The Confessions of Jacob Boehme
The wrath is called the Cross, and the love-heaven is called patience, and the spirit that rises up therein is called hope and faith, which unites with God and wrestles with the wrath till it overcomes and gets the victory.
p. 36
0 ye theologists, the spirit here opens a door and gate for you ! If you will not now see and feed your sheep and lambs on a green meadow, instead of a dry, parched heath, you must be accountable for it before the severe, earnest and wrathful judgement of God ; therefore look to it.
1 take heaven to witness that I do here what I must. The Spirit drives me to it, so that I am wholly led captive thereby, and cannot be freed from it whatever may befal me hereafter, or ensue upon it.
The third moving in the body of God in this world is hidden. In it is the almighty and holy Heart of God, wherein our King, Jesus Christ, with his natural body, sits at the right hand of God, as a King and Lord of the whole body of this world.
The body of Christ is no more in the hard palpability, but in the divine palpability, of nature, like the angels. Our bodies also at the resurrection will have nop. 37 more such hard flesh and bones, but be like the angels ; and though indeed all forms and powers shall be therein, yet we shall not have the hard palpability.
Christ says to Mary Magdalen in Joseph's garden at the Sepulchre, after his resurrection, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my God and to your God, as if he would say, I have not now the animal body any more, although I show myself to thee in my form or shape which I had, because otherwise thou in thy animal body couldst not see me.
So during the forty days after his resurrection he did not always walk visibly among the disciples, but invisibly, according to his heavenly and angelical property. When he would speak or talk with his disciples, then he showed himself in a palpable manner and form, that thereby he might speak natural words with them, for corruption cannot apprehend the divine. Also it sufficiently appears that his bodyp. 38 was of an angelical kind, in that he went to his disciples through the doors, being shut.
Thus thou must know that his bodyunites with all the seven spirits in nature in the astral moving in the part of love ; and holds sin, death and the Devil captive in its wrath part.
Thou seest also how thou art in this world everywhere in heaven and also in hell, and dwellest between heaven and hell in great danger. Thou seest how heaven is in a holy man, and that everywhere, wheresoever thou standest, goest or liest, if thy spirit does but co-operate with God, then as to that part thou art in heaven and thy soul is in God. Therefore says Christ : My sheep are in my hands, no man can pull them away from me.
In like manner thou seest also how thou art always in hell among all the devils as to the wrath ; if thine eyes were but open thou wouldst see wonderful things, butp. 39 thou standest between heaven and hell, and canst see neither of them, and walkest upon a very narrow bridge.
Some men have many times, in the astral spirit, entered in thither, being ravished in an ecstasy, as men term it, and have in this life known the gates of heaven and of hell, and have shown and declared how that many men dwell in hell with their living bodies. Such indeed have been scorned, derided or laughed at, but with great ignorance and indiscretion, for it is just so as they declare.
CHAPTER V
The wrath is called the Cross, and the love-heaven is called patience, and the spirit that rises up therein is called hope and faith, which unites with God and wrestles with the wrath till it overcomes and gets the victory.
p. 36
0 you theologists, the spirit here opens a door and gate for you ! If you will not now see and feed your sheep and lambs on a green meadow, instead of a dry, parched heath, you must be accountable for it before the severe, earnest and wrathful judgement of God ; therefore look to it.
1 take heaven to witness that I do here what I must. The Spirit drives me to it, so that I am wholly led captive thereby, and cannot be freed from it whatever may befal me hereafter, or ensue upon it.
The third moving in the body of God in this world is hidden. In it is the almighty and holy Heart of God, wherein our King, Jesus Christ, with his natural body, sits at the right hand of God, as a King and Lord of the whole body of this world.
The body of Christ is no more in the hard palpability, but in the divine palpability, of nature, like the angels. Our bodies also at the resurrection will have nop. 37 more such hard flesh and bones, but be like the angels ; and though indeed all forms and powers shall be therein, yet we shall not have the hard palpability.
Christ says to Mary Magdalen in Joseph's garden at the Sepulchre, after his resurrection, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my God and to your God, as if he would say, I have not now the animal body any more, although I show myself to you in my form or shape which I had, because otherwise you in your animal body could not see me.
So during the forty days after his resurrection he did not always walk visibly among the disciples, but invisibly, according to his heavenly and angelical property. When he would speak or talk with his disciples, then he showed himself in a palpable manner and form, that thereby he might speak natural words with them, for corruption cannot apprehend the divine. Also it sufficiently appears that his bodyp. 38 was of an angelical kind, in that he went to his disciples through the doors, being shut.
Thus you must know that his bodyunites with all the seven spirits in nature in the astral moving in the part of love ; and holds sin, death and the Devil captive in its wrath part.
You seest also how you are in this world everywhere in heaven and also in hell, and dwellest between heaven and hell in great danger. You seest how heaven is in a holy man, and that everywhere, wheresoever you stand, go or liest, if your spirit does but co-operate with God, then as to that part you are in heaven and your soul is in God. Therefore says Christ : My sheep are in my hands, no man can pull them away from me.
In like manner you seest also how you art always in hell among all the devils as to the wrath ; if your eyes were but open you would see wonderful things, butp. 39 you stand between heaven and hell, and can see neither of them, and walkest upon a very narrow bridge.
Some men have many times, in the astral spirit, entered in thither, being ravished in an ecstasy, as men term it, and have in this life known the gates of heaven and of hell, and have shown and declared how that many men dwell in hell with their living bodies. Such indeed have been scorned, derided or laughed at, but with great ignorance and indiscretion, for it is just so as they declare.
CHAPTER V
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.