Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
88. Behold, dost thou know how a child cometh to be flesh and blood, and in the end a living soul ? And do you not know that the tincture of the mother is first, when a child shall be conceived ? Which is done in the desire of the will between man and woman ; where then the seed [for the child] is sown, and then the tincture in the matrix assumeth it, with the mixture of the limbus of the man. And though the outward mother doth not desire [to have] 2 the child, but desireth many times only to have her pleasure ; yet the inward [mother] doth desire it, and also first of all impregnateth itself in the tincture, and thenCh. 18] PROMISED SEED OF THE WOMAN 465 attracteth the l Fiat to it, and holdeth the limbus » Or the Word of the man, and becometh impregnated. formeth and
89. But now that tincture qualifieth [or mixeth] cr with the whole body, and also with the soul ; for if it [the tincture] be faithful, then it reacheth the virgin of God in the element, and it is rightly the habitation of the holy soul, in which God assisteth 2 it. 2 the soul.
90. Now thus the child qualifieth [or mixeth] with the mother, and with all essences, till it kindleth the light of life, and then the child liveth in its [own] spirit, and the mother* is its dwellinghouse. But now seeing the soul of the child is generated out of the limbus, and out of the essences of the mother, therefore 3 it is indeed half 3 the soul of the mother's, though now it is become the proper own of itself.
91. Thus also in Christ ; the will [to the child] was the mother's, when the angel declared the message to her, and the tincture (which received the limbus of God, and brought it into the will, that she was thus impregnated in the element) that was also the mother's, and thus the Deity was conceived, in the mother's tincture, in her will, like any other natural child.
92. Seeing then that the soul of her child was in the holy Trinity, what dost thou think here ? Seeing it went forth out of the mother's essences, whether might not the holiness of the child
(especially his high light) in the mother shinep. 30p. 466 bright and gloriously ? And whether this mother may not rightly stand upon the moon, and despise that which is earthly, as is to be seen in the Kevelation [of St John] ?
93. For she bore the Saviour of all the world, without any earthly mixture ; and she is also a virgin of chastity, highly blessed by her Son
1 Or above Jesus Christ, in the divine light and clarity, 1more the heavens, than the heavens, like the princely thrones of the angels. For out of her went forth the body, which attracteth all members to it, which are the children of God in Christ. And therefore her glance [lustre or brightness] is above the glance of heaven ; and the glance of her soul is in the holy Trinity, where all other children of Adam (which are born [or begotten] in Christ) are also members therein, in that one Christ Jesus.
94. Or dost thou think I make a god of her? No, the invocation doth not belong to her ; for the might [or ability] to help cometh only out of the Father, through the Son ; for in the Father only is the source [or fountain] of the omnipotence, which he in the Son speaketh forth, for the might of the strength is in the first Principle, which is the Father himself, and the Son is his love, and
2 brightness z light ; so now the Virgin Mary dwelleth in the heaven, in the light and in the love of the Father, as also all other saints [do].
95. But that they feign [or babble] that she was taken up into heaven alive with soul and body, andCh. 18] PROMISED SEED OP THE WOMAN 467 that she can carry our miseries, and present them before her Son, I would fain know what understanding and knowledge the author of such an invented fable hath had of the kingdom of heaven. Surely he took the kingdom of this world to be heaven.
88. Behold, do you know how a child comes to be flesh and blood, and in the end a living soul ? And do you not know that the tincture of the mother is first, when a child shall be conceived ? Which is done in the desire of the will between man and woman ; where then the seed [for the child] is sown, and then the tincture in the matrix assums it, with the mixture of the limbus of the man. And though the outward mother does not desire [to have] 2 the child, but desires many times only to have her pleasure ; yet the inward [mother] does desire it, and also first of all impregnats itself in the tincture, and then
Ch. 18] PROMISED SEED OF THE WOMAN 465 attracts the l Fiat to it, and holds the limbus » Or the Word of the man, and becomes impregnated. forms and
89. But now that tincture qualifies [or mixes] cr with the whole body, and also with the soul ; for if it [the tincture] be faithful, then it reaches the virgin of God in the element, and it is rightly the habitation of the holy soul, in which God assists 2 it. 2 the soul.
90. Now thus the child qualifies [or mixes] with the mother, and with all essences, till it kindls the light of life, and then the child lives in its [own] spirit, and the mother* is its dwellinghouse. But now seeing the soul of the child is generated out of the limbus, and out of the essences of the mother, therefore 3 it is indeed half 3 the soul of the mother's, though now it is become the proper own of itself.
91. Thus also in Christ ; the will [to the child] was the mother's, when the angel declared the message to her, and the tincture (which received the limbus of God, and brought it into the will, that she was thus impregnated in the element) that was also the mother's, and thus the Deity was conceived, in the mother's tincture, in her will, like any other natural child.
92. Seeing then that the soul of her child was in the holy Trinity, what do you think here ? Seeing it went forth out of the mother's essences, whether might not the holiness of the child
(especially his high light) in the mother shine
p. 30
466 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 18 bright and gloriously ? And whether this mother may not rightly stand upon the moon, and despise that which is earthly, as is to be seen in the Kevelation [of St John] ?
93. For she bore the Saviour of all the world, without any earthly mixture ; and she is also a virgin of chastity, highly blessed by her Son
1 Or above Jesus Christ, in the divine light and clarity, 1more the heavens, than the heavens, like the princely thrones of the angels. For out of her went forth the body, which attracts all members to it, which are the children of God in Christ. And therefore her glance [lustre or brightness] is above the glance of heaven ; and the glance of her soul is in the holy Trinity, where all other children of Adam (which are born [or begotten] in Christ) are also members therein, in that one Christ Jesus.
94. Or do you think I make a god of her? No, the invocation does not belong to her ; for the might [or ability] to help comes only out of the Father, through the Son ; for in the Father only is the source [or fountain] of the omnipotence, which he in the Son speaks forth, for the might of the strength is in the first Principle, which is the Father himself, and the Son is his love, and
2 brightness z light ; so now the Virgin Mary dwells in the heaven, in the light and in the love of the Father, as also all other saints [do].
95. But that they feign [or babble] that she was taken up into heaven alive with soul and body, and
Ch. 18] PROMISED SEED OP THE WOMAN 467 that she can carry our miseries, and present them before her Son, I would fain know what understanding and knowledge the author of such an invented fable has had of the kingdom of heaven. Surely he took the kingdom of this world to be heaven.