The Open Fountain in the Heart of JESUS CHRIST, be our Source and Constant Quicken­ing.

1. MOst Honored and much Esteemed Sirs, in the Love of Jesus Christ, and in the Union of his Huma­nity, my Singular Friends and Brothers: It is meer Joy unto me, and the Recreation of my Soul, that I do now perceive from divers places, that the most precious Tree of Christ our Salvation (hid through the fleshly Anti-christ) beginneth again to green from the very [Page 6] Root, through all the Gates of Darkness, in the midst of the Captivity of Babylon: Much more do I rejoyce in the Out­greening Plant of its Amiable­ness and Loveliness, Power and and Vertue; since I find my self also to be a little Twig on the same Tree, and that it is so sweet and pleasant; and I see this with great admiration, that it, as it were, in the midst of the Night beginneth to green forth with fair Twigs; yea, that in the midst of the Winter, Lillies and Flowers grow.

2. Is not this contrary to all Outward Reason, that an old, desolate, broken house (that continually expecteth by the Tempest to be thrown into heaps) beginneth to become New again? and set forth its first youth, as if it had never [Page 7] been old? We see now the first shape of this Tree, how it was in its youth; and how in the age and youth of it there is one Shape, Power and Vertue: Is not this a great Wonder?

3. We became in our First Mother (that bare us all) blind, and are now in our old age in the end become seeing again in the Mothers bosom: We be­came dumb and lost our Mo­ther-Tongue, and find it now in our old age again, so that we know our Mother in and by the same, and can speak with her out of her own Tongue. Ought not we justly highly to admire, that we were in our Mother, and knew her not? that we have been such a long time blind in her, and now become seeing in the old age?

4. But shall we speak of our [Page 8] Old age? No: We are a New Branch, born of our first Mo­ther; We were a dryed Branch on the Tree, but the Mother hath brought into us her Sap and Vertue, and brought forth a young Twig out of her self, wherein she will have Joy, and through which she will bring forth her fruit; yea, she hath born a young Son out of the Old; he shall not be blind, nei­ther go out from her, but abide in her house; for he is her only Heir, in whom she hath Joy.

5. Loving Brothers, Let us rejoyce and be glad in the Lord, that our City Jerusalem in Zion is now a building again, in which our Mother dwelleth, and shall also be our Everlasting Habitation.

6. Sithence then, Loving Sirs and Brothers, as I perceive, you [Page 9] stand also with us in the green­ing Essence, and have received a seeing Eye; therefore I desire to refresh my self heartily in my Members in the Essence of my Mother with you, in our new Life; and I beseech you, that you would understand it no o­therwise, then in true Sincerity and Love, as one Member is bound to the other.

7. That I thus will speak with you, is not done to ascend above your gifts, nor to exalt my self above you, because a sharper understanding is given me of the Divine Mystery: but rather take it thus, viz. that I am not become your Breaker, but rather a Beam in our Build­ing in the House of the Mother of us all; not through Humane Reason or Art, but he that hath Power hath so ordained it; even [Page 10] He that doth what he will.

8. Now a House must not only have spars and beams, but also Stones for the Foundation; and it must have divers Joynts. Now, if the Lord placeth one for the Foundation or Cor­ner-stone, and useth another a­bout the Building, then we ought to learn to acknowledg the one the other, every one ac­cording to his gifts; and not to despise or reject one another, in regard of the unequal gifts, as is practised hitherto for a long time in Babel: But rather consi­der the good and benefit of the House, and that the one Junc­ture must not be as the other, although it is all one within an­other, and is together but one House.

9. To me it is given to un­derstand and to speak of the [Page 11] Ground; to another of the whole Building of God, as in a sum: Yet the Ground and the Whole House is but One, it comes from One Spirit, and all serveth for the Wonderful Ma­nifestation of God.

10. Therefore if I shall speak with you out of my gifts, and shew you the House within, I desire you to understand and take it Lovingly: I do it not out of Levity and Presumption, but in true Knowledg given to me of God for benefit and better­ing, that our Pearl might be found, and the Enemy (that hath so long detained us captive) be choaked in his own Poyson▪ that we may learn to know the Wonderful God in his bottom­less Wisdom, and delight our selves in him as Children, like as a Branch on a Tree, in his Es­sence [Page 12] and Power; which Joy and delight is a greening in our Lives Essence: Therefore you will not interpret it otherwise.

11. You have sent me a Book to behold my self and also your Friends, and request me to open my knowledg thereupon unto you; which doubtless in my Writings (which you have in your hands) might be to you al­ready sufficiently opened and understood what I would there­upon answer you: Yet seeing it is for Gods Glory and the Benefit and Salvation of Man, I wil give you a short and summary An­swer unto it, and further refer you to my (other) Writings.

12. Of the Author himself, (who indeed according to mine outward Man is unknown to me, yet in the Spirit is not a Stranger, but born out of my [Page 13] Mothers Essence and Power,) I see, say and know so much out of his Written Words, (which without doubt are also his Spirit and full Will,) that he indeed hath wholly given over himself (as he also throughout mention­eth of himself) into the Mo­thers bosom, and desireth no­thing else but the Mothers Life and Spirit.

13. And that indeed the Mo­ther-spirit is in him, as in the old, and yet now in a new greening Essence doth keep the old in the grim Qualm Prisoner, and is so sunk down with the old Essence, that he cannot know himself; in that he supposeth, he is wholly and totally and throughout new and without sin and spot: This is truly and rightly said, yet on­ly according to the Inward new Man born out of Christ; but [Page 14] not according to the Mortal Corruptible Man, which the New holdeth captive in him, as through-piercing and wholly overshadowing him.

14. The Old Stock or Husk (understand the Body, which A­dam by his Imagination into the Earthliness brought into us out of the Earthly and Diabo­lical Essence, as a Contrary Qualm) is not that which greeneth, but the disappeared Image of God, (understand that which was given to Adam out of the Divine Substantiality, as from the Second Principle, out of the Kingdom of Heaven,) which by the bringing-in of the Earthly, dyed; or (as I might ex­press it) was again enclosed or shut up into the Eternal Qui­etness, as into that Nothing, when it lost its right Divine [Page 15] Life: and this is it, in which the Eternal Word became Man, and brought in again the living Substantiality with its Entering and Opening, and out of Death brought forth Eternal Life. This same Divine, and also in Death enclosed, humane Sub­stantiality or Flesh, became Man, (to which the Earthly Husk only did adhere,) and held the Earthly burning Death cap­tive in it self: Therefore we must observe a Difference when we will speak of our selves.

15. The Holy Scripture also speaketh not of a wholly New Flesh, viz. that the Old cometh to be conceived wholly New in Divine Essence, and begotten in God: otherwise it must follow, that the Evil introduced bestial Flesh with the bestial Properties were (become) exalted in the [Page 16] Power of the Majesty.

16. And if one would say, that the Earthly Qualm is whol­ly killed in the New Birth out of Christ, and that it doth whol­ly and totally dye in the Death of Christ, as the Author (of the Book) saith, That the old Man is altogether Dead and Nothing, and Christ alone liveth and go­verneth in this outward visible Flesh, and doth all: then must and should Man also eat and drink after the Manner of Para­dise, and enjoy only an Heaven­ly Qualm: For Christ eateth no more Earthly food, but Di­vine. The bestial Maggot-paunch doth neither suffer us to call the Whole Man (out of all the Three Births) Divine, much less the Kingdom of this World of Stars and Elements, which is the Qualm, Life and Regi­ment [Page 17] of the outward Man.

17. We cannot deny (be a Man so holy as he will) but that the Spirit of the Outward World is the Spirit, Life and Guide of his Outward Flesh; and we see clearly, how the out­ward Man standeth in a Starry Constellation; when it leaveth him, he falleth away and putri­fieth.

18. Yet since it is given to me of Gods Grace, to know what the Earthly, and also what the Heavenly Man is in One Person; (therefore) I will a little delineate and signifie, how things stand with the Author of the Book sent to me; and that out of the Ground, although in a childlike simplicity; for a Rule to the Author, and those that read his Book.

19. As for the Author him­self, [Page 18] I understand, that he in­deed may well be a godly Man, born anew, and holy in Christ with his New Birth in the New Man, in regard of the Inhabita­tion of Christ: For the Sub­stantial Inhabitation is through­out agreeing with the holy Scripture; as he also highly assevereth it; and I have in that Point no Objection at all against him: It is the true Ground, that God hath begotten us for chil­dren out of his Heavenly Sub­stance in himself, through his Power in the Word in Christs Flesh and Blood, out of his own Essence.

20. I understand also Flesh and Spirit in one Substance, and by no means Spirit without Flesh and Blood: I understand also, that it is come to pass in the Womans seed, and cometh yet [Page 19] always to pass; and I say upon sure ground, that Christ in and out of mine own humane Es­sence is born a new Creature in my self: as the Author also throughout saith.

21. But the Author wanteth the Understanding of the Three Principles in one another, viz. of the Threefold World, one within another: He distinguish­eth not one from another: He hath wrapt up himself wholly with all Reason and Senses, and hath cast himself wholly into the Incarnation of Christ, into his Suffering, Death and Resur­rection, and hath denyed his own outward Life. He desireth to live only in and of Christ: He rejects all, what is and liveth contrary to it: He desireth no­thing but what is of Christ, that Christs Life, Spirit and Will, [Page 20] may be his Spirit, Life and Will. Thus he is, as it were, sunk down into the Life, Will and Spirit of Christ, so that his old man is, as it were, dead; although accord­ing to the Kingdom and Qualm of this World, in his own Prin­ciple in himself, he liveth and is not dead: for he cannot dye, until the Spirit of the Outward World in his Constellation do leave him: and yet he doth not dye then, but goeth into the My­sterium of the Outward Prin­ciple with his Wonders and Works, until the Judgment of God for the Restitution of all that which we have lost in A­dam.

22. This right Christian En­trance of the Author is very Right and without falshood: it is also gone rightly with him in Christ, if it be so indeed (as I [Page 21] fully perceive) as he writeth of himself. But his knowledg of himself, what and how he is, were need better to be declared: He hath cast himself into the middle of the Tree, where he in­deed is safe, and stands very Well: But the Root of the Tree is yet hidden to him, he standeth therein as a Twig, but in the middle.

23. When a man will satisfie the humane Mind, so that it may yeeld it self into Eternal Rest, then a man must shew it the Root of the Tree whereout Spi­rit and Flesh have their Origi­ginal: A man must shew and manifest unto him the Center both of the Eternal and also of the Original Nature, so that he may comprehend the Earthly and also the Heavenly Mysteri­um. Then is the Eternal Be­ginning [Page 22] and the Eternal End al­together One; In this the Spi­rit of the Soul lieth down to rest, for it seeth the Wheel wholly and perfectly.

24. With this Description the weak corrupted Nature is very ill contented; for a thing is requested of it, that it cannot do. The Author saith, it ought altogether to dye, that Christ alone might live in the Flesh: This the Nature will not, but hopeth for a Renovation, the which it putteth on as a gar­ment, but not Essentially in Power: But as fire doth through-glow a stone; so the beams of the Holy Ghost go often out of the Second Princi­ple of the New Man through the Old. And as Iron in the glowing, and without the glow­ing, is still Iron at one time as at [Page 23] the other; so is also the Earthly Man.

25. He must be servant to the Inward Man, when the New with his glowing Divine Fire goeth through him; he also willingly doth it, so long as the fire-glowing shineth through him; but he cannot change himself into the Inward King­dom: For the outward Flesh and Blood, saith Christ, shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; it shall and must putri­fie, as an husk from the Essence of the Corn sown in the field.

26. You have, Beloved Sirs, the Ground of this Mystery in my Book of the Incarnation of Christ, and in a Book of the Threefold Life, very largely, how Man standeth in a Three­fold Life: Viz. 1. According to the Soul, in the Eternal Fa­thers [Page 24] Nature, and in the Root of the Dark World, in the Center of the Eternal Origi­nal, as in the Spirit of the Eter­nal Father.

27. 2 ^dly, How the right true Image and Similitude of God greeneth out of the Soul, as out of the Death in the Souls Magi­cal Spirits Fire, in another Prin­cipium, or in another World, and becometh free (as God him­self) from Nature, as also from Death, Qualm and Pain: and that the true Image of God li­veth not in the Regiment of the outward World, nor useth for it self the outward food and drink, but eateth of the Divine Substantiality, as of the Bread of God, Christs Flesh and Blood; so that Christ liveth in it, and it in Christ; and that same Eat­ing consisteth in a Spiritual De­sire, [Page 25] and also cometh to pass tru­ly and substantially; and that the Soul is therewith nourished in her hungers-fire; and that a great Gulf happeneth between the Soul and the true Image in the Death of the Fire.

28. As we see this in Fire and Light, and have therein a true form, pattern and similitude; where a man (by a comparison) understandeth the Soul by the fire-glow; for it is in it self (what concerneth it alone, with­out the noble Image) a fire-eye, consisting in God the Fathers Eternal Nature, brought from the Spirit of God out of the Fa­thers Property into the outward Created Image, which was Created both out of the Out­ward and Inward heavenly Di­vine Substantiality: and we un­derstand the Noble Image in or [Page 26] by the Light, and in the Vertue of the meek Light, that out­shineth from the Dying, as from the Consuming Qualm of the Fire: Where then we see, how the Light dwelleth in the Fire without any feeling of the fire­qualm; and how the Fire is a painly Essence to Nature, and the Light is free from the Fires Nature, and yet without the Fire it is a Nothing.

29. Secondly, I have shewed you in the fore-mentioned Books, how the Fire is a Ma­gick-desire of Meekness to cool it self, and to fill its dry Hunger, whereout it receiveth Life and Light; and again, how that the Light is also a great Desire of the Fire, to awake its Life, Vertue and Power through the Fire.

30. Thirdly, How that the [Page 27] Light in its Desire maketh a Substantiality (and Being) viz. Meekness; which taketh its O­riginal in the Dying in the Fire; which Meekness is called the Water of Eternal Life: for it is a sinking through the Death; and it giveth Sensibility and and Substantiality: and how the Fire doth again draw that same Substantiality into it self, and satiate it self therewith; and out of that same Indrawing it doth again beget a Spirit out of it self, which continually goeth again into the Substantiality, and at length bringeth the shi­ning from the Fire and Light into the Substantiality: Which Shining or Splendor in the Sub­stantiality of the Meekness is called Tincture, which bringeth the Substantiality into the high­est Ornament and Colours, and [Page 28] thus Reneweth the Essence, viz. the forms of the Dark World to the Fire-life, and high-gra­duates it, and changeth it into another thing: so that out of the unpleasant painly Qualm of the First Principle through Fire, the highest Joyfulness ariseth in the precious Tincture. And thus the worst is the cause of the best; In which Type (or Fi­gure) we understand in the In­ward Birth, the Birth and the Substance of the Holy Tri­nity.

31. And then fourthly, I have declared to you in the fore-mentioned Books, how that the Whole Substance of all Substances is a Continual De­sire to manifest it self in its De­sire; and that this Desire to Manifestation is the Fiat, and the Power in the Light is the Word; [Page 29] and how that the Word hath moored the Fiat in all the Forms of the Eternal Nature, accord­ing to the Light, and also ac­cording to to the Dark World; through which the Desire, ac­cording to both the Worlds Properties, hath made Substance in it self, whereout in the Sub­stantiality Good and Evil is sprung, according to the Pro­perty of each World: out of which Substance this visible World is created with the Stars and Elements as an own and peculiar Life, yet not sepa­rated from the Eternal: And moreover it is declared, how that the Inward Spiritual Sub­stance hath in its Desire mani­fested it self with this outward visible World, as with an Image.

32. Now, when God created [Page 30] Man as an Image after his Sub­stance, a Similitude after God, he created him out of the Mo­ther of all Substances, and out of all the Three Worlds.

33. For God would behold himself through Man in One Image; he should be a Simili­tude after God. His Body he created both out of the Out­ward and Inward Substantiali­ty, as out of the Earthly and Heavenly; and breathed into it, through his Spirit, a li­ving Breath, that is, himself, according to the Divine World, and also according to the Out­ward World.

34. For the Spirit of God is the Spirit of every Life, but distinguished into Three Princi­ples of Three Worlds: As, 1. According to the Dark World, after the First Principle, [Page 31] according to which God calleth himself an angry zealous God, and a Consuming Fire, which is the Eternal Nature.

And, 2 ^dly, According to the Light-World, as according to Gods Love and Meekness, in regard of which he is called the Holy Spirit.

And, 3 ^dly, According to the Outward World, the Ayr-Spi­rit, with the Qualm of the Stars and Elements. Thus Man hath received a Threefold Life, the Spirit of all the Three Worlds.

35. Now it is palpable and plain enough to understand, that the Holy Ghost had not his Re­giment in the outward earthly Flesh; but in the Inward Hea­venly: For with his entering into the Humanity, he also brought in with him the Hea­venly Divine Substantiality.

[Page 32]36. For Gods Spirit dwell­eth from Eternity to Eternity only in Heaven, that is, only in his own Substance, in the Power of the Majesty. Now when he breathed himself into the Image of Man, then the Heaven was in Man, for God would manifest himself in Man as in an Image after himself, and open the great Wonders of his Eternal Wisdom through Man.

37. Therefore we must right­ly consider Man, what he is, and not make an Earthly Beast of him, neither an Angel of his earthly part; but he is created into the Wonders in respect of the Earthly Kingdom, viz. ac­cording to the Third Principle, that he should manifest the Wonders in Figures. For to that end he hath the Inward Spirit out of the first Principle; [Page 33] but he should not domineer therewith, neither with the Out­ward, but yeeld himself over to the Holy Ghost in the Second Principle; and in the outward Life be as a Child in the Mo­thers bosom.

38. For the Spirit of God had in him the outward King­dom, as it were, swallowed up, like as the Light swalloweth up the dark Night, that a Man seeth it not. But through his Imagi­nation into Earthliness, the Earthliness and the dark World became manifest in him: For the Souls-fire did imagine after Earthliness, and brought earthly Infection into it self. Thus the Souls-fire began to burn in the earthly Qualm, and became ma­nifest in the Earthliness; whereas yet the earthly form and shape ought not to have been manifest.

[Page 34]39. And thus the Soul also lusted to eat of Evil and Good, as of the evil poysonous and grim Property, out of the Dark Worlds Substantiality, to wit, of Lying, Deceit and Falshood, in which she lived in Gods An­ger, and in the Dark World.

40. For the Outward Earth­liness hath its Original (in the Creation) out of the Substanti­ality of the Dark World, and not only (out of) this, but also out of the Heavenly: This God forbad Adam, viz. that he should not eat of the Tree of the knowledg of Good and Evil; otherwise he should dye from Paradise, as from the Divine Substantia­lity.

41. For the Heavenly pure Element with the Divine Es­sence greened through all the fruits, which were created for [Page 35] Man, and he should have eaten after a Magical manner; the Separation was in his Mouth, so that the Heavenly swallowed up the Earthly, like as the Day the Night: as we also know, that our Life, which we now have, must enter into a Transmutati­on, if it will be called a Child of God, it must again put on God, whom in Adam it did put off.

42. For we understand and know, that Adam with his Ima­gination (understand the Soul) is gone out of the Divine Power, as from the Second Principle in­to the Outward, as into the Third, and the poor Soul lieth now captive in a strange Lodg­ing, where the Devil afflicts her, and still brings his Imagination into her, unless she gives her self wholly again into the Second Principle, (which in Christs [Page 36] Person opened it self again in the Humanity;) and in that same Life, be again born in God: otherwise she standeth meerly naked with her Root in the Dark World, as in Gods Wrath; and with her Image­figure in the Desire of this Out­ward World, and therein she will not be acknowledged and received for a Child of God.

43. But since it is so, that A­dam with his Imagination into the Earthliness, hath awaked the Inward Kingdom in the Anger, that it burneth in him and all his Children, and brought the Earthly Desire into his Heaven­ly Flesh, thereby we understand, that there-through the Holy Spirit is departed from the same Substance: For God cursed the Earth; that is nothing else, but that he departed with Paradise [Page 37] from Man; the Life of Paradise (which was in Adam in the Di­vine Essence) was extinguished: Wherefore God said to Adam, What Day thou eatest of the Tree or the Plant of the knowledg of Good and Evil, thou shalt dye; that is nothing else, but to dye to the Kingdom of Heaven, and to become Living to the Earth­ly Qualm.

44. For thus said also the Serpent, Thou shalt not dye, but thine eyes shall be opened thereby, and shalt be as God: But the Ser­pent deceived Eva; indeed her earthly Eyes were opened, but the heavenly were shut up.

45. Thus we also under­stand, that Adam with his Ima­gination hath wholly brought the Will of the Soul into the Outward World, and hath made his Outward Flesh wholly [Page 38] Earthly and Bestial, (in which the Stars and Elements did im­mediately domineer,) and so dyed wholly from the Heaven­ly Substantiality; although there is no Death or Dying in the Heavenly Substantiality; Only, since Gods Spirit depart­ed from it, it was shut up into the Quietness (or Stilness) as in­to the Nothing: and there­through Man lost the Simili­tude of God, even the Noble Image.

46. Therefore said Christ, You must be born anew of Water and the Holy Spirit, if you will see the Kingdom of God: The Wa­ter is the Heavenly Substantiali­ty, begotten of the Meekness of the Majesty of God; in which the most noble Tincture is Hea­venly.

47. And understand us, that [Page 39] the Word of God, viz. that which became Man in Mary, hath again brought that same Water or Divine Substance in­to our, in Death inclosed and shut up, Substantiality; under­stand, not into the Earthliness, but into the Heavenly part, which was brought into Adam with the Holy Ghost, when He brought himself into the Image: For the seed of the Woman should break the Serpents head. Gods Essence took upon it the Essence of Man, and became Flesh; and not only the Essence of the Flesh, but also the Essence of the Soul. Thus the Divine Life came again into the Flesh, and the Second Principle was a­gain born in Man to a Life in God; and yet the outward Kingdom adhered unto it.

48. Since then we are all sprung [Page 40] from Adam, we are also all of us born out of his corrupt sinful Flesh, and are all in Gods Wrath, and with the Soul shut up in the dark World: for we are born into the Earthly frail Life out of the Earthly evil and perverse Will, in Disobedience, in meer Anguish, Misery, Poy­son, Malice, Hatred and Anger, out of the Eternal Death: we are born from the Kingdom of Truth into Lyes and Deceit: The Devil hath brought his Will into Us, and therein we live and eat continually of the forbidden fruit;

49. Unless we return with our Will, and enter again into the New Birth, which Christ hath opened for us in our Hu­manity. Then we become again conceived in the Word that o­pened it self in Mary, in the true [Page 41] Humane Essence, and become pregnant of the Saviour, as of the Divine Kingdom.

50. God is not revealed in us in the Earthly Essence, but in the true Image, which disappeared in Adam: but the Outward adhe­reth to the Inward. The Inward Man manifesteth the Divine Mysterium, and the Outward Man manifesteth the Outward Mysterium, as the Mirror of the Wonders.

51. Thus the War goeth on in the New or Regenerated Man; the New will be Master, for he beholdeth the Divine World; and the Old opposeth him, and Will also be Master, for he beholdeth the Outward World: But if the Inward groweth & waxeth strong in the Will of God, (understand, when the Soul hath given her self over [Page 42] wholly thereinto,) then the Out­ward is taken Captive: For the Inward killeth dayly the Out­ward with Gods Love and Meekness, so that the Outward cannot bring into the Fire of the Soul his earthly, pestilent, and of the Devil infected evil Desire and Will.

52. Yet the Outward cannot wholly be killed before his Dis­solution: for if the Outward Man should be wholly killed, then must the Kingdom of this World wholly break off from him: and the Outward also can­not wholly be put into the Re­novation; for the Devils In­fection sticks fast in him: But the Outward must again be put into the Mysterium, and in the Last Day be brought through the Everlasting Fire, where then the Turba shall swallow up the [Page 43] Evil Desire in the Fire, and the Mysterium shall again with its Wonders appear on the Noble Image.

53. Therefore I can with no ground say of mine outward flesh and blood, that it is Christs flesh, and moreover perfectly holy and without fault: Only, I can with Truth say of the In­ward Man born of God, that he is conceived in Gods Essence, as in the Word of Life, which was again promised Adam in Para­dise, which opened it self in the Bound, in the most blessed Vir­ginlike Mirror, as in the Divine Virginity, in our Substantiality that was shut up in the Death.

54. For in this Conception is the Kingdom of Heaven, or the Heart of God, the Man to the seed which is sown; and the seed of the Woman (understand [Page 44] the seed of the Soul and of the noble Image inclosed in the Death) is the Matrix, which re­ceiveth into it the seed of God after an Essential manner; so that God and Man becometh One Person, according to the form (or manner) of the three Worlds, as they stand one in an­other, and yet the one is not the other: for they possess not one the other, but every one dwell­eth in it self; so that although God in Christ be born in Us, yet we can by no means say, when we speak of the whole Man, I am Christ; for the Out­ward is not Christ: But thus we can and may say upon good ground, I am in Christ, and Christ is become Man in me.

55. But his humane King­dom is not of this World, and I with my new Man in Christ am [Page 45] not of this World: For S ^t Paul saith also, that our Conversation is in Heaven, whence We (under­stand the Outward Mysterium) wait for our Saviour Jesus Christ: For the Outward Mysterium on Man shall put on Jesus Christ first in the Last Day, when the Turba shall afore be taken from the Mysterium, in which the Sin­mirror standeth, which belong­eth to the Anger of God; there­fore a Judgments-day is ordain­ed, when all shall be restored which we have lost in Adam.

56. But if we with this out­ward visible and palpable Flesh were wholly perfect, then must the Outward Man have put on Paradise again, and then the Outward Man were Immortal and Unperishable, and could go through Earth and Stones; the four Elements also were, as it [Page 46] were, swallowed up in One, as we shall be in the Last Day: then must (and should) the Out­ward Man also eat no more of the forbidden Tree; the Magi­cal Impregnating would also begin, and we not be born after a bestial or animal manner.

57. But if the Author hath (as he saith) put on Paradise, then he is taken up: I as yet can say no such thing of my self. I have also sought the Pearl with Earnestness, and have also there­by obtained a Jewel. It is also given me to know the First Man in Paradise; how he was before the Fall and after the Fall; and have also seen the Property of Paradise, but not in the outward Man.

58. I say also, that the Inward Man hath put on the Kingdom of God, and liveth in Heaven in [Page 47] God; But there is yet a great Difference between the Out­ward and the Inward Man, as also between Us and the World of Paradise: Paradise greeneth no more through the Earth, the Lord hath Cursed the Earth, and the Outward Man dwelleth on the Cursed Earth, and eateth the Cursed fruit, he swalloweth down the Curse into himself; and therefore here in this World there is no whole (or absolute) Perfection.

59. But so far indeed it comes with Man, if he entereth into the New Birth, that he can tame the Outward Man, so that he must do what he would not Willing­ly; for the Inward depriveth him of the Power, and through­throngeth him, as the Gold doth in a gross Stone: But as the grossness in the Stone be­cometh [Page 48] not Gold, so also the outward Man becometh not God; otherwise it should fol­low, that also the Outward World should be changed into the pure Deity.

60. The Outward Man is the Outward World of the Stars and Elements: and the Inward Man in Christ is the Inward Di­vine World; and the Soul is the Fire-world; for she hath the Eternal Center to Nature in her self; that Center is the Dark World; Therefore when she loseth Gods Light, she standeth in her self in the Pit in the Dark World, viz. in Gods Anger.

61. That also the Author saith; He is through Christ so transmuted in the Death, that he cannot sin any more, and there­upon leaveth the outward name of the outward Worlds Sub­stance, [Page 49] that needeth another far plainer Declaration, and will hardly be taken (or granted) un­less it cometh to a clearer Un­derstanding: For the most holy men have acknowledged them­selves sinners, not that they de­sire it or would do it, but they complain (of it) before God, that the outward Man is become Living in the Anger of God, and that the Anger ruleth in them; as that high Apostle Paul saith, Now if I sin, I do it not, but the sin that dwelleth in my Flesh: Rom. 7.

62. Now where sin dwelleth in the Flesh, there is yet no Per­fection; therefore lie saith fur­ther, Wretched man that I am▪ who shall deliver me from the Bo­dy of this Death? And saith, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord: So then, with my Mind [Page 50] I my self serve the Law of God, but with the Flesh the Law of Sin. The Scripture saith, Before thee is none living Righteous: Item, The Heavens are also not pure be­fore God. Why should then al­so an Angels name be given to the outward fleshly Man, that lieth inclosed in the Anger of God? He is but evil, and stri­veth continually against Gods Law, and belongeth to the Earth, and his Mysterium to the Judgment of God; He shall purge the floor.

63. But that it is said, We are dead to sin in the Death of Christ, is very true; that is once done for us all, but we must yet always die unto Sin in the Death of Christ; we must always kill the Man of Sin, that the New may live: But we cannot wholly kill him, but take him captive, and [Page 51] always pour Water on him out of Gods Meekness into his Fire­burning.

64. For the Soul is a Fire­eye, and is the greatest Life; it will have Substance, in which its Fire may burn. But since it is in Adams fall turned (and bent) in­to this World, therefore the Kingdom of the Stars and Ele­ments is entered into it to lodg there, which often bring-in a strange Turba. Now, if the Hea­vens be not clean before God, how will then that be clean, that is governed by the Outward Heaven, namely, the Outward Life, that is only driven by the Outward Heavens Regiment?

65. The Incorruptible, as the new Man, cannot put on the Corruptible, as the outward Flesh, for Turba is therein: this shall first come to pass in the [Page 52] Judgment of God, when the Turba shall be taken away from the Outward Mysterium.

66. But that the Author saith, It is not possible that a Regenerate man can sin; by that we know he understandeth not sufficient­ly the Mysterium of the Soul: We see it was possible in Adam, when his outward Man was pure and immaculate: for if a Man will search from whence Sin hath its Original, he must look upon the Ground.

67. The new Body worketh no Sin, but the Soul by Imagin­ing into the Wickedness bring­eth Sin into it self. Now, since the true Similitude after God hath its Beginning out of the Soul, therefore the heavenly Substantiality becometh Infect­ed through the Poyson, which is taken into the Soul.

[Page 53]68. Sin toucheth not the Heart of God, as the Center of the New Body, but the Substan­tiality is Infected; as when a Man poureth Earth into fair Water. The Flesh of the New Man, and the Spirit of God, is not one thing: the Spirit of God remaineth in the new Man, although Adam be spoiled in re­gard of him; as it also came to pass in Adam.

69. What falleth from the Light-world, it the Fire-world receiveth; if it be a grim Sub­stantiality, then it is swallowed up in the Fire, and falleth into the Dark World into Eternal Death. When the new Body is infected it loseth its Divine Life, the Deity loseth nothing by it, but only its Mirror of the Won­ders: For the Body is not God; only it is through the Spirit by [Page 54] the noble Tincture highly gra­duated with the splendor of the holy Heaven, so that in it the Colours of the Divine Joy­kingdom do shine: But if it be darkened, then the Tincture a­riseth in another Property, viz. according to that, in which the Fire of the Soul burneth, such a Tincture shineth also thereout; and as the Spirit of Man is in himself, such an Heaven he get­eth also for his Habitation.

70. Nothing can fall beyond God, for He himself is All; yet he is not called God in respect of his Anger, because it devour­eth much: did it not also devour the whole royal hoste of Luci­fer? they were Angels, and yet became Devils: how then should it not be possible in a Man, who as yet beareth in him the Sin-mirror in the outward Flesh?

[Page 55]71. Indeed if the Soul goeth not into the false Lust, so that it desireth not sin, then it is not possible: The Soul is free, it hath the high Fire-Principle in it self, both to the Dark and also to the Light World: What it awaketh to it self, that it hath; it can live in Gods Love, or Anger: Whi­thersoever it turneth it self, there it is received; so that it, as the Mother of the Eternal Nature, is in all things: Whither the Eternal Will turneth it self, ac­cording to that its Image is also figured.

72. Therefore Man should not be secure or bold in this World, but always humble him­self before God, and cast his Will into the Heart of God; all this time (whilest he carrieth the outward Cottage) he liveth in danger; but while he abideth [Page 56] with his Will in God, he is in Gods hand, and then no man [...] pluck Christs sheep out of Christs hand, John 10. except the Will of the Soul teareth it self out from thence, which hap­peneth, when the Soul is secure, then the Devil soweth his poy­sonous Imagination into her, so that she therein beginneth to imagine after falshood.

73. You must understand, that the Soul standeth in the Fa­thers Property, and the fair Image (when it is begotten) standeth in the Sons Property: The Soul hath the Center of the Dark World, and the Image hath the Center of the Light World, as Gods Heart: But if it departeth from Gods Love, then the Soul bringeth its Image into the Fathers Property, into the dark World.

[Page 57]74. Therefore we ought to be very humble and submissive before our God, and not desire to exalt Our Name, but the Name of God in Us: We are not the Tree with the Root, but little boughs and twigs on the Tree; We receive indeed the Essence and Vertue of the Tree, like as the Tree giveth it to the Twig: But the Twig saith not, I am the Tree; but it delighteth it self in the Tree, as in its Mo­ther.

75. If we put on Christ, then we are truly called Christians; for the new Man liveth in Christ. But we ought not to say, I am Christ in this mine holy flesh and bones, in this my visi­ble Conversation on Earth: for Christ said also, My Kingdom is not of this World; Therefore Christs Kingdom In Us is much [Page 58] less of this World: For he said, I am gone forth and come from God: Again, I leave the World, and go the Father; and I will take you to me, that where I am, there ye may be.

76. Understand it thus: When the noble Seed is sown, so that the Lilly-twig is born in the Hu­manity of Christ, then he taketh it to himself, where He is: This noble Twig is not of this World; but it cometh from God, and its Plant groweth in Gods King­dom; not in this World, not in Adams Manhood, neither in the Woman Eva, but in the Virgin, being neither Man nor Woman, but a chaste Virgin, that follow-God and the Lamb.

77. For that is the Angel, whereof Christ speaketh, Matth. 22. and Mark 12. In the Resur­rection they are like the Angels of [Page 59] God: When he is born out of Christ, then he expecteth no Re­surrection for himself, for he is Immortal, if the Soul doth not poyson him in the time of this World: But he Waiteth for the Outward Mysterium, as the third Principle, in which he hath sown all his Wonders and Works; that same swalloweth up here the Outward Life with its Works, (and) that shall come a­gain out of the Mysterium.

78. For the First Adam be­fore his Eva (he being neither Man nor Woman) shall stand: he shall have all the three Prin­ciples in him, as God himself, but not so mingled together as Now, when one is brought into the other.

79. The Outward World is compacted and born out of the Inward in the Desire of the In­ward, [Page 60] and in the Fiat created in­to a form; not altogether to a fading transitory Substance, for it shall be renewed in the Fire, and stand again to Gods Won­der-deed; not four Elements, but One, in which the four do lie hid: For the Outward World shall not rule, but the Inward Divine World through all things.

80. As little as the Outward Visible World can be called God; so little also the Name of God becometh (or befitteth) the outward Life in flesh and bones: For God gave Adam a name, and called him MAN; he named Adam MAN: This the highest Tongue understandeth Well in the Language of Nature, that the name Adam hath its Origi­nal from the Second Principle, as from Gods Kingdom, out of [Page 61] the Divine Essence; and the name Man from the Limus, whereout the outward Body was created.

81. For every thing getteth its right Name out of its Essence according to its Spirit: like as the most dear Name of JESUS CHRISTUS hath a double sence: Viz. By the Name JE­SUS in the highest Tongue is understood the Motion of the Divine Center, as an Out-going Lust or Delight, bringing the Lowliness in the Humility forth in the Out-going Joy-kingdom, in Majesty.

82. And in the Name CHRI­STUS is understood an In-going (or Entrance) of the Love into the Anger, a Breaking or Kill­ing of the Grimness, and a Per­fect Transmutation, with the forth-bringing of the Joy-king­dom: [Page 62] Wherein we then under­stand, that God himself hath re­sisted his Anger, as the First Principle, with the Second as with his Love, and himself bro­ken the grim Death, the which the Souls-spirit alone Under­standeth, when it attaineth the Heavenly Mysterium.

83. Therefore we ought to beware, that we do not abuse the most precious Name of God, but call him only a Christian who is a Christian, viz. the In­ward Man out of Christ: The Outward sinful Man retaineth justly his own Name from (or out of) his Mother, wherein he Liveth: Seeing God hath given to Adam an Outward Name ac­cording to the Outward Man, and the Inward also according to the Inward Man, why would We then mount higher then [Page 63] we are in the Ground?

84. Now when the Author saith of himself, I the living Word of God in this my holy flesh and bones, say this and do this, then the Dear Name of God is thereby abused: For when the Spirit of Man is chosen to be a Prophet and Mouth of God, then saith he only, Thus saith the LORD; as all Prophets have so spoken: He doth it not out of himself, out of his flesh and bones, but the LORD revealeth his Will through him; He is only an In­strument thereto.

85. He is not in flesh and bones, the LORD, but in the Life of Christ a fruitful humble Twig, that neither will nor doth any thing it self, and also de­sireth nothing but its Mothers Essence; the Mother may do with it what she Will: The Mo­ther [Page 64] will only have humble Children to lie on her Brest, and drink of her Vertue, and live in her Will, so that she may de­light her self in them: for her fruit groweth upon their twigs, which is the praise of the Tongues in Gods Wonder­deed.

86. It must not be taken so, as if I would despise a Christian spirit, but I teach in the Spirit of Christ in him, seeing I must speak of the Root, and this is the Office given me, that we may edifie our selves in the knowledg in Christ in One Tree: and I beseech you to un­derstand it right; For to speak with an Angels Tongue with the Mouth of the Holy Ghost, is a great matter: Let no man ride unarmed; if Gods Spirit armeth not his Tongue, Heart [Page 65] and Spirit, and giveth assurance and Certainty, then let him not say, The LORD speaketh.

87. For often, when the Fire of the Holy Ghost shineth out of the Inward, viz. out of Gods Substance through the Out­ward, the Outward Mysterium is kindled, and rejoyceth exceed­ingly, and beginneth in the knowledg of the Light to speak with Tongues out of the Myste­rium: But the Will-spirit ought Well to look to it self, that the Outward Spirit do not go too high, and speak with Tongues out of it self in the LORDS Name: For the Outward Spirit triumpheth when it getteth a Look, as if it were in the In­ward, and mounteth often thus (aloft) with Joyfulness; But the Outward Reasons-spirit from the Stars mingleth it [Page 66] self willingly therewith.

88. Therefore it is a very subtil thing to speak with the Outward Mouth out of Divine Tongues: the Holy Ghost must go upon the Wings of the Wind, and direct the Under­standing, that the Mind may find it experimentally: for the Certainty must be in the Mind.

89. The Prophet that speaks is not the Assurance, for the speaks out of two Tongues, as out of the Turba of the Wicked­ness of Men, which he repro­veth; and also out of the Love, out of Christs Humanity, and sheweth the right Way.

90. Now the Certainty or Assurance consisteth in the Mind, that must be kindled and filled with the Holy Ghost; then the Mouth of the LORD speaketh through the Outward [Page 67] Mouth, not as its Own Word, but as the Word of God: Only the noble Image in the Inward standeth, as it were, trembling before the Presence and great Power of the Lord.

91. It maketh no Words in the Name of the LORD, unless the Spirit of God doth form them: then it must do as a Child in O­bedience; and although the LORD commanded Fire to fall from Heaven, as by Elia, it can­not contain it self, it shall and must perform the Work of the LORD in Zeal.

92. Therefore I say in good truth out of my gifts, that a man ought to have a great care of himself, if he must or will speak with the Mouth of the LORD: for if he will say, I the Living Word of God say and do this, then must the Will of the LORD be [Page 68] there, and the Spirit of God must arm the Tongue, Heart and Mind, and even himself go with it, otherwise it is not the Word of the LORD, but of the Outward Man.

93. What the Author saith further of the altogether fleshly Christendom, which carrieth no more but only the Name in the Mouth, when the heart and mind are known before God to be only a Mocker of the Name of Christ, is so indeed; and he hath after his knowledg written very truly of it.

94. This Christendom hath now borrowed the Mantle of Christ with his Passion, Death and Satisfaction, and hath there­under hidden the Antichristian Bastard, and covereth that same Man of Pride and Falshood with the Purple-mantle of [Page 69] Christ, and rideth therewith in Babel upon the horrible and a­bominable Beast (spoken of) in the Revelation of John.

95. It tickleth it self with Christs Passion and Satisfacti­on; and yet will not enter into Christs Passion, Death and Re­surrection, and be born out of Christs Spirit; the Bastard must only be comforted.

96. O! to how many an one shall the Mantle of Christ be turned to hellish fire, wherewith he covereth the man of falshood! There is not spoken only of Comfort; but, ye must be born anew out of Water and the Holy Ghost, otherwise ye shall not see the Kingdom of God, saith the Mouth Christus.

97. The Will must be turn­ed from Deceit and Falshood into Righteousness and Truth, if [Page 70] he will be called a Christian with the ground of Truth, and not only in the Mouth, but in the Deed be a Christian.

98. But he that carrieth Christ only in the Mouth, and is not born out of the Will and Spirit of Christ, he is the Antichrist, and boasteth himself unjustly a Christian; if he striveth not against the Will of the Flesh, and continually killeth it, then the Life of Christ is not in him; but the Outward Worlds and the Devils Will in the Anger of God is in him: For Christ said, Whosoever entereth not in by the Door into the Sheepfold, but climb­eth up some other way, He is a Thief and a Robber, and cometh but for to rob steal; and the Sheep follow him not, for they know not his Voyce: He is but a Hireling, and the Sheep are not his own; he [Page 71] seeketh only the Wool.

99. If any will be a Shep­herd of Christ, he must not be a Stranger, but must be born out of Christ: he must be in Christ, that he may have Christs Voyce in him; otherwise he cannot feed Christs Sheep on the green Pasture. What good doth a Wolf in the Sheepfold, that in­tendeth nothing but prey? He doth only waste and spoil the Sheepfold: Wherefore then doth a Stranger intrude himself for a Shepherd, not being called of Christ the chief Shepherd? Why goeth he about to teach the Spirit of this World in Man, which is in him afore?

100. If he will sound the In­ward, in Death inclosed, Bell, then he must have even that same Clapper, which breaketh the Death, so that the dead Bell [Page 72] may sound: For the Divine Sound was in Adam inclosed in Death: Now if any will awake the same, he must have in him­self that same Living Sound: he must speak out of Christs Spirit and Voyce, or his teaching is only a Jugling or playing of tricks before a dead thing, and he is only a belly-servant by Custom, and no whit profitable to the Temple of Christ; for he himself is not therein; and how will he then bring others in?

101. The Holy Ghost mix­eth not himself in the Voyce of the Wicked; the Word of the Wicked is not the Word of God: Therefore it is a meer Deceit to preach out of Art; the Art is born out of the Stars, and it awaketh none that lieth inclosed in Death; it must be a right hammer that will make [Page 73] a dead Bell sound.

102. And it is very highly to be lamented, that men do so prank with these Mouth-Apes, and honour them for Gods, and will also be called good Chri­stians, and yet name themselves after a Wolf; and besides strive and contend for him, and make desolate also their Land and Men, and destroy their body and soul for a Wolfs sake.

103. O thou worthy Chri­stendom in blindness, be seeing, I beseech thee; O how art thou blinded! Thou sufferest thine eares to be filled with a tingling noyse, that thou mayst but sleep hard in Adams sleep, in the Sin­world with the Devil, and very securely in the wicked flesh; But an hard thunder wil awake thee, for thou art too too fast a sleep; thou wilt not yet be [Page 74] awaked; let God call how he Will, yet Adam the old Man sleepeth in his pleasure.

104. That the Author also men­tioneth, That this fleshly Babel will fall, and a Fountain spring up in Zion out of the true Jeru­salem, is very true; and the Time is already born, that that shal be broken, which is grown unto and of it self without Di­vine Order, for it hath attained its age and the bound: The Be­gining hath found the End, the Middle shal be Manifested, and none shal be able to hinder it; But see­ing the child of sin and Perditi­on doth so rage against it, there­fore it must burst and break it self in pieces in its raging Madness.

105. But if it would enter into the Beginning, it would a­bide standing, and its Wonders [Page 75] only would appear: But seeing it is grown in Pride, Covetous­ness and Envy, and in all kind of Wickedness and Malice, to what end shall that evil Beast abide? It is unfit for an Offering of God; neither will it be con­verted, that it might get an hu­mane heart.

106. Therefore God caused it to be denounced, that his Children should depart from it; for the LORD will afright the Earth, and overturn Babel, and there shall a River flow out of Zion, that the thirsty Soul may be refreshed: For the poor shall be refreshed, and eat in his Pa­sture.

107. The Driver shall be broken in pieces, and then shalt thou rejoyce a little while, for thou art Wicked from thy very Youth, and seekest only the Goal [Page 76] in the Wonder: As thy Begin­ing was, so is also thine End; Whosoever is blind, will not see it, but sleep till the Day break­on.

108. Christ saith, When the Son of Man shall come, thinkest thou that he shall find Faith on Earth? Therefore the Time of the End is an Evil dreg, and there shall not be meer Zion, save only in the sanctified Chil­dren of Christ: For the Begin­ing and the End are altogether like one another.

109. The Wonders with the high Tongue were manifest in the Beginning, and the Signature was exceeding well known; this cometh again in the End: But we understand also thereby a good and evil Time, when the Gates of all Principles shall stand open; as we also see this [Page 77] in the Beginning by Cain and Abel. Therefore let every one look to it, what he speaketh, teacheth and writeth, for it shall be tryed by the highest Tongue.

110. But when we speak of the Temple of Christ, and of the River out of Zion, then we mean not one certain place in one Land alone; for the Tem­ple of Christ is over all; we un­derstand in all Tongues and Languages; although the Tongues shall be brought high­er in one place then in another; all things according to the pro­perty of the people, and accord­ing as the Spirit is in Man.

111. For the Temple of Christ is In Us: We must hear Christ teaching In Us; if Christ teach­eth not In Us, then the outward Mouth-cry is in Vain, and spo­ken but into the Ayr.

[Page 78]112. Therefore let no man think that it will be so, that (such) Men will come, which shall teach or force the Holy Spirit into Men: No; It is said, To Day, when you do hear the Voyce of the Lord, harden not your ears and hearts: Look not after another Time, for This is the Time of your Visitation.

113. Incline your Ears and Hearts into the Temple of Christ In You; cast away your Abominations and false Will from you, and bring your Will earnestly through Christ into the Father, and resolve to enter no more into the Wickedness, as into Pride, Covetousness, En­vy, Anger and Falshood: leave off from all height of this World, and humble your selves in the hand of the LORD, and in the Love towards the needy.

[Page 79]114. Esteem your selves as simple Idiots in Christ; esteem your Art nothing, for it draweth but away from Christ: Desire to know no more but only that which the Holy Ghost in Christ will know in you, that he only may be your Knowing and Willing.

115. For the Fountain in Zi­on will not be found through any search out of Reason: Zion will not first be begotten from Without, but from Within: We must seek and find our selves in our selves: No Man needeth to run to another place, where he thinketh the Spirit shall be more powerful; but Within himself is the Gate of the Holy Deity.

116. He must only enter in­to himself, and seek and call up­on the Holy Spirit in himself; for in himself is the place where [Page 80] God dwelleth in his Heaven, and receiveth the Will of the Soul with her Desire.

117. Whither will the Soul swing her self, being she her self is the Fountain of Etetnity? In her standeth the Principle of the Light and Dark World; she is all the Three Worlds.

118. Only this is Necessary, that like as she in Adam hath brought her self by her Imagi­nation into the Earthly World (which standeth Essentially within the dark World) where­by her Almightiness (was and) is broken, and inclosed in the Death; so she turn her self again into the Light in the Almighti­ness, in the Spirit of Christ, who hath broke that same Death in her, ( viz. in the Soul;) she must go again into Gods house into her self.

[Page 81]119. Therefore it is necessa­ry to become new born, to be­get out of himself a New Son out of the Old; not a New Soul, but a New Image out of the Soul in the Power of the Holy Ghost, a Twig out-green­ing out of his own Essence in the Spirit of Christ, and standing within the Light of the Deity, not being shone upon (from without,) but shining out of it self.

120. The New Image is the food of the Fiery Soul, and fuel for her burning. The Soul eat­eth the Love-essence of the Image, and giveth out of the Consuming, as out of the grim Dying, the high Light, and in the Light through Fire, out of the Desire of the Love and out of the Desire of the Fire, the high and noble Tincture of the [Page 82] Holy Life, with the power of Colours and Vertues.

121. In which Power the Center of the Joy-kingdom of the Light-World standeth, as the Heart of the Deity, out of which the Holy Ghost proceed­eth: For the Fires-Center of the Soul, and the Lights-Center in the Souls Image, are it, out of which the Spirit of God is be­gotten.

122. The Spirit of God en­tereth not from Without into the Soul, but he openeth himself in himself through the Souls­fire, and through the Light-fire of the Image: He is the Holy Mans peculiar Propriety.

123. When a Man entereth into earnest Repentance, and layeth hold on an earnest Will to enter into the Mercy of God within himself, and casteth from [Page 83] himself all false Will, then is the grain sown, whereout the noble Flower in the Holy Trinity groweth: Understand, that the Souls-Will is turned thereby out of the Dark World into the Light World.

124. And then when she Imagineth into the Light World, into the Center of the Deity, as she before hath Ima­gined into this World, then she shall in her self, in her Imagina­tion or Desire, grow pregnant of the Saviour; and out of this Pregnancy God is begotten al­ways and to all Eternity.

125. Thus the true Man be­cometh the food of God, and God the food of Man; and so are We in God, and God in Us, and work with and in God, and are his true Children in him.

126. And this we had not [Page 84] been able (to do,) being Adam brought his Souls-fire into the Grimness, and his noble Image out of the Soul in God, if Gods Heart had not entered again into the in Death inclosed Image of the Soul, and given himself into the Grimness of the Souls-fire, and brought again Divine Sub­stantiality into the Image; un­derstand, into the Essence of Ma­ry to the Image.

127. Understand, the Holy Tincture arose together with the divine Substantiality in the Sub­stantiality in Gods Spirit; and the Holy Blood (which the Tin­cture in humane Property ma­keth Blood) went into the mid­dle of the Turba of the Soul, when the Outward Life broke on the Cross: Then the Grim­ness of Death was broken with the Love and Meekness of God, [Page 85] and transmuted into a Life of Joy: and here Death was shew­ed openly; For divine Love was again begotten in the grim Essence of the Soul; and that is our New Birth in Christ, into which the Desire of our Soul must enter, if it will behold God, and be begotten in Christ out of God.

128. Christ is the New Stock, and we green forth as Branches in him; We must be born in God, and must also beget God in us, if we will be Branches on the Tree: For upon the Bran­ches, which we are, the Holy fruit groweth, which Gods Spi­rit eateth in us, viz. the Praise of God.

129. Loving Brothers, jest not, and esteem it not a fiction; it is known in Ternarium Sanc­tum, in the pure River out of [Page 86] Zion; Let no man expect or stay for a golden Time, in which the Holy Spirit shall out of the out­ward Mouth cry into the hard­ened Man, (who will live only in the lust of the flesh,) I say, into his Bestial Will: O no, that will not be.

130. Whosoever will hear the Holy Ghost teaching out of the Mouth of another, he must before bring his Will into the Holy Ghost; and then the Ho­ly Ghost preacheth unto him out of the Mouth of another within him.

131. The Time is already, that Henoch teacheth, and Noah denounceth the Deluge: there is henceforth no other sign, then the sign of Elias. Why doth the World stand gazing, and suffer­eth its Ears in Vain to be filled with the Stars? it is all in vain.

[Page 87]132. Whosoever will enter with Zion, and praise God in Jerusalem, he hath now the ac­ceptable time: the Sound of the Seventh Trumpet is already Sounded: The Fountain of Is­rael is open: Let no Man ima­gine, that the Trumpets-Sound will come from this or that place: For as the Lightening a­riseth and shineth unto the West; so from the Beginning to the End is the Coming of the Son of Man.

133. Let no man expect the Outward Prophet, he shineth Inwardly in the Spirit; the Outward Man shall not know him, for he standeth in the Crown-number, and preacheth in the Mysterium: he is already known and found; whoso de­sireth to see him, let him seek him in himself, and leave Babel; he will find him.

[Page 88]134. The Right Way into Eternal Life is in Man; he hath brought the Will of the Soul into the Outward World; it must he again bring into him­self, into the Inward World: Paradise must green in Man.

135. But he hath a dangerous and tedious Way to go: for the turned Will must enter into it self again, and, break-through through the Kingdom of the Stars and Elements. O how is he there held! It must be a great Earnestness, not Hypocrisie, and an abiding with the Will in the Kingdom of the Stars.

136. The Will must forsake the Outward World; and yet it cannot wholly (do it,) for it must maintain the Outward Body: O how grievous is this in the Beginning, when that must be forsaken, which is so dear to the [Page 89] Outward Man, wherein his joy and glory stands! O how doth the Outward Man in the Souls­spirit hold back!

137. How exceeding many Conflicts and Assaults must there be holden! how busie is the Devil! and sets before the poor Soul the glory and beauty of this World, as riches and the pleasures of the Flesh.

138. It falleth not so pre­sently on a heap from him; the Outward Will must be broken in pieces with an hard bickering; and yet it dyes not, but is shut up in the prison of the Inward Will, and must be servant until the breaking or dissolution of the Outward Life.

139. Therefore I say upon sure ground, that all what is taught of God, out of the Spirit of the Outward World, and [Page 90] heard in the Outward Spirit, is not the Word of God, but Ba­bel, a meer Confusion, Misery, Howling and Crying, and no man heareth it but only the Spi­rit of the Outward World; it is only an Antichristian Hypocri­sie and a glittering Flattery.

140. A Knave goeth into the Outward Church, and a Knave sits therein, and a Knave return­eth thence, and is an hypocrite, who giveth good words before God, and comforteth and tick­leth himself from without with Christs Satisfaction, yet still re­maineth the old Man in him­self.

141. He supposeth God for­giveth sins, as Life is of grace and favour given to a Murther­er, although the Conscience doth continually accuse the Murtherer, that he is guilty of [Page 91] the deed and of punishment: O no, it is not so: Christ said, Un­less ye turn and become as Chil­dren, ye shall not see, the Kingdom of Heaven: No Verbal For­giving availeth before God; but it is as Christ said to those that turned to him, Thy Faith hath helped thee.

142. For Christs Spirit went into the Faith of the Patient, and the Faith of the sick (went) into Christs Spirit: then the Cure was there; otherwise there had been no healing.

143. This a Man may see on the Day of Pentecost, when those Men were attentive to S ^t Peter; whose Will was bent into them­selves, and desired the Kingdom of God, in them the Spirit of Christ sounded out of Peters Mouth: But as for those, whose Will was bent into this World, [Page 92] the Spirit past by them, who said, These men are drunk, because they speak thus.

144. So it goeth also Now, when the Spirit of Christ speak­eth, then saith the Outward Rea­son, These men are mad and here­ticks: But as for those whose Will is turned into themselves in a desire after Gods Kingdom, they hear the Spirit of Christ speak.

145. Therefore all those in­to whose heart this throngeth, are admonished to abide Con­stant, and to meet the golden River that floweth out of Zion, and they shall find the Pearl, for it is born; Let no man gaze on Time and Person; it is the Spi­rit of Christ that speaketh.

146. And the Author wri­teth out of the Bride of Christ very well and truly of the Spirit [Page 93] of Christ, out of the New Man; But he must learn to distinguish this Old Mortal (being from the Spirit of this corrupted and cursed World) from the New, and not esteem the mortal cor­ruptible flesh and bones for Christ, his Flesh:

147. Nor to seek Christs Flesh in the four Elements, and in the Spirit of the Outward World; but in the Root of it, as in the Holy Element, one Principle deeper then this World is; (yet) not absent from the Outward Body.

148. Nor must he think the Old is Transmuted into the New; but as Gold groweth in the gross Stone out of the Stone, the Sun being the Cause of the Tincture, and the gross Stone the Cause of the Body; and yet it must not be understood, as if [Page 94] the New Body had any place or room in the Old, in its Principle; for it standeth a Birth deeper in it self.

149. As we may know by this, that God is in this World, and yet the World neither knoweth nor seeth him; He dwelleth a Birth deeper in the Center, then this Outward World is: He filleth all in this World, and yet there is nothing that comprehendeth or seeth him; for he dwelleth not in the World, but in himself: So also the New Man: and yet there is no separation from one ano­ther.

150. Like as there is a differ­ence between Fire and Light, the Fire not being able to com­prehend the Light, although the Light is born out of the Fire; so also the New Man out of the [Page 95] Old, through the Entering of the Spirit of Christ, like as the Sun maketh a Tincture of Gold in the Stone.

151. But when the Author writeth, that the Old Man falleth wholly away in the Repentance, and dyeth altogether in the Death of Christ, he erreth; For Christ is not come for the Old Mans sake, nor is he become Man in the old defiled sinful flesh, but in the Essence of the Image, that a New Man may be born out of the Old, and dwell in the Old, yet not in the Third Principle in this outward World, but in the Second in Heaven, in God, and God in him.

152. Therefore he ought not to write, I Christ the living Word in this my visible flesh and bones: This none that is born out of Christ will grant him. The Out­ward [Page 96] Man is conceived and born in Sin, He is not Christ; but the Inward Man is in Christ, a Member of Christs Body, in the Essence of Christ.

153. And that he supposeth that Nature falls wholly and altogether away from Man, when the New Birth ariseth, that is not so; and in that he un­derstands as yet nothing of the Eternal Nature: There falls no Nature away from him; for the Life stands in the Nature, viz. the Life of the Soul in the Eter­nal Nature, and the outward Spirit in the Stars and Ele­ments.

154. The Eternal Nature holds in it self the seven Spirits or Forms of the Deity, from whence the Holy Divine World is sprung, and also this Outward World: it parteth not to all [Page 97] Eternity from Man; otherwise Man were a Nothing: For out of Nature the Mystery of Eter­nity is revealed, and also the Di­vine Being, as is declared in my Book of the Six Points. Nature came not into Man for Sins sake; wherefore should it then for the Regenerations sake fall away?

155. By Death the outward Nature falleth away from the Nature of the Soul; but it go­eth only into the outward Myste­rium, until the Day of Judg­ment; then shall all its here­made Wonders and Works ap­pear therein: when the Spirit of God shall moor the Mysteri­um of this World, then shall all be manifest, and the Turba shall be separated from the good, and given to the Dark World, and the Mysterium unto the New Man, yet only Holy and without spot.

[Page 98]156. And this is the Resur­rection of the Flesh: it is not the Husk, as the Bestial flesh, which ariseth, but the Life in the Out­ward Mysterium with the Won­ders; it shall be included in the Holy Element, and united with the Body of Christ the New Man, and in Eternity stand with its Wonders in it.

157. But not in earthly Es­sence, but as a shadow or figure: For by reason of the Divine Life this (same) Life of ours is esteem­ed as dead; for so was Adam also before his Heva, before the Imagination; but in the Ima­gination the Outward Life was made manifest, and the Heaven­ly dyed.

158. This I could not (Lo­ving Sirs and Brothers) hide from you (nor from the Author) in an Answer of your Book sent [Page 99] to me; for my Conscience re­quires it in the LORD; not in any intention to reject or put down the Authors Book or high Spirit, but in Love towards him, I would communicate my gifts and understanding to him, into his gifts, as one member to the other, that we might edifie and acknowledg one another in Christ, as Members in one Bo­dy.

159. For I do very well know the Authors Spirit, and I love to speak to him, seeing he for Christs Name sake (as you mention) hath suffered much, and willingly hath brought his Life into Christs footsteps: therefore I acknowledg him for a right true Christian.

160. But he need not to be ashamed to learn to know him­self better, and to learn more in [Page 100] the Spirit in the Spouse of Christ: For Christ saith, Seek and ye shall find: The Wisdom hath neither number nor end.

161. I say of my self nothing else, but that I first am become an A. B. C. Scholer, and will heartily seek in the Spouse of Christ of the Spirit of Christ, in my Brethren and Members, Me in them, and them in Me.

162. I do not arrogate to me yet any perfect knowledg; for that which is perfect, is not of mine understanding, but reveal­ed in the Spirit of Christ in my Brethren; I am in my self as a Nothing, that I might be found and known to be somewhat in the knowledg of my Brother in his Spirit, and that God in Christ may be All in us, both the Understanding, Willing and Doing.

[Page 101]163. Therefore I exhort you not to take this otherwise then Christianly and Brotherly; for I am not a Master of your Spirit and Knowledg, but your help in the Lord, that the Authors Course may not be in vain, nor the Name of Christ blasphemed in his Members, as Babel hath done. I have written this short Declaration and Explanation to refresh us in our knowledg in the Lord: What is more, is to be found in the Book of the Three­fold Life, and in the three Books of the Incarnation of Christ; and do commend you all to the Love of JESUS CHRIST.

Dated on the Sunday, Quasi modo geniti, Anno 1621.

The Fountain of the Heart of JESUS CHRIST be our Re­freshing, Renovation and Eter­nal Life.

1. BEloved and much re­spected Friend in Christ, I do wish to you (out of a mem­berlike obligation, as one branch on the Tree is bound to do to the other) in a co-operating De­sire, the open Fountain of Grace, which God hath revealed in Christ Jesus in our Humanity, that the same may flow in you richly, and the Divine Sun there­through bring into the Soul his Love-beams, and therewith a­wake [Page 106] and open the great Mag­netick Hunger of the Soul (as the true divine Mouth) after Christs Flesh and Blood; toge­ther with bodily Welfare.

2. For as much as I have of­ten perceived by your loving Friend D. K. and also in my presence marked, that you in the Drawing of the Father have an extraordinary Thirst and great Longing after his Life, which he hath manifested in Christ Jesus, out of his highest Love; there­fore I would not omit out of a memberlike obligation to visit you with a short Epistle, upon the desire of the D. and also of your self, and to recreate and re­fresh my self somewhat in that same Fountain of the Life of Jesus Christ with you; since it is meer Joy unto me, that our Paradisical Pearl-tree greeneth [Page 107] and worketh fruit in our fellow­members, to our Eternal Joy.

3. And herewith I will shew unto you, out of my small gifts and knowledg, What a Christian is, and Wherefore he is called a Christian: namely, that only He is a Christian, who is become capable of this high Title In Himself; who hath turned him­self with his Inward Ground, Mind and Will, to the free­given Grace in Christ Jesus; and is in his Souls-Will become as a young Child, that only longeth after the Brests of the Mother, and sucketh the Brests of the Mother, whereof it liveth.

4. So also this Man only is a Christian, whose Soul and Mind entereth again into the First Mother, whereout the Life of Man is sprung, viz. into the E­ternal Word, which hath re­vealed [Page 108] it self with the true Milk of Salvation in our Humanity, (being blind in regard of God,) and drinketh this Mother-milk into his hungry Soul; whence the New Spiritual Humanity springeth; and the fiery Soul, being out of the Fathers Pro­priety, reacheth and obtaineth herewith the place of the Love of God; in which place the Fa­ther begetteth his Beloved Son; wherein alone the Temple of the Holy Ghost (which dwelleth In Us) is found; and wherein also alone the Spiritual Mouth of the Soul (which eateth Christs Flesh, and drinketh his Blood) is understood.

5. For He alone is a Christi­an, in whom Christ dwelleth, liveth and Is; in whom Christ after the Inward Ground of the Soul, and the Heavenly Essence [Page 109] (which disappeared in Adam) is risen and become Living; He that hath in his Inward Ground put on Christs Victory against Gods Wrath, as also against Hell, Devil, Death and Sin, (I say, Christs Humanity, Passion, Death and Resurrection,) the Seed of the Woman, to wit, Christ in his Victory, also over­coming in him, and dayly tri­umphing upon the Serpents head in the Will of the Wicked Flesh, and killing the sinful Lusts of the Flesh.

6. For in Christ alone we are received to be Gods Children and heirs of Christ; not through an outward strange shew of a special grace-receiving, through a strange merit of a grace im­puted from Without, but through a Childlike, Inhabit­ing, Memberlike and Essential [Page 110] grace, where the Conqueror of Death, to wit, Christ, with his Life, Substance, and Power, ariseth In Us from our Death, and ruleth and worketh In Us, as upon a Branch on his Vine; as the Writings of the Apostles throughout do witness.

7. He is not a Christian who only comforteth himself with the Passion, Death and Satis­faction of Christ, and imputeth the same unto himself as a grace­gift, and yet remaineth an Un­regenerated Wilde Beast; such a Christian is every Ungodly Man; for every one will fain be saved through a grace-gift; The Devil also would very willingly be an Angel again through Grace received (or ap­plyed) from Without.

8. But that he should turn and become as a Child, and be [Page 111] born a new out of Gods Grace-Water of Love and the Holy Ghost, that pleaseth him not: So also it pleaseth not the Titu­lar-Christian, who putteth a­bout himself the Grace-mantle of Christ, and yet will not enter into the Childship, and the New Birth; although Christ saith, he cannot otherwise see the King­dom of God.

9. For what is born of the Flesh, is Flesh, and cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, Joh. 6. To be fleshly minded is Enmity with God, but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace: and He alone heareth Gods Word that is born of God; for alone the Spi­rit of Grace in Christ heareth Gods Word.

10. For no man hath seen God; the Son alone, who is in the Fathers Unmeasurable Bo­som, [Page 112] he declareth to Us the Word and Will of God in our selves, so that we hear and un­derstand his Will and good pleasure within us, and are will­ing to follow the same, but yet are oft kept back by the out­ward sinful flesh; so that the Working of that same divine Power goeth not always into the Outward Figure, and yet it goeth into the Inward Figure, in the Inward Spiritual World, whereof S ^t Paul saith, Our Con­versation is in Heaven.

11. Of which also all the Saints, and especially S ^t Paul, hath complained, viz. that they have the earnest Will, and with the Mind of the Inward Ground serve God, but with the flesh the Law of Sin; so that the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit: Which Lust is daily drowned and killed [Page 113] in the Death of Christ through the Inward Ground, yet only in those in whom Christ is risen from Death; and thus no Con­demnation is to them, who are in Christ Jesus: For the Bestial Body belongeth to the Earth, but the Spiritual Body belong­eth to God: But whosoever hath not it, is living dead, and neither heareth nor perceiveth any thing of the Spirit of God, it is foolishness unto him; ac­cording to the Scripture.

12. Therefore this Point is not sufficiently understood and declared, by maintaining only and alone a Grace received from Without, and also such a For­giveness of Sins. The Forgiving of Sins and the Childship re­ceived into the Grace, consisteth in the Justification of the Blood and Death of CHRIST, when [Page 114] CHRIST's Heavenly Blood tinctured us, and overcame the Wrath of God in our Soul and Inward divine Ground, being out of the Substance of Eterni­ty, with the highest Love of the Deity in the Name of JESUS, and changed it again into the di­vine Humility & Obedience; the torn temperature of our humane Property of Obedience and good Will, entering again into the Harmony and Unity of the Properties.

13. Then was the Fathers Anger (which was awaked in our Lives Properties, and had made it self a Governor or Ru­ler in Soul and Body, whereby we were dead to the Kingdom of Heaven, and became Chil­dren of Wrath) turned again in­to that One Only Love and Likeness of God, and our Hu­mane [Page 115] Will dyed away in the Death of Christ from its own I-hood, and own Willing, and the First Humane Will (which God out of his Spirit gave in­to Adam) out-greened again through the Victory of the sweetness of God in Christs Heavenly Blood. Then was the Devil and Hell (which held Men captive) confounded: for this the dry Rod of Aaron did signifie, which greened in one night, and bare sweet Almonds.

14. Now as the Sin came from one, and thronged from one upon all; so also the sweet Grace and Victory in Christ thronged from one upon all: The Death and the Anger was broken (in pieces) in Christ, in that one Adamical Soul, and a possibility to Grace, through the Breaking of Death, was opened: [Page 116] through which broken Gate the Soulish Will may again turn it self into the first Mother (out of which it came in the Beginning) as into the Childship or New Birth of a New Life and Will. There it may attain and reach the sweet Blood of Jesus Christ, which in Christ in our Humani­ty brake in pieces the Gates of Death, and changed the Anger of God in our Humanity in him­self into Love, wherein the poor captive Soul drinketh out of Gods Fountain, and refresheth her self in her fire-breath, whereout the New Greening out-greeneth, the Hunger and Desire of the Soul becoming (then) Substantial in the Blood of Christ after an heavenly manner.

15. Now like as the Break­ing of Death must be done in [Page 117] the Person of Christ in our Soul and Humanity, so that the Eter­nity in Christ (wherewith he was come from Heaven, and al­so was in Heaven, Joh. 3.) over­came the Time (as the Life and Will of the Time) and did change Time with its Will into the Eternal Will of the Deity, and all that was to be done in our received Humanity: So must also the Desire of our Soul receive into it self that same E­ternal Will in Christ, (where Time and Eternity stand in an Harmony and Concordance,) and through that Power sink it self into the Childship, as into the Grace, that the same Inward Paradisical Ground, which dyed in Adam, might again out-green in the Will of the Obedience of Christ, through his Heavenly and from us received humane Blood.

[Page 118]16. In our selves must the Ex­piation be manifested through Christs once made Expiation; indeed through that which once was made in Christs Blood and Death: But that same which once came to pass in Christ, must also do it in me; it must now through Christs Bloodshedding come to pass also in me. Christ sheddeth also his Heavenly Blood into my Desire in my poor Soul, and tinctureth the Wrath of God therein, that the First Adamical Image of God may again appear, and become seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling.

17. For that Image which dyed in Adam from the Heaven­ly Worlds Essence, as the right Paradisical one, dwelleth not in the four Elements; its Essence and Life standeth not in this [Page 119] World, but in Heaven (which becometh revealed in Christ in us,) as in the one pure (and) holy Element, whereout the four E­lements in the Beginning of Time are sprung; and that same New Inward Spiritual Man eat­eth Christs Flesh and Blood; for he liveth and is in Christ: Christ is his Stock, and he is a branch on the Stock.

18. For every Spirit eateth of that of which he hath his Ori­ginal: as, the Animalish Mor­tal Soul eateth of the Spirit of the World, of the Stars and Ele­ments, of the Kingdom of this World: But the true Eternal Soul (which is breathed out of the Eternal Word into Man, as a Divine Life) eateth of its Mo­ther, as out of the Holy Sub­stantial Word of God.

19. But seeing that this, after [Page 120] her separation from God, was not possible for her, therefore came that same Word of Life, as her true Mother, again to the out-turned Soul, into this Vale of Misery, into the Prison of Hell, and brought its Heavenly Substance into our Humane, as a Body for the Soul, and there­with embraced and encompass­ed our poor captive Soul, and did open again her heavenly Mouth (afore dead in the Anger of God) with the Tincture of Love, so that the poor Soul can again eat heavenly Manna: Which eating stood in Christs Person (with our received Hu­manity, in the Temptation of Christ in the Desart) again in the tryal, when Adam in Christ ate Manna again from Paradise forty days.

20. Therefore I say, that if [Page 121] any one be a Christian, he is it not through an imputed grace­shew from Without: his sins are not forgiven him through the once happened Word­speaking from Without, as a Lord in this World giveth a Murtherer his Life through an outward imputed Grace: No, no, this availeth nothing before God.

21. There is no Grace where­through we can come to the Childship, save only in the Blood and Death of Christ: Him alone God hath made and fore-ordained to be unto him a Throne of Grace (or Propitia­tion) in his own Love, which he hath brought into him in the sweet Name JESUS out of JEHOVAH: He is that only Offering which God receiveth, that can reconcile Gods Anger.

[Page 122]22. Now if that same Offer­ing shall do me good, then must it also come to pass in me: the Father must beget and give his Son into the Desire of my Faith, so that the Hunger of my Faith may lay hold of him; and if the Hunger of my Souls Faith comprehendeth him, as in his promised Word, then I put on him in his whole process of Ju­stification in mine Inward Ground; and immediately the killing of the Wrath, Devil, Death and Hell beginneth (and goes on) out of Christs Death in me.

23. For I can do nothing, I am dead to my self, but Christ doth it in Me; when He ariseth in Me, then I am dead in my self, in respect of the true Man, and he is my Life, and what I live, I live to Him, and not to [Page 123] Minehood: For Grace killeth my Will, and setteth it self for a Lord in the place of mine I-hood, that I may be a Work of God, who doth therewith what He Will.

24. And then I live in Two Kingdoms, to wit, with the Out­ward Mortal Man, in the vanity of Time, wherein the Yoke of Sin yet liveth, it Christ taketh in the Inward Kingdom of the divine World upon Himself, and helpeth my Soul to bear it.

25. For the Yoke of this World is Christs Burden, which he must bear until he shall again deliver up the Kingdom to his Father, which He hath given him; for He said, All Power in Heaven and Earth is given to Me of my Father: So is also this Burden given to him, that He [Page 124] should bear Gods Anger, Hell, Death, and all evil in us, as Esaias saith: He took on him our Dis­eases, and carried our griefs, but we did count him stricken, smit­ten of God and afflicted.

26. Whence it is, that a Chri­stian must be a Cross-bearer; For so soon as Christ is born in him, the assaulting of Hell and the Anger of God in the Eternal Nature goeth on; then the Hell in Man is destroyed, and the Serpent is trampled upon; whence great Unquietness, Per­secution and Reproach from the Devil, and the corrupt World, ariseth over the outward sinful Man: then the outward sinful Man must suffer himself to be condemned, and judged to Damnation, of Gods severe Justice in the Anger, by the Children of the Anger, seeing [Page 125] that another Man liveth in him which is not like to the Outward Mortal: therefore Gods Justice executeth its Judgment in An­ger upon the Sin-house, as also all the Ministers of Gods An­ger.

27. Then Christ helpeth to bear the Yoke, and Man is sa­crificed in Christs process, con­tempt, and scorn, in his Suffer­ing and Death, unto the Justice of God, in the Wrath, and he becomes like unto Christs Image.

28. The Holy Scripture wit­nesseth in all places, that we are Justified from sins by Faith in Christ, not by the Works of our Merit, but by the Blood and Death of Christ; which indeed is so taught of many, but rightly understood of few that teach us.

[Page 126]29. Men indeed teach us the Imputed grace; but what Faith is, how it is begotten, what it is in its Essence and Substance, and how it layeth hold on the Merit of Christ with the Grace, in that the most part are dumb and blind, and rest by an Historical Faith, Jam. 2. which is but a bare knowledg, the Man of Sin tickling and comforting himself therewith, and through such Imagination flattering himself, and naming himself a Christian, though he is not become capa­ble of this so high a Title, but is only a Titular Christian, co­vered from Without with Christs Purpur-mantle; of whom the Prophet saith, They draw neer unto me with their lips, but their Heart is far from me: And Christ said, Not all that say, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the [Page 127] Kingdom of Heaven; but they that do the Will of my Father in Heaven.

30. Now Christ alone is the Will of the Father, wherein the Receiving of Grace and the Childship is; and no man can do the Fathers Love-Will, but only that only Grace-Throne Christ himself, as the Scripture saith, No man can call God, LORD, without the Holy Spirit In Him.

31. For we know not what we pray before God as we ought, but He, even the Holy Spirit, maketh Intercession for us with inexpressible Sighings before God in our selves, as it pleaseth God: We cannot at­tain unto any thing by our Will­ing and Knowing; He is too deeply hidden to us; For it li­eth not in any Mans Knowing, [Page 128] Willing or Running, but in Gods Mercy.

32. Now there is no Mercy, but only in Christ: and if I shall reach that Mercy, I must reach Christ in Me: If my sins shall be blotted in Me, Christ must perform it in Me, with his Blood and Death, and with his Victory: If I shall beleeve, then must the Spirit, the Desire and the Will of Christ, beleeve in my Desire and Will; for I cannot Beleeve.

33. But he receiveth my Will being resigned to Him, and en­closeth it in his Will, & bringeth it through his Victory into God: there He intercedeth for the Will of my Soul in his Will be­fore God, and thus I am recei­ved as a Grace-child in his Love-Will.

34. For the Father hath ma­nifested [Page 129] his Love in Christ, and Christ manifesteth the same Love in my Will being resign­ed to him: Christ draweth my Will into himself, and cloateth it with his Blood and Death, and tinctureth it with the highest Tincture of the Divine Power: Thus it is changed into an An­gelical Image, and getteth a Di­vine Life.

35. Whereupon that same Life beginneth to hunger after its Body, which Body is the cor­rupt fiery Soul, whereout the Will is entered into Christ: thus the New Life in Christ doth now also tincture the Soul, so that the Soul in this Will­spirit getteth a right divine Hun­ger, and becometh desirous of the Divine Grace; and begin­eth to behold her self in this Di­vine Will-spirit in Christ, what [Page 130] she is; how she in her Proper­ties is separated from God, and how she lieth captive in Gods Wrath, and acknowledgeth her abominations, as also her Defor­mity in the presence of Gods Angels; there she hath nothing wherewith she may protect her self; for she seeth that she stand­eth in the Jaws of Death and Hell, environed with evil Spi­rits, which bring their Desires always into her to destroy her.

36. Then she sinketh down into that same New-born Spirit of the Will, and ingulfeth her self into the meerest Humility; then the Spirit of Christ taketh hold of her, and bringeth her in­to this New-will-spirit, that the Soul essentially feeleth it: Whereupon the Divine Joyful Look ariseth in the Soul (as a [Page 131] New Eye) wherein the fiery Soul conceiveth the Ens and Substance of the Divine Light in her self; whereupon she hun­gereth and thirsteth after Gods Grace, and entereth into a pow­erful Repentance or Penitency, and bewaileth the Evil which she hath committed.

37. And in this Hunger and Thirst she receiveth Christs Flesh and Blood; for the New Will-spirit (which in the Begin­ing entered into the Grace of Christ, which Christ also hath received into himself) becom­eth now Substantial by the Magnetical Impressing, Hun­gering and Desiring of the Soul.

38. And this Substantiality is called Sophia, as the Substan­tial Wisdom, or the Body of Christ; and in this the Faith in [Page 132] the Holy Spirit consisteth; here Christ and the Soul beleeve in one ground.

39. For the True Faith con­sisteth not in thoughts, or in a meer assenting to the Histories, viz. that a man impresseth in­to himself, that Christ is dead for his sins; but it is a Recei­ving of the promised Grace of Christ; it receiveth Christ into it self; it Impresseth him into his Hunger, with his heavenly Flesh and Blood, with the Grace which God offereth in Christ.

40. Christ feedeth the Soul with the Substance of Sophia, as with his Body and Blood; ac­cording to his saying, Whosoever eateth not the Flesh of the Son of Man, he hath no Life in him; but whosoever eateth the same, he abi­deth in him.

41. And herein also Christs [Page 133] Testaments and also the Chri­stian Faith do consist: For an Unsubstantial Faith is as a smo­king Fire, or mother of Fire, in a moisture, that would willingly burn, and yet hath no right Ens thereto: but when a right Ens is given to it, then that little spark of fire encreaseth, out of which a fair Light ariseth, which shineth round about: and then is (revealed or) manifested, how in the Wood such a fire and fair light lieth hidden, which before was not known.

42. So also in a Child of God: While the poor Soul is wrapt up in the Anger of God, she is as a glimmering Wiek, that would willingly burn, and yet cannot by reason of the Va­nity of the Sins and the Anger of God; But when the Soul (as the little spark of the Divine [Page 134] Fire) getteth into it self Gods Love- Ens, as Christs Flesh and Blood, then that same little Spark beginneth to become a great Fire and Light, which shineth and lighteth about it self with fair Vertues and good Works, and liveth in great Pa­tience under the Vanity of this World, and yet groweth forth as a fair Flower out of the wilde Earth.

43. Whereof we have a Si­militude in the Sun and the Earth; namely, if the Sun should not shine upon the Earth, no fruit could grow: But when the Sun doth shine on the Earth, and throngeth himself into the Ens of the Earth, then the Ens of the Earth receiveth the Ver­tue of the Sun into it self; whereupon a great Hunger a­riseth in the Ens of the Earth [Page 135] after the Vertue of the Sun, and this same Hunger impresseth the Vertue of the Sun; and by this same Hunger of the Ens of the Earth (which goeth after the Ens of the Sun in the height) an Herb is drawn out of the Earth, with a stalk, wherein the Ens and Vertue of the Sun also go­eth in the encrease (or growth) in the height, and the Sun with his Light-beams becometh Sub­stantial in the Ens of the Earth, in the stalk and root: and a man seeth how through the power of the Sun and Stars in the Spirit of the World another body cometh out of the stalk, then the root in the Earth is: also, how the stalk doth bring it self into a button, to a fair flower, and afterwards to fruit: a man may also see, how the Sun afterwards from time to time ripeneth and [Page 136] sweeteneth the same fruit.

44. So also it is with Man: the Soulish ground is the Di­vine field; when it getteth the Divine Sunshine into it self, then a Divine Plant ariseth thereout: This is the New Birth, whereof Christ speaketh. Now this Plant must be nourished and drawn up from above by the Divine Sun, and by the Divine Water and the Divine Stars, as the Divine Power, until it com­eth to be a Divine Body of a Divine and Angelical Figure, as the body on the stalk.

45. And as the body on the stalk must stand in rain, wind and storm, in heat and cold, and suffer the Sun to ripen it: so must a Christian stand in this thorny World in the awaked Anger of God, in the Kingdom of the Devil amongst many [Page 137] wicked Men, and suffer himself to be beaten with scorn and contempt, and yet must turn his Hope from all Creatures alone into the Divine Sun, and suffer him to ripen him, and to beget him to an heavenly fruit.

46. Not houses of stone, nor humane Ordinances do beget him; but the Divine Sun, in the divine Stars of the powers of the Word of God, in the Tem­ple of Jesus Christ in himself, doth beget him out of the Foun­tain of Life, Jesus Christ, so that he is a branch on the Vine of Christ, and bringeth forth good grapes, which the Divine Sun ripeneth, that Gods children, as his loving fellow-members, may eat them, whereby they al­so do out-green in and with him; which grapes are good Doctrine, Life and Works.

[Page 138]47. A man must come to the practise, working and fruit­bringing, otherwise the New Birth is not yet manifest in him, nor the noble Branch yet born: No tickling, comforting and boasting of Faith, availeth (any thing,) if so be the Faith becom­eth not a Child conformable to God in Essence and Will, which doth bring forth divine fruit.

48. All that wherefore men now strive and contend, also de­stroy Land and people, is only a meer husk without fruit, and be­longeth to the fiery World, for separation: There is no true Understanding in any party: they contend all only about the Name, and the Will of God, and no party will do it: they mean and mind nothing but their own glory, and the lust of the flesh: Were they Christians, [Page 139] they would have no strife.

49. A good Tree beareth good fruits for every one: and although it must suffer that the wind oft breaketh off its bran­ches and fruit, as also that the Sun dryeth them up, and when they are ripe that swines devour them, and that they be troden under feet, yet it endeavoreth still to bring forth more good fruits.

50. So also a true Christian in Christ can will nothing else but what Christ willeth in him: although he must suffer that his good fruits (which do out-green and grow forth out of the In­ward Man) be often trampled upon, and spoiled by his Evil flesh and blood, as also by the Devils Wind, and the Wicked­ness of the World; yet the Tree of the new Plant abideth stand­ing [Page 140] in the Life of Christ, and out-greeneth through the out­ward mortal Man against all hinderance and opposition; like as Eternity greeneth through the Time, and giveth to the Time Life and Power: And as the Day out-greeneth through the Night, and changeth the Night into Day, whereas yet the Night remaineth in it self, and is not discerned in the Day: so also the Divine Day out­greeneth in us, through our E­ternal Night, and changeth the Night, to wit, Gods Anger, Hell, Death, Anguish, and Eternal Destruction, into the Divine Day of Joyfulness; although the Dark Night with the Ens of the Serpent and the Poyson in flesh and blood, rageth and striveth against it.

51. Therefore beloved Sir, [Page 141] and Christian Brother, we have more need to endeavor for the growth of the noble Pearl-tree, and how we may come to it, then to run after the unprofita­ble pratling and fancy, where one Brother despiseth, reproach­eth and proclaimeth the other for an Heretick, nay, giveth him to the Devil for an Opinions sake, which he hath made to himself.

52. I tell you in my know­ledg given me of God, that it is a meer Deceit of the Devil, who doth thus bring us poor men in­to Opinions, contemning and reproaching, that we strive for the husk, and mean while lose Love and Faith, and attain not to the New Birth.

53. Our whole Religion is but a Childrens-work, namely, that we wholly go out from our [Page 142] own Knowing, Willing, Run­ing, Disputing, and resolve to enter into the Way, which bringeth us again into our Lost Country, and how we may re­turn to our Mother, who hath born us in the Beginning out of her self.

54. Now if we will do this, we must not come to her in (our) own Will, in Pride and Con­tempt of her Children, our fel­low-Christians and fellow-Members: for we are the Lost Son, who is become a Swine­herd, and have spent our Patri­mony filthily with the sty-hogs of the Devil and the World: We must enter into our selves again, and well consider our selves and our Fathers house, and must set before us the Mir­ror of the Law and the Gospel, and see how far we are departed [Page 143] from Gods Righteousness and Truth; as also from the Bro­therly Love, and well examine our Heart whereto it is en­clined.

55. Now when we do this, we shall find in our selves many hundred Evil Beasts, which we have placed in the stead of God, and still do honour the same a­bove God; and shall then first see what terrible Beasts are be­come manifest in Adam, through the false Lust; and wherefore God said to Adam, The seed of the Woman shall break the Ser­pents head, to wit, of the mon­strous Beasts.

56. Viz. We shall first see in our Desire the proud Lucifer, who is departed from the Di­vine and Brotherly Humility, and contemneth the Members of his Body, and hath set himself [Page 144] over them as a God and Lord; in whom there is no Divine Love, either to Love God or his Neighbor.

57. Secondly, We shall find a Beast in our Properties, which is like a covetous greedy Sow (or swine) which will draw all to it self, and alone eat and pos­sess all, and desireth more then it needeth, wherewith the proud Lucifer may brag and vaunt himself that he is a God over Substance, who can domineer, and hath power and might over his fellow-branches: and we shall see how this proud Lucifer hath broken himself off from the Tree of Life, and from the growth of Love, and would be a Tree of himself; therefore he is also dryed up in respect of God.

58. Thirdly, We shall find the poysonous envious Serpent [Page 145] in our Property, which stingeth about it as a Poyson, viz. Envy, which wisheth no man so well as it self; which stingeth and rideth in other mens hearts, and slan­dereth them with words, and praiseth only the proud Lucifer in it, and calleth its falshood an Angel of God.

59. Fourthly, We shall find the fiery Dragon sitting in Hell­ish fire in our Property, viz. An­ger, which (if Covetousness and Envy cannot obtain it) will strike with fists, and take it by force, and is so raging mad that he bursteth his Life for Wicked­ness, and breaketh in the fiery Malice, and is a very dry branch on the Tree, which is only fit for the fire.

60. Fifthly, We shall find many hundred Beasts in our Desire, which Pride loveth and [Page 146] honoreth more then God, and Covetousness draweth to it self for a Treasure, wherewith Pride braggeth as if they were Gods, and thus doth withdraw from his Brother his Life, that he is forced to spend it in misery and trouble, through his Violence and Extortion.

61. Now when a man doth thus behold himself in this Mir­ror of his Self-hood, and is be­come aware of these evil Beasts, then he may rightly imagine them to himself, and hereby consider the grievous Fall of A­dam, and think, that all these evil Desires, one with another, have their original in him, out of the Monster of the Serpent, through the Devils bringing-in of them into our first Parents.

62. For all the Properties of the Desires lay in Adam in an [Page 147] Harmony and Equality, and the one loved the other: But such false Desires are sprung up in Men through the Devils Envy, which awaked the false Lust in Adam and Eve, to prove the Discord and Unequality, and to taste what Good and Evil is, to feel Heat and Cold, and to try the multitude of the Properties; so that now these Lusts draw and desire their like unto them­selves, and every Desire of these Properties is a several Lives­hunger in Man, which hath bro­ken it self off from the Harmo­ny, and against the Love and Likeness of its fellow-branches and Brothers, lustfully desireth to draw their Life and Mainte­nance to it self, and to make it self a Lord over it; and will be its Own.

63. All which runneth against [Page 148] the Divine Will and Ground, and is a perjury against God; and is also against the Course of Nature; as a Man may see by the Earth, Trees, and all Plants, how all stand and grow loving­ly one by the other, and rejoyce in one Mother; and how one branch on the Tree doth in-flow to the other his sap and vertue, and the one serveth the other.

64. For so was also the Life of Man ( Joh. 1.) brought out of the Eternal Word into the Image of Man (being out of the Limus of the Earth) in a lovely Equality (and Harmony,) so that all the Properties of the Life stood in an equal Weight in the Temperature in one Love, and did love themselves (or one another.)

65. But when the Devil did throw his Poyson and false De­sire [Page 149] therein, then the Properties of Life were divided into many Desires; whence Strife, Infir­mity, Dissolution, and the Gross­ness of the Body is sprung, through the false Desire and Bringing-in of the Bestial Pro­perties, whereby the Image of God (which was from the Hea­venly Substance) disappeared; whereof God said unto them, What Day thou shalt eat of the Plant of knowledg of Evil and Good, thou shalt dye the Death, that is, to the Kingdom of God; as it also came to pass.

66. And we ought to ima­gine really to our selves, that this Bestial false Desire in Men, is the Monster of the Serpent, and an Enmity with God and the Kingdom of Heaven; and that we therein are nothing else but Children of Hell and the [Page 150] Wrath of God, and may not therein inherit or possess the Kingdom of God: neither is God revealed in any such De­sire, but only his Anger, and the Property of the Dark and of the Earthly World: and we live therein only to the Vanity of this World, and stand therewith only upon the Pit of the dark World of the Anger of God, that is, of Hell, which every hour opened its Mouth after these Properties, and counteth these Properties its (own) fruit and children, which it shall reap, which also belong to it by right of Nature: for these Desires are all originally from it, and stand with their root in the ground of Hell and Destruction, and in­deed no otherways.

67. Therefore said Christ, Unless a Man be born a new, he shall [Page 151] not see the Kingdom of God. All these false Wills and Desires are predestinated to Damnation; if any Will see God, he must turn again, and become as a Child, and be New-born in the Holy Ghost, through the Water of Eternal Life, as through the Heavenly Ens, which God hath revealed in Christ, that the first right Man, which dyed in Adam (being from the Heavenly Worlds Substance) might again in Christ out-green and become Living.

68. All these Beasts are con­demned, and must dye in us; and although somewhat of their Desires remaineth yet hanging on us in the flesh, yet they must all be killed, during this Time, in the Soul, as in the Inward Ground, and the Inward Soulish Life be tinctured through the [Page 152] true Tincture in the Blood of Christ, that the Properties of the Inward Ground may again live in Harmony; otherwise they cannot reach the Deity in them­selves.

69. Now when a Man know­eth this, he cannot better be rid of his evil Beasts, then that he presently that very hour bring himself, with all his powers, into such a strong Will and Purpose, that he will hate these Beasts of the Devil, seeing they are only the Devils Servants; and that he will turn again into his lost Country, into the Childship and Unity; and look upon himself no otherwise then upon the poor lost Swineherd, for he is it also himself, and indeed no other nor better; and so instantly with the turning of his Soul, come to the Father in highest Humility, with [Page 153] acknowledgment of his own Unworthiness, who hath shame­lesly consumed the bestown In­heritance of the Merit of Christ; and so enter into Repentance.

70. Let him but give his ear­nest Will thereinto out of all his Powers, that he this very hour, even now, will repent and a­mend, and love no more these evil Beasts: But it must be Ear­nestness, and not to think of a day, week or year; but his Mind must condemn them to the Damnation of Death, and not will love them any more, but count them Enemies, and will turn it self to the Grace of God.

71. When this cometh to pass, I say in high Truth, that then he may turn himself to ear­nest prayers in Humility, and beseech God for Grace; and although his Heart saith utterly [Page 154] No, and the Devil saith, Stay yet, it is not good Now; and when to morrow cometh, then saith he again, To Morrow; and speaketh into the Flesh; thou must first do this or that; ga­ther first a Treasure, that thou mayst not need the World, then (afterwards) enter into such a Life; Yet, I say, the Mind must remain and stand firm in the Purpose, and think with it self; These suggestions are mine evil hungry Beasts, these I will kill, and drown them in the Blood of Christ, in his Love; none of them shall live any more in me, for I will have no more of them: I am now in the Way to mine ancient Father, who hath sent his Son to me in my Misery, who said, Come to Me all ye that are laden with sins, and are grieved with them, I will refresh you; My [Page 155] Father will give the Holy Ghost to them that ask Him for it.

72. Let him imagine this to himself into his heart, and come with the lost Son to the Father; and when He shall see that the Soulish Mind is directed to Him, and would willingly turn, and yet cannot, then He will pre­sently meet him, and clasp the Soul into the arms of his Draw­ing, and bring her into the Passi­on and Death of Christ; where she through earnest Repentance will dye from the cruel horrible Beasts, and arise out of the Death of Christ with a new Will, and a right Divine Desire, and begin to be another Man indeed; and he will then not a whit esteem that which he hath loved before, and held for his treasure; and it will be to him, as if he had it, and also, had it not: and after­ward [Page 156] he will in all his power esteem himself but a Servant of God.

73. For so soon as he can but master the proud Lucifer with his Pride, all the other evil Beasts, one with another, grow weak and faint, and lose their Regiment; although they yet live in this Time in this Earthly Flesh, yet they are but only as an Ass, which must carry the sack, or as a mad Dog in a chain; their strength is broken.

74. For when Christ riseth, Lucifer must lie captive: and if it should be Earnest, such a pre­cious Jewel should follow upon it, which this Pen cannot de­scribe here, and those alone know, who have been at the Heavenly Marriage, where the noble Sophia is espoused with the Soul; whereof Christ said, [Page 157] That there is such a great Joy in Heaven over One Sinner that Re­penteth before ninety nine Righte­ous: Which Joy is also per­formed in the Heaven of Man, in the Desponsation: This is understood of those that are Ours.

75. My Beloved and Chri­stian fellow-Brother, I thought it good Christianly and Well­meaningly to put you in mind of this; and out of my little Trea­sury in a Childlike Simplicity to decypher it unto you; not intending thereby to shew or set forth my self, but out of a true hearty Desire, in a fellow-wish­ing, that this might be felt in your heart; and I also might refresh my self a little with you, as a fellow-member, though ab­sent, and yet present in the De­sire, and co-operating in the [Page 158] Divine Gifts; and this upon your Desire, as formerly is said.

76. And if my good Will should find place, and God would open the Door of his Mystery, then had I yet haply, some other, more precious Jew­els in my little Treasury, where­in Time and Eternity may be known; being ready therewith to serve you: and so I commend you, together with all your Be­loved ones, to the sweet Love of JESUS CHRIST, into his Grace and into his Will.