The Threefold State of Man
A fountain of Gardens
For now here I come to open the great Secret, that was revealed unto me. Wherein it was given me to understand the Way.
T
HE Holy Unction from this gave me to understand the Threefold State we are to pass through, before we can come to recover our antient lost Prerogative of Power and Purity, into which we are now to be redeemed. The first Rocky Ruinous Ground which my Spirit was made to see into, is this out-Birth of Nature, that is found in a strange property, void of all that good, which makes Fruitful. Adam when he was turned out of Paradise, into the Chaos of this World, was as a Glass to himself, in, by, and through which, he might see his own inward World. For as the outward, so now was the inward turn’d into a Confused, Barren, and dead Life, the Curse of Sin being found therein. And so from him this Earthly Life has been Generated, as each one comes to be Born into this Principle. Now what is here to be done in this Ruinous and Unpolished State. Here certainly He is not to be left in such a Forlorn and Unpolished State. Therefore the Spirit of God was yet left with Man to help him in this State. For the Inspiration of the Almighty was still there left in Man, to be Light, Knowledge, and Understanding, that so he might be instructed to new modellize what now in such great Disorder does lie, as to his own Internal and External World. As if God should thus speak, O Adam, here now is no other way for thee, nor thy posterity, which thou hast brought into the same premunire with thy self, but to set to Work in the Might of that Spirit, that is left for your aid. Now nothing but Diligence, Care, and Painfulness for to prepare a Ground, for the promised Seed to be sown in: and therefore by hard labour in the Spirit, this must be followed till the stony Rocks of this Principle be removed all out, and the inward Ground leavened, and all new moulded, and all superfluities of Self-Love, Haughtiness, and Earthly-mindedness, and numberless Fruits of Evil, which do all live, and imbody themselves in corporeal Nature. These are the Stones and Rocky Mountains, that are to be pulled down, and dissolved, though Soul and Spirit tug hard at it every Day, in Bloody Agonies, till there be a discharging and clearing of all that which is of a choaking, strangling, and binding Nature, to the springing Seed of the pure Life.Which in the second Degree will be augmented in such a way of Spiritual Fruitfulness, as was shewn in the Ground, which brought forth various Plants and Trees, so that hereby as in a Glass, we may see a good Issue of the Labourer, that hath been faithful to rectifie and improve, what is found within the Heart of the deep Ground of Nature. The experienced that hath gone through this tough and hard Work, in the Spiritual Tillage, who are come to Sow, and to Reap the Fruits hereof in the second Degree, may give Encouragement, that all their Pains and Cost, in Suffering by Death often, in Watchings, Carefulness, and Weariness will all turn to a good account. Though they, while they be in this Mortal Life, should not be transplanted into the Paradisiacal Sphear: yet forasmuch as they have been preparedly sowing, that which is earthly, and contemptible, and corruptible into Death; expecting continually, that what is thus buried by the Baptism of Death, Sorrow, Weakness, Contempt, and Dishonour, shall be raised in a Body of Clarity, Joy, Renown, and Honour. If not by way of Transmutation, yet by expiration of the Elementary Body, to those who are so near arrived to the third and last Ministration. These shall enjoy the Glory of it, in, and among the Antients, who now are in the invisible Mount-Sion. Therefore let not such think that they have Wrought or Laboured in vain, for whereunto they have attained, and the nearer the Mark they have got, before their Mortal Husk do break away from them, so much more in readiness, is their bright Saphire Body for to be put upon them.
But it may be questioned, what those other sort of dry and sapless Trees are that stood in the same Ground. These were rendered to be such as had run through some work of Regeneration, under the Spirits Ministration, beginning in great Zeal to pluck up, and to throw off every burthensome Stone, that stops the uprising Life. And for some time they were active in keeping and dressing in good order, that which was internally ruinous and desolate. But it was thus said to me, dost thou not see these Fruitless Trees, which are grown to a fair Appearance, as to the Eye, yet Lifeless they are; because negligent they have been in their Springing time, by starving the Root-Life, which should have been their Vigour. Thus is happens to such, who do stand between two Worlds, while Amity and Friendship they would maintain with both, to wit with God and Mammon. But if so divided, what of a Spiritual Husbandry can ever prosper in their Hand? This is a Tillage, that can admit of no Neglect or Sloathfulness. Every day brings forth matter of Business, to employ the Heavenly fixed Mind upon. That Soul which will not work in this his own Vineyard, must not Eat. Noah, after the Flood had destroyed all the Fruits of the Earth, the first thing so soon as he came out of the Ark, was to set upon the Plantation of a Vineyard. Which did typifie out the making provision for the Spirit to drink of the Blood of Christ, the Eternal Vine, which in a grown, well-ordered Vineyard, and refined out of all Pollution, will certainly thereout spring. But then great Care must be to watch it Night and Day, least the Beasts of Prey, or those subtle Earthly Spirits do it hurt or annoy. Especially while it is but in its young day, before it comes to be throughly rooted and fixed in the third Degree, and Center of the Spirit. Therefore let this be a sufficient caution to those, who make a fair shew in Spiritual Husbandry, but suffer all to lie dead at the Root so that no Plant can come to Perfection: whereby no choice and pure Seed may be saved for Transplantation into its own Native Paradisiacal Soil again. For now here I come to open the great Secret, that was revealed unto me.
Wherein it was given me to understand the Way, how possibly Mortality should sometimes disappear, and be as anatomized as to material Grossness, and changed into a thin, subtle, pure AEthereal Vehicle. This I say, will be done by a Golden Grain, which was cast from the all precious Rock of the Deity into Nature’s deep Ground. But through the relapse, that so immediately transmuted Adam from the Celestial Body, into this Vile and Mortal One, which we now bear; This Divine, immortal Stone of Purity sunk so deep down into is own Eternal Stillness, that there it doth rest till it be searched, and digged deep for. For all the Gross rough Mountainous weight of Sin, and Earthlyness hath lain upon it, so that the awaken’d Soul does hearken to that Spirit, which doth strive to make it sensible hereof, that such a Treasury lieth hid in it: and proffering its mighty help and aid to remove, and throw off all that sin-pressing Weight, and overturn Ground upon Ground, till it comes to find out the Center, where this Pearl Seed doth lie. Then when this is found, as Christ saith, the Soul selleth and putteth off all other Merchandize: It hath enough, it needs no more for a Foundation-Stock, to improve both for Time and Eternity. Now thus by vertue of all Spiritual Industry, Care, and Tenderness of its growth, it groweth as Gold doth grow with a rough Coat, and scruffe matter about it, so at first it doth grow in a Corruptible form of Humanity. But such is the Nature of it, that it will never leave working, till it hath cast off all, that cannot pass through Fire, and Air, Rocks and Stones, answerably to the Quality of its own Deified Nature. Thus you are given to know, what is able to bring about this great and wonderful Change upon the dispiseable Image of Man. The Holy Grain through all Changes kept, and preserved, and separated out of all gross Matter is that, which will become the Root of an Immortal Spirit, Soul, and Body, to make all in one Being intire in one incorruptible Figure: All Pure, Clear, Light, Glorious in Spirit, and Glorious in Body. Such a pure perfect Creature will well suit, and become meet to be the Spouse and Bride of the Lamb, to cohabit together in a Paradisiacal Life, far more excelling, than the first, in as much as this second, is the Lord from Heaven, Heavenly; and will bring up the new Creation, of which he is the beginning and first Born into this Principal Royal City of the great God and Father, and King of those, who are begotten again from the Dead, to Reign with Christ their head Prince, in the Holy and Substantial Jerusalem.
But aptly here will be a further Objection made, saying, these are true sayings, which do agree with the Prophetical part of the sacred Scriptures, which are yet to be fulfill’d at the great and general Day, when Christ the Lord shall descend from Heaven with myriads of Angels. Then this great Transmutation of Mortal Bodies shall be: but we do not understand, how it can be before, till Christ shall come to overturn and dissolve the whole visible Elementary State of things, and to take unto him his Kingdom, to reign God Omnipotent over all evermore.
From: A fountain of Gardens by Jane Lead, January 17. 1678
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