Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
live in the true man, who is the image and similitude of God ; for to such it is very highly necessary to be known ; also for the lily's sake which groweth in the tree of the sour wrath towards the l north in the matrix.
14. Moses writeth, God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, which may separate and distinguish day and night, and be for signs, for times and seasons, for days and years ; and to be for lights in the firmament of heaven, to shine upon the earth ; and it ivas so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night : Also, he made the stars. And God set them in the firmament of heaven, that they might shine upon the earth, and rule the day and the night, and separate the light from the darkness.
15. And though Moses hath written very rightly, that they should govern the day and the night, and should separate the light from the darkness, and make times and seasons, years and days, yet it is not plain enough to be understood by the desirous Reader. For there is found a very high thing in the virtue and power of the stars ; [which is] that every life, growth, colour, and virtue, thickness and thinness, smallness and greatness, good and evil, is moved and stirred by their power. For this cause the wise heathens did rely upon them, and honoured them as god. Therefore I will write somewhat of their original, as far as is permitted to me at this
Oh. 8] OF THE CREATION OF THE CREATURES 113
time, for their sakes that seek and desire the Pearl. But I have written nothing for the swine, and other bestial men, who trample the Pearl into the dirt, and scorn and contemn the spirit of knowledge ; such as they, may, with the first world, expect a deluge, or flood of fire ; and seeing they will bear no angelical image, therefore they must bear the images of lions, dragons, and other evil beasts, and worms [or creeping things]. And if they will not admit of good counsel that God may help them, then they must look to find by experience whether the Scriptures of prophecy lie to them or no.
16. The Evangelist St John writeth of the orioinalitv of the essence and creatures of this
* world, so very highly and exactly, as may be read in no other place of Scripture in the Bible : In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and that Word was God : This was in the beginning with God, all things were made by it, and without it was nothing made that was made. In it was the life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness hath not comprehended the light.
17. Mark what John saith : In the beginning of the creation, and before the times of the world, was the Word, and the Word was God, and in the Word was the light, and it shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not compreJiend the light. Wherein may be clearly understood, that the eternal light is God ; and that it hath itsp. 8p. 114 eternal original in the eternal virtue or power ; and that it is the eternal Word which shone in the darkness. Seeing then that Word created all things in all places, therefore it also was in all places, for without it was nothing made.
18. Now that Word had no matter out of which it made any thing, but it created all things out of the darkness, and brought them to light, that it might shine forth, appear, and present itself. For in it was the life, and it gave the light to the creature, and the creature is out of its virtue, and the virtue became material, and the light shineth therein, and the material virtue cannot comprehend it, for that is in darkness. But seeing the material virtue cannot comprehend the light, which from eternity shineth in the darkness, therefore God hath given that [material virtue] another light, which proceedeth out of the virtue (viz. the sun), which shineth in the creature, that so the creature is manifested in the light.
19. For as the Deity is the virtue [or power] and light of paradise in the second Principle, so the sun is the virtue [or power] and light of this material world in the third Principle. And as the Deity shineth in the darkness in the first Principle, so the sun shineth in the darkness in the third Principle. And as the Deity is the eternal virtue and the spirit of the eternal life, so the sun is the
live in the true man, who is the image and similitude of God ; for to such it is very highly necessary to be known ; also for the lily's sake which grows in the tree of the sour wrath towards the l north in the matrix.
14. Moses writes, God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, which may separate and distinguish day and night, and be for signs, for times and seasons, for days and years ; and to be for lights in the firmament of heaven, to shine upon the earth ; and it ivas so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night : Also, he made the stars. And God set them in the firmament of heaven, that they might shine upon the earth, and rule the day and the night, and separate the light from the darkness.
15. And though Moses has written very rightly, that they should govern the day and the night, and should separate the light from the darkness, and make times and seasons, years and days, yet it is not plain enough to be understood by the desirous Reader. For there is found a very high thing in the virtue and power of the stars ; [which is] that every life, growth, colour, and virtue, thickness and thinness, smallness and greatness, good and evil, is moved and stirred by their power. For this cause the wise heathens did rely upon them, and honoured them as god. Therefore I will write somewhat of their original, as far as is permitted to me at this Oh. 8] OF THE CREATION OF THE CREATURES 113 time, for their sakes that seek and desire the Pearl. But I have written nothing for the swine, and other bestial men, who trample the Pearl into the dirt, and scorn and contemn the spirit of knowledge ; such as they, may, with the first world, expect a deluge, or flood of fire ; and seeing they will bear no angelical image, therefore they must bear the images of lions, dragons, and other evil beasts, and worms [or creeping things]. And if they will not admit of good counsel that God may help them, then they must look to find by experience whether the Scriptures of prophecy lie to them or no.
16. The Evangelist St John writes of the orioinalitv of the essence and creatures of this
* world, so very highly and exactly, as may be read in no other place of Scripture in the Bible : In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and that Word was God : This was in the beginning with God, all things were made by it, and without it was nothing made that was made. In it was the life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended the light.
17. Mark what John says : In the beginning of the creation, and before the times of the world, was the Word, and the Word was God, and in the Word was the light, and it shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not compreJiend the light. Wherein may be clearly understood, that the eternal light is God ; and that it has its
p. 8
114 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 8 eternal original in the eternal virtue or power ; and that it is the eternal Word which shone in the darkness. Seeing then that Word created all things in all places, therefore it also was in all places, for without it was nothing made.
18. Now that Word had no matter out of which it made any thing, but it created all things out of the darkness, and brought them to light, that it might shine forth, appear, and present itself. For in it was the life, and it gave the light to the creature, and the creature is out of its virtue, and the virtue became material, and the light shines therein, and the material virtue cannot comprehend it, for that is in darkness. But seeing the material virtue cannot comprehend the light, which from eternity shines in the darkness, therefore God has given that [material virtue] another light, which proceeds out of the virtue (viz. the sun), which shines in the creature, that so the creature is manifested in the light.
19. For as the Deity is the virtue [or power] and light of paradise in the second Principle, so the sun is the virtue [or power] and light of this material world in the third Principle. And as the Deity shines in the darkness in the first Principle, so the sun shines in the darkness in the third Principle. And as the Deity is the eternal virtue and the spirit of the eternal life, so the sun is the