Jacob Boehme's Aurora
Chapter 17: Of the lamentable and miserable State and Condition of the corrupt perished Nature, and Original of the four Elements, instead of the holy Government of God.
ALTHOUGH God be an eternal almighty Regent or Governor, whom none can resist, yet Nature in its Kindling has now got a very monstrous strange Government, such as was not before the Times of the Wrath.
For the six qualifying or fountain Spirits generated the seventh Nature-Spirit before the Times of the Wrath, in the Place of this World, very meekly and pleasantly, as is now done in Heaven, and not so much as the least Spark of Wrath or Anger rose up therein.
Moreover, all was very bright and light therein, neither was there need of any other Light; but the Fountain or Well-spring of the Heart of God enlightened all, and was a Light in all, which shone every where all over incessantly without any Obstacle. For Nature was very rarified and thin, or transparent, and all stood merely in Power, and was in a very pleasant lovely Temper.
But as soon as the Fight begun in Nature with the proud Devil, then in the seventh Nature-Spirit, in the Court, Region, or Extent of Lucifer, which is the Place of this World, all got another Form and Operation.
For Nature got a twofold Source, and the outermost Birth or Geniture in Nature was kindled in the Wrath-Fire, which + Fire now is called the Wrath of God, or the burning Hell.
Note.
[Nature-Fire, God's Anger, Hell.]
Here is required most inward Sense or Perception to understand this; for the Place where the Light is generated in the Heart only comprehends it, the outward Man does not comprehend it at all.
But behold! when Lucifer with his Host or Army stirred or awakened the Wrath-Fire in the Nature of God, so that God was moved to Anger in Nature in the Place of Lucifer, then the outermost Birth or Geniture in Nature got another Quality, which was very fierce, astringent, cold, hot, bitter, and sour.
The moving or boiling Spirit, which before qualified or operated very meekly in Nature, that became in its outermost Birth or Geniture very elevating and terrible, which now in the outermost Birth is called the Wind, or the Element of Air, in regard of its Elevation or Expansion.
For when the seven Spirits kindled themselves in their outermost Birth or Geniture, then they generated such a violent moving Spirit; and to the sweet Water, which before before the Times of the Wrath was very rarified and thin, and incomprehensible, grew very thick and elevated, and swelled, and the astringent Quality grew very sharp, and cold-fier, or fierce-cold, for it got a strong Attracting together, like Salt.
For the Saltwater, or Salt, which still to this Day is found in the Earth, has its Original and Descent from the first Kindling of the astringent Quality; and so the Stones also have their Beginning and Descent from thence, as also the Earth. [Or Saltpetre.]
For the astringent Quality now attracted the Salitter very strongly together, and dried it, whence the bitter Earth is proceeded; but the Stones are from the Salitter which at that Time stood in the Power of the Tone or Tune.
For as Nature with the working, wrestling, and rising up of its Birth or Geniture stood in the Time of the Kindling, just such a Matter attracted itself together.
Now it may be asked: How then is a comprehensible or palpable Son come to be out of an incomprehensible Mother?
Answer.
Thou hast a Similitude of this, in that the Earth and Stones are proceeded out of the Incomprehensibility.
For behold the Deep between Heaven and Earth is also incomprehensible, and yet the elementary Qualities sometimes generate living comprehensible Flesh therein, as Grashoppers, Flies, and Worms, or creeping Things.
Which is caused by the strong attracting together of the Qualities, in which attracted Salitter the Life is suddenly generated. For when the Heat kindles the astringent Quality, then the Life rises up, for the bitter Quality stirs itself, which is the Original of Life.
So in like manner the Earth and Stones have their Descent; for when the Salitter kindled itself in Nature, then all became very rugged, thick, and dark, like a thick dark Mist or Cloud, which the astringent Quality dried up hard with its Coldness.
But seeing the Light in the outermost Birth was extinguished, the Heat also was captivated in the Comprehensibility or Palpability, and could no more generate its Life. From thence Death came into Nature, so that Nature or the corrupt Earth could no more help it, and thereupon another Creation of Light must needs follow, or else the Earth would have been an eternal indissolvable Death; but now the Earth generates or brings forth Fruit in the Power and Kindling of the created Light.
Now one might ask: What is the Condition then of this twofold Birth or Geniture? Is God then extinguished in the Kindling of the Wrath-fire, in the Place of this World, so that nothing is there else but a mere Wrath-fire? Or is the one only God become a twofold God?
Answer.
Thou canst not better comprehend, or understand this, then in and by thy own Body, which through the first Fall of Adam with all its Birth or Geniture, Fitness, Faculties, and Will, is become just such a House as the Place of this World is come to be.
First, thou hast the bestial Flesh, which is come to be through the lustful longing Bit of the Apple, for it is the House of Corruption. For when Adam was made out of the corrupted Salitter of the Earth, that is, out of the Seed, or Mass, or Lump, which the Creator extracted out of the corrupted Earth, he was not then at first such Flesh, else his Body had been created mortal, but he had an angelical powerful Body, in which he should have subsisted eternally, and should have eat angelical [Tex. Mist.] Fruit, which grew for him in Paradise before his Fall, before the LORD cursed the Earth.
But seeing the Seed, or Mass, or Lump, out of which Adam was made, was somewhat infected with the corrupt Disease or Malady of the Devil, Adam therefore longed after his Mother, that is, to eat of the Fruit of the corrupted Earth, which then in its outward Comprehensibility was become so evil, and in the Wrath-fire was become so hard, palpable, and comprehensible.
But seeing Adam’s Spirit longed after that Fruit which was of the Quality of the corrupted Earth, therefore also Nature formed or framed such a Tree for him as was like the corrupted Earth.
For Adam was the Heart in Nature, and therefore his animated or soulifh Spirit helped to image, fashion, or form this Tree, of which he would fain eat.
But when the Devil saw that the Lust was in Adam, then he flung lustily and briskly at the Salitter in Adam, and infected the Salitter out of which Adam was made yet more and more. And now
then it was Time that the Creator should frame a Wife for him, which afterwards set the Sin in Work, and did eat of the false, evil, or corrupt Fruit. Else if Adam had eaten of the Tree, before the Woman had been made out of him, then it would have been far worse than it is.
But seeing this requires a high and deep Description, as also requires much Room, therefore seek for it concerning the Fall of Adam, where you will find it largely described.
So now I return to the forementioned Similitude.
Now when Adam eat of the Fruit, which was Good and Evil, then he suddenly got such a Body also. The Fruit was corrupt or perished, and palpable, as to this Day all Fruits now on Earth are; and so such a fleshly, and palpable, or comprehensible Body Adam and Eve got instantly.
But now the Flesh is not the whole Man; for this Flesh cannot comprehend or apprehend the Deity, else the Flesh were not mortal and corruptible, or fading and transitory; for Christ saith, 'It is the Spirit that quickens, the Flesh profiteth nothing.' [b Or the Spirit is the Life.] [a John 6. 63.]
For this Flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, but is only a Seed which is sown into the Earth, out of which will grow an impalpable or incomprehensible Body, such as the first was before the Fall. But the Spirit is eternal Life, which unites, qualifies, or mixes with God, and comprehends the internal Deity in Nature.
Now as Man in his outward Being is corrupted, and as to his fleshly Birth or Getiture is in the Wrath of God, and is moreover also an Enemy of God, and yet is but one Man, and not two; and on the other hand, in his spiritual Birth or Geniture he is a Child and Heir of God, who rules and lives with God, and qualifies, mixes, or unites with the innermost Birth or Geniture of God; thus also is the Place of this World come to be.
The outward Comprehensibility or Palpability in the whole Nature of this World, and of all Things which are therein, stands all in the Wrath-fire of God, for it is become thus through the Kindling of Nature. And Lord Lucifer with his Angels has his Dwelling now in the same outward Birth or Geniture which stands in the Wrath-fire.
But now the Deity is not separated from the outward Birth or Geniture so, as if they were two Things in this World; if so, Man could have no Hope, and then this World did not stand in the Power and Love of God.
But the Deity is in the outward Birth hidden, and has the Fan or casting Shovel in its Hand, and will one Day cast the Chaff and the kindled Salitter upon a [Genesis 1. See Ch. 21. v. 1. II. Ch. 26. v. 122, 123. And 1. Apology to Balthazar Tilchen. Part 2. No. 11.] Heap, and will draw away from it its inward Birth or Geniture, and give them to Lord Lucifer and his Crew of Followers for an eternal House.
In the mean while Lord Lucifer must lie captive and imprisoned in the outermost Birth in the Nature of this World, in the kindled Wrath-fire; and therein he has great Power, and can reach into the Heart of all Creatures with his animated or soulish Spirit in the outermost Birth or Geniture, which stands in the Wrath-fire.
Therefore the Soul of Man must fight and strive continually with the Devil, for he still presents before it the Swine-apples of Paradise, and invites it also to bite thereof, that he thereby may also bring it into his Prison. ["
That is, the fierce Source of Malignity, wherewith the Soul is infected."] And
if that will not succeed to his Purpose, then he strikes many a hard Blow at the Head, and that Man must continually lie under the Cross, Affliction, and Misery, in this World.
For he hides the noble Grain of Mustard-seed, so that Man does not know himself. And then the World supposes, that he is thus plagued and smitten of God, whereby the Devil's Kingdom remains always hidden and undiscovered.