Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
63. For because man was to be eternal, therefore he must also come to be out of the eternal ; for nothing is created out of the fountain of the Heart of God. For that is the end of nature, and hath no such essences ; no comprehensible
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[or palpable] thing entereth therein ; otherwise it would be a filling and darkness, and that cannot be : Also from eternity, there hath been nothing else but only the source [or working property] where the Deity continually riseth up, as is mentioned before.
64. And this source of the spirit' of the soul is eternal, and its tincture is also eternal ; and as
»0rin. the source is [in it] at all times xof this world, (while it sticketh in the elementary house of flesh), so is the tincture also, and the dwelling-house of the soul ; and in which source the mind inclineth itself, whether it be in the divine, or hellish, in that [source] the worm liveth, and of that Principle it eateth, and is either an angel or a devil ; although its judgment is not in this [life's] time, for it standeth in both the gates, so long as it liveth in the flesh, except it dive [or plunge itself] wholly into the abyss, whereof (when I write of the sin of man) I shall treat deeply and exactly. Read of it concerning Cain.
65. The mind (which knoweth [or understandeth] nothing in the light of nature) will marvel at such writings, and will suppose that it is not true, that God hath extracted and created man out of such an original. Behold, thou beloved reason and precious mind, bring thy five senses hither, and I will shew thee whether it be true [or not]. I will shew thee [plainly] that thou hast not the least spark [of cause] to allow any other ground [to build upon],
Ch. 15] KNOWLEDGE OP THE ETERNITY 335 except that thou wilt let thy heart be embittered by the devil in bestial reason, and except that thou wilt wilfully contemn the light of nature, which standeth in the presence of God. And indeed, if thou art in such a bestial way, leave my writings, and read them not, they are not written for such swine, but for the children [of wisdom] that are to possess the kingdom of God. But I have written them for myself, and for those that seek, and not for the wise and prudent of this world.
66. Behold, what are thy five senses ? In what virtue do they consist? Or how come they in the life of man ? Whence cometh thy seeing, that thou canst see by the light of the sun, and not otherwise ? Consider thyself deeply, if thou wilt be a searcher into nature, and wilt boast of the light of nature. Thou canst not say that thou seest only by the light of the sun, for there must be somewhat which can receive the light of the sun, and which doth mix with the light of the sun (as the star doth which is in thine eyes) which is not the sun, but consisteth of fire and water ; and its glance, which receiveth the light of the sun, is a flash, that ariseth from the fiery, sour and bitter gall, and the water maketh it soft [or pleasant]. Here you take the meaning to be only concerning the outward, viz. the third Principle, wherein the sun, stars, and elements are ; but the same is also true in every one of the creatures in this world.
67. Now what is it that maketh the hearing,
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63. For because man was to be eternal, therefore he must also come to be out of the eternal ; for nothing is created out of the fountain of the Heart of God. For that is the end of nature, and has no such essences ; no comprehensible
334 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 15
[or palpable] thing enters therein ; otherwise it would be a filling and darkness, and that cannot be : Also from eternity, there has been nothing else but only the source [or working property] where the Deity continually rises up, as is mentioned before.
64. And this source of the spirit' of the soul is eternal, and its tincture is also eternal ; and as
»0rin. the source is [in it] at all times xof this world, (while it sticks in the elementary house of flesh), so is the tincture also, and the dwelling-house of the soul ; and in which source the mind inclins itself, whether it be in the divine, or hellish, in that [source] the worm lives, and of that Principle it eats, and is either an angel or a devil ; although its judgment is not in this [life's] time, for it stands in both the gates, so long as it lives in the flesh, except it dive [or plunge itself] wholly into the abyss, whereof (when I write of the sin of man) I shall treat deeply and exactly. Read of it concerning Cain.
65. The mind (which knows [or understands] nothing in the light of nature) will marvel at such writings, and will suppose that it is not true, that God has extracted and created man out of such an original. Behold, you beloved reason and precious mind, bring your five senses hither, and I will show you whether it be true [or not]. I will show you [plainly] that you have not the least spark [of cause] to allow any other ground [to build upon],
Ch. 15] KNOWLEDGE OP THE ETERNITY 335 except that you will let your heart be embittered by the devil in bestial reason, and except that you will wilfully contemn the light of nature, which stands in the presence of God. And indeed, if you are in such a bestial way, leave my writings, and read them not, they are not written for such swine, but for the children [of wisdom] that are to possess the kingdom of God. But I have written them for myself, and for those that seek, and not for the wise and prudent of this world.
66. Behold, what are your five senses ? In what virtue do they consist? Or how come they in the life of man ? Whence comes your seeing, that you can see by the light of the sun, and not otherwise ? Consider yourself deeply, if you will be a searcher into nature, and will boast of the light of nature. You can not say that you seest only by the light of the sun, for there must be somewhat which can receive the light of the sun, and which does mix with the light of the sun (as the star does which is in your eyes) which is not the sun, but consists of fire and water ; and its glance, which receives the light of the sun, is a flash, that arises from the fiery, sour and bitter gall, and the water makes it soft [or pleasant]. Here you take the meaning to be only concerning the outward, viz. the third Principle, wherein the sun, stars, and elements are ; but the same is also true in every one of the creatures in this world.
67. Now what is it that makes the hearing,
336 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 15