A description of the three principles of the divine essence viz., of the un-originall eternall birth of the Holy Trinity of God ... : of man, of what he was created and to what end, and how he fell from his first glory into the angry wrathfulnesse ... : what the anger of God, sinne, death the Devill, and hell are ... / written in the German language, anno 1619, by Jacob Beme.

The Noble and most pretious Gate [or exposition] concerning the reasonable Soule.

1 NO Money, nor Goods, nor Art, nor Power, can bring you to the eternall rest of the eternall soft meeknesse of Paradise; but onely the noble Knowledge: into that you may wrap up your soule: that is the Pearle which no Moath can eat, nor Thiefe can steale away; therefore seek after it, and then you will finde the noble Treasure.

2 Our wit [skill and understanding] is so very hard a knit up, that

we have no more any knowledge of Paradise at all; and except we be again born anew by water and the holy Ghost, the veile of Moses lyeth continually before our eyes when we read his writings; and we sup∣pose that was Paradise whereof Moses sayd: GOD placed b him in the Garden of Eden which hee had planted, that he might till it.

3 O beloved Man, that is not Paradise, neither doth Moses say so: but that was the Garden in Eden, where they were tempted; the exposition whereof you may finde, about the fall of Adam. The Pa∣radise is the Divine joy; and that was in their minde, when they were [standing] in the love of God: But when disobedience en∣tred, they were driven out, and saw that they were naked: for at that instant the spirit of the world caught them, in which there was meere anguish, necessity, turmoyle and misery, and in the end cor∣ruptibility and death. Therefore it was of c necessity that the eternall World did become flesh, and bring them into the Paradisicall rest a∣gain: whereof you shall finde [the exposition] in its due place, about the fall of Adam.

4 Paradise hath another Principle: for it is the Divine and Ange∣licall joy, yet not without the d place of this world. Indeed it is with∣out the vertue and source [or active property] of it; neither can the spirit of this world comprehend it, much lesse a creature: for it stand∣eth not in the anguishing e birth; and although it thus taketh its ori∣ginall, yet it consisteth in exact perfection, meere love, joy and mirth; wherein there is no feare, neither misery nor death: no Devill can touch it, nor no beast can f reach it.

5 But when we will speak of the source [or fountain] and joy of Paradise, and of its highest substance; what it is: we have no similitude of it in this world, we stand in need of Angelicall tongues and know∣ledge to expresse it; and though we had them, yet we could not expresse it with this tongue: it is well understood in the minde, when the soule rideth in the Chariot of the Bride, but we cannot ex∣presse it with the tongue; yet we will not cast away the g A. B. C. but tattle [or stammer] with the children, till another mouth be given us to speak withall.

6 When God had created the Beasts, he brought them to Adam, that he should give them their names, every one according to their essence and kinde, as they [the beasts] were qualified, [or according to the quality and condition they were of.] Now Adam was in the Garden of Eden in Hebron, and also in Paradise at once, yet no beast can come into Paradise: for it is the Divine h joy, wherein there is no unclean thing, also no death or corruptible [or transitory] life: i much lesse is there the knowledge of Good and Evill; yet Moses writeth of it, that in the Garden of Eden there was the tree of temp∣tation,

which bare the knowledge of Good and evill; which indeed was no other Tree, than like the Trees we now eate of, in the k cor∣ruptibility: neither was it any other Garden, than such as wee now have, wherein earthly fruit (Good and Evill) grow; as is before our eyes.

7. But the Paradise is somewhat else; and yet no other place, but another Principle, where God and the Angels dwell, and where there is perfection, where there is meere love, joy, and knowledge; where no misery is: which [Paradise] neither death nor the Devils doe touch, neither doe they know it: and yet it hath no wall of earth or stones about it, but there is a great Gulfe [or cliffe] between Para∣dise and this world, so that they who will passe from hence thither, cannot; and they who would come from thence to us, cannot neither: and the Hell and the kingdome of darknesse is between them: and none can come therein but by a new Birth: which Christ spake of to Nicodemus. The soules of the Saints [holy] and regenerate, must en∣ter into it (by the death of Darknesse,) whom the Arch-Shepherd, with the Angels, bringeth thereinto upon his l Bride-chariot: of which you shall finde [an exposition] in its proper place in order.

8. But seeing somewhat is lent mee, from the grace of the power [or Divine vertue] of God, that I might know the way to Paradise: and seeing it behooveth every one, to work the works of God, in which he standeth; of which God will require an account from every one, what he hath done in the labour of his dayes work in this world; and will require the work (which he gave every one to doe) with en∣crease; and will not have them empty; or else he will have that un∣profitable servant to be bound hand and foot, and cast into Dark∣nesse; where he must be faine to worke, yet in the anguish, and in the forgetting of the Day-labour which was given him to doe here [or of the Talent which he had received here] wherein he was found an unprofitable servant.

9. Therefore I will not neglect my Day labour; but will labour as much as I can on the way; and although I shall scarce be able to m tell the Letters, in this so high a way; yet it shall be so high, that many will have enough to learne in it all their life long: he that sup∣poseth that he knoweth it very well; he hath not yet learnt the first letter of Paradise; for no Doctors are to be found on this way in this Schoole; but onely n schollers [or learners.]

10. Therefore let not my Master of Art (in his o Hood and Tippet) thinke himselfe so cunning in this matter; nor powre out his mock∣ings so presumptuously [against the children of God]: for so long as he is a scorner [or mocker] he knoweth nothing of this; he ought not to thinke, his cap doth become him so finely; nor ought he to boast of his humane calling; as if he did sit in his calling by p the Or∣dinance

of God, whereas he is not set or confirmed therein from God, but by the favour of man. He ought not so much to prohibit [and forbid] the way to Paradise, which himselfe doth not know; He must one day give a heavy account of his q Ordination by the favour of man: because he boasteth of a Divine calling, and yet the Spirit of God is far from him, therefore he is a lyar, and belyeth the Deity.

11. Therefore let every one take care what he doth: I say againe; that whosoever he be that intrudeth himselfe to be a Pastour [or r Shepherd] without the Divine Calling, without the knowledge of God, he is a theefe and a murtherer, he entreth not through the doore into Paradise, but he creepeth in with the dogges and the wolves, into the den of theeves, and he doth it but for his bellies sake, and his own honour [and esteeme:] he is no Pastour [or Shepheard] but he dependeth on the great Whore, upon Antichrist: and yet he supposeth that he is a Pastour [or Shepherd;] but he is not knowne in Paradise.

12. Christ teacheth us and warneth us faithfully of the Times that were to come, wherein they shall say; Loe here is Christ, or, Loe there he is: he is in the wildernesse: he is in the chamber: goe not forth, beleeve it not: for as the lightening breaketh forth in the East, and shineth to the West, so will the coming of the Son of man be.

13. Therefore O childe of Man, see whether it be not so; where the false Pastours [or Shepherds] without the Divine calling, alwayes wrangle, [strive, contend, and dispute]; and every one of them saith, s Follow me, here is Christ, there is Christ, and they one judge [and condemne] another; and give one another over to the Devill: they abandon unity, and forsake the love wherein the Spirit of God is t generated: and cause bitternesse, and lead astray the simple plaine people, to think that Christ is such a wrangling Shepherd [Pastour, Priest, or Minister] and doth so grapple with his u Opponents, in rai∣sing warre and murther, as they doe; and that the Spirit of God must needs be in such doings [which are accounted zeale for God]; and that this must be the way to Paradise.

14. Christ said;

Love one another, thereby shall men know that yee are my Disciples: if any smite thee on one cheeke, turne to him the other cheeke also; if you be persecuted for my Names sake, then rejoyce, for your reward is great in the Kingdome of Hea∣ven:

But now there is nothing taught but meere ignominy [re∣proach, and revilings]: they that are dead for many hundred yeares agoe, and are in the Judgement of God, and some also may be in Pa∣radise: these must be judged, and condemned, and cursed by the wrangling Shepherds [or contentious Priests]: Doth the Holy Ghost speake by them, as they cry out, and say he doth; whereas they are still full of gall and bitternesse, and nothing but covetousnesse and ven∣geance

is kindled in them, and they are far from the way of Para∣dise?

15. Therefore thou childe of Man, take heed, let not your eares be tickled: When you heare the false Shepherds [or Pastours] judge and condemne the children of Christ: that is not the voice of Christ, but of Antichrist; the way to Paradise hath cleane another entrance; your heart must with all your power and strength be directed to God [or Goodnesse]: and as God desireth that all men should be saved, so his will is that we should help to beare one anothers burthen [and beare with one another] and friendly, soberly, and modestly meet one another with entreaties in the Holy Ghost, and seek with earnestnesse the [salvation] and welfare of our neighbour in humility, and wish heartily that he might be freed from vanity, and enter with us into the x Garden of Roses.

16. The knowledge that is in the infinite God, is various and mani∣fold, but every one should rejoyce in the gifts and knowledge of ano∣ther, and consider, that God will give such superabundant knowledge in the Paradisicall world, of which wee have here (in the variety and difference of Gifts) but a Type. Therefore we must not wrangle nor contend, about Gifts and knowledge; for the Spirit giveth to every one according to his Essence in the wonderfull God, to expresse that [Gift he hath] after his own forme [or manner]; for that [forme] in the perfection of love in Paradise, will be a very inward hearty sport of love; where every one shall speake from his knowledge, of the great wonders of the y holy Birth.

17. O, what z sharp thornes the Devill hath brought into the sport of love, that we practise such proud contention in the noble know∣ledge, in so much that men binde up the Holy Ghost with Lawes! What are Lawes in the Kingdome of Christ, who hath made us free, that we should walke in him in the Holy Ghost? To what purpose are they invented, but for the pleasure of Antichrist, who thereby doth strut in might and pomp, and is God on Earth? O flie from him thou childe of Man, the time is come for us to awake from the sleepe of Antichrist. Christ cometh with the faire Lilly out of Paradise in the valley of Jehosaphat: it is time for them to trim their Lamps that will goe to the Marriage [of the Lamb].

Notes

• a

  Cold, frozen, or shut up.
• b

  Adam.
• c

  Needfull.
• d

  Extra locum.
• e

  Operation.
• f

  Or, attain it.
• g

  That little which wee can expresse of it.
• h

  Or, habitati∣on, or refresh∣ment:
• i

  Therefore the garden of Eden is not Paradise.
• k

  Or, In the transitory body.
• l

  Note, the Bride-Chariot is the true Re∣signation into the bosome of the Father.
• m

  Much lesse to spell or reade.
• My labour.
• n

  Children go∣ing to schoole.
• o

  Or, Crowned Hat.
• p

  By holy Or∣ders, Divine institution, or Divine Right.
• q

  Or, instituti∣on.
• r

  Or, Minister.
• s

  Or, come and resort to me.
• t

  Acteth or worketh.
• u

  The adverse party.
• x

  Into the sweet smelling pleasant peace∣fulnesse.
• y

  The holy Pa∣radisicall bringing forth.
• z

  Bitter envie.