- ' >\ YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ccw- t A/or/i ut e f THE WAY to CHRIST, Described In the following TREATISES: Of True Repentance. Of True Resignation. Of Regeneration. Of the Super-Sensual Life, *w Written in the Year 1622, By JACOB BOEHME, of Goer lit z in Northern Germany. 4 Tie Earnest — 'Be Earnest? CANTERBURY : Republished, with an Illustrated Memoir, by G. Moreton, 42, Burgate Street, 1894. [Price Seven Shillings.) PREFATORY MEMOIR. THE materials available for describing the Life of JACOB BOEHME are but scanty, consisting for the most part of a few surprising incidents, some of which, were they not so well authenticated and narrated by himself, would be deemed to be fabulous and incredible — and these in cidents, more or less paraphrased, have had to serve for the purpose of a Biography by successive Editors of his Works. jACon Boehme, though by trade a Shoemaker, was a very remarkable man, and became the greatest Theosopher that has ever lived. His writings are not to be understood without considerable effort working in spiritual sympathy with his ideas, consequently, they have proved to be foolishness to multitudes, and but few have discovered, what has been called, the Pearl hidden within them. Of JACOB Boehme's birth and parentage, it is known that he was born in the year 1575 at Alt or Old, Seidenberg, a small market-town in Northern Qermany, now situated at the confines of the Prussian frontier ; and within two miles of the principal town of Cjoerlitz, which at that time was a1 place of much- importance, and still forms a considerable business centre. He was named after his father, and his Mother's name was Ursula ; of whom he was not their only child, although neither the names of the other children nor any allusion to them beyond a " dead brother," appears to be recorded. As a boy he was employed with other lads to tend the cattle and such similar occupation, as could be found for him.near home. Even at that , age he appears to have been of a pensive and dreamy dis position and much inclined to reverie ; nor was he of a robust form of constitution : to which even in manhood, he did not attain. One of the earliest recorded incidents of Jacob's life is that which occurred to him while herding the cattle. It is narrated that one day at noon, having left his companions to look after the herd, he went to a hill close by called the Land's Crown, where a formation of the rock bore some resemblance to a cave, where, finding an opening through the brushwood, he entered, and saw a large wooden vessel filled with money : the sight of which so alarmed him that he ran back to his companions and told them of the occurrence ; but although they at once returned with him, both the entrance and the fairy-like money had dis appeared. Some years afterwards, as Jacob Boehme him- iv 'Prefatory ^Memoir. self narrates, a " foreign artist " found and appropriated the hidden treasure ; and, in consequence, came to an untimely end. The place of this strange occurrence is still known, and is one of the excursions from Qoerlitz.' It is called the " Landskrone," and is in reality a basaltic hill, on the summit of which an ancient Robbers' Stronghold formerly stood — which may to some extent account for the hidden treasure — and is now occu pied by a castellated form of building, used as an Inn and a " Belvedere," from which an expansive view of the surrounding country is obtained. As Jacob grew up and completed his elementary schooling, his father, not finding him sufficiently strong for agricultural work, apprenticed him to a Shoemaker at Qoerlitz, where after he had worked for some time another singular incident occurred to him. We are told that his Master having temporarily left him in charge of the shop, a man, who was a stranger to Jacob, entered, and desired to purchase a pair of shoes. Jacob, not venturing to sell anything in his Master's absence, declined to serve him ; but the Stranger becoming importunate about it, Jacob offered them to him at such a price as would certainly save him harmless from his Master's blame, and would probably deter the Stranger from purchasing. The Stranger, however, paid the price de- * manded and took the shoes ; and having left the shop, he called to the lad, "Jacob, come outside," or, as some of his Biographers more "dramatically render it, "Jacob, Jacob, come forth !" which the lad did, so soon as he had recovered from his astonishment, when the Stranger thus addressed him : "Jacob, thou art as yet but little, but the time will come when thou shalt be great and become another man, and the world shall marvel at thee. Therefore, be pious, fear God, and reverence His Word ; especi ally read the Bible diligently where thou hast comfort and in struction, for thou must endure much misery and poverty, and suffer persecution. But be courageous and persevere, for God loves and is gracious unto thee." The Stranger then pressed his hand, gave him a kind look, and departed — with the shoes. It is questionable whether these incidents were not visionary with, rather than of actual occurrence to, Jacob Boehme ; but the result of them was that his thoughts assumed a deeply religious form— far deeper than that of the mere " Lutheran Faith " in which he had been brought up — which so operated upon him in the years to come that his Spirit was able to pene trate into the innermost mysteries of Nature : to foresee and foretell what is now known as Electricity, with its immense possibilities ; and also to divine the three great Principles or first Laws of Nature— attraction, equal resistance producing orbicular Prefatory ^Memoir. v movement, resulting in gravitation : which Principles, Sir Isaac Newton, who was a diligent though unavowed Student of Boehme's works, by reducing to a Mathematical Form, established that grand Theory of the Universe — the Solar System : which Thomas Carlyle described as the most perfect approach to a Theory that has ever been propounded.* Meanwhile, however, Jacob continued his shoemaking occupa tion, although we are told that at times he worked almost un consciously for days together, when his thoughts were in devout contemplation. At other times he did not hesitate to rebuke any loose conversation to which the other workmen might yield indulgence, which so irritated his Master that he discharged him from his service, and Jacob was obliged to set out as a travelling journeyman. In the year 1594 he returned to Qoerlitz, where he became a Master shoemaker, and married Cat/urine, daughter of John Hunshman, a Butcher of Qoerlitz. About six years after marriage, Jacob's first Illumination occurred — the result, as he says, of strenuously clinging by Faith to the Promise of the Spirit to those who seek it — in the follow ing manner : We are told that while one day sitting in his room he noticed a burnished pewter dish, which reflected the sunlight with such a degree of brilliancy that he was overcome with an inward ecstasy, and it seemed to him as if he could now look into the principles and deepest foundations of things. He believed that it was only fancy, and in order to banish it from his mind he went out into the fields about the Town. But here he remarked that he gazed into the very heart of things, the very grass and herbs ; that actual Nature harmonized with what he had seen ; and that he could distinguish the essences, uses, and properties in a manner that was to him a most wonderful insight or Revelation. He is said to have kept his knowledge of the occurrence very much to himself, and returning home continued to take care of his family and worked on in silence until the year 1610, when a further Illumination occurred to him, and of which he wrote a Memorial. Of his insight into these Mysteries he says : " I never desired to know anything of the t)ivine Mystery, much less understood I the way to seek and find it. I knew nothing of it, as is the condition of poor laymen in their simplicity. I sought only after the Heart of Jesus Christ, that I might hide myself therein from the wrathful Anger of God, and the violent * Hahnmann also derived his principles of Homoeopathy from Jacob Boehme, as described in the " Signatura Rerum." vi Prefatory ^Memoir. Assaults of the Devil. And I besought the Lord earnestly for His Holy Spirit and His Grace, that He would please to bless and guide me in Him, and take that away from me which turned me from Him ; and I resigned myself wholly to Him, that I might not live to my own Will, but His; and that He only might lead and direct me— to the End I might be His Child in His Son Jesus. " In this my earnest and Christian seeking and Desire (wherein I suffered many a shrewd repulse, but at last resolved rather to put myself in Hazard than give over and leave off) the Gate was opened to me, and in one quarter of an hour I saw and knew more than if I had been many years together at an University, at which I exceedingly admired, and thereupon turned my Praise to God for it. " For I saw and knew the Being of all Beings, the Byss and the Abyss, and the Eternal Generation of the Holy Trinity, the Descent and Original of the World, and of the Creatures through the Divine Wisdom. I knew and saw in myself all the three Worlds, namely, the Divine, Angelical, and Paradisaical ; and the Dark World, the original of the Nature to the Fire ; and then, thirdly, the External and visible World, being a Procreation or External Birth from both the Internal and Spiritual worlds. And I saw and knew the whole working Essence, in the Evil and the Good, and the Original and Existence of each of them, and likewise how the fruitful bearing Womb of Eternity brought forth. "So that I did not only greatly wonder at it, but did also exceedingly rejoice, and presently it came powerfully into my Mind to set the same down in writing, for a Memorial for myself, though I could scarcely apprehend the same, in my external man, and express it with the Pen." The Memorial which Jacob Boehme wrote of his first Illu mination is entitled " Aurora, or the Morning Redness ;" but before the Manuscript was completed it was seen by Carl von Endern, a Nobleman of philosophical tastes, who, being very much interested in it, prevailed upon Boehme to lend it to him, and, having obtained the loan of it, he had several copies of it made, which thus got into general circulation. A copy also came into the possession of one who became a bitter Persecutor of Jacob Boehme ; and who in that relation will ever be associated with him— Gregory Richter, the Primate or Chief Clergyman of Qoerhtz, whose life-long resentment against Boehme appears to have already originated in an incident, ludicrous as it was trivial, which is related as follows : It appears that a Baker in Qoerlitz, desiring to make some cakes for sale at Eastertide, and not having any money with Prefatory ^Memoir. vii which to buy the necessary meal, borrowed a Dollar from the Primate for that purpose. The cakes were made ; and having sent the Minister a large one for a Thank Offering, the Baker sold the remainder and was able within a fortnight, to repay the loan. But the Minister having expected usury for even so small a sum and so short a period, and being a very passionate man, was greatly incensed against the poor Baker, and, cursing him, threatened condemnation to his soul. The poor Baker returned home much dejected and in superstitious despair of his Salva tion, and, his Wife being related to JACOB BOEHME, told Jacob of the incident, and begged his intercession with the Primate, to' whom Jacob at once went and interceded with, offering com pensation for any injury sustained. The Primate, on hearing of Jacob's mission, in great wrath, .ordered him to leave the house, which order Jacob at once pro ceeded to obey, praying God to keep his Worship ; but he had scarcely reached the door of the room when his Worship, who appeared to have been angered, at Jacob's goodness and humility, threw his shoe at him as he departed. Jacob at once picked it up, and with much reverence and humility laid it at the Primate's feet, and with another prayer for his Worship departed, leaving him in a state of great anger. The following Sunday the Primate reviled Jacob by name from the Pulpit, and informed the assembled and worshipping Council, much to their alarm, that Unless Jacob Boehme were expelled from the City, God in His wrath will destroy it as He did those who withstood Moses and Aaron. To all of this, Jacob who was a regular worshipper at the Church, listened with patience; and after the service, with much humility, asked the Primate in what manner he had offended ; but he only abused him and ordered him out of his sight. The next morning Jacob was summoned to appear before the Council, who were in too much fear of the Primate to listen to Jacob's defence ; and they sentenced him to instant and perpetual banishment, without one moment's farewell to his Wife and family. His reply was : " Yes, dear Sirs, it shall be done, since it cannot be otherwise ; I am content," and as one of his Bio graphers says, "he went out of the Town, spending the re mainder of the day in a melancholy walk about the Town fields, and the night in what harbour we kn6w not." But the next morning' the Councillors having somewhat recovered from their fear of the Primate, and considering that they had acted with undue severity against a man whose gentle bearing had evidently won their hearts, revoked the Sentence ; and sent for Jacob Boehme, who was brought back into the ' viii Prefatory {Memoir. Town with honour. They, however, requested him to deliver up his Manuscripts, which he did ; and forbade him to write any more ; but, as a Shoemaker, to stick to his Last. This occurrence, which was naturally much talked about, brought Jacob Boehme into general notice, and procured for him the friendship and — as his shoemaking business gradually declined — the pecuniary assistance of many clever and influential men of that time, including Doctors and Chemists, who were attracted by the "Aurora": particularly of Dr. Walther, Director of the Chemical Laboratory at Dresden, who had travelled in the East, and who was so much attracted by Jacob's writings, that he came and stayed at his house for three months, so that he might enjoy his uninterrupted conversation. It was this Dr. Walther who propounded the Forty Questions concerning the Soul which, with Jacob Boehme's replies — which were to the Doctor's great satisfaction— were published with Boehme's other works. Another important friendship was that of Dr. Kober of Qoerlitz, who afterwards attended Jacob Boehme's death-bed. It is said that from these learned friends JACOB BOEHME acquired the technical Latin terms which he uses in his works ; and we are told that when he first heard from them the Greek : word " Idea," he became as if electrified, and said, " I see a pure and heavenly Maiden." This is the Maiden whom he designates in his works as Sophia or Wisdom, and " who reflects the Glory of God, of the World, and of Man." For some years following, Jacob, in obedience to the Councils' Injunction, abstained from expressing, his thoughts in writing, which was a great hardship to him. He says, " I had resolved to do nothing in future, but to be quiet before God in obedience, and to let the Devil with all his Host sweep over me. But it was with me as when a seed is hidden in the Earth. It grows up in storm and rough weather against all Reason. For in winter-time all is dead, and Reason says, It is all over with it. But the precious Seed within me sprouted and grew green, oblivious of all storms, and amid disgrace and ridicule, it has blossomed forth into a Lily." At the expiration of seven years, owing to the urgent solicitations of his friends to set forth his Light, he resumed his writing, and in the few years following before his death he produced a wonderful series of works. His book of " The Way to Christ " * was published by his * It is stated by the late Mr. Walton that some ofthe German editions of this book bear as a motto " Be earnest : be Earnest," which has therefore been perpetuated in this Reprint. k* Prefatory ^Memoir. ix friends, and is the only one of all his Works that was published during its Author's lifetime. Its publication appears to have further incensed the Primate Richter, who assailed Jacob Boehme from the Pulpit and the Press with the greatest abuse,* some of it being too bad for repetition. To these attacks JACOB BOEHME published his Defence, written, as one of his Biographers remarks, " with an earnestness that inspires holy awe, and at the same time with a most hearty gentleness and love," — good feel ings which it is almost needless to say, were entirely lost upon the Primate. The superstitious fears of the Councillors too, had again been taken advantage of by the Primate, and Jacob Boehme was brought before them. They dared not accept Jacob's defence ; and extricated themselves from the difficulty by suggesting to him that, as he made himself liable to be treated as an Heretic by the Emperor, he should, for the peace of all concerned, go into a voluntary exile : which in two months' time he did, but before many months had elapsed he returned, for the last time, unmo- , lested, to Qoerlitz, to die. On leaving Qoerlitz he was invited to the Electoral Court at Dresden, where he had, through his writings, become well known. It is stated that the Elector himself much admired him, and assembled all the chief Theologians and two Professors of Mathematics for a conference with JACOB BOEHME, in order that they might express an opinion about him. After hearing him, Dr. Gerhard, who is regarded as a great dogmatist of that time, said : " I would not take the whole World and help to condemn1 this man ;" and one of the other Doctors said : " My good Brother, neither would I. Who knows what stands behind this man ? How can we judge what we have not understood ? May God convert the man if he is in error. He is a man of marvellously high mental gifts, who at present can be neither condemned nor approved ;" and these eminent men who ex amined him, afterwards became his warmest admirers. In England the opinion of those who read JACOB BOEHME'S works was similar to that of the Theologians. Charles the First was a great admirer of them ; and it is related that, after he had read Boehme's Answers to the Forty Questions concerning the Soul, he said : " God be praised that there are still men in exist ence who are able to give from their own experience a living Testimony of God and His Word ;" and it is to John Sparrow, * e.g. " There are as many Blasphemies in this Shoemaker's book as there are lines : it smells of shoemaker's pitch and blacking. May this insufferable stench be far from us." x Prefatory ^Memoir. ?> a Barrister of the Inner Temple, that we owe an excellent trans lation oi Boehme's works into English, which he produced between the years 1646 and 1662. It is stated that HENRY MOORE, a Professor at Cambridge, was instructed to examine Jacob Boehme's works and to report against them. He examined them, but, strange to say, he pronounced in their favour ; although he owned there were some things in them which he did not then understand, and added, that those who treated Boehme with contempt were, in his opinion, ignorant and mentally blind. The Professor was convinced that Jacob Boehme had been specially awakened for the purpose of correcting and guiding those who believed merely in an external Christ, without regard to having the Spirit of Christ within themselves. In the month of August, 1624, the Primate GREGORY Richter died,* having had the mortification of seeing one of his sons become an ardent disciple of JACOB BOEHME, whose works he had copied and circulated ; and a few months later, the man whom the Primate had so ruthlessly reviled and perse cuted also died. As to the manner of Jacob BOEHME'S cjeath, it is stated that, while staying with a Nobleman in Silesia, he was taken with a fever produced by gastric disease. At his request he was carried back to Qoerlitz, where he was attended by his old friend, Dr. Tobias Kober. On his arrival, he told his friend that he was dying, and that he was quite willing to die according to the Will of God, adding : " In three days' time you will see how God will make an end of me." This appears to have been on Thursday, the 14th November, 1624.^ + On the following Sunday morning, shortly, after midnight, he called his son Tobias to him, and asked him whether he could hear sounds of sweet music. Tobias said he could not ; and his father asked him to open the door of the room so that he could the better hear it. He then asked the hour, and when told he said : " My time is not yet ; three hours hence is my time" — as it proved. A little later he was overheard to say : " Oh, Thou * According to Dr. Martensen, who quotes from Frankenberg's Biography ; but according to Dr. Hartmann, Richter survived Jacob Boehme. There does not appear to have been much difference between Richter and his successor in their treatment of Boehme. t There appears to be some confusion as to the date of Jacob Boehme's death, by his Biographers. According to the " New Style " it occurred on Sunday, the ijtk November, 1624, as recorded on his gravestone ; but according to the " Old Style" it occurred on Sunday, the 21st November, in that year. Prefatory ^Memoir. xi strong God of Sabaoth, deliver me according to Thy Will," and immediately afterwards, " Thou crucified Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me, and take me to Thyself in Thy kingdom." He afterwards gave his Wife directions as to his Manuscripts and other matters, and told her that she would not long survive him : which prediction was fulfilled, as she died of the Plague in the following year. It is very beautifully related that towards the end his Spirit seemed to be kept from departing solely by the loving looks of his eldest son, who constantly attended him ; but, at Six O'clock on Sunday morning, the iyth of November, 1624, he suddenly bade them Farewell, with a smile, and said, " Now I enter Para dise " — the supreme moment arrived — and his Spirit was gone. A FEW months before Jacob Boehme's death, in one of his Letters he wrote as follows : " That which my Native Country casteth away, other Nations will take up." His writings are now universally known, and there is scarcely a civilized country in the language of which they may not be found. In personal appearance JACOB Boehme is said to have been "somewhat mean," of small stature, with a low forehead, promi nent temples, and aquiline-shaped nose, a scanty beard, grey eyes " sparkling into heavenly blue," a feeble but genial, voice. In his bearing he was modest and unassuming, patient under suffering, and full of gentle humility. His portrait in the Council Hall of Qoerlitz, from which the frontispiece to this volume* has been prepared, scarcely corroborates this description, and may be a modern idealism : it is however the authentically received portrait of him there. There is an engraving by Wolfe, which appears to be a more realistic portrait of Boehme, but of its authenticity nothing can be ascertained. It bears the German lines by Angelus, of which the following is a translation : / N Water lives tlie Fish, the Plant in the Earth, The Bird in the Air, in the Firmament the Sun. The Salamander must subsist in Fire, And the Heart of Qod is Jacob Boehme's Element. It is grievous to relate that after JACOB Boehme's death, the new Primate refused his body a decent burial, and the poor * The illustrations to this Memoir have been prepared from photo graphs specially taken at Goerlitz. The thanks of all whom they may interest are due to the Rev. G. H. Moxon, British Chaplain at Diisseldorf, for the trouble he has kindly taken in procuring the original photographs. xii Prefatory ^Memoir. Councillors of Qoerlitz knew not what to do, confronted as they were by the Clergy and by the Populace, whose prejudices had been excited against Boehme. The intervention of the Catholic Count Hannibal von Drohna was secured, who ordered the body to be buried in a solemn manner in the presence of two members of the City Council, which was done. It is said that the Primate's last characteristic act with regard to Boehme, was to take medicine to avoid being obliged to preach the Funeral Sermon ; and his Deputy began his address by expressing his disgust at the duty he had been called upon to perform. It is related that some of Jacob Boehme's friends in Silesia -sent a Cross, figured with occult symbols, for his Grave. On the top was a flaming symbol " with a Hebrew inscription, signifying ' iHSVH " with twelve golden rays. Below were the initials of his favourite Motto and a picture of a Child asleep resting upon a skull, signifying the regeneration by means ofthe mystic death, with an inscription: "Here rests facob Boehme, born of Qod ; died in Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit." On the right was a black Eagle upon a Mountain, with the word Vidi written beneath it ; on the left was a Lion, with the word Vict; below was a Lamb, with the word Ve?ii. One of his Biographers thus explains the meaning of these words and symbols : " Veni, I came into the World ; Vidi, I saw Satan descend ; Vici, I conquered the Infernal," &c. But others might render their meaning as : Veni, I came— with the gentleness of a Lamb ; Vidi, Tsaw — with the swift piercing vision of an Eagle; and Vici, I conquered in up holding, my convictions— with the courage of a Lion. It is stated that this Cross was soon removed and destroyed ¦by the. Townspeople ; whose descendants have, however, done ample honour to Jacob Boehme's memory. In the year 1875, on the tercentenary of his birth, a Great Festival was held at Qoerlitz, at which thousands were present. His Portrait has been received and hung with honour in the Council Hall ; his House is distinguished by having a plate affixed to jt, recording the fact that he lived and died therein; and over his Grave there has been placed a huge monumental block, which is, like his Works, sufficiently substantial to endure for Ages to come. IT has frequently been asserted by very able Commentators upon Jacob Boehme, that to no one are his works essential —with the exception of his " Way to Christ," which is the least metaphysical of any of them— any further than a knowledge of Physics is essential to an Agriculturalist, who without any such knowledge can cultivate the ground and reap its fruits. In like manner the Christian can cultivate an ¦XN Prefatory ^Memoir. xiii holy Spirit and reap its frhits without any knowledge of the Mysteries of Nature such as Boehme has penetrated and revealed to us. Jacob Boehme's Works are, as the Rev. W. Law long ago asserted, "just as they should be for those that are fit for them," and this is the true standpoint from which to regard- them. No one has ever studied them in vain ; and Freher, who is regarded as one of Jacob Boehme's most able Commentators, read all Boehme's books in the original more than ten times over, though not without the greatest disgust imaginable in the begin ning. During Jacob Boehme's lifetime he was frequently questioned by his friends and followers in their anxiety respecting the state of the soul immediately after death ; and upon this subject he has written some very impressive passages, as in a case where the Soul, not having passed through regeneration in this life, had at the hour of its departure clung by Faith to the Pro mise of Forgiveness and Salvation. He writes : " When the hour of Death approaches and the Conscience awakens, such a Soul trembles in great Fear of Hell, and would like to be saved ; but there is only very little of the saving power of Faith within her, while before her is nothing but (a past of) injustice and falsehood, earthly lust, and the tears and sighs of the down trodden. Her desire turns to a certain extent towards God, but the sins she has committed are in her way, and there arises in her a great doubt and unrest. Many a Soul then clings to the saving power, as it were by a thin thread. When, then, death actually occurs and separates the Soul from the Body, the poor Soul will then cling to that thread and refuse to let go her hold of it, but all her essences are still deeply immersed in the Wrath of God. She is tormented by her gross sins, and the thread of Faith (the umbilical cord) of the new-born being is very feeble. Therefore when the Bridegroom says ' Come !' the poor Soul answers ' I cannot, my lamp is not yet ready '; but she cljngs to the thread, and puts her imaginaion into the Heart of God, and thus she becomes ultimately redeemed by the suffer ing of the Christ in her from the pool of putrefaction.* " It is not possible to describe what kind of a Purgatoryf such a Soul will have to pass through before, by means of her little spark of love, she can enter into Eternal life. The World would not believe such a description ; the World is too clever and likewise too blind to understand it. People cling for ever * " Three Principles." t Jacob Boehme was of the " Lutheran " form of Belief. xiv Prefatory {Memoir. ^T, to the letter. I wish to God that rfo one should have to pass through that experience. I would then gladly keep still and say nothing about it."* There is no Writer with whom JACOB BOEHME can be* com pared. His " Way to Christ " might to some minds suggest the " Imitation of Christ " written by that good man THOMAS 1 Kempis ; but their similarity consists only in the identity of their subject. For the space of seventy-one years Thomas A Kempis led a calm monastic life, comfortably sheltered from the World and most of its every-day trials ; and *his work, though truly beautiful in its composition, is of a nature, perhaps, more poetical than practical, and is indeed in the original written in metre. Jacob Boehme on the contrary had to adhere to his convictions at the loss of his employment and means of sustenance : forced to silence respecting mysteries into which he had the deepest insight ; and banished from his home disgraced and ridiculed. It is therefore not surprising that his work should be of a nature strenuously practical ; the very title of his book the " Way," rather than the " Imitation," suggest ing activity rather than passivity of its author's own experiences. In conclusion. Those whom this republication may lead to the study of Jacob Boehme's Works should recollect the homely, but true, Maxim— that Where there is no Love there can be no True Knowledge ; and, if inclined— like the unenviably memor able Gregory Richter, Primate of Qoerlitz— to reject and con demn them, let it not be in his manner; but rather let them bear in mind the cautious tolerance displayed by the old German Theologian Dr. Meissner, who, when asked for his opinion of them, replied: "How can we judge what we have not under stood ?" G. B. M. I'jth of "January, 1894. * Answers to Forty Questions. THE ¦¦> FIRST BOOK. O F TRUE REPENTANCE. SHOWING How Man should stir up himself IN MIND and WILL, AND What his EARNEST CONSIDERATION and PURPOSE should be. Written in the German Language, (Anno. 1622) By JACOB BOEHME. JESUS said unto Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a Man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a Man he born when he is old? Can he enter the second Time into his Mother's Womb and be born ? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a Man he born of Water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is horn of the Flesh, is Flesh; and that which is horn of the Spirit, is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Te must be born again. The Wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth : So is every one that is born of the Spirit. — John iii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. What is a Man profited, if he should gain the whole World, and lose his own Soul? or what shall a Man give in ^exchange for his Soul. — Matt. xvi. 26. THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE, TO THE READER. DEAR Reader, if thou wilt use this Book aright, and art in good Earnest, thou shalt certainly find the Benefit thereof. — But I desire thou mayest be warned, if thou art not in earnest, not to meddle with the dear Names of God, in and by which the most High Holiness is invoked, moved, and powerfully desired, lest they kindle the Anger of God in thy Soul. For we must not abuse the Holy Names of God. — This little Book is only for those that would fain repent, and are in a Desire to begin. Such will find what manner of Words are therein, and whence they are born. Be you herewith commended to the Eternal Goodness and Mercy of God. OF TRUE REPENTANCE. How Man must stir up himself in Mind and Will ; and what his Consideration and earnest Purpose must be, when he will perform powerful and effectual Repentance : and with what Mind he must appear before God, when he would ask, so as to obtain, Remission of Sins. WHEN Man will enter upon Repentance, and with his Prayers turn to GOD ; he should, before he begin- neth to pray, seriously consider the State of his own Soul. How it is wholly and altogether turned away from God, become faithless to Him, and only bent upon this temporal, frail, and earthly Life; bearing no sincere Love to wards God and its Neighbour, but wholly lusting and walking contrary to the Commandments of GOD, and seeking itself only, in the temporal and transitory Lusts of the Flesh. Ln the next Place, he should consider that all this is an utter Enmity against GOD, which Satan hath raised and wrought in him, by his Deceit in our first Parents ; for which Abomination's Sake we must suffer Death, and undergo Corruption with our Bodies. Thirdly, he should consider the three horrible Chains where with our Souls are fast bound during the Time of this earthly Life. — The First is the severe Anger of GOD, the Abyss and dark World, which is the Centre, Root, or Constituent Principle of the Soul's Life. The Second is the Desire ofthe Devil against the Soul, whereby he continually sifteth and tempteth it, and with out Intermission striveth to throw it from the Truth of GOD into his own evil Nature and Element, viz., into Pride, Covetousness, Envy and Anger ; and with his Desire, bloweth up and kindleth those evil Properties in the Soul, whereby its Will turneth away from God, and entereth into Self The Third and most hurtful Chain of all, wherewith the poor Soul is tied, is the corrupt and altogether vain, earthly, and mortal Flesh and Blood, full of evil Desires and Inclinations. Here he must consider, that he lieth close Prisoner with Soul and Body in the Mire of Sins, in the Anger of God, in the Jaws of Hell ; that the Anger ofGoTt burneth in him in Soul and Body, and that he is that very loathsome Keeper of Swine, who hath spent and consumed his Father's Inheritance, namely, 'the Way to Qhrist. the precious Love and Mercy of GOD, with the fatted Swine of j j] the Devil in earthly Pleasures, and hath not kept the dear Cove nant and Atonement of the innocent Death and Passion oi fesus Christ ; which Covenant GOD of mere Grace hath given or put into our Humanity, and reconciled us in Him. He must also consider, that he hath totally forgotten the Covenant of holy Baptism, in which he had promised to be faithful and true to his Saviour, and so wholly defiled and obscured His Righteousness with Sin, (which Righteousness God had freely bestowed upon him in Christ), that he now standeth before the Face of God, with the fair Garment of Christ's Innocency which- he hath de filed, as a dirty, ragged, and patched Keeper of Swine, that hath continually eaten the Husks of Vanity with the Devil's Swine, and is not worthy to be called a Son of the Father, and Member of Christ. Fourthly, he should earnestly consider that wrathful Death awaiteth him every Hour and Moment, and will lay hold on him in his Sins in his Garment of a Swine-herd, and throw him into the Pit of Hell as a Foresworn Person and Breaker of Faith, who ought to be reserved in the dark Dungeon of Death to the Judg ment of God. Fifthly, he should consider the earnest and severe Day of God's Final fudgment, when he shall be presented living with his Abominations before God's Tribunal. That all those whom he hath here offended or injured by Words and Works, and caused to do Evil, (so that by his Instigation or Compulsion they also have committed Evil), shall come in against him, cursing him before the Eyes of Christ and of all holy Angels and Men. That there he shall stand in great Shame and Ignominy, and also in great Terror and Desperation, and that it shall forever grieve him to reflect that he hath trifled away so glorious and eternals. State of Salvation and Happiness for the Pleasure of so short a Time ; and that he had not taken Care in that short Time to secure to himself a Share in the Communion of the faints, and so to have enjoyed with them eternal Light, and Divme Glory. Sixthly, he must consider that the Ungodly Man loseth his noble Image, God having created him in and for His Image or creaturely Representation, and getteth instead thereof a deformed or monstrous Shape, like a hellish Worm or ugly Beast. Wherein he is an Enemy to God, Heaven, and all Holy Angels and Men, and that his Communion is, and will be forever, with the Devils and hellish Worms in horrible Darkness. Seventhly, he must earnestly consider the eternal Punishment a^d..Toilure of the damned; how that in eternal Horror they shall suffer Torments in their Abominations which they had com- Of True "Repentance. 7 _ . mitted here, and may never see the Land of the Saints to all I Eternity, nor get any Ease or Refreshment, as appears by thel Example of Dives the rich Man. All this a Man must earnestly and seriously consider, and re member also that GOD had originally created him in such a fair and glorious Image, even in His own Likeness, in which He Him self 'would dwell. That He created him out of His Goodness for Man's own eternal Bliss and Glory, to the end that he might dwell with the holy Angels and Children of GOD in great Happi ness, Power and Qlory ; in the eternal Light ; in the praiseful and melodious Harmony of the Angelical and Divine Kingdom oi foy. Where he should rejoice continually with the Children of GOD without Fear of any End. Where no evil Thoughts could touch him, neither Care nor Trouble, neither Heat nor Cold. Where no Night is known ; where there is no Day or limited Time any more, but an everlasting Blessedness, wherein Soul and j Body tremble for Joy. And where he himself should rejoice at the infinite Wonders and Virtues appearing in the Brightness of Colours, and the Variety of Splendour opened and displayed by the Omnipotent Powers and Glories of GOD, upon the new Chrystalline Earth, which shall be as transparent Qlass. And that he doth so wilfully lose all this eternal Glory and Happiness for the sake of so short and poor a Time, which even in this State of Vanity and Corruption, in the evil Life of the volup tuous Flesh, is full of Misery, Fear and utter Vexation ; and wherein it goeth with the wicked as with the righteous, as the one must die so must the other ; only the Death of the Saints is an Entrance into the eternal Rest, while the Death of the wicked is an Introduction into the eternal Anguish. Eighthly, he must consider the Course of this World, that all Things in it are but a Play, wherewith he spendeth his Time in such Unquietness ; and that it goeth with the Rich and Mighty as with the Poor and the Beggar. That all of us equally live and move in the four Elements ; and that the hard-earned Morsel of the Poor is as relishing and savoury to him in his Labour, as the Dainties of the Rich are to him in his Cares. Also, that all of us subsist by one Breath, and that the rich Man hath nothing but the Pleasures of the Palate and the Lust of the Eye for a little while, more than his poor Neighbour, for the End of both is the same. Yet for this short-lived Lust's Sake, many foolishly forego so inconceivable a Happiness, and bring them selves into so extreme and eternal Misery. In the deep Consideration of these weighty Truths, Man shall come to feel in his Heart and Mind, especially if he at the same Time represent and set before his Eyes his own End, a hearty sighing and longing after the Mercy of GOD, and will begin to 8 the Way to Qhrist. bewail his committed Sins ; and to be sorry he hath spent his Days so ill, and not observed or considered, that he standeth in this World as in a Field, in the growing to be a Fruit either in the Love or in the Anger of God. He will then first begin to find in himself that he hath not yet laboured at all in the Vine yard oi Christ, but that he is a dry fruitless Branch of the Vine. And thus in many a one, whom the Spirit of Clirist toucheth in such a Consideration, there ariseth abundant Sorrow, Qrief of Heart, and inward Lamentation over the Days of his Wickedness which he hath spent in Vanity, without any working in the Vine yard of Christ. Such a Man whom the Spirit of Christ thus bringeth into Sorrow and Repentance, so that his Heart is opened both to know and bewail his Sins, is very easily to be helped. He needeth but to draw to himself the Promise of Christ, viz., That God willeth not the Death of a Sinner, but that He wisheth them all to come unto Him, and He will refresh them; and that there is great Joy in Heaven for one Sinner that repenteth. Let such a one but lay hold on the Words of Christ, and wrap himself up into His ' Meritoi'ious Passion and Death. But I will now speak to those, who feel indeed in themselves a Desire to repent, and yet cannot come to acknowledge and be wail their committed Sins. The Flesh saying continually to thi Soul, Stay a-while, it is well enough ; or it is Time enough To morrow; and when To-morrow is come, then the Flesh saith again To-morrow ; the Soul in the meanwhile, sighing and faint ing, conceiveth neither any true Sorrow tor the Sins it hath com mitted, nor any Comfort. Unto such a one, I say, I will write a Process or Way, which I myself have gone, that he may know what he must do, and how it went with me, if peradventure he be inclined to enter into and pursue the same, and then he will come to understand what he shall find here afterwards written e A Process of Repentance j Or Way to Conversion. HEN any Man findeth in himself by the former or any other Considerations, pressed home upon his Mind and Conscience, a Hunger, or Desire to repent, and yet feeleth no true Sorrow in himself for his Sins n* ¦ c u "^ he hath committed, but only an Hunger, or Desire of such Sorrow; so that the poor captive Soufcon- W Of true Repentance. tinually sigheth, fcareth, and must needs acknowledge itself guilty of Sins before the Judgment of God. Such a one, I say, can take no better Course than this, namely, to wrap up his Senses, Mind, and Reason together, and make to him self instantly, as soon as ever he perceiveth in himself the Desire to repent, a mighty strong Purpose and Resolution that he will that very Hour, nay that Minute, immediately enter into Repentance, and go forth from his wicked Way, and not at all regard the Power and Respect of the World. Yea, and if it should be required, would forsake and disesteem all Things for true Repentance sake ; and never depart from that Resolution again, though he should be made the Fool and Scorn of all the World for it. But that with the full Bent and Strength of his Mind he will go forth from the Beauty and Pleasure of the World, and patiently enter into the Passion and Death of Christ * in and under the Cross, and set all his Hope and Confidence upon the Life to come. That even now in Righteousness and Truth he will enter into the Vineyard oi Christ, and do the Will of GOD. That in the Spirit and Will of Christ he will begin and finish all his Actions in this World, and for the sake of Christ's Word and Promise, which holds forth to us an Heavenly Reward, willingly take up and bear every Adversity and Cross, so that he may but be admitted into the Communion or Fellow ship of the Children of Christ, and in the Blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ be incorporated and united unto His Humanity. He must firmly imagine to himself, and wholly wrap up his Soul in this Persuasion, that in such his Purpose he shall obtain the Love of God in Christ Jesus, and that God will give unto him, according to His faithful Promise, that noble Pledge, the Holy Qhost, for an Earnest ; that, in the Humanity of Christ, as to the Heavenly Substance, he shall be born again in himself, and that the Spirit of Christ will renew his Mind with His Love and Power, and strengthen his weak Faith. Also that in his Divine Hunger he shall get the Flesh and Blood of Christ for Food and Drink, in the Desire of his Soul, which hungereth and thirsteth after it as its proper Nutriment ; and with the Thirst of the Soul drink the Water of eternal Life out of the sweet Fountain of fesus Christ, as Christ's most true and steadfast Promise is. He must also wholly and firmly imagine to himself, and set before him, the great Love of Qod. That Qod willeth not tlie Death of a Sinner, but that he repent and believe ; that Christ calleth poor Sinners very kindly and graciously to Himself, and will refresh them ; that ' God hath sent His Son into the World, ' to seek and save that which is lost,' viz., the poor Repentant and returning Sinner ; and that for the poor Sinner's Sake 10 the Way to Qhrist. He hath given His Life unto Death, and died for him in our Humanity which He took upon Him. Furthermore, he must firmly Persuade himself that God in Christ fesus will much more readily hear him and receive him to Grace, than he will come ; and that God in the Love of Christ, in the most dear and precious Name JESUS, cannot will any Evil. That there is no angry Countenance at all in this Name, but that it is the highest and deepest Love and Faithfulness, the greatest Sweetness ofthe Deity, in the great Name JEHOVAH, which He hath manifested in our Humanity corrupted as it is, and perished as to the Heavenly Part, which in Paradise dis appeared through Sin. And He was therefore moved in His Heart to flow into us with His sweet Love, that the Anger oi His Father, which was kindled in us, might be quenched and turned into Love by it. All which was done for the poor Sinner's Sake, that he might obtain an open Gate of Grace again. In this Consideration he must firmly imagine to himself that this very Hour and Instant he standeth before the Face of the Holy Trinity, and that God is really present within and without him, as the Holy Scripture witnesseth, saying, ' Am not I He 'that filleth all Things?' And in another Place, 'The Word is 'near thee, in thy Mouth, and in thy Heart.'— Also, 'We will ' come unto you, and make our Abode with you.' And, ' Behold, 'I am with you alway, even to the End of the World.' And again, ' The Kingdom of God is within you.' Thus he must firmly know and believe, that inwardly he standeth really before the Face of fesus Christ, even before the Holy Deity, on whom his Soul hath turned its Back; and must resolve that he will this very Hour turn the Eyes and Desire of his Soul towards God again, and with the poor lost and return ing Son come to the Father. He must, with the Eyes of his Mind cast down in Fear and deepest Humility, begin to confess his Sins and Unworthiness before the Face of GOD in Manner following. Of true Repentance. 1 1 A Short Form of Confession before the Face of God. Everyone, as his Case and Necessity requireth, may order and enlarge this Confession as the Holy Ghost shall teach him. I will only set down a short Direction. OTHOU great unsearchable God, Lord of all Things; Thou, who in Christ Jesus, of great Love towards us, hath manifested thyself with thy Holy Substance in our Humanity : I, poor unworthy sinful Wretch, come before thy Presence, which thou hast manifested in the Humanity oi Jesus Christ, though I am not worthy to lift up mine Eyes to thee, acknowledging and confessing before thee, that I am guilty of Unfaithfulness, and breaking off from thy great Love and Qrace, which thou hast freely bestowed upon us. I have left the Covenant, which of mere Grace thou hast made with me in Baptism, in which thou didst receive me to be a Child and Heir of Eternal Life, and have brought my Desire into the Vanity of this World, and defiled my Soul therewith, and made it alto gether Bestial and Earthly. So that my Soul knoweth not itself, because of the Mire of Sin; but accounteth itself a strange Child before thy Face, not worthy to desire thy Grace. I lie in the Quilt and Filth of Sin, and the Vanity of my corrupt Flesh, up to the very Lips of my Soul, and have but a small Spark of the living Breath left in me, which desireth thy Grace. I am dead in Sin and Corruption, so that in this woeful Condition I dare not lift up mine Eyes to thee. O GOD in Christ Jesus, thou who for poor Sinners' Sakes didst become Man to help them, to thee I complain, to thee I have yet a Spark of Refuge in my Soul. I have not regarded thy purchased Inheritance, which thou hast purchased for us poor Men by thy bitter Death, but have made myself Partaker of the Heritage of Vanity, in the Anger of my Father in the Curse of the Earth, and am ensnared in Sin, and nearly dead as to thy Kingdom. I lie in Feebleness as to thy Strength, and the wrathful Death waiteth for me. The Devil hath poisoned me, so that I know not my Saviour : I am become a wild Branch on thy Tree, and have consumed mine In/teritance which is in thee, with the Devil's Swine. What shall I say before thee, who am not worthy of thy Grace ? I lie in the Sleep of Death which hath captivated me, and am fast bound with three strong Chains. O 12 the Way to Qhrist. thou Breaker-through-death, assist me, I beseech thee, I cannot, I am able to do nothing ! I am dead in myself, and have no Strength before thee, neither dare I for great Shame lift up mine Eyes unto thee. For I am the defiled Keeper of Swine, and have spent mine Inheritance with the false adulterous Whore of Vanity in the Lusts of the Flesh ; I have sought myself in my own Lust, and not thee. Now in myself I am become a Fool ; I am naked and bare; my Shame standeth before mine Eyes ; I cannot hide it ; thy Judgment waiteth for me. What shall I say before thee, who art the Judge of all the World ? I have nothing to bring before thee. — Here I stand naked and bare in thy Presence, and fall down before thy Face bewailing my Misery, and fly to thy great Mercy, though I am not worthy of it ; yet receive me but in thy Death, and let me but die from my Death in thine. Cast me down I pray thee to the Ground in my innate Self and kill this Self of mine through thy Death, that I may live no more to myself seeing I in myself work nothing but Sin. Therefore, I pray thee, cast down to the Ground this wicked Beast which is full oi false Deceit and Self- desire, and deliver this poor Soul of mine from its heavy Bonds. O merciful God, it is owing to thy Love and Long-suffering that I lie not already in Hell. I yield myself, with my whole Will, Senses and Mind, unto thy Grace, and fly to thy Mercy. I call upon thee through thy Death, from that small Spark of Life in me encompassed with Death and Hell, which open their Throat against me and would wholly swallow me up in Death; upon thee I call, who hast promised that thou wilt not quench the smoking Flax. I have no other Way to thee but by thy own bitter Death and Passion, because thou hast made our Death Life by thy Humanity, and broken the Chains of Death, and therefore I sink the Desire of my Soul down into thy Death, into the Gate of thy Death which thou hast broken open. O thou great Fountain of the Love of God, I beseech thee, help me, that I may die from my Vanity and Sin in the Death of my Redeemer, fesus Christ. i O thou Breath of the great Love of God, quicken I beseech thee my weak Breath in me, that it may begin to Hunger and Thirst after thee. O Lord fesus, thou sweet Strength, I beseech thee give my Soul to drink of thy Fountain of Grace, thy sweet Water of eternal Life, that it may awake from Death and thirst after thee. O how extreme fainting I am for Want of thy Strength ! O merciful God, do thou turn me I beseech thee I cannot turn myself. O thou Vanquisher of Death, help me I pray thee to wrestle. How fast doth the Enemy hold me with his three Chains, and will not suffer the Desire of my Soul to Of true Repentance. 13 come before thee ! I beseech thee come and take the Desire of my Soul into thyself. Be thou my drawing to the Father, and deliver me from the Devils Bonds ! Look not upon my Deformity in standing naked before thee, having lost thy Garment! I pray thee, do but thou clothe that Breath which yet liveth in me and panteth after thy Grace; and so shall I yet see thy Salvation. O thou deep Love, I pray thee take the Desire of my Soul into thee : bring it forth out of the Bonds of Death through thy Death, in thy Resurrection, in thee. O quicken me in thy Strength, that my Desire and Will may begin to spring up and flourish anew. O thou Vanquisher of Death and of the Wrath of God, do thou overcome in me Self; break its Will and bruise my Soul, that it may fear before thee, and be ashamed of its own Will before thy fudgment, and that it may be ever obedient to thee as an Instrument of thine. Subdue it in the Bonds of Death ; take away its Power, that it may will nothing without thee. O GOD the Holy Ghost in Christ my Saviour, teach me, I pray thee, what I shall do, that I may turn to thee. O draw me in Christ to the Father, and help me, that now and from hence forward I may go forth from Sin and Vanity, and never any more enter into them again. Stir up in me a true Sorrow for the Sins I have committed. O keep me in thy Bonds, and let me not loose from thee, lest the Devil sift me in my wicked Flesh and Blood, and bring me again into the Death of Death. O en lighten thou my Spirit, that I may see the Divine Path, and walk in it continually. O take that away from me, which always turneth me away from thee ; and give me that which always turneth me to thee : take me wholly from myself, and give me wholly to thy self. O let me begin nothing, let me will, think, and do nothing without thee. O Lord how long 1 Indeed I am not worthy of that which I desire of thee, I pray thee let the Desire oi my Soul dwell but in the Gates of thy Courts; make it but a Servant of thy, Servants. O preserve it from that horrible Pit, wherein there is no Comfort or Refreshment. O God in Christ Jesus I I am blind in myself, and know not myself for Vanity. Thou art hidden from me in my Blindness, and yet thou art near unto me ; but thy Wrath which my Desire hath awakened in me, hath made me dark. O take but the Desire oi my Soul to thee ? prove it, O Lord, and bruise it, that my Soul may obtain a Ray of thy sweet Grace. I lie before thee as a dying Man, whose Life is passing from his Lips, as a small Spark going out ; kindle it, O LORD, and raise up the Breath of my Soul before thee. Lord, I wait for 14 the Way to Qhrist. Thy Promise, which Thou hast made, saying, 'As I live, I will not ' the Death of a Sinner, but that he shall turn and live.' I sink myself down into the Death of my Redeemer fesus Christ, and wait for thee, whose Word is Truth and I ,ife. A men. In this, or the like Manner, everyone may confess his Sins, as he himself findeth on examining his Conscience, what Sins he hath brought his Soul into. Yet if his Purpose be truly earnest, to use a Form is needless, for the Spirit of Qod, which at that Instant is in the Will of the Mind, will itself make the Prayer for him, in his Interior. For it is the Spirit of God which in a true earnest Desire worketh Repentance, and intercedeth for the Soul before GOD, through the Death of Christ. But I will not hide from the beloved Reader, who hath a Christian Intent, how it commonly useth to go with those who are in such a firm Purpose and Resolution. Though indeed it goeth otherwise with one than with another, according as his Purpose is more or less earnest and strong. For the Spirit of God is not bound, but useth divers Ways or Processes accord ingly as he knoweth to be fittest for everyone. Yet a Soldier who hath been in the Wars can tell how to fight, and instruct another who may happen to be in the like Condition. Now when such a Heart with strong Resolution and Purpose doth thus come before GOD, and enter into Repentance, it hap- peneth to it as to the Canaanitish Woman ; that is, it seems as if God would not hear. The Heart remaineth without Comfort ; its Sins, Follies, and Neglects, also present themselves before it, and make it feel itself unworthy of any. The Mind is as it were speechless; the Soul groaneth in the Deep; the Heart receiveth Nothing, nor can so much as pour forth its Confession before GOD ; but it is as if the Heart and Soul were quite shut up. The Soul would fain go towards GOD, but the Flesh keepeth it Captive : The Devil too shutteth it up strongly, and representeth to it the Way of Vanity again, and ticklethit with the Lusts ofthe Flesh, and saith inwardly to it, ' Stay awhile ; do this or that first ; get ' a Sufficiency of Money or Goods beforehand, that thou mayest 'not stand in need of the World, and afterwards enter into 'Repentance and an holy Life; it will be Time enough then.' O how many Hundreds perish in such a Beginning, if they go back again into Vanity ; and become as young Qrafts broken off with the Wind, or withered by the Heat ! Beloved Soul, mark: If thou wilt be a Champion in thy Saviour Christ against Death and Hell, and wouldst have thy young Qraft grow, and become a Tree in the Kingdom of Christ, thou must go on, and stand fast in thy first earnest Purpose. It is as much as thy paternal Inheritance is worth, and thy Body Of true Repentance. 15 and Soul too, whether thou becomest an Angel in God, or a Devil in Hell. If. thou wilt be crowned, thou must fight, thou must overcome in Christ, and not yield to the Devil. Thy Pur pose must stand firm, thou must not prefer temporal Honour and Goods before it. When the Spirit ofthe Flesh saith, Stay awhile, it is not convenient yet; then the Soul must say, 'Now is the ' Time for me to go back again into my Native Country, out of ' which my Father Adam hath brought me. No Creature shall 'keep me back, and though thou earthly Body shouldest thereby 'decay and perish, yet I will now enter with my Will and whole ' Desire, into the Rose-Garden cf my Redeemer Jesus Christ, ' through His Suffering and Death into Him, and in the Death of ' Christ subdue thee, thou earthly Body, that hath swallowed up my ' Pearl from me, which GOD gave to my Father Adam in Paradise. ' I will break the Will of thy Voluptuousness, which is in Vanity, 'and bind thee as a mad Dog, with the Chain of my earnest Pur- ' pose ; and though thereby thou shouldest become a Fool in the 'Account of all Men, yet thou must and shalt obey the firm ' Resolve of my Soul. Nothing shall unloose thee from this ' Chain, but the temporal Death. Whereunto GOD and his ' Strength help me.' A Short Direction How the poor Soul must come before God again, and how it must fight for the noble Garland ; what kind of Weapons it must use, if it will go to War against God's Anger, against the Devil, the World and Sin, against Flesh and Blood, against the Influence ofthe Stars and Elements, and all its other Enemies. BELOVED Soul, there is Earnestness required to do this, and not a bare Recital of Words only ! No, the earnest resolved Will must drive on this Work, else nothing will be effected. For if the Soul will obtain the triumphal Qar- ¦ land of Christ from the Noble Sophia, or Divine Wisdom, it must woo her for it in great Desire of Love. It must entreat her in her most Holy Name for it, and come before her in most modest Humility, and not like a lustful Bull ox a wanton Venus. For so long as any are such, they must not seek these Things ; for they shall not obtain them, and though something should be obtained by those who are in such an impure State, it would be no more than a Qlimpse of the true Qlory. But a chaste and modest Mind 1 6 the Way to Qhrist. may prevail so far as to have the Soul in its noble Image, which died in Adam, quickened in the Heavenly Corporality as to the inward Qround, and the precious Qarland set upon it. Yet if this should come to pass, it is taken off again from the Soul, and laid by, as a Crown useth to be, after a King is once crowned with it ; it is then laid by and kept. So it cometh to pass also with the Heavenly Qarland or Qift. It is taken from the Soul again, because the Soul is yet encompassed with the House of Sin; so that it should unhappily /