23. This is now the figure of the kingdom of Christ, who had opened himself to Abraham in the love, how he would sit in judgement over the world; and how the might and dominions is given unto him of God, that he should destroy the devil's kingdom upon the earth, and give all wicked men unto the anger of God to be devoured. For when he had manifested himself to Abraham, and confirmed the Covenant of righteousness, he then sent these two angels, viz. God's truth and judgement, to Sodom, to blot out and destroy the children of Ham, viz. the malicious, vile, rebellious, half-devil's-men; that so the devil's kingdom might be lessened, and not grow so great upon the earth, and hinder his kingdom.
The inward figure stands thus:
24. It rained brimstone and fire from the Lord from heaven, says Moses: This was not the inward hellish fire, which at the end of days shall purge the floor; otherwise the four elements would have been changed: it was only a figure of the future. The original of the brimstone and fire was generated in turba magna in the third Principle:
it was only a sword of vengeance. The inward fire consumes earth and stones, and all elements: but this was only [such] a fire as is generated in the tempest in turba magna in the egest, [ excrement] which the constellation casts forth from itself which is a materia thereunto.
Although it be no palpable matter of substance, yet it is a spiritual substance, in which Mercurius does enkindle itself in the Salniter, viz. in the fire-crack, where then also the flagrat or fire-crack does fix itself into a substance or essence, which is brimstone.
25. For the three [first properties], viz. Sulphur, Mercurius, and the Salt-sharpness, are in the original (as they are yet a spirit) only one thing. But when Mercurius, viz. the sound of the formed Word, does move itself in the Principle, viz. in its first original by an opposition or contrary aspect, then he is terrified in himself: that is, the motion stirs the original of the heat and cold, viz. the original of the first Principle according to the cold and hot fire; which is the beginning of the contrariety and horror; from whence the fire-flash or salnitral flagrat does arise; where also the three first, viz. the heat, the cold, and the sound, do each impress and introduce itself into a peculiar substance in the flagrat, viz. the heat into brimstone, and the cold into a saltish property, and Mercurius into a watery property. And yet they were not wholly separated, and each of them of another or sundry substance by itself; but fixed together according to one property.
26. The like also we are here to understand concerning the brimstone-fire: the wrath of the first Principle, viz. God's anger according to the eternal nature, did behold the outward nature in the third Principle with an aspect, [ darting flash] which is called turba magna, being a turba in the soul of the outward world in the spirit of nature, whence the outward nature does inflame and enkindle itself; and the three first [properties or prime Ternary of nature] do fix themselves into a substance, viz. into Brimstone, Salt, and into a Mercurial poisonful water, in which the flagrat or flash of the fire did enkindle and impress itself; and so being enkindled did rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon the plain of the country, and destroyed all. This is it which is said, The Lord rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
23. This is now the figure of the kingdom of Christ, who had opened himself to Abraham in the love, how he would sit in judgement over the world; and how the might and dominions is given unto him of God, that he should destroy the devil's kingdom upon the earth, and give all wicked men unto the anger of God to be devoured. For when he had manifested himself to Abraham, and confirmed the Covenant of righteousness, he then sent these two angels, viz. God's truth and judgement, to Sodom, to blot out and destroy the children of Ham, viz. the malicious, vile, rebellious, half-devil's-men; that so the devil's kingdom might be lessened, and not grow so great upon the earth, and hinder his kingdom.
The inward figure stands thus:
24. It rained brimstone and fire from the Lord from heaven, says Moses: This was not the inward hellish fire, which at the end of days shall purge the floor; otherwise the four elements would have been changed: it was only a figure of the future. The original of the brimstone and fire was generated in turba magna in the third Principle:
it was only a sword of vengeance. The inward fire consumes earth and stones, and all elements: but this was only [such] a fire as is generated in the tempest in turba magna in the egest, [ excrement] which the constellation casts forth from itself which is a materia thereunto.
Although it be no palpable matter of substance, yet it is a spiritual substance, in which Mercurius does enkindle itself in the Salniter, viz. in the fire-crack, where then also the flagrat or fire-crack does fix itself into a substance or essence, which is brimstone.
25. For the three [first properties], viz. Sulphur, Mercurius, and the Salt-sharpness, are in the original (as they are yet a spirit) only one thing. But when Mercurius, viz. the sound of the formed Word, does move itself in the Principle, viz. in its first original by an opposition or contrary aspect, then he is terrified in himself: that is, the motion stirs the original of the heat and cold, viz. the original of the first Principle according to the cold and hot fire; which is the beginning of the contrariety and horror; from whence the fire-flash or salnitral flagrat does arise; where also the three first, viz. the heat, the cold, and the sound, do each impress and introduce itself into a peculiar substance in the flagrat, viz. the heat into brimstone, and the cold into a saltish property, and Mercurius into a watery property. And yet they were not wholly separated, and each of them of another or sundry substance by itself; but fixed together according to one property.
26. The like also we are here to understand concerning the brimstone-fire: the wrath of the first Principle, viz. God's anger according to the eternal nature, did behold the outward nature in the third Principle with an aspect, [ darting flash] which is called turba magna, being a turba in the soul of the outward world in the spirit of nature, whence the outward nature does inflame and enkindle itself; and the three first [properties or prime Ternary of nature] do fix themselves into a substance, viz. into Brimstone, Salt, and into a Mercurial poisonful water, in which the flagrat or flash of the fire did enkindle and impress itself; and so being enkindled did rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon the plain of the country, and destroyed all. This is it which is said, The Lord rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
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