Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

and elements, as to his body ; what these do with him, that he is, and that standeth in the substance ; they make one great, another small ; one straight, another stooping and crooked ; they send one fortune and riches, and another poverty ; of one they make a crafty subtle man according to the counsel and kingdom of this world, and of another they make an idiot ; they make one a king, and they break and pull down another ; one they kill, another they bring into the world ; and they continually drive the mind of man, yet into nothing else but into vain turmoil, discontent, and vexation.

69. Besides, the kingdom of hell, and of [fierce] wrath, always gape after the soul, and set their jaws wide open to devour the captive soul ; which is held fast fettered with two strong chains ; the one of the kingdom of hell ; the other of the kingdom of this world ; and it is continually led by the heavy, lumpish, bestial, and sickly body, as a thief who is often led to the place of execution, and still by a petition reprieved, and laid in prison again,

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and the poor soul must lie thus in prison the whole time of the body ; where the devil on the one side very suddenly rusheth upon it with his devouring fierceness, wrath, and malice, and would carry it into the abyss. Then instantly [it is beat upon by] the glistering [flattering] world, with pomp, bravery, covetousness, and voluptuousness of perdition ; presently [again come upon it] sickness and fear, and it is continually trembling and quaking ; and when man goeth but in the dark, how is it amazed, and continually afraid that the executioner will take it,

1 Or execute and * do execution upon it !

justice.

The Gate [or Exposition] of the great Sin, and

2 committed Contrariety of Will against God, 2 in Man.

by or through man- 70. If we did well consider the abominations and great sins of man before God, which our first parents inherited for us, then we should scarce ever be merry in this world at all, if the spirit of this world did not cast foolish fancies, and seeming joys and pleasures before us, in our imprisonment ; or if the regeneration did not cause us so highly to rejoice, that we shall once be delivered out of this prison; for in this life, we find nothing else but mere abomination, sin, misery, and death, and scarce attain (in this [temporary] life) so much as a glimpse of the eternal joy.

71. Now the mind asketh, What is sin then ?
How is it sin ? Wherefore hath God a loathing
against the substance which he hath created?

Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 399

Behold, thou child of man, there is no sin in heaven in the presence of God ; only in thyself there is sin, and sin separateth us and our God asunder ; otherwise all things are fixed [or perfect], and good in their own being [or substance] ; the kingdom of hell and of wrath is good in itself, according to its [own] region, it doth not vex or torment itself; but its woe [pain or smart] is its birth, and the rising of its source ; also it desire th nothing else.

72. And so also the kingdom of this world is fixed [or perfect], and good in itself ; neither doth it vex or torment itself ; but the elevating of the elements (viz. the kindling of the heat, cold, air, and water) is its growing and springing ; neither doth it torment itself in itself, nor hath it any distress or fear in itself.

73. Only man (who is proceeded out of another Principle) hath in both those [forementioned] Principles, woe, misery, sorrow, and distress; for he is not in his native country; and neither of these two Principles can attain his native country. Therefore the poor soul must be thus l plagued and i pinched and tormented, that it may attain its native country 8queezedagain; it must go again through the gate of the