Beloved Soul, mark : If thou wilt be a Champion in thy Saviour Christ against Death and Hell', and wouldst have thy young Qraft grow, and become a Tree in the Kingdom of Christ, thou must go on, and stand fast in thy first earnest Purpose. It is as much as thy paternal Inheritance is worth, and thy Body
Of True Tfepentance, and Soul too, whether thou becomest an Angel in .God, or a Devil in Hell. If thou wilt be crowned , thou must fight , thou must overcome in Christ \ and not yield to the Devil Thy Purpose must stand firm, thou must not prefer temporal Honour and Goods before it. When the Spirit of the Flesh saith, Stay awhile , it is not convenient yet ; then the Soul must say, ‘Now is the ‘Time for me to go back again into my Native Country, out of ‘which my Father Adam hath brought me. No Creature shall ‘ keep me back, and though thou earthly Body shouldest thereby ‘decay and perish, yet I will now enter with my Will and whole
* Desire, into the Rose-Garden of my Redeemer Jesus Christy ‘ through His Suffering and Death into Him, and in the^Death of
* Christ subdue thee, thou earthly Body, that hath swallowed up my ‘ Pearl from me, which God gave to my Father Adam in Paradise. ‘I will breaV the Will of thy Voluptuousness, which is in Vanity, ‘and bind thee as a mad Dog, with the Chain of my earnest Pur- ‘ pose ; and though thereby thou shouldest become a Fool in the ‘Account of all Men, yet thou must and shalt obey the firm ‘Resolve of my Soul. Nothing shall unloose thee from this ‘Chain, but the temporal Death. Whereunto Goi) and his 4 Strength help me/
A Short Direction
How the poor Soul must come before God again , and how it must fight for the noble Garland ; what kind of Weapons it must use , if it will go to War against God’s Anger , against the Devil, the World and Sin , against Flesh and Blood , against the Influence of the Stars and Elements, and all its other Enemies.
B ELOVED Soul, there is Earnestness required to do this, and not a bare Recital of Words only ! No, the earnest resolved Will must drive on this Work, else nothing will be effected. For if the Soul will obtain the triumphal (parland of Christ from the Noble Sophia, ox Divine Wisdom, it must woo her for it in great Desire of Love. It must entreat her tn her most Holy Name for it, and come before her in most modest Humility, and not like a lustful Bull or a wanton Venus. For so long as any are such, thfey must not seek these Things ; for they •shall not obtain them, and though something should be obtained by those who are in such an impure State, it would be no more than a Qlimpse of the true Qlory. But a chaste and modest Mind
1 6 The Way to may prevail so far as to have the Soul in its noble Image, which died in Adam, quickened in the Heavenly Corporality as to the inward Qround, and the precious (garland set upon jit. Yet if this should come to pass, it is taken off again from the Soul, and laid by, as a Crown useth to be, after a King is once crowned with it ; it is then laid by and kept. So it cometh to pass also with the Heavenly Qarland or Qift. It is taken from the Soul again,' because the Soul is yet encompassed with the House of Sin ; so that it should unhappily fall again, its Crown might not be defiled. This is spoken plainly enough for the Children that know and have tried these Things : None of the wicked are worthy to know more about them.
Beloved Soul, mark : If you will be a Champion in your Saviour Christ against Death and Hell', and would have your young Qraft grow, and become a Tree in the Kingdom of Christ, you must go on, and stand fast in your first earnest Purpose. It is as much as your paternal Inheritance is worth, and your Body
Of True Tfepentance, and Soul too, whether you becomest an Angel in .God, or a Devil in Hell. If you will be crowned , you must fight , you must overcome in Christ \ and not yield to the Devil Your Purpose must stand firm, you must not prefer temporal Honour and Goods before it. When the Spirit of the Flesh says, Stay awhile , it is not convenient yet ; then the Soul must say, ‘Now is the ‘Time for me to go back again into my Native Country, out of ‘which my Father Adam has brought me. No Creature shall ‘ keep me back, and though you earthly Body shouldest thereby ‘decay and perish, yet I will now enter with my Will and whole
* Desire, into the Rose-Garden of my Redeemer Jesus Christy ‘ through His Suffering and Death into Him, and in the^Death of
* Christ subdue you, you earthly Body, that has swallowed up my ‘ Pearl from me, which God gave to my Father Adam in Paradise. ‘I will breaV the Will of your Voluptuousness, which is in Vanity, ‘and bind you as a mad Dog, with the Chain of my earnest Pur- ‘ pose ; and though thereby you shouldest become a Fool in the ‘Account of all Men, yet you must and shall obey the firm ‘Resolve of my Soul. Nothing shall unloose you from this ‘Chain, but the temporal Death. Whereunto Goi) and his 4 Strength help me/
A Short Direction
How the poor Soul must come before God again , and how it must fight for the noble Garland ; what kind of Weapons it must use , if it will go to War against God’s Anger , against the Devil, the World and Sin , against Flesh and Blood , against the Influence of the Stars and Elements, and all its other Enemies.
B ELOVED Soul, there is Earnestness required to do this, and not a bare Recital of Words only ! No, the earnest resolved Will must drive on this Work, else nothing will be effected. For if the Soul will obtain the triumphal (parland of Christ from the Noble Sophia, ox Divine Wisdom, it must woo her for it in great Desire of Love. It must entreat her tn her most Holy Name for it, and come before her in most modest Humility, and not like a lustful Bull or a wanton Venus. For so long as any are such, thfey must not seek these Things ; for they •shall not obtain them, and though something should be obtained by those who are in such an impure State, it would be no more than a Qlimpse of the true Qlory. But a chaste and modest Mind
1 6 The Way to may prevail so far as to have the Soul in its noble Image, which died in Adam, quickened in the Heavenly Corporality as to the inward Qround, and the precious (garland set upon jit. Yet if this should come to pass, it is taken off again from the Soul, and laid by, as a Crown uses to be, after a King is once crowned with it ; it is then laid by and kept. So it comes to pass also with the Heavenly Qarland or Qift. It is taken from the Soul again,' because the Soul is yet encompassed with the House of Sin ; so that it should unhappily fall again, its Crown might not be defiled. This is spoken plainly enough for the Children that know and have tried these Things : None of the wicked are worthy to know more about them.
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