Jacob Boehme's Aurora
Chapter 9: Of the Gracious, amiable, blessed, friendly and merciful Love of God. The Great, Heavenly and Divine Mystery.
Because I write here of Heavenly and Divine Things, which are altogether strange to the corrupted perished Nature of Man, the Reader doubtless will wonder at the Simplicity of the Author, and be offended at it.
Because the Condition and Inclination of the corrupted Nature is, to gaze only on high Things, like a proud, wild, wanton and colorish Woman, who always gazes in her Heat or burning Lust after handsome Men, to act Wantonnes with them.
Thus also is the proud, corrupted, perished Nature of Man, it stares only upon that which is glittering and in Fashion in this World, and supposes that God has forgotten the Afflicted, and therefore he plagues them so, because he minds them not.
Corrupt Nature imagines that the Holy Ghost regards only high Things, the high Arts and Sciences of this World, the profound Studies and great Learning.
But whether it is so, or no, look but back, and then you will find the true Ground. What was Abel? A Shepherd. What were Enoch and Noah? Plain simple Men. What were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Herdsmen.
What was Moses, that dear Man of God? A Herdsman. What was David, when the Mouth of the Lord called him? A Shepherd.
What were the Great and Small Prophets? Vulgar plain and mean People: Some of them but Country People and Herdsmen, counted the Underlings or Footstools of the World: Men counted them but mere Fools. And
though they did Miracles and Wonders, and showed great Signs, yet the World gazed only on high Things, and the Holy Ghost must be as the Dust under their Feet: For the proud Devil always endeavoured to be King in this World. And
how came Our King JESUS CHRIST into this World? Poor and in great Trouble and Misery, and had not whereon to lay his Head. [Matth. 8.20.]
What were his Apostles? Poor, despised, illiterate Fishermen. And what were they that believed their Preaching? The poorer and meaner Sort of the People. The High Priests and Scribes were the Executioners of Christ, who cried out, Crucify him. [Luke 23.21.]
What were they that in all Ages of the Church of Christ stood to it most stoutly and constantly? The poor, contemptible, despised People, who shed their Blood for the Sake of Christ.
But who were they that falsified and adulterated the right pure Christian Doctrine, and always fought against and opposed it? Even the learned Doctors and Scribes, Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, and great Men, or Masters and Teachers. And why did the World follow after them, and depend on them? But because they had great Respect, were in great Authority and Power; lived stately, and carried a Port in the World; even such a proud Whore, is the corrupt, perished, human Nature.
Who was it that purged the Pope's Greediness of Money, his Idolatry, Bribery, Deceit and Cheating, out of the Churches in Germany? A poor despised Monk or Friar. By what Power and Might? By the Power of God the Father, and the Power and Might of God the Holy Ghost.
Question.
Then what is yet concealed or remains hidden, the true Doctrine of Christ?
Answer.
No; but the Philosophy, and the deep Ground of God; the heavenly delightful Habitation and Pleasure; the Revelation of the Creation of Angels; the Revelation of the horrible Fall of the Devil, from whence Evil proceeds; the Creation of this World; the deep Ground and Mystery of Man, and of all Creatures in this World; the last Judgment, and Change of this World; the Mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead; and of eternal Life.
This shall arise in the Depth, in great Plainness and Simplicity. But why not in the Height in Art? That no Man should dare to boast, that he himself has done it, and that hereby the Devil’s Pride should be discovered and brought to nothing.
But why does God do? Of his great Love and Mercy towards all People and all Nations, and to show hereby that now is near at Hand, the Time of the Restitution of all, whosoever is lost, wherein Men shall behold and enjoy the Perfection, and move in the pure Light and Deep Knowledge of God. [Parm-hertz- ig-keit.]
Therefore beforehand will arise the Dawning of the Day, or Morning Redness, whereby the Day may be known or taken Notice of.
He that will now sleep, let him sleep still; and he that will awake and trim his Lamp, let him awake still: Behold the Bridegroom cometh, and he that is awake and is ready, accompanieth into the eternal heavenly Wedding: But he that sleeps at his coming, he sleeps for ever eternally in the dark Prison of Fierceness or Wrath.
Therefore I would have the Reader warned, that he read this Book with Diligence, and not be offended at the Meanness or Simplicity of the Author, for God looks not at high Things, for He alone is High: But he cares for the Lowly, how to help them.
If you come so far, as to apprehend the Spirit and Sense of the Author, then you will need no Admonition, but will rejoice and be glad in this Light, and thy Soul will laugh and triumph therein.
Now observe, The gracious, amiable, blessed Love, which is the fifth Fountain-spirit, in the divine Power, is the hidden Source, Fountain, or Quality, which the corporeal Being cannot comprehend or apprehend, but only when it rises up in the Body, and then the Body triumphs therein, and behaves itself friendly, lovely, and courteously; for that Quality or Spirit belongs not to the imaging or framing of a Body, but rises up in the Body, as a Flower springs up out of the Earth.
Understand this, how it is, and observe it exactly.
First there is the astringent Quality, then the Sweet, next, the Bitter: The Sweet is in the Midst between the Astringent and Bitter. Now the Astringent causes Things to be hard, cold, and dark; and the Bitter tears, drives, rages, and divides or distinguishes. These two Qualities rub and drive one another to hard, and move so eagerly, that they generate the Heat, which now in these two Qualities is dark, even as Heat in a Stone is.
As when a Man takes a Stone, or any hard Thing, and rubs it against Wood, these two Things are heated: Now this Heat is but a Darkness, having no Light therein: And so it is also in the Divine Power.
Now the astringent and bitter Quality, without the sweet Water, rub and drive themselves so hard one against another, that they generate the dark Heat, and so are kindled in themselves.
And this together is the Wrath or Anger of God, the Source and Original of the hellish Fire. As we see by Lucifer, who elevated and compressed himself so hard together, with his Legions, that the sweet Fountain-water in him was dried up, wherein the Light hides, and wherein the Love rises up.
Therefore now he is eternally, an astringent, hard, cold, bitter, hot, and sour stinking Fountain-source: For when the sweet Quality in him was dried up, it became a sour Stink, a Valley of Misery, and a House of Perdition and Woe.
Now further into the Depth.
When the astringent and bitter Quality rub themselves so hard one upon another, that they generate Heat, and now the sweet Quality, the sweet Fountain-water, is therein in the Midst or Center between the astringent and bitter Quality, and the Heat becomes generated between the astringent and bitter Quality, in the sweet Fountain-water, through the astringent and bitter Quality;
there the Light kindles in the Heat in the sweet Fountain-water, and this is the Beginning of Life: For the astringent and bitter Qualities are the Beginning and Cause of the Heat and of the Light, and thus the sweet Fountain-water becomes a shining Light, like the blue or azure Light of Heaven.
And that bright Light Fountain-water kindles the astringent and bitter Quality, and the Heat, which is generated by the astringent and bitter Quality in the sweet Water, rises up out of the sweet Fountain-water through the astringent and bitter Quality, and in the astringent and bitter Quality the Light first then becomes dry and shining, as also moveable and triumphing.
And when the Light rises up out of the sweet Fountain-water in the Heat, in the astringent and bitter Quality, then the bitter and astringent Quality tastes the Light and sweet Water, and the bitter Quality catches the Taste of the sweet Water, and in the sweet Water is the Light, but only of a Sky-colour, or Azure, which is blue.
And then the bitter Quality trembles, and dissolves the Hardness in the astringent Quality, the Light becomes dry in the astringent, and shines clear, much brighter than the Light of the Sun.
In this rising up, the astringent Quality becomes meek, light, thin, or transparent, and pleasant or lovely, and obtains its Life, whose Original rises up out of the Heat in the sweet Water, and this now is the true Fountain or Well-spring of Love.
Observe this in the deep Sense.
[Observe this in the deep Sense.]
How should Love and Joy not be there, where Life is generated in the very Center or Midst of Death, and Light in the Midst of Darkness?
Question.
Thou askest, How comes that to pass?
Answer.
If my Spirit indeed did sit in thy Heart, and spring up in thy Heart, then thy Body would find, feel, and apprehend it.
But otherwise I cannot bring it into thy Sense, neither canst thou apprehend or understand it, unless the Holy Ghost kindles thy Soul, so that this Light itself shine in thy Heart. And
then will this Light itself be generated in thee, as in God, and rise up in the astringent and bitter Quality, in thy sweet Water, and triumph, as in God: Now when this is done, then you will first understand my Book, and not before.
Observe,
[Observe,]
When the Light is generated in the bitter Quality; that is, when the bitter and dry Fountain-sources catch the sweet Fountain-water of Life, and drink it, then the bitter Spirit becomes living in the astringent Spirit, and the astringent Spirit, which is as a Spirit impregnated with Child, is impregnated with Life, and must continually generate the Life.
For the sweet Water, and the Light in the sweet Water, rise up continually in the astringent Quality, and the bitter Quality triumphs continually therein, and so there is nothing else but mere Laughing, and Joy, and mere exiling in Love.
first, because in the sweet Water the Spirit of Light is generated, and imbibes or gives Drink to the astringent, hard and cold Qualities; also it enlightens them, and warms them; for in Water, Light, and Heat, the Life consists. And
secondly, the astringent Quality loves the bitter, because the bitter Quality in the sweet Water, that is, in Water, Heat and Light, triumphs in the astringent Quality, and makes the astringent moveable or stirring, wherein the astringent also can triumph. And
thirdly, the astringent Quality loves the Heat, because in the Heat the Light is generated, whereby the astringent Quality is enlightened and warmed.
first, because it dries up the astringent, that it becomes not thin or dim like the elementary Water, and that its Quality consists in Power, and because that in the astringent Quality the Light, which is generated therein, becomes shining and dry.
Besides, the astringent Quality is a Cause of the Heat, which is generated in the sweet Water, wherein the sweet Water rises up, and wherein the sweet Water stands in great Clarity, Brightness, or Glory. And
secondly, the sweet Quality also loves the bitter, because it is a Cause of the Heat, and also because the bitter Spirit triumphs and trembles in the sweet Water, Heat, and Light, and so makes the sweet Water moveable or stirring, and living. And
thirdly, the sweet Quality loves Heat exceedingly, and so very much, that I cannot compare it to any Thing; but you may take this for a Similitude, though it comes very short of it: Suppose two young People of a noble Complexion, the being kindled in the Heat and Fervour of burning Love one to another, there is such a Fire as this; so that if they could creep into the Bodies and Hearts one of another, or transmute themselves into one Body, they would do it. [Similitude]
But this earthly Love is only cold Water, and is not true Fire: A Man cannot find any full Similitude of it in this half-dead World; only the Resurrection of the Dead at the last Day, is a perfect Similitude in all Divine Things, which receive the true Love-fire. [Divine Things] [half-dead World]
But the sweet Quality does thus love the Heat, because it generates therein the Light-spirit, which is the Spirit of Life. For Life exists in the Heat, for if the Heat was not, all would be a dark Valley: Now so dear as the Life is, so dear is also the Heat to the sweet Spirit, and the Light in the Heat. [Life exists in the Heat]
And the bitter Quality also loves all the other Fountain-spirits. And first the Sweet. For in the sweet Water the bitter Spirit is refreshed, and therein it quenches its great Thirst; and its Bitterness is therein mitigated; also it obtains its Light-like therein: In the astringent it has its Body, wherein it triumphs, cools and mitigates itself; and in the Heat it has its Power and Strength, wherein its Joy stands. [quenches its Thirst]
And the hot Quality also loves all the other Qualities, and the Love is so great therein towards, and in the other, that it cannot be likened to any Thing, for it is generated from and out of the other.
The astringent and bitter Qualities are the Father of the Heat, and the sweet Fountain-water is its Mother, which conceives, retains, and generates it: For the Heat exists through the astringent and bitter hard Driving, which rises up in the sweet Quality, as in Wood or Fuel.
Wilt thou not believe this? Then open thy Eyes, and go to a Tree, look upon it, and bethink thyself; there you see first the cubic Tree, take a Knife and cur- God in it, and taste how it is; then you first taste the astringent, harsh, choaky Quality, which draws your Tongue together, and that also draws and holds together all the Powers of the Tree.
Then you taste the bitter Quality, which makes the Tree moveable or stirring, so that it springs and grows green and flourishes, and so gets its Branches, Leaves, and Fruit.
After that you taste the sweet, which is very gentle and sharp; for it gets the Sharpness from the astringent and bitter Quality. [Sharpness]
Now these three Qualities would be dark and deep, if the Heat was not therein: But as soon as the Spring Time comes, that the Sun with its Beams supplies and warms the Earth, the Spirit becomes living by the Heat in the Tree, and the Spirits of the Tree begin to grow green, flourish, and blossom. [Spring Time]
For the Spirit rises up in the Heat; and all the Spirits rejoice therein, and so there is a hearty Love between them.
But the Heat is generated through the Power and Impulse of the astringent and bitter Qualities in the sweet Water.
But they must use the Heat of the Sun to their kindling, because the Qualities in this World are half dead, and are too weak; of which King Lucifer was the cause, which you will find, as follows hereafter, concerning his Fall, and concerning the Creation of this World.
Of the friendly Love, gracious, amiable Blessedness, and Unity, of the Five Qualifying or Fountain-Spirits of God.
[in this World]
Though it be impossible for the Hands of Men to describe this sufficiently, yet the enlightened Spirit of Man sees it; for it rises up just in such a Form and Birth, as the Light in the Divine Power, and also in the Qualities which are in God. [enlightened]
Only this is to be lamented concerning Man, that his Qualities are corrupted, perished, and half Dead, and therefore it is that Man's Spirit, or his Qualities, rising, or kindling in this World, can come or attain to no Perfection.
On the other hand, again it is highly to be rejoiced at, that Man's Spirit, in his Necessity becomes enlightened and kindled by the Holy Ghost: As the Sun kindles the cold Heat, in a Tree or Herb, whereby the cold chilled Heat becomes living.
Now observe,
[enlightened]
As the Members of Man's Body love one another, so do the Spirits also in the Divine Power; there is nothing else but a mere longing, desiring, and well liking Acceptation, as also a triumphing and rejoicing the one in the other: For through these Spirits come the Understanding and Distinction in God, in Angels, Men, Beasts, and Fowls, and in every Thing that lives. [triumphing]
For in these Five Qualities rise up the Seeing, Smelling, Tasting and Feeling, and so a Rational Spirit comes to be. As
when the sweet Spring or Fountain-water rises up in the Light, through all the Spirits, then the one tastes the other, and then the Spirits become living, and the Power of Life penetrates through all. And
in that Power the one smells the other; and through this qualifying Influence and Penetration, the one feels the other. [Influence] And And
so there is nothing else but a hearty, loving and friendly Aspect or Seeing, curious Smelling, a good Relishing or Tasting and lovely Feeling, a gracious, amiable, blessed Kissing, a Feeding upon and Drinking of one another, and lovely Walking and Conversing together.
This is the gracious, amiable, blessed BRIDE, which rejoices in her BRIDEGROOM; herein is Love, Joy and Delight, here is Light and Brightness or Clarity, here is a pleasant and lovely Smell, here is a friendly and sweet Taste.
And this for ever without End! How can a Creature sufficiently rejoice therein? O dear love and gracious amiable Blessedness! Surely thou hast no End. No Man can see any End in thee, thy profound Deep is unsearchable, thou art every where all over thus; only in the fierce Devil thou art not thus, they have spoiled, and perished thee in themselves.
Question.
Now thou wilt say; where then are these gracious, amiable and blessed Spirits to be met with? Do they dwell only in themselves in Heaven?
Answer.
This is the other open Gate of the Deity, here thou must set thy Eyes wide open, and rouze up or awaken the Spirit in thy half dead Heart: For this is not an obscure Fiction, Contrivance or Fancy.
Observe,
The seven Spirits of God contain or comprehend in their Circumference, and Space, Heaven and this World; also the wide Breadth and Depth without and beyond the Heavens, even above and beneath the World, and in the World, yea the whole Father, which has neither Beginning nor End.
They contain also all the Creatures both in Heaven and in this World; and all the Creatures in Heaven and in this World are imaged, fashioned or framed out of these Spirits, and live in them as in their own Propriety. And
their Life and Reason is generated in them, in such a Manner, as the Divine Being is generated, and also in the same Power. And
out of and from the same Body of the seven Spirits of God, are all Things made and produced, all Angels, all Devils, the Heaven, the Earth, the Stars, the Elements, Men, Beasts, Fowls, Fishes; all Worms, Wood, Trees, also Stones, Herbs and Grass, and all whatsoever is.
Now thou wilt ask,
Question.
Seeing God is every where, and is himself All, how comes it then that there is in this World, such Cold and Heat, such Biting and Striking among all Creatures, and that there is nothing else almost but mere Fierceness or Wrath in this World?
Answer.
"
The Cause is, that the first four Forms of Nature, are one at Enmity against the other without the Light; and yet they are the Causes of Life."
Behold here the Wickedness and Malice which is the Cause; viz. when King Lucifer did sit in his Kingdom, like a high-minded proud Bride, then his Circuit, Circle or Orb contained or comprehended the Place or Space where now the created Heaven is, which is made out of the Water;
and the Place also of the created World, even unto Heaven, as also the Deep where now the Earth is; that was all a pure and holy Saltier, wherein the seven Spirits of God were compleat and pleasant, as now in Heaven, although they are still compleat and full in this World. But observe the Circumstances rightly.
When King Lucifer elevated himself, then he elevated himself in the seven qualifying Fountain-spirits, and kindled them with his Elevation, so that all was wholly burning, and the astringent Quality was so hard and compact, that it generated Stones; and it was so cold, that it made the sweet Spring or Fountain-water turn to Ice.
And the sweet spring Water became very thick, and stinking, and brittle, as in many Pieces: and the bitter Quality became very raging, tearing and raving, whence Poison arose aloft, and the Fire or Heat was violently and zealously, or fervently burning and consuming, and so there was a very great Distemper and confused Mixture.
Upon this King Lucifer was thrust out of his Royal Place, or Kingly Throne which he had in that Place, where now the created Heaven is, and thereupon instantly ensued the Creation of this World.
And the hard, spoiled or corrupt Matter, which had wrought forth itself in the kindled seven qualifying or Fountain-spirits, was driven together, from whence the Earth and Stones came to be, and after that, all the Creatures were created out of the kindled Saltiter of the seven Spirits of God. [which were made out of]
Now the qualifying or fountain Spirits became so fierce and wrathful in their Kindling, that the one continually spoils the other with its evil corrupt Quality or Source, and so also now do the Creatures, which were made out of the qualifying or fountain Spirits, and live in the same Impulse, the one biting, beating, worrying and annoying the other, all according to the Kind or Disposition of the Qualities.
Upon this now the Total or Universal God has decreed the left Judgment, wherein he will separate the Evil from the Good, and let the Good again in the meek, mild and pleasant Delight, as it was before the horrible Kindling of the Devil, and will give that which is fierce or wrathful to King Lucifer for an everlasting Habitation.
And then there will be two Parts or Divisions of this Kingdom, the one Men will get, with their King JESUS CHRIST; the other the Devils shall have with all ungodly Men and Wickedness.
This is a short Introduction, that the Reader might the better understand the Divine Mystery; concerning the Fall of the Devil, and concerning the Creation of this World, you will find all more at large particularly described. Therefore I would have the Reader admonished, that he reads all in Order, and so he will come to the true Ground.
It is true, that from the Beginning of the World it was not so fully revealed to any Man; but seeing God will have it so, I submit to his Will, and will see what God will do with it.