Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

All searched out, very fundamentally, in the Light of Nature, and set down for the Comfort of the poor sick wounded Soul, that it might seek the holy Life in the new Regeneration, wherein it goeth forth out of the earthly, and passeth into the Life of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

By the same AUTHOR.

1. 1 BECAUSE in our foregoing writings, there are J The Aurora

JL) some words which the Reader may not perhaps apprehend, especially where we have written, that in the resurrection of the dead, we shall be in the body

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THE THREE PRINCIPLES

1 The Three
Principles.

* Or a substance or reality.

of Christ, in Temario Sancto, where we call the Ternarius Sanctus holy earth, which must not be understood of earth, but of the holy body out of the holy virtue [or power] of the Trinity of God; and by that body, Ternarius Sanctus, is properly understood in our writings the gate of God the Father, from whence all things proceed as out of one only substance ; therefore we will instruct the Reader of the l second book of our writings a little more fundamentally, that he may not hang so to the bare letter, and make an historical matter of our writings, but that we may observe the mind and spirit, what that [spirit] meaneth, when it speaketh of the divine life, and useth not always the same words and names.

2. For if we look into the creation of God, we find very wonderful things, which yet in the beginning proceeded out of one only fountain ; for we find evil and good, life and death, joy and sorrow, love and hate, weeping and laughing ; and we find that it all sprang out of one only substance, for that may very well be seen in all creatures, especially in man, who is the similitude of God, as Moses writeth, and the light of nature convinceth us. Therefore we ought to consider of the threefold life in man, which is found so also in the gate of God the Father.

3. If we consider of the alteration, how the mind is changed as it is, how suddenly joy is turned into sorrow, and sorrow into joy, then we ought well to consider from whence that taketh its original. For we find it all to be in one and the same mind; and if one form [property or quality] riseth and getteth above the other, then there presently 2 something f olloweth, so that the mind collecteth all its thoughts together, and sendeth them to the members of the body, and so the hands, the feet, the mouth, and all go to work, and do something, according to the desire of the mind. And then we say, that form [or property that driveth the work] is predominant, qualifying and working above other forms,

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wherein yet all other forms of nature lie hidden, and are subject to that one form. And yet the mind is such a wonderful l thing, that suddenly (out of one form, that l essence or is now predominant and working more than all others) SD it bringeth forth and raiseth up another, and qucncheth the [form] that was kindled before, so that it becometh as it were a nothing, as may be seen in joy and sorrow.

4. Now therefore when we consider whence all taketh its original, we find especially three forms in the mind. We speak not here of the spirit of this world only, for we find that our mind hath also a desire [or longing] after another mind ; and that it is anxious for that which the eyes of the body see not, and which the mouth tasteth not, and the feeling of the earthly body doth not perceive, neither doth the earthly ear hear it, nor the nose smell it ; which yet the noble mind can see, taste, feel, perceive and hear, if the form of the divine kingdom in that mind be predominant, or qualifieth more than the other two ; there then instantly the other two are as it were half dead and overcome, and the divine [form] riseth up alone, and then it is in God.