Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
therein, in the centre of the deep, is the reconceived will to the light ; and the will is the desiring, and the desiring attracteth to it, and that which is attracted maketh the darkness in the will, so that in the first will, the second will generateth itself again, that it might fly out of the darkness ; and the second will is the mind, which discovereth itself in the darkness, and the [discovery or] glance breaketh [or dispelleth] the darkness, so that it standeth in the sound and in the crack ; where then the flash sharpeneth itself, and so standeth eternally in the broken darkness, so that the darkness thus standeth in the sound of the stars. And in the breaking of the darkness, the re-conceived will is free, and dwelleth without the darkness, in itself; and the flash which there is the separation and the sharpness, and the noise [or sound] is the dwelling of the will, or of the continually conceived mind ; and the noise and the sharpness of the flash are in the dwelling of the will free from the darkness. And the flashCh. 16] THREEFOLD SPIRIT AND WILL 343 elevateth the will, and the will triurnpheth in the sharpness of the flash, and the will discovereth itself in the sharpness of the sound in the flash of the light, l without the darkness in the breaking, in the 1 extra. infiniteness. And in that infiniteness of the flash, there is in every discovery of the whole 2in the20rintoa
* /. . particular.
particular (in every reflection) again a centre of such a birth as is in the whole. And those particulars are the senses, and the whole is the mind out of which the senses proceed ; and therefore the senses are mutable [or transitory], and not in the 3 substance; but the mind is whole, and in3 whole or the substance.
6. My beloved Reader, just thus is our mind also. It is the indissoluble band, which God by the Fiat in the moving spirit breathed into Adam out of the eternal mind, [from whence] the essences are a particular, or a sparkle out of the eternal mind, which hath the centre of the breaking, and in the breaking hath the sharpness in itself; and that will driveth [forth] the flash [or glimpse] in the breaking, and the sharpness of the consuming of the darkness is in the glimpse [or flash] of the willing, and the will is our mind. The glimpse is the eyes in the fire-flash, which discovereth itself in our essences Mn us, and without us, for it is4 The glance free, and hath both the gates open, that [gate] in can look upon the darkness, and that gate in the light. For good^oth" although it continueth in the darkness, yet it without* us. breaketh the darkness, and maketh all light in
p. 344
THE THREE PRINCIPLES
[Ch. 16 itself; and where it is, there it seeth. As our
1 Or see into, thoughts, they can 1 speculate a thing that is many miles off, when the body is far from thence, and it may be never was in that place ; the discovery or glimpse [or piercing sight of the eye of the mind] goeth through wood and stone, through bones and
2 obstruct or marrow, and there is nothing that can 2 withhold it, hinder it.
for it pierceth and breaketh the darkness every where without rending the body of any thing, and the will is its horse whereon it rideth. Here many things must be concealed, because of the devilish enchantment, (or else we would reveal much more here), for the nigromanticus [necromancer] is generated here.
7. But now the first will in the mind is out of the sour anxiety, and its glimpse [or discovery] in the original, is the bitter, strong [or sour] fireflash in the sharpness, which maketh the stirring and noise, and also the seeing in the glance of the sharpness of the fire-flash, that so the re-conceived glimpses [disco verings or glances] in the thoughts have a light in them from whence they see, when they run [along] like a flash.
8. Yet this 3 first will in the mind ought not to stay behind in the abyss of the sour fierceness, (in which the fierce malice is), but ought to go forward in the centre of the breaking forth out of the darkness into the light, for in the light there is mere meekness, lowliness, humility, goodwill, and friendly desires, that it might with its
3 Or earnest will.
Ch. 1G] THREEFOLD SPIRIT AND WILL 345
therein, in the centre of the deep, is the reconceived will to the light ; and the will is the desiring, and the desiring attracts to it, and that which is attracted makes the darkness in the will, so that in the first will, the second will generats itself again, that it might fly out of the darkness ; and the second will is the mind, which discovers itself in the darkness, and the [discovery or] glance breaks [or dispells] the darkness, so that it stands in the sound and in the crack ; where then the flash sharpens itself, and so stands eternally in the broken darkness, so that the darkness thus stands in the sound of the stars. And in the breaking of the darkness, the re-conceived will is free, and dwells without the darkness, in itself; and the flash which there is the separation and the sharpness, and the noise [or sound] is the dwelling of the will, or of the continually conceived mind ; and the noise and the sharpness of the flash are in the dwelling of the will free from the darkness. And the flash
Ch. 16] THREEFOLD SPIRIT AND WILL 343 elevats the will, and the will triurnphs in the sharpness of the flash, and the will discovers itself in the sharpness of the sound in the flash of the light, l without the darkness in the breaking, in the 1 extra. infiniteness. And in that infiniteness of the flash, there is in every discovery of the whole 2in the20rintoa
* /. . particular.
particular (in every reflection) again a centre of such a birth as is in the whole. And those particulars are the senses, and the whole is the mind out of which the senses proceed ; and therefore the senses are mutable [or transitory], and not in the 3 substance; but the mind is whole, and in3 whole or the substance.
6. My beloved Reader, just thus is our mind also. It is the indissoluble band, which God by the Fiat in the moving spirit breathed into Adam out of the eternal mind, [from whence] the essences are a particular, or a sparkle out of the eternal mind, which has the centre of the breaking, and in the breaking has the sharpness in itself; and that will drivs [forth] the flash [or glimpse] in the breaking, and the sharpness of the consuming of the darkness is in the glimpse [or flash] of the willing, and the will is our mind. The glimpse is the eyes in the fire-flash, which discovers itself in our essences Mn us, and without us, for it is4 The glance free, and has both the gates open, that [gate] in can look upon the darkness, and that gate in the light. For good^oth" although it continues in the darkness, yet it without* us. breaks the darkness, and makes all light in
p. 344
THE THREE PRINCIPLES
[Ch. 16 itself; and where it is, there it sees. As our
1 Or see into, thoughts, they can 1 speculate a thing that is many miles off, when the body is far from thence, and it may be never was in that place ; the discovery or glimpse [or piercing sight of the eye of the mind] goes through wood and stone, through bones and
2 obstruct or marrow, and there is nothing that can 2 withhold it, hinder it.
for it pierces and breaks the darkness every where without rending the body of any thing, and the will is its horse whereon it rids. Here many things must be concealed, because of the devilish enchantment, (or else we would reveal much more here), for the nigromanticus [necromancer] is generated here.
7. But now the first will in the mind is out of the sour anxiety, and its glimpse [or discovery] in the original, is the bitter, strong [or sour] fireflash in the sharpness, which makes the stirring and noise, and also the seeing in the glance of the sharpness of the fire-flash, that so the re-conceived glimpses [disco verings or glances] in the thoughts have a light in them from whence they see, when they run [along] like a flash.
8. Yet this 3 first will in the mind ought not to stay behind in the abyss of the sour fierceness, (in which the fierce malice is), but ought to go forward in the centre of the breaking forth out of the darkness into the light, for in the light there is mere meekness, lowliness, humility, goodwill, and friendly desires, that it might with its
3 Or earnest will.
Ch. 1G] THREEFOLD SPIRIT AND WILL 345