The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)

3. For the Lust which arises out of the Desire must die; if the Will (which proceeded out of the great Mystery of Eternity, which the Spirit of God breathed into the Image of Man, viz. into the Likeness) will be freed from the Abominate and contrary Will, then the Desire of the four Elements must die, and the Will must enter again into the one only Element, it must again receive the Right of Eternity, and act and go forth in one Element, in Manner also as God created him, whom he himself has opposed, and brought himself into the Dominion of the four Elements, in which he has inherited Death, and also the Strife in the Forms of Life, from whence arises his Sickness, Loathing, and Enmity: For all whatever lives in God's Will, that is not risen in the Self-Will, or if it be risen therein, it is again dead to the own [or selfish] Desire.

4. Every Will which enters into its Self-hood, and seeks the Ground of its Life's Form, the same breaks itself off from the great Mystery, and enters into a self-fulness, it will be its own [or of its own selfish Jurisdiction], and so it is contrary to the first Mystery, for the same is alone all: And this Child is accounted Evil, for it strives in Disobedience against its own Mother which has brought it forth; but if the Child does again introduce its Will and Desire into that, from whence it is generated and risen originally, then it is wholly one with the same, and cannot be annoyed by anything; for it enters into the Nothing, viz. into the Essence, from whence it proceeded.

5. Thus, O Man! understand what thou art to do; behold thyself in thyself, what thou art, whether or no thou standest in the Resignation of thy Mother (out of which thou wert generated and created in the Beginning), whether thou art inclined with the same Will; if not, then know that thou art a rebellious, stubborn, disobedient Child, and hast made thyself thine own Enemy, in that thou art entered into Self-Desire and Will, and hast made thyself thy own self-ful possession, so that thou canst not dwell in the first Mother, but in thyself: For thy Will is entered into Self-hood; and all that does vex, plague, and annoy thee, is only thy Self-hood; thou makest thyself thy own Enemy, and bringest thyself into Self-destruction or Death.

6. Now if thou wilt get again out of Death, then thou must wholly forsake thy own Self-Desire, which has introduced itself into strange Essence, and become in Selfhood, and the Self-Desire, as a Nothing, so that thou dost no longer will or desire to thyself, but wholly and fully introduce thy Desire again with the Resignation into the eternal, viz. into God's Will, that the same Will may be thy Will and Desire.

7. Without this there is Nothing but Misery and Death, a continual Dying and perishing; for hence arises the Election of Grace. If the human Will (which is departed out of the unity of Eternity, and entered into a self-fulness, viz. into a Selfish Lust and Desire) does again break itself off from Self-hood, and enter into the Mortification of Self-Will, and introduce its Desire again only into the first Mother, then the first Mother does again choose it to be its Child, and makes it again one with the only Will of Eternity: But that [Will or Person] which continues in Self-hood, he continues in the eternal Dying, viz. in an eternal selfish Enmity; and this also is only called Sin, because that it is an Enmity against God, in that the Creature will be at its self-ful Command and Government.

8. Thus in its Self-hood, viz. in a Dominion full of Contention and Strife, it cannot either will or do anything that is good; and as it does impose, awaken, and powerfully stir up to its Self nothing else but the Dying and Death, so likewise it can do Nothing else to its Fellow-Members; for hence also arises the Falsehood [or Lyes], that the Creature denies the Union with [or in] the Will of God, and sets his Self-hood in the Place; so that it goes forth from the Unity into desires and Self-Lusts: If it did but truly know that all Beings were its Mothers, which brought it forth, and did not hold the Mother's Substance for its own, but for common, then the Covetousness, Envy, Strife, and contrary Will and Enmity would not arise; from which the Anger, viz. the Fire of Destruction does arise.