57. As we that are Men in this world, if we be the children of God, assist and help one another in necessity and distress, and readily deliver one another from misery and trouble: thus also it is in Heaven, concerning the children of God, while the soul belongeth to the fellowship of Angels, they affect the company of honest, virtuous, and chaste Men, that fear God, and stand by them in necessity: for the Scripture saith; They are all Ministering Spirits, sent forth for the service of those that are to inherit the Kingdom of God; they often avert the fiery darts of wickedness: what mischief would the Devil often do, if he were not opposed and hindered by the Throne-Princes of the Legions? How often would he terrify and cast men headlong to the ground?
58. But the Angels are our servants and keepers, if we be Christians, and not Beasts; though indeed the Devil sets upon Christians most of all; how very often would many be drowned and killed by a fall, who yet receive wonderful deliverance from Angels: they are ready about people, who sing and speak of God; they have great delight amongst little Infants, so that they many times manifest themselves to an Infant, and play with it, if it be the child of God.
59. How Many Examples are there in the Scripture, of the Angels leading and conducting of the Children of God; especially the Example of Tobiah: though our School-Rabies will rather have it cast out of the Bible [than believe it]: but consider of the Three Angels with Abraham, and the two Angels with Lot: also how they have plainly foretold and declared the Conception of highly worthy Men [as of Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, Samson, &c.] especially of John [the Baptist] and of CHRIST: consider what was done at his birth [to the Shepherds in the Field] and to the Wisemen of the East [or Magi]: and at length to Joseph [how he was directed] to go with Mary and the Babe into Egypt: whereby we may sufficiently perceive their great carefulness about us; for they are God's Ministers; he sends them to conduct us, [through this valley of misery, through this World of Thistles and Thorns] and to defend us from the Devil: O how great joy they have for one poor soul, when it is delivered from the snares of the Devil, yea more than for Ninety-Nine righteous, as Christ saith.
60. Therefore we should not so suddenly despair [be dejected and discouraged] in adversity, when we are in necessity [straits and afflictions], when we often suppose, that the whole World is against us, yet the Choir or Host of Angels, and the Spirit of God, are with us; it is often with us, as with the Canaanitish Woman, so that we cannot find the Countenance of God; but we must wait; for the proof and trial must pass over the soul; the more Gold is Purified, the finer it is; so also the soul; the more it is brought into Trial, if it holds out, the fairer and brighter it is: and God's aim is to have fair lovely children, and such as are of understanding, and do learn to discover [the deceits of] the old Devil.
61. But you must know, that the Angels are very pure, chaste, modest Spirits, also humble and friendly, and are like to Infants, who know of no deceit or iniquity, but what is innate [or generated] in them.
62. Now whosoever will enjoy the company and assistance of Angels, must not be a Lustful Bull or Heifer, or a lascivious wanton Venus, or have a false wicked mind, which day and night studieth nothing but cunning tricks and deceit, how to get money and wealth: neither must always dabble and swim in the world's back-biting, scoffing jests and conceits, and tickle and feed the soul with them, in which the World uses to provoke one another, and to take exceptions [or find fault and stir up malice] at one another: No, No Angel will stay with such Men, but the black Devil, who possesseth the Hearts of these Men, so that they take pleasure in wickedness.
63. Whosoever will have the assistance of Angels, need not call upon them or pray to them; for they accept not of that honour, they give all honour to God, but [he] ought only to turn away from uncleanness of heart, and enter through true Repentance into God's will, and continually put away Evil thoughts and influences [influxes and instigations]; he must continually incline his will to God [and Goodness] and pray to God for the guidance of his holy Spirit.
64. And though the Devil holds fast, and will not let go, and lays open his uncleanness before him, there is no better course to be taken, than to leave all his uncleanness and filthiness upon the Devil's neck, and wind himself out from it, in spite of all [carnal] reason, and cast himself in humility into God's will, and commit himself to it, and leave all doubting to the Devil, (for that is his lodging), and he must consider that it is a great Sin to continue in doubting; he should consider, that doubting is the Devil's Band wherewith he holds the soul fast: When any Man's uncleanness meets him and represents itself before him, so that the soul can receive no strength; that is not God's hardening [of the heart], but the Devil wraps himself about the soul, and will not let the soul come to the light, that it may receive strength and virtue; and there the words and promises of Christ, with his blood-shedding, suffering and death, is a soveraigne Medicine; when the soul wraps itself up in them, and leaves all its uncleanness upon the Devil's neck, that is poison to the Devil, which makes him faint and feeble; and so the soul then presses forth into the Light of God, and receives strength and virtue; and there it must earnestly enter into humility, and then it treads upon the Devil's Head, and destroys his Hell; and then the Angels associate with that Man, and have great Joy, that the Devil is overcome, who intended to be God and Creator in the Soul.
65. But a soul in Christ must be a continual Warrior [soldier, champion, or resister], and although the Devil cannot get possession of the Soul, yet he still holds before it the unclean forbidden Tree, that it should, taste of unchastity, iniquity, lies and deceit, of Anger and Envy: and if he can bring it to pass, that the soul lets in the Evil lust and desire into itself; O how does he hide and cover it! How he does strew sugar upon it! And if he should once draw it into Venus's Heaven, he will spare no pains to get his fortress [his Fort of Prey in the soul] again. For the Devil is never better at ease, than in Man, for there he can be Lord of this world, and perform his work, and accomplish his will; which he cannot do, [In Spiritu Mundi, Extra Hominem] in the Spirit of this world, without Man, for his Kingdom is not in the outward Dominion of this world, but in the inward, in the Root in the Abyss.
66. He can do nothing in this world, in the External [part], unless the Turba Magna in the wrath of God, be kindled, and there he is busy, especially when the Elements are kindled [or inflamed] with Tempestuous storms [of thunder and lightning]; and then if the Anger of God burneth therein, there he is a busy Executioner; if he could ruin the whole world, he would do it; but he hath no further room, than the fierce wrath in the Turba affords him; The Turba [plague, vengeance and destruction] is his Master; he is but a Juggler and Destroyer, so far as the Anger in the Turba is kindled.
67. Know also, that the Devil often strives and fights with the Angels; and when the soul is careless and secure, he sets upon it strongly: but he is held off, that he cannot do what he will; but so soon as the soul Imagines and is captivated by Lust, [like Adam and Eve] then the Devil overcomes; but then again so soon as the soul casteth away that Evil Lust [and enters into Repentance] then he [the Devil] is driven away by the Angels.
68. And there is a continual strife about the soul of Man; God desireth to have it; the Devil also would have it; and the Cause of this is, that the two Kingdoms do part in the Cross: the one is the Love of God, the Kingdom in Ternario Sancto: viz. the Angelical one: and the other is the fierce wrath out of the Center of Nature, which is the Anger and severity [or sharpness] of God.
69. And therefore it is, that God manifests his will to us, and sets before Man Light and Darkness; he [Man] may endeavour after which he will: And that we might know, that God would have the soul into his holy Kingdom, he affords us Teaching and Instruction, and shows us the way to Life; [or Light]: he stirs up by his Spirit highly worthy Teachers, who are the Light of the world, that Men might beware of his Anger and fierce Wrath, and not awaken it in themselves.
70. For the Anger must indeed be in every Life; [as the Gall in living Creatures]; but where the love and meekness prevail over it, it is not manifested in Eternity, but is only a Cause of the Life; for in the Love, the Anger maketh the great exulting Joy and Paradise. The Anger [or Mars] in the Kingdom of God is the great Wonderous Joy, where nothing of the Anger is perceived. As Weeping and Laughing come from one place, and the Weeping is turned into Joy: after such a manner is it with the Love and Anger of God.
71. Therefore it is, that Christ so earnestly teaches us, Love, Humility, and Mercifulness; and the cause why God is become Man, is for our Salvation and Happiness sake, that we should not turn back from his Love: God hath spent his Heart, that we might be his Children, and remain so Eternally: When there was no remedy neither in Heaven, nor in this world, then he Moved himself for Man's sake, that he might be delivered from the Devil, and from his Anger, [into which he was fallen in Adam].
72. Therefore dearly beloved Children, do not so reject and cast from you the Love and Grace of God, else you will lament it in Eternity: for after this Time [of the Temporary Life] there is no more Remedy or Help [than this]: Pray learn Divine Wisdom, and learn to know what God is; and do not imagine or set an Image of any Thing before you, thinking God to be an Image any way but in Christ: We live and are in God, we are of his [Essence or] substance [or Being]: We have Heaven and Hell in ourselves. What we make of ourselves, that we are; if we make of ourselves an Angel in the Light of God in Christ, we are so: but if we make of ourselves, a fierce angry, false and wicked, haughty, flying Devil, which flies aloft above all Love and Meekness, in mere Covetousness, greedy hunger and thirst: then also we are so: for after this Life, it is otherwise with us there, than here; what the soul here embraces that it hath there; and so, though the outward breaks in Death, yet the will retains that embraced thing in its source [or property] and that is its sustenance [food or recreation]: but how that will subsist before the Paradisiacal source and dominion of God, and before his Angels, you your self may consider: We would have it faithfully set before you [for a warning], as it is given to us [for that purpose].
Extract from Jacob Boehme's "The Threefold Life of Man", From: " The Works of Jacob Behmen, The Teutonic Theosopher." Reverend William Law's Edition: Volume Two; London, 1764, Printed for M. Richardson, in Pater-noster Row. Chapter 14, Paragraphs 57 - 72
