fall, and the creation of the world; as in this book at large: and if any will peruse him carefully they will find he mentions, three Principles of the essence of all essences, in the book of the Three Principles:
But in the abstract of the Mysterium Magnum, at the end of this book, they may perceive, that the Abyss and God is all one: and that the Abyss is God ineffable, not manifested but to himself and to whom he will reveal himself: and that, God is the Unity, in Trinity, the three eternal Principles, manifested by creation to the creature: The knowledge of which three Principles, and of the seven properties of nature, and of the ten forms of fire in the eternity, would make his writings easy and delightful.
If we would walk humbly in the sight of God, we should brotherly exhort one another, and not judge that we be not judged, for the same measure we mete shall be measured to us again: let us judge righteous judgment, and lay open that which is evil, before the sun at noonday, that all may take notice, and beware they fall not into the ditch: God that has shed abroad his love in our hearts, enlighten our understandings that we may see the wonderful things of his law, and then we shall not so readily despise one another, and receive accusations against our brethren and their doings, and so wound some through the sides of others.
If we were released from the virulency of the spirit of the outward man, which figured him in the mother's womb, and constellated him, when he was born, and when he first breathed the outward air as a seminal breath; which is prone to all manner of lusts, and draws men to sin: if this were allayed by a daily temperance, and practice to mortify our members that are on the earth, by bringing down the body daily;
labouring for an humble and contrite heart, a broken spirit, and a mourning soul, repenting from the bottom of our hearts, amending our lives continually, purifying, and communing with our hearts, and not suffer any iniquity or evil to lodge in the desires of our most inward thoughts: we should soon perceive, upon filling our bodies with outward food, the stirring of lust, to swelling pride, raging malice and anger, stinging envy, greedy covetousness, grudging the good of others, pleasing lasciviousness, a wandering eye after the applause, honour, and pleasure of this world; but upon fasting, this spirit is not felt almost, in the body: as we may observe in ourselves every moment: but an inclination to love, meekness, selfdenial, patience, forbearance, and all virtues, the Spirit of God, reviving in us;
and we may thereby somewhat perceive, why the Prophets said: The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, thus says the Lord; whereas the word was in them before, only this spirit of life brought forth the word, from the Lord, in their hearts, into their minds and understandings that they felt it stirring or speaking anew: and further, we shall be able to discern what enemy we have to deal with in our fighting the good fight of faith: the world and the delights thereof is a great enemy, which we must overcome, or we cannot attain to the denial of ourselves, and taking up the cross of Christ, without which we cannot be his disciple; but we are subject to think, that crosses, adversities, and afflictions are our worst enemies, because we live not by faith, but by the outward spirit, which all crosses do kill in us, and by them we die daily, to that, which is the instrument of sin, whereby its desires are brought to effect: and therefore we account that our greatest friend which is our greatest enemy: it brings death, our last enemy, and is the sting thereof but by killing the desires of the flesh we shall live and do thereby daily overcome that last enemy which we must certainly have a combat with, seeing it is appointed for all men once to die, and after death comes judgment.
fall, and the creation of the world; as in this book at large: and if any will peruse him carefully they will find he mentions, three Principles of the essence of all essences, in the book of the Three Principles:
But in the abstract of the Mysterium Magnum, at the end of this book, they may perceive, that the Abyss and God is all one: and that the Abyss is God ineffable, not manifested but to himself and to whom he will reveal himself: and that, God is the Unity, in Trinity, the three eternal Principles, manifested by creation to the creature: The knowledge of which three Principles, and of the seven properties of nature, and of the ten forms of fire in the eternity, would make his writings easy and delightful.
If we would walk humbly in the sight of God, we should brotherly exhort one another, and not judge that we be not judged, for the same measure we mete shall be measured to us again: let us judge righteous judgment, and lay open that which is evil, before the sun at noonday, that all may take notice, and beware they fall not into the ditch: God that has shed abroad his love in our hearts, enlighten our understandings that we may see the wonderful things of his law, and then we shall not so readily despise one another, and receive accusations against our brethren and their doings, and so wound some through the sides of others.
If we were released from the virulency of the spirit of the outward man, which figured him in the mother's womb, and constellated him, when he was born, and when he first breathed the outward air as a seminal breath; which is prone to all manner of lusts, and draws men to sin: if this were allayed by a daily temperance, and practice to mortify our members that are on the earth, by bringing down the body daily;
labouring for an humble and contrite heart, a broken spirit, and a mourning soul, repenting from the bottom of our hearts, amending our lives continually, purifying, and communing with our hearts, and not suffer any iniquity or evil to lodge in the desires of our most inward thoughts: we should soon perceive, upon filling our bodies with outward food, the stirring of lust, to swelling pride, raging malice and anger, stinging envy, greedy covetousness, grudging the good of others, pleasing lasciviousness, a wandering eye after the applause, honour, and pleasure of this world; but upon fasting, this spirit is not felt almost, in the body: as we may observe in ourselves every moment: but an inclination to love, meekness, selfdenial, patience, forbearance, and all virtues, the Spirit of God, reviving in us;
and we may thereby somewhat perceive, why the Prophets said: The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, thus says the Lord; whereas the word was in them before, only this spirit of life brought forth the word, from the Lord, in their hearts, into their minds and understandings that they felt it stirring or speaking anew: and further, we shall be able to discern what enemy we have to deal with in our fighting the good fight of faith: the world and the delights thereof is a great enemy, which we must overcome, or we cannot attain to the denial of ourselves, and taking up the cross of Christ, without which we cannot be his disciple; but we are subject to think, that crosses, adversities, and afflictions are our worst enemies, because we live not by faith, but by the outward spirit, which all crosses do kill in us, and by them we die daily, to that, which is the instrument of sin, whereby its desires are brought to effect: and therefore we account that our greatest friend which is our greatest enemy: it brings death, our last enemy, and is the sting thereof but by killing the desires of the flesh we shall live and do thereby daily overcome that last enemy which we must certainly have a combat with, seeing it is appointed for all men once to die, and after death comes judgment.
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.