The Marrow of the Soul

[judge] it not / otherwise you encroach upon God’s judgment. Test rather / what this man writes in this book in the light of the Spirit of God / and follow the same: Would to God / would to God / that all teachers in Christendom / might write from such light as this teacher / and might teach from such experience: Yes, would to God that in this day and age those / who wish to be leaders of the blind / would allow themselves to be enlightened more by the light of the Spirit / than by the will-o'-the-wisps original: "Irrwischen," referring to deceptive marsh-lights or delusions of pagan art original: "Heydnischen Kunst," likely referring to secular philosophy or scholastic logic disconnected from spiritual experience / and of those writers / whose souls have already been burning in the abyss for several hundred years; then things would fare better in Christendom.

Consider this well / dear reader / and set yourself to it / with preceding and zealous prayer / for the Spirit of understanding / for the reading of this scripture / with a heart / that does not seek words / human art / and [secular] science / but rather the exercise of your soul / and your perceptible improvement: If not / then simply stay away from it / and seek instead among those like yourself / for art and wind original: "Kunst und Wind," an expression for vanity or empty intellectualism. Lüneburg, January 12, 1644.