Part XIX.

Toe 'Maternal Mind hath implanted Symbols in Souls. ]
As the Mofaick Book faith, that Man was formed after the Image of God •, fo the Gmldaan faith, that the Maker and Father of the World /owed Symbols of his Eflence in the Souls thereof for out of the paternal Seed, not only Souls, but all fuperiour Orders fprung. But in In¬ corporeal fubftances there is one kind of figns, viz. incorporeal, and individual •, in the World, there are other Signs and Symbols, the uufpeak- able properties of God, which are far more Ex¬ cellent than the Vertues themfeves.
The Souls of thofe who quit tpe Body violently are moji pure. ]
Whofoever lhall take this faying rightly, will find that it contradias not our Doftrine-, for the Crowned Martyrs who in time of perfecuti- on leave their Bodies by a violent End, purifie and perfeft their Souls : but this is not that which the Chaldean means. He praifeth all vio¬ lent Death, becaufe the Soul, which leaveth the Body with Trouble, abhors this Life, and hateth converfation with the Body, and, rejoycing, fiy- eth up to the things above ^ but thofe Souls which forfake this Life, their Bodies being na¬ turally dilTolved by ficknefs, do regret its pro- penfion and inclination to the Body.
Becaufe the Soul being abright Yirefy the Power of the Father
Remains immortal.^ and Is Miftrefs of Life.,
And pofeffeth many Completions of the Cavities of the World. J
The Soul being an immaterial and incor- pereal Fire, exempt from ail compounds, and from the material Body, is immortal ^ for no¬ thing material or dark is commixed with her, neither is fhe compounded, fo as that (he may be refolved into thofe things of which (he conlifts ^ but (he is the Miflrels of Life, enlightning the Dead with Life, (he hath the Complements of manyReceffes, that is, fufceptive of the Govern¬ ment of Matter, for (he is enabled according to her differentVertues to dwell in different Zones of the World.
The Father infufeth not Fear, but in dead of per- fwajion. ]
That is, the Divine Nature is not (fern and full of Indignation, but (weet and calm ; whence it doth not caufe Fear in theNatures fubje&ed to it, but attrafts all things by perfwafion and gra- cioufnefsj for if it were formidable and minaci¬ ous, every Order of Beings would have been dil- Iblved j none of them being able to endure his Power. And this DoQtrine, is in part efteemed true amongft us, for God is a Light, and a Fire confuming the wicked-, The Menaces and af- frightings of God are the IntermilTion of the Divine Goodnefs towards us, by reafon of our ill management of our Affairs.
The Father hath /notched away himfelf:
]\ either hath he fhut up his own fire in his Intel’ leQual fire. 3
The meaning of which Oracle, is this, The God of all things, who is alfo termed Father, hath made himfelf Incomprehenfible, not only to the firft and fecond Natures, and to our Souls but even to his own Power for the Father, faith he, hath fnatch’d himlelf away from every Na¬ ture : But this DoHrine is not Orthodox 5 for with us the Father is known in the Son, as the Sort in the Father, and the Son is the Definition of the Father, and the Divine fupernatural World.
For the intelligible is fomethinng,which it behoves thee to comprehend with the flower of [the mind!]
The Soul hath a power correfpondent to eve¬ ry thing that is conceivable by the Mind j As to Senfibles, Senfe 5 to Cogitables, Cogitation 1 to Intelhgibles, Mind. Now the Chaldean J&ith that although God is an Intelligible, yet he is notComprehenfibleby the Mind, but only by the Flower of the Mind. The Flower of the Mind IS the {Wicua.) fingular power of the Soul: fince therefore, God is properly one, endeavour not to comprehend him by the Mind, but by the lin¬ gular power : for that which is firft one,can on¬ ly be apprehended by that which is one in us and not either by cogitation or Mind. ' ’
The ungirders of the Soul which give her * breathing are eafie to be loofed. ]
Left any one (hould fay, I would free my Soul from my Body, but I cannot ^ the Oracle tells us, that the Powers, -which thrufi the Soul out of the natural Body, arid give her breathing, as it were, from the toil and trouble of the Body, are eafiiy loofed that is, thele Faculties are free and not refttained by any Nature, and able to fet the Body at Liberty generoufiy from corporeal Bonds.
ft behooves thee to haften to the hight,andto ihe Beams of the Father.^
From whence was fent to thee a Soul cloathed with ■ much Mind. ]
Seeing that the Soul hath not its Being from Seed, neither conlifts of corporeal mixtures but had its Effence from God above ; therefore (he ought, to turn towards Him, and to make her return to xhQ Divine Light', for (became down cloathed with much Mind-, that is, (he was furnilhed by the Maker and Father, with many Remembrances of the Divine Payings, when (he came hither, whence (he (hould endeavour to return by the fame Remembrances.
All things are produced out of one Fire.. J
j
This is a true DoHrine, conformable, to our Religion 5 for all Beings, as well intelligible, as fenlible, received their Effence fFom God above, and are converted to God alone -, thofe whidi have Being only Effentially 3 thofe which have
Being