Freher's Process in the Philosophical Work · 3 of 4

Part 3

34. All this now the Artist shall distinctly see, that it hath a true and exact answerableness in the Philosophical Work, when the forty days temptation with good success is ended. For instance, in Saturn, he shall see, that now the Mercury raiseth up from death that same dead substance, wherein he was shut up before. In Luna, that he feedeth and nourisheth that substance, when there is nothing outwardly wrought, which it could be fed and nourished with: and again, that the deadly water is exalted and turned into wine, by having now got (like as wine hath) an union of a fiery and watery virtue. In Jupiter, he shall see the four elements each by itself, and their colours, and the rainbow upon which Christ sitteth for judgment, in the outspoken Mercury. So that he highly shall be amazed at it, and perceive that the wisdom of God playeth and delighteth therein as in a jestful play. For the friendly Jupiter showeth forth herein his properties, after such a manner as that is, in which God will, in its time change this world and transmute it into Paradise. In Mercury, he shall see that Heaven separates itself from the Earth, and that it sinks down again into the Earth, and changeth the same into its own colour, and that Mercurypurifieth the matter, etc. In Mars, he shall see, that Jupiter in the Mercury, casts out from the matter upwards a black fire smoke, which will be coagulated like as a soot in the chimney. And this is the poisonous hunger in the Mercury, rightly to be compared to the devil, because it hath, according to its own kind, the devil's qualities. What Christ did in Venus, the Artist shall see most gloriously in the Philosophical Work. For as soon as this black devil is expelled from the matter, Venus in her virginity appears, in great beauty and glory, which is a fine type or emblem of the great love of Christ.

35. Now here, when this appears, the Artist is rejoiced, and thinks reasonably his work is finished, and he hath got the treasure of the World; but soon shall he find himself extremely disappointed. For when he trieth it, he shall find, it is but Venus, still a female, and not yet a pure and perfect virgin, with both tinctures united into one. Like as in Christ, the Eternal speaking Word had indeed wrought out through his humanity, all these wondrous deeds; and yet the full perfection could not be made manifest therein, his human body could not be glorified, and much less could he have poured out the Holy Ghost, before he was passed through the great Anger of God or Death and Hell. So also in this Philosophical Work, though all these glorious things have appeared in the Properties of Nature, yet the universal Tincture is not yet fixed and manifest, but all what was seen hitherto, was only transient, and the greatest work to be done, for this fixation and manifestation, is still behind. For all the seven Properties must be made totally pure and crystalline, before they can be Paradisical, and each of them hath its own peculiar process, when it is to go out from the wrathful into the Paradisical life; wherein they must all seven have but one will, viz., that of Love, and all their former own will, wherein each was for itself, in opposition to the others, must be utterly swallowed up. And then only they are fixed, and able to abide the fire, for then no Turba can be more therein. Which is now further effected by a process answering to that which was observed in the suffering and death of Christ.

36. As soon as the regenerator of mankind came into this World from above, and had the name of a king given unto him, the civil government thereof could not endure him; but presently he was by Herod persecuted, and at length by Pilate crucified, notwithstanding that he had plainly declared that his kingdom was not of this world. And because this newborn king came not not with a royal state and splendour, nor in such an outward power, as the Jews expected and hoped for, at the coming of their Messiah, the Ecclesiastical government in the high priest and Pharisees, would not receive him. And since he owned himself to be the Son of God, and a king of truth, and said he was come to save his people from their sins and darkness, and from the Wrath to come, the Devil also could not endure him; but he was immediately a strong opposition against these three together in conjunction. So also in this Philosophical Work, as soon as Venus thus appears in her beauty, with her own natural character, and in order to perfection, there is a great alarm, opposition and insurrection against her, manifest in Saturn, Mercury and Mars. The first of which is a true figure of the civil government, the second of the Ecclesiastical state, and the third of the Devil. And as these three jointly were the same chief agents, that brought the Lord of Life and Glory unto death; so in this Philosophical Work, the three inferior wrathful Properties, Saturn, Mercury and Mars, are rightly called by Behmen the three murderers of Venus.

37. This great opposition and uproar against the Lord Christ, had, in the internal truth and reality no other ground but this, that he was from above, when all these three were from beneath. Deep, great, and many things are in these few words comprised, and the essential nature of a Principle (taken in Behmen's sense) is understood therein. If the Lord had been out of their own dark, harsh, bitter and wrathful root, and if he had appeared, for to preserve and establish the same, in its own selfish and willful qualities, they would have received him very kindly, and no opposition could have been made. But he was from another Principle, and came only for to destroy the works of the Devil in this world, and to recall its inhabitants unto Light, Love and Truth. Now all this was bad news in the ears of all these three parties, for none of them was willing to be stripped of its selfish greatness, dignity, strength and power; and therefore they all three at length agreed for his crucifixion. So also in this Philosophical Work, there is no other ground for this great opposition, but this very same, that Venus is from above, when these three are from beneath; united in one wrathful sphere, and unwilling to be deprived of their natural power and pre-dominion. Heaven stands now in Hell, upon Earth, and will transmute them both into Paradise; and Hell perceiveth its ruin is inevitable, if it receives into it this child from heaven; and therefore it swelleth up against it, and opposeth all what it can. But by this same opposition, it must and doth but promote its own destruction; as it was done also in the process of Christ.

38. Here might be objected, How can all this be consistent with what was done and declared above, viz., that the matter was purified, the devil expelled, and the sign of the angels appeared, etc? For if so, whence can now such a wrathful, hellish opposition arise? But it is easily to be answered, and the answer Behmen gives to it (though but implicitly and not so directly) is of the greatest importance, not only in this process of the Philosophical Work, but also especially in that of Man's Regeneration. When Mercury, (says he) is awakened from the death of Saturn's strong impression, and receiveth Manna (heavenly food, Light's and Love's substantiality, his own true Virgin, the Water of Life, the Philosophical Baptism) into the mouth of his poisonous Property, a joyful crack ariseth indeed; for it is like as if a light were kindled in the darkness, and a paradisical joy and Love springeth in the midst of Wrath. When now Mercury thus gets a twinkling glimpse thereof in Mars, the wrathfulness is terrified at the Love, and falleth back or sinketh down, like as in the generation of the second Principle out of the first; and the angelical properties appear as in a glimpse. And so this is (N.B. not yet a transmutation but) like as a transmutation, but only transient not yet constant or fixed. If therefore a fixed and radical transmutation shall be done, the same process, that was in this like a transmutation, must be repeated again; but in a far higher or rather deeper degree; And the same can also be repeated again, because the harsh, bitter, wrathful hellish Properties were hitherto suppressed only in part, but not fully rooted out, and radically turned into one only will. And they therefore are now raised afresh by this appearance of Venus, nay even much more than ever before, they stand up in opposition against her, for to maintain their own natural right. So that here also, in a sense, the words of Christ are true, saying I am come to kindle a fire, and to bring upon Earth a sword, enmity, strife, persecution, war and opposition.

39. This opposition is, in this Philosophical Work, between three and three; like as it is also in the generation of Eternal Nature. Yet this is to be understood in such a sense, as the foregoing 38th position can bear, wherein there was asserted, that here nothing as yet is permanent and fixed. So it was also in the process with the Lord Christ: when he now was a going into the strong severity of the Wrath and Anger of God, in order to the full consummation of his great work, he said expressly of himself, "I am not alone, but the Father is with me." He had then with him on the one side, or as we may say, from above, the Father, and him unalterably, in one sense, though changeably in another, relating to the sensibility of his outward human person. Which may appear, by his woeful crying out on the cross, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" For that which here by some is now objected, concerning a wrong translation of these words, is not to be regarded, because the sense wherein they are taken is not liable to such ill constructions and consequences as they put upon it. And on the other side, or as from beneath, he had with him, though in a very low and inconsiderable sense, the common ignorant people which received and accompanied him with great joy and acclamations, when he came riding upon an ass into Jerusalem. So also in this Philosophical Work, Venus is not alone; but, as it were, from above, Jupiter is with her, and from beneath Luna, which is a true figure of that vulgar, simple, ignorant crew. This Luna holds with Venus (like as also the Disciples themselves did with Christ), so long as it goes well with her, or at least tolerably; that is, so long as Saturn, Mercury, and Mars do not actually and manifestly exert their malice against her. But when these three murderers arise, and will forcibly put her to death, or swallow her up into their wrathful pit, then Luna also changeth her colour and inclination; like as the vulgar people changed their will, and instead of their former "Hosanna", cried now out, "Crucify, crucify him."

40. In the process of Christ, when it cometh to the Great Earnest, not only that which was done with him outwardly, by the Pharisees, High Priests, etc., but also that which was done within his own person, in Body, Soul and Spirit must be considered. The two Internal Worlds or two Eternal Principles, viz. the strong Fire-world with the properties of Wrath and anger, and the Holy Light-world, with the pure Love and Light's substantiality, or heavenly flesh and blood, were both manifest in him, and stood open the one against the other; And the great work of redemption could not have been performed, except they entered into one another essentially: for else no solid, permanent and fixed transmutation of the first into the second, could have been effected. This now made an inexpressible terror in the humanity of Christ, viz., in his whole person, considered in all the three Worlds or Principles. For the Love was struck with terror, and trembled at the rough, harsh and bitter death, which it was to give up itself into; so as to be swallowed up by the wrathful properties of anger, all now distinctly raised up and qualifying according to their own nature. And the Anger also was struck with terror, and trembled at the appearance of Love, wherein it was to lose its own wrathful and now predominant life. And so from hence the outward human body also, in this third Principle, was so violently struck with terror and trembling, that the sweat thereof was, as it were great drops of blood, falling down to the ground. Yet he said then, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will, but thine be done." Which words are to be understood, as spoken by the whole person of Christ, viz., in each World and Property, according to the different condition of each. For the first Principle, or Anger said, "Let this cup of Love be removed from me, that I may keep my dominion in men, because of their transgression"; like as we may see an excellent type thereof in Moses, when the Wrath of God said unto him, "Let me alone, that I may devour this disobedient people." But Moses in the figure of Christ, and Christ in the highest operation of Love, would not let him, but replied, first indeed as it were to the same purpose, "If it be possible let this cup of Anger pass from me", but added also immediately, "Nevertheless not my will, but thine be done." Whereby now the human will of Christ as to this Third Principle resigned wholly and submitted itself to the will of the angry father, and was obedient unto him, even unto the death on the Cross, and unto all what was to be inflicted upon him outwardly also, by the instruments of God's Anger. So also in this Philosophical Work, when it cometh to this Great Earnest, the Artist shall plainly perceive a great terror and trembling therein; he shall see, that Mercury especially, which is the principal agent against Venus (like as the High Priests and Pharisees, were also the principal opposers and persecutors of Christ), trembleth at the appearance of Venus, and that Venus also not only trembleth at this opposition of the three wrathful murdering properties, but also that it is with her like as if a sweat did break out from her body: and that nevertheless she is not stirring, but quiet and patient, resigned and ready for to suffer all what they can inflict upon her, and to be wholly swallowed up by them into their wrathfulness.

41. In the process of Christ, the Devil said, or thought within himself, "I am alone the great monarch in the Fire, Saturn is my might, and Mercury my life, and I am in, and through them, a Prince and God of this world, and will therefore not suffer, that such another one as calls himself a Prince of Love, should rule therein, but I will devour him in my Wrath, together with his Love." This he intended indeed, but being he could not effect it as by himself alone, without concurrence of the two chief principalities of this outward world, he stirred up Mercury and Saturn, the Ecclesiastical and the Civil government. And so these all three went out together, or sent their emissaries, apprehended the Lord, bound and carried him from the one unrighteous judge to the other, etc. Thus also in the Philosophical Work the Artist shall plainly see, that Venus, which is all passive and wholly resigned and ready to enter into the dragon's jaws, is surrounded on every side by Saturn, Mars and Mercury. And so as it were apprehended or captivated by these three in conjunction, nay also further that they lay hold on her, and bind her, by darting their several poisonous rays upon her; and then moreover, that they do, as it were, carry her from the one Property of wrathfulness to the other, like as to be by them tried, examined and judged.