Part XIX.

The Chaldaich^ Oracles.
57
Viety. Where Virtue^ Wijdont^ and. Equity are af- Jemhled. )
The withdraws the Difciple from all Grsecian Wifdom, and teacheth him to ad¬ here only to God, SubjeS not (faith hej to thy Mind the vajl meafures of the Earth ^ for the P/ant of Truth k not on Earth'fhdii is, enquire not foUicitoufly into the vaft Meafures of the Earth, as Geographers ufe to do, Meafuring the Earthy for the Seed of Truth is not in the Earth. EJor meafure the meafures of the Sun^ gathering toge¬ ther Canons \ he is moved by the Eternal Will of the Father^ not fir thy fake: That is, bufienot thy felf about the Motion and Doflrine of the Stars, for they move not for thy fake, but are perpetually moved according to the Will of God-, Let alone the fioift eoutfe of the Moon ^Jhe runs ever by the impulfe of Necefjtiy : That is, enquire not anxioufly die rolling motion of the Moon,for fhe runs not for thy fake, but is im¬ pelled by a greater neceflity. The ProgreJJion of tlx Stars loas not brought forth for thy fake-^ that is,the Leaders of the fixed Stars,3nd the Planets received not their EfTence for thy fake. The JE- thereal broad, footed flight of Birds is not veraci¬ ous-, that is, the Art concerning Birds flying in the Air, called Augury, obfcrving their Flight, Notes, and Pearching,is not true. By broad fief he means the walking or pace of the Foot, in relpeff of the extention of the Toes in the skin. And the Dijfeblions of Entrails and ViQitns, all thefe are Toys: that is, the Art of Sacrificing, which enquireth after future Events, as well by Viflims, as by infpeQion into the Entrails of Sacrificed Bealls, aremeerly Toys. Tlx fupports of gainful Cheats : fly thou thofe^ that is, fraudu lent acquifitions of gain. If thou intend lo open the Sacred Paradifi of Piety ^ vchere Vir tue., Wif dom, and Equity are afemmed. (Thou (faith he) who art under my Dilcipline, enquire not curi- oufly after thefe things, if thou wouldft that the Sacred Paradile of Piety be open to thee The Sacred Paradife of Piety, according to the Chalddcans^ is not that which the Book of A\o jes defcribes,but the Meadow of fublimeff Con templations, in which there are feveral Trees of Vertues j and the Wood, ( or Trunk) of know¬ ledge, of good and evil, that is, Dijudicative Prudence which diftinguifheth Good from Evil ^ likewife, the Tree of Life, .that is, the Plant of Divine Ilium' nation,which bfingeth forth to the Soul the fruit of a more holy arid better life; in this Paradife, therefore, grow Vertue, Wif dom, and Equity; Vertue is one in General, but hath many Species ; 'Wildom comprehend- eth within it felf all the Vertues, which the Di¬ vine Mind pronounceth, as ordy unlpcakable.
Seek thou the voay of the Soul., whence or by what Order
Having jerved the Body, to fie fame order frotn lehich thou didfl flow,
ThoumaifI rife up again ; joyning A&ion to Sa¬ cred Speech.)
That is. Seek the Origin of. the Soul, from whence it was produced and lerved the Body, and how Mencherilhing and raifing it up by the
Exercile of Divine Rites, may reduce it to the ilace whence it came. Uniting ASion to Sa¬ cred Reafon, is to be underllood thus. Sacred Reafon(pi dilcourfe)in us is the IntelleQual Life, or rather the fupream faculty of the Soul, which the Oracle elfewhereilyles the Flower of the Mind; but this Sacred Reafon cannot by its own guidance afpire to the more fublime Inllitution, and to the comprehenfion of Divinity ; the work of Piety leads it by the hand to God, by afliftance of Illuminations from thence : but the Chaldean by the Teleftick Science, perfe£ls for initiates),theSoul by the power df Materials here on Earth. To this Sacred Reafon, laith he, when thou haft united A£lioh, that is, joyned the work of Initiation to the Sacred Reafon, or better Faculty of the Soul. ,
Oiu: Theologift, railbih the Soul to
the more Divine things by Reafon and Corirem- plation : by Reafon which is in us the bell and moft intelleftual Faculty ; by Contemplation, which is an Illumination coming from above : But ungenerate Eflence by Reafon and Intellefl. But the Chaldtsan faith, that there is no other means for us to arrive at God, but by ftrengthning the Vehiculum of the Soul by Material Rites ; for it fuppofeth that the Soul is purified by Stones and Herbs, and Charms, and is rendred expedite for Aflent.
Stoop not down ; fir a Precipice lies below on the Earth.
Drawing through the Ladder which hath feven fieps, beneath which Is the Throne of Neceflity. ) ^
f'he Oracle advifeth, the Soul which is next to God, that ihe adhere only to him, with her Whole Mind,and bend not downwards; for there is a great Precipice betwixt God and the Earth which draweth Souls down the Ladder which hath feven Steps : The Ladder of feven Steps fignifies the Orbs of the feven Planets ; if there* fore the Soul decline, (lie is carried to the Earth through the feven Orbs : but that paffage thro’ the feven Circles leads her. as by fo many fteps to the Throne' of Neceflity, wnitner, when the Soul arriveth, fhe is neceifitated to fuffer the terreftrial World.
Never change barbarous Names. ) i
Tnat is, there are certain among all Actions delivered to them by God, which have an unfpeakable Power in Divine Rites .• • change not thefe into the Greek Dialedt ; as Seraphim and Cherubin, and Alichael tcoAQabriel : Thefe in the Hebrew Dialed hai’C an unfpeakafble Effi¬ cacy in Divine Rites ; but changed into Greek jYames, are ineffectuah
The World hath intelleSlual Guides inflexible, )
ThQChald.f.ans aflert Powers, in the World, and call therri (Cofmogogi ) Guides of the World, for that they guide the World by provident Mo¬ tions ; Thefe Powers the Oracles call dn Suflainers, as fuftai.ning the whole World. Uri- 1 i i i moveable
The Chaldean Oraclet
moveable implies their fetled Power-, fuftentive, their Guardian-lhip-, thefc Powers they delign only by the Caufe and Immobility of the Worlds : There are alfo other Powers {amiliUi) implacable, as being firm and not to be conver¬ ted towards thele inferiour things, and caufe that Souls be never allured with AlFeflions.
Labour about the Hecatine Strophalus, ]
The Hecatine Strophalus is a Golden Ball, in themidft whereof is a Sapphire -, they fold a- bout it a Leather-Thong j it is befet all over with Charafters : thus whipping it about, they made their Invocations ; thefe they ufe to call Jynges^ whether it be round or triangular, or any other Figure ■, and whilft they are doing thus, they make Infignificant or Bruitifh Cries, and lafli the Air with their Whips. The Oracle advifeth to the performance of thefe Rites or fuch a Moti¬ on of the Strophalus^ as having ap expreffible Power. \i\s Hecatine^ as being dedicated to Hecate : Hecate is a Goddefs among the Chal- Adians^ having at her right fide the Fountain of Virtues.
If thou Speak often to me^ thou fhalt fee abfo- lutely that which is fpoken.
For then neither appears the Coelef ial Concave Bulk^ nor do the Stars Jhine the light. of the Moon is ccraered.^
The Earth fiands not jlill.^ but all things appear Thunder, j
Pa r t
calleth him audacious HaturCy as being bufied about excellent things, fometimes meafuring the Courfe of the Stars, fometimes e;nquiring into the Orders of the fupernaturl Powers j con¬ templating alfo the things which are far above the Coeleftial Orb, and extending todifcourfe fomething of God. For thefe endeavours of the Mind in Difquificion proceed from an audacious Nature: he calls it boldnefs, not by way of Reproach, but to exprefs the forwardnefs of Nature.
In the fide of the fnifler Hecate is a Fountain of muchVertue'y which remains entire withisy not emitting her Virginity. ]
The Chaldaans efteem Hecate a Goddefs, feat- ed in the middle rank, and poflefling as it were the Center of all the Powers ^ in her right parts they place the Fountain of Souls, in her left, the fountain of Goods ^ or oFVertues-, and they fay, that the Fountain of Souls is prompt to Propa¬ gations, but the Fountain of Vertues continues within the bounds of its own EfTence, and is as a Virgin incorrupted : this fettlednels and Immo¬ bility it receives from the power of the AmiliUiy the Implacables, is girt with a Virgin- Zone.
When thou feefl a Sacred Fire without Form Shining flafhinly through the depths of the whole Worlds
Hear the Voice tf Ftre» 3
The Lion is one of the twelve Signs of the Zodiack, and is called the Houfe of the Sun, whofc Fonntain or the caufe of his Lion-formed Conflellation the Chaldaans calls a5o('7«x»>' • now he faith^ that amidfl the Sacred Rites thou call this Fduhtain by its Name, thou fhalt fee no¬ thing elfe' in Heaven but the apparition of a Li¬ on, neither, will the Concave Bulky or the Cir¬ cumference of Heaven appear to thee, neither fhall the Stars ffijne, even the Moon her felf (hall be covered, and all things fhall be fhakenj but this Lion-having Fountain takes not a- way the EHence of thofc, but their own predo¬ minating Exiftence hides their View.
Every way to the unfajhionei Souly extend the Reins of F/>^.3
The Oracle calls the Soul that is,
imthout Form and FigurOy or moft Ample, and moft pure.^ ^ Reins of Fire of fuch a Soul are the expeditious aflivity of the Theurgick Life, which raifeth up the Fiery Mind to the Divine Light : therefore by ftretching the Reins of Fire to the inform Sour, he means, endeavour that all the Faculties confifting both in the IntelleQ:, Cogitation, and Opinion, may receive Divine Illuminations fuitable to themlelves. This is the meaning of fir etch the Reins of Eire -y but Na¬ ture ufeth to fail, and bufie it felf in the fecond or worfe Life.
Oh Many the Machine of boldefi Nature]']
Man is called a Machine as being framed by God with unfpeakable Art : The Oracle likewife
The Oracle fpeaks of Divine Eighty feen by many Men, and advifeth. That if any one fee fuch a Light in fome Figure and Form, he apply not bis Mind to it, nor efteem the Voice pro- cceeding from thence to be true ; but if he fee this without any Figure orFdrm he fhall not be deceived ; and whatfoever Queftion he fhall propole, the Anfwer vVill be moft true, he calls this ivUesv SacrofanSy for that it is feen with a Beauty by Sacred Perfons, aud glides up and down pleafantly and gradoufly through the Depths of the World.
Invoke not the felfconfpicuous Image of Natured]
Self inf ped:iony is, when the initiated Perfon (or he who performs Divine Rites ) feeth the Divine Lights .■ but if he who orders the Rites feeth an Apparition, this, in refpeH: of the initiated Perfon is fuper-inJpeHion.ThQ
Image which is evocated at Sacred Rites, muft be Intelligible and wholly feperate from Bodies: But the Form or Image of Nature is not every way intelligible .* for Nature is for the moft part an Adminiftrative Faculty. Call mty faith he, in the Rites the felfconfpicuous Image of Nature', for it will bring thee nothing along with it bjit only a aowd of the four Natural Elements.
Nature perfwades that Ddmons are pure.
The bourgeons even of ill matter are profitable
and good.
Not that Nature her felf perfwades this, but that being called before her prefence there flow- eth in a great Company o\ p.emons and many*
Dstmonious