Sixty-two Theosophic Epistles/19

by Jakob Böhme

The Nineteenth Epistle

Of the 3. July 1622. to Herr
^[1]C. B.

Gods Grace, Salvation and Eternall Light, be our quickning or refreshing.

¹TRuly honourable, and esteemed Sir: my very loving good friend; Let my willing and diligent service at all times be presented, together with the Desire of all welfare and happinesse to you.
²Your Letter sent to me in the Advent, I have received, and understand your very industrious and Christian Mind and desire; and though I am a stranger to you, yet I have out of Herr Walters Letter sufficient information concerning your ^[2] Conversation and Person.
³And moreover, he giveth me to know, your very longing and industrious desire, in your Letter you sent me, and therein I am not only willing, to receive you into my skill and friendship, but I rejoyce most highly, that Such a Mind as yours is born of God; and I exhort you and Christianly to remain stedfast therein: and then you will attain all what forever your honourable Mind wisheth or desireth; and you will in a while experience, in your selfe; what manner of writings they are, which you as I perceive, have lately received from Herr Walter, though I suppose you have very little perused them.
⁴But there shall very shortly, if you be desirous of it, a very excellent clear work, be sent to you, which will highly rejoyce you, for as I perceive from Mr. Walter and also from your selfe, the Authour of them is unknown to you, he may well come to be known to you, if you have longing after the Noble or precious Stone, Lapis Philosophorum, the Philosophers Stone, spiritually.
⁵Then in that, when you attain it, you will have the Highest Joy; you will love and esteem it above Gold and all the world, for it is fairer or brighter then the SUN, and more costly or precious then the Heaven, and whosoever findeth it, is Richer then any Prince on the Earth; he hath the Art and understanding of the whole world, and in him lyeth ALL the POWERS of Heaven and Earth.
^6[3]You have with Mary elected or chosen the best part, in that you set your youth not on worldly pomp state or Pride, but do offer it up to God; and though you thereby Sit a little while in the dark obscurity, yet you will therefrom attain Eternall Light, this I commend to you friendly and intend it faithfully.
⁷And it will well hereafter be discovered to you, who is the Authour of the writing; and it shall faithfully be impart to you, for there is but a small part of them come to your hands: but there hath been a hinderance that I could not now send them with this, you shall shortly have them if you have a mind to them.
⁸You will see very precious Noble rare and excellent things, which for the most part have been hidden from the beginning of the world hitherto: about which all the Learned have danced and sought after them, and some have supposed they have the Noble Stone: but the Time was not yet come: which God vouchsafeth to the last world. Herewith I commend you to the divine protection and Grace. Dated as above.

Your alwayes willing Servant,

Jacob Behme.

Notes

1. Christianus
2. (?)
3. Luke 10.42.