장음표시 사용
121쪽
members through the ruby tincture os His Blood, and compacis His xvhole Body into a perfeci spiritual bullding whicli aster God
122쪽
prepared Matier, which have first been reduced to a kind os dryliquid, or anaalgam, in a Solutory alembic, cloes not take placeati at orace seeing that the different paris are added graduallyand at Stated intervals , so we must expect the growth of the qui chened spirit to be flow and gradual. For when the spiritualunion of a man with Christ in bapti Sm has orace tal en place, and he is united once sor ait with His Body, he must graduallyadvance in the Christian faith, and assimilate in his solii onearti Cle aster another, uniit he has obtained persect knowledge, and is firmiy establislied in ali the mlness of conviction. Now the Christian faith; like the prepared aqueoUS Sub-
Corruption and falsification. ΜOreoVer, in the Chemicat process, the Stone cannot bringiis influetice to bear on imperfeci metais, uniess it is first Com
123쪽
infirmity and gross sinsul ness, except through three media
the law, and a persect imitation of God's nature. Is we have and POSSCSS in a proper manner these three things, the wOrd, faith, and love, Chri Si Can operate rightly upon us with his heaven lyTincture, and celestiat Unction, malae their bl essed influence sellthroughout our imperfeci natures, and thus, by PerVading Ourentire being, cause his to be partakers of His Own heavenlynature. But Satan, that grim Pseudo-alchymist, OVer lies in wait to draw those whom Christ has regeneraled, and made SonS
124쪽
of the fire, and a most patient and Caresul tempering of itS heat, was of the greatest importance for the proper digestion os the Substance. We also Spol e of the fire of the Sages V as beingone of the Chies agenis in Our chemicat process, and said that itWAS An CSSOntiat, Preternaturat, and Divine fire, that it lay hid in Our subStance, and that it was Stirred into action by the influenceand aid of the outward materiai fire. In like manner, the true
125쪽
and he that abi des in love abi des in God, and God in him. From these passages we learia that love is the bond of persectionby which we a re uni ted to Christ, and by which we a re in Him, He in His Father, and His Father in Him. I f any one, V says Christ, 'will keep my word, this i S he that loveS me, and I will love
126쪽
placed by God in the furnace of amiction, and like the hermeticcompound) is purged with the fi re of suffering untii the old Adam
127쪽
. while his body is stili vpon earth; his spirit an heari are at ready in his eternat Eutherland : and ali his actions have a heaven lySOUrce, and Seem n O longer to bolong to this earth. For he lives no longer accor ling to the flesti, but accor ling to the Spirit, notin the unsruitsul works of clari ness, but in the light and in theclay-in works that stand the test os fire. This separation ofbody and Sohil is brought abolit by a spiritual dying. For as the dissolutiora of body and fout is persol med in the regeneraledgold, where body and Aout are separated from One another, an clyet rem ain Close together in the sanae phial, the foui dat lyrefreshing the bocly froni above, and preserving it frona finaldestruction, untii a set time : so the deCaying and hal Ddeadbodily part of man is not entirely deserted by iis solii in the furnace of the Cross, but is res reshed by the spirit frona above with heavenly de v, and sed and preserved With Divine nectar. For our temporal death, whicli is the wages of Sin, is not a realcleath, but only a natural and gentie Severing of body and Sotil). The indissolubio union and conjunction of the Spirit of God and the sotii of the Christian, are a real and abi ling fact. An i here again we have an analogy to the Seven sold) ascending and descending of the foui in the chemicat process. For the tribulations and temporat sufferings of God 's people have no v lasted siX thousand years : but during this whole time, men have againand again been refreshed, Conis Orted, and strengthened by the Spirit os God and so it is now, and e ver Will be, untii the great universat Sabbath and rest- lay of the severati, millenium. Then
tions, and tribulations, including the CeaSeless assauits of the Devit, the worid, and the flesti. But ali these sigias are of good omen, Since they Show that Such a man will at longili reacti thedestred goal. For Scripture telis iis that ali that are to obtain the eternat beatitude os Christ must be persecuted in this worid, and we must enter into the kingclom of heaven through much tribulation and anguisti. This truth is weli expressed in thesollowing worcis of S. Augustine : ' Marvel not, brother, is aster
129쪽
Strength, glory. and excelleiace. This marVellous union Os body, Sohil, and Spirit, this Divine glorification and eYaltation of theeloci, is a Consideration fraught with reverentiat an i uiaspeal ableawe like the sight of the final chemicat transformation) ; it is
the repentant bellover. Thus he may stili attain to what Corresponds to the final coagulation and persect Chemicat conden-Sation, namely, to the heavenly persection os eternat beatitude. These two most wholesome remedios sor post-baptismal sin