im: "Meanwhile as I lay in
my deep struggle, came there a spirit of prayer down, who made an earnest
supplication and unutterable sighing, rise towards heaven, [The
lamentation at the grave of the Master.] which as I felt most clearly,
penetrated and broke through the gate of the eternal profound, so that my
spirit had an entrance to the secret chamber of pure godhead, wherein I
had audience and complete freedom to pour out my lamentations and show my
wounds and tell who had pierced me. For each and every hand was against
me, let fly their stinging arrows at me, and burdened and oppressed still
more that which hung already, dropping blood, upon the cross, and cried
and said, Crucify, crucify her, make her really feel death in the
dying.... I was in violent birth travail. All woes and onsets, however,
made a greater opening for the birth of life, and gave me an entrance into
the holy place, wherein first I heard the eternal tones. And then after
this, as I gained the strength to be in a pleasant quiet, I was in a clear
water, [Tears.], in which no mud nor any refuse arose; also no implement
was lifted to any work there, nor was any noise nor uproar heard." [Just
as in the building of Solomon's temple.] (L. G. B., I, p. 48.)

Now Leade hears the comforting voice of the "Bridegroom" (the unio
mystica) which brings to her view the perfection she has striven for, and
commands her to touch no unclean spirits of this world. [Gloves.] Only
what is detached from sin may come near him. The bridegroom is answered by
Leade's soul-spirit: "Lord, how can this be done? For although I have had
a great longing towards this ministration [the holy service] that I might
be ever near thee, the spirit of this world [See previous.] has made claim
to this shell or body of mine, and says that I have not yet stepped out
the bounds and sphere of his dominion. The external man is encompassed by
hunger and thirst, heat and cold [antitheses of the Hindu philosophy],
which are wont to entangle his external senses in such things as are
external, in such a way that no one can live in such pure abstraction and
seclusion, until he is relieved of and freed from all care for the
external body. This is what I bewailed with tears, and expressly asked God
whether it was not possible for the eternal mind and spirit to supply all
necessaries for the bodily part without aid of the spirit of reason, who
is king in that realm where malediction rules?" [In other word