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

27. But seeing the Self-hood, viz. the Self-Will, strives against this, and will in no wise die to its Self-hood (understand the Will of the outward World, which is from the outward Stars and four Elements), therefore God's Food must be given to the inward Will of the Spirit to eat of, that it may live without Need and Hunger as to the outward Being, that it may continually mortify and break the Will of the earthly Self-hood, till the Earthliness, viz. the earthly Body, does freely unloose or dissolve itself in Death, and also enter again into the Mother, from whence it was created, and forsake its Self-hood, that the pure Body of the Element (in which the true Life in God's Will-Spirit does again enkindle the Soul in the resigned Will) and the disappeared Body from the pure Element may become a Mansion of the Soul, viz. a paradisical Budding [or bloomy Renovation in the eternal Spring-Time of Paradise].

28. And that the own Will of the Soul might be able to do this, viz. that it might break itself off from its Self-hood, and willingly enter into the Death of its Self-hood, and become a Nothing in its Self-hood, the free Will of God, viz. the eternal Lubet to the Chaos of the Soul, which is the eternal Mercury in the Power of the Majesty, is again entered into the disappeared Image of God proceeded from the pure Element, viz. into the Virgin-like Life, and draws the Will of the Soul to itself, and gives it again out of Love and Grace the heavenly Corporality of the pure Element for Food, and the Water in that Element in the Tincture of the Fire and Light, viz. of the eternal Life, for Drink: And it has incorporated itself in the Humanity, and freely tenders itself to all Souls with full Desire: That Soul which dies to its Self-hood, and brings its Hunger again into God's Mercy, may enjoy this Food, whereby it again becomes the first Creature in God's Love.

29. Now we are to consider how the poor Soul captivated in God's Anger, Being void of the heavenly Food, lives in mere Anguish, and Distress, and restless Pain; as the outward earthly Body in its Properties lives in its Hunger in mere Anguish, Distress, and oppressing Pain, unless the Soul with the pure Element does so overpower and keep it under, that it does not fully domineer in its own Dominion of the outward Astrum and four Elements in the poisonful Mercurial Wheel, according to the dark Impression, by Reason of the influence of the Element: If the Universal does withstand it, then it may stand in quiet Rest, but yet no longer than the inward penetrates the outward [Body], and tinctures it: There is in the four Elements no Perfection, till the Body is changed again into the pure Element; therefore it must enter again into that from whence the four Elements arise.

30. Now in this Time of the four Elements there is mere Pain and vexation; the Soul amuses itself on the outward Astrum, which forces into it, from whence its false Imagination arises, and the Body stirs up the poisonful Mercurial Wheel, from whence Sickness and Pains befall it; therefore the Soul must be cured with the inward Perfection, viz. by the speaking Word, wherein it stands in God's Hand, which alone is able to tincture the Soul, and bring it into rest: The outward Body must be tinctured and healed with the expressed Mercury; and if the outward Mercury does also stand in the Curse as a Poison-Wheel, then he must be tinctured with his own Light in his Mother in the Body [or Womb] of Sulphur: Mercury's own Will and Hunger must be broken, that the envious odious Hunger may become a Love Desire.