1desirej ; and say not in thyself, I stand in the
dark, the Lord seeth me not, [nor] what I think
and do. He standeth in the gate of the mind,
where the soul standeth (before the clear face of
God) in the opened gate ; and all thy abominations
are known before God, and thou makest the element of God blush [or change colour] with them ;
thou grievest the chaste virgin (which dwelleth in
her own centre, and is given to be a companion to
thee in thy mind) and makest her sad ; she warneth
thee of the way of the ungodly ; if thou followest
[her counsel], and turnest, and breakest in unto
her, by earnest repentance, then she crowneth thee
in thy mind with wisdom and understanding, that
thou mayest then very well avoid the devil ; but
if thou dost not, then thou fallest out of one sin
and abomination into another, and makest thy
measure full and running over, and then the devil
helpeth thee into his kingdom, and thou art very
8 rod or whip, serviceable to him ; for thou art a true 3 scourge to
the children of God, not only with reproaching,
but also in deeds [or in the work of thy hands]
Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 403
which the devil dare not do; thou doest him
acceptable service. He tickleth thee finely with
the name fof God], so that thou bringest forth * of a godly,
from thy lips, and teachest it; but thy heart is ajSS^S
thief and a murderer, and thou art wholly dead godly di™e<
to the kingdom of heaven.
279. Therefore, 0 thou beloved mind! examine
thyself to what thou art inclined; whether thou
art inclined to righteousness, love, fidelity, and
truth, also to chastity, modesty, and mercifulness ;
if so, it is well for thee ; but if not, then dive into
thy bosom, and consider thy fleshly heart, and
try it, wrap thy 2 senses together, and put them 2 Or thoughts,
in prison, and storm thy fleshly heart, that the
elements in thee may quake and tremble. The
flattering and lying devil (who hath possessed thy
fleshly heart) shall feel these 3 strokes (which he 'earnest
will not like), and then he must be gone, and thou E^Lce.
wilt be of another mind : This is no 4 conceit from 4 Or invena mind not opened ; itself hath tried this, and tlOQ'
therefore it shall stand for a Memorial, and a continual monitor; and whosoever pleaseth, let him
try it, and he shall find wonders indeed.
80. Now when Adam and his wife had eaten
of the earthly fruit, then they were ashamed one of
another, for they perceived the bestial members for
* propagation ; and they broke off e boughs, and held • bodily.
them before their7 shame; and the voice of God 8 Or branches
of leaves.
went into the garden, highly into their minds, and * privities.
they hid themselves behind the trees in the garden.
404 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 17
81. Here we see clearly, yes we feel, that God
(in the beginning) created no such image with
bestial members for propagation, for that which
3Or privities. God created for eternity, that hath no l shame
before it. Yet also they then first perceived that
they were naked ; the elements had taken possession of them, and yet put no earthly garment [like
the beasts' hairy skin] upon them ; for the spirit
of man was not from the essences and properties
of the elements [as the spirit of the beasts], but
[man] was out of the eternal.
82. And here in this place there is nothing
more palpable, than that it is seen and known,
that Adam had no bestial form before his
sleep, before his wife [was formed] ; for he was
neither man nor woman, but a chaste virgin without bestial form ; he had no l shame nor breasts,
neither had he need of them ; he should have
generated in love and chastity (without pain or
opening of his body) a virgin as himself was ; and
it should have been possible, that the whole host
of angelical men should have proceeded out of one
only man, (as the angels did), out of one fountain,
if he had stood in the temptation ; even as all
those (who come to the only Arch- Shepherd, to his
rest) were redeemed (by one only man) from the
eternal death and torment of hell.
83. Here now we find, that they heard the voice
of God in the garden ; for the element, which is
before God, wherewith man qualifieth [or mixeth],
Ch. 17] OP THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 405
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.