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

altered nor destroyed, so long it continues. It lays no Burden
upon any Thing, but it eases the Burden in all Things; it makes
that all Things rejoice, and yet it generates no shouting i Noise; but
the Voice comes out of the Essences, and becomes loud in the Spirit.
25. The Way to it is very near; whosoever finds that [Way]
dares not to reveal it, neither can he, for there is no Language
that can express it: And although any seek long after k it, if the
Tincture will not, he cannot find it; nevertheless it meets them
that seek after it right, in its own Way [or Manner,] as its Nature
is, with a virgin­like Mind, not being [prone] to Covetousness
and [Wantonness or] Voluptuousness; it suffers itself to be
imprinted [represented or imagined] in a Thing, (where it was
not before) by Faith, if it be right in a virgin­like Manner: It
is powerful, and yet does nothing; when it goes out of a Thing,
it comes not into it again, but it stays in its l Ether, it never
breaks [or corrupts] more, and yet does grow.
26. Now you will say, this must be God! No, it is not God,
but it is God’s Friend. Christ said; My Father works, and I work
also; but it works not; it is in a Thing imperceptibly, and yet it
may well be overpowered and used; especially in Metals, m there
it can (if itself be pure) make pure Gold of Iron, and of Copper;
it can make a little grow to be a great deal, and yet it puts forth
nothing. Its Way is as subtle as the Thoughts of a Man, and
the Thoughts do even arise from thence.
27. And therefore when a Man sleeps, so that the Tincture
rests, then there are no Thoughts in the Spirit; but the Constellation
h Amica Dei.
i Laughter, or Out­cry.
k The Tincture.
1 Air, or Receptacle.
m Philosopher’s Stone.
rumbles in the Elements, and beats into the Brains what shall
(through their Operation) come to pass, which yet is often broke
again by another n Conjunction, so that it comes not to effect;
besides, it can show nothing exactly, except it comes by a Conjunction
of Planets and fixed Stars, and that only goes forward,
but it represents all [in an] earthly [Manner,] according to the
Spirit of this World; so that where the o syderial Spirit should
speak of Men, it often speaks of Beasts, and continually represents
the Contrary; as the earthly Spirit fancies from the starry
Spirit, so he dreams.
28. Seeing now we have spoken of the Tincture, as of the
House of the Soul, so we will speak also of the Soul, what it is,
and how it can be propagated, wherein we can the better bring
the Tincture to p Light. The Soul is not so subtle as the Tincture;
but it is powerful and has great Might [or Ability.] It can