Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
3. For it is lamentable, that since the fall of Adam, we should be so continually cheated and befooled by the devil, to think that we are not the children of God, nor of his l essence. He continually putteth the monstrous shape or form into our thoughts, as he did into our mother Eve, which she gazed too much upon, and by her representing it in her imagination, she became a child of this world, wholly naked and vain, and void of understanding : And so he doth to us also still continually ; he would bring us into another image, as he did Eve, that we might be ashamed to appear in the presence of the light and power of God, as Adam and Eve were, when they hid themselves behind the trees (that is, behind the monstrous shape or form), when the Lord appeared in the centre of the birth of their lives, and said, Where art thou, Adaml And he said, I am naked, and am afraid ; which was nothing else, but that his belief [or faith] and knowledge of the holy God was put out ; for he beheld the monstrous shape which he had made to himself by his imagination and lust, by the devil's [instigation] representation, and false persuading, to eat of the third Principle
2 destruction wherein 2 corruption was.
4. And now when he saw and knew by thatCh. 4] OF THE TRUE ETERNAL NATURE 31 which God had told him, that he should die and perish, if he did eat of the knowledge of good and evil, it made him continually imagine that he was now no more the child of God, and that he was not created out of God's own essence or substance, out of the first Principle. He conceived that he was now but a mere child of this world, when he beheld his corruptibility, and also the monstrous image which he l was in ; and that the paradisical l Or carried
2 understanding, delight and joy were departed from him, so that his spirit and perfection were or sklll> driven out of paradise (that is, out of the second
Principle of God, where the light or the Heart of
God is generated from eternity to eternity, and where the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son), and that he now lived no more merely by the Word of God, but did eat and drink, viz. the 3 birth of his life henceforward consisted in 8 preservation,
. i • i T» • • i i •• i r --I!- i or propagatne third Principle, that is, in the [region J kingdom, tion.
or dominion of the stars and elements, and he must now eat of the virtue and fruit thereof, and live thereby : And thereupon he then supposed, that he was past recovery, and that the noble image of
God was destroyed. And besides, the devil also continually represented his corruptibility and mortality to him, and himself could see nothing else, being he was gone out of paradise, that is, out of the incorruptible holy 4 geniture [or operation] « preservation, of God ; wherein he was God's holy image and °l child, in which God created him to continue therein
p. 32
for ever. And if the merciful love of God had not appeared to him again in the centre of the birth of his life, and comforted him, he would have thought that he was wholly departed, or quite separated from the eternal divine birth, and that he was no more in God, nor God any more in him, and that he was no more of God's essence. /
5. But the favourable love (that is, the *only begotten Son of God, or that I may set it down so that it may be understood, the lovely fountain
2;begotten, or where the light of God is 2 generated) sprang up, brought forth, and grew again in Adam in the centre of the birth of his life, in the fifth form of his birth ; whereby Adam perceived that he was not broken off from the divine root, but that he was still the child of God, and repented him of his first evil lust : And thereupon the Lord shewed him the Treader upon the Serpent, who should destroy his monstrous birth ; and so he should from the monstrous birth be regenerated anew, in the shape, form, power and virtue of the Treader upon the Serpent, and be brought with power again into - paradise, into the holy birth, and eat of the 3Word of the Lord again, and live eternally, in spite of 4 Or power, all the *gates of the wrathfulness, wherein the devil liveth ; concerning which there shall be further mention made in its due place.
3. For it is lamentable, that since the fall of Adam, we should be so continually cheated and befooled by the devil, to think that we are not the children of God, nor of his l essence. He continually putts the monstrous shape or form into our thoughts, as he did into our mother Eve, which she gazed too much upon, and by her representing it in her imagination, she became a child of this world, wholly naked and vain, and void of understanding : And so he does to us also still continually ; he would bring us into another image, as he did Eve, that we might be ashamed to appear in the presence of the light and power of God, as Adam and Eve were, when they hid themselves behind the trees (that is, behind the monstrous shape or form), when the Lord appeared in the centre of the birth of their lives, and said, Where art you, Adaml And he said, I am naked, and am afraid ; which was nothing else, but that his belief [or faith] and knowledge of the holy God was put out ; for he beheld the monstrous shape which he had made to himself by his imagination and lust, by the devil's [instigation] representation, and false persuading, to eat of the third Principle
2 destruction wherein 2 corruption was.
4. And now when he saw and knew by that
Ch. 4] OF THE TRUE ETERNAL NATURE 31 which God had told him, that he should die and perish, if he did eat of the knowledge of good and evil, it made him continually imagine that he was now no more the child of God, and that he was not created out of God's own essence or substance, out of the first Principle. He conceived that he was now but a mere child of this world, when he beheld his corruptibility, and also the monstrous image which he l was in ; and that the paradisical l Or carried
2 understanding, delight and joy were departed from him, so that his spirit and perfection were or sklll> driven out of paradise (that is, out of the second
Principle of God, where the light or the Heart of
God is generated from eternity to eternity, and where the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son), and that he now lived no more merely by the Word of God, but did eat and drink, viz. the 3 birth of his life henceforward consisted in 8 preservation,
. i • i T» • • i i •• i r --I!- i or propagatne third Principle, that is, in the [region J kingdom, tion.
or dominion of the stars and elements, and he must now eat of the virtue and fruit thereof, and live thereby : And thereupon he then supposed, that he was past recovery, and that the noble image of
God was destroyed. And besides, the devil also continually represented his corruptibility and mortality to him, and himself could see nothing else, being he was gone out of paradise, that is, out of the incorruptible holy 4 geniture [or operation] « preservation, of God ; wherein he was God's holy image and °l child, in which God created him to continue therein 32 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 4 for ever. And if the merciful love of God had not appeared to him again in the centre of the birth of his life, and comforted him, he would have thought that he was wholly departed, or quite separated from the eternal divine birth, and that he was no more in God, nor God any more in him, and that he was no more of God's essence. /
5. But the favourable love (that is, the *only begotten Son of God, or that I may set it down so that it may be understood, the lovely fountain
2;begotten, or where the light of God is 2 generated) sprang up, brought forth, and grew again in Adam in the centre of the birth of his life, in the fifth form of his birth ; whereby Adam perceived that he was not broken off from the divine root, but that he was still the child of God, and repented him of his first evil lust : And thereupon the Lord showed him the Treader upon the Serpent, who should destroy his monstrous birth ; and so he should from the monstrous birth be regenerated anew, in the shape, form, power and virtue of the Treader upon the Serpent, and be brought with power again into - paradise, into the holy birth, and eat of the 3Word of the Lord again, and live eternally, in spite of 4 Or power, all the *gates of the wrathfulness, wherein the devil lives ; concerning which there shall be further mention made in its due place.