ered from the Death and
Anguish of Hell. Now it tasted of the Sweetness of God, and of his
promised Truth; and how all the evil Spirits which had harassed it
before, and kept it back from the Grace, Love, and inward Presence of
God, were forced to depart from it. The wedding of the Lamb was now kept
and solemnised, that is, the Noble _Sophia_ espoused or betrothed
herself to the Soul, and the Seal-Ring of Christ's victory was impressed
into its Essence, and it was received to be a Child and Heir of God
again.

When this was done the Soul became very joyful, and began to work in
this new power, and to celebrate with praise the wonders of God, and
thought thenceforth to walk continually in the same Light, Strength, and
Joy. But it was soon assaulted: from _without_ by the shame and reproach
of the World, and from _within_ by great temptation, so that it began to
doubt whether its ground was truly from God, and whether it had really
partaken of his Grace. For the accuser Satan went to it, and would fain
lead it out of its course, and make it doubtful whether it was the true
way, whispering thus to it inwardly; _This happy change in thy Spirit is
not from God, but only from thy own imagination._ Also the Divine Light
retired in the Soul, and shone but in the inward ground, as fire raked
up in embers, so that Reason was perplexed, and thought itself forsaken,
and the Soul knew not what had happened to itself, nor whether it had
really and truly tasted of the heavenly gift or not. Yet it could not
leave off struggling; for the burning Fire of Love was sown in it, which
had raised in it a vehement and continual Hunger and Thirst after the
Divine Sweetness. So at length it began to pray aright, and to humble
itself in the Presence of God, and to examine and try its evil
inclinations and thoughts, and to put them away. By which means the Will
of Reason was broken, and the evil inclinations inherent in it were
killed and extirpated more and more. This process was very severe and
painful to the Nature of the Body, for it made it faint and weak as if
it had been very sick; and yet it was no natural sickness that it had,
but only the melancholy of its earthly Nature, feeling and lamenting
the destruction of its evil lusts.

Now when the earthly Reason found itself thus forsaken, and the poor
Soul saw that it was despised outwardly and derided by the World,
because it would walk no longer in the way of Wickedness and Vanity; and
al