CHAP. I. What is that which a man ought to labor for in this life.

MAN is convinced in his Conſcience, and hath it written in his heart as an eternal, ſure and immutable word, that he always ought to ſtrive and endeavor after that, wherein his Souls everlaſting Property and10 Happineſs conſiſteth, to the end that he, of whom he draweth his original and off-ſpring, may thereby have his Praiſe, Honour and Joy. When he conſidereth this duly, two ways preſently offer themſelves; the one lead­ing to Good, the other to Evil: The Evil (as Evil) he deſireth not, therefore he ought and muſt of neceſſity follow and ſtick cloſe to the Good. Here the Ens and ſeed of the Serpent work­eth ſtrange and ſubtle diſturb­ances in Man, and would fain ſell Evil for Good, ſeeing that the Evil always mingleth it ſelf with the Good, and thereby cauſeth horrible Deceits and Seducements: All the World ſtandeth open and ready to em­brace the Evil, and yet will not endure it to be called Evil, but always hideth it ſelf under11 the colour of Good, ſo that the Good is not eaſily to be found out and diſcerned, unleſs a Man look very narrowly into it: Therefore theſe two ways ought very well to be diſcerned and di­ſtinguiſhed, leſt a Man ſhould loſe himſelf therein, and be ſe­duced and led away by the De­vil or blind Reaſon. The Holy Scripture it ſelf placeth one on the right hand, and the o­ther on the left hand: That on the right hand is narrow, but is the way of God, whereby Man attaineth to the true in ward Reſt and Peace, therein liveth and is ſaved: That on the left hand is the way of the World, wherein a man with greateſt trouble and unquietneſs poſteth and haſteneth to Dam­nation. All which very excel­lently is prefigured and repre­ſented12 unto us in the deliverance and going of the Children of Iſ­rael out of Egypt.

CHAP. II. An excellent Type of Love to­wards God, and Love towards the World.

WHoſoever is deſirous to chooſe the way leading to God aright, he muſt by no means pervert any thing, nor receive any thing that is per­verted, but look well to himſelf, that he may walk aright in this life, being that the two ways are ſo eaſily mixed and changed one for the other, as we may very well obſerve by the Chil­dren of Iſrael, when they were brought out of Egypt. Where­fore by the way towards Egypt13 again, we do underſtand the World; But by the way of God, we underſtand the true Converſion and turning to the Land of Canaan, that is, the Kingdom of Heaven and King­dom of Chriſt.

Now there be three things which hinder and diſturb the Man in his true Converſion, which are here to be obſerved; Namely, Firſt, Love of this temporal Life; Secondly, De­light and deſire after temporal things; Thirdly, Luſt of fleſh­ly Pride and wanton Pleaſure, wherein Man is deſirous to bathe and ſwim up to his very ears: Hence it is, that all thoſe that are blinded and poſſeſſed with Jewiſh and ſelf-love, can­not be drawn from the highneſs and honor of the World, but give themſelves over to Covet­ouſneſs,14 and bend all their love and labor, with all their thoughts and imaginations, to this ſcope, to wit, how to gain theſe tem­porary things, to the end that they may fulfil their luſt of the fleſh; ſo that the poor Soul in the heart muſt be ſmothered and forgot, yea robbed and deprived of the Everlaſting Good, for the pride and wanton pleaſures ſake of the fleſh and of the A­ſtral ſpirit. Now thoſe that con­tinue in this courſe of life, they fall in time into a ſenſeleſſneſs or inſenſibility and hardneſs of heart, ſo that they rather ſuffer all manner of pains, then them­ſelves to be drawn off from thence, ſeeing that they rather undergo and endure all dangers and tribulations, then themſelves to be deprived or diſmiſſed of their luſt, whereunto they are15 inclined and given; in ſo much that all fellow-travellers addict­ed to this way had always ra­ther to return back again into Egypt to the fleſh pots, which notwithſtanding they ate with cumberneſs and ſervitude, then to eat and enjoy the ſpiritual and heavenly Bread in the Wilder­neſs, and to follow Moſes, whi­ther he, by the Command of God, was to guide them. This People was with a mighty hand, with ſigns and wonders, brought out of Egypts houſe of Bondage to Canaan the Land of Promiſe, and in the way was fed with bread of Angels, taſting to them according to their own wiſh and deſire, ſo that with great Joy they might have obtained the Land of Promiſe; But ſeeing they were drowned in the Love of their own ſelf, of the fleſh16 and of the world, denying and renouncing all obedience to the Spirit of God, they would ra­ther turn back again to Egypt to the fleſh pots of their miſery and calamity, then with peace and comfort forget that way, and ſuffer themſelves to be led by Moſes quietneſs and patience through the Wilderneſs. There­fore whoſoever is too much poſſeſſed and captivated with deceitful luſts of the world, he evermore longeth after his for­mer ſinful qualities and doings, whereunto he is addicted. But to prevent this, and to turn himſelf to the right way of God, to walk in the paths of Holineſs, Man muſt order and behave himſelf aright after the conduct and inſtruction of Mo­ſes, who is Chriſt in the new Birth and Converſion, Him al­ways17 in the way we muſt care­fully obſerve and look upon at his right hand, and never ſet our eyes from him whatſoever he doth and taketh in hand in this life. Therefore he muſt alſo leave the old Adam in E­gypt, that is, hate and deny him­ſelf, and on the contrary turn all his love to God in Chriſt, and wholy yield and ſubmit himſelf in an humble reſignati­on to the Spirit of God and his good Government.

Now if he thus both within and without with a wholy con­verted Heart be yielded up and reſigned unto God according to his Will, and in his Love is deſirous of nothing more then God; then he walketh in the way at the right hand, being no more his own ſelf, or an ad­herent of baſe and wicked E­gypt,18 but having quite left and abandoned the fleſh pots, is de­ſirous through Chriſt to be­come one Spirit with God, ac­cording to the deſire of the Soul, and likewiſe longeth with delight for Perfection, that he may enter again into the firſt Image, after which in the Be­gining he was created of God.

CHAP. III. Even as God is the Being of all Beings, and the Life of all living; ſo alſo muſt every one, that meaneth to inherit Salva­tion, become like unto him in Chriſt.

ALL the care and matter is, how Man, according to the Image of God, may be tranſplanted again out of this19 temporary into the Eternal Kingdom of Joy. Therefore, according as the Man doth form and figure himſelf in this life un­der the government and domi­minion, of the Starry or Syde­real Spirit, in ſuch form and figure he alſo tranſplanteth and preſenteth himſelf after this life unto Eternity; Namely, either into one principle of the Abyſs, or elſe into the other of the Di­vine Love and eternal Joy with God and his holy Angels.

Originally, and in the Crea­tion, Man was created like unto God, and became his Image, that he according to that ſhould be a Lord and Soveraign over the world: which that he might better perform, he was placed and ordained in Paradice with ſuch an Heavenly and uniform body, as was wanting in nothing20 that any way could be neceſſary to this excellent and glorious Performance. Yea, as a father and a ſon are one with another, ſo was Man like unto God, and had the perfect wiſdom to go­vern all things aright according to the Will of God in his Image both within and without him­ſelf, viz. all things, ſo far as it belonged to him, and was ſub­ject to temporary nature. He had not gotten any frail body, unleſs purpoſely he had thrown himſelf into this fragillity: thus he was uniform with God ac­cording to his Image. In which uniformity yet this difference is to be obſerved: viz. God is, and abideth the Creator and the Father; Man is the Creature and childe: God hath no time, but is Eternal, having nothing either afore or after himſelf:21 But Man hath a Beginning, and is comprehended by the Incom­prehenſible God: There is no­thing that God hath received, but he hath and is all in Himſelf; But man hath received all things from God, and hath nothing of his own: God needeth nei­ther Angel, nor Heaven, nor world, nor place, nor time; But Man can neither live nor be without God. Theſe differences ſhew plainly and ſufficiently, How man ought to live aright according to the properties of the Image, both in this time and hereafter in Eternity, viz. we muſt be his onely, with Will, Heart, Soul, Underſtanding and Being, and no others beſides, neither our own; but look meer­ly and onely upon Him, by whom we are created, and after our fall ſo dearly bought and22 redeemed, beſides whom we muſt chooſe or deſire nothing, ſeeing without him we be no­thing, and can do nothing, as Chriſt ſaith. But who ſo taketh delight in himſelf, loveth him­ſelf, ſeeketh and findeth himſelf, he committeth two great and horrible Evils: For firſt, He thereby becometh a proud Thief, in ſeeking the preemi­nence in Gods Being and Do­minion, arrogating it unto him­ſelf, as if he were of Himſelf, as God is, which he likewiſe in ſe­cret eſteemeth himſelf to be, and will needs be equal with God. Secondly, He becometh alſo thereby a Murtherer, in kill­ing himſelf ſo miſerably, by falling off from God upon him­ſelf, that is, falling off from the Being upon his own nothing, and making himſelf a reproach23 to him, of whom he hath recei­ved his Being and Breath, ſeeing that God had alſo therefore formed him after his won Image, that he ſhould not eat of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil: for God is the right hand, and he himſelf the left hand, viz. the Creature, which afore was nothing. Man ſhould keep the Properties of the Image, ſuffering the Will of God to work and do all things in him: Man ſhould be the Tool, wherewith God ſhould do all things; But the deſire to know Good and Evil, is that horrible Fall whereby he is caſt out of the Image of God, and that is the right Serpent of Sin which ſo extreamly hath decei­ved us, perſwading us to eat of this forbidden fruit.

O what a lamentable ſtate24 and condition is it, that we there­by are fallen ſo deep & far from the Image of God, and the holy life of Paradice, into the utter­moſt beſtial Kingdom and Go­vernment of the Starry or Sy­dereal Spirit! Yet it is an infi­nite and unſpeakable Mercy, that the Son of God, Chriſt Je­ſus, our Lord, would not leave nor forſake us in this extream both temporal and eternal Per­dition of our Soul, but with his deep Humiliation, &c. brought back again his beloved Creature into its Principium and Heaven­ly Kingdom, into Paradice, o­pening the Bleſſed Gate to the former Image, leſt we in any thing ſhould be wanting. There­fore if ſo be we will enter again into the firſt and bleſſed eſtate of our Souls, viz. of Eternal Image and Salvation, then we25 muſt return back again from and out of the baſe and beſtial Life of our ſinful fleſh, and en­ter into the living and Heavenly Birth, becoming like to Chriſt in all thins, according to his love wherewith he hath loved us, and thus with Chriſt wholy yielding our ſelves up to God in a perfect and humble reſignati­on, forgetting and denying our ſelves, and hating our own life, ſeeing that we our ſelves are our chiefeſt and worſt enemies; and all this to the end, that we may attain to Chriſt Perfection, ac­cording to the reſtored Image of his Love, Pſal. 17.15. Not ſuffering our ſelves to be drawn back or hindered by any thing in the world.

CHAP. IV. Of Mans true Perfection in Chriſt and in the Love.

IT is a moſt dangerous and pernitious Doctrine (where­by true Chriſtianity moſt migh­tily is hindered,) when many give forth and teach againſt God, Chriſt Jeſus himſelf, and his Holy word and Goſpel, that it is Impoſſible for a Man to keep the Word of God. Should God through his Son impoſe us things Impoſſible? What an abſurd ſpeech is this? Shall a Man think to make the moſt gracious and moſt merciful God a Tyrant? O abominable Error to the greateſt hinderance of the true Birth! When Peter gave Chriſt hinderſom and of­fenſive27 counſel, diſſwading him that he with his ſuffering ſhould not fulfil the Will of his Father, Chriſt reproved Peter, calling his words, the ſpeech of Satan, ſaying, Get thee behind me Satan, thou art an offence unto me, for thou ſavoreſt not the things that be of God, but thoſe that be of men, Mat. 16.23. Mark 8.33. Even ſo may a man likewiſe ſay to thoſe that rather ſpeak to pleaſe and nouriſh the ſecurity of the fleſh, and quench the Spirit, then to help and ſet forth the Word of God by men; and yet notwith­ſtanding will be held and called good Chriſtians: therefore ſaith Chriſt, Not every one that ſaith unto me, Lord, Lord, ſhall enter in­to the Kingdom of Heaven, Mat. 7.21. but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven. Chriſt will have his Word kept28 in deed (and not only with opi­nion, tongue, or oral faith) com­paring ſuch a one with a wiſe man which built his houſe upon a rock, Mat. 7.25. The true faith makes indeed up the houſe, but good works of Love lays the foundation, as Chriſt ſaith, Joh. 14.23. If a man love me he will keep my words, which conſiſteth properly in our life and conver­ſation, viz. to walk in his ſteps even as he hath walked, 1 John 2.6. Therefore Chriſt neither regarded nor required in his fol­lowers any prating wit, but obe­dient works of Love and chari­table Deeds proceeding from a free heart; and he ſaith further, Whoſoever will come after me, let him deny himſelf, and take up his croſs and follow me, Mark. 8.34. Neither may any man boaſt of Chriſt, as if he knew him unleſs29 he keepeth his Commandments, for otherwiſe he is a Lyar, in whom there is no truth; But whoſoever keepeth his Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: Hereby know we that we are in him, 1 Joh. 4.5. Alſo, every one that doth righteouſneſs is born of him, 1 Joh. 2.29. Yea, he that doth righteouſneſs, is righ­teous, even as he is righteous, 1 Joh. 3.7. Now what want or Impoſſibility is here? Are the Commandments of chriſt too too grievous? Saith not John, that the Commandments of Chriſt are not grievous? 1 John 5.3. And Chriſt himſelf wiſheth us, and all others, to come freely and confidently unto him, and take his yoke upon us, being that his yoke is eaſie, and his burden light, Matth. 11.30. Now by whom, I pray, is the truth? by30 Chriſt, or by Antichriſt? But here lies all the difficulty, viz. Antichriſt and the Child of this World will not turn in and en­ter to the Love of God fully and aright, leaving the curſed love of the world and of the fleſh, which hath taken ſo deep roots in his heart. Therefore he had rather make God to be unjuſt, and with the Excuſe of Impoſſi­bility juſtifie himſelf, leaving the whole Burden upon the neck of Chriſt only, that he himſelf may go free, and in the ſecurity of his wicked ſpirit and fleſh, ac­cording to his own beſtial deſire and diſpoſition, jump as it were into the Kingdom of God, as if he need to do nothing and take no care for his Salvation, but only to live freely forth on in pleaſures and carnal luſt of his Heart, proceeding from the falſe31 and venomous ſeed of the wick­ed Serpent, and yet would merit Heaven thereby, though he ne­ver put on again the Heavenly Image of Chriſt, changing his Beſtial and Diabolical Malice into Love. But what doth a Men elſe, but ſhew forth that he hath an abomination to the Childſhip of God which is in Chriſt Jeſus? For S^t John ſaith in his 1 Epiſtle, cap. 5.2. By this we know that we love the Children of God, when we love God and keep his Commandments; for this is the love of God, viz. that we keep his Commandments, and his Com­mandments are not grievous. To whom therefore Love is hard and grievous, he is as yet far from God and his Image, being as faſt and deep in Lyes, Dark­neſs and Death, 1 Joh. 2.9, 21. and cap. 3.14. Yea he is an Anti­chriſt,32 chriſt, bearing the Mark of the Beaſt and of the Whore in his Heart and in his forehead, Apoc. 19. &c. For God Himſelf is Love, and Love is God, and he that loveth not, knoweth not God, 1 Joh. 4.7. Whoſoever therefore will be, and be called a right true Chriſtian, and attain to perfection, deſiring to be one Spirit with God, and obtain his Image again, he muſt make haſte and ſtrive to this Gate, where the Love of Chriſt ſtands open, continually and diligently exer­ciſing himſelf therein, eſpecially in the inward Image and Like­neſs of the ſufferings of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, eſteeming it above all Creatures, and then nothing will be hard and grie­vous for him; for what can be grievous to him that rightly lo­veth? Now to learn this aright,33 we muſt look and conſider well what is to be obſerved in chriſt.

CHAP. V. What are thoſe ſeven thins in Chriſt, which ought to be well and eſpecially conſidered: And how we may attain to the per­fection of Love.

THere are ſummarily ſeven principal Points in our Lord God and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt well and eſpecially to be conſidered: Viz. 1. His won­derous Humiliation and Con­ception. 2. His Birth of a Vir­gin. 3. His whole Life in his Infancy, Youth, and Mans Age, 4. His bitter Paſſion and Death. 5. His Deſcending into Hell34 Reſurrection, Apparition, and Clarification. 6. His Aſcenſion and Entrance into his Glory a­gain. 7. His Glorious Mani­feſtation or Revelation, and coming again to Judgment and to his Kingdom. In theſe ſeven Points all the Myſteries of God are comprehended, without which no Man can be a true Teacher in the Church of God and of chriſt according to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are ordained by God to ſuch Miniſtry, although they are not abſolutely neceſſary for every Child of God: for it is not Knowledg and Science that ſa­veth and maketh us happy in Chriſt Jeſus, but the true Faith being effectual by Love. There­fore the knowledg, wiſdom and underſtanding of children is one thing, and another thing that35 of the young Men, and another thing that of Fathers and old Men; for every one hath his own peculiar Gift of Grace of the Spirit of God, as Paul teach­eth, 1 Cor. 14. For it is not a meer Outward Literal or Habitual work of Reaſon, borrowed from the Heathens, as now adays is taught in the Schools, where the Spirit of God with his true Gifts is extruded and rejected: But the Spirit of God and of Chriſt imparteth in to every one as much as it pleaſeth, and ac­cording as the holy Souls do order and behave themſelves in praying aright, that they may be fully and fundamentally Parta­kers of the Divine Gifts, and taught by God Himſelf (as Chriſt ſpeaketh,) wherein the vocation and calling of every one to the Miniſtry of Preaching36 properly conſiſteth, and thereby is diſtinguiſhed and diſcerned from Hirelings, having nothing but outward ſelf-forged Arts and Inventions.

Theſe three Degrees of ſeve­ral Gifts, Chriſt alſo Himſelf went through; for being a Child he encreaſed in Age, Nature, Wiſdom and Favor with God and Man, and with the twelfth year of his Age he concluded his Infancy or Childſhip, and begun his Youth; but what he did in this Youth until the thir­tieth year of his Age, is not re­corded, ſeeing it hath not pleaſed the Spirit of God to reveal more unto us, but what was requiſite and neceſſary to the Perform­ance of his proper Office; doubtleſs to the end, that we the more diligently and earneſtly ſhould ruminate and obſerve his37 Precepts, Commandments, Mi­racles, Teſtimonies, and Suffer­ings, not mixing there-amongſt any other impertinent and un­neceſſary things, ſeeing the wan­ton outward Reaſon always ra­ther flattereth the fleſh in its wickedneſs, then obeyeth the Spirit of Chriſt. In the thir­tieth year of his Age, his right Office of Redemption and Mans Age begun, of which the four Evangeliſts ſufficiently do wit­neſs, yet far more was done then recorded, as John ſaith in the end of his Goſpel: But what is written, is abundantly ſufficient, if we would but order and rule our ſelves accordingly, and not with Babels fooliſh Reaſon ac­count it Impoſſible, as we have ſaid afore.

Now as theſe three Degrees have their three ſeveral times, ſo38 alſo have they their ſeveral knowledg: Hence it is that the Apoſtle ſaith, When I was a Child I ſpake as a Child, I underſtood as a Child, I thought as a Child; But when I became a Man, I Put away childiſh things. Alſo, We know in part, and we prophecy in part. And he ſaith to his Corinthians, 1 Cor. 3.1. Brethren, I could not ſpeak unto you as unto ſpiritual, but as unto carnal, but as unto Babes in Chriſt: I have fed you with Milk, and not with Meat, &c. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part ſhall be done away. This we may alſo in truth and without folly apply to the ſeveral times and ages of Chri­ſtians, ſaying, that they be three­fold, and that in reſpect of know­ledg, wiſdom, and underſtand­ing, we have been but Children hitherto in all our deep learn­ed39 Men and great Schollers (as the world thinks them to be, and they themſelves all one and o­ther love to be called) having nothing but ſome Ethnical lite­ral Learning, confuſedly heaped and hoarded up according to the outward carnal Reaſon, whereof they have made a ſelf-forged Art, without the power and ver­tue of the Spirit, to deceive the world, to their own heavy Judg­ment in that great day. And it is ſtill ſo at this very day, in ſo much that is goeth with us now, as ſome hundred years ago, when people lay in Blindneſs and Darkneſs, ſo that it is very hard for a man to rid himſelf out from them, until Satan be bound, Apoc. 20. The ſame hap­pened in the time of the Apoſtles with the Corinthians, where one called himſelf of Apollo, another40 of Cephas, another of Paul: But were not they herein fleſhly-minded? yet notwithſtanding they were Chriſtians, though but little Children in Chriſt; and not ſpiritual, though yet ſpi­ritual (in another reſpect:) for Paul could not ſpeak to them of Chriſt and his Myſteries, as he fain would, ſeeing they could not yet bear ſuch ſolid food; for to new wine we muſt have new bottels; And the very Di­ſciples themſelves were even ſo in the beginning, that they un­derſtood nothing of what was told them, being unſenſible of it, and the words were hidden to them. So is it with the Chri­ſtians at this very day in deed and in truth: for what is it but blindneſs and Ignorance, pro­ceeding from the Heatheniſh carnal underſtanding according41 to the outward Reaſon, where­with Men ſo pitifully torment both themſelves and others, that they purpoſely, of meer abomi­nable pride ariſing from the vain wiſdom of the wicked fleſh, curſe and condemn one another, and that againſt the expreſs Word of God? One is and will be called after this Sect, another after that Sect and its Author; and oftentimes for a ſlight and frivolous Opinions ſake, con­cerning this or that Point, they give one another Nick names, therewith to exaſperate the Ha­tred, conſpiracy and confedera­tion of one party againſt the o­ther, for that purpoſe plotting and inventing divers tricks and ſtratagems for the undermining and ſupplanting of each other; and yet nevertheleſs all theſe without the ground of true Love42 will be called Chriſtians; in ſo much that now adays all cham­bers and Chappels are full of thoſe that cry out, Lo, here is Chriſt, not there; thoſe be He­reticks, &c. But are not theſe humane and carnal, as Paul ſaith? Yes verily, as bad as the Corin­thians formerly, if not worſe. Now what ſhould we ſay and think of theſe Men, if we our ſelves were ſtrong and ſpiritual? Nothing elſe but what we would have and wiſh them to judg of us, if we were Children, and they ſtrong; to wit, from Chriſtians we ſhould expect and look for nothing elſe but Love, as Chriſt himſelf in divers pla­ces repeats this his earneſt Com­mandment, viz. that we ſhould love one another, as he hath-loved us, John 15.17. By this only mark his Diſciples or true Chri­ſtians,43 yea all true Chriſtianity, is known and diſcerned: For Love is above all Faith, Know­ledg and Myſteries: It alſo can bear, ſuffer and endure all things; it vaunteth not it ſelf, nor is it puffed up, though it were never ſo ſtrong, wiſe and wealthy; but rather the ſtrong­er, wiſer and richer it is, the more and eaſier it beareth the weak, ſilly and poor, otherwiſe it cannot be the Love: As it now further more plainly ſhall appear.

CHAP. VI. Of the difference betwixt the un­feigned true Love and falſe Love, and how the falſe Love always mingleth it ſelf with the true.

NOw adays a Man may juſt­ly make moan and com­plain, that there is ſo little true Wiſdom to be found amongſt Men, and that all men run on in their Blindneſs, as the Prophet ſaith. Many men boaſt of Love, and think that to be ſufficient, though it be but for our own end, or elſe if they do but there­by ſhew ſome Hoſpitality, or o­ther liberality in relieving the neceſſity of their Neighbor: This indeed, according to the outward ſhew, is ſomewhat, yet45 very unclean, in ſo much it ſcarce is to be accounted a ſign or mark of Love: And though it be ſomewhat, yet notwith­ſtanding it is far inferior to the Love preſcribed and enjoyned in the Law, which ſaith, Thou ſhalt love thy Neighbor as thy ſelf: Therefore there is a very great difference between Love and Love, namely, as great as there is between the threefold World. For firſt, the Creature-like Love proceedeth from the Elementa­ry Sydereal or Aſtral Spirit, and from its Inclinations and Aſ­pects, and is cauſed and engen­dered by a concreated goodneſs of diſpoſition, whereby one man is better beloved then another; and of this nature is the Love towards Father and Mother, be­tween Man and Wife, and good Friends. And here ſometimes46 ſlippeth in alſo the Love which is ſtirred by Fairneſs, Riches, Promotions, and other outward things, and commonly ſuppreſſ­eth the former Love, as being now adays moſt uſual and bear­ing the ſway, in ſo much that Men will neither know nor hear of any other kind of Love. This Elementary Love is alſo to be ſeen in the Animals and Beaſts: But the Children of God make no account of this unclean and impure Love, unleſs it be for the Lords ſake, ſo that Animaliſh Love be fanctified by the Spirit of Faith, for otherwiſe it is ſin: Therefore in the Creature-like Love their Love is thus, that they alſo can hate what they love, let it be father, mother, child, friend, &c. namely, for Chriſts ſake, though they hate it not, but rather love it more and47 better then any Creature-like Love either doth or can do; which ſoon altereth, and eaſily is caſt down, namely, being de­prived of that ſhe loveth; as we may dayly ſee by thoſe that loſe any thing in Nature, which they have loved and ſet their Heart on, how they uſe to moan and grieve for the loſs of it: But the Children of God are not ſorry when they loſe any Creature, but leave it wholy to God and his good will and pleaſure; the reaſon is thus, becauſe they do not love the Creature in and ac­cording to the old Creation, or in the vanity of the Creature­ſhip; but in the new Creation, yea in and with Chriſt, and the ſame Spirit that is in all things: Therefore they cannot mourn nor grieve according to the in­ward man when they have any48 loſs of tranſitory things, being they know, that they can never loſe it in Chriſt, in whom they love all things. Thus Job was not moved or altered when he loſt his Children, and afterwards alſo his Health; neither regard­ed he his life, as he ſaith, Chap. 13.15. Though he ſlay me, yet will I truſt in Him. And David ſaith, Pſal. 73. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I deſire beſides thee: Or thus; When I have but thee, I care neither for Heaven nor Earth: And this is the differ­ence betwixt the World and the Children of God even in Natu­ral Love.

Secondly, The Love of the Law proceedeth from the ſpirit of the mind, being from and out of the Angelical World, and is cauſed by a good Mind or up­right49 Heart, having apprehend­ed and underſtood well Noſce teipſum, or the true knowledg of ones ſelf, whereby a man eſteemeth his Neighbor as good as Himſelf, ſeeing that the Souls of all men ſpring from one Stock, and the one Branch hath no reaſon to hate the other: or elſe it is cauſed and ſtirred by command of the Law; or elſe it is moved and raiſed by the pure Affection and Angelical Inclination of the Inward Soul, when I intend to do my Neigh­bor, without any deſert of his, or hope of gain to my ſelf, ſuch kindneſs and aſſiſtance as the Angel Raphael did to Tobias. Now in this Love the Children of God do alſo differ from the Vulgar; for there be many that do good, but not to a good and right end, but only they may50 be ſeen; but being they do it for their own praiſe of vain-glory, they cannot thereby attain to the communion of the Children of God, but remain unprofitable ſervants, as the Apoſtle ſaith, and perform not their Duty, ſeeing they do not rightly employ their Houſe-keeping and Stew­ardſhip, truſted to their diſpen­ſation and Adminiſtration: Wherefore alſo thoſe that would juſtifie themſelves with their good works, were rejected by Chriſt, Mat. 25. and ſuch are all thoſe that for their charity and well doing ſeek a reward, which the Children of God do not do; for they for all their well doing do eſteem them­ſelves far unworthy of the grace and mercy of God: Wherefore alſo the Love that in them ari­ſeth and proceedeth from the51 Law, is ſanctified in them by the Spirit of Faith, being they ſeek not themſelves in any thing, but are unwilling that the left hand ſhould know what the right hand doth, and all for this end, that they in their tranſgreſſion may find mercy: Therefore they never think on Reward, as the reſt, who having tranſgreſſed the bounds of Love, find after­wards no Grace (nor Mercy,) being they looked only upon the Reward: Therefore ſaith the Apoſtle, Though I beſtow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burn­ed, and have not Love, it profiteth me nothing, (or I am unprofit­able.) What is therefore the Condition of Love? and what is Love? Love ſeeketh not its own, as the Love of the Law which deſireth its Reward; But52 this Love, viz. It hath nothing, (for it is not the Owner and Poſſeſſor of its own ſelf, but yeeldeth and giveth it ſelf with Chriſt for its Neighbor, and ſuffereth God to be all in all in it:) It giveth nothing, (for it ſuffereth it ſelf to be given over to another, namely, for Chriſts ſake, by the Spirit of Love, which is ſhed abroad in our hearts:) It takes nothing, but Chriſt himſelf receives it in her; and therefore Chriſt ſaid, What you have done to one of the leaſt of theſe, that you have done to me. And this is the true Property of this Love, namely, It is not Self-loved, Self-conceited, Self-willed, and ſeeketh not its own; But it is all things in Chriſt: Therefore whoſoever will be its own, or have any thing of his own, or meaneth to53 do any thing of his own Self, is altogether of the Devil, who a­lone will be his own Self, and belongeth to no Man.

Thirdly: Now this is the Love of the Spirit of God from the Divine World, and is cauſed by it ſelf, and not by any object: Even as God is moved of Him­ſelf, by Himſelf, with Himſelf, and in Himſelf to love us, ſeeing he could not be moved thereto by us being ſinners; Therefore is this Love ſtirred by it ſelf, be­holding it ſelf, in an unſpeakable Light: And how can that be comprehended in the Love which yeeldeth it ſelf to death, that it might purchaſe life to us? No man therefore hath greater Love, then to give his life, as Chriſt did; and this Love can­not be expreſſed, ſeeing there is no word equal to it, and the E­ternal54 Word it ſelf is dead in the fleſh. O what a great Myſtery is this! In the Word was Life, and the Life is Light, and came into the World, Loving Sinners: O what a Principle of all Prin­ciples, viz. Light, Life and Love! Therefore it is the Love proceeding from the Divine World, of which the Apoſtle ſpeaketh, which ſurpaſſeth all Angelical tongues, ſeeing it can­not be expreſſed by Angelical tongues; for the Angelical World, from which the Law proceedeth, enjoyneth us to love our Friend, but hate our Enemy, Matth. 5. v. 43. neither can it judg otherwiſe, being this Law and Commandment proceedeth from the Angelical World, and is ordained by the diſpoſition of Angels, Galat. 3.19. Acts 7.53. ſpoken and expreſſed by Angels,55 Heb. 2.2. which word few men do underſtand, viz. that the Law is from the Angelical, and not from the Divine World, ſeeing the Divine World is and abi­deth clean without Law: There­fore the Filiation or Childſhip proceedeth only from the Di­vine World, the Servantſhip from the Angelical, and the Creatureſhip from the Elemen­tary World: Further Love ſur­paſſeth all Myſteries, all Know­ledg and Faith, being no Man is able to ſearch out the Myſteries of this Depth or Abyſs: Yea, no man can rightly beleeve that God ſo loveth ſinners, unleſs he finds in himſelf the upright Love, for without Love all is in vain, but through Love all things are ſanctified, and with­out it nothing is profitable: Whoſoever therefore hath this56 Love dwelling in himſelf; he hath rightly the Spirit of God, and can ſearch and know all things, even above Angels; for he can ſee clearly and evidently how God loveth the fallen Man, and not the fall of the Devil. O what a deep Myſtery is this? which with no tongues can be expreſſed, unleſs a man truly had known Myſterium magnum Creationis (the great Myſtery of Creation,) which therefore is ſo unknown to Man, becauſe they know nothing of the threefold World, wherein the Key of Da­vid is compriſed, namely, the Teſtimony of God, of thoſe three that bear witneſs in Hea­ven and Earth. Now if we in­tend to edifie one another in Love, then we muſt firſt know the Love, ſpeak of it, and ſearch for it. Many are ready enough57 to talk of Love, but what Love properly is in its ſelf, thereof they are altogether ignorant; yea, they abhor it, when a man rightly nameth it; and yet fier­cer they grow when a man with truth will lead them to it. Thus far they are gone from the Spi­rit of God and his Wiſdom, that they carry nothing about them but the luſt of wrath: Where­fore God can neither have his Manſion and Habitation by them, but they abide in Death; for Love only hath all promiſes in it, & is profitable to all things, being the Mother of Godlineſs, and by it all things are clean un­to the clean: Good works alſo by Love obtains the promiſe of Eternal Life. Thus (by Love) a man both prayeth, faſteth, and eateth aright; other­wiſe all is in vain, though a58 man ſuffer himſelf to be burn­ed.