Mysterium Magnum (An Exposition of the First Book of Moses, called Genesis)

43. Thus also when Mahalaleel’s time was come to the end, the 1 Died from the vanity. 2 Or, out of. Word grieved in the deepest repentance, and brought the life of God in Christ Jesus into the formed creatural Word in the human ens, and drowned the turba in the human ens, with God’s love and mercy, and gave them the spirit of comfort, and the Gospel. 44. Thus even now also, where the time of Jared is at the end, which hath been covered with Babel, even now, at this present, the Word doth repent and grieve at our great vanity, and will destroy the abomination with the devouring jaws of wrath: with sword, hunger, fire, and death; and giveth, out of its sorrow, grief and repentance, a lily out of Enoch’s mouth, in God’s sweetness. 45. And when Enoch’s line shall be at the end, that the vanity doth again grow in the turba, then cometh the greatest grief and sorrow of all, upon the nature of the wonders; that it is at the end, and there is no more any remedy for it. Even then cometh the last motion with1 the turba in the first Principle of the eternal nature, and swalloweth up the outward nature in the fire. Even then the formed Word shall be wholly freed from vanity, and giveth, by2 its last repentance, the holy spiritual world. Amen.

1 Or, of. 2 From, or out of. Of the Covenant between God and Noah OD said to Noah, I will establish a Covenant with thee, and thou VJ shalt go into the ark with thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee (Gen. vi. 18). A great, pregnant and remarkable example we have here in Noah and his children. The Covenant was made with Noah; for his spirit was a discovery or beaming forth of the formed Word in him, in the beginning and end of time ; and the beginning and end was the eternal Word, which had espoused itself in the Covenant. In which Covenant the soul of Noah, viz. the formed Word of the eter¬ nal nature, found grace, and obtained the confirmation of the Covenant of grace. 2. As his name doth properly and peculiarly signify, in the Language of Nature, a beholding of the beginning and end. In this same beginning and end, viz. in the eternal-speaking Word of the Father, which would manifest and open itself again in the human life, grace was opened and presented to Noah, so that God did establish and confirm the Covenant with him. 3. And here we have a very excellent, and an emphatical example, which is exceedingly worth the mentioning, in the three sons of Noah, which in their properties were sprung forth from the stock of Adam in a threefold line. For we see that three nations [several sorts of people] did arise from them, and that God did include them all three, with their wives, in the Covenant of grace, and commanded them also to go into the ark, into the second monarchy, and did not exclude the fleshly Ham.

4. This is first highly to be considered: that a gate of grace standeth open to all men, and that God hath not set any election or predestination in nature; but the election or choice doth arise out of the free will, when it turneth itself from the good into the evil. 5. Secondly, it is a type of the three Principles, viz. Sem is a type of the spiritual light- world in the Covenant; and Japhet of the fireworld, which should be a sojourner of the light-world, and a mirror of the great joy in the light-world; and Ham is a figure of the limus of the earth, to which the curse and the anger of God doth hang. All these three, God took into the Covenant with Noah, and brought them into the ark. 6. For every man hath these three worlds upon him, and in him; and the Covenant in the Word was therefore given, that the whole man should be redeemed. 7. For Japhet signifieth the fire-soul; and Sem the image of God out of the light-world, viz. the spirit out of the holy Word; and Ham betokeneth the limus of the earth, with the outward dominion or region of the air, and of the magical ethereal constellations, together with the body, which shall be freed by the Covenant from the curse, and arise again out of the earth. The three brothers were a type of these three Principles.

8. Not that one did wholly arise out of one Principle alone, No! Sem and Japhet had likewise Ham’s property in them, as did plainly manifest itself afterwards in the Jews, who became so wicked and vile a people. Only, we speak here of the superior dominion or pre¬ dominant property, of which Principle the creature hath had in the outward life in its figure. 9. Ham has the outward earthly elemental kingdom in the figure, which stood in the curse. Therefore his image [or person] was also cursed of his father, in the spirit; for the earthly image shall not inherit the kingdom of God ; but he also had a soul from Adam, which stood in the Covenant; but the free will doth very seldom work any good thing in such a lodging, and very easily attains the curse upon the soul. As we see that the curse did afterwards come upon this generation; that Israel must destroy [them] by their entrance into the Land of Promise; albeit they did not wholly destroy [them] all, yet the curse was come upon them. 10. There is a very great mystery in the ark of Noah, which the Lord commanded him to build after that manner, and shewed him how high, how long, and how broad it should be, and directed also that it should have three several stories; also concerning the creatures which he commanded him to bring thereinto;

which is such a mystery, that the wicked malicious man is not worthy to know it. And we also shall not mention it in the ground [or depth of its meaning]. For it hath its time, wherein it shall be opened, viz. in the lily-time, when Babel hath its end. But yet to set down somewhat for a furtherance and direction to our fellow-branches, to whom in its due time it shall break forth and grow out of our ens of this lily (which also shall be a rose in the lily-time), we will set it down in a hidden exposition.

11. The mystery of the holy Trinity: also the three Principles: also the three sons of Noah: also the three men that appeared to Abraham in the plain of Mamre: also the vision of the great temple in Ezekiel: and the whole Revelation of John belongeth unto this figure: also the temple of Jerusalem. 12. Set before thee the figure of the ark, with its three stories, with its height, length, and breadth, and place it in the three Principles. And in the three Principles open the mysteries of the hierarchy1 of Christ in the three distinctions of heavens, which yet are only one; but in three properties, as fire, light, and air are three, and yet but one. Place in these distinctions [or several differences] the three sons of Noah; and go out of their properties into their monarchy in the world, which continueth to the end of days. Also set before thee the formed Word according to all the three Principles; and so you will find the ground of all. Especially set before thee, Moses, Elias, and Christ, in their appearance and transfiguration upon the mount: the ark of Noah is the first type of all these figures; and the hierarchy of Christ is the fulfilling of them at the end of days. Enough to ours.

13. And the Lord said, Come thou and thy whole house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me at this time 2 (Gen. vii. 1). The Scripture saith elsewhere, Before thee none living is righteous, if thou wilt impute sin. But here God saith, I have seen thee righteous before me at this time. The creature was not the righteous one, without evil; but HE, who at this time did in Noah open and manifest himself out of the Covenant, who grieved at the evil of this time, and introduced his sorrow into God’s love and mercy, and so brought the righteousness of the mercy into the sorrow, and manifested the grieving mournful spirit in the ens of the Covenant in the creature. Thus Noah was righteous before God at this time, when the Covenant did move itself in him. 14. This time is [or signifieth] the motion of the Covenant, which made Noah righteous. For this was the time when Noah received life in the womb. The spirit looked with his first glimpse of life out of the divine ens of the formed Word into the beginning whence the life was come, and into the end which was the kingdom of Christ. In this aspect [or divine glimpse] the life of Noah receives the righteousness in the mark of the Covenant at this time, for that was the time in him wherein he was found righteous.

15. God brought eight persons into the ark, and of the clean beasts seven and seven,3 the male and its female. The seven persons point at the seven properties of the natural life, that God will have 1 Or, hierarchies. 2 Or, generation. 3 Or, seven pair. children out of all the properties into his eternal ark. The eighth person was Noah, and in Noah was the Righteous One, that was the Covenant, out of which the kingdom of Christ should come; therein stood the ark of Noah. But the ark hath three stories, which are the three Principles in one only divine manifestation, for each property of the three hath its own peculiar heaven and certain choir in itself. 16. The seven pair of clean beasts are even the very same mystery, for the centre hath seven properties; and yet they are but one in the divine power. But according to the eternal nature there are seven of them as to the divine manifestation. Which signifieth unto us, that the creatures were brought forth into life out of this sevenfold ens, where each degree hath again seven in it, to its manifestation, whence the infiniteness, viz. the form of God’s wisdom, doth appear and shine forth, and that in the formed wisdom, whose image and figure shall not vanish or perish. Although their life, and the creature, which hath a temporal beginning, doth pass away; but the form shall remain in the divine wisdom, viz. in the ens of the formed Word in the figure, to the praise of God’s wondrous deeds. Indeed, not to a restoration of their creature, but for a visible mirror or looking-glass in the formed wisdom of God.

17. But of the unclean beasts God commanded Noah to take only one pair of each kind with him into the ark. Understand it thus: The unclean beasts have, on one part, their original out of the limus of the earth, according to the grossness, viz. according to the dark world’s property. Although their spirit taketh its rise out of nature, yet we are to consider the difference in nature in respect of that which came forth, in the Verbum Fiat, out of the source of the dark world’s property, into a compaction; whence such an ens doth adhere unto many an unclean creature. And it signifieth unto us, in the right understanding, that the dark world, viz. the unclean world, shall appear before the wisdom of God only in one manifest form, viz. in the darkness. But the properties shall be manifest only in the creatures themselves, each in its own peculiar self and nature. 18. For the formed wisdom as to the darkness is the heaven of them all, which is manifest only according to the darkness, wherein the property lieth hidden, according to which God calleth himself an angry zealous God. Out of this dark heaven every creature receiveth its power and virtue according to its property. According as its hunger is, so it sucketh with its desire from thence: and it signifieth unto us, that the unclean beasts, each kind of them in their form, shall

appear only in one form in the wisdom of the darkness, viz. in the figitre, as they were created in the beginning, and not in seven properties according to the centre of nature in all properties according to light and darkness, as the rest shall; for they are in the figure of the first Principle, which in the pure heaven shall be manifest only in one property, viz. according to the burning [property] wherein the light is moved,1 and the wisdom formed. 19. But here I will warn the Reader to understand our sense and meaning aright, and not to put me calves, cows and beasts, in their spirit and body, into heaven. I speak only of the eternal formed wis¬ dom, whence evil and good hath been brought to manifestation. 20. Moreover, God said to Noah, For yet seven days, will I cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights • and every living substance which I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. Wherefore did God say, after seven days the flood shall come? Why not presently, either sooner or later; why doth he set even seven days? In this the seven properties of nature are contained mystically, in which the Verbum Fiat had introduced itself into an ens, viz. into the formed Word; that is, into the creation of the world; in which creation the formed Word repented at the vanity of all creatures, and moved itself through the generatress of nature in the formed Word, to destroy the turba.

21. Now the first motion and information of the Word in the creation, with the six days’ works and the day of rest, being seven days, was brought into a form of time, and it yet stood so, in its form. Now then, when the Word (which said it would drown every life with water) did open, disclose and manifest itself through the seven properties of nature to the water’s birth, it came to pass in the form wherein the Word had given in itself with the creation, viz. in the same sevenfold operation, which should open itself in its own peculiar order, and not enkindle or elevate any one property above the other; but if all seven would open and manifest themselves according to the water’s birth, then the only fountain or head-spring of all the deeps in the centre of nature should break open. And seeing they came in seven days into their outward, formed, working dominion, the speak¬ ing Word did also proceed in the opening thereof in seven days unto the limit for its manifestation of that which it desired; as namely, to drown the turba. 22. And let none look upon this as a fiction, or laugh at it, for

1 Movable and formable. whosoever doth so, doth not yet understand our spirit and meaning at all. Nor hath [he] any knowledge at all of the formed Word, but hath only an external understanding of nature, like [a brute beast or] a bird that flyeth in the air, and knoweth not what the essence is. 23. Now saith reason, Wherefore did it rain just forty days and forty nights; could not God have drowned the world in one hour? Answer: In the space of forty days the turba was borne in the human property, viz. Adam before his Eve stood in the image of God forty days and nights, which yet in the image of God were only as one day. There he wrought forty days in his desire, viz. in the Fiat, and brought forth the turba in himself, in his lust after the grossness of the earth: the good part of the limus of the earth, which was drawn, in the Verbum Fiat, into a mass, did hunger after the evil, gross part, which was of the dark world’s property. 24. And even in forty days the grossness did arise in his imagina¬ tion in the good ens, viz. a self-full will to the perception or intro¬ mission of the gross earthliness, in which evil and good was made manifest. And when this same will’s spirit was arisen in the desire, it entered into its own self-full dominion, and in its fiery and earthly might strongly suppressed the holy spiritual ens in the word of power. Even then Adam fell asleep, viz. into an impotency and dis¬ ability of the angelical spiritual world, and the woman was taken out of him; and both were in this turba formed1 unto the outward natural life.

25. This turba is that wherein God did also set the curse, which with Noah was first at the end, which God said, The end of all flesh is come up before me. And out of this forty-days-produced turba, the fountains of the deep did arise in the water source, and drowned the turba in the flesh of these sexes. 26. For from the sin of Adam came the deluge over the world; and this forty-days-produced turba was the sin in the flesh. Other¬ wise, if the water-fountain had not opened itself, the fire-fountain had proceeded forth out of the turba in the wrath of God. Therefore God said, It repented him, that he had made the creatures; and his sorrow went into the turba, and drowned it. 27. And let the Reader be put in mind, that so often as he findeth the number forty in the holy Scripture, that it altogether, in the beginning, pointeth at the forty-days-produced turba. For instance, the forty days of Moses upon Mount Sinai: the forty years in the wilderness : also the forty hours of Christ in the grave. Also the forty days after his resurrection, before his ascension, do all belong unto this ; and all the numbers forty in the secret and mystical prophetical sayings of the prophets: for out of this turba the prophet is arisen, with his prophecy.

28. But in that I say, that if the water-fountain had not been opened, the fire-fountain would have broken forth: is also true. For the children in the turba would have also burnt Noah in the ark with fire, if the most high had not hindered and prevented them with the water: for the fire’s turba was moved in them. This was the world’s end, or the end of all flesh: for at the end all shall be purified and purged in the fire’s turba; for it will enkindle itself. 29. There is a very great mystery in that which the spirit saith in Moses : Noah was five hundred years old when he begat Sem, Ham and Japhet , which otherwise is against the ordinary course of nature, to beget children in such a natural age. Also there is a very great mystery in that God said that he would give the world an hundred and twenty years respite ; and yet the deluge came in the six-hundredth year of Noah, viz. in the hundredth year after the warning or notice thereof. And it signifieth the abbreviation of time in its natural course, and also the end of the world, how that there shall be an abbreviation or shortening of time in the circle of the conclusion of all beings, of which we will mention something in a Treatise by itself, if the same be permitted us.1

30. When Noah entered into the ark, Moses saith, The Lord shut him in (Gen. vii. 16). The intimate signification of the spirit here is: He shut up the second time or age of the world, which was at the end, seeing the fire would fain have moved itself. Therefore the Lord shut it up with water, and herewith also [he opened] the gate of his entrance to go forth in the third time, and begin the second monarchy in the outward world: for the first time was in Paradise; the second, under Seth’s manifestation : in the third, Enos’s manifestation should be opened and set forth. 31. And Moses saith further, And the waters stood upon the earth one hundred and fifty days. Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark : and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged. And the fountains of the deep and the windows also of heaven were stopped (Gen. viii. 1-3)- Moses saith, God 1 Query: this Treatise by itself. remembered Noah. Now reason thinketh, had he then forgotten him? whereas he is present to all things, and is himself through all, and in all things. The spirit in Moses doth here hang a veil before the Mystery, that the natural man doth not understand it.

32. God’s remembrance here is the beginning of the third time, even the beginning of the second monarchy in the four elements with the creatures. For in the Covenant made with Noah the second monarchy was comprehended, which went forth out of the centre of the generatress through the divine wisdom in nature. 33. And Moses speaketh further: When the waters were abated the ark set itself down upon the mount Ararat (Gen. viii. 4)- This name [Ararat] doth plainly hint unto us, in the Language of Nature, a mountain, or a compacting and an amassing of an essence out of the centre of nature, even out of the wrathfulness, seeing the anger of God had then reposed itself there. The ark stood upon the allayed anger. But the last syllable in this word Ara-RAT, doth signify that the wrath of the eternal nature proceeding from the centre hath betook or formed itself into an active dominion; and would thence¬ forward ride through nature, as a warrior, and mightily exercise its power and violence in the human property, whereby they would undertake wars, and advance themselves in pride, pomp and power, and butcher and slay one another, eagerly contending about this mountain of the wrath’s might [or severe human authority].

34. This mountain, Ararat, denotes the houses of the great ones or domineering potentates upon the earth, viz. the great castles, forts and bulwarks, the mighty mountains of the power, violence and strength of the rich; and also the high nobility, sprung up from the mystery of the great world; upon which kingdom the ark of Noah hath set down itself. But the Covenant with Noah, viz. the kingdom of Christ, hath set itself to be an eternal Lord over this mountain of the warlike might and force of arms sprung up from the anger of God; which dominion and reigning power of Christ shall abolish and take away the kingdom of this mountain, and quite suppress it. And it denoteth unto us truly, fundamentally and exactly, that this power and authority upon the earth would take upon it, in its own power, the ark of Noah, viz. the divine Covenant, and carry it; yea, put it on as a garment, and proudly perch up itself therein, as if it had the kingdom of Christ in its own power. 35. [And also it shews and denotes unto us] how that this moun¬ tain of the wrathful anger of God in the human property [or in man’s

nature] would beautify, trim up and adorn itself with the ark of Noah; and would proclaim it to be the holy ark of Christ; and yet it would be founded only upon the wrathful anger, and be only an antichristian kingdom. Which indeed would carry the ark, viz. the name of divine holiness in the mouth but its heart would be only this mountain, a vessel and confused heap of God’s wrath; and yet it would make devout shows of holiness, and glory in having the ark upon itself, but the aim and intent of the heart would be set upon the strongholds, the preferment, power and riches of the world. 36. Furthermore, it denotes that the potent and mighty of the world would build the ark, viz. the service and worship of God, upon their heart and reason, with great stone houses, and churches, and that these houses thus built up of stone should be their God, whom they would serve in the ark; and they would wage war for the houses of stone of their own contriving and framing, and for their devices and opinions therein maintained, and contend about the figure of the true ark. And not consider that the ark standeth upon their mountain, that God hath set it above them, and that they ought to walk under God’s dominion, in humility, and suffer the ark to stand upon them; and not usurp unto themselves the power of the Holy Ghost, or take it away, and bind him unto their feigned power and hypocritical forms, and command him to be silent, as they do, in that they cry with full mouth :

lo ! here is an assembly of divines : here is the true Church of Christ : this you must believe and do : this is the law and ordinance of the Church. No, the ark stands above them, they are under, as the mount Ararat was underneath the ark. Christ is the ark, and not the contrived heaps of stone [or any form of man’s devised worship or opinion]. All assemblies, congregations, or synods are under the ark Christ, and not above [it], for the ark of Noah placed itself above the mountain : to signify that the mountain must bear the ark. We must bear the ark of Christ upon us, and have the temple of this ark within us.

37. Furthermore, it denotes how the figure of this ark, viz. the spiritual kingdom upon the earth,1 would place itself upon the moun¬ tain of power, domination, and lordliness, and would rule with the mountain in the ark; and take upon itself to meddle with the worldly dominions and authority; and bring the mountain, viz. the power of the secular arm, above the ark : whereas the ark ought to stand upon 1 Ecclesiastical, clergical priesthood. the mountain, and Noah, with the Covenant, to remain in the ark, till the Lord bid him come forth, that is, till Christ deliver the ark to his Father. 38. And Moses saith further, At the end of forty days, when the ark had set itself down, Noah sent forth a raven, to see whether the water was abated, but the raven flew to and fro till the waters were dried up from off the face of the earth (Gen. viii. 6, 7). The raven denotes the earthly man, and shews how that he would first put forth himself upon the moun¬ tain Ararat, that is, advance himself in his selfhood and earthly lust, and build up his kingdom in the second monarchy. 39. And though he came forth out of the ark, yet he would fly to, and again in, the kingdom of his selfhood, and not return into the ark, from whence he departed in Adam, and would be only a covetous muck-worm, and a greedy devourer of fleshly temporal pleasure in his own will; and remain as the raven, and not return to the ark, desiring to enter into it, but mind only to possess the kingdom of this world in glory and state. Also it betokens that the generation of this raven would have the chief place, pre-eminence and government, in the second monarchy (like the devil in the wrath of God), as histories witness that it so came to pass.

40. Afterwards he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated upon the earth ■ but when the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, she returned again unto him unto the ark ■ and he put forth his hand and took her to him into the ark (Gen. viii. 8, 9). This set forth and denotes the figure of God’s children; who soon after come also under the govern¬ ment of the raven’s property, and are brought into the government of this world; for they are also with Adam gone forth out of the ark, to behold and prove this evil corrupt world, and live therein. But when their spirit can find no rest in the earthly dominion, then they come again before the ark of Noah, which is set open in Christ, and Noah receiveth them again in Christ, into the first ark, whence Adam departed. 41. Moreover, the raven betokens the sharp Law of Moses, in the fiery might under God’s anger, which binds and slays man, and brings him not into the ark. But the dove betokens the gospel of Christ, which brings us again into the ark, and saves the life. For the mount Ararat doth, as an exact type and figure, point out unto us the kingdom of Moses; and the Ark, wherein the life was kept and preserved, signifieth the humanity of Christ.

42. And he stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth a dove out of the ark ; and it came to him about evening , and lo! she had plucked off an olive leaf, and brought it in her mouth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and let a dove fly forth out of the ark, which returned not to him any more (Gen. viii. io, 11). The spirit in Moses sheweth by these three doves, and the raven, which Noah sent forth out of the ark, a great mystery, which albeit he doth not clearly unfold, yet for certain is couched therein. The raven doth also denote the Law of Moses in nature, which will remain in its selfhood, and will not return in true resigna¬ tion and self-denial, under the obedience of God, but will enter in to God by its own strength, power, and ways. 43. The first dove signifieth the prophetical spirit, which arose under Moses, viz. under the outward Law and offerings, and pointed through the offering into the ark of Noah, and Christ. This propheti¬ cal spirit went all along through the office of Moses; it indeed flew under Moses, but it tended again into the ark with its prophecy, as the first dove which Noah sent forth flew indeed into the world, but came again into the ark of Christ.

44. The second dove with the olive branch, which also came again to Noah into the Ark, denotes the Word in the Covenant of Noah, which came forth out of the holy ark of God into this world, viz. into our humanity, and plucked off an olive leaf in the world, and brought it to Noah, that is, it plucked off a branch from our humanity, and took it into the holy Word, viz. the mouth of God, as the dove the olive leaf, and brought the branch to holy Noah, that is, to God the Father. But that it was an olive leaf, denoteth the unction of the holy spirit, that the same should anoint the humanity, and bring it again with this dove into the holy ark. 45. The third dove which Noah let fly, which came not again to the ark, betokeneth the kingdom of Antichrist upon the earth, which indeed is flown forth with its doctrine out of the ark, but its spirit remaineth only upon the earth, feeding upon the fat grass [upon the riches, honour, and beauty of this world], and so it stayeth only in selfhood [and returns not to the ark] ; it indeed maketh devout shows of holiness to God, and giveth good words, but the man, with his senses and reason, will not forsake the world, and return again to the ark. They build themselves stately palaces without the ark, for the pleasure of the flesh, and are very zealous and devout in hypocrisy without the ark; they will be accounted children by an external imputation of grace and adoption; but they will not enter into the ark, but they say, Christ is in the ark, he hath purchased and paid all,

we need only to comfort ourselves therewith, he will bring us in well enough. 4 6. The other party saith they have Christ in their works of hypocrisy, they take the ark along with them when they fly out in their fleshly pleasure. All these remain without the ark in this world, and return not to the ark. This the third dove denotes: for the Anti¬ christian kingdom walketh demurely in the shape of a dove, and as a sheep, but it is only a figure [and darksome shadow] of Christ’s kingdom, which consists in the spirit in power, and is really in the ark. Of the beginning of the Second Monarchy, and of the Covenant of God with Noah , and all Creatures i. AND Moses saith, Then God spake with Noah, and commanded him il to go forth, with every living thing, each with its kind. But Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, and took every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and said in his heart, I will not henceforth curse the earth any more for marts sake ■ for the imagination of marts heart is evil from his youth; and I will not any more smite every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease (Gen. viii. 1 6 et seq.). Moses saith that God smelled a sweet savour, and said in his heart, he would not again curse the earth, or smite every living creature any more for man’s sake. This is a figure or mystical type, as is before mentioned in the offering of Abel.

2. For his heart is the Word in the Covenant, which took the prayer and will-spirit of Noah through the holy fire in the offering, and brought it in the Word to substance; and withal smelled, in the divine power, the humanity of Christ, who was to resign himself in the Covenant into the Word of power; that is, it desired to have the humanity in his power and virtue, as a pleasant savour; and from this smell [or sweet savour of holy rest in the paradisical property] the spirit of God declared that he would not again destroy man and the creatures any more; so long as the earth should endure, these creatures should also continue. 3. For Noah offered all manner of clean beasts and fowl; and the spirit saith that God smelled herein a sweet savour [of rest]. Now [Moses doth not mean] that God took pleasure in the smell or savour of the offering, for all beasts are in his power, and are continually before him; but Moses spake it in reference to the hidden offering in the Covenant, which the inward world in the creatures did smell, which hereafter would deliver them from the abomination of vanity by its own peculiar offering,1 and set their figure into the holy wisdom, viz. into the spiritual world.

1 That is, the inward central fire, which shall purge the floor, and crystallise the earth into transparent gold. 4. When Noah offered, then the Lord (that is, God manifested in the offering by the unmanifest holy name JEHOVAH, through JESUS) did smell the holy disappeared humanity in Adam; that is, he did taste in the lubet or good pleasure of his wisdom how the same should be again manifest in the holy name Jesus. And then he blessed Noah and his children, and said, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear and dread of you be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air ; even upon all that creepeth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea-, into your hands they are all delivered. Every living thing shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But the flesh with the life thereof, 1 that is, with the blood thereof, you shall not eat. For I will require the blood of your lives, of every beast will I require the same; and at the hand of every man will I require the life of man, seeing that he is his brother; and whosoever sheddeth marts blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for God created man in his own image. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply, and be industrious upon the earth, that you may increase abundantly (Gen. ix. 1-7).

5. When God blessed Noah and his children through the offering proceeding from the Covenant, and bade them be fruitful, he gave them again the whole world, with all its hosts, in possession; all whatsoever that liveth and moveth should be subservient to them, and be their own. And he gave it them all in common, he made there no difference between Noah and his children, no lord2 nor servant, but he made them all alike, none noble or ignoble. But like as many branches and twigs grow out of one tree, and yet all together are but one only tree, so also he established the human tree upon the earth, and gave them all beasts, fishes and fowls in common, with no distinction, restriction or prohibition, save only that they should not eat their life in the blood, lest they should become monstrous in their life with the bestial life.3 6. God commanded them to rule over all the beasts and creatures, but in this place he gave them no peculiar domination or ruling power over one another. For all domination, lordly rule and authority, whereby one man ruleth over another, doth arise out of Ararat, that is, from or through the order of nature, according to its properties, according to the constellations, and outward dominion of the princes under the constellations or astrum.

7. The true image of God hath no other dominion in its members 1 Or which yet liveth in the blood. 2 Master. 3 Or with the eating the life of the beasts. than the body hath in its members, or the tree in its branches. But the bestial image from the stars and four elements maketh itself a dominion and government, according to its mother, whence it taketh its rise, and wherein it liveth. 8. Also all laws and external ordinances which God hath ap¬ pointed man, do all belong unto the order of nature, viz. unto the expressed formed Word. The same, God hath given man for a property, that he should rule therein with the inward spiritual man of understanding, according to the wisdom of God, and make himself [laws and] order (according to the spirit of wisdom). 9. Over which orders and ordinances of men, which they make unto themselves, he [viz. the Lord] hath set himself as judge, and thereupon hath appointed the Last Judgment, to separate wrong from right. And whatsoever proceedeth not from truth, righteousness and love, against that the judgment of God is set; for it is generated or hatched through the false spirits of darkness in turba magna, and introduced into the human property as a false lust and subtlety; and is a stranger or bastard wisdom, which shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

10. All royal and princely highness and excellency, together with all governments and dominions, do arise from the order of nature. In the image of God there is no compulsion [nor force, violence or oppression], but a mere free- willing, desirous love-service, as one member in the body, or as one branch of the tree, doth freely and readily serve each other, and rejoice in each other. 11. But seeing that man hath introduced himself into the out¬ ward formed Word, evil and good, viz. into the kingdom of nature; the kingdom of nature hath deprived him of the holy dominion; and hath placed itself with its power over the human property. Therefore, if he will have the same again, he must be born anew of God, and then he may rule with the new regenerated life in the spirit of God, over the kingdom of nature. 12. Indeed there are orders of princely angels or hierarchies in the spiritual world; but all without compulsion, in one harmonious delightful love-service and will; as one member in the body doth readily serve another. 13. All whatsoever that man in the kingdom of nature doth draw under his power, and abuseth it to superfluity and excess, and there¬ by withdraweth from his fellow-members, whereby they are put to want, poverty and distress, and their freely-given right and due is

wholly withheld from them; the same is imprinted [or compre¬ hended] in turba magna, as an abomination of nature, and put into the judgment of God, to the day of separation. 14. Nature requireth only order, and giveth distinction of places and offices; but the turba bringeth its abomination from the dark world’s desire thereinto, viz. pride, covetousness, envy, anger and falsehood. 15. These five vices or iniquities in the kingdom of nature are the whore’s brats, and shall not inherit the kingdom of God. God holdeth the kingdom of nature for his order, and hath given the same into the power of man, that he [as God’s instrument in this world] should sever the evil from the good, and choose himself a judge to pass righteous judgment upon the iniquity and malice of the false desire and lust [of man]. For he saith, Whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed , viz. by the order and institution of nature. Not that any should revenge himself upon others by his own selfish power [or force of arms], but through the order of nature, through God’s law [and appointment]; the same is the true avengeress; for God said, I will avenge your life’s blood, and will avenge it upon every beast. Here he meaneth, by the order of his law, and its officers who officiate in the right and due execution of the same.

16. Not that a prince or lord hath power to shed blood without the law of God; if he doth so, then the law of God condemneth him also to death. Here there is no peculiar self-full power given over man’s blood; let him be king or prince; for they are only officers over the order of the divine law, and they ought not to go further than the command of God gives leave. Indeed they have the law of nature committed to their charge, as servants of the same; but they must deal therein only according to righteousness and truth, and not do anything through selfish [covetous, proud and envious] desire, for God hath created man in his own image. Now the kingdom of nature in its offices hath no power over this divine image to kill the same, but the office or commission in God’s order passeth only upon1 the outward image of nature. 17. Therefore if an officer of nature [viz. any magistrate] takes away the life of a righteous man, him, nature appointeth unto the judgment of God to the day of separation [wherein God will judge all the unrighteous acts of man]. What then will become of the tyrants who turn the truth into lies, and shamefully abuse and condemn the

1 Or hath power over. children of God for their divine knowledge and profession’s sake, and stir up war and contention, to desolate and destroy country and people? All these belong unto turba magna, to the judgment of God; for they manage the sword of the turba in self-full lust and pleasure; unless the Spirit of God command them, and then they must do it for their office and charge’s sake [and execute the just judgment of God upon those who have filled up the measure of their iniquity], as Israel was commanded to do among the heathen. 1 8. Whosoever sheddeth blood out of his own pleasure, to advance his authority, without urgent, absolute necessity, or God’s command, he is moved, acted and driven by the wrathful fire of God’s anger, and falleth at last to be a captive in the same kingdom. 19. Every warrior [or soldier] is a rod of God’s anger, wherewith he doth, through his wrath and indignation, rebuke and devour the iniquity and malice of man. And it doth not belong at all unto the order [or ordinance] of nature, but unto the wrathful desire in turba magna, unto the order of the eager, fierce-devouring wrath, whereby God’s anger doth overturn and lay waste countries and kingdoms.

20. Understand, it is the order of the dark world’s property, which, by God’s permission, advanceth its mighty force in the time of man’s wickedness. And then it goes as the wrath will have it, until the same be well satiated in the blood of man. 21. For this is even the revenge of God’s anger, of which he saith, that he would take vengeance for [or require] the blood of man; therefore he often taketh one man, and by him in anger slayeth another that hath deserved death. 22. When the great and potent rulers shed innocent blood, then cometh the anger of God, with its officers, and sheddeth their peoples’ blood, and bringeth the sword of the turba upon them, whence war ariseth. But this is not from the divine order of the good nature, in which God governeth with his wisdom. 23. The wisdom of God desireth no war, but the anger of God, according to the dark world’s nature, doth eagerly desire it, and effecteth the same in the vanity and iniquity of man. 24. If we lived as the children of God one among another, we need not have any warring and fighting. But that we wage war, we do thereby testify and declare that we are only children of this world, and fight for a strange inheritance, which yet we must forego, and thereby we serve the God of anger, as obedient servants. For no warrior or soldier shall inherit the kingdom of God, while he is such

a one; but [he that is] a child, new-born of the spirit of God, which forsaketh this world. 25. And God said further to Noah, and to his sons with him: saying, Lo I, even I, establish my Covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, and of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth that is with you, even of all that came forth out of the ark - that henceforth all flesh shall not any more be cut off by the waters of a flood-, neither shall there any more come a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the Covenant which I have made between me and you and every living creature that is with you, from henceforth for ever : I have set my bow in the clouds, the same shall be for a token of a Covenant between me and the earth ; and it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, the bow shall be seen in the cloud. And then I will remember the Covenant, which is between me and you (Gen. ix. 8-16). This Covenant with man is a type of the Three Principles of the divine being, viz. of the Being of all beings.

26. For the rainbow is the sign and token of this Covenant, that God doth here mind, and very intimately look upon, that man was created out of three Principles into an image, and that he should live in all three; and beheld now the unability and great peril of mankind; and set the sign of this Covenant before him, as a representation that his wrath should not any more be stirred so to destroy every life. 27. For the rainbow hath the colour of all the three Principles, viz. the colour of the first Principle is red, and darkish-brown; which betokens the dark and fire-world, that is, the first Principle, the king¬ dom of God’s anger. The colour of the second Principle is white, and yellow; this is the majestical colour, signifying, as a type of the holy world, God’s love. The third Principle’s colour is green, and blue; blue from the chaos, and green from the water or saltpetre; where, in the flagrat or crack of the fire, the Sulphur and Mercury do sever themselves, and produce distinct, various and several colours, which betoken unto us the inward spiritual worlds,1 which are hidden in the four elements. 28. This bow is a figure of the Last Judgment, shewing how the inward spiritual world will again manifest itself, and swallow up or avail into itself this outward world of four elements.

29. And this is even the sign or token of the Covenant of grace, which sign in the Covenant betokeneth the Judge of the world, viz. Christ, who, at the end of days, will appear in all the three Principles, viz. according to the fire-sign as a severe Judge over the turba, and all whatsoever that shall be found therein ; he will manifest the fiery judgment, and enkindle the turba, so that the first Principle shall appear in its fiery property, for all things of this world’s being must be tried or purified in the fire of the first Principle, viz. in the centre of the eternal nature. And even then the turba of all beings shall be swallowed up in the fire. 30. And according to the light’s sign he shall appear as a pleasant visage to all the saints, even in the midst of the fire; and defend his, in his love and meekness, from the flames of the fire. 31. And according to the kingdom of the outward nature of this world, he shall appear in his assumed humanity; and the whole out¬ ward mystery of the four elements, according to Sulphur, Mercury and Salt, even according to all the properties of the wonders of the expressed and formed Word, even all shall be made manifest before him according to light and darkness [viz. according to their good and evil] .

32. Of this the rainbow is a type and figure, for it is a reflex [antitype] or contra-glance of the sun; shewing what kind of property [or virtue] there is in the deep. The sun casteth its shining lustre into the four elements towards the chaos, and then the chaos, whence the four elements do proceed, doth manifest itself according to the Principles, with its colours; and it denoteth and pointeth out the hidden or mystical ground of the four elements, viz. the hidden world, and also the hiddenness of the humanity. For in this hidden¬ ness [or secret mystery] of the creation, God did set forth his Cove¬ nant, that he would not destroy its image any more with water; that the fountains of the deep should not be any more opened in the chaos, as came to pass in the Flood, and in the creation of the world. 33. The rainbow is an opening of the chaos in nature; and it may very well, if the sun be in a good aspect in the elements, produce and bring forth a wonderful birth, both in the vegetables and animals. Also there may thereby be a creatural living being produced in the deep, even according to the property of the sun’s powerful influence; according as it findeth in the elements a property from the astrum or constellations, either to evil or good; as oftentimes to worms, flies, grasshoppers, and the like; and also to a good life, according as Saturn and Mercury are enkindled in their desire.

34. For when the chaos doth open itself, then the harsh-astringent Saturnine property doth attract, as a hunger or desire, unto itself, and taketh the property of the chaos (wherein the hidden powers are contained) into its desire, and coagulates the same ; and forthwith Mercury becomes quick in Sulphur, for the sun enkindleth the fiery Mars in its property, whereupon Mercury is stirred up or becomes active. This, Saturn frameth [amasseth] into a body, viz. into an ens. Now the saltpetre cannot agree or unite itself with Mars, and there¬ fore there is a severation or motion; and seeing that they cannot get rid of1 Saturn, viz. the fiat of the outward world; it becomes a flying life [or creature], according to the property of that same constellation. 35. Saturn [hath such a power or property in it as that it] may, if the sun be in a good aspect, take in the distilling dew out of the rainbow into itself, (understand, into the Saturnine property), which afterwards falls upon the water, which some fish do eat down, and coagulate in them, whence precious pearls may arise. 36. For the Paradisical property doth open itself all along in the chaos, if it be not hindered by evil malignant aspects; which Master Wiseling2 will scarce believe. He can speak of the ground of nature exactly, and hath it at his fingers’ ends, and yet is blind in the Mystery, and understands not either the inward or outward [part of nature]. For such I have not written anything, for I need not such animals3 to the understanding of my writings, but good, clear, quicksighted, illuminated eyes; unto all others they are dumb and absurd, let them be as wise and learned as they will.

37. The chaos is the root of nature, and yieldeth of itself nothing else but a good property; but if the constellation be evil, the evil malignant desire taketh the good property into itself, and changeth it into evil; as a good man among evil company doth change his good also into an evil. 38. And the rainbow is especially represented [or freely given] unto man for a token of the divine grace; so that he might behold and view himself, as in an open and perspicuous glass, what he is. For in the rainbow the sign of good and evil is manifest as a type of the centre of nature, out of which evil and good take their rise; over which the Son of Man was set by God, to be Judge. 39. For the type or form of the ark of Noah is also in the rainbow; if we were not blind it would plainly appear so unto us; also the Trinity of the Deity is therein portrayed: for the red colour betokeneth the Father, the yellow and white the Son, and the blue the Spirit. 1 Or escape. 2 The false philosopher or sophister. 3 Text, calves.

40. And God hath set forth himself in a figure, according to his manifestation in the sign of the Covenant, that we should flee unto his grace, and receive his Covenant, and be always mindful of his revelation to come, where he will again manifest the spiritual world; as he hath set it forth unto us by way of similitude in the rainbow; [to the end] that we should see what is in secret [and how his Covenant is] eternally established [with us in secret], and standeth ever before him. How Noah cursed his Son Ham, and of the Mystical Prophecy Concerning his Three Sons and their Posterity i. , in d Noah began to be an husbandman, and planted a vineyard: And jilhe drank of the wine, and was drunken ; and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, Canaan's father, saw the nakedness of his father, and told it his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father ; and their faces were backward, so that they saw not their father's nakedness. Now when Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him, he said, Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of all servants he shall be amongst his brethren. And he said further, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. And God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant (Gen. ix. 20-27). This is an exact real type of the human property, according to the three Principles or worlds: for the spirit in Noah speaketh from the centre; and the three sons of Noah did now stand before the spirit in a figure; typifying what kind of people should arise from them.

2. By this figure the spirit of Noah prophesied or declared, from the very stock or root of the formed Word of the human property, what the second monarchy should be. Noah was drunk, and lay naked with his shame, at which his son Ham mocked, and also declared it to his brethren, that they also should do the like. Here the spirit intimateth and pointeth out whence the curse arose upon Ham, viz. from the shame of his father. 3. For this was even the abomination before God’s holiness; out of which root Ham and his generation, viz. the man of vanity, doth arise, for in the image of God the shame is an abomination. 4. Therefore God commanded Abraham to be circumcised on this member, to shew that this member was not given to Adam in the beginning, and that it should be again cut off from the image of God, and not inherit the kingdom of God; upon which cause and reason also the soul’s spirit is ashamed to uncover it. 5. But seeing that Adam did not stand in the image of God, when his Eve was made out of him, it was hung upon him for to propagate

in a bestial nature and kind; thereupon also this bestial tree, viz. the fleshly spirit of vanity, came to be propagated all along from this property, and adheres to man. The figure of this was Ham, and there¬ fore he mocked his own property in his father. 6. The spirit of this property mocked its ens which it had from the centre of nature; it beheld itself in his father’s shame, from whence it had its rise, as in a looking-glass of its selfhood. And thus this spirit [of fleshly Ham] forthwith brake forth as a life of vanity, and mani¬ fested what itself was, viz. a scorn [disdain or mock-god] of heaven. 7. Which the spirit of God’s image in the formed Word of the good ens in Noah did well know, and did awaken in him the firecentre of the soul in the wrath, and cursed this spirit of vanity, that it should not co-inherit in the kingdom of heaven. The scoff-spirit shall not possess the kingdom of God, but be cut off from the image of God, that is, from the outward image of the formed creature. 8. For the same property from whence the shame ariseth, is good in itself; but in Adam’s imagination after the bestial property it became monstrous, bestial and strange in the image of God; and therefore this strange form and shape shall not remain for ever.

9. From this strange false shape the scorner or scoff-spirit did arise. The devil insinuated into the figure of Ham’s strange spirit, and mocked at the heavenly generatress, that it was now even become a monster in the image of God ; and therefore the spirit of Noah cursed the false scoff-spirit [in Ham and all his generation]. 10. Not that we are to understand that Ham was accursed in his soul and soul’s spirit, but according to the figure [he and all his were accursed] in the property of the reviling mocking spirit, which brake forth and manifested itself out of the monster; but he (that is, the earthly image of the limus of the earth) should be hidden with its own self-will in the image of God, and be only as a servant or instru¬ ment of the divine image proceeding from the holy ens; the earthly spirit should not rule, but the heavenly, viz. the soul with its spirit; the monster, that is, this vile reviling spirit, must not be manifest. But seeing the free will did awaken and stir up the monstrous spirit, which was only a scorner of the Mystery and hiddenness in the Covenant, Noah cursed him,1 and said, He should be a servant of his brethren.

11. For he said, blessed be the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant: God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem. The God of Shem was he who had espoused or incorporated himself with the Covenant in the seed of the woman; the figure and type of this (in the spirit) was Shem; and Japheth was the figure of the poor soul captivated in the monster; God should let this Japhethical (or soul’s) property, dwell in the tents of Shem, and enlarge it in Shem’s figure. 12. But Ham’s figure (according to the monstrous spirit) should not have any dominion or reign in the life of the new birth, but be only as a servant or as an instrument, without self-will or any peculiar life of selfness, [and] must serve and administer to the use of the spiritual kingdom; in manner as the night is hidden in the day, and yet ’tis really there, and yet so as if it were not; and it is the hand¬ maid to the day’s operation and power. 13. Thus in like manner the spirit did express how the three properties of the humanity, viz. the woman’s seed, and the creatural soul’s seed, and the earthly seed in Ham’s figure, should stand in their place order and rule in the regeneration in the spiritual kingdom; and thereby it did declare and point at the kingdoms of the world, intimating that this same figure would all along put forth itself in the kingdom and dominion of the humanity1 upon the earth, and thus keep its figure externally, so long as mankind should live in the dominion of the four elements; as it hath thus fallen out.

14. For Shem’s figure passed in the Covenant upon Abraham and Israel, among whom the Word of the Covenant was manifested and spoken forth; and Japheth’s figure went along in nature, viz. through the wisdom of nature in the kingdom of nature; whence the Gentiles arose, who looked upon the light of nature, and Shem’s lineage looked upon the light in the Covenant. Thus Japheth, that is, the poor captive soul which is of the eternal nature, dwelt in Shem’s tent, viz. under the Covenant; for the light of nature dwelleth in the light of grace, and is a tenant or inhabitant of the light of grace, viz. of God’s light, it is even as a form of framed substance of the unformed uncomprehended light of God. 15. And Ham’s line passed upon the animal bestial man, proceeded from the limus of the earth, in which was the curse; whence the Sodomitical and almost wholly brutish people did arise; who esteemed neither the light of nature, nor the light of grace in the Covenant. 16. This signifieth and pointeth out the outward part of the soul from the spirit of this world; which, in the regeneration in the spiritual world, shall be a formed and very fixed will; which may not or desires not to rule in the manner and condition of a selfish peculiar spirit; but shall be as a servant and minister of the creatural soul and God’s spirit in the holy light’s image; it shall not be manifest in any self-full arrogative understanding of selfhood, but remain hidden, as the night is hidden in the day; and yet it is really there.

17. For the animal soul shall not inherit the kingdom of light; although it shall and will be therein; yet it hath no dominion [or predominant virtue of its selfness] . As an instrument is a dead sense¬ less thing in reference to the master, and yet it is the master’s tool wherewith he maketh what he pleaseth; the same in like manner we are to understand concerning the animal soul in the regeneration. 18. But in the time of the four elements it will have the upper hand and sway, for it hath brought itself into a proper selfhood and imaginative life of selfish propriety; and therefore God hath accursed it, and condemned it to death, so that it must die to selfhood. 19. For when Adam in his desire did awaken the earthly properties out of the limus of the earth, so that they went forth out of their just accord and mutual harmony, each of them into its own self-will and lust, to behold and look upon its self as a peculiar self-life; the bestial soul was hereby brought to its predominant power and force. And this same is Ham’s property, which God hath ordained to be servant under the angelical kingdom, and cursed its jeering scorning power, in that it did mock at the heavenly matrix, and set forth its own figure and form.

20. The spirit saith in Moses, Shem and Japheth took a garment upon their shoulders , and went backward to their father and covered him ; so that their faces were turned backward, and they saw not his shame (Gen. ix. 23). O thou wonderful God ! how very mystically and secretly dost thou carry thy works: who would know and understand thy ways, if thy spirit did not lead us, and open the understanding! 21. Both these brothers took a garment upon their shoulders and covered the father. Wherefore did not one do it alone? or wherefore did Noah drink himself drunk, and lay so naked with his shame? This, reason looketh upon, as if there were nothing more in it [but only a history of such an act]. But seeing that Ham was thereby cursed, and made to be a servant of his brethren, and not only he, but also all his posterity out of him, we see thereby very clearly what the spirit doth hereby signify, viz. that it is a type, character and figure of that which should afterwards come to pass. 22. The earthly spirit, which the devil had made monstrous, was a scorner and jeerer of the heavenly birth; it indeed saw the shame which it must bear upon it as a monster; but he went away as a beast, and mocked the new regeneration of the heavenly matrix. But Japheth, viz. the poor soul, and Shem, that is, the disappeared heaven’s image, which was moved, stirred or quickened again in the Covenant, they took a garment upon their shoulders. This garment was the new humanity, which should open itself out of the Covenant, out of the angelical world.

23. And they went backward, and covered the father’s shame. This intimateth and betokeneth that the free will of self must and shall wholly turn itself away from the bestial monster of self-fullness and ownhood, wherein the shame standeth open, and enter again into the resigned filiation or child-ship ; and go no more forwards, but retire again backwards; and must take the garment of the new humanity, viz. Christ’s innocency, merit and satisfaction upon it, and therewith cover the shame which our father Adam hath, with the monster, passed upon us by inheritance: This was the type which was here set forth. 24. And that Shem did not carry the garment alone, and cover the father, doth figure out unto us, that the soul, viz. Japheth, (that is, the inward kingdom) of the inward eternal nature, must help; for the soul is of the Father’s property, and this, Japheth doth typify. And the soul’s spirit, viz. the fair image of God in the light, which did vanish or disappear in Adam, and stood typically1 in the Covenant, of which Shem was the figure, doth point out unto us the Son’s property, who should open the Covenant. Thus also we are to understand that the Father in his will, who freely gave us the Son, took on one part the garment of our sins’ covering, and this was typified by Japheth; and the Son, on the other part, who covered our shame with the Father’s will, of this Shem was a figure.

25. For if Christ shall lay the covering garment upon our shame, then the soul must help, that is, it must give up and resign its will wholly thereinto; and go backwards with its will towards the bosom of the Father; and not any longer parley with itself in its own will and knowledge, how it goeth or will go; and so it must take the garment, in true repentance, upon its shoulders; and leave the other part upon the shoulders of Shem, viz. unto the true image of Christ,2 which is the precious noble Sophia. 1 Or in the image. 2 Or God. 26. Both these take the heavenly garment, and go backwards to the Father; and though they cannot see how they go, yet they go in faith, trusting on God’s mercy, and turn away their eyes from the shame, vanity and false will. For in this place going backwards and covering the shame signifies nothing else but to convert the selfhood naturally going forwards in its own will and way, and go back again into the ONE, out of which the free will departed and came into the monster, or shame. 27. Noah’s drunkenness signifieth, that when Adam entered with his lust and desire into this world’s property, he became drunk in the bestial property; and therein he uncovered his shame, that is, he disclosed and made bare therein the bestial lust. Now, when this was done, he stood before God in great shame; and then the bestial spirit in this monster of false lust and poisonful concupiscence brake forth, and reviled the precious heavenly image, and made itself master.

28. And thus Christ must, in our soul, and in our disappeared and again revived noble Sophia, cover the shame of our father Adam and his children; for he would therefore not be born of the seed of man; but out of the heavenly, disappeared ens, and brought his living ens of the holy world thereinto; that so he might cover with his heavenly ens our monstrous shame1 of the soul’s property, which Adam’s lust had uncovered. 29. The corrupt nature which had opened itself now in Paradise, went along in all men; and though the image of God was again regenerate in the spirit of the saints, as in a figurative form until the fulfilling of Christ in the flesh, yet the monstrous image was propa¬ gated all along in all in the earthly property. 30. But seeing the first earthly world of the human property was drowned in the flood, and there the first monarchies ceased, the same figure did forthwith represent itself again in Noah and his three sons. So that now the spirit doth here signify from the very stock and root of the human property, how it should afterwards be, viz. the tree of man would in its properties introduce itself into boughs and branches; that is, spread forth itself into distinct nations and govern¬ ments; and that they would not all know the only God according to the light of his grace; and how that God would represent unto them the light of grace in the generation of Shem.

31. For Noah saith, Blessed be the God of Shem , and let Japheth dwell in Shem’ s tents. By the God of Shem he meaneth the holy Word in the Covenant, intimating how the same would manifest itself. And then the Japhites or Gentiles, which lived in the light of nature, should come to the light of grace manifested from the generation of Shem ; and enter into Shem’s tents, and dwell therein. This did point at the Gentiles, who before knew only of the light of nature, but when the Word did manifest itself in the person of Christ, with the gracious light of the Gospel, they came into the light of grace. 32. And even here Ham, viz. the fleshly lust-spirit, must be in its own property and selfhood a servant among the children of light, for the children of God do compel him to servitude and keep him under, and take away his reviling scorning will. For the spirit of Ham, which Noah cursed, doth intimate how this Ham’s spirit would be great upon the earth, and go on only in its own proud monstrous and bestial knowledge, and scoff at the children of the light, account them fools, because they hope upon something else, which they do not outwardly see.

33. Thus the spirit in Noah pointeth out unto us three sorts of men ; first it signifieth the children of faith, who nakedly and merely look upon the hidden light of God’s grace, and have the same shining in their hearts. 34. The other would look upon the light of nature and reason, and would endeavour to fathom and search out the hidden light by the strength of reason, and that they would therefore contend, dispute, wrangle and jangle, and bring forth many wonderful strange monsters and conceits out of the light of nature, and set them up for gods, or God’s light, as it hath so come to pass among the Christians and Gentiles. 35. The third sort would be of Ham’s nature and generation; and know neither the light of nature nor grace; but walk as the beast, and be only titular verbal praters and literal children, and, moreover, mockers, scoffers, and fleering apes, who would also be called the children of God. But their knowledge would be only of the external stone church; a mere custom, and verbal round of a service of God,1 where the mouth would use indeed the name of God; but the heart would only bring forth a bestial spirit to earthly pride, lust and pleasure.

36. Thus the spirit of Shem, Ham and Japheth would dwell together in one congregation. Shem’s generation in faith hidden among the Japhites, as a poor, disesteemed, contemned, abject 1 Or Divine Service as they call it. people. But the tribe of Japheth would set forth themselves with great plausible words, with great and huge ostentation of God’s service; but yet it would be but as an hypocrisy and seeming holiness, proceeding from the light of nature. But Ham’s lineage would be full of gluttony and drunkenness, scoffing, and reviling, and they would mock at both, viz. the children of the Cain-like seeming holiness, and also at the children of the true light; and would live as the wild brute beast; and yet in their swinish life would be children of grace by an outward appropriation or adoption. 37. This Ham hath now the dominion in Christendom; he hath flattered with Japheth, so that he hath set him up by the light of nature an external specious divine worship, as a titular God. This titular God hath covered Ham, in his bestial Sodomitical spirit, with a very fair and glorious covering, under the purple mantle of Christ; and laid under his head great sacks full1 of the light of grace; and these the bestial mouth-spirit of Ham must take along with it; and when it must indeed die, then it hath whole sacks full of the light of grace.

38. But the light of grace remaineth only in the sacks, and Ham’s spirit remaineth in itself an evil beast; and cannot truly open the sacks and take out the light of grace. This Ham’s spirit is accursed, and shall not inherit God’s kingdom; unless it be really born again out of the light of grace; otherwise the sacks and coverings avail him not at all. 39. For a beast goeth into the sanctuary [or to holy service of God], and remains a beast when he comes thence. Thy seeming holiness and devotion, thy comforting, flattering and soothing up thyself, avails nothing, unless thou return again into thy first mother, from whence man is originally proceeded, and become as a little, new born child, and let Ham and Japheth go, with all their arts and pratings. 40. For Japheth obtains it not in his specious glistering kingdom; unless he enter into Shem’s tent, viz. into the light of grace, so that the same may be born in him. Outward adopted children avail not in God’s account; but innate children, born anew of the heavenly ens in Christ spirit; and whosoever hath not the same is already judged (Johniii. 18). 1 Or satchels full.

Beginneth with the Propagation of the Humane Tree through 'oahs Children. The building of the Tower of Babel and Confusion of the Speeches, and their Division into Severall Nations. Wherein the Powers of the Properties unfold and forme them¬ selves into the Languages ; even out of One into many Languages Tongues and Speeches. Beginning with the X. Chapter of Genesis and the 35th Chapter of the Mysterium Magnum : and ending with the XXXV. Chapter of Genesis and the 64. Chapter of the Mysterium Magnum, at the 5th verse. Printed by M. Simmons for H. Blunden , at the Castle in Corn-hill. 1654. Shews how the Human Tree1 hath spread forth itself in its properties by the children of Noah ; and how they were divided and severed at the Tower of Babel in their properties, by the confusion of the Tongues into distinct Nations i. Ty very tree groweth first2 (after that it shooteth out of its JO/pregnant seed)3 into a stock, afterwards into branches and boughs; and bringeth forth further out of its ens the blossom and fruit. Thus also we are to understand of the human tree, according to its virtue and manifestation of its hidden wonders of the divine wisdom, which lay hid in the human ens, and put itself forth in time out of each degree of the properties.

2. Adam was the first ens to the grain [or pregnant fruitful seed of mankind], and this same ens, which produced the human life, was in the divine wisdom in the Word of the divine power of the divine understanding. The spirit of God brought this holy ens out of the divine wisdom and lubet into the Verbum Fiat, viz. into the desire of the forming word, viz. into nature; and therein the spirit of God figured the ens of divine wisdom, through the speaking Word, into a formal life; and the nature of the three Principles into a body; into which body (understand the ens of nature) the spirit of God breathed this same figured, shaped, creatural life of divine understanding. 3. And hence man had his rise, and became a living soul, both out of the heavenly spiritual ens, and out of the temporal ens of the earth and four elements; both out of the constellation or astrum of the divine magic, and [out of the] natural magic; a complete, perfect like¬ ness of God; a delightful tree of the life of divine wisdom and con¬ templation, engrafted into the Paradise of God, viz. into heaven, and into the time of this world, standing in both; fit to regenerate4 and form his like out of himself : like as out of one tree many twigs,

1 Or Tree of Mankind. 2 Gen. x. 3 Grain, kernel, pippin. 4 Generate again, or propagate. boughs, branches and fruits do grow; where every fruit hath a grain, kernel or pippin in it, fit to produce a new stock and tree : The like we are also to understand concerning the tree of mankind. 4. The inward spiritual ens grew in its power in Adam’s life, until the outward earthly natural [one] overcame him by the infectious persuasion of the devil; and then the natural ens put itself forcibly forth in the powers of the wonders of nature; and brought forth its branches and boughs out of the essence of nature. 5. And though the holy ens of the heavenly world’s essence and being did disappear in Adam by his infection and poisonful imagina¬ tion, yet the Word of divine power did give itself again thereinto by Covenant; so that this ens of the heavenly world was propagated all along in this tree, until the time of its now springing forth in the ens of Mary, where the Covenant was accomplished [stood at its aim and limit]. 6. Adam’s spiritual holy stem grew until his fall, and there it stood still; and then the Word freely gave itself by the Covenant thereinto, as into a disappeared [expired] ens, to regenerate it again in its true entity; and the outward natural stem obtained the power and the self¬ growing life, in the fall, where then the elements, each of them in its property, became sensible and full of its own self-full power and operation, and grew so unto the flood, especially before the flood, in its boughs and branches, and did shew itself as a full-grown tree, according to all the properties in evil and good.

7. But the powers had not as yet unfolded and explicated them¬ selves therein, for all men had only one language; the languages were not made manifest out of the properties before the flood. 8. They indeed understood the Language of Nature, viz. the formed word in its difference; but this difference or distinct variety was not as yet formed and framed into tongues, until the stock of the human tree, did, after the flood, bring its power into the branches. Whereupon the tree of mankind began to bloom and blossom forth out of the properties of the powers of the formed natural word, viz. out of the blessing, wherewith God blessed Noah and his children, viz. the branches of the tree, and bade them be fruitful, and fill and replenish the earth, and gave them the Covenant of grace. 9. For in Cain this tree was cursed, but in Noah it was again blessed, that the properties of the formed natural word should put forth themselves with the tongues through the property of nature, as a wonder of many words or gods in the only living Word. 10. The image of God in the formed word should bring forth the formation of the only Word, out of the first ens, into many formations or forms of tongues and speeches, according to the nature and manner of the princely dominions of the high spirits, which also are in their distinct degrees and differences in the formed word ; and in the deep of this world do rule in the properties of nature above the four elements, yea, also above the operation of the stars in the soul of the great world; which also bear the names of God in the formed word of nature, as an instrument of God, whereby he, in a formal manner, ruleth in his dominion and love-delight or harmony.

11. That the Ancient Fathers1 lived so long before the flood, was because that the powers of the formed word of the divine property were yet undivided and un-manifested and un-explicated in them. As a young tree, which is full of power, virtue and sap, doth excellently manifest and display itself in its branches and spreading growth, but when it begins to bloom, then the good power goeth into the blossoms and fruits. 12. The like also we are to understand concerning the first age of mankind. When the powers were couched in one property in the stock, then men did understand the Language of Nature, for all lan¬ guages did lie therein; but when this tree of the one only tongue did divide itself in its properties and powers among the children of Nimrod, then the Language of Nature (whence Adam gave names to all things, naming each from its property) did cease, and the stem of nature became faint, feeble and weak, by reason of the divided properties in the word of the powerful understanding. 13. Thus they did not any longer live so long, for the true power of the human life, whence the understanding floweth, is come2 out of the Word of God. But seeing that the understanding did divide itself into many tongues and properties, Nature grew weaker and weaker; and the high understanding of the properties of the spirits of the letters did fall, for the internal brought itself into an external, in manner and wise as a man relateth and speaketh of a thing which he hath by hear¬ say, and yet hath no right understanding of the same, also is not able to see it.

14. Of such a gift [as the understanding of the Language of Nature] mankind was deprived of at Babel, when as they so highly exalted nature, and would by the outward nature build them a tower, whose top should reach even to heaven; which hath a very subtle, hidden 1 Patriarchs. 2 Or proceeded. and innate understanding; and it lieth very excellently and emphati¬ cally in the names of Noah’s children, and childrens’ children; which the spirit in Moses hath set down in the line of their forth-spreading generations; wherein the properties of the division of the only under¬ standing and language may be understood, [for they do entirely intimate], how the properties of the understanding do give forth and unfold themselves one out of another, and how each mutually brings itself into a sundry particular speech, as into a peculiar selfly word. 15. For the names of the children of Noah, and their children (from whom the second monarchy had its rise upon the earth), are seventytwo; which the spirit in Moses doth point out; and herein lieth the great mystery of the Tower of Babel, viz. the division of the tongues. 16. For seventy-seven is the whole number of the divine manifesta¬ tion through the formed word; seventy-two, are Babel, viz. the tongues of the wonders; the other five are holy, and lie hidden under the seventy-two, and they take their original out of JOTH, and the J O T H standeth in the 0,1 viz. in the One, which is the eye of eternity without ground and number.

17. Through the five holy speeches proceeding from JOTH, the spirit in the formed word of nature speaketh holy divine words in the children of the saints; and through the seventy-two tongues he speaketh through the nature of the wonders, both from the evil and the good, according as the word doth form and amass itself in an ens. 18. The five speeches belong to the spirit of God, who speaketh by his children, when and how he pleaseth, but the seventy-two belong to man’s selfness and particular ownhood, whence man’s self-full understanding speaketh lies and truth. Therefore the seventy-two languages, viz. Babel, must pass through the judgment of God, and the pure shall be separated from the impure, and tried in the fire. 19. For him, who is taken under, and capable of this knowledge, we will give a short direction and manuduction, to trace out our sense and meaning, (which yet we in this place will keep to ourselves), and thereby intimate unto him, how he may search out all mysteries and secrets which lie couched under these names, which the holy spirit, in Moses, hath marked out. 20. The spirit in Moses sets down seven names in Japheth’s line, viz. the seven sons which he begat; which are these: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Now Japheth is the first, and betokeneth the first Principle, and therein the kingdom of nature;

intimating how, even out of nature, the seven free arts or liberal sciences should be found under a natural philosophy; and these were found out in this Japheth’s line in a natural manner, by the heathenish philosophy. For this was the twig which should dwell in Shem’s tent, as Noah foretold. 21. For the seven sons of Japheth signify and point out the seven properties of nature, and under their seven names lieth the great mystery of the Japhethical lines in the kingdom of nature, [intimating to us] what kind of people and kingdoms should arise from them, even unto the end of the world; concerning the manifestation and writing of which our speech is stopped and taken from us; but it shall be freely and fully manifested to our school-fellows in its time; and be wholly made known and revealed. 22. After this the spirit mentioneth only two sons ofjapheth which begat children, viz. Gomer and Javan; he passeth over the other children ofjapheth in silence, and mentions not at all what children they begat. And this is not without cause. The spirit pointeth at the two sorts of men among the Gentiles in the kingdom of nature, viz. under Gomer he setteth three names, Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah; these were the sons of Gomer, who do thus manifest themselves in the Language of Nature, viz. they form [conceive or amass] the ens of nature, viz. the formed word, into an ens, and bring it into a contemplation, that is, into an acute speculating reason, and make a figure out of it, viz. a dominion (or form of a government of self will) according to the kingdom of nature, for temporal glory and renown.

23 . And under the other son, Javan, he setteth four names, viz. Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim; and he saith, that of these fourteen names all the isles and languages of the Gentiles were filled, and that they had their rise and original from hence. These four names do intimate out of the properties of nature, thus much, viz. by the first a good half-angelical will; by the second an introduction of the good will into the wrath of nature, from whence an evil warlike self¬ ness ariseth; by the third a false understanding, whereby the angelical good will is brought in the selfhood of reason even to be a fool, and sets forth itself with a strange outside lustre; and it signifieth the heathenish idolatry whereinto they brought themselves through reason, without God’s light, and thereby did set up heathenish idols, and made themselves great kingdoms ; so that the spirit of nature hath brought them under its power and might, into its own form. And under the name DODANIM the spirit intimateth the kingdom of nature in selfhood with its selfly divine service, viz. an external visible God, which may be shewn by the pointing of the finger.

24. And under these fourteen names in Japheth’s line the human kingdom of nature is wholly portrayed and typified; and we are in an especial manner to observe, that the angelical will is therein con¬ cluded, betokening the wise and deep understanding heathen in the light of nature, in whom the inward holy kingdom did behold itself, who (notwithstanding they lay shut up in the true divine under¬ standing, and saw by an external light [or reflex]), in the restitution of all beings, shall, when the covering is taken away, live in Shem’s tent, viz. in the formed word of nature, yet in their property. 25. Out of this fourteenth number of the fourteen names of Japheth came the prophetical and apocaliptical numbers. From which the spirit prophesied how the wonders of nature should open them¬ selves one after another, and what should happen in each degree of their manifestation; which we will here pass over in silence, and mention it in its due place. 26. Under Ham, the spirit bringeth the greatest intimation of the kingdom of nature, for he fully sets forth the external form of reason, for he saith, Ham begat Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. CUSH giveth, in the ens of the pregnant generating nature, a signification of a form of sudden conceived, swift ascending lust in selfhood, like to a running, or far and wide domineering and reigning might; and it is the root of the princely government according to the third Principle ; but Japheth is the same ground [or work] according to the first Prin¬ ciple.

27. MIZRAIM signifieth a forth-driving power, which doth forthwith comprehend itself again in the lust, in which the centre of nature doth go forth all along in a strong through-breaking lust and desire, and breaks open the form of the lust. Intimating unto us the original of the divided tongues, and how the power of the only formed word of the understanding should be divided. 28. The name PUT sheweth forth, even from the ens of nature, a high city or place whereby the will [of these men] would advance itself on high, in contriving and framing how to build them a high tower. CANAAN signifieth a land of lowliness and humility; shew¬ ing that God would be found in the lowly and humble ; and it especially signifies, that this high-flown aspiring will shall be overthrown and cast down. 29. Although the Reader may not be able to understand us in this tongue, yet I set this down only to the end that he may learn to consider and meditate on the great mystery which the spirit of God hath signified under these names, from whence such a purpose of a few men did arise, that it is even wholly a mere wonder whence the tongues and speeches do take their rise and original: for the spirit in Moses doth set down afterwards, that Cush begat Nimrod, who began to be a mighty lord upon the earth ; and was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Who would now understand what kind of mighty lord and hunter he was before God, without the understanding of the Language of Nature? which, seeing it is not every man’s gift to understand, we will only intimate the sense and meaning, even what the spirit doth thereby understand in the word of the essence.

30. Nimrod became a mighty lord, and was a hunter before the Lord. Now if I be able to see the spirit in its essence, in the formation of the word, then I see what a lord and hunter Nimrod was; for the spirit doth herein signify and point at the properties of nature, shewing how the same have opened themselves in man’s nature, and brought them¬ selves into an external form to a contrived framed government among men. The spirit signifieth by the name how the human free will hath formed itself in the nature of the understanding; and imagined such a model and platform into its mind, out of which imagination and fancy the outward work arose. 31. For the name NIMROD doth give a very clear signification, in open understanding, that he came from Cush, for he is in himself a taking, apprehending or an arrogation of power and might out of nature ; intimating how nature doth form and frame itselfinto a govern¬ ment in the mind; and hath put itself forth with power, and hath hunted, suppressed and oppressed the inferior properties; therefore the spirit saith, a hunter before the Lord-, for the nature is before the Lord, therefore the spirit speaketh here of a hunter before the Lord ; for look as a hunter doth hunt, drive, take and tame wild beasts, even so the spirit intimateth, that out of this self-advanced human nature, such evil beasts would arise, who would live only to the outward nature.

32. Now out of the wrath of nature arose, over these foolish bestial men, the hunter, viz. the outward domination; which should hunt, catch, kill and keep them in awe, so that the hunter might tame them, and hold them under a government; else there would be only a general raving, raging, biting, tearing, devouring and eating up of each other, among the bestial men. Seeing they would not suffer the Spirit of God to rule and guide them, they must suffer the office of nature to rule them; for otherwise what need hath the Lord of a hunter, that the spirit in Moses saith, that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord : that which hunteth before the Lord of all beings doth not hunt hares or other beasts. 33. Moses hath a veil before his clear shining eyes. The spirit doth hereby hint at the government of nature, shewing how the human government hath formed and contrived itself in the soul of the out¬ ward world; and how it should afterwards be among them; and what hunters would arise over them; and compareth the human dominion to a hunter, who hunteth for beasts to catch and slay them; and thus it would be also among them, that these hunters would hunt after men, to take them and bring them under slavery and servitude, and chase and course them to and fro by their bloodhounds; bite, tear, slay and devour them by war and murderous acts ; and tame and bring under all, with force, fury and violence, and excellently well manage the government of the hunter in their own self-assumed power.

34. For man was fallen under the possession of God’s wrath in nature; the same forced forth itself now with its desire, and formed itself into a government according to the outward constellations and the four elements, as they do build up and break down: even so did this hunter do with his beasts in his sport. 35. Here the world may take an exact looking-glass to behold itself in; it is the true original ground of the worldly dominion and rule.1 And although the same ground of government hath an internal spiritual original, yet it is, in the outward form only, before God, as a bestial huntsmanship among the beast-men, who must be bound and tamed. 36. For the inward spiritual government standeth in great humility in an angelical form; whereunto God also created man. If he had but remained in Paradise, then he would have had no need of the hunter; but seeing he would be a beast, God ordained him also a hunter, who might keep under the wild unruly bestial men. And the hunter and [the] beast are both alike before God in this world’s bestial property; but seeing it may not be any otherwise, God holdeth it for his natural order; for he hath given every thing its government [station and order].

37. But it is to be lamented that this hunter doth hunt, slay and devour the tame human beasts, which do not belong to his game. But what shall we say, or wherewith shall the children of God excuse themselves, or quit themselves of this hunter, before God? Seeing every man bears externally the hunter’s hind on him, over which the hunter of nature hath power, the inward spiritual man must leave his outward beast unto the hunter ; for his outward beast is also evil. 38. The spirit of Moses setteth under Ham’s lineage twenty-nine names, which came from Ham. Which intimate the twenty-nine properties proceeding from the third Principle, viz. from the spirit of the outward world; hinting how the formed word would be mani¬ fested through the outward nature; both in tongues and properties, whence the governments and orders of countries and nations have had their rise; albeit each property hath again its extern birth, like as one branch or sprout of a tree doth produce and bring forth other twigs. Yet the spirit in Moses doth point at the chief head-root, and the properties under these names; shewing what kind of people would arise from thence, and what their alterations and their final con¬ clusions would be; all this lieth hidden under their names.

39. Thus Ham hath twenty-nine names of his children, and he is the thirtieth, twenty-nine is the set number of his children and childrens’ children, under which the number of the end lieth in Ham’s government and dominion. Thirty is his whole number, whereof the prophet speaketh, that this Ham would sell the Righteous One for thirty pieces of silver; and give the same for a potter’s field. As a pot is accounted of in reference to its maker, even so is the fleshly man Ham in regard of God. He taketh his thirtieth number, which he ought to bring into God’s kingdom, and giveth it for an earthly vessel, which doth resemble a field, and in that, doth sell the Righteous One, who lieth hid under the thirtieth number in the Word of power. Thus the Righteous One, under the thirtieth number, doth, by the death or mortification of Ham’s flesh, sever himself from the twenty-nine numbers of these properties, which have gotten the upper hand in Ham. For in the thirtieth year the Righteous One, viz. Christ, did separate himself unto his office, and in the thirtieth number lieth this same mystery. This is understood by our fellow-scholars, and only hinted at in this place.

40. Shem hath in his line of propagation twenty-six names, and he is the twenty-seventh. And the spirit in Moses speaketh very hiddenly, saying, that he was the father of all the children of Eber ; and Eber begat two sons , the name of one was Peleg, for at his days the world was divided; and the other was named Joktan 1 (Gen. x. 21-25). All whatsoever the spirit in Moses speaketh of the outward acts of the patriarchs, he hath under them a single inward eye upon the line of Christ; for he saith that Shem was the father of all the children of Eber. Although Eber be first in the third degree after Shem, yet the spirit looketh so punctually upon the Word in the Covenant, wheresoever it doth open itselfinaline. 41. For EBER signifieth in the forming of the word, as much as a sound or manifestation of the Word out of the centre; and saith further, that he begat Peleg, and called him so by reason of the division [of the earth]. The spirit doth not only look upon the outward division of lands and countries, but much rather upon the line in which stood the limit2 of the Covenant; for in Eber the limit of the Covenant did open itself in the Word, as in the sound or manifesta¬ tion, and went all along in the seed upon Peleg. And the line of Adam and Christ did there sever itself in the two brethren ;

as afterwards it did among the children of Abraham and Isaac : with Isaac and Ishmael ; and with Jacob and Esau. Thus likewise it was here with Peleg and Joktan. Externally the world was divided, and internally the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of the world. Not that we are to under¬ stand that Joktan did not remain in the Covenant; only the spirit doth here look upon the motion of the seed, in which line the limit or mark of the Covenant was to be moved, wherein the Word would again move itself in the disappeared humanity of the heavenly ens, and manifest itself in the humanity.

42. The names of Shem’s children and grand-children are mere intimations and significations of the properties out of the wonderful line of the prophetical spirit of Enoch ; where these same properties were brought forth out of the stock into boughs; but here into branches. 43. The spirit in Moses (Gen. x. 26-30) setteth fourteen names under Joktan’s line, which are the wonderful number of this bough in the tree’s property, being the kingdom of Christ according to the property of nature. And of Peleg he saith no more but of one son, which he calls Reu, whom he begat when he was thirty years old (Gen. xi. 18). Intimating and pointing at the line of Christ, wherein the main limit and eye-mark of the Covenant stood. The spirit denoteth only one, for by One the Covenant should be opened; for the spirit looked with the one upon the kingdom of grace; and with 1 Or Jaketan. 2 Or mark. his brothers’ fourteen names it hinted at the human kingdom. 44. And in that he saith, that he begat Reu, when he was thirty years old, the spirit therein looketh forwards upon Christ, who should arise and come forth out of this stock, and manifest himself the thirtieth year of his age in his office; as also likewise all the ages under the line of Christ, which Moses hath set down, have a very certain intimation and prophecy, and point at the times of the motion in the Covenant; as [may be seen] through the prophets and other saints in whom the Covenant hath moved itself.

45. The spirit of Moses setteth five names of the children ofShem, which came forth of his loins. And though he did beget more for Moses saith that he begat sons and daughters (Gen. xi. n), yet the spirit mindeth only the properties of the formed Word in the Covenant of the human property. These five names do figure out and set forth, as in a type, the five head speeches of the spiritual tongue through the formed word, proceeding from the high name of God; out of which tongues the prophetical and apostolical spirit speaketh.1 46. And though we could set down a form of the same, yet we should be but as senseless or dumb to the Reader who understands not the Language of Nature; and therefore we have but given a hint of it to our school-fellows. For the spirit doth also, under the names, point at the kingdoms and dominions, and they are God’s, who with his name doth order, govern, guide and lead every kingdom, accord¬ ing to the property of his name. As the property of each kingdom is, even such is the tongue, language, phrase, and manners of the same; as it is written, Such as the nation is, such a God it also hath.

47. Not that there is more than one God; only, we understand therein the divine manifestation, how God doth give himself forth, in his manifestation in the formed Word, to all nations, according to every nation’s and people’s property; so that every nation and people doth use or bear forth the same only Word according to its property; the external form and division of which is Babel; for (Gen. xi. 6) all people had only one tongue and language, and dwelt together. 48. The only tongue was the Language of Nature, out of which they all spake; for they had it in one form, and understood in the language and speech the sense, viz. the ens, even how the will formed the ens; for so also was the spirit in the ens. Of which we will give a short intimation and manuduction, to the understanding and illumi¬ nated mind to consider of, to prove, exercise and make trial of it in himself; not that a man can express it, and bring it into a certain form. No, that cannot be, for it is the spirit of the wisdom of God, his manifestation. 49. The spirits of the letters in the Alphabet are the form of the one spirit in the Language of Nature; the five vowels bear forth the holy tongue of the five holy languages out of the name Jehovah, from whence the Holy Spirit speaketh; for the five vowels are the holy name of God, according to his holiness.

For the name Jehova hath nothing in it, save only the five vowels A, E, I, O, V. The other letters signify and express the nature, even what the name of God in the formed word is in nature, both in love and anger, in darkness and light. But the five vowels do signify only and alone what he is in the light of holiness; for nature is tinctured with the five vowels, so that it becomes full of joy and delight.1

50. But that the ancient wise men, skilful in this tongue, did inter¬ pose an H in the nameJEO VA, and called it JEHOV A, the same was done with great understanding, for the H maketh the holy name with the five vowels even manifest in the outward nature. It sheweth how the holy name of God doth breath forth and manifest itself even in the creature. The five vowels are the hidden name of God, who dwelleth alone in himself; but the H signifieth the divine lubet or wisdom, shewing how the divine lubet doth breath forth itself out of itself. 51. The inward understanding in the five vowels is this : I is the name JESUS. E is the name Engel2 (Angel). O is the formed WISDOM or lubet or the I, viz. ofJESUS, and is the centre or the HEART of God. V is the SPIRIT, viz. the S US3 in JESUS, which proceedeth forth out of the lubet. A is der Anfang 4 und das Ende (the beginning and the end), viz. the will of the whole comprehension, and it is the FATHER. 52. And these five do fold themselves up with the comprehension or formation into three, viz. into such a Word, A/, that is, A, O, V,5 Father, Son, Holy Ghost. The triangle denotes the Trinity of the properties of the Persons, and the V on the triangle denotes the spirit in the H, viz. in the breathing, where the universal God doth manifest himself spiritually with his own proceeding forth or procession out of himself.6

1 Text, a kingdom of joy. 2 Germ. Engel. 3 Viz. the sweetness. 4 Germ. Anfang. 5 A/ A. O. V. 6 niPP 53. The other letters without the five vowels, do all proceed from the name TETRAGRAMM AT ON,1 viz. out of the centre of the eternal nature, out of the Principle; and do denote and speak forth the differences2 of the formed wisdom, viz. of the formed word in the three Principles, wherein the whole creation lieth; they are the sense of the creation, viz. the property of the powers, and the true revealed God in the word of nature. Understand this further thus : 54. When as the lubet of man, viz. the free will of man, doth con¬ ceive or form itself into a desire, then it conceiveth the whole Alphabet; for the desire is the Fiat, and the lubet to the desire, is the contemplation of the free will, viz. the formed word of wisdom, wherein the free will doth behold itself, and contemplate whereinto it will introduce the lubet of the wisdom, either into evil or good; and when the free will hath thus beheld itself, it doth conceive with the lubet in the letters, viz. in the sense of nature, and composeth the senses of the letters together, and formeth the lubet into a word; the same standeth in an internal form, viz. in a conceived thought.

55. And even then the free will taketh the H, viz. the spirit of the forth-breathing, and bringeth the formed thought before the counsel of the five senses, who behold the formed word, and prove the same, whether it be apt or not; if it doth but please them, then the H, viz. the breathing spirit, taketh the word, and brings it upon the tongue into the mouth; there is the chief framer, viz. the Fiat, which is the divine instrument, and figureth the senses of the properties out of the letters, as the free will hath set and composed them into a substance to the sounding or pronouncing, manifestation or expression. 56. Now mark and observe us here, very exactly; how every word is formed or brought in the mouth to substance,3 viz. to the ex¬ pression; how the chief worker and contriver, viz. the Fiat which is in the senses, doth shape and figure it; and how the tongue co-operates or frames itself therewith, when it takes it; and by what way it brings it forth, whether through the teeth, or above, or with open mouth; also how the tongue doth frame itself in the conjunction of the word; which sense it doth again draw back, and will not wholly cast forth, as there is many a sense which is not half put forth, but many, fully, and many again are drawn half backwards towards the heart. And now as the word was formed, so is also the thing in its form and property which is named by the word, (provided that the free will giveth it also

1 Terpayp ijxp.aTov. 2 Varieties. 3 Note, when a word is formed or expressed, it is brought to substance. a right name, and doth not impose a strange name on it, out of malice or ignorance) ; so it is externally noted, and internally in the compac¬ tion of the senses it hath such a virtue, or ill malignant property. 57. Now whosoever hath the understanding of the senses, viz. of the spirits of the letters, so that he doth understand how the senses are set or compounded in the lubet, he understands it in the framing of the word, when the same is formed or brought forth to substance; and is able to understand the sensual [natural or essential] language of the whole creation, and understands whence Adam gave names unto all things; and from whence the spirit of God hath prophesied in the Ancient. 58. This is now the ground of the head languages. When as all people spake in one language, then they understood one another. But when they would not use the natural1 genuine tongue; then the true and right understanding was put out in them; for they brought the spirits of the genuine tongue of sense into an external gross form, and framed the subtle spirit of the understanding into a gross form, and learnt to speak out of the form only ; as at this day all nations speak only from this same form of their contrived sensual tongue.

59. Now no people do any more understand the language of sense, and yet the birds in the air, and the beasts in the fields, understand it according to their property. 60. Therefore man may well think and consider, what he is deprived of, and what he shall again obtain in the new birth ; although [perhaps] not here upon the earth, yet in the spiritual world ; for in the language of sense all spirits speak one with another; they use no other language, for it is the Language of Nature. 61. Our learned ones do term themselves doctors and masters, and yet none of them understands his mother tongue. They understand no more of the spirit than the country man doth of his tool to the tillage of his ground; they use only the bare contrived form of the gross compounded words, and understand not what the word is in its sense; hence ariseth the contention and strife wherewith men contend and jangle about God and his will; men will teach what God is, and yet understand not the least of God. 62. The five holy speeches in the language of sense are God’s Word; they are his operation through the sense tongue, viz. through the properties ; as it cannot be denied that God giveth power, virtue and life to all creatures and vegetables, for his holy name is through

all. And Adam had this holy name as a proper possession, working, ruling and sensibly efficacious in his senses; and even this jewel he lost; which is now again restored and enkindled in the holy name JESUS. 63. Therefore none can with right be called a divine, or learned in the holy Scripture, much less a doctor of the same, unless that he understands the sensual tongue, and knows how the Holy Spirit hath spoken by the sensual tongue in the holy penmen of the Scripture. If he understands not the divine sense in the holy Scripture, let him not undertake to be a master over it, to censure or interpret it, he is not at all learned therein; he is only a changer of letters [a chop-logic in the Scriptures], and understands not one letter in its sense. 64. Thus understand us herein concerning the children of Noah, viz. Japheth, Shem, and Ham, and their children and grand-children. They had lost the sensual language, and had made themselves a formed contrived one; and so spake in a formed language which they themselves understood not in the true sense. Therefore God was hidden to them; for they understood no more the voice of the Holy Spirit in their language, viz. the mental tongue of the five vowels.

65. And they looked about or imagined where God should be; and supposed that he must needs be something with form, and dwelling apart from them; and seeing they could not understand anything of God upon the earth, either what, or where, he was (and yet had heard so much of God spoken by their forefathers), thereupon they thought that he must needs dwell on high above the stars, and thought them not able to reach thither; therefore they undertook to build them a tower, whose top should reach to heaven, that so they might ascend up to him. Also they would thereby make themselves a great name, that [it might be said] they had built a tower even unto heaven. 66. Such a knowledge the formed understanding had of God; as still to this day such doctors are to be found, who know and under¬ stand no more of God’s habitation and being, than these builders of the tower knew; and build in their art altogether (except the true genuine understanding ones) upon this high tower, and can never ascend up to God, and therefore they contend about the building. Every one saith how it might be built sooner and better, and yet they could never agree; for they have all built themselves even to death thereon, until the Lord sendeth a watchman, and shews them that it is

in vain; that they shall not find him on high, but that he is even among them, under the letter, and they have not known him. 67. At this we do exceedingly rejoice, that the time is born that we are lead from the Tower of Babel, and are able to see the holy God in the sensual language, Hallelujah! The Tower is broken, and fallen down at which our fathers have built themselves to death; and yet have not built it up ; the foundation thereof shall not be any more laid, while the earth standeth : saith the spirit of wonders. 68. The hidden mystery of the Tower, and the divided languages, is this: Mankind had framed the sensual language of the holy Spirit into a dumb form; and used the formed word of the human under¬ standing, only in a form, as in a contrived vessel or vehiculum; they spake only with the outward contrived vessel, and understood not the word in its own proper language of sense; they understood not that God was in the speaking Word of the understanding; as at this day the like comes to pass, and is. 69. But seeing God had, in the beginning of the creation, incor¬ porated himself with his word into man’s image, viz. into the properties of the senses, and would not be without sense, or in one only conceived form: and likewise seeing that all things do stand in growth, seeding and harvest, even now was the time of the human tree’s blooming, where the spirit of the senses did put forth itself in its properties with blossoms;

and manifested the properties through the blossoms, and out of the blossoms brought forth the fruit; and like as every blossom doth open and put forth itself at the outmost part, or highest of the stalk or branches of the tree or stock, even so the spirit [of nature] drove the children of men to the extremest height, that they also would build them a high tower, like to a high tree or tall stalk; for it would manifest its blossom, and fruits also, in the highest of the stalk; and upon the tower which they would build up unto heaven the sensual spirit opened itself with the blossom.

70. For man’s will was, that they would ascend up to God; and the God of [nature, or] sense put forth himself in the same desire and will, for they sought him only in a circumscribed [local, outward] manner; and even so he applied himself to them in a conceived form of sense, out of the contrived formed tongues and languages, wherein not¬ withstanding they were dumb and knew him not. 71. They were entered with the sense, viz. with the mental spirit,1 into nature, and nature had captivated them in the understanding. 1 Or the spirit of their mind. Therefore God also manifested himself to them with the sensual spirit in the contrived form of the tongues, out of the seventy-two pro¬ perties, through the three Principles, viz. through a threefold sensual Alphabet, according to the three worlds’ property; viz. through three times four and twenty letters ; and they brought the sensual spirit of the letters, in their contrived form, through the tongue out of each letter, through the three Principles, viz. into three properties of tongues and languages, according to the property of the Trinity of the Deity. 72. And hence arise seventy-two languages out of one only sensual tongue, wherein all speeches and languages are contained, and each tongue and language fell upon its people; according as every family of the stock of the human tree had a property out of the formed word, even such a language befell them out of their sense, viz. out of the same property of the formed word.

73. For the sense of man’s speech, that he is able to speak, doth come unto him originally out of the divine Word, which introduced itself with the Verbum Fiat into a creation. Now this Word brought forth itself through the compacted properties according to their com¬ paction, nature, kind, form and property; for so distinct and various also are the senses in the quality even in the place of this world; far otherwise in one country than in another. And even so God did like¬ wise form the languages according to the property of every land and country. 74. For seeing that people were to be dispersed into every country and climate, he opened to each people a language, according as it should be in a land; which did apply itself unto the same quality [of sense], and accord therewith; so that the quality of the country did not introduce the turba into it, if they, with the word of their voice, agreed to the sound of the formed spirit in the soul of the great world in that place. 75. For, as the manifestation of the formed word was in the spirit of the world in every place, even so the spirit of God did form, through the nature of the properties, the language and speech in every country. First the seventy-two head languages out of nature, and afterward the collateral affinities,1 proceeding from the senses of every head language; as we plainly see, that a man doth scarce find, in any place of the world, among all the head languages, one and the same sense in any head language, within the compass of fifteen or

1 Or dialects of language. eighteen miles d they alter and change almost every fifteen or eighteen miles, all according as the properties of that pole, or elevation, are: [Look] what kind of property the lubet hath in its predominant constellation, even such a property the vulgar people have in their language and speech. Of the Antichristian Babylonical Whore of all Nations, Tongues and Speeches; shewing what is contained under the Languages and Tower of Babel AN OPEN GATE OF THE MYSTERY OF THE GREAT BABYLON I. courteous reader, I desire to warn thee in love, that thou V_vwouldst not understand our sense and meaning according to partial affections, to detract, revile, or especially to contemn or despise any, as from us; much less to set upon them, in their office, function and dignities, out of passion; but we shall speak in general. Let every one prove himself; he shall indeed find the great mystery of the Babylonical tower in himself; and also the number of the false beast. Let him but read our meaning with patience, and take himself along, as to his evil innate hereditary property, under the same, as really the earthly mortal man in all men belongeth unto this text.

2. We will here write what the time hath brought forth and manifested, and if it were not manifest by man, yet the beasts should be driven to manifest the same; for the time is born,1 and nothing can hinder: The Most High accomplisheth his work. 3. Moses saith, Nimrod, Ham’s [grand-] son, began his kingdom at Babel, and was the first lord upon the earth after the flood, and was the first erector of the tower, and the city Babylon (Gen. x. 8-10). Yet we are not to understand that only Ham’s children would build the tower, but also Japheth’s and Shem’s, for they were yet all together as one people, and would build them a tower, whose top should reach even unto heaven, that they might thereby make themselves a great name (Gen. xi. 4). 4. This tower, on which the tongues were divided, and where the great city, Babel, stood, is a figure of the fallen earthly man who is entered into selfhood, and hath made the formed word of God in him unto an idol; for the nature of the tower was even this, viz. that it should there stand as a great wonder, which men had made in their

own contriving fancy, whereupon they would ascend up to God; and signifies that man hath lost the right understanding of God, and his habitation and essence. 5. Man had compacted [or framed] his understanding, through the desire of self-elevation and exaltation into the sensual tongue, and contrived or conceived the same into a selfly propriety, in which conception or comprehension the spirit of the mental tongue of the five vowels was departed from him. 6. Not that we are to conceive, that this spirit was departed from its creature; only the free will of man had, in the formed word of the consonants1 (wherein the spirit of the five vowels, viz. the unformed Spirit of God, did manifest itself) brought itself forth, as a peculiar god, out of the resignation to the unformed Spirit, into a self-fullness and self-willed weening and fancy; the type whereof was the tower, where the men of Babel would come and climb up to God in their own conceived will and thoughts. They themselves were gone forth from the Spirit of God, and would through their own power and ability take the kingdom of God to themselves in selfhood; they would enter with their own will, self-born in evil and good, into the property of God’s holiness. This denotes and declares the divided tongues, where every property had brought itself forth out of the universal sensual tongue into a selfishness and a peculiar selfly understanding, so that they did not any longer understand one another; where the under¬ standing was compacted and brought into a propriety out of and according to the three alphabets.

7. This compacted formed tongue the Holy Ghost did open on the day of Pentecost in St Peter’s sermon, where Peter, from the opened sensual tongue, spake in one language all languages; and this was also Adam’s language, whence he gave names to all creatures. 8. Thus understand us aright, what Babel and the tower of Babel doth typify and point out. The city Babel is the Ham-like man, who buildeth this city upon the earth; the tower is his self-chosen god, and divine worship. All reason-taught, from the school of this world, are the master-builders of this tower. All those who have set up them¬ selves to be teachers, and are chosen thereunto by man, without God’s spirit, they are the master-workmen at this tower, and the idol of the world, none excepted; they carve and frame altogether only stone and wood for this tower. 9. For the name Nimrod sheweth us very clearly, also in its own 1 Or speechless, dumb letters. sense of the formed word, that it is a self-contrived, formed, amassed and compacted lust, which did advance itself on high as a selfly god; the type whereof was the tower. God suffered them in their con¬ founded understanding to set forth the figure of their property, as a type of what man would be in the presence of God.

10. Now saith reason, wherefore did God suffer it to come to pass? Answer: Thus must it be; that the wonders of the wisdom in the unformed Word of the five vowels might introduce themselves, through the formed word of the three Principles, into a form or external contemplation, as a counter platform, draft, portraiture or formation. For the dark world of God’s anger was become manifest in man, whence the gross earthly property was generated, which also had wholly captivated man ; and the same did here likewise represent its image as a selfly god. 11. Now then, the tower was a type of the dark world, where man would behold God in the dark selfhood; and denotes the earthly man, who standeth in God’s sight as this tower, and is an image and resemblance of divine contemplation1 according to evil and good, as a painted life; for the true human life was the formed life, which became, in own-desire to selfhood, such an image, before God, as this tower. 12. All men, even from Adam, who have taught of God, without [having] the divine vision of the spirit of God in them, they have all spoken and taught from this tower of the confounded tongues. And even hence hath the strife arisen about God, and his will and essence; so that man hath in selfhood contended and jangled about God. One hath said, they must bring bricks to the building of the tower, another stone, a third lime, a fourth wood, water, or other needful materials;

and their chief masterbuilders have been manifold, every one according to the property of his own tongue: every one hath desired to build the tower upon his own foundation and proper ground; one hath had, in the property of his country and climate, stone for the building thereof, another lime, the third chalk or clay, the fourth wood; and every one hath thought good to build the tower alone for himself, out of the material of his own property, for a great wonder, that all the world might look and behold that which he hath built.

13. And then, when people of other countries have seen what that hath built, then they have contemned it, and said, that the property of the material of their country hath been better for the erecting the 1 Or God’s contemplation. tower; and have begun to reject it, and to build the tower for them¬ selves, and praised that also; which likewise hath again been despised of others, who have accounted the material of their country better, so long till they have fallen quite out, in pride and contention, and have left off from the tower, and have fallen upon one another, and persecuted, slain and murdered one another about the knowledge of the tower of Babel; and that party which hath then got the victory, that hath again built the tower out of its own property; till other people have also risen up and accounted their own matter and stuff for the best. 14. For the speeches of the understanding were confounded and divided, therefore the people neither knew nor understood one another’s property; and each people or nation hath supposed and looked upon the other to be strange in the power of the understanding in the formed word; from whence the contempt of religion, viz. of the knowledge and confession of the word hath arisen; for the sensual [intelligible] tongue was compacted according to the multiplicity of the properties.

15. And thus the wrath of the eternal nature (and also the prince who dwells therein, viz. the devil in his legions) doth satiate and recreate itself in the strife and contention of man in the compacted word of the tongues; and thus the Antichrist, who is the tower of Babel, viz. the self-will of the Ham-like man, domineereth in the temple of God, and there hath set himself up in the place of the Holy Spirit. 16. For the temple of God is the formed word of the human lan¬ guages and tongues in man’s understanding; as it is written, The word is nigh thee, namely in thy mouth and heart (Rom. x. 8); and the seat and habitation of the opposite adverse devil is the monstrous property out of the dark world. 17. In this formed word of divine understanding, the Antichrist, viz. the will of self out of the properties of nature, hath set up and established himself, and pranketh and set forth himself with his property of nature, as if he were God, and yet he is the condemned accursed son chosen to death, which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, for he was not made a creature out of God’s will but out of the will of self; as the devil, who was an angel, yet became a devil from the will of the dark world which advanced itself in him.

18. The like also we are to understand concerning the Anti¬ christian Babylonical beast of reason’s self-will, which termeth itself divine, and is only a monster of the true man which died in Adam to the holy image of God’s spiritual world, and shall and must be born anew in the Word, which did again manifest itself in the human property in Christ; or else it cannot see the holy Word, viz. the un¬ formed divine Word of power. 19. This same holy Word must again enter into the compacted sensual tongue, and bruise the same, so that the whole and perfect understanding of all tongues may be again manifest in one; as Christ said of the corner-stone that it should be a rock of offence; upon whomsoever it should fall, him it should bruise (Rom. ix. 33; I Pet. ii. 8). 20. Thus understand us now what the Antichrist or the Babylonical whore with the dragon-beast is, as may be seen in the Revela¬ tion : Every man which is not born again of God hath the mark of the beast and the false whore in him. 21. The beast is the animal [natural] earthly Ham-like man, who is from the limus of the earth, according to the earth’s grossness and malignant malice, which ariseth out of the dark world, and standeth in the curse of God. This beast did arise in Adam and Eve, when they did imagine after evil and good; and came into its self-fullness, away from the divine power and will; and is before God only as a beast. This beast, the devil hath infected with his desire, and made it wholly monstrous, and insinuated his desire thereinto, so that it only lusteth after vanity, as a cow doth after grass.

22. But the whore of the beast is the poor soul, captivated in vanity; which soul had its rise in the formed Word of the three Principles, which was God’s image; but now, by the lust of the beast, it hath begotten to itself an own self-will, which is departed from God into selfhood, as a self-willed, self-born creature, which doth what it pleaseth, and not what God’s spirit willeth. This self-will, revolted and apostatized from God, is the whore of the beast, which whoreth with itself in the pride of selfhood. 23. But now the poor captive soul lieth in this gross beast, and is captivated in its own self-born will, viz. in the whore, and longeth after God, from whom it proceeded and was inspired into the created image; and looketh about on all sides, where its true native home of rest should be, and it findeth that it is clothed and covered with this whore; and then it bringeth its desire into this whore’s will, and seeketh the place of God for rest; and then the whore’s will taketh the poor captivated soul’s desire into itself, and thereby doth exalt and set up itself; it persuades itself that it, in the soul’s desire, is the fair child of God which shall possess heaven, and gives out that it is holy, and sets forth itself as a god, which men must honour and adore.

24. And seeing this bastard, viz. the false will of selfhood, cannot see or behold the place of God, either what or where God is, then the false will goeth on in the way of its property, and betakes itself unto, and appropriates to itself, the manifested word of the letter, viz. the formed voice of God’s children, who spake from the living Word, and setteth its contrived form of its own conceived ens into the literal word, and clothes itself externally with the literal word, standeth forth with boldness and self-achieved confidence, and saith, Here is the place of God; here is heaven; here is God manifest. But it is only a bastard, and is predestinated1 to condemnation; for God hath not created it; but it was born and brought forth out of the lust of the soul, when it did turn its face from God into the centre, and would taste and prove evil and good. 25. This harlot’s brat sitteth upon the bestial monstrous man, and rideth upon him as upon its horse, and is half devil, and half brute beast, which shall and must die, or else the soul will not be redeemed so as to see the face of God again.

26. This whore hath taken its power and understanding out of nature, viz. out of the compaction of evil and good, that is, out of the dark and outward world, and hath swallowed up [or availed] the precious image of God in itself, which, after God, was created out of the heavenly ens. 27. Here is the swineherd, as Christ said, who had consumed his father’s inheritance with the swine. He meaneth the poor soul, which hath devoured, spent and consumed its heavenly goods in the heavenly ens with this whore of the evil self devilish- will ; so that it standeth in God’s sight as a tattered patched swineherd, and keepeth the fruit of the evil whore, viz. of the devil’s fatted swine upon the earth, which are the wicked ones in their fruits. 28. Thus we understand what the Antichristian Babylonical whore in man is, which hath arisen out of the divided properties, viz. out of Adam, in whom the properties departed out of their mutual and equal accord, each into its own desire and lust to selfness, whereby Adam became earthly and mortal; out of whom afterwards the tree of the multiplicity of tongues and speeches did arise out of one only tongue.

1 Note. — Predestination. 29. Now know this: that the multitudes or variety of faiths are generated out of the divided tongues; so that almost every nation hath brought itself into sundry, several and peculiar opinions of God’s being and essence, and therein consists the confusion, viz. the mystery of the great Babylon; concerning which the spirit of God did prophesy and declare out of the prophetical root, both out of the line of Christ, how Christ should come to restore and remedy the poor captive soul, and regenerate its right true life, and also out of the turba magna, how this beast, together with the whore, should be cast from the face of God into the fiery furnace. 30. With this whore of self, all the false spiritual ones1 [or priest¬ hood] have clothed themselves; who set up themselves to be teachers of the mystery of God’s kingdom, without God’s spirit. Outwardly they have covered themselves with the prophetical and Apostolical word, and pleaded the testimony of the Bible. But they have intro¬ duced their own sense out of the whore’s ens thereinto, and have hung, in their heart, to the Babylonical fleshly whore, and have not understood the prophetical and Apostolical tongue [in its sense].