61. For in God, so far as he is called God, there is no purpose nor beginning to will: he is himself the will of the profundity, viz. One, alone. And he himself wills nothing but good, and therefore he is himself also that same good will, or willing of good: for the good that he wills is the birth of his power, viz. his Son.
62. God wills in himself nothing but to manifest his own good, that he himself is; and that could not be done if the only good power did not introduce itself with the exhalation, into the desire to nature, and into a severation, viz. into the science; for if the good did remain alone, there would be no knowledge or skill.
63. But now the good, viz. God in himself; makes not evil or separation, but the science, viz. the Fiat, or the desire to severation, brings itself into nature and creature; and from the science springs evil and good, and not from God, or in God, in his Trinity.
64. For there is no decree: but there is a consultation therein.
And then there must also be a cause of that consultation therein.
And then again, there must be a cause of that also; and so there must
be something before God, or after God, wherefore he so consults and
determines.
65. But he is himself the profundity, and the One; and is one only will, that is, himself; and that is only good; for one only thing cannot be opposite to itself, for it is but one, and has no quarrel with any thing.
66. Therefore it is the folly of reason, that they speak of compulsion and inevitable necessity, and understand not the Mysterium Magnum.l Or that they say, God of his purpose wills the evil desire or will, which he has hardened that it should not attain the grace.
1 The Great Mystery.
67. 1 show to this blind reason a thistle to consider of which the sun for a whole day touches, and gives it light and power: yet it remains a thistle. So also the wicked will: the divine sun shines to it the day of its whole life: but its ground is an ens of a thistle.
68. Otherwise, if God did of purpose harden it, the righteousness could have no judgement therein: for that which does what it must do lives according to the will of its Lord. But if God wills not that which is wicked, as in Ps. v. 4, then the evil comes out of the root; and in the root of knowledge out of nature's ground to the creature, and by accident. And for that cause has God manifested his will, and given his Law and Gospel; that is, has manifested his threatenings and his grace, that a day of separation might be kept with righteousness, and that no creature might have excuse.
69. And the history says further, after Esau had received the present of Jacob, he spoke unto his brother Jacob, saying, Let us take our journey, and go forward, I will go with you. But Jacob said to him, My lord, you know that I have with me tender children, and, moreover, cattle that are great with young, and sucking calves: if they be overdriven for one day the whole flock would die. Let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will follow on softly, as the cattle and the children are able to go, until I come to my lord into Seir (Gen. xxxiii. 12-14). This text appears to be only an outward history, but the spirit has also its inward figure under it, for Jacob stands in that figure of Christ.
And the figure is thus:
61. For in God, so far as he is called God, there is no purpose nor beginning to will: he is himself the will of the profundity, viz. One, alone. And he himself wills nothing but good, and therefore he is himself also that same good will, or willing of good: for the good that he wills is the birth of his power, viz. his Son.
62. God wills in himself nothing but to manifest his own good, that he himself is; and that could not be done if the only good power did not introduce itself with the exhalation, into the desire to nature, and into a severation, viz. into the science; for if the good did remain alone, there would be no knowledge or skill.
63. But now the good, viz. God in himself; makes not evil or separation, but the science, viz. the Fiat, or the desire to severation, brings itself into nature and creature; and from the science springs evil and good, and not from God, or in God, in his Trinity.
64. For there is no decree: but there is a consultation therein.
And then there must also be a cause of that consultation therein.
And then again, there must be a cause of that also; and so there must
be something before God, or after God, wherefore he so consults and
determines.
65. But he is himself the profundity, and the One; and is one only will, that is, himself; and that is only good; for one only thing cannot be opposite to itself, for it is but one, and has no quarrel with any thing.
66. Therefore it is the folly of reason, that they speak of compulsion and inevitable necessity, and understand not the Mysterium Magnum.l Or that they say, God of his purpose wills the evil desire or will, which he has hardened that it should not attain the grace.
1 The Great Mystery.
67. 1 show to this blind reason a thistle to consider of which the sun for a whole day touches, and gives it light and power: yet it remains a thistle. So also the wicked will: the divine sun shines to it the day of its whole life: but its ground is an ens of a thistle.
68. Otherwise, if God did of purpose harden it, the righteousness could have no judgement therein: for that which does what it must do lives according to the will of its Lord. But if God wills not that which is wicked, as in Ps. v. 4, then the evil comes out of the root; and in the root of knowledge out of nature's ground to the creature, and by accident. And for that cause has God manifested his will, and given his Law and Gospel; that is, has manifested his threatenings and his grace, that a day of separation might be kept with righteousness, and that no creature might have excuse.
69. And the history says further, after Esau had received the present of Jacob, he spoke unto his brother Jacob, saying, Let us take our journey, and go forward, I will go with you. But Jacob said to him, My lord, you know that I have with me tender children, and, moreover, cattle that are great with young, and sucking calves: if they be overdriven for one day the whole flock would die. Let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will follow on softly, as the cattle and the children are able to go, until I come to my lord into Seir (Gen. xxxiii. 12-14). This text appears to be only an outward history, but the spirit has also its inward figure under it, for Jacob stands in that figure of Christ.
And the figure is thus:
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