Chapter 22 Of the Original of Actual Sin, and the Awakening of God's Anger in the Human Property

1. THE Scripture says, God has made all things by his Word, and without the same, nothing was made which was made. Out of his expressed Word (which was essential in the Verbum Fiat) all things came forth into formings: first into an ens, or desire of a property, and out of the same property into a compaction of Sulphur, Mercury and Salt, as into a formed nature; and out of the same ens in the formed nature the Word becomes a creatural life; and brings itself forth out of the compaction of Sulphur, Mercury and Salt out of the body, that is, it manifests itself in a plain, visible being; to which end God has created nature and creature.

2. Thus each creature has a centre to its re-expressing, or breathing forth of the formed Word, in itself both the eternal and the temporal creatures; the unrational, as well as man. For the first ens was spoken forth out of God's breath through the Wisdom, out of the centre, to fire and light, and taken into the Fiat, and brought into a compaction.

3. This same ens is out of the eternity, but the compaction of the four elements is out of time. Thus an eternal [ens] lies hidden in everything in the time, in all things with life or without life, in elements and creatures, in vegetative and un-vegetative. The first ens is in every thing, whence the form of compaction (which is arisen from the time) was spoken forth out of the spiritual world's being, as an eternal ens out of the eternal-speaking Word, through the Wisdom, into a time, viz. into a formed essence according to the spiritual ens; which ens cannot be destroyed by any element or thing whatsoever.

4. And although the elemental compaction, viz. the body (which the ens has attracted to itself; that is, breathed it forth from itself as an external degree) does vanish and come to nothing, (for it has a temporal beginning), yet the first ens cannot perish. As we also see that all things enter again into their mother from whence they are arisen and come forth, viz. into the four elements.

5. Now in this consideration we find the true ground of sin's original: Seeing that the living, powerful, understanding, speaking Word was breathed forth out of all the three Principles into the ens of man's image, for his understanding, that he should and could rule the properties of the compaction of Sulphur, Mercury and Salt; but he has now introduced this understanding, viz. the speaking, powerful Word again into the compaction of time, viz. into the earthly limus; where also the Fiat of time is awakened in the body, and has taken the understanding, viz. the inspired breath [sound or harmony], captive in itself; and placed itself master over the understanding.

6. So that we do now see, by woeful experience, how it is now with us; that when we would speak (albeit the understanding Word does [idea or] conceive itself in the inward ens, and desires to manifest the truth), yet the awakened vanity in the earthly limus of the body does soon forthwith catch it, and [cunningly blends] and works it forth into its own property [or serpentine subtlety]; so that the word of the human understanding does breathe forth lies, iniquity, malice, falsehood, and such cunning vanity and foppery, in which voice the devil's desire does mix itself, and makes it to a substance of sin, which the kingdom of God's anger does receive.

7. For in what property every word does form and manifest itself in man's speech, when he speaks it forth, let it be either in God's love, viz. in the holy ens, or in the ens of God's anger, of the same it is again received when it is spoken. The false word proceeding from the false ens being infected by the devil, and sealed to destruction, is also taken into the Mystery of the wrath, viz. into the property of the dark world. Every thing enters with its ens into that whence it takes its original.

8. Seeing then the speaking Word is a divine manifestation, wherewith the eternal Word of God has manifested itself; and that this same speaking Word is inspired into man, we are therefore here to consider what man does manifest with this speaking Word. Understand it thus: if the human lubet and desire (which is the Fiat or the creating of the human word) does conceive the form of the word in the holy ens, viz. in the heavenly part of the humanity, then the word sounds [Or speaks] from a holy power, and the mouth speaks truth.

9. But if it be from the vanity, from the Serpent's craft, which Eve imprinted into herself; and thereby awakened its subtlety, then the word sounds from the ens of the dark world, viz. it proceeds from the centre to the fire-word; and thereinto also it enters (in its end) [Ens] when it goes forth out of the form, viz. out of the mouth, and wherever it goes it brings forth fruit.

10. If it enters into another man's hearing, in whom the hunger of craft and vanity stands in open desire, it is soon received as into a fruitful soil, and takes deep spreading root, and brings forth such evil fruit; whence also such sharp words and stinging taunts of the devil are hatched in the devilish essence.

11. But if it proceeds forth empty and bare only, into the false imagination, then it ascends into the will of the mind, and conceives itself in the mind into a substance, for a seat of the devil's desire, even for his murdering fort which he has in man.

12. But if the false word be uttered against a holy man, in reviling and reproaching him, and the holy man will not let it take place in him, and not stir or move himselfin the evil part of his property with the like evil word, then the wrath of God receives it from without the man, and is thereby mightily enkindled. And not only the inward ens of God's anger according to the spiritual dark-world's property is thereby enraged, but also the outward ens of the wrath in turba magna is inflamed, and hangs over the wicked man's head, and does even encompass him; and he is therewith taken and possessed, as if he sat in the hellish [flames of] fire.

13. Of which Christ said, that when the wicked did curse us we should bless him, that is, echo forth the word of love against his fiery word, and not suffer his malicious word to enter into us, for to take root; and then it goes back again and apprehends the wicked reviler himself; for Paul said, we heap fiery coals upon his head.

14. For every word of man proceeds from an eternal ens; either from the ens of God's love, or from the ens of God's anger; and if now it be brought forth out of the ens, viz. out of its own place or mother, it will have again a place of its rest, wherein it may work.

15. Now if it cannot take rest and work in its likeness, outside the wicked man, (who has awakened and brought it forth out of his ens, and introduced it into a sound, or wordy substance), then it catches or surrounds its expressor [or author] who has brought it into a substance, and enters again with its root into its mother whence it did arise; that is, with the enkindled spirit, and with the substance (of its contrived matter) it does lay hold of and apprehend the inventor's [expressor] body; viz. the outward essence of the outward sulphur.

16. For every word, when it is expressed, is outwardly made and formed; for in the expressing or pronouncing thereof the outward spirit, viz. the outward part of the soul, receives it to its own substance; and afterwards, being enkindled in the wrath, and infected by the devil in its coming forth, in its witty glancing subtlety of the Serpent, does enter again into the soul and body of the monstrous image; and works according to its property, enkindled and infected by the devil, and continually brings forth such evil fruits and words: as we plainly see that out of many a wicked mouth nothing but vanity proceeds.

17. Moreover, we have a very great and weighty point here to consider of, concerning the Serpent's craft: that if the devil has infected the word (when it is born in the heart and formed in its ens, and has taken possession of the will, and made it substantial) this Serpent's craft does then hold and entertain the same in the devil's murdering fort, as a fine adorned pleasant brat; as the Serpent, lying on the Tree, spoke very pleasingly and takingly with Eve, until it could, by its friendly intercourse, catch her in the desire. Even so likewise the false, crafty, conceived Serpent's-word, which proceeds from the false heart, does hold forth itself as a very lovely eloquent persuasive syren, and calls itself holy, till it can discover man's desire set open for it; there it lays open its very heart, and enters into the desire [of him], and makes itself a place to work [in], and to re-procreate [its like].

18. Therefrom now do come the false close backbiters, talebearers, perverters and wrong interpreters of other men's sayings, secret liars, who are very fair before, and behind are a serpent; revilers, and foul-mouthed slanderers who take away a man's good name from him; and in this false, smooth, and well-coloured and adorned Serpent's-property, the devil has his Council Chamber, his school, where he teaches the children of Eve his art, viz. juggling delusions, foppery, pride, covetousness, envy, anger, and all vices and abominations proceeding from the abyss of the dark-world's property.

19. Thus the devil rules man in body and soul by the crafty essence of the Serpent, and works abomination with abomination, iniquity with iniquity, sin with sin. And this is even the first original of actual sin: that Eve and Adam did introduce the Serpent's crafty essence (which the devil had infected) into their [will and] desire; and so made themselves forthwith monstrous in the Serpent; whereupon the dark-world's essence did awake in them, that so soon as this was brought to pass, the will did imagine into this monstrous property, and formed itself into a substantial word.

20. Even thus the word was now also manifest in man in the property of God's anger, viz. in the dark-world's ens; and thus man does now speak lies and truth; for there is a twofold ens in him, viz. one from the dark world, awakened and stirred up by the desire of the Serpent and the devil; and one from the heavenly limus which is now stirring in man, wherein the free will takes the word, that is, whence it does generate a fruit out of the divine expressed and formed word, which is again received of the likeness, either in heaven or hell, that is, in the darkness or light.

21. For the two worlds are in each other as one. The wicked forms and makes [for] God a good word in his wrath unto death, viz. unto the sting of death and hell; and the holy man forms and makes [to] God, out of his good ens, a good word unto the holy life and operation. As the Scripture speaks very clearly, the holy is to God a sweet sapour unto life, and the wicked a sweet sapour unto death, viz. to the ark world.

22. Now every man is a creator [or framer] of his word's powers and doings; that which he makes and frames out of his free will, the same is received, as a work of the manifested word, into each property, in the likeness.

23. For God's Word is also manifest in the dark world; but only according to its property, as the Scripture says, such as the people is, such a god they also have. God's word is manifest in all things, in each thing according to its ens, whence the free will proceeds; the free will is the creator or maker, whereby the creature makes [forms and works] in the manifested Word.

24. There is no herb or thing whatsoever that can be named, wherein there lies not an ens from the manifested Word of God, an ens both according to God's Love and Anger, according to the dark and light-world; for this visible world was breathed forth out of this same Word. Now each ens of the forth-breathed Word has a free will again to breathe forth out of its ens a likeness according to itself.

25. But this is now the greatest evil, that the ens in its centre is departed out of the likeness [and harmony] of the property into an elevation, viz. out of one only ens into many entities, into many properties; of which the devil, being a hierarch of the place of this world, and also the curse of God upon the earth, is [a] cause, which curse man stirred up and awakened.

26. For now, an evil ens, which is from the awakened property, does infuse itself into a good vessel, and corrupts the vessel whence the free will should draw from a good property; but the evil does mix itself into the good, and both come forth again in the formed word, into a substance; as an evil man does oftentimes stir up an evil word work in a good man, which he never before conceived [or purposed] in his will.

27. For the anger is become stirring [or quick] in the human ens, and adheres to the good ens, and the will of the fire-soul is free, it conceives [forms] as soon in the ens of anger as in the ens of love; nay, in many a one the love-ens is wholly impotent and as 'twere dead or extinct. He works only from the craftiness of the Serpent, fruit unto God's anger, and though his mouth does flatter in the Serpent's craft, and make a devout show of the holy Word, and sets forth itself as an angel, yet it is only the ens and form of the crafty Serpent in the light of the earthly nature, and the man deceives himself.

28. Therefore Christ says, unless that you be converted, and become as children, you cannot see the kingdom of God. The free will must wholly go out from the ens of the Serpent, and enter again, in the spirit of Christ, into its heavenly ens, which did disappear in Adam, and again awaken and stir up this ens in the hunger of its desire, that it also may be again awakened and born unto a living ens in the new regenerated Word in the humanity of Christ, and which did arise and powerfully quicken itself in the great love-property, in the man's property in the person of Christ: where also the free will becomes a new innocent child, and neither wills nor lets in the Serpent's craft, otherwise the free will cannot form and manifest God's holy Word in itself the free will must draw only out of the good ens, if it will work and live in the holy Word.

29. Now understand aright our writing concerning the Serpent's craft, and its adorned art and false virtue, [I say] understand our very profound and high meaning, opened out of the counsel of God, thus: The Serpent's ens and original was a virgin of heavenly pomp, a queen of heaven, and princess of the beings of God, apprehended and formed in the Fiat of the divine desire, through the fire in the light. In like manner the hierarch Lucifer was so, and prince Lucifer sat in heavenly pomp in the Serpent's ens, who had infected the ens out of which the Serpent was created, and therein awakened the dark-world's property, viz. the centre of the eternal nature, whence evil and good do take their original. But when the good did in the fire sever itself into the light, and the evil into the darkness, the Serpent's ens, which was good, was then infected, filled and possessed with the darkness; and from hence comes its craft.

30. For even such a craft the devil desired, which also took him in the eternal-speaking Word, in such a property, and confirmed him therein to eternity. For it is also a wonder in God how an evil could come to be out of a good, in order that the good might be known and manifest; and the creature might learn to fear before God, and hold still to the spirit of God; that he alone might act and work in the eternal-speaking Word, and make and do what he please with and by the creature.

31. And to this end Lucifer was swallowed up in the wrath, seeing his free will went forth from the resignation and departed from God's spirit, into the centre, to be its own self-full maker and creator; that the angels now have an example in this revolted fallen prince and puissant hierarch; for the kingdom of God, which is [peculiarly and properly] called God's kingdom, stands in the deepest humility and love, and not at all in the wrathful fire's-might, but in the light fire's-might, viz. in power.

32. But the devil's kingdom, after which he longed and laboured, stood in the wrathful fire's-might, but the same was, essentially, taken from him in his place, and he was spewed out into the eternal hunger of the darkness.

33. And that he had infected and possessed the ens of the Serpent, which was so crafty, may be seen in its body, which is only a dry hungry skin, and fills itself with poison in the tail, in which property the great craft arises; and therefore the Serpent carries the poison in the tail (which may soon be pulled off), in that the same in the beginning was introduced into its virgin-like ens.

34. For the Serpent is therefore called a virgin according to the right of eternity, because it has both tinctures, which is in no kind of earthly creature besides; but it is now in the curse of God. Yet if the artist knew what its pearl was, he would rejoice at it: yet by reason of the world's false desire, which seeks only the false magic, it remains hidden; also [it is not manifest] that the wicked may bear his rebuke.

35. For the pearl of the whole world is trodden under foot; and there is nothing more common than the same, yet it is hidden; in order that the holy ens might not be introduced into an ungodly one, which is not worthy of it; and so God's power and Word in the virginlike essence be thereby brought into a serpentine [ens], as it is to be understood in the Serpent: enough, here, for our school-fellows.

36. Thus we do fundamentally understand the original of sin's birth; how sin was borne and opened in the human word; and how God is provoked to anger in his expressed Word by the human re-expressing. For man bears the Word, which created heaven and earth, in his ens, for the same Word is brought to substance.

37. Now God has inspired into man's ens, viz. into the formed compacted Word, the living soul, viz. the original [Or understanding] out of all the three Principles, as a spirit of the formed Word. This understanding has now power and might to re-conceive, and to generate again, a formal voice in the ens, viz. in the formed compacted Word.

38. But seeing the Serpent's craft, viz. the devil's introduced desire, became manifest in the ens of Adam and Eve, viz. in their compacted and formed word; thereupon the free will does now draw forth from this Serpent's essence mere adder's poison and death, and forms its word therein, unless the holy ens or seed of the woman be again awakened in the new-born love of God in Christ; then the free will may conceive in this same holy ens, and bruise and tread under foot the head of the Serpent's-and-devil's-ens in the anger of God; that is, reject and abhor the evil will, which desires to idea and imprint itself from the Serpent's ens, in the formation of the words, and bruise it in the will of the thoughts, with the ens of the woman, viz. of Christ, and esteem it as the devil's mire and dirt; which, in the children of God, is a continual combat and strife between the ens of the Serpent in the flesh, and between the regenerate ens of the heavenly part.

39. Also know this: Every thought which is formed in the will, so that a man consents unto lies, or anything else which is false, or if his will has conceived [and contrived] anything that is unjust, and he brings that contrivance into the desire, that he would very willingly do it, or express it in the false evil-formed word, if he could or knew how, and yet must let it alone, either for fear or shame; this same is all sin, for the will hath formed itself in the Serpent's ens.

40. But understand it well: if a good will does conceive [Or form itself] in a good ens, and yet the evil desire doth adhere to it, and wills to poison the good; if then [I say] the good conceived will overcomes the evil, and casts it out, that the evil cannot also be formed or received into the compaction or substance; it is no sin. And though the evil desire which adheres to the good be sin, yet if the good will does not close with it and bring it into substance, but rejects it out of the good will, as an evil, then the sinful desire cannot come into essence, and the good will has not hereby wrought any evil, if it has not consented to the craft of the Serpent.

41. Every sin is born of the strange ens, if the free will departs from the ens, wherein God has created it. The sin which is conceived in the will in false desire, and brought to essence in the ens of the will, so that man would fain do wickedly or unjustly if he could but bring his intent to pass, is also great in the sight of God; but ifit proceeds so far as to hurt and injure anyone by word or deed, then the sin is double; for it is formed in its own ens, and forms itself also in that whereinto it introduces the false word, so far as the false word in its speaking finds a place of rest to work [and bring forth its evil fruit].

42. And therefore the holy word shall judge the false; as also at the end of this time the holy word shall cast out from itself all false idol opinions, and all whatsoever that has been formed in the Serpent's ens, and give them to the dark world.

43. All those that take or conceive the word in them, in their devilish and serpentine ens, and use it against God's children, in whom the holy ens is manifest, and do stir up also an offence [or occasion of stumbling] in the children of God, that the free will in them does also conceive itself in the Serpent's ens, viz. in anger and averseness, where always the holy ens does likewise form itself, and the spirit of zeal arises: these false authors, beginners and causers do all sin against the Holy Ghost.

44. For they do extremely despite and defy Him, that He must even proceed forth, through the anger of the children of God, whereby He is stirred up, and of tentimes shows Himself in the turba of the children of God, and falls upon the neck of the wicked. As may be seen by Elias, and Moses, and also by Elisha, who cursed the boys, that the bears came out and tore them to pieces. For thus the sword of God comes forth through the mouth of the saints. If the Holy Spirit be extremely displeased, and set into a fiery zeal, then He awakens turba magna, which draws the sword against a wicked people and devours them.

45. Thus understand it in its full scope and meaning: Man has God's Word in himself; which created him; understand, the Word has imprinted and formed itselfwith the creating, both in its holiness and also in the anger; and that also in [or out of] the outward world. for the limus of the earth, or the earth itself; was amassed and compacted through the Word, so that the formed Word, which took its beginning in the divine desire, viz. in the Fiat, is an exhalation forth-breathed from the spirit of God out of love and anger: therefore it is evil and good, but the evil was hidden, and as it were wholly swallowed up in the light, as the night in the day.

46. But the sinful desire in Lucifer and Adam has awakened the anger, so that it is become manifest essentially. Now the gates of the formed Word, both in love and anger, do stand open in the earth, and also in the limus of the earth, viz. in man, and also in the free will of man; whatsoever he does now form and amass in his free will, that [same] he has made, be it either evil or good.

47. But now the evil shall, in the judgement of God, be separated from the good; and in what part [either of the evil or the good] the human understanding, viz. the soul, shall be found, thereinto it must enter, with all whatsoever it has done, as into its own made habitation. And therefore Christ says, their works shall follow them, and be purged (or proved) by the fire. Also at the end, when the books of the essence shall be opened, they shall he judged according to their works. For the work, be it evil or good, does embrace the soul, unless the soul does wholly depart [from the evil] and destroy it again, by reconciliation of his offended and wronged brother, and drown the substance in the blood and death of Christ, else there is no remedy.

48. Therefore a man must well consider what he will speak; for he speaks from the formed ens of God's manifestation; and well bethink and ponder with himself before he intends [or conceives in the will] to do anything; and by no means consent unto any false back-bitings, nor approve by a yea, neither privately nor openly.

49. For all forged tales and sharp taunts proceed from the Serpent's ens; all cursings, and swearings, and stinging girds, proceed from the Serpent's ens; yea, though they be but in jest, yet the Serpent's ens has stuck itself with them to the good, and compacted them with the word. Therefore Christ says, swear not at all: let your speech be, yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil; that is, it is born of the Serpent's ens.

50. All cursers and swearers have introduced their free will, and will introduce the poor soul into the vanity of the Serpent's ens, and form their curses and oaths, with all their lewd wanton talk, which is wrought in the Serpent's ens, and sow into God's anger; and on the contrary, all God's children who are in right earnest do form their words in the holy ens; especially the prayer, when the free will of the soul does amass or conceive itself in the holy ens (which is opened by Christ's humanity), then it forms the true essential word of God in itself, so that it comes to substance.

51. Therefore Saint Paul says, the Spirit of God does mightily intercede for us in the Sight of God, as it pleases Him; for the Spirit of God is formed in the desire of the holy word; He is taken (or apprehended), and this taking or receiving is that which Christ said, He would give us his flesh for food, and his blood for drink.

52. The soul's will takes Christ's ens, and in Christ's ens the Word of Christ became man, which the soul's desire or Fiat does receive or impress into its holy ens [that] disappeared in Adam. And here Adam arises in Christ, and becomes Christ [the second Adam or the Anointed one] according to the heavenly ens and divine Word, and from this ens of Christ proceeds forth divine knowledge, out of the Word of God.

53. Thus the children of God are the Temple of the Holy Ghost, which dwells in them, and so they speak God's word; and without this there is no true knowing or willing, but mere fable and Babel, a confusion of the crafty Serpent.

54. Therefore Christ called the Pharisees, a seed of serpents, and a generation of vipers, and although they were the High Priests, yet he knew them to be so in their essence, for they had formed their will in the Serpent's ens. They carried the words of Moses in their mouth, and therein they mixed the Serpent's ens; as many still do to this day; where the incarnate devil carries God's word upon his tongue; and yet does only hide the Serpent's ens thereby, and introduces the diabolical ens into the literal word, whence Babel, the mother of all spiritual whoredom, is born, a mere verbal contention and wrangling about words, where the ens of the devil and the Serpent does oppose the divine ens in the formed divine Word.

55. But so it must be, that the formed and conceived word in God's children may be stirred up, whetted and exercised, and the truth come forth to light. Dear brethren: this is the inheritance which we have received from Adam and Eve; and that is the cause that the body must die, and wholly putrify, and enter again into its first ens; for the Serpent's ens must be wholly done away: it cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

56. The first ens in the limus of the earth, which was coagulated in the Verbum Fiat, must be wholly renewed in the spirit of Christ, if it will possess the kingdom of God. But if it remains captivated in the Serpent's ens it shall never be any more manifest: understand the holy ens, which disappeared in Adam, and was captivated in the Serpent's ens, whereby death came into the flesh.

57. Therefore a man must consider what he speaks, thinks and doeth, lest he conceive his thoughts in the Serpent's ens, and frame a will in the mind, in the ens of the Serpent; for else the devil does set himself therein, and hatches a basilisk, [Wikipedia] viz. a hellish form in the word.

58. For all wrath which is conceived in man for revenge does primarily arise in its centre out of the nature and property of the dark world, viz. in God's anger, and forms itself further in the Serpent's ens to substance. Let it be what zeal it will, if it brings itself into a wrath to its own revenge it is formed in the ens of the Serpent, and is devilish.

59. And though the same were a prophet and an apostle, and yet would bring himself in the wrath to his own revenge, then this substance is formed from the anger of God in the Serpent's ens, and goes into the wrath of God; and the anger of God is therein zealous, which oftentimes does so stir up and form itself in the holy children of God, that they must, against their purposed will, bring down the turba upon the house of the wicked, also upon his body and soul. As may be seen by Moses, upon Chorah, Dathan and Abiram, whom the earth swallowed up; so also by Elias in the fire, concerning the two captains over fifties, whom the fire devoured; also by Elisha, and many other prophets.

60. And there are many remarkable examples to be found concerning this in the holy histories, how, oftentimes, the children of God have been forced to carry the sword of the turba in them. A great example whereof we see in Samson, and also in Joshua, with his wars, and likewise in Abraham; how the zeal of God did enkindle itself in them, that they, in their spirit of zeal, have oftentimes awakened the turba magna in the anger of God, and raised great rebukes, judgements and plagues upon whole countries; as Moses in Egypt did, with the plagues upon the Egyptians.

61. But we must here distinguish. If the zeal of God should awaken itself in a holy man without his purposed will, and give him the sword of God's anger, such a one differs much from those who in their own thoughts contrive and plot in the wrath, and introduce the conceived or purposed will into the Serpent's ens, and make it to substance; for that is sin, yea, though the most holy man should do it.

62. Therefore, in the new birth, Christ so emphatically and punctually teaches us love, humility and meekness; and would that a Christian should not at all revenge, also not be angry; for he says, that whosoever is angry with his brother is guilty of the judgement. For the anger is a conception in the Serpent's ens, which must be cut off by the judgement of God from the good being. And whosoever shall say unto his brother, Raca, [Matthew 5:22] shall he in danger of the council. For the desire of Raca [Or revenge] arises in the centre of the dark fiery wheel of the eternal nature; therefore in the fire-soul there is a form of the fire-word, [in manner] of a wheel, like a madness; and the soul's fiery-form stands in the Raca, as a mad furious wheel, which confounds the essence in the body, and destroys or shatters in pieces the understanding; for every Raca desires to destroy God's image. Thus the soul hangs on the wheel of the eternal nature, viz. on the centre of the horrible anxious birth; as is before mentioned concerning the centre of the birth of nature.

63. Moreover, Christ says, Whosoever says to his brother, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. This is thus wrought: when the conceived will has formed itself in the furious wrath of God's anger, and introduced it into the Serpent's ens, then it stands in the furious wheel, as mad; and if it does now purposely go on, and so form the word, and casts or speaks it forth against its brother, and enkindles in him also a hateful enmity in the Serpent's ens, the same burns in his expressed word in the fire of God's anger, and he is guilty of it, for he has enkindled it in his Raca.

64. Therefore said Christ, if you will offer your gift, go first and be reconciled to your offended brother or neighbour, for otherwise he brings his wrath into your offering, and withholds you in your desire towards God, that you canst not reach the holy ens, which else washes away the turba in your enkindled vanity.

65. For the word fool is, in itself, in the essence, nothing else but an enkindled wrathful fiery wheel, an outrageous madness; and he that so calls his neighbour without a cause, he has brought forth a word in the fire-wheel, and in the wrath of God, and is guilty of it; for the forth-produced word is arisen out of the ens of the soul and body.

66. Every word, when it is formed, doth first awaken its own ens, whence it takes its original; then it leads itself forth through the council of the five senses against its brother. Now whosoever uses such a wrathful devouring fire-word against his brother, he sows into the anger of God, and is in danger to reap the fruit which he has so sown, when it springs up and grows.

67. Therefore take heed, and beware, O man, what you thinkest, speakest, or desirest to do. Look well always in what zeal you stand, whether it be divine, or only of your own poisonful nature! you father, you mother, you brother, and you sister, which proceed and come from one blood, from one ens, and mutually assimulate each with other, as a tree in its branches: think and consider what kind of sound [or tune] you introduce into the vital ens of your fellow-twigs and branches, whether it be God's love-word, or his word of anger! If ye do not destroy the introduced evil again with love, and introduce again the love-ens into the anger [to overcome and reconcile it], then the substance must come into the judgement of God, and be separated in the fire of God, like as the devil is severed from the good ens; and so shall you [be], O wicked man, with your wicked formed word [which you have conceived] out of the ens of God's anger.

68. And therefore God has introduced his holy Word out of his deepest love again into the human ens, seeing the same was introduced into Adam and Eve in the anger, that man might conceive [or form his will and doings] again in the introduced love of God in Christ Jesus, and in him destroy the wrathful anger. And therefore Christ teaches us that he is the Gate which leads us into God, that he is the Way and the Light, whereupon we may again enter into God, and in him regenerate [or quicken again to life] the holy ens.

69. And therefore Christ forbids us to be angry, or to conceive our will and word in revenge; but if anyone did curse us, we ought to bless him; and if any did strike us, him we should not resist; lest our turba should be stirred up in the new-born holy ens of Christ, and introduce the Serpent's craft, iniquity, and ens, thereinto.

70. But we should in love be as children, who understand nothing of the Serpent's craft. Therefore we declare, in divine knowledge, as a dear and precious truth, that all contention, covetousness, envy, anger, war, false desire, or whatsoever may be of the like name [and nature] does take its original out of the centre of the revenge of the wrath of God, out of the dark world, and is brought in the Serpent's ens to a substance, wherein the false Serpent's ens will behold and contemplate itself in pride.

71. Whatsoever does strive and contend in this world about selfhood, selfish interest, temporal honour, its own profit for its own advancement, the same is bred and born of the Serpent's ens; be it in either rich or poor, in superior or inferior, no order, rank or condition whatsoever excepted. All men who would be called Christians, or children of divine love, they must be born again in their first ens (which disappeared and corrupted in Adam) out of the divine love in the holy and heavenly ens, or else none of them can be a child of the love of God. All the greediness and covetousness, of all places and politic powers, under what name or title soever, does wholly proceed from the Serpent's ens.

72. I speak not of the offices, but of the falsehood of the officers. The office in its place and station is God's ordinance, if it be carried on in holy desire, and arises out of a divine root, for good; if not, but that it rises only out of a root for selfhood and pride, then it is from the Serpent's craft, and goes into destruction.

73. All war, however blanched over and under what pretence soever, takes its original out of God's anger; and he that begins it, does it from a self-full desire to selfish interest, from the Serpent's ens: unless that war arises from the command and injunction of God, that a nation has brought forth (itself) in his wrath, that he would his anger should devour it, and ordain a holier in the room, as was brought to pass by Israel among the Gentiles, otherwise it is wholly born in the self-full turba in selfhood. It does not belong to any true Christian born of Christ to raise the sword of the turba, unless the zealous spirit of God does stir it up in him, who often will rebuke sin. Whatsoever exalts itself in the wrath about its own honour and pride, and brings itself to revenge [or bloodshed] is from the devil, be it either by nobles or ignobles, none excepted; before God they be all alike.

74. Earthly dominion and government has its original from the fall, in the Serpent's craft; seeing man departed from the love-will, from the obedience of God, therefore he must have a judge to rebuke the false desire in its substance, and destroy the false substance. Therefore magistracy and superiority is ordained of God for a defence of the righteous substance and will, and not for its selfish interest and its own perverse will, to break down and destroy governments at its pleasure, and to oppress the poor and impotent. Whatsoever does that, is arisen from the Serpent's ens, let it glister and colour over itself with what hypocrisy it will; and though it were clothed with gold and pearls, yea, even with the sun, it is bred and born out of the Serpent's ens, and has the Serpent's ens in its government, and tends into destruction, unless it be born anew [in the ens of Christ].

75. Whatsoever is not born out of the ens of love, and bears forth a will of righteousness and truth, to work something that is good upon the earth for the service and profit of his neighbour, the same is idolatrous; for in Adam we all are one tree; we are all sprung from one only root.

76. And God has begotten us in his love, and brought us into Paradise. But the Serpent's craft has set us at variance, so that we are departed out of Paradise, and come into its [the Serpent's] villainous subtle craft, into selfishness; whence we must again depart, and enter into a child's coat.

77. We have nothing in this world for our own propriety but a shirt, whereby we cover our shame before the angels of God, that our abomination may not appear naked; and that is our own, and nothing else; the other is all common: Whosoever has two coats, and sees that his brother has none, the other coat is his brother's, as Christ teaches us.

78. For we come naked into this world, and carry away scarce our shirt with us, which is the covering of our shame; the rest we possess either by necessity of office, or else out of covetousness, out of the Serpent's false desire. Every man should seek the profit and preservation of his neighbour, how he might serve and be helpful to him; as one branch of a tree gives its power, essence and virtue to the other, and they grow and bear fruit in one desire. Even so we are all one tree in Adam.

79. But we are in Adam withered in the Serpent's ens, as to the love-will; and we must all be new-born in Christ's love-ens and will; without that, none is a child of the love of God; and though there may be something of the divine love in many a one, yet it is wholly covered with the Serpent's ens; which devilish ens does continually spring forth above the love, and bears fruit.

80. There is not any who does good in selfhood and own will, unless that he forsake in the own (appropriating) will all whatsoever he has, except the infant's shirt; that he must keep for his own and give it to none, for it is the covering of his shame. The other is all common, and he is only a servant and steward of the same, a guardian and distributor to every one in his place.

81. Whosoever suffers the poor and miserable to be in want and distress under his charge, and gathers into his mind temporal goods for his own property, he is no Christian, but a child of the Serpent; for he suffers his under branches to wither, and keeps away his sap and power from them, and will not work forth fruits by his fellow-branches.

82. We do not hereby mean the wicked idle crew which will only suck, and not work and bring forth fruit themselves in the tree, that they should be pampered to exercise pleasure and vanity; but we speak of the twigs which stand in the tree, and co-operate, and would fain grow and bear fruit, from whom the great branches of this world do withdraw the sap, and hold it in themselves, that they, as lean overdript twigs, do wither, by and under their charge. Such are the rich potentates and nobles; with them the spirit of zeal does here speak; so far as they do keep and hold their sap within themselves, and suffer their small branches to dry up and wither, and wholly withdraw the sap from them. They are branches on the tree of the Serpent, which is grown up in the curse of God's anger, and is reserved for the fire of God's anger; says the Spirit of Wonders.

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