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A-GROWING.............1
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| 38. In all your matters, conversation, dealing, and actions, always set the judgment of God before your eyes, and have a care that you live blameless here, for this [life] time is short; and we stand here in a field a-growing: Therefore see that you be good fruit for God, at which all the angels and hosts of heaven may be pleased, and rejoice: Bear malice to none, for that invites the devil to a lodging: Be sober and temperate: Let not the desire of this world persuade you, and though it happen sometimes, do not go on in it: Go every hour out of death into life: Crucify yourselves in true repentance and conversion from evil. | Threefold life of man 12 |
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A-SEARCHING...........1
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| 87. Now therefore, when you see that the world contends about the kingdom of Christ, then know that they have lost the keys, the Mysterium Magnum, and are not in Christ, for there is no contention in Christ, but love and humility, and a desire to walk before his neighbour in righteousness; wherever we are, there we are in Christ: Whenever we meet together, we should all bring his will with us into the congregation, viz. the desire of Christ; and when we desire him, we receive him, and become one body in him: He feeds us with his body and blood: When we use his testaments, with the Last Supper, then he feeds us with his flesh, and gives us his blood to drink, he baptizes us with the baptism, to be one body in him: Why then are we so long a-searching? for as the sunshine fills the whole world, so does the body and blood of Christ also: His substance is the eternity, where there is no space nor place: He is shut up in nothing, for he is in the Father, and the Father is in him, and the Holy Ghost goes forth from the Father and the Son: Now, every being [or all whatsoever is brought into a being] is created out of the Father, and the Father is in all [things], and upholds and preserves all [things], he gives to all things life and being: And the Son is in the Father, and gives to all things virtue and light: He is our light; without him we know not God: How can we then speak rightly of him? If we will speak rightly of him, we must speak from his spirit, for that testifies of God; but if we speak from art and history, we speak from ourselves, and not from God, and so we are thieves and murderers, and not shepherds of Christ: A thief comes but to rob and steal, and so the disputers come but in their own name only, in that they desire to have great respect, and many rich friends; and such cry out, Here is Christ! and there are heretics! | Threefold life of man 11 |
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A-SEEKING.............1
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| 109. Everything has freewill, and therein its inclination to its property; the whole being of this world, and of the angelical world, also of the hellish world, is merely a wonder in the presence of God: He has set light and darkness before every one, you may embrace which you will; you will not thereby move God in his Being; his spirit goes forth from him, and meets all those that seek him; it is God's seeking, in which God desires the humanity, for it [the humanity] is his image, which he has created according to his whole Being, wherein he will see and know himself: yea he dwells in man. Why then are we so long a-seeking? Let us but seek to know ourselves; and when we find ourselves, we find all; we need run no whither to seek God, for we can thereby do him no service; if we ourselves did but seek and love one another, then we love God; what we ourselves do to one another, that we do to God; whosoever seeks and finds his brother and sister, has sought and found God: In him we are all one body, of many members, every one having its own office, government and work; and that is the wonder of God. | Threefold life of man 11 |
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A-WHORING.............5
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| 97. And thus the innocent are seduced, [or the poor souls hereby fall into despair], for he that gives not to them much, or has it not to give, is no honest man with them: He is not beneficial towards the ministry: but if the least mote is found amiss in his life, O how they divulge it, and make a great matter of it, how is he trodden underfoot! However, at length, they devoutly send a good wish after him, and say, God forgive him. Open your eyes, ye children of Christ, this is the Antichrist, go not a-whoring after him: Many such have been sinners, and have turned from their sins, and have entered into Christ, and their soul is in Christ an angel of God; and therefore how dare you, proud Antichrist, according to your own pleasure, despise one that is the angel of God? O you blind man, do you not see this? Are you the shepherd and minister of Christ, and steward of God? Have you the Mysterium Magnum about you? Is your office the office of Christ, as you boast? Why then are you a liar, in applauding the wicked for money? Have Christ and his Apostles done so? | Threefold life of man 11 |
| 27. Behold, Christ says, Where your treasure is, there is your heart also. Behold, the soul is involved in the opinion, and so runs with it to the patron [or author of it] who has so taught it, and seeks him, and if it finds him not, then it becomes sorrowful, and has no rest, and so hovereth between heaven and hell, and would fain escape the devil; therefore it happens that many times the poor souls have appeared again in the congregation, or else in houses, fields, and churches, and have cried to the congregation for help with their prayers, and have submitted themselves to the orders, and supposed to find ease; from whence Purgatory was framed; for that soul has the purgatory indeed, if it cannot attain the will of God; and in such fervent casting itself down in the opinion, it is sunk down through the opinion, and at length come into the still eternity. But we understand here those souls which in their opinions have imagined [or sought] after the kingdom of God; and not the souls of the deceivers, who have sought their profit and pleasure therein; those are quite gone a-whoring with Antichrist, for they are bound to him with an oath; and though they sit in hellfire a-whoring with him, yet they flatter him with their hypocrisy, and reproach God as if he had dealt unjustly with them; for what the soul does here in this [life] time, into which it involves itself, and takes it into its will, that it takes with it in its will, and after the ending of the body cannot be freed from it; for afterwards it has nothing else but that, and when it goes into that and kindles it, and seeks with diligence, that is but an unfolding of the same thing [substance of the work it has wrought in this life], and the poor soul must content itself with that: Only in the time of the body can it break off that thing which it has wrapped up in its will, and that stands afterwards as a broken wheel, which is broken and useless, and no soul enters into it any more, neither does it seek any more therein. | Threefold life of man 12 |
| 27. Behold, Christ says, Where your treasure is, there is your heart also. Behold, the soul is involved in the opinion, and so runs with it to the patron [or author of it] who has so taught it, and seeks him, and if it finds him not, then it becomes sorrowful, and has no rest, and so hovereth between heaven and hell, and would fain escape the devil; therefore it happens that many times the poor souls have appeared again in the congregation, or else in houses, fields, and churches, and have cried to the congregation for help with their prayers, and have submitted themselves to the orders, and supposed to find ease; from whence Purgatory was framed; for that soul has the purgatory indeed, if it cannot attain the will of God; and in such fervent casting itself down in the opinion, it is sunk down through the opinion, and at length come into the still eternity. But we understand here those souls which in their opinions have imagined [or sought] after the kingdom of God; and not the souls of the deceivers, who have sought their profit and pleasure therein; those are quite gone a-whoring with Antichrist, for they are bound to him with an oath; and though they sit in hellfire a-whoring with him, yet they flatter him with their hypocrisy, and reproach God as if he had dealt unjustly with them; for what the soul does here in this [life] time, into which it involves itself, and takes it into its will, that it takes with it in its will, and after the ending of the body cannot be freed from it; for afterwards it has nothing else but that, and when it goes into that and kindles it, and seeks with diligence, that is but an unfolding of the same thing [substance of the work it has wrought in this life], and the poor soul must content itself with that: Only in the time of the body can it break off that thing which it has wrapped up in its will, and that stands afterwards as a broken wheel, which is broken and useless, and no soul enters into it any more, neither does it seek any more therein. | Threefold life of man 12 |
| 9. If anyone send a son to the university to learn somewhat that is good, that he may be serviceable to God, and useful in the world; then he learned wantonness, bravery, pride, subtlety, how to deceive the simple of their own, and bereave them of their sweat, and contrive a cloak for it, saying, it is his right by law; but that cloak is the devil's, and the false deceitful heart is his minister. If he can speak a little Latin, or foreign language, then no simple man is good enough for his company: His high-mindedness flies aloft, the stinking carcass [which is but meat for worms] must be trimmed with ribands and baubles; to go a-whoring, and deflowering maids, is courtship: There are people that can behave themselves so finely, till they awaken the gnawing worm of conscience in the heart of many a mother's daughter. | Threefold life of man 15 |
| 19. This is the rule of the world which the superior and inferior go by; also the shepherd [ pastor] and the sheep: Christ's sufferings must be a cover for their wickedness: Everyone will be a Christian under the cover of Christ, when the poor soul sits a-whoring with the devil: If one do but say with the mouth he is a Christian, and yet cover his wickedness with the purple mantle of Christ, all is well: Thus we are brave lip-Christians under the mantle of Christ; but in the heart we have the Antichristian whore sitting as a guest. | Threefold life of man 15 |
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AARON.................9
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| 28. And it is the Gate of the Lily, concerning which the Spirit witnesses, that it will u hereafter grow in the wrathful Tree, and when it grows, it will bring us true Knowledge, by its pleasant and fragrant Smell, in the Holy Trinity; by which Smell Antichrist x will be stifled, and the Tree of the stern Anger be broken down, and the Beast enraged, which has its flight and Strength from the Tree for a Time, till it be dry and fiery, because it can get no more Sap from the wrathful Tree that is broken down; and then it will smell [or lift up itself] in the [fierce, tart] y Wrath against the Tree, and the Lily, till the Tree of which the Beast did eat and was strong) destroys the Beast, and his Power remains in the Fire of the Original. And then all Doors [will] stand open in the great Tree of Nature, and the Priest Aaron [will] give his Garment and fair Ornament to the Lamb, that was slain and is [alive] again. u Shortly. x Note, we must yet conceal the Explanation of this Verse. y Or Rage. | Three Principles 11 |
| 63. Hitherto the Honour of Invocation [or Worship] has been paid and afforded to the Virgin Mary, and other Saints, [or holy People,] that have been here [in this Life;] whereas yet (in the Ground of the Light of Nature) this Command or Law was not known at all, and it is most highly necessary to be known, that the Ground thereof has been taken in the confused Babel, when Men were weary of the poor Christ, who in this World had not whereon to lay his Head. Then they did as Israel with Moses, who made themselves a Calf to be their God, and said; Behold, Israel, these are thy Gods, which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt; and they made a calvish Worship of God, for their voluptuous Life, and looked no more after Moses, but said; We know not what is become of this Man Moses; and they said to Aaron. Make thou us Gods which may go before us, and he made them the Calf; but when Moses came and saw it, then he was wroth, and took the Tables of God, and broke them, and threw them away, and said; Hearken, you that belong unto the Lord, gird every Man his Sword to his Side, and slay his Brother, the Worshippers of the Calf. | Three Principles 18 |
| 66. Yes indeed, say they, we ourselves confess that we are evil wicked Men, but this o Order makes us holy. Our Office is holy, we are the true Ministers of Christ in his Service; and although we be evil [mere natural wicked carnal] Men, yet our Office remains holy; and the highest Dignity is due to us for our Office sake. As Aaron (with his Worship of the Calf) must be called holy in his Office, though they forgot Moses, and rose up ( p from eating and drinking) to dance and to play; and so also Aaron must be highly honoured [and reverenced] for his Ministry or Service to the Calf. o Holy Orders, Ordination of Ministers, or Institution of the Spirituality or Clergy. p Their Gluttony and Drunkenness. | Three Principles 18 |
| 66. Yes indeed, say they, we ourselves confess that we are evil wicked Men, but this o Order makes us holy. Our Office is holy, we are the true Ministers of Christ in his Service; and although we be evil [mere natural wicked carnal] Men, yet our Office remains holy; and the highest Dignity is due to us for our Office sake. As Aaron (with his Worship of the Calf) must be called holy in his Office, though they forgot Moses, and rose up ( p from eating and drinking) to dance and to play; and so also Aaron must be highly honoured [and reverenced] for his Ministry or Service to the Calf. o Holy Orders, Ordination of Ministers, or Institution of the Spirituality or Clergy. p Their Gluttony and Drunkenness. | Three Principles 18 |
| 100. And we see that all is true, as is abovementioned; for when he had overcome in the Temptation, and had stood forty Days, then he had wholly overcome till the last Victory in Death, for so long Adam was in the Temptation, in the Garden of Eden; and i there he begun his priestly Kingdom (as a King over Heaven and this World) with Signs and Wonders; and in his first Miracle turned Water into good Wine; he also healed the Sick, made the Blind to see, the Lame to go, and cleansed Lepers; also he raised the Dead, and showed himself to be the true King over the k Quick and Dead, and sat upon David’s Throne of Promise, and was the true Priest in the Order of Melchisedech. All whatsoever Aaron was (in the Father’s Might) in a Type, that this HighPriest was in Virtue [and Power,] with Deeds and Wonders; which we will clearly describe in the succeeding Book, if we live, and God shall give us Leave to do it. i Viz. after the Temptation. k Over the Living and the Dead. | Three Principles 22 |
| 13. And even then the wrath of the Father (which was awaked in the properties of our life, and had set itself to be lord and master in soul and body, whereby we were dead to the kingdom of heaven, and become children of wrath) was turned again into the unanimous love, likeness, and unity of God; and our own human will, died in the death of Christ, from its selfness, and selfish willing; and the first human will (which God breathed from His Spirit into Adam) did spring forth afresh through the conquest of God's sweetness [and love] in Christ's heavenly blood; and then the devil, and hell, which held men captive, were confounded, and made a scorn: This the dry rod of Aaron, which budded in one night, and bare sweet almonds, did typify. | EPISTLES 13 |
| 34. But you, sophister, bear not the office while you are without the will of God; but the poor repentant man brings the Mysterium Magnum, the Great Mystery, with him to you, and renders himself up to the apostolic power, which you have not; but the church or congregation of Christ, which is in the will of God, [has it]: and so one faith receives the other, and the church, or congregation of Christ, absolves the repentant sinner, and not you, sophister, who have neither virtue nor power, nor knowledge of the kingdom of God, but are yourself the devil's captive; and you sit in the anger of God, and are only the proud whore of Babel, and swim aloft upon the office of the Great Mystery, and are incapable of it, unless you be in the will of God, and then you are Christ's apostle, and wear the garment of Aaron, and God opens and shuts by your mouth; but your natural will does it not, that should always be dead, or else you are not capable of the office; also in your own will, you sit not in the office of Christ, upon Peter's chair, but upon the stool of pestilence, and are the Antichrist, as we have known you in the number seventy-two, which you bear: for you are in contention about the cup of Christ, and you have it not in your power, but the church or congregation of Christ, which is submitted to the will of God, has it: The Ark of the Covenant is with them at Shiloh, and not in your [contentious] schismatic sectarian Jerusalem, which you have made full of abominable blasphemies. | Threefold life of man 10 |
| 47. But the Councils [Nice, Trent, etc.] have been brought in, only that you might be lord over silver and gold, and over the souls, minds, and consciences of men; and so you are indeed the Antichrist in your hypocrisy and appearing holiness: You have instituted ceremonies, and glisters in imitation of Aaron; but why do you not live in the obedience of Aaron towards God? Everyone looks upon the fine hypocritical performance of the work, and his heart is carried away towards the hypocrisy, and supposes, that when it keeps or celebrates the ceremonies, that it is an atonement of the anger of God; but it is idolatry, and that which entangles the heart, and leads it captive in the hypocrisy: It were better to use no ceremonies, but barely to perform the express command of God, which he has left us in his covenant and testament: The congregation of Christ can well sound forth, and sing of God's deeds of wonder, but best of all in the mother tongue, which everyone understands, and can lift up his heart and soul therein, and so the whole church or congregation of Christ, as one body, exults in God, and sings of the wonders of God, which does stir up attention and consideration, which in a strange, or foreign language, is but hypocrisy and ostentation, whereby pride will vaunt itself, for it always appears very willingly in a seeming divine posture in hypocrisy: for the devil is such an idol, for he mocks God, his Creator, therewith, and so paints forth the Antichrist before the face of God, that God should see what a potent lord and prince he is, who can shine as the Majesty of God shines, and so he makes such a glistering in mockery to God, and brings the souls of men into the glistering [hypocritical show of holiness]. | Threefold life of man 11 |
| 47. But the Councils [Nice, Trent, etc.] have been brought in, only that you might be lord over silver and gold, and over the souls, minds, and consciences of men; and so you are indeed the Antichrist in your hypocrisy and appearing holiness: You have instituted ceremonies, and glisters in imitation of Aaron; but why do you not live in the obedience of Aaron towards God? Everyone looks upon the fine hypocritical performance of the work, and his heart is carried away towards the hypocrisy, and supposes, that when it keeps or celebrates the ceremonies, that it is an atonement of the anger of God; but it is idolatry, and that which entangles the heart, and leads it captive in the hypocrisy: It were better to use no ceremonies, but barely to perform the express command of God, which he has left us in his covenant and testament: The congregation of Christ can well sound forth, and sing of God's deeds of wonder, but best of all in the mother tongue, which everyone understands, and can lift up his heart and soul therein, and so the whole church or congregation of Christ, as one body, exults in God, and sings of the wonders of God, which does stir up attention and consideration, which in a strange, or foreign language, is but hypocrisy and ostentation, whereby pride will vaunt itself, for it always appears very willingly in a seeming divine posture in hypocrisy: for the devil is such an idol, for he mocks God, his Creator, therewith, and so paints forth the Antichrist before the face of God, that God should see what a potent lord and prince he is, who can shine as the Majesty of God shines, and so he makes such a glistering in mockery to God, and brings the souls of men into the glistering [hypocritical show of holiness]. | Threefold life of man 11 |