38. Seeing then God is the Word which hath made all things, he must therefore be in all things: for a spirit is not a made thing, but a generated thing in itself, which hath the centre of its birth in itself; or else it would be corruptible: therefore now the centre must stand in the eternal maker, or else it were transitory: for there is nothing from eternity but the Word, and the Word was God: and therefore it must needs be its own eternal maker of itself; and. itself must express itself as a Word out of itself, as out of its own maker.
39. For where there is a word, there also is a speaker to speak it. Now since it is the Father that speaketh it, and the Word which is spoken out of the centre of the Father is the Son thereof; and seeing the Father in his centre calleth himself a consuming fire, and yet the Son (the Word) is a light of love, humility, meekness, purity, and holiness, and that the Father of the Word is so also called and acknowledged throughout the holy Scripture, therefore we should consider the source [quality or property] of the fire in the centre of the Father, seeing the Father and the Word are one, and yet in two [distinct] forms: and that also the wrath and the anger, together with the abyss of hell, stand in the centre of the Father.
40. For St. John saith, Of and through it are all things, and without it was nothing made: for when the Word desired to make [or create], and the Father through the Word, then there was no matter for him to make it of; for All was [as it were] nothing, neither good nor evil, neither light nor darkness, but the centre stood there: for the will is his Heart, Son, and Word, which only is the eternal Being, and the Band which maketh itself; and yet the Deity may not thus be comprehended, because a being affordeth a [distinct difference or] divisibility, and appeareth in two
Principles.
41. Therefore we will lay before you the ground, as we certainly know it: and our purpose in writing is to the end that you might see how blind you are; and how without knowledge you meddle, when you make such large expositions of the writings of the Saints, about the essence and will of God, and yet know him not
42. You persecute, despise, and disgrace one another; you raise wars, uproars, and tumults, and make desolate countries and nations, about [what is] the true knowledge of God and his will, and yet you are as blind as a stone concerning God: you do not know your own selves, and yet you are so furiously mad, that you con tend about [your knowing of] God, who is the maker, preserver, and upholder of all things; who is the centre in all things: so also you strive about his light, which yet did never appear in wrath and malice or wickedness, but in friendly meek humility and in love his centre springeth up: and you are so furious and mad, and yet suppose that you have it upon your tongue in your malicious contention: you have it not; but you have merely the history of the Saints, who have had the light shining forth out of their centre; and therefore they have spoken from the Holy Ghost, which proceedeth out of the light. But you take their words, and the centre of your heart is fast shut, you run galloping in the four forms of wickedness or malice, [viz. in pride, covetousness, envy, and anger] .
43. Therefore I will shew you the ground of the two eternal Principles [that spring] out of one centre, that you might yet see how you run on in the kingdom of the devil, to try whether you will yet turn and leave off your pride, and enter into yourself, and so you might attain the highest eternal Good.
44. Therefore I will shew you what we are in soul and body, also what God, heaven, and hell are; do not take it to be a fiction [opinion or conceit], for it demonstrates itself in all things, there is nothing so small but it stands manifest therein, and do not blindfold yourselves in your base pride, in your conceitedness, but search the ground of nature, and then you shall understand
[learn, or find all things experimentally]
all things; and do not run on so furiously upon
38. Seeing then God is the Word which has made all things, he must therefore be in all things: for a spirit is not a made thing, but a generated thing in itself, which has the centre of its birth in itself; or else it would be corruptible: therefore now the centre must stand in the eternal maker, or else it were transitory: for there is nothing from eternity but the Word, and the Word was God: and therefore it must needs be its own eternal maker of itself; and. itself must express itself as a Word out of itself, as out of its own maker.
39. For where there is a word, there also is a speaker to speak it. Now since it is the Father that speaks it, and the Word which is spoken out of the centre of the Father is the Son thereof; and seeing the Father in his centre calls himself a consuming fire, and yet the Son (the Word) is a light of love, humility, meekness, purity, and holiness, and that the Father of the Word is so also called and acknowledged throughout the holy Scripture, therefore we should consider the source [quality or property] of the fire in the centre of the Father, seeing the Father and the Word are one, and yet in two [distinct] forms: and that also the wrath and the anger, together with the abyss of hell, stand in the centre of the Father.
40. For St. John says, Of and through it are all things, and without it was nothing made: for when the Word desired to make [or create], and the Father through the Word, then there was no matter for him to make it of; for All was [as it were] nothing, neither good nor evil, neither light nor darkness, but the centre stood there: for the will is his Heart, Son, and Word, which only is the eternal Being, and the Band which makes itself; and yet the Deity may not thus be comprehended, because a being affords a [distinct difference or] divisibility, and appears in two
Principles.
41. Therefore we will lay before you the ground, as we certainly know it: and our purpose in writing is to the end that you might see how blind you are; and how without knowledge you meddle, when you make such large expositions of the writings of the Saints, about the essence and will of God, and yet know him not
42. You persecute, despise, and disgrace one another; you raise wars, uproars, and tumults, and make desolate countries and nations, about [what is] the true knowledge of God and his will, and yet you are as blind as a stone concerning God: you do not know your own selves, and yet you are so furiously mad, that you con tend about [your knowing of] God, who is the maker, preserver, and upholder of all things; who is the centre in all things: so also you strive about his light, which yet did never appear in wrath and malice or wickedness, but in friendly meek humility and in love his centre springs up: and you are so furious and mad, and yet suppose that you have it upon your tongue in your malicious contention: you have it not; but you have merely the history of the Saints, who have had the light shining forth out of their centre; and therefore they have spoken from the Holy Ghost, which proceeds out of the light. But you take their words, and the centre of your heart is fast shut, you run galloping in the four forms of wickedness or malice, [viz. in pride, covetousness, envy, and anger] .
43. Therefore I will show you the ground of the two eternal Principles [that spring] out of one centre, that you might yet see how you run on in the kingdom of the devil, to try whether you will yet turn and leave off your pride, and enter into yourself, and so you might attain the highest eternal Good.
44. Therefore I will show you what we are in soul and body, also what God, heaven, and hell are; do not take it to be a fiction [opinion or conceit], for it demonstrates itself in all things, there is nothing so small but it stands manifest therein, and do not blindfold yourselves in your base pride, in your conceitedness, but search the ground of nature, and then you shall understand
[learn, or find all things experimentally]
all things; and do not run on so furiously upon
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