5. Yet seeing that it remaineth certain, that a true Christian is bom of Christ, and that the New-Birth is the Temple of the Holy Qhost which dwelleth in us, and that the New Man only, that is born of Christ, partaketh of the Flesh and Blood of Christ; it appeareth that it is not so easy a Matter to be a Christian.
6. And that Christianity doth not consist in the mere knowing of the History y and applying the Knowledge thereof to ourselves, saying that * Christ died for us, and hath destroyed Death and * turned it into Life in us, and that He hath paid the Ransom for * us, so that we need do nothing but comfort ourselves therewith, * and stedfastly believe that it is so.'
7. For we find of ourselves that Sin is living, lusting, strong, 64 T'he JVay to Qhrist.
and powerfully working in the Flesh, and therefore it must be somewhat else, which doth not co-operate with Sin in the Fleshy nor Willeth it, that is the New-Birth in Christ 8. For St, Paul saith, * There is no Condemnation to them * that are in Christ Jesus/ And further, * Should we that are * Christians be yet Sinners? God forbid, seeing we are dead to * Sin in Christ/ 9. Besides, the Man of Sin cannot be the * Temple of the * Holy Ghost / and yet * there is no Man that sinneth not, for ' God hath shut up all under Sin/ As the Scripture saith, * No * one living is righteous in thy Sight, if thou imputest his Sins ' to him. The righteous Man falleth seven Times a Day;' and yet it cannot be meant that the righteous falleth and sinneth, but his mortal and sinful Man, For the righteousness of a Christian in Christ cannot Sin.
10. Moreover, 5/. P^a/ saith, *Our Conversation is in Heaven, ' from whence we expect our Saviour Jesus Christ/ Now, if our Conversation be in Heaven, then Heaven must be in us; Christ dwelleth in Heaven, and then if we are his Temple^ that Temple Heaven must be in us.
11. But for all this, seeing Sin tempteth us within us, whereby the Devil hath within us an Access to us, therefore Hell also must be in us too, for the Devil dwelleth in Hell; wheresoever he is, he is in Hell, and cannot come out of it. Yea, when he possesseth a Man, he dwelleth in Hell, viz., in the Anger of GoD in that Man.
12. Therefore we ought to consider well what Man is, and how he is a Man; and then we shall find that a true Christian is not a mere Historical New Man, as if it were enough for us outwardly to confess Christy and believe that he is the Son of Qody and hath paid the Ransom for us. For Righteousness availeth nothing, imputed from without, that is, by believing only that it is so imputed. But it is an inherent Righteousness bom in us, by which we become the Children of Qod, that availeth.
13. And as the earthly Flesh must die, so also the Life and Will must die from Sin, and be as a Child that knoweth nothing, but longeth only after the Mother which brought it forth. So likewise must the Will of a Christian enter again into its Mother, viz., into the Spirit of Christy and become a Child va itself in its 07vn Will and Power, having its Will and Desire inclined and directed only towards its Mother. And a New Will and Obedience in Righteousness, which Willeth Sin no more, must rise from Death out of the Spirit of Christ in him.
14. For that Will is not bom anew, which desireth and admitteth Vanity into itself; and yet there remaineth a Will Of "Regeneration. 65 which longeth after Vanity, and sinnetk, even in the New-born or Regenerate Man. Therefore the Image or Nature of Man should be well understood, and how the New-Birth cometh to pass; seeing it is not wrought in the mortal Fleshy and yet is wrought truly and really in us, in Flesh and Bloody in Water and Spirity as the Scripture saith.
15. We should therefore rightly understand what Kind o{ Man it is in us, that is the Member of Christy and Temple of QodvAxo dwelleth in Heaven. And then also what Kind of Man it is, that the Devil ruleth and driveth; for he cannot meddle with the Temple of Christy nor doth he care much for the mortal Flesh; and yet there are not three Men in one another, for all make but one Man.
16. Now if we will understand this rightly, we must consider Time and Eternity y and how they are in one another; also Light and DarknesSy Qood and Evil; but especially the Original of Many which may be thus apprehended.
17. The outward World with the Stars and four Elements, wherein Man and all Creatures live, neither is, nor is called Qod. Indeed Qod dwelleth /;/ it, but the Substance of the outward World comprehendeth him not.
18. We see also that the Light shineth in Darkness, and the Darkness comprehendeth not the Light, and yet they both dwell in one another. The four Elements are also an Example of this; which in their Original are but one Element, which is neither hot nor cold, nor dry, nor moist, and yet by its stirring separateth itself into four Properties, viz,y into Fire, Airy Water ^ and Earth.
19. Who would believe that Fire produceth or generateth Water? And that the Original of -FzV^ could be in Watery \i we did not see it with our Eyes in Tempests of Thunder, Lightning, and Rain; and did not find also, that in living Creatures, the essential Fire of the Body dwelleth in the Bloody and that the Blood is the Mother of the Fire, and the Fire is the Father of the Blood, 20. And as God dwelleth in the World, and filleth all Things, and yet possesseth nothing; and as the Fire dwelleth in Watery and yet possesseth it not; Also, as the Light dwelleth in Darkness, and yet possesseth not the Darkness; as the Day is in the Night, and the Night in the Day, Time in Eternity, and Eternity in Time; so is Man created according to the outward Humanity, he is the TimCy and in the Time, and the Time is the outward Worldy and it is also the outward Man.
21. The inward Man is Eternity and the Spiritual Time and Worlds which also consisteth of Light and Darkness y viz., of the Love of God, as to the eternal Light, and of the Anger of God S, 66 ^he JVay to Qhrist.
as to the eternal Darkness; whichsoever of these is manifest in him, his Spirit dwelleth in that, be it Darkness or Light.
22. For Z/^ A/ and Darkness ^xt. both in him, but each of them dwelleth in itself, and neither of them possesseth the other; but if one of them entereth into the other, and will possess it, then that other loseth its Right and Power.
23. The passive loseth its Power; for if the Light be made manifest in the Darkness ^ then the Darkness loseth its Darkness, and is not known or discerned. Also on the contrary, if the Darkness arise in the Light and get the Upper- hand, then the Light and the Power thereof are extinguished. This is to be observed also in Man, 24. The eternal Darkness of the Soul is Hell^ viz., an aching Source of Anguish, which is called the Anger of God; but the eternal Light in the Soul is the Kingdom of Heaven, where the fiery Anguish of Darkness is changed '\w\.o foy, 25. For the same Nature ol Anguish, which in the Darkness is a Cause of Sadness, is in the Light a Cause of the outward and stirring /c?j/. For the Source or Original in Lights and the Source in Darkness are but one eternal Source^ and one Nature, and yet they, viz.y the Light and Darkness, have a mighty Difference in the Source; the one dwelleth in the other and begetteth the other, and yet is not the other. The Fire \s painful and consuming, but the Light is yielding, friendly, powerful ^ and delightful, a sweet and amiable /^j'.
26. This may be found also in Man; he is and liveth in three Worlds; the First is the eternal dark World, viz., the Centre of the eternal Nature which produceth or generateth the-F/r^, viz,, the Source or Property of Anguish, 27. The second is the eternal light World, which begetteth the eternal foy, which is the Divine Habitation wherein the Spirit of Qod dwelleth, and wherein the Spirit of Christ receiveth the human Substance, and subdueth the Darkness, so that it must be a Cause oi foy in the Spirit of Christ in the Light.
28. The Third is the. outward visible World in the four Elements and the visible Stars; though indeed every Element hath its peculiar Constellation in itself, whence ih^ Desire and Property arise, and is like a Mind, 29. Thus you may understand, that the Fire in the Light is a Fire of Love, a Desire of Meekness and Delightfulness; but the Fire in the Darkness is a Fire of Anguish, and is painful, irksome, inimical and full of Contrariety in its Essence. The Fire of the Light hath a good Relish or Taste, but the Taste in the Essence of Darkness is unpleasant, loathsome and irksome. For all the Forms or Properties in the eternal Nature, till they reach j to Fire, are in great Anguish, \ Of ^generation. 6j Chapter II.
How Man is created.
HERE we are to consider the Creation of Man. Moses saith, * God created Man in His Image, in the Image * of God created He him.' This we understand to be both out of the eternal and temporal Birth; out of the inward and spiritual World which he breathed into him, into the created Image; and then out of the Substance ol>ih& inward spiritual World, which is Holy.
31. For as there is a Nature and Substance in Hd^ outward World; so also in the inward spiritual World there is a Nature and Substance which is Spiritual; from which the outward World is breatfied forth, and produced out of Light and Darkness, and created to have a Beginning and Time.
32. And out of the Substance of the inward 3ind outward World Man was created; out of and in the Likeness of the Birth of all Substances, The Body is a Limbus (an Extract or a kind oiSeed, which containeth all that which the Thing from whence it is taken hath) of the Earth, and also a Limbus of the Heavenly Substance; for the Earth is breathed forth outspoken, or created out of the dark and light World. In the Word Fiat (or creating Word) viz., in the eternal Desire Man was taken out of the Earth, and so created an Image out of lime and Eternity.
33. This Image "^^lS in the inward ^.nd spiritual Element, {rom whence the four Elements proceed and are produced. In that one Element was Paradise; for the Properties of Nature from the Fire-dark-and'Hght' World were all in Harmony and Agreement in Number, Weight, and Measure. One of them was not manifested more eminently than another, therefore was there no Frailty therein. For no one Property was predominant over another, neither was there any Strife or Contrariety among the Powers and Properties.
34. Into this created Image GCD breathed the Spirit and Breath of Understanding out of the three Worlds, as one only Soul, which, as to its Original Principle or Essence, is, or consisteth in, the inward dark Fire- World of the eternal spiritual Nature; according to which GOD calleth \iva\se\l ^ strong jealous God, and a consuming Fire.
35. And this now is the eternal Creaturely great Soul, a Magical Breath of Fire^ in which Fire consisteth the Original of Life, from the great Power of variation. Gqd'S Anger, or the S—2 68 The Way to Qhrist.
eternal Darkness^ is in this Property ^ so far as Fire reacheth without giving Light.
36. The second Property of the Breath of GOD is the Spirit of the Source of Light, proceeding from the great fiery Desire of Love^ from the great Meekness; according to which GOD calleth himself a loving, merciful GOD; in which consisteth the true Spirit of Understanding, and ol Life in Power.
37. For as Light shineth from Pozver^ and as the Power of Understanding is discerned in the Lights so the Breath of the Light was joined to the Breath of the Fire of God, and breathed into the Image of Man.
38. The third Property of the Breath of GOD was the outward Air with its Constellation or A strum, wherein the Life and Constellation of the outward Substance and Body did consist. This he breathed into his Nostrils; and as Time and Eternity hang together, and as Time is produced out of Eternity, so the inward Breath of GOD hung to the outward.
39. This three-fold Soul was at once breathed into Man; and each Substance of the Body received the Spirit according to its Property, The outward Flesh received the outward Air and its Constellations^ for a rational and vegetative Life, to the Manifestation of the Wonders of GOD; and the Light Body or Heavenly Substance received the Breath of the Light of the great Divine Powers and Virtues; which Breath is called the Holy Qhost.
40. Thus the Light pierced through the Darkness, viz., throuL;h the dark Breath of Fire, and also through the Breath of the outward Air and its Constellation or Astrum, and so deprived all the Properties of their Power, that neither the Anguish of the Breath of Fire in the inward Property of the Soul, nor Heat nor Cold, nor any of all the Properties of the outward Constellation, might or could be manifested, 41. The Properties of all the three Worlds in Soul and Body were in equal Agreement, Temperature, and Weight. That which was inward ^x\A Holy ruled through and over the outward, that is, the outward Parts of the outward Life, of the outward Stars or Constellations and the four Elements; and that original and universal Power of the inward over the outward constituted the Holy Paradise, 42. And thus Man was both in Heaven and also in the outward Worlds and was Lord over all the Creatures of this World. Nothing could destroy him.
43. For such was the Earth also, until the Curse of GOD broke forth. The Holy Property of the Spiritual World sprung up through the Earth, and brought forth Holy Paradisaical Of ^generation, 69 FruitSy which Man could then ^^/ in a Magical Paradisaical Manner.
44. And had neither need of Teeth^ nor Entrails in his Body. For as the Light swalloweth up Darkness, and as the Fire devoureth Water, and yet is not filled therewith, just such a Centre Man also had for his Mouth to eat withal, according to the Manner of Eternity.
45. And he could also generate his like out of himself without any dividing or opening of his Body and Spirit, in such a Manner as GOD generated the outward World; Who did not divide himself; but did in his Desire, viz., in the Word Fiat^ manifest himself, and brought that same Desire into a Figure according to the eternal Spiritual Birth, So also Man was created an Image and Likeness of GOD in that respect, according to Time and Eternity, out of both Time and Eternity, yet in and for an immortal Life which was without Enmity or Contrariety.
46. But the Devil having himself been a Prince and Hierarch in the Place of this World, and cast out for his Pride into the dark^ anguishing, painful and hostile Property and Source, into the Wrath of God, envied Man the Glory of being created in and for the Spiritual World, the Place which he himself once possessed; and therefore brought his Imagination or Desire into the Image of Man, and made it so lusting, that the dark World, and also the outward World arose in Man, and departed from the equal Agreement and Temperature wherein they stood, and so one predominated over the other.
47. And then the Properties were each of them separately made manifest in itself, and each of them lusted after that which was like itself. That which was out of the Birth of the dark World, and also that which was out of the Birth of the light World, would each of them eat of the Limbus of the Earth, according to its Hunger; and so Evil and ^^^<^ became manifest in Adam, 48. And when the Hunger of the Properties went into the Earth, from whence the Properties of the Body were extracted, then the Fiat drew such a Branch out of the Earth, as the Properties could eat of in their awakened Vanity; for this was possible.
49. For the Spirit of the strong and great Magical Power of Time and Eternity was in Adam, from which the Earth with its Properties was breathed forth; and so the Fiat, viz., the strong Desire of the eternal Nature, attracted the Essence of the Earth. And thus GOD let the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil grow for Adam, according to his awakened Properties; for the great Power of the Soul and of the Body caused it.
yo I'he Way to Qhrist, 50. And then Man must be tried, whether he would stand and subsist in his own Powers, before the Tempter the Devils and before the Wrath of the eternal Nature; and whether the Soul would continue in the equal Agreement of the Properties in true Resignation under GOD*S Spirit^ as an Instrument of God's Harmony, a tuned Instrument of Divine Joy fulness for the Spirit of God to strike upon. This was tried by that Tree^ and this severe Commandment was added, ' Thou shalt not eat ' thereof, for on that Day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt * surely die.'
51. But it being known to GOD that Man would not stand, and that he had already imagined and lusted after Qood and Evily God said, * It is not good for Man to be alone, we will * make him an Help-meet for him.'
52. For God saw that Adam could not then generate Magically, having entered with his Lust into Vanity. Now therefore Moses saith, * God caused a deep Sleep to fall upon him, and he slept;* that is, seeing Man would not continue in the Obedience of the Divine Harmony in the Properties, submitting himself to stand still as an Instrument of the Spirit of GOD; therefore GOD suffered him to fall from the Divine Harmony into an Harmony of his own, viz.^ into the awakened Properties of Evil ^.nd Qood; the Spirit of his Soul went into these.
53. And there in this Sleep he died from the Angelical World, and fell under the Power of the outward Fiat, and thus bade farewell to the eternal Image which was of God's begetting. Here his Angelical Form and Power fell into a Swoon and lay on the Ground.
54. And then by the Fiat GoD made the Woman out of him, out of the Matrix of Venus^ viz., out of that Property wherein Adam had the Begettress in himself; and so out of one Body he made two^ and divided the Properties of the Tinctures, viz., the watery and fiery Constellations in the Element; yet not wholly in Substance but in the Spirit, viz., the Properties of the Watery and Fiery Soul.
55. And yet it is but one Thing still, only the Property of the Tincture was divided; the Desire of Self Love was taken out of Adam, and formed into a Woman according to his Likeness. And thence it is that Man now so eagerly desireth the Matrix of the Woman, and the Woman desireth the Limbus of the Man, viz., the Fire-Element, the Original of the true Soul, by which is meant the Tincture of Fire; for these two were one in Adam, and therein consisted the Magical Begetting.
56. And as soon as Eve was made out of Adam in his Sleep, both Adam and Eve were at that Instant set and constituted in Of 'Regeneration, 71 the outward natural Life^ having the Members given them for Propagation, after the manner of the Brute Animals, and also the Fleshly Carcase, into which they might put their gross Earthliness, and live like Beasts.
57. Of which the poor Soul that is captivated in Vanity is at this Day ashamed; and sorry that its Body hath gotten such a Bestial monstrous Shape. Nothing can be clearer than this. For it is because Mankind are ashamed of their Members and Nakedness, that they borrow their Clothing from the earthly Creatures, For this they would not have done, had they not lost the Angelical Form, and assumed that of a Beast.
58. This borrowed Clothing, together with the awakened EarthlinesSy and Subjection to the Powers of Heat and Cold, is a plain and full Proof to Man, that he is not truly at Home in this World. For all Earthly Appetites^ Cares^ and Fears, together with this false Clothings must perish and be severed from the Soul again.
59. Now when Adam awoke from Sleep, he beheld his Wife^ and knew that she came out of him; for he had not yet eaten of Vanity with his outward Mouth, but with the Imagination, Desire, and Lust only.
60. And it was the first Desire of Eve, that she might eat of the Tree of Vanity^ of Evil and Qood, to which the Devil in the Form of a Serpent persuaded her, saying, ' That her Eyes should * be opened, and she should be as God himself;' which was both a Lie and a Truth, 61. But He told her not, that she should lose the Divine Light and Power thereby; He only said, 'her Eyes should be opened, *that she might taste, prove, and know Evil and Good, as He * had done/ Neither did He tell her that Heat and Cold would awake in her, and that the Property of the outward Constellations would have great Power over the Flesh and over the Mind.
62. His only Aim was that the Angelical Image, viz., the Substance which came from the inward Spiritual World, might disappear in them. For then they would be constrained to live in Subjection to the gross Earthliness, and the Constellations or Stars; and then he knew well enough that when the outward World perished, the Soul would be with him in Darkness. For he saw that the Body must die, when. he perceived by that which God had intimated; and so he expected still to be Lord to ail Eternity in the Place of this Worlds in his false Shape which he had gotten; and therefore he seduced Man.
63. For when Adam and Eve were eating the Fruity Evil, and Good^ into the Body, then the Imagination of the Body received Vanity in the Fruity and then Vanity awaked in the Flesh, and the dark World got the Upper hand and Dominion in the Vanity y 7 a I'he TV ay to Qhrist.
of the Eartkliness; upon which the fair Image of Heaven, that proceeded out of the Heavenly Divine World, instantly disappeared.
64. Here Adam and Eve died to the Kingdom of Heaven ^ and awaked to the outward World, and then the fair Soul as it stood in the Love of GOD, disappeared as to the holy Power, Virtue, and Property; and instead thereof, the wrathful Anger, viz,, the dark Fire World, awoke in it, and so the Soul became in one Part, viz., in the inward Nature, a half Devil, and in the outward Part as related to the outward World, a Beast 65. Here are the Bounds of Death and the Gates of Hell, for \ which Cause Qod became Man, that he might destroy Death, defeat the Devil's Purpose, and change Hell into great Love again.
66. Let this be told you, Ye Children of Men; it is told you in the Sound of a Trumpet, that you should instantly go forth from the abominable Vanity, for the Fire thereof burneth.
Chapter III.
Of the lamentable Fall of Man y and of the Means of his Deliverance.
NOW when Adam and Eve fell into this Vanity, then the Wrath of Nature awoke in each Property, and in or through the Desire impressed the Vanity of the Earthliness and Wrath of Qod into itself.
68. And then the Flesh became gross and rough, as the Flesh of a Beast, and the Soul was captivated in the Essence therewith, and saw that its Body was become a Beast, and had gotten the Bestial Members for Multiplication, and the filthy Carcase into which the Desire would stuff the Loathsomeness which it was ashamed of in the Presence of GoD; and therefore Adam and Eve hid themselves under the Trees of the Garden of Eden, Heat and Cold also seized on them.
69. And here the Heaven in Man trembled for Horror; as the Earth quaked va Wrath, when this Anger was destroyed on the Cross by the sweet Love of GOD; there the Anger trembled before the sweet Love of GOD.
70. And for this Vanity's Sake which was thus awakened in Man, God cursed the Earth; lest the holy Element should spring or shine forth any more through the outward Fruit, and bring forth Paradisaical Fruit. For there was then no Creature that Of ^generation. 73 could have enjoyed it; neither was the earthly Man worthy of it any more.
71. God would not cast \ki^ precious Pearls before Beasts; an ungodly Man in his Body being but a mere gross Bestial Creature; and though it be of a noble Essence^ yet it is wholly poisoned and loathsome in the Sight of GOD.
72. Now when GOD saw that his fair Image was spoiled, he manifested himself to fallen Adam and Eve and had Pity on them, and promised himself to them for an everlasting Possession, and that with his great Love in the received Humanity he wouW destroy the Power of the Serpentine Property^ viz., of the Vanity in the Wrath of Qod awakened in them. And this was the Breaking of the Head of the Serpent which he would perform, viz,^ he would destroy the dark Deaths and subdue the Anger with his great Love, 73. And this Covenant of his Incarnation which was to come, he put into the Light of Life; to which Covenant the fewish Sacrifices pointed as to a Mark or Limit, to which GoD had promised himself with his Love; for the Faith of the fews entered into the Sacrifices and Offerings^ and God's Imagination entered into the Covenant.
74. And the Offering was a Figure of the Restitution of that which Adam hath losty and so GOD did expiate his Anger in the human Property^ through the Offering in the Limit of the Covenant.
75. In which Covenant the most holy sweet Name fesus, proceeding out of the holy Name and great Power fehovah^ had incorporated itself; so that he would again move and manifest himself in the Substance of the Heavenly World which disappeared in Adam, and kindle the holy Divine Life therein again.
^6. This Mark or Limit of the Covenant was propagated from Adam and his Children, from Man to Man, and did go through from one upon all; as Sin also and the awakened Vanity did go through from one upon all.
^T, And it stood in the Promise of the Covenant at the End^ in the Root of David in the Virgin Mary, who was, in the inward Kingdom of the hidden Humanity, {viz,, of the Essentiality that disappeared as to the Kingdom of GOD) the Daughter of God's Covenant, but in the outward according to the natural Humanity, she was begotten by her true bodily Father foachim and her true Mother Anna, out of the Essences and Substance of their Souls and Bodies, like all other Children of Adam; a true Daughter of Eve.
78. In this Mary from the Virgin {viz., the Wisdom of God) in th^ promised Limit of the Covenant, of which all the Prophets 74 T'k^ Way to Qhrist, have prophesied. — The Eternal Speaking Word^ which created all Things, did in the Fulness of Time move itself in the Name JesuSy according to its highest and deepest Love and Humility, and bring again living, Divine, and Heavenly Substantiality into the Humanity of the heavenly Part^ which disappeared in Adam^ and from which he died in Paradise, into the Seed of Mary, into the Tincture of Love, into that Property wherein Adam should have propagated himself in a Magical and Heavenly Manner, into the true Seed of the Woman, of Heavenly Substantiality y which disappeared in Paradise, 79. And when the Divine Light in the Heavenly Essence was extinguished, the Word of GOD, viz., the Divine Power of the Understanding, did bring in Heavenly and living Substantiality ^ and awakened the disappeared Substantiality in the Seed of Mary ^ and brought it to Life.
80. And so now GOD's Substance, wherein He dwelleth and worketh, and the disappeared Substance of Man, are become one Person; for the Holy Divine Substantiality did anoint the disappeared; therefore that Person is called Christus^ the Anointed of God.
81. And this is the dry Rod of Aaron, which blossomed and bare Almonds, and the true High Priest; and it is that Humanity of which Christ spake, saying that, * He was come from Heaven ' and was in Heaven/ and that * no man could ascend into Heaven * but the Son of Man which is come from Heaven, and is in * Heaven/ 82. Now when he saith, * He is come from Heaven/ it is meant of the Heavenly Substance, the Heavenly Corporeality; for the Power and Virtue of GOD needeth no coining any whither, for it is everywhere altogether immeasurable and undivided. But Substance needeth coming; the Power or Virtue needeth to move itself, and manifest itself in Substance, 83. And that Substance entered into the human Substance, and received it; not that Part only of Heavenly Substantiality, which disappeared in Adam, but the wlwle human Essence in Soul and Flesh, according to all the three Worlds.
84. But He hath not received, or taken upon Himself, the awakened or impressed Vanity, which the Devil, by his Imagination, brought into the Flesh, by which the Flesh did commit Sin. Though He hath indeed taken upon Him the awakened Forms of Life, as they were gone forth from their equal Agreement, each of them into its own Desire.
85. For therein lay our Infirmity, and the Death, which He was to drown with his Heavenly holy Blood, Herein He took upon himself all our Sins and Infirmities, also Death and Hell in Of ^generation. 75 the Wrath of GoD, and destroyed their Power in the human Properties.
86. The Wrath of GOD was the Hell into which the Spirit of Christ went, when He had shed that heavenly Blood into our outward human Blood, and tinctured it with the Love; therebychanging that Hell of the human Property into Heaven, and reducing the human Properties into equal Agreement, into the Heavenly Harmony.
Chapter IF.
How we are born aneWy and how we may fall into God^s Anger again.
NOW here we may rightly understand what our New- Birth, or Regeneration, is; and how we may become, and continue to be, the Temple of Qod; though in this lifetime, according to the outward Humanity ^ we are sinful mortal Men.
88. Christ in the human Essence hath broken up and opened the Qates of our inward Heavenly Humanity, which was shut up in Adam. So that nothing is now wanting, but that the Soul draw its Will out from the Vanity of the corrupted Flesh, and bring it into this open Qate in the Spirit of Christ, 89. Qreat and strong Earnestness is required here; and not only a learning and knowings but a real Hunger and Thirst after the Spirit of Christ, For to know only, is not Faith; but an Hunger and Thirst after that which I want, so that I draw it in thereby to myself, and lay hold on it with the Desire and Imagination^ and, make it my own; this is the Truth and Essence of a Christian's Faith.
90. The Will must go forth from the Vanity of the Flesh, and willingly yield itself up to the Suffering and Death of Christ, and to all the Reproach of Vanity, which derideth it because it goeth fortli from its own House wherein it was born, and regardeth Vanity no more, but merely desireth the Love of GoD in Christ Jesus.
91. In such a Hunger and Desire the Will receiveth and impresseth into itself the Spirit of Christ with his Heavenly Corporeality; that is, the Soul in its great Hunger and Desire taketh hold of, and draweth the Body of Christy viz,, the Heavenly Substantiality, into its disappeared Image, within which the Word of the Power of GOD is the Working.
y6 T'he JVay to Qhrist.
92. The Hunger of the Soul bringeth its Desire quite through Wit bruised Property oi its Humanity in the Heavenly Part, which disappeared in Adam; which Humanity, the sweet Fire of Love in the Death of Christ 6\di bruise^ when the Death of that Heavenly Humanity was destroyed.
93. And so the Hunger of the Soul received into it, into its disappeared Corporeality^ through the Desire^ the holy Heavenly Substance^ viz., Christ's Heavenly Corporeality, which filleth the Father all over, and is nigh unto all, and through all Things; and through that the disappeared Heavenly Body riseth in the Power of God, in the sweet Name Jesus.
94. And this raised Heavenly Spiritual Body is the'Member of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Qhost, a true Mansion of the Holy Trinity according to Christ s Promise, saying, *We will * come to you, and make our Abode in you.'
95. The Essence of that Life eateth the Flesh of Christ, and drinketh his Blood, For the Spirit of Christ, viz,, the Word, which made itself visible with the Humanity o{ Christ out of and in our disappeared Humanity, through the outward Man of the Substance of this World, swalloweth its holy Substance into its fiery; for every Spirit eateth of its own Body.
g6. Now if the Soul eat of this sweet, holy, and Heavenly Food, then it kindleth itself with the great Love in the Name and Power of Jesus; whence its Fire of Anguish becometh a great Triumph oi Joy and Qlory, and the true Sun ariseth to it, wherein it is born to another Will, 97. And here cometh to pass the Wedding of the Lamb, which we heartily wish that the Titular and Lip-Christians might once find by Experience in themselves, and so pass from the History into the Substance, 98. But the Soul obtaineth not this Pearl of the Divine Wisdam and Virtue for its own Property during the Time of this Life; because it hath the outward Bestial Flesh sticking to its outward Man.
99. The Power of which Pearl of Divine Wisdom espouseth itself in this Wedding of the Lamb, and sinketh itself down into the Heavenly Image, viz,, into the Substance of the Heavenly Man, who is the Temple of Christ; and not into the Fire-breath oi the Soul, which is yet, during this whole lifetime, fast bound to the outward Kingdom, to the Bond of Vanity, with the Breath of the Air, and is in great Danger.
100. It darteth its Beams of Love indeed very often into the Soul, whereby the Soul receiveth Light; but the Spirit of Christ yieldeth not itself up to the Fire-breath in this Life's Time, but to the Breath of Light only which was extinguished in Adam^ Of ^generation. jj in which the Temple of Christ is, for that is the true and holy Heaven, loi. Understand aright now, what the New-Birth or Regeneration IS, and how it cometh to pass, as followeth. The outward earthly mortal Man is not bom anew in this Life's Time, that is, neither the outward Fleshy nor the outward Part of the Soul. They continue both of them in the Vanity of their Wills which awoke in Adam, They love their M other y in whose Body they h*ve, viii,^ the Dominion of this outward World; and therein the Birth of Sin is manifest.
102. The outward Man in Soul and Flesh, (we mean the outward Part of the Soul) hath no Divine Will, neither doth he understand any Thing of GOD, as the Scripture saith, * The natural * Man perceiveth not the Things of the Spirit of GOD,' &c, 103. But the Fire-breath of the inward World, if it be once enlightened, understandeth it; it hath a great Longing, Sighing, Hunger^ and Thirst after the sweet Fountaiii of Christ; it refresheth itself by Hungering dLi\d Desiring, (which is the true Faith in) the sweet Fountain of Christ from his Nezu Body, from the Heavenly Substantiality, as a hungry Branch in the Vine ChHst, 104. And the Reason why the Jf^r^ Soul cannot attain to Per* fection during this Lifetime, is because it is fast bound with the outward Bond of Vanity, through which the Z^^z///continualiy casteth his venomous Rays of Influence upon it, and so sifteth it, that it often biteth at his Bait, and poisoneth itself. From whence Misery and Anguish arise, so that the Noble Sophia hideth herself in the Fountain of Christy in the Heavenly Humanity; for she cannot draw near to Vanity.
105. For she knew how it went with her in Adam, when she lost her Pearl, which is of Grace freely bestowed again upon the inward Humanity; therefore she is called Sophia, viz,, the Bride of Christ.
106. Here she faithfully calleth to her Bridegroom the fiery Soul, and exhorteth him to Repentance, and to the unburdening of himself, or going forth from the Abomination of Vanity, 107. And now War assaulteth the whole Man. The outward Fleshly Man fighteth against the inward Spiritual Man, and the Spiritual against the Fleshly; and so Man is in continual Warfare and Strife, full of Trouble, Misery, Anguish, and Care.
108. The inward Spirit saith to the fiery Soul: my Soul! O my Love I Turn I beseech thee and go forth from Vanity, or else thou loseth my Love and the noble Pearl, 109. Then saith the outward Reason, viz., the Bestial Soul; *Thou art foolish; wilt thou be a Laughing-Stock, and the 78 "The Way to Qhrist.