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Cantic. 4.16. Awake, O North Wind, and come thou South, blow upon my Garden, that the Spices may flow out: let by Beloved come into his Garden, and eat his pleasant Fruits.
Chap.6.2. My Beloved is gone down into his Garden to the Beds of Spices, to feed in the Gardens, and to gather Lillies.
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A Bundle of Revelations Untied
Journal Entries from 1670 through 1676
Divine Openings and Revelations since the Year MDCLXX. November the 10th. 1673
IN the Morning, about the fifth Hour, my Spirit was called forth to attend Wisdom’s Oracle again, to know further into that mysterious thing she discoursed with me in order to obtain the Birth-right-Blessing. Oh thou Fiery Soul, know thy self now out of thy own Creaturely Being.
Whereupon I was environed with sweet burning Flame which devoured and consumed all the Briars, Thorns, and accursed Emanations that did offer to put forth. So that Scripture was witnessed, feeling God’s being a Wall of Fire which separated the Earthly part from the Heavenly.
Then uttered Wisdom her Voice: "Oh thou solicitous Spirit, I am now come to shew thee what is required of thee as in the beginning of my parleying I shunned not to declare what it would cost thee to purchase the Key that unlocks the Gate which gives thee entrance into that pure and transparent City where thou art to be an Inhabitant in the Lamb’s Nature for ever. I tell thee, God requires an Offering from thee. As He did of Abraham, there is no sparing any part; an whole Burnt-offering through the Eternal Spirit must be given up. Understand me thus, thou hast an Earthly Principle that hath dilated and overspread thee, and got into dominion and covered thee safe from my Heavens within thee; but these Thrones and Powers must be cast down. Their Place must be found no more.
"Thou hast made great Complaints for want of constant near Alliance and Freedom with God thy Creator: but marvel not the Cause lies here in dying, yet thou art not totally dead. This is the first Baptism thou art to know. And how many have herein fallen short in not giving their earthly Self a Thorough-wounding and killing Blow? Therefore to thee, O beloved of thy mother Rebecca, I commend to thee my flaming Sword. Be thou now valiant and let it do full Execution in the Camp of Nature; slay utterly Old and Young whatever in thee bears not My Mark and Name, which is My Image.
"Few in this Latter Age have come thus far. Therefore. I have had so little pleasure to inhabit with and to reveal Myself to the children of this Generation in that a pure Crystalline Mind is so rarely to be found and in no other will thy God appear. Therefore, hear and learn of me who well knows what will qualify thee for the reception of thy Fountain-light and Joy which may be an abiding Friend and Comforter to thee, which was the Heritage of Jacob, thy fore-runner in the Line and Blessing.
"Now having made known what thy Offering is to be, which is one remove that makes way for the return of thy Bridegroom, the second thing required is the Venison that must be presented to thy Father that He may eat thereof, that so the Love from His Heart may flow into thee, wherein the Blessing will be known; but of this thou shalt have my Counsel as thou art faithful in answering to this preparative Work."
At these Sayings of my Mother, I well pondered all, tending to the refining out of my Earthly Life, seeing I must offer it up and that time of my departure out of the first Principle is drawing nigh upon me, as Wisdom has plainly shewed me; that though I had come with many Offerings, yet till all was consumed by that one whole Burnt-Offering, I could not be made perfect in the Virgin-State where Christ’s Second Birth in pure Spiritual Humanity should appear in me. Which Wisdom told me, was the true and right Venison that God my Father would receive from my Hand, who could savour no other Meat Offering but what should be made up and dressed by the hand of Virgin Wisdom who further shewed me that place where she would make ready this savoury Meat which was in the fiery Essence of my Spirit. Which in very deed I did feel going to work in her own kindled Furnace where she shewed me her Golden Pot.
No Vessel [earthly "helps"] was to be used but of that pure Metal wherein was ordered all the several Ingredients, which I implored her Friendship to let me see; which was granted unto me, who owned that her Fear was with me and hitherto I had observed her Charge, and her Secrets should be with me and that I should know such things from a deep Ground as had not been broken up of late Ages: if I could bear that hot fiery Furnace which should boil away the scum of all that which of the earthly part had yet its remainder with me. Which Counsel begot this Exploration with my Mother, as fearing I should not come up to these her pure and high Accomplishments.
Desponding therefore, I said, Oh my Mother-Wisdom, the terms of thy Requirings are hard, considering I am constrained to reside in the Out-Birth of a Mortal Shadow, where millions of Spirits do tempt to keep me from this high and noble Ascent. What an overturning must here be made that so a Renewing may be on the face of my old Earth? Which Renovation well answers to that Scripture, We shall not all die, but suffer a Change, or Translation.
Oh, how little did I understand till Wisdom unsealed and opened her Testimony, lighting my Lamp from her Seven Pillars of Fire which now go before me that my Way may no more be dark; who hath made good her Promise, for I felt her strong Impulse and her Furnace prepared, burning as an Oven. I well know By which what that Word of Record means, "The Day comes that shall burn as an Oven".
She told me She was now come to make ready the Venison that I might have access to God my Father with it. While I was pondering, seeing only the Vessel and the Fire, with Isaac I was ready to say, Where is the Lamb? Then uttered she this Word, "Thou thy self must be this Paschal Lamb, which must be slain". Then was I taught to say or pray, "strike upon that Life-Vein which may abundantly return again". Thus yielding myself up to Love’s Flaming Sword, I felt a separation was made. Oh, how sweet is it to feel the Life’s Blood run into the Fountain of that Godhead from whence it came.
Let none, henceforth, fear in the Lord to dIe, for Life shall spring again as to one that awaketh out of a Sleep into another Principle or begotten into a New World with other Inhabitants with whom I now my Conversation have in the Light of the Deity I do dwell. O, dear Sophia, what am I that hitherto thou hast me brought that I should know of thy Magick-Art, and from thy holy Flames be inspired which foreruns the Day of Pentecost which shall be known again to those who follow hard the Prize to take [the Baptism with Fire IS the other "untold, untaught, unspoken of" half of Pentecost. See Luke 3:16-17.]
Thus feeling the Divine Power had me touched as the Key that unlocked the Gate of the Eternal Deep, I was further emboldened to ask my Mother Wisdom how and when she
would compound that savoury Meat on which the blessing is entailed, for I am as one impatient till the Birth-right be confirmed to me. Upon which there was presented as in a Charger, a Kid lying in a Composition Liquor of Milk, Oil, and Blood with several Spices, as Spikenard, Myrrh and Cinnamon, giving forth strong Odours.Then Wisdom called to me: "O go and see what I have compounded and prepared a Banquet-Feast whereto thy Father will come down with his dear Son thy Elder Brother and I thy Mother, and will hereof take and feed so that the Fountain of Jacob may be thy Blessing which the Eternal Father accordingly pronounced, saying, From the Upper and Supercelestial Planets
"let thy Eternal Nativity
again renew as from its own Originality;
by which the lower Constellations and Elements
shall to these subjected be and bow;
as a Globe upon which thy Feet shall stand;
and both the upper and nether Springs command.
The Dews of Heaven, and the Fat Things of the Earth shall together upon thee meet:
This is the Fulness of all Blessings, wherewith the Triune Unity do thee greet. Henceforward now observe, and obedient be,
to what shall be further Communicated to thee."After this my Spirit still attended eagerly longing to lay my Mouth to Wisdom’s Breast, from which the Word of Life so sweetly did flow. Then she with her Flaming Heart did present her self to me. Out of which Heart sprouted forth a Tree with Twelve Branches having upon the Root of it engraven, "GOD is the Pith, Life and Virtue that maketh the Heart thus Fruitful in various opening and quickening Powers, giving forth according to each Branch, a different and peculiar Fruit".
Then said she to me, "Here doth lie the Mystery: do thou it come and see, how out of the Flames these Branches put forth green and palpable Fruits that are not yet grown. Yet thou with Patience must still wait till to perfection of ripeness they be grown in thee. Then of the first Fruits of this Tree thou shalt bring to thy God as an Offering, Who will accept it as a pure Offering that will draw down the Life’s Blessing. Read and see what engraven is for thee, and let thy Mind be staid a while, till thou to this ripe Age shall arrive and comforted be, that this shady Heart as a fruitful Vine shall overspread within the Walls of thy Mind. A River of Oil shall here outspring which will make thy Flames burn still till so hot the Furnace may come to be as the Sun. For vehemency shall transmute this Fruit to a Golden Colour.
"Then thou with savoury Meat to thy God shall come who will Himself feed upon their pleasant Fruit which has been nourished from the Life’s Blood. Come now and descend with me into Love’s deep, that thou mayst know the various operation of this Tree, and every Branch thereof; namely as the living sense shall spring in thee according to which thy lot will be as relating to the Blessing promised. The which will require perseverance still in the Faith till this Fruit be brought to perfection in Colour. No other charge I shall leave with thee but to abide within this shady Rock where Love’s Flames shall be thy Food continually." Oh how pleasant is it here to be, all encircled with Love’s flaming Breast!
By JANE LEAD.