Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
up above the elements, and make thyself a region [or dominion]. Art not thou the king? Here is the gate where the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. 0 man ! consider thyself !
p. 272
And he draweth the constellations to him, and bringeth them into the essences, and sets them over the elements, with their wonderful and unsearchable various essences, (whose number is infinite), and maketh himself a region and kingdom of his generation in a strange country.
32. For the essences of the soul are not this king's own, he hath not generated them, nor they him ; but he hath, by lust, imprinted himself also in its essences, and kindled himself in its fire-flash, on purpose to find its virgin, and live in her; which is the amiable divine virtue [or power] : Because the spirit of the soul is out of the eternal and had the virgin, before the fall, and therefore now the spirit of the great world continually seeketh the virgin in the spirit of the soul, and supposeth that she is there still, as before the fall, where the spirit of the great world appeared in Adam's virgin with very great joy, and desired also to live in the virgin, and to be eternal. Because he felt his corruptibility, and that he was so rough in himself, therefore he would fain partake of the loving kindness and sweetness of the virgin, and live in her, that so he might live eternally, and not break [corrupt or perish] again.
33. For by the great longing of the darkness after the light and virtue of God, this world hath been generated out of the darkness, where the holy virtue of God [shone, or] beheld itself in the darkness ; and therefore this great desiring and longingCh. 14] BIRTH AND PROPAGATION OF MAN 273 after the divine virtue, continueth in the spirit of the sun, stars, and elements, and in all things. All groan and pant after the divine virtue, and would fain be delivered from the vanity of the devil : But seeing that cannot be, therefore all creatures must wait till their l dissolution, when they [shall go] * corruption.
into their ether, and get a place in paradise, yet only in the figure and shadow, and the spirit [must]
be dissolved, which here hath had such lust [or longing].
34. But now this lust [or longing] must be thus, or else no good creature could be, and this world would be a mere hell and wrathfulness. And now seeing the virgin standeth in the second Principle, so that the spirit of this world cannot possibly reach to her, and yet that the virgin doth continually behold herself [or appear] in the spirit of this world, to [satisfy] the lust and longing in the fruit and growing of every thing, therefore 2 he is 2 the spirit of so very longing, and seeketh the virgin continually, worid^ He exalteth many a creature in great skill and cunning subtlety, and he bringeth it into the highest degree that he can ; and continually supposeth that so the virgin shall again be generated for him, which he saw in Adam before his fall ; which also brought Adam to fall, in that 2 he would dwell in his virgin, and with his great lust so 3 pressed Adam, that he fell asleep ; that is, he set 3 See more of
A -i t 1 tf"8 strife in himself by force in Adam s tincture close to the chap. 12 v.
39-47.
virgin, and would fain have qualified in her, and
p. 18
p. 274
[mingled] with her, and so live eternally, whereby the tincture grew weary, and the virgin withdrew.
35. And then Adam fell, and was feeble, which
1 Adam's in- is called sleep : This was the l Tree of Temptation,
Temptadon. [to try] whether it were possible for Adam to live
up above the elements, and make yourself a region [or dominion]. Art not you the king? Here is the gate where the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. 0 man ! consider yourself !
272 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 14
And he draws the constellations to him, and brings them into the essences, and sets them over the elements, with their wonderful and unsearchable various essences, (whose number is infinite), and makes himself a region and kingdom of his generation in a strange country.
32. For the essences of the soul are not this king's own, he has not generated them, nor they him ; but he has, by lust, imprinted himself also in its essences, and kindled himself in its fire-flash, on purpose to find its virgin, and live in her; which is the amiable divine virtue [or power] : Because the spirit of the soul is out of the eternal and had the virgin, before the fall, and therefore now the spirit of the great world continually seeks the virgin in the spirit of the soul, and supposes that she is there still, as before the fall, where the spirit of the great world appeared in Adam's virgin with very great joy, and desired also to live in the virgin, and to be eternal. Because he felt his corruptibility, and that he was so rough in himself, therefore he would fain partake of the loving kindness and sweetness of the virgin, and live in her, that so he might live eternally, and not break [corrupt or perish] again.
33. For by the great longing of the darkness after the light and virtue of God, this world has been generated out of the darkness, where the holy virtue of God [shone, or] beheld itself in the darkness ; and therefore this great desiring and longing
Ch. 14] BIRTH AND PROPAGATION OF MAN 273 after the divine virtue, continues in the spirit of the sun, stars, and elements, and in all things. All groan and pant after the divine virtue, and would fain be delivered from the vanity of the devil : But seeing that cannot be, therefore all creatures must wait till their l dissolution, when they [shall go] * corruption.
into their ether, and get a place in paradise, yet only in the figure and shadow, and the spirit [must]
be dissolved, which here has had such lust [or longing].
34. But now this lust [or longing] must be thus, or else no good creature could be, and this world would be a mere hell and wrathfulness. And now seeing the virgin stands in the second Principle, so that the spirit of this world cannot possibly reach to her, and yet that the virgin does continually behold herself [or appear] in the spirit of this world, to [satisfy] the lust and longing in the fruit and growing of every thing, therefore 2 he is 2 the spirit of so very longing, and seeks the virgin continually, worid^ He exalts many a creature in great skill and cunning subtlety, and he brings it into the highest degree that he can ; and continually supposes that so the virgin shall again be generated for him, which he saw in Adam before his fall ; which also brought Adam to fall, in that 2 he would dwell in his virgin, and with his great lust so 3 pressed Adam, that he fell asleep ; that is, he set 3 See more of
A -i t 1 tf"8 strife in himself by force in Adam s tincture close to the chap. 12 v.
39-47.
virgin, and would fain have qualified in her, and
p. 18
274 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 14
[mingled] with her, and so live eternally, whereby the tincture grew weary, and the virgin withdrew.
35. And then Adam fell, and was feeble, which
1 Adam's in- is called sleep : This was the l Tree of Temptation,
Temptadon. [to try] whether it were possible for Adam to live