Part IX.

thirty, four times ten foity, and fo on 5 the like in a hundred, athoufand, and forward. And be- caufe the Decad arifeth out of , and ends in a Monad, the Greeks exprefs ten by 7, the Hebrews by a Point, which marks ( as well amongft the c Scalich. Barbarians, as in Latsn) denote one. (cj. Hither- can. II. to alludes the Fytbagonck Symho\y One^ Two, by Zaratoi [ the Mafter of Pythagoras ) ufed as the names of propagation; one, the father ; two, the mother; one and two f in the divine cflence) producing four, the Tetrablys , the Idata of all tbiogs, vvhich are confummated in the number Ten., ,’This Pythagoras ftyles
, .Eternal Nature s fountain — — — • nO’Other than the knowledge of things in the divine mmd^ tsiteUeBually operating. From this fountain of etitrnal Nature, floweth down the Tythagorick Number, One and Two, which from Eternity, in the fountain of the immenfe Ocean , was, fliall be. Of rather always is, plenteoufly ftream- ing. Thisone was by the Ancients termed Zeu'f, fupiier^ two, «
‘IlUaEl4. of whom *
Golden-thrond ]ux\o, with 'eyes full of love, Beheld her fpouje and brother, jacred Jove,
Sitting on tiy top of founts abounding Ide. _
In Ida (ban TO Id'dlv, from prefcience) Jupiter and Juno.^At. one and two, in the ftreaming Idaa of the TetraBys, whence flow the principles of all things. Form and Matter.
C H A P..* IV.
The Intelligible World.
(^^“^FIE Intelligible World proceeds out of the :8o.\ . -1- Divine mind, after this manner: The
Tetr^iffysreflecffing upon its own effence, fthe firft Unite, produttrix of all things ) and on its own beginning, ( the hrft produdt^ faith thus. Once one, twice two, immediately arifeth a Te¬ trad, having on its top the higheft unite, and be- comesa Pyramis, whofe Bale is a plain Tetrad, anfwerable to a Superficies, upon which the ra¬ diant light of the divine unity, produceth the form of incorporeal fire, by reafon of the defeent of Juno, (Matter) to inferior things. Hence ari- feth effential light, not burning, but illumina¬ ting. This is the creation of the middle world, ( which tho Hebrews call the Supream, the world of the Deity, admitting no comparifonj It is termed hhoxayLvSti wholly lucid send xq-
pleac with feparate forms, where is the feat of the Immortal gods,
- - Deum domus aha
whofe top is Unity, wall Trinity, fuperficies Quaternity.
Number emanating from the divinity by de¬ grees, declineth to the figure of creatures ; in- ftead of the Tatrabtys a Tetragone, in each of its angles a point, for fo many unites, the unite at the top, which now begins to have pofition, elevated as much as is poflible. Thus the former fides elevated will be four triangles, built upon their quadrangular latitude, and carried on to one high point. This is tiie Pyramis it felf, the 7Vwrfi',de f pedes of fi'e, of wbith a Pyramis, having four ba-^ Aiimi and e^ual angles , is compounded, the mu^ im-
M-ia-Ji. raovable and penetrant form, without matter elTen-
tial feparate light, next to God fempiternal lite.
The work of the Mind is hfe, the work of God is immortality, eternal life. God himfelf is not this created light, but the Author of all light, whereof in the divine Trinity, he concaineth a moftabfolute Pyramid, which implietb the vigor of fire. Whence the Chaldeans and Hebrews af¬ firm, that God is fire. But the Pyramid which this divine Tetradlys produceth, is the fiery light of the immaterial world, of feparate intelligen¬ ces, beyond the vifible Heaven, termed diuv, age, eternity, -iSther. Having overcome theje things (H&ith Aur.cam. Pythagoras) thou fhalt know vC 91,01?, the cohabitation of the immortal gods, and mortal men. In which words are imply’d three properties of this niid- d'e world, (which he terms the ex£tiicr; as being feparated from the power of matter ; ^
cy£ther, as receiving ardor from God, and heat¬ ing ‘all inferiors by an infenfible motion ) Condi¬ tion, Chorus, Order.
Condition, it is replenilhed with forms fimple, ,
immaterial, feparate, both univerfal and indivi¬ dual, containing all id:eated Idea’s of genus’s ^ and fpecies, the exemplars imitated in leffer co¬ pies , their original being in the divine mind.
Thus the world of the Deity is the abfolute ex¬ emplar, in the intelligible world : the abftradt -
example; and in the fenfible world , not ex¬ ample, but contradion of exemplars, asfeal, . figure, and fealed wax. '
Chorus, the infinite joy of the blelTed fpirits, their immutable delight, ftyl’d by Homer JiKac, inextinguiflsable laughter. For what greater pleafure, than to behold the ferene afped of ' ,
God ; and next Him, the Idea’s and forms of all ^
things, more purely and tranfparently, than fe- i
condarily in created beings ? and to communi- \
care thefe vifions to inferiors, the office of the \
gods called Stoi am to? f'om fpeculation and ’ :J
vifion ; Angels, from communicating their vifi- ons to others ; not that we imagine them equal to the fupreme God, who is ineffable. No Dae¬ mons, how good foever, are admitted into this '
Chorus ; fo Plotinus, (the moft exad follower of the Pytbagorick Myfteries, as Porphyrius and Lon- ginus atteft.) (b) The kind of gods we conceive to be hDeamtrt (ij void of paffion ; but to Daemons we adjoyn pafjions, Deor, faying. They are fempiternal in the next degree after the gods. It is better to call none in the intelligible ' I
world Damon ; rather , if a Damon be placed there, ' 1
to efleem him a god. ;
Order, thus explained by Pythagoras (c); If thou c Aur. ' live according to right reafon, grieving for what is cam, '
ill done, and rejuyeing in what is wed dene, and j
prayefi the gods to^ perfeB thy work :
Then fript of flefh, up to free (ir£ther foar, j
A deathlef god, divine, mortal no more. ' - [
This is the order in the acquificion of man’s ^
beatitude.The incorporeal Heaven of the middle i
world, the invifible Olympus of the bleffed,admits nothing impure ; therefore vices are to be Ihun’d, and virtues to be embrac’d. The prefervation of men is by the mercies of God ; therefore the Divinity is to be worffiipped, and the fuperior powers to be invocated, that they would perfedt our work. Laftly, nothing material, corporeal, mixt , is received there. Therefore we muft die, and holily put off the body, before we can ’
be admitted to the fociety of the gods.
CHAP.