The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)

75. All Things are generated out of the grand Mystery, and proceed out of one Degree into another: Now whatever goes forwards in its Degree, the same receives no Abominate, let it be either in Vegetables or Animals; but whatever enters in itself into its Self-hood, viz. into its own Lubet, the same receives, in passing through the Degrees, the Abominate; for each Form of Nature out of the Mystery receives of its Property in its Hunger, and therein it is not annoyed or molested, for it is of their Property.

76. But if the Will enters back again into the Birth of the other Properties, then it receives the Lust, and the Lust makes an Hunger, and the Hunger receives strange Essence into itself: Here now is the Abominate and Turba born; for this Will is entered contrary to the course of Nature into a strange Essence, which is not of its Property; this strange Essence domineers now in the strange Will, and overcomes the Will; now the Will must either cast it out, or else it will itself be cast out by the strange Essence; and seeing this also cannot be, thereupon arises Anger and Enmity.

77. For the Properties run to their Centre of the first Impression, and seek the Strength and Might of the Fire, from whence arises the Heat and Cold in the Body, and they are in one another as Enemies, whereby the first Mother is stirred up in her most wrathful Malice and Malignity according to the austere Impression, and then begins the Contest for the Conquest, and that Property which maintains and keeps its Power and prevalence, casts the other into Death's Property, viz. into the Devoration, into the House of Misery.

The Fifteenth Chapter.

Concerning the Will of the great Mystery in Good and Evil, Shewing from whence a Good and Evil Will arises, and how one introduces itself into the other

1. Every Property takes its Original from the first, viz. from the first Impression or Desire to Nature, viz. out of the grand Mystery, and brings forth itself out of itself, as the Air proceeds out of the Fire, and all whatever proceeds forward in one Will is uncontrollable, for it gives itself to no Property; it dwells even from the first Original only in itself, and goes forth in one Will; and this is the true Way of Eternity, wherein there is no Corruptibility if a Thing remains in its own peculiar Property, for the great Mystery is from Eternity: Now if the Form of the same proceeds forth, and manifests itself out of itself, then this Form stands with the Root in the Mystery of Eternity; but if the Form brings itself forth into another Lust, so that two Properties must dwell in one, then from thence arises the Enmity and Abominate; for there has been from Eternity only the one Element in Motion, and the free Lubet of Eternity, which proceeded forth with its Motion from the great Mystery of Eternity as a Spirit, which Spirit is God's.

2. But when the great Mystery did once move itself, and introduced the free Lubet into the Desire of the Essence, then in the Desire the Strife began; for there arose in the Desire out of the Element, which bears only one Will, four Elements, viz. manifold desires and Wills, which rule in one only Body, where now there is Contrariety and Strife; as Heat against Cold, Fire against Water, Air against Earth, each is the Death and destruction of the other; so that the Creature which stands in this Dominion is Nothing else but a continual Dying and a Strife; it is an Enmity and contrary Will in itself, and cannot be remedied unless it enters again into one Will, which also cannot be brought to pass, unless the Multiplicity of the Wills be destroyed, and wholly die to the Desire, from whence the four Elements arise; so that the Will does again become that which it was from Eternity: Herein we Men do know what we are in the Dominion of the four Elements, Nothing else but a Strife and a contrary Will, a Self-envying, a Desire of the Abominate, a Lust of Death.