjunction with his Father's natural Love, for Every property loveth its own likeness, especially if the likeness be proceeded forth from the Essence or thing Loving, as Esau was conceived in Rebecca of his Father through his Love-desire. 50. And it even denotes, that the divine Ens in God's Love in Isaac loved the miserable humane nature, to redeem it: therefore God manifested his Love in Abraham's faith, and introduced the same into an Ens; so that this same Love which God gave to redeem mankind, should Love the humane nature in its shut up abandoned condition; as in very truth the true real Adamicall nature ordained by God, was shut up in Esau, and on the contrary the kingdom of the wrath had the outward dominion: Now to redeem this, the spirit in the Covenant through Isaac's nature, Loved his Son Esau, viz. the filial nature, and not only because that he was an Hunter of the creatures. 51. Yet here also by this Hunter we are even to understand the same as is set down before concerning * Gen. 10.9. Nimrod, who was a mighty Hunter before the Lord: for this whole description of the first book of Moses, is God's Spirits figure, type, or representation, where he * Or, Sets forth as in a Map. playeth with the kingdom of nature, and then also with Christ's kingdom; and he hath so portrayed delineated and typifyed the Acts of the holy Patriarches under his figure; that we may clearly see in all the histories, the glance or allusion of God's Spirit, how he hath delineated and set forth to the life, the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of nature, and also the Devil's kingdom in the wrath of the Eternal nature; and neither the Jews or Christians hitherto have had a right understanding of the same, which among the Patriarches was rightly understood in its true meaning. 52. But afterwards when their children and posterity gave no heed unto the same, but disregarded the true understanding, and loved their Evil nature more than the spirit in the Covenant; then the understanding was * Or, quenched. put out among them; until they at last also ‖ Esdras wrote the Book of the Law and Histories again after they were lost. lost the Book of the Law, with the holy Histories, and Esdras wrote for them again, the figure, and History, in the spirit of God; and that very short, brief, and exactly, according to the spiritual figure; in which they were more blind than seeing; as to this day their eyes are blinded; and that because they abused the knowledge of the true God; and served the nature of this world, and honoured their Evil will above God; therefore also God hath withdrawn himself from them, with his Mysteries; and hath suffered them to run up and down as children full of ignorance with the figure; until the Gentiles time in the manifestation of Grace (in which they also have only abused the time of Grace, and the open Seal in their evil nature) doth also come to its end and limit: and then the figure shall be fully manifest in the * Substantially. Declaring the very thing itself, unclothing it of its figures and parables. Essence ‖ Mat 24.14. for a witness to all Nations; and after that the Judgement. 53. And the spirit of Moses saith further; * Gen. 25.27. Jacob was a plain man and dwelled in tents, and Rebecca loved Jacob; Reason understands this figure of a woman-like, motherly, natural love; but the spirit hath not written this figure for that; for Rebecca pressed earnestly, that Jacob might receive the blessing of Abraham and Isaac; she loved Jacob as to his Original, which although she might not so well understand externally and rationally, yet the spirit in the Covenant understood it in her, which moved her also to bear such a Love towards Jacob; for there was also a conjunction between the Mother and Son. 54. For Rebecca was shut up and barren, but when Isaac did bring his prayer and earnest desire to God for her, than the Ens in the Covenant gave itself into his faith in his desire and so forth in the opening of Rebecca into the Conception, for herewith also the barren or shut up mother was opened, so that her fruit (viz. Jacob) and she, came into one degree of nature, and received one and the same Love from Isaac's desire; for the Ens of faith was conceived in the Tincture of Venus in Rebecca, and as it is said of Mary Christ's mother after the humanity, that * she was blessed among all women; so also Rebecca did here receive the blessing from the divine Ens, indeed not in the high degree as Mary, but yet according to the property of the Covenant; and hence it was that the love of the Covenant was manifest in her; as the Ens of faith was also in Jacob, wherein the Love of God burned, so that she loved Jacob more than Esau: for the Love-desire in the Mother and Son was from one Original, and therefore her desire inclined itself more towards Jacob, than Esau; and also because, that the heavenly holy matrix, disappeared in Adam, was moved in her Image, disappeared or dead as to the heavenly world's Essence, which matrix afterwards was wholly opened in Mary; now this matrix did long to receive the Ens of Christ which was manifest in Jacob, which first was to be effected in Mary; and yet the spirit in the Covenant did take its Love-sport, and delight herewith. 55. But that the spirit of Moses saith; Jacob was a plain [honest] man, and remained in Tents, he understands thereby, that the true Jacob in the Ens of faith remained in the Tents of the outward nature; that the Ens of faith remained in his nature which is only a Tent thereto; that he did not give himself wholly to the Tent as Adam did, but he remained therein in his principle, till God in the fullness of time brought him forth in Christ's humanity through the Tents of nature. CHAP. LIII. How Esau contemned his birthright, and sold it for a Mess of Lentil-Pottage; what we are to understand by this figure. WHen the spirit of Moses had set down the birth of Esau, and Jacob, Gen. XXV. vers. 29. he proceeds to relate presently how the natural Adamicall man would but little or nothing regard this High gift in the Covenant, and would only seek after the Belly-filling of the earthly life, as Esau, who gave his birthright for Pottage of Lentil, that he might but serve his belly. The figure of Moses stands thus. 2. And Jacob sod Pottage, and Esau came from the field, and he was faint; Gen. 25.29. to the 34. and Esau said to Jacob, feed me I pray thee, with that same red Pottage, for I am faint; and hence his name was called Edom: but Jacob, said, Sell me this day thy birthright: and Esau answered, Lo! I must even die, and what profit will this birthright be to me? And Jacob said, swear to me this day, and he swore unto him; and so he sold his birthright to Jacob: then Jacob gave Esau bread, and pottage of Lentils; and he did eat and drink, and risen up, and went his way; thus Esau despised his birthright. This figure externally hath but a plain and childlike semblance; but yet it is a figure of the greatest mysteries; for Esau betokens the first power of the natural created Adam; and Jacob betokens the power of the other Adam Christ; thus doth the spirit here play with the figure. 3. For Adam's nature came from the field, and was faint and longed to eat of the Pottage which Jacob had: Adam was a Lincus of the earth, and a Lincus of heaven; but being he died to the Lincus of heaven, the earthly nature had wearied him in its strife; and in this figure (of faint Adam) ●sau stood here. 4. The red Lentil pottage, which Jacob had, after which the faint Adam in Esau longed, was the Ens of faith, viz. the Ens of Christ; the Adamicall nature in Esau in its Anguish and toilsome labour, in its corruption and misery, longed after this Pottage, which was in Jacob; yet the Earthly nature of Esau understood it not, but the Souls nature▪ which also longed after Christ's Ens, which was strange [or a far off hidden] to Reason. 5. Esau's soulish nature said in its Longing to Jacob, let me I pray thee taste of the red pottage; for I am weary and faint by reason of the Driver or fomenter of the Anxious birth, and from this longing or lust he was called EDOM, which signifieth in the compaction of the word in the formation of the Tongue of Sense as much as a dipping or immersing of the captivate Angelical property, into the pottage; as if there the Souls longing or lubet in which the Angel's Character did yet stand (although captivated) did dip or plunge itself with the desire into the holy Ens, and would take the holy Ens in the divine Pottage, viz. the heavenly essentiality into the lust of Self: therefore the figure calls him in the high tongue Edom. 6. For, the desire of Esau's soul, said to the divine Ens in Jacob: Give me thy taste, into the Essence of my creatural selfehood; but Jacob, that is, the spirit of Christ in the Ens of Faith said; Sell me thy birthright for the pottage; that is, give me for it the Souls life's form, viz. the Centre of the Souls nature, that so thy * Or, Birthright. first birth, viz. the Souls Centre, may be my own, and then I will give thee the Ens of God. 7. For Esau inherited the first Soulish power from his father, and had the Souls Centre for a natural due right; after this came the Ens of Christ, as a divine Free Gift with a Soulish Centre; for the holy Ens should receive the Soulish Centre, from the Adamicall nature: now here the Adamicall Soulish nature did woo for the Ens of Christ, and the spirit in Christ's Ens wooed for the Soulish nature; and the spirit of Christ in Jacob would not give the taste of the divine Ens to the Souls nature in Esau, unless it did give him the fiery Centre to the beginning of the Soulish creature for a propriety, that is, unless it did wholly resign and give up itself in the natural selfeness, into God's will, and forsake the firstbirth of the creature, & esteem of itself in its selfeness, as dead; and give over the dominion and will of life, to the spirit of Christ in this heavenly pottage. 8. But being Esau's reason did not understand this; he said to Jacob: Lo: I must even die, what then is this first Birth to me: so very lightly did reason pass over it, and knew not what the poor Soul stood in need of; but the spirit of Moses played here in the inward figure, and doth secretly hint hereby, at what, this, externally signified. 9 And Jacob said: Swear unto me this day: that is, the life of Adam in Esau should freely give itself out of the fiery might, and wholly give itself up to the divine Ens, and forsake the fiery Right of Own-hood; and it should do it this day, that is, from henceforward for ever: and this is said, to swear in God, viz. wholly, deeply, and fully to cast, immerse, give up, and resign one's self into the divine power, and not resist upon pain of God's rejection. 10. And he swore unto him; and when as he had sworn he was called Edom: for the fiery soul's nature did dive and immerse itself into the lubet of the divine Ens; whence this Lentil-pottage is said to be reddish; for here in this Oath the fiery Essence entered into the lubet of the divine Ens; and thus the lights Ens received the fires Ens: and the spirit of Moses playeth here in the figure, alluding, how the soul's property in the fires Essence must wholly resign up, and eternally immerse itself, into the Incarnation of Christ, in the divine lights and Love-Ens in the Covenant, viz. into the divine Lubet, and how the lights Ens would receive and take pity on the corrupted miserable fiery Souls nature, and cause it to Repent and quit itself of its lust; and also how the poor Soul would give up its natural right, for this red pottage. 11. For this is even a figure, shewing-how God the Father giveth his Nature, viz. the Soul, to his Son Christ, in the Love- Ens, wholly for his own propriety, where the fiery Right is made subject to the Love in the light, for thus it goeth also in our New Birth: the Soul longeth after this pottage; but if it will taste it, it must give its birthright for it; and moreover it must swear to God this day, that is, for ever, to forsake and quit its natures-Right: which the outward Reason looketh upon as ridiculous and foolish, I mean the children of the earthly lust, that when a man giveth honour, goods, and also the Temporal life, for this pottage, they even call him a fool as here they do Esau. 12. There is in this figure a twofold understanding; viz. inwardly it is the figure of Christ and Adam, as it is abovementioned; and outwardly it is the figure of the earthly man, showing how carelessly, and slightly he passeth over it, and selleth and gives away the heavenly substance, to fill his carnal Belly, and to satiate his lustful will: the poor soul indeed longeth in its Essence after this red pottage, but the earthly reason desireth only a Lentil-pottage for the l●sting Belly; as the like also is here to be understood in Esau▪ 13. The soul of Esau longed after jacob's heavenly Ens; but the earthly Esau according to the outward soul minded only the ●ar●hly power; the kingdom of nature was so very strong and earthly in him, that he neither understood or regarded the Eternal▪ but said; * Gen 25.32▪ 34. What profit shall this birthright do unto me, seeing I iwst even die; and he sat down, and did eat and drink the earthly food for the heavenly. 14. And Moses saith, that when he had eat and drunk, he risen up and went away; that is, he filled his belly with the pottage of Lentiles, and sold Jacob his nature-Right, and went with the earthly man away from the divine Enjoyment. The inward divine figure is thus. 15. Abraham received the divine Ens in his faith's desire, and the same was the stock and the root of Israel, but he was not Israel, for the kingdom of the corrupted nature, and the kingdom of Grace, viz. the conceived Ens of faith, were not as yet One in him, as when a kernel is sown into the earth, the kernel hath as yet no root, upon which the stalk, branches, and fruits should grow, but the kernels power draws the Essence of the earth into itself; and of both these, viz. of the kernel and of the earth's power, grows the root, and then the stalk, and above again the manifold fruit. 16. The like also is here to be understood, the divine holy Ens is not natures; but the soul is natures: now if the divine Ens shall be made manifest, than it must be done through a natural Essence or Mean, wherein the invisible may come into a visible Essence. 17. The divine faiths Ens, which Abraham received was of the invisible spiritual property, the same desired to introduce itself through the humane nature into a visible, substantial, creatural, and natural Essence for a working life, wherein the holy lights natural Ens, and the Souls fiery natural Ens might work and bring forth fruit, in one * In one substance or body. Essence, for the Adamicall nature was gone forth from the holy Ens, which was disappeared in it; and here now was the ground or foundation of the union; and as it is with the kernel in the ground, where the power in the kernel did mix itself with the Ens of the earth, and afterwards leaves its shell and husk, when the earth's Ens, and the kernels Ens is changed into one Ens; so likewise it is here to be understood. 18. Abraham received the divine Faiths Ens, wherein stood his Justification; but his life's nature had not as yet laid hold of it to its own power and strength, for the divine Essence doth not give itself into natures own power: indeed it gives itself into the Essence of nature; but the divine desire doth not incline and yield itself unto natures own self-will, so that nature should have the predominancy; a similitude whereof we have in the Corn which is sown into the Earth. 19 The earthly nature cannot, in its own power, make another Corn, and though it draweth the Corns Ens into self, yet it bringeth forth only a stalk, in which stalk the Corns Ens groweth up, and brings itself into a bloom, and again into * Kernels seeds. Corn, whereunto the earthly nature, with its Ens, must be only a Servant. 20. And as the earthly nature of the earth doth always first show its child visibly in the growth, and the Corns Ens doth therein hid itself; the like also is to be understood here by Abraham; the Adamicall nature in Abraham did first manifest itself with its fruit, and that was Ishmael; but the divine Ens lay still hidden in his nature, and sprang forth with Isaac; and by Isaac the earthly and also the heavenly nature did again spring forth together, albeit in One Seed. 21. But as the earthly Ens in the stalk, and the Corns Ens in the internal ground, do grow up in and with one another, and yet each sets forth its fruit, viz. the earth the stalk and the Corns Mansion, and the Corn or kernel the Blooms, and fruits, and yet the one without the other could not come to Essence; the like also is here to be understood. 22. Abraham was the field, into which God sowed his Corn, Ishmael was the Root, viz. the first birth: Isaac was the fruit, which grew from the seed of God, understand out of the Ens of Grace; and Ishmael grew from the Ens of nature out of the Father's property: for the Ens of Grace had given itself into the Ens of nature; now each did set forth its own figure; with Ishmael, the kingdom of nature, and with Isaac the kingdom of Grace was represented: Isaac was the twig which sprung up out of the field of faith; viz. in the line of Christ; and from him came Jacob; viz. the Branch forth-spreading and displaying itself into a tree with many boughs and branches. 23. Not that we are to understand that Jacob did only grow and spring forth out of the kingdom of Grace; for, the kingdom of nature, in which Ishmael and Esau stood, was also his Ground as to the creature, but the Ens of Faith, had given itself thereinto, and Tinctured nature; and advanced its power, viz. the line of the Covenant of God, in nature. 24. As a Blossom upon the stalk, hath far a more pure subtle property, than the stalk, and Root; and as out of the Blossom first the fruit, and a new seed proceedeth, viz. out of the subtle; so likewise in Jacob the Blossom of the kingdom of Israel first came forth; and no more in the division, as it is to be understood with Ishmael and Isaac; but both kingdoms together, viz. the kingdom of Nature, and the kingdom of Grace, not any more each kingdom by itself or apart in the figure; but in the type of the new regeneration, showing how God in his Love had given himself again into Man, viz. into the kingdom of nature, and how through his power the wicked Ens of the Serpent, sown by the Devil into the kingdom of nature, should be broken and killed. 25. Therefore God called Jacob, Israel, viz. a flourishing forth-spreading Tree of many Boughs, and Branches; or as it is understood in the formation of the word in the high Tongue; a flourishing, or fresh springing of Paradise; where the (I) gives itself into the Root, to a new Centre, and springeth forth powerfully through the root, with which the word of the Covenant is understood in the Name JESUS; for this (I) is the character of the unius, viz. of the Eternal One in the divine lubet, which Adam lost, when he departed from the (I) viz. from the only will of God, and entered into Self, and into the various multiplicity of the properties in their disharmony, unequallity, and discord, to try, prove, and taste good and evil, in the five Senses. 26. This (I) brought itself of Grace again into the divided rent and torn properties of the Adamicall humane Tree; and sprang forth through, and with the Adamicall Tree; and hence he had his name Israel: being, as, a great number and power of such branches, all which do spring and grow forth in the new Tincture; in which also the Ens of the corrupt nature grew up all along; even as the Suns and the earth's power, do work and grow together, in the fruit of the Tree, and are always in contest one with another, until the fruit be ripe; and a new kernel for another fruit be produced and also ripe, and then the tree leaveth the fruit, and sows the new kernel for another young Tree. 27. In this nature and manner also, arose the strife, and combat with Esau and Jacob in the womb; to signify, that the corrupt nature with the Serpents Ens should be rejected, and cast off; as the tree doth let fall its ripe fruit, and only desireth the kernel [to propagate its like] so it was here when the Ens of Christ did stir itself up in Jacob, then arose the strife and enmity; for the Ens of Christ should rule; and the wrath in the Serpents Ens that would also rule; and hence came the Contest about the Dominion and kingdom; the Ens of Christ set itself aloft in Jacob, and bruised the head of the Essence of the Serpents Ens in Esau, and even there the Serpent stung Christ on the heel, and thence it came that both the children did strive and struggle together, in the womb. 28. Not that we are to understand, that Esau was wholly out of the Serpents Ens; no; he was of the right Adamicall nature, from his father Isaac and Abraham; only God did here set forth the figure of the kingdom of nature, which was poisoned in Man, and then also the figure of the kingdom of Grace; showing, that the natural man must forsake his own evil will, and therewith also wholly immerse and give up himself into the kingdom of Grace; and the figure which was here represented in Esau, was to show that the * Jocobs' evil nature was as rejected of God, as Esau's, only the figure was set in Esau; not that he was personally, & wholly from all Eternity predestinated to damnation, as Babel falsely teacheth. Evil Adamicall man did not at all avail in God's sight, that it was not profitable (for the kingdom of God) but it was cast away and rejected from God, and that he must wholly forsake his natural Right of Selfeness, and wholly give in himself into Gods will. CHAP. LIV. How Isaac by reason of the famine went down to Abimilech King of the Philistines at Gerar, and how the Lord appeared there to him, and commanded him to stay there, and renewed there the Covenant of his father with him: of the meaning of this in its spiritual figure. Gen. XXVI. THe 26 Chap. of Genesis doth farther relate the history touching Isaac; how God did so very wonderfully guide him, and renewed the covenant of his father Abraham with him, and preserved and blessed him and his wife with him; for being the kingdom of Grace in the Covenant of God was now manifest in him; the Blessing of God did now spring forth effectually in his purpose through the kingdom of Nature. 2. And on the contrary, how the Devil was an utter enraged Enemy to this Blessing, and desired to sift and search the kingdom of nature in Isaac, and his wife Rebecca (in whom as yet the Serpents Ens lay in the earthly flesh) through the lust of King Abimilech. 3. And this again is a figure of Adam in Paradise, and also of Christ in the new Regeneration; showing, how Adam went into King Abimileches Land that is, into a strange kingdom, viz. into the four Elements, where he hath denied his wife; viz. the matrix of the heavenly Generatress in him, in that he introduced his lust into the bestial property. 4. As here Isaac did stand in fear of his life before King Abimilech, by reason of his wife; even so Adam in his strange lust in the kingdom of the four Elements, and the Stars, did also stand in fear before the strange King, viz. before the kingdom of this world, and denied his heavenly birth out of fear of the kingdom of this world, and gave his Eternal will to the King of this world, that it might the better fare with him in his strange Lust, as Isaac thought to do with his wife, who stood herewith in the figure of Adam. 5. Which figure, the divine Imagination did represent unto itself in Isaac, and set down withal the Covenant of the new birth, viz. his promised truth, how he would lead and guide the children of his Grace in the presence of the strange King; viz. in the kingdom of this world; and preserve them * Before. from the lust and desire of this King, and would lay hold of this King with his power, and change his lust and desire, viz. the lust of the Stars and four Elements into another will of the essential desire; so that the sharp and severe might of the Astrum in flesh and blood should be changed into a Covenant of peace; and do no hurt to the children of Grace in the Covenant; but it should serve them to bring forth the blessing, and fruits, that they might grow greatly, as here Isaac with King Abimilech stood surrounded in the mere Blessing of God, and his possession of Goods and Cattle grew so great, that King Abimilech thought, he would be too potent and mighty for him, and therefore commanded him to go out of his Land. 6. Which is a figure of the new birth in the kingdom of Nature; that if the inward spiritual Man doth in divine power outgrow or overtop the kingdom of nature, than the kingdom of the outward nature in flesh and blood in the * In spiritu mundi in the Cosmick spirit. spirit of the world, is sore afraid and astonished at it; for it seethe, and feeleth its ruin, and decrease, and would fain preserve its own-hood and propriety in the outward life. 7. And then comes the spiritual man in the Covenant of the new birth, and reproveth King Abimilech, viz. the outward life in the spirit of the outward world, for the wells of water which the divine thoughts, viz. the Servants of the new man had digged in the Souls ground, viz. in the Eternal Centre: because Abimilech with his Servants, viz. the evil earthly thoughts, Imaginations and senses had filled them up with the vain lust of the flesh: This sets forth and represents the wells of water which Abraham's servants, viz. Abraham's faiths desire had digged in the Ens of faith; about which wells, Abimileches Servants, viz. the desires of the flesh have contended for, and continually filled them [up with earth] which Isaac's Servants do again open in the root of Israel, and at last, dig up a well wherein they find of the living water, and there they did pitch their tent, which well, signified Christ: for they called the place Beer-shèba, viz. an opening, or a contrition; which signifieth the Repentance, breaking up or contrition of the earthly will, in which Repentance the water of life, viz. Christ floweth forth. 8. This whole 26 Chap. of Genesis is a figure of the poor fallen man in the corrupt kingdom of nature, signifying how he doth swim therein, and how the poor soul is tossed too and fro therein, and seeketh itself in outward things, and labours to advance its strength and power, and yet finds no where any abiding place therein, but wandreth from one thing into another, and worketh now in this, and then in that, and soon in another, and seeketh rest, but findeth none, until it comes unto Beer-sheba, viz. into humility before God; and then the well of living water springs forth to it, out of God's Covenant. 9 Now although the words in this Text of the 26 Chap. do seem to treat only of external things, yet it is nothing else, but the spirit in Moses, alluding or playing under the external history, with a spiritual figure of the kingdom of nature, and of the kingdom of Christ; for he gins and speaketh of a great famine which was come into the Land, for which distress-sake Isaac went down to Abimilech King of the Philistines at Gerar. The inward spiritual figure is this. 10. When God had created Adam, he came into the Famine; viz. into the Temptation, wherein the soul ought not to eat of the outward kingdom, but of the inward, but being it turned itself with its will into the outward kingdom, it did live in the famine, viz. in the hunger after the outward world's substance; and therefore it turned itself unto Abimilech King of the Philistines at Gerar, that is, to the corrupt kingdom in God's Anger; viz. to the heathenish King, and was subject to it. 11. And then the Lord appeared unto it, as here he did to Isaac and said; * Gen 26.2. Go not into Egypt; that is; thou poor depraved soul go not into the bestial lust, but remain in the Land which I shall tell thee of, & be thou a stranger in this Land, that is, remain in my Covenant, and be with the soul a stranger in this house of flesh, wherein the Soul is not at home, * Gen. 26.3. And ●o I will be with thee, and bless thee, for unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these Countries, and I will perform the Oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; that is: 12. Remain but steadfast in my will, and then I will give thee after this [life-time] the kingdom of nature according to its inward good ground, for possession and propriety, and I will perform and ratify my Oath (viz. Jesus Christ whom I promised thee in thy fall, and whom I introduced into Abraham's faith) unto thee for ever; and I will, in the kingdom of nature, wherein thou must in this Time stand, work, labour, toil, and be in need and distress; even * Gen. 26.4. multiply thy seed as the Stars in heaven; and give thy seed all the wrought powers and works to an eternal propriety, and through thy seed all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed: that is. 13. Through thy Ens of faith, which in Christ, viz. in the Aim and limit of the Covenant, shall be manifested in the kingdom of thy nature, and creatural property, and become man in thee; all nations, viz. the whole Adamicall tree shall be blessed; and therefore * Gen. 26.5. because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, commandments, ways, and laws; that is, Abraham hath received my working word into his Souls desire, and obeyed my voice in its operation; which divine operation is the Command, law, and form: out of which operation also God shown Abraham, by the Circumcision, the figure of the kingdom of Christ, that the same should cut off the Sin, and vanity; which figure God called his charge, law in the Covenant, and his Statute. 14. The spirit of Moses doth now proceed further in the relation of this figure, and signifieth under the outward history of King Abimilech; how that Abimileches servants, Gen· 26.18, 19, 20, 21. and Isaac's servants contended about the wells of water, and that abraham's and Isaac's servants digged the wells of water, which wells were continually stopped up by the envy and enmity of the Philistims; by which figure the spirit secretly signifieth, how the children of the Saints, viz. the Patriarches Abraham and Isaac, have always digged in their Ens of faith, for the wellspring of life in the Covenant, and have also obtained the knowledge of the Messiah. 15. But these wells were continually covered, and obscured by the Devil in God's Anger, and by their earthly Reason, until they apprehended, and laid h●ld of the promise of the Messiah in faith; and then th●y said we have digged a well, Gen. 26.32, 33. and have found of the water of life: the same Isaac called * Or, Saba. Sheba, and therein hinteth at the Sabbath, Christ, as he also forthwith saith, that thereupon, the place was called Beer-sheba, viz. a contrition, and breaking of the Anger and envy of the Devil in Man's property; to signify, that the SABBATH, Christ, viz. the spiritual wellspring is truly called BEER-SHEBA, viz. a contrition of death, where the Sabbath introduceth itself into death, and brings forth the fountain of life through death. 16. At which fountain, the children of God's Covenant did pitch their tent, and waited upon the promise, until the same fountain was opened in the humanity, and flowed forth out of Christ's blood and death, of which the poor Soul drank, and thereby was brought into the Eternal Sabbath, where it was redeemed and freed from the strife of the Philistims, viz. from the contention of the Anger of God and of the Devil, as the History in this Text doth clearly signify thus much in the High Tongue; which the spirit of Moses hath thus represented in the figure; and doth play with the description of this figure. 17. As indeed the whole Old Testament is a figure of the New, and the New a figure of the future Eternal world, wherein the figure shall stand in divine Power, and the Spirit of God shall in Eternity play with his deeds of wonder, to which end also he hath created Man; and * Or, inspoken. inspired the power of his voice, viz. the living word, into him, that so he might be an Image of the Eternal word, with which Image, the Eternal Spirit will play, and work wonders, that so there may be a joy and knowledge in the Eternal wisdom. 18. Now when as the spirit of Moses had pointed out the figure of Adam and Christ under an history, he proceeds, and further Relates, how it must go with the children of God in this time, showing in what desire the poor soul in flesh and blood lieth captive, and is continually vexed, and tormented, as here Isaac and Rebecca; for the Text saith; * Gen. 26.34, 35. When Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, which were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebecca; and in this place he speaks no further of these wives, or their children, to signify, that it is a figure, whereby he alludes at something else; which Reason looks upon as very strange, and wonders, that God should yet permit two evil women, to be with holy Isaac, through his Son Esau; with whom he and his fair, blessed Rebecca must live in trouble, vexation, and opposition: so very secretly doth the spirit of Moses set forth his figure, that Reason must even be blind in it. The spiritual figure is thus. 19 The * 40 years of Esau. forty years of the Age of Esau, or of Isaac after he begatt Esau, signifieth, that Adam with his Eve, when as he was man and woman, and yet neither of them, did stand in Paradise ‖ Adam 40 Days in Temptation. forty days in the Temptation or Proba, and had joy with his fair Eve, viz. with his * Or, feminine. female property in himself. 20. But Abimilech, viz. the King of this world had introduced his lust into this fair * Or, feminine. female Rose-Garden, viz. into the Tincture of Venus; understand into the holy life of Love in Adam; and stirred the Centre of the Souls nature, whereupon Adam became lusting and longing to take to him in his property yet two wives, viz. the bestial wife, according to the beastlike property out of the four Elements; and the astral [Sydereall or Starry] wife from the Constellation [or Astrum of this world] which wicked woman did awaken in Adam's female property, which he took up to wife for his lust; as Esau did the wives of scorn and mockery, with whom he caused mere grief of mind and lamentable perplexity to himself and his Right female property; and we indeed do still suffer and endure the same, and must consume our time with them in misery and lamentation. 21. Further, this figure denoteth the * Israel 40 years in the Wilderness. Forty years of Israel in the wilderness, when they did eat Manna, and Rejoiced with Rebecca under a strange King, where they lived in the kingdom of this world, and yet were led, preserved and nourished in the divine Arm; and therefore they grew great before the world, as Isaac under King Abimilech, and when Israel after Forty years pitched their Tent at Beer sheba, viz. in the promised Land, they yet took these two wives to them in their fleshly lust, which caused mere grief of heart to them, for which two wives sake, they were sorely punished of God, and were at last for their sake, driven from Beer-sheba. 22. Thirdly, this figure denotes the hard combat of Christ in the wilderness in Adam's stead, where Christ in our humanity took these two wives, (which were manifest in Adam through his strange Son, or will) unto his heavenly essentiality, & suffered them to hunger * Christ 40 days in the Wilderness. forty days, so that they must resign and give in their desire to the divine Essence, and learn to eat heavenly Manna, to signify, that this earthly lust [in us] from the Stars and four Elements, should be broken in Christ's death and cease. 23. Fourthly, it denotes the * Christ 40 Hours in the Grave. Forty hours of Christ in the Grave, where these two wives of unquietness in the humane property were changed again into one Eternal wife; viz. into the true Rebecca, and Right Adamicall Eve, which was in Adam before his Eve. 24. Fiftly, it points at the * Christ 40 days after his Resurrection. Forty days of Christ after his Resurrection, when the two wives of Adam & Esau were again changed into a Manly virgin, when this virgin, viz. Christ in our male and female property did rightly stand out the Forty days of Adam in Paradise, when he was tried, and therefore he set himself by divine might into the Royal throne of ejected Lucifer, as a Judge; and with these two wives in one virginity, and one only person or Image, would rule over * Viz. Lucifer. him, as the causer of man's misery, being he was the great cause, that Adam, viz. the Image of God, did manifest by his Son of the new will, yet two wives in his virginity. 25. This, the spirit in Moses and * Note Esdras. Esdras have mystically and secretly hinted at under an outward figure, showing how it should afterwards fall out: and although it is very likely that Reason will not believe us, we care not for that, and it matters not much; seeing we have not disclosed this, for its sake, but for the sake of the understanding children. However, we know very well in what vision we writ; [we know from what spirits illumination and knowledge we have set down some glances of the great mysteries signified by this short divine history of Moses.] CHAP. LV. Showing what we are to understand by Isaac's blessing Jacob unknowingly when he was old, and ready to die. The Gates of the Great Mysteries of the whole Bible. WHen Reason readeth this history of the 27 Chapter of Genesis, Gen. XXVII. it hath a twofold conjecture upon the same; one is, as if Rebecca only loved Jacob more than Esau, and therefore brought him by craft to obtain the blessing of his father; and again it conceives, that indeed it was from the appointment and providence of God, because Esau was not worthy of the blessing, and therefore it will take upon it wholly to condemn Esau, whereupon also it hath set the Predestination; and yet it understands nothing at all of this wonderful figure. 2. Now if we would rightly understand and interpret this figure; then we must set here in the figure the Patriarch Isaac, in God the Father's stead, who alone can bless, who also blessed Isaac in Abraham's seed, that Isaac should again bless his Seed in the Covenants Line. 3. And Esau was set in the place of the depraved nature, viz. in the kingdom of the corrupt nature, in man's property, apprehended in the Anger of God. 4. And Jacob we set in the new-birth, in the humanity of Christ, which God the Father blessed in stead of the depraved Adam, when he brought forth a new Generation out of our humanity in this Line. 5. And we see here how Adam hath fooled away, and lost the blessing and divine Unction, and how he was rejected in the Earthly Image, from God; and how he hath lost his Right of the divine Unction, as here Esau, the first birth, and also the blessing. The inward spiritual figure stands thus. 6. Isaac was old, and expected to die, Gen. 27.1. to the 4. and called Esau his firstborn Son that he might bless him with the blessing of Abraham, and bade him go take some Venison, and dress it for him, that he might eat gladly thereof, that his soul might be refreshed, and the blessing of the Lord might put forth itself in him, that he might bless Esau, and Esau went and did as his father would have him, that so he might be blessed; this, in the inward understanding in the figure, is thus. 7. When Isaac was ready to die, the Blessing in God the Father's property, moved itself in him, and would bless the natural Seed of the Adamicall nature, viz. the kingdom of nature in Esau: for Isaac longed after venison, viz. after the kingdom of nature in the bestial property; viz. after the depraved Adamicall man, as to the first creation. 8. For the Father's blessing would cast itself upon Adam, in whose stead Esau stood, but the heavenly Ens was extinct in the first Adam, and therefore the natural man might not be helped and remedied only with a blessing; but there must be another Serious Earnestness; the Blessing must become a Substance, viz. Man, in the kingdom of nature; of which [substantial blessing] the kingdom of nature was not capable in its own power, and might, as here Esau in his kingdom of nature was not capable of the Father's Blessing. 9 For the kingdom of man's nature was so poisoned that it must be dissolved; therefore the Blessing of God the Father turned itself upon the woman's Tincture, viz. upon the Adamicall female Tincture, understand the lights Tincture: for the fiery Tincture in Adam was awakened in the wrath, viz. in the kingdom of darkness, and was made an Earthly Image, and herein the heavenly was swallowed up and mortified: Now the Blessing would come to help this heavenly disappeared Image, that so it might be quickened again in the blessing; and so the kingdom of nature with which it was incorporated should be blessed, Tinctured, and Regenerated. 10. Being then two lines went forth in Abraham's, and Isaac's Seed; viz. in Ishmael, and Esau, the right depraved Adamicall Image, and in Isaac and Jacob the Line of the Covenant in the Free given Grace; the Blessing of God the Father which was manifested in Isaac, turned itself upon Jacob, viz. upon the line of Christ whom God hath anointed, that he should again anoint the firstborn Esau, viz. the first Adamicall depraved man; for the first Adam had lost his first birth given him out of the divine Word in the creation, and could not any more be blessed out of his Centre. 11. For the Souls will was broken off from the Eternal word of divine holiness, and had given itself into the Centre of the first Principle, viz. into the wrath of the Eternal nature, into the SeVeration of the speaking word, viz. into the opposition, and contentious Contrariety; whence also, Isaac blessed Esau with the word of Strife, when he said unto him in the blessing; Thou shalt live by thy sword, and break thy brother's yoke from off thy neck; signifying, that now the depraved nature in him was become a Servant of God's Anger, and should now bear and manage the Combat which Adam had raised up in the life's properties, and be a Servant of the same. 12. But that Isaac did not understand this thing, and would have blessed Esau with the blessing of the Covenant, and given him the Sceptre in Zion; doth show unto us, that Isaac, and all the holy children of God, although they be born again of the New-birth in the line of the Covenant, do not apprehend and understand the internal ground of their Essence, wherein the kingdom of God worketh and is in power, so as to be able to do any thing thereby in Self-will; but God turneth this internal ground of the place of God, as he pleaseth; and the Soul must see to what he doth; as here Isaac must see to what the Lord had blessed, by him. Gen. 27.4. 13. For Isaac said to Esau; That he should make him ready Savory meat such as he loved to eat; and then his Soul would bless him: but now this blessing stood in the Line of the Covenant, in which, Christ should spring forth; not in the Souls might, but in God's might; for the soul of Isaac, and of all the children of Adam were as yet with the Souls root, on the band of God's Anger, which Anger, this internal incorporated Line of Grace, should destroy in Christ's death, and wholly incorporate and unite it into the Line of the Covenant. 14. Therefore the Souls will in Isaac should not propagate the blessing of this Covenants line; and give it to the kingdom of the * Or, souls. Soullike nature, viz. to the firstborn Esau, and first Adam; for the soul was a cause of the destruction: the fires-tincture received not the might and strength of the new virtue, for its might should be broken; viz. it's proud Lucifer, who likewise is the very same; but the lights tincture, which disappeared in Adam, when the fires might introduced dark earthliness thereinto, which Tincture sprang forth again afresh in this Covenants line in the power of the in-spoken and promised, incorporated word of Grace, the same had the might and power of the Blessing. 15. The seed of the woman, viz. the lights tincture and virtue, should bruise the head of the fiery Serpent, and change the souls fiery might into a meek Love: fire, the fiery Souls will, shall and must be wholly transmuted and turned into meekness. 16. As this disappeared lights tincture was brought from Adam into the woman, viz. in to Eve, which when it was in Adam was his fair paradisical Rose garden of peculiar Love, wherein God was manifest; and being now the figure of the new birth was represented in Isaac's Blessing; therefore also his wife; viz. the blessed Rebecca must come, as one, who also stood in the Line of the Covenant; and set forth the right figure of Christ, viz. Jacob in the place of the blessing; to signify, that Christ should be manifested in this Covenants Line in the Seed of the woman, viz. in the lights and fires-Tincture, and assume the soul's nature from the power of the light, that so he might rule over the fiery nature of the soul, and change the same into the power of the light. 17. Now Rebecca isaac's wife was here in this place a figure of the virgin Mary, who brought forth Christ, viz. the blessed of God, who should bless Esau, and all the Adamicall children; and it was so ordered by the Lord, that Rebecca should so carry it, for she understood, that the blessing, viz. the sceptre of Israel did rest in Jacob. 18. For being the sceptre in Zion lay in the seed of the woman, viz. in the virginity; the same sceptre was here also stirred in the seed of the woman; so that a woman must bring forth the Covenants line to the place of God, the Father's blessing, which was in Isaac; and the man's will, viz. the Souls natural fire-will, must come behind, and be a servant of God's wonders, and see what God hath done with him. 19 But that it appeareth to be as a deceit or cunning Suttlety, in that Rebecca did so instruct, and put on Jacob to take away the blessing from Esau, as if she Loved Jacob far above Esau, therein Reason hath blind eyes; for through the Devil's cunning the curse came into the world, and through the divine cunning in the Love, the destruction of death and hell, came again into the Soul: the divine cunning killed the Devil's cunning. 20. Understand it aright; all cunning ariseth from the lubet or desire; the Devil's cunning arose from the false lubet or lust: so likewise Gods lubet came again into the woman's seed, (into which heavenly matrix, the Devil had insinuated his lust) and destroyed the devil's lust. 21. It was of God that Jacob obtained the blessing, wholly contrary to the mind and will of Reason; for he stood in the figure of Christ, and Esau stood in the figure of the depraved Adam. 22. Therefore Esau was an hairy or rugged man, signifying the monstrous bestial property, which had awaked in the Fall, through lust. Now when Adam's lust had brought itself to substance, than the flesh became gross and bestial; Thus the bestial part swallowed up the heavenly in itself, and death was manifested in the flesh, and we see here in this figure very clearly typified how it should be. 23. Isaac would bless the bestial man in Esau, this God would not: the divine blessing belonged to Christ; but the depraved Adam could not be capable of receiving the blessing of God, unless Christ take this rugged bestial skin [or form] which Adam had put on, as here Jacob could not be blessed unless he had on him the hairy Beastlike skin. 24. God the Father set before him our misery in his Covenant in Christ in our humanity which he assumed; for Christ must enter into our humanity, Note. and walk in our hairy form, and destroy our death of the bestial property; as it is written; * Isa. 53.4 Matth. 8.17. 1 Pet. 2.24. He took on him our sickness; and laid on himself our Grief. 25. For as Isaac took hold of his son Jacob in his hairy skin, and felt whether he was his firstborn Son to whom the blessing belonged, so God the Father reached into the Essence of his Son Christ, and felt whether the humanity of Christ were the first Image created in Adam; * Note the cause of the Bloudy-sweat. whence the Agony seized on him in the Mount of Olivet, that he sweat bloody sweat, of which Esaias speaketh plainly; He took on him our grief. 26. And as Isaac found outwardly only Esau's skin on Jacob, and inwardly heard jacob's voice, and yet blessed him in stead of Esau, as if he were Esau; so likewise God the Father found our rugged humane property on Christ; and yet inwardly he heard, that the voice of God sounded in him; that the divine heavenly Ens was within under his assumed humanity; therefore also his voice did in his Baptism in Jordan rest upon him, when he blessed our humanity, in that he said, This is my beloved Son, hear ye him. 27. So likewise Isaac heard indeed the voice of Jacob under the hairy skin, and understood that it was not Esau; but the spirit in his blessing did yet forcibly pass upon him; for he proved in him the incorporated ground of the Covenant, viz. the Line of the new humanity; for he said; * Gen. 27.22. The voice is jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau; in which the spirit intimates, that in Jacob, and all the children of God in flesh and blood, there is even the first depraved bestial Adamicall man, with his hairy skin, which God doth not look upon, but only the divine voice, which is one spirit with God, doth inhabit in the inward Soulish-Man. 28. And then we see in this figure, that our beasts skin in flesh and blood, wherewith we do so pride ourselves, and make devout shows before God, is only a deceit; as Jacob in this beasts hid stood as a deceiver before his father, and would blind his father with the beasts skin; so likewise the earthly man cometh in his bestial property before God, and desireth God's blessing; but he may not obtain it unless he hath jacob's, viz. Christ's voice in him, under this beasts skin. 29. For, as Jacob was smooth, and pure, under this beasts skin, so must we be smooth, pure, and holy, in our inward ground * Of the heart and soul. , under this our beasts skin, if we will have the Blessing of God to light and rest upon us; for we see very well in this figure, that the blessing would not rest upon Esau, who had by nature a rugged hairy beasts skin in his essence, although he was the firstborn to whom the blessing belonged by right of Inheritance; for, the first Man was become depraved in his nature, and had lost the inheritance of God, the blessing, and the filial inheritance, resteth only upon the Second new Adam. 30. Further this figure denotes, that the new man in Christ should take away the sceptre and might from the Devil, and also from the Man of Sin, and in this blessing, rule over him, in power, as Jacob was made Lord over his Enemies: this figure points wholly at Christ. 31. For as Jacob took a strange form on him, and came in strange attire before his father, and desired the blessing of him, and also obtained it; so Christ, viz. the Eternal word took on him also a strange form, viz. our humanity and brought the same before his father to bless it. 32. And as * Gen. 27.28. Isaac blessed his Son Jacob, with the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth; with Corn and wine: even so God the Father blessed our humanity, in Christ; for our humanity was also in its original out of the limus of the Earth, and was nourished, and brought up by the dew of heaven, even by corn and wine; this, God blessed to the new birth and Resurrection of the dead upon the life to come. 33. And as Isaac set Jacob to * Gen. 27.29. be Lord over his brethren of the natural property; so God hath set the new birth in the blessing of Christ to be Lord over the Adamicall nature in flesh and blood; so that the new man, born of God's Blessing, must rule over all the members of his natural body, and they must be subject to the new man. 34. And as Isaac set the curse between them; * Gen. 27.29. That whosoever should curse Jacob he should be accursed, and whosoever should bless him he should also be blessed; so God hath set the curse upon the corrupt Adamicall kingdom, that whosoever should not be found in the blessing of Christ, he must be Eternally in the curse of God, but whosoever should bring his mind and will into this jacob's, viz. Christ's blessing, he should be for Ever in the blessing. 35. Further, we see in this type how it goeth with the children of God; for * Gen. 27.30, 31, 32, 33. when Isaac had blessed Jacob, then came Esau with his venison, and his father Isaac was astonished and said, why? who art thou? and he was dismayed at it, that he had unknowingly blessed Jacob: which typifieth, how that the Adamicall man understands nothing at all of God's ways; and how God doth oftentimes wonderfully lead him according to the inward ground, and that although he be carried on in the way of God, yet he looketh much at the outward Reason, and often stumbleth at external Rational things, at Temporal orders and goods, and suffereth fear to surprise him; and would fain that the will of his Reason be done; as here Isaac trembled exceedingly when he saw that the will of his reason was broken. 36. And herein we acknowledge the misery▪ and ignorance of the children of God, in that reason entereth into its own dominion, and will not wholly leave itself to God, and is astonished, when it goeth otherwise then it hath imagined to itself. 37. And then we see how God at last doth break forth with his light, in the understanding, and showeth man his way, that he is satisfied, as he did here to Isaac, in that he said; * Gen. 27.33. This Jacob is blessed, and he shall also remain blessed; for now he understood Gods will. 38. Further we see in this history, how * Gen 27.34. to the 34. Esau weepeth lamentably before his father for the blessing, and saith to his father, bless me also my father, hast thou but one blessing, hast thou not reserved one blessing for me; but his father said, I have made him thy Lord, and all his brethren I have given to him for Servants, with corn and wine I have enriched him; What shall I do now unto thee my Son? This typifieth out the kingdom of Christ, showing how God hath made it Lord over the kingdom of nature, as Christ said; * Matth. 28.18 All power both in heaven and upon earth is given to me of my Father. 39 Furthermore, it denotes, that the corrupt Adamicall nature in Esau and all men, cannot receive the blessing, unless they first die unto their own selfe-Right and will: as Esau could not be blessed of his father with the holy blessing; for he was the type of the corrupt Adam according to the kingdom of nature; so likewise the earthly nature cannot be capable of the holy Spirit in its Essence; of which Christ John 6 Chap. said; * Flesh and blood shall not inheritt the kingdom of God; unless it falls into the earth, and enter again into its first womb, as Grain that is sown, and resign its nature to the first mother. 40. And then we see here how Isaac giveth his Son Esau a temporal blessing, and intimates to him, that the natural man is lead by the spirit of this world: for to Jacob he said; * Gen. 27.28. God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and of corn and wine abundance; but to Esau he said only; * Gen. 27.28. Behold! thou wilt have a fat dwelling upon the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above, thou wilt live by thy sword, and serve thy brethren, and it will come to pass, when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou wilt break his yoke from off thy Neck. 41. And hereby he signifieth, in what dominion the outward natural man is lead, driven, and nourished, and what his desire, and endeavour should be; namely, he would be in his Mind only a Robber, Murderer, and an evil malicious beast, that should desire to bear down all under it with power, force, and murder. 42. For Isaac doth not say, Live thou by thy sword, but thou wilt do it, viz. God's wrath in the kingdom of the corrupt nature with the devils will, will move thee thereunto; that thou wilt draw the fatness of the earth unto thyself, and wilt be ruled and driven by the Stars above, and wilt in thy natural power drive away from thee the children of God, who rule in God's power; that is, when the holy Spirit in God's children doth Reprove them by reason of their Tyranny, they then kill and slay them, and tear the sword of the holy Ghost from off their Neck, as here Isaac said thou wilt do it. 43. As indeed Esau soon did, and would have killed Jacob, so that Jacob in God's blessing was fain to sly from him; and here he pulled off the yoke of the holy Spirit from his neck; and this prophecy of the Patriarch is a figure, how the Esavites, and Tyrants, viz. the fleshly brethren of the Christians would dwell among the Christians; and be born as to their natural brotherhood of the same Parents; as Esau, and Jacob; and yet they would persecute them with sword, and torments; and thrust them away, and yet stand themselves as if they were the only true Christians, and desire the blessing of God, as Esau stood and wept bitterly for the blessing, and he did not mind the kingdom of God, but that he might be a Lord upon the earth over his brethren and other men; and might have riches, and fullness of the Belly. 44. This Esau in his blessing is a true type of Antichrist, who draweth near to God with the lips, and gives himself to an external seeming service and worship of Christ; and sets himself forth as if he did it to God, and stands and makes mighty holy shows in his hypocrisy and glistering verballities, sets forth himself with zeal and devotion, that so he might be honoured of man; and that his God Mammon and Maozim may be fat, and doth even mourn and lament for malice, when men will not do that for him which he will have; when he cannot get enough of the Belly-blessing, according to the will of his God Maozim; and whosoever doth but reprove or touch him, and speaks to him of the Blessing of God; him he will slay, and cannot endure a true Servant of Christ under him. 45. Reason supposeth; that being Isaac said to Esau, Thou shalt live by thy sword; that God hath commanded him so to do, and here it props up [its murdering malice, and bloodthirsty villainy] but it is far otherwise; God wills not any war; but the kingdom of nature in God's Anger willeth it; and whosoever is born only of the kingdom of nature, he liveth also to the same. 46. Therefore said Isaac, thou wilt do it; as if he should have said, thou through thy Anger wilt serve the Anger of God, and wilt be a Lord in the kingdom of nature in this world; even as the rich and wealthy ones do bring themselves into power and authority, and do it through the kingdom of nature, in the wrath. 47. And we see further, how that * Gen. 27. ●1. Esau did deadly hate his brother Jacob for the blessings sake, of which notwithstanding he was not capable as to the kingdom of nature, to signify, that the true children of Christ should for this blessings sake, be hated, persecuted, and slain of the children in the kingdom of nature; and that because, the kingdom of Grace * Note when Grace shall rule. shall rule over the kingdom of nature, and destroy the same at the end of days, and change it into its might, and therefore there is strife between both Kingdoms. 48. For the children of Christ in this life time as to the outward man live in the kingdom of the depraved humane nature, viz. in the kingdom of the Esavites, and are, as to the spirit, only strangers, and pilgrims therein; as Christ said; My kingdom is not of this world; and therefore the children of this world are Enemies to them, & persecute them, as Esau his brother Jacob. 49. For where the kingdom of Christ gins to flourish, there presently the kingdom of the Devil gins to storm and rage; and therefore, because the kingdom of Christ shall and will take away and ruin his might and Princely throne; hence is the strife in this world between the children of Jacob, and Esau. 50. For as soon as Jacob had obtained the blessing, * Gen. 27.41. Esau purposed in his mind to kill Jacob, which is a figure of Christ, showing, how that God's anger would kill Him, in this blessing in our assumed humanity, as to the kingdom of nature; and that the children of God also should be killed in God's Anger as to the kingdom of nature, and shed their blood into this murdering spirit, that thereby God's Anger might be blotted out and changed into Love. CHAP. LVI. How Isaac and Rebecca sent away Jacob because of Esau into another Country; and how the Lord appeared to him in a Vision upon the Ladder, which reached even into heaven; and how Esau carried himself afterwards towards his Parents. Upon the 28: Chapter of Genesis. Gen. XXVIII. WHen Jacob had received the blessing, than he must departed from his native home, from father and mother, and fly from the wrath of Esau: this is now a figure of Christ, showing how that he after that he had assumed, and anointed our humanity, should flee with our humanity out of its father's Adamicall house again into the first paradisical house. 2. And it further denotes, that the children of Christ, (after they have received the Unction and Blessing, and the new birth gins to spring forth in them, in the blessing;) shall and must forthwith flee with their thoughts and mind from their father Adam's house of the depraved nature; and it shows that the Devil and the world do soon hate them, and they must forthwith give themselves to the pilgrims-path of Christ, and live under the world's slavish yoke, in misery, and oppression; in disfavour and disrespect; for God brings them forth with their thoughts and mind out of their father's house, viz. out of the desire in flesh, and blood, so that they do nothing at all regard the pleasure of the world, and flee from it, as Jacob from his father's house. 3. And then we see how wonderfully God guideth his children, and defends them from their Enemies, that the Devil in God's Anger cannot kill them, unless it be Gods will; as he defended Jacob from the fury of Esau, and lead him away from him; and we have here an excellent example on Jacob; in that he forsook his native home, also father and mother for this blessings sake, and loved God more than all temporal goods, and willingly left all to Esau; that so he might but be the blessed of God. 4. And we see, that when he had left the riches of the world in his father's house, the Lord appeared to him with the Eternal goods, and shown him a Ladder, Gen. 28.12. whereupon he could ascend into God's Eternal Kingdom: which ladder was no other than Christ whom he had put on in the line of the Covenant, and here now the type was represented to him, showing him what Person Christ should be. 5. For this * Gen. 28.12. Ladder (as to his apprehension) was upon the earth, and the top of it reached into heaven; and thereon the Angels of God did ascend and descend; which signifieth that God's eternal word with the power of heaven, viz. with the Angelical divine world's Essence should descend or immerse itself into our Essence, departed from God, and blind, as to God; and assume our humanity: and so unite the heaven with the world in man; that the humanity, through this entrance of the Deity into the humanity might have a Ladder unto God. 6. And it shows that mankind should come through Christ's humanity into the Society of the Angels, Matth. 13. v. 22. And this is clearly signified here in that the Angels of God do ascend and descend on this ladder; also that the heaven in man should be again opened through this entrance of the divine essence into the humanity, and that the children of God should have the Angels for companions in this world; which God shown to Jacob, in that the Angels came up and down to him on this ladder. 7. Which shall be a very great comfort to the children of God, who turn themselves from their father's house, viz. from this world's vanity, to this jacob's Ladder; for they shall certainly know that God's Angels do come unto them upon this ladder to which they have turned themselves, and are willingly about them to serve them. 8. For this ladder signifieth properly the pilgrim's path of Christ through this world into God's kingdom, in that the kingdom of the corrupt Adamicall nature doth always yet cleave unto the children of God, and hinders them in flesh and blood in the spirit of this world; and therefore they must according to the inward man in Christ's spirit continually ascend up in much crosses and tribulation on this ladder, and follow Christ under his Cross, and Red-Banner. 9 On the contrary the world liveth in the pleasure of their father Adam's house, in scorn, jeering, and mocking, in envy, spite, and malice; whatsoever they can do to cross and vex these jacob's children, that they joy and take delight in, and laugh and fleer at them; as we have an example of it in Esau; how that he took, in contempt, disdain, and spite to his father and mother, Ismaelitish wives, who were of the Line of mockery or reviling, which were mere bitterness of spirit, and grief of heart both to Isaac and Rebecca. 10. Where we clearly see that the Devil hath his power in the kingdom of this world in the corrupt humane property, and doth continually resist God's children, and vexeth, and plagueth them, and fights with them for his kingdom, which he hath lost, and doth not willingly beteem it them. 11. And we see very finely, how the Lord standeth above upon this Ladder of the Pilgrimage of Christ, as with Jacob, and without ceasing calleth the Children of Christ, and comforteth them, that they should cheerfully ascend upon it; He will not leave them, but come to them and bless them, so that their * Gen. 28▪ 14. Seed and fruit shall grow, increase, and be as the Dust upon the Earth, that is, that they in their Toil, Labour, and Anxiety, shall spring up and flourish in the Inward divine Kingdom. 12. For, so much as the Children of Christ go out from this world, and forsake it in their Mind, so much they spring up in the Inward kingdom of Christ, where then God standeth above upon this Ladder, and continually inspireth or inspeaketh his Blessing & power into them, so that they grow as * Joh. 15.5. Branches on his Vine, ‖ Psal 80.15. which he hath planted again in our Humanity, in this jacob's Blessing, in Christ. 13. And we hereby clearly see, that this whole type, from Abraham to Jacob, contains mere figures of the Kingdom and Person of Christ, and his Children; for here God reneweth the Promised Covenant of Abraham concerning the seed of the Woman, with Jacob also; that * Gen. 28.14. out of his seed, as out of the Line of the Covenant He should come, who should Bless all Nations; for which cause also Jacob was led from his Father's House, God having set before him outwardly the kingdom of Christ in the figure, for whose sake he caused his wrath to cease from the children of unbelief, and did not destroy them, but afforded them time to Repent, and so appeased his wrath in this Type, which pointed at the fulfilling which was to come. 14. We have here also, a firm Ground and assurance that Christ hath truly taken upon him our Adamicall Soul and Humanity in the Body of Mary, and hath destroyed Death, Hell, and the Anger of God in our Humanity which he assumed, and hath set up this Ladder of Jacob; for, God said to Jacob; * Gen. 28.14. Through thee and thy seed shall all the Generations of the Earth be Blessed; through Thee Jacob, through thine own seed, which is God and Man, viz. the Heavenly divine Ens and substance, and the humane Ens and Substance, in the power of the Eternal word. 15. In which word, the Holy Name Jesus, viz. the highest Love of the Deity, hath unfolded and manifested itself in our humanity which he hath assumed, which sole Love of God, in the Name Jesus, hath overcome the wrath of the Eternal Nature in our soul's [which is] from the Father's property in the Anger, and hath changed it into the Love of the Divine Joy, and hath broken the still Death, which hath severed us from the life of God, and hath manifested the Divine life of the highest holy Tincture in the Eternal speaking Word of the Divine power, in Death, and hath made Death to be Life, and so our Soul, in this Divine power, is together penetrated and pressed through, Death and the Anger of God. 16. And it is in no wise to be so taken, as some say; that the substance wherein the Word is become Man, proceeded not from Adam; but (as some Erroneously say) the virgin Mary proceeded not from Mankind, she hath outwardly only taken upon her a humane Body from Anna, and is not of the seed of Joachim, but is an Eternal virgin chosen by God for this purpose before the world was. 17. This Text teacheth us otherwise, where God saith, Through Thee, and thy seed, not through a strange Divine seed only, but through thee and thy seed, with the entrance of the Divine substance, Christ should break Death in Adam's Soul and Body, and destroy Hell in Adam's soul and body, which was manifested or revealed in Paradise. 18. For here lay our Sickness and Misery, which Christ took upon him as a yoke: Christ sacrificed his Father's wrath, which was kindled in our humanity, and awakened his highest Love, in our humane and his holy Blood; his holy Tincture, entered into our humane Death, and Tinctured our (in Adam) faded heavenly substantiality; (which faded in Adam, when he brought earthliness and the false will thereinto) and raised up our faded heavenly substance with his heavenly living substance, so that Life sprung up through Death; and this was signified by the Dry Rod of Aaron. 19 Therefore that is not the true meaning, as some say; Christ hath assumed a soul from the Word in the Eternal virgin Mary, so that, Christ, as one come from God, and his soul in the Humanity of Christ, hath one and the same beginning. 20. They were indeed united in the Incarnation, or the becoming Man, so that they are inseparable, but the true Ens of the soul, which the word assumed in the Name Jesus, was of us Men from the female Tincture, viz. from the true Adamicall soul, yet, from the property of the Light, which was severed from Adam, and put into the woman, that this property of the Light, might transmute or change the fiery Masculine property, again into the Love and Divine Humility, and that the Masculine and feminine property might be quite changed into One Image again, as Adam was before his Eve, when he was neither Man nor woman, but a Masculine Virgin. 21. Therefore Christ took his soul from a Woman, viz. from a virgin, and yet was a Man, so that he rightly stood in the Adamicall Image, and brought the averted severed properties of Life, in which our will had broken itself off from God, again into the Temperature and union, viz. into that ONE. 22. For Adam turned his will from the only will of God, and Jesus Christ took our soul again into the only will of God, and turned the will of our soul in our Humanity which he assumed, into the only will of God again. 23. But that the Reader may be throughly and fundamentally informed what our soul, and what the Word that became Man is, compare one with the other, it is thus; Our soul, before the beginning of the humane * Soulish. soul's creature, was an Ens of the Word of God, in the Word, (Joh. 1.) and yet it was inspired or inspoken from the speaking word of God, into the humane Image in a Natural and creaturely Life, and form in an Image of the Eternal speaking Word. This Creaturely Life of the soul, turned itself in Adam away from the divine speaking, into an own will and speaking, and was in this respect, broken off from the most unsearchable Substance, and separated from God. 24. Into this Separated Word, viz. into the soul; The only Eternal divine speaking word, gave itself in again, and turned the will of the soul again into the Eternal one, viz. into God's Eternal speaking; Therefore the soul is indeed from the Eternal word, but Christ, viz. the highest Love of the Deity, did not take a new soul out of the Eternal speaking; but our soul, viz. the word which was once spoken or form in Adam, viz. our humane Soul, into his Love-speaking in the Grace and union of the Deity. 25. God spoke again, into our poor fallen soul in Paradise immediately after the Fall, the Covenant and Root of his highest Love and Grace through the Word, as a Centre of Grace to Conception, and to the New Regeneration. 26. And in Abraham he Manifested the Covenant, which Abraham laid hold on with his desire, and received it after a spiritual manner, as an Ens to the Tree, but it lay without Substance in Man, only as a spiritual Form and Model or Idea of the Powerful Word. 27. Which word in its spiritual Figure in the virgin Mary, was at the Limit, viz. at the End of the spiritual form, where that same spiritual form of the Word of God was comprehended in a Substantial Ens, and therewith also in like manner Our humane substance as to the soul was comprised, in the Image of the Word, and as to the substance of the Body, in a humane * Frame, or Formation, Building. form; and was a self subsisting God-Man. 28. This comprised Spiritual Image, which was the Seed of Faith which Abraham laid hold on in the Faith, was invested on Isaac, and from Isaac on Jacob, and to Jacob said God, * Gen 28.14. Through thee and thy seed shall all the People of the Earth be blessed; viz. through this seed of Faith which Jacob had received from his father Isaac in this Line of the Covenant, which Line of Faith, had incorporated itself in the Humane Property according to the inward ground of the second Principle, viz. in that Image of the Heavenly world's substance Extinguished in Adam. 29. In which incorporated Ground, the limit of God's Covenant remained, in a spiritual form till Mary, and was propagated from Man to Man, as from Adam and Eve along to Mary, and there the Word of the Divine Power was moved, and Essentially assumed our humane Flesh and Blood together with the soul, and quickened the Extinguished heavenly Ens in the seed of Mary as to our Part, which manifestation penetrated and pressed also into Mary's heavenly substantiality, so that she became living as to that heavenly virginity which disappeared in Eve, and in this living virginity, viz. in Adam's heavenly Matrix, God became Man. 30. And this is the * Luk. 1.42. Blessing of Mary above all other women, that she is the first from Adam, in whom the Heavenly Matrix became Opened, in which the Dry Rod of Aaron rightly budded, viz. the kingdom of God: she is the first in whom the hidden virtue was manifested, for in her the Limit of the Covenant in the spiritual Image or Type was at an End, and in her it was fulfiled * In, or by. with our Humanity. 31. Nevertheless she is truly the daughter of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, both as to the Humanity, and as to the Covenant of the Spiritual Figure; and in her Conception, when the Inward incorporated Image or Type of the Inspired or Inspoken Covenant of Grace, which was laid hold on in the Faith, did assume our humane property, than was the kingdom of Christ * 1 Tim. 3.15. Manifested in the Flesh. 32. Wherein afterwards the faithful put on Christ, in the flesh, in their Faith, yet only as to that heavenly Image Extinguished in Adam, as Mary [did], where Christ Embraceth the poor soul in his Arms, and encompasseth them with the Power of God, and infuseth, and floweth in with his Love, into them, which Love preserveth and defendeth them from the Anger of God, from Sin, Death, the Devil, and Hell. 33. This is a brief summary of the true Ground, what the Spirit of God hath prefigured and Typified by the Patriarches, in that he hath lead them so wonderfully and hath thus alluded with the figure of Christ, how it would come to pass afterward. 34. For Jacob was now the stock, out of which the Great and wide Tree of Israel, should spread abroad in the dividing of its Branches, as a Genealogy; therefore must he go away from his Father's house, and take wives of his father's Genealogy, viz. of Abraham's brothers son, that the People Israel, viz. the Line of the Covenant might come of One stock. 35. Now when * Gen. 28.16, 17. Jacob awaked from the Dream of the Divine Vision, where the Lord appeared to him and Established the Covenant, He said, Surely the Lord is in this Place and I knew it not, and was afraid and said, how Holy is this place, here is no other than the house of God, here is the Gate of Heaven. This is a Figure, showing how it would go with God's children, when God were manifest in them, that they continue to be in fear and trembling, and suppose God is a fare off and hath forsaken them. 36. For where God withdraws himself in Man, there will always sin and the Anger of God be first manifested in that Man, so that he will acknowledge and tremble at his sin, and enter into Repentance, then appeareth to him God's friendly countenance and comforteth him: for, if the soul goeth forth from sin, than God's Grace entereth into it; and than it saith, surely the Lord was with me in my Anxiety, and I knew it not; now I see that the Lord is with the troubled Heart, which is troubled in a Divine zeal or jealousy, There is the place of God and the Gate of Heaven. 37. Further it signifies, how the highest Love of God in this Covenant in Christ, would be immersed into our humanity; and how the humanity of Christ would be conversant in trouble, in that he took upon him all our trouble and misery, and how, the humanity of Christ would be astonished before the Anger of God and Hell; * Luk. 22.39.44. as was in the Mount of Olives, where in his Agony he sweat a bloody sweat, and Christ in his humanity said; * Mat. 26.39. Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me; where instantly the Gates of God appeared and comforted the humanity. As here to Jacob, when he must in trouble departed from his father's house, in fear and trembling at his Brother Esau, who lay in wait to murder him, all which is a figure concerning Christ, when God's Anger in our humanity did lie in wait to murder him, that he would be in an Agony, heaviness and distress, and how he would pray to his Father, and how his Father would Comfort him, all which, was done before * Or, his Passion. he was crucified, especially in the Mount of Olives, in which place this Figure of Jacob was fulfiled. 38. And as * Gen. 28.18. Jacob took the stone, which he had laid under his head, and set it up for a Remembrance, and poured Oil thereupon; so hath Christ set up his anguish or Agony for a remembrance to us poor Men, and poured forth his Oil of joy and Victory upon it in our troubled terrified hearts; and of that same ‖ Agony, and a troubled heart, because of sin. stone hath Erected his Church for a continual remembrance; of all which this Type of Jacob was a prefiguration. 39 Which Jacob signifieth in plain words where he saith; * Gen. 28.20, 21, 22. If God will be with me and defend me in the way which I travail, and give me bread to eat and clothes to put on, and bring me home with peace to my Father, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a Pillar, shall be God's house, and of all which thou givest unto me I will give the Tenth to thee; where he clearly under this figure, signifieth the levitical and afterwards the Evangelicall Priesthood, as it would be hereafter. CHAP. LVII. How Jacob came to Laban, and kept his sheep for him fourteen years for his two Daughters; what the Spiritual Figure of Christ's Bride contained under it, signifieth, how God sets Jacob in Christ's figure, and so sporteth with the Type of Christ. Upon the 29: Chapter of Genesis. Gen. XXIX. 1. WHen Jacob must now in sorrow go away from his Parents, and so avoid his Brother Esau, and commit himself to God in the blessing of him, than God brought him to his beloved Bride, with whom he spent a while in Joy with Patience, till he returned again with Great Riches to his Father. 2. This is first a Worldly History and * Or, Precedent. Example, under which the spiritual figure of the kingdom of Christ is represented, for if the poor Sinner turn to God, than he attaineth, first of all the Blessing, viz. the Baptism of Christ, whereby the Holy Ghost Baptizeth him in the Inward Ground; and * Secondly. than it setteth him in the process of Christ under the Banner of his Cross, and biddeth him go forth from his Father's Adamicall house of sin, and make towards the Path of Christ's Pilgrimage. 3. And there he must lay the hard stone of Reason under his Head, and rest and sleep upon this Stone of Reason, that is, Reason must stand still, and the Mind must in itself turn into the Grace of God in the most inward ground in highest humility, and most willingly enter upon the Pilgrimage of Christ, as Jacob here did; and then meets him his most amiable Bride, and Beautiful Rachel, viz. the Noble Virgin Sophia of the Divine * Or, amorousness▪ wedlock enjoyment in the Love and humanity of Christ. 4. First he comes to the * Gen. 29.2. Well, where the Noble Sophia gives her Sheep drink, that is, the Soul is lead to Christ's Fountain, out of which the Water of Eternal Life doth spring, there he first seethe and demandeth of the Shepherds, where the Noble Sophia feedeth her stock. The Shepherds signify the Children of Christ, viz. Teachers of the Word of Christ, in whom the Spirit of Christ is, who also feed his Sheep, there the Penitent Man, asketh for his Eternal kindred and friends, viz for the paradisical * Or, family. house, wherein his Grand Father Adam dwelled, than those Shepherds show him that house, and also the Beautiful Rachel, which is borne in this House, viz. the Noble Sophia. 5. Who, (when the poor Soul discovereth these things) looketh amiably upon the Soul, whence the Soul is kindled in great Love, and * Gen. 29.10. rolleth away the Great stone from the Well, and giveth the Sheep of Noble Sophia drink, that is, the Soul rolleth away all its Earthly Lusts, which were a Cover upon the Wellspring of Eternal Life, and giveth drink, and food, to the poor Needy Sheep of Christ, the Sheep of this Noble Sophia, and kisseth the Noble Sophia with its burning desire to the Love of Christ. 6. And when the Noble Virgin Sophia, seethe this, and that the poor soul discovereth all its perils that it hath under taken for her, than she runneth to her Father, and telleth him, that her beloved Suitor and friend is abroad with the Sheep of Christ, and helpeth to give them drink, that is, the Love of Christ presseth with the poor soules-desire into God the Father, and saith; This Soul is my friend▪ my Bridegroom, than God the Father commandeth that he be brought into his house; as here * Gen. 29.12. Rachel, did to Jacob, and told it to her Father, who Jacob was, and what his purpose was, and so also Christ showeth his Father, what the poor troubled perplexed souls purpose is, when it cometh to him. 7. And as Jacob was † Gen. 29.19, 20. promised this Rachel for a Spouse, for which he consented to keep the Sheep ‖ 7 yeares·s seven years, and loved her * At his heart. dear, and yet afterwards at the wedding, the other Sister with her tender Eyes was laid by him, which he desired not; so it goes also with Christ's children, when they turn to God, and apply themselves to be Shepherds of Christ's sheep, to † Or, provide for them. take care of them, than is the most amiable and Beautiful Sophia promised and presented to them, whereat they find Joy within them. 8. But when it cometh to pass, that the soul thinks it will embrace this Bride in its Arms, and have perfect joy with her, than the other sister, viz. Lea, that is, the Cross of Christ, is laid by it, and the Beautiful Sophia hideth herself, and it must first take the Cross of Christ for a Spouse, and keep the sheep of Christ * 7 years more. seven years more for Rachel, viz. for the Noble Sophia, before he obtain her for his Spouse. 9 For, the Humanity of Christ doth not presently give itself to the fiery Soul for its own; but stayeth indeed in the † Or, promise of Marriage. betrothing in the Inward Ground, in the Image of the Heavenly world's substance, which disappeared in Adam; But God the Father giveth the soul instead thereof, the other Sister, viz. Tenderness of Heart, that the Soul in this Time, may not Sport in the Garden of Roses, but be in trouble and Calamity, that it may be tried and humble, and always keep the sheep of Christ, and not in this Marriage solace themselves in pleasures and Pride, as Lucifer did. 10. And though it be so, that this Noble * Gen. 29.28.31. Rachel or Sophia, be given in Marriage to the Soul, as is done to the stable Children of Christ, so that the Soul keeps this Great wedding of Joy with this Bride, which they only understand who have been Guests at this wedding, yet afterwards the Noble Sophia is as it were Barren, the wedding Joy passeth away, and the Soul is as if the Love of this Bride were taken from it. 11. In the mean while * Gen. 29.31. etc. Lea under the Cross of Christ breaketh forth, and beareth fruit; that is as much as to say, when the Soul ‖ As a conception. receiveth the Spirit of Christ, then beginneth the Great Joy of this Marriage, concerning which Christ saith; † Luk. 15.7. There is more Joy in Heaven for One Sinner that repenteth, then for Ninety Nine Righteous that need not this Repentance. 12. For, that is the * Rev. 19.7. wedding of the Lamb, that God and Man is married, and Christ is Borne, and then he standeth in our poor and simple † Condition or disposition. form in our most inward Ground, and hideth his great sweetness, which the Soul tasted in the Marriage, and covereth it with his Cross, and then must the poor Soul in the mean while take the tender Lea, viz. Patience, and Labour with her for fruit in the Vineyard of Christ. 13. And it is very well, that the Soul faultereth with this Lea, and then this Rachel in the inward Ground of the Soul is a stranger, and is as a stranger towards it, as * Gen. 30.1. Rachel towards Jacob, when she said to him, ‖ Create. Give me children or else I die; so also the Noble Sophia saith indeed to the Soul, work [or bring forth] in my Love desire, divine fruit, or else I will departed from thee, whereas yet the Soul † Note, the soul cannot do good by its own power. cannot do it in its own power. 14. But this is therefore done, that the Soul may the more earnestly apply itself to prayer, and pray to God for the Divine working of the Divine fruit; as Jacob prayed to God, so that * Gen. 30.22, 23, 24. Rachel was fruitful, and did bear unto him Joseph, the Prince of all the Land of Egypt, who preserved, fed, and nourished them in the Famine. 15. So also when the Noble Sophia seems Barren to the soul, as if it could not bring forth the power of God in the soul, and yet the soul mourneth to God in Patience, [praying] that he would work in it and bless it, whereupon the soul often converteth in very Great Repentance, and casteth itself upon God's Mercy, till this Noble Sophia become stirring, fruitful, and pregnant, and so it certainly generateth the true Joseph, viz. a lowly, humble, chaste, temperate, and Modest Soul, which afterwards becometh a Prince over the Egyptian house of flesh and Blood, in which house the Heathenish Pharaoh dwelleth, viz. the Bestial Spirit, over that, is this Joseph set for a Ruler and Governor, and is a Ruler over Reason, and Governeth it, with joseph's, viz. with God's Spirit. 16. This is thus, as to one Part, the Spiritual figure of Jacob, wherewith the Spirit alludeth to the future kingdom of Christ, where now at present in the fulfilling it alludeth thus also in the Children of Christ, and doth yet so always lead them. 17. But we see especially in this Figure, the way of God, how Gods Mind is fare other then Man's; what Man loveth, in that, God hideth himself, for that pleaseth him well, which in the Eye of the world is simple and despised, which only dependeth on him and feareth him. 18. Jacob loveth the beautiful Rachel, and desireth her, but the Line of the Covenant in which Christ should be borne, would not pass through Rachel but Lea, also Rachel could not conceive till Lea had brought forth the Root or Line of the kingly Priesthood and * Principality. Princedom, viz. Levi and Juda. 19 For, the Priesthood came from Levi, and out of Juda came the Sceptre of the kingdom, and the Prince Christ according to the Humanity, to signify, that Christ will be borne and manifested in these Men alone, and bringeth & worketh his † Note, the Priesthood of the Holy Ghost. Priesthood of the Holy Ghost in them, who go forth from the Love of themselves, and the pleasure of the Flesh, and are in the Eye of the world, softly, bashful, simple, and despised, who esteem themselves unworthy of such honour, and do not account such divine working to be their own, and pride themselves therewith, as the proud Pharisees did, and still do. 20. For this Lea only desireth to bear children for Jacob, that she might be acceptable to him, seeing otherwise in respect of her * Or, Tender Eyednesse. bleareydnesse she was disregarded: thus also the true children of God desire therefore only to walk in the Divine power with * Instructing. teaching and a simple life in the ways of God, that they may please God and serve him. 21. And again we see here by jacob's seed, that the Line of Christ would not manifest itself in his first seed with Lea, that Christ might not be manifested in humane pleasure or Lasciviousness of fleshly Lust, for * Gen 29.32. Lea first bore Reuben, ‖ Marriage ●ed. Gen. 49.4. who defiled the ‖ Marriage ●ed. Gen. 49.4. Bed of his Father, to signify, that this Root sprung from humane Lust. 22. But when Lea was discouraged, because she was despised, and would feign go out of that contempt, than she bore Simeon, who was of an * A strict severe man Text, a sharp piercing mind. acute wit, of whom Jacob said when he was to die, when he prophesied concerning all his children, from what Root each of them was; ‖ Gen. 49.56. The Brethren Simeon and Levi, their swords are murdering weapons, my soul, come not into their Council, and let not my honour be in their Churches or Assemblies, to signify, that he was sprung from the Line of Zeal or Jealousy, wherein Lea was Jealous and discontented that she was thus disesteemed, as she then said; * Gen. 29 33. The Lord hath heard that I was thus disesteemed, and hath given me this [son] also. 23. But when she cried unto the Lord in her Zeal for Deliverance from her disesteem, than * Gen. 29.34. she was pregnant and bare Levi, viz. the Root of the levitical Priesthood, a Type of the kingdom of Christ, for she cried to God, that her husband might be again joined to her in Love, as she speaketh after this manner; Now will my husband be joined to me again, to signify, that God, with the levitical Priesthood, in a Type, would be joined again to Man, and would in a Type of the kingdom of Paradise dwell among them again, as was done in the time of Moses. 24. But the Spirit of God said, by Jacob, when he was about to die; Let not mine honour come in their Churches or Assemblies, that is, they are of Murderous Cainicall Minds, and serve me only in a Figure pointing at the future kingdom of Christ; But the Spirit of my Love and Grace is not with them in their Sacrifices and worship of God; which Love and Grace he calleth his honour, which he would manifest through the Line of Juda in Christ. 25. Which honour was, that he should break Death in pieces, and destroy Hell, and take away the Throne of the Devil in Man; this the Holy Ghost calleth his honour, and that was not in the levitical Priesthood, nor among the Titulary Priests in their Churches. But when Lea gave up her will wholly into the will of God, and said; * Gen. 29.35. Now will I give thanks unto the Lord, who hath delivered me from the disgrace of the Devil, and of the World, than she bore Juda, viz. the Line of Christ. 26. So here now the Spirit saith very secretly and covertly under a veil, * And she left off from Bearing, to signify, that Christ was the Last, who was the End and fulfilling of the levitical Law; under which, the Spirit signifieth, that Men would not find Christ in the Priest's Churches, Laws, and Ordinances of Preaching, He would not dwell in their Churches with his honour of victory, nor suffer himself and his honour to be tied to the houses of Stone, where they exercise as hypocritical show, and have within them only murdering proud hearts, and with the murdering swords of Levi, disgrace and slay one another with words. 27. But in the souls of Men, when they give thanks and praise the Lord in great Humility, as Lea did, when she bore Juda, the Line of Christ; there will he dwell, and not be at all in the Council of these Priests and Levits the Titulary Priests, who contrive only specious glistering ways for their Honour and voluptuousness, and forget the true thanksgiving in Humility, and honour and love themselves only, and so give that honour to their feigned or supposed Office, which belongeth to God alone, and to the Love of our Neighbour in great humility. 28. We see clearly by this Figure, that God will not manifest himself in the fleshly love of ourselves; for * Gen. ●9. 30. Jacob loved Rachel more than Lea, and would have Rachel only in the Beginning; but his seed must continue shut up with her, till Rachel humbled herself before God, and that Jacob prayed for her, to show also, that God will not work in the love of ourselves, in that we love and honour one another according to fleshly lust, worldly honour and Riches, where Men flock together, associate and love one another, according to their Greatness, State, Riches, Glory, Beauty, Bravery and Pleasure of this World. 29. But the Spirit of God requireth humble, faithful, and sincere love, where the soul is resigned up into God, and seeketh not its own pleasure or self-love, but looketh upon the way of God, and joineth itself to the humble children, who love God and constantly give him thanks, there God manifesteth himself and worketh in them, that they bear fruit to the Lord. 30. Jacob first served seven years for Rachel, which himself had chosen in his own Love, yet she was not given to him for the first seven year's service, but Lea was, unknown to him, laid by him; Jacob desired Rachel as wages for his service: yet seeing the Covenant of the Lord lay in the Line of Christ in him, therefore he first received the spiritual wages of the Grace of God. 31. For Christ is the wages of God's children, as they must serve their Lord for worldly wages, so God first payeth them with his Covenant of Grace, and then afterwards they receive also Temporal wages; As Jacob must first receive the Gift of God, as God appointeth it for him, though it went very ill, as to Reason, afterwards he also received the wages according to his will, for which he must serve yet seven years more. 32. Which seven years in the inward Ground in this Figure, signify, the seven properties of the Natural Life, which must be given up to the service of God, into which God gives himself for wages in a coworking power, where the seven forms of Life first help the Lord to bear a spiritual Figure and Image or Type, and to manifest the Line of Christ, then afterwards that same spiritual form discovereth also the Natural form, and beareth a Prince in the Natural Life, in whom God worketh, and through whom he ruleth the world, as is to be seen by Jacob. 33. He served seven years for Rachel, but being he feared God, the divine wages, viz. the Line of Christ was first given him; afterwards God blessed also the humane self-love according to the kingdom of Nature in him, so that of Rachel whom he had taken in natural self-love, he begat a Prince and wise Man, even Joseph, by whom the Spirit of God ruled, and made him a Lord and Governor. 34. And this figure presents to us, that first Christ should be borne in us, and so then Christ in us beareth also the Natural Man with understanding and wisdom, and appointeth him to his service in the kingdom of Nature, and also in the kingdom of Grace, as he did Joseph. CHAP. LVIII. How Jacob served his * Stepfather. Father in Law Twenty years, and begat Twelve Sons and One Daughter, and how God blessed him, that he got great Riches, and how Laban often changed his wages, and yet could not hurt him, what is to be understood thereby. Upon the 30 Chapter of Genesis. 1. WE see in this History especially, Gen. XXX. how it goeth with the Children of God in this world, how they must live in mere Crosses and adversity, as Jacob did with his wives: for * Gen. 30.1. when Rachel saw that she was barren, she envied Lea her sister, to signify, that Mans own Love seeketh not the honour of God but itself, as now Rachel envied Lea, because she had a Name that God had blessed her, and said to Jacob, * Gen. 30.1. Give me Children also, if not, I die. 2. Where we see, how the ways of God are quite hidden to Reason, although Reason standeth in the figure of the divine wonders, as here Rachel, which here signifieth, the own Adamicall Nature, which desireth of Jacob the life's power from the blessing of God, and if it get not the same, it must die; which indeed the Spirit of zeal in her desire, doth very well signify according to her inward Ground in the Covenant of God: but her Reason understood it not, but only desired Children, that she might be delivered from disgrace; but her inward Ground stood hidden, and panted through the humane Nature, to manifest itself in the humane Essence: Therefore the inward Ground in the Covenant of Grace signifieth through its own Adamicall Essence, that if the inward ground should not be manifested through the humane Essence, it must then die Eternally; Therefore saith Reason; Give me children or else I die, which seemeth outwardly to be an Opposition and discouragement: But the Spirit of God hath here its figure, under which it hath its signification. 3. And then we see in both these Sisters, who yet were Daughters of God's Covenant in the Promise, how the Poison of the Serpent in the wrath of God in flesh and blood, so vehemently sets against the Line of Christ in the Covenant, and always despiseth the same, and as a proud Lucifer, elevates and puffeth up the Rational humane ownhood of self-will, and would have the Dominion. 4. As here Rachel despiseth her sister because she was outwardly fairer and more beautiful than Lea, in that Lea in the sight of the world was simple and bleareyd, and Rachel had the Spirit of the world in Reason Elegantly as an Ornament, and so the Adamicall Nature in Rachel ruled over the Manifested blessing of the Covenant in Lea; to signify, that the Line of Christ in this world would be manifested in a mean simple and despised form in Men of such like dispositions, which Men would, by the Reason pomp and beauty of the world, be esteemed fools and bleareyd; who in such scorn and disregard would go away and * Psal 125.5. sow in Tears, but in their inward Ground in the Line of Christ would bear, and at the End reap in Joy: to signify, that * John 18.36. Christ's Kingdom is not of this world, that in this world it must be thrown into God's Anger and disdain, and into death, and by this throwing in, satiate the Anger of God with Love and Meekness, and with Love, spring forth through the Anger and Death, and bring the proud Lucifer in the humane own will and fleshly Lust to scorn and to nought, as an unstable Life, which Life cannot overpower the Divine humility. 5. Which humility Springeth under all scorn, and also breaketh through death and the anger of God, and maketh Death to be Life, and taketh from Hell the victory, and changeth, the sting of the false Serpent's Essence, with sweet Love, as we see here by Lea, who although she was envied by her sister; as, by Reason; yet the Line of Christ in the Covenant springeth forth in her under all scorn, and maketh her fruitful, and Rachel Barren, till she gave her Maid to her Husband for a Wife, which signifieth the Adamicall, viz. the servile Line, which in the Kingdom of Christ attaineth the Marriage of the Line of Christ, in the manner of a servant. 6. For, Adam hath negligently forfeited the Line, the Right of Nature in the kingdom of God was lost in Adam, and attaineth in the manner of a servant to the Marriage, as jacob's wives Maids did, whereby we then see, that Rachel, viz. the right self Nature could not work or bring forth fruit, till the Line of servitude under the yoke of the Adamicall Nature of self-love did first become fruitful, to signify, that the humane Nature must give itself up to be a servant under the Line of Christ, if it will be married in the Line of Christ, and be engrafted as an heir of God. 7. And then first springeth forth the kingdom of Nature in the kingdom of God, and in the blessing becometh fruitful, as Rachel was first fruitful when her Maid had brought forth, to signify, that Rachel also must be an handmaid to the Covenant of God, and the Line of Christ, and that the Line of Christ in her also be her Lord, so that she also attaineth the Marriage of Christ's Line in the manner of a handmaid, and that she had not the Line of Christ in her in selfe-Power by the Light of Nature, but as a Gift bestowed of Grace, that standeth in another Principle. 8. And signifieth under it, that the Line of Christ was not propagated in humane selfe-ability, but that itself doth press into their Branches, and that the Great or high Name or * Stock, Family, or Genealogy. stock or Tribe of Men is not respected, but it presseth as soon upon the meanest and most miserable in the world, which are but servants and handmaids, as upon the most high and Noble. 9 As we have a powerful example of this in Jacob, who must be in a servile condition Twenty years as a servant, till the Twelve Stocks of the Tribes of Israel were begotten by him, to signify, That a Christian must be borne under the servile yoke of the corrupt Domineering self-willed Adamicall Nature, but if any should as a Christian be borne of the Line of Christ, then must the † Mother. Parent be given up as a servant to God, and be in the kingdom of Nature, only as a servant of God, who in his heart forsaketh all temporal things, and accounts nothing his own, and in his condition and employment esteemeth himself but as a servant, who serveth his Lord therein. 10. As Jacob, who under this service of his, begatt the Stocks or Tribes of Israel, signifieth that they should be strange Guests in this world, and serve God their Lord in the kingdom of Nature therein, who himself would * Promise or appoint. vote them their Wages, that they should with Great Riches go out of this world and enter into the Kingdom of Christ, viz. into their first Adamicall paradisical Native Country, as Jacob in his service got his stepfathers' Goods with great Blessing. The Inward Spiritual Figure standeth thus. 12. When Adam was fallen, he must go forth out of Paradise, and yield up himself to be a servant under the Spirit of the world in the Kingdom of this world, and be subject to the Stars and the four Elements, and serve them in their Dominion, and provide for and take care of their children, viz. the Creatures of this world, as we see before our Eyes. 13. But when he was to go out of Paradise, as Jacob out of his Father's house, the Lord meets him, & showeth him the Entrance in again into Paradise through the seed of the woman, and destroyer of the Serpent; as he shown the same also to Jacob, by * Gen. 28.12. the Ladder which reached to Heaven. 14. And when Adam was gone out of Paradise, than he must submit himself to be a servant under a strange yoke, and serve the kingdom of Nature in its wonders, and provide for or take care of the Children of Nature, which kingdom of Nature in the Fall became strange to him, in that it now holds him by constraint, and vexeth him with heat and cold, sickness and misery, and holdeth him Captive in itself, and useth him in its service, which before was his best friend and * Grandfather. Patron. 15. And as Jacob in this Figure, must fly to his friend his Mother's brother, and serve him, whom he kept as a servant, and yet also in respect of his Daughter as a son in Law; so also must Adam serve under the servile yoke of his Great † Grand-Father· Father, viz. the kingdom of Nature, which kingdom gave him its daughter to wife; of whom under this yoke he begat the children of God in the Blessing of God, and also placeth his children as ministering servants in his Father's house, viz in the kingdom of this world. 16. And as Jacob, obtained Great Riches in the Blessing of God, and acquired the Goods of his Master with subtlety, * Gen. 30 37, 38, 39, etc. in that he subtly used the half peeled streaked sticks before the drinking Troughs, where the sheep drank, upon which they conceived, and brought forth † Pied or sp●tted. ring-straked sheep particoloured; so also when Adam was come under the servile yoke of the kingdom of Nature, wherein also the Envy and subtlety of the Devil domineered according to the kingdom of Wrath, God shown him, that he should with suttlety acquire to himself the kingdom of Nature, viz. the working of Nature, with its wonders, and procure the Power of Nature for an Eternal propriety, that his works, which he Operates in the kingdom of Nature, must follow him into his Eternal Native Country, and be his own. 17. Which subtlety was that which God shown him, viz. the Destroyer of the Serpent, which Adam put on in the Covenant, which put on the kingdom of Nature [assumed] from us Men, and with divine subtlety, took away the strength and power of our Lord and Master, viz. of the kingdom of God's wrath, which held us captive under its yoke, and put on all humane power, and took away our Lord and Masters own Power, viz. the kingdom of Natures own power, as Jacob took his Lord and Masters Goods. 18. And as the Spirit of * Gen. 31.10. God shown Jacob in the vision, that the He-goats and Rams that leapt upon the Goats and Sheep were ring-straked speckled and grisled: so was Adam also showed in the Spirit of the Covenant of Promise, how the Spirit of Grace in the Covenant, came upon the streaked particoloured humane Nature, and blessed it, so that it became pregnant of the spirit of the Covenant. 19 Which Humane streaked or particoloured Nature is no other than the half earthy corrupt, and again in the Covenant Newborne Heavenly Nature, upon this came the Spirit of God as to the heavenly part, and made it fruitful, so that under the earthly yoke it drew the power of Nature in the divine power into the heavenly, and so was his Masters or Lords, viz. the kingdom of Nature's goods, taken away, and the heavenly Man in the Covenant got them to himself with the divine wit and subtlety, and returned therewith from his Lord & Master, viz. the kingdom of the Outward Nature, again into his Father's house, viz. into Paradise, as Jacob into his father's house. The Figure is fundamentally thus. 20. In Adam the kingdom of Nature lay in the Temperature, that is, all properties were of equal weight, but when the will of the soul went with subtlety into the Separation, than the properties were stirred up, and the Temperature was broken, and then the Separation was his Lord and Master, and held the will captive as a servant, who now must serve this Master. 21. But when God spoke or inspired again his Grace with the Covenant of Love, thereinto, than the inward in spoken or inspired ground of Grace, drew the kingdom of Nature with its wonders to it, and came away with the Riches and selfe-Might, and brought them again with the inward new Man, into Paradise. 22. For, the Riches of the Natural Outward Mortal Man, in that it bringeth forth the Wonders of God with its Exercise, doth not belong to the kingdom of Nature as its proper own, but to the inward spiritual new Man borne of Christ, he shall draw these wonders to him, and take them with him to be an Eternal Vision and Contemplation of the wonders of God. 23. When the Body of the outward Nature falleth a way, then shall the works follow the New Man as a Treasure, which he hath gotten to himself by divine wit and subtlety, and put off the Evil Adamicall Nature's house of Selfe-rule and Dominion, as Jacob, who stood in the figure of the New Spiritual Man, with whom the Spirit of God alludeth in the prefiguration to the future kingdom of Christ, showing how Christ would obtain all the Goods of this world, and all the Riches of the Power and Might of Nature, in the form * Or, Outspoken. Expressed Word of God under his servitude, wherein he yielded himself up to be a servant of God in the kingdom of Nature, and so make himself Lord and Master over it; and bring it with him into his Eternal kingdom in our assumed Humanity, and lastly manifest it at the End of the Day of this world, and give it us again in our Father's first house. 24. Thus we should not at all look upon this Figure in Jacob, as if God had bidden Jacob to deceive his Father in Law with subtlety, and bereave him of that which was his, as if God had pleasure in the Natural false subtlety of Man; No, the spiritual subtlety is only represented in the figure, showing how we shall obtain in the kingdom of Christ * Luk 16.9.11 the unrighteeus Mammon, which we have not as by a Natural Right, but obtain it by the divine wit, and then † Mat. 11.12. the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and they that use violence ‖ Tear and snatch it. take it by force, with such wit of Divine science, knowledge or skill, as Jacob did in the figure of Christ's kingdom. 25. And it is shown to the Jews, who with this figure help themselves in their subtlety and Earthly Fraud and treachery; that this subtlety of Jacob prefigureth a Spiritual Type, and doth not at all cover their wickedness and falsehood. 26. For he that saith, * Exod. 20.17. Thou shalt not Covet or lust after that which is thy Neighbours, hath forbidden all outward subtlety fraud and deceit; but in the ‖ Stam li●ien· Geneologies, the Spirit of God hath thus, with the kingdom of Christ, signified and alluded in the figure, at the inward Ground of the New Man with an Outward Figure. 27. As with Ishmael Abraham's first son, from whom the Goods also were taken away, to signify, that they belonged not to Adam in the Corruption and perdition, but to Ghrist, as the second Adam, which he took with divine wit & subtlety from the kingdom of God's wrath in Man, where he must first be subject to the wrath of God, and serve in the assumed humane Nature, yet so he obtained the Goods and took away all its Goods, and that is it which this Figure of Jacob signifieth. 28. The Spirit presenteth here a Most wonderful Figure in Jacob, showing how * 10 Times. Gen. 31.7. Laban changed his wages Ten Times, and yet could not hurt him, to signify, how it is with the Children of God in this service, that under the yoke of Nature, they shall acquire the Goods of the kingdom of Nature in the Divine wit in the inward New Man, thence happeneth such great alteration to Man in his purposes, so that when he hath resolved upon the course that he will take, the Devil comes with his Envy, and hindereth him of his purpose by evil Men, that it goeth not forward; As Jacob, when he thought, the speckled sheep and Goats shall be my wages, than his Master disappointed him of his wages. 29. So it is also with the Children of God in their labour and travail, when they think, now they shall reap the blessing of God, now they will apply themselves to the Children of God, with whom they may work and bring forth fruit, and there they will * Do good. effect their good purposes, and comprehend this work in their Faith's desire, that it ‖ Rev. 14.13. may follow after them: then will every where all his work and purposes be broken, so that it goeth not according to his meaning and will, he must now only trust and rely upon God, as Jacob did, and so no enemy can hurt him; and though it seems as if it would hurt him, and that his work should be in vain, yet thus they work and bear fruit, incomprehensible to Reason, and in the End, that Man departeth with much Goods out of the kingdom of this world, and returneth again into his Native Country, as Jacob. 30. For the Scripture saith, * Rev. 14.13. the Works of the Children of God follow after their Faith, they take them with them, they are the Wages of their Faith; The Faith taketh Christ into itself, and Christ taketh the Works of Faith with him; and thus a true Christian returneth home again into his Native Country, with much Goods, which he hath introduced and laid up in hope with his Faith's desire. 31. Which Hope God filleth for him in Christ with the heavenly Ens, and taketh also herewith his works of Nature, and draweth them to itself for an Eternal Wages, which, is Christ, with the * Or, Outspoken. Expressed word, viz. the kingdom of Nature, wherein lieth the Wonders and † Essence and Substance. being of Man, kept, to Gods Great Day of Separation, wherein ‖ Gala. 6.7. Every one shall reap what he hath here sown. 32. When we rightly view and consider this History, how God did begin the kingdom of Israel with a servile Shepherd, and exalted him before all the Potent rich Men on Earth even to Eternity, and Consider that the Twelve Stocks or Tribes of Israel were begotten under a servile yoke as servants, out of which Stock Christ according to the Humanity was to be borne; So we see, that all Highness of the world, also all Art and wit of Nature, is foolish in the sight of God, wherewith yet men so boast, and esteem their worldly matters do or pomp, and their high state, for Great things, and yet in the sight of God, are not by fare, * Like u●to an honest Shepherd. so acceptable as an honest Shepherd. 33. A Shepherd in whom the Spirit of God worketh, is more highly esteemed before God, than the wisest and most potent in selfe-witt, without the Divine Dominion; and we see very well, how God erecteth his kingdom in simple lowly and mean Men, who are not esteemed by the world, but are accounted no better than Herdsmen in the Eye of the world; As Christ also chose such for his Apostles who were but poor mean contemptible people, by whom he manifested the kingdom of Israel in divine Power. 34. Where are the Learned and worldly wise Men? Again, where are the Potent Lords, who contemn the simple? Where is their Might, strength, Art, and Wit? They must all come in dust and ashes, and fall down to the simplicity of such Shepherds, and bow their hearts in servitude under Christ's yoke, if they will be partakers of the * Note the true Line, Lineage, or Succession. Line of these † Or, Pastors. Shepherds, yea they must be as jacob's wives Maids, if they will come to this Marriage. 35. For the Line of Christ in the beginning was manifested in Abel a Shepherd, so also afterwards in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and David, they were all but Shepherds when the Line of Christ was manifested: There is no Potentate, Noble, Rich, Learned, or High worldly wise, hath attained it, but mean people of no account, who have put their trust in God. 36. Where are now the high Priests, Schools, and Universities, who ascribe to themselves and assume the authority and power of these Mysteries, and often tread underfoot the Gifts of the Holy Ghost in such Shepherds, and laugh at them and count them Fools? Are they not all of them, Cain, Ishmael, and Esau, of the left Line, from the kingdom of this world's Nature in the Hypocrisy of self- Reason? which in the sight of God is not so acceptable as a Shepherd. 37. O ye poor blind Men in Adam, cast your Eyes down from above, and lay yourselves low under the simplicity of Christ in the * Or, true succession. Line of these Shepherds, and look not upon the Pomp of Art and Loftiness, or you will be miserably deceived; If you will be capable of this Line, you must not attain it from Loftiness, which boasteth itself in Hypocrisy in this Office of a Pastor or Shepherd, but in humility and mean simplicity, where the soul submitteth itself under Christ's yoke, there will the poor soul, blind as to God, get root in this Marriage and be capable of this Line. 38. The † 12 Children. Twelve Children of Jacob are even the Lines, which the Spirit of God from Adam to Noah and his children, signified, which sprung from the Line of the Covenant in Paradise, and pressed from Adam to Abel, and so on to the Children of Noah, and there also twelve Lines or Stocks or Tribes were manifested; here the same Tree openeth itself again out of One Stock, which was Jacob, and signifieth, how those Lines should all be sanctified in one Stock, which Stock is Christ, who also chose him * 12 Apostles. Twelve Apostles to manifest this Tree, which was grown out of the Line of the Covenant. 39 And as Jacob begat these Twelve sons, † Gen. 30.21. he begat also a Daughter, Dina by name, ‖ Gen. 34.1. who went out to see the Daughters of the Land, and thereby lost her honour and Virginity; and he begat her of Lea, in whom the Line was manifested out of the Stock or Tribe of Juda, to signify that the Line of Christ at this time as yet stood hidden in the woman's Tincture, and yet was manifest through the Masculine, viz. the fiery Tincture, till Mary the Mother of Christ, as we see in the Covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that the Covenant pressed forward in their seed; we see it also in the Circumcision, which was given only to the Man or Male. 40. And much more do we see in the Law on Mount Sinai, which was also given in a way of Fire, to signify, that Men before Christ were lead in the Father's Property, which held us captive in the Wrath, till his Love, viz. his Son through the wrath manifested himself in the Woman's Tincture, and changed the Man's and Woman's Tincture into One again, therefore the Line of Christ with the Fathers, sprung forth in the Woman's Tincture through the Mans. 41. In the Man's Tincture it was stirring in the Covenant of Faith in Abraham, and was manifest out of the Man's Tincture in the Woman; But in the * Fulfilling. fullness of Time, it was manifest in Mary in the Woman's Tincture, viz. in the highest Love, in which Love Adam loved himself before his Eve [was] for God was manifest therein. 42. There we see here in Dina a figure of Eve, for after Lea had borne Six Sons, she bore a Daughter, which signifieth the Female Tincture, which in her vain Curiosity * Or, trifled. squandered away her honour; as Eve would see and know the Daughters of the world, viz. the Bestial Creaturely Lust, and in this Lust lost the paradisical Virginity. 43. Thus the Spirit of God here in Dina sets a figure of Eve near the Line of the Covenant, seeing he should come out of the Line of the Covenant who should seek and save the poor children of Eve. 44. For Lea did bear six sons, which signify the six properties of the Natural Life, and the Seaventh is the Substance or Corporeity of the six, in which spiritual Substance Adam died or was extinguished as to the kingdom of God, when his will broke itself off from God; and that same seaventh property of Nature is now even the Woman, viz. the Mother wherein the other six are continually borne, which rightly signifieth the Adamicall Eve, when Eve was yet in an Image or Type. 45. The figure whereof the Spirit of God represents in Dina with Jacob, signifying, how that seaventh property of Nature in Adam is become a Whore, perfidious to God, and sets this Figure near the Line of Christ, [signifying] that Christ should come, and change this whore, viz. the seaventh property of the humane Life, into the virginity again. 46. Therefore was Christ borne of a virgin, that he might sanctify the Woman's Tincture again, and change it into the Man's Tincture, that the Man and the Woman might be One Image of God, again, and no more Man and Woman, but Masculine Virgins, as Christ was. 47. In Rachel we see now the self-love of the kingdom of Nature, where both Tinctures, the Masculine and Feminine, according to the kingdom of Nature in self-love, bind themselves in Conjunction, as Jacob loved Rachel according to the kingdom of Nature, according to the Tincture of self-love, and on the other side so did Rachel love Jacob; therefore must these Tinctures of Natural self-love, be so long shut up and bring forth no Life, till † Gen. 30.22. the Lord remembered Rachel and heard her, as the Text in Moses saith: that is, till the Lord stirred up the Tinctures of the kingdom of Nature with his blessing, than she bore a Prince in the kingdom of Nature, viz. JOSEPH, in whom we see by his great Chastity and fear of God, that the blessing of God stirred up the Tinctures of the kingdom of Nature, which lay shut up in the Seeds, and manifested the Covenant of Grace therein. 48. For Christ should deliver the kingdom of Nature in Man from wrath, therefore also the Spirit in this figure presenteth an Image or Type in Joseph, which it sets down also in the figure of Christ's humanity, how it would go in the future with Christ's humanity, which he took from us Men. 49. In Lea Christ was represented according to his heavenly hidden humanity, showing, how the heavenly world's Substance would be hidden in our humanity under the yoke of God's Anger, and how Christ must appear in a servile and contemptible form. 50. In Rachel with Joseph now the figure is represented, which showeth, how he would Overcome, and in our humane Nature should be a Lord and Prince over all his Enemies, who have held us poor Men in flesh and blood Captive, and how he would bring us forth out of the Misery and Famine of Adam, into a Good Land, and not remember how we in this world have cast him into the Pit, as joseph's brethren did him. 51. The Spirit of God presents this figure in the Twelve Patriarches as a Glass, to see by whom God was attoned in his Anger, pointing at the future fullfilling, for the Text in Moses speaketh very hiddenly, in this Figure and saith; * Gen. 30.25, 26. Now when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, let me departed and travail to my own Place, and into my Country, give me my wives and my children for which I have served thee, that I may go. The inward Spiritual figure is thus. 52. When the Blessing of Jacob, viz. Christ, in the kingdom of the humane Nature, was manifest, so that Man stood in Christ's Image, than he desireth to return from the servitude of this House wherein he must serve, and go again to his father's first house, and desireth to take with him his fruits, viz. his children, brethren, and sisters, and all the children of this Birth; he hath a great longing after that, as Jacob had after his father's house: But the Lord saith to him stay and serve here a while and feed my sheep, † Gen. 30.28. appoint the wages that I shall give thee, that is, ask of me, so will I give it thee as Christ saith; * Joh. 16.23. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you. 53. Thus than this Jacob demerseth himself in Humility, and keepeth the sheep of Christ, in hope of the Eternal wages, which followeth after him: For in Joseph, that is, in Christ, the wages will be firct given him; as Joseph was the wages of Jacob in the Outward kingdom, and preserved and nourished him and his house in the famine, which signifieth, Christ, who will Eternally nourish us in himself, and bring us home with him into his Father's house, as Joseph brought his Father and Children into his Lord's Country. CHAP. LIX. How Jacob departed from Laban, what this Figure signifieth, and what is to be understood thereby. Genesis the 31. IN this Chapter for the most part is the Outward History set forth, Gen. XXXI. under which yet the Spirit hath its secret Figure wherewith it playeth, for, the Text saith; * Gen. 31.1, 2· And the words of the Children of Laban came before Jacob, saying, Jacob hath gotten all our Father's Goods to himself, and of our Father's Goods hath he procured this Riches; And Jacob looked upon Laban's Countenance, and saw that it was not towards him as formerly. 2. This is a figure represented in the Spirit of Christ; when the Spirit of Christ in Man hath gotten the kingdom of the humane Nature to himself, than the Envy of the Serpent in the wrath of Nature in flesh and blood, awaketh, understanding and feeling that the power of Nature in Man is taken away from him, and opposeth the Spirit of Christ in the power of Nature. 3. Then proceedeth the opposite will in Man, so that the poor soul is every where faint and in an agony, perceiving that it dwelleth among strange Goods, and that the Devil is its Neighbour, and hath a continual access to its own Nature, and opposeth the soul, because it hath in Christ's Spirit taken away from him the kingdom of Nature, viz. the Land and Country which he had for his possession, and therefore the mortal Nature in the wrath of God sets its desire & endeavour against the poor soul, as a stranger unfriendly, when it seethe, that it looseth its voluptuous Earthly Inheritance, (which Right is intimated in the Children of Laban, where Reason looketh to get temporal Honour and pleasure) that all its natural right is taken away, as Jacob by subtlety took away Laban's Goods. 4. Then thus saith God to the soul, as here he did to Jacob; † Gen. 31.3. Return again into thy father's Country, to thy kindred, I will be with thee: that is, the poor soul should enter again into its first Country of its father, viz. into the Eternal Word, out of which it proceeded, and therein God blesseth it, and therein it can also call its children and Members and bring them along out of the servile House of God's Anger in the kingdom of Nature, as * Gen. 31.4. Jacob called his wives and his Children, and brought them out of the Servitude of his Father; Thus also the Enlightened soul bringeth the power of its Life in the kingdom of Nature together with its fellow-members out of the servile house of flesh and blood again into the first house, viz. into God's Word. 5. And as † Gen. 31.21.23. Jacob did flee from the servile house of his Stepfather, and Laban pursued after and would hurt him; so also in like manner is done to the children of Christ, when they begin to flee out of the servile house of Satan, viz. out from fleshly pleasure and voluptuousness, and would again enter into its first Land of its father, viz. into righteousness and the fear of God, then instantly the fleshly Crew of the wicked world, with rage and folly pursue after it and would slay it, and take away with evil and false Tongues, all its Riches and Goods in God's righteousness. 6. But the Lord aweth them, that they cannot do it, as was done to Laban, though they stand up and reprove the Children of God as unrighteous, because they turn away from their Idols and abominations, and follow their hypocrisy no more, neither will they bear their Evil yoke any more, and serve them in their unrighteousness, and call their falsehood Good, as the present world playeth the hypocrite under this yoke and serveth their wickedness, only that their God Ma●z●m may ●ive and be Fat. 7. The Spirit of God here also presenteth a Figure, showing, how Christ would for a while put himself under this servile yoke in the kingdom of Nature, and would betrothe to him Adam's daughter, that is, our flesh and blood, and acquire to himself Adam's possession, Goods and Riches, viz. the Kingdom or Dominion of the humane Nature, that is, Draw many Men to him, and in the End go there with out of this servile House of this world again into his Father's Eternal House, in which departure to his Father, would the Devil and the wicked world, scorn him and quite slay him, and would take away, and rob him of, his Goods, as also of his Children, which he hath here begotten, even as the Devil, by the Pharisees and wicked Jews did, who would take away, and rob Christ of all his Faithful Children, as Laban pursued and hunted after Jacob, and would take away his purchased Goods from him again. 8. But as * Gen. 31.7. God would not suffer Laban to hurt Jacob, so God would not suffer the Devil and the wicked High Priests, to rob Christ of his purchased Goods, although they slew his outward Humanity, yet he risen again from the Dead, and brought his purchased Goods into his Father's Country. 9 The Spirit of Moses representeth in this Chapter a wonderful Figure, which ought well to be Observed, because he intimates a secret Mystery under it: For he saith, † Gen. 31.19, 20.30.33, 34. When Jacob did flee away from Laban, Rachel had stolen away her Father's Idol Gods: and further saith; Thus Jacob stole away the Heart of Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled: and we see further, how Laban when he came to Jacob, was eager after his Idol Gods, and searched all jacob's householdstuff for his Idol Gods; also we see in this Text, how Rachel was she that loved those Idol Gods, and sat upon them, and so hid them that her Father could not get them again. 10. In these words there is represented to us an Outward and an inward Figure, showing, how it would go with Israel in the future; for these Idol Gods were not Heathenish Idols, according to the Constellation or Star * Acts 7.43. Molech, as the Heathens had, but as we read, they made Images, Monuments, Statues, or Pictures of their friends that were dead, as a Pattern for Instruction, which Images among the Heathen afterwards were turned to Idols, and these might well be such Images of his kindred that were dead, which Laban was loath to lose, because they were Patterns of Instruction, and Memorials to him of his Ancestors and deceased kindred whom he loved. 11. But the true Figure under which the Spirit pointeth at the Future, is this: First, That Israel would not continually cleave to God with their whole Heart, but would always take these Idol Gods of fleshly self-love along with them, and love themselves and their Images, viz. Genealogies of Humane Greatness, State, High Birth, and Noble Pedigrees of Gentility, more than God, even as it came to pass. 12. Especially this departure of Jacob intimates, the departure of Israel out of Egypt into the promised Land, when they took with them also their fleshly Idol Gods, and presently after * 1 Sam. 8.8. served their own Idol God's viz. Humane Greatness; and forsook their God, and regarded their Mammon, and would have † 19 Kings among them according to the Custom of the Heathen, and forsook their right King, who had brought them out of Egypt. 13. Secondly, it intimates, how Christ, in whose figure Jacob stood, would take to him this Rachel in our flesh and blood, viz. these, in Adam Idol wills of the soul turned away from God, which hath acquired to itself Images and Idols, and possessed them as Rachel; and would bring the averted wills of the soul, with their acquired Idols and Images out of the Idols house or Temple, which Idols, viz. Idoll-wills and desires must afterwards be all broken to pieces in the Death of Christ. 14. As presently (Genesis 35 Chapter) the figure is represented to us, when God said to Jacob: † Gen 35.1, 2. Arise and go to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an Altar to God, who appeared to thee when thou steddest from thy Brother Esau: Then said Jacob to his household, and to all that were with him, put away from you the strange Gods that are among you, and cleanse you and change your Garments, and let us arise and go to Bethel, that I may there make an Altar, to God that heard me in the time of my trouble, and hath been with me in the way which I have gone. 15. Which History of Jacob, signifieth nothing else but this, viz. when Christ would with this Rachel's Idol Gods, viz. our flesh and blood, depart from this servile house, and go to his Father, than he would by his going forth, when he should build the High Altar before God, which Altar is himself, lay off these our Idols in humane self-will, viz. every Imagination of self-love, before the Altar of God in his Death, and cleanse our Hearts, viz. our soul's Will, and change our Garments, viz. our flesh and blood; as this Text in the 35 Chapter clearly signifies, and wholly intendeth it, that Christ would offer us up upon that same Altar of his New Testament, to the God who appeared to us again in Our trouble and Misery after the Fall, in his Covenant of Grace. 16. But, that the Text of Moses Gen. 31. saith; * Gen. 31.20, 21. Jacob stole away the Heart of Laban the Syrian, in that he secretly fled away with his Daughters: it hath the very same inward spiritual Figure contained in it; for, the Word became Man, and took Laban's, viz. the earthly Adam's daughters, and brought them by divine subtlety away out of Adam's house into God's house, which in that place is called Stealing, in that the children of Adam are thus stolen from the kingdom of God's wrath, that is, brought away in the divine wit and subtlety. 17. For, the Anger of God had possessed Men in the right of Nature, but Christ came and married with them, and stole them together with the Idol Gods away from the Anger, and offered them up to God upon his Altar, which is himself, and laid off the Images of Man's self-love, and cleansed our Garments before God, that we might serve him at this Altar. 18. This is properly understood concerning Rachel's Idol Gods, the Figure indeed sets down only the Outward History, but the Spirit of God hath its figure under it; for the whole History of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, stands inwardly in the figure of Christ; for, the Covenant between Laban and Jacob, & all that happened therein, is a figure of Christ, for Laban here standeth in the figure of the kingdom of Nature, and Jacob in the figure of Christ. 19 † Gen. 31.27, 28. Laban upbraids Jacob, that he fled from him and did not suffer him first to kiss his Children, and that he might conduct them on their way with Mirth and with ●abretts: Thus also doth Nature with the children of Christ, when they secretly flee from it, and forsake the Idols house or Temple, than the children of Nature's kingdom upbraid these children of Christ, for fickle forsworn people, for Heretics, novelists, New Lights, Enthusiasts, or whatsoever sect can be named, and say unto them; When you will departed from your wicked way and enter into another Life, why do you not tell it to our High Priests, that they may lead you onwards with their Ceremonies, viz. Confession, Sacraments, Intercessions? Why do you not observe the usage of the Churches, where the kingdom of Christ is in Mirth, with Roaring, Organs and Pipes? Why do you steal away from us secretly, and go another way, than our Ordinances and decrees prescribe, and therefore are enemies unto them, persecute them, and hunt them with censurings and disgraces, as evil children and forsworn, which had rob them of their Idoll-Gods, and will not honour their hypocrisies for Gods; as Laban pursued after Jacob and upbraideth him, because he had not first kept that Pagintry and solemnity, and told him beforehand that he would travail and begun. 20. Thus Babel also would feign have it, that the children of Christ should only enter in to God, through their pagintries and Solemnities, and Belly-Ordinances, and whosoever will enter in to God, otherwise then through their Ordinances, and flee from this Servile house [of Bondage] he is damned and cannot come to God. 21. But Jacob can well go to his Father without Laban's Pagintry and Solemnity; and though he upbraid Jacob & calleth his way wrong, yet his way was right in the sight of God. For God had commanded him so, and Laban could not withhold him at all; so also Christ's children, when the Spirit of Christ in them commandeth them to flee out from Babel, cannot be withheld, also it doth not hurt them, though the world blameth them never so for it, and scorn, deride, disgrace, and upbraideth them for fools, Heretics, and Enthusiasts. 22. Yet the Most High reproveth and chargeth Laban, that he speak not otherwise to Jacob then † Courteously and kindly. friendly; that is, the * Blasphemies, reproach, misusage. disdain of Babel towards the children of Christ, must in the End turn to their mere joy and kindness, and now Laban must let them departed with their Goods and riches: for God commandeth his children to † Rev. 18.4. flee from Babel, and to go into the first Country of their Father, out of which they are departed with Adam, not through the Solemnity and Pagintry of Babel, but through the Conversion of the Mind and will: viz. New Obedience. 23. For God hath as much pleasure in the Solemnity and Pagintry of Babel, as in Laban's Tabrett and Piping: He requires a Penitent Converting Heart, which in highest simplicity and humility without any Solemnity or Pagintry draweth near unto him and departeth from Babel, with such a one he goeth along and blesseth him. 24. For, † Gen. 32.1, 2. when Jacob was gone forth without Solemnity and Pagintry, than the Angels of God met him, whom he called God's Host, which signifieth, that when the children of God go forth from humane * Trifles, fables, Chimaeras, fantasies. Inventions and Imaginations, and account all Earthly things as nothing, and slip away from the hypocrisy of all their Titulary Brethren, than they get the Angels of God for a Guard, who go along with them and lead them on their way in their going out from Babel, as here was done to Jacob. 25. For as soon as Christ is borne in a Man, so that the Mind goeth forth out of the Adamicall servile house of † Or, Imaginary Conceits. Images, than the Angels of God are appointed his Guardians. CHAP. LX. How Esaw went to Meet Jacob with four hundred Men, Soldiers, what this signifieth, And how Jacob sent a Present to his Brother Esaw, and how a Man wrestled with him the whole Night. What all this meaneth. Gen. 32. For the Reader highly to Consider of. MOses saith; † Gen. XXXII. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And Jacob sent Messengers before him to his Brother Esaw into the Land of Seir in the Borders of Edom, and commanded them, saying, tell my Lord Esaw thus, Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have been long abroad with Laban until this time, and I have Oxen and Asses, sheep, Man-servants and women-servants, and I have sent forth to thee my Lord to tell thee, that I might find Grace in thine Eyes; The Messengers returned again to Jacob and said, We came to thy Brother Esaw, and he also cometh to meet thee with * 400 Men. four hundred Men, than Jacob feared very much, and was in distress, and divided the people that were with him, and the Sheep and Oxen, and the Camels, into two Companies, and said; if Esaw come upon one Company and smiteth it, the rest will escape. 2. This whole Chapter stands eminently in the figure of Christ: For, when the Word was become Man, and would now go forth from this world and with our humanity possess his Eternal Mansion, then meets him this host of Soldiers in the kingdom of Nature in the Anger of God. 3. For the kingdom of Nature, viz. the Natural Adam, was the firstborn Esau, which was angry with Jacob, that is, with Christ, for the blessing and heavenly Inheritance, viz. for the Eternal Life; because it must die and lose its Right; in which kingdom the Anger of God had gotten the Dominion, that same Anger of God came to meet Christ, when he was about to bring his acquired Goods into the Eternal Country of his Father, viz. into the Love of God; as Esaw did Jacob in the Type or Image of the Figure; and Christ was astonished at this Warrior, viz. the Anger of God, as may be seen on the Mount of Olives; as Jacob was astonished at the Anger of Esaw. 4. And as Jacob divided the Herds into two Parts, because of the wrath of Esaw, that if Esaw should smite one Company, the other might Escape: so also was the humanity of Christ divided into two Substances, viz. into a Heavenly, whereof he speaketh John, 3. saying, * Joh. 13.13. He was come from Heaven, and was then in Heaven; and also into an Earthly, from our flesh and blood; that if the Anger of God did smite the one Part, viz. our Humanity, with Death, yet the Heavenly Part, should escape the wrath and penetrate through Death, and therein make our humanity living; for, the Messengers which Jacob sent to Esaw, are nothing else but the Prayers of Christ, which he sent through the Anger of God, into his Love, viz. into the Mercy, that our humanity might find Grace and favour with God. 5. For, as Jacob sent to Esaw, saying, he had been long abroad with Laban, even till this time, and had with him Man-servants and women-servants, and Camels, with other Cattle; that he might with all this, find Grace and favour with his Lord Esaw: so also Christ saith to his Father, in our Humanity (viz. in Adam) which he hath assumed; he hath been long abroad absent from the kingdom of God, and hath † Borne, Generated, or begotten. brought forth in the kingdom of this world in God's works of wonder, many Images out of the divine wisdom through the formation of Nature, that he might with these formations of wonders find Grace and favour with God, seeing these wonders were brought forth through the Nature of his manifested wrath, that so they might come to the Eternal divine vision and Contemplation. 6. But the Anger went to meet him in the * 4 Elements. four Elements, and would devour the earthliness and Evil of them; for Esawes four hundred Men, signify nothing else but the wrath of Nature in the four Elements of the Body, and they went to meet the Humanity of Christ; when Christ was bringing the Created Image of Adam in Our Humanity, into God, viz. into Paradise; then would the wrath of God first kill the Adamicall Image, that it might no more live in the kingdom of Anger, seeing it was to live in God. 7. * Gen. 32.9, 10, 11. And as Jacob humbled himself before God, and said; O God of my Father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Lord, thou who hast said unto me, return again into thy Country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee; I am unworthy of the least of all thy Mercy, and all thy faithfulness and truth, which thou hast afforded unto thy servant; for I had no more but this Staff with which I went over this Jordan, and now I am become two Bands: Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esaw, for I am afraid of him, lest he cone and smite me, with the Mother and the Children; so also Christ humbleth himself in our assumed humanity before God; and though God in the Prophet David, in our assumed humanity † Psal. 110.1. hath bidden him sit at his Right hand until he hath laid all his Enemies under his footstool; yet he humbleth himself; even as Jacob did before the Anger of Esaw, so also did Christ before the Anger of his Father. 8. And as Jacob said: When I went over this Jordan I had only this staff, but now am become two Bands; so also when Christ, viz. the Eternal Word of Divine Love came to us in our humanity, than it was only the staff of divine Grace; but in our humanity in the servile house of Adam, he was enriched with two Bands, viz, a twofold humanity, the Heavenly extinguished in Adam, and the Earthly from the Lincus of the Earth; therefore he saith in this twofold humanity, as Jacob said to God; O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, thou hast said unto me, return again into thy Country, and to thy first kindred; I am less than the least of all these mercies, which thou hast bestowed on thy servant; to signify, that it was only in Divine Mercy, that these two Bands, viz. the twofold humanity returned home again into its first Country of Paradise to the Angelical kindred. 9 And when Jacob had humbled himself before God and his brother Esaw, * Gen 32.13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. He stayed there all night, and took of that which came to his hand, for a present to his brother Esaw, two hundred Shee-Goates and twenty He-goats, two hundred Ewes and twenty Rams, and thirty Milch Camels with their foals, forty Cows and ten Bulls, twenty Shee-Asses with ten foals, and put them under the hand of his servants, every heard by itself, & said to them; go on before me, and leave room for one heard after another; and he commanded the foremost and said; when my brother Esaw meeteth thee, and asketh thee to whom dost thou belong? whither goest thou? and whose these are that thou drivest? thou shalt then say, they are thy servant jacob's, who sendeth them for a present to his Lord Esaw, and he followeth behind after us. 10. This Type is now the great Earnestness, whereby the Spirit of God in the figure pointeth at the future; for, this Present of Jacob, to his angry Brother Esaw, pointeth at the Place and condition of Christ, when he should appease the Anger of his Father, than he must first send these Beasts in our implanted Humanity for an atonement, which should be presented to the Anger of God. 11. But these Beasts, which Christ sent to the Anger of God before his passion and Death, were our implanted Beasts; viz. Pride, Covetousness, Envy, wickedness, Lying, whereby one Man slandereth, disparageth, disgraceth, shamefully censureth with words, discourageth, suppresseth, and exclaimeth against, as wicked and ungodly, and summarily, all abominations of the Devil and the wicked World. 12. These Evil Beasts are in Adam in sin, all awakened and become living; These very Forms or Conditions of Life, wherein Adam generated his Evil Beasts, wherein the Temperature of Nature was rend asunder, Christ took all upon him in our humanity, as they are well intimated in the figure of Jacob by five hundred and Eighty; 580. and sent them to the Anger of God for an Atonement, when he was redeeming the Humanity from these Beasts. 13. And these Beasts were, as to Christ, his being despised, scorned, spit upon, whatsoever the Jewish Priests did to him, were all our Beasts, which, Christ, in his Body, gave up to the Anger of God as if himself were the Transgressor, and yet had generated none of these Beasts in his will; But Adam had generated them, and Christ took them on him as a Lamb, and presented them to the Anger of God on his body and Life, and did it as if himself were the Transgressor, so that the Anger of God devoured them on his body and Life, viz. his inheritance, which he had in Man, as a Natural Right, whereby the Anger of God laid hold of its own, and his wrath and hunger after this vanity to devour these Beasts, was appeased. 14. And the Spirit of Moses speaketh further in the Figure of Christ and saith; thus, † Gen. 32.21, 22, 23, 24. 2 Wives. 2 Women servants 11 Children. The Present of Jacob, went before him, but he stayed that Night with the Company, and arose in the Night, and took his two wives and handmaids, and his eleven Children, and went over the Ford Jabock, and he took them and sent them over the water, and sent over that which he had, and stayed alone. The Figure of Christ standeth thus. 15. When Christ had sent this Present, before to the Anger of God, he stayed with his Company, viz. with his Disciples, and arose in the Night of the Great Darkness in Our Prison of Misery, and took his two wives, viz. the twofold Spirit of Man, viz. the soul and the Spiritus Mundi, the spirit of this world, the Outward soul, and the Inward Eternal soul, together with the two handmaids, viz. the twofold humanity of the Body, and the eleven children, which are the Eleven Apostles; 11 Apostles. and passed over the Ford Jabock, that is, he went over the Brook Kidron, in the dark of the Night over the water, as here Jacob, with all whatsoever he was, or had assumed from us Men. 16. For the right Twelve Apostle of Christ, 12 th' Apostle. was not yet chosen in Judas his stead, as here with Jacob, the Twelve son lay yet in the Mother's womb unborn: and as Jacob with his Eleven sons went over the water in the Great Night or Darkness: so went Christ with his Eleven Disciples, in this Night of Jacob, over the Brook Kidron into the Garden, and wrestled with the Anger of God, so that he sweat a bloody sweat, till he overcame. 17. And as in this Night * Gen. 32.24. a Man wrestled with Jacob till the Day break; so also the Spirit of God, viz. the love of God in our assumed humanity, wrestled with God's anger in our humanity, till the Love of Grace broke through the Anger, and the † 2 Pet. 1.19. Daystar of Divine Love arose in the soul, and overcame the Anger, as the Text in Moses hath here very secretly, and yet very clearly, signified in this figure, saying; 18. When Jacob in this Night was passed over with h●s Eleven Children, Gen. 3●. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. and both his wives and the handmaids, and all his Company, and afterwards was alone, there wrestled a Man with him till the break of Day appeared; and when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the * Or, h●llow. Ham of his Thigh; and the Ham of his Thigh was displaced with the wrestling with him; and he said, let me Go, for the Day breaketh; but he answered, I will not let thee go except thou bless me; and he said what is thy Name, and he answered, Jacob; and he said thou shalt no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for thou hast striven with God and Man and hast prevailed. 19 This Text stands wholly in the figure of Christ; for, this Man who wrestled with Jacob this whole Night, is nothing else but God's righteousness and Truth, in which righteousness, in Adam, and in all Men, the severe Judgement of God was awakened, and it signifieth the same Man, who on Mount Sinai gave the Law to the people of Israel, in sire and Terror, where he appeared in his righteousness, in the Type of the Judgement, and commanded Man to keep the Law of righteousness under pain of the Eternal Curse, where he required the possibility and ability from Man, viz. from the Image of God that he had created in Adam. 20. But Man having not stood in the * Proba or Temptation. Trial, therefore God inspake or inspired into him the Ground, viz. the fountain of his most in ward hidden Love, in the Promise of the Serpent-Destroyer, viz. the Holy Name JESUS. This Name JESUS stood now as a Covenant of Grace in God's severe righteousness, hidden in the most in ward Ground of the humane Soul; and opened itself in the Holy † Patriarches. Fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in their Faiths Ens. 21. But Jacob at present standing in the figure with his brother Esaw, viz. Jacob in the Type or Image of Christ, and Esaw in the Type or Image of God's righteousness in the Anger according to the kingdom of Nature, so at present in this Night, when Jacob was in great anxiety, this figure was manifested to him, that he perceived how God's Love in the Covenant of Grace in the incorporated Name JESUS, wrestled with God the Father's righteousness in the Anger of the Judgement, viz. in the great Night of the Darkness of God's Anger, wherein the poor soul lay captive, and was so hard * Coarcted. tied and bound and put thereinto, and that the Anger in the righteousness will not give over unless it give itself into the Love of Grace, that the Love may break through the anger, as the shining of Light doth out of the Fire; or as the Morning breaketh out of the dark Night, and changeth the dark Night into day. 22. For, the Covenant of Grace in the Love, and the soul, stood at present in one Person, therefore at present the soul of Jacob must in Christ's figure and Type, wrestle with God's righteousness about the heavenly Ens, viz. about the substantial Wisdom, which the Name Jesus brought along with the poor soul in its heavenly Substantiality, which faded in Adam; whereby Adam's faded Substantiality sprung forth again in this living Substantiality, as a New Birth. 23. Therefore the Spirit of God saith to Jacob; thou hast wrestled with God and Man, viz. with God's Love in the Covenant, and with the future heavenly Substantiality, which Substantiality became Man in the Seed of Mary, and hast prevailed: for, Christ, in whose figure Jacob stood, should thus in our assumed humanity wrestle with God's righteousness and conquer. 24. And the Spirit in Moses saith here; And when he saw that he prevailed not against him (understand, God's righteousness in the Anger of the Judgement prevailed not against the Grace) than he touched the Ham of his Thigh, and the Ham of his Thigh was displaced by the wrestling with him. 25. This signifieth the destruction and displacing of the Adamicall humanity, that when Christ would stand out this victory, then would the humane selfe-Might and own will, be displaced, and broken and killed; but as Jacob died not by this wrestling, though the Ham of his Thigh was indeed displaced; so also our humanity should not die Eternally, but be only displaced, that is, be changed. 26. This signifieth especially, how the Repentant Man must enter upon this Combat of Jacob, and so wrestle with God and Man in the Spirit of Christ in God's righteousness, in the Anger; And when he overcometh, then will the Ham of his fleshly self-will be broken, that he must go up and down in this world as one half Lame, that cannot well walk in the way of the world, but goeth halting, as if his limbs were half broken, with which the wantonness and vanity of this world is driven on; for the Spirit in the victory of Christ, toucheth his Thigh, that he is half lame in the Pride and Malice of this world, and never regardeth it more; but goeth up and down as a despised lame Man, who in the Pride of the world in their hail or frolic Jollity little regard, but hold him for a lame halting Man, who cannot follow the Garb of the Antic tricks, conceited jests and lasciviousness of this world: but he hath wrestled with God and Man, and is with this victory touched and Marked. 27. This, the Pride and wantonness of this world understandeth not, for it goes up and down still in God's severe righteousness, in the kingdom of Nature, in the might of the Fire, in self-will, and thinks itself very well, till the Judgement possesseth its place, then must the poor soul stand in the Eternal Judgement, and live in pain and Torment. 28. And as Jacob stood in the wrestling, and had his Thigh touched that he halted, than the Man said to him; Let me go; for the Daybreak dawneth; but he answered, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. 29. This is first the figure of Christ, when he yielded himself up in the righteousness of God in the Father's Anger, so that the Anger according to our humanity slew him; then said the righteousness: Now let me go; for at present, the Eternal Morning breaketh forth in me; But Christ had taken hold of the righteousness and said; I will not let thee go except thou bless the humanity again; that the Judgement may cease; except thou bring the Morning of thy inward power, forth through the humanity, that the Curse may cease, and that Man may wholly stand in the divine working again, in the Blessing. 30. Secondly, It is the fair Type or Image, showing how it goeth with the Repentant Man, when he giveth himself up through earnest Repentance into this Combat of Christ; in Christ's suffering and Death in his victory, and in the Spirit of Christ wrestleth with God's severe righteousness, which continually assaileth him in his Conscience. 31. For, God's righteousness in the Conscience saith; let me go; thou art dead in sin, and hast no part in the divine Grace; thou hast purposely and wilfully sinned, and set the Grace behind thy back, now thou art mine, praying will not avail thee, I will not let thee in thy conscience attain the Grace, thou wilt obtain no comfort more from God, the morning will no more rise to thee in thy conscience, for thou art a child of Death: Now leave off and let me alone, that I may shut thee up below in the dungeon or chamber of death. 32. When this comes to pass, than the poor soul wholly immerseth itself into the death of Christ, and giveth itself up to the severe righteousness of God, into the judgement, for the judgement layeth hold on it: But the soul catcheth hold of the incorporated Grace in the death of Christ, and diveth therewith into the most inward ground of the judgement of God, in which ground, God's Love is broken forth through the righteousness, and through the judgement, viz. through the eternal night, and hath made that same night in man to be day. 33. Into this day, viz. into the Abyss without all humane possibility or ability, it diveth as a child, that neither can nor will do any more, that is too unworthy of all Grace, and must indeed give itself up to the judgement; but with this diving, the soul yeedeth all its utmost will and ability, and is in itself as it were void of nature and creature, and falls again into the Word, wherein it stood in the eternal speaking, before it's creaturely nature. 34. For God's righteousness and judgement, hath no deeper ground, then merely the creaturely life; but when the will of the soul yields itself up in going forth from the creature, and sinketh into the Abyss, then is it again as a new child; for the Abyss in the eternal speaking word, out of which the highest Love and Grace of God hath manifested itself, layeth hold on it, and penetrateth into it, as the Sun doth into the Ens of an herb, whence the herb becometh half Solar, or of the nature of the Sun: Thus in this diving, the soul in its will, is half divine, and then it wrestleth with God's severe righteousness in flesh and blood, and will overpower the Anger of God. 35. Then saith God's righteousness in the conscience; let me alone, that is, leave off, and slay me not, for thou seest very well, that the Divine morning ariseth in me, cease from striving against the judgement of God: But in the right combat the soul saith to God's righteousness, I will not leave thee except thou bless me, that is, except thou givest me the promised Grace, out of the Death of Christ in his conquest, that I may put on my Saviour Christ, that he may be mine and I his: And then thus saith God's righteousness; as to Jacob; What is thy name? And then the poor soul nameth itself according to its own creaturely name, As Jacob did here, when he called himself Jacob: But as the Lord said to Jacob; Thou shalt no more be called Jacob, but Israel, that is, a Tree of life. Thus also saith God to the soul: Thou shalt no more have self-names in me, but thou shalt be called a Christian in Christ, viz. A branch in the Tree of Israel, * Joh. 15.5. A sprout on the vine Christ; For thou hast fought with God and man, and hast prevailed: Thou hast overcome God's righteousness in the wrath of the Anger, in thy Combat in the Spirit of Christ, and art now an essential Christian, and no more a titulary and verbal or Mouth-Christian, from whom Grace is yet far off. 36. And Moses saith further; † Gen. 32.29, 30. And Jacob asked him and said; Tell me I pray thee, what is thy name? But he said, wherefore askest thou what is my name? And he blessed him there, And Jacob called the place Pennel, For I have seen God face to face, and my soul is * Healed. preserved. The inward holy Figure standeth thus. 37. When Jacob with the desire of faith in his wrestling, apprehended the morning or Daybreak of God in the Spirit of Christ, and † Joh. 8.56. saw Christ a far off, without the creaturely humanity, Then he said, What is thy name? But Christ said, Wherefore askest thou what is my name? that is, I am no stranger, But am even the Israel in thyself, I have no other name, but thy name and my name shall be one. 38. For God, without nature and Creature hath no name, but is called only the eternal GOOD, viz. the eternal ONE, The abyss and * Or, Ground. profundity of all beings: There is no place found for him, therefore can no creature Rightly name him; for, all names stand in the form word of Power: But God is, himself, the root of all power, without beginning and names, Therefore saith he to Jacob, Wherefore askest thou what is my name? And blessed him. 39 As the creatures and also all vegetables of the earth cannot know how the Sun's power is named, but they stand still for the Sun, and the Sun giveth them power and warmth and blesseth them, that they grow and bear fruit: so also here is to be understood concerning Jacob and all men. When Jacob saw and felt the morning or daybreak of God in his soul, than the Divine Sun in the Name JESUS blessed him through an essential working. 40. And this must thereby signify, as it went with Jacob and all the children of God, and yet still goeth with them in this Sunshine. When the Sun of grace with its working power ariseth in the soul, than the soul rejoiceth, and would always feign behold the countenance of God after a creaturely manner; as also Moses desired, and always thinketh God is of some form, they look not yet rightly upon God, but will know God in Imagery: thus hard lieth the creaturely Imagery upon us, in the departed apostate self-will in the mind, that we cannot at all understand what God is, viz. that he himself is the abyss of all nature and creature, viz. the eternal ONE, that dwelleth in nothing but only in himself, and hath no form, nor any thing. 41. And it were very well and good, that we were not so lead by the Masters of the Letter in an Imaginary form, when they Teach and speak of the only God, as hath been done hitherto, where Men have lead us on in vain Images † Or, in. of the Essential will, as if the only God did will this or that, whereas himself is the sole will to the [being of] Nature and Creature, and the whole Creation lieth only and alone, in the formation of his Expressed word and will, and the severation of the only will in the Expression; and is understood in the impression * of. to Nature. 42. If the Pride of Lucifer might be torn out of the hearts and eyes of these Masters, than Men would soon see the countenance of God; But the Babylonish Tower, upon which men will climb, and in Opinions climb up to God into a Severed Heaven, where God sits cooped up; this withholdeth the true knowledge and understanding; and makes us always ask, what is the Name of God? where is God? what is the will of God? Also, they say God willeth Good and Evil, from which they make a multitude of † Or, Determinations and Conclusions. Decrees in the Divine Purpose; as a Prince in his Land makes Laws; and they have as much understanding of God and his will, as the Pot understands of the Potter. 43. It is to be lamented, that we are so blindly lead, and the Truth withheld, in * Imaginary Conceits. Images, for, if the Divine Power in the inward Ground of the soul, were manifest and working with its lustre, and that men did desire to go forth from their ungodly ways, and give up themselves to God, then is the whole Tri-une God present in the Life and Will of the Soul; and the Heaven, wherein God dwelleth, is opened in the soul, and there, in the soul, is the place of God, where the Father begetteth his Son, and where the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son. 44. For God maketh use of no circumscribed place, He dwelleth even in the Abyss of the wicked Soul, but incomprehensible to it, as to his Love; but as to his Anger he is manifest and comprehensible in the wicked Soul. 45. For, the Eternal * Or, Expression. speaking of the Word, incomprehensible to Nature and Creature, becomes † Conceivable, or perceptible, or gets an Idea. Imaged in the will of the Soul; of which the Scripture saith; * Psal. 18.25, 26. With the holy thou art holy, and with the perverse thou art perverse; Also, such as the People is, such a God they have. 46. For in the Thrones of the Holy Angels, God is manifest in his Love, and in the Thrones of the Devils he is manifest with his Wrath, viz. according to the darkness and Torment; and yet there is but one only God, and not two; according to the Tormentive Nature he willeth Torment, and according to the Love he willeth Love, as a burning fire, desireth hard brimstone like itself, and the Light of the Fire desireth only an open place where it may shine: It taketh away nothing, but giveth itself for the Joy of Life, it suffereth itself to be taken, it hath no other Will in itself, but to give forth itself, and work, that which is Good; so God, as to his Holiness, hath no other Will, but to Manifest the power of his Love and shining lustre, in a Creaturely * Or, manner. Form, as the Sun manifesteth itself in an herb, and tinctureth it and maketh it wholesome and good, so also is to be understood concerning God. 47. Therefore all is but vain jangling, babbling, and a Creaturely † Or, Imagery. Imagination, for men to ask, what is God called? or what is God's name? or for men to talk much and say, God willeth this or that Evil and Good, and know not how to say upon good ground, how he willeth Evil and Good, and how a man shall understand the * Or, sayings. Texts of Scripture to that purpose. 48. This Contention and Strife about the Letter, is indeed the very confused divided Tongue or Language on the high Tower of the children of Nimrod in Babel; for that high Tower is a figure of the † Facultaeten. Disputations in the High Schools. Exercises in the Universities, where the One Divine Language is divided or confounded and wrested into many * Perverted in Phrases and expressions. Speeches, that one People doth not understand another, and that Men contend about the only God, in whom we live and subsist, and whereby even the kingdom of Nature in its wonders is manifested, and † Fashioned wonderfully. Psal. 139.14. brought into figured wonders. 49. But the true ground, what God is, and how he is, what the Being of all Beings is, remains as blind to them, as the visibility of this world is to one that is borne blind: and though they are called Masters of the Letters, V: Vowells. yet they have lost the Five vowels, which are the power of all words; which is much to be lamented, that men understand nothing at all more of the Holy Ghosts Language, what the Spirit of God hath spoken in Moses and the Prophets, and how he hath in his speech, declared and pointed at that which is future, Eternal: Men cleave merely to an historical † Act or thing done. Action, and see not what is signified by this or that Action. 50. For, God's Spirit hath not done such wonders, for the History sake of a plain simple Shepherd, as it standeth in the outward form of it, and hath so exactly expressed those things in writing, as if he were so much concerned in a History, that he hath preserved it among all people, and suffered it to be proclaimed for his word; no sure, but for this cause; that under such plain simple historical relations, is signified, and wherewith God's Spirit in the figure alludeth at, that which is future, Eternal: Therefore should men look upon the Scripture of the Old Testament with clearer eyes, for the whole New Testament is couched under it in the figure of the plain simple * Apostel Geschich●. The Acts of the Apostles. Acts or Actions. 51. † Gen. 32.29.30. When God had blessed Jacob, than Jacob called the place Penuel, that is, God's inspection into the soul, where God is manifest in the soul; then saith the Soul; I have seen God face to face in Me, and my soul is preserved in this inspection; and when he passed over Penuel, the Sun arose to him, that is, when God's Sun, viz. his power is manifest in the soul, than the Essence of the Soul carrieth the power in itself, and then the divine Sun ariseth in the Souls Essence, and then the Father hath there begotten his Son in the soul, which is the Sun of righteousness, as also the Divine Love and Joy, and then selfe-Nature halte●h, for the Sinew of its Natural will is displaced, so that the self-will is lame in its ability, as here Jacob. And the Text of Moses saith; Hereupon the Children of Israel eat not of the sinew upon the Ham of the Thigh, to this Day; because the sinew of the Ham of jacob's Thigh was touched. 52. This showeth clearly, that Jacob and his children understood this Mystery, and have instituted a memorial in this Sinew: for what doth that which was done to Jacob, concern a Beast? The Sinew of a Beast is not therefore displaced or venomed, only the children of the Saints looked upon the Ground of the Divine Mystery. 53. Concerning which the present Jews are very blind, and hang only on the Law: if they did so eagerly seek after jacob's Sun as they cleave fast to the Law, then would that Sinew in them also be displaced, and they would not so hunt after Covetousness and Gain, but * Mat. 23 25. Luk. 11.39. they wash the outside of their Cups and dishes, and inwardly remain foul. 54. Even as Christendom cleaveth to the history, viz. to the purple Mantle of Christ, and hunt away Christ in power from them, and will not with Jacob have the Sinew of the wild bestial properties of the voluptuous will of flesh, displaced & lamed, but walk nimbly with the beast, under the Mantle of Christ. 55. This displaced Sinew signifieth, that Adam in his innocency before his Eve, was not such a Gross Beast, as afterwards; therefore when the Spirit of Christ in the Covenant was manifested in Jacob, than it touched the Bestial Ham of his Thigh, to signify, that in Christ it should be broken and cease, so that a spiritual Man should arise from Death, and not such a gross Bestial Man. CHAP. LXI. The Excellent and Wonderful Figure, Showing, how Jacob and Esaw met, and how all heartburning and Evill-will, was changed into great Joy, Kindness, and Compassion. What is to be understood thereby. Genesis 33. Blind Reason should better open its Eyes, at this Text, Gen. XXXIII. than hitherto it hath done, and better consider the figure of Jacob and Esaw, and learn rightly to understand the Decree concerning Jacob and Esaw; where the Scripture saith; * Mal. 1.2.3. Rom. 9.13. Jacob have I loved and Esaw have I hated, when the children lay yet in the Mother's womb, and had done neither good nor Evil, that the purpose of God might stand. 2. Hear men should rightly look upon the Purpose of God, what the Spirit of God meaneth thereby, for Esaw stood in the Type or Image of the corrupted Adam, & Jacob in the Type of Christ, which came to help poor Adam: therefore must these two Brothers come of one Seed, to signify that God would become Man, and that God's Seed, viz. his word, and Adam's seed in its own Nature, should be manifested in one Person, and become Man; and that God's seed should overcome the corrupted Adam's seed with great divine Love, and quench the Father's Anger, with Love, and the Love should wholly give itself into the Anger of the soul, that God's Grace, Compassion and Mercy in the Love, may pass through the Anger, and also change the Anger into Compassion; as here Jacob, with his present and great submission and humility, yielded himself to his brother Esaw, and changed his Anger which he bore towards Jacob, in respect of the Natural right of the firstborn, and of the Blessing, into such great Compassion, that Esaw fell about his neck and wept in great Compassion, and his anger in him was turned into Love; even as Christ with his great love and humility in our assumed humanity in our fiery burning * Anger soul. Angry-soule, changed his Father's Anger into such great Mercy and Compassion, that the divine righteousness in the Anger, ceased and departed from our souls. 3. For as Jacob appeased his brother Esaw with the Present and humility, when he gave up himself into the Anger of Esaw, so also Christ appeased the Anger of God, when he gave up his heavenly Blood with the great Tincture of Love into the Anger of God, to be devoured, then was the Anger, viz. the Nature of the dark world, which was manifested in Adam, turned again into the divine Light of Love, viz. into a Love-fire. Gen. 33.1, 2, 3. 4. Moses saith; Jacob lift up his Eyes and saw his brother Esaw coming with * 400 men. four hundred Men, and he divided his children to Lea and to Rachel and to both the handmaids, and set the handmaids with their children foremost, and Lea with her children next, and Rachel with Joseph last, and he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, till he came to his brother. The inward precious figure standeth thus. When Christ, in our assumed humanity, entered into his suffering, than the Anger of God in the † 4 Elements. four Elements of the Body, came to meet him; and than Christ divided his Deity and his humanity, viz. the heavenly world's substance, which he brought from God in Our humanity, and the kingdom of the Natural humanity from Adam, into two several Principles: for the Deity, as to the Omnipotency, stood yet still: therefore saith the Humanity on the Cross, * Mat. 27.46. Mark. 15.34. Psal. 22.1. My God, why hast thou forsaken me? 5. The two wives of Jacob with their children, signify here, in Christ's state and condition, the twofold soul, viz. that from Time and that from Eternity, and the two handmaids with their children, signifi● here, in this state and condition of his, the Heavenly and the Earthly corporeity, viz. Lea in her bleereydness signifieth the * The spirit of the world in the Dust of the Earth· Spiritus Mundi in Limo terrae, wherein the Corruption in Adam was effected, wherein God promised the destroyer of the Serpent; and wherein Christ should be manifested; and therefore in Lea, the Line of Christ, viz. the destroyer of the Serpent in the type and prefiguration, was borne, viz. Judah; and Rachel signifieth the Extinguished Ens of the heavenly world's Substance, wherein the true soul dwelleth, which faded in Adam's Fall and became unfruitful, as Rachel; till God in the Spirit of Christ made her fruitful; as was done to Rachel. 6. And as Jacob set the handmaids with their children foremost, so was the Earthly Image in the humane Nature, set foremost in the suffering of Christ, which should pass through the sharpness of Death, next after would Lea, that is, the Body out of the Lincus of the Earth, wherein the Destroyer of the Serpent lay, in the suffering of Christ, follow; and after that, Rachel, viz. the heavenly Lincus with the Prince Joseph, that is, with the true Adamicall Image of the Divine world's Substance, and the Name JESUS passed into the suffering of Christ before, as Jacob before his wives and children's. 7. And as the Name and power JESUS, viz. God's Sweetness and Love, saw and felt the wrath of God in the humane flesh and soul, than the Name JESUS bowed itself through all the Seven Forms of Nature's Life, wherein the Anger of God was become manifest, that is, he then pressed Essentially through the Centre of Nature, through all the Seven Forms of Nature, quite through the wrathful fire-source. 8. As Jacob bowed himself seven times to the Earth before the Anger of Esaw, and appeased Esaw in this humility; so also here the Love in the Name JESUS, appeaseth the anger of the Father's property in the fire, in soul and body: for, the Natural Life from the Spirit of the world, viz. the soul from time, which was breathed into Adam's Nostrils, must yield up its natural Right and die; as Jacob yielded up his riches and also his outward Life to his brother, to do what he would with him; thus also Christ yielded up our Life to the anger of God, and left it willingly; but the Name JESUS went before, and brought our Natural Life quite through death, and took it to himself again, and triumphed with our Natural Life, over and through Death. 9 And as Esau his brother, in this humility and submission, ran to meet him, and fell about his neck and kissed him, and in great compassion wept upon his neck: So also in like manner, when the essence of the anger of God [kissed and] tasted the sweet love in the Name JESUS in the blood of Christ, than it was transmuted and converted into such great compassion towards mankind, as Jeremiah in the Spirit declareth where he speaketh in this figure; * Jer. 31.20. Ephraim my dear child, my heart is troubled, I must have compassion on him. Where he speaks concerning this compassion. 10. And when Esaw wept upon jacob's neck, † Gen. 33.5, 6, 7. He lift up his eyes, and behold the women with the children, and said; Whose are these with thee? Jacob answered: They are the children which God hath bestowed upon thy servant, And the handmaids drew near with their children, and bowed themselves before him: Lea also drew near with her children, and bowed themselves before him; afterwards Joseph and Rachel drew near and bowed themselves before him. The inward Figure stands thus. When the anger of God held man captive in the darkness, than was he not, in the anger, known to God's holy Image: but when the love in the suffering of Christ in the humanity, broke through the anger, so that the anger was changed, than the only God looked on it again in his Image, and spoke to the Name JESUS, saying, Who are these that are with thee? And JESUS answered God and said: They are the children which God hath vouchsafed and bestowed upon his servant. 11. For here Christ presents himself as a Servant of God, with his children, that are borne in him, in the Faith, viz with us poor children of Eve: and there passed through the death of Christ, and were presented before the countenance of God; first the handmaids with their children, that is, man that had been sinful, he sets him first in God's countenance, which jacob's handmaids do signify. 12. Afterwards there pressed forward the line of the Covenant, with the spiritual Lea, viz, the first created Image out of the Lincus of the earth, wherein the * The 5 wounds of Christ. five Prints of the Nails, the wounds of Christ stood, they should be shown to the only God, that therein he should receive the handmaid's children, who all bowed themselves before God. 13. Then afterwards came Joseph with his Mother, viz. the Image of the heavenly world's substance, and bowed before the only God which had been angry with him. 14. Men should not understand this in divided figures, types, or Images, but as the properties of the humanity are manifested before God through the suffering of Christ in one only Image, viz. in Christ's humanity in the kingdom of the Restauration or Redemption, viz. in the kingdom of heaven. The reader should understand our sense properly: for we writ here in the vision of all the Three Principles, how it went, and still to this day goeth, with the new birth: Our exposition will not bear any dividing of the figure or Creature, we understand it in one creature. 15. Our earnest and hearty consideration is this, that we may see and understand, how we poor children of Eve were brought through Christ's suffering and death, and set before God's countenance, and how first the soul with the body of sin must pass through death, and in the Resurrection come again with the body before God, where the body from the Lincus of the earth is esteemed strange in the presence of God: Therefore it is prefigured in the type in the condition of a handmaid, and then presently in that body the Prints of the Nails & the suffering of Christ is set before God, Out of which death of Christ, the fair Image created in Adam, appeareth again, as the whole figure together, of Jacob, thus fairly typifieth, and as the Spirit hath signified thereby. 16. * Gen. 33 8, 9, 10, 11. And Esaw said farther to Jacob; What meanest thou by all this herd which I met? He answered; that I might find grace in the sight of my Lord; Esaw said, I have enough my Brother, keep what thou hast; Jacob answered, O no, if I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my Present at my hand; for I have seen thy Face, as if I had seen the Face of God; and let it please thee from me: take I pray thee the Blessing from me, which I have brought thee for God hath bestowed it upon me, and I have enough; thus he constrained him, that he took it; This now is the fair figure wherewith the Spirit alludeth, how Christ appeareth before God, with his Christendom, viz. with his purchased Goods, then saith the Father to the Son, Whither wilt thou go with these thy Children, who meet me daily, in that they come to thee? And Christ saith; O Lord, that I might find Grace from thee with them. And the Father saith; they are thy purchased goods, keep what thou hast, I have without them enough, even all things. 17. But Christ saith O not my Lord, receive I pray thee the blessing which God hath bestowed upon me in my children, which I have brought to thee; for God hath bestowed them on me and I have enough, and he constrained God his Father that he received the kingdom again from him: And it is a true figure [showing], how Christ after he sits at the right hand of God, and ruleth over his enemies * 1 Cor. 15.24.28. would deliver up the kingdom again to his Father: And then also will the Son be subject to the Father together with his Christendom, as the Scripture saith: Which the Spirit in this figure powerfully prefigureth, and representeth in a Type or Image. 18. This is an excellent figure, where Jacob cometh to his brother Esaw that had been angry, and perceiveth how Esaw falleth about his neck and weepeth, that Jacob saith, I saw thy face as if I saw the face of God: Which signifieth to us that the wrath of God in the kingdom of nature was become an enemy in Adam's Soul and Body, viz. the fiery Soul itself, which standeth in the Father's property in the eternal nature. 19 But when this great love and humility pressed through in the blood of Christ, then was this wrath, viz. the fiery soul converted again into Gods most clear countenance, and attained again the Eye of God's love; Thus also we are to undestand concerning Esau, when the Covenant of Grace in the figure of Christ, in Jacob's humility was discovered to him, than was his curse and malice, through the Spirit of Christ, turned into love, that he was no more he, of whom the Scripture saith: † Rom. 9.13. Esaw have I hated: for in the kingdom of the Adamicall nature, was God's hatred manifested in him, and he was himself that hatred, and of that saith the Scripture: † Rom. 9.13. Esaw have I hated: Now so long as the hatred in him had the dominion, so long he was in God's hatred, and was himself the hatred, but when the Covenant of Grace in Jacob discovered itself to him, and that jacob's humility pressed into his hatred, than began he to lament and weep, and Gods clear countenance was manifested in his hatred, so that in great compassion he fell upon jacob's neck and wept. 20. Which denoteth the repentance of poor sinners, when the malicious wicked soul which lieth captive in the hatred of God turneth to God, then beginneth first this compassion and repentance and sorrow for its former Sinne. When the Spirit of Christ afflicteth the soul, than it weepeth, and sorrrweth, that it hath been so wicked, and then instantly the Sun riseth upon it, and the hatred of God is turned into the countenance of Love; where, of an hateful spirit, he is made an Angel. 21. And though clearly the Scripture saith in a certain place: * Heb. 12.17. Esaw sought repentance with tears, and yet found it not; but this Text giveth us to understand much otherwise, namely, that indeed Esaw and all the children of corrupt Adam, do not find repentance in their own willing going, and running, else would it stand in the ability of man to attain Grace, but the grace and divine mercy and compassion worketh repentance: Yet man must give up his will to the Divine working. 22. The Souls will must incline itself towards the promised Grace; And then will the divine Sun, shine into its will, and dissipate the † Or, the hatred in wickedness. hatred of wickedness, and then the soul graspeth after the Sun of Grace, and so beginneth the working of repentance in the power of Grace, and then the Anger of God in the soul giveth its severe righteousness to the Spirit of Christ; and so Christ then saith to his Father; * Joh. 6.39. I have lost none of them that thou hast given to me. 23. The Scripture saith; † 1 Tim. 2.4. God willeth that all men should be saved; And * Mat. 18.11. Christ is come to seek and save that which is lost; and † Ezek. 33.11. He hath no pleasure in the death of a Sinner: Then saith Reason: If God will that all men should be saved, and willeth not the evil; can he not then save all? Why do they remain hardened, if he willeth not their hardening? 24. Answer. The Soul standeth in the * Vnfathomable. unsearchable will of God in the eternal speaking word: It is a spark from the divine Speaking, whereby the Abyss, viz. the eternal one expresseth or speaketh forth itself in the science, understanding, and knowledge of the ‖ Seperability. Severation; it is in the speaking come into nature and creature, and hath now the ability to express again, viz. an Image of itself. Note. 25. Also in its knowledge it speaketh forth the wonders of the divine possibility in good and evil; It speaketh itself in its essential speaking, out of the eternal science itself, in evil: Where it should speak God, it speaks in itself, want: where it should speak in its science, into the eternal one, viz. into God's love and wisdom; there it speaks into severation, viz. into multiplicity; and bringeth the science of its ability, which standeth in the eternal speaking word, out of the temperament, into a self-will, which breaketh off from the only will of God and entereth into self. 26. Therefore than it changeth the eternal will of the unity in it, into the centre of severation, wherein the only God introduceth his only will, in the speaking forth of the word, into nature and painfulness, to the Divine perception and feeling; viz. into an essential spiritual fire, and out of the fire into a light, whereby the abyss becomes majestic and working; Thus the false or wicked soul speaks itself only into a source of fire. 27. For its will to the speaking, which in God stands in the abyss, which brings itself, through the desire, into the fire-speaking, viz. into properties; which go not easily back again into the abyss, viz. into the eternal One: But if it go back again, viz. into the eternal one, viz. into God; then the fiery science becomes majestic and light, and then is the Soul an Angel of God, viz. an Image of the eternal divine science. 28. But if the will continue in the fire as a magical fire source, then is the soul that very fire-source: Who shall now advise and persuade this fire-source? seeing it hath its ground in the abyss, and is itself its ground: The power of the majesty shineth through it, but the desire shuts it up, and maketh it dark, so that the light cannot be manifest therein. As it stands John 1. * Joh. 1.5. The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. They dwell one in another, as day and night; the soul in its imprinted desire maketh itself darkness. 29. The eternal one, viz. God, is in it, and it comprehendeth him not, it maketh an angry God to itself; where God's word in the anger speaketh and formeth itself into nature and creature, there it worketh in it self, evil: But if it stood still from its working, the twinkling of an eye, than it would dive again into the eternal one, viz. into God, and so the Divine science in the light, would begin to work in it, and so it would come to repentance, even as it cometh to pass with the Penitent. Concerning which Christ saith; † Matth 18.3. Except ye be converted and become as a child, you will not see God. 30. The soul's will, which hath its ground and rise in the Divine revelation, whence it is become a working life; should and must turn again into its mother out of which it proceeded, and then it is as a child in the mother's womb; and so in its mother it beholdeth God; viz. the abyss of all beings; and is newborn in its mother; that is, the mother giveth it the light's power, and in that power it attaineth the ability to work Repentance, and then the eternal unsearchable will of God, which is called the Father of all beings, begetteth his only Son, viz his power of love, in and through the * Or, Root. science of the soul, as in the particular or parcel of the whole will of God; for, the ground of the soul and God's eternal speaking word, is one only ground, undivided. 31. And as we know that the same only eternal begetting and speaking word, expresseth itself in heaven, viz. in the power of the light, in holiness, viz. the holy wisdom: So also the same only word expresseth itself in the Hell of darkness, in flames of Torment, viz. in hellish Essences, according to which God calleth himself, † Deut 4.24. Heb. 12.29. An angry God, and a consuming fire; for without and beyond the only word, or speaking, of God, there is nothing; So also it is to be understood concerning Souls, as also Angels and Devils. 32. In the resigned Soul God the Father expresseth the holy name JESUS, viz. the Grace, Mercy, and Compassion, that is, he begetteth Christ in it, and bringeth the Adamical evil innate will, through the suffering and death of Christ, again into the eternal ONE, where * 1 Cor. 15.24 the Son delivereth up the kingdom of the soul's nature again to the Father. 33. But if the soul will not stand still from its working of wickedness, than the Father, through the word, speaketh Hell torment in the soul, and the desire of the soul imprinteth and fixeth itself therein, and its impression maketh the eternal gross darkness, viz a Gulf, between God and it, and yet no strange † Forins●k. foreign speaker must be here understod, which from without shall speak into the soul, but the word, that is, the soul itself, speaketh itself, thus, into wickedness. 34. But it hath lost in Adam the good speaking [or expression of good] viz. the Divine ability, but, of God's mercy, it is inspoken, or inspired again, of Grace, in Paradise, as a self-centre of the soul, and it stands now at present in the soul as a self-centre or principle; and speaketh continually into the soul; [saying,] It should stand still from its false and wicked Imagination, and then will that * Good speaking, motion, or inclination of the Spirit in the Mind. good, manifest itself again in the soul; but if the soul will not stand still from its ungodly speaking, then cannot the good inspeaking or inspiration manifest itself in the soul; and so it cannot be converted. 35. Therefore this is the conclusion, that God in the false and wicked soul's speaking, cannot be good, and in the resigned soul's will, he cannot be evil; in himself he is indeed good, but not in that soul. 36. God is only called God, where his love is expressed, and known and manifest operatively and feelingly; of which the Scripture also saith, * Deut. 30.14. Rom. 10.8. The word, ‖ John 1.1. which is God, is nigh thee, namely, in thy mouth and heart: Also † Luk. 17.21. the kingdom of God is within you: * Psal. 18.26. with the holy thou art holy, and with the perverse thou art perverse. 37. In Heaven he is called God, and in Hell he is called Anger, and yet he is in the abyss, both in Heaven and in Hell the Eternal one, viz. the only good. 38. And man can speak no farther, or deeper concerning God's will, but merely and only as in his manifestation through the word; where the word bringeth itself into nature and creature, There God willeth through the expressed word of evil and good; as the Science of every thing is in the form word, so also is Gods will therein: That same expressed word is in the Angels, Angelical, in the Devils, Diabolical, in man, humane, in beasts, bestial; and yet in itself in its eternal speaking, in the one, is only God, viz. one only holy word, a ground and Root of all beings. Note the Grace of God. 39 Therefore salvation lieth not in the will of the soul, whether it will suffer itself to be saved, or whether it will stand still in its will; not that it can take salvation to itself: no, it is given of Grace, only the Divine Sun shineth into it, in the abyss; and it lieth in * The soul. it, whether, with its will, which it hath from God, it will again for the twinkling of an eye dive down in its mother, viz. in Gods unsearchable will, and so it will attain the ability. 40. For the ability hath opened its mouth to the soul and saith, * Mat. 11.28. Come ye to me; as the Sun shineth the whole day into all plants, and giveth them power, and the Sun is not in fault that the thistle is a Thistle, but the first Ens is the cause whence it is a Thistle. 41. So also a false and wicked soul from the Ens of God's anger, in the curse, and from the inherited wickedness, as also from the actual wickedness; becometh a thistle; in that the will, viz. the science of the soul speaketh, in [the quality] a thistle; and from such a false and wicked ground there grow more thistles; as God in Moses saith; † Exod. 20.5. He will visit or reprove the sins of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation; and Christ saith; * Matth. 7.18. a corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit. 42. Thus we see that perdition cometh from the soul, and we see that Gods holy will cannot be manifest in false and wicked working, so long as the souls will worketh evil, so long God's speaking, formeth itself therein, in anger: But when it beginneth to stand still from such working, then is God's power of Love manifest therein: for if it worketh no more, then worketh, in it, the abyss, viz. the ONE. 43. For God worketh from eternity to eternity, but no other than his word, and * John 1.1. that word is God, viz. a manifestation of the abyss: now if the soul speaketh no more its own will, then is the unsearchable will, speaking, in it; Where the creature standeth still, there God worketh. 44. Now if the creature will work with God, then must its will enter into God, and then God worketh with and through the creature, for the whole creation, both heavenly, hellish, and earthly, is no other than the working word, the word itself is All. 45. The Creature is a compacted, coagulated vapour and exhalation from the word, and as the word is exhaled out of the free will, where the free will bringeth itself out of the abyss into the profundity: So also, the free will of the Angels and souls, bringeth the word into a profundity, and that profundity is the creature, viz. a fire source to its re-speaking-forth, and out of that re-speaking-forth proceedeth evil and good, and according to that re-spoken-forth substance and power, the soul hath its Judgement and sentence. 46. For that is the Judgement that the evil be separated from the good, and that every thing possess its own principle. Whatsoever soul now speaketh forth hellish source, viz. the curse, it must into death, that it no more bring God's word into evil and good, but the evil alone, that every thing may remain with its own. 47. And therefore because in the place of this world, through the word, evil and good is spoken forth, therefore in that place is a final day of separation appointed, when good and evil shall cease to be spoken in any place; and the wicked shall have their place prepared, where evil shall be spoken in its Eternity, that the good may be known, and in the good, the joy be manifest; Also that it may be known what evil and what good are; also what life and death are, and that the children of God may rejoice. 48. For if evil were not known, joy would not be manifest: but if joy be manifest, then is the eternal word spoken in joy, to which end the word, with nature, hath brought itself into a Creation. 49. And this is the true ground wherein all conceits and opinions are known, and all Sophistry thrown to the ground, also all strife and contention hath an end. Whosoever rightly seethe and understandeth this, hath no further question about any thing, for he seethe that he liveth and subsisteth in God, & he giveth himself up to God, that he may further know and will through him, and speak what and how he will, this party seeketh only the estate of lowliness, that God in him may alone be high. 50. But so long as Lucifer hath his dominion in man, so long the creature presseth forward to advance itself, and will be its own God, and that is also a wonder, as God's wisdom standeth in the wonders in the Love, so it is also in self and in the appropriation of the creature. 51. Every thing is good in its own principle wherein it liveth, but to another it is opposite: Yet it must be so that one may be manifest in the other, and the hidden wisdom may be known, and be a sport in the severation, wherewith the profundity, viz. the eternal one, may sport with itself, before itself. 52. We should therefore learn to understand the Scriptures aright, how God willeth good and evil, namely, the determination is not in his very self, but in his expressed word, viz. in nature and creature: God hateth Esaw in the corrupt nature▪ in Esaw's self nature: Esaw was the type of hatred itself; but in God's self, viz. in the impressed or inspired Covenant of Grace, he loveth him. 53. Therefore he presents the type of Christ, viz. his brother Jacob, together with him, and lets them both come out of one Seed, to signify that Christ should call Esaw in the corrupted Adamical nature in the hatred of God, to repentance, and beget him anew, as Jacob brought Esaw to repentance, so that he let his malice fall, and wept bitterly, and departed from his evil will towards Jacob. 54. This therefore is the understanding of the Scripture, that the earthly Adam in the kingdom of corrupt nature, in his own will, findeth not, nor can find repentance, for there is no ability therein to good, but the incorporated grace in him awakeneth or stirreth up the ability, when the will turneth to it: for it self-will could work repentance and become good, honest, and virtuous, it needed not Grace. 55. The decrees in Scripture point only at two kingdoms, viz. the hardening respects the false and wicked will; the false will hardeneth itself, God's anger in the wills own substance, hardens it; this hardening doth not enter in from without, but is manifested in the wills own substance. The will is from God, and the same God in the will introduceth himself into the hardening, in that manner, as he introduceth himself into hell in darkness and torment; the same is also to be understood concerning the kingdom of Grace. 56. God willeth in man only that which is Good in the kingdom of his Grace, where the free will yields itself up into the Grace, there God willeth that which is good, in the will, through the Grace. 57 But when a man will say, man cannot turn his will towards that which is good, viz. towards Grace, that is groundless: grace indeed standeth in the abyss of the creature in all wicked men, and the will need only stand still from wicked working, and then it beginneth as to its self-will, to dive down into the abyss. 58. For that which standeth still, standeth still together with the eternal one, and becometh one substance therewith, for it goeth into its nothing. Must not the false will or desire for a worldly Law's sake, for fear of punishment, forbear or stand still from unrighteous works; Wherefore then not also for the sake of the commandment of God? Can it be obedient to a worldly Lord and Master, and for that end stand still for which he would have him, wherefore not also to God? especially when the ability is as soon given, as a Man doth but incline his will to stand still. 59 But the cause why the total false wicked will doth not stand still, and incline itself to Grace, is this, that it is clearly a Thistle borne, wherein Grace lieth too deeply hidden; and the wrath of God is too strong in nature. Grace draweth it, and showeth to it, it's own falsehood, and wickedness; but it contemneth Grace, and worketh as a Thistle doth in the power of the Sun; Such a one is to God † 2 Cor. 2.15, 16. a good savour, of death to the damnation in hell, that Grace may be severed from the false and wicked will. 60. But the conclusions of reason which pronounceth that God in himself, so far as he is called God, hath determined, that one part of men, and indeed the greatest number, shall and must be damned, and that of his own purposed will he hardeneth them; is false; and hath no ground either in the Scripture, or in the light of nature, If a man but rightly consider the Scripture, and doth not blindly look upon it. 61. For in God so far as he is called God, there is no purpose, nor beginning to will, he is himself the will of the profundity, viz. one alone, and himself willeth nothing but good, and therefore is himself also that same good will, or willing of good, For the good that he willeth, is the birth of his power, viz. his Son. 62. God willeth in himself nothing but to manifest his own good, that himself is, and that could not be done if the only good power did not introduce itself with the exhalation into the desire to nature, and in a severation, viz. into the science; for if the good did remain alone, there would be no knowledge or skill. 63. But now the good, viz. God in himself, maketh not evil or separation, but the science, viz. the Fiat, or the desire to severation bringeth itself into nature and creature, and from the science springeth evil and good, and not from God, or in God, in his Trinity. 64. For there is no decree but there is a consultation therein, and then there must also be a cause of that consultation therein, and then again there must be a cause of that also and so there must be something before God or after God wherefore he so consults and determines. 65. But he is himself the profundity, and the one, and is one only will, that is, himself, and that is only go●d, for one only thing cannot be opposite to itself, for it is but one, and hath no quarrel with any thing. 66. Therefore it is the folly of Reason, that they speak of compulsion and inevitable necessity, and understand not the * The Great Mystery. Mysterium Magnum: Or that they say God of his purpose willeth the evil desire or will, which he hath hardened, that it should not attain the Grace. 67. I show to this blind Reason a Thistle to consider of, which the Sun for a whole day toucheth, and giveth it light and power, yet it remains a Thistle, so also the wicked will: The Divine Sun shineth to it, the day of its whole life, but its ground is an Ens of a Thistle. 68 Otherwise it God did of purpose harden it, the righteousness could have no judgement therein, for that which doth what it must do, liveth according to the will of its Lord: but if † Psal. 5.4. God willeth not that which is wicked: as in Psal 5. then the evil cometh out of the root; And in the root of knowledge, out of nature's ground to the creature, and by accident; And for that cause hath God manifested his will, and given his Law and Gospel, that is, hath manifested his threaten and his grace, that a day of separation might be kept with righteousness, and that no creature might have Excuse. 69. And the History saith further; * Gen. 33.12, 13, 14. After Esaw had received the Present of Jacob, he spoke unto his brother Jacob, saying, Let us take our journey, and go forward, I will go with thee: but Jacob said to him, My Lord, thou knowest that I have with me tender children, and moreover cattle that are great with young, and sucking Ca●ves, if they be over-driven for one day, the whole flock would die; Let my Lord pass over before his servant, and I will follow on softly, as the cattle and the children are able to go, until I come to my Lord into Seir. This Text appeareth to be only an outward History, but the Spirit hath also its inward figure under it, for Jacob stands in that figure of Christ. And the figure is thus. 70. When Christ through his suffering and death appeased his Father's anger in the kingdom of nature, thus said the appeased anger: Now will we arise, and take our journey together, understand in the life of man; but the Love said, man is too tender, feeble and impotent, and can scarce go in God's ways, * Mat. 28.20. I will remain with them even to the end of the world, Mat. 28. And lead them † Gently and moderately. slowly as they are able to go, lest they fall into temptation and error, and be blind as to Grace. Go thou before my Lord, I will lead them on softly under my yoke of the Cross, that they die not, for if they should now presently be led in the Father's severe righteousness, they would not be able to go: though they are indeed redeemed, yet they live still in flesh and blood, I will come after with them to thee into Seir, that is, into God's righteousness. 71. † Gen. 33.15. And Esaw said; Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. He answered, what needeth it? let me but find Grace in the sight of my Lord: that is, God the Father said, let me leave some of my severe righteousness, commandments and Laws with thee: but Christ said, What needeth it? Let me with these redeemed children, only find Grace with thee, for they cannot fulfil the Law. 72. * Gen. 33.16. Thus Esaw went his way again that day towards Seir: that is, thus God's righteousness pressed into its own principle, † 17. And Jacob went to Succoth, and built him an house, from whence the place is called Succoth. This in the figure is as much as to say; Christ led his Christendom, viz. his children, not to Seir, that is, into the proof or trial of God's righteousness: though indeed Grace was manifested in them, but he erected a house, viz. the Christian Church upon earth, and made his children * Tabernacles, Booths. Tents, that is, Christian Ordinances, wherein they might dwell, and hence it is called Christendom, as jacob's City is called SUCCOTH: so also the place or City of Christendom is called * Matth. 7 7. Luke 11.9. seek, SUCHET so shall you find ‖ Mat. 28.20. Christ who is always in these Tents with his children, to the End of the World. 73. And the Text in Moses saith further; * Gen. 33.18, 19, 20. Afterwards Jacob went to Salem, the City of Sichem, which lieth in the Land of Canaan, when he came from † Padan Aran. Mesopotamia, and set up his Station before the City, and bought a piece of ground of the children of Hemor, the Father of Sichem, for a hundred pieces of money, and there he set his Tent up, and erected an Altar, and called on the name of the strong God of Israel. In this Text, the Spirit aludeth rightly to the future Christendom; For Christ led his children after his Resurrection, to Salem, that is, into salvation, or the anointing or Unction of the Holy Ghost, as Jacob led his children to Salem, but it was to the City of Sichem, that is, among the Heathen. 74. And set his Station before the City, That is, Christ should have his habitation by the Heathen, and set his Temple and Doctrine, near the Idols Temples of the Heathen, and purchase the City of his holy Christian Church from the Heathen, that is, with his blood purchase it from God's Righteousness, even as it is come to pass; And there erect his Altar among the Heathen, and preach the name of the God of Israel, that is, Christ. 75. For, the name Sichem signifies, that the Christian Church must be in misery and trouble: As Jacob buildeth his habitation before the City Sichem, so must also the children of Christ be but strange guests▪ in this world, and be but as household servants to the Heathen, Potentates, and children of this world, though indeed they have their habitation, viz. the Temple of Christ in them, which Christ hath purchased for them, with his blood, yet they are outwardly but strange guests and pilgrims, and dwell without, before the City of this world, viz. in an earthly Tabernacle and Tent, in flesh and blood. CHAP. LXII. Of Dinah jacob's Daughter, which he begat of Lea, how she was deflowered by Hemor's Son, and how jacob's Son's slew Sichem for it, and all the males that were in that City; and took Dinah again, and what is to be understood by this figure. Genesis 34. The Gates of Christians war, for the Babylonish Whoredom; now highly to be Considered. 1. MOses saith; Put Dinah the Daughter of Lea, which she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the Daughters of the Land, Gen. XXXIV. 1, 2, 3, 4. and when Sichem the Son of Hemor the Hevite, the Lord of the Country saw her, he took her and lay with her, and deflowered her, and his heart cleaved to her, and he loved the Damsel, and spoke kindly to her: And Sichem said to his Father Hemor, get me this Damsel to wife. The Reader should very seriously consider this figure, and rightly meditate on the Text in Moses, & look * Into the Face of it. throughly into it, than he will w●ll understand our sense and meaning and most precious apprehension, opened to us by the Divine Grace, and learn to look upon the Scriptures of the first Book of Moses, with clear eyes. 2. Leah the wife of Jacob bore to him six Sons, viz. the half Stock of Israel, and of her came Juda● viz the root of David, of whom Christ was manifested according to our humanity; Afterwards she bore this Dina, a daughter, by which figure the Spirit powerfully prefigureth Christendom, that after Christ's ascension into heaven, after the work of humane Redemption the true Christendom should be borne; As Jacob first begat the Twelve Patriarches, but afterwards of Leah, that is, of the mother of Christendom, a daughter of fleshly self-love would be borne, which daughter would go a gadding to see the daughters of the Land, among whom she should be a stranger. That is thus much in the figure. 3. When Christendom would be borne, that its number might be great, it would go forth in self-love and seek the pleasure of the flesh, and would set it● heart upon the customs and behaviours of the people, and departed from lowliness and humility, and would look after the wantonness and pride of the daughters of the Land, that is, of the people, and then they would beget this daughter Dinah, and appear before God in fleshly voluptuousness of spiritual whoredom, and would play the whore with the heathenish customs, but yet would present itself beautiful and trimly dres●●, as an amorous virgin which runneth abroad to be seen that she might take Lovers, as Dinah did, which went thus forth a gadding. 4. Thus also would Christendom trimm itself, and dress itself with great ostentation and solemnity, with Churches and Schools, and put on glittering sumptuous appearing holy Garments, that they might have respect, with the daughters of the Land, as with strange people, and yet would be full of flames of self love and fleshly menstruous pollution under such habits, and have a whorish heart, as a whore outwardly flatters, beautifies and trims herself, and will throughout be called a chaste virgin: Thus also would this trim Christendom be called holy; but her heart would only play the whore with fleshly voluptuousness. 5. She would feign see the dress of the daughters of the Land, which dress is no other than the heathenish wisdom and Philosophy, and would draw the same into Christ's kingdom, and would live under Christ's purple mantle, in those Rites and customs, and trim herself therewith, and thereby quite forget that her tents and habitations are without the City of these people's customs, as * Gen 33.18. Jacob dwelled without before the City of Hemor; and also Christ said, † Joh. 18.36. His kingdom was not of this world. 6. But this Christendom would set her heart upon the kingdom of this world, and so in the dress of a virgin trim herself with many Churches, Priests and Ceremonies, under the habit of a virgin, but in this departure from the simplicity and humility of Christ, she would but gad abroad in the world, and look after fleshly whoredom; as Dinah did, which is a type of fleshly Christendom, which is always borne after the true Children of Christ, as Dinah was borne after the * 12 Patriarches. Twelve Patriarches. That is; 7. When Christendom is borne and manifested among a people, it begetteth in that place, first the * 12 Patriarches. Twelve Patriarches, viz. the ground of the Apostolic Doctrine: but when she mixeth again with the heathenish wise men, and with the lust of the flesh, than that place, begetteth a Dinah, viz. a whoredom with Christ; that is, a seeming Christian, yet the heart is but a whore, and then this whore goeth abroad gadding to find the habitations of that People. That is: 8. She seeketh again the heathenish ground, and mixeth herself with the heathens, and is with child by the heathenish Philosophy, and bringeth forth a bastard, half Christian and half heathenish, viz. a new sect or Doctrine, which doth not fully agree in form with the first customs of that people, among whom it did spring forth; And yet in her heart is no whit better than they. 9 And then this People raise themselves up against that strange opinion, and cry out in Anger, these have deflowered our sister Dinah, and have made her a whore, and are enraged against the new found opinion, as the sons of Jacob against Sichem, and with fight, and the sword, with storming and cursing, run on against the deflowrer of their sister Dinah, and murder him, and not only him, but all the males that are with him, as Jacob's sons did the Hemorites: And then the innocent must thus suffer with the guilty, to signify, that they all of them, both the one and th'other live in such Religious whoredom: For the whore for whose sake they take vengeance, is their sister, and borne of their stock, as Dinah their sister was, and they came of one Mother. 10. We see here eminently the type of contentions Christendom; how Christendom would be headstrong and furious in opinions, and that in great blindness, and not know wherefore, and would not see themselves, that they thus rage's in their own whoredom, and strive not about the power of true Christianity, as about the true Christian life, but about their contrived opinions, as about their sister Dinah, which goes abroad gadding from them, and gazeth upon the strange opinions, and cry out upon the opinion for a whore, and yet see not how they should help their sister's heart, wherein sticketh the lust of whoredom, As Jacob's sons did not see how to help the evil, that their sister might save her credit; And though Hemor and Sichem sent to them to give her a Dowry, and would marry their sister, and love her, and be circumcised, and become one People with them, and would perform all love, faithfulness and friendship towards them, yet all this did not help. 11. And although they told them, that if they would be circumcised, and be one people with them, they would give them their sister, yet they were furious in killing and slaying, to signify, that this is a figure of future Christendom, which would arise out of this Stock; As we see that it so comes to pass before our eyes, that men strive about the gadding separated opinions, and kill and murder one another for them, and yet this is but for the opinion sake of false whoredom, which the titulary Christendom hath taken up, wherein they trim themselves in hypocrisy and whoredom, and look not how their sister might be helped, who is gone astray in a strange opinion, but they take their swords, and would slay the new opinion, and snatch their sister who is with child with another opinion, forcibly again with her bastard out of Hemor's house, and slay Hemor and Sichem and all their males. 12. And though they would unite themselves with them, as with the true Christian ground, viz. with the chief Articles of Christian Doctrine, yet it avails not, they will against all faith and promise slay and kill, and keep their opinions, which they have contrived in their ease and pampered jollity, with their fat bellies, and heathenish festivals, as it is seen at this day in the contentions and opinions. 13. Men of self-love have introduced their Christianity into a fleshly kingdom, and finely trimmed it with Laws, Ceremonies, and Opinions, and have covered it with Christ's purple Mantle, and yet live in mere spiritual whoredom under it, with an hypocritical show: But their hearts constantly beget this lustful Dinah, which runs abroad from the simplicity and humility of Christ, and plays the whore with the Idols of fleshly lust, viz. with Pride and Covetousness, merely with their own Honour and Reputation, and a voluptuous life, quite contrary to the true Christian ground. 14. But seeing the Spirit of Christ dwelleth yet always in his Christendom, he often stirreth up men which do thus acknowledge and see the sleep and whoredom of the titulary Christendom in their Sodomitical life, and turn away from them, and search in the Scriptures, and also in the light of nature, whether this their fleshly ground, can subsist in the presence of God, and when they see that it is false, than they fall upon some other ground, and reprove the whoredom of the titulary Christendom. 15. And when the hypocrites in their voluptuous glory, hear and see these things, that thereby they are blemished and defiled, and that their God Maosim is made manifest; then they cry; O there's a Heretic, he deflowreth our sister Dinah, viz. our Opinion, and maketh the Church a whore, and though some should offer to give a good account of his ground and opinion, and reconcile and marry himself with the true Christian ground, and marry with their sister Dinah, viz. to espouse the first true virgin Christian ground, and to be of one and the same heart and will with them in the Christian ground; all this avails, not, they snatch their sister, viz. the name of a Christian from them, and had rather keep the deflowered Damsel with her bastard by them, whose shame the truth hath discovered; that they may see how to help their sister's shame, that she may attain the wedlock with Christ. 16. They suppose when they can with power rescue and keep their opinions, and though indeed the whoredom in their opinion is laid naked, that it is weakened and blemished, yet they will have their Dinah to be taken for a virgin, and though her shame of whoredom, be open to the daylight; yet they will defend the same with the sword, and with slaughter. As we see before our eyes, and the present strife intimates no less, but that it is manifest that Dinah is become a whore, viz. titulary Christendom that playeth the whore in the presence of God, and hath lost her virgin chastity, and the purity of her conscience, and so at present the brethren of this Dinah fight for her, and will preserve her honour and reputation with the sword and with killing: And will murder all those who do deflower and defame their Dinah. 17. This Dinah is at present nothing else but the stone Churches, and great Colleges of their Ministers, wherein men use the name of Christ, but seek thereby only their own honour, voluptuousness, and * Fa●● days. good days, how a man may be honoured in the world. 18. For the true Apostolic Temple is the Temple of Jesus Christ; viz. the new man, who liveth in Righteousness and purity before God, who walketh in humility and in the simplicity of Christ; And his Ministers are such as do declare the peace in the love of Jesus Christ, who labour that the deflowered Dinah might be married with Sichem, and that Hemor and Sichem with their males might also become Christians, who leave the sword in its sheath, and teach with the meek and gentle Spirit of Jesus Christ; And show instead of the murdering sword the Spirit of cleansing, how this deflowered Dinah might get Christian honour again, and be married to her Bridegroom. 19 Behold, O Christendom, the Spirit hath set this before thee in the figure of the Twelve Patriarches, and signifieth, that thou wouldst do thus, Not that thou shouldest do it: Though this Strife must come, that the true children of Christ might be exercised and made manifest, otherwise if no Strife did arise among the Christians, all wicked men could appear as Christians, but the Strife maketh it manifest that the false ground of verbal Christians is brought to light, and they are distinguished from the true children of Christ; which will be also a witness against them at the Last day of Judgement. 20. Man's true Christianity standeth in the inward ground of the Soul in the ground of man, not in the ostentation and fashions of this world, but in the power of well-doing in the spirit and Conscience. 21. The strife wherewith a true Christian striveth, is only the Spirit of Righteousness, which casteth away from it, the falsehood and wickedness in flesh and blood, and suffereth and endureth all things willingly for Christ's sake who dwelleth in it, that it may not live to itself, and please itself, and have satisfaction in itself, and Triumph with the earthly Lucifer, but that he please God his Creator in Christ Jesus. 22. He hath nothing in this world to strive for, for nothing is his own: for in Christ he is not of this world, but as the Scripture saith, * Phil. 3.20. Our conversation is in heaven; all things for which and wherewith he striveth, is about the earthly voluptuous, fleshly Lucifer, in the mortal flesh and blood: for Christ saith; † Joh. 18.36. His Kingdom is not of this world; so also a Christians Kingdom, so far as he is a Christian, is not of this world, But in Christ, in God. 23. Therefore now all the strife of Christians is only about their Dinah, viz. about their fleshly whoredom: A Christian ought not to strive otherwise then in Spirit and power against the ways of unrighteousness and falsehood. 24. Outward war that Christians make, is Heathenish, and is done for the beastial mortal man's sake: for immortality cannot be attained or kept with the sword and forces, but with Prayer & with entering into the fear of God: But the earthly Lucifer striveth about the Belly, and about worldly honour and pleasure, wherein Christ is not; but it is the deflowered Dinah, where men make wars about the houses of stone, and temporal goods, and thereby declare that the spiritual virginity in the Spirit of Christ is made a whore, who plays the harlot for the kingdom of this world. 25. Harken all ye who call yourselves Apostles of Christ, hath Christ sent you to fight, and to make war, that you should strive about temporary goods and outward power and glory? Is that your authority? John 20. When he gave you the sword of the Spirit, did he command you that? Hath he not sent you to make known the peace, which he hath brought us? What will he say to you, when he shall see, that your Apostolic heart hath put on Armour, and that you have instigated your worldly Kings and Princes to the sword and wars, and have allowed them that, as of Christian liberty: Will he find you thus, in his Ministry? do you that, as the Disciples, of Christ? 26. Are you not the Apostles of the Anger of God? Whither will you go with your Reproach? do you not see that as to Christ who hath taught you peace, you are become forsworn or perjured Harlots? Where is your Christian virginity, have you not with Dinah squandered it away in worldly pleasure? What will Christ say to you, when he shall come again, † Mat. 8.20. Luk. 9.58. Who on earth had not whereon to lay his head, when he shall see your pomp, state, and glory, in such Palaces and Colleges, which you have built in his Name, for which upon earth you have made wars? 27. When have you striven about the Temple of Jesus Christ? Have you not always striven about your Colleges or Palaces, and about your own Laws, wherein you have lived in Opinions, and disputed about those Opinions? What need hath Christ thereof? Christ bestows himself upon his children, substantially, in a living manner, to dwell in them, and will give them his flesh for food, and his blood for drink; What needeth he opinions, that men should strive about him, who and what he is? 28. When I consider a true Christian, than I understand that Christ is and dwelleth in him; what means then your outward worship of God? Wherefore do you not serve him in your hearts and consciences? He is present within you, and not in the solemnity and ostentation of outward things: ye have the sword of the Holy Ghost by right, with that you should strive; Use you the Power of the true Apostolic Churches, and not the sword of Man's hand. 29. The Excommunication is your sword, but yet it must be used in the power of the Holy Ghost, in Divine zeal against the wicked and ungodly, and not for that purpose to maintain humane Inventions and fictions, that a man must call your spiritual whoredom in opinions a chaste virgin, as for a long time the Babylonish Church hath used it to such a Power. 30. All outward Ceremonies without the inward ground, that is, without Christ's Spirit and co-operation is whoredom in the sight of God, that a Man will approach to God without Christ the Mediator: for none can serve Christ but a Christian, where the Spirit of Christ itself cooperateth in the Service; but how will he serve Christ, that holdeth in one hand the Cup of Christ, and in the other hand the sword of selfe-Revenge? Christ must, in a Christian, overthrow sin by his Spirit, and not the Father's fiery sword in the Law of severe Righteousness. 31. O ye children of Simeon and Levi, the Spirit at jacob's End, hath signified concerning you, that your swords were murderous, that Christ is not in your Councils, as Jacob saith; My soul, that is, the Covenant and Grace of Christ, be thou not in their Churches and Congregations, nor in their Council; Read the 49th of Genesis, where the Council of the Pharisees and Scribes; who institute themselves Pastors without the Divine Calling; is thereby signified. 32. All spiritual whoredom proceeds from hence, that Christ's Ministers possess worldly Power and Authority, and so one playeth the hypocrite with another, the inferior that is without power and authority, playeth the hypocrite with the potent, that he may advance him also, and bring him to honour & plenty, to deliciousness and fat days, whereby the Spirit of Zeal, declines and falls to the Ground, and the truth is turned into a lie, and the Spirit of Zeal of the mouth is stopped with Power, and Man is honoured in God's stead. 33. This History relating how * Gen. 34.25. Simeon and Levi went into the City to Hemor and his children and People, and slew all the males in this City, may well be understood to be a figure, whereby the Spirit signifieth that he declareth in the figure concerning the future time, and is so written as a figure. 34. Also the History is clear, that † Gen. 34.24, 25, 26. Hemor and his son Sichem, and all the males of the whole City, were circumcised and became * Or, Israelites. Jews, and then presently were slain by these two brethren Simeon and Levi, which indeed is a hard figure to be understood, seeing Reason questioneth whether it were so done or no, that two men should slay a whole City? But seeing it is a figure and was done even by Simeon and Levi, viz. by the Stock and Root of the Levitical Priesthood, and signifieth the future Christendom; This therefore is to be understood under it. 35. These two Brethren required first and proposed, that if they would be circumcised, and receive their Law, they would give them their Sister, and afterwards as it came to pass, they slew them all both the innocent and the guilty: This is that which Christ said to the Pharisees; † Mat. 23.15. Woe unto you Pharisees, ye compass Sea and Land to make a Proselyte; And when he is one, you make him twofold more a child of Hell than yourselves. 36. This also may be said of the Christian Levites, they persuade People to be Baptised, and called Christians, and when that is done, they stick their murdering sword into their hearts, that they learn to slay other People with words, which are not called after their name, and are not of their Opinion; They curse and damn them, and they give occasion that one Brother persecutes another, slanders, condemns, hates, and becomes his malicious enemy, and yet understands not wherefore. Hear it is rightly said, these Levites have promised me their sister to wife, so that I am become a Christian, and now they slay me with false Doctrine, and not only me but all my generation, who hear them and receive their blasphemy, for Divine Truth, and believe them that it is right, that one man should thus judge and condemn another, which yet Christ hath earnestly forbidden, and thereby now, that man judgeth himself, since he doth that himself, which he judgeth in another. 37. Thus is the murdering sword stuck into many innocents' hearts, so that they are guiltlessly slain by the Levites; But seeing Simeon and Levi are placed together, and Jacob also when he was at his end Prophesied concerning them, and putteth them together, calling them murdering swords, it hath this signification, that they will not only slay them with the sword of the mouth, but they would also set themselves up in worldly power and authority, and for the truth's sake kill their bodies, and would do it even to them which are under the Circumcision or under the Gospel, whom first they had persuaded to be Circumcised or to be Baptised. 38. As it is also come to pass among the Christians, when men have first persuaded them unto Baptism, afterwards when they have for a while seen their abominations, that they live worse than the Heathen, and will not in all things give their consent & approbation, than they begin persecution with fire and sword, and slay them, with their innocent children, both in soul and body, which is powerfully prefigured in this type of Simeon and Levi; else that were a grievous gross murder of the children of the Saints, for them to persuade People to their Faith, and give them their promise, and then afterwards under such hypocrisy to slay all both innocent and guilty, when they had so deeply humbled themselves before them. 39 Therefore men should carefully and accurately look upon the old Testament, especially the first book of Moses: for the vail of Moses hangeth before it, there is always somewhat more signified under the Text: Although we will have the Text left also standing as a History, and doubt not at all thereof, which is known to God, who hath thus suffered it be described. 40. For the Text saith, * Gen. 34.25.29. They fell upon the City, and slew all the males, and took all their children and wives captive, and plundered, and spoilt all that was in their houses. Which though it doth indeed seem that these two men were not able to do it, yet even Jacob himself witnesseth, that there were no more than these two, when † Gen. 34.30. He said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have raised mischief unto me, that I stink before the Inhabitants of this Land; which stands very right in the figure, that the murdering sword of the Levites hath raised such disturbance in the world, that Christendom for their base murdering practices, stinketh before the strange Nations, so that they say, if they were God's People they would not be such Tyrants, and outrageous scorners; and they hate them for that very cause; and slay and kill them as a turbulent evil people, that contend only about Religion, and kill one another for it: Therefore there can be no certainty among them, and their Divine service and worship of God must needs be false, say they; For which cause the potent Countries of the East are departed from them, and have subjected themselves to a Doctrine of Reason; as is to be seen by the Turks, which ought farther to be considered of. CHAP. LXIII. How God called Jacob to departed from Sichem, and what happened upon it; and how afterwards Rachel bore Benjamin, and died in the Birth; also how Isaak died, and what is to be understood thereby. Upon the 35th Chapter of Genesis. WHen Simeon and Levi had committed that Murder, God said to Jacob: Gen. XXXV. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Get thee up and go to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an Altar to God, who appeared unto thee when thou didst flee from thy brother Esau. Then said Jacob unto his Household, and to all that were with him, Put away from you the strange Gods which are among you, and cleanse yourselves, and change your Garments, and let us arise, and go to Bethel, that I may there make an Altar to God, who hath heard me in the time of my trouble, and hath been with me in the way which I have gone: Then they gave unto him all the strange Gods which were in their hands, and their earrings, und he buried them under an Oak which was by Sichem; And they went forth, and the fear of the Lord came upon the Cities which lay round about them, that they did not pursue after the Sons of Jacob. Thus Jacob came to Luz in the Land of Canaan, which is called Bethel, with all the People that were with him, and built there an Altar, and called the place El-Bethel, because God there appeared to him when he fled from his brother. This History once again prefigureth powerfully the future times, how it would go both with Israel and also with Christendom: For when Levi and Simeon had committed that murder, and slain all the males of Sichem, and taken captive all their wives and children, having plundered and spoiled all, then Jacob was afraid of the People of the Land, and then God called him from thence to go to Bethel, and make an Altar there. The inward Figure standeth thus. 2. When men, both the Jews, and afterward the Christians, were grown up in fleshly whoredom and unchaste life, and became wicked, then would God's Spirit departed from them, and then they began a spiritual whoredom and Idolatry and were erroneous in their opinions, and would fall together by the ears, and say one to another, he defloureth his sister Dinah, that is, his worship and service of God, and would fall one upon another, and murder, kill, plunder, spoil, and rob one another with wars, and bring their Country to desolation and misery; And then when they should stick in such misery and trouble, they would attain the fear and trembling, as here Jacob upon the murder which his children committed, for the Lord would touch their evil consciences, and call them again to Repentance, as he did Jacob and his children, when he commanded them to come away from the place of this murder, and commanded Jacob to make an Altar to him, viz. to the Lord, that is, in the lowliness of the fear of God. 3. So the Spirit here signifieth, that God would then again send them Prophets and Teachers, who would dissuade them from their Idolatry and wicked life, as here Jacob exhorted his family that they should put away the strange Gods, and the Pride of their earrings from them, and then when they had thus seen the anger of the Lord, which destroyed their Land, and exceedingly devoured them for their Whoredom, Pride, and Idolatrous life, then would they follow, and obey the Prophets who reproved them for it; and bring their Idols and strange Gods, viz. their Idolatry, before God, and put it away from them, and would again seek the Temple of God within them, and then would God again build up his Altar in them, and they would again rightly offer sacrifice to him, viz. offer up their souls, and would cleanse their garments, that is, their hearts, as Jacob here commanded his People, this also would the Prophets, and among the Christians the true Apostles and Teachers, command, and direct. 4. And we see further here a powerful figure how Jacob took their Idols and Earrings, and buried them under an Oak by Sichem, where the murder was done. O thou great and wonderful God What does this signify? Nothing else, but that these their errors and Idolatry, together with their wars and contentions, should thus for a long time lie buried in the anger of God 5. And seeing the Spirit mentioneth an Oak, under which these Idols, and Pride are buried, the figure is clear to us; for an Oak is of a magnetic attractive kind, and maketh a † Tougle▪ tenacious hardness in its property, moreover blackness, duskiness and darkness. This signifies that the former Idolatry, Sins, and Blasphemies, which they have committed, shall there in the hungry wrath of the anger of God in Turba Magna, viz. under the great Oak in Spiritu Mundi, viz. in the hidden mystery, stand still a long while. 6. And what sin they shall commit anew, all that will this magnetic Oak, draw to it, and bring it to the treasure of the former Idolatry and Pride, till they become so great that the earth under the Oak can cover them no more: Then shall these their old and new whoredoms and Idolatries, together, be naked before the anger and judgement of God, and their * Gen. 15.16. measure be full. 7. And they would stink before God for these abominations, for the sake of which the Spirit of God would hid its countenance from them, & take away from them the light of his countenance, so that they would run on in vain errors, and enter again upon the way of such whoredom, and with their evil zeal for Dinah their sister, which yet is but a deflowrd whore, trample all under with Murder and Robbery. 8. As is come to pass among the Jews and Christians, that afterwards in the zeal of their Idolatry and whoredom they have slain and murdered the Prophets and Ministers of Jesus Christ which are * Rom, 10.15. sent from God, that they might live in their Pride and Sodomitical whoredom, till † Rom. 1.28. God hath given them up to a perverse mind in their hearts, that they are become wholly evil before him, * Gen. 15.16. Then is their measure full, and the horrible punishment followeth, as may be seen by the cast away Jews, which for such abominations sake were driven out of their Country and Kingdom, as also by the Christians, who in the fair Country of the East were the best Christians, and now must have the Alcoran instead of Christ, and their Country horribly wasted in the anger of God. 9 Thus it goes now also with thee, thou warring Babylon, and titulary Christendom, full of Idolatry and Earrings of Pride, which have lain for a long time under the Oak, and the Magnet of that Oak hath drawn to it all thy abominations, Idolatry, and proud evil life, that the earth can cover them no longer, but they now stand naked before the face of God, therefore also thy Judgement is near at hand. 10. The Prophets call thee and reprove thee, but thou ravest for thy sister Dinah, viz. for thy fleshly kingdom full of Pride which thou hast built, with thy Idolatry and fleshly love, and murderest thy Brethren for thy sister's whoredom sake, viz. for the Pharisaical whoredom sake, and dost not discern how thou shouldst remedy thy sister's whoredom, that she may be married, and thou takest thy sister with her bastard, which, in the presence of God and all the world, stand in shame, to thee, again, and wilt have her called a virgin; If thou didst give her to Sichem for a wife, and let him be circumcised, and wouldst live with him in peace, then would thy sister's whoredom be covered. 11. But thy wrath O Lord maketh it to be thus, for the misdeed is too much, and the earth can no more cover it under the Oak in Spiritu Mundi, it standeth naked before thy face: therefore ye wise children, flee out of Jerusalem, the overthrow thereof, and the earnest judgement draweth near, the measure is full, the anger burneth, Sin hath killed the understanding, that they * Have no more sense or understanding. no more perceive or feel the understanding, & these children are blind concerning it, and always say; this is a golden Time, it will be good for us, and not so come to pass: thy Prophets among thee are esteemed fools and mad men, till that be done unto thee, and till thou thyself dost, what they have said unto thee. 12. Beware now and leave off to war about the whore, that the Lord may call thee with Jacob, and bring thee again to his holy Altar in Christ Jesus. Put away the Idols, viz. the opinions, and build thine heart to be an Altar in the Temple of Jesus Christ, then wilt thou be brought away from the murders, and the fear of God will come upon those men who would pursue thee, as is to be seen by Jacob. But if thou wilt not leave off to make war about the whore, then wilt thou together with the whore come to shame and desolation. 13. But learn to know her, she giveth Sichem occasion to uncleanness, for she runs out of her house, and seeketh lovers; Behold her Pride, tear her Earrings from her neck, wherewith she boasteth, and then she will no more thus show her folly; bereave her of her Idols, bury them, with Jacob: build thyself an Altar in thee, and bring thy children to the offering; Bid them not strive for Dinah, but leave Dinah to the man with whom she hath bedded, else it is in vain to make war for her virginity, for it is manifest to all people that she hath played the whore. 14. Mark what is told thee, it is high-time, her shame can no more be covered, for she hath brought forth the Bastard: dost thou not see it? and dost thou not know the whore with her child? then thou art blind. 15. She sitteth in high honour among men, and cries all hail to herself; This is she to whom thou prostitutest thyself, and forsakest thy God and his Altar, Jesus Christ, in thee, take pity on thyself, and behold the misery, how this whore hath sat in stead of the Altar of God in thy soul, and hath taken thy body and soul in possession, and rideth upon thee as upon her Beast; she leadeth thee with her Reigns, and thou seest it not, thou sayest likewise it is right. O thou evil beast, full of thy whore's Pride! how will the Lord throw thee, together with the whore, to the ground, as is to be seen in the * Apocalyps. Revelations? 16. The Spirit here further setteth down an excellent fair figure, showing how God manifested himself to Jacob after he made the Altar in Bethel, and called the place El-Bethel, viz. an Angelical Engelische dwelling, Gen. 35.7. where God conversed with Jacob in the form of an Angel, Engel as the high tongue renders it, that God spoke with him in vision in an Angel's form, viz. in the Angel's form of the future humanity of Christ, and signified to him, that † Gen. 35, 10, 11, 12. he should no more be called Jacob, but Israel, that is, a Great Tree, or company of Nations, him hath God thus blessed, that he should possess all this Country, and he shall be so great, that even Kings should proceed out of his Loins, whereby he signifieth concerning the future Kingdom, of Israel, and of Christ, how it would come to pass. 17. * Gen· 35.14. And when the Lord had spoken with Jacob, in that very place Jacob set up a Pillar of Stone; which signifieth the Temple of Christ, as also the Temple at Jerusalem in a Type prefiguring Christ, also the true Christian Church among the Christians, that from the word of the Lord Men would build a Place and Pillar, where they would assemble and declare the Wonders of the Great God, and call upon him there, and offer up the drink offering of Prayer there. 18. And the Spirit saith further; * Gen. 35.13. So God went up from him, when he had spoken with him, that is, when he had appeared in a visible Form in the Image and Type of Christ, he withdrew and hid himself again in that Royal place, from whence afterwards he would manifest and make himself visible in his Seed in this Figure in the Humanity. 19 † Gen. 35.15. And Jacob called the place Bethel, viz. an ‖ Or, Condescension. humiliation of the Deity in the Humanity, so that the Divine Altar becomes manifest, where a Man offers praise and thanksgiving, to God; And the Spirit by Jacob concerning this Bethel pointeth at the future Bethlehem, where Christ should be borne Man, as this place Bethel was exceeding highly esteemed by the Patriarches, which all pointeth at the Future Bethlehem, where the true Altar Christ should be erected and built, upon which, Jacob and his Fathers and Children had offered in the Faith and prefiguring Type, and under it God led them in the visible Type from thenceforth, till the appointed Time, that this Altar was erected at Bethlehem by the Birth of Christ. 20. And the Spirit in Moses speaketh instantly very darkly thereof in this Figure, and saith; * Gen. 35.16. And they went from Bethel; whereby he pointeth at the going forth from the figure of Christ, that Men should go forth from this figure to the Birth of Christ, and saith: * Gen. 35.16. And it was a field breadth from Ephrath: where Rachel brought forth, and she was in hard Labour at the Birth. 21. This Field breadth signifieth the time that is between that and the Altar of Christ, as, Adam was gone a field breadth from the Altar of God, that is, out of the Spiritual world into the Earthly, where, it goeth very hard with Rachel, viz. with the humane Nature, as to the Patriarch Benjamin, that is, to bring forth a Christian, that even the Old Adam must die and perish in this Birth, as Rachel died when she bore Benjamin. 22. Which Benjamin, signifieth, that when we erect God's Altar in us, so that Christ dwelleth in us, then is Benjamin, that is, our Last Man (or second Adam) borne, then dieth the Old Mother, who hath generated the kingdom of Nature in Man, and the New Spiritual Man is manifested. 23. This Benjamin is borne, after Jacob is first gone out of Mesopotamia, as the Spirit hath prefigured the Type of Christ's Passion and Victory, by Esaw and Jacob in their Meeting; and it was a figure of the Apostle Mathias, who was Elected to be an Apostle in the stead of Judas, after Christ had first consummated his Passion and Ascension into Heaven. 24. And it is a figure, showing, how Man must first enter into Christ's Passion & Death, & that the Altar of Christ must first be erected in him, before the Humane Nature from Christ can be borne: for, † Matth. 27.5. Judas must first in his falsehood and Treachery in the old Adam with sorrow for his committed sin, hang himself, and as to his own ability despair and die, and then will Benjamin, viz. the new Creature in Christ, first be borne, and * Acts 1.26. Mathias, viz. the first Created Adam be Elected an Apostle. 25. For Mathias was indeed borne before the Passion of Christ and was with Christ, but he was then first an Apostle when Christ in him was dead from sin, and Judas had hanged himself; thus also the Adamicall Man, which shall be an Apostle or Christian, is indeed borne aforehand, before Christ suffereth in him; but Christ must first arise from the Dead in him, and Judas, viz. the Serpents will, must hang himself and die to his own evil will in the Death of Christ, and then first is the ‖ Adam's Man a Christ. Adamicall Man a Christian; It is not the Historical Man by an imputed Grace, wherein Judas still liveth under the Purple Mantle of Christ, that is a Christian, as Babel playeth finely under the veil concerning the virginity of her Daughter Dinah, that the fair dainty Damsel may play the whore, and finely sleep with her Pander Judas, and lie with her Lovers in the Bed of Fornication. 26. Great things are prefigured in this Text; for the Text saith: † Gen 35.17, 18. When she was in sore Labour in the Birth of Benjamin, the Midwife said to her; Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also; But her soul being ready to departed that she must die, she called him Benoni; that is, she looked upon the inward ground, upon the New Birth, what he would be in Christ, and regarded not the Name of the outward Creature. 27. For, Benoni is altogether a Spiritual Name after an Angelical kind and manner; for, she said in Spirit, (when the Midwife comforted her concerning it, that she should have this son also) I have him no more in the world, the outward passeth away; and it pointeth at the Angelical New Name; * Gen. 35.18. but his Father called him Benjamin, as with the Name of this world, that he should represent how a Christian must be borne under the Cross of Christ in smart pain, at which also his Mother looked, as if she should say; through smart pain and sorrow we come to Life, as this son of my smart and sorrow. 28. Then saith the Spirit; † Gen. 35.19, 20. Thus Rachel died and was buried in the way towards Ephrath, which is now called Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a Pillar upon her Grave, and that is the Pillar of Rachel's Grave unto this Day. This is a secret mystical Figure, that Rachel died and is buried at the City Bethlehem; and it signifieth, that she shall there rise again through the Birth of Christ, for Christ should there be borne. 29. And it is signified, that when we shall fly to Bethlehem to the Birth of Christ, then shall Benjamin, viz. the New spiritual Man be borne of Rachel, viz. of the Mother of the Old Adamicall Man in the Spirit of Christ: and then presently will the Mother yield up her birthright to the Spirit of Christ, and die to her right of Nature, and then will the Spiritual Eternal Birth begin, and Eve pass away; for there Jacob setteth up the Grave-stone or Pillar, and the Spirit saith, it is her Grave-stone unto this Day, to signify, that it pointeth at the future, and that this Grave-stone should continue, and Christ be borne there where Rachel died. 30. In this History of the Acts of Jacob, we see clearly, that the Spirit hath, in this description, a figure, under which it signifieth. For Rachel was big with Benjamin when Jacob departed from Laban, when * Gen. 31·34, 35. she sat upon the Idol-Gods, when her Father sought for them, and she said, it is with me after the manner of Women, so that I cannot rise up before thee. But now the Text relateth, how Jacob first pitched his Tents before Sichem and dwelled there, and afterwards went first to Bethel, and then Rachel brought forth, so that it appeareth that the Spirit speaketh wholly in the figure, for the Acts do all follow very Orderly one after another in the figure of Christ, as it hath come to pass with Christ, which ought well to be Observed. 31. The Spirit of Moses saith further; * Gen. 35.20, 21, 22. And Israel went forth and spread his Tents on the otherside of the Tower of Edar; And it came to pass when Israel dwelled in that Land, that Reuben went and slept with Bilha his Father's Concubine; and it came before Israel: What manner of figure is this which is very deeply hidden? but the Circumstances make it as clear as the Sun. 32. Israel went on the other side of the Great babylonical Tower, and dwelled there with the Children of that People, which may well be a pretty way from Ephrath Bethlehem, but the Spirit hath here its figure under which it signifieth; that is, when Jacob had taken away the strange Gods from his people, and also their Earrings, and buried them, and built the Altar of the Lord, Converting to God, and were sitting in Rest and Ease, than the natural fleshly Man turned again to the Lust of the children of Babel, even as the Text saith. 33. Jacob went and dwelled there, and then Reuben lay with his father's Concubine; viz. with Bilha Rachel's handmaid, the Mother of Dan and Naphthali, and committed * Blutschande Incest, which was worse than that of Sichem with Dinah; but the Spirit hath thus with this action presented a figure pointing at the future how it would come to pass, how Israel would turn away from the Divine Ordinance from the Altar of their God, and mix their father's Worship and service of God, with Natural whoredom, viz. with heathenish Sacrificing to Idols, as is to be seen by Jeroboam; and the Spirit signifieth thereby, that the first Adamicall Man would have only fleshly desires and Lusts. 34. For Reuben was the first son of Jacob by Lea, viz. by her, of whom also sprang the Line of Christ, to signify, that every one that would be called Jews, or Christians, and are Generated out of those stocks, would forsake God, and lie with their father's Concubines, viz. commit fornication with the Idolatry, humane Inventions, and babble of the Pharisees and Scribes, and with their Laws and Cannons, and forget the Truth of God and of his Commandments, in their Hearts, and † Einbilden, make to themselves Images of these. imprint those whoredoms in their Heart's Lusts. 35. For Reuben was indeed jacob's first son, as Adam also was the first Man, but the Line of Christ was not manifested in Reuben, as also not in Adam but it was manifested in Abel and in Judah, and as Adam, in Spiritu Mundi, in the spirit of the world, committed adultery with God's Concubine, through whom * God. he bringeth forth his fruit, and gave up himself to the Woman, viz. to the Mother of the Outward Nature, and lay with her, and committed whoredom with her, and defiled the holy heavenly Marriagebed of Chastity; thus also stood this figure of Reuben with his Father's Concubine portrayed before the figure of Christ; for Christ should bring this Adamicall whoredom into the heavenly marriagebed again, and cover the Incest of Man, and therefore it is here prefigured together with the figure of Rachel, viz. with the New Regeneration. The figure of Christendom † Or, is th●● to be understood. stands thus. 36. This Concubine in Christendom signifieth nothing else but the * Or, Temples built with Materials. Stone Churches, which are indeed God's Concubine, wherein his Word and Testaments are handled, in which God generateth his children, in which a Man should work together with God, and turn his heart to God: But Reuben, viz. the Adamicall Man, forsakth God, and committeth fornication and whoredom with the Stone Churches, and hath embraced her in his Arms of Love, and goeth in unto her, and playeth the hypocrite with her, and thinketh it is enough if he do but go thither and hear Sermons Preached, and make use of Absolution and the Sacraments, and believe that all is true which is there taught, and comforts himself with this, that he goes cheerfully, willingly, and constantly thither, & esteems that for right & good, and approveth and assenteth to all, that is there performed, thus covering himself with the purple Mantle of Christ, and goeth out of the Church just as he entered in, and goes twenty or thirty years together, and so to his very End, and committeth whoredom with the Churches, and thinketh he doth God good service, when he appears there among others, sitting and hearing the Preachers Sermons, and when he cometh forth knoweth nothing of what hath been done there. 37. Also in that Auditory he had his heart at Home, or about his trade and business, or casteth his Eyes upon the Beauty of fair Women and Men, and upon their brave clothes and fine fashions of Pride, and filleth his heart with Imaginations of Lascivious Lust, and broadly commits whoredom with these, or in these Concubines the Churches. 38. And that which is yet more, when the Preacher often reproveth sins & abominations, and often indeed out of passion soweth Thorns, that is catched up presently, and he tickleth himself the whole week therewith, and contriveth how to find fault with and Censure others, and to backbite and blemish them, how they may scoff at people, and gall them with cutting and stinging words, pricking like Thistles and Thorns, and holds that, for the best of what he hath heard, and so setteth this Lucifer in the place of God, and constantly committeth fornication in the whoredom, viz. in the burning Lust of these Concubines. 39 And the greatest whoredom of all in this Concubine is this, that Men so quite take their hearts off from God, and set them upon the Ministers of these Concubines, and commit whoredom with them, and honour them with presents and Gifts, so that they many times in their Encomiums, praise evil malicious proud wicked covetous people, who do but squeeze the miserable and oppress them with power and authority, they make great Epitaphs and Eulogies, and give them high and stately Titles, with high respect and reverence, ascribing to them great devotion, with the fear and love of God, and do highly advance their † Or, Pedigree. Genealogy and Stock, and so set up the trade of Juggling for money as a common Juggler, & so reproach the Concubine of God, viz. the Church, with hypocrisy and lies. Of this it is rightly said; Reuben is climbed up to his father's Concubine, and hath committed whoredom with her; for they are they that dwell by this Concubine, and are her Curates and Bishops or Overseers: but they fill this Concubine full of their false fleshly seed, and generate Bastards in God's Concubine, that so the false lust of the flesh may wholly bring their heart into her, and think, it availeth before God, and is very right: their sins are thus covered by the venom and poison of money, and this hypocrisy filleth their Imagination, so that they think they are better than others, and live thus in such proud lofty thoughts, continually, in such Church whoredom. 40. And thus Reuben begets, of his Father's Concubine the Churches, a Company of Bastards, proud stately boasting covetous people, which defile the poor Mother of the Humility and simplicity of JESUS CHRIST, viz. the Line of Christ which lieth hid in this Concubine, and shall be generated and manifested: and cast the whoredom upon her: and thus God's Concubine, viz. the Church is made to be a whore, and so very much deflowered that her reproach is come before Israel, viz. before the Eyes of all the Children of God, who cry fie upon her, and account her for an unclean deflowered whore, wherein such whoredom, as also all pomp, pride, and pagintry is exercised, that the Devil with the Imagination and false Lust, doth more teach and govern in such Lust, than the Spirit of Christ, and it is more a proud whore and a dark valley and Dungeon than a Temple of JESUS CHRIST. 41. And that which is yet more abominable, many very vain affectations scorn and derisions are therein managed and taught, where for an Opinions sake which every one frames to himself they disgrace and persecute one another, and cry out against one another for Heretics, and sow abroad such poison and venom in this Concubine the Church, whereby simplicity is seduced, and such poison of defamation riseth up and groweth in their hearts, that in the Churches, nothing but contention disputation scorn and blasphemy is exercised and taught, that one brother despiseth the other, calleth him heretic, and damneth him to Hell-fire for an Opinions sake, whereby all Love, Truth, Unity and Concord is vanished. 42. The Grossest Impudence, at which the Heavens and the Elements at present stand amazed, which is practised in this Concubine, is this; that Men take the writings of the Holy children of God, viz. of the Prophets and Apostles, and their Successors, and make use of them falsely, putting them on for a Cloak, to cover such whoredom, corrupting and embittering them, and making mere Sects and Swarms of Schisms of them, and thereby reproach, slander and persecute one another, giving thereby cause of Wars and Bloodshed, and so they make a mere impudent whore of the Bible, wherewith every one exerciseth and manageth their whoredom, and sucketh Opinions out of it, and therewith despise the Opinion of another, and scorneth and condemneth it, and yet take all their matters out of the Bible, thus they make their father's Concubine, viz. the holy Prophets & Apostles all whores, and falsely commit whoredom with them, practise impudence, unchastity, and pride with their writings, and teach the Lay people their unchastity and scorn, so that one Christian learneth to scorn another out of the holy Scripture, and trim their scorn with the writings of the * Holy Men▪ Saints; Of this it is rightly said, Reuben, thou art my first strength, but thou hast climbed up upon my Bed, and defiled it with unchastity, thou hast used my Concubine, viz. my form Word, to thy whoredom, and hast made of the Churches of my Children, a whore-house, and hast defiled my Marriagebed, which I have in the Churches, where I beget my children. 43. This the Spirit of God signifieth clearly, by the declaration of the Patriarch Jacob, Gen. 49. where he saith thus concerning these Churches and their sacrifices; * Gen. 49.3, 4. Reuben, thou art my first son, thou art my first power, and my first might, the chief in the Offering, and the chief in the kingdom; he was unstable therein as water; thou shalt not be the chief: for thou hast climbed up upon thy father's bed, and there hast thou defiled my bed by thy climbing up. 44. The Spirit speaketh clearly in this Text: for Reuben signifieth the Ordnance of the first Churches, viz. the power out of which it was built, that is the first power of the Christian Church or Congregation, and is God's Concubine by which he dwelleth; but their Ministers are climbed up into God's Marriagebed, and have gotten the Concubine to themselves, and taken her into their power, and have gotten her with child with humane fictions, fleshly honour and voluptuousness; and it saith clearly; Thou art the chief in the Offering, and in the kingdom: for so it must needs be when the whoredom is committed: but seeing Reuben exerciseth whoredom with the Churches, it saith thus; Thou shalt not be the chief; for he was unstable therein as water, and signifieth thereby, that he would give himself to fleshly Lust, and self-love, and that in unstability, and in that regard is rejected of God. 45. Thus the Spirit signifieth under this figure, how this Concubine, viz. the Church, would be reproached with its first power, viz. of its own children, so that it will be said by the Churches, it is a spiritual whore-house, which a Man must distinguish from the Temple of JESUS CHRIST; for the Spirit saith, thou shalt not be the chief, neither in the offering, nor in the kingdom: and thus she hath lost the true * Jus Divinum. Divine power by the whoredom of her Ministers, and standeth at present rightly as a deflowered one that is made a whore, which is despised of Israel for her unchastity, which is practised by her; which is cried out upon by almost every one, each party crying out against the Church of the other, for a whore-house, as is enough manifest, and all Libraries are full of such a Cry, and Men at present are ready to storm and fall in upon the whore-house. 46. But let this be said to the children of God, that the Churches hurt no man, and they were instituted out of a Good meaning by the first Christian power; and were very good and profitable, and they need not be thrown down and demolished, if Reuben would but leave his whoredom whereby he reproacheth them; that her Ministers might be renewed, and not give forth that they are the Ministers of this Concubine of God, without the Unction of the Holy Ghost, as is now done only for temporary honour and pleasure sake, which are as profitable to the Church, as a fift wheel is to a Wagon, unless they go with five wheels to their Wagon, where the fift moveth in the Air, and entereth with their Contention into the Abyss of Hell. 47. The Stone-houses of the Churches, have no greater holiness in them then other houses, for they are built of Stone and such Materials as other houses are, and God is no more powerful in them then in other houses, but the Church or Congregation that entereth thereinto, and there meeteth together, and there bind themselves with their prayer into one body in Christ, whose Type and Resemblance the Church is, that hath the holy Temple of JESUS Christ in it. 48. Their Songs of praise and thanksgiving are the Cradle of the child JESUS CHRIST, in which the child Jesus is rocked with unanimus consent in the Hearts of Men, and not within the bounds of the Church which is a dumb and dead Thing. 49. Its Ministers are no more than all other Men, but the power and virtue that is poured forth in the Unction of the Holy Ghost, hath the power in the offering, and is the Key. 50. Whosoever will worthily enter into the Church, must bring with him the Temple of Jesus Christ within him, or at least he must fully take such a resolution and purpose, that he will bring it out with him in his Heart, otherwise his going in and coming out is but a committing of Spiritual seeming holy, but indeed Hypocritical, whoredom, and is no whit the holier when he cometh out, and had as good have been standing in the Market showing his pride in his fine clothes, for the people to see him, and then perhaps he had not caused many honest hearts to Err. 51. This we had a purpose to signify, by the knowing of this Figure, that a Christian should not look upon the show of Churches, but consider that the Church is but a † F●●bild. Type & Resemblance of Christ, and that he is not a Christian that entereth into the resemblance and approveth of that, but he is a Christian that wholly giveth himself up into Christ's Incarnation, Suffering, and Death, and dyeth to his hypocrisy in the Death of Christ, and riseth from the Death of Christ, in a New Will and Obedience, and who according to his inward ground, is and liveth in Christ, who himself becometh the Temple of Christ, wherein Christ worketh with his power and virtue, and thereby killeth sin in the flesh; such a one is a Christian in Christ, and may rightly enter into the * Or, Type. Resemblance of Christ, and exercise his Christianity therein, such a one will hear God's Word and keep and ponder it in his heart. 52. And though a Cowes Lowing, in its sound, should declare the Name of God, yet Christ preacheth in himself, but none that is dead can awaken another that is dead, nor † Mat. ●5. 14. Luk 6.39. one that is blind show the way to another, but both will fall into the Pit, saith Christ. 53. Further, the Spirit of Moses sets down in its figure the Death of the Patriarch Isaac, and saith: * Gen. 35.27, 28, 29. And Jacob came to his Father Isaac to the Head City in Mamre, called Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac were strangers, and Isaac was an hundred and eighty years old, and gave up the Ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people. This is a figure, showing, that the children of Christ in this Pilgrimage are but strange children, and have nothing for their own in the world, and come all again in the End to their father who hath created them; as Jacob came again to his father before his End; thus also are we in this Pilgrimage in these Earthly Churches but household servants and strange children, for we must in the End go into our father's right Country, viz. into the Angelical Church of Christ. CHAP. LXIV. Of Esaw's Genealogy: and of the very excellent, and emphatical Figure, which is signified by Joseph the Son of Jacob. And what is thereby to be understood. Upon the 36 of Genesis. 1. THe thirty-sixt Chapter of Genesis, Gen. XXXVI. is the Genealogy of the Potent and Princely Family of Esau, showing, how God gave him much wealth and many children, and children's children, and the Spirit setteth down a great Register in describing his children, and children's children, relating what great Princes and Dukes were descended of him, and possessed the Glory of the World: Whereas on the other side, when he speaketh of Jacob, he doth not mention any present worldly Glory; but only speaketh in the Figure of Christ concerning the kingdom to come. 2. Whereby we see very clearly, that Esau doth stand in the figure of the Kingdom of nature, and that the Glory of Nature fell to be his lo●t; and that he became a Great Prince, and begatt many Princely Families, also we see how God blessed him, and made him great, and how the Holy Spirit with especial * Care and diligence. Observation hath Recorded and specified his posterity, to signify, that we should learn rightly to understand the Figure of Jacob and Esau, and not go on so blindly, as to condemn Esau into the bottomless pit of hell, as too too frequently is done: for we see how his Father Isaac did appoint and assign unto him a very rich and wealthy habitation upon the Earth, and that to him God would give many Temporal blessings, but his figure in Adam's Nature must perish; and Christ must arise in him, so that from ESAV the † The swinish bestial earthy property. SAV might be done away, and he remain steadfast in the ‖ The Angelical eternal property. E, as An Angel, Ein Engel whereunto Christ in jacob's Figure would help him. 3. The Spirit of Moses giveth also to Esau a name, and calleth him * Gen. 36. ●. Edom, who dwelled upon Mount Seir, under which a very secret understanding is couched: for EDOM, doth signify, in the * In the Hebrew. High tongue, one red coloured, who in his hard, strong, and † Text. Mountainous. rough Nature, should be Tinctured Red by the Red Blood of JESUS CHRIST. Gen. 36.6. 4. And the Spirit saith further: That the two brothers did separate themselves one from another, which signifieth, the Natural Adamicall Esau, who must be separated with his [Evil] will from Jacob, that is, from Christ, for the natural self-will shall not see God; Moreover, it signifieth, how Evil and Good should separate themselves in the Kingdom of this world, and each possess its own principle. 5. These NAMES of the children of Esau do in the Language of Nature contain their worldly Kingdoms and Dominions, intimating how they have divided themselves, even unto the Ends of the world, whereof in * Note, another place in other writings of his. Another place, seeing it would take up too much room, and the time also of the clear signifying of it, is not yet fully at hand; Enough to those that are our School-fellowes. Note. THe Third Part of the Mysterium Magnum was published in Germany as a Complete Treatise of itself under the Name of Josephus Redivivus. But when the whole Book came to be printed together, there was only the first Part, and the Second Part, which comprehended the Third Part also as one with the Second. Yet because the History of Joseph, being an Exposition of the last 14 Chapters of Genesis, is so excellent and entire a piece, it may well go as a Third Part of the Mysterium Magnum, as it is here distinctly divided and Printed by itself, with a several Title Page, as followeth. THE THIRD PART OF THE Mysterium Magnum: BEING THE MOST EXCELLENT HISTORY OF JOSEPH, WHICH IS The Clearest Figure of the Newman Regenerated out of the Earthly Old ADAM. AND IS A Looking Glass, wherein Every one may try, examine, and discern what Spirits Child himself is. Written by JACOB BEHM, Teutonicus. Beginning at the XXXVII Chapter of Genesis, and the 64 of this Mysterium Magnum, and at the 6 Verse, and ending at the L. and last Chapter of Genesis, and the 78 and last Chapter of the Mysterium Magnum. LONDON, Printed by Matthew Simmons. 1654. 6. THe Thirty-Seventh Chapter, concerning Joseph, Gen. XXXVII is indeed the most pleasant, and excellent figure of the New Man Regenerate out of the old Adam; Which [New Regenerate Man] is become a Prince over the Kingdom of Nature, and also a Lord over all his Adamicall Members, being the brethren of the little child Jesus in him; as ‖ Gen. 42.6. Joseph became a Prince in the whole Land of Egypt, and a Lord over all his brothers, and whole kindred and family; and it shows us very emphatically and pregnantly in its figure in the history, how a man must become such a Joseph; also how it then goes with him, and how the world dealeth with him, before he be made a Prince over the Adamicall Kingdom of his nature, and that the New Man may obtain the Government and power over his earthly Members: How the Devil in the wrath of God doth Assault the precious Lilly-twigg in the power of God, out of which the chaste Joseph springeth, groweth, and is brought forth, and first casteth him down into the Pitt of darkness in flesh and blood, and there hides him, that so he might be destitute of all help, comfort, & assistance, and be even forced to perish. 7. As joseph's brethren did to Joseph, even so the Earthly members of the old Adam do likewise to this Lilly-twigg of the new birth, in the chastity of Christ's Spirit, whereat the Devil is also busy, and continually stirreth up the evil Beasts, full of carnal, greedy, and burning lust, in flesh and blood, so that they strive to domineer and have the upperhand. 8. Externally, or from without, the Devil also bringeth Potiphars wife, viz. unchaste lewd people, to him, who would fain defile the chaste countenance of the inward Ground, and Egg on the Earthly flesh to feed upon the whoredom of the world, and all lascivious lewdness, wantonness, and vanity, and draw the same unto it with the Imagination; and bring the new Joseph to commit Adultery with Potiphars wife; but he must so violently and resolvedly break through, and force his way from thence, that he must be fain to leave his Garment, that is, his * All whatsoever he hath, or is. Substance; and fly from thence nakedly, and resignedly in spirit and power, that his chaste virginity may abide steadfast before God. 9 And if Joseph doth thus wrestle, and suffers not flesh and blood, nor the base world to hinder or overmaster him; than it will become his utter enemy, and betray him to death; because he will not commit lewdness and whoredom with her; and than Joseph, viz. the † The real earnest conflicting Christian. wrestling man, is cast into prison, viz. into reproach and contempt for the sake of his chastity and fear of God; and he must hid himself under Christ's Cross, under his yoke in his suffering and death, and live as a Prisoner in misery; the world rejecting him as one not at all worthy to tread upon the Earth; Accounting him as a prisoner, that is imprisoned, and despised for whoredoms sake; desiring to have no converse nor intercourse with him; being that the chief Masters, and Great Ones (viz. Potiphars wife) do revile him, and accuse him of unchastity. 10. Which wife doth also signify the false [Babylonish] hypocritical whore with all her dissemblers and flatterers in the fine Adorned house of Christendom; who when they cannot catch Joseph with their whoredom and hold him, but that he doth strongly get away from them, than they exclaim out against him falsely, and keep his Garment for a Sign, accusing him of unchastity, viz. of Idolatry, and * One, of dangerous Principles or opinions. heresy, and call him a dreamer, a ‖ A whimsical fellow. fantastical fellow, and a schismatic, as happened to Joseph. 11. And when the Master heareth it, than he believeth this Potiphars wife, viz. the painted, and fine accomplished hypocrite, in the house of hypocrisy; and so Joseph cometh to be suspected of the Master, and is rejected of him, and cast into the prison of Affliction, and there he must live in misery and scorn as a guilty person, and yet not guilty. 12. But this contempt, banishment and affliction is good for him, for thereby he is drawn from the pride and whoredom of the world, and all its falsehoods, which might assault his flesh and blood, and hinder the new birth; and thus the precious Pearle-plant grows under Christ's Cross in the disrespect, and tribulation of the world, and becomes great and strong. 13. But in the mean time God doth send honest people to such a Joseph, who take pity and care of him, and maintain him, and acknowledge his innocency, and show themselves friendly and kind towards him, and consider his chastity and fear of God, and do also respect him, and provide for him, till the inward Prince in God's power be fit for the Government, and then God bringeth him out of prison, and giveth him the Sceptre of Government to be a Prince in his Wonders, and to rule and govern in Divine Knowledge over God's wonderful Works, as Joseph over the Land of Egypt; In which * In such a condition. type and figure this Pen is likewise born, and indeed no otherwise; which yet is hidden unto reason. 14. This is now the Sum of the Exposition of the History of Joseph; but seeing it is so very rich and full, we will make a fundamental explanation upon the Text; for a direction, and manuduction to the loving reader, who also intendeth to become a Joseph; if he shall be in Earnest, and learn to observe, and know himself in this figure; he will see what Spirits child hath made these writings, for he will find this † That Pen of Iron or point of a Diamond is that engraveth in the heart. Jer. 17.1 Gen. 37.1, 2, 3, 4. Pen [Engraving or writing] in his Heart. 15. The Text saith; Jacob dwelled in the Land wherein his Father was a stranger, namely, in the Land of Canaan. These are the Generations of Jacob: Joseph being Seventeen years old was feeding the flock with his brethren, and the Lad was with the Sons of Bilhah, and with the Sons of Zilpah his father's wives; and Joseph brought unto his Father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his Children; because he had begotten him in his old age; and he made him a Coat of many Colours. And when his brethren saw that their Father Loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak friendly to him. The inward Figure is this. 16. Jacob had cast his fleshly natural Love upon Rachel, being she was fair; and seeing that the line of Christ in the Covenant did lie in Jacob Rachel was shut up, so that his seed was not manifested in her in the natural manner of the flesh; until Jacob & Rachel were grown old, and neither of them loved each other so any more according to fleshly love, but only desired a fruit of their seed; wherefore also Jacob and Rachel prayed unto God, that he would open her, and make her fruitful; and when this was brought to pass, out of this seed of Jacob sprang forth a Line, which did set forth and represent a figure of the pure natural and right Adamicall humanity, which birth, in the figure, typifieth, how Christ would again beget the Adamicall humanity * Unto. in its primitive chastity, purity, and fear of God. 17. For in Lea (viz in the simplicity and lowliness) the line of Christ arose, and sprang forth, and in Rachel the line of the first Adamicall man in his Innocency, viz. a figure of the same; which figure did represent, how a Christian should stand at once both in Christ's Image and in Adam's Image; and what a Christian in this world should be inwardly and outwardly, and how he must become a Christian: therefore saith the Text; † Gen. 37.4. Jacob Loved Joseph more than all his children: the cause was this: Joseph was sprung forth out of jacob's own natural line, of his peculiar natural Love to Rachel, wherein the line in Christ's Love in the Covenant had also imprinted and manifested itself; and it was a punctual representation in the Figure of a new Regeneration, how a true Christian should stand, after that Christ should be revealed in the flesh of the humane nature. 18. And therefore Joseph was so inclined in his Mind, that he could not conceal any falsehood, but when he heard any evil of his brethren, he told the same to his father: this his brethren could not brook, and therefore they called him a betrayer, and envied him; for the spirit which reproveth wickedness and falsehood was revealed in him: for * Joh. 16.8. Christ should reprove the world for Sin; but being he now did represent a Christian, he told it his father, out of whom HE should come, who should reprove the world, and we see very clearly, how flesh and blood [viz. joseph's natural brethren] in the Type of Christendom, became an utter enemy to the type [viz. to the true Christian Joseph] and they could not speak a friendly peaceable word unto him; for it doth sorely vex, and offend the Serpent in flesh and blood, when Christ comes and will bruise its head. 19 Moreover we see very evidently, how the Spirit of God did manifest itself in Joseph, and signified to him, the figure of his Constellation, so that he could understand Dreams & Visions after the same manner as the Prophets in the Spirit of Christ saw visions, and could expound them; so also Joseph. 20. As it was showed unto him in a vision how he should be a Prince over his father and all his brethren, which doth directly point out the inward man in the Spirit of Christ, who becomes Prince over his Father's Adamicall house; in the Type and figure whereof Joseph stood outwardly, and therefore the external figure was set forth and personated in him by the hatred of his brethren towards him; signifying how the multitude of the world would be hateful, scornful, and opposite Enemies to the New child in Christ's Spirit; and also how it would be done by those who were Christians, and did boast of Christ, and were also such in the inward ground, and how the Adamicall man would not know and acknowledge Christ in a true outward and manifest manner, but ignorantly despise, and contem him in his brethren and members. 21. To signify, that Christ in this world hath taken on himself, the Reproach, in the Righteousness of God, and that he would not only in his own humane Person suffer scorn, and bear Adam's reproach, seeing he departed from the Image of God, but that he would also suffer himself to be reproached in all his members, and children, so that he would also bear Adam's reproach in them, and * Rom. 8.29. make them like to his Image. 22. Therefore must jacob's children, who also were in Christ's line, according to their natural Adamicall Man, reproach, revile, and hate the Image of a true Christian Man in Joseph, to show how one Christian would exercise, provoke [and persecute] another in zeal, and despise his fellow-Christian, for a natural Opinions sake, as it now is and ever hath been practised in Christendom, namely, that the one party hath despised contemned and hated the other, because of natural Laws [Rights or privileges] and the Opinions of a supposed service of God. 23. As Joseph was hated of his brethren † Or, for the knowledge of his visions. because he had visions, so is now adays the divine wisdom (which revealeth itself in God's children) vilified, and hated of the natural Adam; which scorn and enmity doth wholly proceed and arise from the Pharisaical Laws and Canons, from the Concubine of Christ, the Stone-Churches, and their Ministers, which do disgrace and vilify the Concubine of Christ, themselves, as it appears very evidently, and thereby they contemn & despise the children of Christ. 24. For by the Concubine of Christ, the Churches; the Babylonish Tower of the high Schools, and Universities is built; and from thence come the confused * The confusion of several Opinions and conceits in men's Minds. Languages, so that Christ is not understood in his children, when they in the simplicity of Christ, declare and expound the visions of Joseph [the mysteries of Christ's Kingdom] then these strange Languages despise it, for they have gotten, upon the Tower, other Languages, from the Compaction of the sensual Tongues, where every sense, of the literal Spirits, hath brought itself into a form of a several peculiar Tongue or Speech. 25. And the height of the Tower giveth the difference or distinction of speech to this sensual Tongue; so that they do not understand one another in their understanding, [or ground of their meaning] which height signifieth the pride of self-love, from which the five vowels do hid themselves, so that they understand † Mat 22.29. not the power of God in God's children, in the simplicity of Joseph, but call him a Dreamer, an expounder of Signs, a Schismatic, a fantastical fellow, an Enthusiast, a Fool, etc. 26. Thus in the room and place of our Adamicall Gild and Crime, Christ is despised in his children; and thus * Mat. 3.15. Christ fulfileth the righteousness of God in his children, and hereby the old man is also mortified; and it is well for the Christian Joseph that it goes thus with him, for otherwise he would not be thrown into the World's pit, and be sold to the Midianites, that he might come to Pharaoh, and there become a Prince. 27. Therefore a Christian must not be grieved, and perplexed at the hatred of his brethren (in that they hate Joseph) but rather think with himself; O! that thou also wert cast into joseph's Pitt, that thou mightest thereby be brought away from the house of Sin, & come likewise into joseph's Prison, that so thou mightest have cause to fly from the world; and that this Prince (that giveth Joseph to understand the divine visions in his word of power) might be also manifest and born under the Banner of Christ's Cross; that in thee also the divine chastity of Joseph (the pure Christian virginity) might be manifested, that thou likewise mightest obtain such a godly chaste heart; this aught to be the wish and will of a Christian, and not that he may become great by means of the Tower of Babel in the Strange Languages; of whose difference and several variety, the height [of the Tower,] viz. Pride, is the author and cause; so that men will not understand one another in Love, meekness, humility, and in the simplicity of Christ, * Acts 17.28. in whom notwithstanding we live and have our being. 28. Therefore, O thou poor confused, and distracted Christendom, thou art bidden and entreated by the affliction of Joseph, to see, from whence thy affliction and misery cometh; from no whither else, save only from the hatred of thy brethren, which also are in Christ's Line, as joseph's brethren: observe it aright; thy wound, and hurt, thy misery and affliction, doth come only from the Tower of Babel, from the Titles, Dignities, and Preferments of thy brethren; who in their pride of the Confused Tongues are entered into self-love; observe it I beseech thee, all strife, division and contention in the world ariseth from thence. 29. But thou sayest; this Tower doth advance me to honour and esteem, and makes me high and rich; so that I by means of the strange Languages (of my literal endowments, and Scholastic Learning) can ride over Joseph, and am able to bind him, so, that he must lie in the pit, and thus I am Lord in Christ's kingdom upon the Earth. 30. Harken, and mark it, we have heard a watchman say; the Midianites come and take Joseph with them, and bring him unto Pharaoh, and there thine unfaithfulness, and unrighteousness shall be discovered; how wilt thou then stand before the face of Joseph? The time is nigh at hand. 31. Or dost thou think that the affliction of Joseph shall not be avenged, behold in thy miserable Famine, and distress, when thou shalt hunger and thirst, even than thou must make thy Address, and supplication to him: the high Tower will give thee neither comfort nor deliverance: the Time is come about that joseph's Affliction is to be Avenged, and Reubens whoredom with jacob's Concubine is come before Israel. 32. Why makest thou such long delay, and flatterest thyself, playing the Hypocrite, and sayest, not yet a good while, behold! it is come before the Eyes of Israel, that thou hast committed whoredom a long time with the Concubine, and defiled the line of Christ: Israel will no longer endure it: thou shalt with Reuben be cast out of the high Office of Sacrificing and Governing; This is the voice which the watchmen have pronounced. 33. ‖ Gen. 37.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. When Joseph had had the two Dreams; the one of his sheaf standing upright, before which the sheaves of his brethren bowed; the other of the Sun, Moon, and Eleven Stars, which had done obeisance to Joseph: Envy forthwith arose amongst them, and they supposed he would be their Lord; and being that they were the Eldest they desired to rule over Him. 34. Whereby we see, how the outward man hath only sought, and aimed at the Kingdom of this world; which was even the bane and undoing of Adam; in that he forsook the inward, and sought after the outward. 35. * Gen. 37.3. joseph's particoloured Coat which his father made, signifieth how the inward power of God would again be revealed through the outward man, whereby the humane nature would be variously coloured (that is, mixed with God) as the inward spiritual Kingdom with the outward. The Spiritual Christian figure, is thus [to be understood.] 36. Joseph with his Coat of many colours was as yet a Lad both tender and young, and had not yet the wit, craft, and suttlety of the world, but spoke the truth in simplicity; for his soul was not yet defiled from without with the craft of lying, and the Spirit of God began to † Work, act, or move in him. drive him forward, for his Coat of many colours was a figure of the inward. 37. This figure prefigureth, and representeth to us the Image of a true young Scholar, and beginner in Christianity, how he must be when the Spirit of God shall drive, and act him; namely, he must turn his heart to God his Father, and learn to love him hearty; As Joseph loved to be with his father, and told him the evil that was committed among his children; so must a beginner in Christianity daily bring before God all his own miseries, and the miseries, and sins of all that belong to him; yea of all Christendom: As Daniel confessed the sins of the People of Israel before God; and Joseph the evils of his brethren before his father; so also a true Christian doth daily confess the misery and sin of his People and Nation in hearty Compassion, that God would be merciful to them and preserve them from Great Evils and Sins. 38. And when this is brought to pass, his heart becometh very simple, honest, and upright, for he desireth no craft, but would fain have all things proceed righteously and justly; and he cannot abide any unrighteousness, or subtle deal; for he always confesseth the people's unrighteousness before God; and thus his mind becometh altogether simple, and seeketh no kind of craft or suttlety; but putteth his hope and confidence in God, and liveth in the simplicity, and lowliness of heart before God and the world; and he is as the tender young lad Joseph; for he hopeth for good continually from God his Father. 39 Now when a man is come so far, than Joseph [viz. the chaste virgin child of Sophia] is even born; then God his father clothes his soul with the particoloured coat, viz. with the divine power; and forth with the Spirit of God in him beginneth to play with the soul, as he did with Joseph; for the Spirit of God seethe through the soul, and with the soul (as Joseph in the Type saw things which were to come, represented to him in the vision of dreams, whereby the Spirit did also play with the soul) even so the Spirit of God doth forthwith take delightful communion with the soul of a new Joseph, viz. with the inward spiritual world; so that the soul understandeth divine mysteries, and seethe into the Eternal life, and knoweth the hidden world, which yet is to be revealed in man; as this Pen hath found by Experience, from whence it hath received its Spirit of knowledge. 40. Now when this man beginneth to speak of divine things and visions, of the hidden worlds divine mysteries, and speaketh forth the wonders of God, & that his brethren, (viz. the children of the outward world in whom the hidden spiritual world is not yet manifest) do hear it; they count it a mere fable, and a melancholy Chimaera, and whimsy, and esteem him foolish, in that he speaketh of those things, which they cannot understand, and comprehend; they make a mere Fancy and Fiction of it; also they account it some astral instigation or false Enthusiasm, or the like; especially, if he revealeth, and reproveth their evil works, and ways, as Joseph did; then they turn his open Enemies, and grudge him his very life, as happened to Joseph. 41. Now when it is thus; Reason beholdeth itself at a stand, as if it were confounded, and knoweth not the ways of God; viz. that it must be thus with the children of God: it thinketh, thou seekest God, and he bringeth thee into distress and misery: thus this man doth now wander up and down; as Joseph wandered in the * Or, Field. Wilderness when his father sent him to his brethren to see how it was with them. 42. So it goeth likewise with God's new children, when God's Spirit sendeth them to be zealous about the affliction of Joseph; and the world doth every way hate and persecute them for it; then they think in the Reason of this world; dost thou not go in the ways of God; wherefore then doth it go so with thee, that thou art but the fool of the world; and then the Mind beginneth to be troubled, and knows not how it is with it; for he heareth, that he is every where accused for a frantic wicked person, and hated; for the young mind in flesh and blood understandeth not the divine process; viz. how reason must become a fool, and how Christ doth very willingly take upon himself, in man, the reproach and scorn of the Devil, and of the world; and how God's righteousness, and Adam's propagated Gild must be always fulfiled with suffering, how a Christian must stand in Christ's figure. 43. And now when it comes to be thus, then Reason goes truly a wandering in great sorrow and desertion with Joseph in the wilderness; and is every way in distress; and yet he must perform his father's Commandment, and Will: but God forsaketh not his Joseph; but sendeth him a man to comfort him, and show him the way to his brethren; as happened to Joseph, when he was a wand'ring in the Wilderness. 44. That is; he sendeth to him also a truly zealous Christian▪ who knoweth his ways, and comforteth him, exhorting him to persevere constantly in the ways of God; whereby this new Joseph doth again receive courage, and strength, and comes into the right way, and goeth readily and boldly to his brethren, and seethe what they do, and what they intent. 45. That is; he setteth the command and will of God before them (as Joseph did the Command of his father;) and when they see, that he will reprove them with God's Word, than they cry out; lo! † Gen. 37. 1●. There is a Dreamer, and a frantic fellow; he will come & make us believe strange things; he inveigheth against our good Customs, wherein we have honour and good days; What? shall this fellow reprove us? He is not come from the high Schools and Universities; and yet will take upon him to teach, and reprove us; let us consult how we may take him out of the way, and slay him; What, shall we endure this poor silly fellow to teach and reprove us? What is he? he is but a Layman; and shall he control us? Moreover, he is not called; and it is none of his vocation; he puts himself forth only that he might be taken notice off, and get himself some Name and fame among the people: but we will so silence him that he shall be the fool of all the world: we will lay his honour in prison, and make him be scorned, hated, and persecuted, for an Example to others that shall offer to assault or trouble us; that so he may learn to tarry at home, and attend his worldly Vocation, and leave it to us to judge of divine matters, who are appointed and authorized by the Magistrate, and have studied in the Universities, and there have learned such things. 46. Thus they take the poor Joseph, which cometh to them by his Father's command, and bind him with reproach, and shame, and exclaim against him falsely, and rob him of his Coat of many colours in the sight of all his brethren, which coat God his Father hath made him; as jacob's Sons did to Joseph, and continually † Gen. 37. ●8. 20. consult how to kill him, and take him wholly out of the way, as joseph's brethren did. 47. But as Reuben the eldest brother did hinder it, and would not suffer them to kill Joseph; and yet that he might not be wholly against their Counsel, he said, * Gen. 37.22. Behold here is a pit in the Wilderness, into that we will cast him, and send his Coat of many Colours to his father, that he may think some evil Beast hath devoured him. So God raiseth in their counsel, Reuben the eldest brother, who hath power to hinder the counsels and decrees of the false Pharisees; viz. Some honest pious Man in Authority who resisteth the murdering counsel of the Pharisees. 48. And although he doth not wholly oppose their counsels, yet he resisteth and stoppeth the actual execution of their wills, and saith; Kill him not; cast him only into the pit, and strip him of his coat of many colours, that he may have no more Dreams; and this he doth that he may deliver him from the murdering Sword. 49. ‖ Gen. 37.23, 24. 3●, 32. But they take him (as joseph's brethren did Joseph), and strip him of his Coat of many colours, and cast him into the pit in the wilderness, and take his Coat of many colours, and dip it in Goates-bloud, and send it so to his Father; that is to say, they deprive and bereave him of his honour and good name by their slander, and take his words and doctrine, and make false constructions and conclusions thereof, and bedaub them in Goat's blood; that is, with false understanding and sense, and send forth such reproaching Pamphletts and Libels among the people, and before his Father; viz. before the whole Church and Commonwealth, and cry out, lo! this defiled Coat is this man's; and thus they murder the Spirit of his father, in the Coat; that is, in his Name they scandallize, slander and reproach him falsely, and say of him, that he doth vilify the Blood of Christ with his Coat of many colours; and thus they deceive his Father; viz. the whole Congregation with the false Goates-Bloud, wherein they have dipped his Coat; so that the people think, * Gen. 37.33. A wild beast hath torn Joseph in pieces, that is, they think the Devil hath possessed this man, and that he is a false [wicked] man. 50. Thus the Father, viz. the people, and the Magistrates are, by this defiled coat, deceived by the sleight of joseph's brethren; that is, by those who themselves are to teach the way of God, so that they think that the Devil hath devoured this man, and hath possessed his heart: and thus the poor Joseph is thrown down into the Desolate pit, and lieth in misery, as * Zech. 9.11. in a pit wherein there is no water, and wherein he can neither be drowned, nor receive any refreshment; but sitteth as wholly forsaken of all the world; and waiteth now what God will do with him, since he thus rejecteth him by men. 51. Here now he hath no help or secure from any man; his best friends also account him mad and foolish; his Name is as an Owl among the birds; for thus he must pass through the Judgement of God, and be even the scorn of all men: If he shall attain to the Contemplation of the divine Mysteries, than he must first be judged, and come under the censure and judgement of the world; that they may judge his inbred Sins, and Sacrifice them before God, that he, in the † Or, as a follower of Christ. figure of Christ may force through the judgement of God, and come to the Divine vision within himself. 52. Thus a right true Christian (before he attains the Science of the divine Mysteries) must be wholly severed from the pleasure and honour of the world, and become altogether foolish, and a child to his own Reason in himself; and also outwardly be accounted a fool, as the world likewise, esteems him a foolish silly fellow when he forsaketh temporal honour and Goods for the Hope of the Eternal Good which he seethe not. 53. And when it goeth thus with poor Joseph, that he must lie in the miserable pit, his brethren are not yet content, that they have cast him into the pit, but * Gen. 37, 28. they draw him out from thence, and sell him to the Midianites, that he may be carried from them into a strange and foreign Country; that is, they take his Name, and Doctrine, and send them into foreign Countries, whereby joseph's Coat of many Colours doth by divine appointment and providence come to be known. 54. But they intent treacherously and falsely towards him, and so sell Joseph to Reproach, Derision, and Servitude, to serve the world and to be their footstool, and scorn; as happened to Joseph from his brethren, and hath also happened to this Pen. 55. Thus † Gen. 37.36. Joseph is brought into Egypt, and sold for a Slave, * Gen 38.1, 2, 3, 4. but God. is with him, and giveth him understanding, and wisdom, that he is made his Master's Steward, so that his Master ‖ Or, undertakes. doth nothing without him, but entrusteth him with all things: So also when the Spirit of Joseph (though in a spiteful manner) is sold into strange Countries, where his Person is not known; yet the wise do take especall notice of the Spirit [of his sense and meaning] and know him, and see that God hath given him his wisdom, and Spirit, and receive his Writings and Doctrine, and Order their whole life according to it; and thus Joseph cometh to sit in the chief office of Pharaoh's Steward, and Governeth his whole house. 56. But for all this Joseph is not yet passed through the Judgement, for even in this Government he first meeteth with the greatest danger of his life; for there * Gen. 38.7. the Steward's wife burneth in lust towards him; that is, the false Sects, who would fain woo and wed themselves into his Spirit, and therewith Adorn their Doctrine and Do; for Temporal Honour, Art, and Science; and if this Joseph's Spirit will not mix itself with their humane fiction and fables, than they exclaim against him, and say all manner of evil of him, and accuse him of unchastity, viz. of false Doctrine; and appeal him before the Steward, that is, the Magistrate. 57 And then † Gen 38.20. Joseph must be cast into prison, and lie there captive, and be tried to purpose; till God shall bring him out again from thence, and set him before Pharaoh, and then his wisdom and fear of God is revealed, that it is plainly discerned and known that his understanding is given him of God, and so his understanding is made Ruler over the Land of Egypt; so that he ruleth not only strange Nations, but his own brethren must at length also come unto him in their famine, when the right understanding of the divine manifestation (and mystery) is scarce and rare with them, and he nourisheth them also by his wisdom; thus God hath sent him aforehand to be their father, that they afterwards must be fain to come and seek and enjoy their brother Joseph's wisdom among * Or, Strange. other Nations. 58. For so also did † Matth. 5.12. Israel persecute the Prophets, till they were brought into darkness and Idolatry in the Lust of their flesh; and all those things came upon them of which the Prophets told them; and then, when they sat in hunger, and misery, & their Land was full of Abomination; they sought out the writings of the Prophets, and even then they acknowledged that, what they had spoken was true, and that they had done them wrong, and * Matth. 23.29, 30. Adorned their Graves, and said, Had we lived in our forefather's time, we would not have killed them; but the Most High doth so order his Judgement that it beginneth at the House of Israel; and he extinguisheth his Anger and Indignation in the children of Grace; for the Blood of the Saints in the power of Christ hath at all times resisted the Anger, so that † Mal. 3.6. Israel hath not been consumed. 59 * Gen. 37.28. 20 pieces of silver. Joseph was sold for Twenty pieces of Silver, and † Mat. 26 15▪ 30 pieces of silver. Christ for Thirty, to signify, that the humanity of Christ is higher, and perfecter than the humanity of others which are his children, being he was not conceived of the Seed of man, but sprung forth in the Natural Tincture in the lights property; but the Adamicall Soul is from the fires property, from whence the light receiveth its Original, and manifestation; so that the lights property in Christ assumed the fires; viz. the Adamicall Soul; and the inward hidden [divine, and heavenly being] which was sealed up, and quite faded as to the Light's life, in Adam, did again open and put forth itself afresh. 60. Therefore seeing a Christian is under Christ, and in Christ becometh again manifest in God; the figure of Christ is represented here in this figure in the Number of 30. and that of a Christian in the Number of 20: for a Christian is sold into the hands of men to suffer; but Christ must not only suffer in the hands of men, but give himself up also to the wrath of God, whereupon he sweat blood. 61. And this whole history of Joseph doth excellently decipher to us, how a Christian standeth in his figure before God and the world: for the * Or, History. whole Acts of Joseph do paint out, how Adam cometh to be a Christian; how he must in the process of Christ be put into Christ's figure, and become an Image of Christ; and how God doth in Christ's process exalt him again in the Kingdom of Christ, and setteth him at the right hand of God; as Joseph was set at the right hand of King Pharaoh after that he had continued in the process of Christ, and was brought through it. CHAP. LXV. Of Juda and Thamar, being a Mystical Figure of Adam and Christ, in which the New Birth is excellently prefigured. Upon the 38 Chapter of Genesis. WHen we consider the History of Joseph according to outward Reason, than Reason demandeth; Goe XXXVIII Wherefore joseph's history is not set down together in the Bible (without any interruption) whereas One Act followed so upon another? Why doth Moses put this typical figure of Judah and Thamar between? But if we look upon, examine, and consider this History of Juda and Thamar, and likewise the figure of Joseph with a Right understanding, we find, and see that the Holy Ghost hath of set purpose so ordered and disposed them in their Right and true Order. 2. For, Joseph representeth a true Christian, showing how he must behave himself before God, and the world, and how he is put in the process and figure of Christ; but this History of Juda and Thamar is a figure of a Christians growth out of Adam's Image, according to the humanity in the Kingdom of Nature: showing how he must spring forth out o● the first Adamicall Image, and how this same Adamicall Image is evil and must die, which the Anger of God killeth, and yet that the first right must stand; that a Christian according to the humane Nature and property is only the Adamicall Image, and no new or strange thing, and how Christ manifesteth himself in this Adamicall evil Image, and killeth the evil; and yet during the time of this life outwardly it hangs to a Christian; this the Spirit here powerfully prefigureth. 3. Hear we see a powerful figure in Judah, in whom stood the line of Christ in the Order of the Genealogy, out of which Christ was to be manifested; * Gen. 38.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. This Judah went away from his brethren, and applied himself to a Man of Odoliam, called Hira, and there Juda saw a Cananitish Man's daughter, called Suha, and he took her and went in unto her, so she conceived and bore a son, and he called his Name Er, and she conceived again and bore a son, whose Name she called Onan, and she conceived once more and bare another son, whose name she called Selah, and she was at Chesib when she bore him; and Judah gave his son Ere a wife, whose name was Thamar: but he was evil in the sight of the Lord, and therefore the Lord slew him; then said Judah to Onan, Lie thou with thy brother's wife, and take her in Marriage, that thou mayest raise up seed to thy Brother; But Onan knowing that the seed should not be his own, when he should lie with his brother's wife, he let it fall to the ground and destroyed it, lest he should give seed to his brother, and it was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, which he did, and the Lord slew him also. This Figure * Or, is thus to be understood. stands thus. 4. Judah stands here in the figure of Adam, in that condition as when the Covenant of Grace concerning the seed of the Woman was again inspired or inspoken into Adam, just so he standeth in that same figure, showing, that the Covenant of Grace stood in the Evil Adam, as Adam then was: for as in Judah the time of Christ, viz. the Covenant of Grace was in Motion, as a boundary reaching to Mary, so also it was in Adam, and so along to and in Judah. 5. And Thamar standeth in the figure of Eve, into whom God had inspired or inspoken his Promise, the Word of Regeneration, that the seed of the Woman, in the power of the Word, should break the Serpent's head, so she standeth as an Earthly Eve, in whom inwardly the Covenant of Grace stood, and outwardly there was the Corrupt Eve, which in this figure standeth outwardly as a whore, out of whom yet the Line of Christ sprang in Perez her son; as Abel out of Eve, though Eve were indeed become Earthly: and we see here the Type very plainly, how the Spirit playeth and taketh delight in this figure with the Old and New Adam, as also with the Old and New Eve. 6. For Adam was, in his Lust, gone forth from his father's house, as Judah to the Canaanites, and had taken to him in his Lustful desire the Cananitish Woman, the four Elements, of whom he begat Three sons, the first called Er, or Gerard, viz. self-will or desire, wherein the Kingdom of the Nature of Man stood in selfe-desire or own will, and this son was the first world before the Deluge or Flood, to this the father gave him his Name, to signify, that he lived in the Father's Nature. 7. The second son she called Onan, whom the Mother called so, which pointed at the second world after the Flood, for the Nature of the Father in Man said to God, O no O nein my Lord, drown me no more, and the Mother, viz. the Woman of this world in Spiritu Mundi, in the Spirit of the world, in the Expressed or out-spoken Word and Life, gave her son this Name; for God had inspired his Grace again into her, that this her second son, viz. the Other world, should not be drowned with Water; therefore this Name standeth thus in the high figure, & is called ONAN, for the Spirit hideth it in the High Tongue, and calleth him Onan, or O nein, O no. 8. The Third son she called Selah, and she was at Chesib, when she bore him. CHESIB signifieth in the * Either the Hebrew is here meant or rather the Language of Nature. High Tongue an Exhaling in, and recomprehension, that is, this Selah signifieth the time of the Manifestation of the Law, wherein the Divine Will in the Word, hath manifested itself through the Expressed Word, and comprised it in a Law or Commandment. 9 These three sons signify the Three Times from Adam to Christ: Er is the Time before the Flood in self-will, Lust and desire; Onan is the second Time after the Flood; This son, viz. the World after the Flood, hath known God's Judgement and punishment, which began to Weep and Lament before God, saying; O nein, O no Lord, punish us no more thus. 10. The Third Time, is the Time of the Law, viz. a manifesting and laying open of sin, and is justly called Selah: for this son saith, I have found my soul again in the Lord, but it was not he yet, which Thamar, that is, the hidden Eve, in whom the Covenant of Grace lay, could marry, he could not raise up the seed of the Woman: for Christ was as yet hidden in the Law, therefore Thamar must wait till Selah be grown up, that is, the Law must wait till the fullness of Time, yet nevertheless, Thamar, that is, the New Eve, which lay hid under the veil of sin, must conceive through the Spirit in the Covenant, and bear the Line of Christ, hidden to the outward Thamar or Eve; as this Figure of Judah and Thamar showeth it. The inward Figure standeth thus: 11. Judah gave his first son a wife, called Thamar, but he was evil in the sight of the Lord, therefore the Lord slew him; That is in the inward understanding as much as to say, God gave to the first world, viz. to the first son Er, this Thamar, viz. the promised incorporated Covenant in the seed of the Woman; but they looked only upon the outward Eve, and committed whoredom with her, so Thamar remained unfruitful by this son, and bore only the outward Eve in her whoredom; and thus Er, viz. the fleshly desire, was evil in the sight of the Lord, therefore the Lord slew him with the Deluge. 12. When this son was slain, the Spirit of God said to the Second son after the Deluge; take thou thy brother's wife, and raise up in Thamar a seed out of the Line of the Covenant, that is, enter thou into the first Covenant of the Woman's seed, and bring thy will into the Obedience of God, and work in the promised Grace; but the second son, viz. the second world would not marry with the divine Will neither, nor work in the Grace, but spilt their seed upon the Earth, that is, they set their desire● upon Earthly things, and would raise up no seed in the inward Eve in the Covenant of Grace, but introduced their seed into earthly vessels, and bare children of fleshly voluptuousness, as is to be seen in the children of Nimrod, and presently after in Sodom and Gomorrha. 13. But God having signified his Covenant of Grace to them by Noah, that he would no more slay them with water, when they said, O nein, O no, Lord, slay us thus no more; and they had promised to walk before him, and bring forth fruit to him, but they brought their seed into vanity, and spilt it before the Lord, and would not marry Thamar, viz. the Inward Covenant of Grace, but committed adultery with the Earthly Eve, and spilt the seed of their soul, before the inward Eve in the Covenant, than the Lord slew this Onan also, viz. Sodom and Gomorrha, and the Heathen, when Israel drove them out of their Land, and slew them; for those Heathens would not marry the woman in the Covenant, but they * wedded themselves to. married their Own Reason, and made them Idols, and spilt the seed of their Faith before them upon the Earth, and therefore the Lord slew them also, as he did Onan. 14. And the Spirit speaketh further in the figure under an Outward Act done, and saith; † Gen 38.11. Then spoke Juda to Thamar his daughter in Law, saying, remain a widow in thy father's house, till my son Selah he grown up, for he thought perhaps he may die also as his brethren, so Thamar went home and remained in her father's house. In the first world before the Flood, as also in the second world after the Flood, the world lived free, without the divine Law; for they were married with the Covenant of Grace, and should have lived under the Covenant of Grace, viz. under the Promise of the Woman's seed; this Woman's seed married herself with them, as Judah's son with Thamar; but they only committed adultery with the Earthly Eve, and so the true woman in the Covenant remained unfruitful in them. 15. But when God gave the Law, than he promised this woman in the Covenant of Grace under the Law, the true Selah; but she, viz. the woman's seed in the Covenant, should remain a widow, under the Law, till Selah grew up, that is, till the Law had attained its time and limit, in that, should the woman in the Covenant remain in her father's house, hidden under the Law, as a widow in her state and condition: for the Law should govern under it: but she, viz. the holy woman of Grace should be still and quiet, that the wrath of God, (for the sake of this high Grace, which he gave to Man, when they regarded it not, nor did not receive it and live therein) should not slay Israel also, as Judah thought the Lord would slay Selah also. 16. And we rightly see in this figure, that this woman in the Covenant was not given to Selah, viz. to the Law, though the Law waited long for it; yet Selah might not marry this woman in the Covenant of Grace, but Judah, that is, God's word and power must again lie with this woman's seed in the Covenant, and raise it up, that this woman conceived and bore the woman's seed, which was fulfiled in Mary, as we see by the figure of Judah and Thamar, how Judah, when she sat before the door, and waited for his promise that he would give her Selah, did get her with child himself; for the Law could not get the right Thamar in the Covenant with child, but the word in the Covenant must move itself and get Thamar with child. 17. For we see here the most powerful figure of the whole Old Testament; where Judah standeth in the figure in the Line of the Covenant; as his father Jacob declares concerning him; and Thamar his daughter in Law, of whom the children of the Covenant should raise up seed in the time of Judah, standeth in the figure of the inward and outward Eve; Inwardly she signifieth the Mother of the Covenant of Grace, in which stood the Incorporated Word of Grace, and outwardly she stood in the figure of Corrupted Eve, in whom the Covenant lay inwardly. 18. And now the Line that was sprung up out of this Covenant, should sow divine seed, and bring forth fruit in God's kingdom; and that they could not do for, their own selfe-power and Might was lost: therefore the first Eternal Speaking Word, that had inspired or inspoken the woman's seed into Eve, must again move itself, in this incorporated Covenant of Grace in the woman's seed, and itself get this woman with child, that she may bring forth Christ, as Judah got his daughter in Law with child in this Type. 19 The Text of Moses saith clearly thus; * Gen. 38.12, 13, 14. When many days were overpassed, Shuahs' daughter, Judah's wife, died, and after Judah's time of mourning was out, he went up to shear his sheep at Timnath, with his Shepherd, Hirah of Odollam: Then it was told Thamar, behold thy father in Law, goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep; then she put off her widow's apparel that she wore, and cast a Mantle over her for a veil, and sat without far from the door in the way to Timnath; for she saw that Selah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife. The Inward figure † Is thus to be understood. stands thus. 20. In Judah lay the root of the Covenant, which pressed on to the Limit, where it should be manifested in Christ; and so stood Judah here in this figure in the place or stead of the divine Word; which Word, God inspired or inspake into Adam for an understanding Life, John 1. therefore the Text saith here, Judah's wife the daughter of Shuah, died: This woman died to Adam: for it was the Mother of the heavenly Birth, in the heavenly world's substance, for which, Adam mourned, and when God had ordered him for this world, than his mourning ceased; for he thought he was now at home, and went forth out of Paradise, to eat Earthly fruit, like the Beasts, or living creatures, therefore saith the Spirit here; He sheared his sheep; which might well be done so by Judah; but the Spirit hath here the most secret figure under which Adam is comprised: for the Spirit saith; Judah took his Shepherd Hirah of Odollam along with him. 21. In the figure this Hirah is the Cherubin, which sticketh in the earthly desire and bestial clothing of Man; which Adam took with him, when he went out of Paradise, to shear the sheep of this world, for the same, viz. the Earthly desire was his shepherd: for that now keepeth the beasts and sheep, and did shear them also, so that Adam had clothes and things necessary. 22. And the Spirit calleth the place Timnath, where Judah had his sheep; In the high Tongue this understanding lieth very clear in the sense; for TIMNATH is nothing else but the Expressed word, in its powerful re-expression, and it signifieth the Spirit of this world in the Elements, wherein the outward mortal Life consists, wherein Adam had his sheep, and now also, therein hath them, in his children. 23. For in this place, Selah is borne, viz. the Law of Nature, which offereth righteousness to Man; for which Law, Thamar, viz. the Covenant of Grace waited a long time during Selahs' youth, to see whether the Law could be married with the Covenant of Grace; but it could not be, that God's righteousness could be fully performed by the Law, and that Thamar, viz. the Grace in the Covenant, and the Law, might enter into marriage. 24. Now the Spirit here signifieth clearly, that when God's Word had manifested itself in the world by the Law; that Thamar, that is, the Covenant of Grace, laid aside her widow's apparel, and had set herself in the way of the Word in the Law, where, under the Law the Spirit of the Prophets out of the Line of Judah, went onward concerning the Kingdom of Christ; this Spirit, would have the Covenant of Grace for a Spouse, for it was the right [Spirit] from which the Prophets under the Law pointed at Christ. 25. But Thamar, that is, the Covenant of Grace, vailed her beautiful Countenance, from the Earthly Adam, and was ashamed of the deformity of the Earthly Man, in that the children of the Law, as also the Prophets were outwardly so earthly; even as Thamar veiled her countenance from Judah; but when the time was come, that the Covenant should be manifested; then the Spirit of the Covenant sets its self before Selah, viz before the Law, for the Grace should receive Adam into itself again, as Thamar received seed from Judah her father in Law, and suffered herself to be gotten with child. 26. But the holy Countenance of the Covenant of Grace in its power remained yet hidden to Adam in the Law, as also to the Prophets till Christ; as Thamar veiled her Countenance from Judah her father in Law, that he knew her not; so also the Covenant of Grace stood in the Law, but with a veiled Countenance. And the Spirit speaketh further in Moses and saith. 27. Now when Judah saw her, he supposed she was a whore, for she had covered her Countenance; that is, when the children in the Law heard the Prophetical Spirit speak of Christ; they supposed it was in their Law, and of the Law, but it had veiled its countenance like Thamar, and Judah went towards her on the way, and said; Prithee let me lie with thee, for he knew not that she was his daughter in Law, that is, Adam's Nature in the Law, said to the Prophetical Spirit of Grace, pray let me come in unto thee, lie with me, I will give thee seed of my Nature, and it knew not that God was in this Spirit, and desired to mix with him after a creaturely manner; neither knew it, that this Prophetical Spirit, was the incorporated Spirit in the Covenant, in Man himself: so very blind was the Adamicall Nature concerning the Covenant. 28. The Adamicall Nature thought, it was a whore, that setteth itself forth so in the Prophetical Spirit before it, therefore have the Jews so often slain the Prophets; for they supposed they heard a false whore's Spirit speak: but here the figure of Judah showeth, that the first Adamical Nature should mix with the Covenant of Grace, that the heavenly Ens would receive the Adamicall humane Ens again into itself; and Man himself would not understand, what God would do with him. 29. The Adamicall Nature would indeed in its lust, long after the heavenly Ens, but would not know it; although it should see the same, yet it would think, that is like unto me, I will commit whoredom therewith, so strange a thing is Paradise become to Adam. 30. And † Gen. 38.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 when Thamar with her face covered, presented herself before Judah in the way, and that he said to her▪ Lie with me; th●n said Thamar to Judah, What wilt thou give me to lie with me; He said I will send thee a kid from the stock; she answered, and said, then give me a Pledge till thou send it; and he said, what wilt thou have me give thee for a Pledge? she answered, and said; Thy Ring, and thy Bracelet, and thy staff, which thou hast in thy hand: and he gave them to her, and lay with her, and she was with child by him; and she arose and went away, and laid off her Mantle, and put her widow's apparel on again. 31. Hear the Spirit alludeth very finely in the figure, how Adam's Nature lieth with the presented new Eve in the Covenant, and yet knoweth her not; also how the Covenant lieth with Adam's first right Nature, and how they meet together in strange apparel, when Adam's Nature saith, Lie with me, and would have this Eve in the Covenant only for a little pleasure sake, as the Adamicall Nature doth in its selfehood, that it might only in its false seeming holiness lie with the New Eve, and its heart is far from the true wedlock Marriage, and only draweth near her in an hypocritical whoredom, as is done in the Office of the Pharisees: then saith this Eve to the Adamicall Nature, what wilt thou give me; then this Adamicall Nature promised her a kid, that is, a Bestial desire and will, full of the burning Lust of flattery and Hypocrisy. 32. But this Eve, viz. Thamar, saith; give me for a Pledge thereof, thy * Seal, Ring, or Signet. Ring, staff, and Bracelet: the Ring is the soul, which came from the Word of God: the Bracelet is the Spiritus Mundi, the Spirit of the world, viz. the Outward Spirit; and the Staff is the Body: these, will the New Eve, viz. the Line of Christ in the Covenant, have for a Pledge; these † Habiliments or precious Jewels. Ornaments must Adam give for a Pledge to the Covenant of Grace, viz. of the woman's inward seed in the incorporated Grace of the heavenly world's substance. 33. When this dear Eve in the seed of Mary should lie with Adam, and receive Adam's seed into her holy Birth; as Judah, in whom lay the line of the Covenant, must give Thamar, who stood in the Image & Type of the New Eve, viz. of the Heavenly world's substance; these Ornaments and Jewels, viz. his Ring, Bracelet, and Staff: Both which stood in the figure, showing, how Christ should be manifested out of Adam's Nature in Mary, wherein lay and was manifested the right Thamar, or New Eve. 34. And when Thamar had gotten the Ring Bracelet and Staff for a Pledge, she took them and laid them up, and asked not after the kid, but kept these Jewels and went from thence, with them, and changed herself again into her former widow's Estate, and hid herself from Judah, that he knew not who she was, nor whence she came. 35. This now is the most excellent figure, showing, how the Spirit in the Covenant mingleth and uniteth itself again with the heavenly world's substance, viz. with the New Wedlock or Eve, viz. with Adam's faded substance, which is from the heavenly world's substance, which substance faded or vanished in the Fall; viz. how God becometh Man, and Man becometh God, and how this Image or Type (conceived in the New divine seed) even then again hideth itself from the Earthly * One Copy saith, Eve. Adam, that Eve must put on and wear her widow's apparel again, that the Noble seed might not be known in this world, as is to be seen by the children of Christ, who are conceived of Christ according to the inward ground, how they must, after the wedding of the Lamb, viz. this Divine wedlock or Coition, which is indeed done in the soul with great joy; enter again into the state of mourning, and be forsaken in this world as a poor widow. 36. And as Thamar inquired not after the kid, but would have an eminent Pledge; so the Spirit of Christ in the Covenant inquireth not after the outward solemnity & Pagintry; wherein Men will Offer Gifts to it: It will have the Body, Soul, and Spirit for a Pledge. 37. In this figure it representeth the Jewish Offerings, as a whoredom in the sight of God, for as Judah committed whoredom with Thamar, and intended only the whoredom, and would give a kid for it: so also stood the Priests of the Law, and in seeming holiness and hypocrisy play the Harlots with God, with the Blood and flesh of Beasts, which indeed was a figure of the Inward, and God was pleased to bear with it; but he would not accept their Offerings, neither did he mix himself with the Offering, but with the Faith in the Body, Soul and Spirit of Man, whereof we have an excellent example. 38. Judah had begotten three sons of the Cananitish Woman; but the Line of the Covenant which lay in him, would not pass on in the Cananitish Woman and her children, but Opened itself in this whoredom of Judah with Thamar, in Perez; whom Thamar conceived of Judah by this Coition or lying together, with which figure God represents the misery of Man, and presents his Covenant of Grace with the Opening of this precious Line of the Covenant, which pressed on to the Limit, Christ; in this whoredom of Judah and Thamar, viz. in the Earthly Adam, and in the Earthly Eve; but in the inward ground of its Essence: to signify, that even the children of God in their corrupt Nature, do but commit whoredom in the presence of God, and that their state of wedlock is but whoredom and a defiled bestial thing in the presence of God; and hath nothing at all therein chaste or pure in the sight of God: Therefore the Line of the Covenant manifested itself in this whoredom of Judah and Thamar, to signify, that Christ should come out of this Line of the Covenant, and enter into the middle of this whoredom as a Mediator, and break the head of the false whorish desire and earthly Serpent, and purify our fleshly impure bestial Conception with his heavenly virgin seed, and in himself change it into the paradisical Image again. 39 Also God doth therefore manifest the Line of his Covenant in this whoredom of Judah and Thamar, that his wrath in our humane impurity might not burn up and devour body and soul, but that the Covenant of Grace might withstand the Anger in our impurity, lest God should devour Israel in their Abominations and impurity in his wrath. 40. Now seeing the Line of the Covenant as to its manifestation and propagation lay in Judah and that Israel also was impure according to the Adamicall Nature, therefore God did represent his Covenant of Grace at the first propagation from the stock of Israel in such a figure; that the Faith of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, in the first branch from them, viz. in Judah and his Children, might withstand his wrath, and that continually the Faith of Abraham, viz. the Spirit of Christ in Abraham's Faith, might be a Mediator between God, and the impurity of Man. 41. We see also such a figure in the Royal Prophet David with Bethsheba, upon whom also the Line of the Covenant pressed on in Solomon, and though clearly David caused her Husband Vriah to be slain, and used deceit that he might get Bethsheba to wife, which in the humane Nature was an Abomination and great sin, before the face of God; yet the Spirit hath its figure in David thus, seeing God had renewed his Covenant of Grace with him concerning Christ, therefore God set the line of his Covenant in David's unrighteousness in the woman that he had gotten to himself with unrighteousness in whoredom by murdering her husband, to signify, that all humane matters and do are vain and evil in the sight of God, and that he will come himself with his Grace to help our sins and impurity, and introduce his Grace into our sin and slay it with the Grace, therefore God represents this Image and Type in David, for an Atonement, pointing at the coming of Christ, who when he rendered himself into this figure, took on him the sins of all Men, and cleansed again the whoredom of Judah and Thamar, as also of David and Bethsheba; and of Adam and Eve, and laid himself in the Marriagebed with them, as he did with Judah and Thamar, and with David and Bethsheba, in whom the Line of the Covenant was manifested in their evil purposes and do. 42. For here the Old Proverb was fulfiled; Where God erects a Church, there also the Devil builds a Chapel. God had built a Church of his Covenant in Judah and David, close by also the Devil in God's anger buildeth his Chapel in Man's Lust; but the Church of God always resisted the Devil's Chapel. 43. For, here in this figure the seed of the Woman presents itself, showing, how it would break the head of the Serpent in Man's impurity: and so the Type of God's Anger, and the Type of Grace were represented in one figure, viz. Adam's fleshly whoredom with his Eve, and all her Daughters, and then the woman's holy seed of the heavenly world's substance, which, with the Word of Grace, mediated, interceded, and set itself in the Middle. 44. A much more excellent figure we see in the Most wise King, Solomon, who stood just in the figure of Judah, as Judah was the son of Jacob, who received and embraced the Promise; and Jacob stood wholly in the figure of Christ: so David also received and embraced the renewing of the Covenant of the first Promise; and David begat this Solomon also of an unrighteous Marriage, though he took her to wife, yet the unrighteousness and Murder * Lay under the green leaf. stood behind the Door. 45. This Solomon was endued with high Divine wisdom, and the Line of the Covenant pressed and passed through him, but at length he became such an unsatiable † Uxorious, Luster after women; Lecherous person. Luxurious Person▪ that the Scripture saith of him, he had ‖ 700▪ Concubines. seven hundred Concubines, and * 300 Wives▪ Three hundred Wives, and mixed himself with the daughters of Heathenish Kings, and took them to wife, and allowed his Heathenish Women to set up their Idols Images for Idolatry in the high places at Jerusalem. 46. In this eminent figure, the Spirit signifieth, that Man is fallen away from God, and merely Idolatrous; that Adam and all his children in their own Nature, are such a bestial adulterous and Idolatrous Generation: and in this King Solomon, represents the Line of the Covenant subjoined with these heathenish Idolatrous adulterous Concubines, who in their own nature were but an abomination in the presence of God, to signify, that Christ out of this Line of the Covenant should set himself in the midst amongst the Heathen, and tear Idolatry out of their Hearts, and Convert them all to Christ. 47. Also to signify, that God did bear with the wise Heathens under the Patience of the figure of Christ, and that he did represent by the Jews only a prefiguration or Type of the Temple of Christ; and that the Jews in their Nature were but Idolatrous adulterers as well as the Heathens, only that in their Law they had the Type and prefiguration of Christ in their Sacrifices and Offerings, at which the Covenant had respect, showing, how God would redeem and purify both Jews and Heathens, from Adam's abominations and Idolatry, and that the one people in his sight were as the other, & no whit better, but every one of them were the evil Adam; Therefore the Spirit represents them perspicuously in the figure of Solomon in the Line of the Covenant, * Rom. 11.32. that he may have mercy and compassion upon all for Christ's sake, who should fulfil and accomplish this Line. 48. And hereby is signified to the Teachers in Babel, part of whom account Solomon damned in regard of those Heathenish Idols; that they themselves lie under the veil, as the Jews did under the Type of Christ, and do really understand the Scripture as little as the Jews, and stand in Contentious Idolatrous whoredom in the presence of God, as Solomon with his Concubines did, and the Jews. 49. For Solomon had the Law, but at length with his heart he committed whoredom with the Heathenish women's Idols; and so doth Babel, who calleth herself a pure child, pretending the Name of Christ, and striveth zealously and vehemently about it in Opinions, and all the Opinions about which she contendeth are salomon's Heathenish Women and Idols, and no Polemic or Contentious Opinion is any whit better. 50. For, Christ sticketh in no Contentious Opinion, but in the Line of his Grace he is entered into the midst amongst us, and if we receive him, than he taketh us also in it to himself, and there needs no strife or Opinion about it, but this one thing he requireth of us, that we continue in him, and then he will continue in us, and that we love ourselves in him, as he loveth us in himself, that all of us may be cleansed from the wrath of God in his Love, and that his Grace and Love may wash all of us that come to him from our sins and Idolatrous abominations, and make of Judah, Thamar, David, Solomon, and all the children of the Jews, Heathens, and Christians, a pure Virgin, prepared for himself by his love in his Blood, which he hath bestowed upon us in his Grace, that we may acknowledge and put on him in that love, and be one Spirit and body with him, and then Adam is helped and restored again. 51. The Spirit of Moses in the Text saith further thus. † Gen. 38.24, 25, 26. After three Month's it was told Judah, saying, Thamar thy Daughter in Law, hath played the Harlot; moreover, behold she is with child by whoredom; and Judah said, bring her hither that she may be burned; and when they brought her forth, she sent to her Father in Law, and said; from the Man whose these are I am with child, and said; Dost thou know whose this Ring, these Bracelets and this staff is? Judah acknowledged it and said; she is more righteous than I; for I gave her not my son Selah, yet he lay with her no more. This is a powerful figure, showing, that whoredom is an Abomination in God's sight, and how God sets man's sins before his eyes, and here it signifieth this to us, that the Adamicall whoredom and Abomination are manifest before this Covenant of Grace, and that, Man in such abominations is guilty of Hell-fire, as Judah judged his Daughter in Law Thamar to be condemned to the fire, and knew not that he himself was the whoremonger, who stood in the like condemnation. 52. And here in this figure the Spirit presenteth men's false Judgement, that they even do the same thing which they condemn, as here Judah condemned the whoredom of Thamar to the fire, and saw not his fall, that he himself was guilty, to signify, that Christ also had set himself in the Judgement of the world in this Line of the Covenant, as a righteous Judge, who would separate right from wrong, and condemn the whoredom and Idolatry of the world: But on the other side, we see in this figure, how Thamar presented the pledge, viz. the Ring, Bracelett and staff before the Judgement, and before the severe sentence of Judah, and therewith did overthrow Judah's determinate sentence, and still his wrath, that he must take compassion on her, and justify her. 53. Thus also stood this figure before God in the Inward Ground in Judah and Thamar, with Adam and Eve; for Adam had brought himself into fleshly earthly Lust, and committed whoredom with his feminine property through his Imagination in a bestial manner, and had forsaken the heavenly Magic way of the divine wedlock: therefore also the heavenly woman died as to him, and in the stead thereof the earthly bestial one awaked, with whom he now useth the bestial manner in whoredom. This God presents in him, viz. in Adam himself, in his Judgement, and would condemn Adam to Death, as indeed God's righteousness then condemned him. 54. But the reincorporated Eve in the Covenant of Grace, which hath incorporated itself in Eve, viz. in the faded seed of the Woman from the heavenly world's substance, presented itself before the severe Judgement of God, and said to God's righteousness; behold I am with child from the Man whose these are; that is, behold, I have taken Adam's Soul, Spirit, and Body, for a pledge, when I joined myself with him, and am betrothed to him, and have received the Father's Nature in the awakened anger into my Love, and am now with child of the Humane Nature, and shall bring forth a God-Man. 55. And when the Father's Property in the Souls Nature in the Anger knew, that the Father had sown himself again into the Grace, viz. into the New Eve in the Covenant, than said the Anger of the Father in the Soul, when this Grace went to meet it, to this new Eve; Thou art more righteous than I, for I have caused Adam's impurity, that he is become earthly, and hath committed whoredom before me, and I have not given Selah for a husband to the New Eve, that is, I have not given the Word of the New Regeneration by and in the Law; therefore hath Thamar, that is, the New Eve, under the time of the Law, laid and Copulated with Judah and his children, for and about the soulish or animale and humane Nature; and left, Selah, viz. the Law standing in the figure; and the Grace of the New Eve in the Covenant, hath always joined and mixed itself with God's children, as is to be seen in the Saints, especially in the Prophets, who outwardly lived under the Law, and exercised themselves therein, and yet always joined and mixed themselves with the New Eve in the Grace, and yet lived not to the Law, but to Grace. 56. And this is the powerful figure in this place, showing, how the Covenant of Promise in Judah, and the awakening of the Covenant in the Woman's seed stand always set one opposite to the other, and lie and Copulate one with the other in the Love, pointing at the future manifestation in the flesh, in Christ. 57 For this figure of Judah and Thamar in the inward Ground, is nothing else but this, that outwardly the adulterous evil Adam with his fleshly Eve, is represented in the figure, viz. outwardly the Man of sin with a sinful figure, and inwardly the betrothing of the New Eve in Regeneration. 58. And the Spirit speaketh further in Moses, and saith; * Gen. 38.27, 28, 29, 30. And when Thamar was about to bring forth: behold Twins were found in her womb, and as she was upon the Birth, one of them put forth a hand: then the Midwife took a Red third and tied about it and said: This is the first that cometh forth; but when he pulled back his hand his brother came forth, and she said; Wherefore hast thou for thy will made this breach, and his name was called † Pharez. Perez: Afterwards his brother came forth, who had the Red third about his hand, and his Name was called ‖ Zarah. Serah. 59 O thou wonderful great God, who art so high and deep: how simply, and to the capacity of a child, dost thou modellize thy wisdom to us? What is all Art and Wit of humane Greatness before thee, who dost so very much condescend, bow down, and humble thyself, and presentest thy deepest wisdom and highest profundity in a childish simplicity, which may justly shame all humane State and selfe-wit, when they see so great Mysteries of God stand in such Childishness. 60. O World, how foolish art thou? that thou Elevatest thyself in a blind life, and still cleavest to the husk, and seest not what thou art, and understandest not the Divine Simplicity, and then how wilt thou apprehend the Divine Depth? O leave off thy wit, and cleave to simplicity, that thou mayst yet obtain a child's understanding, and be not accounted in the sight of God more unwise than the Beasts, which remain in their clothing and condition, as God hath Created them; O thou World, why sleepest thou in the Devil's Arms, who succles and dandles thee in himself, and bringeth thee to his will and life by his might. O do but see it. 61. This potent figure in these Twins, one of which put forth the hand, which the Midwife bond a red third about, and thought it would be the first, but it drew the hand back again, and his brother came forth: prefigureth this to us; how Christ in this Line of the Covenant assumed the humane Nature, and so the humane Nature according to Adam's right and self-will, in this world, first puts forth and manifests itself, about which Adamicall Nature in the humanity of Christ, must this red third, with the shedding of his Blood, be bound. 62. When this is done, then must the humane Nature with its right, draw back again, that is, Adam's will that was gone forth, must again return into the Mother's womb, viz. be turned in to the Word, and then cometh the inward New Adam forth, after which followeth the Adamicall Nature with the Red third; then saith the Mother to the New Adam in Christ, why hast thou for thy will made this Breach, for thy will saith the Mother, not for thy will sake, but for the sake of that which driveth thy will forth, and Adam's will goes back; thus hath the will in the Covenant of Grace powerfully broken through the strong Bar & enclosure of the first Principle, viz. of the Kingdom of God's Anger; for, the Good Will in Adam was shut up in Death, and in Hell, and in Christ, he rend that powerful Rent, and broke through Death and Hell back again into the Kingdom of the Eternal Nature, and turned itself forth again into the Natural Life, so that the Kingdom of God was again manifested in the Humane Life. 63. This the Spirit represents by Thamar in the Line of the Covenant, and modelizeth Christ's breach through Death and Hell, how that should be; and by this premodelling was the whorish will of Thamar and Judah healed, and their children of whoredom in the Line of Christ were Espoused into the Covenant of Grace. 64. In Esaw and Jacob stood the figure, how according to Nature Adam had the right of the Kingdom, and how he squandered it, and is therefore in his Natural Will thrust out from the Kingdom of God, and how Christ came to help him. Here now stands the figure, showing how Christ hath gotten the Kingdom, and turned Adam back again, and in Adam turned himself forth, so that now Adam is called Christ, and presents himself very excellently in the figure of Joseph, and this standeth fitly and rightly between, in the intervale of joseph's history. 65. For Joseph is the figure of a Christian; and this of Judah and Thamar is a figure, showing how a Christian springeth out of Adam's Nature, and how Adam's Nature is turned in again, and Christ turned forth, and how this Image of a Christian Man in this world, is covered outwardly with the Earthly Adam, so that men cannot know it; also how thus Christ in Adam took his Gild upon him, and how Adam must be marked with this Red third, which Mark is rightly the Pledge that Judah gave to Thamar; And I would have the Reader of this admonished in Love, not to reject our Exposition of this Text, but to consider it and look narrowly and perspicuously into it, and then he will well perceive who was the expositor, if he be worthy of it. CHAP. LXVI. The Most Excellent History of Joseph: how he was sold to Potiphar; what befell Joseph, and of joseph's Chastity, and fear of God. Upon the 39 Chapter of Genesis. JOseph was brought down into Egypt, and Potiphar an Egyptian, Gen. XXXIX. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Pharaohs Officer, Captain of his Guard, bought him of the Ismaelites, who brought him thither; and the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous Man, and was in his Masters the Egyptians house; and his Master saw that the Lord was with him; and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand, so that he found Grace and favour in the sight of his Master, and was his Servant which he set over his house, and all that he had, he put under his hand; and from the time that he set him over his house, and over all his Goods, the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was every way upon all that he had in the house, and in the field, therefore he left all that he had under the hands of Joseph, and he meddled with nothing while he had him, but what he did eat and drink, and Joseph was a goodly person and fair of feature. 2. The History prefigureth to us a true Christian Man, what he is, and how he is, in this world, and what his Office is, that is, when Christ is manifested in him, he is no more his own, to do what he will, also in this world he hath nothing for his own, of which he can in truth say, this is mine, or I, I am he, that hath it, I possess it, it is mine own, I may do therewith what my flesh and my own will listeth, I may use it for my honour and pleasure, that I may thereby be * Or, high. aloft in the world: No, a true Christian hath none of that in his power. 3. He indeed ruleth of right over that which he hath and possesseth with truth and righteousness, but yet as a servant of his Lord Christ. For a Christian is a Christian in Christ, and is bought to a Christian Life, and to the obedience of Faith, by the blood of Christ, with Christ's † Thirty pieces of silver. thirty pieces of silver: whereof his Lord Christ hath committed to him, joseph's * Twenty pieces of silver. twenty pieces of silver, and set him as a Steward over it, that he may trade therewith and employ it, till he make it come to thirty pieces of silver, which he should wear in him and about him as a Mark or Badge of his Lord Christ, as a Treasure of his Christianity. 4. But seeing his Lord Christ was sold and betrayed to Death for thirty pieces of silver, and Joseph was sold by his Brethren to be a † Over whom the Master hath power of Life, and all he hath. Bondslave for twenty pieces of silver; in both these numbers standeth the figure of a Christian, viz. Christ when he is manifested in a Man, showeth him the thirty pieces of silver, for which he was sold to Suffering and Death, and this his suffering and Death he putteth upon him, in which is founded the figure of the thirty pieces of silver, viz. that he was sold and betrayed: and therein man becomes such a Christian as is founded, implanted, † Eingeatzed Etching of plates with Aqua fortis. engraven upon, and into Christ's sufferings and Death; and therein a Man becometh a Christian in Christ's sufferings and Death, and standeth in the figure of Christ, and looseth the right of his natural self-will, as also the kingdom of this world. 5. For in Christ's Death, as to his inward spiritual Man, he dieth from this world, and according to that inward Man, is no more in this world, but in Christ in God, viz. in the Kingdom of God, as it is written; * Luk. 17.21. The Kingdom of God is inwardly within you: Also; † Gal. 4.19. Examine yourselves, whether Christ have gotten a form in you; Also, ‖ 1 Cor. 3.16. Ye are the Temple of the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in you. Also, * Col. 4.12. Ye are the servants of Christ, and † Joh. 6 53. should eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and so * Joh. 15.7. he abideth in you and you in him: and † Joh. 6.53. without him ye have no Life; as an herb or grass, and all earthly things, without the power and virtue of the Sun, have no life, growth or vegetation and operation in them; so Man, without the Divine Sun, which through Christ hath manifested itself in his Christians, hath no life or happiness or salvation without Christ in him. 6. And as Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver, to suffering and death, which thirty pieces of silver signify the † Luk 3.23. thirty years of Christ before his Baptism, ere he entered into his Office and divine Government, according to the humanity, when he gave up his humane Will to God, and the Creaturely self-will ceased in him: so also must a Christian, when he is in truth in his own natural will, sold for twenty pieces of the thirty pieces of silver, to be a servant of God in Christ, to be a Minister or Officer, and Obedient to his Lord who liveth in him; then his by past years of the Adamicall Natural time of this world, are sold, in and with Christ, for twenty pieces of silver; and so the Adamicall time of his natural will, in this being sold, ceaseth in Christ's suffering & Death; and he is, by his Lord, (who is arisen from Death in him, and ruleth and reigneth over Death; set to be an Officer over Christ's Goods) to dispose of them through the Spirit of Christ, viz. in the power and virtue of his Lord, who is in him, in this world * As to the Dominion of Christ. according to the Kingdom of Christ. 7. As Joseph was taken away from his Father's house, and was first cast into the Pit, wherein he should have perished, and was afterwards sold by his brethren for twenty pieces of silver, to serve as a Bondslave; so also a Christian, is first taken away from his Father's house, viz. from the Adamicall Nature, and is cast into the Pit, viz. into Christ's suffering and Death, and then looseth the Adamicall inheritance of the Kingdom of this world, and is with his Will and Mind brought away from it, than he must yield up his Father's house, viz. all his selfehood, together with his natural Life, to his brethren in his father's house, that is, to the power of God in the Government of this world, and suffer himself to be cast into the Pit of the Death of his Natural will, and therein give up himself to the Death of Christ, and willingly die to the will of this world, viz. to his own Adamicall house, and willingly suffer all whatsoever his brethren of this world do to him. 8. And then if he thus lie in the Pit or Grave of Christ, and hath given himself up to the Death of Christ, that he willingly would forsake all for Christ's sake, and die the death of his own will, than Christ his Lord putteth on him, his resurrection from the Dead, and maketh him living with his power, and draweth him with Joseph out of the Pit and Grave of Death, and bringeth him into his service, as Joseph into the service of Pharaohs Captain of the Guard, and then all goeth prosperously in and with him, for the Divine power ruleth him, and now he attaineth Divine understanding and wisdom, and knows how to manage his Master's Goods, that, in the Christian figure, is as much as to say. 9 When a man is thus a Christian in such a process and way, than he hath given up all whatsoever he hath of Temporal Goods, or is able to do, as also his own will, to God, who bringeth him first into Christ's Image, and maketh him conformable to Christ, and taketh nothing away from him of that which he had before of natural right, viz. the disposal of Temporary Goods, but he taketh away the authority and power of his own Nature, viz. his evil self will, which Adam had brought away from God, and introduced into a Creaturely selfness of his own willing and working, in earthly things, whereby Adam bereft God his Lord of the Government in him, and made the Essence and things of this world his own; as if he had made it, and would not be God's servant therein, and be his fellow-Branches Guardian, and Nourisher, and give them his virtue, will, Essence, and substance, but saith; it is Mine, that is, it is mine own, I will keep it only for myself, and it shall remain with me, and would not work therewith in the Life of his brethren, and give them also of his life and power; and bereave them also (through that appropriation of it to be Mine,) of the power in the Kingdom of Nature, viz. of the growth and fruits of the Earth, which God gave in Common, and would only fill his own Body, and thereby be accounted Great, and a Lord of his miserable despised fellow-branches, whom he wickedly bereaveth of the sap, wherewith they should strengthen their life, and bringeth it into a propriety, calling it Mine; this authority God taketh away from a Christian, and maketh him a Guardian and Nourisher of his brethren again, viz. a Steward of his Lord: He lets him possess the Temporary Goods which he had, so far as he possessed them in a Natural right with righteousness and Truth, and maketh him a Joseph therein. 10. This Joseph now saith not, this is Mine, that Village, City, Country, Principality, Kingdom, Empire; Also that House, Land, Feild, Money, those Goods, those Cattles, that Woman, that Child is mine; but he saith with his whole heart & Conscience from a New good Christian will, it is all my Gods and his children's; he hath set me as a Ruler, disposer, and Steward of it: that I should manage it to that purpose which he will have me, I should sustain myself and his children, the needy, with it, and I should be their Curatour, or Guardian, and give them also my power, virtue, and understanding of the Divine Gift, and instruct, tutor, or take care of them for their good: and as God Governeth me with his Spirit, so also should I that am his Officer in this world, with my understanding and Office, govern my fellow-members in such power and virtue, and take care of them, for all that I rule over, is not mine, but Gods and theirs, but I should do to them as God doth to me. 11. To such a one God giveth joseph's understanding and wisdom, and governeth the house of this world by him, be he in what state and condition soever, therein he sits in the Office of God, he is only a servant or Minister of the Office, and a Guardian, over Divine Creatures; For the right Christian Government of his will, is in Heaven, his conversation is alike in Heaven and on Earth; as the Scripture saith; * Phil. 3.20. Our conversation is in heaven: for according to the inward ground of his Soul and Spirit he is in Christ in God: viz. in the Eternal Speaking Word, from which Adam's will had turned itself away, and turned itself out into this world, which will, Christ hath turned in again into the Eternal Word; and so now he governeth with that re-inturned will through and in the outward Substance and Matters of this world, viz. in the form outspoken or expressed Word, as a Servant, Minister, and Instrument, of the Eternal Speaking Word in its secret Mystery of wisdom, viz. in the visible Creaturely Word. 12. Therefore to thee, O thou Governor in the Office of the Joseph of this world, in every state, condition, and degree, this is told thee, and set before thy Eyes; that though thou callest thyself a Joseph, thou dost not yet Govern as a Joseph, that is, not as a Christian, but as a child of the Stars and Elements, thou governest not otherwise then the brethren of Joseph, who will not, that God should choose Joseph for a Governor; they will be Governors themselves, and will rather kill Joseph, then wait to try what God would do with joseph's Dream or Vision; they would not suffer that Joseph should tell their injury to his father; but would do what they thought fit: for they said among themselves, we are the Eldest, and should Govern, what will the least and youngest persuade us to? we possess the Government in a just way by the right of Nature; the power and authority is ours, we will dispatch Joseph out of the way, and cast him into the Pit, and then we shall do what we will. 13. Thus dost thou also, thou governest Christendom in all states & degrees; The Stars & the Evil averted Adam in his own will governeth through thee in God's Office in the Kingdom of this world, thou hast only cast the Mantle of Christ over it, that men should not know thee, that thou art the Evil Adam, and Governest with the Starry Wit and Ingenuity, and through the Subtlety and Policy of the Devil, in mere self-willed ways of thine own, to advance thy own Ostentation, Pomp, Might, Authority, and stately proud Glory. 14. O harken! art thou ● Christian? then art thou dead with Christ to the wicked false will of Adam, and of the Devil's Pride; but if thy Will and Life be heathenish, why dost thou then boast thyself to be a Christian? why dost thou make Wars, for Lands, Countries, Cities and Villages; If thou be'st not with Joseph called and instituted of God to be a Governor? Why dost thou in Christ's Kingdom enslave the Country, if thou art a Prince and Minister in God's Office, and servest him? 15. Art thou thy Own Lord upon Earth, and dost what thy own will listeth? then thou dost not what God will, also thou Governest not from Heaven, but from the world, and with the worlds Might; but whence hast thou that in Christ's Kingdom, and from what Power and Authority, that thou in God's Office drawest to thyself the sweat of the poor and miserable, and takest away his strength and virtue, and lettest him starve in want? Also, that thou squeezest or crushest him down with thy burden, that thou mayest but possess much riches, and heap up much for thyself, with which thou makest thyself potent; and lif●est up thy mind into Pride: whence hast thou that in Christ's Kingdom, that thou wilt be better than the Members of thy own body, and whereas in Christ we are one, viz. one Tree with many twiggs and Branches, and Christ alone is our sap and virtue, and taketh care for us a●l in common, for the Officer as well as the Branch; no otherwise then the Twig upon which the fruit groweth. 16. Thou Potentate in God's Office, dost thou not know that in thy Office, thou art a Branch in the Tree of Christ, and that fruit should grow upon thy Twigs; now if thou withdrawest thy sap from the twigs, and with thy rubbing breakest them off, what fruit can they bear to thee? they must needs whither in thee, and bring forth no fruit, of which thou art guilty, that the Branch, thou being in God's Office, standeth without fruit; What dost thou profit thy Lord, who hath planted thee? shalt thou not be * Mat. 3 10. Luk. 3.9. hewn down, and cast into the fire of God's Anger, as a dry piece of wood? Are ye not the Great Tree in the field of the world, standing in your twigs without fruit? What fruit do you bear? nothing but leaves, which fall off by the wind, and rot and go to the Earth again without fruit; and now what profit to Life is a Tree without fruit? no other but for the fire, or for the building of an habitation. 17. Thus also thou art only in thy Office a building and habitation, wherein God's children are to dwell; but they grow not out of thy stock, thou art only an Officer of or belonging unto a Constellation and Asterisme, and servest the Kingdom of separation in Evil and Good; as that pulleth down and buildeth up, so dost thou also; what one Officer buildeth up, another teareth down to the ground; but he that serveth in Christ's Spirit in this Office, he worketh with Joseph, the Blessing is every where in his Office, so that his Twigs bring forth much fruit in Christ's Kingdom. 18. Ye Nobleses and Potentates under the Name of Christ; whence cometh it to you in Christ's Kingdom, that ye are such, under a Christian Name? your Office is Gods, if ye govern therein as a Joseph, as a Minister of Christ, than it is right, and pleasing to God; But whence comes it in the Kingdom of Christ, that there is Nobility and slavery? Is not that Heathenish? wherein stands the Ground thereof? it proceeds from nothing else but from the Pride of the Devil and self-will. 19 Who planted you in the beginning? your Princes and Kings, whom ye have served; to what end are they? That Pride might be arrayed in brave apparel, and that men might not say of the high Offices of God; they are clothed with common apparel, but that they might be distinguished from the lowly and simple; and that was even Lucifer's Fall. 20. * Mat. 8.20. But Christ on Earth had not whereon to lay his head, neither house, nor any thing else; so also a Christian hath nothing for his own, but what he hath, he hath it for his Office sake, and serveth his Lord therein; but he that serveth otherwise, he serveth the Adamicall self, and not, Christ; and is no Christian, but a mere Titulary Christian; but he is a child of Nature, of the Kingdom of this world, in whose inward Ground Hell standeth, and serveth the Kingdom of Darkness: Outwardly he serveth indeed the Type of God according to Love and Anger, where all things together stand in strife, till the day of separation, and the Restoration of that which was b●fore such do. 21. For in this world all goes on in free will, that which hath no Law, hath also no Judgement; but that which hath a Law, that hath its Judgement in itself: therefore seeing Man, especially a Christian, hath a Law, viz. that he is no more his own, in that he is given up to another, viz. to Christ, and yet will not be subject to him, then is the Judgement in the Law, and Condemneth the own will and self. 22. We do not disallow of the Offices, which are Gods, as also the Officers are Gods Servants, we distinguish only what a Minister of Christ is, and what a Minister of Nature in humane selfehood is: if any one be in a Noble Office in the Kingdom of Christ, then is his Office Noble; but he is a Minister or Servant under this Noble Office, and is justly honoured in respect of the Office, we detract not from his honour, which his Office deserveth; but all selfehood in the Kingdom of Christ is the Evil Adamicall Nature, which is departed from God; for in Christ there is no Nobility, but we are all only Children and Ministers or Servants. 23. Our Adamicall Nobility is lost in Adam, but who Ever in this world in the Kingdom of Christ, is Noble, he is Noble in respect of his Office; as a King and Prince is Noble in respect of his Office, in which he serveth; but if he serveth not Christ therein, but only the Nobility of his Office, and his selfehood, and saith, the Power and the Kingdom is mine, he bereaveth God of his Power, and maketh it appropriate to himself, and becometh a Lucifer under the Office of God. 24. Even as Lucifer, who also was a Prince of a Throne, and a King in God's Office, but when he appropriated the Office to self, than he † Isa. 14.19. was thrust out, and another got the Office which he had in the Kingdom of God: but he remained indeed a Prince in his own Office, but not in God's Love, but in his wrath, wherein he must now also serve him: as also is to be understood concerning the Offices in this world. 25. For a wicked Prince and Nobleman, remaineth indeed in the Office, but he serveth not God's Love, but his Anger, as is done at present; where the Princes serve the Anger of God with murdering and wasting Countries and People, as in vengeance, and in the power of selfehood, wherein God's Anger also becometh Creaturely: but they do not that to Christ in Christ's Office, but to the Anger of God, who thereby punisheth the false and wicked Titulary Christendom with his Office of Anger. 26. For in Christ's Office there is only Love and righteousness, as also Humility and fear of God in self; But the Office hath the power to separate the Evil from the Good as a * Diaconissa Ministress. Minister of God, yet with righteousness, and not with self-will; He who saith, Thou shalt not kill, saith also to the Officer, that without the Authority of his Office he should kill none, neither should he do injury to any, though by virtue of his Office. 27. For the Office requireth a just Judgement, and then the Office killeth the † Wicked thing or substance. wickedness, and severs it from the Good, and the Officer is free from the Commandment of Death; but if he hath any evil intent in his will, there the Judgement passeth upon the Officer himself. 28. In Potiphar Pharaohs Officer, we have a powerful figure; who set Joseph over his whole House, and gave him full power to rule in his Government; showing how God hath set his Officers in his house of this world, that they should do and direct, Judge and manage things in a Creaturely manner, as God doth in them after a Spiritual manner. 29. For Potiphar took upon him no disposal of any thing, but let Joseph manage the Government; thus also are all Officers instituted in the Kingdom of this world, that they should outwardly manage God's Government; as Christ giveth a Similitude or Parable of ‖ Matth 25. from the 14 to the 31. Luk. 19 from the 12. to the 28. Stewards, whom a Lord appointed over all his Goods, and went into a far Country, and after a long time returned again to require an ccompt of his Stewards, where he distributed to the Officers, and gave one of them five Talents, and the other four Talents, to the third three Talents, to the fourth two, to the fift, one Talon, wherewith every one should trade and get gain; and then when he that had but one Talon had gained nothing, he commanded him to be bound hand and foot, and to be cast out into Darkness; and commanded also to destroy those murderers, and to burn their Cities, who after their Lord was gone away, and had committed his goods to them, and they presently in his house began to fight, and beat their fellow-servants, and to be drunken, and play, and kill his Messengers, which he sent to them. All which are Similitudes and Parables concerning his Officers in the house of this world, showing how he will punish the evil Householders with hell fire, and burn their Cities, viz. their Kingdom which they have built, in their own voluptuousness to their own glory and honour, and shut them out from his face for Ever: * Luk. 19 17. But the other who were faithful in his Ministry and service, he gave full power over his house, and gave them also the Government † Luk. 19.24. and Talon of him that had buried it in the Earth, and would not execute his office that was appointed him. 30. Thus all Potentates and Magistrates in Offices ought well to Consider this, that they ought to work in God's office, and have a care of his house, and not think, only to look after Nobility and High Estate, and think how to fill their Belly, and satisfy their pleasures with gurmundizing and gusling, Gluttony and Drunkenness, and to wrest the sweat of the miserable with unrighteousness, and lay it out upon their Pride and bravery, and constrain and press upon the miserable and inferior with power. All these, one with another, are the evil and wicked Officers, and the Murderers, which the Lord commandeth to be destroyed, and their Cities to be burned with the fire of God's Anger. 31. But at present the world is full of such Officers, to whom the Lord clearly for a long time sent many Messengers, but they have vilified and contemned them; therefore now is the time of the Lords Coming; for they have even now * Mat. 21.39. also killed his son, viz. the plain Truth of his Word, and turned it into mere selfe-lust and wantonness; therefore these householders must † Luk. 16.2. give an account of their Offices. 32. Moses speaketh further concerning Joseph, & saith; ‖ Gen. 39.7, 8, 9, 10. And it came to pass after this was done, that his Master's wife cast her Eyes upon Joseph, and said, Lie with me. But he refused and said to her: Behold my Master taketh no notice what is with me in the House; and whatsoever he hath, he hath committed it under my hand and charge; and there is nothing so great in the House which he hath withholden from me but thee, because thou art his wife; how should I then do so great an Evil and sin against God; and she pressed such words upon Joseph daily, but he obeyed her not to lie with her, or to be near about her. This is now the mighty * Or, Image. Type, showing how it goeth with the children of God, when they have attained the Divine Government in the New Regeneration, in that they must now converse in this house of flesh and Adamicall Prison, with their holy blessed Government; Also how the soul hath taken in Marriage this unchaste whorish-woman in the Spirit of this World in the bestial desire in flesh and blood; which whorish Woman now sets upon the chaste Joseph, and continually would urge and draw him to her amorous lust▪ that the New Virgin child might lie with the bestial whore again, as Adam did, from which lustful bed the Earthly Eve proceeded, with whom afterwards he copulated in his Lust, as all Beasts do. 33. This Lecherous Eve sticketh yet to the children of God in flesh and blood, and it is the Animal Soul, viz. the Mortal Spirit, full of Evil Lust and Impurity, whereinto the Devil hath yet stuck his Serpents-sting; for which cause the Body must die, and rot, also this bestial Spirit must be * Or, corrupt. destroyed, and go quite into its mother again, out of which it proceeded in the beginning. 34. In this whore, the Devil assaulteth the Noble virgin-child, Daily, viz. the chaste Joseph in Christ's Spirit, encompassed with heavenly Spiritual corporeity, viz. with Christ's flesh and blood. This virgin child is † Revel 12.1. the woman in the ‖ Or, Revelations. Apocalypse, that standeth upon the Moon, viz. upon this earthly whore, and hath Twelve Stars in the Crown upon her head, which woman the * Verse 4. Dragon in the Earthly whore would continually devour, when she bringeth forth the holy child, viz. the Noble Joseph, viz. the chaste and divine purity, which causeth woe to the Dragon in flesh and blood, that it must resign its Kingdom, and in that respect ‖ 15 Verse. powereth forth the Great † Flood or water stream. Deluge of Earthliness upon her, to slay the Child together with its Mother. 35. * 16 Verse. But the Earth cometh to help this woman, that is, the Earthly desire in flesh and blood, openeth its Throat wide and swalloweth this Dragon's flood into its self, seeing it is its like, that it may not hurt the Virgin Child; as Potiphars wives unchaste Dragons whorish floods and streams, did not hurt Joseph, in that he fled from her, and did not yield his will to her. 36. And this is first, the most powerful Proba or Trial of the children of God; that as soon as they attain the New Birth, than the Devil comes and stirreth up the fleshly whore in flesh and blood, and all false and wicked desires and Imaginations, and then injecteth and frameth in this whore, the Honour and Glory of the world; also Riches and the pleasure of this Life; also he modeleth and represents the Great misery and desolation, wherein the poor soul, in this world, must stand in shame and scorn; also, the great unworthiness of the soul; also he represents Covetousness, to think, all temporal good things and necessaries will fail, and so it should come into great Misery. 37. To the Potent and Rich, the Devil modeleth and represents in this their fleshly Serpentine whore, their Nobility and Highness, their Great Honour, Might, and Power; also voluptuous eating and drinking of dainty fare, and how they may acquire it with power and subtle policy; also he represents unchastity and wantonness: and to think, that if they should walk in humility and lowliness, they should lose the respect and reputation of the world; for who would fear and honour them, if they did not put themselves forward with ostentation? 38. All these are the words of Potiphars whore in flesh and blood, which the Devil stirreth up in the Serpents insinuated poison, with his Imagination, wherewith he plagueth the poor imprisoned soul in flesh and blood, and provoketh it to such and the like unchastity and sins: and this whore in the flesh saith continually to the soul, lie with me, copulate with me, thou wilt be blessed, happy, and saved well enough, use thy lust with me; and this she doth daily, that she might bring Joseph into Lust, viz. the New child, that the soul might by't at that bait, and defile the New child, and its fair Crown. 39 For, this whore is ashamed before this New child, she resembleth a dirty Swine compared with the Sun: when she heareth mention made of the wantonness of the world, she rejoiceth at it, but when Men speak of such chastity and purity, she is ashamed of it, and then bespattereth or sullyeth the Speech of the holy child, with the abovesaid abominations, and despiseth it; for she knoweth, that if Joseph holdeth the Government, she must die. 40. But honest, virtuous, and chaste Joseph; viz. the inward New Man; saith to this whore; behold, my Lord and Master hath trusted me with all his Eternal Goods and the whole Kingdom of Christ, how shall I then do so evilly before him, I will not lie with thee, thou art thy Lord's wife, viz. the wife of the Spirit of this world, I will not lie with thee, nor be near thee. 41. And Moses saith further: * Gen. 39.11, 12, 13, 14, 15. It came to pass on a Day, that Joseph went into the House to do his employment, and there was none of the people in the House, and she caught him by his Garment, and said, lie with me, but he left the Garment in her hand and fled, and ran forth out of the House: but when she perceived that he left his Garment in her hand and was fled forth, she called the People of the House and said; behold, he hath brought in an Hebrew Man to us to defame us; he came in unto me and would have lain with me, but I cried with a loud voice, and when he heard that I cried out, and called, he left his Garment with me, and fled and ran forth. This now is the figure, showing, how the Devil through this whorish Woman strongly sets upon the soul, especially when the Devil observeth that the soul is alone, that the Spirit of God stirreth not in it, than he falls a storming of it, and layeth hold of it in its life's Essence, and will force it in such whoredom, that the Precious virgin-child might be defiled, and that she might with the Serpent's power copulate with the soul. 42. This also is a powerful figure of the whorish and unchaste world, showing, how the fair Daughters of Eve, in the instigation of the Devil run after the tender Youths, and allure them with flattering hypocritical behaviour, with wicked burning Lust, which trim and adorn themselves, as if an Angel sat under their dress; and have drawn many an honest virtuous child, that never desired it, to themselves, and bound them with the Devil's chains, and have bereft them of their honour and chastity. 43. And if there were an honest and chaste Joseph, who would not go into these Hogsstyes and Jakes of the Devil, they cry out against such a one, and accuse him of unchastity, as willing to betray him and rob him of his honour, and yet are even the lustful Panders, which strew sugar, and give Gall to Eat, which strange people strew sugar so long, as he hath money in his Purse, till they bereave him of his livelihood, honour, and Goods, that he have no more to give them, and then they scorn him and leave him without a Garment, as Potiphars wife did Joseph, as he was going out of the house; so the Devil hath the soul, and the whore the Garment for a Pledge; in which whore, nothing else governeth, but the Serpent with its brood of young ones, and he that joins himself unto them, is poisoned by the Serpent: for the Serpent sheds its spawn into body and soul, and poisoneth him so exceedingly, that his heart cleaveth to the whore, and runneth after her, as if he were fast tied to her. 44. At present the world is full of these vermin, among high and low, and therefore also at present the Serpent itself is pregnant and will shed forth its spawn, which the Zeal of God will consume: for Joseph with his Governing-Office lieth as yet in Prison, and Potiphars wife governeth in her burning Lust, which she bore to Joseph: but since she could not betray Joseph, she set herself in joseph's Government, and governeth the house of this world, and accordingly hath generated many Bastards, which now govern in her stead; and therefore the Judgement cometh upon her whoredom, and breaketh her to pieces; that men will say; † She is fallen, she is fallen; Babel the Mother of the Great Whoredom, and is become a habitation of all Devils and unclean Spirits, she is for Ever sealed up in the Abyss. 45. On the Contrary, we here see in this Image and Type, also the great Chastity and Purity of Joseph, who when he was drawn and held with power, yet fled from this whore, and had rather leave his Garment and good Name at Stake, that he might but keep a good Conscience. The Holy Figure standeth thus: 46. When this chaste New virgin child in the Spirit of Christ, seethe this whore in flesh and blood draw near it, that her desire layeth hold on this Chastity, than it flieth out of the house, that is, this virgin child hideth itself in its own Principle, and may not come near the soul, seeing the soul is defiled by this whore's Poison, so that it is brought into Lust; thus strongly the divine purity shields itself from the Devil's vanity. 47. For, in this New child there standeth the fair Carbuncle-Stone of the highest Love of God in the Name JESUS, which suffers itself to be sullied no more, for it once passed through Death & Hell in Man, it will be pure and possess the Throne of God, whereupon the Scripture speaketh strongly, that, * Heb. 6.4, 5. Whosoever hath once tasted the sweetness of the world to come, and departeth from it again, that this soul hath no forgiveness more for Ever; that is no other, then where the Noble Virgin child is borne a new again out of the soul in its substance that faded in Adam, and the soul departeth quite from it again, and severeth itself from it with its will, so that it fadeth again once more; there is no remedy for it more Eternally: For in the Birth of this virgin child, the foretaste of the Eternal Joy is given to the soul, and that is done in the Wedding of the Lamb; known to * Those of our society. our School-fellowes. 48. Therefore, this Noble Virgin with her fair † Or, Star. Stone hideth itself frequently from the soul, but she breaketh not off from the Marriage, except the soul breaketh it self off from her; and there is great weeping and lamentation towards the soul, if it defile itself again, as in the little book of Repentance is set forth, and cannot easily befall Joseph; for the soul is hugged, Embraced and kept in Christ's Arms, as it is John 10. * Joh. 10.28. My sheep are in my hand. 49. This we understand in this figure, how very chaste modest and pure hearts are given to the children of God in their inward Ground, and how they must be strongly proved and tried, before the Government of Divine Vision will be given them, to be able to see the Mysterium Magnum, the Great Mystery. 50. And Moses saith further: † Gen. 39.16, 17. And Potiphars wife laid up his Garment by her until his Master came home, and told him those very words. We see in this figure the perfidious treacherous deal of the world, how wickedly they recompense and reward their Christian faithful Servants and Ministers: Joseph carried himself faithfully in the sight of their whole house, and all succeeded happily that went through his hand: but when he would not lie with this whore, to pollute himself with her, than she persecuteth him in his Body and Life, and studyeth how to steal away his honour from him by falsehood and wickedness; when she cannot take it away with subtlety and devilish plots. 51. This now is a figure, showing, how grievous Enemies a true Christian hath, and that he is every where encompassed with Enemies; and though perhaps he standeth in temporal felicity, and have the favour and good will of many Men, yet he ought not to be secure▪ for the Devil continually hunteth after him to find how to make him fall; for, what the Devil cannot do by himself, to God's children in flesh and blood, that he attempts by his instruments, falsely to betray the children of God, and that even for their fear of God, their honesty and virtue. 52. For, if the New heavenly Eve be borne in God's Children, than the Devil in the Earthly Eve will not endure it; for a whore and a modest Virgin will very ill stand together. 53. And thus the children of God, have no greater danger, then when they are exalted to worldly honour, for the Devil is a Spirit of Pride, and sets himself with his Lust in worldly highness and magnificence, in * Or, High Places. Eph. 6.12. High Offices: for, he will always still be a † Joh. 14.30. Prince of this world, as Christ also calleth him; and he is so indeed according to the property of vanity, falsehood, and wickedness, and always sets his Throne and stool readily there, where Great Offices and Honour are, where Might, Power, and Authority is administered and put in Execution, there he ‖ Insinuates or wraps up himself. involves himself, so that he might be sure to sit for one in the Government of the world. 54. Therefore he will not readily endure that a Joseph should sit near him, but those that are Rich, Noble, lofty, and stately, honouring themselves, which hunt only after worldly honour, pleasure, and voluptuousness, who fill their Bellies daily, and are bold, stout, furious, and full with plenty, and hunt only after suttlety and Policy, seeking how they may wrest from the miserable his sweat, and convert it into pride, who trim and set themselves forward in every place, taking pleasure in themselves in such Dresses and Ornaments, giving one another great Compliments, and Courtship, and ascribe great titles of honour to them; where the house is stuck full of such trimmed dressed whores under a modest and chaste show & appearance, there is the Devil a frolic Guest, for it goeth according to his * Property and condition. own hearts desire and will. 55. But if God send a Joseph thither, who would feign live and do according to the will of God, than it happeneth to him as to Joseph; and to Daniel, whom they wickedly and with falsehood brought to the Lion's Den; and Joseph they brought into Prison; but in the End the Devil's Kingdom is put to shame, as in Joseph and Daniel. 56. Therefore if any will be a Joseph, and also sit in worldly Offices and honour, he must do it with great earnest sincerity and humility of his heart, and resist the Devil, that he may not be able with his stool of Pride to dwell with him; if not, let him stay without it, or else he will fall to the ground in such Offices. If Joseph be not armed with Christ, who hath overcome the Devil, let him let the high Offices alone; for the Devil will not endure him in it, while he is against him: He must either be a right Joseph and Daniel, or must have the Mind of the world, if he will govern the world. 57 For, this world hath a Twofold Office, viz. Gods and Satan's Office; the one in God's Love, the other in God's Wrath, viz. according to the property of Light, and of Darkness, which in the Nature of this world rule near and in one another, and are two Kingdoms, as the one is Christ's Kingdom, the other is Satan's. 58. Therefore if thou art not armed and wholly resigned to God, that thou canst upon occasion, with Joseph leave thy Garment, also thy honour and welfare, for the sake of God, and for righteousness, and overcome the Devil with Divine power and strength; if not, press into no Office except thou be'st rightly, duly, and orderly called thereunto, and then also thou standeth either in the Throne of Joseph or of the world. 59 Thou must in an Office, either serve God or the Devil, for thou canst not serve two Masters alike; for self and Resignation are two distinct; he that serves God is Resigned up into him, and in all things hath respect to Truth and Righteousness, and will promote that; But he that serves Self, hath respect to favour, and the Highness and Magnificence of the World, that he may have it all at his disposing; This Officer is in the Ministry and Service of the Evil Adam, in whom the Devil hath his Throne, & helpeth him to pronounce the Sentence of Justice. 60. O thou worldly Judge, rely not thou upon the Tower of Babel, upon worldly Determinations, Ordinances, and Conclusions, upon humane Institutions, Statutes, Laws and Decrees: the Top thereof reacheth not into heaven; that is only the height of the Confusion of Strife, and a * Or, Mistake● miss-understanding: God seethe thee in thy very heart, he proveth and tryeth thy will and desire; the Law pleads not for thee before God, though thou orderest thyself according to that, when thy heart knoweth it ought to be quite otherwise; and then think not otherwise with thyself, but that thou pronouncest the sentence of Justice for the Devil, and servest him under an hypecriticall Mantle or Cloak; The Justice and right is Gods, and it is God himself, 1. ● but † Or, unrighteousness. wrong is the Devils, and it is the Devil himself: that Master which thou servest, is he that will reward thee and pay thee thy wages, he himself will be thy wages; and this, thou art to expect in thy Office. 61. And Moses saith further; ‖ Gen. 39.20, 21, 22, 23. Then his Master took him and put him into Prison, where the King's Prisoners lay: and he lay there in Prison; but the Lord was with him, and vouchsafed protection towards him, and caused him to find favour in the Eyes of the Officer of the Prison, that he committed all the Prisoners in the Prison, under his hand, that whatsoever was done there must be done by him; for the Officer of the Prison took not any thing upon him: for the Lord was with Joseph, and what he did the Lord made it successful: In this figure we see the final and last proof and Trial of God's Children, how they must leave their honour and welfare, and also put their life in hazard, and resign themselves wholly to God, to do whatsoever he will with them, for they must forsake all for God's sake and leave the World, and be as a Prisoner who expecteth Death, and relieth no more upon any Man; and knoweth not how to get any Comfort from any Creature, but relieth barely and merely upon God and his Grace, and then is a Man passed through all proofs and Trials, and now stands waiting the Commands of his Lord, what he will have him to be. 62. For, he saith very inwardly to God: Lord, wilt thou have me in Prison and in misery, that I shall sit in Darkness, than I will willingly dwell there; if thou bringest me into Hell, I will go along; for thou art my heaven; If I have but thee, I inquire not after heaven and earth, and if body and soul should * Or, be famished. fail, yet thou art my Comfort; let me be where I will, yet I am in thee and thou in me, I have fully enough when I have thee, use me for what thou wilt. 63. In this last proof and Trial Man becomes the Image of God again, for all things become one and the same, and are alike to him; He is all one with prosperity and adversity, with poverty and Riches, with Joy and sorrow, with Light and darkness, with Life and Death; He is as nothing to himself, for in his will he is dead to all things, and he standeth in a figure, representing how God is in and through all, and yet is as a Nothing to all things, for they comprehend not him, and yet all is Manifested by him; and he himself is all, and yet hath Nothing, for any thing is to him in the apprehension of it even as nothing, for it comprehends him not; He is as it were dead to all things, and yet himself is the Life of all things; He is ONE and yet NOTHING and ALICE: thus also a Man becomes according to his resigned will, when he yields himself wholly to God, and then his will falls again into the unsearchable will of God, out of which he came in the beginning, and then standeth in the form as an Image of the unsearchable will of God, wherein God dwelleth and willeth. 64. For, if the Creature willeth no more than what God willeth through it, than it is dead to it self, and standeth again in the first Image, viz. in that wherein God form it in a Life; for, what is the life of the Creature? nothing else but a spark of the will of God, which Creature now standeth still to the will of God, whose Life and will is Gods, who driveth and governeth it. 65. But that which * Rom. 9.16. willeth and runneth of itself, that rendeth itself from the entire will of God, and bringeth itself into selfehood, wherein yet there is no rest, for it must live and run on in self will, and is a mere unquietness; for unquietness is the life of self-will; for, when the will willeth itself no more, than nothing can torment it more, its willing is its own Life; and whatsoever † Wills or desireth that which God willeth or desireth. willeth in and with God, that is one Life with God. 66. It is better to know nothing, then to will according to self; for that which knoweth nothing, the will of that passeth away with the Creaturely Life, and its Strife hath an End, and hath no more source or torment, as we may understand in * Or, Sensitive irrational Creatures. 67. For it is the Source and Torment of all the Damned that they † Creatures. Have a longing desire, and yet cannot attain the least satisfaction are wishing and woulding, viz. they would that which is self, and in their woulding they generate ‖ Representations in their thoughts. Ideas, Species, and Formations, viz. Contrary wills and desires, the will being at strife, so that one thing is Manifested in Multiplicity, wherein it is at Enmity with itself, but when it is one with the Eternal One, then can no Enmity be therein, and there is also no possibility of Enmity therein. 68 Therefore it is Man's Last proof or trial, when he standeth still to God in all things; then in him, light proceeds out of Darkness, life out of Death, and Joy out of Sorrow; for God is in and with him in all things, and blesseth him; as was done to Joseph in the Prison, his Prison became Joy to him: for he became also a Governor over the Prison in the Prison; he was as a Prisoner, and yet as a Master of the Prisoners, he governed the Prison, and the Prisoners, and was a Patron, Fosterer, and Guardian to the distressed, his Master took nothing upon him, and was well pleased with what Joseph did, for all was very pleasing and right in his sight. 69. Thus, understand us here according to its precious worth; when Man is entirely resigned to God, then, is God, his will, and God takes nothing upon him, about what Man doth, nothing is against him: for Gods will doth it in himself, and all sin ceaseth, and although Gods will of Anger stirreth in him, and bringeth fire from heaven from the Lord; as was done by Elias; yet all is right in the sight of God, for the party doth it not, but God through him, he is the Instrument through which God speaketh and acteth. 70. Now as God, in so much as he is God, can will nothing but that which is Good, or else he were not God, if he himself would any thing that were Evil; so also there can be nothing in such a Man's will but blessing only, and the will of God; as was said of Joseph, God was with him in all his do, and blessed all things through his hand; thus to the honest and virtuous, a light ariseth in the darkness, and the Night is turned into Day to him; and adversity is turned into prosperity, and the Curse, wickedness, and malice of the world is turned into Paradise; and it is with him as Saint Paul saith; * Rom. 8.28. All things must serve to the best to them that love God. 71. For joseph's Prison brought him before King Pharaoh, and set him upon the Throne over that Land and People; and made him Lord over his Father and brethren, and to be a † Steward. Guardian, and Officer, of the King, and to be God's Regent and Governor, through whom God ruled great Countries and Kingdoms, as the like may be seen also in Daniel. 72. Therefore a Christian should learn to bear the ‖ Affliction. Temptation, when God casteth him into joseph's Pit and Prison, and rely upon God in all his do, and entirely resign himself into God, and then God would be more potent in him, than the world and hell is; for all those, would at length, after he hath stood out all the trials, be put to scorn, in him. CHAP. LXVII. How Joseph in Prison Expounded King Pharaohs Chief Butlers and Bakers Dream to each of them; and what is to be understood thereby. Upon the 40 Chapter of Genesis. Genesis XL. IN this Chapter the Spirit representeth a figure, showing how the Spirit of God seethe through Man's Spirit, and bringeth Man's Spirit into his seeing, or vision, so that it can understand hidden secret things; for, to Expound Dreams, is nothing else, but to see and understand the figure, how the Spiritus Mundi, the Spirit of the World in the Constellation of Man, frameth itself into a figure, with those things, which in the humane Life are clearly in working, or indeed are framed in a figure in the Constellation by a Great Conjunction, the working not being yet begun, & yet is Modelli●ed Naturally, where the Spirit of Man, by divine power knoweth in the prefiguration, what working and effect it hath; also it may be underhood by the diligent consideration of ‖ By an Astronomical figure of the outward Heavens, in a Scheme thus, and a judgement of the Effects by Astrology: predicting before the stars be in that posture in the Heavens, or before the Effect be wrought by the Stars. Astronomy † Or, in. according to Astrology; wherein the Natural effect and working is prefigured, what naturally is wrought and represented by this power. 2. But while Joseph was a child, and did not outwardly busy himself in this Art, therefore it is to be understood, that the Spirit of God with his seeing or vision brought him into the Image or Idea of the Dream, and that the Spirit of God explained the Dream through the Spirit of Joseph; as was done also by Daniel; for, to expound Dreams, is nothing else but to understand a Magic Image or representation of the Astrum, Aspect, or Constellation in the humane property. 3. For, every Man beareth the Image of his Constellation, viz. a Magic * As Orion, the Pleiades, Amos 5.8. Mazzaroth, the 12 signs. Or, A●cturus Job 38.31, 32 Ursa Minor or Ursa Major, or any other Constellation that consisteth of many Stars together Or a figure of the whole Heavens erected upon a point of Time. Asterisme in himself, and when the Time cometh, that such Magic Image, of the superior Constellation is kindled, than it entereth upon its working; and then the astral Spirit beholds itself in the Elements, and seethe what figure it hath. 4. But the Elements being † Inanimate. void of understanding, and affording only a ‖ Animale Body. Bestial Body in their figure, therefore the astral Spirit can discern nothing else, but the form of some such earthly Creature; except the * Or, Spirit of the Soul. soulish Spirit be concomitant in the working of the astral Spirit, then is it premodelled in a humane form, and in a true natural way, and manner of figure; for the Soul only hath true humane Eyes, but the astral Spirit hath only a bestial appearance, and seethe after the manner of a Beast. 5. Yet seeing there is a great difference between a false and wicked soul, (which daily Imagineth in a Bestial manner of figure, and willeth and desireth bestial things) and a pious divine soul, wherein the Spirit of God is manifest; so also are the Magical Imaginations and representations in the astral Spirit, different; for a Beast, Dreameth † Or, From Fancy. according to Fancy, and so doth a Bestial or animal Man, though indeed the * Or, figure, the Schema Coeli. Image or Idea of the Constellation doth certainly co-modellise itself, whether in Evil or in Good, according as the astral Spirit eagerly longeth or lusteth in itself, when it so vieweth what stands naturally as a working in it; but seeing it is a Beast, therefore it introduceth in its Image with its desire commonly, the Model † Or, in. of a Fantastic Image; and turneth it from Joy to sorrow, from sorrow to Joy, but the soul is faint and sick in such a Spectacle or Glass and prefiguration, whence oftentimes there ariseth great unquietness to the Body. 6. But where a true Vision is seen in Man, that is done by the souls modelising, when it co-Imageth or co-modelleth itself in the figure through its Imagination; then the Image or representation standeth in the right humane understanding, though indeed the astral Spirit continually Imageth or frameth itself in Earthly forms, so that very seldom an entire perfect vision appeareth as the work or effect in itself shall be; also Man's own Imagination itself doth often alter it, what a Man thinks or Imagineth in the day, viz. that Magic form, makes it so, that the figure is according to his Imagination. 7. Yet the right visions are, when Man's will resteth in God, and then is Gods will manifest in Man's will, and then the soul seethe with God's Eyes from its most inward Ground, where it stands in the word of God, and then the Speaking Word goeth with the Souls, into the Magic Image of the Constellation, and then the astral Spirit cannot Image or fashion itself in the Fancy, but must stand in the Image in the figure as the Constellation is, and then the soul seethe what the Most High hath prefigured, and what shall come to pass: and then the Word of God, viz. the ground of the soul expresseth the figure in the soul, so that the soul understandeth it; as here Joseph and also Daniel Expressed and Expounded; As soon, now, as the figure of the vision was told before Joseph, the Spirit of God was together in the voice of the relatour, and in Joseph Expounded the vision, for so also are the Magic visions of all the Prophets. 8. For, after God hath once appeared to a Prophet in an audible voice, and called them to be Prophets, as to * 1 Sam. 3.4, 6.8.10. Samuel; then afterwards he appeared to them in Magic visions, and answered them upon their Questions. 9 The right Prophetic Ground of the Magical seeing and understanding is thus; Every Prophet is a limit wherein a Time is included, or an Age Comprehended; and he is the Mouth of that Kingdom or Dominion, that is, when that Kingdom, hath awakened and generated the Turba in it, then is he the Mouth of the Inward Ground, which declareth and expresseth the vanity in the Turba, and also the Grace of God, which hath taken compassion on the humane misery, and opposed the wrath of the Turba, and reproveth that Kingdom for their vanity and Idolatry, and comforteth them with the introverted Grace again. 10. For, his Spirit standeth in the figure, in the Eternal Speaking Word of God, from which the Life was expressed or Spoken forth, and became a Creature, introverted again as an Instrument of the Spirit of God, whereby the Spirit of God speaketh and intimateth; for the Prophetic Spirit could not in its own might and power declare future hidden things, if the Spirit of God did not see through it, and that the Word of God did also go together through his Word into the Magic figure which the Prophet seethe. 11. For, the Brophet knoweth not any thing beforehand in his own power and authority, which he declareth, but when the Word moddelleth itself together in the figure, than the Prophetic Spirit seethe through Gods seeing, how the Word of God goeth also together upon the figure: and then the Word expresseth, declareth, and Expoundeth the figure through the Prophetic Spirit, as here was done by Joseph; when the King's Officers told their Dreams, than the Word set the figure in joseph's understanding how it should come to pass, so that Joseph knew what their visions meant. 12. But he knew it not beforehand; but in the telling of the Dream, the word of understanding modelled itself in joseph's understanding, that he knew it; for joseph's Spirit stood in a Magic figure, * Re-introverted the the word. introverted again into the Word, after the manner, as the New Birth in the Spirit of Christ standeth introverted again: so also the other Prophets through whose Mouth, God's Word, Expounded and expressed from the Inward Ground, through their Mouth, the Wonders of God in Nature, viz. in the form Creaturely Word. 13. By this figure of Joseph, in that he obtained Divine knowledge and skill, and could expound hidden things; we see, how the introverted Spirit of Man resigned up into God, when he forsaketh all that is his own, doth attain the Divine Eye to see and understand; so that he gets much more again than he forsook, and that he is much richer, than when he enjoyed his own; for in his own will he had and possessed only a Particular; but in the Resignation he gets into the Totall, viz. into the universal, into All; for ALL is, from the Word of God. 14. Therefore if he cometh into that, he cometh into the Ground, wherein all lieth in the Eternity, and from being poor becomes rich, as joseph's figure declareth, that a poor Prisoner became a Prince, and that only by the Divine Word, that had manifested itself in him, when the Word in his submissive dereliction and forsaking all, Expressed or spoke forth itself again, and so spoke or pronounced Joseph into a Regal Government, and Dominion, through whom the Word of God would rule in Egypt, and give the understanding for such a Kingly Government. 15. We see further in this figure of Joseph, * Rom. 8.28. How at the length all must serve for the best to God's Children, all the wrong they must suffer, that will turn to mere Joy in the Issue; for in trouble and affliction they learn to know what they are, how very weak and miserable they are in their own selves, and how near, Death and Misery attend them, and how all the Trust, confidence, and expectation they have of Men, in that they will rely upon Man, and trust to the favour of Man, is a very fickle uncertain thing; also how Man should turn his Hope towards God, when he expecteth to be delivered out of trouble by the favour of Man, yet so at length the favour and Council of Man * Must. must stand him in stead. 16. But if a Man will expect the favour and Council of Man, he must set his hope upon God, and look whether God will give him comfort, by humane means, and release him from misery, and not set his hope upon the favour of Man, but look upon God, to see what he will work by means; and though it seem as if God had forgotten, as here with Joseph, who must remain Two years in Prison, than he must consider with himself that God will have him here, but if he will through means have him in another Place, than he will afford means for it, and send it in due time, as is to be seen here. 17. The mishap, of the King's Officers, in that they were put into Prison to Joseph, was a means whereby God would bring Joseph before the King; but it was not done suddenly, because Joseph hoped the King's Butler would speak a Good word for him to the King, and tell his Innocency; but the Butler forgot him, & left Joseph lying in the Dungeon, that Joseph might wholly despair of humane means, and fly to God, and when he doth that, and despairs of all humane means, and barely relieth on God, then must even that means, in which Joseph had hoped, and yet also had long despaired of any help from it, break forth again, and stand him in stead. 18. By this, a child of God should learn, that all which he prayeth to God for, that it should stand him in stead by Man, that he should not set his hope upon Man, but upon God, then at length every thing is done which he hath prayed to God for, that should stand him in stead, by humane means, when the Mind despairs of humane means, and diveth down into God again, than God's help breaks forth through humane means. Thus the Mind is instructed, to learn to trust in God. CHAP. LXVIII. Of the Dreams of King Pharaoh; how Joseph is fetch out of Prison, and presented before the King, and Cometh to Great Honour. Upon the 41 of Genesis. MOses saith; After Two years Pharaoh had a Dream, Gen. XLI. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. that he stood by the water, and saw seven fair fat Kine arise out of the water, and went to feed in the Meadow; after this he saw other seven Kine arise out of the water, which were ill favoured, lean, and Meager, and drew near the Kine that were by the water side, and the lean Meager and ill favoured devoured the seven fair fat Kine; then Pharaoh awaked: and he slept again, and dreamt once more, and saw seven Ears grow out of one stalk, full and thick; But afterwards he saw seven thin blasted Ears spring up, and the seven thin and black Ears devoured the seven full and thick Ears: then Pharaoh awaked and observed that it was a Dream; and when it was Morning, his Spirit was troubled, and he sent forth to call all the * Truth-sellers, Soothsayers. Magicians of Egypt, and all the Wise men, and related to them his Dreams: but there was none that could interpret them to Pharaoh. 2. These Dreams of Pharaoh were represented to him from God, therefore no Magus, and † Skilful in Nature. Naturalist could interpret them; for, the Natural Magus hath power only in Nature, only in that which Nature frameth in its working; he cannot apprehend that, nor advise in that, which the word of God modeleth & frameth; but a Prophet hath power to interpret that; for he is a Divine Magus, as here Joseph. 3. With the Egyptians the Magic Art and skill was Common; but when it was misused to Witchcraft, it was extirpate, although it remained among the Heathen till the Kingdom of Christ, till the Divine Magia sprung up, than the Natural Magia was suppressed among the Christians, which in the beginning was well that it was suppressed, for the Heathenish * Or, Religion. Faith was thereby allayed and quenched; and the Magic Images of Nature, which they honoured for Gods, were rooted out of men's hearts. 4. But when the Christian Faith was common, then came other Magis up, viz. the Sects in Christendom, which they set up for Gods instead of the Images of Heathen Idols, and drive on greater Delusions, than the Heathen with their Magic Idols. 5. For, the Heathen looked upon the Ground of the possibility and working of Nature: but these set themselves above the ground of Nature, merely in an Historical Faith, and say that men ought to believe that which they contrive. 6. As at this very Day Titulary Christendom is full of such Magis, as have no Natural understanding, either of God or of Nature more among them, but only an Empty Babbling of a supernatural Magic Ground, wherein they have set up themselves for Idoll-Gods, and understand neither the Divine nor Natural Magia, so that the world is made stock-blind by them, whence the Contention and Strife in Faith and Religion is arisen, that men talk much of Faith, one drawing this way another that way, and make a multitude of Opinions, which are altogether worse than the Heathenish Images, which indeed had their ground and foundation in Nature; but these Images have no ground either in Nature, or in the supernatural Divine Faith, but are dumb Idols, and their Ministers are Baal's Ministers. 7. And as it was highly necessary and good, that the Natural Magia was discontinued amongst the Christians, where the Faith of Christ was manifest: so now at present it is much more necessary that the Natural Magia were again manifest, that indeed Titulary Christendomes Idols which it maketh to itself, might through Nature be made manifest and known, that Man might know in Nature the Outspoken or expressed form Word of God, as also the New Regeneration, and also the Fall and Perdition, that thereby the Contrived supernatural Idols might be suppressed, that men might at length in Nature learn to understand the Scriptures, seeing Men will not confide in the Spirit of God in the Divine Magia of true Faith, but lay their foundation upon the Tower of Babel, in the Contention and Contrived Idol Opinions, viz. in the Edicts and Traditions of Men. 8. I do not say that Men should seek and preach the Heathenish Magia again, and take up Heathen Idols again, but that it is needful to learn to search the Ground of Nature, viz. the form Word of God in Love and Anger, with its re-expression, that Men might not be so blind concerning the Essence of all Essences. 9 For the Fathers of the first Faith, were not so blind concerning the Kingdom and Dominion of Nature, but did know in and by Nature, that there was a hidden God, who had made himself visible, by the Word of his Exhalation and Information of the Created World, and have known God's Word by the Creation, which is now at present much the more necessary, that the Opinion Idols might come to light and be known; that Man might at length see, what Faith is, that it is not an Opinion and Conceit, but a Divine * Heb. 11.1. Substance or Essence, which Substance or Essence in the visible Man, is hidden to outward Eyes, as the Invisible God is hidden in the visible substance of this World. 10. But that the Magis Naturales, the Natural Magicians, could not Expound Pharaohs Dreams, this was the cause, Pharaohs Dreams sprang from the Centre of Nature, which the Heathenish Magicians understood not; for their Magic Ground in their understanding, was only in the working and † Or, Scheme. Figure of the Constellation or Asterisme, and in the Elements; they understood not the Ground of the Eternal Nature, out of which the Nature of this world had its Original, and wherein it standeth: but the Dreams of Pharaoh had their Original out of the Eternal Nature, and were represented in a visible Image in the outward Nature of Time, and in the outward figure * Or, representation to the outward Man. of Man. 11. For the † 7 fat Kine. seven fat Kine in the Pasture, signify, in the inward Ground, the ‖ 7 Holy Properties. seven properties of the Eternal Nature, in the Holy good Substance or Essence; viz. in the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Divine power is Substantial; and the * 7 lean Kine seven lean ill favoured meager Kine, signify, in the inward Ground, the † 7 wrathful properties. seven properties of the Eternal Nature, in the wrath of God, viz. in the Kingdom of Hunger and Thirst, where Nature is without the Divine Substance of the Good Power of God; and the ‖ 7 blasted Ears. seven thick fat and full Ears, and also the * 7 full Ears. seven dry blasted Ears, signify the same also. 12. But that this Dream appeared twofold to Pharaoh, it signifieth in this figure, first the ground of the Eternal Nature in its seven properties, what God would show thereby; Secondly, as to the second appearance, it signifieth the humane Ground, which in its Substance hath its Creaturely Original out of the seven properties; Moreover it denotes the twofold Man, according to the Outward Body, and the outward Spirit, and then according to the Inward Soulish or animal Spirit, and according to the inward holy Substance of the Divine Substantial power; and standeth in the * Condition, quality, or property. figure of a Holy Divine Man, who is fair and full of divine power and virtue, who walketh and feedeth in the true heavenly Pasture of the Substance of the Substantial wisdom of God. 13. And it denoteth secondly, a wicked and ungodly Man, who is withered, meager, lean, and ill-favoured as to that Divine Substance, and yet is even the same Nature's property as the Divine is: but he is withered and corrupted as to its good Substance; the Wrath of the Eternal Nature in the seven properties hath consumed its Substance, so that it is now as a hungry fire-Spirit. 14. Thus the great God representeth before Pharaoh, what at this time stood in the figure of the Egyptians, for he would visit them: first, he showeth them his great Grace, in giving them Joseph a Prophet and wise Prince to Govern them: also he showeth them in this vision, that in his Grace in the Kingdom of the inward and outward Nature in the seven properties, there is mere Blessing and good things; if they would walk therein, they would be as the seven fat Kine and Ears. 15. But if not, than his wrath would come upon them, and consume their good things in Body and Soul, and make them lean, dry, and withered; as was done to the Devils, when of Angels they became Devils, than their good things, viz. the Substantial Divine Wisdom in them, faded, and their seven properties of the Eternal Nature became so ill-favoured lean and dry, as the seven withered Kine, and the seven blasted Ears, wherein was no more power and virtue. 16. And as the seven withered Kine, and the seven dry Ears devoured the good fat Kine and Ears, and were yet more lean and ill-favoured then before, that a man could not discern that they had devoured them: Thereby the great God also signifieth, that the wicked Man with his seven properties of Nature enkindled in the Anger of God, devoureth the Good and fair Image of God in him, by introducing himself into selfe-desire, in which self and wicked desire, Nature becomes painful, and falls into unquietness and disturbance of its peace, and yet afterwards is still ill-favoured, abominable, loathsome, and dry; as a Covetous churlish hungry Dog, though he devour much, his Covetous Nature in his Envy consumeth him, even his flesh, so that he hath not that which he will not afford to other Dogs. 17. Thus the great God represents by this, before the Egyptians, seven Good fat years and seven dry barren years which devoured the other seven, so that a Man could not know the good any more, under which yet very powerful things are prefigured, as shall be mentioned hereafter. 18. But that Pharaoh was troubled at this vision, and yet understood it not, neither could his wise Men interpret it; this signifieth, that God himself would interpret it by his power and virtue in Joseph, and that the Time of this visitation was at hand, therefore was Pharaoh so moved in himself that he would feign know it. 19 But that the Wisemen in the Light of Nature, could not interpret it, signifieth, that the Works of God are hidden to the Natural Man without Grace, and that he knoweth or understandeth nothing of the ways of God, unless God reveal or manifest them thereby in and through him, for this was a Motion of the Eternal Nature through the outward Nature, therefore the Natural Wisemen could not understand it. 20. And when none could interpret it to the King, the King's Butler thought on Joseph, that he had interpreted his Dreams for him, and told it to Pharaoh; And here in this vision of Pharaohs, God called Joseph, and that which he had desired two years ago through man's help was fulfilled and granted unto him. Gen. 41.14, 15, 16. 21. Then Pharaoh sent and commanded Joseph to be called, and they brought him speedily out of the Dungeon, and he was shaved and put on other Garments, and came into Pharaoh; Then said Pharaoh to him, I have dreamt a Dream, and there is none that can interpret it, but I have heard of thee, that when thou hearest a Dream, thou canst interpret it: and Joseph answered Pharaoh and said, that is not * In my power. of me, yet God will prophesy good to Pharooh, and Pharaoh related his Dream to him. 22. This figure, that Joseph put on other Garments and was shaved, when he was to enter in before Pharaoh, signifieth this to us, that God at present had put off the Garment of his Misery, and had now put on him the Garment of Wisdom, and would have him now in another place than he was in before; and set him before Pharaoh with the Garment of Wisdom, and would give him for a Guardian to Pharaoh; for the Spirit of Moses setteth down the figure Excellently accurately and properly, as if he had a great desire to play and delight himself therein. 23. And we see further, that Joseph said to the King, that it stood not in his natural power and Might, to know such hidden things, but that God alone gave him to know it, so that he needed neither Art nor Magic Images about it, but God would interpret good to Pharaoh through him. 24. Therefore should a Magus give up his will to God, and fix his Magic Faith, (wherewith he will search the figure of Nature in its forms and † Or, qualities. Conditions,) in God, that he may apprehend the Word of God, and introduce it into the figure of Nature, and then he is a right true Divine Magus, and may master the inward Ground with Divine power and virtue, and bring Nature into a * Type or representation. figure; he that practiseth otherwise herein, he is a false and wicked Magus, as the Devil and his Witches are. 25. And it is no way to be thought, as if a Christian ought not to dare to meddle with the ground of Nature, but that he must be a Clod and Dumb Image, in the knowledge and skill of the secret Mysteries of Nature; as Babel saith, Man ought not to dare to search and know it, it were sin; which all of them one and other understand as much of the Ground of sin, as the Pot doth of the Potter. 26. When they should tell how sin is sin, and how Man doth cause God to be Angry and in wrath, than they have no other way to turn themselves to evade it, but Images or conceits of Opinions, which shut up the Conscience in such Images and Conceits, so that the Conscience is afraid of their Images, and the Ground of sin, according to the seven Properties of Nature; (how their fat Kine are made lean and dry) they know not. 27. O ye Makers of Images, how doth the Anger of God in the inward Ground of your own Nature, threaten you with the seven barren Kine and Ears: Joseph is out of Prison, and declareth the Council of God to Pharaoh. 28. The time is even at hand, wherein the figure of Pharaoh shall be brought to Effect, your Images of false and wicked Magic shall be manifested to the whole world by joseph's Exposition of the Vision; break off from the Images, and pray to God, that he would give you the understanding of Pharaohs visions, and then you may be partakers of the seven good Kine and Ears within you. 29. If not, then must all your Images of false and wicked Magic be turned into such Barren Kine and Ears, as they are indeed for the most part already in the inward ground, and outwardly at present are devouring, and always devour the Good times and years; for they have almost quite devoured and swallowed up into the Abyss, all Love, Faith, Truth, Righteousness, Humility, and fear of God; and at present also they devour all outward food and sustenance: they have devoured the Silver, and there is nothing left but meager and base Copper, and yet they are so hungry and greedy, that they lie gnawing at the Copper, as a Dog at a hard Bone, and would feign have more to devour, and yet there is no more for them. 30. Therefore they are so hungry, that they themselves worry and devour one another for hunger, and bring their Land and Country into dearth and famine; But hereby they are made Bondslaves to the Anger of God in the seven properties of Nature, as the whole Land of Egypt was made King Pharaohs own in the Dear time of Joseph. 31. This Anger of God will hereafter give you seed, that you must sow Images and Idols▪ and devour them again yourselves, as you have clearly done for a long time, and must be its boneslave servants, as Egypt was to Pharaoh. 32. Let this be told thee, O Egypt of Christendom, by joseph's interpretation in the Spirit of Wonder of the sixth Number of the Seals: it concerns thee, awake and behold, the great famine of body and soul is at hand, or else thou must be famished. 33. Thou standest at present in no other * Or, Resemblance. figure in the sight of God, but that of the seven ill-favoured, hungry, withered, lean Kine and Ears: the Blessing of God in Body and Soul is departed from thee, that now thou huntest after Good things and temporal sustenance, and yet art not satisfied with it: and the more that thou dost hunger and suck upon bones, thou wilt be still the more hungry, till thou hast devoured all thy good Kine in Conscience, both in Body and Soul, as also Land and People, and thy form and feature is so ill-favoured, that the Princes of the inward and the outward Heaven cannot endure to behold thee, but help to judge thee to the damnation of Death, saith the Spirit of Wonders in joseph's interpretation. 34. Behold thyself now aright, art thou not thus ill-favoured and hungry, consider all thy † Powers, virtues, and abilities. faculties, thou art raving blind with great hunger, for thou hast swallowed that up into the Abyss which should bless thee and make thee happy, and set up the Hypocrisy of thy Idol Ministers in stead thereof; Righteousness, Truth, Love, Faith, Humility, Chastity, & the fear of God were thy Blessing by which thou wouldst become fat again, but thou hast swallowed up all these properties, and set thine Idols in their stead, and covered them with Christ's purple Mantle, and now the Evil hungry form feature and properties of a Devourer are awakened in thee. 35. The first devouring Property Covered with Christ's Mantle is Pride, viz. a Desire of Selfe-Might, under the lowly humble Mantle of Christ, resolving to be potent and splendid, as Lucifer under his black Hood, who yet always supposeth he is the most potent, when yet in the presence of God he is but a Lord in Phantasie. 36. The second property of thy hunger Covered with Christ's Mantle, is Covetousness, viz. the Devourer, who devoureth himself, and getteth from others their sweat and flesh from their bones and devoureth it, and yet hath nothing, but always lieth like Poison sucking out itself: this hath devoured all Truth, Righteousness, Patience, Love, Hope, Faith, and the fear of God, and yet is but a mere hunger: at present it hath eaten all Silver from the Copper, and yet looketh as if it had devoured nothing, for nothing is to be seen in it; but that it is hungryer than before; it hath devoured all good times into itself, and still always devoureth all provisions, which God of his Grace bestoweth, and yet is every day hungryer with devouring, and though he could devour Heaven, he would devour Hell also, and yet remaineth a mere hunger still. 37. The Third property of this Hunger Covered with Christ's Mantle, is Envy, viz. the son of Covetousness, and Pride is his Grandfather, this stingeth and pricketh and rageth in the hunger, as poison in the flesh, it stingeth in words and works, and poisoneth all, it lieth and cheateth, and is never quiet: the more greedy Covetousness is to devour, the greater is this its son Envy, it will possess all alone to itself, and yet hath no place of rest, either in Heaven, this world, or Hell: It can remain neither in Heaven, nor in Hell, it standeth only in the hunger of Covetousness, and is the life of Covetousness. 38. The Fourth property of Hunger Covered under Christ's Mantle, is Anger, which is the son of Envy, and Covetousness is its Grandfather, what Envy cannot sting to death, that will Anger strike and fallen to death: It is so evil and wicked that it breaks and shatters the Bones to pieces: It always thirsteth after Murder, only that its Father and Grandfather, viz. Covetousness, Envy and Pride may have room enough, it destroyeth body and soul in their kind of fatness, and wasteth Country and City, and is further so wicked that it would destroy Heaven and Hell, and yet hath no where any rest. 39 These are the four Elements of Hunger which devour and swallow up the seven fat Kine and Ears of Pharaoh, and yet are as they were before, and at present Joseph hath seen and manifested them in Pharaohs Dream, so that they are become manifest in the World, and are set before the Eyes of the Watchmen who sit in Council for Judgement, what is to be done more with these dry ill-favoured Kine, for God hath given them the seven fat Kine of the Manifestation of his Grace, but they devour all, and yet are so very hungry, that Hell dwelleth in their four Elements, and the Kingdom of the Devil * Consisteth in that which their posture, condition or quality doth represent and express. standeth in their figure. 40. O Egypt of Christendom, thou hopest for Good, and yet desirest only to work wickedness; No Good shall come to thee; except thou diest from this Hunger, thou wilt burst thyself asunder in this Hunger: whence shall good be interpreted to thee by Joseph, when thou thus hungerest the more? Nature generateth in thee such a thing as thy hunger and desire is, thou oughtest to hope for nothing, except thou convertest and puttest on joseph's New Garment, and then the Lord will give thee his Spirit, so that thou wilt see and understand thy Images, and put them away, and stand with Joseph before the Face of God, as Joseph before the Face of Pharaoh, and wilt be able to see and interpret the Wonders of God. 41. And then the Lord will set thee with Joseph over the Kingdom of his Mysteries, that thou wilt rightly understand the Magic ground of Faith, and wilt search no more in the Images of the outward Natural Magic, as thou hast done for a long time, but thou wilt see the inward Ground, and with Joseph rule over Egypt, that is, over the Mysteries, and wilt therein praise the Lord, and draw in his fountain, and drink water of Life. 42. For † Rom. 10.8. Deut. 30.14. the Word which thou shalt now learn and understand, is nigh thee, namely in thy Mouth and heart, thou art Gods form Word, thou must learn to read thy own Book, which is thyself, and then thou wilt be free from all Images, and thou seest the Place, of which it is said, * Gen. 28.16. The Lord is here: and then thou wilt attain the Life of power and virtue again, and become fat, and put away the Mantle of Christ, and say; Hear is the Man that will walk in the footsteps of Christ, and will follow and imitate him, and be like and ‖ Phil. 3.10. Conformable to him in his Life and Image. 43. This whole History of the Dreams of Pharaoh are an Image, whereby the Spirit under an outward Action, pourtrayeth and Typifieth the humane Ground, how Good, God Created him, and set him in his fatness, and how he is thus destroyed by Satan's Envy and Poison, and changed into so ill-favoured an Image. 44. But in Joseph the Spirit representeth a figure, showing▪ how a Man must again spring up through the New Birth out of this Poison, and how he should be set before God again, and how God giveth him his Spirit, and maketh him Ruler in his House, how he shall gather in heavenly fruits in Faith and a good Conscience against the time of Temptation, when the Dearth or Famine, viz. God's Anger sifteth the soul. 45. In which sifting then, that fruit which is for food, which stands by the soul in Repentance, and in which its little Pearle-Plant with its branches groweth, it takes along, and beareth good fruit. 46. Those fruits are then joseph's interpretation; as he declared God's Counsel and taught it to Pharaoh; so the New Birth bringeth forth such good fruit and doctrine, which makes known the way of God to Mankind, and standeth before him with wisdom, as Joseph before Pharaoh; And this we see in joseph's Council, after he had interpreted his Dream, he said to Pharaoh; * Gen. 41.33. to the 36. Let the King look out for a wise and prudent Man, who may build Granaries for Pharaoh, where provision may be laid up, that Men may have Necessary sustenance in the Famine; which the Spirit secretly represents in the † Or, Condition of such a Man: the Man Christ, or a Christian Man. figure of Man, that a Man should look out for ‖ Exod. 18.21. Wise Men fearing God, which should help to gather in the Divine Treasury and provision with wisdom and understanding, with Doctrine, life, and prayer; that thereby the Divine Treasure and provision might be gathered in. 47. And then when the time of trial, sifting, and hunger cometh, that God's Anger might be thereby kept back and prevented, and not so suddenly make both body and soul Land and people lean, and devour them, but that there may be something for Provision; Concerning which God saith, he will do well to them that fear God unto a * 1000 Generations. Exod. 20.6. Thousand Generations; and this Provion shall continue to a Thousand Generations. 48. And Moses saith further; † Gen. 41.37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45. This saying of Joseph pleased Pharaoh, and all his servants well; and Pharaoh said to his servants; how can we find such a Man, in whom the Spirit of God is, and said to Joseph; seeing God hath made all this known to thee, there is none so understanding and wise as thou, thou shalt be over my house, and all my People shall be obedient to thy Word, only in the Regal Throne I will be higher than thee. And further Pharaoh said to Joseph, behold I have set thee over the whole Land of Egypt, and took his Ring off his own hand, and gave it to Joseph into his hand, and clothed him with white silk Garments, and hung a Golden Chain upon his Neck, and caused him to go in his second Chariot, and caused it to be proclaimed before him, this is the father of the Land, and set him over the whole Land of Egypt; and Pharaoh said to Joseph; I am Pharaoh, and without thy will shall no Man stir his hand or his foot in the whole Land of Egypt, and he called him his secret Council, and gave him a wife named Asnath the Daughter of Potiphar Priest of ON. 49. This now is the Most excellent figure in the whole Bible, that there is no where the like to it of any Man, and he standeth in the figure of an approved tried Christian, who hath out-stood all trials: whom the Spirit of Christ hath lead with himself quite through his sufferings, Death, Hell, Prison, and Misery, as the Only God, viz. the Great King set him before him, and tried his wisdom, which he had received in the process or imitation of Christ, when he received him with Joy, and giveth this Testimony of him; there is none so wise as thou, who would so hiddenly introduce his Life in Patience, through Death and Hell, to God, as thou. 50. And as God giveth him full power over his Kingdom, and in his Love maketh him his helper and assistant, as a Council of a King helpeth and assisteth a King to govern his Kingdom; so also God sets him in his Kingdom, and ruleth by him, and giveth him his Seale●Ring, viz. the humanity and Deity, in the Love of Jesus Christ, to his soul, and causeth him to ride in the second Chariott after him, that is, where God's Spirit goeth, there always goeth such a Man after it, and the Devil, Death, and Hell dare not touch him any more, for thus he getteth power over the Devil, Death, and Hell, and also over his mortal flesh and Blood, as Joseph over the Land of Egypt. 51. And as Joseph quickly withdrew and built the King Granaryes to lay up provisions; so also such a Man, who according to his inward Ground sitteth in the Kingdom of God, buildeth for God his Lord, many such Humane- Houses, viz. men's souls, in which he lays up in store the Divine overplus, which God giveth him in Christ Jesus, viz. the Divine knowledge and wisdom, with good Instruction, Doctrine, and Life, so that his Doctrine spreadeth abroad and multiplieth as sands in the Sea; so innumerable spreading branches his Pearle-Plant putteth forth, that many hundred thousand souls Eat thereof; as of joseph's provision in the Famine. 52. And then Potiphars Daughter, that is, the Daughter of the Priest of ON, viz▪ the true Christianity is given him for a Spouse, which he is to cherish and Love, and * Gen. 41.50. begetteth of her these Two Sons, as always travailing in this way, and then they walk with washed hearts; as Joseph before the time of the Famine in Egypt begat of his wife, Manasseh and Ephraim; and so it was represented to him with these Names, how God had in the house of his mis●ry caused him to grow great and gave him much. 53. And then also a child of God sets open his Chists of Treasure, when the famine cometh, that the Anger of God sifteth the world, as Joseph did his Granaryes, and imparted to his fellow twigs therewith out of his Chists of Treasure, that they perish not in that Famine. CHAP. LXIX. How this Famine went through all Lands, and how Jacob sent his sons into the Land of Egypt for Corn, and how they came before Joseph, and how he shown himself to them. What is thereby to be understood. Upon the 42 of Genesis. Gen. XLII. THis fowrty second Chapter of Genesis, concerning Joseph and his brethren, is a figure, showing how such a Converted Christian, which hath already entered with Christ into his process, and hath now overcome, in the end also forgiveth and rewardeth his Enemies with bounty, who have brought him into Christ's process with their persecution and wicked devices and Council, and how also their sins are set before them, and how they are brought into Anxiety and Necessity, and how in the End, of Mere Grace they are released from pain and punishment, and how God is so gracious to them upon their conversion, that he not only releaseth the punishment, but blesseth them with his Gifts and Benefits, as here Joseph did to his Brethren. 2. But than next is also represented in this figure, how Earnestly and severely God showeth himself against sin, as here Joseph against his brethren, and yet God is not earnest to punish the repenting sinner according to the sharpest severity, but he sets himself strictly against the soul in its Conscience, that sin may awake and be acknowledged, and that Repentance may be the greater, that Man in such terror may be humbled for sin, and quite departed from sin, and be angry with it, and utterly hate it; when he knoweth, that sin hath so terrible a Judgement in it. The History saith thus. 3. * Gen. 42.1, 2, 3, 4. But when Jacob saw, that there was plenty of Corn in Egypt, he said to his sons, Why do you look so long about you, behold I hear, there is plenty of Corn in Egypt, go down thither, and buy us Corn, that we may live and not die: Then the † 10 Brethren. Ten Brethren of Joseph went down, that they might buy Corn in Egypt; But Jacob would not suffer joseph's brother Benjamin to go; for he said, some mishap may befall him. 4. Now this is a figure, first, showing, that when Man findeth himself in the Divine Anger in this Famine, that as to Righteousness he is in want, as Jacob and his children in the Famine; then the Father saith in the Conscience to the Soul; why ling'rest thou so long looking about thee? Go down into Repentance, where there is plenty of Righteousness in the Death of Christ, where Christ giveth righteousness for and instead of thy sins, if thou hearty turnest to him: And thus the Father bestoweth his will and introduceth it in to the Sinners Repentance and Conversation. 5. But Benjamin, joseph's Brother, that is, the humanity of Christ, he giveth not to it presently therewith; He first bestoweth upon it its sinful Brethren, that is, He giveth it first his terrors into its Conscience, and hideth his Comfort in his Grace, viz. the true Benjamin, joseph's brother, from the * Sinful affections. properties of sins, and sendeth the properties of sins, viz. those, wherein sins have been wrought and Committed after Grace, to buy this Corn of Joseph, viz. of Christ. 6. The sinner must himself enter upon it, and with Earnestness enter into the Suffering and Death of Christ, and die from his sins in the presence of Grace, in the Prison of God's Anger, and cast himself upon joseph's, viz. Christ's Mercy and Grace, and not stay without and say: with Christ there is plenty of Grace, and so tickle and comfort himself with Grace: No, that quickeneth not the poor soul, thou must go down into Egypt to thy injured brother, whom thou hast cast into the Pit, by thy sins within thee, and must in great humility come into his presence, though thou wilt not suddenly know it, till he in his Mercy shall give thee to know it, and then thou must in Christ's Power, Might and Glory, which he got in his resurrection, buy Corn for the poor soul, that it may live and not die; as Jacob said to his Children. 7. And Moses saith further; * Gen. 42.5, 6, 7, 8. Thus the Children of Israel and others with them came to buy Corn; for the Famine was also in Canaan; but Joseph was the Ruler of the Land, and sold Corn to all the people in the Land; Now when his Brethren came to him, they fell down with their faces to the Earth before him, and he saw them and knew them, and carried himself strangely towards them, and spoke roughly with them, and said to them; Whence come ye? They said, out of the Land of Canaan to buy food: but though he knew them, they knew not him yet. 8. This now is the first state and Condition of the poor soul when it turneth to Christ, to fetch food from him, than he looketh upon the soul in its will, totally in its Essence, to see whether the freewill had set itself towards him, and now if the soul be Converted, than he knoweth it, but first he terrifieth the Conscience, and setteth himself roughly, and seemeth strange towards the soul, as he did towards * Mat. 15.26. the Cananitish woman, and hideth his Grace from the soul, till it shed forth its Repentance, and boweth its face in the presence of Christ, and acknowledge its transgressions, and totally bow down itself to the Pit of Judgement, and yield it self into God's Anger and punishment, and to the Dying of itself. 9 And then Christ looketh into it, and layeth fast hold upon it with the strict hand of God's Anger, but his Love and Grace hideth itself therein, and that is it, which stirreth up the sins of the poor soul, and disturbeth them, so that it is terrified and afraid in the presence of God; when the soul standeth and cryeth to God, then saith Christ in the Conscience, who art thou? behold thyself now, whether thou art worthy of me? as Joseph did here, when he said, who are ye, and set himself roughly and strangely towards them. 10. * Gen. 42.9. And Joseph thought on the Dream, which he had dreamt concerning them, and said to them: ye are spies, and are come to see where the Land is open; that is, Christ thinketh on his Mercy, and on his bitter Passion and Death, and saith to the soul; thou art a spy, and comest to me, only to see, where the Gate of my Grace is open: but that shall not help thee, thou must do otherwise, thou must first Enter into the Gate of my Suffering and Death, or else thou art but a spy, and wilt see the Gate of my Grace stand open, that thou mayst cover thyself with it as with a Mantle; thou must be in Earnest, or else thou wilt be but treacherous to me, and take my Grace into thy Mouth. 11. * Gen. 42.10.11. And joseph's Brethren answered him and said, No, my Lord, thy servants are come to buy food; we are all one Man's sons, we are honest and true Men, we thy servants were never spies: That is thus much in the Figure, before the properties of the soul in their vanity rightly know themselves when the Anger of God is presented before their Eyes, viz. passeth into their Essence, than the soul thinketh, it is wrong that is done to it, for it thinketh, if it comfort itself with the Merits of Jesus Christ, and beleiveth on Christ, that he is the Son of God, and hath satisfied for the soul, than it ought not to be blamed for a Divine spy and unrighteous Hypocrite, it is righteous through the Justification of Christ, seeing it believeth the same, that it is applied to it for its benefit. 12. But, as † Gen. 42.12. Joseph said to his Brethren: No; but ye are come to see where the Land is Open: thus also the Spirit of Christ blameth the Essences of the soul; for it proveth them, that they are not yet broken, and have still selfe-desires in them, and will instantly lay hold on Grace, viz. the Open Gate, which availeth not the soul, it must first enter into Christ's suffering and Death, and put them on first through earnest repentance and conversion of its will, and then it may enter through the Open Gate, through Christ's wounds and Death, into his Resurrection. 13. Further, * Gen. 42.13, 14, 15, 16, 17. joseph's Brethren say, we thy servants, are † 12 Brethren. Twelve brethren, sons of one Man in the Land of Canaan, and the youngest is still with our Father, but one is not in Being: Joseph said to them; that is it which I told you; ye are Spies: in this will I prove you by the Life of Pharaoh: Ye shall not go from hence except your youngest brother come hither, send one of you hence, that may fetch your brother, but ye shall be prisoners: so will I prove your saying, whether your ways be in truth or not; for if not then are ye spies by the Life of Pharaoh, and they put them together in Ward for the space of Three Days. The inward precious Figure standeth thus. 14. When the soul doth thus draw near to Christ, and will instantly put on his Resurrection, then saith the Spirit of Christ in the Souls Essence, this is that which I told thee, thy Essences are spies by the Life of God, in this will I prove them whether they come to me in a faithful and right Path, and whether they bring with them to me their youngest brother, viz. the true joseph's brother, that is, the Incorporated line of the Covenant of Grace, in their, in Adam, faded heavenly Substantiality, viz. the Incorporated ground of Grace which was effected in Paradise, so that the Souls Essences with their most inward Ground, turn in, to me, and in me, else they come but as Hypocrites and spies of the Gate of Grace. 15. This is rightly called fetching the youngest brother, for, that same Incorporated Grace in the Promise, Effected in Paradise, is the soul's youngest brother, which it hides and covereth with sin, and in the beginning of its Repentance it leaves him at home † Or, with. by the Life of God. 16. Therefore saith the Text of Moses very secretly; He will prove them by the Life of Pharaoh, which is as much as to say in the figure, by the Life of God, with whom this youngest son stayed behind, him must the repenting Man bring along with him to the Port of Grace, or else he must lie * 3 Days. Three Days shut up in Prison, till he bring him, as joseph's brethren did; that is, else must the † 3 Principles. Three Principles in Man lie so long in Prison in the Anger of God, and cannot buy divine food, unless they have this their youngest brother, with them; that is, the Gate, wherein Christ in Man, in that same Image, of the heavenly world's substance which faded in Adam, ariseth from Death, wherein he may have his dwelling place. 17. Thus a Man is proved by the Life of God, when he turneth to God, to try whether he turn wholly and altogether to him, and bring this incorporated ground of Grace with him, wherein Christ will and shall manifest himself; If not, then saith Joseph, that is, Christ, to the soul's Essences, ye are but spies to the Life of God, and search only for the Justification of Man from the sufferings and Merits of Christ, that is, ye learn only the History, and take the precious Covenant of God in your Mouths, and flatter yourselves with Christ's satisfaction, and remain still only as spies of Grace; but that shall nothing avail you or help you, though likely you may spy out the Kingdom of Christ, my Anger and Righteousness in my Zeal and Jealousy, shall yet hold you in Prison with all the Three Principles, as long as you bring not the most inward ground of your Substance along with you, (this is called, setting all the Twelve sons of Jacob before Joseph, that is, before Jesus,) and fall at his feet with body and soul, inwardly and outwardly with all your faculties and powers, and yield them up into his Grace. 18. For it is not said that they can take the Grace, but that they should sink down into Grace, that Grace may give itself to them; for Man's ability to take it, is lost, self-will it rend off from God, it must wholly sink down into God, and leave off willing, that God may receive it again into his Grace. 19 O Babel! how home doth this hit thee? Thou art by or before the Life of God, with thy hypocrisy but a spy of the Grace of God, thou dost but seek for the Gate of Grace, and how thou mightest with thy own will without thy inward Benjamin enter into the Kingdom of Christ, yes thou wilt be outwardly an adopted child of Grace, whose sins are forgiven through the Merits of Christ, and yet continuest to be Babel and a Fable, and wilt not be a Christian in Christ, thou wilt needs pass into Heaven, but that will not avail thee; Joseph, that is, Christ holdeth thee imprisoned in the Anger of God both in Body and Soul, unless thou givest him Benjamin, viz. thy inward Ground, and then Heaven goeth into thee, and Christ standeth up in thee out of the Grave, so that thyself art risen from Death, and then thy spying and prying, hath an End. 20. O ye high Schools, and Universities, and all ye that will be accounted the Ministers of God, and to teach the way of God, and contend and dispute about it; what are ye? look upon yourselves in this Figure; you appear to be no other than Spies, you always search, and yet you lie still in Prison; God will have it so no more; for he himself tryeth the Thoughts of Man, and is himself present in all things, his is the understanding, his is the knowledge of the Kingdom of God, without him ye know nothing. 21. Your spying and knowing helps you not into the Kingdom of God, you cannot enter therein, except, that go forth in your Life, that is, except it be manifested in your Life, that ye are Gods children in Christ, in his Sufferings, Death, and Resurrection, in himself, not through an acquired Historical seeming Faith, but Essentially as a Branch on the Vine, ye must be a Twig on the Tree, you must have Christ's Life flesh & Blood operatively and substantially in the Inward Ground in you, and you must become Christ, else ye are all one and other but spies searchers and historical Christians, and no better than Jew's Turks and Heathens. 22. O ye simple Men, let it be made known to you; go but forth from the Tower of the Confounded Languages, then may you soon come to the right, seek * Mat. 26.64. Act. 7·55, 56. Col. 3.1. Christ at the right hand of God within you, he sitteth there, unlock your wills, that is, give them up to him, and he will unlock them well enough, your repentance must be earnest, or else ye are all one and other, but Spies. 23. Gaze about no more, it is high Time; † Rev. 1.3.22. ●0. the time is truly borne, or at hand, ‖ Luk. 21.28. your Redemption draweth near: * Rev. 21. ●. The Bridegroom calleth his Bride; you must indeed into the Prison of Joseph in this Famine, if you will not [bring your inward ground of your hearts into Repentance with you] Amen, be it so. Gen. 42.18, 19, 20. 24. And Moses saith further: But on the Third Day he said to them, if you will live then do thus, for I fear God; if you be honest and true Men, let one of your brethren lie captive in your Prison, but as for you go your ways and carry home, what ye have bought for your hunger; and bring your youngest brother to me, and so I shall believe your words, that ye may not die, and they did so. The Figure standeth thus. 25. When the soul draweth near to God and will work repentance, and that its inward Ground, is yet wholly shut up in vanity, so that the Mind is still hanging to self, yet if it will not give over Repentance, and for all that cannot be free from the Earthly desires, but continueth in Prayer, than indeed God the Father letteth the Souls Essences out of the Prison of his Anger, that the Mind is well eased again, like one that is released out of Prison, then saith the Mind thus; I am very well eased in my Prayer in this Repentance. 26. For, God's Anger hath released Nature out of its Prison, that it should with greater labour and industry press in to God, for in its Prison it cannot do so, for it is in anguish, and beholdeth only its committed sins which continually drive it back, that it is afraid † Abashed. ashamed & daunted in the presence of God, but when the Anger lets it lose, than it gets power and virtue of Prayer, and the work of Repentance. 27. But the Anger of God holdeth it continually with one Band; as Joseph held one Brother in Prison, till they brought the last brother also; and thus must the poor soul remain tied with one band of the Prison of Death, till it shed forth the last brother, viz. the inward ground, and come before God and say; Lord I will forsake all for Christ's and my salvations sake, and give up my will wholly to thee, cast me into Death or into Life, into derision or scorn, into poverty or misery, as thou wilt, I will cleave to thee, I will not play the hypocrite before thee, and give thee but half my will any more, as I have done. 28. And then if the Earnestness proceed to practice, that God perceiveth that it is in Earnest, then will also the last brother be let lose, that is, then will also the last Band of the Anger of God be loosed: but in the mean time, ere it thus come to pass, the soul must lie captive in one Band. 29. But nevertheless God saith to the other released * Or, faculties. forms of Life: Now go your way with that which you have at present in this Repentance bought or gotten of me, and carry it home, that is, defile it not again, live of it, and partake of this present Grace bestowed, and carry it in, to the Honour of God, that it may come before God with the Operation of it. 30. Moses saith further; But they said one among another, Gen 42, 21, 22, 23, 24. we trespassed against our Brother, that we saw the anguish of his Soul, when he wept to us, and we would not hear him, therefore now this Trouble cometh upon us; Reuben answered them and said, did I not tell you as much when I said; Sin not against the Lad, and ye would not hear; and now is his blood required; but they knew not that Joseph understood it; for he spoke to them by an Interpreter, and he turned himself from them and wept, and when he turned himself to them again, and spoke with them, he took Simeon from among them and bound him before their Eyes. 31. This Figure now is the Earnestness of Repentance, when Man in his repentance standeth before God, when he seeketh to God, & weepeth to him, when his Conscience and sins awake, as here the brethren of Joseph did, than he saith in himself, this I have merited and deserved by my sins, that I have helped to deride, scorn, and Crucify Christ within me, and without me in my fellow-Members, and have not regarded the entreaties and beseechings in my fellow-Christians, but have scorned, derided, and judged them to damnation, at present it toucheth me home, when I will turn to God by Repentance, now his sobs and Tears withhold me, in that I have driven him away, for my voluptuousness, Jesting, sport, and wantonness, now I stand here, and the Heaven in me in my Conscience is become as Iron. 32. Then saith God in the Conscience, hast thou not known well enough, moreover have I not caused my Word to be told unto thee, thou kn●west well that thou didst wrong, but thy evil stubborn self-will must reign; and now thou wouldst have Grace; and the Devil saith; it is to no purpose, Grace is gone, Heaven is shut up, Hell is open, leave off, thou wilt not attain it. 33. But the great mercifulness in the Grace of Christ in the inward Ground, presseth in with his Pity, and great Compassion, although at present, he still hideth his countenance of Love from it, that the soul doth not know it, and maketh the troubled soul full of misery, that in self it beseecheth and weepeth before God, and accounteth itself guilty of all Evil and wickedness, and beginneth in such kindled Lamentation, bitterly to complain of its sins, and to be sorry, and is also so full of shame in the presence of Christ, that it hideth its countenance before God, and knoweth not what to do for Lamentation; For it seethe in itself with its own Eyes, that the severe righteousness of God, holdeth and bindeth it in its Life, as the Brethren of Joseph must see, that their Brother was bound for their sins before their Eyes. 34. For though Christ be stirring in the Souls Essence in the inward ground of the Incorporated Grace, and shattereth it, that it seethe and bewaileth its sins, yet he setteth himself very strangely against the soul, and will not touch it with any Beam of Love; as Joseph set himself strangely, as if he understood not their Speech, and spoke to them by an Interpreter. 35. This same Interpreter is even that which bringeth the soul into such Repentance, Note, Note, the ability of the Soul to attain Grace. which otherwise could not be; for it hath nothing more in its own power but this, that it may turn its abyssal unfathomable supernatural will towards God, viz. that, out of which it is proceeded, and there stand still, which yet is very hard for it, and yet possible; unless its will have quite broken off itself, from the incorporated Gate of Grace, and given itself up to the Poison and infection of the Devil, so that the will of the Abyss of the soul, is entered into * The condition, posture, and quality. a Figure of a false or wicked Thistle, and be wholly poisonous, than it is hard, for than it asketh not after repentance, at all, but is careless and negligent, and obdurate, and desireth at no time to Convert, neither is it sorry for any evil or wickedness, but taketh delight therein and rejoiceth at it, so long as it carreth the Body about it; and than it is quite lost: but where there is yet a little spark of divine desire left, there is Remedy. 36. And Moses saith further: † Gen. 42.25, 26, 27, 28. And Joseph commanded to fill their Sacks with Corn, and to put every one's Money into their Sack again, also Provision for their Journey, and they did so to them. And they Laded their burdens upon their Asses, and went their way; but when one of them opened his Sack to give his Ass provender in the Inn, he perceived his Money that lay uppermost in the Sack, and said to his Brethren, my Money is restored to me, see, it is in my Sack; then their hearts failed them, and they were affaid, one with another, and said; Wherefore hath God done this unto us? 37. This now is the Most Lovely rich figure, showing, how God taketh nothing away from the Repentant Sinner, when he in his will giveth up all, & resolveth to cleave steadfastly to God, he taketh no reward or bounty from him, or any thing else; neither doth he take away his temporal Good things, when he doth yield up all to God, and forsaketh selfishness; and than God filleth his sack and restoreth him all that Money which he giveth to the poor and miserable, in his blessing again, and layeth it aloft in his provision, that the Man seethe, that God hath afforded it to him again in his wonderful Blessing. 38. At which a Man often wondereth how it cometh to pass, that Temporal Maintenance befalleth him in such a wonderful manner, when he hath not sought it, or known any thing of it, and likely stands amazed at it, questioning whether he should receive it or no, and thinketh verily, it is done for a Temptation to him, as here joseph's brethren thought that Joseph tempted them thus, that he might have an occasion against them. 39 And this signifieth the inward Bounty of Christ, that when the poor sinner powereth forth his heart before God, for payment to the Grace, and returneth what he hath to God, than God filleth the sack of his heart full with the Grace of Christ, and giveth him still good Provision, viz. understanding and wisdom in the way of his Pilgrimage, wherein he is to Journey through this valley of Misery home again into his Father's Country. 40. But by this Journey and Pilgrimage, wherein the Adamicall Man's sack is filled with heavenly good things, the Kingdom of God's Anger, as also the Earthliness is rob of that which they have in Man, as is to be seen in this Figure. 41. For * Gen. 42.35, 36. when jacob's sons came home to their Father and told him how it happened to them, and powered out their sacks and found the Money again, and would have Benjamin also into Egypt: then said Jacob ye have rob me of my children, Joseph is no more in being, nor Simeon is not, and you would take away Benjamin, all this goeth against me. 42. Hear Jacob their Father standeth in the figure of the outward Nature's self, showing, how Nature complaineth, when it is bereft and rob of its right, and of that which it hath begotten and brought to light; and standeth very excellently in the figure; for the outward Nature saith, when it seethe the Divine Gifts in itself, whereby it looseth the right of its selfehood I am bereft of my might and strength; Joseph, viz. the inward ground of the Kingdom of Heaven, which I had in Paradise, that is no more, and so will also these Gifts of my Power and authority, viz. my children, that is, the properties of my Nature, be taken away, it all goeth against me, I must suffer myself to be bereft. 43. * Gen. 42.37. But Reuben said to his Father; If I bring not Benjamin to thee again, then slay my † 2 Sons. Two Sons, give him into my hand, I will bring him to thee again; that is, God Comforteth Nature and saith; Give me thy forms, Quality, and Condition, viz. thy Children, into my hand, I will but bring them to Joseph, that is, to Jesus, and will give them to thee again, thou shalt lose nothing, if I do not, then slay my two sons with thee, that is, slay the first and second Principle, 44. Which is even done, if Nature be bereft of its forms and Condition, then must cease in the Nature of Man, the Kingdom of God in Love, and also the Kingdom of God in the might of the fire, so very secretly doth the Spirit of God delight to play in the figure of Regeneration; which Exposition will seem strange to Reason, but we know what we writ here, which is anderstood by those of our Society. 45. * Gen. 42.38. And Jacob said, my son Benjamin shall not go down with you, for his Brother is dead, and he is left alone, if any mishap befall him in the way that you travail, ye will bring my Grey hairs with sorrow of heart into the Grave; That is, Nature is faint, when it must enter into the Death of Christ, and is afraid of Dying, and will by no means come to it; it excuseth itself concerning its heavenly Joseph which it had, viz. the heavenly Image, which while it cannot comprehend it, it saith, it is Dead; now when these my forms and qualities of Life in this way shall get mishap again, then must I perish with sorrow of heart, and my Life hath an End. CHAP. LXX. How jacob's Sons went into Egypt again because of the Famine, to Joseph to buy Corn, and take Benjamin with them; How Joseph caused them to be brought into his House, and to Eat at his Table. What is thereby to be understood. Upon the 43▪ of Genesis. NOw this whole Chapter prefigureth to us, the most excellent Image, Gen. XLIII. representing, how first the outward Nature, in this process, when it shall give up its will thereinto, that its Life's Essences shall go into Egypt, that is, into the Death of Christ; is very fearful, timorous, abashed and daunted, and yet in the End is willing and ready, that all its forms and Conditions of Life might enter into the dying of Self, viz. into the true Egypt, upon divine confidence, that it bringeth the will of God with it thereinto. 2. And then secondly, how the forms and * Powers or Faculties. Conditions of Life are afraid before Joseph, that is, before the Face of God, seeing they feel in them an Evil Conscience, as Jac●bs sons were afraid before Joseph, for they thought continually God would punish them for joseph's sake, at which they trembled. 3. And thirdly, how God, with the forms of the soulish Nature carrieth himself first so friendly, and first giveth them heavenly bread of his own substance, and yet but in a strange form; as Joseph invited his brethren for Guests, and fed them at his Table, that they eat and drank plentifully, and were merry, and afterwards let them go in Peace, but presently after came with a terrible Trial, in that he caused his Cup to be laid into Benjamins' sack, and pursued after them and fetched them back again, all which standeth powerfully in the figure of a repenting sinner, showing, how it goeth with him, till God in his Love giveth him to know him. 4. Moses words follow thus; * Gen. 43.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This Famine was sore in the Land, and when the Corn was spent which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them; go again and buy us a little food: then Judah answered and said: The Man obliged and charged us strictly and said: Ye shall not see my face, except your Brother be with you: Now if thou wilt send our brother with us, than we will go down and buy for thee to Eat: but if thou sendest him not, we will not go down, for the Man hath said to us, ye shall not see my Face, unless your brother be with you. This figure standeth thus. 5. The Soul of Man standeth in Three Principles; viz. in the Eternal fires Nature, and in the Eternal Lights Nature, viz. in the Love-fire, which extinguished in Adam, for which cause at present the Strife is: and thirdly it standeth in Spiritu Mundi, in the Spirit of the World, in the Kingdom of this world, viz. in Mortality and Restoration. 6. Therefore now understand us aright thus, when the Inward Soulish Ground, viz. the Eternal Soul from the Father's Property of the Word of God, turneth back again, and looks about after its Little Pearl, viz. after the Second Principle of the Angelical world's property, than it will perceive that it was lost in Adam; from whence ariseth its Misery and Return again, and as soon as it returneth again, God giveth his Grace into it again, but unknown and not understood by it, and * God. he desireth, that the Inward fire-soule, viz. the Centre of the Eternal Nature, should, with the voice of Grace in spoken or inspired in Paradise which was wholly incorporated, turn to God again. 7▪ In which Divine desire, this great unquietness ariseth in the soul, that it thus goeth into Repentance, when it seethe that it hath lost its ability, neither may nor shall nor can it, in any other way again attain its first Pearl which is had, and come to divine salvation, unless it turn with its fires-might wholly again into the Ground of the incorporated Grace, and give itself up thereto. 8. And now when the outward Mortal Soul, viz. the Nature of the third Principle of the Kingdom of this world, seethe this, than it is afraid, as Jacob was of his children, and always thinketh they will lose body and Life, Goods and Honour, and their forms or faculties of Life will be bereft of their outward Might and Authority, which they have in this world. 9 And then also the inward fiery soul cannot stir up its inward Ground, viz. the true Benjamin, and bring it along with it into Egypt, into the presence of Joseph, into Earnest Repentance, into the presence of Jesus: unless the Outward Soul from the Spirit of the world be brought down and quite tamed and overwhelmed, that it also may in the End willingly submit to it, that the fiery inward great soul might thus move itself in all the Three Principles, and stir up the most inward ground, viz. joseph's Brother, viz. the incorporated Gate of Grace, together with all outward Essences or faculties of the outward soul, and bring them along into the work of Repentance, into the presence of the right Joseph or Jesus. 10. For, the fiery Soul is threatened by Joseph, that is, by Jesus, that if, in its drawing near, it bring not along with it the most inward ground, viz. the brother of Joseph or Christ, which in its Manifestation becometh the Temple of Christ, then shall its Band of God's Anger not be loosed, its brother Simeon shall remain in Prison, till it also stir up and bring with it joseph's Brother, viz. the most inward Ground. 11. Neither shall its Sack be filled with * Rev. 2.17. Heavenly Manna for its food, that is, its Faith's desire shall remain hungry and Empty, and not be filled with divine power and virtue, unless it bring the Temple of Christ, viz. the right Sack with it, whereinto the heavenly Joseph filleth his Food. 12. This now in the Text stands in a figure, showing, how the Old Adamicall Man, viz. the Old Jacob, thinketh it to be very hard, that he should let all the powers of his Life be carried along into Egypt, that is, into Repentance, into the presence of Joseph or Jesus; especially when he seethe that he must break his will, and part with all temporal things for it; as Old Jacob must part with all his children for this food. 13. It went hard with him, and yet the famine and hunger did so press upon him that in the end he must yield and be willing that all his sons should go into Egypt, and his youngest son went along, and he was alone as one who had no children: so wholly must the Outward Nature leave whatsoever it hath or is in itself; as having no more power and ability as to Earthly things, and give up the selfehood of its inward soul, which standeth in the Drawing of God, that the inward soul may take the outward souls will along with it into Conversion, and then the Old Jacob, that is, the Old earthly Adamicall Body remaineth alone in its house of Sorrow, and knoweth not now what will become of it, when its Spirit must go along into conversion, then thinketh the Earthly Lucifer in it, viz. the fleshly desire; hereby thou wilt lose temporal honour and good things, and be the fool of the world; this will not serve thy turn and Lust. 14. But the Great Famine, viz. Sin presseth the poor life in all the Three Principles, that it must make ready and go into Egypt, that is, into Repentance, and seek divine food, and pray for it and desire it, from the true householder Joseph or JESUS, and in such Prayer and desire fall on his face of great humility before Joseph or Jesus, and desire food of him. 15. But that jacob's sons must go twice into Egypt for Corn, and at the first time receive Corn Enough, and yet they came into danger thereby, * Were kept in pawn, or Custody. and were kept as a pledge, hath inwardly this figure: when Man at first turneth into repentance, than first the terrible figure or aspect of his sins standeth before him, for they rouse him up, and the Conscience standeth in the Anger of God. 16. As the Brethren of Joseph, stood the first time before Joseph, when he held them for Spies: so also Man standeth before God as a Spy of Divine Grace; for he thinketh he will this once enter into Repentance, that his old sins may be forgiven him, but he hath not yet so strongly tamed his will, that the will should think all days of its life while the body lasteth, to remain in such begun Repentance, but it thinketh only for once thus to destroy Sin in the Conscience, and to drown the old sins in Repentance and Sorrow. 17. And it cometh also to that pass, that his Conscience, though perhaps at first it be terrified, is in the End appeased, and divine food is given to him from the heavenly Joseph, into the Sack of his desire, so that the Anger of God letteth him go; But the Anger of God in his righteousness, taketh a ‖ Or, Pawn. Pledge from the Conscience, and keepeth it, to see whether Man would continue to rest satisfied with this burden of food, if not, than the Anger of God hath its first right in soul and body. 18. As it happeneth to us poor Men, that we very slightly and lavishly spend the first food which the heavenly Joseph giveth us in Repentance, and come again with great hunger, want and misery of Conscience, and must come to be poor again, and even therefore, because we did not the first time bring along with us our Benjamin, viz. the most inward Ground; in that our will was not quite broken, and that we suppose we shall continue till our End, in Repentance, and divine Resignation: But if it were done in the first Repentance, then could not God's righteousness in the Anger take any pledge, but must leave us quite free. 19 This figure now, that jacob's children must go down into Egypt for food twice, and at the second time Joseph was first manifested unto them, and the third time they took along with them their wives and children, and all that they had, together with their father; prefigureth; that when Man through sin hath spent and consumed the first divine food, that he must hunger again and be in want in his Conscience, so that his conscience presseth him & complaineth, as a hungry Belly complaineth for food, than he thinketh on the first repentance again, how Grace happened to him before. 20. But his most inward Ground, viz. the Band of God's Anger complaineth against him & condemneth him, that he did not preserve Grace, it blameth him for an unfaithful perjured Man, who hath tasted God's Grace, and how it was bestowed on him of mere Mercy, and that he hath for the Lust's sake of the flesh spoilt and lost all again, and then he standeth as one that is not worthy of any thing, so much as to look up to Heaven, or that the Earth should bear him, that he hath for such base Lust's sake of the flesh squandered so precious a thing again, and thinketh yet with the poor Publican and sinner, and with the lost son the keeper of swine, he will turn again and come to the salvation of God; and then first it is in right true Earnest, and then goeth jacob's sons all one and other the second time into Egypt into Repentance, to buy heavenly Corn, and then must the Old Adamicall Jacob, viz. the Body, stay at home in Calamity. 21. In this Earnest it is, that Benjamin, viz. the inward Ground is first taken along; and now the first will is broken, and goeth no more in and with such a purpose as at the first time, and they come now no more as spies before Joseph, but as earnest hungry Men, viz. with an Earnest hungry Life, which from all its powers and virtues, hungereth after God's Mercy, after the food of Jesus Christ. 22. Hear now beginneth the earnestness in fear and Trembling, and this is the true going forth after heavenly food, wherein the Conscience stands in anxiety, and Reason despairs of its own ability, and thinketh, alas, God is angry with me: where shall I seek for Grace, I am not worthy of it; I have trampled it underfoot, I must stand ashamed before God; Into what Deep shall I go, where I may dare to lift up my face to God, and bewail my wants to him. 23. Then comes the poor Conscience, in need, and with trembling, before God, and hath not many Confessions or words, for it accounteth itself too unworthy to speak one word before God, but setteth itself before his face, and boweth down to the Ground, and thus in itself demerseth itself into the Most mere and deepest Mercy of God, into Christ's wounds, suffering, and death, and beginneth from its most inward Ground, to sigh, and to fly into Grace, and wholly give up itself thereto, as joseph's brethren came thus the second time before Joseph, and fell down before him. 24. And when Joseph saw them thus, that they were all there and stood so humbly before him, he had so great Compassion upon them, that he could not speak a word neither: but turned him and wept: And this is the state and condition, wherein the inward ground of the heavenly world's substance which faded in Adam, into which God a-againe inspoke or inspired his Word of Grace in Paradise, for an Ensign, Banner, Mark, and Limit, became living again in this Compassion, wherein Christ is assuredly borne in Man in this ground, and now instantly ariseth through his sufferings, from Death in Man, and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father; which right hand, is the fiery soul from the Father's property in the word of the Eternal Nature, and presenteth the soul in this ground before the Anger of God, and satisfieth and filleth it with Love. 25. And here a Christian beginneth to be a Christian, for he is one, in Christ, and is no more a spy and verbal or Mouth-Christian, but that is in the most inward Ground; and here Simeon is loosed, and * Rom. 8.1. there is no more Condemnation to those that are thus in Christ Jesus: although perhaps the Outward body is in this world and subjected to vanity, yet it hurteth it now no more, but every failing which it now committeth, in the flesh, must turn to serve for the best to it; For now it beginneth to kill the works and contrivance of the flesh, and continually to Crucify the Old Adam, for its whole life is now a mere repentance, and Christ in it doth help it to work repentance, and bringeth it now to his Glorious feast or Banquett, as Joseph did his brethren when they came again to him, when he commanded to make ready and gave them of his Table. 26. Thus now Christ feedeth the Converted soul, with his flesh and blood, and in this feast or Banquett is the † Rev. 19.7.9 Wedding of the Lamb; whosoever hath been a Guest here, he understandeth our sense and mind, and no other doth, they are all of them but Spies, though perhaps they suppose they understand it, yet there is no right understanding of this feast or Banquett in any Man, unless he hath been at it and tasted of it himself, for it is a very impossible thing for Reason to apprehend it without Christ's spirit in himself, who is himself the food, at this feast or Banquet of Joseph. 27. And it is told thee Babel, in thy spying by joseph's feast or Banquett, that thou deludest Christendom; in that by this feast thou pointest them to the Resurrection of the Dead, thou Errest: a Christian must * John 6.53. eat the flesh of the son of Man here, or he hath no life in him: † 1 Cor. 15 28 In the Resurrection God will be all in all. ‖ Col. 3.1. Christ sitteth at the right hand of God in Man here, and presenteth him with his Body and with his Innocent Blood that was shed, and that, he covereth the soul withal, and floweth into it with the same, when God's Anger will stir, being instigated by the desire of the flesh. 28. O thou poor old Jacob of † Or, inspecting Spying Christendom, let thy hungry sons, who are very lean for great hunger in the Conscience, go to Joseph, keep them no longer back in thy fear: what I pray thee is thy fear? thou supposest, that if this Ground should come to light in the world, thou shouldst lose thy sons whom thou lovest; but who are thy sons? there is thy own honour, in that thou thinkest to sit in the Stead of Christ upon Earth; Also, there is thy Lucifer of fleshly honour, which thou takest care for, and thy countenance is dejected about it, if a man should require an Apostolic Life from thee, and seek thee in the Process and Imitation of Christ; it pleaseth thee better, that thou livest in honour and voluptuousness of flesh in Spying, and honour'st thy Belly, and so bringest thy poor Christianity under a veil. 29. O thou poor old Jacob, trouble not thyself so about temporal momentany things; see how it went with old Jacob, when he let all his sons go from him to Joseph, how Joseph caused him to be fetched to him, and did so much Good to him and his children, and nourished them in the famine, and placed them in a better Land; and so it will go also with thee, if thou wilt let thy sons go to Joseph; but if thou wilt henceforth keep them back longer, than thou must starve, thou and thy children, and be famished in Misery, saith the Spirit of Wonders, by joseph's feast or Banquett. 30. O Israel Mark this Text very well, it concerneth thee, and hath clearly concerned thee, but that thou art yet blind in thy hungry misery, and waitest for the sword of the Turba, that shall awaken thee, since thou wilt needs have it. 31. Every one thinketh, if three parts of Men were destroyed, than I should have good days with those that remain, and then we would be honest and virtuous, and lead an upright honest life: Also, men gaze about to see whence that Salvation will come, which is so much written off; and say and think, Salvation will enter into the Lust of the flesh from without, Men always gape for an Earthly Kingdom of Christ. 32. O Israel, if thou knewest these present times wherein thou livest in blindness, thou wouldst repent in Sackcloth & Ashes; thou lookest for the * Signall-Star, such a Star as lead the Wisemen to Christ. Matth. 2.2. Signall-Starre, and it hath appeared, it shineth, whosoever hath Eyes may see it, it is indeed as big as the world is, and yet Men will be blind. Enough to those that are Ours. 33. And as jacob's children spoke much with their father concerning Benjamin, and promised to bring him again, he said at last: * Gen. 43.11, 12, 13, 14. If it must be so, let it be so, and take of the best fruit of the Country, in your Sacks, and carry down a Present to the Man, a little Balsam and Honey; and Spices and Myrrh Dates and Almonds; take also other Money with you and the Money that was put above in your Sacks again, carry with you, it may be it was done by mistake; moreover, take your brother, arise, go again to the Man, and the Almighty God give you Mercy, before the Man, that he may let your other brother and Benjamin go; but I must be as one quite bereft of his children. 34. This now is the figure that is above explained, and we see a very Excellent clear Type and Image therein, showing, that Jacob commanded his sons to take with them of the most precious rich and costly fruit of the Land, and carry it with them to Joseph, in which the Spirit pourtrayeth in the figure, how the Christian Church, when it seethe itself in such Trouble, and spiritual Famine, hunger, and want, and now is on the way of Repentance, should carry these good fruits with it before God, viz. Hope, Faith and divine affiance, and not wild fruit, as Covetousness, Self-willed Lust, and Hypocrisy, but a purpose and resolution towards Truth, Righteousness, Chastity, Love and Meekness. 35. Thus must the Old Man take a resolution, to go in such a purpose to Joseph, that is, to Christ; and then he yields up all his sons for the Journey of this Pilgrimage, and saith; Now I am bereft of all my Sons, I have nothing more in the desire of fleshly voluptuousness, I have yielded them altogether into the will of God. 36. Also, we see in this figure, how Jacob commanded them to take with them again, the unrighteous money, that they had brought back in their Sacks, and restore it again; thus also must a Man who will be or is a Christian, put away from him all unrighteous things; all that he hath gotten to himself by subtlety, craft, and wrong, that, he should repay again, or, else indeed give it to the Poor. 37. For that which he giveth to the needy and miserable that suffer want, he giveth to the hungry brethren of Joseph, and the heavenly Joseph receiveth it in his hungry brethren and fellow-Members, and returneth it to him again manifold, as joseph's Steward gave them again the Money which they carried home in their Sacks the first time and brought it again, and said, Peace be to you, your father's God, hath bestowed Treasure on you. 38. A man must put away all unrighteousness from him, if he will enter in to the Wedding of Jesus Christ; Hypocrisy and flattery in comforting one's self, availeth nothing; it must be Earnestness; and this is that which keepeth Men back from the ways of God, even their walking upon the ways of Hypocrisy, and flattering themselves; whereas they should leave off and forsake unrighteousness and Extortion, and restore that which is gotten by falsehood: thus they have cast the Purple Mantle of Christ over the crafty wretch, and covered him with the satisfaction and merits, only that the Thief may live under that Cloak. 39 O thou poor Christendom, how hath Antichrist deluded thee with this Cloak and Covering; O flee away from him it is time: The Covering will not avail any wicked and unrighteous person, so long as any is such a one he is the Devil's Servant. 40. A Christian is a New Creature in the Ground of his Heart, his Mind is bend only to well-doing, not to steal, Else were Christ [by Consequence accounted] a Thief in Man. Let but the Mantle of Christ fall off, and restore what thou hast stolen, and gained and extorted with unrighterusnesse and injury, and cast away the old Quarrels, strive, and * Lawsuits. Litigations, from thy soul, and go naked and empty under the Cross, to which Christ hangeth, and look upon his fresh bleeding wounds, and take his blood into thy hungry soul, and then thou wilt be healed and redeemed and released from all want, else no comfort of Satisfaction and Merit will help thee. All true Comfort is but this, that a Christian comforteth himself that he shall in this Repentance in Christ Jesus obtain a Gracious God and that shall even be his Comfort that he may not despair. 41. The satisfaction wherewith the unrighteous comforteth himself; and saith, My works avail nothing, Christ hath done all, I can do nothing; and continueth under such Comfort in sins, that is the Devils fishhooke, whereby he catcheth his fish with Christ's Mantle. 42. Christ had his Purple Mantle on him, when he was in his suffering; but when he hung on the Cross, he had it no more, much less in his Resurrection: so also should a Man take this Mantle about him, only when he goeth into Christ's Suffering and Death in Repentance, in Repentance it is only available, and no way else, that a soul should wrap itself up in it when it is ashamed in its sins, before the face of God. 43. All that is taught and believed otherwise, is deceit, a fable, and Babel. All teachers that teach otherwise, are but servants and slaves of the Belly, and the fishermen, and a Deceit of the world, of these let Men beware: for he that will be a Teacher, must also be a true Christian, that so he may also thus live in Christ; Else * John 10. he is a Thief and a Murderer, that climbeth up some other way into the sheepfold, of whom Christ speaketh. 44. And Moses saith further; Gen. 43.15, 16, 17. Then they took their Present and the double money with them and Benjamin, and arose and went into Egypt, and presented themselves before Joseph; and when Joseph saw them with Benjamin, he said to his Steward, bring these Men to my House, and stay and make ready, for they shall eat with me at Noon, and the Man did as Joseph said unto him, and brought the Men into joseph's house. 45. This now signifieth thus, that he that hides himself under the Mantle must come forth, and bring his unrighteous wrong gotten Goods again, and come before the face of the heavenly Joseph, and come naked and empty of his, I hood or own ability, and bring the right Benjamin that is in him, along with him, than Joseph draweth near him, and seethe him, and commandeth his Steward, viz. the Spirit of Power, to bring these Men into his house, viz. into his Humanity; and then the Lamb of God shall be made ready, and these Men or the Life's Essences of the right soul, shall eat at joseph's Table with him at Noon, (than it is Noon when the high Light of Grace, shineth as at Noon or Midday in the soul) and here joseph's brethren are reconciled, when they eat with Joseph, that is, with Christ, of his Food. 46. This Now is the Supper Apocalypse † Rev. 19.9. 19 Hear a Man casts away the Mantle, and becometh a Brother of Joseph, and needs no more flattery or comforting of himself, but becometh a Christian in Christ, who is dead with Christ to his sins and is become living in him, and is risen again in him, and liveth with him, eateth with him at his Table, and is no more a servant of sin, who must fear again, but who is * Gal. 4.7. a son in the House to whom the Inheritance belongeth, according to the Scriptures. Gen. 43. from 17. to the 25. 47. And when joseph's Steward had brought them into joseph's house, they were still afraid, and spoke to him before the door concerning the Money, which they had found in their Sacks; but he comforted them and said, I found your money and have had it; your God hath bestowed Treasure in your Sacks; and he brought Simeon out to them, and brought them into joseph's house, and gave them water to wash their feet, and gave their Ass' Provender, but they prepared their Present against Joseph should come at Noon; for they had heard that they should Eat bread there. 48. This now is the figure and representation of a Troubled Man, who now entereth into joseph's house, & giveth again the unrighteous thing; for he had done much unrighteousness and wrong, because he had nothing to give, he giveth it again with his heart before the house of Joseph in true Confession and acknowledgement, and would feign give it back again with his hand, if he were but able to do it; to such a one saith joseph's Steward, fear no more, I have clearly received it in your Repentance, Christ hath paid and restored it for you in his blood, so that all is done away and nothing remaining, and you are in poverty and misery, therefore keep that little which you have, to cherish your life, though indeed you have it of wrong, and should have nothing in this world for your own, yet God hath given you Treasure; Take water and wash your feet; that is, cleanse the Conversation of your hands and feet, and do evil no more, keep not that which is unrighteous, but only that little, which you have of right, wherewith you cannot repay the wrong. 49. Not so to understand it, that he should not restore again that which is of wrong, of his own which he hath rightly gotten besides Extortion, if he be able; we speak of the poor, which hath nothing but a piece of bread left to sustain Life; no excuse availeth before God, the Conscience must become pure, or else thou art a Thief: for the figure here addeth, that the Steward gave their Ass' provender, which signifieth the Earthly Body, that Christ will by his Steward cause provender and food to be given to it. 50. These Stewards here, are honest and virtuous people in the world, which shall help to take care of it, that it may live, and though he were formerly a wicked Man, if he were now honest from his heart. 51. Not as the false wicked world judgeth, who know a fault in a Converted Man, which he hath had, and still always upbraid him and condemn him for an unrighteous Man, which Devillishnes the world is full of, that if they see a Man, who is Converted, they cast all failings and infirmities which every one hath in flesh and blood, upon him and judge him for it, and look upon what he hath been, and not upon what he now is. Hear saith Christ: * Matth. 7.1. Judge not, and then you shall not be judged. 52. † Gen. 43.26, 27, 28. Now when Joseph entered into the house, they brought him the Present in their hands, and fell down before him to the Earth; but he saluted them friendly and said; is it well with your father the old Man, whom ye told me of, doth he yet live; and they answered: it is well with thy servant our father, and he yet liveth: and so they bowed and fell down before him. 53. This now is the State and Condition of the Soul when it cometh plainly before the Eyes of God, and hath wrapped its Present up in the Sufferings and Death of Christ, and beareth it in its hands with the figure of the Nayle-Prints of Christ, in the presence of God: that is to say, the will to Righteousness, Truth, Chastity, Love, Patience, Hope, Faith, Meekness; these are now in the will of the soul, and these the soul giveth to the heavenly Joseph, and falleth down before him in humility. 54. But this Joseph Saluteth the soul, that is, he speaketh or inspireth his word of Grace into it, and parlyeth friendly in the Conscience with it, concerning the old Adamicall Jacob of its Life, and saith: doth he yet live, that is, if he be still living and not quite dead, there shall well be a Remedy for him; at which the soul rejoiceth and saith; it is well with thy servant my father, and he yet Liveth. 55. * Gen. 43.29, 30, 31. And Joseph lift up his Eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his Mother's son and said; is that your youngest Brother that you have told me of, and said further: God be gracious to thee my son; and Joseph made haste away; for his heart burnt within him towards his brother, and sought where to weep, so he went into his Chamber and wept there; and when he had washed his Face, he went forth and carried himself boldly and said: Set bread on the Table. 56. This now is that Excellent Type or Image, as is abovementioned; when Benjamin, that is the most Inward Ground, wherein lie the Grace-Gates of Paradise, is manifested before the eyes of Christ, in whom the great Compassion kindleth itself; then God in Christ Speaketh in or inspireth the Living Compassion, as here Joseph into Benjamin when he said; God be gracious to thee my son: This weeping of the heavenly Joseph, kindleth this faded paradisical Image again with this weeping humility of Christ, so that, from Christ's weeping into this Image the Eternal Joy riseth up: and then Christ setteth Bread upon the Table, that this Image may Eat with him. 57 And Moses saith further; And they served Joseph apart, Gen. 43.32. and them apart; and the Egyptians that did Eat with him, apart also; for the Egyptians dare not eat bread with the Hebrews, for it is an Abomination to them, and they placed them before him, the first according to his priority of Birth, and the youngest according to his youth, and they Marvailed amongst themselves, and they carried them † Or, Messes. food from his Table: but Benjamines was five times as much as the other, and they drank and were merry in drinking plentifully with him. 58. This figure is now the secretest Ground and highest Mystery of all between God and Man, although it appear outwardly as if Joseph would thus hid himself before his brethren, as if he were not an Hebrew of their Progeny; yet the Spirit hath here set down so deep a Mystery, that no Reason can discern it. 59 For Joseph in this place standeth in the figure of Christ, who hath food apart, * John 4.32.34. whereof they know nothing, as it is to be seen at jacob's well, when his Disciples called him to Eat; then said he; I have food which you know nothing of, which is to do the will of him that sent me: for the Heathen Woman's Faith was his Food. 60. Christ according to the Eternal Word of the Deity eateth not of the substance of Heaven, as a Creature, but of the humane Faith and earnest Prayer, and the souls of Men Praising God, are his Food, which the Eternal Word that became Man, eateth, as apart, which appertaineth to no Man or any other Creature, neither can they eat it, and when he eateth the Faith and Prayer, together with the praise of God, from our souls, than the Humane Faith together with the Prayer and praising God, becomes Substantial in the word of power, and is of one and the same Substance with the Substance of the heavenly corporeity of Christ, all alike to the only Body of Christ, God and Substance, viz. God, Man, and Substance, all one. 61. This Substance, (which is one and the same Substance with the assumed, humanity, from us, wherein he hath shed his Blood, which is alike of a Divine and humane Substantiality, viz. Supernatural flesh and Blood, and then also of the humane Creatures flesh and Blood except the earthliness of our humanity) he giveth this now to the humane Faith again to be eaten and drunk. 62. For, Faith in the desire of its hunger, is the Mouth, which sucketh and receiveth it in, in which impression catching and receiving, Faith eateth and drinketh Christ's flesh and Blood, which eating and drinking is apprehended and kept in the inward paradisical Image, which faded in Adam, and became living again in Christ, wherein the humane paradisical Substance and Christ's flesh and Blood, are entirely one Substance, and continueth so Eternally; which inward Man, is now no more called Adam, but Christ, viz. being a Member of the Body and Substance of Christ, wherein is the Temple of the Holy Ghost, and Gods holy Word is therein Substantially, and it is a * Resemblance of the unconceivable or non-imagible Deity. form or Image of the Imagelesse Deity; viz. the Imaged Word of God, an † Answering exactly as a Man's face doth in a Glass. Express reflex Image of God. 63. And this now is the signification of the figure, that they served Joseph apart, and his brethren also apart; that still there is a difference between Christ and his Eating, and Man and his Eating, the difference is not as to the Creaturely humanity of Christ from us, but between the un-formed Eternal Word in him, wherein the Totall God is operatively and generatively, not shut up and separated, but Expressive in full Omnipotence, not creaturely but Divine. 64. But in us Men, so far as Man in his participation hath any thing of God and Christ in his own Substance, the Word is form and Substantial, and this form Substantial Word eateth again of the form word of God, viz. of Christ's flesh and Blood, * Col. 2.9. wherein yet also the un-formed Word together with the whole fullness of the Deity dwelleth. 65. But the humane Creature, hath it not in his own participation or possession of self, as it is in Christ Jesus, but as a vessel and habitation of God, after that manner by way of similitude, as fire possesseth Iron and † Maketh it all of a light fire. illustrateth it, that it come to be all of a fire, and yet it hath not the Fire in its own power or authority, for if the fire go out, the Iron than remaineth to be dark Iron, or as the Sun presseth and penetrateth through an herb, and puts forth itself together in the herb and becometh Substantial, and yet the Sun's Spirit remaineth to be only a power and virtue in the herb, and the Corpus or Body of the herb, doth not come to be Sun, thus also is it to be understood between God, and Man. 66. But that Moses saith: And they served the Egyptians also apart, for the Egyptians dare not eat Bread with the Hebrews, hath also its figure; though it might well be so outwardly in itself, that they have not dared to Eat with them, which we leave unquestionably in its own worth, as also all other things, we leave it standing in a History, but we would only clear and explain the meaning and understanding, wherefore the Spirit of God hath caused it to be deciphered so narrowly, curiously, exactly, and punctually. 67. Now when we will search out this, we must take into Consideration, a Natural Adamicall Man, of what kind Progeny or Name soever he is, whether Heathen, Turk, * Or Mouth-Christian. verbal or Titulary Christian, or Jew, here they are all alike and no otherwise: all these dare not Eat with a right true Christian, as, viz. with joseph's Brethren; But why? because they have not a Mouth to eat such food withal, their Mouth is yet shut up to them, and they cannot eat the Food of Christ's Body, they are an Abomination to it, and have a loathing against it: as we see that it is an Abomination to the Jews, Turks & Heathens, that a Christian saith; † Joh. 6.53. He eateth Christ's flesh and drinketh his Blood. 68 So also it is an abomination to the Titulary Christendom, one part of which believeth not the Substantial participation and feeding upon the Body of Christ, but will have it merely Spiritual; The other part will have the Mouth of the Adamicall Mortal Man full of it, and therewith comprehend & receive it: And so there is no right knowledge or understanding in either part: and they sit at Table, but without knowing any thing as the Brethren of Joseph did, who knew not Joseph, where indeed their Faith feedeth, but their understanding knoweth not Joseph in his ‖ Or, Mess of food. feast or Banquett. 69. Now then saith Reason: seeing the Jews Turks and Ignorant unknowing Heathen have no Mouth to eat such food with, and that Christ saith: * Joh. 6.53. Whosoever Eateth not the flesh of the Son of Man, he hath no life in him; therefore they must all of them be Damned: O Israel, how blind art thou here, and knowest as little as they, or as joseph's Brethren knew of Joseph. 70. The Turks Jew's and Strange Nations, whose desire and prayer goeth to the Only God, have indeed a Mouth but not so as a Christian hath; for as the Desire, viz. the Mouth, is, such is also the Food in the Mouth; They desire the Spirit of God, and such is also their Eating, in that manner as before Christ's humanity, in the Father and the Son, viz. in the Word. 71. But a Christian hath an incarnate Mouth: for the * Or, Soulish. Souls Desire, or much more the Substantial Christ or Christus, viz. the Virgin Sophia hath a Mouth from the Substantial Word; but the other have one from the unsubstantial Word; they desire † Or, to be like God the Father: our heavenly Father. the property of God the Father, viz. of the Only God, and they do apprehend it also. But here Grace is not manifest. 72. But seeing ‖ Joh. 6.37. the Father hath given Man to his Son Christ, as Christ saith, and hath manifested the Grace in Christ, and inviteth them all in Christ, and that there is no Salvation * Or, out of him without Christ; therefore he giveth to them also the Earnest crying prayer, which Christ receiveth from his Father, and apprehendeth it in himself and eateth it, and filleth them with his Humanity, Suffering, Death, and shedding of his Blood, and so they are with their spirit in Christ Substantially, but in themselves as hidden to them. 73. For they desire not any way the flesh of the Son of Man, and therefore they have not in their Selfhood any Mouth for Christ's flesh and Blood, for they have no desire to it, but with their Spirit they are Substantially in Christ: But their inward in Adam faded paradisical Humanity, wherein the incorporated Grace in Paradise, lieth, remaineth hidden in them and without a stirring Life. 74. For Christ dwelleth not Substantially therein, as in a true Christian: But their Faith's Substance is hidden in Christ to the Day of the Restoration of that which is lost in Adam, when their paradisical Image, which is not manifested in this Time, will put on their Faith's Substance, in Gods bestowed Grace, which proceedeth from one upon all, out of Christ's Spirit; for that Incorporated Grace, viz. the inspoken or inspired Word standeth also in them, and panteth after Christ's Substantiality. 75. But seeing their Substantiality is in the Word, without this place, state and Condition, in Christ, where Christ in himself fulfileth their Faith to God, therefore also will their substantial Faith in God put on that incorporated word in the paradisical Image, together with the same at the Revelation or Manifestation of Jesus Christ; Note, how Salvation is not of ourselves, but of Grace in us. and herewith also the whole Man. 76. For the Scripture saith; * Eph. 2.8. Of Grace are ye saved, and that not of yourselves, not by your knowing, but through God's Mercy and Compassion. It lieth not in knowing, as if the knowing could receive Christ, but it lieth in the Gift, viz. in the Grace, which Christ giveth to the unknowing into their Faith in God, as well as to the knowing into their Desire, it is done to both, of Grace. 77. For Adam went forth from the Only God into self, into ignorance, and lead us all with him into that Ignorance, but Grace came again from that only God, and offereth itself to all Ignorant unknowing persons, Heathens as well as Jews. 78. Among the Jews stood the Image or Type of Grace in the Figure, signifying, how Grace would receive Man again. But now the Fathers of the figure, viz. the Jews had no more part in the Grace, viz. those among whom the Image or Type had not manifested itself, for the prefiguration and Type pointed at Christ; The Jews pressed with their Faith and Prayer, through the Prefiguration into the only Grace, which was in God, which God bestowed upon Adam and his children; But the Heathen, which had not the Law, and yet believed without Circumcision, in the only promised Grace of God, they pressed without the Type or Prefiguration into the Grace. 79. For the Ability was given to the one People as well as to the other, no People could of themselves, but the Grace took the Will for the Ability, and gave them ability and power alike, the Jews and the faithful Heathen: But Infidelity and not willing was both with the Jews and Heathen, their Damnation, in that they withheld their wills in self and in Hardening, and went a whoring after other Gods: thus, the Circumcision and Sacrifices were not the Jews Salvation, but Grace, which they represented in such figures pointing at the Humanity of Christ, when the Grace would fulfil the future; the future fullfilling was their Salvation. 80. Thus also at present the Christians have the figure of Grace under the Gospel in the fullfilling: not that they can receive the fullfilling in selfe-power and ability, but the fullfilling of the Grace tendereth it to them, if they will give up themselves thereinto, and the Mouth is given to them in the Grace. 81. But the other bend their wills towards the Grace of God, which is even the same Grace with the Christians, and no more; but the Substantial Grace in the Image of the fullfilling, they know not; But the Grace taketh their willing with the desire into it, and giveth the desire in the Grace, a Mouth, which is hidden to the Creature, till the day of the Revelation of JESUS Christ. 82. Therefore there is no other difference between them, but the Substantial Stirring in the paradisical Image, the paradisical Image not having yet put on Christ in Substance, as it is with the true Christians, and yet their Faith in the Grace of God in Christ, is Substantial, yet not in the humane own possession of self, but in God who fulfileth all things, and is and dwelleth through all things; thus the Substantial Grace is near the faithful or Believing Jews and Turks, and in them, but as to the Creature not apprehended. 83. They have Christ in them, but they apprehend him not, unless their will enter into the Substantial Grace of Christ, and then Christ manifesteth himself in their Creature, as well as in Christians; But the Grace in Christ is laid by the faithful believing Jews and other People, for it moveth through them, and their will to God is in it, and walketh therein. 84. A Titulary Christian without the Divine Will is further from it, than a Believing Jew, Turk, and Heathen, or whosoever he be that putteth his trust in God, and giveth up his will to God; such a one is nearer, and will Condemn the Titulary Christian, in that he boasteth of knowing and comforteth himself with the Grace, but continueth in his evil will and desire without Grace, and will set the wicked man up in the Grace of God. 85. Thou sayest thus: The strange Nations are not Baptised into Christ, therefore they are not Children to the Grace of the Covenant, neither. Answer. If Circumcision were alone salvation, than were Baptism so also, for the one is as the other, but God requireth that a Jew should be Circumcised inwardly in Heart. Circumcision was but the Type or Image, showing how Christ would Cut off sin, which Type Christ hath fulfiled: Thus also the Spirit of Christ * Batheth, Steepeth or soaketh into the Grace and quickeneth a Sprout. Baptizeth with this Covenant in the paradisical Image, in the Incorporated Grace, and kindleth an Ember. 86. But it requireth an Ens of Faith, which is capable of the † Or, Steeping. Baptism, which cometh from the Parents, and through the Earnest Prayer of those which are conversant about the work, else the Covenant is despised, and there is no Circumcision of the Heart and Spirit: for the power and authority wherewith the Holy Ghost baptizeth consisteth not in Man, but in God; whosoever despiseth his Covenant and manageth it not with earnest and with Circumcised hearts, those he baptiseth into his Anger; as Saint Paul saith concerning the Supper of Christ, that the wicked receive it to Judgement. 87. A wicked Priest hath not power and authority to Baptise with the Holy Ghost, he hath only the Water, and is himself uncapable of the Office; but the Ens of the Child, and the Believing Parents, and those who require and promote the work, their Earnestness and Prayer reach forth the Covenant with their Faith's desire to the Baptised Infant. 88 But the wicked Priest is no more profitable in it, than the Funt-stone that holdeth the Water; thus he bringeth only the Water and the Ceremonies, which a Turk can do, without Faith or Believing. 89. But a stranger that hath not the Baptism, and knoweth nothing thereof, becometh in his Faith, Circumcised in Heart, and the Holy Ghost soaketh into his Faith's desire, and baptizeth him unto the Revelation of JESUS Christ, when his Faith shall also put on the Substantial Covenant in the Grace. 90. O Babel, how blind art thou? How have thy Clergy or Men Ordained and in Orders set themselves in Christ's Stead; but they all serve not Christ, but themselves to their fleshly honour. O Babel convert, the Door is open, else thou wilt be spewed out; the Time is borne, else thou wilt be set before the Light and proved, and then thou wilt stand in shame before all people. 91. Further, the Spirit of God hath yet a powerful figure in this Text, in that Joseph caused his brethren to be set before him according to the order of their Birth, and caused his Brother Benjamin to be served with five times more than the other. This prefigureth to us first, the difference in the Kingdom of Christ, showing how they shall be unlike in the regeneration, as St Paul saith concerning it, * 1 Cor. 15.41. They shall Excel one another in ‖ Clarity. Glory, as the Sun, Moon, and Stars do. 92. For there it will avail nothing to have been a King, Prince, Lord, Noble or Learned, but he that hath had the Greatest power and virtue in him, who shall have attained Grace in the Name of Jesus the Most clearly in his wrestling of Repentance, he will be greatest there: for these Orders and Degrees, signify to us, that they will be unlike in the Divine Exaltation, viz. in the power and virtue, as the Angels excel one another in power, virtue, beauty, and brightness. 93. But that Benjamin had five times more food served to him, pointeth in the figure at the inward Man, for Benjamin standeth in the Figure thereof, being he is joseph's Brother, and Joseph here standeth in the figure of Christ: therefore it belongeth to the Inward Man to Eat of his brother Christ's food from his five wounds: this is that which this precious figure signifieth here, as may be seen. 94. But that the Spirit saith, they drank and were all filled with drinking, signifieth that in the Kingdom of Christ there is an universal Common participation and Joy, and in that there is no difference, because in such difference they shall all rejoice in one God; for their drinking fully signifieth here, the Eternal Joy, where, in this Joy we shall be as it were drunk, and then will the inward Man, drink and Eat of the sweet Grace which is manifested in Christ's five wounds, and h●ereby give it into the fiery soul, which in its fiery Essence, will in this sweetness awaken the Triumph of divine joyfulness, and heerwith will the Noble * Sophia▪ the divine wisdom. Bride refresh its Bridegroom, viz. the soul. CHAP. LXXI. How Joseph caused his brethren's Sacks to be filled, and the Money to be laid uppermost in their Sacks, as also his Cup in Benjamins' Sack, and Caused them to be pursued and charged with Theft: What is thereby to be understood. Upon the 44 Chapter of Genesis. MOses saith: And Joseph commanded his Steward and said, fill the men's Sacks with food, as much as they can carry, Gen. XLIV. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. and lay every one his Money uppermost in his Sack, and lay my silver Cup uppermost in the Sack of the youngest, with the Money for the Corn: And the Steward did as Joseph had said unto him. On the morrow when it was light, he let the Men go with their Asses, and when they were not come far out from the City, Joseph said to his Steward; up and pursue after the Men, and when you have overtaken them, say thus unto them: Why have you requited Evil for Good, is it not that out of which my Lord drinketh, and wherewith he † Or, Divineth. prophesieth; Ye have done ill▪ and when he overtook them, he spoke such words to them. 2. Now a Christian standeth in this figure, signifying, that when he is come to this in right Earnestness into the Image in the Trial on the path of Christ's Pilgrimage, in this world, how God exerciseth & purgeth him, for this is the way & process on the path of Christ's Pilgrimage, & how God carrieth himself, & the world also, towards the Creaturely Reason of Man; for we see in this Image, how God, when the Repentant Man is in the true earnestness, filleth his Sack, viz. the Mind and Conscience in the life's properties with his Grace, and layeth * Psal. 116.13 the Cup of salvation, viz. the true and right silver Cup, viz. the † John 18.11. Cup of Christ, out of which he drank in his Suffering, uppermost in the Sack of the filled Grace, out of which a Christian must drink also, and follow Christ in his contempt. 3. For joseph's Cup, out of which he drank, with which he Prophesieth or Divineth; is in this figure no other, but the Cup of the Testament of Christ before his suffering, of which he drank with his Disciples, and whereby he divined or prophesied concerning his Eternal Kingdom, and that whosoever would drink of this Cup, should with him divine and prophesy * Upon, into o● concerning. to the Eternal Life. 4. But this figure showeth the Great Earnestness, signifying how this Cup should be bestowed upon God's children, and what that Wine is, which they must drink of out of it; for first Joseph sendeth his Steward after them, and bids him tell them, they had stolen his Cup, and was churlish towards them, when as yet they were not Guilty: so also when a Christian hath his Sack filled with this food, then will Christ's Cup be laid in for him: These now the wrath of God sifteth in the humane Nature, as to their souls and as to the mortal Body, and saith to the Conscience; thou hast not rightly gotten this Cup, by the right of Nature; thou hast stolen it out of God's house from his Grace and power; * Mat. 11.12. The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence heerin, and thou hast done violence and gotten this Cup to thee into thy Sack, thou hast not Grace by the right of Nature, thou wilt needs walk back with this Cup in peace on these Paths. 5. But no, it will not avail thee, if thou wilt take Christ's Grace in thee along, than thou must take on thee also his Suffering, Dying, Scorn, Persecution and Misery, and suffer thyself to be continually reproached in the world for a false wicked man, and to suffer thyself to be accounted a * Or, Knave. wicked person by the Pharisaical Hypocrisy, as one that hath stolen their Cup and taken it away by violence, in that he will no more kneel down before the Great Babylonish Whore, who hath presented a Cup full of Hypocrisy and Blasphemy, and quaff of their Cup; and then reproach they him for a wicked person, who hath stolen their Cup and Authority from them, and run after him and would murder him, and damn him to temporal and Eternal Death, and reproach him without ceasing for a treacherous person, who hath stolen their Cup. 6. That is, when a true Christian obtaineth the Cup of Christ, and drinketh out of it, then cometh the Anger of God in the fleshly Evil Nature, as also the Devil and the Evil world, and set upon him on every side, because he hath this Cup in his Habitation, and Prophesieth or Divineth against them, that they have the Cup of Whoredom and Abomination in them, and because he revealeth it, and will not quaff with them in their Cup of Hypocrisy and Blasphemy. 7. And then must a Christian lay down his Sack of God's Grace at their Feet, and suffer himself to be bound and captivated in their Scorning and Contemning, and then they oftentimes bereave him of Body and Life, honour and welfare, and set him with his Cup before their Judgement; and there a Christian must drink out of their Cup, the derision, Cross, Suffering, and Death of Christ, and Imitate and follow Christ in this Cup, and not go home again so in Peace with his filled Sack of the Grace of Christ, through this world, into his Eternal * Or, Native Country. Country of his Father, he must be † Phil. 3.10. Rom. 8.29. conformable to Christ's Image, and follow him in his way which he hath walked in this world: this is powerfully prefigured in this figure. 8. For joseph's Brethren stood now in the figure of a Converted Christian, whom God hath clothed with Christ, and also, laid in the Cup of the Cross, together with Grace, and moreover uppermost, in the Sack; to signify, that, when the Grace of Christ, which is bestowed on a Christian, shall work and bring forth fruit, that it is not done in standing still, in peace and quietness, but in the Strife about this Cup, for it lieth uppermost in the Sack of Grace, & the Strife about the Cup must always be the forerunner of it. 9 For Christ saith; * Mat. 10.34: Luk. 12.51. The Son of Man is not come to establish peace on the Earth, but strife and persecution, that one be against another and persecute him. Also, † Luk. 12.49. He hath kindled a fire, and desireth it should Burn. And this is it, that a true Christian must always be spoken against, even ‖ Mich. 7.6. Those of his own family in flesh and Blood must be his Enemies, that the swoon and planted Tree of Pearl, may stir and bring forth fruit. 10. As an Earthly Tree, must stand in Heat, Cold and Wind, and have great Strokes & opposition, whereby the sap is drawn out of the Earth into the Tree, so that it blossometh and beareth fruit: thus also the poor soul, in such smitings & opposition, in scorn and misery must draw power and virtue into itself out of the bestowed and entrusted Grace, viz. out of the soil and field of the word of God with earnest prayer and working, and thereby bear the fruit of Faith, viz. Good Doctrine, Instruction and Conversation. 11. For thereby the Soul feedeth the Spirit of Christ, and Christ feedeth the soul again out of the Sack of the Substantial Grace, viz. with his flesh of the Substantial Wisdom of God; and thus they give themselves one to another, to a perpetual working. 12. And we see hereby, how even the wicked must serve God in the working of his Grace, for he is its stormy wind; and his Cursing and Blasphemy against God's Children, is the heat & cold, wherewith God stirreth his little plant of Pearl in his Children, so that it hungreth after heavenly Sap, and draweth it into itself and groweth; and this is that which Christ said, * Luk. 12.49. He came to set up Strife on the Earth: for Christ's Kingdom is a Strife against Hell and the Devil, Christ striveth without ceasing in his Children and Members, with Satan, about the Kingdom. 13. For in the Earthly Man lieth yet the Ground of the Serpent, viz. a Habitation of Satan, wherein Satan withstandeth the Kingdom of Christ: So also on the Contrary the Kingdom of Christ in Grace withstandeth the Kingdom of Satan, with the Cup of Christ, & this Strife continueth always while the Earthly Body continueth. 14. For thus God's Anger worketh in the Love, that the Love, viz. the Eternal One, and Eternal Good, might be distinguishable, perceptible, and discernible; for in Strife and opposite will, the Profundity or Abyss, viz. the Eternal One, which is without Nature and Creature, is Manifest. 15. And therefore God hath introduced himself with his holy Word of Powers into Nature and Creature, as also into Pain and Torment, into Light and Darkness, that the Eternal power of his Word in the Wisdom, together with the Expressed Word, might be distinguishable and perceptible, that knowledge might be. 16. For without this, the knowledge of the Eternal One would not be manifest, neither would there be any Joy; and though it were in being, yet it would not be manifest to itself; thus it manifesteth itself through the introduction into Nature, through the Seperability or Distinguibility of the Speaking; whereby the Speaking bringeth itself into properties, and the properties into opposition or Contrariety of will, and so through the Opposition, the Eternal Good, which bringeth itself along in the Word of the Speaking, into distinguibility, becometh distinguishable, Creaturely and * Imagible, Imaginable, or Comprehensible. Conceivable. 17. Else if the Evil in the contrary will were not profitable, God, viz. the Eternal only Good, would not endure it, but † Or, make 〈◊〉 to be Nothing. annihilate it: but thus it serveth to the Manifestation of the Glory of God, and the Kingdom of rejoicing, and it is an Instrument of God, whereby he maketh his Good * Imagible, Representable, or discernible. Conceivable, that the Good may be known: for if there were no Evil, than the Good would not be known. 18. If there were no Anger-Fire, there could be also no Light-Fire, and the Eternal Love would be hidden, for there would be nothing that could be Loved; thus the Love of God hath an occasion of Love, for it loveth the dereliction of that which is forsaken, viz. the weakness; that † The Love itself. it also might be Great. 19 For, God's Love cometh only to help the weak, lowly, humble, destitute, forlorn, and forsaken, and not those that go on in the might and strength of the Fire, not the Might of self, but the Impotency and that which is forsaken; whatsoever is lowly, disregarded, humble and destitute, in that, Love worketh and dwelleth therein. 20. For Love in its own property is nothing else, but the Divine humility out of the profundity or ground of the Eternal One; Love seeketh nor desireth any thing but the One, for itself is the One; viz. the Eternal Nothing, and yet is through All, and in All, but the appropriation of self-will, is a Nothing to it. 21. Therefore all is foolish and esteemed evil and base, in the sight of God's Love, whatsoever willeth in its own self Ability: though it may well be profitable, as whereby the willing of nothing manifesteth itself, yet it is in the fight of the willing of Nothing, only a Phantasey, viz. a Sport of its own driving on, and tormenting itself. 22. For that which willeth nothing, but only that out of which it is proceeded, that hath no torment in itself; for that, to itself, is Nothing, but is, only to that, out of which it is proceeded, it standeth submissive to its Maker that made it, he may cause it to be Something or Nothing: and thus it is one and the same thing with the Eternal One: for it tormenteth not itself, it loveth not itself, it feeleth not itself in its own will: for it hath no will of its own, but is given up to the Totall or universal. 23. As we see, that the four Elements stand in such a will; they are four, and yet but one; for the four stand in one Ground, & the Ground is neither hot nor cold, neither moist nor dry: it is that One Element, an unperceptible Life: but thus it would not be manifested to itself; Therefore God hath stirred it up, and exhaled and unfolded it out of himself, that there might be opposition to itself, and might perpetually stand in strife, that the One might be manifested in Multiplicity. 24. But heerin neither of them destroyeth the other that it should cease to be, and be nothing, but that which is overpowered standeth still to that which hath overpowered it, the heat to the cold, or the cold to the heat, and there is no self possession or willing, but one Element willeth the other, that the other may be manifest, and when it it manifest, than it giveth itself to the strongest in the Stirring, and so there is a strife, and yet the greatest Love between them: for, in regard of the Love struggling, it is, that the strife and willing or stirring ariseth. 25. Therefore Man in respect of his own willing, is an Enemy to himself: if he did give his will to God, and did yield to him, than God would will through him, and with him, and his willing were Gods willing: But seeing he loveth his own willing, and not that which hath given him the williing; it is a twofold Injury. 26. One in respect of the own willing, that he will not hold still to the Original and Ground of his willing, and be one and the same thing with it, as the four Elements do all give up their willing into the Ground, out of which they proceed; and move, and will according to the same. 27. A second is, that he breaketh off his Love from the Love of the Abyss, and loveth himself, and forsaketh the Love that hath given him his Love; and himself willeth, goeth, runneth, careth, and looketh after many things, and breaketh himself off from the Unity: therefore he runneth on in his own will in the forms or qualities of Nature and the four Elements; as also in the Multiplicity of the Essences of the * Or, Positures of the Stars. Constellations in mere unquietness. 28. And the unquietness bringeth into Anxiety, and the Anxiety standeth in the desire of his will, and the desire includeth and overshadoweth itself, so that it is dark in itself, and cannot see itself: therefore the self-will runneth on in mere dark Anxiety, and vexeth itself in the desire, and seeketh the Love in the Desire, and yet findeth nothing therein, but the † Form, quality, or condition. Image of the four Elements which the desire itself maketh; thus the will serveth its Images, and loveth the Image in itself, and that is the greatest folly which Nature hath brought forth, and yet it is the Instrument, whereby the highest Wisdom is made Manifest. 29. O ye Men, who count yourselves wise, and receive honour one from another, in respect of your self-love and your own will; how Mad are ye in the sight of Heaven! your own honour which yourselves seek, is a stink in the presence of the only Love of God; But he that seeketh another and honoureth and loveth him, he is one thing with the Totall: For when he seeketh and loveth his Brother, than he introduceth his love into the Members of his Body, and is Loved, sought, and found of him, who made the first Man out of his Word, and is but one Man with all Men, viz. with the first Adam, but one in all his Members; as also with the second Adam, Christ, but one. 30. For, God gave Man but one will, that he should will only what God would; God would have the World and the Creatures to be, and that he would by and out of his Word, this should Man also will through that same Word, as that Word would have it, so also should Man also will to have it be; God Created all things in its own similitude or Image, by the Word and out of the Word; that one should love another; so should Man also love his likeness and similitude. 31. For All Men are but the One Man Adam, God Created only him, and the other ‖ Or, procreating which was farther to be done. creating, he left to Man, that he should leave his will to God, and with God, generate the other Men out of himself in that likeness; but when that was not done, God cursed the power that was given to Man, so that the will of the Creatures is opposite to him, seeing he would have them, to misuse them, and would no more be a Lord of the Creatures, but mingleth his Love also with them, whereupon the four Elements captivated him, and made him also a Beast as to the Body: and thus now he runneth on in the will of the Curse. 32. For he is God's Image, but he * Imageth, modeleth, o● figureth. fashioneth his will into a bestial Image, and disturbeth the Order of God, from what it was in the word of Creation: he suppresseth the right true will of God, and setteth his own will in the place; he is with his will, an Enemy to all Creatures, and all Creatures are his Enemies. 33. And therefore must the divine will in Man be now borne again in such anguish in the Opposite will, and the right divine will of the New Birth must suffer itself to have the Enmity of all Creatures: and therefore, because Man beareth in his Body a Bestial will, wherein the bestial Opposite will, together with the Curse, is manifested; and so now the Life in the Curse, is at Enmity with the Life in the Peace, and will not suffer it in itself. 34. But if the Bestial will in the flesh could be wholly broken and killed, than the Curse would cease, and so no Creature could be at Enmity more. 35. But seeing this cannot be, therefore must Man stand in Strife, and endure much evil to will in him from without, and to will much evil out from himself, in and towards that which is without him, and so standeth in strife between evil and good, and in evil and good, and liveth in the Strife of the Elements, and also in the strife of his own willing that God gave him. 36. For he complaineth always, that wrong is done him, and yet himself is a wrong will, and the right will which he obtaineth in the Regeneration, is not his own natural willing, but it is the willing of the Grace of God, which is manifested in his willing, which willing daily killeth his natural willing, and blameth Man by God's instrument with the children of the Anger openly. 37. Moses speaketh further and saith; * Gen. 44.7, 8, 9, 10. They answered him, and said, Wherefore speaketh my Lord such words? It is far from thy servants to do such a thing: Behold, the Money which we found aloft in the Sack we have brought to thee again out of the Land of Canaan, how should we then have stolen out of thy Lord's house either Silver or Gold? He with whom it is found among us thy servants, let him be put to Death; and moreover, we will be the servants of my Lord: He said, let it be as ye have spoken; He with whom it is found shall be my servant; but ye shall be quit. 38. This Figure now showeth, how the Conscience desireth to Justify itself, when it is apprehended by the wrath of God's Anger, that either, when God with his plagues in Nature, also many times in the hiding of his Graces, or through the evil World, blameth it, and representeth it unrighteous, than it will always Justify itself, that wrong is done it. 39 For if it have once turned toward Grace, and broken itself off from ungodly Courses, than it thinketh no Evil at all shall happen, God is bound to protect it, and the world doth it wrong, when it reproacheth it as wicked, it ought no more to be subject to plagues and punishments, and it accounteth that honesty and Righteousness, whereby it stealeth Grace from God, and reckoneth it for its own, as if it were no more Guilty of Sins. 40. Also it excuseth itself towards the world, when the world will impute Sins and Blasphemies to it, as if it were guilty, than it will needs die, or be put to death, or the like, as joseph's brethren did who knew nothing of the Theft, and did not understand neither, that all their unrighteousness, and their stealing of Joseph, when they stole him from their Father and sold him, stood in the Sacks of joseph's gifts, viz. were manifest before the Eyes of Joseph, so that Joseph knew and understood their Theft, and therefore caused them to be held for Thiefs, and caused them to be pursued as Thiefs, and fetched them back again, and set them before the Judgement. 41. But in stead of their Thievery of their committed Sins, whereby they had forfeited their Lives, Joseph caused his Silver Cup to be laid to the Gift in their Sack, and caused them to be blamed for the Cup: which they would not confess. The Figure standeth thus. 42. When a Man, as is abovementioned, becometh a true Christian, so that God giveth him his Grace, than he layeth his Grace hiddenly in the Sack of his Body in the Essences of Life; and moreover layeth therein the Cup of the Cross, and blameth it no more in Conscience in respect of its manifold committed sins, for he hath utterly destroyed them with the Grace of forgiveness, and filled the Sack of his sins with Grace for the hunger of the poor soul; but it layeth now the Cup of Christ to its Charge, that it is Guilty of that, viz. of Christ's being scorned, also of his Suffering and Death, that he hath brought Christ to the Cross with his sins, that it is verily Guilty of the Cup of Christ's Cross, and not wholly righteous. 43. For when God by his Grace forgiveth him the * Mortal, deadly, or kill sins. sins unto Death, than he causeth this Cup of Christ to be laid aloft in the Sack; seeing Christ himself hath the Gild of these sins laid upon him, and hath taken them upon him, therefore now this Man is guilty of the Cup of Christ's Cross, (in which Christ must taste and drink out the Anger of God in Man) and Gods righteousness, requires of him, to enter into the suffering, scorn, & Death of Christ, that he should die with Christ, and give himself up to his scorn, and suffer with Christ. 44. But seeing he cannot do that, and is too weak to enter into such sufferings in the Anger of God, therefore hath Grace put this Cup also into him, that he might drink of Christ's victory, and Prophesy or Divine of Christ's suffering and Death, and make them known. 45. But God's righteousness, which now requireth Man to be in the process of Christ, viz. in Christ's Sufferings and Death, and yet findeth him not always, in his Conversation, and Will, therein; accuseth him for a Thief▪ who carrieth the Cup of Christ's Cross but as a Thief in the Sack of his Life's Essences, and chargeth him of Theft, if he walk otherwise then in the Process and Imitation of Christ. 46. For Christ hath received Man into his Sufferings and Death, and turned away the righteousness of God's Anger, and introduced him with his Gild of Eternal Death, into his innocent Death; and is dead from the sins and wickedness in himself, and in this dying of Christ, God's righteousness in the Anger, requireth a Christian Man to be. 47. But if he walk out of this path and not in it, then saith righteousness; thou art a Thief, and hast wrongfully got this Cup of Christ in thy Sack, I will set thee before my Judgement and Sentence, as Joseph did to his brethren, when he caused them to be fetched back to the sentence of his Judgement. 48. Therefore hath a Christian who walketh under the Banner of Christ's Cross, no Excuse, when God by his Steward, viz. by the Children of this world causeth him to be laid hold on in the righteousness of his Anger, and chargeth him for a Thief, and an unrighteous person; also for a Stranger, Innovator, * Novice. novelist, Enthusiast, Fool, and the like, when Men load him with all his faults, and the infirmities of natural sinful flesh, and without ceasing blame him as wicked and unrighteous, and condemn him to the damnation of the temporal and Eternal Death; and though he is not in the sight of the world, nor as to the world, Guilty, yet he is liable to bear the scorn, suffering, and death of Christ after him, as a Christian, & is liable to take upon him the whole process in the footsteps of Christ, and to follow Christ therein, and to suffer all, in Christ, and wholly to put on Christ in his derision, contempt, suffering, and death, and to bear his Cross and scorn after him, that he may enter into Christ's Kingdom, as a Member of the body of Christ, that hath suffered with him, and hath daily died to the Anger of God in the Death of Christ, from his actual sins. 49. For, All Sins, Blasphemies, and untruths, which are imputed to him wrongfully from the world, which he is not outwardly Guilty of in the fact, that, he suffereth in the process of Christ, as a Christian, and therein drinketh out of the Cup of Christ's Cross, who hath innocently suffered for his sins. 50. For if he be not guilty of them in his Life, yet he is guilty of them in the inherited sin, and hath inherited them also in the seed out of which he is proceeded, they lie in his * Ground of his Nature and Heart. Ground; he cannot excuse himself before God, in the process of Christ, he is guilty of all Adamicall sins. 51. But this is his Comfort that God manifesteth them by the children of his Anger in this world, and so, as a Curse, by the Children of Anger, fasteneth them to the Cross of Christ, and in this Manifestation drowneth them in him in the Blood and Death of Christ, in that he still cleaveth to God, as Christ to his Father, and suffered himself to be accused of sins which he had not committed, but had only inherited them, and so they were taken from him, and given to the Anger of God in his Judgement that he might condemn them. 52. For thus also Joseph in this figure appeased his just Anger, towards his Brethren; they were all Guilty towards him, but he charged them not with their Gild, but charged them only with his Cup, for he had clearly forgiven them all their Trespasses: but only concerning the Cup he would not hold them Guiltless, and yet of right they were not Guilty of it; but he had laid it in, as his bounty, and made them guilty of it. 53. Thus also hath God given us his Grace of mere Love, after that we were clearly guilty of Eternal Judgement, and hath laid Christ and Grace in the Sack of our Life, with his Suffering & Death, with his Cup of the Cross, concerning which he doth not hold us Guiltless, we are all Guilty thereof, and have not this by a Natural right, but it is laid into us without our knowledge; therefore we cannot release ourselves of it, except we cast Christ wholly from us, and give ourselves again to the Anger of God, and then Death, Hell, and the Anger of God make us Guilty, and hold us captive in them; but at present Man may lay hold on which he will. 54. But that Joseph caused the Cup to be thrust into his Brother Benjamins' Sack, it hath this figure; that Christ dwelleth in the inward Man, viz. in his paradisical brother, and hath this Cup of the Cross in his Hand, out of which the guilty soul and the Body must drink, he thrusteth it into his brother's sack, for that inward ground is his Brother, but the other brethren must drink of it, this brother of Christ holdeth it in him, for he is Christ's Member and habitation. 55. Therefore saith joseph's Steward, by whomsoever the Cup is found, he shall be my servant, but ye shall be quit; viz. the inward ground, the true joseph's, viz. Christ's brother, he is Christ's servant, who serveth his Lord and brother, and must hold the Cup in his Sack: the other * Conditions or qualities, forms of Life of Nature are free, and cannot hold the Cup for Christ. 56. For they are not the right Sack to put it in, but the Ground of the Heavenly World's Substance is the Sack to which the Holy Cup of Christ doth belong, which poureth the Ground of Nature out of it: therefore must joseph's Brother be made guilty of the Cup, because he stood in the figure of the inward Man, wherein Christ would manifest himself with his Cup of the Cross, and so the other brethren, viz. the poor soul together with the body be quit and released from the Gild. 57 Therefore saith joseph's Steward, he is my servant who hath the Cup, he shall serve me, but ye shall be quit; that is, Christ is in this inward Benjamin joseph's Brother, and serveth God with overcoming of Death, and the Anger of God in Man, and so all the other brethren, viz. the Natural Life, shall be quit from Gild and Pain: and it standeth excellently in the Figure. 58. Moses saith further; * Gen. 44.11, 12, 13. And they hastened, and laid every one his sack off on to the Earth, and every one took his Sack off, and searched, and began at the Eldest and so to the youngest; and there they found the Cup in Benjamins' Sack: and then they rend their clothes, and loaded every one his Ass, and went again into the City. 59 When Adam was fallen into sin, than the Law and Command fetched him back again, & charged him with the sin and Theft, that he had eaten of the wrong fruit with a wicked mouth, therefore must he return again into the City, viz. into the Earth, out of which the body was proceeded, and there lay down his Sack into the Earth, and there God's righteousness searcheth into all the natural Properties, viz. Truth and righteousness, which availeth before God, viz. the Image of Heaven; and began from the first form of Nature, and so on to the youngest and last, viz. to the incorporated Ground of Grace after the Fall, and cannot find this Cup of Salvation in any natural property, although the Body goes quite to powder in the Searching, all but the youngest brother in the inspoken or inspired Word of Grace; in that lieth the Cup of Joseph and of Christ; this the Spirit prefigureth powerfully in this figure. 60. Moses saith further; * Gen. 44.14, 15, 16, 17. And Judah went with his brethren into joseph's house, for he was there still, and they fell down before him on the earth: But Joseph said to them: How have ye dared to do this thing, know ye not that such a man as I am can find it out; Judah spoke and said, what shall we say unto my Lord? How shall we speak? and wherein can we justify ourselves? God hath found out the Misdeed of thy servants: behold here, we and he with whom the Cup is found, are the servants of my Lord: but he said; that be far from me to do such a thing, the Man with whom the Cup is found, he shall be my servant, but go ye up in peace to your Father. The inward Figure standeth thus. 61. When God blamed and charged Man with Gild by reason of sin, and presented this to him in his Anger by the Deluge or flood, also by Sodom and Gomorrha, before their Eyes, that they had rob in the house of Joseph, that is, in the Covenant of Grace, and transgressed the Covenant, than went Judah with his Brethren, that is, Moses, with the Children of Juda and Israel in the Manifestation of the Law, when their sins were manifested, and that God required the Cup back again into joseph's house, that is, the Law went back into joseph's house; then Judah and Israel could not keep it, and so it went into the Grace, and there the Covenant of Grace, viz. the right Joseph, presented itself before their Eyes and said; while you are robbers and evil, do you suppose I cannot find you out? But they could not answer him, but must yield themselves to his sentence. 62. For Israel could neither keep the Covenant nor the Law, and therefore must now fall down before him and yield themselves to his Mercy and Compassion; Israel would now give up himself to be Gods own servant, but he would not have them Minister to him with their Law, but would have that to be his servant, wherein the Cup lay; He would not have only an outward worship and service of God, in the figure of Christ, with the Law, but he would have Benjamin, viz. the inward Ground of the heavenly world's Substance, for a servant; but the Minister or servant of the Law, viz. the Natural Man, should go home again in peace into his father's Country, and take the bestowed Grace along with him in his Life for food; this the Spirit of God sets thus in a figure under these Acts, pointing at the future. 63. Under this figure now the Spirit intimates, by Juda, who was surety for Benjamin, very secretly and mystically, that the poor soul could not thus with the Grace go home again to its father's Country, unless it had Benjamin, that is, Christ in substance in it: For Juda pleaded exceeding hard, that he durst not go home, unless he brought Benjamin along with him, or else he would himself remain there a servant. 64. Thus the poor soul giveth itself up to God, when God's righteousness calleth it to go back again home with the Covenant, than it will by no means go back, except it have Benjamin, that is, Christ Substantially with it, else it cannot see God; as here Juda in this Image and Type excuseth † Gen. 44.30, 31. himself, and saith, If he came back and brought not Benjamin with him, than he should bring his Father's grey Hairs under the earth, seeing his soul clavae to Benjamins' soul. 65. That is, if the Adamicall Man should go into Paradise again, without Christ's Life and Substance, then would he bring his father, the Life's Nature into the Eternal Divine * Or, hiddenness. forgetfulness, for the Life of the humane Nature would not be Manifest according to the divine property; that is, it could not live in the Kingdom of Heaven. 66. Indeed God calleth the soul to go home with the Law into Paradise, but that cannot be, unless it have Christ in Life and Substance in it, and then it dares go home again into its first Native Country of its Father. CHAP. LXXII. How Joseph Manifested himself before his Brethren. And what is to be understood thereby. Upon the 45 Chapter of Genesis. MOses saith further; * Gen. XLV. 1, 2, 3. Then Joseph could no longer withhold himself before all those that stood about him, and he cried: Let every one go forth from me, and none were with him, when Joseph made himself known to his Brethren, and he wept aloud: so that the Egyptians and Pharaohs people heard; and he said to his Brethren, I am Joseph, doth my father yet live? And his Brethren could not answer him, they were so terrified in his presence. The inward Figure standeth thus. 2. God gave Israel the Law, and commanded them thereby to go home again into Paradise, even as the figure of the Promised Land, (into which they were to go, but could not for a long time, till Joshua led them in) was as a Type and prefiguration, of the true Leading in by Jesus; and under the Law they had also the paradisical Covenant of Grace, as also the Prophets, who lead them to God's Mercy and Compassion. 3. But they could not by any of these come again into their first Adamicall paradisical Country of their Father, to rest: God's righteousness blamed them without ceasing, and required the power and ability; that they should give full obedience to the Law and Covenant. 4. But seeing that could not be, and that, neither the Law nor the Covenant could bring them in, back again, than the Heavenly Joseph manifested himself out of the Covenant, for he could no longer withhold, in regard of Man's misery, and bringeth his great Mercy and Compassion, through the Covenant, into the Law; which Compassion is signified by joseph's great weeping, when he could no more withhold from his Brethren, and he wept so that even the Egyptians and the people of Pharaohs house heard, which signifieth, that this weeping, viz. the Mercy and Compassion of God through Christ, the Egyptians also, that is, all Heathen and People, should hear and receive it, even as it came to pass, when Christ's weeping and Compassion sounded among all Nations, so that they all received it into their hearts, and turned themselves to this Joseph, who received them all, and fulfiled the Law, together with the Covenant. 5. But that Joseph cried, let every one go forth from me, when he made himself known to his brethren, that none should stay with him; it signifieth this; when Jesus Christ, viz. the highest Mercy and Compassion of God▪ manifested itself out of the Covenant, then must the Law with all Ceremonies together with the Covenant, cease and be gone, also all Man's ability and power, as also all willing, going, and running must go forth and departed. 6. For, that, presented itself out of the Covenant & the Law, which, fulfiled both the Covenant and the Law, and set itself in the stead of the Covenant and the Law, in the Middle as a Mediator between and in God and Man, as a God-Man, and Man-God, who alone should bring Adam into Paradise, and destroy sin; none should be with him, he alone would and should manifest himself * John 8. for a Light (John 8) and for a new Life, to the Humanity. 7. And it is the figure, which showeth how the Repentant Man must come to God: for he must cast away all things from himself; all his works and do cannot reach the Top and point of this, he must wholly enter into Resignation and dereliction, and turn himself away from the Comfort and help of every Creature, that he may stand naked and alone before the most clear and merest Mercy and Compassion of God in Jesus Christ. 8. No hypocrisy or humane Comfort, wherewith Men please and tickle the heart, will avail, in this presence of Joseph, but a total forsaking of Every Creature, wherein Every thing is left, to the naked soul, and that must in itself sink down in the presence of the heavenly Joseph, in its will and whole desires, and totally leave itself to him, and will nothing without his will, and set no other means or Medium aloft in Esteem, for all will avail nothing. 9 The whole Creaturely Life must be resigned and forsake its will and desires, that the Creaturely will may be received and purified again by the un-creaturely will, that Gods will and Man's will may be one will, and then God is all in all in him according to the inward and the Outward World, in each world according to its property, viz. according to the Eternal Speaking Word, in the soul: and according to the animale soul, in Spiritu Mundi, in the Spirit of the world, in all, as an instrument of God. 10. Now when this is done, then saith the heavenly Joseph in his Mercy and Compassion, I am JESUS in thee, and openeth the inward Eye in the soul, that it knoweth him in a Moment, and he speaketh friendly into the soul, and saith: Doth my father yet live, that is, is the father's Nature yet in the soul, is there yet a Breath of the divine Life in it. 11. Before this Manifestation now the souls own will is terrified, so that it hath in its own power no word more to speak, nor can it, in self, speak; for in this terror the self of the will goeth to the Ground: for with this aspect ariseth the will of God up, and slayeth the souls own will, as joseph's brethren were so very much terrified before his Face, that they could not speak a word more, all their ability failed them as if they had been dumb: and thus also will the wicked and ungodly at the last Judgement be dumb before the face of God, and terrified to Eternal Death, that his life will be a mere anguish and terror of an evil Conscience, which will be an Eternal gnawing. 12. * Gen 45.4, 5. But Joseph said to his Brethren: Draw near to me; and they drew near, and he said: I am Joseph your Brother, whom ye sold into Egypt, and now be not careful, nor think, that I am angry for it, that ye have sold me hither, for to preserve your life hath God sent me hither before you. The holy Figure standeth thus. 13. When Christ with his revelation or Manifestation thus terrifieth the soul, that the souls own will is terrified into the death of its willing and ability, than he speaketh in or inspireth his word of Grace into it, and giveth it power and virtue, and saith in the Soulish Essence, Draw near to me, and raise up thy countenance from the terror of Death, go in my power to me and into my will, I am no more angry with thee, that I have been sold into thy death, God hath sent me hither before thee, that I might nourish thee in thy hunger of Misery, viz. in the hunger of God's anger, till thou art fr●ed from thy earthly Body, in which lieth the great hunger and Divine Famine in the Anger of God. 14. For to preserve thy Life hath God sent me into thy humanity and soul, † Gen. 45.6. for there will yet be five years of dearth, in thy flesh, that is, the Divine hunger will yet remain in thy five senses of the Earthly Reason, therefore hath God sent me before hither, ere this world cease to be, to thee, and into thee, that he might deliver thee in thy earthly five senses, with a powerful deliverance, that my power and virtue of the famine in the five earthly senses may deliver, and feed the poor soul; God hath set me as a Lord and Prince, and made me a father of thy Nature, that I should rule, as Joseph over the Land of Egypt: I am become Lord over all thy house, and all that thou hast & art, that I should nourish thee in thy famine with the Divine food of my flesh and Blood: be no more afraid, I am with thee in the Necessity of the earthly Life, I will deliver thee and bring thee to Glory and honour. 15. And Joseph said further: * Gen. 45.9, 10, 11. Make haste now and go up to my father and to your father, and tell him; Thus saith Joseph thy son, God hath set me as Lord over all Egypt; come away to me, delay not, thou shalt dwell in the Land of Goshen, and be near by me, and thy children and thy children's children, thy small and great cattle, and all that thou hast; I will there provide for thee, for there are still five years of Dearth and Famine: that thou mayst not perish, with thy house, and all that which thou hast. 16. Behold, your Eyes see, and the Eyes of my Brother Benjamin that I speak to you with my own Mouth, make known to my father all my Glory in Egypt, Verse 12, 13, 14, 15. and all that ye have seen, make haste and come with my father down hither: and he fell about his Brother Benjamins' neck and wept, and Benjamin also wept upon his neck, and he kissed all his Brethren and wept over them: and afterwards his Brethren parlyed with him. 17. This now is a figure representing, that when the soul hath seen the Countenance of the heavenly Joseph, that he hath comforted and refreshed it again; then saith the Divine word in it, make haste now and bring also thy Father, that is, thy Nature and thy whole Life with all thy conversation and do in thy state and condition, to me, and thou shalt dwell near by me with thy outward Life, and I will nourish thee and provide for thee, and all that, over which thou art set: Come away with all thy Thoughts and works into Egypt, that is, into lowliness and humility, to me, that very Land will I give into thee, to dwell in, that is, in Lowliness and humility shall thy dwelling be; and there in thy temporal state and condition thou mayst with Temporal Nourishment, in temporal Good things, dwell by me; your Eyes shall there see my Goodness and Bounty, that I will do well to you in the Famine of your Earthliness. 18. For the Land of Goshen, signifieth, a fatness of the Blessing of God in this earthliness; and therein your Eyes see, and also the Eyes of my brother Benjamin, viz. of the inward New Man, that I speak to you with my own Mouth, that is, Essentially within you: For if a Man cometh to the New Birth, than Christ speaketh Essentially, that is, actually or operatively in him: and the Eyes of the soul together with the most inward Ground, wherein Christ, viz. the word is, Essentially, see and find the same. 19 But the outward five senses cannot in this Earthliness wholly comprehend it, but they dwell near by it; the inward Eyes see through the outward senses, as the Sun shineth through transparent Glass, and the Glass remaineth Glass still; so also the outward Nature of this time of the five following dear years, of the Earthly Essence, continue in their right, till the soul forsaketh the Body, and then at the Last Judgement Day, also, the right Adamicall Body of the five senses, shall come again to the soul, but the Grossness or Dross of the Earthly Body hath no more place: for all temporal things separate themselves in Mysterium Magnum, into the Great Mystery, out of which they proceeded. 20. But that Joseph fell about his Brother Benjamins' neck and wept, and kissed them all, it signifieth this in the figure: when Christ in the inward Benjamin, viz. in the Image and Substance of the heavenly world's Substance, which faded in Adam, is manifested again, than the Holy Name JESUS, viz. God's great Love, kisseth the incorporated Ground of Grace, and penetrateth or presseth through this Image, with his weeping Love, viz. with God's great sweetness, viz. the Temple of Christ, and hereby kisseth the Creaturely Souls Essences, and presseth also with the weeping Love through it, and then it obtaineth its life again, and speaketh with God, in Christ Jesus. 21. For, in this Speech or voice only, the soul is heard of God, for in this Kiss the soul hath its hearing given to it again, so that it heareth and teacheth God's Word; for the Senses or Thoughts of the Soul stand now in the Word of Life, and hear what the Lord speaketh in them through Christ, out of the inward Ground; and that is it that Christ said; * John 8.47. He that is of God heareth God's Word; and to the Pharisees he said; Therefore ye hear not, for ye are not of God. 22. If the present Contending Babel had, in it, the Kiss of Christ, than it would with joseph's Brethren turn to the heavenly Joseph, and in great humility and lowliness speak with Joseph, and would hear God's Word in joseph's Love, and speak humbly with him, they would not contend for temporal honour and fat * Or, Benefices. Bellies, and about Dominion, and Wast the Land of Goshen in a † Or, Barbarous. Heathenish manner. 23. O Babel! Thy shame and reproach is set in judgement before the Most High, thou art that same Antichrist of whom St. Paul hath spoken: thou boastest of God's Word in Teaching and hearing, and thy Ground is not of God, but from the Tower of Babel; thou wilt teach God's word with the Letter without the living Word in thee, but the Sheep hear not thy voice, for it proceedeth not from joseph's Kiss. 24. And Moses saith further; * Gen. 45.16, 17, 18, 19, 20. And the report came into Pharaohs house, that joseph's Brethren were come, and it pleased Pharaoh well and all his Servants; and Pharaoh said to Joseph, say to thy Brethren do thus, load your Beasts and go up, and when ye come into the Land of Canaan, then take your Father and your Families and come to me, and I will give you the Good of the Land of Egypt, that ye shall eat the Marrow of the Land; and command them to do thus; take you from the Land of Egypt Chariots for your wives, and for your children, and bring your Father and come, and regard not your householdstuff, for the Good of the whole Land of Egypt shall be yours. The Figure standeth thus. 25. When joseph's, viz. Christ's voice soundeth in the soul, than this report presseth into God the Father's property; for the soul in its Nature, is from the Eternal Nature, in the Word, out of the Father's property of Fire; and so is manifest again in the Father, from whom the will had broken off itself, and he speaketh or inspireth himself into its Life's Essence, for it pleaseth him well, that the soul is become manifested in Christ, and biddeth the soul with all its properties, through joseph's, viz. Christ's Efficiency, to come into Paradise again: he giveth it Chariots and all necessaries, which Chariots are his Spirit in the Word which bringeth it, and giveth it the whole Land of Egypt; that is, the whole Paradise, or Kingdom of Heaven, for its own; this the Spirit of God powerfully prefigureth under this History. 26. * Gen. 45.21, 22, 23, 24. And the Children of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them Chariots, according to the command of Pharaoh, and provision to spend by the way, and gave each of them all, sumptuous apparel, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five suits of sumptuous apparel, and to his Father he sent besides, Ten Asses laden with the choice Good things of the Land of Egypt, and ten she Asses with Corn and Bread, and food for his father upon the Way; thus he sent his brethren away and they departed, and he said to them, contend not upon the way. The Figure standeth thus. 27. Christ taketh the provision, as also the Chariots, viz. the Holy Ghost from the father, which he sendeth to his children, as Joseph took the Chariots and Present, from Pharaoh, and giveth them provision to spend upon the way of their Pilgrimage, viz. his Body and Blood for meat and drink. 28. The sumptuous apparel which Joseph gave to every one of his brethren, signify the Temple of Christ, wherein the Soul feasteth and resteth; and joseph's five suits of sumptuous apparel which he gave to his brother Benjamin, are the five wounds of Christ, wherein the inward Man feasteth in God's Love; but the Three hundred pieces of silver which he gave to Benjamin, are the Gifts of the Word out of this great Love, wherewith this Benjamin should trade and get increase, and gain much for his Lord and Brother, the Heavenly Joseph, for, with Money Men trade: so also should the inward Benjamin trade with his Gifts of the three hundred pieces of silver; viz. with the Gifts of Christ, that is, teach and make known God's wonders, for he is Christ's servant and assistant, yea his true Brother. 29. But the Ten Asses laden with the choice Good things of the Land of Egypt, which Joseph sent to his Father, signifieth in the figure, the Ten Commandments in the Law of Nature, which Joseph had laden with Good things, that is, Christ hath laden them with his Grace, and sent them to God's righteousness in the Conscience, whereof poor Nature hath to make Expenses. 30. But the Ten she Asses with Corn, signify the Ten forms of the Soulish and Natural fire-Life, upon which Christ loadeth the Souls food, when they go in his process in the imitation of him; The Bread and the food upon the way, signify the Word of God, of which the poor old Adam must eat that he may live. 31. These Christ giveth his children and brethren on the way of their Pilgrimage, when they go home again in the process of Christ, that they may have provision to spend; and thereon, Nature, viz. the Old Father, eateth, and commandeth them that they should not contend one with another upon this way, but in Love and Peace go home into Paradise. 32. O Israel! where is now thy Peace? It seemeth as if thou hadst consumed all the provision of Joseph, and must at present, want, seeing thou so very much contendest about this food, and hast raised such murdering about it. Truly thou hast murdered thy brother Benjamin by the way, and therefore thou art in Strife and wilt not go home, thou art afraid, but the famine will drive thee forth, or else thou wilt be hungry and starved. 33. * Gen. 45.25, 26, 27, 28. Thus they went up from Egypt and came into the Land of Canaan to their father Jacob, and made it known to him and said, Joseph is alive and is Lord of the whole Land of Egypt, but his heart thought much otherwise, for he believed them not: then they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the Chariotts, which Joseph had sent to bring him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived, and Israel said, I have enough, that my son Joseph yet liveth, I will go down and see him, ere I die. This figure standeth thus. 34. When Christ's Apostles were loaden with this Present, they went therewith into their father's house, viz. among the Brethren in the Kingdom of Nature in their unbelief, and made known to them the great Glory and the present of JESUS Christ, which he had given them, that they should bring it to them, but their heart believed it not, that these simple Men the Apostles of God, loaden with such great Good things, were sent by Joseph, till they saw the Chariotts of the Holy Ghost, which brought the Present in great power and works of wonder, and heard the powerful Word of JESUS Christ, with deeds and wonders out of their Mouth; then said Israel; Now I have enough, now I can believe; I will also go along with you to Christ, that I may see him; as Old Jacob said; I have enough that my son Joseph yet liveth, I will go up that I may see him before I die. 35. Thus also these Chariotts go out from God's children among the unbelievers, which at first will not believe: but when they feel these Chariotts, and the Present, in them, than they also say, I have enough, I will go along into Egypt into Repentance, that I may see and know my Saviour; for their Spirit is also revived, as jacob's spirit was. 36. Where are now these Chariotts in the Teacher's Mouths, upon which the Holy Ghost rideth and toucheth the heart of Israel, that his spirit is revived. Indeed saith Babel, the Spirit of Christ at present worketh not so powerfully in our words, we have now the knowledge of the Kingdom of Christ, that need not be, we should only believe the Word, which Christ's Apostles have left behind them, and that is enough. 37. Else if we should teach so powerfully, we must then be also of so simple and poor a life as Christ's Apostles lead, and forsake the world: that needs not be, Christ's Kingdom must now be stately in Pomp and Glory. 38. O how will poor Christ, who on Earth had not whereon to lay his head, reprove this to thee, before thy face, that thou hast taken his Covenant into a false and wicked Mouth; Earnestness was never more necessary then at this present, when all the Chariotts are overthrone and in great Confusion. CHAP. LXXIII. How Jacob and all his Children, and all that were belonging to him, and all their Cattle went into Egypt. Upon the 46 Chapter of Genesis. MOses saith: * Gen. XLVI. 1, 2, 3, 4. Israel went with all that he had, and when he came to Bersheba, he offered sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac, and God said to him that night in a vision: Jacob, Jacob; and he answered, here am I: and he said, I am God, the God of thy father Isaac, fear not to go down into Egypt: for I will there make thee a great people; I will go down with thee into Egypt, and bring thee up hither again: and Joseph shall lay his hand upon thine Eyes. The inward Figure standeth thus. 2. Jacob must go into Egypt in the great famine and straight hunger with all the Company he had, and he went up, when he heard of Joseph, when Joseph caused him to be fetched by his sons, when he saw the Present and the Chariotts of Joseph, than his spirit was revived, and he went up; thus it is also in the figure of the New Birth, when the Adamicall Man heareth the voice of the heavenly Joseph, sounding in him, and seethe the Chariots of the Holy Ghost in him, than he goeth up with all his powers, and goeth into the Egypt of Repentance. 3. And when he cometh to Bersheba, that is, into the sounding noise of his heart and soul, than he sacrificeth his body and soul, with all that he hath, to the God of his father, that is, he giveth himself up with his Life and all whatsoever he is, into the Word, which created it, in Adam, and made it, out of itself; which is the God of his father: then that divine Word speaketh or inspireth into him, that is, it speaketh actually operatively and powerfully in him: that Night in a vision, which is as much as to say here, in the secret hiddenness of Man, where God hideth himself from Reason and the Creature, and out of his principle speaketh or inspireth Comfort and power or virtue into the Life; and calleth him by his Name, as he did Jacob, that is, he compriseth his Name in the word of his speaking, which is * Rev. 20.12. to the 15. the Book of Life, wherein the Names of the Children of God are Comprised or written. 4 And when Man perceiveth him in the power, than he speaketh again into the Word, and saith: Hear am I Lord, make me what thou wilt, I stand before thee; and that same inward Word of God saith in power, I am God, the God of thy Father, that is, it giveth to Man in this Speaking power, Divine knowledge, so that Man learneth to understand, that God worketh in him, and what God is. 5. But seeing the Body is a dark valley, and moreover an unrighteous inclination, therefore the Word speaketh into the poor soul thus, and saith; Be not afraid when thou interest into Egypt, viz. into Repentance, and goest forth out of the Land of Canaan, viz. from the pleasure and voluptuousness of the world, falsehood, wickedness, and unrighteousness; although likely they become thy Enemies, and persecute thee, yet fear not, I will go along with thee, into Egypt, that is, into thy conversion and Divine Obedience, I will help thee to work Repentance, and bless thee in thy Egypt, viz. in thy working of Repentance, and make thy New Birth grow to a great Tree, which shall bring forth much good fruit in the Kingdom of God, as he said to Jacob; I will make thee a great people in Egypt, and will bring thee out from thence again; that is, thou shalt not remain as one dead or departed from this world; although indeed thou goest into Repentance, and forsakest the world in thy mind, yet I will bring thee out of Anxiety, and trouble again, and leave thee in thy state and condition, if it be right and honest, which is done thus. 6. When Man goeth into this Egypt, he must leave all his Land, viz. all his temporal pleasure and Lust of the flesh, and give up all to God, and hold nothing more for his own, but think that it is not his own, but that he is a Minister and servant in it, that he should serve God and his fellow Members therein, and so regulate his heart as a Pilgrim in his Journey, who is no where at home in this world; He must with Jacob sit in joseph's, that is, in the Holy Ghosts Chariott, and go whither soever the same, in this Famine, will bring him, than God goeth in and with him, and blesseth him, so that he worketh and bringeth forth much divine fruit, and his Name becometh very great in the Word of God. 7. But God doth not for all that cast him out of his temporal possession, he bringeth his Spirit up again into the Works and Labour of his hands, viz. into his worldly state, condition, and employment, that he may serve God's deeds of Wonder, also himself, and the Members of his body, viz. his Neighbours, therein: Nothing will be taken away from him, but only the unrighteousness falsehood, and untruth, God maketh him now his servant in his state and condition, he may well keep and take along with him his Cattle and his Goods for his necessity, as Jacob did, but that which is false and wicked he must put away. 8. And when he doth thus, then saith God; Joseph shall lay his hand upon thine Eyes that thou mayest see, that is, Christ shall with his hand of Grace lay hold on thy sight, blind as to God, and lay his hand of the divine Sun upon thine Eyes, and then thou wilt come into divine vision and knowledge in thyself, so that thy Reason will wonder, whence such Light, and deep knowledge cometh to thee. 9 * Gen. 46.6, 7▪ 26, 27. Jacob came with Seaventy souls in All, with all his children, and children's children, of which Sixty six were proceeded out of his Loins, which went with him, for Joseph had begotten two sons in Egypt. 10. This Number Sixty six, is a great and Mystical Number; 70 The number of Babel. 66 Of the Beast & the Whore. as also the Number Seaventy, which is the Number of the great Babel: and the Number Sixty six, is the Number of the Beast and of the Whore, from which, Israel and every child of God, must go forth. 11. This going forth of Israel, is a true figure and Image of the last exit and going forth of the children of Israel, viz. the right true Christian, which shall also go forth out of this Canaan, viz. out of Babel, in the * Note. End of the Beasts and the Whore's Number, which Signal Star with the Chariott of Joseph are clearly appeared. 12. For the great Famine in the Time of Jacob, wherein is the great hunger and want of heavenly food, is at hand, and not only a hunger of the soul after the bread of heaven, but also a great vehement unheard of, formerly, from the beginning of the world, hitherto, impression, of desire to selfehood, viz. to Covetousness, Extortion, and Pride. 13. The hunger, in the wrath of God, after vanity, to devour it, is so great, that at present the powers of Heaven do imprint their influence so, that all provision and blessing, is consumed, and the Mind of Man is so hungry after vanity, that there is no rest at all upon Earth, for this Desire. 14. Also the Third Principle, viz. the spirit of the world, of the Dominion in the four Elements impresseth with its power, from whence all bl●ssing is consumed, and in stead thereof an unsatiable hunger of Covetousness is risen up; so that the Beast and the Whore together with their worshippers are so hungry after Pride, covetousness, Envy, anger, unchastity, whoredom and bestial voluptuousness, and so hard imprinted or impressed in such desire, that the Time is already, that this Beast together with the Whore must burst to pieces. 15. And then jacob's spirit reviveth, and believeth that Joseph is a Prince in the Land of Egypt, viz. in the Conversion: and there will Joseph be manifested to his Brethren, and then they must be ashamed of their falsehood and wickedness, that they have suppressed Joseph and sold him, with lying, into misery. 16. For, joseph's face in the Truth, shall behold all Israel and Egypt; for Israel must go forth out of Canaan, and leave Babel in the Number seaventy: but the hunger in Babel saith: I will first fill my sack that I may have provision in the way: and knoweth not that Joseph hath given Israel provision for Expenses, and moreover Chariotts and apparel, so that they shall only take their Cattle along with them, and leave their dwellings and householdstuff behind. 17. The provision for Expenses, which at present Israel gathereth together in Babel, belongeth all to the wrathful Impression of God's Anger, which shall devour it all when his fire burneth; God hath clearly sent his children provision for Expenses beforehand, by Joseph, they will have fully enough, if they do not Contend upon this way; sumptuous apparel is prepared for them, that they may be at rest from this disquietness of the driver. 18. But Babel thinketh, it is a long time yet; israel must serve me, I will plague them sure enough; but the Deluge or Flood, and the fire of Sodom falleth suddenly down upon them, so that there is no escaping; he that waketh let him watch and take care that he doth not sleep; for the Bridegroom calleth every where, afterward the foolish Virgins will trim their Lamps: but it is too late, the hunger of Babel layeth hold and devoureth them in its Jaws. 19 Moses saith further: * Gen. 46.28, 29, 30. And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, that he might direct him to Goshen, and they came into the Land of Goshen, and Joseph made ready his Chariott and went up towards Goshen, to meet his father Israel: and when he saw him, he fell about his neck and wept a long while upon his neck; then said Israel to Joseph; I will now readily die, now I have seen thy Face, that thou yet livest. This Figure standeth thus. 20. Judah signifieth the incorporated Covenant of God in Man, viz. the Divine Grace in Christ, Israel sends this, that is, the whole Man before to the heavenly Joseph, and uniteth it with him, so that the heavenly Joseph in the incorporated Grace leadeth the Kingdom of Nature in Man, viz. the Old Jacob and Adam into Goshen, viz. on the way of Conversion, into the Rest of Christ; that he cometh to the right Goal or Mark, where he findeth food for the hungry Conscience, viz. the right way to Salvation; where there is right Teaching, and Instruction, there Goshen is near at hand, where the soulesitteth in fatness, and feedeth in the fat pasture of Christ. 21. And when the heavenly Joseph, viz. Christ seethe, that the Old Jacob, that is, the Adamicall Man hath sent his Judah to him, and afterwards cometh himself, than he makes ready his Chariott; that is, his Operation with a powerful affection to entertainment, and goeth to meet the Natural Man, and when they draw near together, than this Joseph falleth about the Neck of this Jacobs-Adam, that is, he layeth hold on his desire and Longing, and filleth it with his Tears, which he shed in his sufferings, and in his victory brought through death into Eternal Joy. 22. With these Tears of Joy, he kindleth the soul of the Old Jacobs-Adam, so that Jacob for great Joy, weepeth a long while on joseph's neck, viz. in Christ's Tears of Joy, and mingleth his inward Joy with the Tears of Christ: with which tears of Joy, the soul of the Old Jacobs-Adam, is mightily comforted, quickened, and strengthened in himself, in that he findeth that his heavenly Joseph in him yet liveth, that he is not dead in the famine of sins, or quite departed from him. 23. Then saith the Natural Man: Now I would willingly die and give up all my right, and willing; now having seen and known my loving son Joseph, that is, seeing I find that the New Man in Christ is become manifest in me, therefore now I would willingly die to my willing of vanity in his power of Love, as Jacob said to Joseph. 24. And Joseph said to his Brethren and his Father's house, Gen. 46.31, 32, 33, 34. I will go up & tell Pharaoh, My brethren & my father's house are come to me out of the Land of Canaan, & are * Shepherds, or Pastors. herdsmen, for they are people that are conversant about Cattles, and have brought with them their small and great Cattle, and all that they have: and now when Pharaoh shall call ye to him, and say: What is your employment and business? then shall ye say, thy servants are people that are conversant about Cattle, from our youth up unto this time, both we and our Father, that you may dwell in the Land of Goshen, for those which are herdsmen and keepers of Cattle are an abomination to the Egyptians. The inward Figure standeth thus. 25. When the Heavenly Joseph, Christ, hath manifested himself to the Soul and Adamicall Man, so that they are come together, and that they have received and embraced one another, then that same powerful word in the Spirit of Christ, which hath Manifested itself in Man, presseth and penetrateth again into the Eternal Father's Property▪ viz. into the Eternal Speaking of the Father; which here is as much as to say: I will tell Pharaoh, that my brethren, together with all my father's house are come to me. 26. For Pharaoh standeth here in the figure of God the Father, who is the Eternal King, to whom saith Christ, viz. the word of Love and Grace; that his brethren, viz. the properties of the Humane Life, from and with all its powers and virtues, are come to him, that is, the Word Christ, which is come from the Father into our Humanity through his power and virtue, speaketh the Word of the Natural humane Life, into the Eternal Word of the Father: which is here called, telling the King. 27. For Christ is even the Father's Steward over Man, as Joseph was Pharaohs: For, Man is then manifested again in God, when Christ speaketh, telleth, and inspireth him, into the word of the Father, else man could not attain God; for the humane life is also proceeded from God the Father's word: for the Spirit of God spoke and inspired itself from and by the word of the Father, into Man, Joh. the 1. 28. But after it came into a Creature, and became Natural, John 1.4▪ it turned itself away from God's Love-speaking, or inspiration of Love, and manifested itself in the speaking of Anger, the power of Love speaking, was extinguished in it, viz. the Second Principle, the holy generating or working of the divine power; and was not able in its own power and strength to enter again into the Love-speaking, that it might be able to speak or Generate the Divine Love-power; it had rend itself off from God's Love, and brought itself into a Natural speaking of self and vanity. 29. And this did move God's pity and compassion, and introduced his Love-speaking word again into the Creaturely * Imaged, framed, or Created. form word of the Soul and humanity, and that now is this Joseph, whom God hath sent before, that he should inspeake or introduce the humane life again, into the Eternal speaking word, and make it manifest therein before the Eternal King, he bringeth the humane word in the Father's property, into the Word of God, and reconcileth the rent and severed humane word in the Father's Anger-speaking, with his Love, that is, he changeth the Anger in the word of the humane Life in his Tears of Love, into the divine Kingdom of Joy, and manifesteth the humane Life actually and workingly in God, and that here, is, as Joseph said: I will tell Pharaoh, that my brethren & my father's whole house are come to me out of the Land of Canaan. 30. For, Christ is become our brother; † John 1.14. The word of Love became Man and dwelled in us; and took Adam's Nature upon him; and therefore in this figure it is called, his father's house, viz. the first Adam, and his children he calleth his brethren; so very secretly and mystically the Spirit of Moses speaketh in the figure of Christ, else in this place he had said enough, in saying my father is come to me, if he had not had another figure under it. 31. He saith, Out of the Land of Canaan, and they are herdsmen, thus he would tell Pharaoh, that they might dwell in the Land of Goshen; That, in the Figure, is thus much; Christ showeth with his inspeaking of Love into the word of his Father, that his brethren are come to him out of the vanity of the Canaanites, out of the wild bestial property, and that they from their youth up, from the time of Adam hitherto, have been only herdsmen; that is, the word of the humane Life, aught to have dwelled in this fleshly Canaan in flesh & blood, & must and aught to have the Keeping and Ordering of the bestial property of the flesh. 32. For, the Animale soul in Spiritu Mundi, in the Spirit of the World in Man, hath many hundred Beasts, which it hath awakened and manifested in itself, with the false and wicked Lust; these Beasts now, must the word of the humane Life keep, always, from Adam, to this time, and must be conversant with such Cattle, and manage these beasts, and take care of them; therefore now said Joseph, that they might dwell with their Cattle in the Land of Goshen, that is, in a peculiar place by itself, and not with Pharaoh; for Herdsmen, saith the Spirit, were an abomination to the Egyptians, that is, the bestial property in Man is an abomination to God, therefore Christ bringeth only the inward paradisical Ground, (this, time of the Beast,) before the face of God: but he bringeth the Beast into Goshen, that is, into the outspoken or Expressed substance of this world, into a place blessed of God. 33. The Bestial Man cannot dwell with Pharaoh, that is, in God's Majesty and holy power and virtue: Joseph, or JESUS leaveth him in the outward Nature, in the Kingdom of this world, and setteth him in a Blessing, that he should dwell near God, but a principle is the distinction, as between Time and Eternity. 34. And Joseph said circumspectly; he would say, they had brought along with them their small and great Cattle, to signify, that the whole Man with all his works were brought into the Grace and fat blessed habitation before God, that Christ's children with all their earthly works were placed in Goshen, viz. in a state and condition of Grace. 35. And he said to his brethren, when Pharaoh shall ask, what is your Trade and employment, then shall ye say, thy servants have been herdsmen from our youth up, that is thus much, when God's Spirit shall search and try what ye are in Mind and Thought, whether ye be Angels and Ministers of God, then humble yourselves before God, and say not concerning yourselves before the Face of God, we sit in thy Office, and are Lords, or Potentates and Rulers of the World, or Rich, Noble, excellent, Learned, understanding persons, or such like, do not esteem yourselves good in the sight of God, say not we are thy dear Ministers and Servants in thy Power; but say; we thy Servants are Herdsmen from Adam to this time, we keep and manage our Bestial property, viz. the works of thy wonders which thou hast made, we cannot subsist before thee, O holy God; for we are unfit unworthy & ignorant herdsmen of thy wonders, let us but find Grace in thy sight, that we may dwell before thee in this Goshen; O Lord! we know not what we shall do before thee, do thou direct and teach us, how we shall manage these thy herds, for, we are thy Servants, and will serve before thee as thy herdsmen. 36. In this Glass behold thyself thou fair world, what thou art in thy high State, places, and Offices, even all of you from the Emperor to the beggar, and him that is least and lowest of all, are but herdsmen: every one is but a herdsman, for their authority is but an Office of the Bestial Man, and hath under his Command and management but to rule over Beasts and no more, for no worldly Office can rule over the inward divine Man, he must in his Office manage only a heard of Beasts or Cattle, and Govern, take care, and tutor them, and they Tutor him again. 37. With these Offices of herdsmen, now the Earthly Lucifer prideth and boasteth himself, as if he had an Angelical Government, and yet in the presence of God, is but a herdsman or keeper of Beasts, and no more. 38. And therefore hath God typified and prefigured his Mysteries by such simple herdsmen, that Man should see what he is in his Office, State, and Condition, also that his wrath may not lift up itself and destroy these shepherds and herdsmen; and so he hath always in his prefiguration premodeled them only as herdsmen, that he might pour out his Grace upon Man's ignorance and want of understanding. 39 Herein behold yourselves ye Potent, Noble, Rich, Learned people, all of you one and other, how the Spirit of God, represents you by the dear Patriarches in the manner of the heardsmans' Office, in the revelation of his Mysteries, ye are all one and other before him no other than his herdsmen, the Emperors as well as his Ministers and servants, the Noble as well as his inferior, one as well as another, one in this bestial Office ordereth and manageth another in another bestial Office. 40. But the Pharisee will say, I keep the sheep of Christ▪ woe be to him that committeth his sheep to a Wolf: if he teacheth that which is Good from the Spirit of Christ, than it is not from his own authority and power, but the Arch-shepheard doth it through him: But he manageth Beasts only, and himself taketh one Beast of the heard to himself, which must also be kept and cared for, or else the Wolf will devour it. 41. Thus hath God placed all offices in the Office of a Shepherd, so that one should manage and take care of another, and yet they are all but shepherds before him, which keep Beasts and Cattle; Christ only is the shepherd of Souls and no other. 42. None should trust the sheep of Christ which he hath in him, to any earthly Shepherd, but only to the Shepherd Christ, for there are Wolves in all the outward offices of Shepherds, which take and devour the sheep of Christ; he may pass well for one, in the Office of a Shepherd, but let him have a care of the Shepherd's Dogs, that they do not by't him. 43. O World in thy high State and Condition! O that thou didst but consider what thou art in thy State & Condition in the sight of heaven, and didst not set thy State and Condition so aloft in God's Love, for it standeth only in his deeds of Wonder, in evil and good. 44. When God would have a worldly State and Condition prefigured in his Love, than he set Shepherds in it, or else mean poor despised and unesteemed people: see Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David: also the Prophets and Apostles, and all Holy Men or Saints, through whom God once manifested himself; and then thou wilt see, that no highness availeth any thing before him, that is but a Glass of wonders in evil and good, also a sport of God's Love and Anger, a premodeling or representation of the Angelical Dominions in Light and Darkness, in Heaven and Hell. CHAP. LXXIV. How Jacob was set before Pharaoh with the five youngest brothers of Joseph, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh, also how Joseph bought all the Land of Egypt for Pharaohs own: What is hereby to be understood. Upon the 47 Chapter of Genesis. MOses saith; * Gen. XLVII. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Then came Joseph and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brother with their small and great Cattle, and all that they have, are come to me out of the Land of Canaan, and behold they are in the Land of Goshen; and he took five of his youngest brethren and set them before Pharaoh; then said Pharaoh to his brethren: What is your employment, and trade? and they answered, thy servants are herdsmen, we and our Father; and said further to Pharaoh, we are come to dwell by you in the Land, for thy servants have not pasture for their Cattle, the famine doth so hard press the Land of Canaan, now therefore let thy Servants dwell in the Land of Goshen: and Pharaoh said to Joseph: is this thy Father, and are these thy Brethren, who are come to thee, the Land of Egypt standeth open for thee, let them dwell in the best place of the Land, let them dwell in the Land of Goshen, and if thou knowest any among them that are fit and expert, set them over my Beasts and Cattle. The inward Figure standeth thus. 2. When Christ manifesteth his brethren, and the Old Father Adam, in the power and virtue of God, that they are with all their substance come to him, and have wholly given up themselves to him, than he taketh five of the youngest brethren in the properties of life, and setteth them before God, that is, he taketh the five Senses of Man, which always are and continue to be the youngest in the Life's property, for they are continually generated anew, and setteth these, with the power and virtue of their Life, before God. 3. For these are they, that shall be God's Ministers and Servants in the Love: to these Christ giveth in, his Council and saith; when ye come before the Face of God, so that the Spirit of God in you proceedeth upon you, and proveth and sifteth what your office and work is, in the presence of God, then humble yourselves and say in the presence of God; thy servants are but herdsmen, and are come to thee in the famine of Misery in our great Hunger, to dwell near thee in the Land of God, for in our own powers and virtues in the Adamicall Kingdom of Nature, we have not pasture and food for the poor miserable Life; therefore now O Lord suffer thy servants to dwell in the Land of Goshen, viz. in thy Courts, that we may eat of the dew of Heaven, and live to thee, and serve thee in our Office. 4. Then saith the Eternal Father to Christ, viz. to his Steward; behold, is that thy Father Adam, and are these thy brethren according to the humanity, which are come to thee: the Land of Egypt standeth open for thee, that is the Kingdom of heaven together with the Kingdom of Nature standeth open to thee, thou art my Steward in the Kingdom of Grace, and also in the Kingdom of the Nature of the humane Property, let them dwell in the best place in the Kingdom of Grace, and in the Kingdom of Nature; and if thou seest that there are Men among them fit for it, set them over my Cattle, that is, those among them that are fit and expert, make them Officers in the Kingdom of Nature, that they may rule over my Creatures, that is, set them in the Apostolic Office, that they may feed my flock, whom thou leadest inwardly in them with thy Staff or Crook; let them be * Note the true Ministers, Pastors and Teachers in the Church of Christ Jure Divino, who they are. outwardly Shephheards, and lead and govern the properties of Nature, viz. my sheep or Beasts. 5. All Spiritual Shepherds in this world, do sit in the Office of the Father, as also the worldly Shepherds, which are instituted only by Christ, through whom Christ himself inwardly ruleth and governeth, and they are all of them God's Officers. 6. But whosoever are instituted in an Office without the † Or, Archbishop. chief Shepherd Christ, they all of them are but in the Land of Canaan in the famine of God's Anger, and are but devouring Wolves, both one and other, be they spiritual or worldly Officers, be they noble or ignoble, Prince or Protector or Guardian, Priest or Sexton, one as well as another: All that ruleth in an Office without God's Spirit, that ruleth of self, and to the Judgement of God; he that thinketh not in his Office to serve God, and to manage his Office as a Shepherd of God, he is a Minister and Servant of Lucifer and serveth him. 7. Moses saith further; * Gen. 47.7. Also Joseph brought his father Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh; that is, Christ set also the Adamicall Image before God, not only the five Senses but the whole Man, and he blesseth God, that is, he thanketh God and bringeth him fruit, to the praise of God as a Blessing: then saith God in his acting and working. * Vers. 8, 9, 10 How old art thou? and he answereth, one hundred and thirty years is the time of my Pilgrimage, few and evil are my days in the time of my life, and they reach not to the time of my fathers in their Pilgrimage; so Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went forth from him. 8. Thus the Adamicall Man acknowledgeth and confesseth before God his evil time, in the earthly desire, and saith, it is but a Pilgrimage, viz. a continual wandering and anxiety in continual cares and disquietness, whereby Man worketh and effecteth God's wonders. 9 And Moses saith further; * Gen. 47.13, 14, 15, 16, 17. There was no bread in all the Land, for the Famine was very sore and hard, so that the Land of Egypt and Canaan were famished by reason of the Famine; and Joseph gathered all the Money that was found in Egypt and Canaan for the Corn that they bought, and he put all the Money in the house of Pharaoh; Now when the Money in Egypt and Canaan was brought, all Egypt came to Joseph and said; Give us Bread; wherefore must we die in thy presence, being without Money? And Joseph said, fetch me your Beasts and Cattle, and I will give you for them, being you are without Money: then they brought their Cattle to Joseph, and he gave them bread for their horses and sheep, for their heifers and Asses; and so he nourished them with bread this year for all their Beasts and Cattle. 10. This figure is very powerful and containeth great and deep understanding, although the Bestial Man full of Covetousness and extortion imagineth to himself, as if this made for him, yet the true figure is quite against him, as also is the parable or similitude in the Gospel, of the unjust Steward, which saith; ‖ Luk. 16.8. The Lord commended him that he had done so prudently. 11. This Famine in Egypt and Canaan, when all the Land was famished, prefigureth the poor fallen Man in Body and Soul, which the anger of God hath dried up and caused to whither, so that it is famished. For Egypt signifieth the Souls Nature, and Canan the Bodies Nature. The great provision of Corn which Joseph gathered together and sold in the Famine, signifieth the Divine Word of Grace. The Money of the Egyptians and Canaanites, for which they bought Corn of Joseph, signifieth Gods Creaturely Word of the humane Life. The Beasts which they there gave also for bread, when there was no more Money, signifieth the † Imaged or Created. Image-like property in the life of Man. The figure standeth thus. 12. When Man in soul and body in this famine and in this starving hunger cometh into God's anger and withering, than he hath no refreshment nor Comfort, for his Conscience withereth so quite in God's Anger, that he must go to the heavenly Joseph, and buy this food of Grace. 13. First, while the Soul together with the Body, find yet a little power and comfort in them, though indeed the Conscience gnaweth; this Steward giveth Jesus Christ good words, and prayeth to him, and, for the Creaturely * Imagelike, Imaginary fictitious. framed or conceived Word, buyeth food of Joseph; and this now is that which is signified by the Money, while these words will in the Imagination give the Conscience a little virtue and Comfort, the Nature of the soul and of the body continually buyeth Grace for such Money, and giveth this Joseph good store of Babbling, with an imaginary matter and some framed or ‖ Conceited, contrived, or set form of Prayer. figured prayer out of Custom: and thus liveth of this food, in Hope. 14. But when the anguish of the Conscience withereth up this Hope, and that such cold Prayer and historical Faith will no more avail, so that the Conscience cryeth out, that thou must be famished in the Anger of God, no prayer more will avail before God; then cometh the poor Soul to this Joseph and saith: Why wilt thou suffer me to perish, because I cannot bring my Prayer and Faith before thee; by which I might attain food for my Life; behold my power is gone, * Note how Man is able to do nothing. I am able to do nothing, I have no more words wherewith to attain thy Grace. 15. Then saith the heavenly Joseph to the Soul, bring thy Beasts, viz. Horses, Oxen and Asses hither to me, and I will give thee food, for them, that is, bring all thy earthly natural desires and † Or, Images. Imaginations, and thy false Confidence in the Creatures, viz. in thy own Wit and subtlety in falsehood and wickedness, to me, and give them up all to me, that thou mayst be quit of them, and then I will give thee food that thou mayest live, and will also feed the Imaginations of thy Thoughts: and this is the entrance of this figure. 16. And Moses saith further, ‖ Gen. 47.18, 19 When that year was Ended they came to him in the second year, and said to him: We will not hid from our Lord, that not only the Money, but also all the Beasts are gone from us to our Lord, and there is no more left for our Lord, but our Bodies and our fields; Why wilt thou suffer us and our fields to die in thy presence, buy us and our Land for Bread, that our Land and we may be Pharaohs Bondslaves, give us seed that we may live and not die, and the fields not lie waist. This is now the true Earnestness when Man wholly giveth up all, and quite giveth up himself. This Figure standeth thus. 17. When Man standeth thus in the famine of Conscience, so that not only the words which he speaketh in the presence of God, will no more avail, that he might receive Comfort, but that in the End those also fail, when he hath beat down all * Imaged, feigned, or Imaginary. fictitious desires, and forsaken this world in the desire; then saith the poor soul to the heavenly Joseph, alas my Lord, what shall I bring before thee that I may attain thy Grace: behold, my Prayer findeth no power and virtue, and though I have forsaken the world, and have given up my Bestial will, yet I stand still in great hunger before thee, I have no more left but only my body and soul: My Lord take even this of me, I give myself wholly to be thy own: Give me thy Grace, that I may live in thee, I will give myself wholly up to thee with Body and Life, and will be thy obedient servant. Give thou me but seed only, that is, Give thou me but a Will, Thought, Mind and desire, and sow the Land of my Nature, and let my Life be thy Servant, that I may be no more without thy will, but that I may be thy Servant and thy Bondslave. 18. Thus than it is enough, when he hath given up Body and Soul Will and Thoughts, and all that he hath and is, wholly to this Joseph, that he is as it were a Bondslave-servant to God, that hopeth and expecteth only what his Lord will give him, when all trust and confidence in his own self is quite yielded up; then is Reason rightly killed, and the Devil hath lost his stool and Throne in Man: for in Resignation he hath nothing for his own, and the Devil can no other way come at Man but in the Desire of Selfhood, in appropriating any thing for his own self. 19 And Moses saith further; † Gen. 47.20, 21, 22. Thus Joseph bought the whole Land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every one their Ground; for the famine was so sore, sharp and strong upon them; and so the Land became Pharaohs own, and he distributed the People into the Cities from one place of Egypt to the other, except the Land of the Priests, which he bought not, for it was appointed for the Priests by Pharaoh, that they should provide for themselves out of that Portion which he had given them, therefore they dared not to sell their Lands. The Figure standeth thus. 20. In such a manner, Christ, when Man in this pinching hunger draweth near to him, buyeth for his Grace, his whole Nature with all the † Affections, properties, or faculties. forms, conditions, and qualities thereof, and bringeth all whatsoever is in Man again into the house of the Great Pharaoh, that is, of God, and maketh it a subject to God his Father again. 21. For in Adam all Men are become untrusty and perfidious, and are entered into the selfishness of the Will, but Christ hath bought this humane own self to be his own again, and giveth this up again to God his Father, and it pointeth directly at Christendom, which Christ hath bought with his Grace by the Treasure of his precious Blood, and made it his own, and hath now distributed his Offices, wherein the Christians serve him, and are his own. 22. But that the Priests fields were not sold, and that Pharaoh would not buy them, but leave them for their own, pointeth at the inward Man, who is the Priestly Temple of Christ; this God buyeth not back again, he willeth that Man should have it for his own, he desireth only to have the Kingdom of Nature for his own servant; but the incorporated ground of Grace, viz. the Temple of Christ he leaveth to the Soul for a Dowry, for it is the place and City of God, wherein God dwelleth in Man: No Man can sell it again, pawn it or engage it by oaths, for it belongeth to the Eternal One, and not to the possession of the Creature, but it is a bestowed Ground of Grace, wherein Christ manageth his Office, it is his habitation and dwelling house. 23. * Gen. 47.23, 24, 25, 26. Then said Joseph unto the People: Behold I have this day bought you and your fields for Pharaoh, behold, there you have seed, sow your fields, and of your Corn you shall give the fift to Pharaoh; four parts shall be yours to sow your field for your food for your house and Children: and they said now let us live and find Grace before thee, we shall willingly be Pharaohs bondslaves: Thus Joseph made them a Law unto this day concerning the fields, to give the fift to Pharaoh, except the Priest's fields, which were not Pharaohs own. 24. This figure is a true Type and Image of Christendom, which Christ hath bought with his Love in his Blood, having proffered to give Christendom his Grace and righteousness for their Earthly † Images, Imagibility or Fancies. Imaginations, that it should give them only up to him, and when that is done, then saith Christ, behold, I have this day, that is, from this time forth to Eternity, bought all your Earthly † Images, Imagibility or Fancies. Images, as also Body and Soul, I have bought you for my Eternal Bondslave Servants, and Ministers, with my Grace, from the hunger of God's Anger, behold, there you have seed, that is, there you have my Word, wherewith you may sow the Ground of your Conscience in Body and Soul, that this seed may bring forth fruit, and of this fruit you shall return the fift to Pharaoh, that is, to God: for four parts shall be your food, that is, this seed shall quicken and cherish the four Elements of the Body, as also the four properties of the Souls fire-Life, and ye shall keep this seed of the divine Word fowerfold for the cherishing of your Life, but the fift ye shall give to God. 25. The fift signifieth here very secretly and Mystically, the fift form of the Natural Life, viz. the Love-fire in the Light, which is borne out of the four properties, and Manifest, wherein the uncreaturely and Supernatural God is manifested; This form generateth now the divine Joy, and the Praise of God, wherein the Soul is an Angel, and thanketh and praiseth God, because he hath delivered it out of the Fire-Source of Torment, and hath given himself with this Love and Grace into its Fire-source, and changed it into a Love-fire and divine Light. 26. This Source of Love, viz. the fift property of Life, wherein the Soul is an Angel, it giveth now to God again with great praise and thanksgiving, for it giveth this fift form to Christ again for a habitation; for that is the habitation of his Word, wherein * Or, consisteth. Luk. 17.21. is the Kingdom of God in us, and wherein we are the Temples of the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in us, and this fift form, in the praise of God, Christ requireth again from his Christendom, that it should give this to him, that he may gather in the praise of God, that is, the fruit of Love, for his Father, into the house of the Divine power. 27. But the Priest's fields, that is, the inward Ground of the heavenly World's Substance, he buyeth not with his blood, for that never received the Turba of destruction, but in the fall of Adam it went out and faded and went into the Abyss, so that the soul had it no more in its own possession, for it was in the soul as it were dead, although in God nothing dyeth; but the soul was blind concerning it, in that manner as God, viz. the Eternal one, is in and through all things, and yet nothing apprehendeth it, but that, which introduceth itself into its substance, wherein he will manifest himself. 28. This faded Image or Substance is the Priestly Ground, whereinto God again in spoke or did sow his Word and Seed again in Paradise, that, is not bought with Christ's Blood, as the averted soul is, but it is filled with the heavenly Ens, with Christ's flesh and blood, so that it is or becometh Christ's flesh and blood, wherein the High Priest Christ, dwelleth; it is his Eternal seat and possession, wherein God is manifested in Man, for it is the branch on Christ's vine, which is God's proper own, and not Mans. 29. It is indeed in Man, but not in the possession of the fiery Souls Essence; it hath another Principle than the soul, and yet is in the soul, and through the soul, and from the soul, after the manner as the light is from the fire, which is through the fire, and in the fire, and hath its manifestation from the fire, out of which fire and light, Air proceedeth, and out of which air, dewy water proceedeth; and that same dewy water denoteth, the substance of this inward Ground, which giveth to the fire again, Nourishment, food, lustre, and life. 30. So also it is to be considered and understood concerning the soul; when it extinguished as to the Divine Light, than this substance was generated no more from it, nor in it, but remained faded, extinguished, or quenched; and then the soul had no divine food more for its source of fire, for it had turned its desire forth into the third Principle, and was overcome by the Earthly Lucifer, and by Satan, viz. by the property of the wrath, of the dark world's property in the place of this world. 31. This Grace, came to help this averted soul; which was bought through Christ's blood; for the buyer entered with his Money of Grace, into this faded Image, and took it to himself, and set the soul therein for a Highpriest and Teacher. 32. And this Image now was the Priest's fields, which he bought not, for it was Gods beforehand; God only set his High Priest Christ therein, that he should therein feed and teach the poor soul, that it should not eat of the vanity, and fully darken and bring to nothing, this Image again. 33. And this is also the same in the figure of Joseph, in that he bought not the Priests fields, and so is the figure concerning Moses and the Levites, that they kept their fields and Ground, and yet possessed them as Tenants, all which denoteth the inward Man of the heavenly world's substance, which is God's Ground, wherein God soweth his word of Grace, viz. Christ's Spirit, which Ground or Substance belongeth only to the High Priest, Christ, for a possession, and not to the Creaturely Life, but the Creaturely Life receiveth power and virtue from it, it hath it indeed in itself, but it is not one and the same thing with Nature, as the Light and the painful source of the fire, is not one and the same thing. 34. This figure of Joseph, in that he bought the Egyptians to be Pharaohs proper own, and made them his own servants, signifieth nothing else, but that Christ should buy us from the Anger of God in the famine of our destruction, through his Grace, to be his obliged servants, through his blood and death, and would give us his word for seed, that we might sow his purchased * Or, possessions. Goods, viz. our Natural Life, therewith. 35. And for this Cause now should we give him again the fift part of this fruit, viz. the Birth of Love, the fift property of Life; for, in the fift property standeth Faith, and that, his children should give to him again, and this, he gathereth into his father's Barns, for an Eternal praise, and to the divine Manifestation of his wonders. 36. But that Earthly Men have made such † Or, Bondslavery. Bondage, and keep one another for Bondslaves, and vex, torment, and misuse one another therein, and squeeze out their sweat for their pomp & pride, this is an Image of the Anger of God, which ‖ Imageth or modeleth itself. representeth itself also according to the heavenly Figure. 37. For every thing must ‖ Imageth or modeleth itself. fashion itself, according to the Ordinance or appointment of the Word of God, whether a thing ‖ Imageth or modeleth itself. fashion itself in Evil, viz. in God's anger according to the property of Hell, or in Good, in Heaven in the Kingdom of Christ; for with the Holy, Psa. 18.25, 26. the Word is Holy, and with the perverse and froward it is manifest in God's wrath; as the People is, such is their God also, saith the Scripture. 38. Earthly Men, represent the Image in the anger of God, in that they vex, torment, squeeze and plague them with * Bondslavery. Bondage, and hold it for just and right, and it is right in the wrath of Nature in God's anger, and it is a figure of Hell, and it is also a figure of the Kingdom of Christ in the heavenly * Bondslavery. Bondage; For all whatsoever the Earthly Man doth with pain and torment, that doth Christ in his Kingdom with his children, in Joy, Love, humility and power. 39 The Earthly Man taketh away his brother's Labour, also his will and desires, his sweat and Trade, profession, and sustenance: Christ also taketh away his children's evil will & desires, also their labour, working in God, when with great pain and anguish they press thereinto; these labours Christ taketh all from them, and gathereth them into his Chists of Treasure, and searcheth through and through his children's body and soul, to see whether there be yet a little Sparkle that can and will administer to him and work for him, that, he driveth and necessitateth into the Divine Ministration of God's Court, viz. into the vineyard of Christ. 40. He often also withdraweth the food of Grace, and letteth them afterward hunger and lament for it, and letteth them sit in misery, and afflicteth them, so that they must work in great anguish, in lamentation, fear and trembling, before him in Divine Labour; for the old Adam's Ass is unwilling and untoward to labour in that which is divine. 41. And therefore it is often compelled, so that the punishment and threatening is always behind it, where Christ's Spirit in the Conscience threatneth it with Hell and the Anger of God; as also the Earthly Lords upon Earth do with their Subjects; which stand indeed in the figure of Christ, but the Office is altogether unlike. 42. Christ gathereth in, for his father, by the works of his children, much heavenly fruit, which, Man will obtain again, and enjoy the same for Ever; but a worldly Lord, gathereth in, by the labour and sweat of the poor, only Money and Goods into his Chists, to his own honour, which labour the poor Man can no more enjoy in this world, but Christ is his wages, in that he must serve the figure of God's anger here in Misery. 43. But in the End, when the Earthly Offices shall be also gathered into their Barns, into the Treasure Chists of their hearts, for whom they have served and ministered, then there will be unlike and different reservatories, many will have very much gathered into the Kingdom of God's anger, and from that, will his food be given to him again in Eternity, viz. the Curse of the oppressed, also the affliction, fear, pain and molestation of the poor, which they have here with their agitation wrought by the inferiors, that will be given them for food also after this time to Eternity: for * Gal. 6.7. what any soweth here, that they will find in Barns in the Eternal Life. 44. All Offices of this world are Gods, and all Officers from the Emperor to the least and meanest, are God's Officers; but they serve him much unlike and differently, one serveth him in Love as a Minister of Christ, and the other serveth him in his anger as a Minister of Hell. 45. All that seek their own in these Offices, and not regard God and his Ordinance, and so serve Man therein, they serve the anger of God, and gather up, into Hell. 46. For all the Treasure of Princes and Potentates should be gathered in, for the Common profit of brethren, and for the supporting of Good Orders and Offices, also of the miserable and impotent, even as an * Or, householder. Innkeeper laboureth & worketh with those that are under him, and draweth the profit to himself, and yet therewith he provideth for, feedeth and nourisheth all his servants, Ministers, and assistants, and the overplus he useth for common necessaries of himself, his wife and children, and what he might else stand in need of, or layeth it by for poor people: such is the Officers gathering together: it should all be gathered together for common benefit, else it is a Treasure of the anger of God, and must expect God's Judgement. 47. But that the present Potentates do thus gather together for their own honour, for voluptuousness and pride, and in that regard do the more hardly oppress and squeeze, that they may only therewith exercise their pride, and keep under the poor as Dogs, and say in their hearts, they are bound to do so for me, I have bought or inherited it as a privilege. I have it of right; all this, one and other is done in the anger of God, they all now in this property, serve only Satan; viz. in the figure of God's anger, and no better. 48. All selfe-owning belongeth to Hell, make what thou wilt of it; no seeming Rhetoric will avail before God; thou gatherest together into Hell: God requireth the Ground of the Heart, and will have trusty Officers. 49. But the Miserable is to know, that in such restraint and service, if he endure it without murmuring and grudging in faithfulness, he serveth even his Lord Christ; for God thereby draweth him away from this world, so that he sets his hope upon that which is to come, and in this servility of his hands he gathereth to him with his prayer into this house of Lamentation, his heavenly Treasure, whereas if he for this time of his restraint stood in the voluptuousness of the flesh, he would gather no good thing; therefore † Rom. 8.28. all things must serve to the best of them that love God. 50. Thus a Man ought to understand the figure under the history and acts of Joseph; for indeed the history is described with great diligence according to the inward figure, according to the * Eingebung, Inward suggestion. inspiration of the Spirit of God, which always more respects Christ's Kingdom, than any History of a slight and simple Act. 51. For the Acts of the Bible are not set down therefore because Men should see the Life and Deeds of the Old Holy Men or Saints, as Babel supposeth: No, the Kingdom of Christ above all, is thereby deciphered, as also the Kingdom of Hell: the visible figure continually pointeth at the invisible, which shall be manifested in the Spiritual Man. 52. Moses here finisheth the figure of the New Regeneration, under the history of Joseph, and saith further: * Gen. 47.27, 28. Thus Israel dwelled in Egypt in the Land of Goshen, and possessed it, and grew and multiplied very much, and Jacob lived seaventeen years in Egypt, so that his whole age was one hundred forty and seven years. 53. † Vers. 29, 30, 31. And when the time was come that Israel was to die, he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If I have found Grace before thee, then lay thy hand under my Thigh, that thou wilt be loving and faithful to me, and not bury me in Egypt, but I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of the Land of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place: He said I will do as thou hast said, but he answered, and said, swear to me, and he swore to him, than Israel bowed himself sitting up at the head of the Bed. 54. This now is a very Mesticall figure, and pointeth at the Resurrection of the Dead, when the Soul shall come to the Body again; and the Body will be pure and holy: For, the Land of Canaan, which was also full of the abominations of the Heathen, signifieth the Earthly Body; and Egypt where Pharaoh dwelled, and Joseph was Steward, signifieth the Soul, which dwelleth in God's Word, viz. by or near the Eternal King. 55. And we see it very finely portrayed in this figure, how Adam's Soul turned itself with Lust into the Earthly Canaan of the Earthly Body, and turned away from God, therefore now the Soul must go again into Egypt, into Repentance to Joseph, viz. to Christ, and to King Pharaoh, viz. to God; and there it will be received as a child of Grace, to be a Bond servant, so that it will be obedient to God, and be his servant and Minister, and must forsake the Earthly Canaan, viz. the Evil body with its will and Contrivances, as Israel must leave and forsake Canaan. 56. But after he should be dead, he would then have his body into the Land of Canaan, that it should be buried there: which signifieth, that the Earthly body must be buried in its Mother the Earth, and come into its first Mother again; and it signifieth that the Soul shall come again out of Egypt, viz. out of the Bondage of the affliction of Repentance to the Body into Rest: for the Heathen must be driven out of Canaan, when Israel entereth thereinto: so also must the Abominations in the property and † Or, quality. condition of the Body, be consumed, and all false and wicked desires be killed, ere the Soul come to the Body again, and dwell therein. 57 And it is powerfully represented, how the will of the Soul shall and must in this life time break off from the Earthly Canaan, viz. from the Lusts of the Body, & press into God again by earnest Repentance, where then the soul must rightly be in Egypt, viz. a poor Bond servant, in much anxiety and affliction; but in the End, when the Body shall die, than it also desireth to go along out of the house of Bondage, viz. out of the torment of Repentance, and will go again into the first Adamicall pure Image which God Created, as Jacob would lie by his fathers, when as he might have lain as well in Egypt: But the Spirit stood in the figure of the Resurrection, showing, how the whole Man should go again into the first Image created by God. 58. But, that Jacob required an Oath from Joseph, that he would bury him in Canaan with his Fathers; it denoteth the Oath, which God in Christ made with Man, that God hath with his word of Love incorporated himself with Man, and engaged, as by an Eternal Oath to him. Jacob requireth this Oath from Joseph, as from the figure of Christ, and desireth he should lay his hand under his Thigh and swear. 59 This is a figure, signifying, how Christ should lay his hand, that is, his power and might, viz. the Eternal Word, which is the hand that hath made all things, into the humane Essence in Body and Soul, and not only into that, but under the Thigh, as under the humane power, and to give himself to Man for his own, and swear therein, that is, bind himself to it, that he will bring the whole Man when he is here dead in the Temporal Death, again into the first Land of Inheritance wherein Adam in Innocency dwelled, viz. into Paradise, and bury the body and soul, with his Oath, in God, as in the Divine Rest. 60. This is signified by the figure of Jacob; where the Text saith; Israel dwelled a long time in Egypt, and multiplied there. And when Jacob was to die, he had a desire to be carried, after his death, again into the Land of Canaan, to his fathers; this, I say, signifieth, that a Christian, or child of God, must go into this Egypt; viz. into Repentance and into the exit from the Earthly Will, and continue therein the whole time of his temporal life, and bring forth much good fruit in that Land, and then Christ, viz. the heavenly Joseph shall bring him into the right Country of his father to Rest again, viz. into the right promised * Exod. 3.8. Land, wherein the Milk and Honey of divine power, floweth. 61. And the whole History of all the † 5 Books of Moses. five Books of Moses, is even this in the figure: the Exit out of Canaan, and the going into Canaan again is only this; representing how the right Adamicall Man should with great Hosts and Armies and much purchased Goods, effected in the divine operation, enter again into the Eternal Promised Land, and how in this life time he must be a Bond-servant of God's anger, in this Egypt, which would through its Ministers and servants, afflict, persecute and torment him in his Office of anger, and continually keep him for a Bondslave, till the right Joseph shall bring him through the Temporal Death, again into Paradise into Rest. CHAP. LXXV. How Jacob before his End, blessed the two sons of Joseph, and preferred the Youngest before the Eldest. And what is thereby to be understood. Upon the 48 Chapter of Genesis. 1. MOses saith: Afterward it was told Joseph, behold thy father is sick; Gen. XLVIII. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. and he took with him both his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim: and then it was told Jacob: behold thy son Joseph cometh to thee, and Israel strengthened himself and sat up in the Bed, and said to Joseph; The Almighty God appeared to me at Luz in the Land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me; behold, I will cause thee to increase and multiply, and will make thee a multitude of people, and will give this Land for a possession to thy Seed after thee for Ever, and now thy two Sons Ephraim and Manasseh, which were borne unto thee in the Land of Egypt before I came in hither to thee, shall be Mine as Reuben and Simeon, but those which thou shalt beget after them, shall be thine, and shall be named according to their Brethren in their Inheritance. 2. In this figure now the Patriarch Jacob standeth again in the limit of the Covenant, whereto God had ordained him in the Mother's womb; when he had finished his course in the World with the figure of the Kingdom of Christ and his Christendom, than his Spirit * Frameth, modeleth, or Imageth. figureth itself again in the limit of the Covenant, and through the limit of the Covenant, blesseth his children and his children's children, and pointeth at the future Time, how it would go with them, that is, he speaketh from the Root, and intimateth concerning the branches and twiggs of this Tree, which God in Paradise planted again after the defection and fall, and had made it manifest in Abraham, and so Jacob stood in the same stock, and intimateth from the Spirit of this Tree concerning his Branches and twigs, but Especially in both joseph's Sons, both which he grafted bacl again into his root, that they should be his sons as Reuben and Simeon. This Figure standeth thus. 3. And Jacob said to Joseph; the Almighty God appeared to me at Luz in the Land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me; behold I will cause thee to increase and multiply, and will make thee a Great People, and will give this Land for a possession to thy seed for Ever; In this figure, the Spirit speaketh not only of the Inheritance of the outward Land of Canaan, but also of the Inheritance of the Kingdom of Christ, understood and signified under this Canaan; for he saith: God hath given him and his children this Land for an Eternal possession, which for a long time after that, they had no Inheritance in, therefore then in this, the Kingdom of Christ is understood, which shall endure for Ever. 4. Thus Jacob, took the two sons of Joseph, and set them in his Root in the Inheritance of this Kingdom, and moreover in his first power and virtue, as Reuben and Simeon his first sons, which signifieth, how joseph's, that is, Christ's, children in the Faith and Spirit, whose nature yet is come from the Seed of corrupted Adam, shall be through Faith planted again in the first Root of God's Covenant; for Adam hath set his twigs and children with himself in the Kingdom of God's anger; But the Covenant and Grace taketh these Adamicall twiggs and puts them back again into the Image of God, whose figure Jacob here represents with joseph's Sons. 5. * Gen 48.8, 9 And Israel saw the Sons of Joseph and said, who are these? Joseph answered his father, and said: they are my Sons which God hath given me; that is, the Covenant of Grace was strange to the corrupt nature; and said: Who are these children of Nature in self, have they not broken themselves off from God: But Joseph in the figure of Christ's humanity said: they are my children which God hath given me in the Kingdom of this world, and the Covenant of Grace in Jacob said; ‖ Verse 9 Bring them to me that I may bless them, that is, that I may anoint them with Grace, that is, Christ shall bring them to God, that he may bless them again. 6. And Moses saith; * Vers. 10. For the Eyes of Israel were dim with age, that is, Nature in the father's property in the Soulish Creature, was grown dim and old, and that because the souls Ens had † Imaged, or framed. modelled itself in the ‖ Temporarynes'. Time, for all that liveth in the ‖ Temporarynes'. Time groweth old and dim: But the Covenant in Jacob groweth not old; The Covenant was that which should bless the Sons of Joseph, with the future revelation or Manifestation of the Power in the Name JESUS, and Joseph who stood in the Image or Type of the Humanity of Christ, should bring them to this Blessing: For, the humanity of Christ bringeth Adam's children to the blessing of God, as here Joseph bringeth his Sons, to the Covenant of God, in Jacob. 7. Moses saith further; * Vers· 10, 11, 12. But he kissed them, and encouraged them, and said to Joseph: behold, I have seen thy Face, which I had not thought to have done, and behold, God hath let me see thy Seed; and Joseph took them from † jacob's. his Boosom, and bowed himself towards the Earth before his Countenance: which is as much as to say, in the figure thus; when Joseph in the Image or Type of the humanity of Christ, brought his sons to his Father, viz. before the Covenant of God, than the Covenant took them in the Arms, or into the Boosom of his desire, viz. into God's Essence, and kissed them with the kiss of Love, which God would manifest in Christ; and the Father's righteousness in the Word of might and power saith to the Souls Essences, behold thou art dim to my sight, and now I have seen thy Countenance again, through the Love and Grace of God, which I thought not to have done; for I thought to have kept the soul in the strong and severe Might of God's anger, for God's Eye was departed in it, with its turning away from him, and so as to God's righteousness, it was rend off from God; But now I have seen the Countenance of the Soul, again, through God's Love in the Grace of God, and God's Love hath let me see * The Souls Essences, powers or faculties. them in the seed, of the Covenant of Grace. 8. And the Spirit of Moses saith; And Joseph took them from his father's Boosom, and bowed himself to the Earth before his face, that is, when the Word became Man, than Christ took the soul from the father's Boosom, viz. from the father's Nature in to himself, and in a Creaturely manner presented himself with the assumed humanity before God the father, and bowed, that is, humbled himself with the assumed soul, viz. God and Man in one Person, to the Earth, that is, even into Death, and entered before the Face of God, with our, assumed Soul, that is, he brought the Souls will through the introduced power of the Deity, back again into the resigned humility before the Eyes of God. 9 And Moses saith further: Then Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards israels left hand, Gen. 48.13. and Manasseh in his left hand towards israels right hand, and brought them to him; This now is the precious figure of the Great earnestness of God, showing how Man is blessed again; for, Ephraim was not the firstborn, but Manasseh: and Jacob laid his right hand upon the head of the Youngest; but Joseph took Ephraim in his right hand and Manasseh in his left hand, that he might stand with the firstborn before jacob's right hand and with the other before jacob's left hand, but Jacob inverted the will of Joseph. The Figure standeth thus. 10. * John 1.14. The Word became Man, understand, the not-naturall un-creaturely word of God, manifested itself in Gods Creaturely word of Man's Soul, and took on him the faded lights Image, and quickened or made it living in itself, and put it into God's left hand, viz. into the father's Anger, which is here expressed by setting the youngest Son, viz. Ephraim, before jacob's, viz. Gods, left hand, but took it in his right hand. 11. For Christ took the incorporated Covenant of Grace in the faded heavenly Image, which incorporated Covenant of Grace in Man was the youngest, viz. the New Man, in his right hand, viz. into the highest Love in the Name JESUS, and entered with this New Man from the Covenant of Grace, before God's left hand, viz. before God's strict righteousness in the Anger, that he might atone the soul, viz. the firstbirth; and the soul, viz. the firstborn, Christ took in his left hand, that is, he took the first Principle, which beforehand had the superior Jurisdiction, authority, and power, and put it under, that its power, viz. the self-will, should go back and enter into humility, before God's right hand. 12. For, these two Sons of Joseph here, rightly signify the inward Spiritual Man, viz. the fiery Soul, which is the Eldest Son; also the Spirit of the Soul▪ viz. the Lights power, which signifieth the other or second Son, viz. the Two Principles: these did Joseph, that is, Christ set before God, and took the Spirit, viz. the second Principle in his right hand, viz. in his Love, and set it with his Love before God's left hand, viz. before his anger; for he should break the Serpent's head; and the soul he setteth before God's right hand, that it should receive the blessing from God, that is, that God's Love should manifest itself out of the soul, but that might not be; For Moses saith: * Gen. 48.14. But Israel streached forth his right hand, and laid it upon the head of Ephraim the youngest, and his left hand upon Manassehs head, and did so with his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 13. That is thus much in the figure; God would no more give the Dominion or Government to the first Birth, viz. to the fiery Soul, seeing it had turned away its will from God, but laid his hand of power and Omnipotency upon the second, viz. upon the Image of the Light, which in Christ in his Love became living again: to this he gave now the power of the divine virtue, that the soul might be under Christ; for in the Lights Image is Christ understood, and upon it God laid the hand of his Omnipotence and Grace; and upon the soul, he laid his left hand, that it should be a Servant and a Minister of Grace. 14. Thus the first Birth was set behind, viz. in subjection, and the second Birth foremost and uppermost in the Dominion; and here is that figure concerning which Christ saith; * John 17.6. Father, the Men were thine; that is, they were of thy Nature's property, but thou hast given them to me; for the Father gave to Christ the highest blessing & power, whereby the fiery soul lost its Dominion of self-will. 15. And Moses saith: Jacob did thus knowingly, that is, the Covenant of God knew it in Jacob, that God would have it so: Jacob could not with his bodily Eyes for Age well know these two Lads, but with the Eyes of God's Covenant, he saw and knew them, for God's Spirit in him did this. 16. * Gen. 48.15, 16. And he blessed Joseph and said: God, before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac have walked, God, who hath preserved me all my Life long even to this day; the Angel that hath released me from all evil, bless these Lads, that they may be called after my Name, and after the Names of my father's Abraham and Isaac, that they may increase and multiply on Earth. This figure standeth thus. 17. The God of Love blessed the incorporated Covenant of Grace, out of which should come, Christ, viz. the heavenly Joseph, as here Jacob with his blessing began at Joseph, and blessed joseph's sons through Joseph: thus God also through the Name JESUS blesseth the soul and the spirit, for God hath appointed, the Name Jesus to be a Throne of Grace, and through that Throne of Grace he blesseth Christ's children and Members according to the humanity, and here in the words of the blessing maketh no difference between the children, to signify, that the soul and the spirit shall in Christ enjoy like Graces and Gifts; only the power he gave to the New Regeneration out of the faded heavenly Image, that the soul should through the power of the New Regeneration, work, and flourish, spread forth and be great, therewith, that is, that the soulish-Tree with its branches should grow out of this blessing. 18. In the words of this blessing there is this understanding or meaning; viz. The Incorporated ground of grace in the power and virtue of the Word spoke forth the power, and comprised in Jacob, his body, soul, and Spirit, in One, and thereby spoke itself forth upon the children of Joseph; God, before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac have walked, that is, through the wills and desires, which my fathers have inclined to God, with which, they have walked before God: also, through the power of God who hath sustained me my life long, even unto this day; also the Angel who hath delivered me from all Evil, bless these Lads, that is▪ he blesseth them through the divine and humane power, through the Angel of the great Council in Christ Jesus, which Angel hath delivered Men from all Evil, that they should according to these Names be called children of the Covenant, and in this power, increase and grow great. 19 But when Joseph saw, that his father laid his right hand upon Ephraim's head, it pleased him not well, and he laid hold on his father's hand, Gen. 48.17. that he should turn it from Ephrams' head upon Manassehs head, and said to him, not so my father; this is the first borne, lay thy right hand upon his head: but his father refused and said, I know it well my son, I know it well, this shall also be a people, and be great, but his younger Brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall be a multitude of people. 20. By the outward figure the Spirit pointeth at their Offsprings, which Stock or Tribe should excel the other in greatness and Might; but by the Inward figure of Man's conversion and New Birth, it pointeth at the inward Ground; signifying, how the inward and youngest ground of the incorporated Grace in Christ, would be greater than the ground of the first Created Adamicall Man. 21. But that Joseph disliked it and would not willingly that the youngest should be preferred before the Eldest; in the figure, it signifieth this: Joseph stood in the figure of the New Regeneration, signifying, how the inward ground, viz. the Eternal Speaking Word in the humanity of Christ, should turn itself forth through our soul, and take away the power of self-will, from the soul, and that the Creaturely soul would not, that it should lose its power, it would not willingly die to its own will, but keep its first Natural right. 22. As we see in Christ's humanity, viz. in the humane Soul, when it was to die to self and yield up its Natural right; * Mat. 26.36. Luk. 22.39. Then said Christ on the Mount of Olives, father, if it be possible, that is, the humane soul in him from the Father's property in the Word, said, Father, if it be possiblle let this Cup pass from me, but if it be not possible, and that I must drink it, thy will be done; as Joseph here in this figure was loath to come to it, and would not willingly that the last, should be preferred before the first. 23. The Text saith, it pleased him not well, the Natural Man is not well pleased, to give up his natural right and let the Kingdom of humility reign in him, he would rather be Lord himself, but his own will hath squandered that away, so that he is set behind, for it is not possible, that he should become the child of God, unless he drink the Cup, whereby he dyeth to his own natural will: Therefore saith Christ; Father, thy will be done, and not my Natural Adamicall humane will, but let Gods will in my inward ground be done, and not my Adamicall souls will: It shall and must be resigned into God, the first natural right must go backward behind, and Christ forward, else there is no salvation. 24. In this Type and Image, the Spirit of God sporteth with the children of the Saints; signifying, how the new incorporated Kingdom of Grace would spread itself forth aloft, and how the Kingdom of Nature should be set back behind, for, if Christ arise and be borne in Man, then must Adam be Servant and Minister. 25. And it declareth besides, that the Kingdom of Nature would also be great, but the Kingdom of Grace yet greater; of which we have a similitude in a great Tree of many branches, which through Nature generateth many twiggs and Branches, and wherein Nature is powerful, but the virtue and power of the Sun is much more powerful; for if this doth not cooperate, than the Tree cannot grow nor bear any fruit: and we clearly see thereby, that the virtue and power of the Sun must get aloft, if the Tree grow and its fruit come to be ripe and profitable; so also is it in Man. 26. Man is Nature, and Nature begetteth him that he may come into the forms and Conditions of the Creatures, but the understanding must come forth in him, which governeth and taketh care of Nature; Nature willeth indeed that its desire be fulfiled, but the understanding ruleth over Nature. 27. But now Nature is sooner and Earlyar then the understanding; Nature goeth foremost; but when the understanding cometh, than it must follow behind; thus it is to be understood also in this figure of Jacob and Joseph, concerning the New Regeneration, that, when the divine understanding shall again be manifested in Man, then shall Nature follow behind. 28. * Gen 48.20. Thus he blessed them that day and said: He that will bless any in Israel let him say; God set thee as Ephraim and Manasseh; In this Text what the Spirit declareth in this figure is as clear as the Sun; for Ephraim and Manasseh were re-inoculated back into the Root of Jacob, that is, into the Covenant of Grace, which God had manifested in him, and were transplanted with the Birth of the Natural right, when the youngest was preferred before the Eldest; thus also should all blessing and wishing be, among the children of God; that God would set them back from the Evil Adamicall will of self, and set them into the paradisical Covenant again, and make them grow therein and bring forth the Kingdom of Grace in them, and set it above the Kingdom of Nature of the first Adamicall Birth: when this is done in Man, than he is a child of God again in Christ, and standeth in the blessing of God. 29. Courteous Rabbis and Masters of * Literature. Criticisms upon every letter, learn I pray to understand the figures of the Old and New Testament, and dispute not about the outward shell of words; look upon the chief Ground, why the Spirit of God thus speaketh, and why it sets down such Types and Images, and consider what this signifieth, that the Holy Ghost in all the figures of Christ, always sets the youngest before the Eldest; begin at Cain and Abel, and go quite through, and then you will come to Rest, and your Strife hath an End. 30. The Time of Strife is at an End, Ephraim shall rule over Manasseh, if you do not so, then will the Sun dazzle and blind you with its rising, that ye must for Ever be blind. Ye would verily see with the Eye of the Kingdom of Nature, and yet ye contemn the Eye of Grace; but Ephraim attaineth the Natural right of the first Birth; why will ye Strive against your father Jacob? as if he did not rightly bless; for ye set Manasseh before and Ephraim following behind, it is made manifest before the Eyes of the Most high, who hath set Ephraim foremost again; the kingdom of Nature in humane self should be the Servant, and that ye would not, but the purpose of the Most high goeth forward, and ye are all therefore like to go to the Ground, there is no preventing of it more. 31. Now when Jacob had blessed Joseph and his sons, than he represented a very secret Type or Image of Christendom upon Earth; for thus saith Moses: * Gen. 48.21, 22. And Israel said to Joseph, behold, I die, and God will be with you, and will bring you again into the Land of your fathers, I have given thee a piece of Land beyond thy brethren that I took with my sword and with my Bow out of the hand of the Amorites. 32. Although there may well be an outward figure herein, which indeed is always so, yet this is much more an inward figure of Christendom: for what could Jacob give away, of that, which he had not in his possession; he had not Sichem in possession, as the Glosses upon this Text will have it expounded, which look only at some outward thing, so he could not give it severally to Joseph, for Joseph dwelled not there, but he and all his children and children's children died in Egypt. 33. Besides Jacob said, he had taken it with his sword and with his Bow out of the hand of the Amorites, which is no wh●re to be shown, and yet may well be outwardly done so, seeing he saith, he hath given it to Joseph, as to the Type of Christendom, and took it with the sword, therefore it is a figure and secret Speech. 34. For, Jacob saith, behold I die, and ye shall come again into this Land, God will bring you thereinto: this first pointeth at Christ, who should come out of jacob's Covenant which God had in him; when that should die according to our humanity, then would God bring Israel again into the Land of God's Covenant, and the Covenant hath a piece of Land in this world, that at all times would be a dwelling for Christendom upon Earth; although that piece of Land, would be often turned with Manasseh and Ephraim from one place to another. 35. That same piece of Land or Christian Habitation hath Christ taken with his Bow and sword of the Spirit, and subdued the Princes of this world in his victory, that Christendom should have this at all times upon Earth; whereby then we see, that Christendom should have the smallest victory upon Earth, so that its Kingdom is like a remaining overplus piece of Land; that so the Name of Christ might therein be outwardly known and acknowledged. 36. Further, it is the Most Excellent figure concerning Israel, which with Jacob, that is, with the rising of the Kingdom of Christ, would die, that is, the Jewish Polity and Government would be suppressed, but God would in the last time bring them into this Land, viz. into the true Covenant in Christ; for he hath reserved this piece of Land beforehand, that they should possess the same again; which Babel believeth not, but their time is near, for the fullness of the Heathens is at an End. CHAP. LXXVI. How Jacob called all his Sons before his End, and signified and prophesied to them, how their Generations would rise up, and what each of their State and Condition would be, whereby he Expressed the Root of Abraham's Tree, together with its Branches and fruit; What the State and Office of each of them would be, and how they would behave themselves, and how Christ would be borne of the Stock of Judah: also how long their Kingdom would continue under the Law. Genesis 49. from the first to the 12th verse. Gen XLIX. 1, 2. 1. MOses saith; And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may make known unto you what will happen to you in the future Times: come together and hearken ye children of Jacob, and hear your father Israel. In this Chapter lieth the whole understanding and knowledge, how it would go with the children of Israel in the future time under the Law, as also afterwards with Christendom; for in this Chapter, the Spirit hath expressed and figuratively represented the tree of Israel, with its Branches, twiggs, and fruit, both according to the Kingdom of Nature, and according to the Kingdom of Grace, and under that signifieth concerning all States, Conditions, Orders, and Offices, among both Jews and Christians, especially the Antichristian Kingdom among Jews and Christians, is powerfully prefigured under it, whence it ariseth, and how it must fall to the ground again, and yet would continue a long time, even till the Manifestation or Revelation of Jesus Christ. 2. For, Israel here under this Exposition, declareth concerning the whole Adamicall tree, how it was good in the beginning, and how it perished, also how it would be helped again, and how the Kingdom of Nature would outwardly Govern in God's wrath, and yet the Kingdom of Grace cooperate through the wrath; whereby the natural Evil Man would outwardly seem, as if he would serve God and minister to him, but would only be a false flattery and show of Hypocrisy, so long till Christ would break forth out of God's Covenant, and destroy Satan's hypocritical Kingdom. 3. And he beginneth at Reuben, viz. from the first power of the humane Life, and reacheth to Benjamin the last, under whom Christendom is powerfully prefigured, and what its properties would be, so also are the times and Ages of the World powerfully portrayed under it: If the reader will Observe it and gather the sense thereof, than he will find our Exposition in the true and right Ground. I. The Testament of Reuben. 4. He began at Reuben and said: Reuben my first son, Gen. 49.3, 4. thou art my power and virtue, and my first might and strength: the chiefest in the sacrifice, and the Chiefest in the Kingdom and Government; he was vain and fickle therein as water: thou shalt not be the Chiefest, thou didst climb up into thy father's Couch, and there hast defiled my bed with thy climbing up. In the Figure it standeth thus. 5. The Spirit in the Covenant Speaketh forth the humane Nature of Adam, viz. the first power of the first seed to a re-propagation, as indeed Reuben also was the first power of Jacob; and signifieth that the Natural first Adamicall Man should be the chiefest in God's Sacrifice, that is, he should bring forth right fruit to him, which might be to the pra●se of God, and in the virtue thereof increase the heavenly Joy: he should generate virtue to him and a re-expression through the implanted Word of God; and that is called Sacrificing to God, when the Creaturely humane Word, which God form into a Creature, viz. the humane understanding Life, re-expresseth God's Word out of itself, and formeth itself in Holy Images, thoughts, or Imaginations. 6. Which formation is effected in the Generating of the heavenly Mercurial Harmony, viz. after that manner as when the implanted Word in Man, imageth or frameth itself into a Song of Divine Joyfulness, and sporteth in the holy pure Element before God; in which † Frameing, Figuring, or Imaging. modeling or holy desire, the holy wisdom of God Co-modelleth, and becometh figured in Wonders; whereby the Eternal One becometh formable and distinct, viz. is known in different varieties, this is called Sacrificing to God, in that manner as twiggs and branches bear fair fruit to the Tree, whereby the tree is known and Manifested to be Good; thus also the Creaturely form Word, viz. Man, should, to the Eternal Speaking holy Word of God, which Word is the Stock; Generate or bear to the Stock, Good fruit, viz. the praise of God. 7. This is as much as to say, Adam was the chiefest in the Sacrifice, for he was the first out-spoken or Expressed Word that God spoke in his Image, and was also the chiefest in the Kingdom or Government; for to him belonged the Eternal Dominion: he was created out of the Eternal, in and to the Eternal, he was the Image of God, wherein the word of God according to Time and Eternity was Imaged or framed. 8. Therefore now the Spirit in the Covenant representeth this before him by the Stock of Israel, out of which the new tree should spring out of the Old, and pointeth at both the Adamicall and also the New Tree of Regeneration, and speaketh further concerning the first power in Adam and Jacob, viz. concerning the Kingdom of Nature, of the first Image. 9 He was unstable or fickle therein as water, as we experiment that, in Adam and all natural Men, as Adam suddenly and unstablely therein, departed from his Glory, both from the Divine Kingdom, and also from the sacrifice of God, and Entered into self-will, and forsook God's will, and brought himself from the Divine † Imaging or modelling. formation into a Earthly formation, with the desire and lust, whence he became Bestial and Evil. 10. Whence now the Spirit in the Covenant saith, through Jacob: thou shalt not be the chiefest; that is, the first Image shall not keep the Government, neither in the Dominion of the Kingdom, viz. of the natural power and authority; nor in the sacrifice of God; but the second Adam, Christ, out of Judah shall be he; and therefore, because thou hast climbed up upon thy father's Couch, and there, hast defiled my Bed with thy climbing up. This Figure standeth thus. 11. Adam had his father's chaste marriagebed in him, when his Eve was yet un-made, he was Man and Woman, and yet neither of them, but a true ●nd right marriagebed of God, wherein God's word in his Marriage in both Tinctures, viz. of the fire and light, worketh in power, for he stood in the Image of God, in which God wrought, as in the holy Angels. The propagation stood in one single Image, as God is in one Eternal Substance, so also was he, who was out of that same Substance of all Substances, created in one only Image; for the spermatick nature and kind was in him the Verbum Fiat, the word Fiat, which had form him into the Image of God, wherein the self-love lay, viz. in the perpetual Conjunction of both properties of the only Tincture, viz. the power of the holy Magic fire and Light, which is spiritual, and the true Life. 12. In this Image, he was the chiefest in the Sacrifice and in the Kingdom; for he could sacrifice to God, both spiritually and Creaturally, in that manner as a Tree without the interposition or supply from another, doth itself bring forth its branches and fruit, and thrusteth forth from itself the fair blossoms in a lovely smell and virtue, with fair Colours according to its kind, and that as God's Word had ejected and generated it out of itself; all this power lay also in him. 13. But the self-will was unstable and fickle therein, and brought itself into a Bestial property; into false and wicked lust and desire, and climbed with the Bestial Lust and desire, into this holy Marriagebed, into which Lust, Satan brought it, viz. the Ground of the dark world according to the Imaging or representation of Fancy, as also the Devil with the holding forth of the monstrous bestial property, together with the subtlety and Wit of the Serpent, viz. of the Ground of the first Principle, so that the self-will plunged itself therein, and was infected therewith, and made its power of Imaging or thinking, according to Soul and Body, Monstrous, whence the Bestial Imagination in Adam awaked and began. 14. And here he climbed up upon his fathers, viz. upon Gods, Marriagebed, and defiled it with bestial, as also devilish, false, and wicked Imaginations, which Lust he introduced into God's Concubine, viz. into the heavenly sperm or seed of the heavenly world's Substance, upon which, God's Spirit, viz. the holy Word in this heavenly Substance, departed from him; that is, the self-will of Man rend itself off from the Will of the Word; and now it was unstable in the Devil's poison, and lost the Kingdom and the Priesthood, viz. the Princely Throne, and was thereupon weak and blind as to God, and fell down into sleep, and lay, between God and the Kingdom of this world, in impotency and weakness. 15. Now thus saith Moses: and God suffered or * Gen. 2.21. caused him to fall into a deep sleep, and framed a † Or, woman. wife out of him, and brought her to him, and gave him a bestial Marriagebed for a heavenly: where he may now Copulate in selfe-Lust, which in the presence of heaven is but a defiled Marriage Bed, but is borne withal, under God's Mercy in divine Patience, seeing that the vessel of this Marriagebed must consume, rot, and die, and Christ hath given in himself in this Marriage Bed into the Middle as a Mediator, and Redeemer, from this monstrous Image, which he will regenerate a new in himself. 16. This powerful Type or Image, the Spirit of God also represents by Reuben, who was jacob's first virtue and power, wherein, the desire of Reuben also modelled itself in the Adamicall Image, and went back and lay with his father's Concubine, and in falsehood and wickedness copulated with her, as the free will of the soul in Adam, copulated with God's Concubine in him, by false and wicked Lust, and became a breaker of Wedlock to God, as Reuben did. 17. And for the sake of this, hath Adam, viz. the first power of the Natural Man, in all Men, lost the Kingly Priesthood, so that the Natural Man in his own power and virtue, can no more offer sacrifice to God; also he understandeth nothing more of God's Word or Kingdom, * 1 Cor. 2.14. It is foolishness unto him, and he cannot apprehend it any more; for he standeth in a poisonous monstrous Image, which in this Adamicall property cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, and hath lost the Kingdom of God, and is now but a figure or similitude of this World and of Hell, a Monster [instead] of the Image of God, and shall no more be the chief in the Sacrifice and Kingdom, but Christ in the New birth in him, hath attained the Kingdom, in the sacrifice and Government. 18. The Natural Man, viz. the first power and virtue must be Servant, and lay off the Monstrous whorish Image, and be newborn again: the Soul through the Spirit of Christ, and the Body through the putrefaction of the Earth, from which, at the End of the * Last Judgement Day. Day, he shall be severed and be form again into the Image of God. II. & III. The Testament of Simeon and Levi. 19 * Gen. 49.5, 6, 7. ●he brethren, Simeon and Levi, their swords are Murdering Weapons; my soul come not into their Council, and my honour be not thou in their Churches, Assemblies, or Congregations; for in their Anger they have slain a Man, and in their stubborn selfe-willednes, they have destroyed Oxen: Cursed be their Anger, because it was so vehement and fierce, and their Wrath, because it was so raging, I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them abroad in Israel. 20. In this Testament the Spirit very wonderfully taketh the two brethren together, and represents their figure accordingly, which ought well to be observed; as also the Spirit of Moses in the 34th Chapter taketh them together; where he saith; * Gen. 34.25, 26, 27.29. Simeon and Levi took their swords and went boisterously into the City, and slew Sichem together with Hemor his father, and all the Males that were in the whole City, and took the Women and children captive, and spoilt all; which might indeed be the Action and Robbery of two stout young Men; but the Spirit hath in that place, as also in this, its figure, according as Jacob saith; He would tell them, how it would go with them in after times. 21. In Reuben the Spirit representeth before the Adamicall corrupt Nature, that the first virtue and power of Man, squandered away God's Priesthood and Kingdom, viz. the Kingdom of Heaven, and defiled God's Marriagebed, and made a Bed of whoredom thereof: but now in this figure the Spirit of God representeth a powerful figure, signifying, how the first power of Man, would nevertheless, desire to keep, its Priesthood and Dominion, and what kind of Priests and Rulers would be in this world, in the Kingdom of Selfe-Nature. 22. For, out of the Stock of Levi came the Priesthood under the Law, and of this the Spirit here speaketh, and joineth Simeon to him, viz. the worldly Dominion, and saith of them both as of one, Your swords are Murdering weapons, my soul come thou not into their Council, and my honour be not thou in their Churches; that is, Gods Living Word, which he calleth his Soul, shall not be in the Dominion of this Earthly World, viz. in Man's first Natural Selfe-power, his holy Word shall not be in their Councils and determinations, wherein they seek only temporal voluptuousness and riches: neither shall it be in their Churches and Priesthood, because they do but flatter with the Mouth: for he saith; My honour be not thou in their Churches. 23. But his Church, is the true Image of God from the heavenly World's Substance, which, in their Murder, by the introduced poison of the Serpent, faded in Adam, and is borne again in Christ; but seeing they would only play the hypocrite before God in the Monster of the Serpent, and had not the Church of God, in them; therefore saith the Spirit; My honour be not thou therein. 24. For, God's honour together with Christ Jesus, shall not come from the Natural Adam, but from God and his holy Word; these should be the Holy Church of God in Man, viz. the Image of the heavenly World's Substance, which died in Adam, and budded forth again in Christ, in this should God's honour appear; as when Life buddeth forth through death, this was God's honour: but the self Adamicall will which was a Murtherour, and murdered the heavenly Image in him, shall not have, this honour, this honour shall not appear in his Murderous Will. 25. In this Image, the figure standeth clearly, which is portrayed in the * Revel. 17. Apocalypse, of the Great Seven headed Dragon, upon which the Babylonish Whore rideth, where the Dragon and Whore are prefigured as one Image, and it is even the same with this of Simeon and Levi, and it signifieth, in the Adamicall Corrupt power in the Monstrous Image, the Government of Nature in self will, together with the Sectarian hypocritical Priesthood. 26. The seven heads of the Beast are the * 7 properties. seven properties of Nature, which are departed from the Temperature, and have attained † 7 heads. seven heads, viz. a seavenfold will, whence the Life, is come to be in Strife, misery, sickness and Corruption; and the Whore, upon this Beast, is the Soul, which is defiled as a Whore, and entereth before God with this Whore's Image, and playeth the hypocrite in his presence. 27. But the Will of the seaven-headed Beast, giveth its power and strength to the Whore, viz. to the Soul, so that the soul sticketh full of Murder, Pride, whorish Lust, and selfe-honour; and in this Church and Den of Murder, God's honour will not be. 28. This Figure and Magic Exposition concerning Simeon and Levi, prefigureth to us, the spiritual and worldly Dominion; first in every Man, whereby he governeth himself both in spiritual and Natural things; and secondly, the Management and authority of spiritual and worldly Offices, both in the Church and worldly matters; whatsoever ruleth therein in self Adamicall power, without the New Regeneration, that beareth this Image in it, viz. the Murdering sword, where Men Condemn and slay one another with words. 29. All scurrilous, slanderous, libellous books, wherein Men reproach and kill one another with words for the sake of the Divine Gift and knowledge; are the Murderous swords of Simeon and Levi: also all unrighteous Sentences of worldly Judgement, are the same, and God's honour and will, is not therein. 30. The Spirit taketh them both together in one figure, because both these Offices govern the Adamicall Nature: They govern the world, viz. the form outspoken word of God, to them is given the power and authority of the Kingdom of Nature, but they shall give an account of this Government: for the Judgement of God is set in this figure, and the † Rev. 19.20. Apocalypse casteth the falsehood and wickedness of this Image down into the fiery Lake that burneth with brimstone, and sealeth up the Beast and the whore in Eternity, and giveth the Kingdom the power and authority, together with the Priesthood, to Christ and his children borne of him. 31. The Spirit of Moses saith: * Gen 49.6. In their anger they have slain a Man, and in their selfe will they have destroyed Oxen. The Man, signifieth, the inward Spiritual Man, viz. the true Image of God, which Adam Murdered, in all his children, through his anger, viz. through the first Principle, the Kingdom of God's Anger; which Adam awakened with his desire and Lust; and it signifieth further, Christ that should come, whom the Levites with the Simeonites, viz. Worldly Dominion, viz. the Pharisees, and Heathenish Government, would kill: for Jacob said, he would make known to them, what would befall them in the future times. 32. Therefore this figure looketh at the future Man Christ, whom the Levites would slay in their Envy and anger, as is also come to pass, and for that cause shall his honour be no more in their Churches; for after such slaying of Christ, their Church was taken from them, and the Temple destroyed, and their Sacrifices ceased, in which formerly the figure of Christ, viz. God's honour, stood. 33. But the Oxen which they have caused to perish, in their self-will, signifieth the outward Man from the Lincus of the Earth, which they have caused to perish with the desire of vanity, so that it is become so grossly bestial and miserable, that it is turned from a heavenly paradisical Image, into a corruptible one, which is done out of self-will. 34. Further, it pointeth at the future self will of the Levites, with their worldly Dominion, signifying how they would slay and kill with their Murdering swords, whereas they can destroy no more of God's children but the Oxen, viz. the bestial Man: which Murdering swords have ever been among this Generation, both with the Jews and Christians, which the children of God ought well to observe, that the Spirit of God in the Covenant saith, his soul shall not be in their murderous Council, nor his honour in their Churches, for the sake of which they murder and destroy many that will not believe their Sects and self-willed Conclusions and determinations. 35. Especially at this present time, when Men strive only about the Churches and Church-matters, and murder one another for such things, and destroy land and people in their self-will; Men living only in self-will, and do not intend and seek God's honour thereby, but only their own honour, might, authority and power, and thereby fatten the Ox, viz. the Belly God, the honour of God and his Word, is not among all these; but as Jacob saith; Cursed be their anger for it is vehement and fierce, and their wrath for it is raging; for they do all out of self-will and anger; and therein the anger of God driveth them on: and therefore they run on into the Curse, in the Murderous swords. 36. And it saith further; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel, which is indeed befallen them, so that they are divided and scattered among all people, and have now no City, Country, or Principality more; also the Spirit intimateth the dividing of the Earthly Life, wherein this anger and self will must be quite divided from it, and the body be scattered like Ashes: for the Curse breaketh in pieces and scattereth both its Dominion and Priesthood, together with its body and outward senses and Life; for it is all in the presence of God, but a Curse and vanity. 37. For the Spirit of Jacob saith; I will divide them in Jacob; that is, through the Covenant of Jacob, viz. through Christ, and will scatter them in Israel, that is, through the new sprout out of the Covenant, the Adamicall Tree shall be destroyed, and divided, and its works together with its Body and thoughts, be scattered, and the works of the Devil be brought to nothing; also this their Priesthood and Dominion shall be yet so destroyed, divided, and scattered as the Chaff is by the wind, when the Kingdom of Christ and his Priesthood shall spring up, where Christ alone shall reign, and then all this will have an End, which seems strange to Babel. iv The Testament of Judah. Gen. 49.8, 9, 10, 11, 12. 38. Judah, thou art he, Thy Brethren will praise Thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thy Enemies, thy father's children will bow down before thee; Judah is a young Lion, thou art come a loft my son, through great victory, he hath stooped down and couched, as a Lion and as a Lioness, who will set upon him to rouse him up? The Sceptre will not be removed from Judah, nor a Master from his feet, till the Saviour come, and to him will the people cleave: he will bind his foal to the Vine, and his shee-asses colt to the precious Branch; he will wash his Garment in wine, and his Mantle in the blood of Grapes: his Eyes are redder than wine, and his Teeth whiter than Milk. 39 By the first Three sons of Jacob, the Spirit intimates concerning the corrupted lost Adam and his children, signifying how they were in the sight of God, and what their Kingdom upon Earth, would be; but here, with Judah he beginneth to intimate concerning the Kingdom of Christ, viz. concerning Christ's Person and Office, and setteth Christ in the fourth Line, which is a great Mystery; for in the fourth property of the generating of Nature, is understood the fire, viz. the Original of the Fire, out of which the Light taketh its Original, whereby the Abyss becometh Majestic, wherein then also the Original of Life is understood, before the soul is therein understood according to its property. 40. Seeing then this Souls Ground in Adam was fallen and perished, therefore hath God also set his figure of the New Life therein, and in this Testament of the Twelve Patriarches, the figure standeth signifying, how the beginning of Life is, and how the New birth springeth forth in the Light again, through the perished fire-Life in the Light: also in the Testament of Judah all Circumstances are declared, showing, how the New Life in Christ would spring forth through the Soul, and rule over the Sting of Death. 41. Jacob saith; Thou art he, thy brethren will praise thee; in this he looketh outwardly upon the Earthly Kingdom; which should arise in the future Time: and inwardly he looketh upon the Kingdom of Christ, which both Jews & Heathens would embrace, and praise and honour Christ as God and Man. 42. And he saith further; for thy hand will be upon the Neck of thy enemies; by this he understandeth and meaneth, not only the Jews outward Enemies; but that the hand, viz. the power of Christ's Grace, would essentially, actually, and effectually be upon the Neck of Satan and the Serpent's Poison and will, in flesh and Blood, and evermore trample upon that Serpent's head in his children of Faith. 43. Also, thy Father's children will bow before thee, that is, before this Christ of the Stock or Tribe of Judah, will all the Children of God, stoop, bow, and pray to, as a God-Man and Man-God. 44. Also,; Judah is a young Lion, that is, Roaring against the Devil, and a destroyer of Death and Hell, as a fresh young nimble Lion, mighty in strength and power. 45. Also, thou art come aloft my son, and exalted, by a Great victory, that is, after he had the victory over God's Anger, over Death, Sin, the Devil and Hell, he was placed at the right hand of God's power, as a Man-God, and ruleth over all his Enemies. 46. Also: He stooped and couched down, as a Lion and as a Lioness, who will set upon him to rouse him up? that is, he hath so deeply humbled himself, with his highest Love, and rendered himself in our assumed humanity into the scorn and contempt of the fallen Man, and stooped into God's anger, and suffered the Natural Life to break in pieces, and very patiently given his Strong Lion's might, thereinto. 47. But that the Text saith; as a Lion and as a Lioness; it signifieth, the young Lion of the Divine Word▪ in the soul, and the Lioness signifieth the Name JESUS, in the most inward Ground of the heavenly world's substance, viz. the Noble Lioness of Sophia, that is, the right seed of the Woman from the Adamicall Lights Tincture, which faded in Adam, and in this Lion was made living again in divine power, and associated itself again to the Lion, viz. to the Soul. 48. Also; who will set upon him to rouse him up? that is, who can set himself against this Lion and heavenly holy Lioness to rouse them up, which are, God over all, and through all? who will take away his power, who is the beginner of all power, strength, and might? Where is the Champion that can strive when there is no higher power to be had? 49. Also; The Sceptre shall not be removed from Judah, nor a Master from under his feet, till the Champion or Saviour come, and to him will the people cleave; the understanding or meaning of this, is twofold, viz. outwardly concerning the Kingdom of Judah, that the Jewish Sceptre of its Kingdom should continue and they be a Kingdom, till this Champion or Saviour, viz. the Lion with the Lioness, viz. Christ, that is, this Covenant, should become Man; which is so come to pass, that they held their Kingdom, though it seemed often as it were quite overthrown, till Christ, and then it quite ceased, and there was another Master or Governor that ruled it, for since that time they must be servile people; for the Champion or Saviour hath taken to himself their Kingdom, and is therewith entered in among the Heathen, and hath called them also to himself. 50. But the inward Ground is this, that the Kingdom of Christ and his Dominion over Sin, Death, the Devil and Hell, will not cease, nor any other Ruler or Master come from between his feet, that is, from the Covenant of God; till this Saviour Christ, should come again to Judgement, and sever his Enemies, then shall he deliver up the Kingdom again to his Father, and then God shall be all in all; therefore do the Jews in vain hope for another Master or Ruler, although indeed he will come to them also in the Time of his Revelation, Manifestation, or appearing, which time is near, wherein the Kingdom of Christ will be manifested to all people. 51. Also: to him will the people cleave; this is done already according to his humanity, and will much more be done in his last manifestation, that all people will cleave to him and acknowledge him, when Babel taketh its End, then will this be first perfectly fulfiled, which dependence and cleaving to him, at present the Images, Imaginations or fictions of Opinions and Sects in Babel, do keep back, in that the strange and foreign People and Nations stumble, and are scandalised at the Contentions and Disputations of Confounded * Or, words of Jarring Contention. Speeches, and withhold from it. 52. But when the Tower of Babel falleth on every side, then shall all people cleave to him, honour and serve him, which dependence and cleaving to him, supposed Christendom, hath hindered by the Antichrist, which hath a long time sat in the seat of Christ, as an Earthly God; when this ceaseth, then will the Kingdom of Christ be wholly manifest, which Men at present behold only in † Or, Opinions, without certain knowledge. Images: this is understood by those of our society. 53. Also; he will bind his Foal to the Vine, and his shee-asses colt to the Noble Branch; O thou poor sick old miserable Adam, if thou didst understand this rightly, than thou wouldst be delivered from all strife; What is the foal and the shee-Asses colt? The foal is the humane soul: for the Young Lion signifieth the power of the divine Word in the soul; but the foal is the natural soul, which Christ should bind to the vine of the sweet tasted divine Love, viz. the Eternal Speaking Word would bind this Foal, the Creaturely Souls Word of the Souls Essence and Substance, to itself, and be married to it; and the shee-Asse is the inward paradisical Man, viz. the Divine Man, from the Ens of the inward Ground, from the heavenly World's Lights Substance, viz. the Virgin Sophia. 54. This shee-Asse, which must bear the outward burden, of the bestial Man upon it, should Christ, that is, the Word, bind to the Name JESUS, viz. to Gods own selfe-subsisting Substance, viz. to the most Noble Branch, which beareth the sweet wine of the Love of God. 55. And this shee-Asse, is the Temple of God, wherein the Kingdom of God is again Manifested in us, it is † Coloss. 3.11. & 1.27. Christ in us, which is a shee-Asse in Man, himself taketh upon him the burden and sin of Man, and slayeth it through the Young Lyon. 56. This Inward new spiritual holy Man is rightly the shee-Asses colt, for it must be manifested through the soul, as Light is manifested through fire, thus a Man is to understand, that the light is the fires Colt, and is manifested through the fire, from the dying of the Candle; thus also it is to be understood in the Ground of the soul, which is also a fire-Spirit. 57 O, thou poor Christendom, if thou didst understand this rightly, and didst press into it, so that thou also with this shee-Asse which faded in Adam, stoodst bound to the fools Noble Branch; what needs striving then? Is it not now a simple shee-Asse which beareth Christ and Adam upon it, viz. Christ in it, which is its Noble Branch, viz. its sap and power, and Adam upon it as a Burden. 58. O thou Babylonish whore! thou keepest off this shee-Asse with thy Dragon-Beast, so that poor Christendom must bear thy Evil Beast; whereon thou whore, ride; but thy time is near, that thou art to go into the Abyss of Hell-fire, saith the Spirit of Wonders. 59 Also; he will wash his Garment in wine, and his Mantle in the blood of the Grape, that is, Christ will wash our humanity, viz. the Garment of the soul, in the wine of his Love, and with the Love wash away from the defiled Adamicall flesh, the earthly dross and spawn of the Serpent, that Adam had received with his desire and Lust, from which the Earthly Man became a Beast; and leave the spawn of the Serpent to the Earth, and in the End burn it up with the fire of God. 60. And his Mantle in the blood of the Grape: the Mantle is the Cover, which covereth the washed Garment, and is even the precious purple Mantle of Christ, viz. the scorn, affliction, Torment, and suffering; when he thereby washed our sins in his blood, that is, the right blood of the Grape, wherein he washed his Mantle, which now he casteth over our Garment and covereth it, viz. over our humanity, that God's anger, and the Devil, may not touch it. 61. O, Man! consider this, this Mantle will not be cast over the Beast and the Whore, to cover them; as Babel teacheth, but over the washed Garment, that is washed in right true Repentance, with God's Love: this Garment of the soul will be covered with the Mantle of Christ, which is once washed in his blood of the Grape; and not whores, Panders, unclean persons, Covetous, Extortioners, unrighteous, cruel, raging, stern, and proud, so long as they are such, they have only the Mantle of the Babylonish whore about them, and get not this holy washed Mantle of Christ, upon them; flatter and play the hypocrite as much as thou wilt, yet thou wilt not get it, except thou art washed beforehand; thy Comforting thyself will not avail thee, thou must set upon it in Earnest, that thy shee-Asse may live, & thy ●ole be Essentially bound to the vine Christ, else thou art a Member of the Whore sitting upon the seven headed Dragon; and if thou couldst pass through the Thrones of Heaven, yet thou wouldst be but a child of the Dragon. 62. O, Babel Babel, what hast thou done? in Covering the Beast with this Mantle, and art thyself, remaining under it, a Wolf. 63. Also; His Eyes are redder than wine, and his Teeth whiter than Milk: His Eyes are now the fire-flaming Love, which pierce and press through the Father's Anger, and look through the fiery-soule, wherein the Father's anger in the fiery soul becometh a light flaming Love-fire; and so the Souls Essence is thereby become a sweet pleasant tasted divine red Love-wine, one property in the Soulish Essence tasting the other in great desire of Love, and the father's property of anger floweth forth in a clear good pleasant relish. 64. And his Teeth are whiter than Milk: these white Teeth are the desire of the inward Spiritual Man, where the holy word is together in the desire of these Teeth, which white Teeth of heavenly desire, apprehendeth, eateth and drinketh the Grape of Christ's blood; for it is the Spiritual Mouth, for which Christ hath ordained his Testament, that it should with these white Teeth, * Joh. 6.53. etc. Eat his flesh and drink his blood; this, the Spirit in the Covenant, declareth clearly and plainly, by Jacob. 65. For, the Testament of Judah pointeth throughout at Christ, at his Person, Office and Kingdom, for of Judah, Christ should come according to the humanity, outwardly the figure of the Type, standeth, and inwardly, in the Spiritual Figure, Christ standeth clearly. CHAP. LXXVII. A Further Exposition of jacob's Testament, Concerning the other Eight Sons, how both the Jewish Government or Kingdom on Earth, and also Christendom is Typified under it, showing how it would go with them. From the 12th verse of the 49th Chapter of Genesis to the last verse thereof. 1. BY the first Three sons of Jacob is typified in the Figure the Kingdom of perished or corrupt Nature, viz. the Adamicall Man, what it is; and by Judah, Christ is Typified, who should come and bring the Adamicall Man into his Kingdom; but by the other Eight sons of Jacob is Typified, only the figure of worldly Officers States & Governments; signifying, how the Adamicall Man would manage the Superior Dominion, and how also the inward figure of the Kingdom of Christ would stand close by it. 2. For here in the outward figure is first Typified, where each Tribe or Stock would have their dwelling and habitation, and what their Office in Israel would be, but near to it standeth always the figure, representing, how the outward and the inward Man would stand close by one another; and how the Kingdom of Nature and the Kingdom of Grace would dwell one by another; also how the Seven properties of Nature in God's anger, according to the first Principle, would also put forth or explicate themselves, and introduce themselves into figure, to the divine manifestation; which the reader should well observe and consider, for we will explain both the inward and the outward figure. V The Testament of Zebulun. 3. Zebulun will dwell at the Haven of the Sea, and at the Haven of Ships, Gen. 49.13. and reach to Zidon. This first, is the outward figure, showing, where this Tribe or Stock will dwell in the promised Land, but the Spirit also hath its figure to which it pointeth. 4. For Zebulun in the Language of Nature, in sense, is called a desire or Longing that goeth to God, which longing resides with good people; and it signifieth here that the Adamicall Man would dwell near God, and that he would have delight and refreshment from the divine * Neighbourhood. co-habitation; for, Jacob begat Zebulun of Lea, which otherwise was not esteemed, because she was tender-sighted and bleere-eyd, and not so fair as Rachel was; which Lea, put her hope in God, that he would bless her, that she should be fruitful and bear children to her husband Jacob. 5. Now when she bore Zebulun, ‖ Gen. 30.20. she said, God hath pleaded well for me; that is, I turned my desire to him, and he hath fulfiled it for me, now his will dwelleth with mine, and she called him [ * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zebulun] a near dwelling or Co-habitation, that is, God dwelleth with me, and now also will my husband dwell with me in Love, and it signifieth, that the Grace of God in his mercy and Compassion, shall still dwell with the poor Adamicall perished or corrupt children of flesh, and not forsake them in their misery. 6. But it hath more respect to the Covenant, that the children of the Covenant in their Adamicall Nature would be a near Cohabitation in Hope, and that the Outward Man would not apprehend the Kingdom of Christ, but would be a near co-habitation with it, where Christ should dwell in the inward Ground, viz. in the Spiritual World, and Adam in this * World or outward Life. Time of the Life; and yet be a co-habitation. 7. For, as the Spirit hath, by Judah, declared Christ in the flesh, so now here he declareth that the outward Man would not be Christ, but be a Co-habitation of Christ; Christ would possess the inward Ground; as he also saith, My Kingdom is not of this world; Therefore the outward mortal Man should not say of itself, I am Christ; for he is only a Co-habitation of Christ, as the outward world is only a Co habitation or near neighbourhood to the Kingdom of Christ; for Christ is the inward Spiritual world, hidden in the outward visible world, as the Day is hidden in the night, and yet they dwell, one, by, near, and with, the other. VI The Testament of Issachar. 8. * Gen. 49 14, 15. Issachar is a strong boned Ass, and he lodgeth in valleys, between the Borders or Hills of the Country, and he saw Rest that it was Good, and the Land that it was pleasant and fruitful; but he hath bowed his shoulders to bear and is become a Tribute servant. In this Testament of Issachar, the Spirit pointeth first, at the outward figure of this Tribe or Stock, showing where they should dwell; viz. in the midst of the Land in Good ease and Rest, but yet be Tributary; but the powerful figure looketh upon the inward Ground, viz. upon the humane Nature. 9 For when † Gen. 30.18▪ Lea bore Issachar, she said, God hath rewarded me in that I gave my Maid to my husband, and she called him Issachar; that is, a divine wages or reward: for she had given Rachel her Son's Mandrakes, that she suffered Jacob to sleep with her this night, upon which she conceived this son, therefore she called him a recompense from God. 10. But the Spirit saith in this figure, he would be a boned strong Ass, and lodge between the Borders; which outwardly in its habitation was just so; but in the inward figure, he saith; The man which is obtained from God by prayer, is indeed a Gift and wages, but his Adamicall Nature, is only a Boned strong Ass for the burden, who beareth the Adamicall Sack; but he dwelleth with his Mind between the Borders; viz. between God and the Kingdom of this world, his Mind presseth into the Borders of God, and the Body dwelleth in the World. 11. Therefore the Mind must be as a Boned servile slavish Ass, which though it sitteth at ease and rest in a good habitation in the Borders of God, yet it must bear the burden of sins and of Death in the earthly Sack, and there is no buying it off with the Mandrakes, before the Death of the Earthly Man; also no praying to God for it, availeth, that thereby the Boned strong Ass might come to divine Liberty; It must remain an Ass, till Christ, in himself bringeth it into the Eternal Rest: The Adamicall hurt and loss is so great, that the Ass must leave the Sack in the Death of Christ, else he will not be rid of it. 12. But he addeth the cause why he must remain a Boned strong Ass, for he saith, He saw the Rest, that it was good, and the Land that it was pleasant; that is, that the Mind would always desire to rest in the Lust and pleasure of the flesh; and would desire to take care of the Earthly Lust, and in that regard, the Mind must be a servile Ass, and servant of God's Anger; and so separateth the Natural Adamicall Man, from the Seed of the Covenant, viz. from the person of Christ, so that the Natural Adamicall Man in its inbred Nature, is but this Ass with the Sack, till Christ possesseth his Kingdom, in him; no Covenant or praying, availeth, but that Adam must in this world remain an Ass, till the Sack be gone, and then he is called a new child in Christ, which new child in this Life is the inward Ground, but the boned strong Ass is the new child's instrument, upon which the Sack is carried, for the servility of God's Anger continueth so long as the Sack lasteth. VII. The Testament of Dan. 13. * Gen. 49.16, 17, 18. Dan will be a Judge among his People, as any other Generation in Israel: Dan will be a Serpent in the way, and an Adder on the path, and will by't the horse in the Heels, that his rider shall fall back: O Lord, I wait for thy Salvation. This is a powerful figure of the outward power and authority of humane Officers in the Kingdom of this World, and is so strongly prefigured, that it is terrible to read, if a man rightly discern the figure; and yet in the presence of God it standeth in its own proper figure thus; The Spirit saith: Dan will be a Judge among his people, as one of the Generations or Tribes in Israel. In the Figure it standeth thus. 14. Dan standeth in the figure of all outward Officers, from those of highest authority and power, even to the * Ordering of a Man's own private affairs, or employments Government of the humane Life itself; therefore the Spirit faith of him, he shall be in his own might and power as one Man is to another: In the presence of God he is not esteemed greater in his own Nature then a Servant or Minister, for he serveth God in his Office, as another servant doth his Lord and Master; the Office is Gods, wherein he sitteth as a Judge. The Office is the Authority and power, and he himself is before God, as another Man. 15. But the Spirit saith; Dan will be a Serpent on the way, and an Adder on the path; that is, this Judge in God's Office would draw poison out of the power and authority, viz. self-will, and say of himself, the authority is mine, the Office is mine; that is called, on the way, for the way which they should go, is Gods, viz. true righteousness; then saith Dan: that Land and Country, this City, that Village, those Goods, that Money, is mine, it is my own, I will use it to my own profit, advantage, and honour, and live in this Office as I will. 16. And this very selfehood, is the Serpent and venomous Adder on the way, for it walketh very dangerous steps upon the paths of righteousness; it turneth righteousness into Selfehood to do what it will; it saith, I am a Lord, the City, Land and Country, the Village or Authority and power is mine, I may do with the people what I will, they are mine, and so sucketh poison out of God's Office of a Judge, and thereby afflicteth the miserable, and stingeth with this poison round about in the way of the Office, as an Adder and Serpent. 17. For, the Spirit saith; He will by't the Horse in the heels, so that, his rider will fall backward; that is, he will by't the Horse, that is, the Office, whereon he rideth, in the heels, viz. in the just right, that the righteousness, viz. God's rider which he shall bring, may fall backward, and that he may govern as God's rider in stead of the righteousness, whereupon the rider God's righteousness in his Office saith; O Lord, I wait for thy Salvation, that is, till thou sendest the right rider Christ, who shall ride over this Adder and Serpent again. 18. † Gen 30.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. When Rachel could bear no children to Jacob, she was troubled at Jacob, and said to him, procure me children, if not, I die; but Jacob was wrath with Rachel and said, I am not God, that I should give thee fruit of thy Body: but she said; Behold, there is my maid servant Bilha: Lie thou with her, that she may bring forth on my Lap, and I shall be built up by her: and thus she gave him Bilha her maid servant to wife, and Jacob lay with her; so Bilha conceived and bare Jacob a son: then said Rachel, God hath Judged my Cause, and heard my voice, and hath given me a son, therefore she called him Dan. 19 This now is the powerful figure of jacob's Testament, wherein he prophesieth so terribly concerning Dan, that he would be a Serpent; and in the right figure, it signifieth, Man's own will, which will not suffer God to Judge and lead it, but always murmureth against God, as Rachel murmured against Jacob, because it went not with her as she would, and was implacable with pressing Jacob, that he would give her children or else she would die, at which Jacob was wrath. 20. So now the Spirit represents the figure by Bilha, rachel's maidservant, whom she gave to Jacob for a wife, who bore this Dan, who should be a Judge and determiner of the anger and strife between Jacob and Rachel, when the self-will of Rachel would have children by force. 21. And it prefigureth this to us, that the Worldly Office of a Judge, hath its Original from God's maidservant, that is, from the Kingdom and Dominion of Nature, and that God created Man under no Office of a Judge; but the selfe-murmuring stubborn and opposite will of Man, which will not be obedient to God, nor endure to be judged and lead by his Spirit, that hath caused, that Dan, viz. the power and authority to Judge, is borne in the Lap of Rachel, viz. in the Liberty of Nature. 22. Therefore the Spirit in the Covenant by Jacob, pronounceth so sharp and severe a sentence upon it and saith: this Dan, that is, this Office of a Judge, would be a Serpent and Adder in the way of righteousness, and would by't the just right, viz. the heels of his horse, that his rider, viz. Justice and Righteousness might fall to the Ground; and then Nature shall wait for the salvation of God, viz. for the Justice and Right of Christ by and through Love, and then Dans Office shall Cease. 23. Which ought well to be considered, by thee Babel, seeing thou boastest of Christ, whether thy salvation be in thee or no; that thou mightest Judge thyself and not need to have Judges, who must Judge thy unrighteousness, wherein thou art no Christian, seeing thou continually murmurest with Rachel, and seekest thy will, therefore also the Adder and Serpent of Dan may well sting thee; for thy Evil malice and wickedness causeth that, viz. thy own wilfulness; therefore also hath God given thee up under Dans fallen Rider, so that thou must go along as a slave and ridden horse, whom the Serpent stingeth with his venomous sting, viz. with the power and authority of usurping self. 24. But that Dans Rider must fall backward, signifieth that this Dan with his Office shall fall backward in the Conscience of a Christian, when he turneth to Christ and worketh Repentance; for, in Repentance Dans Government ceaseth, the Rider God's Anger falleth backward. Therefore also every Christian is bound, to forgive every one from his heart, when Repentance and Confession and acknowledgement of sins cometh, and so cast the Office of a Judge behind his back, for the Office of a Judge is the Office concerning sin, that severeth right from wrong, and always falleth heavy upon that which is false and wicked, but the Serpent often biteth the Horse in the heels, viz. favour, Greatness, reward, Gifts and bribes: these make Dan an Adder and Serpent. 25. And we see clearly, that Dan, viz the Office of a Judge in Israel, hath its Original from the murmuring, stubborn, and opposite will, and that Dan is only a determiner of Strife, and not as he supposeth, to be his own Lord in his Office, but a divider, as Rachel saith: God hath Judged my Cause, viz. by this Dan, her mayds-servants son, and not her own son; to signify that a child of God needeth no Judge, he judgeth himself, and suffers with patience. VIII. The Testament of Gad. 26. * Gen. 49.19. Gad stands prepared, he will lead an Host and retreat back again: this figure doth not prefigure that the children of Gad shall be Captains of Troops, as also Dans children shall not be mere Judges, but it represents the Spiritual figure, which is to be seen by † Gen. 30.9, 10, 11. Lea, who gave her maidservant also to Jacob, when she ceased to bear, and would make haste to prevent Rachel; for Gad was borne of Zilpa, and should prevent Dan, for she said readily, turn thee before him, and turn about to me again; and it denoteth humane forecasting and carefulness, suttlety, policy, and wicked craft and cunningnes, that do with all suttlety prevent the right and Justice, and would elevate themselves above all right and truth. 27. For Gad and Dan are both from the Maid servants, and are in the figure as a Strife, for Rachel and Lea would one prevent the other, and therefore their ways were merely opposite: so this figure standeth thus: when Dan will Judge, then cometh Gad with his subtle agility, and † Officiousness to undermine and insinuate himself. readiness, and worketh him out of his Office with flattering speeches, and specious pretences; with lying and perverting prevarication, for it windeth all truth about, and setteth his agile nimble suttlety in the right of Truth, and so the Judge is blinded by his agile nimble pragmaticallnes. 28. This the Spirit intimates strongly concerning Israel, signifying, how they would live one among another, and how the selfe-power and authority with Dan, and the agility with Gad, would govern the world; but these are both of them but children of the maid-servants, and not of the Free women, and their Offices shall have an End. IX. The Testament of Asher. 29. * Gen. 49.20. From Asher cometh his † Or, finest of flower▪ fat Bread, and he will act to please Kings; when Zilpa Leahs Maydservant had borne Gad, viz. the prepared, subtle, crafty, always ready at every subtle assault, against the right Justice and Judgement of Dan; then saith Moses, she ‖ Gen. 30.12, 13. bore Jacob the second son, and then said Lea: it is well with me, for the daughters will praise me and call me blessed; and she called him Asher, and Jacob said in the Testament; from Asher cometh his fat Bread, and he will live to please Kings; here, Jacob, viz. the Spirit in the Covenant, compriseth these two brethren together in a figure: for Gad hath the agility, and Asher taketh his fat bread from the King, and Lea saith at his Birth, the Daughters will praise me and call me blessed. 30. Hear now standeth the figure, but what explanation may this have? Gad Ordereth his ways with suttlety, and Asher with flattery and hypocrisy, among the Kings and Potentates in Authority and power, whereby he attaineth prosperous fat days of plenty, pleasure, and voluptuousness: and such are every one that shall sit in Offices; and as Judges and Magistrates, they do all, to please their Lord and King; that they may be reputed, honoured, applauded and rewarded by him, and that they may have their fat bread from him; and the Spirit by these three sons signifieth powerfully, what kind of people would rule the world, viz. by Dan, the Serpent, viz. self-will; and by Gad, suttlety, treachery, and undermining deceit; and by Asher, false and wicked flattery and sychophatising hypocrisy, who always sit in the Courts of Kings, and serve them for their fat bread, and only hunt after the applause and honour of Men. 31. Therefore saith the Spirit, from Asher cometh his fat Bread: from whom cometh the fat Bread? answer, from the nimble subtle heads, who make the cause of flatterers and hypocrites seem right; The flatterers sit near Kings, and applaud him in his selfehood, and say, do what thou wilt, it is all good and right, and when the King would feign have it in the appearance of right, that it also may be applauded, then cometh Gad with his nimble, subtle perverted far fetched argumentative prerogative right, and setteth the Kings own self-will in the right of Nature, so that it seemeth to be right; to these Asher giveth the King's fat bread; thus they all Three live in the Serpent, and so it biteth the horse in the heels, and they are all three the maid-servants children, viz. Ministers and Servants of self-will. 32. Dan is the manager of the † Or, supreme. superior Office; Gad is his Counsellor at Law in matters of Right Justice and Judgement, such as the * Advocates, Proctors, Pleaders, and Attorneys. Lawyers and Jurists are; and Asher is the Nobility and Counsellors of State; these the Spirit hath foreseen in their Testament in these things, which they would hereafter practise; for the Testator saith not; ye shall be such, but ye will be such, and showeth excellently what the Government on Earth in the self-will of the humane Nature, would be. X. The Testament of Naphtali. 33. † Gen. 49.21. Naphtali is a swift Hind, and giveth fair words. Naphtali is the second son of Bilha rachel's Maydservant, which she bore after Dan, and is a right brother of Dan; These brethren of Naphtali are now among Kings & Judges, and denote the Earthly wisdom from the ‖ Or, Configuration. Constellation or Stars, which with Eloquent fair speeches, adorn the Office of Judicature, so that, Dan, Gad, & Asher, are called able wise understanding and learned Lords and Masters. 34. But he also proceedeth only from the Strife between Rachel and Jacob; for Rachel said, when Bilha her maidservant bore him; * Gen. 30.8. God hath decided between me and my sister, and I shall prevail over her: this signifieth in the figure, that these wise and learned speeches of Naphtali in this Office of Judicature, would be able to bow bend and turn about all Causes, so that self-will, would remain still a Judge in all causes, so that none would be able to object any thing in the least against these four Rulers, the sons of the maid-servants, but they would have the Government in Israel and rule the world, and prevail over all Men. 35. But they are all four the sons of the Maid servants; And Sarah said to Abraham, thrust out the son of the Maid servant; for he shall not inherit with my son Isaac, and God was pleased with it, and commanded Abraham to do it, to signify, that these Offices, shall not inherit nor possess the Kingdom of Heaven, but shall have an End, when Christ the son of the free woman, shall receive the Kingdom, all these States and Governments shall be thrust out, and he alone in his children and Members, shall govern. 36. Behold yourselves in this Lookingglass, ye politic cunning very wise and understanding World, in thy subtle policy, eloquence of speech, favour, might, potency and honour, and see where it is thou sittest, and whom thou servest; behold thy fat bread, also the applause from the King whom thou servest, and what thou purposest, designest, and dost, and how thou standest in thy figure before God & the Kingdom of Christ; thy Eloquence availeth nothing in the presence of God; thy prudence, policy, suttlety and cunning, availeth nothing, if thou wilt not give right Counsel, and say and do according to Truth, and persuade and inform thy superior Lord and Master, rightly; then thou helpest to generate this Adder and Serpent in the Testament of Dan for thy superior; and thou thyself art that Adder and Serpent, who biteth Judgement, Justice and right in the Heel; and therefore thou also shalt attain the End, wages, and recompense of the Serpent, in Hell-fire for it. XI. The Testament of Joseph. 37. * Gen. 49.22, 23, 24, 25, 26. Joseph will spring forth: He will spring as by a fountain, the sprouts or daughters pass on to the Government, and although the Archers be angry, and fight against him and persecute him, yet his Bow holdeth strong, and his Arm and hand in strength through the hand of the Mighty in Jacob; from whom have proceeded the Shepherds and Stone in Israel, thou art helped by thy father's God▪ and from the Almighty thou art blessed with blessings from heaven above, and with blessings from the deep that lieth beneath, with blessings of the Breasts and Womb; the blessings of thy father have prevailed more, than the blessings of my Ancestors, according to the desire of the lofty in the world; and shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the Crown of his head that was separate from his brethren. 38. In this Testament, of Joseph, the Spirit in the Covenant represents the figure of a right divine Governor, in whom the Spirit of God ruleth, who is not the son of the Maid servant, but of the freewoman, who serveth God and his brethren, in his Office, who Governeth in truth and righteousness, who suffereth not tale-bearers, Sycophants and flatterers about him, who seeketh not his own profit credit and honour, but God's honour, and his brethren's profit; this the Spirit hath powerfully prefigured, by Joseph. 39 For Joseph was not an intruding Governor, but one rightly called, not out of policy, suttlety, and plausible speeches and pretences, so that he can draw and turn the horse about by the tail, and yet persuade the simple people, that he turns him about by the head: and the flattering hypocrite also saith of such Governors and Rulers, they are the Head; and they do this only that they may eat their fat bread from the Court; he sat not with adorned Eloquent acute speeches in the Office of Judicature, but by divine understanding, if he would have flattered and have been a lascivious adulterer, he could well have been a Governor with Potiphar: but that ought not to be; for in him, stood the figure of a true Christian Man, showing how such a one would regulate his life and also his Office, and how the good wellspring, Christ, would flow forth through him, and judge and rule through him. 40. For Jacob began that Testament and said: Joseph will spring, he will spring as by a fountain, that is, his wisdom will spring in God's power, and flow forth from him; so that he will find wise Council; also the sprouts or daughters pass on to the Government, that is, his wise words Counsels and determinations, go forth, as a fair daughter in her virgin Chastity and virtue. 41. Also; though the Archers be enraged, and fight against him and persecute him, yet his Bow remaineth strong, and his Arms and hands in strength, by the hands of the mighty one in Jacob; that is, though the Devil with his Crew set upon him and despise him, so that he seeketh not his own honour and profit, and through wicked people shoot his arrows upon him, who bring forth lies under the specious pretence of Truth, against him, yet his wisdom remaineth under the Divine Arm, and his will to righteousness standeth as a strong Bow, through the co-habitation of the Mighty God. 42. Also; from him are proceeded Shepherds and the Stone in Israel; that is, from him, from his wisdom are proceeded other, wise, righteous understanding Rulers, viz. faithful Counsellors who are near him, Shepherds and Pillars in the Government: for such as the Prince is, such are his Counsellors, as the Proverb is, when the Council seethe that the Prince loveth righteousness, and that he will not be served with hypocrisy and flattery, and that only honest trusty and understanding wise people, bear sway with him, than they diligently labour for wisdom and righteousness, that they may please him therein, and then that Land and Country hath good Shepherds. 43. Also; Thou art helped from thy father's God, and thou art blessed from the Almighty, that is, from the * Or, Faith. God of Abraham, which helped Abraham, thou hast gotten wisdom and understanding, and that helpeth thee against thy Enemies, and against their arrows, and thou art blessed from the Almighty, with blessings from heaven above, and with blessings from the Deep beneath, with blessings of the Breasts and womb; that is, from waiting on the Lord, thou shalt receive good things, honour and Sustenance, he will bless thee in body and soul, in goods and Estate, and in all thy ways, and give thee sufficient, so that thou wilt not need nor dare to use subtle cunning deceit to pervert that which is right, thou wilt not dare to say of any thing it is thy own to use as thou wilt, and yet thou wilt have sufficient and plenty. 44. For, one that feareth God, and leaveth selfehood or appropriating any thing for his own, he getteth in stead thereof, all, in the Kingdom of Christ, the Heaven and the World is his, whereas on the Contrary the wicked must supply himself with a piece of that, which he hath stolen in suttlety, and acquired to himself with deceit, and take nothing of it away with him but the hell only and his wicked unrighteousness, and the Curse of miserable people whom he hath tormented upon Earth, they have kindled hellfire with their Curse in him, and that he taketh along with him. 45. Also; The blessing of thy father hath prevailed more, than the blessing of my Ancestors, according to the desire of the lofty in the world, and it shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the Crown of his head that was separated from his brethren; that is, jacob's blessing hath therefore prevailed more than his Ancestors, because in him the Ens of Faith was sprouted forth, and come into many boughs and branches: for the fruit did show forth itself more, then by Abraham and Isaac: For Abraham generated but one Twig out of the Line of the Covenant, viz. Isaac; so also Isaac generated but one twig out of the Line of the Covenant, viz. Jacob; on whom the Spirit looked; seeing Jacob generated twelve sons, which all stood in the Root of the Line of the Covenant, and grew out of it as twigs, but in Judah stood the Stock, and therefore he said, his blessing prevailed more; as a Tree which is grown into branches from the Stock. 46. But that he saith: according to the desire of the lofty in the world, he signifieth under it, the prosperity of the blessing to those that are blessed; for as the Rich of the world desire only highness and good things, so these in the blessing of God receive temporal and Eternal good things; these shall from the blessing of Jacob, come upon the head of Joseph, that is, upon his children, so that they shall in this sprouting, bear good fruit: for the Head signifieth the blossoms and fruit of this Tree. 47. Also; Upon the Crown of his head that was separated from his brethren; that is, the blessing shall not press forth alone out of the Line of the Covenant, so that it alone among jacob's children stood in the blessing, viz. the Stock of Judah, but upon the Crown of his head that was separated, viz. upon the ground of the Natural root of the Adamicall Tree in them all; that they all of them together should be as a fruitful Tree; but concerning their States and worldly Offices wherein they would live wickedly in the future, he representeth the figure in Dan, and the four brethren from jacob's wives maid-servants, signifying how in the End, the Serpent would manage the Government in the Adamicall Nature, and how their successors would live in their Offices, and what kind of world would rise up therein, as it hath come to pass among the Jews and Christians. XII. The Testament of Benjamin. 48. † Gen. 49.27. Benjamin is a ravening Wolf, in the Morning he will devour the prey, but in the Evening he will divide the spoil: Benjamin was joseph's nearest own dear brother, and yet the Spirit saith of him; he is a ravening Wolf, who in the morning would devour the prey; In this Testament of Benjamin, is couched the most hidden secret figure of the whole Scripture, and yet in its Type in the unfolding in the Effect and work, it is the most manifest and open figure, which is clear in the fullfilling, so that Men may see it with bodily Eyes, and yet in their Reason are quite blind concerning it. 49. This figure is fulfiled, and yet is in action, and shall be yet also further fulfiled, it is very secret, and yet as manifest as a Sunshiny Day, and yet is not understood; but it is known to the Magis and Wisemen, who indeed have written much concerning it, but it hath not been yet rightly explicated, while, the time of the Evening (when Benjamins spoil shall be divided) was far off, but now it is near; therefore we shall offer somewhat concerning it, and hint the sense and meaning for those of our society to consider of, and yet remain as it were dumb to the unwise, seeing they sit in the dark, and open their Jaws only after the spoil. 50. The two Brethren Joseph and Benjamin, are the Image or Type of Christendom, and of a Christian Man, which in their figure are twofold, viz. the Adamicall Man in his Nature is signified by Benjamin, and the New Man out of the Covenant in the Spirit of Christ is signified by Joseph; and the figure representeth, how Christ hath assumed the Adamicall Man, and that this Man is half Adamicall and half heavenly, and that entirely in one person which cannot be divided. 51. So also in this Image or Type he prefigureth Christendom, and how they would receive Christ and become Christians, viz. that in them Christ, and also the Evil Wolf Adam, would govern, that is, when they would receive the Faith, they would be so ravenous raving and zealous as a Wolf, and would draw the Heathen to them with power and Compulsion, and yet would devour them, that is, whosoever will not above all, hold the same Opinion with them, they would presently fall on to Condemn that other Opinion, and persecute it with wars & the sword, as a raging Lion or Wolf biteth and devoureth; thus in zeal they would devour round about them with Excommunication and the sword; and that therefore, not because they are zealous in the Spirit of Christ, but from the Wolf of the Evil Adam, which would always set itself, in Spiritual and Worldly States and polities, above the Spirit of Christ. 52. Thus their Zeal would be only from the devouring Wolf, Men being more zealous under the Name of Christ for temporal Goods, fat live, good days, and worldly honour, then for Love, Truth, and Salvation: they will not be zealous in the power of Christ's Love, but in the power of the devouring Wolf: Also in the Zeal of their accustomed Exercises and Worship, wherein yet they would but play the hypocrites before God, they themselves would devour one another as covetous greedy Wolves; and so outwarldly the Wolf would Govern. But yet inwardly in the true children, Christ would govern: Outwardly Benjamin, viz. the Natural Adam, which indeed is also a Christian, but it is first, after his Resurrection, when he is quit of the Wolf; and Inwardly Joseph, who is hidden under the Wolf. 53. And now the Spirit of Jacob in the Covenant of God, pointeth at the Time, showing how it would be: viz. in the first time of Christianity they would be zealous, & hunger after God, in the Spirit of Christ, and yet must hid themselves from their Enemies, as a Wolf that Men hunt as an Enemy. 54. But when they shall be great and possess Kingdoms, that is, when Christ's Name shall come under the power and authority of Dan, so that Laws and Ordinances shall be made out of pretence of Christian Liberty, and its Orders and Exercises shall come under worldly authority and dominion; then will this Christendom be a Wolf, which will no more judge and proceed in the Love of Christ, but whosoever will not call all their Belly▪ Orders, good and right, those they would devour with the sword of Excommunication, with fire and * Racha. vengeance, and would raise wars for Christ's Name, and for their superstitions; and compel the people with power to the acknowledgement of Christ, and devour round about them as a Wolf, and always hunt after the spoil, and yet for the most part intend to get the Goods and authority of strange and foreign people to themselves. 55. Thus would Benjamin in the Morning, viz. in his rising up, devour the prey, and towards the Evening he would again divide this devoured spoil, that is, towards the End of the world, when joseph's Government will get aloft again, so that Christ shall be wholly manifest, and that this Wolf shall cease, then will Benjamin, viz. the holy true Christendom, divide the spoil of Christ, wherewith Christ hath suppressed Death and Hell. 56. This dividing or distribution of the spoil shall come, and is already come, and yet is not, though it is really in Truth, and the whole world is blind concerning it, except the children of the Mystery: The Time is, and is not, and yet truly is, when this prey and spoil of Christ and also the Wolves prey, shall, through joseph's hand, be given into Benjamins' hand, and be divided and distributed. 57 O Babel, let this be a Wonder to thee, and yet no wonder neither; for thou hast nothing, and seest nothing, at which thou canst wonder; as a young plant groweth from a Seed, and becometh a great Tree which bringeth forth much fair fruit; so that a Man would wonder at the Grain or seed how so excellent a Tree, and so much good fruit hath lain hid in one only Grain or seed, which men neither knew of, nor saw before. But, because Men have knowledge and experience thereof, that it is possible, that a Tree should come out of one grain or seed, Men wonder not at it; yet Men see not how it comes to pass, or where that great power and virtue was; so also at present, Men see the Grain or Seed of the Tree well enough, but Reason contemneth that, and believeth not, that such a Tree lieth therein, whence such good fruit should come, that thereby the Kingdom of Benjamin, at the End of Time, shall be called a dividing or distribution of the prey and spoil. 58. But Joseph must first be a Governor in Egypt, and then Benjamin cometh to him, and then Joseph giveth him five Garments of sumptuous apparel, and five times more food from his Table then the other; when the famine famisheth the Land, and the soul of Jacob hungereth, then know, that God will thereby draw Israel into Egypt, viz. into Repentance, and then is the time of visitation, and Benjamin carrieth his spoiling sword in his mouth: But joseph's countenance smiteth him, so that he cometh into great Terror, and fear of Death; because the Silver Cup of Joseph was found in his Sack, at which he is ashamed, and letteth his spoiling sword and Wolves Teeth, fall from him; and than Joseph manifesteth himself to him, together with all his brethren, at which there will be such Joy, that the Wolf Benjamin will become a Lamb, and yield his wool patiently: this is the End of that Speech. 59 The Testament of Jacob, is a figure of the whole time of the world: from Adam to the End: of which we will set down a short figure for the Reader that knoweth the vision or Histories, to Consider of. 60. I. Reuben in this place, being the first son, is set in the figure of the first World, which lived in the right of Nature without Law, that hath the Priesthood and the Kingdom in the right of Nature, and should be in the chiefest Sacrifice, and in the Greatest Dominion, but he was fickle therein as water, and was thrust out. 61. II. Simeon beginneth with Noah after the Flood, and keepeth Levi with him; that was Sem: But the sword of Ham and Japhet was Simeon: so there went two in One Substance, viz. the spiritual Will and the fleshly Will, till Moses, and then the worldly and the spiritual were divided into two several States. 62. III. Levi beginneth under Moses, who with the Priesthood managed the sword of Simeon and Levi in the Law, and cut very sharply therewith. 63. FOUR Judah beginneth under the Prophets, and manifesteth himself with the Incarnation of Christ, at which time this Sceptre began. 64. V Zebulun with his Co-habitation setteth himself in the midst, viz. in the Kingdom of Christ, and that was the beginning of Christendom, who dwelleth on the Coasts of the Sea, viz. among the Heathen, and sat pleasantly, for it was a New Love. 65. VI Issachar, is the Time, when Christendom was settled in Rest, viz. in Power, Might, and Dominions, which must yet always bear the Burden of the Heathen, and be servile, and be as a boned Ass for the Burden, for they still bear the Cross of Christ, and were still Conformable to the Image of Christ, about three hundred years after Christ. 66. VII. With Dan, did the potent Kingdom and Government of Christendom begin, when they set up Kings, Popes, Archbishops, and potent pompous Churches, Chapels, and other Consecrated Places, and then was the Adder and Serpent on the way of Christ in humane honour, generated in the Kingdom of Christ; when men began to dispute about the Pomp, State and Glory of Churches, and to exalt Men into the Kingdom and Offices of Christ, and set them in the place of Christ, and to honour them in Christ's stead; then was Christ suppressed, and the Adder and Serpent sat in Christ's Office of Judicature, and then the Holy Ghost was rejected, and Councils were set in the place thereof, and then was Antichrist Borne; at that Time the Spirit of Christ said, Lord, I wait now for thy salvation; for here now my Name must be the Cloak of Antichrist, till thou shalt deliver me in joseph's time. In this Time is Truth strongly bitten in the heels, so that the Rider in the Spirit of Christ must fall backward. 67. VIII. With Gad, who should be the Leader of an Host, beginneth the Time of the Universities and Schools among Christians about eight hundred years ago, when Men readily set Antichrist with power and Might of Armies in the Chair of Christ, and with babbling, disputing, and perverting prevarication maintained him against all opposition, when Men made the Tail to be the Head, and forced the power of Christ into humane traditions and Cannons, and made a Worldly Kingdom of Christ's Kingdom. 68 IX. With Asher, began the time when Men lived to please King Antichrist, when he was God on Earth, than came the flattering Hypocrites from the Universities and Schools, who flattered this King for fat Bread, viz. for Good Offices, Benefices, Prebendaries and Bishoprickes, and applauded his do, and cause, and did all to please him, and set Christ with Antichrist upon a soft Cushion, and so worshipped the Image in the * Revelation. Apocalypse; about six hundred years ago and nearer. 69. X. With Nephtali beginneth the Time of the Great Wonder, when Men went on with high Sermons and deep searching Disputes about the * Predestination. Council of God, so that Men have seen that these in Christ's Chair were not Christ in power, yet Men sought deep, that they might Cover themselves with a Mantle, with fair and plausible Maxims, Conclusions, and Determinations, than came the knotty acute Logic, whereby Men dispute; One part of them saith he is Christ in power and Authority, the other part Contradicteth and opposeth it, that part setting his followers and dependants with high pretences into the Blood of Christ, and buildeth all Authority and holy Sermons upon it; and so the Spirit of Christ in the inward Ground set itself against it, and saith; He is the Antichrist: This Time hath continued to our time † Ann. 1623. wherein we Live. 70. XI. With Joseph, beginneth the Time when Christ will be manifested again, when he shall cast the Adder and Serpent Dan with the Chair of Antichrist, with all might and power of selfehood in the Kingdom of Christ upon Earth, to the Ground, and terrify it, with his Countenance, when joseph's brethren must be ashamed of their Great unfaithfulness, which they have committed against Joseph, in that they cast him into the Pitt, and moreover sold him for Money: and then will all suttlety, craft, flattery, hypocrisy, and deceit, be made manifest, and will, by the aspect of joseph's Countenance be cast to the Ground; and it is that time wherein it will be said; * Rev. 18.2. Babylon, she is fallen, she is fallen, and is become an habitation of all Devils and abominable Beasts and Fowls; and than Joseph springeth up in his own power and virtue, and his daughters or boughs pass on in their Ornament, and his Blessing beginneth. 71. XII. With Benjamin, beginneth the time of the Evening under joseph's Time, for than he shall again divide and distribute the spoil of the first Christendom: He belongeth to the first and last Time, Especially to the first time of Joseph, when Christ beginneth to be manifested; and then he is first eager as a Wolf, and devoureth far and wide, when he beginneth to by't and devour Antichrist, yet all that while he is but a Wolf. But when joseph's Countenance shall be unveyled, than he is ashamed as a Wolf that is taken in a Gin, and beginneth to be a Lamb, and to yield his fat and plenty of wool. 72. This is the Testament of Jacob, in its true figure, wherein the Spirit hath pointed at the Times; and the Spirit of Moses saith: When Jacob had finished all these say, he drew his feet up together upon the Bed, and departed, to signify, that when these his Prophecies would be all fulfiled, than God would call again the unfolded Nature in the Strife of Time into himself, and draw it together into the Temperature, and then would this Time have an End, and Strife cease. This we desired a little to delineate for the Lover of Truth, let him search further in the Spirit of God, which searcheth all things, even the deep things of the Deity, and then he will see our Ground in the Truth. CHAP. LXXVIII. Of the Holy Patriarch jacob's Burial in the Land of Canaan. What is thereby to be understood. Upon the 50 Chapter of Genesis. 1. THe Burial of Jacob, Genesis L. that Joseph should carry him again into the Land of Candan, after his Death, and bury him with his Fathers, and that Joseph went thither with a Great Company, with all the children of Israel, and many Egyptians, it prefigureth to us Christ's powerful exit out of this world, when the Adamicall Man after its death should again be carried from this Egypt, and house of torment, into its father's first Country, into Paradise, into which, Christ will bring it. 2. But that also many Egyptians went along with Joseph thither, and accompanied him, signifieth that Christ when he shall bring home his Bride into Paradise, will have many strangers with him, who in the time of this Life knew him not as to his person or Office, and yet are sprung up in him, in his Love, which will all go with Christ into Paradise, and dwell and co-habite with him. 3. Their weeping and Mourning, signifieth the Eternal Joy, which they should receive in Paradise, as the Magis always by weeping and Mourning prefigure Joy. This funeral solemnity, and what is to be understood thereby, is declared * Gen 23. and the 50 Chap. of Mysterium Magnum. before concerning Abraham. 4. Moses saith further in this Chapter: † Gen 50.15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. joseph's brethren feared, after their father was dead and said: Joseph surely is wrath with us, and will requite all the Evil which we have done unto him: therefore they caused it to be told him; thy father Commanded before his Death and said, thus shall ye say to Joseph; forgive I pray thee now the Misdeeds of thy Brethren and their sin, that they have done so evil to thee: therefore forgive the Misdeeds of us the servants of the God of thy Father: but Joseph wept when it was told him: and his brethren went in and fell down before him and said: behold, we are thy servants: but Joseph said to them, fear not, for I am under the presence of God, you thought to do evil by me, but God turned it unto Good, so that he hath done as it is at this Day, to preserve much people: therefore be not afraid, I will provide for you and your children, so he comforted them and spoke friendly to them. 5. This figure is a Mighty Comfort to the brethren of Joseph, but seeing Joseph standeth in the Image and Type of Christ, and his brethren in the figure of a poor Converted sinner, therefore we must expound this figure thus; that is, when poor sinful Man, who hath committed great sins, and hath turned to Repentance and attained Grace, and committed some fau●t again, than he is always in fear and trembling before the Grace of God, and thinketh▪ God will impute his first committed sins to him again, and take an occasion against him by this fault; and in that regard standeth in great anguish, and beginneth to confess his first committed sins again, and falleth a new at the Lords fee●e and entereth again into earnest sincere Repentance, and bewaileth his first misdeeds, as David did when he said: † Psal. 25.7. Lord impute not to me, the sins of my youth. 6. But by this New Repentance and earnest Lamentation, when the poor Man appeareth so very earnestly and humbly before God again, the heavenly Joseph is brought into such Great pity and Compassion, as here Joseph was, that he comforteth the poor soul in its Conscience, saying, it should not be afraid, all its committed sins should not only not be imputed, but they shall also turn to the Best, as Joseph said, ye thought to do me evil, but God intended good thereby; thus God in Christ not only forgiveth the by past sins to the humble converted Man, but he also addeth to him provision for him and his children, with Temporal blessing and maintenance, and turneth all to the Best, as Joseph did to his brethren. 7. In the End, ‖ Gen. 50.24. Joseph desireth an Oath, that when he shall die, that they will carry his bones along with them out of Egypt to his fathers; which signifieth to us, the Oath of God in Paradise, that Christ, God and Man, would come again to his brethren, and stay for Ever with them, and be their High Priest and King, and nourish them with his power of Love, and dwell by, and in them, as Joseph by his brethren, and provide for them as his branches and Members, Eternally, with his power and sap. Amen. 8. This is a brief summary Exposition of the * Genesis. first Book of Moses, from a right true Ground and divine Gift, which we have very faithfully imparted, in a Co-operating Memberlike Love and Care, to our Dear fellow Brethren, that shall read and understand this. 9 And we admonish the Reader of this, that when he findeth somewhat in any place of our deep sense to be obscure, that he do not contemn it according to the manner of the Evil world, but diligently read and pray to God, who will surely open the door of his heart, so that he will apprehend and be able to make use of it to the profit and salvation of his soul, which we wish to the Reader and hearer, in the Love of Christ from the Gift of this Talon in the Ground of the soul, and commit him into the Working Meek Love of JESUS CHRIST. Dated 11 September 1623. and then finished. Praise the LORD in Zion, and praise him all people, for his might and power goeth through, and is over, Heaven and Earth: Ha' le lujah. A Brief Abstract of the Sublime Consideration and deep understanding of the Mysterium Magnum. Showing how the visible World is a Stream and Reflection of the Divine Knowledge and Will: and how the Life of Every Creature hath taken its Original; and how the Divine Introitus. going in and Exitus. Out, [as to the Creature] is. EVery sensible and perceptible Life and Being or Essence. Substance is come ex Mysterio Magno, from the Great Mystery, as from the stream and reflection of Divine knowledge, in which two things are to be understood, viz. the Free will of the Abyss, and the Substantial One in the Will, and how these two are a reflection of the Abyss, viz. a ground of the Divine Manifestation, also how they are two, and yet but one, out of which, Time and the visible World, and all Creatures did flow forth, and are become a Creation. 2. The only One is the Cause of the Will, that causeth the will that it willeth somewhat, and though it hath nothing that it can will, but only itself for a ground and place of its Or, Ihood. own-selfe; It hath nothing that it can apprehend or take hold of, but the One; it comprehendeth itself in Or, an Ihood. self, that the will may have somewhat wherein and wherewith it worketh, which working would not be a visible substance, if it did not go forth through the willing. 3. Therefore now the going forth is a Spirit of the Invisible Will and Substance, and a Manifestation of the Abyss through the Ground of the Unity: through which going forth, the will of the Abyss, reflecteth the Abyss, as a Mystery of Omniscience, with which going forth, the cause and original of all Seperability of the unity of the abyssal Will, through its own Ground, of its comprehended selfehood, is understood, also the Eternal beginning of Motion and cause of Life; which Motion, is a perpetual longing of the will; for the will thus discerneth the Unity through the Motion, how the Unity through the Motion of the will standeth in infinite Multiplicity, in that manner and way, as the Mind is an unity and wellspring or fountain of thoughts and Or, perceptions. senses, whence such a Deep of Multiplicity springeth out of that one Mind, as are Innumerable. 4. By this threefold unity, we conceive and understand the Essence or Being. Substance of God, viz. By the unity we conceive the one only God, By the will, the Father, And by the impression and compression of the will for a place of self, viz. by the Eternal somewhat that worketh or wherewith the will worketh; [we conceive] the Son or power of the will, and by the going forth, [we conceive] the Spirit of the will and of the power, and by the Reflection is understood the Wisdom and understanding, out of which all wonders and substances have flown forth, and do Eternally flow forth. 5. From the Motion of this invisible working substance, out of the flowing forth of the Eternal knowledge, is flown forth the understanding, whereby the longing discerneth, and bringeth itself into a desire of Imagibility Conception. Apprehension or Thought. Imagination, in which desire, the natural and Creaturely Ground of Every Life and Substance doth exist, wherein the Desire hath comprised and included, the flowing forth of the knowledge, in properties, whence two wills exist, viz. one from the Divine Science or knowledge, the other from the propriety of Nature, wherein the properties have introduced themselves into a self-will, and imprinted themselves with self and their own will, and made themselves rough, sharp, thorny, and hard, so that from such properties are proceeded out of the knowledge, Opposition and Enmity against such properties; as is to be seen by the Or, qualities. properties of the Devil, as also by the crude and indigested Earth, Stones and other Creatures, how the properties, have turned themselves away from the unity, and are proceeded into an impression; for which cause in the time of this world, they must endure the Curse; viz. the fleeing or withdrawing of the divine will, and must stand in this impression, till the Day of Restoration. 6. Seeing then the Mind of Man, is especially to be considered by us, which is an Image or Resemblance of the Reflection of Divine knowledge, as a Reflection of the Divine and Natural understanding, wherein lieth the Ground of all Substances in the One, and manifesteth and maketh itself distinct with the going forth of the will from the Mind, so that we clearly perceive that the Mind is a wellspring to Good and Evil, and the Scripture intimateth thus much to us; that the Fall and perdition, is arisen from the desire to the self of the properties, therefore it is most highly necessary for us, to learn to understand▪ how we may come again out from the assumed selfehood, wherein we have pain necessity and Torment, into the unity, viz. into the Ground and fountain of the Mind, wherein the Mind may rest in its Eternal Ground. 7. No thing can rest in itself, except it go again into that One, out of which it is proceeded; The Mind hath turned itself away from the unity, into selfe-desire of perception, to try the seperability or variety of the properties, whereby seperability and opposition is arisen in it, which now rule the Mind, and it cannot be released from that, unless it forsake itself in the desire of the properties, and plunge itself again into the merest stillness, and desire to be silent to its willing, so that the will demerse bathe and steep itself beyond all sense and Imagination into the Eternal will of the Abyss, out of which it is arisen in the beginning ex Mysterio Magno, from the Great Mystery, that it, will, no more, in itself, but what God willeth through it, and then it is in the deepest Ground of the unity; and if then it can but a little while stand therein without moving of selfe-desire, than the will of the Abyss speaketh into it from the Divine Motion, and apprehendeth its resigned will, as its own, into itself, and bringeth into it the Ens of the Eternal incomprehensibility, of the place or City of God, viz. the Essential Substantial One. 8. And now as the will of the Eternal Deity, goeth forth Eternally through the Eternal Spirit, & maketh a Reflection of the Abyss, so also the resigned will of the Mind is always together brought forth and Enlightened with the divine incomprehensibility, with Gods will: and thus the humane Mind ruleth in the will of God, in divine skill and knowledge, through, and above all things; concerning which Moses saith; Gen. 1.26. he should rule over all the Creatures of the world; as God's Spirit goeth through all things, and proveth all things, so may the Enlightened Mind also rule over and through all the properties of the Natural Life, and overpower the properties, and bring the highest perception out of the divine knowledge into Reason; as Saint Paul saith: 1 Cor. 2.10. The Spirit searcheth all things, even the Dephs of the Deity: and with this introduction of the divine will, Man is again united with God, and newborn in the Mind, and beginneth to die to self of false and wicked desire, and to be borne with new power and virtue. 9 And so then self cleaveth to him in the flesh, but with the Mind his conversation is in God, and in the old Man a New spiritual Man of divine thoughts will and senses, is borne, who daily killeth the Lusts of the Flesh, and through divine power maketh the world viz. the outward Life Heaven, and maketh Heaven, viz. the inward spiritual world to be the visible world, so that God becometh Man, and Man God, till the Tree cometh to its highest pitch, and hath borne its fruit ex Mysterio Magno, out of the Great Mystery, out of the Divine Science, and then the outward shell and husk falleth off, and then there standeth a spiritual Tree of Life in the field of God. FINIS. A Table of the Chief Matters to be found in this Book of the Mysterium Magnum. A. Abel. Ch. 27. Why Abel offered sacrifice. verse. 9 Ch. 29. What the Name Abel or Habel signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 20. Ch. 30. Why Abel must be slain. verse. 16. Ability. Ch. 61. How the Soul may attain Ability to receive Grace. verse. 39, 40. Ch. 69. How Man's Ability to receive Grace is Lost. verse. 17, 18. Abimelech. Ch. 46. What the Names of Abimelech and Gerar signify. verse. 2, 3. Ch. 47. How Abimelech made a Covenant with Abraham. What that signifieth in the spiritual figure; and what Moses here signifieth under the veil thereof. verse. from 1. to the 27. Ch. 47. The Holy figure of Abimelech and Pichol. verse. 6, etc. Above. Ch. 43. What is called Above and beneath in the Text. verse. 9, 11, 12. Abraham. Ch. 37. Of Abraham and his seed, and of the Line of the Covenant in its propagation. verse. from 1. to the 61. Ch. 37. Why the Spirit called Abraham out of his Father's Country verse. 21, etc. Ch. 37. How God appeared to Abraham. verse. from the 45. to the 49. & Ch: 39 verse. 1. Ch. 38. How the Ens of the Serpent as well as the Line of Christ lay in Abraham verse. 13. Ch. 39 Of Abraham's Sacrifice. from the 13. to the 25. Ch. 39 How God Established the Covenant with Abraham, and how the Faith of Abraham laid hold on the Covenant, which was accounted to him for righteousness, and how God called Abraham to sacrifice. verse. from 1. to the 32. Ch. 40. What is represented under the History of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. verse. 1. Ch. 40. How 2. Lines sprang out of Abraham, verse. from 2. to the 6. Ch. 40. From what property of Abraham; Isaac, and Jacob, were. verse. 13. Ch. 42. How the Trinity appeared to Abraham. verse. 1. Ch. 42. What Abraham signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 1. Ch. 42. What abraham's washing of their feet that came to him, signifieth. verse. 11. Ch. 42. How Abraham in his seed had the Land for an Eternal possession. verse. from 50. to the 58. Ch. 43. What abraham's praying to the Men for Sodom and Gomorrha signifieth. verse. from 16. to the 21. Ch. 45. How Abraham's Pilgrimage was a Type of Christendom. verse. from 1. to 13. Ch. 45. How Abraham, Sarah & Abimelech were a powerful figure of Christendom. verse. 15, 16. Ch. 45. How God led Abraham so wonderfully, and how he was always in Trial, & how the Lord preserved him. verse. from 1. to the 20. Ch. 46. Of Abraham's unwillingness to thrust out the Maydservant with her son. verse. from 24. to the 28. Ch. 47. Of the Richnes' of the figure of Abraham's actions. verse. 1. Ch. 47. Of Abimeleches Covenant with Abraham. verse. from 1. to the 27. Ch. 48. How God tried Abraham, and represented the figure of Christ's sacrifice in his sufferings & death. verse. from the 1. to the 34. Ch. 48. How Abraham saw Christ's sacrifice afar off, even 2000 years before it was done. verse. 10. Ch. 48. How Abraham went up with Isaac to sacrifice. verse. from 8. to the 13. Ch. 48. Of isaack's carrying the wood, & Abraham's carrying the fire & the knife. verse. 14, 15. Ch. 48. Why God said Abraham Abraham. verse. 25. Ch. 48. How Men should look upon Abraham's figure. verse. from 37. to the 43. Ch. 49. How Abraham would not have the field of the children of Heth, for nothing. verse. 11. Ch. 50. How Abraham sent his servant to take a wife for Isaac. verse. from 1. to the 57 Ch. 51. How Abraham had six sons by another wife, to whom he gave gifts, but all his Goods he gave to Isaac; and how he died. verse. from 1. to the 55. Adam. Ch. 17. How Adam did Eat before the fall. verse. 13, 14. Ch. 17. Whence Adam's Imagination & Longing proceeded. verse. 37. Ch. 18. How Adam was before the Fall. verse. from 2. to the 9 Ch. 18. Of two fixed Substances in Adam. verse. 7, 8. Ch. 18. How the propagation should have been if Adam had stood. verse. from 9 to the 14. Ch. 18. How long Adam stood in Paradise before Eve was made. verse. from 19 to the 27. Ch. 18. How Adam before his sleep had Eaten of the forbidden fruit. verse. from 30. to the 33. Ch. 19 Adam was not Created in a Bestial Image. verse. from 20. to 25. Ch. 23. At what Adam was afraid. verse. 17. etc. Ch. 25. How God drove Adam out of Paradise, and set the Cherubin before the Garden. verse. from 1. to the 41. Ch. 25. How Adam, getteth his Bride again that was taken from him in his sleep. verse. 14, 15. Ch. 25. Why Adam and Eve were brought into Paradise. verse. 17. Ch. 25. What provoked Adam that he lusted against God's command. verse. 18. Ch. 25. Why God Created Adam. verse. 19 Ch. 25. Why the Tree of Temptation was set before Adam. verse. 23. Ch. 2●. Why Adam was tempted and driven out of Paradise. verse. 38. Ch. 37. Of God's Covenant with Adam. verse. 3. Ch. 76. How Adam was, before his Eve was, and became Monstrous. verse. from 11. to the 18. All. Ch. 3. How a particular is the sport of the universal total All. verse. 21. Altar. Ch. 27. Where the Altar of God is. verse. 48. Angels. Ch. 8. Of the Creation of Angels, and their Dominion in all their worlds. verse. from 1. to the 34. Ch. 8. Why we see not the Angels. verse. 19 Ch. 8. Where the Angels dwell. verse. 16. etc. Ch. 17. How the holy Angels live. verse. 35. Ch. 25. What the Angel with the sword is. verse. 2. Ch. 42. For what God Created the Angels, and Man. verse. 24, 25. Ch. 43. Of the two Angels that came into Sodom. verse. from 22. to the 64. Ch. 43. How the Angels did Eat with Lot. verse. 38. Ch. 59 How the Angel met Jacob, and what that signifieth. verse. 24. Antichrist. Antichristian. Ch. 27. Of the wicked Antichristian Church, also of the true Holy Church. verse. from the 41. to the 60. Ch. 28. Of Cain's Murdering of his Brother, viz. of the proud Antichristian seeming Church upon Earth, as also, of the true Christianity. verse. from 1. to the 71. Ch. 36. What the Antichrist is. verse. 17. Ch. 43. The Antichristian whore doth as the Sodomites did. verse. from 47. to 52. Ch. 77. When Antichrist will fall. verse. 70. Ch. 51. What Antichrist is both among Jews and Christians. verse. 44. Ch. 70. How Antichrist hath deceived poor Christendom. verse. 38, 39 Ararath. Ch. 32. Of the Name Ararath in the Language of Nature. verse. from 33. to the 37. Ark. Ch. 32. There is a very great Mystery in the Ark of Noah. verse. 10, etc. Asher. Ch. 77. The Testament of Asher, and the figure thereof. verse. from 29. to the 32. As I live. Ch. 42. An Exposition of these words: As I live. verse. 27, etc. Author. Ch. 5. From what sight and vision the Author hath written. verse. 15. Ch. 12. The Author had a Glass to see even beyond Moses. verse. 34. Ch. 18. From what knowledge the Author hath written. verse. 1. Ch. 21. The scope of the Authors writing. verse. 17. B. Babel. Ch. 22. Out of what Babel is generated. verse. 54. Ch. 25. How Babel shall End by the fiery sword. verse. 26. Ch. 27. How Babel entereth into the presence of God. verse. from 52 to the 60. Ch. 29. How Babel speaketh out of 7. & 77. verse. 65. etc. Ch. 30. Of the fall of the City Babel. verse. 43. Ch. 31. How God will at present drown Babel with the fire of his Anger. verse. 27. Ch. 36. How the City Babel and Christ are one by the other. verse. 60, 61. Ch. 36. Why so much is written concerning the Beast and Whore in Babel. verse. 67. Ch. 39 What the City Babel is. verse. 56. Ch. 43. The Time of the Judgement upon Babel. verse. 52. Ch. 44. How the figure of the destruction of Sodom is applied to Babel. verse. 5. etc. Ch. 59 How it is that Babel will have the children of Christ go● to God. verse. 19, 20. Ch. 59 How it is that Babel cannot hinder or hurt the Children of Christ. verse. 21, 22. Ch. 69. How Babel is a Spy as to the Grace of God. verse. 19 Ch. 70. The Time is Borne, that Babel shall be spewed out. verse. 90. Ch. 72. How Babells' reproach is set in Judgement before the Most High. verse. 22. Ch. 73. The Number of Babel and of the Beast. verse. 9, 10. Ch. 73. How Babel at present filleth its sack with provision. verse. 16, 17. Ch. 73. How the Deluge and the fire of Sodom falleth upon Babel unawares. verse. 18. Babylon. Ch. 41. A warning to Antichristian Babylon. verse. from 66. to the 71. Baptism. Ch. 31. How the Deluge signifieth the Baptism of Christ. verse. 38. Ch. 41. Of the seals of the Covenant, Circumcision of the foreskin and Baptism. verse. from 1. to the 41. Ch. 41. Of Christian Baptism▪ verse. from 10. to 14. Ch. 41. How the Jews and the Christians have but one and the same Baptism. verse. from 15. to the 17. Beast. Ch. 30. What the Antichristian Babylonish Beast is. verse. 18, 19 Ch. 30. What the Beast and Whore is. verse. 64. Ch. 31. How, abomination may be imputed to a Beast. verse. from 31. to the 38. Ch. 36. Where the Beast, the Whore, and Christ in us, is. verse. 49.51. Ch. 73. What the Number of Babel and of the Beast is. verse. 9, 10. Ch. 73. Wherefore the time is at hand that the Beast and the Whore must break in pieces. verse. 11, etc. Ch. 76. How Simeon and Levi prefigure the Beast and the Whore. verse. 30. Bestial Man. Ch. 21. Of the Bestial Man's Original, and of his sickness & Mortality. verse. from 1. to the 17. Ch. 21. Of the Government of the Bestial Man. verse. 11, 12. Beersheba. Ch. 47. What the City Beersheba or Bersaba signifieth. verse. 20, etc. Benjamin. Ch. 77. The Testament of Benjamin, and the signification thereof. verse. from 48. to the 58. Benoni. Ch. 63. What the name Benoni signifieth. verse. 26, 27. Bethel. Ch. 63. What Bethel signifieth. verse. 19 Bible. Ch. 74. How the Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of Hell are portrayed by the Histories in the Bible. verse. 50, 51. Blessing. Ch. 41. What in Man shall possess the Eternal Blessing. verse. 1. Boasting. Ch. 2. We come short of that Boasting or Glory that we ought to have in God. verse. 3. Bodies. Body. Ch. 11. Of two outward Bodies. verse. 22. Ch. 11. How all things of this world have a twofold Body. verse. 19 Ch. 11. Man hath a threefold Body. verse. 20. Ch. 40. The heavenly Body of the soul dyeth not. verse. 44, 45. Bondage. Ch. 39 What the figure is of the Bondage in Egypt. verse. 26, etc. Book. Ch. 43. How a Man must understand the first Book of Moses. verse. 57 Ch. 52. How the first book of Moses is a figure of the Spirit of God. verse. 51. Ch. 76. How all slanderous Books and Libels are the Murdering swords of Simeon and Levi. verse. 29. Breath. Ch. 15. Of a Threefold Breath in Man, which is a Threefold soul. verse. 14, 15. C. Cain. Ch. 26. Of the propagation of Man in this world, and of Cain the firstborn and Murtherour. verse. from 1. to the 76. Ch. 27. What is to be understood by cain's sacrifice. verse. 41. Ch. 27. Why the will of the Serpent and Devil in Cain would kill the body of Abel. verse. 9.10. Ch. 28. What was the cause that Cain Murdered Abel. verse. from 4. to the 25. Ch. 29. What the Name Cain signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 18. Ch. 29▪ How Cain and Abel were the two branches, and the Image of the whole Tree. verse. 23. Ch. 29. What Mark God had set upon Cain. verse. 53. Ch. 29. Of cain's fears. verse. 54. Ch. 29 Wherefore Grace came upon Cain. verse. 56. Ch. 29. Cain was not borne to perdition. verse. 57 Ch. 29. What should be avenged in Cain sevenfold. verse. 58. Ch. 37. What in Cain is Cursed. verse. 34. Ch. 40. Cain, Ham, Ishmael, and Esau, are an Image of the Turks and Heathens. verse. 71. Calf. Ch. 42. What abraham's fatted Calf signifieth. verse. 19 etc. Camels. Ch. 50. What the Ten Camels which Abraham's servant took with him, signify. verse. 14. Canaan. Ch. 49. What Moses understandeth by Canaan. verse. 12. Care for the belly. Ch. 24. What a Man doth effect by Pride and care for the Belly. verse. 21. etc. Cave. Ch. 29 What the twofold Cave signifieth. verse. 13. etc. Changed. Ch. 11. How all things may be changed. verse. 11. Chaos. Ch. 1. What the Eternal Chaos is wherein all things lie hid. verse. 7, 8. Chariotts. Ch. 72. What the Chariotts, provision, and sumptuous apparel signify, that Joseph gave to his Brethren. verse. from 24. to the 38. Cherubin. Ch. 25. Of the Cherubin, that drove the Evil Adam out of Paradise. verse. 38. etc. Child of perdition. Ch. 46. How the Child of perdition shall be revealed, and the Beast and Whore put to shame. verse. 33, 34. Children of God, or Christ. Ch. 31. How the Children of God saw the daughters of Men. verse. from 12. to the 16. Ch. 37. How the Line of the Children of God is as a Tree. verse. 1, 2. Ch. 38. How God delivereth his Children through the Might of his anger. verse. 14. Ch. 44. How the Children of God do often keep bacl great plagues, from God. verse. from 19 to the 21. Ch. 46. How it is that Men see no more in the Children of God then in others. verse. from 4 to the 6. Ch. 55. Of the Misery and ignorance of the Children of God. verse. 35, 36. Ch. 55. Why the true Children of Christ are persecuted by the Children in the Kingdom of Nature. verse. from 47. to the 50. Ch. 56. How the Children of Christ instantly after the blessing enter upon Christ's Pilgrimage. verse. 1, 2. Ch. 56. How God so wonderfully leadeth and preserveth his Children. verse. 3. Ch. 56. How the Lord standeth aloft on jacob's Ladder, calling and comforting the Children of God. verse. 11, 12. Ch. 64. How the despising of the Children of Christ is good for them. verse. 12. Ch. 66. The Type and Image of the Children of God in chaste Joseph. verse. from 32. to the 40. Ch. 66. How the Children of God have the greatest danger in worldly honour. verse. 53 Ch. 66. The final and last trial of the Children of God. verse. from 61. to the 63. and 68 Christ. Ch. 19 Wherefore Christ became a Man on the woman's part. verse. 17. Ch. 23. Why Christ sweat drops of blood in the Garden. verse. 4. Ch. 23. Why Christ must drink Gall and Vinegar. verse. 5, 6. Ch. 23. Why Christ must be scorned, killed, etc. verse. 8, 9 Ch. 23. How Christ assumed a Masculine fire-soule in the woman's property. verse. 43. etc. Ch. 25. Why Christ must be tempted. verse. 24. Ch. 29. What was Christ's Office. verse. 25. Ch. 34. Why Christ would not be generated of Man's, or the Masculine, seed. verse. 28. Ch. 37. How Christ should become a God-Man, and Adam and Abraham a Man-God. verse. from 28. to 32. Ch. 37. Of Christ's Person. verse. 42. etc. Ch. 40. How Christ and his Subjects must be twofold persons. verse. 11, 12. Ch. 40. How Christ was generated out of the Covenant made with Abraham. verse. 15. Ch. 40. How the humanity of Christ anointeth his Branches. verse. 14. Ch. 40. Wherefore Christ came. verse. from 48. to 70. Ch. 41. What Christ's, as, Gods, Corporeity is. verse. 19 etc. Ch. 48. How Christ will certainly come to us again. verse. 13. Ch. 50. How Christ is a Masculine virgin and God. verse. 26. Ch. 51. How Christ was a Grape-gatherer that gleaneth. verse. 53. Ch. 56. A firm Ground and assurance that Christ assumed our Adamicall soul and humanity in the Body and womb of Mary. verse. from 14. to 20. Ch. 56. From what property Christ became Man. verse. 20. Ch. 56. Why Christ took his soul from woman and became a Man. verse. 21, 22. Ch. 69. Where a Man must seek Christ. verse. 22. Ch. 76. How the Time is near, that the Kingdom of Christ will be Manifested to all People. verse. 50. etc. Christendom. Ch. 27. How verbal Christendom partakes of the sacrifice of Christ. verse. 42. Ch. 68 How at present Christendom standeth in God's presence. verse. from 31. to the 42. Ch. 68 What the four Elements of hunger in Christendom are. verse. from the 35. to the 39 Christian. Ch. 27. What a Christian is, and how he is a Christian. verse. 46. & Chapter 63. verse. 51. etc. Ch. 40. How a Christian must be a Christian. verse. 97. Ch. 51. How a Christian in his Faith worketh in the flesh of Christ. verse. 31. Ch. 51. When, any is a Christian. verse. 43. Ch. 64. How a Christian must not account the hate from his brother to be grievous. verse. 26, 27. Ch. 64. What the wish of a Christian to his enemies should be. verse. 27. Ch. 64. How a true Christian should present the misery and sins of the people where he liveth, daily before God. verse. 37, 38. Ch. 66. What Officer is a Christian, and what, no Christian. verse. 20. Ch. 66. How a Christian must be Armed, in worldly Offices. verse. 65. etc. Ch. 68 The most excellent figure in the whole Bible, of a Tried Christian. verse. 48. etc. Ch. 70. How a Man beginneth to be a Christian. verse. 24, 25. Ch. 70. What the difference is between a Christian and other strange heathen people. verse. 80. etc. Church. Ch. 63. What the greatest whoredom is in the Churches of stone. verse. from 39 to 43. Ch. 63. How at present Men are ready to storm the Church, or house of whoredom. verse. 45. Ch. 63. How Churches were erected out of a good intention. verse. 46. Ch. 63. What Holiness is in the Church. verse. 47. Ch. 63. What a Man must do that he may enter into the Church worthily. verse. 50. Circumcision. Ch. 34. Why God commanded Circumcision to Abraham. verse. 2. etc. Ch. 41. Why the Males must be Circumcised on the Eighth day. verse. 35. etc. Ch. 41. What Circumcision is. verse. 3. etc. Clod. Ch. 2. The whole world lieth in one Clod of Earth. verse. 6. Coat. Ch. 64. What joseph's particoloured Coat which his father made him, signifieth. verse. 33. Ch. 64. What it signifieth that Jacob was deceived by joseph's Coat. verse. 49. etc. Concubines. Ch. 63. How jacob's Concubines signify the stone Churches. verse. 36. Conditions, see Forms. Configuration. Ch. 13. A whole Configuration or Constellation lieth in each Element. verse. 12. Contention. Ch. 17. The Contention of the high-Schooles or Universities about the Tree of knowledge. verse. 16. Ch. 28. What the cause of Contention about Religion is. verse. from 26. to the 43. Ch. 35. Whence Contention doth arise. verse. 61. etc. Ch. 36. Of the Contention at the Tower of the Confusion of Tongues in Babel. verse. 12, 13. Ch. 40. How Contentious Preachers embitter the Ears of the hearers. verse. 98. Ch. 51. How the false cold Love of Titulary Christendom contendeth about knowledge. verse. 46. etc. Ch. 65. What the Contentious opinions in Babel are. verse. 49, 50. Copulation. Ch. 41. How the Bestial Copulation is borne withal under divine Patience. verse. 2, 3. Covenant. Ch. 30. Of the Line of the Covenant. verse. from 1. to the 54. Ch. 32. Of the Covenant between God and Noah. verse. 1. Ch. 33. Of the Covenant of God with Noah, and all Creatures. verse. from 1. to the 40. Covering. Ch. 22. The Covering for our nakedness is ours and no more. verse. 77. etc. Covetousness. Ch. 24. Whence the great Covetousness doth arise. verse. 10. Council. Ch. 66. To whom there is no more Council or Remedy to Eternity. verse. 47. Councils. Ch. 77. When Councils were set in the place of the Holy Ghost. verse. 66. Cradle. Ch. 63. What the Cradle of the child Jesus is. verse. 48. Creation. Ch. 45. Of the Creation of Heaven and the outward World. verse. from 1. to the 63. Ch. 11. Of the Mysticallnes of the Creation. verse. 1. Creature. Ch. 32. How the Image of the Creature shall not pass away. verse. 16. Cup. Ch. 17. What joseph's Cup in Benjamins' sack signifieth▪ verse. from 1. to the 13. and 41. to the 57 Curse. Ch. 10. Of the Curse of the Earth. verse. 8. Ch. 24. Of the Curse, and of the Body of sickness, whence that ariseth. verse. from 1. to the 35. Ch. 24. What the Curse is. verse. 2. D. Damn. Damned. Ch. 41. An Excellent figure against those that according to their Conclusions in Reason by the Letter, damn some children from the womb. verse. 41. Ch. 66. What the Torment of all the damned is. verse. 67. Dan. Ch. 77. The Testament of Dan, and the figure thereof. verse. from 13. to the 25. Ch. 77. How it is signified by Dan, ●ad, and Assur, what kind of people would govern the World. verse. 30▪ etc. Darkness. Ch. 3. Of the Eternal Original of the darkness. verse. 5. Ch. 5. Of the Enmity in the Darkness. verse. 6. Day. Days. Ch. 12. Of the six day's work of the Creation. verse. from 1. to the 39 Ch. 12. Of the first Day. verse. 13. etc. Ch. 12. Of the second Day. verse. 19 etc. Ch. 12. Of the third Day. verse. 32. etc. Ch. 13. Of the fourth Day. verse. from 1. to the 20. Ch. 14. Of the fift Day. verse. from 1. to the 13. Ch. 15. Of the sixth days work of the Creation. verse. from 1. to the 31. Ch. 16. Of the Creation of the seaventh Day. verse. from the 16. to the 18. Ch. 16. How the seaventh Day hath been from Eternity. verse. 28. Death. Ch. 4. The Original of the Eternal Death. verse. 11, 12. Ch. 11. What the Death and Misery of Man and all Creatures is. verse. 17. Ch. 23. Why the Rocks clavae in sunder at the Death of Christ. verse. 3. Ch. 33. Why Gods anger often putteth one Man to Death by another. verse. 21, 22. Decrees. Ch. 61. How the Decrees in Scripture point only at two Kingdoms. verse. 55. Deity. Ch. 52. How the Deity manifesteth itself through the Souls nature. verse. 7, 8. Delight. Ch. 3. The Delight or Longing is the Property of the Son. verse. 7. Deluge. Ch. 32. Why the Deluge, or Noah's flood came after seven days. verse. 20, 21, 22. Ch. 32. Wherhfore the fountains of water opened themselves in the Deluge. verse. 26. etc. Desire. Ch. 3. The Desire ariseth from the Longing or delight, and is the Father's property. verse. 6, 7. Ch. 3. The Desire coagulateth itself. verse. 5. Devil. Devils. see Lucifer. Ch. 8. That which is pain and Torment to the Devils, is joy to the Angels. verse. 21. Ch. 10. How the Devil is the most despicable poor creature of all. verse. 31. Ch. 17. How Lucifer became a Devil. verse. 28. Ch. 22. Where the Devil's councel-chamber and school is. verse. 17. etc. Ch. 37. How the Heathen had not their answers from the Devil. verse. 12, 13. Ch. 38. How the Devil is a Prince of this world. verse. 5, 6. Ch. 38. What those four Elements are wherein the Devil and all evil Creatures live. verse. 7. Ch. 66. Where the Devil is a frolic Guest. verse. 54. Ch. 70. What the Devil's fishhooke is. verse. 41. Ch. 74. How the Devil lost his seat and stool in Man. verse. 17, 18. Dinah. Ch. 58. The figure of Dinah. verse. from 39 to 45. Ch. 62. How Dinah was deflowered, and Sichem and the City slain and spoilt; the Gate of Christians wars and the Babylonish whoredom, to be well considered of. verse. from 1. to the 48. Ch. 62. How Dinah went forth to see the daughters of the Land, and what is prefigured thereby. verse. 3. etc. Ch. 62. How Dinahs' whoredom and Simeon and Levi's Murthour is a figure of Christendom. verse. from 9 to the 18. Doctors. Ch. 35. What understanding the Doctors have in their Contention about God's habitation and Being. verse. 66. Dominion. Ch. 39 Whence Dominion ariseth. verse. 32 Dove. Ch. 32. What Noah's first Dove signifieth. verse. 40. Ch. 42. What the three Doves and the Raven signify. verse. from 42. to the 46. Dragon. Ch. 76. What the Dragons seven heads are. verse. 25, 26. Dreams. Ch. 67. What it is to expound Dreams. verse. 1, 2. Ch. 67. Whence it is that a Beast dreameth. verse. 5. Ch. 68 Of King Pharaohs Dreams. verse. 1. etc. Ch. 68 Wherhfore the Natural Magis, could not Expound Pharaohs Dreams. verse. 2. & 10. & 18, 19 Driver. see Hunter. Drunk plentifully. Ch. 70. What that signifieth, that Joseph and his brethren drunk plentifully. verse. 94. Dying. Ch. 20. Of Adam and Eves dying. verse. 26. etc. E. Earth. Ch. 10. Whence the grossness of the Earth proceeds. verse. 30. Ch. 10. Out of what the Earth is proceeded. verse. 61. Ch. 12. How the Globe of the Earth is Extruded. verse. 7. Ch. 22. What the Earth is. verse. 45. Ch. 25. Why God Created the Earth. verse. 29. etc. Ch. 25. When, God set the Time for the Earth to endure. verse. 19 Eden. Ch. 17. What Eden is. verse. 6. Edom. Ch. 53. What Edom is, and signifieth, in the high Tongue. verse. 5 verse & Ch: 64. & 3. Egyptians. Ch. 78. What it signifieth that many Egyptians went along when Jacob was buried. verse. 2. Elected. Election. Ch. 25. Of that saying of St Paul, We were Elected in Christ Jesus ere the foundation of the world was laid. verse. 20. Ch. 48. How God Elected not only the Natural Line of Christ, but also the Line of Nature. verse. 35, 36. Ch. 51. An excellent figure, against the wise Rationallists, concerning Election or Predestination. verse. from 4. to 24. Ch. 26. Of Election or Predestination. verse. from 1. to the 76. Ch. 32. A curious example, how God hath Predestinated no Election in Nature. verse. 3, 4. Ch. 46. How Gods Election passeth only upon the figure. verse. 30. Ch. 61. Of God's Election, or Predestination, or Decree concerning Jacob and Esau. verse. from 1. to the 3. & 23. Elements. Ch. 10. That the four Elements are but properties. verse. 49. Ember. Ch. 23. How, in many, there is an Ember glowing towards the virgin's child of the New birth. verse. 41, 42. Enos. Enoch. Ch. 30. What Enos signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 11. Ch. 30. What Enoch is in the Language of Nature. verse. 27. etc. Ch. 30. How long enoch's voice must be silent. verse. 49▪ 50. Ch. 31. Of the Line of wonders, issuing from Enoch. verse. from 1. to the 45. Envy. Ch. 24. Whence the great Envy ariseth. verse. 11. Ephraim. Ch. 75. The figure, of Israel's laying his right hand upon Ephraim's head. verse. 12. etc. Esau. Ch. 52. What Esau signifieth in the Language 〈◊〉 Nature. verse. 36. Ch. 53. How Esau despised his being first borne, and sold it for a Mess of pottage. verse. from 1. to the 28. Ch. 54. The figure of Esau's 40 year, and of his two wives. verse. 18. etc. Ch. 55. How the figure of isaack's Blessing, and of Esau and Jacob is to be understood. verse. from 1. to the 5. Ch. 55. Why Esau was blessed with the word of Strife. verse. 11. Ch. 55. Why Esau was all over rough and hairy. verse. 21, 22. Ch. 55. What that signifieth, that Esau attained not the Blessing. verse. 39 Ch. 55. What figure Esau is, in his Blessing. verse. 40. etc. Ch. 56. The figure of Esau's being a grief to his parents. verse. 9, 10. Ch. 60. What Esau the firstborn signifieth. verse. 3. Ch. 60. What Esau's 400 Men signify. verse. 6. Ch. 60. How Esau went to meet Jacob, and how Jacob sent Esau presents. verse. 6. Ch. 61. The figure, of Esau's saying to Jacob; Whose are these with thee. verse. 10. etc. Ch. 61. How Esau's curse and malice was turned into Love. verse. 18, 19 & 53. Ch. 61. A plain Exposition of the Scriptures, saying, Esau sought repentance with tears and yet found it not. verse. 20. etc. Ch. 64. How Esau standeth in the figure of the Kingdom of Nature. verse. 2 Esdras. or Ezra. Ch. 38. How Esdras in the knowledge of the Spirit, had the lost Bible dictated to him. verse. 24. Ch. 52. How Ezra hath briefly written the figure and history. verse. 52. Eve. Ch. 18. Why Eves will was subject to her husbands. verse. 11. Ch. 20. Why Eve so suddenly Lusted after vanity. verse. from. 2. to the 8. Ch. 20. How Eve gazed on the Serpent. verse. 22. Evil. Ch. 10. How the Evillest must be the cause of the Best. verse. 63. Ch. 11. What the great evil of this world is. verse. 15. Ch. 22. What the greatest evil is. verse. 25. Ch. 28. How the evil causeth that the good is manifest to itself. verse. 67. etc. Ch. 29. How nothing is created Evil, or to the Dominion of Evil. verse. 11. Ch. 61. Whence Evil and Good proceedeth. verse. 61.63. & 68 F. Fall. Ch. 9 Of the Fall of Lucifer, and his Legions. verse. from 1. to the 25. Ch. 11. What the fall of Lucifer, and the Heathen Idols, was. verse. 6. Ch. 17. Whence the desire to fall, in Lucifer proceeded. verse. 22. to 43. Ch. 17. Of the fall of Lucifer. verse. 25. etc. Ch. 17. How Man came to Fall. verse. 31. Ch. 17. How God saw the Fall. verse. 33 Ch. 20. Of the Lamentable and Miserable Fall of Man. verse. from 1. to the 38. Famine. Ch. 73. How the great famine and hung●r after heavenly food is near at hand. verse. from 11. to the 14. Favour. Ch. 66. How the Children of God must not set their hope in the favour of Man. verse. verse 50. to the 56. Ch. 67.15. etc. Faith. Ch. 27. What that is which is called Faith. verse. 35. Ch. 39 What it is rightly, to believe God, with Abraham, which is the right ground of our Christian Faith. verse. 8, 9 Ch. 48. What Faith in God's Children is able to do. verse. 33, 34. Ch. 56. How the Faithful, or believers, put on Christ. verse. 31. etc. Fear. Ch. 70. What jacob's fear, that he would not let his son go to Joseph, signifieth. verse. 28, 29. Fiat. Ch. 11. How the Verbum Fiat the word of Creation, is still creating to this day. verse. 9 Figure. Ch. 54. Of the Figure of the Old and New Testament. verse. 17. Ch. 52. When the Figure shall wholly be manifested in substance. verse. 52. Fire. Ch. 3. Of a Twofold Fire. verse. 23, 24. Ch. 24. Wherhfore all things shall be tried in the Fire. verse. 4. to the 9 Ch. 27. With what Fire the sacrifices of Abel and Moses were kindled. verse. 8 & 21. Ch. 27. How Man in the Resurrection shall pass through the Fire of Anger. verse. 21, 22. Ch. 27. The Eternal Fire, and also the Love- fire is Magical. verse. 31. Ch. 37. What fire at the End of the Day shall purge the floor. verse. 20. Foole. Ch. 22. What the word Fool meaneth. verse. 65, 66. Ch. 24. What is the greatest foolishness. verse. 16, etc. & 30. Food. Ch. 70. What is the Food of the Eternal word that became Man. verse. 60. Form. Forms or proherties of Nature. Ch. 28. The Spirit of Christ in his Children is bound to no certain Form. verse. 51. to the 55. Ch. 6. Of the seven forms, conditions, or properties of the Eternal Nature. verse. 14. etc. Ch. 3. What the First form, condition, property or Fiat is. verse. 8, 9 Ch. 3. What the second Form is. verse. 10, 11. Ch. 3. What the Third Form is. verse. 12. etc. Ch. 3. What the fourth Form is. verse. 18. Ch. 5. What the fift Form is. verse. 1. etc. Ch. 5. What the sixth Form is. verse. 11. etc. Ch. 6. What the seaventh Form is. verse. 1. to the 13. Ch. 6. Of the out-birth or manifestation of the seven forms, conditions or properties. verse. 21. to the 24. Ch. 7. How seven forms or properties are in all things. verse. 18. Ch. 20. Of four forms or properties in Man. verse. 33. etc. Ch. 40. How in the moving of Nature two forms or properties divided themselves. verse. 7, 8. Free longing. Ch. 3. The Free longing or Lubet is no property. verse. 6. Fruits. Ch. 70. What the fruits signify, which Jacob commanded his Children to carry along with th●m. verse. 33. etc. G. Gad. Ch. 77. The Testament of Gad, and the figure thereof. verse. 26. etc. Germany. Ch. 45. How Germany shall be blinded by a Star shining from East to West. verse. 13, 14. Globe. Ch. 18. Moses Tables written on a Globe. verse. 20, 21. God. Ch. 1. What God is. verse. 2 Ch. 2. Where God dwelleth. verse. 8. Ch. 3. Where God is called Father, & Son. verse. 7. Ch. 5. How God is in the Darkness and in the Light. verse. 10. Ch. 6. How God willeth Good and Evil. verse. 52. Ch. 19 It is Idolatrous to portray God as a Man. verse. 27. Ch. 26. Why God became Man. verse. 65, 66. Ch. 43. How Reason thinketh that God dwelleth only above the Stars and Firmament. verse. 2, 3. Ch. 43. Where God dwelleth according to Love and Anger. verse. 4. Ch. 43. How God seethe in the Devils and wicked soul. verse. 5. etc. Ch. 43. How that is understood where it is said, the Cry was come before God. verse. 6. Ch. 60. How God is manifested in the Thrones of the Holy Angels, and of the Devils. verse. 45, 46. Good. Ch. 2. Of what God made the Good and the Evil. verse. 4. etc. Ch. 3. How out of the Eternal Good evil is come to be. verse. 1. etc. Ch. 3. By what, Good is known. verse. 22. Ch. 22. To whom we must do good, to whom not. verse. 81, 82. Ch. 71. How the Eternal Good became Creaturely. verse. 14. etc. Goshen. Ch. 73. What the Land of Goshen signifieth. verse. 18. Ch. 73. Of the figure typified by Goshen. verse. 31. etc. Government. Ch. 22. Whence the Earthly Government ariseth. verse. 74. Ch. 66. How the Governor in the Office of Joseph Governeth in Christendom. verse. 12. etc. Gulf. Ch. 8. The Gulf between Darkness and Light, and between the Holy world and the dark world. verse. 22, 23. Guts. Ch. 19 How the Guts and entrails were added to Adam and Eve. verse. 19 H. Hagar. Ch. 40. Of the History and most wonderful prefiguration of the Spirit of God, by Hagar Sarahs' Maydservant, and her son Ishmael, of his casting out from the Inheritance, and of isaack's Inheritance. verse. from 1. to the 100 Ch. 46. The figure of Hagars casting out, and the Birth of Isaac. verse. from 8. to the 15. Ch. 46. A noble figure concerning forsaken Nature, by Hagar and her son. verse. from 16. to the 23. Ham. Ch. 31. What Ham is in the Language of Nature. verse. 7. Ch. 32. Why Hams Image was Cursed by his father. verse. 9 Ch. 34. How Hams spirit at present hath the Government in Christendom. verse. 37. etc. Ch. 37. What in Ham and Cain is cursed. verse. 34. Hanoch. Ch. 29. What Hanoch signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 28, 29. Hardened. Hardening. Ch. 61. Why Man continueth hardened. verse. 23. & 42. Ch. 61. How, the hardening is not from the purpose of God. verse. 66. etc. Head. Ch. 23. What it is to tread upon or break the Head of the Serpent. verse. 32, 37. Herdsmen. Ch. 73. The figure of this, that joseph's brethren must say before Pharaoh that they were Herdsmen. verse. 35. etc. Heaven. Ch. 5. Of the fullness of Joy in Heaven. verse. 5. Ch. 8. Heaven is in Hell and Hell in Heaven. verse. 28. Ch. 10. What we are to understand by the two words, Himmell and Erred, Heaven and Earth. verse. 47. etc. Heels. Ch. 23. What the stinging in the Heels is. verse. 33, 34. Hell. Ch. 3. The true Original of the dark world or Hell, into which the Devils are thrust. verse. 2. Ch. 4. Whence Hell hath its Name. verse. 16. Ch. 5. What and where Hell and the dark world is. verse. 9 Ch. 8. How Heaven is in Hell and Hell in Heaven. verse. 28. Hira. Ch. 65. What Hira of Odollam is in the figure. verse. 21. Honest. Ch. 66. How all things must serve to the best for those that are Honest or virtuous and fear God. verse. 68 etc. Hunter. Ch. 35. Of the Hunter or Driver and his Office. verse. 35. I. Jacob. Ch. 52. That Jacob cometh after Esau, and holdeth him by the heel; what that signifieth. verse. 37. Ch. 52. What Jacob is in the Language of Nature. verse. 41. Ch. 53. Why God called Jacob Israel. verse. 23 etc. Ch. 55. How Jacob was blessed by Isaac unknowingly in the stead of Esau; and what is signified thereby. verse. from 1. to the 50. Ch. 55. Why Jacob must take upon him the rough hairy beasts skin. verse. 23. etc. Ch. 55. The figure of jacob's being smooth under the skin. verse. 29. Ch. 55. How the figure of Jacob points at Christ. verse. 30. Ch. 56. How Jacob must wander away, and how the Lord appeared to him. verse. from 1. to the 39 Ch. 57 How Jacob came to Laban and served him in keeping his sheep fourteen years for his two Daughters; what the spiritual figure thereof concerning the Bride of Christ, signifieth. verse. from 1. to the 34. Ch. 58. How Jacob served Laban twenty years, and begat twelve sons and one daughter, and how God blessed him, and how Laban often changed his wages. verse. from 1. to the 53. Ch. 58. How jacob's subtlety was a figure of Adam's subtlety. verse. 16.17.19. & 24 etc. Ch. 58. How the twelve Children of Jacob, signify the Line from Adam to Noah and his Children. verse. 38. Ch. 59 The figure of the say of Laban's children, that came to J●cobs Eare. verse. 1. etc. Ch. 59 The figure that Jacob fled from Laban, and that Laban pursued him. verse. from 1 to the 25. Ch. 59 What that signifieth, that God said to Jacob, get thee up, and go to Bethel. verse. 14, 15. Ch. 59 How Jacob stole away Laban's heart, what is thereby to be understood. verse. 16. Ch. 60. What it signifieth, that Jacob divided his flocks into two parts because of Esau's wrath. verse. 4. Ch. 60. What it signifieth, that Jacob humbled himself before God and his brother Esau. verse. 7, 8. Ch. 60. What the Present that Jacob sent to Esau, signifieth. verse. 9 to the 13. Ch. 60. How Jacob arose in the night and lead his wives and eleven Children over the water, what is thereby to be understood. verse. 14. to the 16. Ch. 60. How a Man wrestled with Jacob. verse. 17. to the 23. Ch. 60. How jacob's Sinew was displaced, what that signifieth. verse. 24. to the 27. Ch. 60. The figure of jacob's saying, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. verse. 28. to the 35. Ch. 60. The Inward Holy figure of jacob's saying; ●hat is thy Name verse. from 37. to the 50. Ch. 61. The wonderful figure, how Jacob and Esau met, and All mischief and evil will was turned into Great Joy and Compassion: what is thereby to be understood. verse. 1. to the 22. Ch. 61. The figure how Jacob divided his wives and children, and went himself before them, and bowed seven times before Esau. verse. 4 to the 9 Ch. 61. The figure, how Jacob would not go along with Esau. verse. 69. to the 71. Ch. 61. The figure, that Jacob pitched his Tents before the City of Sichem. verse. 73. Ch. 63. How Jacob went to Bethel, how Benjamin was borne, and Rachel and Isaac died, what is thereby to be understood. verse. from 1. to the 52. Ch. 63. The figure of jacob's coming to his father before his End. verse. 53. Ch. 64. How Jacob and Esau departed one from the other, what that signifieth. verse. 4. Ch. 69. How jacob's sons came before Joseph, what is thereby to be understood. verse. 1. to the 35. Ch. 73. How Jacob sacrificed at Beersheba, to the God of his fathers, and spoke with him, what the signification is. verse. to the 8. Ch. 73. The figure of jacob's going forth out of Canaan into Egypt. verse. 11. Ch. 73. The figure of jacob's sending Juda before him to Joseph, and his weeping upon joseph's neck. verse. 19 etc. Ch. 74. How Jacob and the five youngest brethren of Joseph were set before Pharaoh, and how Jacob blessed Pharaoh. verse. 1. etc. Ch. 74. The very mystical figure, that Jacob would be buried in the Land of Canaan. verse. 53. etc. Ch. 75. How Jacob before his End blessed the two sons of Joseph. verse. from 1. to the 30. Ch. 76. How Jacob called for all his sons, and told them what the state and Condition of every one of them would be. verse. 1. etc. Ch. 76. What Jacob in the Spirit calleth his honour. verse. 24, 25. Ch. 77. A short figure of the whole world in jacob's Testament. verse. 59 to the 72. Ch. 78. Of jacob's burial. verse. 1. Japhet. Ch. 31. What Japhet is in the Language of Nature. verse. 9 Jared. Ch. 30. What Jared is in the Language of Nature. verse. 19, 20. Ch. 30. How Jareds Office is twofold. verse. 21. etc. Idols. Ch. 37. The Original of the heathenish Idols, and their Oracles. verse. 7. to the 12. Ch. 95. Of rachel's Idoll-Gods. verse. 9 to the 18. JEOVA. Ch. 35. Of the Name JEOVA. verse. 49. etc. Jewel as a Present. Ch. 50. What the Jewel and Present sent by Abraham's servant signifieth. verse. 22. to 47. Jews. Ch. 37. How the time of recalling the Jews is near at hand. verse. 36. Ch. Ch. 51. verse. 42. Ch. 37. How the Jews are rejected, and shall be grafted in again. verse. 59 etc. Ch. 41. The cause of the Jews and Christians blindness. verse. 47. etc. Ch. 41. Advise to the Christians, Jews Turks and Heathen. verse. 53. to the 71. Ch. 51. Why the Jews did not all turn to Christ when he manifested himself in the flesh. verse. 25, 26. Ch. 51. What a Jew is. verse. 27, 28. Ch. 51. How a Jew in his Faith worketh in Christ's Officer. verse. 28. etc. Ch. 51. How the Jew and Christian come to filiation. verse. 44, 45. Ch. 65. Wherhfore the Jews oftentimes slew the Prophets. verse. 28. Ch. 70. How, to Eat Christ's flesh, is an abomination to Jew's Turks and Heathens. verse. 66. Ch. 70. How the Jews Turks and strange Nations do eat Christ's flesh. verse. 69. to the 77. Ch. 70. How the Fathers, viz. the Jews had no more, a part in Grace, than the strangers had. verse. 78. Ch. 75. A figure, showing, that God would bring the Jews into the true Covenant into Christ. verse. from 1. to the 36. Ch. 76. How the Jews do in vain look after another Master Ruler or Messiah. verse. 50. Image. Images. Ch. 21. How the heavenly Image that God Created in Adam, is capable of the Kingdom of God. verse. 14. Ch. 68 How the Makers of Images are threatened by the Anger of God. verse. 26. to the 31. Infidelity. Ch. 51. How Infidelity is as great in one people as in another. verse. 42, 43. Interpretations. Interpreter. Ch. 37. By what understanding Interpretations are made. verse. 10. etc. Ch. 35. What the Interpreter, by whom Joseph speaketh, signifieth. verse. 35. Joseph. Ch. 58. How Joseph, signifieth Christ. verse. 50. etc. Ch. 64. The beginning of the most excellent figure of Joseph. verse. from 6. to the 61. Ch. 64. How Joseph was sold and carried into a strange Land. verse. 53. etc. Ch. 64. How Joseph is taxed for unchastity by Potiphars wife. verse. 56. etc. Ch. 64. How Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, and Christ for thirty pieces of silver. verse. 59, 60. Ch. 66.1. etc. Ch. 64. What the whole history of Joseph drives at. verse. 61. Ch. 66. Of joseph's Chastity and fear of God. verse. from 1. to the 72. Ch. 66. How Joseph fled from the whore, and what is signified thereby. verse. 45. etc. Ch. 67. How Joseph interpreted the Dreams of Pharaohs Butler and his Baker, and what is thereby to be understood. verse. from 1. to the 18. Ch. 68 The figure of joseph's putting on other clothes and shaving himself. verse. 22. Ch. 69. The figure of joseph's letting his nine brethren out of prison, and keeping Simeon prisoner. verse. 24. to 29. Ch. 69. The lovely figure of joseph's causing his brethren's sacks to be filled, and their money to be given them again. verse. 36. etc. Ch. 70. How jacob's sons go again into Egypt to Joseph, and take Benjamin with them, how Joseph caused them to be brought to his house, and to Eat of his Table; how Joseph caused his brethren to be set in their Order, and how Joseph was served by himself, and his brethren and the Egyptians also by themselves. verse. from 1. to the 94. Ch. 71. How Joseph caused his brethren's sacks to be filled, and the Money to be laid in the top of the sack, and his Cup in Benjamins' sack, and caused them to be pursued and challenged for Thiefs. verse. 1.66. Ch. 72. How Joseph manifested himself before his brethren. verse. 1. to the 38. Ch. 72. How Joseph kissed his brethren. verse. 20. etc. Ch. 73. How the Countenance of Joseph was manifested to his brethren again, and how they must be ashamed. verse. 15, 16. Ch. 73. The figure of joseph's saying, I will tell Pharaoh, My brethren and all my Father's house is come to me. verse. 25. etc. Ch. 74. The very potent figure of joseph's gathering all the Money together in the Famine. verse. 9 to the 15. Ch. 74. The figure of joseph's buying all the Land of Egypt for Pharaoh. verse. 19 to 21. Ch. 74. Wherefore Joseph bought not the Priests fields, what is the signification thereof. verse. 22. & 27. to the 33. Ch. 74. The figure of joseph's Law concerning the Egyptians fields to give the fift part to Pharaoh. verse. from 23. to the 35. Ch. 77. The Testament of Joseph, and the signification thereof. verse. 37 etc. Isaac. Ch. 40. Why Isaac was chosen and appointed to the Inheritance. verse. 39, 40. Ch. 46. Of isaack's Birth, and Ismaels' casting out with his mother Hagar, what is thereby signified. verse. from 1. to the 37. Ch. 48. Concerning isaack's saying to his father, here is fire and wood etc. verse. 16, 17. Ch. 48. Why Isaac must not be slain. verse. 20. Ch. 50. The figure of isaack's meeting Rebeccah in the field. verse. 54 etc. Ch. 52. How Esau & Jacob were borne to Isaac, and what happened to them. verse. 50. etc. Ch. 52. Why Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob. verse. 44. etc. Ch. 54. How Isaac in the famine went to Abimelech & how the Lord appeared to him. verse. 1. to the 17. Ishmael. Ch. 40. God did not reject the whole person of Ishmael verse. 19 Ch. 40. The figure of Ismaels' rejection or casting out. verse. 36. etc. Ch. 52. Of the twelve Princes from Ishmael, and of his falling before his brethren. verse. 16. etc. Issachar. Ch. 77. The Testament of Issachar, and the figure thereof. verse. 8. etc. Judah. Ch. 65. What the three sons that Judah begat signify. verse. 6. etc. Ch. 65. Why the History of Judah and chamar is put between in the History of Joseph. verse. 64. etc. Ch. 76. Of the Testament of Judah. verse. 38. etc. Judging. Ch. 70. What the speech of Christ concerning Judging signifieth. Judge not that ye be not Judged. verse. 51. K. Kenan. Ch. 30. What Kenan signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 17. Keturah. Ch. 51. What Keturah signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 2 Kine. Ch. 68 What Pharaohs seven fat Kine and seven lean Kine signify. verse. from 11. to the 17. Kings. Ch. 66. For what, Kings and Princes are served by the Nobility. verse. 18, 19 Kingdom. Ch. 49. How the outward Kingdom remaineth Eternally. verse. 17, 18. Ch. 76. How the time is near that the Kingdom of Christ will be manifested to all people. verse. 50. etc. Knowledge. Ch. 45 What knowledge the Outward Man hath of the Kingdom of Christ. verse. 17. etc. L. Laban. Ch. 58. The figure of Laban's changing jacob's wages ten times. verse. 28. etc. Ch. 59 How Laban chode with Jacob, & what is thereby to be understood. verse. 19 Ladder. Ch. 56. What the Ladder of Jacob was, and what the Angels descending and ascending, signifieth. verse. from 4. to the 8. Lamb. Ch. 37. What the wedding of the Lamb is, at which God and Man is Espoused, & Christ Borne. verse. 10. etc. Lamech. Ch. 29. What Lamech is in the Language of Nature. verse. 37, 38. & Ch: 31. vers. 2. Ch. 29. Of Lameches two wives and their children. verse. 39 to the 46. & 49. Ch. 29. What the Man and the young Man is which he slew. verse. 48. Ch. 29. What as to Lamech shall be avenged 77 times. verse. 59 to the 64. Land. Ch. 75. Of the piece of Land that Jacob gave to Joseph severally from the rest of his children, and the signification thereof. verse. 31. etc. Language. Ch. 35. Of the Ground of the Head Language, when all people spoke but one Language. verse. from 54. to the 59 Ch. 35. What Language the Spirits use. verse. 60. Ch. 37. How long the undivided Language continued. verse. 4. etc. Life. Ch. 11. Whence the true Rational Life in the Elements is. verse. 27. Ch. 35. The cause of the long Life of the Patriarches before the Flood. verse. 11. etc. Light. Ch. 3. The Eternal Light, and the Eternal Darkness, is not Created. verse. 2. to the 5. Ch. 10. Without Light the Elements had been unmoveable. verse. 44, 45. Logic. Ch. 77. When the acute Logic came up. verse. 69. Lord. Ch. 33. How, a Lord, Prince, or Magistrate, hath no authority to shed blood. verse. 15. &c, Lott. Ch. 43. Why the two Angels lingered in going in, to Lott. verse. 34. etc. Ch. 43. What is signified by Lotts' wife. verse. 37. Ch. 43. The figure of Lott in that he would give his two daughters to the Sodomies. verse. 53. etc. Ch. 43. Why Lots Kinsfolks would not follow him. verse. 65, 66. Ch. 44. How Lott went out of Sodom, and of the terrible destruction of that whole Country of Hams generations, and what happened upon it, also how it was done. verse. from 1. to the 47. Ch. 44. Why Lots daughters made their father drunk with Wine. verse. 3. Ch. 44. To what End Lotts' wife was turned into a Pillar of Salt. verse. 28. etc. Ch. 44. Lotts' wife is a figure of the present Babylonish Christendom. verse. 33. etc. Ch. 44. Why Lots daughters did lie with their father. verse. 36. to the 47. Love. Ch. 71. How Gods Love, cometh only to help the weak. verse. 19 Lucifer. Ch. 12. Wherefore and from what Lucifer wa● thrust out. verse. 4. Ch. 12. Where Lucifer lieth captive. verse. 35. Ch. 22. Wher●fore Lucifer was swallowed up into ●h● wrath. verse. 30▪ 31 Ch. 25 Where Lucifer sat before the Creation of the Earth verse. 18. Ch. 44. How Lucifer desired to see the wrath of Nature. verse. ●7. Ch. 60. How the pride of Lucifer by the M●sters of the Letter doth shut God up into a peculiar heaven apart. verse. 41, 42. M. Magistrate. Ch. 22. How the Magistrate is Good, and how not. verse. 74, 75. Magus. Magia. Ch. 11. The Reader is admonished not to 〈◊〉 the Magia or Magic verse. 8. Ch. 11. How Man is hurt by the wicked Magus or Magician. verse. 12. etc. Ch. 68 Of the Magis or Magicians, which Titulary Christendom is full of. verse. 4. etc. Ch. 68 Of the Magia or Magic art, among the Egyptians and Heathens, till the Kingdom of Christ. verse. 3. Ch. 68 How Man is a true divine Magus or Magician. verse. 23. etc. Mahalaleel. Ch. 30. What Mahalaleel is in the Language of Nature. verse. 18. Maydservant. Ch. 40. What it is that the son of the Maydservant shall not inherit with the son of the Freewoman. verse. 16. to the 70. Man. Ch. 15. Man is Threefold. verse. 27. etc. Ch. 16. Of the distinction between the Heavenly and the Earthly Man. verse. from 1. to the 15. Ch. 16. How Man was while he stood in Paradise. verse. 7. etc. Ch. 18. How Man shall be after the Resurrection. verse. 3. Ch. 19 How Man was ordained to the outward Natural Life. verse. from 1 to the 16. Ch. 21. Why God created Man of the Heavenly Essence. verse. ●6. Ch. 22. How Man deceived himself. verse. 27. Ch. 23. How the Word in 〈…〉 Eve was propagated from Man to Man. verse. 31. Ch. 24. How Man hath a Cure, and the Devil not verse. 13 etc. Ch. 24. How a Divine Man must have enmity in himself. verse. 31, 32. Ch. 2●. How Man 〈…〉 God. verse. 14▪ 15. Ch. 29. How 〈…〉 in his 〈◊〉. verse. ●2, 13. Ch. 29. How 〈…〉 Dominion. verse. 14. Mary. Ch. 37. How Ma●y 〈…〉 M●ther that hath 〈…〉. verse. ●7 etc. Ch. 56. What 〈◊〉 the ●l●ssing belonging to Mary. verse. 29, 30. M●usim Ch. ●●. What that God M●usim is. verse. 32. Mea●●. Ch. 42. What the th●ee Measures of fine Meal signify. verse. 17, 18. Melchisedech. Ch. 38. What Melchisedech was. verse. 19 etc. Ch. 38. Why Melchisedech blessed Abraham. verse. 2●. Mercurius. Ch. 17. What Mercurius is. verse. 18 mercifulness. Ch. 70. How mercifulness hideth its countenance from the repenting soul. Metals. Ch. 10. What the Metals are. verse. 17. Ch. 10. Of the seven Properties in the Metals. verse. from 18 to the 29. Ch. 16. How in the Earth Stones and Metals, lieth a twofold substance. verse. 10. Methusael. Ch. 29. What Methusael is in the Language of Nature. verse. 35, 36. Methuselah. Ch. 12. What Methuselah is in the Language of Nature. verse. 10. Michael. Ch. 12. When, Michael strove with the Dragon. verse. 10. Midianites. Ch. 64. How the Midianites will bring Joseph with them to Pharaoh; the time is near. verse. 29. etc. Money. Ch. 70. The figure of the wrong Money that Jacob commanded them to take with them again. verse. 36. etc. & 48, 49. Moon. Ch. 23. What the Moon and the Woman in the Apocalypse signify. verse. 35. Moses. Ch. 11. The time is Borne that Moses casteth away his veil. verse. 4. Ch. 30. When, Moses will keep the sheep. verse. 52. etc. Motion. Ch. 29. Of God's Eternal Motion, Moving and forming. verse. 4. Mouth. Ch. 29. What the Mouth of the Eternal understanding is. verse. 3. Murtherour. Ch. 19 Why Eve brought forth a Murtherour the first time. verse. 10. Ch. 62. The figure of Simeon and Levi's Murthour. verse. 31. to the 42. N. Naëma. Ch. 29. Of Naëma. verse. 43. etc. Ch. 29. How Naëma shall be manifested to all People. verse. 68 Names. Ch. 17. What the Great Names are that God called Abraham by. verse. 23. &c Naphtali. Ch. 77. The Testament of Naphtali, and the signification thereof. verse. 33. etc. Nature. Ch. 3. The description of the Eternal Nature. verse. 1. to the 26. Ch. 35. How the Language of Nature is extinguished. verse. 12. etc. Ch. 40. Whereto God useth the Temporary Nature. verse. 31. Ch. 40. What the Condemnation of the Temporary Nature is. verse. 32. Night. Ch. 12. Where, there is no Night. verse. 1. Nimrod. Ch. 35. Of the Name Nimrod. verse. 29. etc. Noah. Ch. 31. What Noah is in the Language of Nature. verse. 3. & 32.2. Ch. 32. Why Noah was accounted righteous before God. verse. 13, 14. Ch. 34 What Noah's drunkenness signifieth. verse. 27. Ch. 34. How Noah cursed Ham. verse. 1. to 40. Ch. 35. The Names of the children of Noah are seaventy two. verse. 15. to 48. Ch. 43. Where, Noah's curse came into Judgement. verse. 29. Nothing. Ch. 3. The Nothing hungreth after the something. verse. 5. O. Oak. Ch. 63. What the Oak signifieth under which Jacob buried the Idol Gods and the Earrings. verse. 4. to the 15. Office. Officer. Officers. Ch. 22. How the Office is Good, and how not Good. verse. 72. Ch. 66. How the potent in the Office of God are great Trees without fruit. verse. 16, 17. Ch. 66. How the Offices and Officers are Gods, and are Gods servants. verse. 22. Ch. 66. How a Man in an Office must serve either God or the Devil. verse. 59 Ch. 66. How this world hath two sorts of Officers. verse. 37. to 59 Ch. 77. Where the worldly Office of a Judge hath its Original. verse. 21. to the 25. Ch. 66. How an Officer becometh a Lucifer; also how he is free from the Commandment of Death. verse. 23. to the 27. Ch. 66. How all Officers are set in the Kingdom of this world. verse. 28, 29. Ch. 66. How at present, is the time of the Coming of the Lord, to burn the City of these wicked evil Officers with the fire of God's Anger. verse. 30, 31. Oracle. Ch. 37. How the first holy Oracle after the Flood, Manifested itself. verse. 15. P. Paradise. Ch. 17. Of Paradise. verse. 1. to the 43. Ch. 18. Of the paradisical Government. verse. 1. to the 34. Ch. 25. How Paradise is one certain place. verse. 16. Pastors. Ch. 74. Of all spiritual Pastors or Shepherds, who sit without Christ in that Office. verse. 6. Pearl. Ch. 22. How the Pearl of the whole world is trodden underfoot. verse. 35. Philistian. Ch. 47. What Philistian is. verse. 23, 24. Physic. Ch. 21. Whence Physic doth arise. verse. 7. to 9 Plants. Ch. 12. Whence it is that some Plants are Poison. verse. 36. Potiphar. Ch. 64. What the figure of Potiphars wife is. verse. 10, 11. Pottage. Ch. 53. What the lentil Pottage was. verse. 4. Prayer. Ch. 38. How Man with his prayer and will awakeneth the sword of Anger. verse. 11. Predestinated. Ch. 30. What is predestinated to condemnation. verse. 8, 9 Ch. 40. Ishmael is not predestinated to Condemnation. verse. 35. to the 54. Present. Ch. 70. What the Present was that joseph's Brethren brought him in their hands. verse. 52, 53. Pride. Ch. 24. What Men erect with their great Pride and care for the Belly. verse. 21. etc. Prince. Ch. 33. How a Prince or Lord hath no power to shed Blood. verse. 15. etc. Principles. Ch. 4. Of the two Principles, God's Love, and Anger. verse. 1. to the 21. Ch. 32. How Sem, Ham, and Japhet, are an Image of the three Principles. verse. 5. etc. Prosperity. Ch. 66. Man in temporal prosperity, and in favour and good will of many Men, ought not to be secure. verse. 50. to the 56. Prophet. Ch. 67. How the Prophet is the mouth of the Kingdom. verse. 9 etc. Purgatory. Ch. 25. Of the Purgatory of souls. verse. 13, 14. Purple Mantle. Ch. 70. To whom the purple Mantle of Christ is available. verse. 42, 43. Purpose. Ch. 61. How in God there is no purpose. verse. 60, 61. & 64. Q. Qualities. see Forms. R. Rachel. Ch. 28. What it signifieth, that Rachel died and was Buried at the City Bethleem. verse. 29. Ch. 28. How Rachel was big with child when Jacob went from Laban. verse. 30. Ch. 58. Why Rachel said: give me children. verse. 1, 2. Ch. 58. Why Rachel must be barren. verse. 47. Ch. 63. How Rachel bore Benjamin and died, what the signification of it is. verse. 20. etc. Reigned. Rainbow. Ch. 32. Why it Reigned forty days and forty nights. verse. 23. etc. Ch. 33. Of the Rainbow and its Colours. verse. 25. to the 40. Ram. Ch. 48. How the kill and dying falleth not upon the right Man, but upon the Ram. verse. 28. etc. Raven. Ch. 32. What the Raven signifieth. verse. 38, 39.41. Reason. Ch. 41. How Reason introduceth every thing into Gods will. verse. 27. to the 37. Rebeccah. Ch. 50. Rebeccah signifieth Sophia. verse. 48. Ch. 50. The figure of the Glorious Banquet of Abraham's servant with Rebeccah. verse. 49. etc. Ch. 52. How in Rebeccah two Kingdoms strove one with another. verse. 20. to the 30. Ch. 53. Why the Strife arose in Rebeccah. verse. 27. Ch. 53. Werefore Rebeccah loved Jacob. verse. 54. Ch. 55. Why Rebeccah must set Jacob in the place of the Blessing. verse. 26. etc. Ch. 19 Of Rebeccahs' subtlety and deceit with Jacob. verse. 20. Religion. Ch. 36. Whence the Contempt of Religion proceeds. verse. 14. Remedy. Ch. 66. To whom there is no more Counsel or Remedy, to Eternity. verse. 47. Repentance. Ch. 31. Of God's Repentance, where he saith, It repenteth me. verse. 17. to the 45. Ch. 70. It is a figure of Repentance, that jacob's Children must go into Egypt for food twice. verse. 15. to the 23. Respect. Ch. 51. How in God's presence there is no respect of Name or Person. verse. 32. to the 41. Reuben. Ch. 63. What Reuben signifieth. verse. 44. Ch. 63. How Reuben lay with his father's Concubine, and what the signification thereof is. verse. 31. to the 45. Ch. 76. The Testament of Reuben, and the figure thereof. verse. 4. to the 18. Revenge. Ch. 22. Whence in Man the wrath and vengeance to be revenged, ariseth. verse. 58. to the 64. Rib. Ch. 19 What the Rib and dividing of Adam signifieth. verse. 2. & 6. Riches. Ch. 58. How the Riches of the outward Man belong to the New Man. verse. 21. etc. Right. Ch. 60. How, Right, is God, and, wrong, is the Devil. verse. 60. Rocks. Ch. 23. Why at Christ's Death the Rocks clavae asunder. verse. 3. Ring. Ch. 65. What the Ring, Bracelet, and Staff of Judah signify. verse. 32. S. Saba or Sheba. Ch. 54. What the fountain Saba or Sheba signifieth. verse. 15, 16. Sacrifice. Ch. 27. Of cain's and Abel's Sacrifice. verse. 1. to the 40. Ch. 27. Why an Earthly Sacrifice must be. verse. 18. etc. Ch. 27. Why the Sacrifice without Faith is loathsome to God. verse. 13. Sarah. Ch. 40. Why God made Sarah unfruitful, verse. 27, 28. Ch. 42. How God asked for Sarah. verse. 26, 27. Ch. 42. What Sarahs' laughing and lying signify. verse. 30. etc. Ch. 49. Of Sarahs' Death and abraham's purchased burying place, what is signified thereby. verse. 1. to the 18. Ch. 51. Why Sarah brought forth but one son. verse. 3. Schools. Ch. 51. Of what profit the knowledge of the high Schools or Universities, and the Devil's knowledge, is. verse. 49, 50. Ch. 64. Whence the Confused Languages of the high Schools or Universities, come. verse. 24. Ch. 69. The spying and prying of the high Schools or Universities, helpeth not into the Kingdom of God. verse. 20, 21. Ch. 77. When, the time of the high Schools or Universities began. verse. 67. Scorner. Ch. 40. Why God must have the scorner also, in this time of Life. verse. 23. etc. Sea. Ch. 16. What the Glassy Sea is. verse. 28. Sem. Ch. 31. What Sem is in the Language of Nature. verse. 6. Ch. 34. How Sem and Japhet took a Garment upon their shoulders. verse. 20. to the 26. Serah or Zerah. Ch. 65. The powerful figure of the Birth of Peres and Serah or Zerah. verse. 58. etc. Serpent. Ch. 20. Of the Creation and subtlety of the Serpent. verse. 9 to the 19 & Ch: 22.29. Ch. 20. In the Serpent lieth excellent art. verse. 17, 18. Ch. 22. The Devil hath infected the Ens of the Serpent. verse. 33. Ch. 22. Why the Serpent is said to be a virgin. verse. 34. Ch. 23. Wherhfore God cursed the Serpent. verse. 23. to the 29. Ch. 27. Where the Serpent's head was first trod upon and broken. verse. 11, 12. Ch. 38. How the Serpents Ens and also the Line of Christ lay in Abraham. verse. 13. Seth. Ch. 29. What the Name Seth signifieth in the Language of Nature. verse. 24. Sheckle. Ch. 49. An Exposition of the four hundred Shackles of silver that Abraham gave for the field. verse. 8, 9 Shepherd. Ch. 58. How a Sheheard is more highly esteemed before God than the highly Learned worldly wise Man. verse. 32. etc. Ch. 60. Why Gods Spirit hath so exactly described the slight actions of mean Shepherds. verse. 49, 50. Sichem. Ch. 61. What the Name Sichem signifieth. verse. 75. Signal Star. Ch. 70. How the signal Star or ascendant appeared. verse. 30. etc. Simeon. Ch. 76. The Testament of Simeon and Levi, and the figure thereof. verse. 17. to the 37. Sinew. Ch. 60. What it signifieth, that the Children of Israel eat not that Sinew of the Ham. verse. 51. etc. Sinne. Sinner. Ch. 22. Of the Original of Actual sin, and of the awakening of God's Anger in the humane property. verse. 1. to the 82. Ch. 22. What sin is, and what is not sin. verse. 39 etc. Ch. 22. What the sin against the Holy Ghost is. verse. 43, 44. Ch. 27. What it is that attaineth the forgiveness of sins. verse. 45. Ch. 48. How fare it must go with the repenting sinner. verse. 21. etc. Ch. 78. The figure of a Converted sinner. verse. 5, 6. Sleep. Ch. 19 What Adam's sleep signifieth. verse. 5. Sodom. Ch. 42. Of the three Men, which appeared to Abraham in the plain of Mamre and went towards Sodom, and burned the City of the Children of Ham with fire from the lord verse. 1. to the 35. Ch. 43. Of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha, how God shown it to Abraham before. verse. 1. to the 7●. Ch. 43. How Sodom is a looking Glass for the present world. verse. 67. etc. Ch. 43. What figure, the Judgement upon Sodom is. verse. 14. Ch. 44. What fire was reigned down upon Sodom. verse. 24. etc. Sophia. Ch. 25. Sophia is the Tincture of the light. verse. 14. Ch. 25. The fire-soule is the Man or husband of the Noble Sophia, and it is of the fires Tincture. verse. 14. Ch. 37. How Sophia generateth the true Joseph. verse. 14, 15. Ch. 52. What is called Sophia. verse. 6. Ch. 52. When, the Magic fire of the soul is Bridegroom to the Noble Sophia. verse. 11. to the 14. Soul. Ch. 10. True understanding lieth in the Soul. verse. 3. Ch. 11. What the soul is. verse. 20. & 15.25. Ch. 15. How the soul standeth in three Kingdoms. verse. 15.18. to the 24. Ch. 15. There is not three souls but one. verse. 24. Ch. 17. Of the soul's great power. verse. 43. Ch. 22. Wither the soul must go after the Judgement. verse. 47. Ch. 23. How the soul of Adam and Eve were ashamed. verse. 1. Ch. 25. How the soul may go through the Judgement, or how not. verse. 2.3. & 15.26. Ch. 25. How the Virgin child must flee from the fire-soule. verse. 9 Ch. 34. Of the Animale soul in the Regeneration. verse. 17. Ch. 37. Wherefore God bringeth the soul into trouble. verse. 8, 9 Ch. 52. How the soul may see God. verse. 10. Ch. 56. When, God's Grace entereth into the soul. verse. 36. Ch. 69. The first Condition of the poor soul when it turneth to Christ. verse. 7. etc. Ch. 70. How the soul standeth in three Principles. verse. 5. Sound. Ch. 5. How the sound or tune in Heaven, is. verse. 19 Ch. 5. How the sound or tune in the Darkness or Hell, is. verse. 19 Speak. Ch. 35. Whence it cometh Originally that Man can speak. verse. 73. Ch. 36. From what it is that Man can spoke and understand. verse. 85. Spirit. Ch. 4. Of the Original of the Multitude of spirits, Good, and Evil. verse. 11. Ch. 8. Of the Spirits of the outward world, from Time, that pass away. verse. 13. Ch. 29. How the Spirit of God hath from Eternity sported with itself in the spiritual world. verse. 4. Ch. 36. From what the false spiritual persons or Clergy have spoken. verse. 30. etc. Steward. Ch. 70. What joseph's Steward signifieth. verse. 50. Strife. Ch. 25. Of the Strife between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent. verse. 10. etc. Ch. 36. Wherefore Men do strive. verse. 62, 63. Ch. 52. When, the Strife in Man is manifested, and Christ breaketh the Serpent's head. verse. 31. etc. Ch. 60. What the Strife about the Letter is. verse. 47, 48. Ch. 62. Wherhfore the Strife in Christendom must be. verse. 19 Ch. 62. With what strife a true Christian striveth. verse. 21. etc. Ch. 64. How all strife cometh from the Tower of Babel. verse. 28. Ch. 75. How the time of strife is at an End. verse. 29, 30. Substance. Ch. 53. How the Divine Substance giveth itself into Nature. verse. 18. Succoth. Ch. 61. The figure of jacob's going to Succoth. verse. 72. Sun. Ch. 11. From what power the Sun shineth. verse. 35. Ch. 13. Whence the Sun taketh its Lustre. verse. 16. Supper. Ch. 70. What that Supper is, Revelations verse. 3. from 44. to the 46. Swearing. Ch. 53. What Swearing by God is called. verse. 9 Sword. Ch. 25. Of the Cherubin Angels, Sword. verse. 4. to the 13. Ch. 25. The Original of the flaming Sword of fire. verse. 25. T. Teachers. Ch. 28. What Teachers the children of this world will have. verse. 44. Ch. 36. By what a Man shall know, whether a Teacher come from God or from the Letter. verse. 54. etc. Ch. 41. How the unfit Teachers will needs preach the Holy Ghost into the self-will. verse. 46. Temple. Ch. 15. What the Temple of God is. verse. 12. & Ch. 36.16. & Ch. 52.8. Ch. 27. How the Temple of Christ must be brought along into the Material Church of clay. verse. 49. Temptation. Ch. 48. How Man without God's Grace cannot stand in Temptation. verse. 2. Testament. Ch. 46. What a Man must do, if he would read and understand the Old Testament. verse. 29, 30. Ch. 46. Wherefore the figures of the Old Testament have remained silent to this last Time, and now shall be made manifest. verse. 31, 32. Ch. 54. Of the figure of the Old and New Testaments. verse. 17. Tetragrammaton. Ch. 35. Of the Name Tetragrammaton. verse. 53. Thamar. Ch. 65. Of Judah and Thamar: A mystical figure of Adam and Christ, wherein the new Birth is excellently prefigured. verse. 1. to the 65. Time. Ch. 30. Of the seven appointed Times. verse. 34. to 46. Ch. 30. When the sixth number of Time is. verse. 44. Ch. 31. Of the seven Times from Adam to the End of the World. verse. 38. to 45. Ch. 69. How the Time of Redemption draweth near. verse. 23. Timnath. Ch. 65. What Timnath signifieth. verse. 22. Torment. Ch. 71. What it is that hath no Torment. verse. 21, 22. Tower. Ch. 35. Wherefore the children of Noah purposed to build a Tower. verse. 64, 65. Ch. 35. What the Mystery is of the Tower, and of the divided Languages. verse. 68 to the 75. Ch. 36. What the Tower of Babel is. verse. 15. Ch. 36. What the figure of Babells' Tower is. verse. 5. to the 11. Ch. 36. What the Babylonish Tower was under Moses & among the Heathen, & now is among Christians, Jews & Turks. verse. 33. Ch. 36 How a Man ought to Consider of the Tower and City Babel. verse. 58. Ch. 36. How we must go out from all Babylonish Master-Builders of that Tower. verse. 50. etc. Ch. 66. How worldly Judges ought not to rely upon the Tower of Babel. verse. 60. Ch. 35. How the Time is borne that we shall be lead away from the Tower of Babel. verse. 67. Tree. Tree of Life. Ch. 35. How the Humane Tree hath by Noah's Children spread itself abroad in its properties, and how at the Tower of Babel they were divided in the Properties by the Confusion of Languages into several and different people and Nations. verse. 1. to the 75. Ch. 36. How the Jews, Christians, Turks, and Heathens, are but one only Tree. verse. 37. to the 40. Ch. 36. How we may again one with another, be One people, one Tree, one Man with soul and Body. verse. 43, 44. Ch. 17. Why God set the Tree of Life before Adam. verse. 38. to the 43. Ch. 17. The Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evell, are but one. verse. 10. etc. Trinity. Threefoldnes. Ch. 1. Of the Trinity. verse. 3, 4, 5. Ch. 7. Of the Holy Trinity or Threefoldnes of the Divine Essence or Substance. verse. 1. to the 19 Tubalcain. Ch. 29. Of Tubalcain. verse. 44. to the 46. Turks. Ch. 40. How the Turks lie under the veil of Christ, and are borne in the house. verse. 72. etc. Ch. 40. How God heareth the Turks in the Son. verse. 74. etc. Ch. 40. How the Turks do not blaspheme the Holy Ghost. verse. 78. etc. Ch. 40. Wherhfore God hath taken away the Candlesticks from the Turks. verse. 82. etc. Ch. 40. How the Holy voice of Christ is not departed from the Turks, to forget them Eternally. verse. 87. etc. Ch. 40. Of the difference between the Turks and the Christians. verse. 92. to the 99 V Venus. Ch. 10. How the inward and the outward Venus are step-sisters. verse. 58. Ch. 13. Venus is the substance of all Metals. verse. 18. Verbum Fiat. Ch. 11. How the Verbum Fiat, is still at this day Creating. verse. 11. Visions. Ch. 67. What the right Visions are. verse. 7. Voice. Ch. 23. Of the voice that was in the Garden. verse. 11. to the 16. Ch. 55. The figure of isaack's saying; The voice is jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. verse. 27, 28. Understanding. Ch. 3. Why the Divine understanding bringeth itself into spiritual properties. verse. 13. Ch. 3. The Divine understanding receiveth no source into itself. verse. 21. Ch. 29. What the Eternal Divine understanding is. verse. 1, 2. Unquietness. Ch. 66. What the unquietness is. verse. 65. W. War. Warrior. Ch. 22. How war is Good, and how not Good. verse. 73. Ch. 38. Whence all war and strife hath its Original. verse. 7. to the 10. Ch. 33.22. etc. Ch. 38. Of the beginning of the Heathenish wars, how Abraham delivered Lot; and of Melchisedeck to whom Abraham gave Tithes. verse. 1. to the 26. Ch. 55. How it is not God, but the Kingdom of Nature in the Anger of God that will make war. verse. 45, 46. and Ch: 38▪ 16, 17. Ch. 30. What the Christians wars are. verse. 42. Ch. 38. No Christian warreth. verse. 15, 16. Ch. 62. What the outward war that Christians make, is. verse. 24. Ch. 33. What every warrior or Soldier is. verse. 19, 20. Washing the Feet. Ch. 42. What abraham's washing the Feet, signifieth. verse. 11. Water. Ch. 4. Of the water of Eternal Life. verse. 15. Ch. 10. Of the water which Christ will give us to drink. verse. 56 Wedding. Ch. 70. Where the assured wedding of the Lamb is. verse. 25. etc. Ch. 70. What a Man must do, when he will enter in to the wedding of Christ. verse. 38. Whore. Ch. 36. What the Babylonish whore, and the Dragon Beast, is. verse. 20. etc. & 37. Ch. 36. Of the Antichristian Babylonish whore, of all Tongues, Nations, and Languages, and what lieth hid under the Languages and Tower of Babel. verse. 1. to the 85. Ch. 30. Whence the Mother of the Babylonish whoredom is arisen. verse. 22, 23. Ch. 36. Of the Babylonish whores child or Bastard, which is predestinated to Damnation. verse. 23. etc. Ch. 37. How the unchastity of the Babylonish whore, is come up before the Most High. verse. 61. Ch. 36. What the whore's Beast, is. verse. 41. Ch. 36. How the whore hopeth for a Golden Temple or Time. verse. 70. etc. Ch. 36. How the whore must fall. verse. 69. Ch. 36. What is meant by the whoredom committed with the Letter. verse. 44. etc. Ch. 62. What is whoredom in the sight of God. verse. 30. etc. Ch. 65. What the whoredom of Judah with Thamar, signifieth. verse. 38. etc. Ch. 65. What David's whoredom with Bethsheba, signifieth. verse. 41. Ch. 65. What salomon's whoredom, signifieth. verse. 45 etc. Ch. 66. What the powerful figure of the whorish unchaste world is, which vermin the world is at present full of. verse. 41. etc. Wicked. Ch. 60. How God dwelleth even in the Abyss of the wicked soul. verse. 44. Wife. Ch. 41. How a Man must leave, wife, children, etc. to be a true Christian. verse. 54.65. Will. Willing. Ch. 26. Wherefore the fire-soule hath free- will. verse. 7. Ch. 27. What the will must do that it may with its desire go to God. verse. 4, 5. Ch. 27. The Humane Free- will is become sinful. verse. 16. Ch. 29. Why there is a Contrary opposite will. verse. 6, 7. Ch. 61. What the Ability of the will is. verse. 57, 58. Ch. 61. The Cause why the false wicked or evil will turneth not itself towards Grace. verse. 59 Ch. 66. How in this Time [of Life] all things pass in free- will. verse. 21. Ch. 66. How, knowing Nothing is better than willing for self. verse. 66. Ch. 71. Of the Divine willing and of the Humane willing. verse. 25. to the 36. Wisdom. Ch. 1. What the Eternal Wisdom is. verse. 6. Ch. 29. How the Eternal Wisdom hath introduced itself into a form visibility. verse. 1. to the 70. Ch. 41. A Speech to the Reason- wise, verse. 42. etc. Woman. Ch. 19 Of the building or framing of the Woman. verse. 1. to the 27. Ch. 41. How the Woman is saved through bearing of children. verse. 29. etc. Ch. 66. What the Woman upon the Moon in the Revelations is. verse. 34, 35. Word. Ch. 2. Of the Word or Heart of God. verse. 1. to the 11. Ch. 2. Of the Outspoken Word. verse. 7. Ch. 28. What the Literal Word is. verse. 56, 57 Ch. 36. How Man should try himself in the framing of his words. verse. 81. etc. Ch. 40. What Gods Word assumed. verse. 10. Ch. 56. Why our soul and the Word that became Man, are compared together. verse. 23. etc. Ch. 61. What the Word is. verse. 43, 44. World. Ch. 2. The whole world lieth in a Clod of Earth. verse. 6. Ch. 2. Of the inward world. verse. 9 Ch. 2. How one world is in another. verse. 10. Ch. 4. Of the Three worlds. verse. 12. Ch. 17. That same world, wherein Adam was before his Eve was, must come again. verse. 9 Ch. 29. What the invisible spiritual world is. verse. 4, 5. Ch. 31. How Sem, Ham, and Japhet, are an Image of the Three- worlds. verse. 10, 11. Wrong. Ch. 71. How Man doth a twofold wrong. Z. Zebulun. Ch. 77. The Testament of Zebulun, and the figure thereof. verse. 3. to the 7. FINIS. FOUR TABLES OF Divine Revelation Signifying What GOD in himself is, without Nature; and how considered in Nature; according to the THREE PRINCIPLES. ALSO What HEAVEN, HELL, WORLD, TIME, and ETERNITY are; Together with all Creatures visible and invisible: and out of what all things had their Original. Written in the Germane language by JACOB BEHM, and Englished by H. B. LONDON Printed for H. Blunden, and sold at the Castle in Corn-Hill 1654. TO THE READER With an Account of the following Tractate. IT'S no less common with men would seem wise, than inconsistent with those that are really so, to find a facile Faith for what they like, and a sturdy Diffidence for what they dislike: Like the twins of a biased Judgement, the one savouring of Affection, the other of Prejudice, and both of Partiality. That some Passages in the precedent Life will meet with such, I make no question, and therefore thought it not unnecessary to acquaint them with this Truth, that what therein is related concerning our Author, by the learned Gentleman that penned the Narrative, was received not from uncertain wand'ring Reports, but Authentic Information, from the Tongues and Penns of those, that (during his life upon Earth) were his familiar Associates; Men conscientious both in Words and Deeds, well knowing what strict account must be rendered of both. And how sad an Account have they then to make, whose Throats, like open Sepulchers, blast with their breath (as far as their venom reaches) the most eminent Gifts of God in men that bear his Image? whereof did they know the danger, it could not but make them tremble to consider how their poisoned Arrows will return and stick in their own Souls: Yet have some not feared maliciously to defame this deep illuminated man of God; A man whose Writings (though not to us made Canonical by Miracles) manifestly appear to have been the Dictates of God's Spirit; and the Will of God, the Rule of his whole life; always resigning himself (as his own Pen testifies) to the Divine Will: to will and work nothing but according to the will of God. Yet against the spirit of this pious man (as if they feared an Eclipse of their Evening splendour, by the Daylight of his writings) have some (especially among the Lamps of our Tabernacles) spit forth their Venom, in Aspersions so injuriously false, and palpably absurd, that neither Reason nor Religion, Prudence or Piety, could yield any motive thereunto; only the Monster of their own frailty. Thus doth the Prince of the Air blind men with self-love; that though in others they abhor unrighteousness, yet themselves can rashly proceed to sentence, before they understood him, yea some of them, before they had read one Leaf in his Writings: Whereas others that have seriously studied him, and (with divine assistance) understood much of him, can justly as clearly evidence the true concordance of his writings, with the word of God in Holy Writ; and their inconsistence with conceited Sects, corrupt Doctrine, both of our own and former Ages, and all Heterodox Opinions whatsoever. Well may be said of him, what an experienced Philosopher writeth of Paracelsus; Curio praestantis viri famam, omni laude dignissimi, periclitari sinemus? Scripta sua non nisi ad Dei Gloriam, proximique emolumentum edentis; lucrum utique, ut calumniantur, ex aliorum per scripta ipsius seductis incommodis nequaquam quaesitum ivit; neque, quod inimicii sius factitare solent, ideo Medicinae dedit operam, ut ex aegris salu arem faceret; sed quicquid fecit, bono animo fecit, absque mercede, quam nec accepit, nec opus habuit, artibus suis ipsi absque aliorum detrimento abundè sufficientibus. Omnes prudentes veritatis amatores neminem ei unquam parem fuisse etiamnum credunt. Quod vero ignorantium quorundam invidia contemtim habetur, ipsi nihil derogat, i●se enim manebit Paracelsus, & high imperiti convitiatores, suam tantum impudentiam prudentes, etc. 'Tis true, in respect of the common stile of most Authors, his language may, to some, seem somewhat monstrous; So do the Characters of Letters to Children, primo intuitu; and many, even Scripture expressions, to the Ears of the Natural man Besides, he proceeds much by affirmation; not Disputing, but Convincing Error; having not received his Knowledge from men, or from the imperfect fallible Principles of the Schools, but from the true Fountain of Wisdom and Knowledge. Nor did he write, as most do, by transcription out of other men's Books; nor were his Dictates neither, the Products of his own Fancy, but by Divine influence; and (as is his own expression) out of his Three-leaved Book, which the Hand of God had opened in him: wherein he found the Knowledge, not only of all that Moses, the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles taught in Sacred Scripture, but of all Mysteries also in Heaven and Earth, as himself affirms in his Epistles, and many other of his writings. But lest his own Testimony should seem invalid, I make bold to insert what a learned Germane writeth of him. Now (saith he) when Reason supposeth that it is ascended up to the height, with its Wisdom and Arts, God hath stirred up this our dear Jacob Behmen (a plain unlearned Tradesman) and gifted him with such a noble endowment of the Universal Knowledge of God and Nature, and shown him the Centre of all Being's; How all things arise from God Originally, consist in God, and again return and flow into him etc. thereby to call man to the knowledge of God, of himself, and all things; That he might turn from the corrupt Dark being of this World to Christ the only Light etc. This high, rare, and precious Gift (which hath not been manifested in the like manner and Degree, Height and Depth, Breadth and Length before these times) our Jacob Behmen learned in God, hath employed in all faithfulness and simplicity, and laid it forth as it was given and imparted to him: And in all his writings hath laid his ground in God, and hath reared up his whole Building, very deeply founded, from Him: As Christ speaketh of the wise Master-Builder, that he digged deep, and laid his foundation on a Rock, whereupon he built his Tower on High. As it is clearly to be seen how he doth all along, drive and press at God, Christ, and his Spirit; at Faith and Love; at the mortifying of the old, and the renovation of the newman; And in brief, at the Restauration in Christ of God's Image in us, which did disappear in Adam; Also he showeth the Order, Harmony, and Birth of all things; and how they subsist by the power of the yet uncessantly working word of God's FIAT, and hold their Analogy and orderly proportion in the wisdom of God's wonders: But he doth not set it forth with words of Scholastic knowledge, and contrived Art of Wisdom in Babel, and of her Builders; but as it was given him according to the knowledge of Nature, in his own Gift. And though such Terms and Phrases as he uses seem hard and harsh at first, yet the diligence of an observant Reader, that earnestly desireth knowledge for his Edification, will (by the indwelling Grace of God) so bring him into a right apprehension thereof, that what before seemed difficult and dark, will at length be plain, clear, and easy, as it hath happened to myself. Thus far his own Countryman and Accquaintance. Moreover he had the knowledge of that wonderful Mystery (containing the Secrets of the whole Creation) The language of Nature, and that in his Native tongue; whereby the very name of every thing gave him clear Inspection into the Nature of it. This Knowledge had Adam in his Innocency, but by his Fall lost it: Else it had been understood (as our Author affirmeth) in the Language of every Nation. Now to the incredulous, if they could but fathom his depths, I should only bid them ask themselves this Question; Whether Art or Nature ever did or can produce such sublime Knowledge, such pure and distinct knowledge of the highest Mysteries? knowing that upon debate with their serious Thoughts, they must speak the Negative. But there is a malicious Ignorance possesseth many, by which they condemn all things above their, Sphere, and cry down that excellency in others which exceeds the fathom of their own Comprehensions: I need not travail for Proof or Instance, Istorum plena sunt omnia, They are no where not to be found. Concerning the following Tractate, it contains Four Tables with their Explication; wherein may be seen, by a spiritual eye, the Ground and Foundation of all the Author's Works, and profound Mysteries; Yea there is also clearly deciphered, that so much sought, and so rarely found Secret Cabal of the ancient Rabbis. These Tables indeed contain the Sum of all the Author's writings, of all his Knowledge, of all in Heaven and Earth, yea of all the highest Mysteries that Man, in this life, is capable of knowing. The First Table, as the Radix, briefly includes the rest; The other three are Branches of the First, and all together are properly termed an A.B.C. to all that the Author hath written; which when I perceived, I could not but much desire their publication; and not knowing when or by whom that might be done, I furnished myself with all necessaries thereunto; and so by God's enablement performed it with that care and diligence, which the Majesty of the matter requires. And though I know it a general Expect, that the skill of a Translator should illustrate his Author, yet that, in this and some other of his Writings, can not well be done; for whoever (not perfectly baptised into his Spirit) shall render them in the genuine phrase of other language, and not punctually verbatim, will force his Reader to a double loss, both in the significancy of expression, and in the mind of the Mystery. In a word, this following Tractate I have annexed to the Author's Life, and both, not unfitly, to his Mysterium Magnum: For the first ten Chapters of that Book, are not only introductory to the following Commentary, but likewise an excellent illustration of these Tables; wherein the pious Reader, by a due search, may happily find (pulsanti dabitur) a greater Treasure than the World can afford, and that to his infinite satisfaction; which I hearty wish him, together with the Life, Light, and Love of Jesus Christ; In whom I rest His Servant H. BLUNDEN 1 Table What GOD is without Nature & Creature. What God without Nature and Creature is, and what the Mysterium Magnum is: How God, by his breathing forth or speaking, hath introduced himself into Nature and Creature. Abyss 1 NOTHING & ALICE Father 2 Will of the Abyss. JE Sonn 3 Delight or impression of the William. HO Spirit 4 Science or Motion. VA 5 GOD in Trinity. Thus is GOD without Nature and Creature considered. 6 WORD in GOD. 7 Wisdom. Beginning of Mysterii Magni of the Eternal NATURE Here beginneth Mysterium Magnum as distinction in speaking the WORD; where the WORD by Wisdom is made distinct, Natural, Sensible, Comprehensible, and Invenible. The Eternal beginning of the Principles is here also understood, with God's Love and Anger, in Light and Darkness. GOD in LOVE GOD in WRATH 9 The First principle Spiri- 8 The second Principle Moving, Thinking tual Dark, Feeling, M●nd, Nature V TWO Angel, Light, Love-fire. 10 Tincture or speaking of the Trinity. I Desire, II. Prick or Science, III Angush, IV Fire, Angelical World Root of the four Elements. VI Sound or Distinction. VII Essence, or essential wisdom. Austere Cause of Enmity, Fire root of heat. Hard, Hellish-life, Hell, Sub- Growing or Greening in the Spiritual World. 12 Pure Element. 13 Paradise. Sharpness cold fire Root, Devil, stan- SAL, MERCURIUS, SULPHUR tial. 14 Beginning of the external World. Here beginneth the external visible World, as the out-spoken visible WORD. 1 Is understood the good Life of the creature which stands in the Quint-Essence. 2 The poison and grossness of the Earth and Earthy Life. 3 The Reader understanding these, all Doubts and Queries cease in him: and Babel is left in Ignominy. The third Principle 15 Heaven. Starrs 16 Quint-Essence Good Powers. The 17 The 4 Elements. devil's Poison introduced. Out spoke WORD. 18 Earthly Creatures. A Brief Explication of the first Table, of GOD revealed; how out of himself he continually begetteth, and breatheth forth himself: And how this Table is to be understood. NUmber. I. Is the Abyss, the Nothing, and the All. There we begin to consider, what God in himself is, without [or besides] Nature and Creature; and this consideration of the hidden God, extendeth unto Wisdom, Numb. 7. Therein is understood how God dwelleth in all, and how all things from him have their existence; but, himself is to all Incomprehensible, and as a Nothing; yet through that All, he maketh himself visible, sensible, and (a) Invenible Findlich. attainable. Numb. 2. Is the Will of the Abyss. And by it, at the right side, FATHER, and on the other side, JE. This signifieth the Will of the Abyss, which is the Father of all Being's. And the JE signifieth the Eternal One, as the Name JESUS from the Eternal One. Numb. 3. Is the (b) Good pleasure, Beneplacitum. Delight [Lubet] or Impression of the Will; by which (towards the right) standeth SON, and opposite to it, HO, signifying how the self-will includeth itself in the place of its possession: The place is the procreation out of itself; where God begetteth God; according to the good pleasure of his propriety. The HO is the breathing of the will, through which the Delight passeth. Numb. 4. Is Science or Motion: at the Right standeth SPIRIT, and over against it VA. Science, is the attraction of the Will to the place of God; where the Will comprehendeth the Delight which proceeded to the Son, or to the breathing; by which outbreathing is understood the Spirit of God. And here is understood the great Name JEHOVA, as the (d) Three in one. Tri-une Being; how the Father of himself begetteth the Son; and how the Holy Spirit proceedeth from both, and yet they be but one Being, which hath nothing before it. For the Science, in the drawing in, is understood a Root of the Eternal knowledge, or motion. Numb. 5. Is God in Trinity, signifying that the Tri-une Being, may be known, as a Similitude of the Will, Mind, and Senses; wherein lieth the eternal understanding. Thus is the ternary, the one Eternal understanding, and cause of all things. Numb. 6. Standeth WORD, signifying distinction in the understanding, as speaking, the (e) Or sensibility. Empfludligkeit. Perception of itself; which word abideth Eternally in God himself; and God as the Power of Perception, is the Eternal good. Numb. 7. Standeth Wisdom, signifying the outspoken Word, as the power of the Divine Contemplation; wherein God to himself is Intelligible, Perceptible, and Revealed. And thus far is God to the Creature, Invisible, Incomprehensible, not Natural, nor Creatural. Below the line standeth Beginning of the Great Mystery, or of the Eternal Nature; As of the Separability, Perceptibilitie, and sensibility of the Properties; wherein is understood, the Divine Extrication or Revelation, how God introduceth himself in the eternal Nature, in Love and Wrath; and not in himself, for himself is the one Eternal good, but without Distinction, were not perceptible or manifest. Here is to be Noted, that the 7. Capital Forms of Nature, are marked (to distinguish them from the other Numbers) with I. JI.III.IU.U.VI.VII. Numb. 8. The second Principle, standeth to the Right. And Numb. 9 The first Principle, to the left. Thus Numb. 9 signifieth the Father's Property, through the speaking of the Word in Wrath; And the second Numb. 8. signifieth the Son's property in Love; where the Love of God by the expressed Word is revealed. As that in Love, Numb. 8. showeth the Angelical power-world; and that in Wrath, Numb. 9 signifieth the Dark power-world of Painfulness, wherein God is an Angry God. Numb. 10. Standeth Tincture, signifying the Temperature of all powers, how there through speaking they go forth in Distinction and Forms; as first in the 7. Capital Forms, the Desire, Science, Anguish, Fire, Love-Fire, Sound, and Being. And further, there standeth by every Capital Form, what Properties are born and proceed out of themselves. For, if there must be a speaking; then the power must first contract itself, that it may breathe forth itself; than it begetteth that Comprehensive or Magnetic Impression, the something (which is the Beginning) wherein the Fiat which attracteth the powers is understood. I. Is the first Capital Form of the spiritual Nature, and standeth with Numb. I. Desire, which Desire sharpeneth itself, from whence existeth Sour, Hard, and the cause of Cold; and is the ground of all Saltish properties Spiritual, in the Spiritual world; and Essential in the External world. So also the Desire of Impression is cause of its own overshadowing, or Darkness in the Abyss; as all these Forms belong to Numb. I. To the desire of (f) Infassligkeit. Comprehensibility. II. By the second Capital Form, standeth (g) Pricking. Compunction or Science; signifying the contraction of the Desire; where the first enmity or contrary will ariseth; for hardness and motion, are not alike. Now in this form ariseth moving and feeling; as the root of pain; wherein is understood the Mercurial Poyson-life, both spiritual and (h) Essential. corporal; and in the Darkness the pain or Torment of the wicked life; Neither was the good life without the root of the Evil manifest unto him; and that is the root of God's wrath, according to the Perception [sensibility] of the eternal Nature. III. The third Capital Form is Anguish; which ariseth from the desire of Impression, and from the Enmity of Compunction, where the will standeth in (i) Cruciatus. Qual. Torment, and is there the cause of feeling, and of the five Senses: for in the Anguish all Forms grow Painful, and then are they sensible of one-another. And here is the Word become distinct; and is the root of Sulphur, both Spiritual and Essential, [Corporal] wherein is rightly understood the Hellish Fire in Darkness, in painful life, as appears in the Table downward. iv The fourth Capital Form, is called Fire; where is Understood the kindling of the Fire, from the painful Sulphurish root; for the Will goeth out of Anguish again into Liberty; And the Liberty goeth to its Revelation in Anguish: In which Conjunction cometh that terrible [like a flash of lightning] Coruscation, where the Abyss, as the Eternal good, is revealed; And is in the Forms of Nature, the Understanding and Life, in the dark Enmity; and in the Liberty is the root of Joy, or rousing up the (k) Faculties. Kraffen. Powers; and is the kindling of the Fire; in which kindling the Abyss becomes a shining Light, as Material. V The first form, is called the Love-Fire; where is understood how the Eternal good, through kindling the painful Fire, introduceth itself into an elevating burning Love-Fire, which Love-Fire was first in God. But thus only it (m) Infoldeth Wickelt▪ windeth up itself that it becomes sensible and moving, where in the good Powers are operative. VI Standeth Sound, or Distinction, as the sixth Capital Form; signifying, that the Natural manifested Life, where the Eternal Divine Word, through the Forms of Nature, hath enfolded itself; and where all the Powers of Wisdom stand in (n) Noise S●halle. Sound: therein standeth the Understanding Life; which in Light, is Angelical and Divine; but in Darkness it is Diabolical; As at the right, Numb. 11. standeth Angel. VII. Standeth Essence or Essential Wisdom, of the out-breathed word; wherein all other Forms are revealed; and is even the Essence of all Forms; as good as Divine, in the Light; but in the Darkness Evil and Devilish: And therein is chief understood Mysterium Magnum [the great Mystery;] the Angelical world is also therein understood; and likewise the Internal spiritual body of Man, which disappeared in Adam, when the Souls will departed from God's will; but revived again in Christ, that giveth to him for the Essence of this Power-World, which is that heavenly flesh. Joh. 6. And it is the dry Rod of Aaron, which in the Spirit of Christ, again springeth up in Man. Numb. 12. Standeth Pu●● Element, signifying Motion in the Angelical world in Essence; and is the One, Holy, Pure Element; wherein the four Elements, in the Temperature ●ay, and is a root of the 4. Elements. Numb. 13. Standeth Paradise signifying the Eternal springing, or spiritual growing, in the Spiritual world; from which the external visibile world, Thus hath this place been before the fall of Lucifer and Adam; namely, in an equal temperature or Harmony, of the 7. Planets and 4. Elements. out of good and evil (as out of both Eternal Principles) is breathed forth: In which Source and Regiment, Adam in his Innocency stood; when the four Elements harmoniously existed in him, as in the holy pure Element. Numb. 14. Standeth Beginning of the External World; signifying how God by his Word, hath breathed forth that spiritual Mysterium Magnum, as the Eternal Nature of all Spiritual Properties, into a visible external formal Being; and through the Fiat, as the Divine Desire, hath fashioned it into Creatures; There standeth the third Principle, where 3. Worlds in one another, must be understood: as the dark world of God's wrath; the Eternal light world of Divine Love; and this visible fading world. Numb. 15. Standeth Heaven; signifying the (p) Heaven is the parting-mark out of the spiritual fire and water between the Heavenly and Earthly. parting Mark, between the internal and external world; as of the visible and invisible Essence; which Heaven standeth in Essence of the spiritual fiery water. Numb. 16. Stands Quintessence; signifying the spiritual Powers, as the Paradise-Ground in the four Elements; as well the astral, breathed forth by internal powers at the beginning of time; (and is that good in the four Elements wherein the light of Nature shineth) as an outbreathed (q) Or shine Glast. fulgor of the Eternal light. Numb. 17. Standeth four Elements, viz. Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, as the created world, out of the dark and light world, which is the framed word spoken out of the Eternal Nature's Essential power; therein did the Devil cast his poison, which after the fall of Man, was accursed of God. Numb. 18. Stands Earthly Creatures; signifying that out of the Quintessence and the four Elements, were all Creatures of this visible World created, Man having 2. eternals in him; may be saved or damned. and only from them have their life. But the animated Man hath also in him both inward spiritual worlds, according to the internal soul of man; therefore may God's love and wrath be manifested in him: for wherein the will impresseth and kindleth itself, of that Essence it partaketh, and the same is manifest in him; as is seen in Lucifer. Thus have you a brief Intimation of the first Table, and [consequently] of all the Author's writings; faithfully imparted, out of a good Christian affection to his loving friends; and [is] as an ABC. to beginners. II. TABLE. In this second Table, God is considered according to his Essence in Unity; what he is, in Trinity without Nature and Creature, whereby he filleth all things, and yet needs no place. AD Father Will IE O Son Delight HO N Spirit Science VALERIO A Power Word Life I Colours Wisdom Virtue TETRAGRAMMATON. In this Table is considered the efflux of the Eternal Divine WORD; how the WORD through Wisdom brings itself from Unity into Separation and Multiplicity; as well in the Eternal Nature and Creature (according to which God calls himself angry jealous God, and a consuming fire; as well as a merciful God wherein is understood the foundation of Angels & Souls, and how they may receive salvation or damnation.) God's The Wrath, first or Dark Prin- World ciple God's 〈◊〉 Love, or Second Light Prin- World ciple. Similitude 1 T 2 I 3 N ● C 5 T 6 V 7 R E Desire or Comprehending Science or Drawing Anguish Fire Light Love-fire Sound Essence T Dark Feeling or Moving W●lling Painful Life Love-Life Understanding Working ere Austere Hardness Enmity Mind Terror Joy Five Senses Form NAL Sharpness Elevating Wheel of Life Killing Power Love Sperm In the Septcenary without by itself, is understood the Mysterium Magnum, as the 7. properties of the Eternal Nature. In the Novenarie downwards, are signified the properties of Life. In the fourth Form, as in Fire, 2. Principles separate themselves from each other, as Darkness and Light. N Fury Pride Despair Hell Glory Giving Taking, or Comprehending A Greater Death False will Lesser Death Souls ground Devil Souls Spirit Angel Praising Increasing T Standing still Breaking From Original separating Folly Wisdom Highness Humility VR Impotent Self-will Robbing Fantasy Knowledge Strength Throne The Second Table Expounded. THe word ADONAI signifieth (a) Or expantion. opening, or free motion of the bottomless Eternal Unity; how the Eternal generation, expantion, and effluence of the Trinity of God is in itself. A, is a triple I, which comprehendeth itself crosswise, as in a Beginning, Entrance, and Effluence. D, is the motion of the triple I, as the opener. O, is the Circumference of the triple I, as the birth of God's place in itself. N, is the triple Spirit, issuing forth of the Circumference out of itself as a triple I. A. This lower A, is the object, or operation of the threefold I, or Spirit; from whence eternally spring Motion, Colours, and Virtue. I, is the essential Effluence of the triple I, where the Trinity floweth forth into Unity. And in this whole word ADONAI, is understood the Eternal life of God's unity. The word FATHER, is the Eternal beginning of operation and will in the threefold I of the Unity. The word SON, is that Operation of Power, as comprehension of the will into which the triple 〈◊〉 encloseth itself as a place of the divine (b) Egoitae Ickheit. self-hood. The word SPIRIT, is the living, issuing motion in the comprehended power; as by comparition may be understood in a Flower: where the opening or working of the growth, is the beginning; the power of the working, is the circumference and corporal comprehension of the growth; and the Scent [or smell] which proceedeth from the power, is the motion, or the growing issuing joy-life of the power, whereout the flower springeth; by which comparition may be seen, how the birth of divine power is typified. The word Power, signifieth the breathing, going forth, understanding, and sensible life; as the foundation and fountain of the outflown knowledge of (a) Distinctness. Unterscheieidligkeit. distinction. The word Colours, signifieth the subject, or object of Power, where the distinction and Original of the sensetive life and knowledge is understood; whence an Eternal contemplation existeth. The word Will, signifieth the ebullition or motion in the opened Unity; whereby the Unity willeth itself into Trinity, as the Nothing, into its proper something, wherein it hath its Motion and Action. The word Delight [or Lubet] signifieth the effectual sensibility of the Will; as the highest ground of original love; where the will of the Abyss findeth its self in its (b) Aliquid Etwas. something, where it yields itself to something as to its sensibility, in which sensibility it worketh and willeth in its own Tast. The word Science, signifieth the effectual sensible knowledge and understanding in the love-tast; the root of the five Senses, and the ground of Eternal life: thence floweth the Understanding; and therein the Eternal Unity (c) Groundeth. planteth itself. The word, Word, signifieth how the Eternal love of the sensible unity with knowledge speaketh forth itself eternally into an object: The Word is the speaking or breathing of the will out of the power by the understanding: It is the driving and forming of the eternal power into an infinitness of Multiplicity; as the Creator of powers, out of the sole power in virtue. The word Wisdom, is the outflown word, as an object of the divine knowledge of divine will; as essential power of the great love of God; from whence all things have received their motion and possibility: the ground of all the three Principles; A Revelation of the unity of God; A passive essence of divine Operation; the foundation of all humility; the Genetrix of all knowledge of Creatures: An Eternal domicil of the active love of God, and a Ray and breath of the Omnipotent Spirit. The word JEHOVAH, is the most holy Name of God, as the Divine sensual life, the only good; whereby the Holy Trinity, with Glory and Omnipotency, is understood; the life of the Abyss, as of the Unity; which chief standeth in the only love: And therein also is understood the most holy Name JESUS: as the egressed I is the ground and fountain of the breathing of God's Unity, and a forming of the understanding. For the egress of the Unity, leadeth itself with the I into E, as in the sight or beholding of a Chaos; wherein the Mysterium magnum (according to the Divine manner) is understood; and is a triple breathing of the powers. JE, is the breathing of the Unity. HO, is the breathing of the JE. VA, is the breathing of the HO, and yet is only one bre●●hing; but maketh a triple egress, of the 3. Centres or comprehensions. And ●herein is understood, how the triple I, at last closeth itself in A, as in a beginning to Nature. Under [VALERIO] standeth Life, signifying, 〈◊〉 this threefold breathing, is a real life and power. Under that, standeth Virtue, which signifieth, the immense Virtue of such a breathing life. Now in this Table is rightly understood what God, without Nature and Creature, is, in Trinity; as in a triple breathing of the Unity in itself; where nothing can be said of the place, or dimension of his habitation: for God is neither here, nor there, but every where alike; as the Abyss is considered, namely the Eternal Unity without Nature and Creature: and thus is he an active power and essence of Unity. But that really such power and virtue is therein, may well be understood, in the effluence of the world, and the Creatures therein, generated by the breath of God: and there is nothing in the being of this world, which beareth not witness thereof, if truly considered. TETRAGRAMMATON. In this Table is also manifested how the holy Name of the Eternal power; with the knowledge hereof, from Eternity to Eternity; bringing itself into properties, in Nature to eternal light & darkness; and how the word of breathing forth, brings itself into a subject, and how self-will & acceptation of properties arise in the subject; wherein two Essences are always understood; as Gods own effluence; and then the properties own acceptation in the free will; in which acceptation another external kind of subject is understood; whereby the Unity in its Effluence becomes more external; and thereby the Eternal love bringeth itself into a sensibleness, and like a fiery flame, as in the working of divine Power. At the upper end of the Table standeth Dark World; and under, The first Principle: and over-against it standeth God's Love, Light World; and below it, from the figure 4. to the figure 7. the second Principle; which signifieth how the outflown will doth enclose and overshadow itself, with acceptation of its own desire; In the Eternal, is an Eternal light; but in the time here on Earth, darkness is the ground of Nature; and light the ground of the Kingdom of joy, the Revelation of God; that we may behold his works and ourselves. and with the self desire bringeth itself into properties, and causeth Darkness; in which Darkness the egressed one by fire in the Light is revealed and made sensible; and is the cause of the Light; in which Light Gods love assumeth a fiery operation, from the fire of eternal Nature, and shineth in fire through the dark painful acceptation; even as the light from a Candle, or day in the Night; whence day and night have their names in Time; but in the Eternal, there is also an Eternal light and darkness in one another: the Darkness is the ground of Nature; and the Light is the ground of the joyful Divine Revelation. The Dark world, as the ground of the properties of self-desire and will, is called the first Principle; because it is the cause of Divine Revelation, according to sensibility; and also maketh a (a) Own E●gen. proper Kingdom in itself, as namely painful torment; according to which God calleth himself an Angry Jealous God, and a consuming fire. And the Light which is revealed in the fire, wherein the unity of the divine effluence of Love is understood, is called the second Principle, as the divine Power-world wherein God's love is a love-fire, and active life; as it is written, God dwelleth in a Light which no man can approach unto: for the power of the unity of God worketh in the Light, and is God; and the fiery quality in the Light is of the eternal Nature; wherein the Eternal love of the unity Perceiveth and loveth itself. Below the first and second Principles (in the 7. spaces) stand seven numbers; which signify the seven properties of the Eternal Nature; And under it standeth TINCTURE, distributed in the seven spaces; which signifieth the Divine Word in the (b) Moderation or mean. Temperature, or equality of the seven properties; wherein the divine powers lie in an equal will, action, and being; as the outflown name of God, wherein is understood the great Mysteries of Divine power and operation; with the characters of the letters [on the left side] divided into the seven Properties. For the word Tincture, is that separating word, from whence flow the seven properties. T, is the Tau, or the opening of the Unity [m●nas] the cross of the triple I a ground to the breathing. I, is the effluence from Tau, or the egress of the Unity, as the cross-Angle of life. N, is the effluence of the sounding Threefold spirit. C, is the cutting of the sound; where the I as the effluence of Unity, separateth itself again from Darkness, and where the (c) Or a willing receiving. Annehmligkeit. acceptation of the Eternal will breaketh. T, under the figure 5. is that holy Tau, or the opening of Glory, in the fiery sensibility, openeth with * ●ewrenden Liebe. firing love, as with God's Kingdom: and signifieth the great strength of the Light-Power. V, is the true Character of the Holy Spirit with three points, the two upward signify the Fire and Light, and the third downward signifieth the Unity in love, as the meekness. R, with this the holy fire and light, is comprehended in an active natural essence; for it signifieth the Kingdom, as the Throne; and hereby is intimated, how the holy Name with the outflown will introduceth itself in Mysterium Magnum, as into the Eternal mystery, whereout (d) Originalis, is outspoken. existed the visible world. The great Mysteries of the Tincture, or the highest ground of God's Trinity. T, is the triple I, the Father. I, is that begotten I, JESUS. N, is the threefold I, in Spirit. C, signifieth CHRIST. T, in the fift Space, is the Father in Christ. U, is the Spirit of Christ in the Word, which quickeneth. R, is the Royal Throne, about which Darkness and Light strive; there Satan and Christ stand against one another; namely according to the assumption of Satan's self-will, as an Erroneous Spirit, and according to the Unity, Christ; where is understood Love and Anger in one Ground; but in a twofold Revelation. Here are understood those that belong to God; the other, (e) E●● Shelos darier an diesem Orthe. a Lock rather, at this place. In this Table in the 7. Spaces is the ground of Angels and Souls; as that Great Mystery of the change, in which lieth all Possibility. Sidewayes, after the seven figures, the efflux from (f) Monas. one into seven, is understood. The first Principle is to be understood, unto the Fire; out of which the Light is manifested: And from Fire to Essence, the Second Principle. And downward under every Proper●ie, is understood, what kind of Effluence, out of every property, in the cooperation of other properties, doth proceed; yet not so to be understood that One property alone, giveth the efflux; but all seven afford it; though the first Form is predominant therein, and retains the higher Regiment. As under the figure I. standeth Desire or Comprehending, whereby is understood, that the Desire is Magnetic, and encloseth, and darkneth itself, which is also the ground of Temporal and Eternal darkness, and from that (g) Orig. Drawing in. attraction, cometh (under it) Sharpness, Austereness and Hardness; and is the Original of wrathfulness, whence ariseth the Great Eternal Death. For this Magnet, draweth the Powers into itself, and in itself encloseth them; so that the working Standeth still, and steps into Impotency; as under the Number 1. appeareth. Under number 2. standeth Science or Drawing, which is the second Form to Nature; as the motion of the Magnetic attraction, from whence the sensibility of Nature existeth; and is the ground of all Contraries, for Hardness and Motion are Enemies; Motion breaketh the hardness again, and yet also begetteth Hardness by attraction. Thus two Essences have their existence in the desirous out-flown-will of God; as the drawing of the Magnetic power, giveth Motion and sensibility; and the thing attracted affordeth Essence; wherein is understood the cause (h) Orig. 10. of Spirit and Body; as in the attracting of sensibility is caused the Spirit; and in the extracted, the body or cause to Corporietie. Now if this attraction and Essence be not able to reach the Light of God's Unity, whereby it may be mollified; then in itself remaineth only a Mere Enmity, and is the cause of the torment of Fury and ambition: whence existeth selfpleasing, and Pride; for the will of selfpleasing is a false-will, a continual corruptor of itself, and its Essence. And in these two Forms, Desire and In-drawing, in their out-flown Properties, is understood God's Wrath; and though they be the ground of the sensible life, Yet if the light shineth therein, then are they the ground of the Joy-Kingdom, as an inward motion of God's Unity; and a ground of the five Senses; whence also the creatural life hath taken its beginning; and therein standeth its (k) Consumption. Uerte●bnus. corruption, so far as it loseth the light: for it is the Spring of Hellish Anguish, as the cause of painfulness; and is also the Root of Natural life. In the third space standeth the third Form of Nature called Anguish, as a spiritual Sulphur-source, according to its property: This taketh its Ground from the first and second Form; as from the Magnetic Desire, and from the Motion of Drawing; where the out-flown Eternal will, in that unquietness standeth in Anguish. This Anguish is the cause of Natural Will, Mind, and the Senses, and is the Wheel of Life, as the cause of the Firing-life: for when the out-flown will of God's Unity standeth in Anguish, than it longeth again after Unity, as after Rest, and the Unity or Rest longeth after Motion and Revelation, for in the Unity there can be no Revelation without Motion; and therefore the Divine will freely floweth out of itself; and the Divine (l) Luber. good pleasure in the out-flown-will, bringeth itself into a Desire and Motion unto a sensibility; that it may perceive itself, and remain two in one Essence; as the sensible Divine delight, and the cause of sensibility; wherein God calleth himself a Loving God, according to the sensibility of Divine Love-delight; and an Angry God according to the cause of sensibility; as after the Eternal Nature. And thus, we understand by Anguish (when the divine Light is not revealed therein) the Hellish fire, and an Eternal despair and Terror: where the Self-will of Nature continually standeth in a dying Torment; ever desiring to be released from such a condition, which I therefore call the (m) Little. lesser Death; it is the Eternal dying Death; but in the Hardness, it is the great still-standing Death. This Form if it hath not Light, is the head-spring of the false mind; but if it perceiveth Light in itself, then is it the spring and ground of the sensible mind, and the right root of fire, as appeareth in number 3. downwards. The fourth Form, numb. 4. is the Fire of the Eternal Nature; understand spiritual Life-fire: and that existeth from a continual conjunction or conjoining of Hardness and Motion. Understand, that thence ariseth the Painfulness; but the Splendour existeth from the Delight of the freewill; where the Unity of the Delight [good pleasure] is acuated in the properties; then like a flash [of lightning] it shineth through the continued Conjunction, of the great meekness of the Unity, and the Fierceness and Motion of the three first Properties; for than it is in the Essence of the Conjunction, as if Steel and Stone were rubbed together; whence the flash ariseth. Such a Flash, is the true Natural Life of the Eternal; for it is the Revelation of Divine Motion, and hath the properties of Nature; and also the Revelation of the Unity of God's effluence in itself. Now which of these two getteth predominancy, in that standeth the Life. The splendour of the Fire, is the Light from the effluence of God's Unity; and the Essence of the Fire is the out-flown will, which hath brought itself with the desire into such Properties. Thus in the out-flown fiery will, we understand Angels and Souls; and in the sensible sharpened Lights power from the Unity, we understand the Spirit wherein God is revealed, and understood in the spiritual essence; and in the Fire two Kingdoms separate themselves, as the Kingdom of Glory from the efflux of God's Unity, and the Kingdom of the properties of Nature; and yet [these two Kingdoms] dwell in one another as one. The Kingdom of Nature is in itself, that great Eternal Darkness, but the Light is the Kingdom of God; of which S John saith, The Light shineth in darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not. As day and night dwell in one another, and yet the one is not the other. Thus from the Fires own property, comes the painful life, if it break itself off from the Eternal Light, and doth (as in the property of selfhood) enter the object; then is it only fantastic and foolish; even such as the Devils were, and the Souls of the Damned are; as appears Numb. 4. downwards. In the fift Property of Nature, is the second Principle, with its foundation understood; (as the Essence of the Unity in the Light-power) where in the out-flown Unity is a fire-flaming-love understood, whence existeth the true understanding-Spirit, with the five Senses. The first three Forms are only the property to Life; and the fourth is the Life itself; but the fift is the true Spirit. When the fift property is revealed out of the Fire, than she dwelleth in all the rest, and changeth them all into her sweet love, that no more painfulness nor Enmity is discerned, but even as the day changeth the night. In the first 4. Properties, is that life like the Devils; but when the Lights-power (as the second Principle) is revealed in the property, then is it an Angel, & liveth in divine power & holiness, as appeareth in the Num. 5. downwards. The sixth Property, is the Understanding, as the Sound, where the properties in the Light stand all in an equality; then they rejoice, and the power of the five Senses is manifest, and all the properties rejoice in one another; and thus the love of the Unity leadeth itself into working, willing, sensibility, finding, and (n) Highness' Pochkeit. celsitude. Thus is there a contrary in the Eternal Nature; that the Properties existing therein, the love is known, and that there might be something, to be beloved, wherein the Eternal Love of God's Unity may work, and God may be praised. For if the properties of life be penetrated with the Divine love-flame, than they praise the great love of God, & yield themselves all again into the Unity of God. Such rejoicing & knowledge could not be revealed in the Unity, did not the Eternal will bring itself into painful moving properties. The Seaventh Property, is that Essence, wherein all the other are essential; wherein they all act, as the Soul doth in the Body: wherein the Natural, Essential, Eternal Wisdom of God (as the Mysterium Magnum) is understood; out of which the visible World, with its Essence and Creatures, did arise. Thus by this Table is understood the hidden Spiritual world, as the Eternal manifestation of God; from whence the Angels and Souls of Men received their existence; therefore may they turn themselves to evil or good, for both lie in their Centre. This Spiritual world is no other than Gods revealed Word, and hath its being from Eternity to Eternity; for therein is Heaven and Hell understood. III. TABLE. The seven Properties of the visible World, or external Nature. MACROCOSMUS In this Table is signified, how the hidden Spiritual, Eternal Word, (as the Mysterium magnum) by the motion of God's Word issued forth, and became visible, manifest, and Material; And how the inward Powers, through Gods working, have comprehended and fashioned themselves; how good and bad in every thing is to be understood; and yet there was no evil in Mysterium magnum, but existed through the sensibility and assumption of self-desire. Here also is showed what in the working issued forth from every property, and which have the predominancy; according to which every thing is form and governed. 1 Ground 2 of 3 Nature 4 Pure 5 Element 6 Para- 7 dise Cold, Earth, Snow Original of Air Fire of Essence Heaven Light of Nature Starrs Water Saturn Mercury the planet Mars Sol Venus Soft Jupiter Luna Sal Mercury thunder Sulphur Flash Salniter Oil Power Body Black, Grey Mixt-colours Red Yellow Green, and white within Blue White without within Red and Green Melancholy Choleric Sanguine Phlegmatic Grossness of Stone Metal, Stone Rust Growing Pearls Jewels Menstruum Lead Quick silver Iron, St●el Gold Copper Tinn Silver Bone Wood Herbs Resin Tincture in the Earth Sweet Bitter Grass Sour Poison Woes Opening Healing Sren●thning Flesh Stopping Smelling Feeling Seeing Tasting Hearing Loathing of Nature Dying Lying Wrath War Richesse Noble Reason Own possession Lord Craft Force Justi●e Faithful Truth Simplicity Stealing Deceiving Losing Finding Earthly Love being friendly Lightminded Obstinate Sad Confounded Senses Careless Constant Pure Joyful Ignorant Earthly Beast'y Evil Heavenly Modest Sensible Low olfe Fox Dog Lion Bird Ape Great Beasts Worms Venomous Worms Evil Beasts Good Beasts Flying Beasts Tame Beasts Fish. An Explanation of the third Table, MACROCOSMUS. IN this Table is understood, how the hidden spiritual world hath made itself visible; and with its own breathing forth, hath made it (a) Gegenwurff. an object where the Eternal Principles are out-flown; and the powers therein became co-material. For the External Nature is no other than an efflux or object of the Eternal Nature. The 4. Elements exist from the first 4 Properties of the Eternal Nature; as the Earth and grossness of all Essences of the Dark desire, where the other six Properties always became co-material; as we may conceive of Metals and Powers, good and bad. The Air existeth from the motion of the Magnetic Impression; The Water from the abruption [breaking off] of the Impression, where Heat and Cold are in Strife; the Fire of the spiritual fire. The cold is Perceived in the Magnetic sharpness, as in the right root to Fire. Before the seven Properties, above the Table, standeth Ground of Nature distributed in the three first Forms. And in the fourth and fift Form or property, is divided the word Pure Element. With the word Ground of Nature, is understood the root of the 4. Elements, The Pure Element is the equality in the Elements; and is called the Quint-essence of the Elements; as the Tincture of the equality of Nature: both are that occult Arcanum so much sought for. as the four causes of Motion and Sensibility. By the word Pure Element, is understood the Temperature, or the equality of Nature, and the four Elements; where the Light also is sensible, Moving, and Elemental. Thus is understood, how the Eternal Element, as the motion of Divine Power is accuated by the ground of Nature, and revealed in the Light; where the pure Element is the motion of the inward Spiritual world; and at the Creation of the world, went forth into a Being; and is understood of the fift Essence. The word Paradise in the 6. and 7. Properties, signifieth the spiritual work in the Lights Essence; as a springing up, or spiritual growth, which at the beginning of the world, sprung up through all the 4. Elements; and out of the Earth form itself into all manner of fruits, and changed all the properties of wrathfulness into a Temperature. But when those fierce properties, with the 4. Elements, were awakened, by the alienated desire, and false will in Adam, and attained the Dominion, than the Greening [springing forth] retired back; that is, it remained in the Tincture of the inward Ground, and is yet in the 4. Elements, but, in the Inward Pure Element only; and may not be attained but in the New-birth of the inner man; and in the material Tincture, wherein the Paradisical working is also manifest to our understanding. This Table showeth from whence all Essences [or Being's] in this world did arise; and what the Creator is; namely that the Creator hath been the divine power-world; which the (b) Monas Unity, as the Eternal will, hath moved, which will, is God himself, But the Separator or Divider, Einheit. God made first the Angelical light world, which in this place (after the Devil's Apostasy) separated into this external visible essence. was the out flown will in the spiritual world; in such motion, he issued out of himself, and made him a subject for his working; in which motion, one subject issued out of another continually, until the external matter of the Earth (through the divine motion) was drawn into a Mass or Chaos: and this drawing of the Motion standeth thus still: all things therefore fall in the deep towards the Earth; and that is the reason, that all Power of motion, even to this day, and to the end of Time, continueth so. The seven Days, and seven Planets, signify the seven Properties of the spiritual world, The three Principle in Spiritu Mundi, as Sal, Sulphur, and Mercurius, signify the Trinity of the divine Revelation; as an everlasting Spring or Fountain, whereout all external Creatures are flown, do flow, and will flow, even to the end of this time; and therein the Separator, with the 7 Properties, is understood. In this Table we see what proceeded from the 7 Properties; and how the Spiritual power hath brought itself into a Material one (as in the seven spaces downwards appears) whereby we may understand whence Good and Evil sprung up in this World. IV TABLE. MICROCOSMUS. In this Table MAN is held forth; What he hath been in Paradise; as also how the Properties in him (without assuming Selfdefire) equally stood in the Image of God: and what he is become through Satan's Deceits: what that Monster of the Serpent (whereby he is become earthly and mortal) is in him. And then how God's Word and LOVE came in to help him again, new born in CHRIST, daily destroying that Serpen tine Image: also in what danger & misery he standeth in such an Image, either on the ground of Hell or Heaven. Also a similitude of Divine Revelation and Knowledge in the seven Properties according to Time and Eternity, form out of all the Three Principles; for a further understanding how he is wisely to regulate his Life; and unto what driving [impulsion] he should yield himself. Humane Ground before and after the FALL 1 T S 2 I OU 3 N L 4 C E S 5 T PIR 6 U IT 7 R BODY ♄ Saturday ☿ Wednsday ♂ Tuesday ☉ Sunday ♀ Friday ♃ Thursday ☽ Monday Adam in Paradise .... Erring sp. Christ Desire ... Sharpness ... God's word Motion ... Anger ... Life Sensibility ... Pain ... Acceptance Seeing ... Bitter woe ... Sweet Loving ... Hating ... Glory Rejoicing ... Despair ... Power Heavenly flesh ... Passion ... Divine Essence Adam in Paradise ... Satan ... Christ Similitude ... self-seeking ... God's unity Out going Spirit ... Self-knowl .... Resignation Heating ... Self-will ... Suffering High ... Dominiering ... Yielding Humble Will ... Pride ... Desire Praising ... Reproaching ... Equality of Power Unity ... Folly ... Wisdom Adam in Paradise ... Satan ... Christ Tasting ... Desire of division ... Baptism Thinking ... Lying ... Law Mind ... Anguish ... Breaking Understanding ... Doubting ... Hoping Spirit ... Fall ... Humility Speaking ... Stink ... Believing Evestrum of Nature ... Extruding ... Genius or Type Adam in Paradise ... Satan ... Christ Strength ... Lord ... Humility Pentrating ... Potent ... Obedience Might ... Malice ... Mercy Holy ... Thirsty ... Forgiving Modest ... Wanton ... Going Powerful ... Mad ... Generating Throne ... Self honour ... reverence Adam in Paradise ... Satan ... Christ Angel ... Devil ... Christ Officious ... Perverse ... returning Mild ... Thievish mind ... repentance Friendly ... Murder ... New life Beauty ... Belial 's Whore ... Holy Virtue ... Poison ... Restoring Diligent ... Earthly flesh ... Sophia Adam in Paradise ... Satan ... Christ Heaven ... Hell or Perdition ... Christ's Calling, Child like ... Strife .... Teaching, Secret .... Torment ... Dissolving, Manifest ... Ever falling ... New-mind, Singing ... Fantasy .... Rejoicing Sounding ... Changing ... Praying, Paradise ... A Den of the Deep ... Springing. An Explanation of the fourth Table. MICROCOSMUS. IN this Table, Man is held forth as a similitude of the Three worlds, What Man is in his Trinity; as first according to Paradise; Secondly, according to the Spirit of Error; Thirdly, according to the New-birth, which Christ reacheth and will have, John 3. according to the Soul, Spirit, and Body; What he hath been in the beginning, according to his Creation; What he is become in the fall, by the Spirit of Error; and What he will be in the new birth through the Spirit of Christ; which is a true Essential Image, out of the three Principles of the Divine Revelation; as from the outflown Word of the Divine will. Man according to the Soul, is an Eternal Nature of the firing quality, as a spark out of the Centre, from whence the fire existeth: If this ground cannot reach into the divine Light; then is it a Darkness of the Magnetic attractive desiring power; but if he reacheth out of the fire, unto the light, that his Magnetic desire feeds on the out-flown Unity of God's Love; the ariseth from that fire the good true Spirit, even as light shineth out of a Candle. These are now two Principles, the Soul, in the fire of Eternal Nature; and the Spirit in the light of Divine Power. But the Body is the third Principle; as an Essence of the visible world, from the Stars and Elements, form into an Image, out of the seven Properties of Nature. The Soul hath the seven Properties of the inward Spiritual world, N. B. The Difference between the Soul, and the Spirit of the Soul which without God, is but a dead Image. according to Nature; But the Spirit of the Soul is without these Properties; for it standeth out of Nature, in God's unity but through the Souls fiery Nature, is manifested in the Soul; for it is the true Image of God; as an Idea, in which God himself worketh and dwelleth; so far as the Soul brings her desire into God, and submits unto God's Will: if that be not done, then is this Idea, or Spirit of the Soul, dumb and actless [not working], standing like an Image in a Looking-Glass, which soon vanisheth, and hath no being, as it befell Adam in the Fall. But if the Soul submits to God, and bringeth its Magnetic hunger into God's Love, the Soul than attracteth divine Essence, namely, the Essential Wisdom of God; then her Idea or Spirit becometh Essential in the Lights power, and obtaineth a pious life; as being then the true Temple of God, wherein God's Unity is revealed and operative. But if the Soul herself with her desire, bring in self-love; and with her desire turn herself into the seven Properties, to try them; and feedeth on the vain delights of the seven Properties; then she extols herself, and maketh to herself an (a) Evestrum is a continued Astral Influence in the 4. Elements, and likewise, an Astral Spirit in Man. Evestrum, as an astral Object; which Evestrum presently hungreth after the vanity of the false delight; even as it befell Lucifer and Adam, where the Evestrum of Lucifer imagined itself into a Fantasy; and the Evestrum of Adam's Soul, into the Animalish Properties of the External world; whereby the Soul was poisoned, and the Body (out of the Earth's Lincus) was suddenly infected; that the Animalish properties awakened in him, and longed after Earthly, Beastly sustenance; as Heat, Cold, Sharp, Bitter, How the holy similit●●● of God in Man become quenched, a monstrous Image assumed. Sweet and Sour; and with these Properties introduced itself into a springing fountain of such delights; and so with the desire, Fed on Good and Evil; whereby the Image of God, as the Idea, became obscure and unactive. Thus the true Spirit (as the active Idea) became dumb and dead, even as an Image in a Looking-glass; and so was the Soul cut of from God, and stood in a Natural will; but Gods will in the Spirit worked worked no more; and the will of the Evestrum (as the Opposite Image of the dark eternal world began [to work], for the holy Genius was changed. At the head of this Table standeth TINCTURE divided into the seve●●● Properties; which signifieth the Equality of the seven Properties according to the Soul & Body that in the first man before the fall, the properties [or inclination] to separation, (b) Acceptabilitie Annehmligkeit. and Acceptation, stood in a like will; and all its desires were brought into God Unity: thus were they the true Paradise; for the Essential Spirit with the Unity of God, was revealed in them, who were to work through God's love in all things. But the Devil envied them, and with his false Lust deceived the seven Properties of life, and persuaded them, it would be good for them, and they should become wise; if the Properties (each one according to its kind) would introduce themselves into self-Acceptance, then should the Spirit taste and know what was Good and Evil: but than it could not subsist in God's Unity, of that he told them nothing. But no sooner had they brought themselves in their own lusts, than such a strife and contention awakened in them, tha●●ll the Properties began to be form in their self-hood. Thus the Unity, as the Element, was broken [or divided], and the four Elements strove for predominance; whereupon suddenly from without, fell in the Inequality, as Heat and Cold, and the Astral division working in the Body; and God's wrath (according to the Dark world's property) in the Soul; which caused in them (according to the Soul), Thus was our Nature first corrupted: which ground was never before so plainly discovered. Horror, Anguish, Necessity, and Eternal despair; and in the Body, arose Heat, Cold, Woes, Sickness and a Mortal life. Thus God's Image, the whole man, fell from his Ordinance; and became a disguised monster: and the awakened Properties presently began to set up their Government, with Envying, Murdering, Raging, Tearing and Tormenting. Love was changed into Pride and self-love; Desire, into Covetousness; Sensibility, into Envy; and the life's fire, into wrath: Thus was the Hellish foundation, in the whole Man, revealed, and ruled both in Soul & Body. Now this Hellish Foundation, is the Spirit of Error; for which man must have been damned, had not the Divine mercy, the Serpent-treader (a● the efflux of God's love) after the fall, been presently (c) Origin is in-spoken. promised to the New birth, in the Holy Name Jesus. Which holy Name hath, in mere mercy, and great humility for man's soul & body, given itself forth, assumed humanity, broken the power of the diabolical Spirit of Error, killed the lives self-will, & brought again the Properties into God's Unity. There the true Spirit (as the human Idea and God's Image) is renewed again, and filled with the Divine Love-Essence. And thus the human Soul, through Christ's Soul and Spirit in that love and divine Essence, hath again attained an open Gate unto God. Thus in this Table is held forth [or drawn to the life] what Adam hath been; what, through the Fall, he is become; and how he is again Redeemed; and what is his New-birth out of Christ Spirit. And these are delineated in the seven Properties under the Word TINCTURE. Soul's ground. 1, 2, 3. first Princip. Soul's Spirit out of God 4, 5, 6. second Princip. the 〈◊〉. 7. 〈◊〉, now ●●●thly. In which Properties the Soul hath its Centre, and in which the Spirit, and in which the Body [have their Centres also] of which the Reader may further consider; for under them stand the seven Days of the week, intimating, that Man is even the same. This Table showeth what Man is internally and externally; first according to the good Adam, and then according to the corrupted Adam; and also what he is again in Christ. Whereby, we may understand, how Evil and Good is man; and whence exist the Property of good and evil, both in the mind and senses. By the word Satan (signifying the Spirit of Error) is not understood a Creaturely-Devill; but the Spring [or fountain] of the Spirit of Error. And by the word Christ, is understood the Newman (according to the internal) in the Spirit of Christ. The other spaces, are understood as in the other Tables; wherein is understood the cause of mutation. FINIS.