done of old to Israel: there is no counsel or remedy to help: Your covenants are all nothing, while you rely upon the arm of flesh; and so God also is departed from you, and leaveth you to devour yourself.
59. Or wherefore do you take the covenant of God into your mouth, seeing you hate to be reformed, and thirst after covetousness? Do you suppose God to be a false hypocrite and liar, as you are? Leave off your clamouring, you are not acceptable to God, except you turn, and go out from your falsehood.
60. It is with you now according to the turba's driving, which taketh its recreation in accomplishing the anger of God, and to devour what is grown in its kingdom, and you are blind concerning it, and see it not: Why are you so covetous? Go but out from it. Do you not see how the noble tincture [the blossom of life] hath raised up itself?
It is near its blossoming, and then you will have silver and gold enough.
61. But what shall we say? You have committed whoredom till you have fallen asleep: you go down alive into the abyss, rather than you will forsake the whore; and therefore it shall be unto you as your own prophet testifieth, who hath very long called you by his trumpet; you wait for [deliverance by] the fiery sword, which will also cut you in pieces.
62. Or do you suppose us to be mad, in that we speak thus? Indeed we are born out of you; we see and understand the complaint of our mother, which reproveth her children; for she declareth the wrath in the turba, which is grown up into the fierce wrath of God.
63. We speak what is given to us, which we know in the zeal of the Lord: What have we to do with Babel [ confusion, strife, and jangling]?
We speak to ourself, and to the fellow-members of our body, and those that dwell in the courts of God, with those who at present mourn with us, whose mourning shall be turned into joy.
THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER
Of the Broad Way in this World, which leadeth us into the Abyss. And of the Narrow Way [that leadeth] into the Kingdom of God.
1. DEAR children of God, let us heartily and seriously consider, from whence we are, and whither we are to go, and what we do and purpose, that we may not lose the eternal and highest good; wherefore do we so very much labour after temporary pleasure and voluptuousness, after honour, money, and goods? Are we not in this world strange guests, and pilgrims, which should continually expect when this life shall end? We are not created for the pleasure and lust of this life, but for paradisical joy, and to lead a simple child-like life; we should not know of any pomp, state, or haughtiness, but live together as children in a loving sport of joy: we are gone out from our true, pure, paradisical mother, wherein we should live in her as dear and loving children.
2. We are shut up in the mother, [the temporary nature], which generateth the evil beast; and we have received bestial properties; we do no otherwise than as evil beasts, we have given up ourselves to a strange mother, which educateth us and leadeth us captive in her bands: and we must at length leave the outward man to the earthly mother, we cannot get away from her, for she hath captivated us in flesh and blood; she breedeth us, and bringeth us up in herself, and keepeth us for her children: But yet we have a very precious jewel hidden therein, with which we are God's children: with that let us endeavour after the highest good, that we may attain it.
done of old to Israel: there is no counsel or remedy to help: Your covenants are all nothing, while you rely upon the arm of flesh; and so God also is departed from you, and leaves you to devour yourself.
59. Or wherefore do you take the covenant of God into your mouth, seeing you hate to be reformed, and thirst after covetousness? Do you suppose God to be a false hypocrite and liar, as you are? Leave off your clamouring, you are not acceptable to God, except you turn, and go out from your falsehood.
60. It is with you now according to the turba's driving, which takes its recreation in accomplishing the anger of God, and to devour what is grown in its kingdom, and you are blind concerning it, and see it not: Why are you so covetous? Go but out from it. Do you not see how the noble tincture [the blossom of life] has raised up itself?
It is near its blossoming, and then you will have silver and gold enough.
61. But what shall we say? You have committed whoredom till you have fallen asleep: you go down alive into the abyss, rather than you will forsake the whore; and therefore it shall be unto you as your own prophet testifies, who has very long called you by his trumpet; you wait for [deliverance by] the fiery sword, which will also cut you in pieces.
62. Or do you suppose us to be mad, in that we speak thus? Indeed we are born out of you; we see and understand the complaint of our mother, which reprovs her children; for she declares the wrath in the turba, which is grown up into the fierce wrath of God.
63. We speak what is given to us, which we know in the zeal of the Lord: What have we to do with Babel [ confusion, strife, and jangling]?
We speak to ourself, and to the fellow-members of our body, and those that dwell in the courts of God, with those who at present mourn with us, whose mourning shall be turned into joy.
THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER
Of the Broad Way in this World, which leads us into the Abyss. And of the Narrow Way [that leads] into the Kingdom of God.
1. DEAR children of God, let us heartily and seriously consider, from whence we are, and whither we are to go, and what we do and purpose, that we may not lose the eternal and highest good; wherefore do we so very much labour after temporary pleasure and voluptuousness, after honour, money, and goods? Are we not in this world strange guests, and pilgrims, which should continually expect when this life shall end? We are not created for the pleasure and lust of this life, but for paradisical joy, and to lead a simple child-like life; we should not know of any pomp, state, or haughtiness, but live together as children in a loving sport of joy: we are gone out from our true, pure, paradisical mother, wherein we should live in her as dear and loving children.
2. We are shut up in the mother, [the temporary nature], which generats the evil beast; and we have received bestial properties; we do no otherwise than as evil beasts, we have given up ourselves to a strange mother, which educats us and leads us captive in her bands: and we must at length leave the outward man to the earthly mother, we cannot get away from her, for she has captivated us in flesh and blood; she breeds us, and brings us up in herself, and keeps us for her children: But yet we have a very precious jewel hidden therein, with which we are God's children: with that let us endeavour after the highest good, that we may attain it.
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