Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

nor brought to the understanding by the tongue of man ; for God hath no beginning. But I will set it down so as if he had a beginning, that it might be understood what is in the first Principle, whereby the difference between the first and second Principles may be understood, and what God or spirit is. Indeed there is no difference in God, only when it is enquired from whence evil and good proceed, it is to be known, what is the first and original fountain of anger, and also of love, since they both proceedCh. 1] FIRST PRINCIPLE OF THE DIVINE ESSENCE 3 from one and the same original, out of one mother, and are one thing. Thus we must speak after a creaturely manner, as if it took a beginning, that it might be brought to be understood.

5. For it cannot be said that fire, bitterness, or harshness, is in God, much less that air, water, or earth is in him ; only it is plain that all things have proceeded out of that [original]. Neither can it be said, that death, hell-fire, or sorrowfulness is in God, but it is known that these things have come out of that [original]. For God hath made no devil out of himself, but angels to live in joy, to their comfort and rejoicing ; yet it is seen that devils came to be, and that they became God's enemies. Therefore the source or fountain of the cause must be sought, viz. What is the prima materia, or first matter of evil, and that in the originalness of God as well as in the creatures ; for it is all but one only thing in originalness : All is out of God, made out of his ,

1 essence, according to the Trinity, as he is one in * being or essence and threefold in Persons.

6. Behold, there are especially three things in the originalness, out of which all things are, both spirit and life, motion and comprehensibility, viz.

2 Sulphur, 3 Mercurius, and * Sal. But you will say 2 wherein the that these are in nature, and not in God ; which cousisteth. indeed is so, but nature hath its ground in God, according to the first Principle of the Father, for n i n i i • i /-N i

<jrod calleth himself also an angry zealous God ; which is not so to be understood, that God is angry

THE THREE PRINCIPLES

[Ch. 1 or attraction.

2 Observe or consider.

1 generated.

in himself, but in the spirit of the [creation or] creature which kindleth itself; and then God burneth in the first Principle therein, and the spirit of the [creation or] creature suffereth pain, and not God.

7. Now to speak in a creaturely way, Sulphur, Mercurius, and Sal, are understood to be thus. S U L is the soul or the spirit that is risen up, or in a similitude [it is] God : P H U R is the prima materia, or first matter out of which the spirit is generated, but especially the harshness : Mercurius hath a fourfold form in it, viz. harshness, bitterness, fire, and water : Sal is the child that is generated from these four, and is harsh, eager, and a cause of the comprehensibility.

8. 2 Understand aright now what I declare to you : Harshness, bitterness, and fire, are in the originalness, in the first Principle : The water-source is generated therein : And God is not called God according to the first Principle ; but according to that he is called wrathfulness, angriness, the earnest [severe or tart] source, from which evil, and also the woeful tormenting, trembling, and burning, have their original.

9. This is as was mentioned before ; the harshness is the prima materia, or first matter, which is strong, and very eagerly and earnestly attractive, that is Sal : The bitterness is 3 in the strong attracto ing, for the spirit sharpeneth itself in the strong attracting, so that it becometh wholly aching