Dialogues on the Supersensual Life Part 11

THE SOUL SAID

I am now a n.o.ble and holy Creature: but if I should do so, the Creator hath said that I should die.

THE DEVIL SAID

No, thou shouldst not die at all; but thy eyes would be opened, and thou wouldst be as G.o.d himself, and be Master of Good and Evil. Also, thou wouldst be mighty, powerful and very great, as I am; all the subtlety that is in the Creatures would be made known to thee.

THE SOUL SAID

If I had the knowledge of Nature and of the Creatures, I would then rule the whole World as I listed.

THE DEVIL SAID

The whole ground of their knowledge lieth in thee. Do but turn thy Will and Desire from G.o.d or Goodness into Nature and the Creatures, and then there will arise in thee a l.u.s.t to taste; and so thou mayest eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and by that means come to know all things.

THE SOUL SAID

Well then, I will eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that I may rule all things by my own power, and be of myself a Lord on Earth, and do what I will, even as G.o.d himself doth.

THE DEVIL SAID

I am the Prince of this World; and if thou wouldst rule on earth thou must turn thy l.u.s.t towards my Image, and desire to be like me, that thou mayst get the cunning, wit, reason, and subtlety that my Image hath.

Thus did the Devil present to the Soul the Power that is in the fiery root of the Creature, that is the fiery Wheel of Essence in the form of a Serpent. Upon which,

THE SOUL SAID

Behold this is the Power which can do all things. What must I do to get it?

THE DEVIL SAID

If thou dost break thy Will off from G.o.d, and bring it into this power and skill, then thy hidden Ground will be manifested in thee, and thou mayest work in the same manner. But thou must eat of that Fruit, wherein each of the four elements in itself ruleth over the other, and is in strife. And then thou wilt be instantly as the fiery Wheel is, and so bring all things into thine own power, and possess them as thine own.

THE SOUL DID SO AND WHAT HAPPENED THEREUPON

Now when the Soul broke its will off thus from G.o.d, and brought it into the fiery Will (which is the Root of Life and Power), there presently arose in it a l.u.s.t to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; and the Soul did eat thereof. Which as soon as it had done, instantly was kindled the fiery Wheel of its Essence, and thereupon all the properties of Nature awoke in the Soul, and exercised each its own desire.

First arose the l.u.s.t of Pride; a desire to be great, mighty, and powerful; to bring all things in subjection to it, and to be Lord itself without control, despising all humility and equality, as esteeming itself the only prudent, witty and cunning one, and accounting everything folly that is not according to its own humour and liking.

Secondly, arose the l.u.s.t of Covetousness, a desire of getting, which would draw all things to itself, into its own possession. For when the l.u.s.t of Pride had turned away the Will from G.o.d, then the Life of the Soul would not trust G.o.d any further, but would take care for itself; and therefore brought its desire into the Creatures, viz., into the earth, metals, trees, and other Creatures. Thus the kindled fiery Life became hungry and covetous, when it had broken itself off from the Unity, Love, and Meekness of G.o.d, and attracted to itself the four Elements and New Essence, and brought itself into the Condition of the beasts, and so the Life became dark, empty, and wrathful; and the heavenly Virtues and Colours went out, like a candle extinguished.

Thirdly, there awoke in this fiery Life the stinging th.o.r.n.y l.u.s.t of Envy: a h.e.l.lish poison, and a torment which makes the Life a mere enmity to G.o.d and to all Creatures. Which Envy raged furiously in the sting of Covetousness, as a venomous sting doth in the body. Envy cannot endure, but hateth and would hurt or destroy that which Covetousness cannot draw to itself by which h.e.l.lish pa.s.sion the n.o.ble Love of the Soul is smothered.

Fourthly, there awoke in this fiery Life a torment like fire, viz., Anger; which would murder and remove out of the way all who would not be subject to Pride. Thus the Ground and Foundation of h.e.l.l, which is called the Anger of G.o.d, was wholly manifested in this Soul. Whereby it lost the fair Paradise of G.o.d and the Kingdom of Heaven, and became such a worm as the fiery Serpent was, which the Devil presented to it in his own image and likeness. And so the Soul began to rule on earth in a b.e.s.t.i.a.l manner, and did all things according to the Will of the Devil, living in mere Pride, Covetousness, Envy, and Anger, having no longer any true love towards G.o.d. But there arose in the stead thereof an evil b.e.s.t.i.a.l love of Wantonness and Vanity, and there was no purity left in the heart, for the Soul had forsaken Paradise, and taken the Earth into its possession. Its mind was wholly bent upon cunning knowledge, subtility, and getting together a mult.i.tude of earthly things. No righteousness nor virtue remained in it at all; but whatsoever evil and wrong it committed, it covered all cunningly under the cloak of its power and authority by law, and called it by the name of Right and Justice, and accounted it good.

THE DEVIL CAME TO THE SOUL

Upon this the Devil drew near the Soul, and brought it on from one vice to another, for he had taken it captive in his Essence, and set joy and pleasure before it, therein, saying thus to it: Behold now thou art powerful, mighty, and n.o.ble, endeavour to be greater, richer, and more powerful still. Display thy knowledge, wit and subtlety, that every one may fear thee, and stand in awe of thee, and that thou mayst be respected, and get a great name in the World.

THE SOUL DID SO

The Soul did as the Devil counselled it, and yet knew not that its counsellor was the Devil; but thought it was guided by its own knowledge, wit, and understanding, and that it did very well and right all the while.

JESUS CHRIST MET WITH THE SOUL

The Soul going on in this course of life, our dear and loving Lord Jesus Christ, Who was come into this World with the Love and Wrath of G.o.d, to destroy the works of the Devil, and to execute judgment upon all unG.o.dly deeds, on a time met with it, and spake by a strong power, viz., by his pa.s.sion and death into it, and destroyed the works of the Devil in it, and discovered to it the way to his Grace, and shone upon it with his mercy, calling it to return and repent, and promising that he would then deliver it from that monstrous deformed shape and image which it had gotten, and bring it into Paradise again.

HOW CHRIST BROUGHT IN THE SOUL

Now when the Spark of the Love of G.o.d, or the Divine Light, was accordingly manifested in the Soul, it presently saw itself with its will and works to be in h.e.l.l, in the Wrath of G.o.d, and found it was an ugly, misshapen monster in the Divine Presence and the Kingdom of Heaven: at which it was so affrighted, that it fell into the greatest anguish possible, for the Judgment of G.o.d was manifested in it.

WHAT CHRIST SAID

Upon this the Lord Christ spake unto it with the Voice of his Grace, and said: _Repent and forsake Vanity, and thou shalt attain My Grace_.

WHAT THE SOUL SAID

Then the Soul with its ugly misshapen image went before G.o.d and entreated for Grace and the pardon of its sins, and came to be strongly persuaded in itself that the satisfaction and atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ did belong to it. But the evil properties of the Serpent, formed in the Astral Spirit, or Reason, of the outward Man, would not suffer the Will of the Soul to come before G.o.d, but brought their l.u.s.ts and inclinations thereinto.

But the poor Soul turned its countenance towards G.o.d, and desired Grace from him, even that he would bestow his Love upon it.

THE DEVIL CAME TO IT AGAIN

But when the Devil saw that the Soul thus prayed to G.o.d, and would enter into repentance, he drew near to it, and thrust the inclinations of the earthly properties into its prayers, and disturbed its good thoughts and desires which pressed forwards towards G.o.d, and drew them back again to earthly things that they might have no access to him.

THE SOUL SIGHED

The central Will of the Soul indeed sighed after G.o.d, but the thoughts arising in the mind that it should penetrate into him, were distracted, scattered and destroyed, so that they could not reach the Power of G.o.d.

At which the poor Soul was still more affrighted and began to pray more earnestly. But the Devil with his desire took hold of the kindled, fiery Wheel of Life, and awakened the evil properties, so that evil or false inclinations arose in the Soul, and went into that thing wherein they had taken most pleasure and delight before.

The poor Soul would very fain go forward to G.o.d with its Will, and therefore used all its endeavours; but its thoughts continually fled away from G.o.d into earthly things, and would not go to him.

Upon this the Soul sighed and bewailed itself to G.o.d; but was as if it were quite forsaken by him, and cast out from its Presence. It could not get so much as one look of Grace, but was in mere anguish, fear and terror, and dreaded every moment that the Wrath and severe Judgment of G.o.d would be manifested in it, and that the Devil would take hold of it and have it. And thereupon fell into such great heaviness and sorrow, that it became weary of all the temporal things, which were before its chief joy and happiness.

The earthly natural Will indeed desired those things still, but the Soul would willingly leave them altogether, and desired to die to all temporal l.u.s.t and joy whatsoever, and longed only after its first native country, from whence it originally came. But it found itself to be far from thence in great distress and want, and knew not what to do, yet resolved to enter into itself, and try to pray more earnestly.

THE DEVIL'S OPPOSITION

But the Devil opposed it, and withheld it so that it could not bring itself into any greater fervency of repentance.

He awakened the earthly l.u.s.ts in its heart, that they might still keep their evil nature and false right therein, and set them at variance with the new-born Will and Desire of the Soul. For they would not die to their own Will and Light, but would still maintain their temporal pleasures, and so kept the poor Soul captive in their evil desires, that it could not stir, though it sighed and longed never so much after the Grace of G.o.d. For whensoever it prayed, or offered to press forward towards G.o.d, then the l.u.s.ts of the flesh swallowed up the rays and e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns that went forth from it, and brought them away from G.o.d into earthly thoughts, that it might not partake of Divine Strength.

Which caused the poor Soul to think itself forsaken of G.o.d, not knowing that he was so near it, and did thus attract it. Also the Devil tempted the poor Soul, saying to it in the earthly thoughts:

"Why dost thou pray? Dost thou think that G.o.d knoweth thee or regardeth thee? Consider but what thoughts thou hast in his presence; are they not altogether evil? Thou hast no faith or belief in G.o.d at all; how then should he hear thee? He heareth thee not, leave off; why wilt thou needlessly torment and vex thyself! Thou hast time enough to repent at leisure. Wilt thou be mad? Do but look upon the world I pray thee a little; doth it not live in jollity and mirth, yet it will be saved well enough for all that. Hath not Christ paid the ransom and satisfied for all men? Thou needest only persuade and comfort thyself that it is done for thee, and then thou shalt be saved. Thou canst not possibly in this world come to any feeling of G.o.d, therefore leave off, and take care for thy body, and look after temporal glory. What dost thou suppose will become of thee, if thou turn to be so stupid and melancholy? Thou wilt be the scorn of everybody, and they will laugh at thy folly; and so thou wilt pa.s.s thy days in mere sorrow and heaviness, which is pleasing neither to G.o.d nor Nature. I pray thee, look upon the beauty of the World, for G.o.d hath so erected and placed thee in it, to be a Lord over all Creatures and to rule them. Gather store of temporal goods beforehand, that thou mayest not be beholden to the World, or stand in need hereafter. And when old age cometh, or that thou growest near thy end, then prepare thyself for repentance. G.o.d will save thee, and receive thee into the heavenly mansions there. There is no need of such ado in vexing, bewailing, and stirring up thyself, as thou makest."

THE CONDITION OF THE SOUL

In these and the like thoughts the Soul was ensnared by the Devil, and brought into the l.u.s.t of the flesh, and earthly desires; and so bound as it were with fetters and strong chains that it did not know what to do.

It looked back a little into the World and the pleasures thereof, but still felt in itself a hunger after Divine Grace, and would rather enter into repentance and favour with G.o.d. For the Hand of G.o.d had touched and bruised it, and therefore it could rest nowhere; but always sighed in itself after sorrow for the sins it had committed, and would fain be rid of them. Yet could not get true repentance, or even the knowledge of sin, though it had a mighty hunger and longing desire after such penitential sorrow.