PART XIX.

T he Chaldaicf^ Philofophy,
intelleftual things are planted in thee by the Maker of Alh, yet they are but potentially in thy Soul ; but it behoves thee to have a£lually the knowledge of the Intelligible.
There's a certainlntelligible which it behoves thee to comprehend with the flower of thy Mind."}
The Supream God, who is perfeftiy One, is not conceived after the fame manner as other things, but flower of the Mind ^ that is, the Supream and Singular part of our Under- Handing.
for the father perfefled all things and delivered them over to the
Second Mind^ which the^ Nations of Men call the Firji. ]
The Father perfeHed all things^ viz, the Intel¬ ligible Species, (for they are abfoluteand per- fe£l) and delivered them over to the fecondGod,, next him to rule and guide them : whence, if any thing be brought forth by this God, and formed after the likenels of Him, and the other Intelligible Subftance, it proceeds from the Su¬ pream Father 5 This other God, Men efteem the Firjl,, that is, they who think him the Maker of the World,to whom there is noneSuperiour.
Intelligent Jynges do themfelves alfo underliand from the Father 5
By unfpeakable Counfels being moved fo as to tin- derftand ]
He calls Jynges the IntelleUual Species which are conceived by the Father ^ they themfelves alfo being conceptive^ and exciting Conceptions or Notions, by unfpeakable or unutterable Counfels \ by Motion here is underftood IntelleUion, not Tranfition, but fimply the Habitude to Notions fb as unfpeakable Counfels is as much as unmo- yed,_ for speaking confifts in Motion-, the mean¬ ing is this, That thefe Species are immoveable
and have a habitude to Notions not tranfiently as the Soul.
Oh how the World hath IntelleSual Guides in¬ flexible. 3
The moft excellent of the Intelligible Spe¬ cies, and of thofe which are brought down by the Immortals in this Heaven, he calls the In- telleHual Guides of the World-,, the Coryphstus whom he conceives to be a God, which is the Second from the Father. The Oracle faying that the World hath inflexible Guides, means tliat it is incorruptible.
i
The Father hath fnatched away himfelf -,
Neither hath he, fhut up his own Fire in his In- telleHual Power. 3
The Father hath made himfelf exempt from all others-, not includingfxvo&M neither in his own IntelleHual Power, nor in the Second God who is next him-, or limiting his ownFirehis own Di¬ vinity ^ for it is abfolutely ungenerate, and it felf exifting by it felfj fo that his Divinity is exempt from all others ^ neither is it communicable to any other, although it be loved of all: Tnat he communicates not himfelf, is not out of Envy, but only by reafbn of the Impoflibility of the thing.
The Father infufeth not Fear but P erfwafonf,
The father makes no impreffton off ear, but in¬ fufeth Perfwafwn or Love-, for he being ex- treamly good, is not the caufe of ill to any, fb as to be dreadful ^ but is the caufe of all good to all-, whence he is loved of all.
Thefe Oracles of Zoroafter many Eminent Per- fons have confirmed by following the like Opi¬ nions-, efpecially theP'jth.z^otQ2iUS and Pia- tonifls.
p s K r. [. u s
• V.
The Chaldaic\ Thilofifhy.
ART
XIX.
P S E L L U S
H 1 S
EXPOSITION of the ORACLES.
There U a Room for the Image aljb in the Ctrcumlucid place. ]
with the Philofophers,_ are thofe things which are connatural to things more Excellent than themlelves, and are _ worfe than they j as the Mind is connatu¬ ral to God, and the Rational Soul to the Mind, and Nature to the Rational Soul, and the Body to Nature, and Matter to the Body ; The Image of God is the Mind-, of the Mind, the Rational 5oul of the Rational Soul, the Irrational ^ of the Irrational, JVature ; of A^ature, the Body -, of the Body, Matter. Here thQChaldaick Oracle calleth the Irrational Soul the Image of the Ra¬ tional, for it is connatural to it in Man, and yet worfe than it. It faith, moreover, that there is a part affigned to the Image in the circulucid Region, that is to fay, the Irrational Soul, which is the Image of the rational Soul, being purifi¬ ed by Virtues in this Life, after the diflolution of the humane Life, afeends to the place above the Moon, and receives its Lot in the Circumlu- cidplace^ that is, which fhineth on every fide, and is fplendid throughout ^ for the place be¬ neath the Moon is circumnebulous, that is, dark on every fide : but the Lunary, partly Lucid, and prtly Dark, that is, one half bright, the other half dark ^ but the place above the Moon is circumlucid or bright throughout. A^ow the Oracle faith, that the circumlucid Place, is not defign’d only for the rational Soul, but for its Image alfo, or the irrational Soul is deftin’d to the circumlucid place, when as it cometh out of the Body bright and pure, for iheGraccian Do- Clrine aflerting the irrational Soul to be Immor¬ tal, alfo exalts it up to the Elements under the Moon 5 but the Chaldaick Oracle^ it being pure and unanimous with the rational Soul, feats it in this circumlucid Region above the Moon, Thefe are the DoQrines of the Chaldceans.
Leave not the Dregs of Matter on a Lreciptced]
By the Dregs of Matterfhs, Oracle underftands the body of Man confiding of the four Elements, it fpeaks to the Difciplc by way of Inftruftion and Exhortation, thus j not only raife up thy Soul to God, and procure that it may rife above the confufion of Life -, but, if it be poffible, leave not the Body wherewith thou art cloathed, (and which is Dregs of Matter^ that is, a thing neg- lefled and rejeOied, the fport of Matter) in rhe inferiour World : lor this place, the Oracle calls a Precipice. *Our Soul being darted down hither
from Heaven, as from a fublime place. It exhort- eth therefore, that we refine the Body ( which he underftands by the dregs of Matter) by di¬ vine , or that, being ftripped, we raife it up to the iEther ) or that we be exalted by God to a place Immaterial and Incorporeal, or Corpore¬ al but Ethereal orCoeleftial, which Elias the Tisbite attained ^ and, before him, Enoch., being Tranflated from this Life into a more Divine Condition, not leaving the dregs of Matter, or their Body, in a Prccspice j the Precipice is, as we faid, the Terreftrial Region.
Bring not forth ^ leji going forth Jhe haie fame thing. ]
This Oracle is recited by Plotinus in his Book of the EduQ:ion of the irrational Soul j it is an excellent and tranfeendent Exhortation. It ad- vifeth, that a Man bufie not himfelf about the going forth of the Soul., nor take care how itfhall go out of the Body-, but remit the Bufinefs of its Diflblution to the courfe of A^ature j for, Anx¬ iety and Sollicitude about the Solution of the Body, and the Edu£lion of the Soul out of it, draws away the Soul from better Cogitations, and buCeth it in fuch cares that the Soul cannot be pefe£lly purified -, for if Death come u^n us at fuch time as we arebufied about this Diflb¬ lution, rhe Sonl goeth forth not quite free, but retaining fomething of a Palfionate Life. Paffi- on the Chaldean defines, a Man’s follicitous thinking of Death -, for we ought not to think of any thing, but of the more excellent illumi¬ nations i neither concerning thefe ought we to be follicitous: but refigning our felves to the Ange¬ lical and Diviner Powers, which raife us up and fliutting up all the Organs of Senfe in the Body and in the Soul alfo without diftra^ive Cares and Sollicitudes, we muft follow God who calls us.
Some interpret this Oracle more Amply; Bring it not out leji it go forth faving fomething : that is. Anticipate not thy natural Death, al- tho’ thou be wholly given up to Philolbphy ; for as yet thou haft not a compleat Expiation ; So that if the Soul pafs out of the Body by the way of EduSing, it will go forth retaining fomething of Mortal Life : for if we Men are in the Body, as in a Prifon, ( as Plato faith) certainly no Man can kill himfelf, but muft ex- pe£l till God Ihall lend a A^eceflity.
Subjeli not to thy Mind the vafi Meafures of the Earth ;
Eor the Plant of Truth is not upon the Earth.
Nor meajure the Meafures of the Sun, gather¬ ing together Canons :
He is moved by the Eternal Will of the Father, not for thy fake.
Let alone the fwift courfe of the Moon : Jhe runs ever by the impulfe of NeceJJity.
The ProgreJJion of the Stars voas not brought forth for thy fake-
The JEtherial broad footed flight of Birds h not voracious.
And the DiJJ'e&ions of Entrails andVibiims,aU thefe are Toys.
The fupports of gainful Cheats. Fly thou thofe.
If thou intend to open the Sacred Paradife of ' Piety.