Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
^Or engrafted. l inoculated thy soul into my virtue [or power], that thy body might spring and grow again out of my body, out of the holy element before God ; and I have bound myself to thee by my spirit. Have I not made a covenant with thee, that thou shouldst be mine ? Have I not given thee my body for food, and my blood for drink ? Have I
2 Or leader, not given thee my spirit for a 2 conductor, and allotted thee my kingdom for thy own ? Wherefore dost thou despise me, and goest away from me ? Thou runnest after the wolves and the dogs, and howlest with them, and thou seekest only after anger, and how thou mayest bite [andCh. 21] THE CAINISH AND ABELLISH KINGDOMS 585 devour] ; thou swallowest nothing but l fierceness l wrath, [into thee]. What shall I say ? I have in my sins and suffering and death (by my regeneration) generated W1 no such beast, and therefore I will not have it, except it be again born anew in me, to an angelical image, and then it shall be with me.
'B
THE TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER
Of the New Regeneration in Christ [from] out of the old Adamical Man.
The Blossom of the Holy Bud.
The noble Gate of the right [and] true Christianity.
EGA USE we have written hitherto of the originality of the essence of all essences, how all [things] take beginning, and have shewn the eternal enduring [substance], and also the transitory ; therefore we will now shew further, 1 man. what is most profitable for J him to do, and to leave undone ; wherein we will shew what God by his eternal Word hath ever spoken (by his holy spirit) by Moses, and by the Prophets ; as also what the mouth of Christ and his Apostles have spoken, what God will have us men to do, and leave undone.
2. Seeing we poor Adamical men are, with our father Adam and mother Eve, gone forth out of the incorruptible and unchangeable inheritance, out from our true native country, into a strange inn, where we are not at home, but are merely guests, and where we must in so great misery continuallyp. 586Ch. 22] THE NEW REGENERATION IN CHRIST 587 expect, when our strange host will thrust us out, and bereave us of all our ability, and take away from us all we have, so that we are truly swimming in a deep sea of misery, and swelter in a strange bath of thorns and thistles ; and we know for certain, and see it also daily before our eyes, that we are no other than pilgrims in this inn, which must continually expect when the breaker [or destroyer] will come, and take our heart, senses, and mind, also our flesh and blood, and goods ; therefore it is indeed most necessary for us, to learn to know and find the way to our true native country, that we may avoid the great misery and calamity, and enter into an eternal inn, which is our own, whence none may drive us out.
3. But because there are two of these inns, which are eternal without end and expulsion ; the one standing in eternal joy (in great brightness and perfection) in mere love and meekness ; but the other in great perplexity, anguish, misery, distress, hunger, and thirst, where never any refreshment from the love of God cometh ; therefore it is very necessary that we learn, with great earnestness, to know the true way of entrance into the eternal joy, that we may not with the devil's dogs howl eternally in the anguishing inn.
4. And now if we look round about us everywhere, upon heaven and earth, the stars and elements, yet we can see and know no way [or where we may go to our rest ; we see nop. 588 other than the way of the entrance in of our life, and then of the end of our life, where our body goeth into the earth, and all our labour (also our arts and glory) is inherited by another, who also vexeth himself therewith for a while, and then followeth after us ; and that continueth so from the beginning of the world to its end.
1 understand, 5. We can in our misery never l know where or compre- . . 1111 hend. our spirit doth abide when the body breaketn, and
^Or engrafted. l inoculated your soul into my virtue [or power], that your body might spring and grow again out of my body, out of the holy element before God ; and I have bound myself to you by my spirit. Have I not made a covenant with you, that you should be mine ? Have I not given you my body for food, and my blood for drink ? Have I
2 Or leader, not given you my spirit for a 2 conductor, and allotted you my kingdom for your own ? Wherefore do you despise me, and go away from me ? You runnest after the wolves and the dogs, and howlest with them, and you seek only after anger, and how you may bite [and
Ch. 21] THE CAINISH AND ABELLISH KINGDOMS 585 devour] ; you swallowest nothing but l fierceness l wrath, [into you]. What shall I say ? I have in my sins and suffering and death (by my regeneration) generated W1 no such beast, and therefore I will not have it, except it be again born anew in me, to an angelical image, and then it shall be with me.
'B
THE TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER
Of the New Regeneration in Christ [from] out of the old Adamical Man.
The Blossom of the Holy Bud.
The noble Gate of the right [and] true Christianity.
EGA USE we have written hitherto of the originality of the essence of all essences, how all [things] take beginning, and have shown the eternal enduring [substance], and also the transitory ; therefore we will now show further, 1 man. what is most profitable for J him to do, and to leave undone ; wherein we will show what God by his eternal Word has ever spoken (by his holy spirit) by Moses, and by the Prophets ; as also what the mouth of Christ and his Apostles have spoken, what God will have us men to do, and leave undone.
2. Seeing we poor Adamical men are, with our father Adam and mother Eve, gone forth out of the incorruptible and unchangeable inheritance, out from our true native country, into a strange inn, where we are not at home, but are merely guests, and where we must in so great misery continually
p. 586
Ch. 22] THE NEW REGENERATION IN CHRIST 587 expect, when our strange host will thrust us out, and bereave us of all our ability, and take away from us all we have, so that we are truly swimming in a deep sea of misery, and swelter in a strange bath of thorns and thistles ; and we know for certain, and see it also daily before our eyes, that we are no other than pilgrims in this inn, which must continually expect when the breaker [or destroyer] will come, and take our heart, senses, and mind, also our flesh and blood, and goods ; therefore it is indeed most necessary for us, to learn to know and find the way to our true native country, that we may avoid the great misery and calamity, and enter into an eternal inn, which is our own, whence none may drive us out.
3. But because there are two of these inns, which are eternal without end and expulsion ; the one standing in eternal joy (in great brightness and perfection) in mere love and meekness ; but the other in great perplexity, anguish, misery, distress, hunger, and thirst, where never any refreshment from the love of God comes ; therefore it is very necessary that we learn, with great earnestness, to know the true way of entrance into the eternal joy, that we may not with the devil's dogs howl eternally in the anguishing inn.
4. And now if we look round about us everywhere, upon heaven and earth, the stars and elements, yet we can see and know no way [or where we may go to our rest ; we see no
588 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 22 other than the way of the entrance in of our life, and then of the end of our life, where our body goes into the earth, and all our labour (also our arts and glory) is inherited by another, who also vexes himself therewith for a while, and then follows after us ; and that continues so from the beginning of the world to its end.
1 understand, 5. We can in our misery never l know where or compre- . . 1111 hend. our spirit does abide when the body breaketn, and