The Bond of thy Promise must be firm and steadfast. Before she will Crown thee; thou must be tempted and tried: She taketh the Beams of her Love from thee again, to see whether thou wilt prove faithful ; also she letteth thee stand as it were aloof, and answereth thee not so much as with one Look of her Love. For .before she will Crow*n thee thou must be judged, that thou mayest Taste the bitter Potion of Jlregs, which thou hast filled for thyself in thine Abominations. Thou must come before the Gates of Hell, first, and there show forth thy Victory for her in her Love, in that Strength, wherewith she upheld thee in Opposition to the Devil's malign Influence.
2 — 2 i& The W'ay to Qhrist.
Christ' was tempted in the Wilderness, and if thou wilt put on Him, thou must go through His whole Progress or Journey, even from His Incarnation to His Ascension, And though thou art not able, nor required to do that which H$ hath done ; yet thou must enter wholly into His Process , and therein die continually from the Corruption of the Soul. For the Virgin Sophia espouseth not herself to the Soul, except in this Property which springeth up in the Soul through the Death of Christ , as a new Plant standing in Heaven. The earthly Body cannot comprehend her in his Lifetime, for it must first die from the corruptible Vanity; but the Heavenly Image which disappeared in Adam % viz., the true Seed of the Woman wherein Go D became Man, and into which He brought His living Seed, the Heavenly Substantiality , is capable of the Pearl \ after the Manner wherein it came to pass in Mary, in the End or Fulfilling of the Covenant*.
Therefore, take heed what thou cfoest ; When thou hast made thy Promise, keep it ; and then she will crozvn thee mo # re readily than thou wouldst be crowned. But thou must be sure, when the Tempter cometh to thee with the Pleasure, Beauty, and Glory of the World, that thy Mind reject it and say, ‘ I must be a Servant 4 and not a Master in the Vineyard of Christ ; I am but a Steward 4 of God in and over all that I have, and I must do with it as his i Word teacheth me ; my Heart must sit down with the simple 4 and lowly, in the Dust, and be always humble.' * Whatsoever State and Condition thou art in, Humility must be in the Front, or else thou wilt not obtain the noble Virgin in Marriage . The free Will of thy Soul must stand the Brunt as a Champion ; for if the Devil cannot prevail against the Soul with Vanity, nor catch it with that Bait, then he cometh with its Unworthiness and Catalogue of Sins. And there thou must fight hard, and the Merits of Christ must be set in the Front, or else the Creature cannot prevail against the Devil. For in this Conflict it goeth so terribly with many a poor Sinner, that outward Reason thipketh him to be distracted, or possessed by an evil Spirit . The Devil defendeth himself so horribly in some, especially if he hath had a great Fort of Prey in them, that he must be stoutly assaulted before he will depart and leave his Castle . In this kind of Combat Heaven and Hell are fighting one against the other. - '
The Bond of your Promise must be firm and steadfast. Before she will Crown you; you must be tempted and tried: She takes the Beams of her Love from you again, to see whether you will prove faithful ; also she letts you stand as it were aloof, and answers you not so much as with one Look of her Love. For .before she will Crow*n you you must be judged, that you may Taste the bitter Potion of Jlregs, which you have filled for yourself in your Abominations. You must come before the Gates of Hell, first, and there show forth your Victory for her in her Love, in that Strength, wherewith she upheld you in Opposition to the Devil's malign Influence.
2 — 2 i& The W'ay to Qhrist.
Christ' was tempted in the Wilderness, and if you will put on Him, you must go through His whole Progress or Journey, even from His Incarnation to His Ascension, And though you are not able, nor required to do that which H$ has done ; yet you must enter wholly into His Process , and therein die continually from the Corruption of the Soul. For the Virgin Sophia espouses not herself to the Soul, except in this Property which springs up in the Soul through the Death of Christ , as a new Plant standing in Heaven. The earthly Body cannot comprehend her in his Lifetime, for it must first die from the corruptible Vanity; but the Heavenly Image which disappeared in Adam % viz., the true Seed of the Woman wherein Go D became Man, and into which He brought His living Seed, the Heavenly Substantiality , is capable of the Pearl \ after the Manner wherein it came to pass in Mary, in the End or Fulfilling of the Covenant*.
Therefore, take heed what you cfoest ; When you have made your Promise, keep it ; and then she will crozvn you mo # re readily than you would be crowned. But you must be sure, when the Tempter comes to you with the Pleasure, Beauty, and Glory of the World, that your Mind reject it and say, ‘ I must be a Servant 4 and not a Master in the Vineyard of Christ ; I am but a Steward 4 of God in and over all that I have, and I must do with it as his i Word teaches me ; my Heart must sit down with the simple 4 and lowly, in the Dust, and be always humble.' * Whatsoever State and Condition you are in, Humility must be in the Front, or else you will not obtain the noble Virgin in Marriage . The free Will of your Soul must stand the Brunt as a Champion ; for if the Devil cannot prevail against the Soul with Vanity, nor catch it with that Bait, then he comes with its Unworthiness and Catalogue of Sins. And there you must fight hard, and the Merits of Christ must be set in the Front, or else the Creature cannot prevail against the Devil. For in this Conflict it goes so terribly with many a poor Sinner, that outward Reason thipks him to be distracted, or possessed by an evil Spirit . The Devil defends himself so horribly in some, especially if he has had a great Fort of Prey in them, that he must be stoutly assaulted before he will depart and leave his Castle . In this kind of Combat Heaven and Hell are fighting one against the other. - '
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