Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
44. And now there was nothing more on the soul, but only that which itself is (in its own eternal root) in the Father. And here we should have remained in the anger, in the dark hell, but the bright Father in his glory took the soul to him, into the Trinity. Now the soul was clothed with the love in the Word, which made the angry Father (in the innermost source of the soul) pleasant, and reconcilable, and so in this moment (in the essences of the soul) the lost paradise sprang up again ; whereupon the earth trembled [viz. the out-birth out of the element], and the sun, the king of the life of the third Principle, lost its light ;
2 Or active property.
Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 697
for there rose up another Sun in death ; understand, in the anger of the Father the love was shining like a bright Morning-Star.
45. l And thus the body of Christ (on the soul) l Not«, out of was the pure element before God, out of which the S'
sun of this world is generated, and the same body included the whole world, and then the nature of this world trembled, and the stony rocks cleft in sunder ; for the fierce wrathful death had (in the Fiat) congealed and concreted the stony rocks together; and now the holy life went into the fierce wrathful death, whereupon the stones did cleave asunder, to shew that the life stood up again in death, and did spring forth through death.
46. And then also the holy bodies went out of the graves ; consider this well ; those that had put their trust in the Messiah, had (in the Promise) gotten the pure element for a new body ; and now when the promised Saviour went through death into life, and put on that pure element for a body, then their souls in the Saviour (in whom they stood) in hope gat the upper hand, and put on their new body (in the body of Christ) and lived in him, in his [power and] virtue ; there were the holy Patriarchs and Prophets, who in this world had put on the Treader upon the Serpent, in the Word of God, wherein they had prophesied of him, and wrought miracles, they were now quickened in the virtue of Christ; for the virtue of Christ sprang up through death, and reconciled the Father, whop. 698 held the soul captive in the anger, and they now entered with Christ into life.
47. Here, ye beloved sheep, observe : When Christ died, he did not cast away his body (which he had here) and yield it up to the four elements to be swallowed up, so that he must have wholly
1 He hath a strong body ; no, but l the source [or property] of this world, which is in the stars and elements ;
'corruption and the 2 incorruptible swallowed up the corruptput on meorruption. ible, so that it is a body which liveth (in the virtue of God) in God, and not in the spirit of this [four elementary] world ; and Paul saith concerning the Last Judgment, That the incorruptible (viz. the new man) shall over-clothe the corruptible, and shall swallow up the corruptible, so that death shall be made a scorn, according to that saying, [0 Death /] where is thy sting ? 0 Hell ! where is thy victory ?
48. You must know, that Christ, while he lived upon the earth, and all we that are new-born in him, have and carry the heavenly flesh and blood in the earthly [man], and we carry it also in the new man, in the body of Christ. And when we die thus in the old earthly body, then we live (in the new body) in the body of Jesus Christ, and spring up in him out of death ; and our springing up is our paradise, where our essences spring up in God, and the earthly is swallowed up in death, and we put on our Lord Jesus Christ, not only in the faith and spirit, but in the virtue [and power] ofCh. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 699 the body, in our heavenly flesh and blood ; and so we live to God the Father in Christ his Son, and the Holy Ghost-confirmeth all our doings ; for all what we shall do, it is God doth it in us.
49. And thus there will be a Tabernacle of God with men, and the body of Christ will be our temple, wherein we shall know and see the great wonders of God, and speak of them with rejoicing. And that is the temple, the new Jerusalem, of which the Prophet Ezekiel writeth.
44. And now there was nothing more on the soul, but only that which itself is (in its own eternal root) in the Father. And here we should have remained in the anger, in the dark hell, but the bright Father in his glory took the soul to him, into the Trinity. Now the soul was clothed with the love in the Word, which made the angry Father (in the innermost source of the soul) pleasant, and reconcilable, and so in this moment (in the essences of the soul) the lost paradise sprang up again ; whereupon the earth trembled [viz. the out-birth out of the element], and the sun, the king of the life of the third Principle, lost its light ;
2 Or active property.
Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 697 for there rose up another Sun in death ; understand, in the anger of the Father the love was shining like a bright Morning-Star.
45. l And thus the body of Christ (on the soul) l Not«, out of was the pure element before God, out of which the S'
sun of this world is generated, and the same body included the whole world, and then the nature of this world trembled, and the stony rocks cleft in sunder ; for the fierce wrathful death had (in the Fiat) congealed and concreted the stony rocks together; and now the holy life went into the fierce wrathful death, whereupon the stones did cleave asunder, to show that the life stood up again in death, and did spring forth through death.
46. And then also the holy bodies went out of the graves ; consider this well ; those that had put their trust in the Messiah, had (in the Promise) gotten the pure element for a new body ; and now when the promised Saviour went through death into life, and put on that pure element for a body, then their souls in the Saviour (in whom they stood) in hope gat the upper hand, and put on their new body (in the body of Christ) and lived in him, in his [power and] virtue ; there were the holy Patriarchs and Prophets, who in this world had put on the Treader upon the Serpent, in the Word of God, wherein they had prophesied of him, and wrought miracles, they were now quickened in the virtue of Christ; for the virtue of Christ sprang up through death, and reconciled the Father, who
698 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 25 held the soul captive in the anger, and they now entered with Christ into life.
47. Here, you beloved sheep, observe : When Christ died, he did not cast away his body (which he had here) and yield it up to the four elements to be swallowed up, so that he must have wholly
1 He has a strong body ; no, but l the source [or property] of this world, which is in the stars and elements ;
'corruption and the 2 incorruptible swallowed up the corruptput on meorruption. ible, so that it is a body which lives (in the virtue of God) in God, and not in the spirit of this [four elementary] world ; and Paul says concerning the Last Judgment, That the incorruptible (viz. the new man) shall over-clothe the corruptible, and shall swallow up the corruptible, so that death shall be made a scorn, according to that saying, [0 Death /] where is your sting ? 0 Hell ! where is your victory ?
48. You must know, that Christ, while he lived upon the earth, and all we that are new-born in him, have and carry the heavenly flesh and blood in the earthly [man], and we carry it also in the new man, in the body of Christ. And when we die thus in the old earthly body, then we live (in the new body) in the body of Jesus Christ, and spring up in him out of death ; and our springing up is our paradise, where our essences spring up in God, and the earthly is swallowed up in death, and we put on our Lord Jesus Christ, not only in the faith and spirit, but in the virtue [and power] of
Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 699 the body, in our heavenly flesh and blood ; and so we live to God the Father in Christ his Son, and the Holy Ghost-confirms all our doings ; for all what we shall do, it is God does it in us.
49. And thus there will be a Tabernacle of God with men, and the body of Christ will be our temple, wherein we shall know and see the great wonders of God, and speak of them with rejoicing. And that is the temple, the new Jerusalem, of which the Prophet Ezekiel writes.