Memoirs of the life, death, burial, and wonderful writings, of Jacob Behmen

...the use to which it is put. All of these authors warn their readers about this, but Jacob Boehme original: "Jacob Behmen" does so perhaps more frequently than any of the others. Therefore, if some so-called "Behmenists" Followers of Jacob Boehme's philosophy from either the last or the current century have turned out to be truly conceited enthusiasts original: "Enthusiasts"; here meaning those who claim direct divine inspiration in a way that is considered delusional or excessive and even the most harmful fanatics—and if other private, dark, and gloomy souls have perhaps bewildered and perplexed themselves to the point of distraction by reading Boehme's writings—the blame must, in all truth and fairness, be placed on the spiritual pride and presumption of the former, and on the sneaky unfaithfulness and half-heartedness of the latter.

Neither of these cases is a valid argument against Boehme himself or his writings, any more than the similar negative effects that have undeniably followed from some people's misuse of the Holy Scriptures could be blamed on the Bible or its great author original: "Inditer", the good, holy, and wise Spirit of God. The Apostle's words in Romans 7:7 are very applicable here: "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid—but sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, etc." In short: the better a thing is in itself, the worse it becomes when it is abused. original Latin: Corruptio optimi sit Pessima; translated as "The corruption of the best is the worst."

Mr. William Law, in his work The Way to Divine Knowledge (page 242 to the end), has most judiciously discovered and finely displayed—

Can the most intense opponent of Jacob Boehme and his writings, arguing from the standpoint of their abuse and bad effects, counter those effects with more solid or fundamental instruction than Mr. Law has provided in the following words?

"To think of anything in religion, or to pretend to real holiness without totally dying to this 'Old Man' The "Old Man" refers to the fallen, ego-driven human nature, is like building castles in the air; it can produce nothing but Satan in the form of an angel of light. Would you know why so many false spirits have appeared in the world, who have deceived themselves and others with false fire and false light, claiming inspirations, illuminations, and openings of the divine life, and pretending to do wonders under extraordinary calls from God? It is this: they have turned to God without turning away from themselves. They wish to be alive in God before they are dead to their own nature—a thing as impossible in itself as it is for a grain of wheat to be alive before it dies."

Spirit of Prayer, Part 2, pages 19, 20.