23. We have formerly mentioned, how the provocation between both kinds, masculine and feminine, to copulate, existeth; viz. out of two governments [or dominions] of one [only] substance [being or essence]: for when Adam could not subsist, then God let a sleep fall upon him, and took the one dominion, viz. the tincture of the spirit, from him, and left him [the other, viz.] the tincture of the soul, and framed a woman out of him: But that she might have a soul also, God took a rib from his body, with his flesh and blood, and comprised the soul therein, but without power of further propagation, [of itself], for her soul remained in Venus, being desirous of the man's soul, even as the lower dominion of the three planets under the sun, which make spirit and flesh, desire the three uppermost for their life, as is before mentioned: so also is the dominion in the man and the woman: for the man hath the tincture of the fire wherein the soul consisteth, in his seed; and the woman hath in her the tincture of the spirit of this world, viz. of Venus, naturally so called, in her seed and matrix. If it were not for the scoffers, I could exactly demonstrate it in the members of their copulation: You would indeed wonder rightly why each is as it is: It shall be set down in a paper by itself, for there is nothing without cause. Nature hath its own mouth, if it desireth to have any thing, it maketh itself a mouth fit for it, and giveth a form to that thing which it desireth, that it may fit the mouth, according as nature liketh best. Observe this.
24. Now, when the seed is sown, then not only the sower soweth, but the ground also affordeth its essences [or virtue] to it: The man soweth soul, and the woman soweth spirit, and both of them afford body, and not the one without the other: The tincture of the fire hath indeed a body, but it became very small in this corruption: and therefore the nature of the water (in Venus) must give a soft spirit to it; for the man and the woman are one body, and St Paul saith, If the man have an unbelieving woman [to his wife], and the woman have an unbelieving man [to her husband], let not the one forsake the other: for the man knoweth not whether he shall save the woman, or the woman the man. Even as Adam saved his [wife] Eve, who first ate the bit [of the forbidden fruit], for she was a part of the life, out of his flesh and blood: and the same spirit and the same soul which Adam had, and which Eve got from Adam, is now also in us, in both kinds [or sexes].
25. Therefore ground your judgment thus: When the man soweth his seed, he soweth flesh and blood, and the noble tincture of the soul; and the woman receiveth that into her matrix, and instantly affordeth to the man's seed her tincture of Venus, wherein standeth the elementary spirit, and that assumeth Saturn, and bringeth it round on the wheel about to Sol, and there the natural life, with the life of the soul, is disclosed; for Saturn giveth it to the Moon, which breedeth it, and in a circuit of all the stars, maketh essences therein: and then the essences exist, and wind themselves about to Mars, which striketh up the fire; and there count the signs in the heavens, how many hours each of them hath, and double that with two kingdoms, and then you have the ground of the incarnation [or becoming man], and what is done every hour with the sulphur, [viz. with the substance which cometh to be man], for man hath yielded himself over to the spirit of this world, and is fallen home to it: and so now that spirit maketh an earthly elementary child, according to the stars and their dominion.
26. If God had not become man [or been incarnate], we had remained beasts, according to the body, and according to the soul, devils: and if we go not forth out of the house of our sins, we are such.
2 7. And therefore God hath made his covenant with us in Christ, that we should be new born again in Christ: for he hath given up his life into death for us, and hath brought our soul again quite through the eternal fire, and turned it about, that so we may see into the tenth number again.
28. Christ saith [through the Apostle Paul], All shall be tried by the Jire: let every one have a care that his works burn not, for so he shall suffer loss. And know this, that at the end, (when this
23. We have formerly mentioned, how the provocation between both kinds, masculine and feminine, to copulate, exists; viz. out of two governments [or dominions] of one [only] substance [being or essence]: for when Adam could not subsist, then God let a sleep fall upon him, and took the one dominion, viz. the tincture of the spirit, from him, and left him [the other, viz.] the tincture of the soul, and framed a woman out of him: But that she might have a soul also, God took a rib from his body, with his flesh and blood, and comprised the soul therein, but without power of further propagation, [of itself], for her soul remained in Venus, being desirous of the man's soul, even as the lower dominion of the three planets under the sun, which make spirit and flesh, desire the three uppermost for their life, as is before mentioned: so also is the dominion in the man and the woman: for the man has the tincture of the fire wherein the soul consists, in his seed; and the woman has in her the tincture of the spirit of this world, viz. of Venus, naturally so called, in her seed and matrix. If it were not for the scoffers, I could exactly demonstrate it in the members of their copulation: You would indeed wonder rightly why each is as it is: It shall be set down in a paper by itself, for there is nothing without cause. Nature has its own mouth, if it desires to have any thing, it makes itself a mouth fit for it, and gives a form to that thing which it desires, that it may fit the mouth, according as nature liks best. Observe this.
24. Now, when the seed is sown, then not only the sower sows, but the ground also affords its essences [or virtue] to it: The man sows soul, and the woman sows spirit, and both of them afford body, and not the one without the other: The tincture of the fire has indeed a body, but it became very small in this corruption: and therefore the nature of the water (in Venus) must give a soft spirit to it; for the man and the woman are one body, and St Paul says, If the man have an unbelieving woman [to his wife], and the woman have an unbelieving man [to her husband], let not the one forsake the other: for the man knows not whether he shall save the woman, or the woman the man. Even as Adam saved his [wife] Eve, who first ate the bit [of the forbidden fruit], for she was a part of the life, out of his flesh and blood: and the same spirit and the same soul which Adam had, and which Eve got from Adam, is now also in us, in both kinds [or sexes].
25. Therefore ground your judgment thus: When the man sows his seed, he sows flesh and blood, and the noble tincture of the soul; and the woman receives that into her matrix, and instantly affords to the man's seed her tincture of Venus, wherein stands the elementary spirit, and that assums Saturn, and brings it round on the wheel about to Sol, and there the natural life, with the life of the soul, is disclosed; for Saturn gives it to the Moon, which breeds it, and in a circuit of all the stars, makes essences therein: and then the essences exist, and wind themselves about to Mars, which striks up the fire; and there count the signs in the heavens, how many hours each of them has, and double that with two kingdoms, and then you have the ground of the incarnation [or becoming man], and what is done every hour with the sulphur, [viz. with the substance which comes to be man], for man has yielded himself over to the spirit of this world, and is fallen home to it: and so now that spirit makes an earthly elementary child, according to the stars and their dominion.
26. If God had not become man [or been incarnate], we had remained beasts, according to the body, and according to the soul, devils: and if we go not forth out of the house of our sins, we are such.
2 7. And therefore God has made his covenant with us in Christ, that we should be new born again in Christ: for he has given up his life into death for us, and has brought our soul again quite through the eternal fire, and turned it about, that so we may see into the tenth number again.
28. Christ says [through the Apostle Paul], All shall be tried by the Jire: let every one have a care that his works burn not, for so he shall suffer loss. And know this, that at the end, (when this
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