the holy and heavenly ens, or else none of them can be a child of the love of God. All the greediness and covetousness, of all places and politic powers, under what name or title soever, does wholly proceed from the Serpent's ens.
72. 1 speak not of the offices, but of the falsehood of the officers. The office in its place and station is God's ordinance, if it be carried on in holy desire, and arises out of a divine root, for good; if not, but that it rises only out of a root for selfhood and pride, then it is from the Serpent's craft, and goes into destruction.
73. All war, however blanched over and under what pretence soever, takes its original out of God's anger; and he that begins it, does it from a self-full desire to selfish interest, from the Serpent's ens: unless that war arises from the command and injunction of God, that a nation has brought forth (itself) in his wrath, that he would his anger should devour it, and ordain a holier in the room, as was brought to pass by Israel among the Gentiles, otherwise it is wholly born in the self-full turba in selfhood. It does not belong to any true Christian born of Christ to raise the sword of the turba, unless the zealous spirit of God does stir it up in him, who of ten will rebuke sin.
Whatsoever exalts itself in the wrath about its own honour and pride, and brings itself to revenge [or bloodshed] is from the devil, be it either by nobles or ignobles, none excepted; before God they be all alike.
74. Earthly dominion and government has its original from the fall, in the Serpent's craft; seeing man departed from the love-will, from the obedience of God, therefore he must have a judge to rebuke the false desire in its substance, and destroy the false substance. Therefore magistracy and superiority is ordained of God for a defence of the righteous substance and will, and not for its selfish interest and its own perverse will, to break down and destroy governments at its pleasure, and to oppress the poor and impotent. Whatsoever does that, is arisen from the Serpent's ens, let it glister and colour over itself with what hypocrisy it will; and though it were clothed with gold and pearls, yea, even with the sun, it is bred and born out of the Serpent's ens, and has the Serpent's ens in its government, and tends into destruction, unless it be born anew [in the ens of Christ] .
75. Whatsoever is not born out of the ens of love, and bears forth a will of righteousness and truth, to work something that is good upon the earth for the service and profit of his neighbour, the same is idolatrous; for in Adam we all are one tree; we are all sprung from one only root.
76. And God has begotten us in his love, and brought us into Paradise. But the Serpent's craft has set us at variance, so that we are departed out of Paradise, and come into its [the Serpent's] villainous subtle craft, into selfishness; whence we must again depart, and enter into a child's coat.
77. We have nothing in this world for our own propriety but a shirt, whereby we cover our shame before the angels of God, that our abomination may not appear naked; and that is our own, and nothing else; the other is all common: Whosoever has two coats, and sees that his brother has none, the other coat is his brother's, as Christ teaches us.
78. For we come naked into this world, and carry away scarce our shirt with us, which is the covering of our shame; the rest we possess either by necessity of office, or else out of covetousness, out of the Serpent's false desire. Every man should seek the profit and preservation of his neighbour, how he might serve and be helpful to him; as one branch of a tree gives its power, essence and virtue to the other, and they grow and bear fruit in one desire. Even so we are all one tree in Adam.
79. But we are in Adam withered in the Serpent's ens, as to the love-will; and we must all be new-born in Christ's love-ens and will; without that, none is a child of the love of God; and though there may be something of the divine love in many a one, yet it is wholly covered with the Serpent's ens; which devilish ens does continually spring forth above the love, and bears fruit.
the holy and heavenly ens, or else none of them can be a child of the love of God. All the greediness and covetousness, of all places and politic powers, under what name or title soever, does wholly proceed from the Serpent's ens.
72. 1 speak not of the offices, but of the falsehood of the officers. The office in its place and station is God's ordinance, if it be carried on in holy desire, and arises out of a divine root, for good; if not, but that it rises only out of a root for selfhood and pride, then it is from the Serpent's craft, and goes into destruction.
73. All war, however blanched over and under what pretence soever, takes its original out of God's anger; and he that begins it, does it from a self-full desire to selfish interest, from the Serpent's ens: unless that war arises from the command and injunction of God, that a nation has brought forth (itself) in his wrath, that he would his anger should devour it, and ordain a holier in the room, as was brought to pass by Israel among the Gentiles, otherwise it is wholly born in the self-full turba in selfhood. It does not belong to any true Christian born of Christ to raise the sword of the turba, unless the zealous spirit of God does stir it up in him, who of ten will rebuke sin.
Whatsoever exalts itself in the wrath about its own honour and pride, and brings itself to revenge [or bloodshed] is from the devil, be it either by nobles or ignobles, none excepted; before God they be all alike.
74. Earthly dominion and government has its original from the fall, in the Serpent's craft; seeing man departed from the love-will, from the obedience of God, therefore he must have a judge to rebuke the false desire in its substance, and destroy the false substance. Therefore magistracy and superiority is ordained of God for a defence of the righteous substance and will, and not for its selfish interest and its own perverse will, to break down and destroy governments at its pleasure, and to oppress the poor and impotent. Whatsoever does that, is arisen from the Serpent's ens, let it glister and colour over itself with what hypocrisy it will; and though it were clothed with gold and pearls, yea, even with the sun, it is bred and born out of the Serpent's ens, and has the Serpent's ens in its government, and tends into destruction, unless it be born anew [in the ens of Christ] .
75. Whatsoever is not born out of the ens of love, and bears forth a will of righteousness and truth, to work something that is good upon the earth for the service and profit of his neighbour, the same is idolatrous; for in Adam we all are one tree; we are all sprung from one only root.
76. And God has begotten us in his love, and brought us into Paradise. But the Serpent's craft has set us at variance, so that we are departed out of Paradise, and come into its [the Serpent's] villainous subtle craft, into selfishness; whence we must again depart, and enter into a child's coat.
77. We have nothing in this world for our own propriety but a shirt, whereby we cover our shame before the angels of God, that our abomination may not appear naked; and that is our own, and nothing else; the other is all common: Whosoever has two coats, and sees that his brother has none, the other coat is his brother's, as Christ teaches us.
78. For we come naked into this world, and carry away scarce our shirt with us, which is the covering of our shame; the rest we possess either by necessity of office, or else out of covetousness, out of the Serpent's false desire. Every man should seek the profit and preservation of his neighbour, how he might serve and be helpful to him; as one branch of a tree gives its power, essence and virtue to the other, and they grow and bear fruit in one desire. Even so we are all one tree in Adam.
79. But we are in Adam withered in the Serpent's ens, as to the love-will; and we must all be new-born in Christ's love-ens and will; without that, none is a child of the love of God; and though there may be something of the divine love in many a one, yet it is wholly covered with the Serpent's ens; which devilish ens does continually spring forth above the love, and bears fruit.
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