it is the third life in God, the awakened life, and not an eternal life; for in this third life only shall the great wonders (which lie in the centre of the eternal nature) be brought into a visible substance, whose figures remain for ever, but not in the essences, they all return again into the ether; as it was before the creation, so will it be again at the end.
81. But all of this world remaineth standing in the eternal nature, with its colours and figures, like a picture, else the creatures, as angels and men, which are eternal, would have no joy. Thus they shall enjoy all; and yet there will be a springing, blossoming, and growing, but without feeling of any fierceness, or of the fire: for the essences are no more a substance, and therefore afford no fire; the fire is an eternal darkness and gnawing in itself, and that is called the eternal death, concerning which the Scripture witnesseth throughout. Do not account this a fiction: for it is true, we speak faithfully what we know [and understand] in the bosom of our mother, [viz. in the mercy and eternal wisdom of God] .
THE EIGHTH CHAPTER
OF THE TRANSITORY, AND ETERNAL, LIFE
1. NOW as there is a life, and spiritual government, in the deep of the world in all places, so that all creatures are included as it were in one body, which affordeth them life, nourishment, wit, wisdom and art, in all kinds of them, in men, beasts, fowls, fishes, worms, trees, and herbs, every one according to the kind of their essences; so there is also a life in the eternity within this world, which the spirit of this world comprehendeth not, which hath all the properties of this world in it, but in no such kindled essences.
2. For it hath no fire, though indeed it hath a mighty fire, but it burneth in another source [or property] viz. in the desiring: It is soft, delicate or pleasant, without pain; also it consumeth nothing; but its spirit is love and joy: its fire maketh majesty and brightness; and that hath always been from eternity; it hath no ground, it hath its springing up and blossoming, but not out of such earth as we walk upon; and yet it is earth, which in my whole book I call Substantiality, for it is the eternal body, without any defect: There is no want in it, nor sorrow, nor misery; no such thing is known there at all; there is no death, devil, nor anger known in it; but such things stand altogether in the darkness [or in eternal oblivion] hidden in the first principle.
3. And this angelical world [or eternal substantiality]
we call Ternarius Sanctus; and that very rightly, though the Latin tongue understandeth only the
Number Three [The Trinity] thereby; yet
the language of nature comprehendeth it together as one only body.
4. For as this Principle of this [outward] world, is together as one body; so God, the kingdom of heaven, angels, men, paradise, with all heavenly and divine things [beings] and properties, are all but one body; and together are called God, Majesty, and eternity.
5. For the Majesty is the light of that body, and the Holy Ghost is its air and spirit of life; but the Creatures [viz. angels and men] have their own spirit of life from themselves.
6. For every angel and man is like the total God, he hath in him the Number Three, and the Holy Ghost proceedeth forth in him also; of which you have a similitude in a flaming piece of iron [a red hot iron] :
The iron resembleth the creature, the fire resembleth the Deity, the heat of the iron resembleth the creature's own spirit, the air which goeth forth from the heat, which hath no source [or painful quality], resembleth the Holy Ghost.
7. In this manner we give you, in simplicity, sufficiently to understand these high things. If any will now be blind, God help them! And we can thus with good ground set you down, what man was before the Fall, and what he came to be in the Fall: what he is in the New Birth again, and what he shall be after this life. For we know what he is in death, and what he is in life; we know also what he is in hell; and that, not from, our own wisdom, (as if that were greater than any man's living), but [we understand it] in the bosom of the mother, in the mother's spirit.
it is the third life in God, the awakened life, and not an eternal life; for in this third life only shall the great wonders (which lie in the centre of the eternal nature) be brought into a visible substance, whose figures remain for ever, but not in the essences, they all return again into the ether; as it was before the creation, so will it be again at the end.
81. But all of this world remains standing in the eternal nature, with its colours and figures, like a picture, else the creatures, as angels and men, which are eternal, would have no joy. Thus they shall enjoy all; and yet there will be a springing, blossoming, and growing, but without feeling of any fierceness, or of the fire: for the essences are no more a substance, and therefore afford no fire; the fire is an eternal darkness and gnawing in itself, and that is called the eternal death, concerning which the Scripture witnesses throughout. Do not account this a fiction: for it is true, we speak faithfully what we know [and understand] in the bosom of our mother, [viz. in the mercy and eternal wisdom of God] .
THE EIGHTH CHAPTER
OF THE TRANSITORY, AND ETERNAL, LIFE
1. NOW as there is a life, and spiritual government, in the deep of the world in all places, so that all creatures are included as it were in one body, which affords them life, nourishment, wit, wisdom and art, in all kinds of them, in men, beasts, fowls, fishes, worms, trees, and herbs, every one according to the kind of their essences; so there is also a life in the eternity within this world, which the spirit of this world comprehends not, which has all the properties of this world in it, but in no such kindled essences.
2. For it has no fire, though indeed it has a mighty fire, but it burns in another source [or property] viz. in the desiring: It is soft, delicate or pleasant, without pain; also it consums nothing; but its spirit is love and joy: its fire makes majesty and brightness; and that has always been from eternity; it has no ground, it has its springing up and blossoming, but not out of such earth as we walk upon; and yet it is earth, which in my whole book I call Substantiality, for it is the eternal body, without any defect: There is no want in it, nor sorrow, nor misery; no such thing is known there at all; there is no death, devil, nor anger known in it; but such things stand altogether in the darkness [or in eternal oblivion] hidden in the first principle.
3. And this angelical world [or eternal substantiality]
we call Ternarius Sanctus; and that very rightly, though the Latin tongue understands only the
Number Three [The Trinity] thereby; yet
the language of nature comprehends it together as one only body.
4. For as this Principle of this [outward] world, is together as one body; so God, the kingdom of heaven, angels, men, paradise, with all heavenly and divine things [beings] and properties, are all but one body; and together are called God, Majesty, and eternity.
5. For the Majesty is the light of that body, and the Holy Ghost is its air and spirit of life; but the Creatures [viz. angels and men] have their own spirit of life from themselves.
6. For every angel and man is like the total God, he has in him the Number Three, and the Holy Ghost proceeds forth in him also; of which you have a similitude in a flaming piece of iron [a red hot iron] :
The iron resembls the creature, the fire resembls the Deity, the heat of the iron resembls the creature's own spirit, the air which goes forth from the heat, which has no source [or painful quality], resembls the Holy Ghost.
7. In this manner we give you, in simplicity, sufficiently to understand these high things. If any will now be blind, God help them! And we can thus with good ground set you down, what man was before the Fall, and what he came to be in the Fall: what he is in the New Birth again, and what he shall be after this life. For we know what he is in death, and what he is in life; we know also what he is in hell; and that, not from, our own wisdom, (as if that were greater than any man's living), but [we understand it] in the bosom of the mother, in the mother's spirit.
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