Part II.

amongft the ftars, or planets, fome are fiery, as Mars, and the Sun — airy, as Jupiter, and Venus — watery, as Saturn, and Mercury — and earthy, fuch as inhabit the eighth orb, and the Moon (which by many is accounted watery), feeing1 that, as if it were earth, it attracts to itlelf the celeftial waters, with which being imbibed it does, on account of its proximity to us, pour forth and communicate to our globe.
There are, likewife, amongft the figns, fome fiery, fome airy, fome watery, and fome earthy. The elements rule them , alfo, in the heavens, diftributing to them thefe four threefold confiderations of every element, according to their triplicities, viz. the beginning, middle, and end.
Likewife, devils are difiinguithed according to the elements : for fome are called earthy devils, others fiery, fome airy, and others watery. Hence, alfo, thofe four infernal rivers : fiery Phlegethon, airy Cocytus, watery Styx, earthy Acheron. Alfo, in the Gofpel, we read of comparifons of the elements : as hell fire, and eternal fire, into which the curfed fhall be commanded to go ; — and in Revelations, of a lake of fire ; — and Ifaiah, fpeaking of the damned, fays that the Lord will finite them with corrupt air ; — and in Job, they fhall fkip from the waters of the fnow to the extremity of heat ; and, in the fame, we read, that the earth is dark, and covered with the darknefs of death, and miferable darknefs.
And thefe elements are placed in the angels of heaven, and the bleffed in- telligences : there is in them a liability of their effence, which is an earthy virtue, in which is the fledfafl feat of God. By the Pfalmift they are called waters, where he fays— -“ Who rulefl the waters that are higher than the heavens j” — alfo, in them their fubtile breath is air, and their love is fhining fire ; hence they are called in Scripture, the wings of the wind ; and, in an- other place, the Pfalmift fpeaks of them thus — “ Who makeft angels thy fpirits, and thy minifters a flaming fire!” — Alfo, according to the different orders of fpirits or angels, fome are fiery, as feraphims, authorities, and powers — earthy, as cherubim — watery, as thrones and archangels — airy, as dominions and principalities.
And
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And do we not read of the original Maker of all things, that the earth (hall be opened and bring forth a Saviour ? — Likewife it is fpoken of the fame, that he fhall be a fountain of living water, cleanfmg and regenerating ; and the fame fpirit breathing the breath of life ; and the. fame, according to Mofes and Paul’s teflimony — a confirming fire.
That the elements are, therefore, to be found every where, and in all things, after their manner, no man will dare to deny : firlt, in thefe inferior bodies, feculent and grofs ; and in celeftials, more pure and clear ; but in fuper- celeftials, living, and in all refpebts bleffed. Elements, therefore, in the exemplary world, are ideas of things to be produced ; in intelligences, they are diftributed powers ; in the heavens, they are virtues ; and in inferior bodies, are grofs forms.
CHAP. VI.
THAT THE WISDOM OF GOD WORKS BY THE MEDIUM OF SECOND CAUSES (i. E. BY THE INTELLIGENCES, BY THE HEAVENS, ELEMENTS, AND CELESTIAL BODIES) IS PROVED BEYOND DISPUTE IN THIS CHAPTER.
IT is to be noted, that God, in the firft place, is the end and beginning of all virtues : he gives the fieal of the ideas to his fervants, the intelligencesy who, as faithful officers, Jign all things entrufted to them with an ideal virtue ; the heavens and ftars, as inftruments, difpofing the matter, in the mean while, for the receiving of thofe forms which refide in Divine Majefty, and to be con- veyed by ftars. And the Giver of forms diftributes them by the miniftry of his intelligences, which he has ordained as rulers and comptrollers over his works ; to whom fuch a power is entrufted, in things committed to them, that fo all virtue in ftones, herbs, metals, and all other things, may come from the intelligences, the governors.- Therefore the form and virtue of things come firft from the ideas— then from the ruling and governing intelligences— -they from the afpetfts of the heavens difpofing — and, laftly, from the tempers of
the
86 talismanic magic. Part II.
the elements difpofed, anfwering the influences of the heavens, by which the elements themfelves are ordered or difpofed. Thefe kinds ol operations, there- fore, are performed in thefe inferior things by exprefs forms ; and in the hea- vens, by difpofing virtues ; in intelligences, by mediating rules ; in the ori- ginal caufe, by ideas and exemplary forms ; all which mult of neceffity agree in the execution of the efledt and virtue of every thing.
There is, therefore, a wonderful virtue and operation in every herb and Hone, but greater in a ftar ; beyond which, even from the governing intelli- gences, every thing receives and obtains many things for itfelf, efpecially from the Supreme Caufe, with whom all things mutually and exactly corref- pond, agreeing in an harmonious confent.
Therefore there is no other caufe of the neceffity of effects, than the con- nection of all tilings with the Firft Caufe, and their correfpondency with thofe divine patterns and eternal ideas, whence every thing hath its determinate and particular place in the exemplary world, from whence it lives and receives its original being ; and every virtue of herbs, {tones, metals, animals, words, fpeeches, and all things that are of God, are placed there.
Now the Firft Caufe (which is God), although he doth, by intelligences and the heavens, work upon thefe inferior things, does fometimes (thefe me- diums being laid afide, or their officiating being fufpended) work thofe things immediately by himfelf — which works are then called miracles. But whereas fecondary caufes do, by the command and appointment of the Firft Caufe, neceflarily a6f, and are neceffitated to produce their efledts ; if God {hall, notwithftanding, according to his pleafure, fo difeharge and fufpend them that they {hall wholly defift from the neceffity of that command, then they are called the greateft miracles of God. For inltance : the fire of the Chaldean furnace did not burn the children ; the fun flood flill at the command of Jofliua, and became retrograde one whole day ; alfo, at the prayer of Ideze- kiab, it went back ten degrees ; and when our Saviour Chrifl was crucified, it became darkened, though at full moon.
And
Chap. VII. TALISMANIC MAGIC. 87
And the reafon of thefe operations can by no rational difcourfe, no magic or fcience, occult or profound foever, be found out or underttood ; but are to be learned by Divine oracles only.* -
CHAP. VII.
OF THE SPIRIT OF *TIIE WORLD.
NOW feeing that the foul is the effential form, intelligible and incorrupti- ble, and is the firft mover of the body, and is moved of itfelf ; but that the body, or matter, is of itfelf unable and unfit for motion, and does very much degenerate from the foul,, it appears that there is need of a more excellent medium : — now fuch a medium is conceived to be the fpirit of the world, or that which fome call a quinteffence ; becaufe it is not from the four elements, but a certain jirjl thing, having its being above and befide them. There is, therefore, fuch a kind of medium required to be, by which celeftial fouls may be joined to grofs bodies, and bellow upon them wonderful gifts. This fpirit is, in the fame manner, in the body of the world, as our fpirit is in our bodies r for as the powers of our foul are communicated to the members of the body by the medium of the fpirit, fo alfo the virtue of the foul of the world is diffufed, throughout all things, by the medium of the univerfal fpirit •, for there is nothing to be found in the whole world that hath not a fpark of the virtue thereof. Now this fpirit is received into things, more or lefs, by the rays of the liars, fo far as things are difpofed, or made fit recipients of it. By this fpirit, therefore, every occult property is conveyed into herbs, Hones, metals, and animals, through the fun, moon, planets, and through liars higher than the planets. Now this fpirit may be more advantageous to us if we knew how to feparate it from the elements j or, at lealt, to ufe thofe things chiefly
* The foregoing Chapter, if well confidered, will open the intellefi to a more ealy comprehenfion of the Magical Science of Nature, &c. ; and will facilitate, in a wonderful degree, our (ludies in thefe fublime
myfleriesv
which
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