Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
21. Moses speaketh only of the Tables of God,
2 Or ingraven. which were 2 graven through with the Ten Commandments, so that they could see through them into the paradise. He hung the veil before his face (as is to be seen concerning [the people of]
Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 377
Israel) because man was become earthly, and therefore must put off the earthly again, and then he must with Joshua (or Jesus) enter into the paradisical Promised Land, and not with Moses stay in the wilderness of this world, where the -veil of this world hangeth before him, before the paradise.
22. Reason must not imagine, that God ever made any beast out of a lump of earth, as a potter maketh a pot. But he said, Let there come forth all sorts of beasts, every one after its kind ; that is, out of all essences, every one after the property of its essence ; and so also it was (by the Fiat) figured according to the property of its own essence ; and in like manner, all trees, herbs, and grass, all at once together. How then should the image of God be made out of the fragile [or corruptible] essences ? But it [must be and] was made in the paradise out of the eternal [essences],
23. The earth is not eternal, and for the sake of the fragility [or corruptibility], therefore man's body must break [or perish], because he hath attracted the corruptibility to him. Thus also the paradisical knowledge, delight and joy are departed from him, and he is fallen into the kindled anger, of the kindled four elements, which (according to their fierceness) 1 qualify with the eternal anger in J Or mingle. the abyss ; although the outward 2 region of the 2 Or working, sun is mitigated, so that it is a pleasant habitation,p. 378 as is seen before our eyes ; yet if the sun should vanish away, then thou wouldst well see and feel the anger of God. Consider it well.
24. Thus it is shewn us in the light of nature, that when Adam was thus impregnated [or possessed] from the spirit of this world, then God
1 Or planted. * built [or made] a garden in Eden upon earth,
2 in the divine2 in the paradise, and caused to grow up all sorts habitation of paradisical fruit, pleasant to behold, and good to eat, and the Tree of Temptation in the midst
3 Or out-flow- [of the Garden of Eden\, which had its 3 essences tiaT virtues, from the spirit of this world ; and the other [trees and fruits] had paradisical essences.
25. In this [garden] now the image of God stood altogether free. It might embrace [and take] what it would, only the Tree of Temptation, that was forbidden. There he was forty days in the paradisical knowledge, joy, and habitation, where yet there was neither day nor night to him, but only the eternity ; he saw with his eyes [from or] out of the divine power [and virtue]. There was in him no shutting of his eyes ; he had no need of the sun at all, yet all things must serve and be subject to him. The out-birth [or issue] of the four elements did not touch him ; there was no sleep in him, nor pain, nor fear. A thousand years were to him but as a day ; he was such an image as shall rise at the last day ; there will rise no other image than that which God created in the beginning, therefore consider it well.
Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 379
26. But that I have said, that he was forty days in the paradise, the second Adam's (Christ's) temptation testifieth so much to me ; as also the temptation of Israel at mount Sinai by Moses [staying twice] on the mount, both which lasted forty days, which you may read in Moses ; and you may read concerning the temptation of Christ ; and you will find wonders.
21. Moses speaks only of the Tables of God,
2 Or ingraven. which were 2 graven through with the Ten Commandments, so that they could see through them into the paradise. He hung the veil before his face (as is to be seen concerning [the people of]
Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 377
Israel) because man was become earthly, and therefore must put off the earthly again, and then he must with Joshua (or Jesus) enter into the paradisical Promised Land, and not with Moses stay in the wilderness of this world, where the -veil of this world hangs before him, before the paradise.
22. Reason must not imagine, that God ever made any beast out of a lump of earth, as a potter makes a pot. But he said, Let there come forth all sorts of beasts, every one after its kind ; that is, out of all essences, every one after the property of its essence ; and so also it was (by the Fiat) figured according to the property of its own essence ; and in like manner, all trees, herbs, and grass, all at once together. How then should the image of God be made out of the fragile [or corruptible] essences ? But it [must be and] was made in the paradise out of the eternal [essences],
23. The earth is not eternal, and for the sake of the fragility [or corruptibility], therefore man's body must break [or perish], because he has attracted the corruptibility to him. Thus also the paradisical knowledge, delight and joy are departed from him, and he is fallen into the kindled anger, of the kindled four elements, which (according to their fierceness) 1 qualify with the eternal anger in J Or mingle. the abyss ; although the outward 2 region of the 2 Or working, sun is mitigated, so that it is a pleasant habitation,
378 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 17 as is seen before our eyes ; yet if the sun should vanish away, then you would well see and feel the anger of God. Consider it well.
24. Thus it is shown us in the light of nature, that when Adam was thus impregnated [or possessed] from the spirit of this world, then God
1 Or planted. * built [or made] a garden in Eden upon earth,
2 in the divine2 in the paradise, and caused to grow up all sorts habitation of paradisical fruit, pleasant to behold, and good to eat, and the Tree of Temptation in the midst
3 Or out-flow- [of the Garden of Eden\, which had its 3 essences tiaT virtues, from the spirit of this world ; and the other [trees and fruits] had paradisical essences.
25. In this [garden] now the image of God stood altogether free. It might embrace [and take] what it would, only the Tree of Temptation, that was forbidden. There he was forty days in the paradisical knowledge, joy, and habitation, where yet there was neither day nor night to him, but only the eternity ; he saw with his eyes [from or] out of the divine power [and virtue]. There was in him no shutting of his eyes ; he had no need of the sun at all, yet all things must serve and be subject to him. The out-birth [or issue] of the four elements did not touch him ; there was no sleep in him, nor pain, nor fear. A thousand years were to him but as a day ; he was such an image as shall rise at the last day ; there will rise no other image than that which God created in the beginning, therefore consider it well.
Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 379
26. But that I have said, that he was forty days in the paradise, the second Adam's (Christ's) temptation testifies so much to me ; as also the temptation of Israel at mount Sinai by Moses [staying twice] on the mount, both which lasted forty days, which you may read in Moses ; and you may read concerning the temptation of Christ ; and you will find wonders.