66 printed Book concerning Repentance and true Refignation; which Book hath been profitable to many.* The printed little Book, faith he in another Epiftle, is very highly loved by many. And again, fpeaking of the fame, With us many hungry Hearts rejoice at it. But the most remarkable Inftance of its powerful and happy Efficacy, in the Hand of GOD, on the Heart of Man, is related by him in his Fortieth Epiftle, thus: God hath more and more opened to me his GraceDoor, and not to me only, but also to many others, who get to read thefe Writings; whofe Heart God hath for touched, that they have entered into true Repentance and Converfion; and are come to the inward Sight, or Senfe, of God in themselves; being now defirous to caft away their Old Garment of Sin and Impurity, and to follow Chrift in Will and Life. Of This I had a remarkable Proof a few Days ago in the Cafe of Two Perfons, high in Worldly Diftinction, and till then, deep in the Worldly Life: In whom I faw the New Birth arife with fuch Power of the Spirit, and Triumph of Divine Light, and at the fame Time in fuch Truth of Humility and Expreffions of Self-Abafement, as I had never before been witness to, except what had been wrought by the fame Operation of God in myself, poor Man. And indeed I could not have believed what I faw in them, if I had not myself experienced the like. One of Thefe cried out, with Loathing and Contempt, upon his Worldly Entanglements, and his former Converfation therein: And funk down into fuch a Depth of Repentance, Self-Abhorrence, and Refignation, that he accounted himself too unworthy to pour out his Prayers to God; but confidered himfelf as one altogether dead to God, and quite unfit to approach * Epift. 33. V. 10. + Ep. 57. Ep. 45. approach Him. So threw himfelf wholly upon God's Mercy, willing to let God do with and through him what He would, and defirous that God might be the fole Mover of his Prayers and Repentance. Upon which the Divine Sun inftantly broke forth and fhone in him; and for three Hours together, Spoke through his Mouth nothing but thefe Words, God,----Dung. God,----Dung. So that he accounted himself even as Dung in the Prefence of God. In which deep Exercife of Humility and Self-loathing the Divine Sun of Foyfulness and Great Knowledge arofe, and wholly turned and renewed his Heart and Mind. After I had feen this Wonderful Work of God in him, he, together with another Man in the like Condition, came to me, and highly rejoiced with me; because they were brought to it, through my Book of Repentance. In a little Time many Others were likewife found in the fame bleffed Way; fo that I did with much Admiration fenfibly perceive, what I had long before known in the Spirit, how the Door of Grace mightily moveth and openeth itfelf in fuch Souls as are fincere and earnest. This Account, dear Friend and Brother, I give you in the Prefence of God as a certain Truth; Jeeing You are one of the First-Fruits of thofe to whofe Hands this Talent is come through the Divine Appointment. Which you have alfo received with Foy, and taken great Pains therein: though you do not long after that which the Two Perfons above-mentioned did, nor labour that you may receive it of God; which it would much rejoice my Spirit, to know that you did. Although indeed a Man fhould not purpose to receive aught from God according to his own Will, but only fink himself down into God's Will, as thofe Perfons did; in b 2 * His Writings. order order that God may, in and with him, do, know, will, enlighten, and lead him, how He pleafeth. However, I was willing to inform you of this Event, in Love, for I well know that Your Soul will rejoice at it together with theirs and mine. I can affure you farther, that God hath brought fome, who were Pharifees and Reproachers of me, to the Light, and converted them, fo that they now defire to have and read thefe Writings. Yea, they themselves now teach the Neceffity of the New-Birth, and Renovation in the Spirit of Chrift; efteeming and confef fing all Difputation to be idle and useless, and no better than Dung, in comparison of That; and direct Men to the Life of Christ. Moreover, thefe Writings have been very lately fought and defired by fome Great Men in Place and Power: So that it may be hoped the Day-break is at Hand." It remains to fay a few Words of the prefent Edition of this Golden Manual. The English Tran/lation of The Way to Chrift, was firft printed in 24mo, for Humphrey Blunden, a Lover of the Teutonic Theofophy, in the Year 1654.---And again, near a Hundred Years afterwards, viz. 1752, at Manchester, in 12mo, under the Aufpices of the late pious and ingenious Dr. Byrom; who was likewife an Admirer of this divine Writer. But both thefe Editions being now out of Print, it seemed expedient and seasonable to give the Public this New, Corrected, and Enlarged one in a Pocket Size: Which can be noPrejudice, but may rather ferve as a Preparative or Manuduction, to the accurate and elegant Edition in Five Volumes, Quarto, of the Whole Works of Jacob Behmen, now under Publication, and in Part published, by G. Robinfon, in Pater-Nofter-Row, London, and illuftrated with Explanatory Figures left by the Rev. Mr. Law. The The fmaller Pieces of the Author's annexed to The Way to Chrift, as treating of the fame Articles, were selected out of his other Writings, and printed with this in that first Edition; all of them, except the Epistle to a Perfon troubled in Mind, which is here fubjoined to his Treatife on the Complexions, as being analogous to his Difcourfe on the Melancholy Complexion, and throwing more Light on that dark Subject. An Explication alfo of fome of the more difficult and unusual Words occurring in His Writings, was inferted in both thofe Editions, but fo obfcure in fome Particulars, and fo fhort in all, as very infufficiently to answer its Title and Undertaking. It was thought good therefore to fupply this Defect, by a fuller and more fundamental Expofition of the peculiar Terms and Expreffions to be found in this Book, deduced from fome of his other Writings, and thofe of his Great Difciple and IIluftrator, Mr. Law. It fhall fuffice to conclude this Address to the worthy Reader, with a forcible Exhortation of our Author's to a Friend, concerning this His Way to Chrift, taken from one of his Epiftles. If you would enter into the Practice of this Book, you would foon experience its Profit. For it is generated out of an anxious Twig, (or Birth,) through Fire; and it was, and is, my own very Process or Way, whereby I have attained the Pearl of the Divine Knowledge." THE *Remainder of J. Behmen's Epiftles. Ep. 27. |