(161) For Christ saith [John iii. 3,7],"You must be born anew, or else you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven."

(64) But if any will be new born again, he must not yield himself to be a servant to covetousness, pride, state and self-power, to take delight in the will or desires of his flesh; but he must struggle and fight against himself, against the devil, and against all the lusts of the flesh; and he must think and consider that he is but a servant and pilgrim on earth, who must wander through many miserable seas of danger into another world; and there he will be a lord, and his dominion will consist in power, and in perfect delight, beauty and brightness; this I tell as the word of the spirit. Now observe:

(8) 'But he who has understanding, who is mindful and always pure, reaches indeed that place, from whence he is not born again.'

(35) Or shall I be silent? I must speak, for I see it; do what thou wilt, this is the Truth; thou earnest a new-washed Soul from the Baptism, but thou art a filthy Swine, even in the Kingdom of all Devils. But the Laver of Regeneration, (if thou art a Beast, and far from the Kingdom of God,) lies not in thee, but it lies in the Covenant of Christ.

(7) Now that it is testified to us by the Writings of those who have been regenerated out of this zEarthliness, and at length are entered into a holy and incorruptible Life, who have written and taught of an eternal joyful Life, and also of an eternal perishing and anguishing Life; and have taught us how we should follow after them, and how we should step into a new Birth, where we should be regenerated out of this Earthliness, into a new Creature, and that we should do nothing else about it but follow them, and then we should find, a in Deed and in Truth, what they had spoken, written, and taught. Yea even in this Life we should see our true native Country in the new Regeneration, and know it (in the new-born Man) in great Joy, whereas then our whole Mind would incline to it; and in our new Knowledge (in the new Man) true Faith would grow, and the hearty Desire of the unfeigned Love towards the hidden God; for which noble Knowledge Sake, many Times they have yielded their earthly Body and Life to the unregenerated Gainsayer (according to his devilish, malicious Revenge) into Death, and have taken it with great Joy, and have chosen for themselves the eternal incorruptible Life.

(95) And now I say unto you, my sons, love righteousness and walk therein; For the paths of righteousness are worthy of acceptation, But the paths of unrighteousness shall suddenly be destroyed and vanish.

(4) "I tell you the truth, whoever will receive life and believe in the kingdom will never leave it, not even if the father wants to banish him.

(3) Jesus said, "If those who lead you say, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."

(109) And they shall see those who were, born in darkness led into darkness, while the righteous shall be resplendent.

(113) His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?" not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

(11) "Do not let the kingdom of heaven become a desert within you. Do not be proud because of the light that enlightens. Rather, act toward yourselves as I myself have toward you. I have put myself under a curse for you to save you."

(3) Now, it is a very great thing to abandon opinion, by taking one's stand between accurate knowledge and the rash wisdom of opinion, and to know that he who hopes for everlasting rest knows also that the entrance to it is toilsome "and strait." And let him who has once received the Gospel, even in the very hour in which he has come to the knowledge of salvation, "not turn back, like Lot's wife," as is said; and let him not go back either to his former life, which adheres to the things of sense, or to heresies. For they form the character, not knowing the true God. "For he that loveth father or mother more than Me," the Father and Teacher of the truth, who regenerates and creates anew, and nourishes the elect soul, "is not worthy of Me" - He means, to be a son of God and a disciple of God, and at the same time also to be a friend, and of kindred nature. "For no man who looks back, and puts his hand to the plough, is fit for the kingdom of God."

(21) Thus saith the spirit, Many Heathen, who have not thy knowledge, and yet strive or fight against the wrath, will enter into the kingdom of heaven before thee.

(44) And thy worldly Bravery, Glory, Beauty, and Riches, will not exalt thee before God, as thou supposest, nor yet thy Office which thou didst bear here, be it the kingly or priestly Office; if thou desirest to be in Heaven, then thou must (through thy Saviour) be new born; thou must endeavour to bring thy Subjects to Righteousness, and then thou wilt shine (with thy Office) as bright as the Luster of Heaven, and thy Works will follow thee. O Man! consider thyself in this.

(49) Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the Kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return."

(41) Hear, my beloved Reader, if thou art born of God, open the Eyes of thy Spirit wide, that the King of Glory may enter into thee, and open thy Understanding; consider every Syllable; for they are of great Moment, they are not mute, neither are they from a blind Center brought forth into the Light. Behold, here hung on the Cross God and Man; there was the Holy Trinity; there were all the three Principles; and the Champion stood in the Battle.

(56) But thou must know this, that he sticketh in a continual, anxious birth or geniture, but would fain be rid of the wrath and wickedness, and yet cannot. For he is as the whole house of this world, wherein love and wrath always wrestle the one with the other, and the new body always generateth itself in the midst or centre of the anguish. For so it must be, if thou wilt be born anew, otherwise no man can reach the regeneration.

(44) But in the new Man (which we attract onto our Souls in the Bosom of the Virgin) we shall spring and flourish again; and therein is no Necessity nor Death, for the Kingdom of this World passes away. Therefore he that has not this Image in the new Birth, shall, in the Restoration of the Spirit of the eternal Nature, have the Image of what his Heart and Confidence has been set upon here [put upon him;] for every Kingdom images [or figures] its Creatures, according to the Essences which were grown here in their Will.

(59) Jesus said, "Take heed of the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see Him and be unable to do so."

(6) 'Look back how it was with those who came before, look forward how it will be with those who come hereafter. A mortal ripens like corn, like corn he springs up again.'