or write of their high art, if it were not given to me by the spirit of nature, in whom I live and am? I am in the condition or state of a vulgar or layman, and have no salary, wages or pay for this writing: Should I, then, oppose the spirit, that he should not begin to open where, and in whom, he pleaseth? I am not the door, but an ordinary wooden bolt upon it: Now if the spirit should pluck me out from thence, and fling me into the fire, could I hinder it? 21. But if I should be an unprofitable bolt, which would stubbornly resist to be pulled out, and would bolt up and hinder the spirit in the opening, would not the spirit be angry with me, tear me off, and cast me away, and provide a more profitable and & fitter bolt? Then should I lie on the ground and be trampled under foot, whereas formerly I made so fair a show upon the door: What would be the use of the bolt, except as firewood? 22. Behold! I tell thee a Mystery: so soon as the door is set wide open to its angle,* all useless, fastnailed, sticking bolts or bars will be cast away, for the door will never be shut any more at all, but standeth open, and then the four winds will go in and out at it. * "to its angle," lit., "upon its hinges," i. e. as wide as the hinges will allow. 23. But the sorcerer sitteth in the way, and will make many so blind that they will not see the door; and then they return home and say, There is no door at all, it is a mere fiction. And so they go thither no more. 24. Thus men suffer themselves easily to be turned away, and so live in their drunkenness.
25. Now when this is done, then the spirit which hath opened the gates is angry, because none will go OUT and IN at its doors any more, and then it flings the doorposts into the abyss, and then there is no more time at all. Those that are within, remain within; and those that are without, remain without. AMEN. Now it may be asked, What are the stars? Answer. 26. Moses writeth concerning them thus: And God said; Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, to divide or distinguish the day from the night; and let them give signs and seasons, days and years; and let them be lights in the firmament of heaven to shine or give light upon the earth; and it was so done. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; as also the stars. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, to shine or give light upon the earth; and to rule day and night; also to divide or distinguish the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good, so out of the evening and the morning the fourth day came to be. 27. This description sheweth sufficiently that the dear man Moses was not the original author thereof; for the first writer did not know either the true God, or the stars, what they were. It is very likely that the creation, before the flood, was not described in writing, but was kept as a dark word in men's memories, and so delivered from one generation to another, till after the flood, and till people began to lead epicurean lives in all voluptuousness. 28. Then the holy patriarchs, when they saw that, described the creation, that it should not be quite forgotten, and that the swinish, epicurean world might have a lookingglass in the creation, wherein they might see that there is a God, and that this being of the world did not so stand from eternity; whereby they might have a glass to look into, and so fear the hidden God. 29.* This was the chief teaching and doctrine of the patriarchs, both before and after the flood, [namely] to direct men [i.e. men's attention] to the creation, which [object] the whole book of Job also driveth at. * A new translation of this par. has been substituted for Sparrow's rendering. 30. After these patriarchs came the wise Heathen, who went somewhat deeper into the knowledge of nature. And I must needs say, according to the ground of the truth, that they, in their philosophy and knowledge, did come even before the face or countenance of God, and yet could neither see nor know him. 31. Man was so altogether dead in death,* and so bolted up in the outermost birth or geniture in the dead palpability; or else they could have thought, that in this palpability there must needs be a divine power hidden in the centre, which had so created this palpability, and moreover preserveth, upholdeth and ruleth the same. * "Man was so altogether dead in death," etc. The first clause of this par. is really a completion of the foregoing par. That is, "they . . . did come . . . and yet could neither see nor know him, so entirely torpid in death was man, and so bolted up in the outermost . . . else they [the heathen]," etc. 32. Indeed they honoured, prayed to, or worshipped the sun and stars for gods, but knew not
or write of their high art, if it were not given to me by the spirit of nature, in whom I live and am? I am in the condition or state of a vulgar or layman, and have no salary, wages or pay for this writing: Should I, then, oppose the spirit, that he should not begin to open where, and in whom, he pleases? I am not the door, but an ordinary wooden bolt upon it: Now if the spirit should pluck me out from thence, and fling me into the fire, could I hinder it? 21. But if I should be an unprofitable bolt, which would stubbornly resist to be pulled out, and would bolt up and hinder the spirit in the opening, would not the spirit be angry with me, tear me off, and cast me away, and provide a more profitable and & fitter bolt? Then should I lie on the ground and be trampled under foot, whereas formerly I made so fair a show upon the door: What would be the use of the bolt, except as firewood? 22. Behold! I tell you a Mystery: so soon as the door is set wide open to its angle,* all useless, fastnailed, sticking bolts or bars will be cast away, for the door will never be shut any more at all, but stands open, and then the four winds will go in and out at it. * "to its angle," lit., "upon its hinges," i. e. as wide as the hinges will allow. 23. But the sorcerer sitts in the way, and will make many so blind that they will not see the door; and then they return home and say, There is no door at all, it is a mere fiction. And so they go thither no more. 24. Thus men suffer themselves easily to be turned away, and so live in their drunkenness.
25. Now when this is done, then the spirit which has opened the gates is angry, because none will go OUT and IN at its doors any more, and then it flings the doorposts into the abyss, and then there is no more time at all. Those that are within, remain within; and those that are without, remain without. AMEN. Now it may be asked, What are the stars? Answer. 26. Moses writes concerning them thus: And God said; Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, to divide or distinguish the day from the night; and let them give signs and seasons, days and years; and let them be lights in the firmament of heaven to shine or give light upon the earth; and it was so done. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; as also the stars. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, to shine or give light upon the earth; and to rule day and night; also to divide or distinguish the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good, so out of the evening and the morning the fourth day came to be. 27. This description shows sufficiently that the dear man Moses was not the original author thereof; for the first writer did not know either the true God, or the stars, what they were. It is very likely that the creation, before the flood, was not described in writing, but was kept as a dark word in men's memories, and so delivered from one generation to another, till after the flood, and till people began to lead epicurean lives in all voluptuousness. 28. Then the holy patriarchs, when they saw that, described the creation, that it should not be quite forgotten, and that the swinish, epicurean world might have a lookingglass in the creation, wherein they might see that there is a God, and that this being of the world did not so stand from eternity; whereby they might have a glass to look into, and so fear the hidden God. 29.* This was the chief teaching and doctrine of the patriarchs, both before and after the flood, [namely] to direct men [i.e. men's attention] to the creation, which [object] the whole book of Job also drivs at. * A new translation of this par. has been substituted for Sparrow's rendering. 30. After these patriarchs came the wise Heathen, who went somewhat deeper into the knowledge of nature. And I must needs say, according to the ground of the truth, that they, in their philosophy and knowledge, did come even before the face or countenance of God, and yet could neither see nor know him. 31. Man was so altogether dead in death,* and so bolted up in the outermost birth or geniture in the dead palpability; or else they could have thought, that in this palpability there must needs be a divine power hidden in the centre, which had so created this palpability, and moreover preservs, upholds and ruls the same. * "Man was so altogether dead in death," etc. The first clause of this par. is really a completion of the foregoing par. That is, "they . . . did come . . . and yet could neither see nor know him, so entirely torpid in death was man, and so bolted up in the outermost . . . else they [the heathen]," etc. 32. Indeed they honoured, prayed to, or worshipped the sun and stars for gods, but knew not
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.