Part XIX.

53
The Chaldaic}\^ Oracles-.
to be untied j and the Oblivion which keeps
them, is eafily put ofF.
In the fide of the finifietr Bed. there is d Fountain
of Virtue: . .
Which remains entire tmthin^ not emitting her
Virginity]
In the left fide of thy Bed, there is thePovver or Fountain of Virtue, refiding wholly within, and never calling off her Virginity, or Nature void of PalTion : for there is always in us the power of Virtue without paffion which cannot be put off*, although her Energy or Aflivity may be interrupted : he faith the power of Vir¬ tue is placed on the left fide, becaufe her A£li- vity is featedon the right: By the Bed is meant the Seat of the ^uljfubjeQ: to her fewral Ha¬ bits.
Tl)e Soul of Man xvi/l, in d manner^ claf^ God to
her felf. . , ■ » • ?
Having nothing Mortal^ Jhe is txholly inebriated
from God i
For Jhe boajis Harmoty, in which the mortal Body conjijis. 3
The Humane Soul will in a manner clafp and joyn him finally to her felfj who is her con¬ tinual Defence) by refembling him as much as wecan poffibly; having nothing mortal within htx^Jhe is wholly drenched in Divinity^ or reple-t nifhed with Divine Goods i for though fhe is fetter’d to this mortal Body, yet fhe glories in the Harmony or Union in which the Mortal Body exijis *, that is, fhe is not afhamed of it, but thinks well of her felf for it ^ as being a caufe, and affording to the Univerfe, that, as Mortals are united with Immortals in Man, fo the Uni¬ verfe is adorned with one Harmony.
Becaufe the Soul being a bright fire by the power of the Father.^
Remains Immortal^ and is Mifirefs of Life^
And pojjejfeth many completions of the cavities of the World.]
The fecond God, who firft before all other things proceeded from the Father and fupream God, thefe Oracles call all along. The Bower cf the Father.^ and his intelleblual Bower.^ and the paternal Mind. He faith therefore, that the Soul procreated by this power of the father^ is. a bright fire-., that is, a Divine and Intelle£lual Efience, and perfideth immortal through the Divinity of its Effence, and is Mifirefs of Life^ viz. of her lelf, poffefling Life which cannot be taken away from her , for, how can we be faid to be Ma¬ ilers of luch things, as may be taken from us, leeing the ufe of them is only allowed us > but of thofe things which cannot be taken from us, we are abfolute Mailers ; The Soul ifccording to her own Eieinity pojfejfeth many Rooms in the Receptacles of the World, or divers places in the World, which according as fhe hath led Life paft is allotted to every one.
Seek Baradife. 3
The circumlucid Manfion of the Soul,
%
Dejie not the Spirit., nor deepen a Superficies ]
The followers of Bythagoras and Blato cori- •ceive the Soul to be a Subftance not wholly fepa- rate from all Body, nor wholly inleparate 5 but partly feparate, partly inleparate ^ feparable po¬ tentially, but ever feparate adually. For they affert three kinds of Forms, one wholly feparate from matter,theSuperccleftial Intelligences i an¬ other wholly infeparable from Matter, having a Subftance not fubfiftent by it felf but depen¬ dent on Matter-, together with which Matter, which is fometimes diffolved by reafon of its na¬ ture fubjeU to Mutation, this kind of Soul is diffolved alfo and perifheth: this kind they hold to be wholly irrational. Betwixtthefe they place a middle kind, the rational Soul, differing from the Supercelettial Intelligences, for that it al¬ ways coexifts with Matter-, and from theirrar rational kind, for that it is not depen^nt on Matter; but, on the contrary. Matter is depen¬ dent on it, and it hath a proper fubftance poten¬ tially fubfiftent by it felt; it is alfo indivfible, as well as the luperceleftial Intelligences, and performing fome works in fome manner.allyed to theirS) being it lelf alfo bufied in the know¬ ledge and contemplation of Beings even unto the fupreme- God ; and for this realbn is incor¬ ruptible. This kind of Soul is always co-exiftent with an iEthereal Body as its Vehiculum, which fhe by continual approximation maketh alfo Im- mort^ : neither is this her Vehiculum Jmz- nimate in it felf, but it is it lelf animated with the other fpecies of the Soul, the irrational (which the Wife call the Image of the rational Soul) adorned with Phantafie andSenfe, vvhich leeth and hears it felf Whole through whole; and isfutniflied with allthe Senles andvyithali the reft of the irrational Faculties of the Soul. Thus bv'the principal .Faculty of tliisBody,Phan- tafie, the rational Soul is continually joyned to , flich a ’Body, and by fucha Body fometimes the humahe Soulisjwned with a mortal Body by a certain affinity 'or Nature, the whole being in¬ folded in the whole enlivening Spirit of theEm- bryon. This Vehiculum it felf being of the nature of a Spirit. The Daemons Souls differ not much from ftie humane, only they are more noble and ufe more noble Vehicles. Moreover,they ,tannot be mingled with corruptible Nature. Likewile the Souls of the Stars are much better ’than the Daemons, and ufe better Vehicles ; ire Bodies fplendidby reafon of the greatnels of the ope¬ rative faculty : Thefe Do&rines concerning the Soul the followers of Zorofier, feem to have ufed loi^ before. Defile not this kind of Spirit of the Soul, faith the Oracle, nor deepen it being a fupeificies; he calls it fuperficies, not as if it had not a triple ^ftmenfion, for it is a Body ; but to fignifie its extraordinary Rarity : nor make it becomegtofsby acceffionofmore matter to its Bulk: for this Spirit of the Soul becomes grofs, if it declines too much towards the mortal Body.
There is a room for the Image alfo in the cirewn- lucid place.'l
He calls the Image of the Soul that part which being it lelf Void OT irrational, is joyned to the
rational
T^he Chaldaicli Oracles, Part XiX.
rational part, and depends upon the Vehicle thereof : now he laith that this kind of Image hath a part in the circumlucid Region-^ for the Soul never layeth down the Vehicle adherent to her.
Leave not the drofs oj Matter on a Rrecipice. ]
He calls the Mortal Body the drofs of Matter^ and exhorteth that we negleft it not being ill af fe£led,but take care of it whilft it is in this life, to preferve it in Health as much as poffible, and that it may be pure, and in all things elfe cor- refpond with the Soul.
Carry not forth^ left going forth fhe have fame- thing. ]
Carry not forth ^ meaning the Soul, out of the Mortal Bodyfeft by going forth thou incur fome danger, implying as much as to catry her forth beyond the Laws of Nature,
If thou extend the fiery Mind to the work of Pie¬ ty ^ thou fhalt preferve the fiuxible Body^
Extending up thy Divine Mind to the Exer- cife of Piety or to Religious Rites, and thou fhalt preferve the Mortal Body more found by performing thefe.
Certainly oht of the Cavities of the Earth fpring Terrejirial Dogs^
Which Jhew no true fipi to Mortal Man. 3
Sometimes to many initiated Perfons there appear, whilft they are Sacrificing, fome appari¬ tions in the fliape of Dogs., and feveral other Fi¬ gures. Now the Oracle laith, that thefe iffue out of the Receptacles of the Earth that is, out of the terreftrial and mortal Body, and the irratio¬ nal Paffions planted in it, -which are not yet fufficiently adorned with Realbn ^ thefe are ap¬ paritions of the Paffions of the Soul in perform¬ ing Divine Rites : meer appearances having no fubftance, and therefore not Cignifying any thing true.
Nature perfwadeth that Damons are pure y Tlhe bourgeons, even of ill matter, are profitable andgood.^
Nature or natural Realbn perfwadeth that Da¬ mons are Sacred, and that all things proceeding" ^ from God, who is in himlelf good, are benefici¬ al -, and the very bloomings of ill Niat ter, or the - forms dependent upon Matter are fuch : alfo he calls Matter not as to its fubftance, for how can the fubftance be bad, the bloomings. whereof are beneficial and good ? but for that it is ranked laft among the fubftances, and.is the leaft parti¬ cipant of good, which littlenefs of good fs here expreft by the Worddll : now the Oracle means, that if the bloomings of ill Matter, viz. of the laftof fubftances are good, much more are the Daemons fuch, who are in an excellent Rank as partaking of rational JVature and being not mix- .ed with mortal Nature.
'The Euries are Stranglers of Men,'\
dole, or reftrain and;drive them from Vice and excite them to Vertue.
Det the immortal depth of the Soul be predomi¬ nant but all thy Eyes Extend quite upward. 3
LQttYiQ divine depth of thy Soul govern and lift thou all thy Lyes or all thy knowing facul¬ ties
0 Man, the Machine of boldefi Nature !
He calls Man the Machine of boldeft Nature! becaufe he attempts great things.
If thou f peak often to me, thou fhalt fee abfolute- • ly that which Is fpo'ken :
Eor there neither. appears the celefiial concave bulk Nor to the Stars Jhine : the light of the. Moon is covered.
The Earth ftands not flill, but all things' appear Thunder.']
The Oracle Ipeaks as from God to an initiated Perfon, If thou often fpeak to me, or call tnQ,thou fhalt fee that which thou fpeakefi, Viz. Me whom thou calleft every where : for then thou fhalt perceive nothing but Thunder all about, fire gli¬ ding up and down all over the World.
Call not on the felfconfpicuouslmage of Nature
Seek not to behold the felf feeing Image of Nature, viz. of the A^aturc of God, which is not vifible to our Eyes : but thofe things which ap¬ pear to initiated Perfons, asThunder,Lightning, and all elle whatfoever, are only Symbols or Signs, not the Nature of God..
Everyway to the unfafhioned Soul fir etch out the Reins of Fire.]
Draw unto thy felf every way the Reins of Fire, which appear to thee when thou art Sacrificing, with a fincere Soul j viz. a fimple, and not of various habits.
When thou feefi a Sacred Fire, without Form., ' Shining flafhingly through the depth of the World^. Hear the voice of Fire.]
/
, \
When thoubeholdefi th^ divine fire v.oidpf fi¬ gure brightly gliding up and doi^in •the World /And gracioufiy Imiling, liften to this Voice as biing- ing a moft perfea Pra:fcience.
The Paternal Mind hath implanted Symbols in Souls.]
The Paternal Mind, xiz. the SeduloUs Maker of the fubftance of lh6Sbu\,hath ingr/ifted Sym¬ bols or the Images of Intelliglbles in Souls, by which every Soul poflefieth in her felf tJie rea- fons of Beings.
Learn the Intelligible, for as much it e.xifts be¬ yond the Mind. 3
^ . Learn the Intelligible, becaufe it exifts, beyond
or the Vihdidive Daemons clafp Men thy Mind, viz. adually ^ for, tho’ the Images of
^ Intelledual