Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
16. I have therefore been desirous to warn you, and tell you beforehand, that you must not look upon flesh and blood in these high things, nor upon the worldly wisdom of the universities, or high schools ; but that you should consider, that this wisdom is planted and sown by God himself in the first, and last, and in all men : And you need only to return with the prodigal lost son to the Father, and then he will clothe you with a new garment, and put a seal-ring upon the hand of your mind ; and in this garment only you have power to speak of the l birth of God. ' Or divine
17. But if you have not gotten this garment on, and will prattle and talk much of God, then you are a thief and a murderer, and you enter not into the sheepfold of Christ by the door, but you climb over into the sheepfold with Antichrist and the robbers, and you will do nothing but murder and steal, seek your own reputation, esteem, and pleasure, and are far from the kingdom of God.
p. 38
Your university learning and arts will avail you nothing : it is your poison, that you are promoted by the favour of man to sit in great authority and place, for you sit upon the stool of pestilence ; you are but a mere servant or minister of the Antichrist. But if you be new born, and taught by the Holy Ghost, then your place tfr office is very pleasing and acceptable to God, and your sheep will hear your voice, and you shall feed them and bring them to the chief Shepherd : God will require this at your hands, therefore take heed what you teach and speak of God without the knowledge of his spirit, that you be not found to be a liar.
Now here followeih the Chapter.
1 Or begetting. 18. The eternal * generating is an unbeginning birth, and it hath neither number nor end, and its
8 indissoluble, depth is bottomless, and the band of life 2 incor-
• astral, ruptible i 8 The sidereal and elementary spirit cannot starry, or airy spirit of man. discern it, much less comprehend it ; it only feeleth it, and seeth a glimpse of it in the mind ; which [mind] is the chariot of the soul, upon which it rideth in the first Principle in its own seat in the Father's eternal generating [or begetting] ; for
4 weak, feeble, its own substance is altogether 4 crude, without empty, and ° dry. a body, and yet it hath the form of the body in its own spiritual form, understand according to the image ; which soul, if it be regenerated in the light of God, it seeth in the light of the Father, (which light is his glance, lustre, or Son),Ch. 4] OF THE TRUE ETERNAL NATURE 39 in the eternal birth, wherein it liveth and remaineth eternally.
19. Understand and consider it aright, 0 man! God the Father made man ; the beginning of whose body is out of the [one] element, or root of the four elements, from whence they proceed, which [one] element is the fifth essence [or quintessence] hid under the four elements, from whence the dark chaos [mist, cloud, or dust] had its being, before the times of the earth ; whose original is the spring of water, and out of which this world with the stars and elements, as also the heaven of the third Principle, were created.
20. But the soul was breathed into man merely out of the original birth of the Father by the moving spirit (understand, the Holy Ghost which goeth forth from the Father out of the light of the Father). Which original birth is before the light of life, which is in the four l anguishes, out of which 1 Or aching the light of God is kindled, wherein is the original of the name of God ; and therefore the soul is God's own essence or substance.
21. And if it elevate itself back into the anguish of the four forms of the original, and will horribly
16. I have therefore been desirous to warn you, and tell you beforehand, that you must not look upon flesh and blood in these high things, nor upon the worldly wisdom of the universities, or high schools ; but that you should consider, that this wisdom is planted and sown by God himself in the first, and last, and in all men : And you need only to return with the prodigal lost son to the Father, and then he will clothe you with a new garment, and put a seal-ring upon the hand of your mind ; and in this garment only you have power to speak of the l birth of God. ' Or divine
17. But if you have not gotten this garment on, and will prattle and talk much of God, then you are a thief and a murderer, and you enter not into the sheepfold of Christ by the door, but you climb over into the sheepfold with Antichrist and the robbers, and you will do nothing but murder and steal, seek your own reputation, esteem, and pleasure, and are far from the kingdom of God.
38 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 4
Your university learning and arts will avail you nothing : it is your poison, that you are promoted by the favour of man to sit in great authority and place, for you sit upon the stool of pestilence ; you are but a mere servant or minister of the Antichrist. But if you be new born, and taught by the Holy Ghost, then your place tfr office is very pleasing and acceptable to God, and your sheep will hear your voice, and you shall feed them and bring them to the chief Shepherd : God will require this at your hands, therefore take heed what you teach and speak of God without the knowledge of his spirit, that you be not found to be a liar.
Now here followeih the Chapter.
1 Or begetting. 18. The eternal * generating is an unbeginning birth, and it has neither number nor end, and its
8 indissoluble, depth is bottomless, and the band of life 2 incor-
• astral, ruptible i 8 The sidereal and elementary spirit cannot starry, or airy spirit of man. discern it, much less comprehend it ; it only feels it, and sees a glimpse of it in the mind ; which [mind] is the chariot of the soul, upon which it rids in the first Principle in its own seat in the Father's eternal generating [or begetting] ; for
4 weak, feeble, its own substance is altogether 4 crude, without empty, and ° dry. a body, and yet it has the form of the body in its own spiritual form, understand according to the image ; which soul, if it be regenerated in the light of God, it sees in the light of the Father, (which light is his glance, lustre, or Son),
Ch. 4] OF THE TRUE ETERNAL NATURE 39 in the eternal birth, wherein it lives and remains eternally.
19. Understand and consider it aright, 0 man! God the Father made man ; the beginning of whose body is out of the [one] element, or root of the four elements, from whence they proceed, which [one] element is the fifth essence [or quintessence] hid under the four elements, from whence the dark chaos [mist, cloud, or dust] had its being, before the times of the earth ; whose original is the spring of water, and out of which this world with the stars and elements, as also the heaven of the third Principle, were created.
20. But the soul was breathed into man merely out of the original birth of the Father by the moving spirit (understand, the Holy Ghost which goes forth from the Father out of the light of the Father). Which original birth is before the light of life, which is in the four l anguishes, out of which 1 Or aching the light of God is kindled, wherein is the original of the name of God ; and therefore the soul is God's own essence or substance.
21. And if it elevate itself back into the anguish of the four forms of the original, and will horribly