A compendious view of the grounds of the Teutonick philosophy : with considerations by way of enquiry into the subject matter and scope of the writings of Jacob Behmen, commonly called, the Teutonick philosopher : also several extracts from his writings and some words used by him explained

92 What kind of Principle eternal Nature is.

out of God’s hand, all good, harmonious, perfect, and blefied.

Now fince it has been declared before, that the perfection, happinefs, and triumphant joyfulnefs of eternal Nature is chiefly placed in her fixth and laft active form, namely, in the love effence; the feventh being only as the body, or houfe, wherein they operate: The queftion may be put,

Queft. Why God placed the happinefs of eternal Nature neither in the beginning, nor middle, but in the end of it?

Anfw. To which I anfwer, that she Holy Trinity created eternal Nature ta be a palace for them to dwell in. Now as ina royal palace we muft pafs through many rooms and apartments, before we come to the prefence-chamber of the prince; fo in eternal Nature the forms of darknefs muft be paffed through, and after thefe, the fire, and water,before we can come to the love fire, which the Holy Trinity has chofen for his prefence-chamber, out of all the forms of eternal Nature. God will not have his creatures to rufh into his all-glorious prefence, and therefore has fo ordered it, that many doors muft be paffed by them, and many locks opened before they cancome into

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