The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)
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The translator’s English as printed (John Ellistone). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
54. But there is yet a wonderful Process behind; when the Soul's Life is born, then the new Soul casts away the vegetable Life of the Parents, (which is propagated and inherited to the Body from the Parents’ Vegitta; wherein the Body of the Child congealed and grew till the Time of the Soul,) and the Life of the four Elements dies, and the Life in the one Element arises; the Child is hidden in the dark Death, and the Artist supposes it to be dead, but he must have Patience till the Child be born.
The peculiar Process in the Shaping of the magical Child.
55. The Course of Christ upon the Earth is a real Type how the new Child is nourished in the Mother's Womb after its Conception, as is before mentioned, and attains a vegetable Life, and grows up to the Time of its right Soul's and Spirit's Life; and how the Child arises from the Parents Essence, and how in the Enkindling of its right, viz. of its own Life, it casts away the Parents Vegitta and Working; and how a new Plant, viz. a new peculiar Operation, does now arise according to the new enkindled Spirit's Property, whereby the Child is more noble than its Parents, understand as to its outward Life.
56. But perhaps some rude clownish Sophister might meet with this Treatise, and draw a strange Understanding from it, in that I write of a Soul in the vegetative Life; but let him know that we do not understand the Image of God, which was Formed into a Likeness according to God [to be] in Metals, Stones, and Herbs; but we understand the magical Soul, how the Eternity, viz. the Deity, imprints and pourtrays itself into its Likeness according to the Model of its Wisdom in all Things, and how God fills all in all; we understand the Summum Bonum, the good Treasure which lies hidden in the outward World's Essence as a Paradise.
57. When Christ in his Childhood grew up in human and divine Property till he was twelve Years old, he went with his Mother Mary to the Feast at Jerusalem, and went into the Temple among the Scribes, asked them, and hearkened to them, and gave Answer to the Questions of the Teachers; but when his Parents returned home, supposing him to be among the Company, he remained Purposely behind among the Doctors, and followed not the Intent of his Parents, but the Divine Will, till they came back again, and sought him; and then his Mother said to him, My Son, why hast thou dealt thus with us? Lo! thy Father and I have been seeking thee sorrowing. Then he said unto them, How is it that you have sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's Business? And he went home with them, and was subject unto them.
58. In this Figure we have the Type of the Wills of the inward and outward World, how they are in one another, and against one another, and yet are but one: Even as in Christ there were two Kingdoms manifest; one which was wrought unto God's Will, and broke the outward World's Will of its Parents, in that Christ tarried behind contrary to the Will of his Parents, at which they were troubled, which the divine Will in Christ knew well enough; and the other Kingdom, viz. of his Parents Will, broke the divine Will, that he went home with them, and was obedient to them according to their Will.
59. This Figure shews the Magus, that he shall find two Wills in his Purpose, which he thinks to carry on; one will not be obedient and subject unto him, viz. the divine Will; and yet if its own peculiar external Will shall rightly apply itself thereunto, and only seek the dear Child Jesus with Mary, with Desire and earnest Sorrow, and not earthly Pleasure of the Flesh, then the divine Will will be obedient to him, and go home with him, and be used according to his good Pleasure.
60. Secondly, it shews him the two-fold Working and Will in all Things; and if he will be a Magus, and according to his Will turn the Will and Essence of the good Property out of the inward into the outward, then he must be first capable of the inward, viz. of the divine Will, otherwise he cannot change the inward Will into the outward; as Christ was not obedient to the external Will of his Mother till she sought him with Grief and Sorrow of Heart, and turned her Will into God's Will, and wrestled in his Compassion with God's Will, as Jacob the whole Night, till the Lord blessed him, and God said unto him, Thou hast wrestled with God and Man, and hast overcome, or got the Victory.