Mysterium Magnum (An Exposition of the First Book of Moses, called Genesis)

2. We have an example hereof in the mind of man, which is an invisible fire, that is inclined to light and darkness, viz. to joy and sorrow; and yet in itself is none of these, but only a cause thereto; an invisible, incomprehensive sourcive, fire; and yet as to its own essence is included in nothing, save only in the will of life. 3. The body cannot comprehend the mind; but the mind com¬ prehends the body; and brings it to love, or dislike;1 this likewise is to be understood of the Word and power of God; which is hidden to the visible sensible elements: and yet dwelleth through and in the elements; and worketh through the sensible life and essence, as the mind in the body. 4. For the visible sensible things are an essence of the invisible: from the invisible and incomprehensible the visible and comprehen¬ sible is proceeded : the visible essence is come to be from the expression or spiration of the invisible power: the invisible spiritual Word of divine power worketh with and through the visible essence, as the soul2 with and through the body. 5. The inward spiritual soul of man was breathed into the visible image by the in-speaking, or inspiration, of the invisible Word of the divine power; (for an understanding to the created image) wherein man’s science and knowledge of the invisible and visible essence consisteth.

6. Thus man hath now received ability from the invisible Word of God to the re-expression: that he again expresseth the hidden Word of the divine science into formation and severation : in manner and form of the temporal creatures; and formeth this spiritual Word according to animals and vegetables ; whereby the invisible wisdom of God is portrayed and modellised into several distinct forms: as we plainly see, that the understanding of man expresseth all powers in their property, and giveth names unto all things, according to each 1 Or sufferance and sorrow. thing’s property, by which the hidden wisdom is known and under¬ stood in its power: and the hidden God is made manifest with1 the visible things, for the delight and play of the divine Power : so that the invisible might play with the visible, and therein introduce itself into the sight and sense of itself. 7. As the mind doth introduce itself with the body and by the body into senses and thoughts, whereby it worketh and acteth sensibly to itself, so also the invisible world (worketh) through the visible, and with the visible world: we are not in any wise to think that a man cannot search out what the hidden divine world is, and what its operation and essence is, for on the visible essence of the creation we see a figure of the internal spiritual operation of the powerful world.

8. And we ought not to think otherwise of God, but that he is the most internal ground of all essences; and yet so, as that he cannot be comprehended of any thing by the own-peculiar power of the thing; but as the sun doth introduce itself with its light and power into the sensible living things, and worketh with [or in] all things, and intro¬ duced itself also into an essence ; the same likewise is to be understood concerning the divine Word with the life of the creatures. 9. Seeing then this visible world is the expressed, formed word, according to God’s love and anger, viz. according to the Grand Mystery of the eternal spiritual nature, which spiritual world is hidden in the visible; and yet the human soul is a spark out of the eternal-speaking Word of the divine science and power: and the body an ens of the stars and elements; and also as to the internal ground an ens of heaven, viz. of the hidden world; therefore he hath might and ability to speak of the Grand Mystery whence all essences do originally arise. 10. Since then the great Mysteries, the beginning of and original of all things, do befall us by divine grace; that we are able (as through the ground of the soul) to understand the same in real knowledge, with the inspired word of the divine science, we will write down its ground (so far as it is permitted to us) in this book : for a Memorial to ourself, and for the exercise of divine knowledge to the Reader.

11. And I. we will signify and declare what the centre and ground of all essences is. II. What the divine manifestation (through the speaking of the word of God) is. III. How evil and good have their original from one only ground, viz. light and darkness; life and death; joy and sorrow; and how it is in its ground; also whereunto every essence and source is profitable and necessary.1 IV. How all things have their ground from the Grand Mystery, viz. from the spiration of the eternal One. V. How the eternal One introduceth itself into sensation, perception, and severation, to the science of itself, and the play of the divine power. VI. How man may attain to the true knowledge of God, and to the knowledge of the eternal and temporal nature. VII. Also how man may come unto the real contemplation of the Being of all beings. VIII. Also of the creation of the world and of all creatures. IX. And then of the original, fall, and restoration of man; what he is according to the first Adamical man in the kingdom of nature: and what he is in the new re¬ generation in the kingdom of grace, and how the new birth comes to pass.

X. Also what the Old and New Testaments are, each in its 12. And we will enlarge this exposition through all the chapters of the first Book of Moses; and signify how the Old Testament is a figure of the New: what is to be understood by the deeds of the holy patriarchs : wherefore the spirit of God did give them to be set down in Moses : and at what the figures of these written histories do look, and aim ; and how the spirit of God in his children before the times of Christ did allude with them in the figure concerning the kingdom of Christ; whereby then God hath always represented this mercy-seat [or throne of grace] Christ: by whom he would blot out his anger and manifest his grace. 13. And how the whole time of this world is portrayed and modellised, as in a watch- work: how afterwards it should go in time: and what the inward spiritual world, and also the outward material world, is : also what the inward spiritual man, and then the external man of the essence of this world, is : how time and eternity are in one another, and how a man may understand all this.

14. Now if it should so fall out that when these our writings are read the Reader might not presently apprehend and understand the same (seeing this ground which yet hath its full foundation and pregnant concordance, as well with the Scripture as through the light of nature, hath for a long time been very dark, and yet by divine grace is given to plain simplicity) let him not despise and reject the same, according to the course and custom of the wicked world; but look upon the ground of practice which is therein intimated; and give himself up thereunto; and pray God for light and understanding: and at last he will rightly understand our ground, and it will find very great love and acceptance with him. 15. But we have written nothing for the proud and haughty wiselings who know enough already; and yet indeed know nothing at all; whose belly is their God, who only adhere unto the Beast of the Babylonical Whore, and drink of her poison; and wilfully will be in blindness, and the devil’s snare : But we have laid (with the spirit of our knowledge) a strong bolt before the understanding of folly, not to apprehend our meaning; seeing they wilfully and willingly serve Satan, and are not the children of God.

16. But we desire to be clearly and fundamentally understood by the children of God: and do heartily and readily communicate our knowledge given to us of God; seeing the time of such revelation is born: therefore let everyone see, and take heed, what sentence and censure he passeth: Everyone shall accordingly receive his reward, and we commend him into the grace of the meek and tender love of Jesus Christ. Amen. Sept. 11. Anno 1623. This book of the Mysterium Magnum , being an exposition of Genesis, if it be read through and weighed with good attention, will remove those mists from their eyes that have not diligently perused the other writings of the author, Jacob Behm, which hath occasioned their being offended by the stumbling blocks that have lain in their way, from the misreports and relations of others who have but superficially looked upon them, and taken up surmisings at the second or third hand, and so come to be bereaved of the greatest benefit to their understandings which they would infallibly gain, if they would follow the advice in the last paragraph of the last chapter of this book, where the author saith : We admonish the reader that when he findeth somewhat in any place of our deep sense to be obscure, that he do not condemn it according to the manner of the evil world; but diligently read and pray to God, who will surely open the door of his heart, so that he will apprehend it and be able to make use of it, to the profit and salvation of his soul.

And that I also may be helpful to the furtherance of the reader, I shall descant a little upon that which may draw him with the cords of love, and clear his thoughts from some objections that perhaps hinder his setting upon the perusal of these precious writings. Let us a little examine, though cursorily, what is done towards the satisfaction of the desire to understand : and we may observe that whosoever will bring anything to pass, must be furnished with skill beforehand, or else have a teacher stand by to direct : wherefore are all writings, but that others at a distance either for time or place may be informed of that which else they could not so easily know; what serve the registry of arts, philosophy, and histories for, but to tell succeed¬ ing generations what was in the times of their forefathers, yet that which hath been transmitted from age to age is but a relation of things done outwardly or words spoken, and few or no footsteps mentioned of the most ancient skill, which possessed the thoughts and minds of the wise men, at least, none have expressed the original ground, ways, and proceedings of their understandings, by which they arrived to such attainments : tho’ Holy Scripture is the most ancient and exact, yet it everywhere, though about most hidden depths, only makes a bare relation. For instance, at first it saith thus : In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth : and that God said, Let there be Light, and there was Light. But it nowhere expounds what the

Beginning, God, the Creation, the Heavens, the Earth, and the Light, are, nor how God did then create, or how spake and it was done; nor how done with speaking or without; Moses knew it all; and likely some of the people in that age for whom he wrote it, did understand them, or else he would have written more particularly, for he could not intend to express that which they could not fully apprehend; I cannot but think, the same God that taught him so eminently by his spirit, had so fitted the people that they were capable to receive instruction by his words; and why not we also, by the same spirit of God, since they were written for our instruction as well as theirs : how great a gift then must it needs be, that is given to this author, to expound these things fundamentally as he hath done. The best part of man’s skill consists in the knowledge of those materials that are the subject of man’s working and producing of effects; it is no direct method to go about to teach youths arts and not first sufficiently furnish them with the knowledge of matter enough, to make use of, in the exercise of those arts : in mechanic works we are able to discover that many materials happen to be spoiled in the using, so that afterwards the best use of them cannot be made, as timber, bricks, stone.

The beginnings of things are therefore to be looked into, that amendment may be made of that which is amiss, for one error there will hazard the loss of labour in all that is built upon it, and ignorance in such things doth apparently stop the bringing forth any exact work for the use and benefit of the body of man, but the minds, spirits, and souls of men, which are the materials of arts and sciences, called liberal, we scarce offer to look to the husbandry, planting and meliorating of such things; though in divine skill as well as natural, we have a pattern for doing it, in that Paul did plant, and Apollos did water, though God gave the increase. But we spend our time and thoughts so much about wordly profit and pleasures, that we care for no more knowledge than will serve the turn of the outward man, and though we hear of deeper skill that the wise men had who first invented those most useful things enjoyed and practised by us, for the necessary support of our life; we hardly believe that was ever done which we cannot do, when it is clear, that if we had their skill we might do as they did : and if the Holy Scriptures did not mention that so great works were done by Moses, the Prophets, Christ, and the Disciples, we would not believe such things had ever been done. For we are commonly so far from thinking the

great works of the skilful in Egypt to have been real, that contrary to the express words of the text, theirs are accounted not real serpents, as when Moses did bid Aaron lay down his rod and it became a serpent, and the Egyptians laid down their rods and they became serpents, but Aaron’s rod devoured all the rods of the Egyptians: for all this, men will suppose that the Egyptians’ rods were not turned into true serpents as Aaron’s was, but that they were mere delusions of the devil; and what makes us backward to believe the truth in this, but because we know not, what the rods were, nor the serpents, nor how they were so changed: which being in Exodus, the author would have explained if he had lived to perform his purpose upon the whole five Books of Moses, as he did begin and perfect this of Genesis. Neither is the transformation of Nebuchadnezzar believed, that his hairs were turned feathers and his nails into claws, as in Dan. iv. 33. In treatises of magic are histories of strange actions, where the particular way and manner whereby they were effected is omitted: and spiritual magic operations in nature are not at all looked into, being esteemed satisfactory to the question, What are the hidden virtues of minerals, stones, plants, beasts, men? to answer, that they are occult qualities, as the powers and virtues of the loadstone, attractive of iron, and tending to the poles of the earth, are called: and the knowledge of these is so far remote from our reach, that we must first inquire the place where, and the manner how they may be discerned.

To which end we make many outward experiments, and thereby happen to cause nature to produce her wonderful effects: but few examine how the spirit of Nature works therein, she worketh under a veil or shell, within which, the Spirit produceth all its wonders, and so spiritual things are hid from our outward eyes, though visible things are a glass wherein the resemblance and similitude of all spiritual things are represented; yet of all glasses the mind itself is the more clear and undeceiving, to behold the motions of that working Spirit; all things are there, to be seen, intimately; if we will search how things come there to be produced, and what makes so many various thoughts and representations; we shall there perceive a workmaster, the Spirit which created everything in the world, and in the mind, and he who yieldeth to that Spirit, it will make known to him its own workings within and without; that, it is, which opens our under¬ standings when we apprehend anything; and this is the Mighty God, the creator of all things, who knows when, and where, and how, itself made everything, and wrought in all wisdom, both of angels and men, and to this Spirit we must always have recourse as this author adviseth us, or we can have no true knowledge at all.

Which way would any go that they may be able to perform an excellent thing, would they not first inquire of friends or others whether they knew of any that had attained the thing, if it were concerning a piece of fine workmanship, suppose a clock or watch, sure we would ask where such a thing may be had, and we should as readily be directed to go to those that sell, but perhaps none of them were to be seen in our native habitation; if so, we would desire some to write to a rare artist abroad beyond sea, in the Indies if it were not elsewhere to be had, entreating him to describe the making of it, in a letter to a friend of his with us, and if he should return an answer concerning the parts of it, the standing, or other defects, when it is foul, or a tooth broken, or string slipt, or any other fault; this would be prized highly from so skilful a man, and we would presently look out for his friend in our own country that understandeth the language to expound this letter, that we may have the right meaning thereof: yet when that is done, we could not thereby be instructed about the materials, how to begin, what tools to have, and many other parti¬ culars, requisite to the understanding of the thing; without still further and further directions, from him:

and therefore we are desirous to speak with the party himself who was able to give such directions; but then if we should hear, that person were dead who made them best and had written that letter: what advice should we next take : we should seek out whether any books or other letters have been written by that artist, and for men most conversant in reading the writings of that nature, by which means competent knowledge what the thing is may be obtained ; and the same course must be taken concerning any subject whether natural or divine; this is done with much toil and expense of time and cost; but if we could have notice where one for a pattern were to be gotten we might begin to look into it, and so imitate though but weakly at first, and by a long tract of experience come to a more exact knowledge than can be attained by all the books in the world, much more than if all the learned men were set together accurately to expound those books that could be most diligently composed concerning such a thing. This contrivance is in case the party that invented or made the thing be dead, and not to be spoken with himself, for if he were alive, he could soon teach one capable of learning, how to do it as well as himself: and then by

exercise that party comes to amend the invention in every particular, and makes it exact at last : and thus are divine attainments also both sought, found and gotten: these are the tedious searches that most men wander in about mechanic things. It is frequent with men, to be apprentices seven years to learn a trade, or as they properly call it a mystery, and because it is their employment by which men get their livelihoods, they are loath to divulge it, lest thereby they come short of what else they might comfortably enjoy for the maintenance of themselves and families ; yet so much pains is taken for a poor tran¬ sitory benefit. Outward things are not worth the knowing, but in reference to the sustaining our life in which we are to labour in this world to the glory of our Creator; neither is this life worthy to be compared to that which is future and endureth for ever ; yet the whole learning of physic is to procure health, and prevent sickness which causeth death to the present life, but hurteth not the soul nor spirit as to eternity: but let health be wanting and all other things bestowed upon men on earth are of no value, no trading, getting of estates and gain of riches, to the settling and assuring whereof that it may be enjoyed, in which the lawyer’s advice is wholly employed, hath no delight in it. Some care is requisite to provide for wife, children, kindred and friends, in leaving that they have, free from entanglements, to posterity after them : yet though the exactest course be taken that the learnedst counsel can devise, the casualty of every case is such that desperate expenses happen to the ruin of vast estates; so vain is all that part of learning without health.

And then, the riches and fullest plenty of all earthly things which set the whole world on work; honour and power of dominion, stately palaces, pleasant gardens, groves, walks, meadows, fields, prospects of land, rivers, seas; full tables, dainty fare, delicate attire, great attendance, all usefulness of convenient houses, coaches, horses, beds of down, gorgeous apparel, increase of all cattle for food and clothing, fruits of the earth, all variety of commodities fetched from all parts of the world; as Solomon’s navy brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks (i Kings x. 22), so we have the same things, and precious stones, pearls, spices of all sorts, fragrant perfumes, silks, parrots, and fine singing birds, brought in by shipping in abundance. All recreati ve pleasures and exercises of body, which require much time, pains and cost to be spent in them, wherein men labour for that which is not bread: yet these have their lawful use, in that men thereby become helpful and beneficial one to another, and so necessity hath brought forth many exquisite mechanic arts. There are also rare endowments of mankind, the exercises of the minds of men, as grammar for languages, logic in discoursings, rhetoric in persuasions for reconciling different affections, to the peace and comfort of human society; delight of pleasant music; arithmetic, that fundamental requisite for accountants in all commerce and traffic, without which nothing of great moment can be managed. Geometry in surveying, architecture, geography, optics or perspective, picture, sculpture, graving. Also astronomy which regulates the order of times in the transaction of civil affairs, and in navigation, husbandry, chronology. And lastly, astrology, whereby is hinted to us the pre-discovery of the change of seasons to dearth or plenty, the inclination of years, countries or persons to sickness or health, to purity or impurity of the air, dryness or moisture. And whatsoever more the arts called liberal do furnish man with, are not esteemed where there is not health of body.

And were it not that the performances, effects and works that are wrought in this mortal life, do follow the soul in the world to come, and are represented distinctly and particularly to the soul as thoughts to the mind; and as the actions of great victors are set forth in shows of triumph: it were in vain to spend our time here in anything but drowsiness and sleep : if the enjoyment of our works were not the fruit of our labours ; as in the Revelation it is said, Blessed are those that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their works follow them (Rev. xiv. 13): the manner whereof being well understood would cause such circumspection and care in men, that they would endeavour to have only such works as wherein they shall have joy, and not such as shall be burned and the person suffer loss though the soul be saved, as through fire: and this at that day when the thoughts of all hearts shall be laid open; as if they were plainly limned before us in a picture to the life, and every secret thought shall be brought to judgment: the cabinet councils of the close Cabals, of emperors, kings, princes and states, and the lustful imaginations when the mouth speaks holy things in highest devotions, and the body acting in demurest posture; the cheating intentions in fairest pretences of love and friendship; the lies and falsehoods in multiplicities of words for self-ends; for if Elisha could tell what was whispered in the secret chamber of the King of Syria (2 Kings vi. 12), shall anything be hidden, when all things shall be made manifest; and then of every idle

word that a man shall speak he shall give an account at the day of judgment; also we shall be judged for all things that were done in the body, whether they be good or evil: This is easily confessed to be truth, because written in the Holy Scriptures; but who knoweth how and in what sense it shall be really so, and in what manner performed; and layeth it seriously to heart. Such things as these are only mentioned in the Scripture; the knowledge whereof would make the soul delighted whether there be health of body or not; and it is far surpassing all other books: because they set down all things necessary to eternal salvation so plainly that the meanest capacity may learn them, and it will be the greater con¬ demnation that men neglect so great salvation as is there discovered; they were written by those who knew exactly the mysteries of salvation, and do direct us into the paths thereof: how excellent is the understanding of them then, and how acceptable and profitable are those writings that expound them clearly: But we are for the most part willing to let the understanding of them go, or at most desire a literal knowledge only ; for, those that mention the mystical exposition of things, are suspected to be deceivers; as if, though men do not so well apprehend divine and natural mysteries as they might do, we shall judge them for offering to search after, and but complaining of the want of such learning, as doth teach the understanding of them.

Whereas our Saviour himself taught his disciples the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. And the Apostle Paul taught the mysteries of the Gospel, of Godliness, of Christ, of Faith, and of the Resurrection. To them that were without, all things were done in parables (Mark iv. n), but Christ expounded the meaning of them apart to his disciples. The Scriptures instruct us, not only as to the mere relation of things done, but so that the man of God may be made perfect and ready to every good work: This man of God is the inward man, the child of God, the hidden man of the heart; Christ in us; whose flesh and blood, except we eat and drink, we have no part in him; these words of spirit and life he spake when he was yet alive upon the earth before his suffering, which made his disciples cry out this is a hard saying who can bear it; not considering that his heavenly Divine flesh and blood was in their souls, and that they did there eat and drink thereof, for they had part in him though they knew not how, at that time; yet the mortal flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, being the old man of corruption, which is earth, and to earth shall return. These are great mysteries, and as well after they are

made known as before; for they are the hidden secret operations of spiritual things, and the spirit of man only of all earthly creatures is capable to understand them; there are indeed lying wonders, spiritual wickednesses in high places, that make up the mystery of iniquity; these only deceive the soul of man by their working in the heart in the love of them, to the bringing forth their evil fruits, and not the know¬ ing of them in the mystery, for therein they were well known to the Apostles. If men pretend they know mysteries and are not able to teach them, they are to blame, but not those that seek after them and speak what they find, and stir up others not to rest contented with that which they have, when they may get more rich treasure by searching after it. The history of Christ, and of all other things mentioned in the Scriptures, are infallibly true, that he was born of the Virgin Mary, that he is the Saviour of the world, was crucified at Jerusalem, rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven; the relating of this doth not fully satisfy a soul; for the devils believe and know it all, and what hath been discovered and spoken from God by words since the begin¬ ning of the world, and tremble: and so may we if we learn not the mystery, signified in and by the

history, and feel that Christ is born in us, in a pure, clean, chaste heart, and understand the knowledge of Christ and him crucified, than which the Apostle Paul desired not to know anything else, among the Corinthians; this was not the bare knowledge of the history, for he sayeth in a certain place, though we once knew Christ according to the flesh: as they did that conversed with him upon earth, yet now know we him so no more; then, how did he know him, but in the spirit, in the mystical knowledge?

Infinite are the mysteries mentioned in the Scriptures concerning God, angels, men, the world, eternity, time, the creation, fall, sin, corruption, the curse, misery, death, judgment, hell, devils, damna¬ tion: Christ, redemption, justification, salvation, free grace, free will, resurrection; Paradise: the Holy Ghost, sanctification, restitution, blessedness, eternal life and glory. These all concern the soul which is the eternal part of man, which no other books do teach the assured knowledge of, but the Scriptures. How should we therefore esteem that which teacheth things so satisfactory, and necessary, for the soul to learn, to eschew, or attain, in reference to eternity. Other writers have written from observations made upon experience by the outward senses from external objects, but that skill goes no further than the shell and cover of things, the spirit in nature being invisible to the outward eyes as well as the divine Spirit: they that wrote from the Holy Spirit had inward senses, for it is written, That which we have seen with our eyes,1 which we have heard with our ears,1 and which our hands1 have handled of the word of life, declare we unto you; they also saw with their eyes, things unutterable, such as no eye2 hath seen, or ear2 heard, or hath entered into the heart of man2 to conceive, yet things which God hath undoubtedly prepared for them that love him: some of which that are unutterable, have been declared and left recorded for us by the holy men, and nowhere but in the Scriptures, which hath stirred up the industry of some to collect and transmit those writings to posterity :

and in the time of the Apostles men were diligent in reading the Old Testament, which were the only Scriptures then, and our Saviour bids the Jews search them, saying, For in them ye think to have eternal life, and they are they that testify of me (John v. 39). A little after, the Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to see whether what Paul taught were so or no: Now if any other books would have informed them of those things, they would have sought in those also; but we read not that they did so. This also adds to their excellency, that he who was not behind the chiefest Apostles tells Timothy who was also an Evangelist, and had known the Scriptures as a child, that they are able to make him wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus : how precious is that which can make us wise to salvation: this hath been said of the Old Testament: but con¬ cerning the epistles of Paul, the Apostle Peter testifies of them, that some do wrest them as they do also the other Scriptures: and the worth of the New Testament further appears, in that it was written by the Apostles, to whom God spake by his Son, and therein have revealed him, of whom all the Prophets of old have testified; and therein also are expressed some of the mysteries that have been hid since the world began, and in this it is paramount to all other books :

and this hath provoked the industry of the most able learned men for many hundreds of years to translate them into several languages out of the original Hebrew and Greek, and so by the variety of the idiom of the several speeches, the sense is the more explained, as the literal expositions out of some of those translations into any one tongue not varying the phrase, being compared with another, will manifest: they have also taken pains to interpret the meaning of the words, some from one ground and reason, some from another, collected, by the understandings of several builders of one sect or other in religion;

1 Inward, spiritual. 2 Outward, carnal. causing differences of opinion in all churches of dissenting brethren, each party having several reasons for the divers meanings of the same text of Scripture, but the ground of the mistake is from the working of the faculty of reason upon the subject that is spoken of; the faculty of understanding upon the inward ideas represented in the mind is the same in all men, and if it concludes upon outward observation it is called reason, in Greek, A oyos, which signifies verbum, sermo, ratio, the word, speech, reason: things meant by these are either expressed by the tongue or letters or imprinted in thoughts either from without by the senses, or from within, from God, by the understanding: the certain meaning of the words of Scripture being the jewel locked up in them, not now attainable from the Apostles by conference with them, since their decease, therefore now we should apply ourselves to the things they spake of, which are to be inquired after in the mind, and the knowledge of them to be received from God by prayer, who will open the understanding, for there is a spirit in man, and the inspira¬ tion1 of the Almighty giveth understanding (Job xxxii. 8), and he will then teach us as he did the Apostles: and as he did this author, who by the command of the Holy Spirit wrote his deep knowledge given to him of God, and hath therein pointed out the way to us wherein we may understand what in us is divine and what natural, the new man, and the old: which is the aim and scope of the whole Bible: these new things and old are those that the scribe learned in the Kingdom of Heaven, bringeth out of his treasury, neither can any knowledge be wanting to him who enjoyeth Christ, for in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

A man would wonder why Paul should pronounce so great a curse upon those that teach any other gospel, than the Galatians had received, saying, though we [himself or another Apostle] or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel besides that which we have preached unto you, and uttereth the same, if any preach any other gospel than what ye have received, let him be accursed (Gal. i. 8) ; now what is this gospel? it is the Gospel of Christ which they had received: if we knew Christ we should soon understand his gospel, and how they had received it, and know how justly they are accursed that preach any other: and when we know Christ as fully as his Apostles did, we shall understand from him more than we can find from their writings, though theirs, and the Prophets, all preaching the gospel, direct us to Christ and tell us where he is and what he is. The Apostle 1 Or, breathing in, as Gen. ii. 7. John sayeth: The Word was God, and all things were made by it, and in it was life, and the life was the light of men, and that was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. This Word Moses calleth the commandment, which is in our hearts that we may do it. Paul calleth it Christ, the word of faith which they preach; near us in our hearts and mouths.

James calleth it the engrafted word which is able to save our souls, and adviseth to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and to receive it with meekness; by this it may be discerned, that the word which enlighteneth every one is engrafted even in those that have filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, which is to be all laid apart, or that engrafted word cannot be received though it be able to save our souls, and seeing it is Christ in us, none doth question but it will save us, being received: and this is the word by which hearing, obeying, or receiving cometh, and by that hearing cometh faith (Rom. x. 17), that is, Christ cometh to be born in us : thus we see, where Christ is, what he is, and the powerful efficacy of him; and to know this feelingly and so receive this word is receiving the Gospel, the glad tidings of salvation which shall be to all men, that embrace him; and the preaching and declaring this, is that Gospel; that sound which is gone into all the earth (Ps. xix. 4; Rom. x. 18); it is the eternal Gospel: whosoever preacheth any other besides it is accursed.

Now what this word hath and doth effect, and how, in the whole creation and in every creature, in all men, and in ourselves, is the Mysterium Magnum which this author declareth exactly upon Genesis, wherein all mysteries are couched, there is not the least jot or tittle of all the rest of the books of Scripture that want a mystery, which may be apprehended, by observing how this author lays them open in this part; and will serve as an introduction to the under¬ standing the whole Book of God, in nature and Scripture; and then we may read how our names are written in the Book of Life, which is the best and most comfortable lesson that any can learn, and then we shall not need that this author or any man teach us, for we shall all be taught of God, as is promised and firmly expected that it will be accomplished. These things considered, and the author’s serious admonitions to walk in the ways of holiness, self-denial, resignation, the new-birth, killing of our outward will and desires which rebel against God, might perhaps satisfy, and allay the stirring thoughts of them that suppose some evil purpose was intended in the disclosing of these deep

mysteries, when as it is given to none to understand such things but to disciples of Christ; neither can so great a revelation as this author hath expressed enter into any heart that is not given up to follow Christ, and to forsake his own will, living in continual repentance, and taking up his cross daily, which he hath earnestly called upon all to do, in his book of The Way to Christ, and here and there his writings are strewed with such counsel as with sweet smelling flowers, curious both for shapes and colours, why therefore should his books be scandalised as wicked; it cannot but be acknowledged they have appeared to be dictated by the Holy Ghost, to the apprehensions of some that desire to walk in the fear of God and in the narrow path that leadeth unto life, and have found much furtherance in that way from his writings, the comfort whereof shall never be taken from them: If his writings were thoroughly weighed, men would not need that this testimony should be given of him. But there are some that in words are so full of reproachings and bitter terms against their brethren, whose words or writings do not please their palate; that they revile one another and return bitterness for bitterness, evil for evil; whereas Michael the Archangel when he strove with the devil about the body of Moses durst not use a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee;

yet these speak evil of the things they know not : this ought not so to be, but to return good for evil; and if we know a fault in our brother, we should tell him of it in private, and if he heareth us, we have won our brother ; and it is far better so than to contemn, despise, scorn and find fault with the slips and failings one of another in any kind; moreover, to be reproached, is that which every one who would be the disciple of Christ must look for in this world, and not think to be above his master; for if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call them of his household (Matt. x. 25). Also there were, that said of Christ, he hath Beelzebub (Mark iii. 22). But such names cast upon any should deter none from examining the sayings or writings of any man, that they may be discerned whether they be good or evil. It may be supposed that the persons who judge evil of this author, have received misrepresentations concerning some part of his writings, that speak of magic: as if the knowledge of magic must needs be witch¬ craft: when if they consider that Daniel said, Destroy not the wise men of Babylon (Dan. ii. 24); and that Daniel, otherwise called Belteshazzar (Dan. iv. 8, 9), was master of the magicians: also what the Magi or wise men of the East that came to Christ were; cannot

think but they were excellent men, and had the knowledge of the Magia, in English, magic; not to be rejected, but to be sought after, with all diligence; that we may be able to disclose the secret workings, and oppose the wiles of the devil and Satan, used by his wicked magi or magicians, his instruments in this world: that (2 Kings ix. 22) the witchcrafts of the wicked Jezebel, may be discovered; and together with the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts (Nahum iii. 4), and such as (Gal. iii. 1) bewitched the Galatians to whom Paul wrote; may be overthrown, and destroyed utterly. Let us study seriously to understand the things that are expressed in the words of the Scripture, that we may not be such as speak evil of what we know not. We ought not to look at the mote that is in our brother’s eye, before we have pulled the beam out of our own ; much rather, ought we to be sure there is a mote in our brother’s eye before we think to go about to pull it out; some censure this author’s writings to be full of nonsense, who yet confess they cannot understand them, why do they then judge; for, all that I apprehend not the sense of, is not nonsense in itself, though I think it so: another great fault is found with his hard words ;

now, hard words are used in the most excellent Book, and never the worse for being hard: deep things and mysteries cannot be expressed in easy words; some things most excellent (Rom. viii. 26; 2 Cor. xii. 4) cannot be uttered by any words; therefore ’tis happy some other hard things may be uttered though by hard words; better than not at all : the words we account easy in the ordinary sense, are hard in their true sense and meaning: even the hard words of these writings are easier to the chimick philosophers, than a, /?, y, 8 to one that cannot read Greek: so one that hath not been at the School of Mysteries or of Pentecost, it is hard for him to read the Christ-CrossRow.

This author writes of the mysteries of eternity before they be produced and made perceptible to the creature, that is, before the Creation; also of the creation of angels, before Lucifer fell, and of his fall, and the creation of the world; as in this book at large: and if any will peruse him carefully they will find he mentions, three Principles of the essence of all essences, in the book of the Three Principles-. But in the abstract of the Mysterium Magnum , at the end of this book, they may perceive, that the Abyss and God is all one : and that the Abyss is God ineffable, not manifested but to himself, and to whom he will reveal himself: and that, God is the Unity, in Trinity, the three eternal Principles, manifested by creation to the creature: The know¬ ledge of which three Principles, and of the seven properties of nature, and of the ten forms of fire in the eternity, would make his writings easy and delightful. If we would walk humbly in the sight of God, we should brotherly exhort one another, and not judge that we be not judged, for the same measure we mete shall be measured to us again : let us judge righteous judgment, and lay open that which is evil, before the sun at noonday, that all may take notice, and beware they fall not into the ditch: God that hath shed abroad his love in our hearts, enlighten our under¬ standings that we may see the wonderful things of his law, and then we shall not so readily despise one another, and receive accusations against our brethren and their doings, and so wound some through the sides of others.

If we were released from the virulency of the spirit of the outward man, which figured him in the mother’s womb, and constellated him, when he was born, and when he first breathed the outward air as a seminal breath; which is prone to all manner of lusts, and draweth men to sin : if this were allayed by a daily temperance, and practice to mortify our members that are on the earth, by bringing down the body daily; labouring for an humble and contrite heart, a broken spirit, and a mourning soul, repenting from the bottom of our hearts, amending our lives continually, purifying, and communing with our hearts, and not suffer any iniquity or evil to lodge in the desires of our most inward thoughts: we should soon perceive, upon filling our bodies with outward food, the stirring of lust, to swelling pride, raging malice and anger, stinging envy, greedy covetousness, grudg¬ ing the good of others, pleasing lasciviousness, a wandering eye after the applause, honour, and pleasure of this world; but upon fasting, this spirit is not felt almost, in the body : as we may observe in our¬ selves every moment : but an inclination to love, meekness, self-denial, patience, forbearance, and all virtues, the Spirit of God, reviving in us; and we may thereby somewhat perceive, why the Prophets said: The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, thus saith the Lord; whereas the word was in them before, only this spirit of life brought forth the word, from the Lord, in their hearts, into their minds and under¬ standings that they felt it stirring or speaking anew: and further, we shall be able to discern what enemy we have to deal with in our fight¬ ing the good fight of faith : the world and the delights thereof is a

great enemy, which we must overcome, or we cannot attain to the denial of ourselves, and taking up the cross of Christ, without which we cannot be his disciple; but we are subject to think, that crosses, adversities, and afflictions are our worst enemies, because we live not by faith, but by the outward spirit, which all crosses do kill in us, and by them we die daily, to that, which is the instrument of sin, whereby its desires are brought to effect: and therefore we account that our greatest friend which is our greatest enemy: it brings death, our last enemy, and is the sting thereof, but by killing the desires of the flesh we shall live and do thereby daily overcome that last enemy which we must certainly have a combat with, seeing it is appointed for all men once to die, and after death cometh judgment. If we be earnest and watchful in our fight, we shall be victorious over the first death, and on such the second death can have no power, which is the effect of the judgment: But having overcome that; then, when Christ who is our life (in the faith of the Son of God) shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory.

How excellent a thing is it now, to understand the things expressed in the Holy Scriptures, that they may not be a dead letter having no comfort in them, for none can rejoice to die except he feel the virtue of the life of Christ, killing sin in the mortal flesh; for therefore we must serve the Lord with fear and rejoice in him with trembling, because it it not safe for us to have our outward spirit wherein is the life of sin to rejoice without trembling. How cheerful would men be in soul and conscience, to run the ways of God’s commandments, if they had killed sin, that they might rejoice to die; and so were filled with assured hope to enjoy the crown of victory which is laid up for them, and which Christ, through whom we have victory, shall give us. How doth it comfort an afflicted soul to consider, that afflictions, though they be grievous for a time, are not to be compared with the eternal joys that are laid up for us. But if the transcendent sayings of the holy Apostles and Prophets be not understood, they are but dead to us and so are we to them.

To conclude, let the reader know that more than half this book was translated into English by my dear kinsman, Mr John Ellistone, who departed this life at Gestingthorp in the county of Essex, on the 22nd of August 1652, about one of the clock in the morning: and so went into the mystery, where his soul enjoyeth the fruits of his labours of love, which those shall also do that walk in the same path, and I among the rest may in my appointed time be found in Christ worthy and capable to come to the innumerable company of angels, though now 1 deserve to be accounted One of the unworthiest of the children of men, Of the Manifestation of the Divine Word through the Three Principles of the Divine Essence What the Manifested God is: and of the Trinity i. TF we would understand what the new birth is, and how it is JLbrought1 to pass, then we must first know what man is, and how he is the image of God; and what the divine indwelling2 is; also what the revealed God is ; of whom man is an image. 2. When I consider what God is, then I say, He is the One; in reference to the creature, as an eternal Nothing; he hath neither foundation, beginning, nor abode; he possesseth nothing, save only himself; he is the will of the abyss; he is in himself only one; he needeth neither space, nor place; he begetteth himself in himself, from eternity to eternity; he is neither like nor resembleth any thing; and hath no peculiar place where he dwelleth;3 the eternal wisdom or understanding is his dwelling; he is the will of the wisdom; the wisdom is his manifestation.

3. In this eternal generation we are to understand three things, viz. 1. An eternal will. 2. An eternal mind of the will. 3. The egress4 from the will and mind, which is a spirit of the will and mind. 4. The will is father; the mind is the conceived5 of the will, viz. the seat or habitation of the will, or the centre to something; and it is the 1 Wrought, or effected. 2 Or how God dwelleth in man, and filleth all things with his presence. 4 Efflux, effluence, the proceeding-forth. 5 Comprehension or receptacle. will’s heart ; and the egress of the will and mind is the power and spirit. 5. This threefold1 spirit is one only essence, and yet it is no essence, but the eternal understanding, an original of the something: and yet it is the eternal hiddenness2 (just as the understanding of man is not confined in time and place, but is its own comprehension and seat), and the egress of the spirit is the eternal original contemplation, viz. a lubet of the spirit. 6. The egressed3 is called the lubet of the Deity, or the eternal wisdom, which is the eternal original of all powers, colours and virtues; by which the threefold spirit comes, in this lubet, to a desiring, namely, of the powers, colours, and virtues; and its desiring is an impressing, a conceiving itself: The will conceiveth the wisdom in the mind, and the conceived in the understanding is the eternal word of all colours, powers, and virtues; which the eternal will expresseth4 by the spirit from the understanding of the mind.

7. And this speaking is the motion or life of the Deity, an eye of the eternal seeing, where one power, colour and virtue doth know each of the others, and doth distinguish each from the other; and yet they all stand in equal proportion5 or analogy, devoid of weight, limit or measure, also undivided one from another. All the powers, colours and virtues lie in one; and it is a distinct, mutual, well-tuned, pregnant harmony; or, as I might say, a speaking word, in which word or speaking all speeches, powers, colours and virtues are contained, and with the pronouncing or speaking they unfold themselves, and bring themselves into sight and ken. 8. This is now the eye of the abyss, the eternal chaos, wherein all (whatsoever eternity and time hath) is contained; and it is called Counsel, Power, Wonder and Virtue. Its peculiar and proper name is called GOD, or JEOVA, or JEHOVAH, who is outside of all nature, without all beginnings of any essence, a working in himself, generating, finding, or perceiving himself; without any kind of source from any thing, or by any thing: He hath neither beginning nor end, he is immeasurable, no number can express his largeness, and great¬ ness, he is deeper than any thought can reach; he is nowhere far from any thing, or nigh unto any thing; he is through all, and in all: his birth is everywhere, and without and besides him there is nothing else: he is time and eternity, byss and abyss, and yet nothing com¬ prehends him save the true understanding, which is God himself.

1 Or Tri-Une. 2 Or mystical Mystery. 3 That which is flown forth from the one eternal will. 4 Or speaketh forth. 5 Text, property. Of the Word or Heart of God i • f | 'HIS is now what Saint John saith, ch. I, In the beginning was the JL W ord, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God. The Word is the will of the abyss: ( beginning ) is the conception [or apprehension] of the will, where it conceiveth and bringeth itself into an eternal beginning. The ( Word)1 is now the conceived, which in the will is a nothing, and with the conception there is a generation; this was in the beginning with the will, and in the will; but with the lubet of the will it receiveth its beginning in the conception of the will, therefore it is called [a] Heart, viz. a centre, or life-circle, wherein the original of the eternal life is. 2. And John saith further: By the same were all things made; and with¬ out it was not any thing made that was made. In it was the life; and the life was the light of men. Here, O man, take now this light of life, which was in the Word, and is eternal, and behold the being of all beings, and especially thyself, seeing thou art an image, life, and being of the un¬ searchable God, and a likeness as to him.

Here consider time and eternity, heaven, hell, the world, light and darkness, pain and source, life and death, something and nothing. Here examine thyself, whether thou hast the light and life of the Word in thee, so that thou art able to see and understand all things. For thy life was in the Word, and was made manifest in the image which God created; it was breathed into it from the spirit of the Word. Now lift up thy understanding in the light of thy life, and behold the formed Word; consider its inward generation, for all is manifest in the light of life.

3. Sayest thou: I cannot, I am corrupt and depraved? Hear me! thou art not as yet born again of God; otherwise, if thou hadst again that same light, then thou couldst. Go to, then ! we all indeed come far short of the glory which we ought to have in God; but I will shew thee somewhat: Have a care, and conceive it aright; be not a mocker, as the confused Babel is. Lo! when we would speak of the being of all beings, then we say, that from God and through God are all things. For Saint John saith also : without him was not any thing made that was made. 1 Wort signifieth the Word. Which words in the High Dutch he expounds accord¬ ing to the language ofNature. 4. Now saith reason, Whence or how hath God made good and evil, pain and source, life and death? Is there any such will in God which maketh the evil? Here reason beginneth to speculate, and will apprehend it; but reason goeth only about the outside of the circle, and cannot enter in; for it is without, and not in, the word of the lifecircle. 5. Now then, behold thyself, and consider what thou art, view what the outward world is, with its dominion; and thou wilt find that thou, with thy outward spirit and being, art the outward world. Thou art a little world out of the

great world, thy outward light is a chaos of the sun and stars, else thou couldst not see by the light of the sun.1 The stars give the essence of discrimination or differentiation in the intellective sight. Thy body is fire, air, water, earth; therein also lieth the metalline property, for of whatsoever the sun with the stars is a spirit, of that the earth with the other elements is a being,2 a coagulated power. What the superior [being] is, that also is the inferior; and all the creatures of this world are the same.

6. When I take up a stone or clod of earth and look upon it, then I see that which is above and that which is below, yea, [I see] the whole world therein; only, that in each thing one property happeneth to be the chief and most manifest; according to which it is named. All the other properties are jointly therein; only, in various diverse degrees and centres, and yet all the degrees and centres are but one only centre. There is but one only root whence all things proceed, it severiseth itself only in the compaction, where it is coagulated: its original is as a smoke or vaporous breath or exhalation from the Great Mystery of the expressed Word; which standeth in all places in the re-expressing, that is, in the re-breathing (or echoing forth), a likeness according to itself; an essence according to the spirit. 7. But now we cannot say that the outward world is God, or the speaking Word, which in itself is devoid of such essence; or likewise [we cannot say] that the outward man is God : but it is all only the expressed Word, which hath so coagulated itself in its re-conception to its own expression; and doth still continually coagulate itself with the four elements, through the spirit of the desire (viz. of the stars), and bringeth itself into such a motion and life; in the mode and manner as the eternal speaking Word maketh a Mystery (which is spiritual) in itself; which Mystery I call the centre of the eternal nature; where the eternal speaking Word bringeth itself into a generation, and also

1 Or receive light from the sun. 2 Essence substance or body. maketh in itself such a spiritual world as we have materially in the expressed Word. 8. For, I say, the inward world is the heaven wherein God dwelleth ; and the outward world is expressed out of the inward, and hath only another beginning than the inward, but yet out of the inward. It is expressed from the inward through the motion of the eternal speaking Word, and closed into a beginning and end. 9. And the inward world standeth in the eternal speaking Word: The eternal Word hath spoken it (through the wisdom) out ofits own powers, colours and virtues, into an essence, as a Great Mystery, from eternity ; which essence also is only as a spiration from the Word in the wisdom, which hath its re-conception (to generation) in itself; and with the conception doth likewise coagulate itself, and introduceth itself into forms, after the manner of the generation of the eternal Word; as the powers, colours and virtues do generate themselves in the Word (through the wisdom), or as I might say, out of the wisdom in the Word. 10. Therefore there is nothing nigh unto or afar off from God; one world is in the other, and all are only one: But one is spiritual, the other corporeal, as soul and body are in each other; and also time and eternity are but one thing, yet in distinct or different beginnings.

The spiritual world in the internal [Principle] hath an eternal beginning, and the outward a temporal; each hath its birth in itself. But the eternal speaking Word ruleth through and over all; yet it can neither be apprehended nor conceived, either by the spiritual or by the external world, that it should stand still; but it worketh from eternity to eternity, and its work1 is conceived. For it is the formed Word, and the working Word is its life, and is incomprehensible; for the Word is without all essence, as a bare understanding only, or as a power that bringeth2 itselfinto essence.

11. In the inward spiritual world the Word conceiveth itselfinto a spiritual essence, as one only element, wherein the four lie hid. But when God, viz. the Word, moved this one element, then the hidden properties did manifest themselves ; as there are four elements. 2 Or worketh itself out in the essence. How out of the Eternal Good an Evil is come to be; which in the Good had no beginning to the Evil. And of the Original of the Dark World, or Hell, wherein the i, x tow, since light and darkness, moreover, pain and source are dx| seen in the outward world, and yet all originally proceed from the eternal Mystery, viz. from the inward spiritual world, and the inward spiritual world proceedeth out of the eternal generating and speaking Word, thereupon we are to consider, How, out of the eternal good an evil is come to be, which, in the good, hath no beginning to the evil: Whence darkness, pain and source arise: And then, from whence a lustre or light ariseth in the darkness. 2. For we cannot say that the eternal light, or the eternal darkness, is created; otherwise they would be in a time and a comprehensive beginning; which is not so. For they are concomitant in the genera¬ tion, yet not in the wisdom or generation of the Word of the Deity; but they take their original in the desire of the speaking Word.

3. For in the eternal speaking Word, which is beyond or without all nature or beginning, is only the divine understanding or sound; in it there is neither darkness nor light, neither thick nor thin, neither joy nor sorrow; moreover, no sensibility or perceivancy;2 but it is barely a power of the understanding in one source, will and dominion ; there is neither friend nor foe unto it, for it is the eternal good, and nothing else. 4. Seeing then this eternal good cannot be an insensible essence (for so it were not manifest to itself), it introduceth itself in itself into a lubet, to behold and see what itself is ; in which lubet is the wisdom : and then the lubet, thus seeing what itself is, bringeth itself into a desire to find out and feel what itself is, viz. to a sensible perceivance of the smell and taste of the colours, powers and virtues: and yet no perceivancy could arise in the free spiritual lubet, if it brought not itself into a desire, like a hunger. 1 Or hath. 2 Finding or apprehension. 5. For the nothing hungereth after the something, and the hunger is the desire, viz. the first Verbum Fiat, or creating power: For the desire hath nothing that it is able to make or conceive. It conceiveth only itself, and impresseth itself, that is, it coagulateth itself, it draweth itself into itself, and comprehends itself, and bringeth itself from abyss into byss; and overshadoweth itself with its magnetical attraction; so that the nothing is filled, and yet remains as a nothing; it is only a property, viz. a darkness. This is the eternal original of the darkness: for where there is a property there is already something; and the something is not as the nothing : It yieldeth obscurity,1 unless something else, viz. a lustre, doth fill it; and then ’tis light, and yet it remaineth a darkness in the property.

6. In this coagulation, or impression, or desire, or hunger, by any of which I might express it to the understanding; I say, in this com¬ paction or comprehensive complication we are to understand two things: 1. The free lubet, which is the wisdom, power, and virtue of the colours: and 2. The desire of the free lubet in itself. For the free lubet, viz. the wisdom, is no property; it is free from all inclination, and is one with God; but the desire is a property. Now the desire ariseth from the lubet; therefore the desire doth conceive and com¬ prehend the free lubet all along in the compaction, in the impression; and bringeth it also into feeling and finding. 7. And understand us aright and punctually here: The desire ariseth out of the will to the free lubet, and maketh itself out of the free lubet, and bringeth itselfinto a desire; for the desire is the Father’s property. And the free lubet, viz. the wisdom, is the Son’s property; albeit God, seeing that he is a2 Spirit, is not called Father, or Son in this place, until the manifestation through the fire in the light; and there he is called Father and Son. But I set it down by reason of the birth of nature, for a better understanding of the true ground; that man might understand to what Person in the Deity, nature, and to what the power in nature, is to be ascribed.

HOW THE WILL OF THE ABYSS BRINGETH ITSELF INTO NATURE AND FORM 8. The desire proceeding from the will of the abyss is the first form, and it is the Fiat, or, Let there Be. And the power of the free lubet 1 Or causeth darkness. 2 Or one. is God, who governeth the Fiat, and both together are named Verbum Fiat, that is, the eternal Word, which createth where nothing is; and [is] the original of nature, and of all essences. 9. f-ji The first property of the desire is astringent, harsh, impressing, self-conceiving, self-overshadowing; and it maketh, first, the great darkness of the abyss: Secondly, it maketh itself substantial in a spiritual manner, wholly rough, harsh, hard and thick, and it is a cause of coldness, and all keenness and sharpness; also of all what¬ soever that is called essence: and it is the beginning of perceivancy, wherein the free lubet doth find and perceive itself, and introduceth the contemplation of itself. But the desire in itself bringeth itself thereby into pain and source: Yet the free lubet doth only so receive finding [or perceivancy]. 10. The second form or property is the constringency [or attraction] of the desire; that is, a compunction, stirring or motion. For each desire is attractive and constringent, and is the beginning of motion, stirring and life, and the true original of the Mercurial life of the painful [or tormenting] source. For here ariseth the first enmity between the astringency or hardness, and the compunction or string of stirring; for the desire maketh hard, thick, and congealeth, as the cold stiffened! and freezeth the water. Thus the astringency is a mere raw coldness, and the compunction, viz. the attraction, is yet brought forth with the impression [or close constringent desire].

11. It is even here as father and son; the father would be still, and hard, and the compunction, viz. his son, stirreth in the father, and causeth unquietness, and this the father, viz. the astringency, cannot endure; and therefore he attracteth the more eagerly and earnestly in the desire, to hold and shut in the disobedient son; whereby the son groweth only more strong in the compunction.3 And this is the true ground and cause of sense, which in the free lubet is the eternal beginning of the motion4 of the powers, colours and virtues, and of the divine kingdom of joy; and in the dark desire it is the original of enmity, pain and torment; and of the eternal original of God’s anger, and of all unquietness and contrariety [or antipathy]. 12. The third property is the anguish,5 or source, or welling forth, which the two first properties make. When the compunction, viz. the stirring, striveth and moveth with rage in the hardness or impression, and bruiseth the hardness, then in the contrition6 of the 1 U Saturnus. 2 $ Mercurius. 3 Or sting. 4 Or manifestation. 5 $ Mars. Contrition or distress. 6 Brokenness. hardness the first sense of feeling doth arise, and is the beginning of the essences ; for it is the severation whereby, in the free lubet, in the word of the powers, each power becometh severable and sensible1 in itself. It is the origin of distinction, or differentiation, whereby the powers are, each in itself, mutually manifest; also the origin of the senses and of the mind.

13. For the eternal mind is the all-essential power of the Deity : but the senses arise through nature with the motion in the division or differentiation of the powers, where each power doth perceive and feel itself in itself. It is also the origin of taste and smell. When the perceivance of the powers in the distinction hath mutual intercourse and entrance into each other, then they feel, taste, smell, hear and see one another; and herein ariseth the joy oflife, which, in the stillness of the power of God in the liberty, could not be. Therefore the divine under¬ standing bringeth itself into spiritual properties, that it might be manifest to itself, and be a working life. 14. Now we are to consider of the anguish in its own generation and peculiar property: for just as there is a mind, viz. an under¬ standing, in the liberty, in the Word of the power of God, so likewise the first will to the desire bringeth itself in the desire of the darkness into a mind; which mind is the anguish-source, viz. a sulphuroussource : and yet here only spirit is to be understood. 15. The anguish-source is thus to be understood: The astringent desire conceiveth itself, and draweth2 itself into itself, and maketh itself full, hard and rough: now the attraction is an enemy of the hardness. The hardness is retentive, the attraction is fugitive: the one will into itself, and the other will out of itself; but since they cannot sever and part asunder one from the other they remain in each other as a rotating wheel : the one will ascend, the other descend.

16. For the hardness causeth substance and weight, and the com¬ punction giveth spirit and the active3 life: These both mutually circulate in themselves and out of themselves, and yet cannot go any whither [parted]. What the desire, viz. the magnet, maketh hard, that the attraction doth again break in pieces, and it is the greatest un¬ quietness in itself, like a raging madness: and is in itself a horrible anguish; and yet no right feeling is perceived4 until the fire [ariseth, or until the enkindling of the fire in nature, which is the fourth form, wherein the manifestation of each life appeareth]. And I leave it to the 1 Feeling or distinct. 2 Contracteth. 3 Text, flying. 4 Or to be understood. consideration of the true understanding searcher of nature, what this is or meaneth; let him search and bethink himself; he will find it in his own natural and paternal knowledge. 17. The anguish maketh the sulphurous spirit, and the compunc¬ tion maketh the Mercury, viz. the work-master of nature: he is the life of nature, and the astringent desire maketh the keen salt-spirit; and yet all three are only one; but they divide themselves into three forms, which are called Sulphur, Mercurius and Sal: These three properties do impress the free lubet into themselves, that it also giveth a material essentiality, which is the oil of these three forms (viz. their life and joy), which doth quench and soften their wrathfulness; and this no rational man can deny. There is a salt, brimstone and oil in all things; and the Mercurius, viz. the vital venom-1- maketh the essence in all things, and so the abyss bringeth itself into byss and nature.

18. O2 The fourth form of nature is the enkindling of the fire, where the sensitive3 and intellective life doth first arise, and the hidden God manifesteth himself: For without nature he is hidden unto all creatures, but in the eternal and temporal nature he is perceived and manifest. 19. And this manifestation is first effected4 by the awakening of the powers, viz. by the three above-mentioned properties, Sulphur, Mercurius and Sal, and therein the oil [is manifested], in which the life hath5 its vital being and radiance, life and lustre. The true life is first manifest in the fourth form, viz. in the fire and light; in the fire the natural, and in the light the oily spiritual; and in the power of the light the divine intellectual [or understanding life is manifest] . 20. Reader, attend and mark aright: I understand here, with the description of nature, the eternal, not the temporal nature. I shew thee only the temporal nature thereby; for it is expressed or spoken forth out of the eternal, and therefore do not foist in or allege calves, cows or oxen, as ’tis the course of irrational reason in Babel to do. 21. First know this: That the divine understanding doth therefore introduce itself into fire, that its eternal lubet might be majestical and lustrous,6 for the divine understanding receiveth no source into itself, it also needeth none to its own being, for the all needeth not the something. The something is only the play of the all, wherewith the all doth melodise and play; and, that the universal or all might be manifest unto itself, it introduceth its will into properties. Thus we,

1 Or poison-life. 2 ® Sol. 3 Feeling and understanding. 4 Or brought to pass. 5 Text, burneth and shineth. 8 Or a light. as a creature, will write of the properties, viz. of the manifested God, how the all, viz. the abyssal, eternal understanding manifests itself. 22. Secondly, the abyssal and divine understanding doth therefore introduce itself into an anxious fire- will and life, that its great love and joy, which is called God, might be manifest; for if all were only one, then the one would not be manifest unto itself; but by the manifesta¬ tion the eternal good is known, and maketh a kingdom of joy; else, if there were no anguish, then joy were not manifest unto itself; and there would be but one only will, which would do continually one and the same thing. But if it introduceth itself into contrariety, then in the contest the lubet of joy becomes a desire and a love play to itself, in that it hath to work and act; to speak according to our human capacity. 23. The original of the eternal spiritual and natural fire is effected by an eternal conjunction or copulation, not each severally, but both jointly, viz. the divine fire, which is a love-flame, and (2) the natural fire, which is a torment and consuming source. Understand it thus:

24. One part, viz. the will of the Father, or of the abyss, intro¬ duceth itself into the greatest sharpness of the astringency, where it is a cold fire, a cold painful source; and it is sharpened by the astringent compunctive anguish, and in this anguish it comes to desire the liberty, viz. the free lubet, or meekness. And the other part is the free lubet, which desireth to be manifest; it longeth after the will of the Father, which hath generated it out of or beyond nature; and useth it for his play. This here doth again desire the will; and the will hath here re-conceived itself to go again out of the anguish into the liberty, viz. into the lubet. 25. Understand, that it is the re-conceived will that desireth the free lubet of God. But now it hath taken into itself the horrible astringent hard compunctive sharpness; and the free lubet is a great meekness; in reference to the wrathful nature, as a nothing, and yet it is. Now both these dash together in one another. The sharp will eagerly and mightily desireth the free lubet, and the lubet desireth the austere will; and as they enter into and feel each other, a great flagrat is made, like a flash of lightning, in manner as the fire or lightning is enkindled in the firmament.

26. And in this flagrat the fire is enkindled. For the astringent harsh darkness, which is cold, is dismayed at the light and great meekness of the free lubet, and becomes in itself a flagrat of death, where the wrathfulness and cold property retireth back into itself, and closeth up itself as a death. For in the flagrat the dark mind becomes essential} it sadly betakes itself into itself, as an ownness, as a great fear1 before the light, or as an enmity of the light. And this is the true original of the dark world, viz. of the abyss, into which the devils are thrust, which we call hell. 1 As being afraid, or dismayed at the light. Of the Two Principles, viz. God’s Love, and Anger: of Darkness, and Light: Very neces¬ sary for the Reader to consider of I • T N this flagrat or enkindling of the fire two kingdoms sever them- JLselves, and yet are only one. But they divide to one another, the one comprehends not the other in its own source ; and yet they proceed from one original, and are dependent on one another; and the one without the other were a nothing, and yet both receive their source from one original. Understand it thus :

2. When the blaze or flagrat ariseth, then it is in the punctum, and maketh in the twink a triangle or a ® cross, and this is the true meaning of the character @. First, it is the keenness (alias, the Creator) of all things; and the manifested God in Trinity. The triangle betokeneth the hidden God, viz. the Word, or divine understanding, which is threefold in its eternal un-inchoative birth; and yet only one in its manifestation. In the fire- or light-world this trinity doth manifest itself in the birth. Not as if there were any place where such a figure did stand; no, but the whole birth is so; wherever the divine fire manifesteth itself in anything it maketh in its enkindling a triangle X ; which the children of men ought seriously to observe, and how likewise the life doth enkindle itself in a triangle: which betokeneth the Holy Trinity. And since the light of life was in the Word of the Deity, which [Word] was breathed into man (as John saith in his first chapter), and yet did disappear in Paradise in relation to God ; there¬ fore it must be born again on the T.

3. The upper cross betokeneth the unformed Word in Trinity, outside of all nature, and the character is thus set and this character betokeneth the formed Word @, viz. the angelical world. See Signatura Rerum, Ch. 14 : 32. 4. But that the triangle with the three straight cusps hath changed itselfinto such a T, on which death was slain, doth point and betoken unto us the great love of God, which hath freely sunk or plunged itself again into our humanity out of the triangle, when we were departed from the triangle in the light of life. 5. Therefore the great angle waveth downwards, betokening the great humility, and also that we have lost the fiery angle which ascends on high, in which we were the image and likeness of God. Therefore the angle in the regeneration in the T hath turned itself downward; and ascends not upward any more with its cusp. Betoken¬ ing now unto us the true resignation under the T, where we in the spirit of Christ shall, through the great humility of God, be born again in the light. 6. Now the will severs itselfin the fire’s flagrat into two kingdoms, where each dwelleth in itself, viz. the flagrat in the darkness is God’s anger; and the flagrat in the reconception to the free lubet becomes the highly triumphant divine kingdom of joy in the free lubet. For thus the free lubet is elevated [predominant], and is brought into a wrestling love-play, and so it becomes springing and working.

7. Not that we mean that God thus receiveth a beginning : but it is the eternal beginning of the manifestation of God, viz. how the divine understanding doth manifest itself with power in distinct variety, and worketh itself forth into a kingdom; which is an eternal generation. We only speak here how the invisible, unperceivable God doth intro¬ duce himself into perception for his own manifestation. 8. Now we are to understand by the enkindling of the fire, a two¬ fold fire, a twofold spirit, and a twofold essence, viz. a love-fire in the free lubet, which is made essential with [or through] the impression or desire; and in the fire the spirit and essence do severise; and yet they are mutually in one another, as soul and body are one. And now, as the spirit is, so is the essence. And as, in the impression of the free lubet, there is a holy sweet essence, and a holy sweet spirit, so likewise in the dark impression there is an astringent, harsh, raw and bitter essence and spirit. As the essence is, so also is the mind of the under¬ standing and will in the essence. 9. Albeit, in reference to the temporal the eternal [essence] is spiritual, yet the true spirit is much more subtile than that which it maketh to a substance in the conception; for out of the substance the true intellective spirit primarily proceedeth, which before the sub¬ stance is only a will, and not manifest to itself: for the will doth there¬ fore introduce itself into substance and essence that it might be manifest to itself.

10. Now we are to consider of the severation in the fire: When the fire is enkindled, then is the fire-blaze or flagrat salnitral, where the powers do mutually unfold and display themselves, and come into division; where the eternal only power of God doth manifest itself, and in the distinction or differentiation doth sunder itself into properties, both spiritually and substantially, as is to be seen in this world, whence also the manifold salts do arise; which with the creation came to be such matter, which in the eternity was only a spiritual essence, but in the beginning of time became gross and hard. 11. Also the manifold spirits, both good and evil, do originally spring from this eternal root; and likewise the manifold stars with the four elements, and all whatsoever that liveth and moveth. But the separation in itself is thus to be understood : when the blaze ariseth, then, out of the fire proceedeth the severation; the fire-flagrat is consuming, it apprehendeth the conceived essence, both in the free lubet and in the austere impression, and consumes it in the twinkling of an eye, for here the eternal will, which is an abyss, becomes manifest in the fire; no essence can subsist before it; it devoureth all into its nothing.

12. And here is the original of the eternal death or devoration ; and in this devoration is the highest arcanum or secret, for the true essential lively spirit and understanding proceedeth out of this devoration, and maketh another beginning; for the first beginning is God’s, who introduceth himself from the abyss into byss to his own contemplation. But this beginning, which proceedeth again out of the devoration, is a spiritual beginning, and maketh three worlds, namely, i. The dark fire- world in heat and cold; a rawness, wholly austere, devoid of essence: 2. The other world is the spiritual, light or angelical world: 3. And the third hath its beginning with the begin¬ ning of time. When God moved both the inward worlds, he thence brought forth and created this outward visible world into a form of time. 13. Now the separation in the fire of devoration is thus to be understood: The powers, which the first impression made essential, are in the fire reduced into a spiritualness, viz. I. From the free lubet proceedeth forth a spiritual Mysterium, which is, as to the Deity (viz. the eternal understanding), spiritual; and it is the angelical light and life, and also the real human [life] ; and so of all whatsoever that is like unto them, for they are powers of God. Therefore the angels bear in themselves the great name of God: and likewise do all true men who have the divine power.

14. n. From the essence of the free lubet there proceedeth forth in the fire an oily power, which is the body or essence of the under¬ standing; therein the fire burneth, and thence the shining lustre or glance ariseth. III. From the understanding and spiritual oil there proceedeth forth a moving lubet like an element, and it is also the divine element. 15. IV. Out of the element there proceedeth forth a watery property; and yet it is only to be understood spiritually. This is the water of which Christ said, he would give us to drink; and whosoever should drink thereof, it should spring up in him to a fountain of eternal life (Johniv. 14). It is the water above the firmament , of which Moses speaketh, that God hath separated from the external waters under the firma¬ ment. This watery and elemental property proceedeth from the essence of the free lubet, which is consumed in the fire; and the Word of the understanding (which hath now manifested itself in the fire) doth express these powers from itself, as a living and moving essence: and herein the angelical world is understood. 16. In the separation which is from the dark property there pro¬ ceedeth forth, through the speaking Word in the separation out of the fire, viz. out of the astringent harsh impression, First, a hellish thirsty wrathful source, being as another principle, or as a beginning of another property; which source is wholly rough, like the cold or hard stones; a mind which is horrible, like to the fire-blaze. Secondly, there proceedeth forth from this fiery spirit, from the darkness, an oil which is of a poisonful property, for it is the evil Mercurius arising from the compunction in the anxious astringency.

17. Thirdly, the anguish likewise maketh a moving mind, like the element, but altogether in an exceeding wrathful, very piercing property; in which the great fire’s might and will in the anger of God, or the wrath of God, ariseth. Which Lucifer desired to be, and to rule therein; and therefore he is a devil, that is, one spewed out of the love-fire into the dark fire. Fourthly, there proceedeth forth also from the wrathful property, through the devoration in the fire, viz. from the first dark impression, a watery property: but it is much rather a poisonfui source, in which the life of darkness consisteth.1 18. But my writing here of the oil and water is thus to be under¬ stood: In the enkindling of the fire in the flagrat (both in the flagrat of joy in the ens of the free lubet, and in the flagrat of the wrathfulness in the impression of the dark spiritual ens), the essence, which the first 1 Text, the dark life burneth. desire hath coagulated or amassed, is consumed in the fire-flagrat; that is, it doth, as ’twere, die to its selfhood, and is taken into the onlyspirit, which here hath manifested itself in the fire of the wrathfulness, and in the light-fire of the kingdom of joy; which [spirit] doth now re-express it, or breathe it forth again out of itself, as two spiritual worlds.

19. Understand it aright: There proceedeth forth out of the fiery property in the spiration the vital source; which according to the free lubet is holy and joyful, and according to the darkness is painful and wrathful. The wrathfulness and painful source is the root of joy, and the joy is the root of the enmity of the dark wrathfulness: So that there is a contrarium, whereby the good is made manifest and known that it is good. 20. And the mortified essence in the fire (which the first desire in the free lubet hath coagulated and made dark) proceedeth forth through the fire-death as a spiritual oil, which is the property of the fire and light; and out of the mortification there proceedeth a water, viz. a mortified senseless essence, as a house of the oil, wherein the fire-source or spirit hath its vital dominion; which oil is the food of the fire-source, which it draweth again into itself, and devoureth, and thereby quencheth the fire-source, and introduceth it into the greatest meekness, in which the life of the great love ariseth, viz. the good taste. So that the fire-source becometh a humility or meekness in the oil, through the mortification in the water-source.

21. For no fire-spirit can be meek without the mortification of its own natural propriety or peculiar essence; but the water, which before was an essence, amassed out of the free lubet, and yet mortified in the fire, that can change the essence of the fire into a meek desire. Of the Five Senses i. npHE fifth form or property is the love-desire, viz. the holy life, _L or the unfolded light-fire, which is awakened or raised up in the wrathful consuming fire, that is, it receiveth its lustre and shine from the fire. A similitude whereof we have in all outward fires, where we see that the light ariseth in the fire; but yet hath far another source than the fire, for the fire is painful, but the light is meek, pleasant, lovely, and yieldeth essence. 2. The fire causeth light and air, and out of the air cometh the water by reason of the meekness of the light, for the air to the fire is mortified in the fire-blaze. And so that which is mortified in the fire is a meek essence, yet it’s only a spirit; but when it proceedeth from the fire in the light it coagulateth, and is the death of the fire, whereby the fire goeth out. But if it be of a spiritual nature it is the food and refreshment of the fire; and we see plainly that every burning fire putteth forth an air, and out of the air a water; which air and watery spirit the fire draweth again into itself, for its own life and lustre; else, if it cannot have it, it is soon extinct and goeth out, that is, it smothers ; for the air is its life, and yet it begetteth the air.

3. Thus likewise we are to consider of the divine being, how the eternal understanding of the abyss introduceth itself into the byss and essence, viz. into an eternal generation and devoration, wherein the manifestation of the abyss consists, and is an eternal love-play; that the abyss doth so wrestle, sport and play with itself in its own con¬ ceived [or amassed] byss. It gives itself into the something, and again takes the something into itself; and thence brings or gives forth another thing. It introduceth itself into a lubet and desire; moreover, into power, strength and virtue, and mutually produceth one degree from the other, and through the other, that so it might be an eternal play and melody in itself. 4. And this we are to consider of in the fifth form of nature : When the powers of the eternal Word or understanding are made manifest through the eternal spiritual fire, in the eternal light of the Majesty (that each power or property is manifest in itself, and entereth into a feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing essence, which is effected through the fire, where all things become spiritual, quick, and full of life), even then one property entereth mutually into another, for they are all proceeded out of one, viz. out of the free lubet. Therefore also this free lubet is yet in all, and they all jointly desire to enter again into this free lubet, viz. into the one. And there, when one tasteth, smelleth, feeleth, heareth and seeth the other in the essence, they do embrace each other in their holy conjunction, wherein then the real divine kingdom of joy consisteth: so likewise the growing and flourishing life of this world, as may be understood by way of simili¬ tude in the seven properties, and the light and power of the sun.

5. The divine kingdom of joy in the heaven of God (viz. in the manifested God in his expressed or spirated essence, as I might speak it to the understanding) consisteth in the love-desire, viz. in the power, which hath manifested itself through the fire in the light; for the fire giveth unto the meek free lubet essence and source, that it [the free lubet] is severised and moved, and becomes a kingdom of joy. 6. And thus we are to consider of the darkness : Whatsoever is a desiring love in the light, wherein all things rejoice and melodise, that, in the darkness, is an enmity ; for the fire is cold and burning hot in the darkness; moreover, bitter, astringent and compunctive. The pro¬ perties are wholly rigorous and full of enmity and opposition; they seek not the one, but only the advancement of their own might. And the greater their elevation and inflammation is, the greater is the joy in the light.1 7. That which is good and holy in the light of the powers, that, in the darkness, is anxious and adverse. The darkness is the greatest enmity of the light, and yet it is the cause that the light is manifest. For if there were no black, then white could not be manifest to itself; and if there were no sorrow, then joy were also not manifest to itself.

8. Thus the joy doth triumph in itself, that it is not as the sorrow; and the sorrow triumpheth in itself, that it is a might and strength of the fire and light. Hence arise pride and self-will; because the dark fire’s might giveth the essence and motive source to the light. Which did so affect and move king Lucifer, that he exalted himself in the root of the fire, to rule and domineer over the fire and light, and therefore he was cast out of the light into darkness, and the light withdrew from him. 9. Therefore understand us well here, what hell and the dark 1 Kingdom of joy. world or the anger of God is; of which the holy Scripture speaketh plainly that there is a hell, that is, a gulf of desperation, or pit devoid of the hope of God and all good. Now we are not to understand it to be any local place apart, but it is the first ground to the eternal nature. The place is between the kingdom of God and this world, and maketh a peculiar principle, dwelling in itself, and hath neither place nor local abode, and is everywhere, but governing itself alone; and yet it giveth essence to the light- and outward-world, that is, it is the cause to the source, viz. the fire; and is the universal essence of all God s essences.

10. In the darkness he is an angry zealous God, and in the firespirit a consuming fire, and in the light he is a merciful loving God, and in the power of the light he is especially, above all other properties, called God; and yet ’tis all only the manifested God, who manifested^ himself through the eternal nature in introduced [i.e. inducted] properties. Else, if I would say what God is in his depth, then I must say, he is outside of all nature and properties, viz. an understanding and original of all essences. The essences are his manifestation, and thereof alone we have ability to write; and not of the unmanifested God, who, without his manifestation, also were not known to himself. THE ORIGINAL OF LIFE 2J.1 Jupiter 11. The sixth property of nature and of all beings ariseth also out of all the rest, and is manifest in the fire through the light in the lovedesire; it is nature’s understanding, voice, sound, speech, and all whatsoever that soundeth, both in things with life and in things without life. Its true original is from the astringent desire or im¬ pression of the first, second and third form, whence the motion and hardness ariseth. The essence of the coagulation is consumed in the fire, and from the devoration there proceedeth such a spirit, both according to the light in the love-property, and in the darkness according to the antagonising source and anxious property. And this we are to understand thus :

12. Each spirit desireth essence after its likeness. Now, there proceedeth forth from the fire no more than one spirit (which is a spiritual understanding, that is, the manifestation of the understand¬ ing of the abyss, or God) which doth re-conceive itself in the love- desire, and formeth itself in the properties of the powers. And this mutual intercourse, consent, and qualifying into one another, is the pleasant taste of love. 13. But the conceived in the love-desire, wherein the desire doth again coagulate the powers and doth introduce them into forms, viz. into a substantial spirit, wherein the powers are able manifestly to move and act; that [I say] is now the natural and creatural under¬ standing, which was in the Word. As John, i. 4, saith, In him was the life, and the life was the light of men. 14. This harmony of hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling is the true intellective life ; for when one power entereth into another, then they embrace each other in the sound; and when they penetrate each other they mutually awaken and know each other. In this knowledge consists the true understanding, which hath neither number, measure nor ground, [but is] according to the nature of the eternal wisdom, viz. of the ONE, which is ALL.

15. Therefore one only will, if it hath divine light in it, may draw out of this fountain, and behold the infiniteness ; from which contem¬ plation this pen hath written. 16. Now there belong unto the manifest life or sound of the powers, hardness and softness, thickness and thinness, and a motion; for with¬ out motion all is still, and yet there can be no clear sound without the fire’s essence; for the fire first maketh the sound in the hardness and softness. 17. Also there could be no sound without a conception, therefore all forms belong unto the sound: 1. The desire maketh hardness. 2. The compunction moveth. 3. The anguish doth amass it into an essence, for distinction. 4. The fire, in its devoration, changeth the grossness of the first amassed essence into a spirit or sound. 5. Which [spirit or sound] the desire both again receive in its softness and meekness and formeth it to a voice, tone, or expression, according to the powers. 6. The conceived or formed is the life-sound, or under¬ standing [standing-under] of all differentiation. 18. This is now the manifested Word, which in itself is only one power, wherein all powers are contained; but thus it manifesteth itself through the eternal and temporal nature, and puts forth itself in forms, for its expression. For the formed word hath the like might in it as to reproduce its likeness, viz. such a being as the birth of the spirit is.

19. In the light of God, which is called the kingdom of heaven, the sound is wholly soft, pleasant, lovely, pure and thin; yea, as a stillness in reference to the outward grossness of our sounds, speech and song , as if the mind did play and melodise in a kingdom of joy within itse , and did hear in a most entire inward manner such a sweet pleasing melody and tune; and yet outwardly did neither hear nor understan it. For in the essence of the light all is subtile, in manner as the thoughts do play and make mutual melody in one another; and yet there is a real, intelligible, distinct sound and speech used and heard by the angels in the kingdom of glory : but according to their world s property. For where the sound is gross, harsh and shrill, there it is strong in the dark impression; and there the fire is vehement an burning. As we men after the fall of Adam have so awaked and enkindled the fire of the dark world in our vital essence, that our vital sound is gross and beast-like, resembling the abyss: and the like is to be understood of the sound in the darkness. For as the generation o the word is, in its manifestation in the light, in the holy power, so a so in the darkness; but altogether rigorous, harsh, hard and gross. That which, in the light, giveth a pleasing sound and lovely tone, is, in the darkness, a throbbing, without any true sound. And this proceeds from the essence of the astringent hard conjunctive anxious genera¬ tion, viz. from the original of the coldness, or cold fire s source.

Of the Essence of Corporality THE SEVENTH FORM OF NATURE j)1 Luna and Saturnus Beginning - End i. TT T e acknowledge that God in his own essence is no essence, VV but only the alone power or the understanding2 to the essence, viz. an unsearchable eternal will, wherein all things are couched ; and the same is A L L, and yet is only ONE, but yet desireth to manifest itself, and introduce itself into a spiritual essence, which is effected in the power of the light, through the fire in the love-desire. 2. But yet the true divine essence, (understand essence, and not the spirit of God), is nothing else but the understanding manifested, or the formation of the powers; and it consists in the desire, that is, in the love-desire, where one power doth experimentally and knowingly taste, smell, feel, see and hear another, in the essence and source of the property, whence the great ardent longing desire ariseth. In these properties the manifested God is understood, as in a fiery flame of lovedesire, wherein there is a mere pleasing taste, sweet-breathing smell, ravishing melody, lovely and delightful seeing, smiling and friendly aspect, a gracious delight, pleasure or feeling: and yet it is only a spiritual essence, where the only powers (which have introduced themselves through the impression into property, and manifested themselves through the fire in the light) do mutually, as in a loveplay, wrestle with and in one another, like a pleasant song, or pregnant harmony, or kingdom of joy. This is now the spiritual essence of the manifested God; [and] how the powerful all-essential word doth manifest itself in its own peculiar generation, wherein the melodious play of the divine wisdom is understood.

3. But if we would speak of the heavenly or divine essentiality, wherein the divine powers do introduce themselves again into form¬ ings, in an external degree, then we must say that the powers of the formed and manifested Word do again, in their love-desire, introduce themselves into an external essence, according to the property of all the powers; wherein they, as in a mansion, may act their love-play, 1 J). 2 Or original. and so have somewhat wherewith and wherein mutually to play and melodise one with another in their wrestling sport of Love. And this is to be understood thus : 4. As a mineral power lieth in the earth, and is enkindled by the sun, whereby it beginneth to stir and spring, and becomes desirous of the powers of the sun, and attracts them into it, but in this longing desire it doth amass itself and form itself to a body, viz. a root, or the like, from which root there groweth forth in this hungry desire such a body or herb as the first power was. Thus likewise the manifested powers of God do form themselves into an external degree, viz. into an essence or corporality; to speak in reference to the spirit, whereas we must understand only a spiritual essence, but yet corporeal or essential in reference to the spirit of the powers: as the water is a thicker substance than the air. For the air penetrates the water, the like is to be understood concerning the divine powers and essence.

5. The powers stand manifest in an oily property, but the oily is manifest in a watery property; therefore the essence of the divine powers consisteth in a spiritual water, viz. in the holy element, whence this world with the four elements (as a degree more external) was brought forth and created into a substantial form. 6. And in this holy element or spiritual water we do understand the holy Paradise, in which the manifested powers of God do work; which holy element in the beginning of this outward world did penetrate and pullulate through the four elements; in which power there grew such fruit wherein the vanity of the wrath was not manifest; which man negligently lost. So that the lively buddings of the holy element, through the four elements and the earth did cease; for the curse of vanity was manifest in the springing and budding out of the earth. 7. Thus by the seventh form of the eternal nature we understand the eternal kingdom of heaven, wherein the power of God is essential; which essence is tinctured by the lustre and power of the fire and light; for the lustre of the spiritual fire and light is the working life in the spiritual water, viz. in the holy element; for this water (being the amassed or congealed essence of the divine powers) is moving. But yet, in reference to the divine powers, it is as an essence void of under¬ standing; for it is a degree more external; as every substance or body is inferior to the spirit. The oily essence is the spirit of the water, viz. of the watery spirit; and the manifested powers of God are the spirit of the oil or oily spirit. And the eternal understanding of the Word is

the beginning of the manifested powers; and one degree goeth forth mutually from another; and all essence1 is nothing else but the manifested God. 8. When we consider what kind of life, motion and dominion was before the times of this outward world, in the place of this world, and what eternity is, then we find that it was, and is unto eternity, such a life, motion and dominion as is above mentioned. 9. This outward world with the four elements and stars is a figure of the internal powers of the spiritual world, and was expressed or breathed forth by the motion of God (when he moved the internal spiritual world), and was amassed by the divine desire of the inward powers ; and introduced into a creatural being, both out of the internal spiritual dark world, and also out of the holy light world. 10. This outward world is as a smoke, or vaporous steam or exhalation of the fire-spirit and water-spirit, breathed forth both out of the holy world and then also out of the dark world; and therefore it is evil and good, and consists in love and anger; and is only as a smoke or misty exhalation; in reference to and respect of the spiritual world; and hath again introduced itself with its properties into forms of the powers, to a pregnatress; as is to be seen in the stars, elements and creatures, and likewise in the growing trees and herbs. It maketh in itself with its birth another principle or beginning; for the pregnatress of time is a model or platform of the eternal pregnatress; and time coucheth in eternity: and it is nothing else, but that the eternity, in its wonderful birth and manifestation in its powers and strength, doth thus behold itself, in a form or time.

11. And now as we do acknowledge, that in the spiritual holy world there is an essence, viz. a comprehensive essence, which con¬ sisted in the spiritual Sulphur, Mercurius and Sal, in an oily and watery byss, wherein the divine powers play and work; so likewise in the dark world there is such a property, but altogether adverse, opposed, antagonistic, envious, bitter and compunctive. It also hath essence according to2 its desire, but of an altogether crude watery nature, wholly sharp and harsh, like to the property of the rough hard stones or wild earth; of a cold and scorching, dark and fiery property. All which is a contrarium to love, that so it might be known what love, or sorrow, is. 12. In order that the fullness of joy may know itself in itself, the sharpness of the source must be a cause of the joy; and the darkness must be a manifestation of the light, in order that the light may be manifestly known, which, in the ONE, could not be. 13. But to inform or instruct the Reader’s desire briefly and fully, concerning the seven properties of the eternal nature, which make three Principles or worlds, I will (out oflove, for the sake of the simple) yet once more set down the forms in brief, as an A B C, for his further consideration and meditation.

14. Lo! the desire of the eternal Word, which is God, is the begin¬ ning of the eternal nature, and is the concreting of the eternal nothing into something. It is the cause of all essences, also of cold and heat, so likewise of the water and air, and of the formation of the powers ; and a cause of the taste, a mother of all salts. 11. form: bitter; compunctive 15. The motion of the desire, viz. the attraction, is the second form of nature, a cause of all life and stirring, so also of the senses and distinction. 16. The anguish, viz. the sensibility, is the third form, a cause of the mind, wherein the senses become active. 17. The fire is a cause of the true spiritual life, wherein the holy powers of the free lubet are delivered from the astringent undigested roughness; for the fire devoureth in its essence the dark substance of the impression; and works it forth out of itself, out of the light, into spiritual powers. 18. The holy spiritual love-desire, where the holy will of God hath sharpened itself in the harsh impression, and manifested itself through the fire with the power of the omnipotence, that now brings itself forth through the fire in the light ; and so in the powers it is introduced into life and motion, in the desire; and herein the holy generation, and the triumphant kingdom of the great love of God, doth consist, and is manifest.

19- The sixth is the sound of the divine Word proceeding from the divine powers, which is formed in the love-desire; and introduced into an audible word of all powers; wherein consisteth the manifestation of the divine kingdom of joy, in the free lubet of God’s wisdom. 20. The seventh is the formed essence of the powers, viz. a mani¬ festation of the powers: what the first six are in the spirit, that the seventh is in a comprehensible essence, as a mansion and house of all the rest, or as a body of the spirit wherein the spirit worketh, and playeth with itself: also it is a food of the fire, whence the fire draweth essence for its sustenance, wherein it burneth; and the seventh is the kingdom of the divine glory. And the seven are named or expressed thus: 21. The Out-Birth or Manifestation is this. 22. Courteous Reader, understand the sense aright and well: the meaning is not to be understood so, as if the seven properties were divided, and one were near by another, or sooner manifest than another. All seven are but as one; and none is the first, second, or last; for the last is again the first. As the first introduceth itself into a spiritual essence, even so the last introduceth itself into a corporeal essence: the last is the body of the first. We must speak thus in part, in order to write it down and present it to the senses for the con¬ sideration of the Reader: the seven forms are altogether only the manifestation of God, according to love and anger, eternity and time.

23 . But this we are to mark, that each property is also essential. In the kingdom of heaven this essence is jointly as one essence, and is a Mysterium, whence heavenly plants spring forth out of each power’s property: as the earth is a Mysterium of all trees and herbs, so also of the grass and worms; and the four elements are a Mysterium of all animals; and the astrum a Mysterium of all operations in animals and vegetables. 24. Each property is to itself essential, and hath also in its essence the essence of all the other six forms; and maketh the essence of the other six forms also essential in its essence. As we see in the earth and stones, especially in metals, where ofttimes in one compaction all seven metals are couched together, and only one property is principal, which doth coagulate and captivate all the rest in itself; and always one is more manifest than the rest, according as each property hath its powerful predominancy in a thing. The like is also to be understood in vegetables, where ofttimes in a herb or piece of wood there is an astringent sour, harsh, bitter, anxious or sulphurous property, also a fiery, sweet or luscious, damp or watery quality.

Of the Holy Trinity, and Divine Essence I- \ T ature, both in its eternal and in its temporal aspect, is 1 \| especially understood in the dark and fire world, viz. in the four first forms: as I. In the astringent desire. 2. In the bitter com¬ punction. 3. In the anguish or sensation. 4. In the fire, where the severation proceedeth forth in the enkindling [of the fire] in the flagrat. But the powers, both in the internal and in the external world, are all understood in the light or love-fire, viz. in the love-desire. 2. For their first ground is the eternal Word, viz. the One, wherein all things are couched. The second ground is the free lubet of the Word, viz. the wisdom, wherein all the colours of the only power are manifest in the will of the Deity. The third ground is the love-desire, wherein the free lubet with the colours and virtues of the powers hath sharpened itself through nature, and introduced itself through the fire’s inflammation into a spiritual dominion; which [lubet] displayeth itself with the powers in the light in an eternal kingdom of joy. 3. The fourth ground is the oily spirit; in that the free lubet doth amass itself in the fiery love-desire in the meekness, as in its own peculiar form; and co-amasseth the lustre and essence of the fire and light, and introduceth it [the lustre and essence] into the first essence; which power of the fire and light in the meekness of the free lubet in the oily property is the true and holy tincture.

4. The fifth ground is the watery spirit, arising from the mortifica¬ tion in the fire, where the first spiritual essence in the astringent harsh dark desire has been consumed in the fire. Now, out of the devoration of the fire there proceedeth forth a spiritual essence, which is the oily ground; and out of the mortification a watery essence, which depriveth the fire-spirit of its wrath ; so that the fire-spirit is not able to set its wrathful properties on fire in the oily ground ; so that the fire must burn through death, and be only a light; else the oily ground would be inflamed. Thus the fire in its devoration must beget the water, viz. its death; and yet must again have the water for its life; else neither the fire nor the light could subsist. And thus there is an eternal generation, a devoration, a receiving, and again a consuming; and yet also it is thus an eternal giving; and hath neither beginning nor end. 5. Thus we now understand what God and his essence are. We Christians say that God is threefold, but only one in essence. But that we generally say and hold that God is threefold in Person, the same is very wrongly apprehended and understood by the ignorant, yea, by a great part of the learned; for God is no Person save only in Christ. But he is the eternal begetting power, and the kingdom, with all essences ; all things receive their original from him.

6. But that we say of God, he is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that is very rightly said; only, we must explain it, else the un-illuminated mind apprehends it not. The Father is first the will of the abyss: he is outside of all nature or beginnings: the will to something; which will doth conceive itself into a lubet to its own manifestation. 7. And the lubet is the conceived power of the will, or of the Father, and it is his Son, heart, and seat: the first eternal beginning in the will. And he is therefore called a Son, because he receiveth an eternal beginning in the will, with the will’s self-conception. 8. Now the will speaketh itself forth by the conception out of itself, as an outbreathing or manifestation; and this egress from the will in the speaking or breathing is the spirit of the Deity, or the third Person, as the ancients have called it. 9. And that which is outbreathed is the wisdom, viz. the power of the colours and the virtue of the will, which it eternally conceiveth to a life’s centre or heart, for its habitation; and doth again eternally speak it forth out of the conception, as from its own eternal form; and yet also eternally conceiveth or comprehends it for his heart’s centre.

10. Thus the conception of the will, viz. of the Father, is from eternity to eternity, which conceiveth his speaking Word from eternity to eternity, and speaks it forth from eternity to eternity. The speaking is the mouth of the will’s manifestation; and the egress from the speaking or generation is the spirit of the formed Word; and that which is spoken forth is the power, colours and virtue of the Deity, viz. the wisdom. 11. Here we cannot say with any ground that God is three Persons, but he is threefold in his eternal generation. He begetteth himself in Trinity; and yet there is but only one essence and genera¬ tion to be understood in this eternal generation; neither Father, Son, nor Spirit, but the one eternal life, or good. 12. The Trinity [ i.e . God in Trinity] is first rightly understood in his eternal manifestation; where he manifesteth himself through the eternal nature, through the fire in the light. 13* Therein \t.e. God in Trinity] we understand three properties in one essence; the Father, with the fire- world; the Son, with the lovedesire in the light, that is, with the light-world, or with the great meekness in the fire; and the Holy Spirit, with the moving life in the tincture, in the oily and watery life and dominion. God in Trinity is manifest in the fire and light: according to the property of the free lubet or divine property [he is manifest] as a great fiery flame of light and love;

and according to the property of the dark fire- world [he is manifest] in a property wrathful and painful in its source; and yet he is the One. In the light he is the love-fire flame; and in the enkindled fire of nature he is a consuming fire, according to which God is called a consuming fire; and, in the dark, wrathful source, he is an angry, zealous avenger, in which property the spirits of the dark world consist.

14. The Father is called a holy God only in the Son, that is, in the power of the light in the divine kingdom of joy, viz. in the great meekness and love; for that is his proper manifestation, wherein he is called God. In the fire he is called an angry God; but in the light or love-fire he is called the holy God: and in the dark nature he is not called God. 15. We must make distinction: each world hath its Principle, and its dominion. Indeed all is from one eternal Original; but it severiseth itself into a twofold source: a similitude whereof we have in fire and light, where the fire is painful and consuming, and the light is meek and giving; and yet the one were a nothing without the other. 16. The fire receiveth its original in nature, but the light hath its original from the free lubet, viz. from the powers of the Deity. The will of God doth therefore introduce itself into a fire, that he might manifest the light and the powers, and introduce them into essence. 17. Albeit I have written here of the forms of nature (understand the eternal nature) yet it must not be understood as if the Deity were circumscribed or limited; his wisdom and power in divine property is without limit or measure, innumerable, infinite and unspeakable. I write only of the properties, how God hath manifested himself through the internal, and through the external nature; which are the chiefest forms of his manifestation.

18. These seven properties are to be found in all things; and he is void of understanding that denieth it. These seven properties make, in the internal world, the holy element, viz. the holy natural life and motion; but, in this external world, this one element severiseth itself into four manifest properties, viz. into four elements; and yet it is but one only; but it divides itself into four head-springs, viz. into fire, air, water, and earth. 19. From the fire ariseth the air; and from the air the water; and from the water the earth, or a substance that is earthy. And they are only the manifestation of the one internal element, and are, in respect to the internal,1 as an enkindled smoke or vapour. So also the whole astrum2 is nothing else but the outbreathed powers from the inward fiery dark and light world, from the Great Mind of divine manifesta¬ tion, and is only a formed model or platform, wherein the Great Mind of divine manifestation beholds itself in a time, and playeth with itself. Of the Creation of Angels, and of their Dominion I. f | 'he creation of angels had a beginning, but the powers out of JL which they are created never had any beginning, but were concomitant in the birth of the eternal beginning. Not that they1 are the holy Trinity, or in the same, but they were conceived of the desire of divine manifestation, out of the eternal, dark, fiery- and lightnature, out of the manifested Word, and introduced into creaturely forms and shapes.

2. God, who is a Spirit, hath by and through his manifestation introduced himself into distinct spirits, which are the voices of his eternal pregnant harmony in the manifested Word of his great king¬ dom of joy; they are God’s instrument, in which the spirit of God melodiseth in his kingdom of joy : they are the flames of fire and light, but in a living, understanding dominion. 3. For the powers of the Deity are in them, in like manner as they are in men, as John saith, ch. 1 : The life of men was in the JVord ; so also the life of the angels was in the Word from eternity. For in Matt, xxii. 30, it is written, In the resurrection they (understand men) are as the angels of God in heaven. 4. And as we understand principal forms in the divine manifesta¬ tion through the eternal nature, so likewise we are to understand arch-angels, or angelical principalities, with many legions; but especially in three hierarchies, according to the property of the holy Trinity, and also of the three Principles, which cannot be denied. 5. As 1. One hierarchy is to be understood according to the dark world with the kingdom of Lucifer, who hath plunged himself there¬ into; and the other is understood with the light-fiery love- world; and the third is understood with the mystery of the outward world, wherewith the internal hath made itself manifest.

6. Each hierarchy hath its princely dominion and order, viz. they in the dark world, in God’s wrath; and those in the holy world, in God’s love; and they which are in the outward world, in God’s great wonders, according both to love, and anger. 7. They which are in the dark world bear the name (or the names) 1 Viz. the powers. of the great anger of God, according to the properties of the eternal nature in the wrath; and they which are in the light bear the names of the holy God, viz. of the divine powers; and they which are in the creation of the wonders of the outward world bear the names of the manifested powers of the outward world, viz. of the planets, stars and four elements. 8. They which are in the dark world domineer in the nature of the manifested wrath, viz. in the properties of God’s anger, and have their princely dominions therein; and they which are in the holy world rule in the powers of the triumphant world, viz. in the great holy kingdom of joy in the wonders of the holy wisdom; and they which are in the outward world reign over the powers of the stars and four elements, and have also their princely dominion over the world, and their kingdoms and principalities for defence against the destroyer in the wrath.

9. Each country hath its princely angel-protector with its legions. Also there are angels over the four elements, over the fire, and over the air, over the water, and over the earth; and they are altogether only ministering spirits of the great God, sent forth for the service of those which shall obtain Salvation; as it is written, the angel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear him : they are the officers and servants of God in his dominion, who are active and full of motion. 10. For God never moveth himself save only in himself: but seeing his manifestation of the eternal and the external nature is in combat; thereupon the spirits of the dark world are against the spirits of the holy world, but especially against man, who is manifest both in good and in evil. God hath set the one against the other, that his glory might be manifest, both in his love, and in his anger. 11. For as we men have dominions upon the earth, so likewise the superior hosts under the astrum1 have their dominions; so also the oily spirits in the element-air: the whole deep between the stars and the earth is inhabited, and not void and empty. Each dominion hath its own Principle: which seems somewhat ridiculous to us men, because we see them not with our eyes; not considering that our eyes are not of their essence and property, so that we are neither able to see nor perceive them; for we live not in their Principle, therefore we cannot see them.

12. As in the divine manifestation of the divine powers one degree orderly proceedeth forth from another, even unto the most external 1 Or starry sky. manifestation, the like also is to be understood of the angels or spirits. They are not all holy which dwell in the elements; for as the wrath of the eternal nature is manifest in the dark world, so likewise in the outward world, in its property. 13. Also, the spirits of the external world are not all external, but some are only inchoative,1 which take their original naturally in the spirit of the external world, and pass away through nature, and only their shadow remains, as of all other beasts upon the earth. 14. Whatsoever reacheth not the holy element and the eternal fire-world, that, is devoid of an eternal life; for it ariseth out of time. And that which proceedeth out of time is consumed and eaten up of time; except it hath an eternal2 in its temporal, that the eternal doth uphold the temporal. 15. For the eternal dwelleth not in time: and albeit it be clothed with the essence of time, yet the eternal dwelleth in the eternal in itself, and the temporal in the temporal. As it is to be understood with the soul and body of man, where the soul is from the eternal, and the external body is from time; and yet there is an eternal in the temporal body; which verily disappeared in Adam as to the eternal light; which must be born again through Christ.

16. And we are not to understand that the holy angels dwell only above the stars outside the place of this world, as reason, which understands nothing of God, fancieth. Indeed they dwell outside the dominion and source of this world, but in the place of this world; albeit there is no place in the eternity; the place of this world, and also the place outside this world is all one unto them. 17. For the beginning of the source, viz. of the four elements, together with the astrum,3 maketh only one place; there is no place in the internal, but all wholly entire. Whatsoever is above the stars outside this world, that is likewise internally outside the four elements in the place of this world; else God were divided. 18. The angelical world is in the lieu or place of this world internally; and this same world’s abyss is the great darkness, where the devils have their dominion; which also is not confined or shut up in any place; for the eternity is also their place, where there is no byss : only, the essence and property of their world is the byss of their habitation; as the four elements are the habitation of our external

1 Having a beginning, and an end. Temporal. 2 Eternal being, essence, property, life or Principle. 3 Or planetic orb. humanity. They have also in the darkness an element, according to the dark world’s property, else God were divided in his wrath; for wherever I can say, here is God in his love, even there I can also say, that God is in his anger, only a Principle severs it. 19. Like as we men see not the angels and devils with our eyes; and yet they are about us, and among us. The reason is, because they dwell not in the source and dominion of our world, neither have they the property of the external world on them ; but each spirit is clothed with his own world’s property, wherein he dwelleth. 20. The beginning of each world’s source is that limit which divides one world from the view and ken of the other, for the devils are a nothing in the heavenly source, for they have not its source in them; and albeit they have it, yet it is unto them as if it were shut up in death. Like as an iron that is red hot, so long as the fire pierceth it, it’s fire; but when the fire goeth out, it’s a dark iron. The like is to be understood concerning the spirits.

21. So likewise the angels are a nothing in the darkness; they are verily in it, but they neither see nor feel it. That which is a pain to the devils, that same is a joy to the angels in their source. And so, what is pleasing and delightful to the devils, that the angels cannot abide. There is a great gulf between them, that is, a whole birth. 22. For what else is able to sever the light from the darkness, save only a birth of sight, or light. The light dwelleth in the darkness j and the darkness comprehended it not ( John i. 4). As the external sunshine dwelleth and shineth in the darkness of this world; and the darkness com¬ prehends it not. But when the light of the sun withdraweth, then is the darkness manifest. Here is no other gulf between them, save only a birth. 23. Thus we are likewise to conceive of the eternal light of God, and the eternal darkness of God’s anger; there is but one only ground of all; and that is the manifested God: but it is severed into sundry Principles and properties. For the Scripture saith, that the holy is unto God a good savour to life , understand to the holy divine life, viz. in the power of the light; and the wicked is unto God a good savour to death , that is, in his wrath, viz. in the essence, source, and dominion of the dark world.

24. For the God of the holy world, and the God of the dark world, are not two Gods; there is but one only God: he himself is all being, essence or substance; he is evil1 and good, heaven and hell, light and 1 In his wrath, plagues, and hell torment. darkness, eternity and time, beginning and end. Where his love is hid in any thing,1 there his anger is manifest. In many a thing1 love and anger are in equal measure and weight; as is to be understood in this outward world’s essence, being or substance. 25. But now he is only called a God according to his light in his love, and not according to the darkness, also not according to this outward world. Albeit he himself is ALL, yet we must consider the degrees, how one thing mutually proceeds from another. For I can neither say of heaven, nor of darkness, nor of this outward world, that they are God: none of them are God; but [they are] the expressed and formed Word of God, a mirror of the spirit which is called God; wherewith the spirit manifesteth itself, and playeth in its lubet to itself with this manifestation, as with its own essence which it hath made. And yet the essence is not sundered from the spirit of God; and yet also the essence comprehends not the Deity.

26. As body and soul are one, and yet the one is not the other; or as the fire and the water; or the air and the earth, are from one original, and yet they are particularly distinct; but yet they are mutually bound to each other, and the one were a nothing without the other. And thus we are to conceive and consider likewise of the divine essence, and also of the divine power. 27. The power in the light is God’s love-fire, and the power in the darkness is God’s anger-fire; and yet it is but one only fire, but di¬ vided into two Principles, that the one might be manifest in the other. For the flame of anger is the manifestation of the great love: and in the darkness the light is made known, else it were not manifest to itself. 28. Thus we are to understand that the evil and the good angels dwell near each other; and yet there is the greatest immense distance [between them]. For the heaven is in hell; and the hell is in heaven; and yet the one is not manifest to the other. And although the devil should go many millions of miles, desiring to enter into heaven and to see it, yet he would be still in hell, and not see it. Also the angels see not the darkness, for their sight is mere light of divine power; and the devil’s sight is mere darkness of God’s anger. The like is also to be understood of the saints, and again of the wicked. Therefore, in that we in Adam have lost the divine sight, in which Adam saw by the divine power, Christ saith, Tou must be born anew j else you cannot see the kingdom of God.