Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
that shall not see it, by reason of their sleep and 2 children of great drunkenness ; yet the sun will shine to the SSStaLl!" Children at midnight. Thus I commit the reader s Or sweet, to the 3 meek love of God. Amen.
1 Or preat darkness, or blindness.
CONTENTS
OHAP. PAQE
INTRODUCTION ........ xxxv
1. Of the first Principle of the divine essence . . 1
2. Of the first and second Principles. What God and the divine nature are : wherein is set down a further description of the Sulphur and Mercurius 10
3. Of the endless and numberless manifold engendering,
[generating] or birth of the eternal nature . . 19
4. Of the true eternal nature, that is, of the numberless and endless generating of the birth of the eternal essence, which is the essence of all essences ; out of which was generated, born, and at length created, this world, with the stars and elements, and all whatsoever moveth, stirreth, or liveth therein ........ 29
5. Of the third Principle, or creation of the material world, with the stars and elements ; wherein the first and second Principles are more clearly under- ' stood. ........ 64
6. Of the separation in the creation, in the third
Principle 79
7. Of the heaven, and its eternal birth and essence, and how the four elements are generated ; wherein the eternal band may be the more and the better xxxi
XXX11 THE THREE PRINCIPLES
CHAP. PAGE
understood, by meditating and considering the material world 87
8. Of the creation of the creatures, and of the springing up of every growing thing, as also of the stars and elements, and of the original of the substance of this world ....... 105
9. Of the paradise, and then of the transitoriness of all creatures ; how all take their beginning and end ;
and to what end they here appeared . . .128
10. Of the creation of man, and of his soul, also of God's breathing in ....... 151
11. Of all circumstances of the temptation . . .177
12. Of the opening of the Holy Scripture, that the circumstances may be highly considered . . .197
13. Of the creating of the woman out of Adam . .224
1 4. Of the birth and propagation of man . . . 257
15. Of the knowledge of the eternity in the corruptibility of the essence of all essences . . . 303
16. Of the noble mind of the understanding, senses and thoughts. Of the threefold spirit and will, and of the tincture of the inclination, and what is inbred in a child in the mother's body [or womb], Of the image of God, and of the bestial image, and of the image of the abyss of hell, and similitude of the devil ; to be searched for and found out in [any] one man ...... 339
17. Of the horrible, lamentable and miserable fall of
Adam and Eve in paradise ..... 369
18. Of the promised Seed of the woman, and Treader upon the Serpent. And of Adam and Eve's going put of paradise, or the Garden in Eden. Also of
CONTENTS XXX111
CHAP. PAGE
the curse of God, how he cursed the earth for the sin of man ....... 422
19. Of the entering of the souls to God, and of the wicked souls entering into perdition . . .471
20. Of Adam and Eve's going forth out of paradise, and of their entering into this world. And then of the true Christian Church upon earth and also of the antichristian Cainish church . . . 502
21. Of the Cainish, and of the Abellish kingdom: how they are both in one another. Also of their beginning, rise, essence and drift : and then of their last exit. Also of the Cainish antichristian church, and then of the Abellish true Christian Church : how they are both in one another, and are very hard to be known [asunder]. Also of the arts, states, and orders of this world. Also of the office of rulers [or magistrates], and their subjects : how there is a good and divine ordinance in them all : as also a false, evil, and devilish one. Where the providence of God is seen in all things, and the devil's deceit, subtlety and malice [is seen also] in all things ...... 556
22. Of the new regeneration in Christ [from] out of the old Adamical man . . . . . .586
23. Of the highly precious Testaments of Christ, viz.
Baptism and his Last Supper .... 632
24. Of true repentance : How the poor sinner may come to God again in his Covenant, and how he may be released of his sins . . . . . .658
25. Of the suffering, dying, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ the Son of God : Also of his ascension into heaven, and sitting at the right hand of
that shall not see it, by reason of their sleep and 2 children of great drunkenness ; yet the sun will shine to the SSStaLl!" Children at midnight. Thus I commit the reader s Or sweet, to the 3 meek love of God. Amen.
1 Or preat darkness, or blindness.
CONTENTS
OHAP. PAQE
INTRODUCTION ........ xxxv
1. Of the first Principle of the divine essence . . 1
2. Of the first and second Principles. What God and the divine nature are : wherein is set down a further description of the Sulphur and Mercurius 10
3. Of the endless and numberless manifold engendering,
[generating] or birth of the eternal nature . . 19
4. Of the true eternal nature, that is, of the numberless and endless generating of the birth of the eternal essence, which is the essence of all essences ; out of which was generated, born, and at length created, this world, with the stars and elements, and all whatsoever moves, stirrs, or lives therein ........ 29
5. Of the third Principle, or creation of the material world, with the stars and elements ; wherein the first and second Principles are more clearly under- ' stood. ........ 64
6. Of the separation in the creation, in the third
Principle 79
7. Of the heaven, and its eternal birth and essence, and how the four elements are generated ; wherein the eternal band may be the more and the better xxxi
XXX11 THE THREE PRINCIPLES
CHAP. PAGE
understood, by meditating and considering the material world 87
8. Of the creation of the creatures, and of the springing up of every growing thing, as also of the stars and elements, and of the original of the substance of this world ....... 105
9. Of the paradise, and then of the transitoriness of all creatures ; how all take their beginning and end ;
and to what end they here appeared . . .128
10. Of the creation of man, and of his soul, also of God's breathing in ....... 151
11. Of all circumstances of the temptation . . .177
12. Of the opening of the Holy Scripture, that the circumstances may be highly considered . . .197
13. Of the creating of the woman out of Adam . .224
1 4. Of the birth and propagation of man . . . 257
15. Of the knowledge of the eternity in the corruptibility of the essence of all essences . . . 303
16. Of the noble mind of the understanding, senses and thoughts. Of the threefold spirit and will, and of the tincture of the inclination, and what is inbred in a child in the mother's body [or womb], Of the image of God, and of the bestial image, and of the image of the abyss of hell, and similitude of the devil ; to be searched for and found out in [any] one man ...... 339
17. Of the horrible, lamentable and miserable fall of
Adam and Eve in paradise ..... 369
18. Of the promised Seed of the woman, and Treader upon the Serpent. And of Adam and Eve's going put of paradise, or the Garden in Eden. Also of
CONTENTS XXX111
CHAP. PAGE
the curse of God, how he cursed the earth for the sin of man ....... 422
19. Of the entering of the souls to God, and of the wicked souls entering into perdition . . .471
20. Of Adam and Eve's going forth out of paradise, and of their entering into this world. And then of the true Christian Church upon earth and also of the antichristian Cainish church . . . 502
21. Of the Cainish, and of the Abellish kingdom: how they are both in one another. Also of their beginning, rise, essence and drift : and then of their last exit. Also of the Cainish antichristian church, and then of the Abellish true Christian Church : how they are both in one another, and are very hard to be known [asunder]. Also of the arts, states, and orders of this world. Also of the office of rulers [or magistrates], and their subjects : how there is a good and divine ordinance in them all : as also a false, evil, and devilish one. Where the providence of God is seen in all things, and the devil's deceit, subtlety and malice [is seen also] in all things ...... 556
22. Of the new regeneration in Christ [from] out of the old Adamical man . . . . . .586
23. Of the highly precious Testaments of Christ, viz.
Baptism and his Last Supper .... 632
24. Of true repentance : How the poor sinner may come to God again in his Covenant, and how he may be released of his sins . . . . . .658
25. Of the suffering, dying, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ the Son of God : Also of his ascension into heaven, and sitting at the right hand of