Het derde boeck des auteurs, zynde hooge ende diepe gronden van 't drievoudigh leven des menschen

...losing eternal salvation: as it is written, He goes about like a roaring lion, and seeks whom he might devour.

9. Since we are in such terrible danger in this world, and are surrounded on all sides by enemies, and must walk quite uncertainly in our pilgrimage: and since we moreover have within us the very worst enemy, whom we hide, and whom we do not desire to learn to know, who is nonetheless the most harmful guest meaning, our corrupt mind and evil will who plunges us into the wrath of God. Yes! He is even the wrath of God himself, who plunges us into eternal, unquenchable pain. So it is indeed highly necessary that we learn to know this same enemy, what he is, where he is, and who he is, how he comes into us and what his right and property in us is: as also we must learn to know the right and the access of the devil in us, how he is befriended by our own self-enemy who dwells within us, how those two are favorable and helpful to each other, how they are both enemies of God, and seek to trap, corrupt, and murder us, etc. [Toward this highly necessary knowledge (dearly beloved Soul) this Book of the Threefold Life shall give you a great introduction / yet you must know that the writings of this Author promise no subtle understanding / but a mind that sinks itself into humility / regarding which he also says among other things in his writings as follows:]

10. But if it should happen that these writings were read, and that the Sodomitic world and its fattened swine came upon them, and [wished to] root around in my pleasure-garden, those who can know or understand nothing but slandering and proud caviling: and thus know neither themselves nor God, much less his children; so I do not desire to write for such as those, and I close my writings with a firm seal and a wall against such idiots and wild calves of the devil, who sit (up to their ears) in nothing but the murder-dens of the devil, and do not know themselves. They do exactly the same thing that their teacher the devil does: and they remain children of the severe wrath of God. But for the children of God I shall write clearly enough here, though the world and the devil may rage and storm even into the abyss: for their hourglass is set, where everyone shall harvest what he has sown; and many shall, by the hellish fire

(in which he has no faith here) for his bold, contemptible pride, be well tickled: there shall come a time that shall be wonderful: but because the same is understood in the night [or in great blindness], many (because of sleep and great drunkenness [in I-ness and self-centeredness]) shall not see the same [time]; notwithstanding, so shall the Sun shine at midnight to the children of Divine Wisdom, etc. [In the Book of the 6 Points he says:]

11. We have not written this work for the irrational animals, who have a human shape in the outward appearance, yet in their image [or inward ground] and in the Spirit [before God] are nothing other than evil and wild animals, which is revealed and shown [or perceived] by their properties. But we write it for the image of man, for those who grow out of the animal image into a human image, who belong in the kingdom of God: and for those who would gladly live and grow in a human image in the true man: who are often hindered by the contrary life, and thus stick in the mixed life, and are anxious for the birth of the holy life; for such as those these writings are written.

Colossians 1
1 John 2
2 Corinthians 5:5
1 Corinthians 2:10
Colossians 1:26
Matthew 10:26

12. We also wish to have the same persons exhorted not to look upon these mysteries as if it were impossible to be able to know them; for the new image born in the life of God sees all kinds of natural life: and there is nothing foreign nor difficult for the same [image], for it sees nothing other than its root [being the eternal wisdom of God] from which it has grown. And just as it is understandable to us how a beautiful flower grows out of the [black] earth, which does not resemble the earth, but it declares [or shows] with its beauty the power of the earth, and how the same [earth] is mixed with good and evil; such is [also] every man, who grows out of the wild animal nature and property again and is born into a right image of God.

13. Now for such as those (who are in the growing [and increasing] and grow forth to the beautiful Lily in the kingdom of God, and stand in the birth) this book is written; so that they [might] strengthen their essentien essential outgoing powers therein, become green in the life of God, and grow in the Paradisiacal tree [being the heart of God] and may bear fruit. Seeing that all chil-