Three Principles of the Divine Essence Chap. 8-16 - meuser

61. But now we cannot say of the Originality of the Essence
of all Essences otherwise, than that in the Original there is but
one only Essence, out of which now goes forth the Essence of all
Essences; and that one Essence is the eternal Mind of God, that
stands [hidden] in the Darkness, and that same Essence has
longed from Eternity, and had it in the Will to generate the
Light: And that Longing is the Source [or eternal working Property,]
and that Will is the Springing up. Now the Springing up
makes the Stirring, and the Mobility, and the Mobility makes the
t In.
u Being of all Beings, or Substance of all Substances.
x In Resignation.
y In Self.
Attracting in the Will, and the Will makes again the Longing, so
that the Will always longs after Light: And this is an eternal
Band, that is without Beginning and without End; for where there
is a z Willing, there is also Desiring, and where there is Desiring,
there is also in the Will’s Desiring, an Attracting of that which
the Will Desires. Now the Desiring is sour, hard, and cold, for it
draws to it, and holds it; for where there is nothing, there the
Desiring can hold nothing; and therefore if the Will desires to
hold any Thing, the Desiring must be hard, that the Will may
comprehend it; and seeing there was nothing from Eternity, therefore
the Will also could comprehend and hold nothing.
62. Thus we find now that the Three from Eternity are an
unbeginning and indissoluble Band; viz. a Longing, Willing, and
Desiring; and the one always generates the other, and if one was
not, then the other also would not be, of which none know what
it is; for it is in itself nothing but a Spirit, which is in itself in the
Darkness; and yet there is no Darkness, but a Nothing, neither
Darkness nor Light. Now then the b Longing is an Hunger,
[Seeking,] or an Infecting of the Desiring, and the Will is a
Retention in the Desiring; and now if the [Desiring] must retain
the Will, then it must be comprehensible, and there must not be
one [only] Thing alone in the Will, but two; now then seeing
they are the two, therefore the Attracting must be the third, which
draws that [which is] comprehensible into the Will. Now this
being thus from Eternity, therefore it is found of itself, that from
Eternity there is a Springing and Moving; for that [which is]
comprehended must spring and be somewhat, that the Will may
comprehend somewhat; and seeing that it is somewhat, therefore
it must be sour and attractive, that it [may] come to be somewhat.
And then seeing it is sour and attractive, therefore the Attracting
makes the Comprehensibility, that so the Will [may] have somewhat
to comprehend and to hold; and then it being thus comprehensible,
therefore it is thicker [grosser or darker] than the Will,
and it shadows the Will, and covers c that [which is attracted] and
the Will is in c that, and the Longing makes them both; and seeing