Selected Extracts

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[Christ’s] death and repentance, having wandered for many years according to the outer life, and having led our hunger, awakened by GOD, so deeply into divine mercy, that if GOD would yet in this time release us from the temporal creature Creatur In this context, "creature" refers to the human being in their fallen, earthly, or "created" state as opposed to their spiritual or "reborn" nature. and the yoke of the spirit of this world, such would refresh our spirit much more deeply than all the world's treasures and goods; and [we] once so greatly dared, turned inward, and consecrated to GOD, that GOD would open His way in us (which He paved for us in Christ, but which was devastated by the Antichrist and the spirit of the world, within us and outside us, so that one can no longer find its trace anywhere): with humble surrender of the creature into all suffering that GOD, according to His counsel, would wish to send upon us. For I could see no savior in the whole world, neither in my flesh nor in my bones: so that my soul stood in a great anxiety, unrest, and diligent longing, and fell into a great humility and lowliness of self; since the hidden little pearl Perlein A signature term in German mysticism (particularly Jakob Böhme’s) referring to the "Pearl of Great Price," representing the spark of divine light or the presence of Christ within the soul. of the life of Christ had revealed itself in me, so that my soul greatly rejoiced in its shattered divine will, and according to its selfhood Selbheit The egoistic or self-centered nature that must be overcome to achieve union with the divine. nonetheless esteemed itself far too unworthy to receive such a glorious gift from GOD, so that it as it were melted within itself, not knowing how it should ever deserve such a thing before GOD in rightful mutual gratitude Gegendanckbarkeit The soul’s necessary response of total devotion and thanks in return for God's unmerited grace., and show its thankful heart; therefore it laid itself down in the deepest lowliness before the clear face of GOD, like an unworthy worm, sacrificing itself for all eternity into GOD's will, whatever He might wish to do with the creature, and yet in all this esteemed itself too unworthy [to be] a