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The Way to Divine Knowledge (William Law)
Hanengerda: New article on The Way to Divine Knowledge by William Law, first edition of 1752.
[[File:Boehme-Werk.jpg|thumb|Title page of the [[Johann Georg Gichtel]] (1638-1710) edition of 1682, printed in Amsterdam.]]
[[William Law]] 1686-1761) wrote '''The Way to Divine Knowledge: Being Several Dialogues between Humanus, Academicus, Rusticus and Theophilus. As preparatory to a New Edition of the Works of Jacob Behmen; and the Right Use of Them'''.
The first edition was printed in 1752 by the [[London]] printer and novelist [[Samuel Richardson]], for William Innys, a [[bookselling|bookseller]] in London. <ref>Gerda J.Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003, pp 118-120.</ref> ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' was partly written in order to assist the reader to a better understanding of the works of [[Jakob Böhme|Jakob Boehme]] (1575-1624), a [[German language|German]] [[philosopher]] and [[Christian mysticism|Christian mystic]] within the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] tradition, who was greatly admired by William Law.<ref>Gerda J.Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003, pp 142 ff.</ref> <Andrew Weeks, Boehme, ''An Intellectual Biography of the Seventeenth-Century Philosopher and Mystic'', New York, 1991.</ref>The German editions of Boehme's works appeared between 1612 and 1624, the year of his death, and the sixth year into the [[Thirty Years' War]], an extremely destructive conflict in [[Central Europe]] between 1618-1648, which had initially been a war between various [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] states, but which was actually rather a war fought for political superiority. It was ended by the [[Peace of Westphalia]] in 1648. The English translations of Boehme's works appeared between 1645 and 1662 during the upheaval of the [[English Civil War]] (1642-1651) and the trial and execution of King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. Law himself lived in the [[Age of Enlightenment]] centering on [[reason]] in which there were many controversies between Catholics and Protestants, [[Deism|Deists]], [[Socinianism|Socinians]], [[Arianism|Arians]] etc. which caused conflicts that worried Law, who as a [[Pacifism|pacifist]] rejected all wars and every form of violence.
==Introduction==
In ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' William Law dealt with Boehme's writings focussing on the "religion of the heart". It was most probably the absence of "book learning" in Boehme's works which must have been one of the reasons of Law's fascination for Boehme. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 269.</ref> According to some, William Law had been considering to publish a new edition of the works of Jakob Boehme which would help readers to make the "right use of them". However, in ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' it seems that Law had no real intention of doing so.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, Works'', Vol. 7, pp. 195; 198. Theophilus, see the next paragraph below, says that "the true understanding must come from the inward ground [soul]" and that this is the reason why Academicus must understand how needless it is to ask [Theophilus] or anyone else to help Academicus to understand Boehme.</ref> Law also mentioned several possibly bewildering passages in Jakob Boehme's books and Law's advice was to skip these passages as Boehme's works were often obscured by the "physico-chemical, medical, alchemistic, and astrological language. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, pp. 345; 357.</ref> John Sparrow, one of the main English translators of Boehme's works voiced similar reservations: "Words are vehicula rerum ... the bare letter of [Boehme's] writings ... though exactly translated, will not give a man the understanding of them ... unless the spirit of regeneration in Christ [enters into him].<ref>Gerda J. Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', footnote 405, p. 134.</ref>
''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' consists of three dialogues between Humanus, Academicus, Rusticus and Theophilus. These three dialogues are a continuation of Part II of Law's earlier book ''The Spirit of Prayer'' (Part I of 1749 and Part II of 1750). ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' is filled with beautiful prose, tolerance and charm. It also has some humorous passages as shown in some of the following passages.
===Humanus, Academicus, Rusticus and Theophilus===
Humanus was "a learned unbeliever" and represented the deists (also referred to as the "infidels")<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, Works'', Vol. 7: "Reason is the vain idol of modern deism and modern Christianity", p. 168.</ref> <ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, Works'', Vol. 7: "This is the ... depth of ... deism or infidelity", p. 178.</ref> who had been raised as Christians, but who had doubts as to the Trinity, as well as with orthodox teachings and with the supernatural interpretations of miracles. Humanus was a neighbour of Academicus. Academicus represents the intellectuals and their close study of Latin, Greek or even Hebrew literary texts which enabled them to discuss fine points of historical and theological differences. Academicus is hampered by this "letter learning". Rusticus represents the simple, honest man living among shepherds herding livestock. Even though he is unable to read or write, he is much more able to receive "the truth" than Academicus or Humanus. Theophilus represents the "Love of God" or "Friend of God" and voices the views of William Law himself. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse quoting the words of John Henry Overton in ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 263.</ref>
===The Atonement or The Necessity of Regeneration or the New Birth===
The core subject in ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' is the concept of the "new birth" (regeneration) within the soul. In the [[Atonement in Christianity|Atonement]] passages in ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' Law again asserted, as he had done in his previous books especially from 1737 and onwards, that the redemption of [[Jesus|Christ]] was an example of "God's mercy to all mankind". It was the only method of overcoming evil achieved by a new birth of a new sinless life in the soul and its reunion with God. This new birth only depended on one's own will to choose between "good and evil" which would create either [[heaven]] (good, love and light) or [[hell]] (anger, wrath and darkness) within one's soul.<ref>Boehme wrote in the ''Forty Questions'' that "every soul is its own judgment" and Law had written in ''The Spirit of Prayer'', part I (1749), "A Christ not in us is the same thing as a Christ not ours", Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. iv.</ref> However, Law realized that this concept of "the nature and necessity of regeneration" would be totally rejected by those who believed in "guilt, righteous anger, retributive punishment, compensatory justice and sacrificial death. <ref>See also Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 299.</ref> Law compared the rebirth with the two parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price (Matt. 13, 44-6), which was Boehme's "noble pearl of wisdom" or Sophia. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 259.</ref>
==First Dialogue==
The first dialogue took place in the morning. Humanus opened the dialogue. It was the first time that he had been allowed to enter into the conversation, because he had given up all "cavilling and disputing" for which Theophilus was indeed very grateful. So Humanus is now a "convert ... [who is] all hunger and thirst after this new light, a glimpse of which has already raised [him] as it were from the dead.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 148.</ref> "The "test of truth", so Theophilus sets forth, lies in finding out whether it is truly the Spirit of God and the Love of God, the pure, free, universal goodness of God that Humanus longs for.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 150.</ref> Later Academicus shows that he is still "quarrelling" with certain points.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 156.</ref> Nevertheless, Theophilus and Humanus are at least agreed that "the fall of man into the life and state of this world is the whole ground of his redemption, and that a real birth of Christ in the soul is the whole nature of it".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 164.</ref> That is the reason why one should look up "in faith and hope to God as our Father and to Heaven as our native country" and why we are only "strangers and pilgrims upon earth".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 170.</ref> Humanus realises that though he is now a convert, he should not try to propagate [[Christianity]] or make converts himself, for if there is no "sensibility of the evil and burden and vanity of the natural state, we are to leave people to themselves in their natural state, till some good providence awakens them out of it" for Deism (or infidelity) is merely caused by the bad state of [[Christendom]] and the "miserable use that heathenish learning and worldly policy have made of the [[Gospel]]".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 176; 177.</ref> Humanus added:
<blockquote>''That no one needs to be told that ever since learning has borne rule in the Church, learned Doctors have contradicted and condemned one another in every essential point of the Christian doctrine. Thousands of learned men tell the illiterate they are lost in this or that Church; and thousands of learned men tell them they are lost if they leave it.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 179.</ref></blockquote>
Theophilus was very pleased with the progress Humanus had made, especially with his resolution not to enter into debate about the Gospel doctrines with his [old Brethren] till they were ready for it and wanted to be saved and if that time should never come Humanus must consider them as disciples of [[Epicurus]]:
<blockquote>''For every man that cleaves to this world, that is in love with it, and its earthly enjoyments, is a disciple of Epicurus, and sticks in the same mire of atheism as he did whether he be a modern Deist, a Popish or Protestant Christian, an Arian or an orthodox teacher. .... For the whole matter lies solely in this, whether Heaven or Earth has the heart and government of man. .... Wherever the heart is weary of the evil and the vanity of the earthly life, and looking up to God for an heavenly nature, there all are of the one true religion, and worshippers of the true God, however distant they may be from one another as to time and place. .... A learned Christianity supported and governed by reason, dispute and criticism, that is forced to appeal to canons and councils and ancient usages to defend itself, has lost its place, stands upon a fictitious ground and shows that it cannot appeal to itself, to its own works which alone are the certain and only proofs, either of a true or a false Christianity. For the truth of Christianity is the spirit of God, living and working in it, and where this spirit is not the life of it, there the outward form is but like the outward carcase of a departed soul. For the spiritual life .... needs no outward or foreign thing to bear witness to it.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 181; 183-184.</ref></blockquote>
==The Second Dialogue==
The second dialogue took place in the afternoon of the same day. It opened with Academicus admitting rather peevishly that he was somewhat disappointed. He had come expecting to hear everything he wanted to know about Jakob Boehme and his works, but so far Boehme had not even come up in the conversation.
===How to Understand Jakob Boehme===
Academicus found Boehme totally unintelligible and so did all his friends, he added. He thought that Theophilus would publish a new edition of Boehme's works removing "most of his strange and unintelligible words and give us notes and explications of such as you do not alter". Then Rusticus stepped in, representing Law's view of skipping over several possibly bewildering passages in Jakob Boehme's books. Rusticus admonished Academicus by telling him about his neighbour John the Shepherd and his wife Betty:
<blockquote>''Oh this impatient scholar! How much troubles do I escape through my want of his learning? How much better does my old neighbour John the Shepherd proceed? In winter evenings when he comes out of the field, his own eyes being bad, the old woman his wife puts on her spectacles and reads about an hour to him, sometimes out of the Scriptures, and sometimes out of Jacob Behmen for he has two or three of his books. .... John, said [Rusticus], do you understand all this? Ah, says he, God bless the heart of the dear man, I sometimes understand but little of him; and mayhap Betty does not always read right; but that little which I often do understand, does me so much good, that I love him where I do not understand him.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 185.</ref></blockquote>
Rusticus added another little story of John the Shepherd. The squire's wife had given John the Shepherd and his wife Betty a huge book with commentaries on the New Testament, but John got so bewildered with all those fancy notions when Betty read it to him, that he asked Betty to bring the book back immediately. For John had rather the feeling of the gospel in his heart even if he did not understand it all than all those difficult explanations of the head (of learned men).<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 186.</ref>
Rusticus was clearly annoyed with the impatience of Academicus for to understand the "truths of Jacob Behmen" one must stand where he stood, where he began and seek only the heart of God. He accused Academicus that he wanted to "stand upon the top of [Boehme's] ladder without the trouble of beginning at the bottom and going up step by step.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 189.</ref> This in turn annoyed Academicus who said that renouncing all his learning and reason if he was to understand Jacob Behmen was something which he was not resolved to purchase at so high a price. To this Theophilus answered:
<blockquote>''Dear Academicus, be not so uneasy. I [Theophilus] am no more an enemy to learning than I am to that art which builds mills to grind our corn and houses for ourselves to dwell in. I esteem the liberal arts and sciences as the noblest of human things, I desire no man to dislike or renounce his skill in ancient or modern languages, his knowledge of medals, pictures, paintings, history, geography or chronology. I have no more dislike of these things in themselves than of the art of throwing silk or making lace. But then all these things are to stand in their proper places and ... kept in its own sphere. Now all this circle of science and arts, whether liberal or mechanic, belongs solely to the natural man, they are the work of his natural powers and faculties, and the most wicked, sensual, unjust person, who regards neither God nor man, may yet be one of the ablest proficients in any or all of them. But Christian redemption is quite of another matter .... It is the heavenly divine life offering itself again to the inward man, that had lost it. .... Now whether this awakened new man breathes forth his faith and hope towards this divine life in Hebrew, Greek or English sounds or in no one of them, can be of no significance. .... Now ... without the least injury done or the least enmity shown to learning, science, reason and criticism, you must place them just where I have done, amongst the things and ornaments of this earthy life. .... and therefore, no truths concerning the divine and heavenly life are to be brought for trial before this learned bar, where both judge and jury are born, bred, live and move and have their being in another world which have no more power of feeling the divine life, than an eagle's eyes can look into the Kingdom of God. .... For the doctrines of redemption belong no more to the natural man than the beauty of colours to [a blind man] that never saw the light.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 189-191.</ref></blockquote>
===Universal Redemption Open to Everyone===
Now Academicus realises that the redemption is possible for everyone who has their inward man "kindled into love, hope and faith in God" and who is capable of the highest divine illumination, while "learned students full of art and science can live and die without the least true knowledge of God and Christ".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 191.</ref> Therefore, he says:
<blockquote>''This redemption belongs only to one sort of people and yet is common to all. It is equally near and equally open to every son of man. There is no difference between learned and unlearned, Jew of Greek, male or female, Scythian or barbarian, bond or free. ....The same Lord is God over all and equally nigh to all that call upon him.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 192.</ref></blockquote>
===Seventeen Hundred Years of Learning===
Academicus explained how he had followed the advice of so many counsellors and had been "sweating for some years" till Rusticus told him that if he had lived "seventeen hundred years ago" he had stood in just the place as Rusticus himself stood now. For Rusticus could not read and all these "hundreds of thousands of disputed books and doctrine books which these seventeen hundred years had produced, stood not in [his] way".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 192-194.</ref> Academicus had been reading "cart-loads of lexicons, critics and commentators upon the Hebrew Bible", books on [[Church History]], all the [[Catholic ecumenical councils|councils]] and [[Canon law of the Catholic Church|canons]] made in every age, [[John Calvin|Calvin]] and [[Thomas Cranmer|Cranmer]], [[William Chillingworth|Chillingworth]] and [[John Locke|Locke]], the discourses of [[Robert Boyle|Mr. Boyle]] and [[Moyer Lectures|Lady Moyer's lectures]], the [[Pope Clement IX|Clementine]] constitutions, [[Samuel Clarke|dr. Clarke]] and [[William Whiston|mr. Whiston]] might be useful, all the Arian and Socinian writers, all the histories of the rise and progress of heresies and of the lives and characters of the heretics, etc., a list of some of the books in Law's own library.<ref>Stephen Hobhouse on Law's Library, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, pp. 355-357; 361-367.</ref> Academicus was deeply grateful for "this simple instruction of honest Master Rusticus".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 194.</ref> Academicus had now given up his wish that someone would make a new translation of Boehme's works in English with comments etc., but nevertheless he still would want someone to make Boehme more plain and intelligible. Theophilus then explained how Jacob Boehme is to be considered. There are two sorts of people to whom Boehme forbids the use of his books. The first sort are those who are not seeking a new birth, for Boehme requires his readers to be in the state of the "returning prodigal son". The others are the "men of reason" who only look to the light of reason as the true "touchstone of divine truths".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 195-196.</ref> Consequently, it was useless for Academicus to ask Theophilus or anyone else to help him to understand Boehme's works.
===The Philosopher's Stone===
The concept of the "[[Philosopher's Stone]]" had intrigued many readers ever since Boehme wrote his books between 1612 and 1624, the year of his death. Law (as Theophilus) explained that when Boehme's works first appeared in English from 1645 onwards many people of "the greatest wit and abilities" had read his books, but that instead of entering into "his one only design" which was their own "regeneration from an earthly to an heavenly life" they became chemists and "set up furnaces" to regenerate metals in search of the Philosopher's Stone.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 195-196.</ref> They did this all in vain because:
<blockquote>''No one has so deeply and from so true a ground laid open the exceeding vanity of such labour and utter impossibility of success in it from any art or skill in the use of fire. .... [Boehme] gives you notice ... and warns you against it in the most solemn manner and tells you that the blame must be yours if you fall into it.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 196.</ref></blockquote>
===The Great Delusion of Knowledge===
Theophilus said that to count the stars or to observe their positions or motions is of the same natural knowledge ([[natural philosophy]]) as when a shepherd counts his sheep and observes their time of breeding. The rational man can reason and dispute about the outward causes and effects, but the "mystery of eternal nature" (different from our temporal nature, for temporal nature is concerned with time and place) was that which Boehme had found opened in himself.<ref> Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 308.</ref> Unfortunately, so Theophilus continued, we call everything knowledge "that the reason, wit or humour of man prompts him to discourse about", whether it is fiction, conjecture, report, history, criticism, rhetoric or oratory. All this passes for "sterling knowledge", whereas it is only the "activity of reason playing with its own empty notions".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 202-203.</ref> This was according to Theophilus the great delusion which had overspread the Christian world and all countries and libraries were the proof of it:
<blockquote>''It is all this power and dominion of reason in religious matters that Jacob Behmen so justly calls the antichrist ... for it leads men from the life and truth of the mysteries of Christ to put a carnal trust in a confused multitude of contrary notions, inventions and opinions ... which is unavoidable with reason ... it is the antichrist as soon as it is admitted to debate and state the nature of any divine truth. .... Reason ruling in divine things turns the living mysteries of God into lifeless ideas and vain opinions and ... as it sets up a worldly kingdom of strife, hatred, envy, division and persecution in defence of them. .... Therefore, it is a fundamental truth that till the particle of divine life is awakened ... in which the mystery of God and the divine nature can have a birth. .... To be a disciple of truth you must not ask ... what is truth or consult the schools, but you must alter your life ... give up all the workings of your own reason and your own will and then you are fitted for that unction from above .... [for] Christ to be opened in you.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 203; 205-206</ref></blockquote>
===The Pearl of Great Value===
Theophilus stated that the "only way to divine knowledge is the way of the gospel" which calls and leads us to a "new birth of the divine nature brought forth in us".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 208.</ref> He compared the divine knowledge with a wonderful pearl that is hidden in the "ground of a certain field" and explained to Academicus that this pearl refers to the new birth which could only be achieved by changing one's will to find it. For nothing, so argued Theophilus, generates either life or death in you, but the working of your own mind, will and desire. If Academicus continued to follow his earthly will then every step would be a departure from God, because this earthly will is ruled by "pride, self-exaltation, in envy and wrath, in hatred and ill-will, in deceit, hypocrisy and falseness, ... working with the devil". When one works with the devil, the nature of the devil is created in oneself which leads to the "kingdom of hell".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 210.</ref>. So, Theophilus continued:
<blockquote>''Whatever you are, or whatever you feel, is all owing to the working and creating power of your own will. This is your God or your devil, your heaven or your hell and you have only so much of the one or the other as your will, which is the first mover, is either given up to the one or to the other. .... Every soul of man is partly human and partly divine and is united to an earthly and a heavenly nature ... and must always work either with one or the other. .... What a delusion it is therefore to grow grey-headed in balancing ancient and modern opinions, to waste the precious uncertain fire of life in critical zeal and verbal animosities when nothing but the kindling of our own working will into a faith that overcomes the world, into a hope and love and the desire of the divine life can hinder us from falling into eternal death.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 211; 218; 219.</ref></blockquote>
===The Grossness of Idolatry===
According to Theophilus, God is no outward or separate being. The religion of reason, which Academicus represented, considers redemption as "obtaining a pardon from a prince". This has all the "mistakes, error and ignorance of God" which is found in [[idolatry]]:
<blockquote>''[Academicus'] religion of reason ... which [Academicus] esteems as the modern refinement of the human mind, and more excellent and rational that the faith and humility of the Gospel, has all the dregs of the grossest heathen idolatry in it and has changed nothing in idolatry but the idol. [It] only differs in such a degree of philosophy as the religion of worshipping the sun differs from the religion of worshipping an onion. .... To put [one's] trust in the sun or an onion or [one's] own reason ... is absurd ... and idolatrous.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 229-230.</ref></blockquote>
With the above words Theophilus put an end to the second dialogue and suggested that they would have a few days rest to "purify the heart".
==The Third Dialogue==
The third dialogue took place a couple of days later. Theophilus started the dialogue with repeating that Academicus' own reason was the most powerful enemy of religion and that "men of speculative reason" of whom Academicus was so afraid are powerless enemies:
<blockquote>''[Men of speculative reason] cannot strike at your religion with the strength of a straw. .... Their power is ... as ridiculous as that of a few water-engines trying to quench the fiery globe of the sun. For reason stands in the same inability to touch the truth of religion as the water-engines to affect the sun. .... Reason can no more affect the truth of religion than nothing can affect something. .... [Reason] is as the barking dog to stop the course of the moon. .... You can know nothing of God, of nature, of heaven and hell or yourself but so far as all these things are self-evident in you.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 231-232.</ref></blockquote>
===The Concept of the Seven Properties of Nature===
[[Stephen Hobhouse]] stated that for many readers of Law's works the concept of the seven properties of nature had been bewildering and therefore his advice was to skip these passages. It is a concept found in Boehme's works which relates to a division into a "dark ternary"<ref>"Ternary" from Latin ternarius means composed of three items.</ref> and a "light ternary" divided by a fourth property of fire or lightning (3 + 1 + 3).<ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', pp. 344-345.</ref> Theophilus argued in the third dialogue that the dark ternary of attraction, resistance and whirling became the ground of the "threefold materiality of earth, water and air ("an anguishing materiality") out of which came the fourth property of nature as a "globe of fire and light" as the "true outbirth of the eternal fire". And since this eternal fire is not a "moveable thing" and stands forever "in the midst of the seven properties" so the sun as the "true outburst of the eternal fire" is not a moveable thing and is therefore the centre and heart of the whole system, forever separating the first three properties from the three that follow, and thus changing the "three first forms of material wrath into the three last properties of the [[Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew)|Kingdom of Heaven]]".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 245.</ref><ref>Gerda J. Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003, pp. 132-133.</ref> Theophilus saw the sun as a place that gives forth fire and light "till all material nature is dissolved".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 246</ref> Hobhouse wrote that Law's sevenfold scheme was confusing and did not fit in easily with his usual idea of the [[Trinity]] in man and God, but he suggested that Law may have been influenced by his belief that [[Isaac Newton|Newton]] had been a "secret disciple of Boehme" and that Newton had learned from Boehme the theory of gravitation and the laws of celestial mechanics.<ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', p. 346.</ref> Theophilus summarized this somewhat difficult theory of the seven properties to Academicus as follows:
<blockquote>''Here you see ... the absolute necessity of that one redemption ... the changing of the three first dark wrathful properties of fallen nature into the three last properties of the heavenly life, light and love, which is the life of God restored to the soul, or the light and spirit or word of God born again in it. .... Turn away from wrath of every kind, as you would flee from the most horrid devil. .... Whether you look at rage and anger in a tempest, a beast or a man, it is but one and the same thing, from one and the same cause. .... Enter into no strife or self-defence against anyone that either reproaches you or your doctrine, but remember that if you are to join with Christ in doing good, your sword of natural wrath must be locked up in its own sheath. No weapons of flesh are to be used, but you must work only in the meekness, the sweetness, the humility, the love and patience of the Lamb of God ... who is the only overcomer of wrath and the one redemption of fallen nature. .... If you are reproached as an enthusiast .... you are to be as though you heard it not. .... For this is the will and working of heaven. It has but one will and one work and that is to change all the wrath, evil and disorder of nature into a Kingdom of God.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 250-251.</ref></blockquote>
===The New Edition of Boehme's Works===
After having heard all this explained to him, Academicus answered that he had received from Theophilus all the answers he needed to understand Boehme's works and that he would no longer ask for any help. However, he was now eager to know when a new edition of all Boehme's works would be published, or if not all then at least which book of Boehme would be published first, because they were hard to come by. Theophilus advised Academicus that two or three of Boehme's books would be enough to open the "grounds of the whole mystery of the [[Atonement in Christianity|Christian redemption]]", for even Boehme himself had thought that he had written too many books and rather wanted them all to be reduced into one. It had been Boehme's frequent repetition of "one and the same ground" which had been the cause of so many volumes and what is found in one of Boehme's books is also found in other books, so, according to Theophilus, there was absolutely no need to go through all his books.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 254.</ref>
<blockquote>''For it is in your own heart ... that is to be your key and guide to that knowledge you are to have of them, whether it [is] from the Holy Scripture or the writings of this author. For to this end he tells you he has written all, viz. to help man to seek and find himself; what is his birth, his state and place in nature, what he is in body, soul and spirit, from what worlds all these three parts of him are come; how they came to be as they are at present; what his fall is and how he must rise out of it. .... But above all things remember this advice, be no reasoner upon the mystery; seek for no commentaries or rational explanations of it to entertain your reason with it. .... To give yourself up to reasoning and notional conceptions is to turn from God and wander out of the way of all divine communication.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 255-256.</ref></blockquote>
===All the Controversies of the Church from Augustine to the Socinians and Deists===
Theophilus ended the third dialogue by returning to the cause of all the controversies of the Church, beginning with [[Augustine of Hippo|St. Austugine]] and [[Pelagius]] who in the fifth century A.D. wrangled about the freedom of the human will, followed by the horrible wars as the result from different interpretations of the Gospel between Catholics and Protestants. From there on Theophilus continued with the controversy between the Socinians and their opponents about "the Fall, original sin, its guilt, the vindictive wrath of God and the necessity of satisfying the divine justice, the necessity of the incarnation, sufferings, death and satisfaction of Christ ", which were all tried at the "bar of reason" with each of them defending themselves that the "soul and everything else was created out of nothing".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 259.</ref> The same arguments were used during the controversy in Law's time between the Christians and the "infidels" (Deists) in which neither side "could go any higher than a creation out of nothing". This "vanity and blindness of the dispute", argued Theophilus, could only lead to indifference and infidelity in the hearts of men.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 260.</ref> All controversy, both within and outside of the Church, was vain, according to Theophilus. What Boehme wrote did not alter the Gospel-doctrine, nor added anything to it. It disturbed no one who was in possession of the truth, drove to nothing but to the "opening of the heavenly life in the soul":
<blockquote>''It calls no man from any outward form of religion as such, but only shows that no outward form can have any good in it, but so far as it only means and seeks and helps the renewed life of heaven in the soul. A Christian, says [Boehme] is of no sect, and yet in all sects; a truth which all sects will dislike and therefore a truth equally wanted to be known and equally beneficial to all sects. For the chief hurt of a sect lies in this that it takes itself to be necessary to the truth, whereas the truth is only then found when it is known to be of no sect, but as free and universal as the goodness of God and as common to all names and nations, as the air and light of this world. .... The truth can have no possible entrance into you but so far as you die to your earthly nature. .... To be a disciple of Christ calls you to nothing but the plain letter of the Gospel and the truth of the words of Christ: He that followeth not me, walketh in darkness. ... This is the truth found, living, speaking and working in your soul.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 261-262.</ref></blockquote>
And with these words of Theophilus ended the third dialogue.
==References==
*Hobhouse, Stephen, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', (1938), Rockliff, London, 1949.
*Joling-van der Sar, Gerda J., ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003.
*Keith Walker, A., ''William Law: His Life and Thought'', SPCK, The Camelot Press Ltd., London, 1973.
*Law, William Law, ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'', 1752 (first edition), 1762 (second edition), 1778 (third edition).
*Law, William, ''The Works of William Law'', 9 volumes, G. Moreton in 1892-93 (a reprint of the "1762" edition of The Works of William Law, published in nine volumes).
*Mullett, Charles F., ''The Letters of Doctor George Cheyne to Samuel Richardson (1733-1743)'', Vol. XVIII, No. 1, Columbia, 1943.
*Overton, John Henry, ''William Law, Nonjuror and Mystic'', Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1881
* Weeks, Andrew, Boehme, ''An Intellectual Biography of the Seventeenth-Century Philosopher and Mystic'', New York, 1991.
==Notes==
==External Link==
*[http://bit.ly/2S3dOOb The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works, Vol. VII]
[[William Law]] 1686-1761) wrote '''The Way to Divine Knowledge: Being Several Dialogues between Humanus, Academicus, Rusticus and Theophilus. As preparatory to a New Edition of the Works of Jacob Behmen; and the Right Use of Them'''.
The first edition was printed in 1752 by the [[London]] printer and novelist [[Samuel Richardson]], for William Innys, a [[bookselling|bookseller]] in London. <ref>Gerda J.Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003, pp 118-120.</ref> ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' was partly written in order to assist the reader to a better understanding of the works of [[Jakob Böhme|Jakob Boehme]] (1575-1624), a [[German language|German]] [[philosopher]] and [[Christian mysticism|Christian mystic]] within the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] tradition, who was greatly admired by William Law.<ref>Gerda J.Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003, pp 142 ff.</ref> <Andrew Weeks, Boehme, ''An Intellectual Biography of the Seventeenth-Century Philosopher and Mystic'', New York, 1991.</ref>The German editions of Boehme's works appeared between 1612 and 1624, the year of his death, and the sixth year into the [[Thirty Years' War]], an extremely destructive conflict in [[Central Europe]] between 1618-1648, which had initially been a war between various [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] states, but which was actually rather a war fought for political superiority. It was ended by the [[Peace of Westphalia]] in 1648. The English translations of Boehme's works appeared between 1645 and 1662 during the upheaval of the [[English Civil War]] (1642-1651) and the trial and execution of King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. Law himself lived in the [[Age of Enlightenment]] centering on [[reason]] in which there were many controversies between Catholics and Protestants, [[Deism|Deists]], [[Socinianism|Socinians]], [[Arianism|Arians]] etc. which caused conflicts that worried Law, who as a [[Pacifism|pacifist]] rejected all wars and every form of violence.
==Introduction==
In ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' William Law dealt with Boehme's writings focussing on the "religion of the heart". It was most probably the absence of "book learning" in Boehme's works which must have been one of the reasons of Law's fascination for Boehme. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 269.</ref> According to some, William Law had been considering to publish a new edition of the works of Jakob Boehme which would help readers to make the "right use of them". However, in ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' it seems that Law had no real intention of doing so.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, Works'', Vol. 7, pp. 195; 198. Theophilus, see the next paragraph below, says that "the true understanding must come from the inward ground [soul]" and that this is the reason why Academicus must understand how needless it is to ask [Theophilus] or anyone else to help Academicus to understand Boehme.</ref> Law also mentioned several possibly bewildering passages in Jakob Boehme's books and Law's advice was to skip these passages as Boehme's works were often obscured by the "physico-chemical, medical, alchemistic, and astrological language. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, pp. 345; 357.</ref> John Sparrow, one of the main English translators of Boehme's works voiced similar reservations: "Words are vehicula rerum ... the bare letter of [Boehme's] writings ... though exactly translated, will not give a man the understanding of them ... unless the spirit of regeneration in Christ [enters into him].<ref>Gerda J. Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', footnote 405, p. 134.</ref>
''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' consists of three dialogues between Humanus, Academicus, Rusticus and Theophilus. These three dialogues are a continuation of Part II of Law's earlier book ''The Spirit of Prayer'' (Part I of 1749 and Part II of 1750). ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' is filled with beautiful prose, tolerance and charm. It also has some humorous passages as shown in some of the following passages.
===Humanus, Academicus, Rusticus and Theophilus===
Humanus was "a learned unbeliever" and represented the deists (also referred to as the "infidels")<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, Works'', Vol. 7: "Reason is the vain idol of modern deism and modern Christianity", p. 168.</ref> <ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, Works'', Vol. 7: "This is the ... depth of ... deism or infidelity", p. 178.</ref> who had been raised as Christians, but who had doubts as to the Trinity, as well as with orthodox teachings and with the supernatural interpretations of miracles. Humanus was a neighbour of Academicus. Academicus represents the intellectuals and their close study of Latin, Greek or even Hebrew literary texts which enabled them to discuss fine points of historical and theological differences. Academicus is hampered by this "letter learning". Rusticus represents the simple, honest man living among shepherds herding livestock. Even though he is unable to read or write, he is much more able to receive "the truth" than Academicus or Humanus. Theophilus represents the "Love of God" or "Friend of God" and voices the views of William Law himself. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse quoting the words of John Henry Overton in ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 263.</ref>
===The Atonement or The Necessity of Regeneration or the New Birth===
The core subject in ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' is the concept of the "new birth" (regeneration) within the soul. In the [[Atonement in Christianity|Atonement]] passages in ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'' Law again asserted, as he had done in his previous books especially from 1737 and onwards, that the redemption of [[Jesus|Christ]] was an example of "God's mercy to all mankind". It was the only method of overcoming evil achieved by a new birth of a new sinless life in the soul and its reunion with God. This new birth only depended on one's own will to choose between "good and evil" which would create either [[heaven]] (good, love and light) or [[hell]] (anger, wrath and darkness) within one's soul.<ref>Boehme wrote in the ''Forty Questions'' that "every soul is its own judgment" and Law had written in ''The Spirit of Prayer'', part I (1749), "A Christ not in us is the same thing as a Christ not ours", Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. iv.</ref> However, Law realized that this concept of "the nature and necessity of regeneration" would be totally rejected by those who believed in "guilt, righteous anger, retributive punishment, compensatory justice and sacrificial death. <ref>See also Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 299.</ref> Law compared the rebirth with the two parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price (Matt. 13, 44-6), which was Boehme's "noble pearl of wisdom" or Sophia. <ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 259.</ref>
==First Dialogue==
The first dialogue took place in the morning. Humanus opened the dialogue. It was the first time that he had been allowed to enter into the conversation, because he had given up all "cavilling and disputing" for which Theophilus was indeed very grateful. So Humanus is now a "convert ... [who is] all hunger and thirst after this new light, a glimpse of which has already raised [him] as it were from the dead.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 148.</ref> "The "test of truth", so Theophilus sets forth, lies in finding out whether it is truly the Spirit of God and the Love of God, the pure, free, universal goodness of God that Humanus longs for.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 150.</ref> Later Academicus shows that he is still "quarrelling" with certain points.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 156.</ref> Nevertheless, Theophilus and Humanus are at least agreed that "the fall of man into the life and state of this world is the whole ground of his redemption, and that a real birth of Christ in the soul is the whole nature of it".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 164.</ref> That is the reason why one should look up "in faith and hope to God as our Father and to Heaven as our native country" and why we are only "strangers and pilgrims upon earth".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 170.</ref> Humanus realises that though he is now a convert, he should not try to propagate [[Christianity]] or make converts himself, for if there is no "sensibility of the evil and burden and vanity of the natural state, we are to leave people to themselves in their natural state, till some good providence awakens them out of it" for Deism (or infidelity) is merely caused by the bad state of [[Christendom]] and the "miserable use that heathenish learning and worldly policy have made of the [[Gospel]]".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 176; 177.</ref> Humanus added:
<blockquote>''That no one needs to be told that ever since learning has borne rule in the Church, learned Doctors have contradicted and condemned one another in every essential point of the Christian doctrine. Thousands of learned men tell the illiterate they are lost in this or that Church; and thousands of learned men tell them they are lost if they leave it.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 179.</ref></blockquote>
Theophilus was very pleased with the progress Humanus had made, especially with his resolution not to enter into debate about the Gospel doctrines with his [old Brethren] till they were ready for it and wanted to be saved and if that time should never come Humanus must consider them as disciples of [[Epicurus]]:
<blockquote>''For every man that cleaves to this world, that is in love with it, and its earthly enjoyments, is a disciple of Epicurus, and sticks in the same mire of atheism as he did whether he be a modern Deist, a Popish or Protestant Christian, an Arian or an orthodox teacher. .... For the whole matter lies solely in this, whether Heaven or Earth has the heart and government of man. .... Wherever the heart is weary of the evil and the vanity of the earthly life, and looking up to God for an heavenly nature, there all are of the one true religion, and worshippers of the true God, however distant they may be from one another as to time and place. .... A learned Christianity supported and governed by reason, dispute and criticism, that is forced to appeal to canons and councils and ancient usages to defend itself, has lost its place, stands upon a fictitious ground and shows that it cannot appeal to itself, to its own works which alone are the certain and only proofs, either of a true or a false Christianity. For the truth of Christianity is the spirit of God, living and working in it, and where this spirit is not the life of it, there the outward form is but like the outward carcase of a departed soul. For the spiritual life .... needs no outward or foreign thing to bear witness to it.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 181; 183-184.</ref></blockquote>
==The Second Dialogue==
The second dialogue took place in the afternoon of the same day. It opened with Academicus admitting rather peevishly that he was somewhat disappointed. He had come expecting to hear everything he wanted to know about Jakob Boehme and his works, but so far Boehme had not even come up in the conversation.
===How to Understand Jakob Boehme===
Academicus found Boehme totally unintelligible and so did all his friends, he added. He thought that Theophilus would publish a new edition of Boehme's works removing "most of his strange and unintelligible words and give us notes and explications of such as you do not alter". Then Rusticus stepped in, representing Law's view of skipping over several possibly bewildering passages in Jakob Boehme's books. Rusticus admonished Academicus by telling him about his neighbour John the Shepherd and his wife Betty:
<blockquote>''Oh this impatient scholar! How much troubles do I escape through my want of his learning? How much better does my old neighbour John the Shepherd proceed? In winter evenings when he comes out of the field, his own eyes being bad, the old woman his wife puts on her spectacles and reads about an hour to him, sometimes out of the Scriptures, and sometimes out of Jacob Behmen for he has two or three of his books. .... John, said [Rusticus], do you understand all this? Ah, says he, God bless the heart of the dear man, I sometimes understand but little of him; and mayhap Betty does not always read right; but that little which I often do understand, does me so much good, that I love him where I do not understand him.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 185.</ref></blockquote>
Rusticus added another little story of John the Shepherd. The squire's wife had given John the Shepherd and his wife Betty a huge book with commentaries on the New Testament, but John got so bewildered with all those fancy notions when Betty read it to him, that he asked Betty to bring the book back immediately. For John had rather the feeling of the gospel in his heart even if he did not understand it all than all those difficult explanations of the head (of learned men).<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 186.</ref>
Rusticus was clearly annoyed with the impatience of Academicus for to understand the "truths of Jacob Behmen" one must stand where he stood, where he began and seek only the heart of God. He accused Academicus that he wanted to "stand upon the top of [Boehme's] ladder without the trouble of beginning at the bottom and going up step by step.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 189.</ref> This in turn annoyed Academicus who said that renouncing all his learning and reason if he was to understand Jacob Behmen was something which he was not resolved to purchase at so high a price. To this Theophilus answered:
<blockquote>''Dear Academicus, be not so uneasy. I [Theophilus] am no more an enemy to learning than I am to that art which builds mills to grind our corn and houses for ourselves to dwell in. I esteem the liberal arts and sciences as the noblest of human things, I desire no man to dislike or renounce his skill in ancient or modern languages, his knowledge of medals, pictures, paintings, history, geography or chronology. I have no more dislike of these things in themselves than of the art of throwing silk or making lace. But then all these things are to stand in their proper places and ... kept in its own sphere. Now all this circle of science and arts, whether liberal or mechanic, belongs solely to the natural man, they are the work of his natural powers and faculties, and the most wicked, sensual, unjust person, who regards neither God nor man, may yet be one of the ablest proficients in any or all of them. But Christian redemption is quite of another matter .... It is the heavenly divine life offering itself again to the inward man, that had lost it. .... Now whether this awakened new man breathes forth his faith and hope towards this divine life in Hebrew, Greek or English sounds or in no one of them, can be of no significance. .... Now ... without the least injury done or the least enmity shown to learning, science, reason and criticism, you must place them just where I have done, amongst the things and ornaments of this earthy life. .... and therefore, no truths concerning the divine and heavenly life are to be brought for trial before this learned bar, where both judge and jury are born, bred, live and move and have their being in another world which have no more power of feeling the divine life, than an eagle's eyes can look into the Kingdom of God. .... For the doctrines of redemption belong no more to the natural man than the beauty of colours to [a blind man] that never saw the light.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 189-191.</ref></blockquote>
===Universal Redemption Open to Everyone===
Now Academicus realises that the redemption is possible for everyone who has their inward man "kindled into love, hope and faith in God" and who is capable of the highest divine illumination, while "learned students full of art and science can live and die without the least true knowledge of God and Christ".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 191.</ref> Therefore, he says:
<blockquote>''This redemption belongs only to one sort of people and yet is common to all. It is equally near and equally open to every son of man. There is no difference between learned and unlearned, Jew of Greek, male or female, Scythian or barbarian, bond or free. ....The same Lord is God over all and equally nigh to all that call upon him.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 192.</ref></blockquote>
===Seventeen Hundred Years of Learning===
Academicus explained how he had followed the advice of so many counsellors and had been "sweating for some years" till Rusticus told him that if he had lived "seventeen hundred years ago" he had stood in just the place as Rusticus himself stood now. For Rusticus could not read and all these "hundreds of thousands of disputed books and doctrine books which these seventeen hundred years had produced, stood not in [his] way".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 192-194.</ref> Academicus had been reading "cart-loads of lexicons, critics and commentators upon the Hebrew Bible", books on [[Church History]], all the [[Catholic ecumenical councils|councils]] and [[Canon law of the Catholic Church|canons]] made in every age, [[John Calvin|Calvin]] and [[Thomas Cranmer|Cranmer]], [[William Chillingworth|Chillingworth]] and [[John Locke|Locke]], the discourses of [[Robert Boyle|Mr. Boyle]] and [[Moyer Lectures|Lady Moyer's lectures]], the [[Pope Clement IX|Clementine]] constitutions, [[Samuel Clarke|dr. Clarke]] and [[William Whiston|mr. Whiston]] might be useful, all the Arian and Socinian writers, all the histories of the rise and progress of heresies and of the lives and characters of the heretics, etc., a list of some of the books in Law's own library.<ref>Stephen Hobhouse on Law's Library, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, pp. 355-357; 361-367.</ref> Academicus was deeply grateful for "this simple instruction of honest Master Rusticus".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 194.</ref> Academicus had now given up his wish that someone would make a new translation of Boehme's works in English with comments etc., but nevertheless he still would want someone to make Boehme more plain and intelligible. Theophilus then explained how Jacob Boehme is to be considered. There are two sorts of people to whom Boehme forbids the use of his books. The first sort are those who are not seeking a new birth, for Boehme requires his readers to be in the state of the "returning prodigal son". The others are the "men of reason" who only look to the light of reason as the true "touchstone of divine truths".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 195-196.</ref> Consequently, it was useless for Academicus to ask Theophilus or anyone else to help him to understand Boehme's works.
===The Philosopher's Stone===
The concept of the "[[Philosopher's Stone]]" had intrigued many readers ever since Boehme wrote his books between 1612 and 1624, the year of his death. Law (as Theophilus) explained that when Boehme's works first appeared in English from 1645 onwards many people of "the greatest wit and abilities" had read his books, but that instead of entering into "his one only design" which was their own "regeneration from an earthly to an heavenly life" they became chemists and "set up furnaces" to regenerate metals in search of the Philosopher's Stone.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 195-196.</ref> They did this all in vain because:
<blockquote>''No one has so deeply and from so true a ground laid open the exceeding vanity of such labour and utter impossibility of success in it from any art or skill in the use of fire. .... [Boehme] gives you notice ... and warns you against it in the most solemn manner and tells you that the blame must be yours if you fall into it.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 196.</ref></blockquote>
===The Great Delusion of Knowledge===
Theophilus said that to count the stars or to observe their positions or motions is of the same natural knowledge ([[natural philosophy]]) as when a shepherd counts his sheep and observes their time of breeding. The rational man can reason and dispute about the outward causes and effects, but the "mystery of eternal nature" (different from our temporal nature, for temporal nature is concerned with time and place) was that which Boehme had found opened in himself.<ref> Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', 1949, p. 308.</ref> Unfortunately, so Theophilus continued, we call everything knowledge "that the reason, wit or humour of man prompts him to discourse about", whether it is fiction, conjecture, report, history, criticism, rhetoric or oratory. All this passes for "sterling knowledge", whereas it is only the "activity of reason playing with its own empty notions".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 202-203.</ref> This was according to Theophilus the great delusion which had overspread the Christian world and all countries and libraries were the proof of it:
<blockquote>''It is all this power and dominion of reason in religious matters that Jacob Behmen so justly calls the antichrist ... for it leads men from the life and truth of the mysteries of Christ to put a carnal trust in a confused multitude of contrary notions, inventions and opinions ... which is unavoidable with reason ... it is the antichrist as soon as it is admitted to debate and state the nature of any divine truth. .... Reason ruling in divine things turns the living mysteries of God into lifeless ideas and vain opinions and ... as it sets up a worldly kingdom of strife, hatred, envy, division and persecution in defence of them. .... Therefore, it is a fundamental truth that till the particle of divine life is awakened ... in which the mystery of God and the divine nature can have a birth. .... To be a disciple of truth you must not ask ... what is truth or consult the schools, but you must alter your life ... give up all the workings of your own reason and your own will and then you are fitted for that unction from above .... [for] Christ to be opened in you.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 203; 205-206</ref></blockquote>
===The Pearl of Great Value===
Theophilus stated that the "only way to divine knowledge is the way of the gospel" which calls and leads us to a "new birth of the divine nature brought forth in us".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 208.</ref> He compared the divine knowledge with a wonderful pearl that is hidden in the "ground of a certain field" and explained to Academicus that this pearl refers to the new birth which could only be achieved by changing one's will to find it. For nothing, so argued Theophilus, generates either life or death in you, but the working of your own mind, will and desire. If Academicus continued to follow his earthly will then every step would be a departure from God, because this earthly will is ruled by "pride, self-exaltation, in envy and wrath, in hatred and ill-will, in deceit, hypocrisy and falseness, ... working with the devil". When one works with the devil, the nature of the devil is created in oneself which leads to the "kingdom of hell".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 210.</ref>. So, Theophilus continued:
<blockquote>''Whatever you are, or whatever you feel, is all owing to the working and creating power of your own will. This is your God or your devil, your heaven or your hell and you have only so much of the one or the other as your will, which is the first mover, is either given up to the one or to the other. .... Every soul of man is partly human and partly divine and is united to an earthly and a heavenly nature ... and must always work either with one or the other. .... What a delusion it is therefore to grow grey-headed in balancing ancient and modern opinions, to waste the precious uncertain fire of life in critical zeal and verbal animosities when nothing but the kindling of our own working will into a faith that overcomes the world, into a hope and love and the desire of the divine life can hinder us from falling into eternal death.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 211; 218; 219.</ref></blockquote>
===The Grossness of Idolatry===
According to Theophilus, God is no outward or separate being. The religion of reason, which Academicus represented, considers redemption as "obtaining a pardon from a prince". This has all the "mistakes, error and ignorance of God" which is found in [[idolatry]]:
<blockquote>''[Academicus'] religion of reason ... which [Academicus] esteems as the modern refinement of the human mind, and more excellent and rational that the faith and humility of the Gospel, has all the dregs of the grossest heathen idolatry in it and has changed nothing in idolatry but the idol. [It] only differs in such a degree of philosophy as the religion of worshipping the sun differs from the religion of worshipping an onion. .... To put [one's] trust in the sun or an onion or [one's] own reason ... is absurd ... and idolatrous.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 229-230.</ref></blockquote>
With the above words Theophilus put an end to the second dialogue and suggested that they would have a few days rest to "purify the heart".
==The Third Dialogue==
The third dialogue took place a couple of days later. Theophilus started the dialogue with repeating that Academicus' own reason was the most powerful enemy of religion and that "men of speculative reason" of whom Academicus was so afraid are powerless enemies:
<blockquote>''[Men of speculative reason] cannot strike at your religion with the strength of a straw. .... Their power is ... as ridiculous as that of a few water-engines trying to quench the fiery globe of the sun. For reason stands in the same inability to touch the truth of religion as the water-engines to affect the sun. .... Reason can no more affect the truth of religion than nothing can affect something. .... [Reason] is as the barking dog to stop the course of the moon. .... You can know nothing of God, of nature, of heaven and hell or yourself but so far as all these things are self-evident in you.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 231-232.</ref></blockquote>
===The Concept of the Seven Properties of Nature===
[[Stephen Hobhouse]] stated that for many readers of Law's works the concept of the seven properties of nature had been bewildering and therefore his advice was to skip these passages. It is a concept found in Boehme's works which relates to a division into a "dark ternary"<ref>"Ternary" from Latin ternarius means composed of three items.</ref> and a "light ternary" divided by a fourth property of fire or lightning (3 + 1 + 3).<ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', pp. 344-345.</ref> Theophilus argued in the third dialogue that the dark ternary of attraction, resistance and whirling became the ground of the "threefold materiality of earth, water and air ("an anguishing materiality") out of which came the fourth property of nature as a "globe of fire and light" as the "true outbirth of the eternal fire". And since this eternal fire is not a "moveable thing" and stands forever "in the midst of the seven properties" so the sun as the "true outburst of the eternal fire" is not a moveable thing and is therefore the centre and heart of the whole system, forever separating the first three properties from the three that follow, and thus changing the "three first forms of material wrath into the three last properties of the [[Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew)|Kingdom of Heaven]]".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 245.</ref><ref>Gerda J. Joling-van der Sar, ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003, pp. 132-133.</ref> Theophilus saw the sun as a place that gives forth fire and light "till all material nature is dissolved".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 246</ref> Hobhouse wrote that Law's sevenfold scheme was confusing and did not fit in easily with his usual idea of the [[Trinity]] in man and God, but he suggested that Law may have been influenced by his belief that [[Isaac Newton|Newton]] had been a "secret disciple of Boehme" and that Newton had learned from Boehme the theory of gravitation and the laws of celestial mechanics.<ref>Stephen Hobhouse, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', p. 346.</ref> Theophilus summarized this somewhat difficult theory of the seven properties to Academicus as follows:
<blockquote>''Here you see ... the absolute necessity of that one redemption ... the changing of the three first dark wrathful properties of fallen nature into the three last properties of the heavenly life, light and love, which is the life of God restored to the soul, or the light and spirit or word of God born again in it. .... Turn away from wrath of every kind, as you would flee from the most horrid devil. .... Whether you look at rage and anger in a tempest, a beast or a man, it is but one and the same thing, from one and the same cause. .... Enter into no strife or self-defence against anyone that either reproaches you or your doctrine, but remember that if you are to join with Christ in doing good, your sword of natural wrath must be locked up in its own sheath. No weapons of flesh are to be used, but you must work only in the meekness, the sweetness, the humility, the love and patience of the Lamb of God ... who is the only overcomer of wrath and the one redemption of fallen nature. .... If you are reproached as an enthusiast .... you are to be as though you heard it not. .... For this is the will and working of heaven. It has but one will and one work and that is to change all the wrath, evil and disorder of nature into a Kingdom of God.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 250-251.</ref></blockquote>
===The New Edition of Boehme's Works===
After having heard all this explained to him, Academicus answered that he had received from Theophilus all the answers he needed to understand Boehme's works and that he would no longer ask for any help. However, he was now eager to know when a new edition of all Boehme's works would be published, or if not all then at least which book of Boehme would be published first, because they were hard to come by. Theophilus advised Academicus that two or three of Boehme's books would be enough to open the "grounds of the whole mystery of the [[Atonement in Christianity|Christian redemption]]", for even Boehme himself had thought that he had written too many books and rather wanted them all to be reduced into one. It had been Boehme's frequent repetition of "one and the same ground" which had been the cause of so many volumes and what is found in one of Boehme's books is also found in other books, so, according to Theophilus, there was absolutely no need to go through all his books.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 254.</ref>
<blockquote>''For it is in your own heart ... that is to be your key and guide to that knowledge you are to have of them, whether it [is] from the Holy Scripture or the writings of this author. For to this end he tells you he has written all, viz. to help man to seek and find himself; what is his birth, his state and place in nature, what he is in body, soul and spirit, from what worlds all these three parts of him are come; how they came to be as they are at present; what his fall is and how he must rise out of it. .... But above all things remember this advice, be no reasoner upon the mystery; seek for no commentaries or rational explanations of it to entertain your reason with it. .... To give yourself up to reasoning and notional conceptions is to turn from God and wander out of the way of all divine communication.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 255-256.</ref></blockquote>
===All the Controversies of the Church from Augustine to the Socinians and Deists===
Theophilus ended the third dialogue by returning to the cause of all the controversies of the Church, beginning with [[Augustine of Hippo|St. Austugine]] and [[Pelagius]] who in the fifth century A.D. wrangled about the freedom of the human will, followed by the horrible wars as the result from different interpretations of the Gospel between Catholics and Protestants. From there on Theophilus continued with the controversy between the Socinians and their opponents about "the Fall, original sin, its guilt, the vindictive wrath of God and the necessity of satisfying the divine justice, the necessity of the incarnation, sufferings, death and satisfaction of Christ ", which were all tried at the "bar of reason" with each of them defending themselves that the "soul and everything else was created out of nothing".<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 259.</ref> The same arguments were used during the controversy in Law's time between the Christians and the "infidels" (Deists) in which neither side "could go any higher than a creation out of nothing". This "vanity and blindness of the dispute", argued Theophilus, could only lead to indifference and infidelity in the hearts of men.<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, p. 260.</ref> All controversy, both within and outside of the Church, was vain, according to Theophilus. What Boehme wrote did not alter the Gospel-doctrine, nor added anything to it. It disturbed no one who was in possession of the truth, drove to nothing but to the "opening of the heavenly life in the soul":
<blockquote>''It calls no man from any outward form of religion as such, but only shows that no outward form can have any good in it, but so far as it only means and seeks and helps the renewed life of heaven in the soul. A Christian, says [Boehme] is of no sect, and yet in all sects; a truth which all sects will dislike and therefore a truth equally wanted to be known and equally beneficial to all sects. For the chief hurt of a sect lies in this that it takes itself to be necessary to the truth, whereas the truth is only then found when it is known to be of no sect, but as free and universal as the goodness of God and as common to all names and nations, as the air and light of this world. .... The truth can have no possible entrance into you but so far as you die to your earthly nature. .... To be a disciple of Christ calls you to nothing but the plain letter of the Gospel and the truth of the words of Christ: He that followeth not me, walketh in darkness. ... This is the truth found, living, speaking and working in your soul.''<ref>''The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works'', Vol. VII, pp. 261-262.</ref></blockquote>
And with these words of Theophilus ended the third dialogue.
==References==
*Hobhouse, Stephen, ''Selected Mystical Writings of William Law'', (1938), Rockliff, London, 1949.
*Joling-van der Sar, Gerda J., ''The Spiritual Side of Samuel Richardson, Mysticism, Behmenism and Millenarianism in an Eighteenth-Century English Novelist'', 2003.
*Keith Walker, A., ''William Law: His Life and Thought'', SPCK, The Camelot Press Ltd., London, 1973.
*Law, William Law, ''The Way to Divine Knowledge'', 1752 (first edition), 1762 (second edition), 1778 (third edition).
*Law, William, ''The Works of William Law'', 9 volumes, G. Moreton in 1892-93 (a reprint of the "1762" edition of The Works of William Law, published in nine volumes).
*Mullett, Charles F., ''The Letters of Doctor George Cheyne to Samuel Richardson (1733-1743)'', Vol. XVIII, No. 1, Columbia, 1943.
*Overton, John Henry, ''William Law, Nonjuror and Mystic'', Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1881
* Weeks, Andrew, Boehme, ''An Intellectual Biography of the Seventeenth-Century Philosopher and Mystic'', New York, 1991.
==Notes==
==External Link==
*[http://bit.ly/2S3dOOb The Way to Divine Knowledge, The Works, Vol. VII]
February 02, 2019 at 12:41AM
