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‹ Dialogues on the Supersensual Life
Contents
DocumentDIALOGUES ON THE SUPERSENSUAL LIFEPREFACEPrefacePREFACEPREFACEPREFACEPREFACEPREFACEPRELIMINARY NOTESentences Selected from Jacob Behmen's Treatises "Regeneration" and "Christ's Testaments"101111 (continued)121314151617181919 (continued)20212223242627282930Dialogue IMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterMasterDiscipleMasterMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterMasterDiscipleMasterDIALOGUE ONEDialogue OneMasterDiscipleDisciple (continued)MasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDIALOGUE ONEMasterMaster (continued)DiscipleMasterMaster (continued)DiscipleMasterMaster (continued)DiscipleMasterMaster (continued)Dialogue OneDialogue OneDialogue IIDialogue TwoDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDialogue TwoDialogue TwoMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDiscipleMasterDialogue TwoBetween Junius, a Scholar, and Theophorus, his Master, concerning Heaven and HellTHE SUPERSENSUAL LIFEDIALOGUE THREEDialogue ThreeThe Supersensual LifeDialogue ThreeMasterScholarMasterScholarMasterScholarMasterScholarMasterScholarMasterDialogue ThreeDialogue ThreeThe Way from Darkness to True IlluminationThe Soul saidThe Devil saidThe Soul saidThe Devil saidThe Soul did so and what happened thereuponThe Devil came to the SoulThe Soul did soJesus Christ met with the SoulHow Christ brought in the SoulWhat Christ saidWhat the Soul saidThe Devil came to it againThe Soul sighedThe Devil's OppositionThe Condition of the SoulDialogue FourThe distressed Soul answeredThe enlightened Soul saidThe distressed Soul terrifiedThe enlightened Soul came again, and spoke to the troubled SoulThe distressed Soul saidThe enlightened Soul saidThe poor Soul saidThe enlightened Soul saidThe Poor Soul's PracticeDialogue FourThe distressed Soul saidThe enlightened Soul saidThe Distressed Soul's Course

Jakob Boehme · 147 of 150

Dialogue Four

It began to sigh and pray in itself very inwardly to the Divine Goodness, and to sink down into the mere Mercy of God.

Upon this there suddenly appeared unto it the Love of God, as a great Light which penetrated through it, and made it exceedingly joyful. It then began to pray aright, and to thank the Most High for such , and to rejoice abundantly that it was delivered from the Death and Anguish of Hell. Now it tasted of the Sweetness of God, and of his promised Truth; and how all the evil Spirits which had harassed it before, and kept it back from the , Love, and inward , were forced to depart from it. The wedding of the Lamb was now kept and solemnised, that is, the Noble Sophia espoused or betrothed herself to the Soul, and the Seal-Ring of Christ's victory was impressed into its Essence, and it was received to be a Child and Heir of God again.

When this was done the Soul became very joyful, and began to work in this new power, and to celebrate with praise the wonders of God, and thought thenceforth to walk continually in the same Light, Strength, and Joy. But it was soon assaulted: from without by the shame and reproach of the World, and from within by great temptation, so that it began to doubt whether its ground was truly from God, and whether it had really partaken of his . For the accuser Satan went to it, and would fain lead it out of its course, and make it doubtful whether it was the true way, whispering thus to it inwardly; This happy change in thy Spirit is not from God, but only from thy own imagination. Also the Divine Light retired in the Soul, and shone but in the inward ground, as fire raked up in embers, so that Reason was perplexed, and thought itself forsaken, and the Soul knew not what had happened to itself, nor whether it had really and truly tasted of the heavenly gift or not. Yet it could not leave off struggling; for the burning Fire of Love was sown in it, which had raised in it a vehement and continual Hunger and Thirst after the Divine Sweetness. So at length it began to pray aright, and to humble itself in the , and to examine and try its evil inclinations and thoughts, and to put them away. By which means the Will of Reason was broken, and the evil inclinations inherent in it were killed and extirpated more and more. This process was very severe and painful to the Nature of the Body, for it made it faint and weak as if it had been very sick; and yet it was no natural sickness that it had, but only the melancholy of its earthly Nature, feeling

and lamenting the destruction of its evil lusts.

Now when the earthly Reason found itself thus forsaken, and the poor Soul saw that it was despised outwardly and derided by the World, because it would walk no longer in the way of Wickedness and ; and also that it was inwardly assaulted by the accuser Satan, who mocked it, and continually set before it the beauty, riches and glory of the World, and called it a fool for not embracing them; it began to think and say thus within itself: O eternal God, what shall I now do to come to Rest?