Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

5. And we see also how instantly the mind raiseth up another form, and maketh it predominant, viz. the spirit of this world, in covetousness, pride, in the oppressing of the needy, and lifting up itself only, and so drawing all to it. Whereupon then instantly also the third form breaketh forth out of the eternal [indissoluble] band, as falsehood, envy, anger and malice ; so that the image of God is as it were dead and overcome, where then the mind (in this manner) 2 is in the anger of God, in death, 2 Or standeth. in the jaws of hell, over which hell in the anger of God insulteth ; for hereby its jaws are set wide open, and it becometh predominant. But when the divine form breaketh forth again, then the kingdom of hell is overcome, and as it were dead, and the kingdom of heaven cometh to be predominant and working again.

6. Therefore St Paul saith, To whom you yield yourselves as servants in obedience, his servants you are,p. 764 whetJier of sin v/nto death, or of the obedience of God to righteousness. And that source or property we have, in that kingdom we live, and that kingdom with the property thereof driveth us. Seeing then here in this life all is in the sowing, and in the growing, therefore the harvest also shall one day follow, where then the one kingdom shall be separated from the other.

7. For there are in the mind of man Three Principles, all which three in the time [of tins four elementary life] he may open; but when the body is broken, then he liveth in one Principle only, and then he hath lost the key, and can open no other Principle more, he must continue eternally in that source [or quality] which he hath kindled here. For we know that Adam (with his going out of paradise into this world) brought us into death. And hell in the anger of God groweth from death, and so our soul is capable of [going into] the kingdom of hell, and standeth in the anger of God; where the jaws of hell then stand wide open against us, continually to devour us, and we have [made] a covenant with death, and wholly yielded ourselves up to it, in the sting of the anger, in the first Principle.

8. We not only know this, but we know also, that God hath regenerated us in the life of his Son Jesus Christ to a living creature, to live in him. And as he is entered into death, and again through death into eternal life, so must we enter into the death of Christ, and in the life of Jesus Christ go forth out of death, and live in God his Father ; and then our life, and also our flesh, is no more earthly, but holy in the power of God, and we live rightly in Ternario Sancto, in the Holy Trinity of the Deity. For then we bear the holy flesh (which is out of the holy element in the presence of God) which our loving Brother and Saviour, or Immanuel, hath brought into our flesh ; and he hath brought us in and with himself out of death into God his Father, and then the Holy Trinity of the Deity is substantially [or really] working in us.

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9. And as the eternal Word in the Father is become true man, and hath the eternal light shining in him, and hath humbled [and abased] himself in the humanity, and hath put upon the image, which we here bear in this life, the image [which is] out of the pure unspotted element in the presence of God, which we lost in Adam, which standeth in the mercy of God, as is clearly mentioned in our l second book,- with all the circumstances : The Three of it, so must we also put on to us that image [which is] FnnciPlesout of the pure element, out of the body of Jesus Christ,