Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

2 wickedness, 39. And now if it entereth into the 2 evil of this world, and suffereth itself to be drawn by the devil, then it goeth away out of the covenant, and forsaketh God and the kingdom of heaven ; and there then the noble virgin of God standeth in the centre of the light of life (which instantly in the entering of the light of life yielded herself into the centre of the light of life, as a conductor and loving companion to the soul) and warneth the soul of the ungodly ways, that it should turn, and step into the covenant again. But if it do not, and that it continue in the kingdom of the devil, then she continueth standing in the centre of the holy paradise ; and she is a virgin of herself, but the soul hath afflicted her, and so they are parted ; except the soul return again, and then it will be received again by its virgin with great honour and joy.

40. And therefore it is that Christ made two Testaments, the one in the water of the eternal life, and the other in his body and blood ; that

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(whensoever the poor soul should be defiled by the devil) it might yet in the other enter into the body of Christ again ; and if it turn with sorrow for its sins, and putteth its trust in the mercy of God again, then it steppeth again into the first covenant, and then it may come to the other Testament, and draw near to God, and then it will be received again with joy ; as Christ saith, That there is more joy in heaven for one poor sinner that repenteth, than for ninety and nine righteous that need no repentance.

41. Then saith reason, I can see nothing but bread and wine, and Christ also gave his disciples but bread and wine. I answer, As the Baptism outwardly is outward water, and the inward is the water of the eternal life, and the Holy Trinity baptizeth, as may be seen in Jordan, that three Persons appeared ; the Son of God, in the water ; the Father, in the voice of the words ; and the Holy Ghost over the water, moving upon the head of Christ ; and so all three Persons in the Deity baptized this man Christ ; thus it is also in the Supper.

42. The outward is [earthly] bread and wine, as thy outward man also is earthly ; and the inward (in his Testament) is his body and blood, and that thy inward man receiveth ; understand it aright, the soul receiveth the Deity, for *it is i the soul. spirit ; and thy [inward] new man receiveth Christ's real body and blood, not like a thought in the faith,

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THE THREE PRINCIPLES

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2 Or in his own way.

although faith must be, but in substance, incomprehensible to the outward man.

43. Not that the holy is changed into the outward, that thou shouldst say (of the bread which thou eatest with the outward mouth, and also the wine) that the outward is the flesh and blood of

1 case, shell, Christ; No, but it is the * chest, and yet it cannot be comprehended or enclosed by the * chest, as this world cannot comprehend the body of Christ in the holy element, or as our outward body cannot comprehend the inward new [body] of the soul. Also the first Supper of Christ teacheth you this, when Christ sat with them at table, and gave them his holy hidden body and blood to eat and drink (z after a peculiar manner) under bread and wine.

44. For thou canst not say (when thou dost handle the blessed bread), Here I hold the body of Christ in my hand, I can feel and taste it : No, my friend, the outward is earthly bread, from the outward element ; and the incomprehensible in the holy element is the body of Christ, which (in this his covenant and Testament) is offered to thee under the outward bread, and that [body] thy new man receiveth ; and the old [man receiveth] the bread ; and so it is with the wine.

45. Make me no absence of the body and blood of Christ, the soul needeth not run far for it ; and besides, the body of Christ in his blood (in this Testament) is not the food of the soul ; but the mere Deity is the food of the soul ; and the body