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(30) O no: But the Devil, who is a Cause of the Wrathfulness. Adam was made good out of the pure Element, but the Longing [Desire or Lust] of the Devil deceived him, so that he went into the Spirit of this World. 3 1. And now it cannot be otherwise, the two Kingdoms wrestle one with another in the Children of Men; the one is the Kingdom of Christ, [generated] through the new Birth into Paradise; that (in this World) is miserable and contemned, there are not many that desire it, for it has mere Scorn and Contempt from the Devil and his Followers; it consists in Righteousness and Truth, and that is not valued in this World, and therefore it must lie at the rich Man's Door with poor Lazarus, and at his Feet. If any do but let it appear that they are the Children of God, then the Devil will away with them presently, or else will put them to such Scorn and Disgrace, that they cannot be known; that so the Devil may continue to be the great Prince upon Earth, and that the World may not learn to know him.

(35) Hearken, thou antichristian Scorner; it is not enough for thee to stand and say, I have the true Ground of the Knowledge [that leads] to the Kingdom of Heaven. I have found the true Religion, and condemnest every one that has not thy Knowledge, or does not consent to thy Opinion; thou sayest, Such a one is nothing else but confound the Sheep with thy Fierceness, and causest them to offend, and to calumniate those whom neither thou nor they know, as the Ephesians did by Paul. Dost thou suppose that thou hast hunted away the Wolf by this means? Or hast thou not rather generated a Heap of young scornful Wolves, which howl and yell, and every one would devour, and yet know not where the evil Beast is, nor especially that most evil Beast of all, which generated them? O blind Babel, the Kingdom of Christ does not consist herein, but the abominable Antichrist of Confusion in Babel.

(28) Yet it could not be (how vigorously soever it was sought after) that Man (in his own Power) could enter into Paradise. And therefore poor captive Man must sit in this World in the Devil's murdering Den; where now the Devil has built his Chapel close by the Christian Church, and has quite destroyed the Love of Paradise, and has in the Stead of it set up mere covetous, proud, self-willed, [or self-conceited,] faithless, sturdy, malicious Blasphemers, Thieves and Murderers, which lift themselves up against Heaven and Paradise, and have built themselves a Kingdom according to the Dominion of the fierce sour [Stars or] Constellations, wherein they domineer (with Silver and Gold) and consume the Sweat one of another; whosoever is but able, oppresses the other to the Ground. And though he flies before him, yet then he only puts forth his Dragon's Tongue, and spits Fire upon him; he terrifies him with his harsh Voice, and plagues him Day and Night.

(16) But when any fall to Firing, killing with the Sword, to undo People, ruin Towns and Countries, there is no Christ, but the Anger of the Father, and it is the Devil that blows the Fire. For the Kingdom of Christ is not found in such a Way, but in Power; as the Examples of the Apostles of Christ declare, who taught no Revenge, but they suffered Persecution, and prayed to God, who gave them Signs and great Wonders, so that People flocked to them; and so the Church of Christ grew mightily, so that it overshadowed the Earth. Now who is the Destroyer of this Church? Open thy Eyes wide and behold; it is Day-light, and it must come to the Light, for God would have it so, for the Sake of the Lily. It is the Pride of the Learned.

(61) This is their Course one among another, one reproaches and condemns this, the other that, and it is a continual Howling of Devils; all Manner of Love, Charity, and Union, is extinct; the Mouth speaks one Thing, and the Heart thinks another; they all cry out one among another, and none knows where the Woe lies. And Christ must thus take all this upon him. Many ignorantly cried (by the Instigation of the High-Priests) Crucify him, Crucify him, he has made Uproars and Disturbances among the People, and yet knew not any Cause why they said so. And so it is at this Day, if Antichrist entraps any in his Fierceness, he cries out upon him for a Sectary, a Schismatic, a Disturber of the Peace, and Maker of Uproars; and then all cry, A Heretic! A Heretic! and yet their Hearts can say no Evil of him.

(13) Therefore, O Child of Man, see whether it be not so; where the false Pastors [or Shepherds,] without the divine Calling, always wrangle, [strive, contend, and dispute;] and every one of them saith, P Follow me, here is Christ, there is Christ, and they judge [and condemn] one another, and give one another over to the Devil; they abandon Unity, and forsake the Love wherein the Spirit of God is generated; and cause Bitterness, and lead astray the simple plain People, to think that Or Crowned Hat. Christ is such a wrangling Shepherd, [Pastor, Priest, or Minister,] and does so grapple with his Opponents, in raising War and Murder, as they do; and that the Spirit of God must needs be in such Doings [which are accounted Zeal for God;] and that this must be the Way to Paradise.

(36) But what can be said? The Devil will have it no otherwise. When his Kingdom begins to be stormed [battered and assaulted] at one Place, then he blows up the Storm all over, [as well in one as another,] in the Children of God; the Spirit of Punishment [Vengeance or Reproof] is stirred up; and in the worldly bestial Man, the Devil blows up mere scorning and disgracing Mockers; for they have the Kingdom of Christ in the History, and the Devil's Kingdom in themselves, as their own Possession.

(13) When we consider with ourselves the many Sects and Controversies in Religion, and from whence they come and take their Original, it is clear as the Sun, and it manifests itself indeed, and in Truth; for there are great Wars and Insurrections stirred up for the Cause of [Religion or] Faith; and there arise great Hatred and Envy about it, and they persecute one another for Opinions Sake; because another is not of his Opinion, he sticks not to say, he is of the Devil; and this is yet the greatest Misery of all, that this is done by the Learned in the high Schools [or Universities] of this World.

(60) Behold, thou wicked Antichrist, thou art the same which thou hast always been; thou art an old, and not a new [Antichrist,] thy cunning Policy is born in the Anger of God; the Devil teaches thee to do what thou dost. Among Princes and Kings (who have their Ground and Foundation in Nature) thou stirrest up to Wars and Dissentions, that thou mightest be advanced by them, through thy Deceit, Hypocrisy, and knavish subtle cunning Policy; this thou dost out of Pride; thou pervertest the Scriptures of the i Saints, to promote thy vapouring Haughtiness, and art a Murderer of Souls; thou causest Mockings among the Ignorant, so that they think (when they many Times persecute a holy Soul) that they do God good Service in it; thou teachest them so, or else they would not think any such Thing; thus thou workest Confusion, and art Babel, a Habitation of Whores, and of all Devils; even so says the Spirit.

(32) Behold, out of what are the Turks grown? Out of thy perverse Sense; when they saw that thou regardest nothing but thy Pride, and didst only contend and dispute about the Temple of Christ, that it must stand only upon Man's Foundation and Inventions, then Mahomet came forth, and found an Invention that was agreeable to Nature. Because those other followed after Covetousness, and fell off from the Temple of Christ, as also from the Light of Nature, into a Confusion of Pride, and all their Aim was, how the Antichristian Throne might be adorned, therefore he also made Laws and Doctrines [raised] from Reason.

(64) O how wholly of mere [Mercy and] Grace has God the Father given us his Son, who has taken upon him our Transgressions, and reconciled him in his Anger. All Men are invited to this Grace, of what Condition soever they are, they may all come, whether they be Turks, Jews, Heathens, Christians, or what Name soever they are called by, none are excluded; all that are weary and heavy laden may come to Christ, he will receive them and refresh them all, as himself says. And whosoever teaches, or says otherwise, or seeks any other Way, is the Antichrist, and enters not by the Door into the Sheepfold. Amen.

(6) Our Divines set themselves Hand and Foot with Might and Main, with their utmost Endeavour, by Persecution and Reproach, against this, [and say,] that Men must not [dare to] search into the deep Grounds what God is; Men must not search nor curiously pry into the Deity. But if I should speak plainly what this Trick of theirs is, it is the Dung and Filth wherewith they cover and hide the Devil, and cloak the injected Malice and Wickedness of the Devil in Man, so that neither the Devil, nor the Anger of God, nor the evil Beast in Man, can be discerned.

(11) All malicious captivated Men (whom he has captivated) are his Hounds, which hunt the poor Soul with Haughtiness, Bravery, Covetousness, Unchastity, Anger, Cursing, and wrongful Oppression, so that the poor Soul is infected with these Things, and is very often set upon the Devil's Horse, as one of the [Devil's] Captives, and then the Devil will ride with it into Hell into the Anger of God. O how often does he rob the poor Soul of her fair Garment of the Knowledge of God! How does he rend away the Word of God from their Ears and Hearts, as Christ says clearly! Now if it will not do as he wills, and that it breaks out of his Garden, then he casts his Dirt and Filth upon it; and then he stirs up all his Bloodhounds, they must bawl at it, and cast mere Disgrace upon it; and then it stands as an Owl among the Birds, who one and other will have a Fling and a Pluck at it; and so it is also with the poor Soul, which steps through earnest Repentance (out of the Devil's Net) into the new Regeneration.

(14) Christ said; Love one another, thereby shall Men know that ye are my Disciples; if any smite thee on one Cheek, turn to him the other Cheek also; if you be persecuted for my Namesake, then rejoice, for your Reward is great in the Kingdom of Heaven: But now there is nothing taught but mere Ignominy, [Reproach, and Revilings;] they that are dead many Hundred Years ago, and are in the Judgment of God, and some also may be in Paradise, these must be judged, and condemned, and cursed by the wrangling Shepherds [or contentious Priests.] Does the Holy Ghost speak by them, as they cry out, and say he does? Whereas they are still full of Gall and Bitterness, and nothing but Covetousness and Vengeance is kindled in them, and they are far from the Way of Paradise?

(39) Seeing now Man is entered into the Spirit of this World, and has all Gates in [him,] viz. the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of Hell, and also the Kingdom of this World, and must thus live in the Press, [or narrow Chink,] between Heaven and this World, where the Devil stirs up one Mocker after another, (who are brought up by the Kingdom of Fierceness,) and continually stirs them up against the Children of God, so that the World is full of Tyrants, and bestial, bloody, incestuous Persons, also Murderers and Thieves, and because Covetousness grew up, therefore the Office of Ruling was most profitable, that the wicked P Driver might be stopped by Power [and Authority.]

(3) Now if we here discover the Antichrist, the Devil (gin his Beast) will mightily resist us, and cry out upon us, as if we would stir up [Sedition,] Tumults and Uproars; but that is not true. Do but earnestly consider what a Christian is; it belongs not to him to make Uproars, for he is a Sheep, in the Midst among Wolves, and must be in the Form and Mind of a Sheep, and not of a Wolf.

(17) Wilt thou say, the Devil beguiled him? Yes indeed, and he beguiles thee too, so that thou enviest the Comeliness and Beauty of others. Has God made thee a Degree higher? Art thou not a Child of Eve? Pray tell me the Truth, Art thou not the Antichrist, which under a Cloak [of being counted the Minister and Servant of God] ridest upon the Devil's Horse? Methinks I see thee. Hearken! When thou wentest out of Paradise into this World, why didst thou not continue in one [only] Love? Why didst thou not rejoice in thy Neighbour? Why didst thou not love the Members of thy Body? Why dost thou not adorn thy Brother with thy Ornament? Didst thou not see him plainly? Was not the Earth thy own? Thou mightest have made what thou wouldst of it. Who did hinder thee in it? Why didst thou not eat with thy Brother? Thou mightest have had fully enough; there would never have been any Want. If thy Humility towards thy Brother had continued, then his also had continued towards thee. And then what a fine Habitation and Dwelling had there been upon Earth? What need had there been for thee to have coined Silver and Gold, if Unity had continued? Thou mightest have made thy Ornaments of it well enough; if thou hadst adorned thy Brother and Sister, then they would have adorned thee again with their ready serviceable Love. Dost thou think it had been of thy Brother, and to the Honour of the great God?

(93) Therefore, ye Turks and other superstitious People, you should observe and understand rightly, why Christ gave us such Laws, as command us not to be revengeful; and that when any strike us on the one Cheek, we should present the other to him; and so further, that we should bless them that curse us, and do well to them that hate us and hurt us. Understand you this?

(15) We speak not of perfect Works done by the Body, which is captivated in the Spirit of this World, but [we speak] of their Doctrines, that we [must] try them, whether they be generated of God. For if that Spirit teaches Blasphemies, Slanders, and Persecutions, then it is not from God, but it proceeds from the Covetousness and Haughtiness of the Devil. For Christ teaches us Meekness, and to walk in brotherly Love; wherewith we may overcome the Enemy, and take away the Might of the Devil, and destroy his Kingdom.

(36) But this I say, according to my Knowledge, (and not out of any Command,) that if the Parents are wicked, and indeed in the Kingdom of the Devil, and that they have thus begotten their Fruit out of their false [or evil] Essences (in which [Parents] there is no Faith, but only a false Hypocrisy, and yet will in an apish Mockery be counted Christians; and as the Devil oftentimes changes himself into the Likeness of an Angel, so they also send their Children with the like trimmed false Angels before the Covenant of Christ;) such Doing is very dangerous, which also instantly shows itself in the Growing of the Tree; indeed the Covenant continues still, but there must be Earnestness in avoiding of the Devil. It may be, that very many are baptized in the Anger of God, because they do but contemn the Covenant; and many Times wicked drunken Priests use it, who even stick in Hell-fire over Head and Ears; and therefore the Covenant of Grace stands as a Testimony against the Congregations of the Wicked. And that which they see and know (and do not perform it with earnest Sincerity) that shall judge and condemn them.