Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	eternal_a	life_n	soul_n	7,461	5	5.0564	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43282	Seder olam, or, The order, series or succession of all the ages, periods, and times of the whole world is theologically, philosophically and chronologically explicated and stated also the hypothesis of the pre-existency and revolution of humane souls together with the thousand years reign of Christ on earth ... : to which is also annexed some explanatory questions of the book of the Revelations ... : and an appendix containing some translated out of Latin by J. Clark, M.D., upon the leave of F.M., Baron of Helmont.; Seder olam. English	Helmont, Franciscus Mercurius van, 1614-1699.; Clark, J., M.D.	1694 (1694)	Wing H1394; ESTC R235336	106,660	246

8. Glory 9. a Foundation 10. a Kingdom And it is the Opinion of some Mystical Men that when we are come to Malcu●h ● that Blessed age of the Millennium will begin and the greatest part of those Hebrew names are found written in 1 Chron. 29 1● and others in other places of Scripture Quest. 21. What is that Sea of Glass like unto What the Sea of Glass is Chrystal which stood before the Throne Is it not the ab●nd●nce of the Spirit for the Souls of the Faithful to Wash and Bath therein and to drink abundantly thereof and be filled for the Water of this Sea is not salt but sweet to wit the Water of eternal Life and was not that Sea which Solomon placed in the Temple a Type hereof Quest. 22. What are those 4 Beasts and What the 4 Beasts and 24 Elders are 24 Elders before the Throne Whether really the Order and Hierarchy of Angels as some think Or whether not rather the very Church of God or number of the Faithful redeem'd to God by Christ as it appear● Chap. 5. v. 9. which has it thus and the Elders and the Beasts Sung a new Song unto God saying Thou hast Redeem'd us to God by thy Blood from among every Tribe and from every Lan●guage Nation and People Qust 23. What may we What are the Eyes of the ●easts understand by the many Eyes of those Beas●● Whether not the manifold Und●rs●anding and Wisdom of the Faithful in Spiritual things And do not their Eyes within and withou● or in the Circum●erence signifie that these Beasts have not only most intrinsick Knowledge of themselves● but also are indued with great Judgment and Discretion whereby they clearly understand what is to be done in any case or emergency of A●●airs whatsoever Again what is to be understood by their Wings Whether so many Divine and Celestial Vertues● by which they can asc●nd with Expedition and Alacrity as it were in ●light unto God and so readily and speedily execute his Divine Will finally wherefore are they said in times past to wit under the Law to have four Wings and a●terwards under the Gospel six Was it not by reason of greater Grace afterwards communicated under the Gospel Qu●st 24. What are those Faces of ●he Bea●●s whereof every one is ●aid to have ●our viz. the Face of a Bull on the Le●t ●and and the Face o● a Man and a Lyon on the Right side a●d a last of all the Face o● an ●agl● Do not these fo●r Faces signifie the Souls or Lives of Men deriv'd from the four Wo●lds afore-mention'd as the ●ó Neph●sh ●●om Asia Tó Ruach from Iezi●ah Tó Nischmah from Briah Tó Chaja from Aziluth Now Nephesh or P●yche seems to be ●ro●erly sig●i●ied b● that of ● B●ll● Ru●●h by a Lyon Nischmah by a Man and lastly Chaja by an Eagle And wher●fore are they said to be four but by reason of those 4 Faces Moreover what is to be understood by the 4 Wheels * The 4 Wheels of the 4 Beasts of those four Beasts Doth not each Wheel signifie the Revolution of some Age. For the Hebrew word Gilgal which is rendered Rota in Latin in English a Wheel is translated by the Hebrews Revolutio or Revolution therefore will not the aforesaid Revolution of an Age contain a Thousand Years which is one Day mys●ically taken according to Psal. 90. and 2 Pet. 3. For what is a Day more than the Revolution of the Sun in the space of 12 Hours And because according to the 90th Psal. before cited a Thousand Years are as a Watch of the Night and every Night contained 4 Watches and every Watch ● Hours therefore doth not the whole Night c contain 4000 Years and each Hour one third part of a Thousand Yea●s that is d ●33⅓ Therefore will not the Wheels contain ●our Thousand Years as also why are they call'd Watches is it ●ecause every one of those ●aces in their proper Hours is excited and as it were aw●kened in every respective Watch Quest. 25. Wherefore are there said to be the number of 24 Elders Doth not this number respect the 12 Patriarchs who were to remain as 12 Junctures or Seams of the Ancient Church together with the 12 Apostles who are likewise the 12 Junctures or uniting Bands of the Evangelical Church to signify the highest and strictest union of both Churches under one Head the Lord Jesus Christ For as 't is said there are 12 great Junctures o● connexions in the Body of Man and 70 small ones with which perhaps the 70 Disciples under the Gospel do correspond and 70 Souls of the House of Iacob under the Law who came into Egypt from whom afterwards so vast a Multitude of People arose CHAP. V. QUest 26. What is meant by the right Hand of * The right Hand of God God Hath God a right and left Hand according to the manner of Men which if he hath not as certainly he hath not yet seeing the Scripture here and elsewhere speaketh of God's right Hand is not something intended by this word bearing a certain Analogy to a Man's right Hand In which respect some do thus distinguish the aforesaid Divine Emanations viz. that some have an Analogy to the right Hand as Cochma Gedula Nezach others to the left Hand as Binah Geb●urah Hod others are in a mean as Kether Tiphereth Iesod Malcuth Quest. 27. What may we understand by the Book * What is meant by the Book Seal'd with seven Seals sealed with seven Seals which was in his Hand who sat on the Throne Whether the knowledge of great Events to come to pass in th● World from the time of Christ's Ascension to the end of the World even as other parts of Sacred Writ do either Historically or Prophetically declare unto us all the great Events and Transactions past from Adam unto Christ. Quest. 28 Why doth Iohn distinguish the 7 Seals in that order The 7 Seals that 6 immediately follow one another ●nd the sixth seems to reach to the Sabbath of the World but the seventh proceeds in an other Order as comprehending the half Hours silence and the Intervals o● the 7 Trumpets The ● Trumpets hath he not designedly and purposely done it to show us that the seventh Seal doth not entirely follow the other six bu● signifies a new Order from Christs Ascen●ion to the end of the World or 200 Years Therefore do not the Intervals of the six Seals divide the said space of 2000 Years into six equal parts whereof each will contain 333⅓ And thus indeed the six Seals will denote the same Intervals of time with the seven Churches aforementioned and so make a Synchronism For most confess that there were divers Visions in this Book which were Synchronical or happen'd at one and the same time represented by distinct Visions even as those seven Years of Famine in Egypt was proposed to the King in two Visions altho' the said Visions

there is such a Medium or middle Being between God and Creatures the very Order of things clearly demonstrates For as it agrees with the highest and supream God to be a Being altogether unchangeable so is it congruous to the nature of every Creature or created Being to be changeable to Good or Evil but between that which is wholly unchangeable and that which is wholly changeable there is a certain Medium partaking of both extreams which in the nature of it is unchangeable to Evil and changeable to Good which Medium is Christ the Heavenly Adam 24. And there●ore in the order of Nature is before all Creatures whatsoever and pr●-excels the whole Syst●m of Creatures yea is the Lord and Head of every Creat●re 25. Moreover the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily in this most divine Medi●m Jesus Christ according to the Testimony of the Apostle Paul which cert●inly is thus to be unde●stood that the divine Hum●nity of Ch●ist is the House and immediate Dwelling-place of the most High and Glorious God himself and is as it were a certain Body for the Divinity in the which God himself m●y be seen and apprehended by his Creatures and by the Mediation of this beloved and blessed Consort of God when duly q●ali●ied and dispos●d thereunto they may enjoy him Theref●r● it is that according to the words of Christ himself his Saints and true Believers feed upon his Flesh and Blood to Eternal Life VVhich Flesh and Blood of Christ are of a Divine and Spiritual nature and yet not ●he very Essence of God but of a certain middle nature between God and Creatures for God doth as it were corporally manifest himself to his Creatures by Christ who nevertheless in his own nature is purely a Spirit absolutely void of all corpo●eity 26● Now because the divine Humani●y of Christ is as it were the Body and House of the Divinity for the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impo●ts as much therefore Christ doth in some measure pa●take o● the nature of a Body otherwise he could not be the true and proper Medium between God and Creatures 27. For all Creatures even the most noble and excellent are in some degre● or other corporeal 28. Therefore Spirit and Body are not contrary Essences as many do vainly and f●lsly affirm for every created Spirit is corp●real having in it the true ess●nce and nature of a Body viz. it is an extended Being bounded circumscrib'd with place moveable c. 29. And therefore a humane Soul which is also a Spirit is corporeal and comprehends in it the true Nature and Essence of a Body The most pure and Spiritual Angels also are corporeal and ●s it were spiritual Bodies 30. For as every Spirit or Soul in the whole creatural System is a Body having in it the true Essence and Attributes of a Body so every Body is in some degree or mea●ure Animal and Spiritual i. e. hath Life Sense and Knowledge or at leastwise capable of those Attributes● 31. Nor is it to be feared that the Souls of Men could ever become mortal or be turned into Dust Vapour or soft Air or dissolved into Earth and Stones if they were admitted to be corporeal for not every thing that is corporeal or Body is dissolvable because it is a Body for there are immortal Bodies and such as are absolutely and indissolvable such are the Glorified Bodies of Saints and Believers in the Resurrection of the Dead when this mor●al shall put on Immortality and this corruptible Incorruption according to the Apostle's word● 32. Seeing therefore every Spiritual thing is corporeal and every corporeal thing is Spiritual in some degree or measure therefore all Creatures from the highest to the lowest have some relation and natural Af●inity one to another the highest to t●e lowest and the lowest to the highest ye● certainly as to their original essence and condition they are of one and the self same nature nor is there any even the basest Creature but may be changed either into the noblest or at least into some part of the noblest Creature 33. Therefore that false and vain Imagination of sundry Philosophers so called concerning Matter and Body is to be rejected as tho' it were a thing not only wholly inanimate and void of Life but also utterly incapable thereof to all Eternity VVhich most absurd opinion borders too much on Atheism and most grievously strikes at the divine Goodness Wisdom and Power and other Attributes of the most excellent and supream God 34. For from God who is Life himself and the fountain of it nothing that hath not Life or is uncapable thereof can proceed for God created all his Creatures in his most excelling Goodness Wisdom and Power that in him they might at length b● blessed Rejoyce in him and ●njoy him and that in him as their end they might most sweetly rest and so praise honour and glorifie him as God their Creator to all Eternity which they could never do if they we●e void of Life and uncapable of it 35. In the Primitive State of created things the most excellent and most wise Creator made or produced a kind of intermediate or middle Creatures with a possibility in this their mediate and of its own nature changeable State and condition of being changed into the better by the assisting Grace of God or into the worse by the byass of their own proper Wills and Inclinations 36. Therefore God's first Work about Creatures is to create them then being created to fashion them after this or that manner either into the better if they follow faithfully in all thin●● the conduct of divine Grace or into the worse by the most just Judgment of God if refusing the Guidance of divine Grace they wilfully and voluntarily renounce the Law of God 37. Hence proceeds that diverse and contrary state and condition of most Creatures one from another For whereas sundry Creatures kept their primitive Integrity and Innocence nor did ever transgress the divine Law therefore are they blessed and still enjoy the beatifick Vision and Communion with God they are also pure holy and immaculate full of Light and divine Life and shine in that Glory and Beauty which to us Mortals is certainly incomprehensible But because many others fell from their primitive Purity by Transgression and Disobedience of the divine Law therefore are they miserable polluted with Sin sullied and darkened 38. And hence it is that from this World of creation other Worlds also burst out to wit the World of formation as well the Superiour as Inferiour that of Souls who never fell whose Seat and Region is the caelestial Paradise this of fallen Souls and after a certain manner polluted with Sin whose Seat Region is without that blessed place of Paradise in places and parts of the World invisible to our outward view 39. Lastly from the inferiour World of Formation proceeded this World of Fabrication wherein

we live comprehending within it all visible things from the remo●est Stars even to the Earths profundity which is therefore called the Wo●ld of Fabrication because Death and Stupidity so p●evails in the most parts of it that all things in this World seem rather to move in a manner Mechanically than from a vital principle which nevertheless is to be understood in comparison to the superiour Worlds where indeed the vital principle is far more predominant than in this inferiour World nor is this inferiour World in any even the most stupid part of it wholly and in every degree deprived of Life 40. Nothing th●re●ore which belongs to this vi●ible World is immediately created ●or this vi●ible World is not properly a created World but made and composed of pre-existent principles which pre-existent principles belong to the World of Formation and the World of Formation owes its original to the Pre-existent principles of the World of Creation the World of Creation only is properly and strictly created and its production is properly called Creation for this doth not exist from any Pre-existent principles or from a Subject or parts making a whole but has only God the Father and Ch●ist his only begotten Son for its Author and Original 41. Therefore Men born into this World to speak properly are not immediately created neither in respect of Soul nor Body the external or o●●ward Body with the Life thereof is that which belongs to this World of Fabrica●●on but the Soul which is called Neshama pertains to the World of Creation Lastly the Spirit pertains to the World of Formation which possesseth the middle place between the Soul and outward Body and this Spirit by the Hebrews is called Ru●ch but the Life and Spirits of the external Body are termed by the same Nep●esh ther● are therefore three vital principles in every Man Nesha●a Ruach and Nep●esh Neshama of the World of Creation Ruach of the World of Formation and N●phesh of the World of Fabrication moreover Nephesh is the Cloathing or Vehicle of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ruach and Ruach is the Vehicle and Garment of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neshama 42. First of all therefore Men are created in the World of Creation secondly formed in the World of Formation where they assume their Cloathing or Vehicle which is called Ruach and this Ruach is a certain Subtile and Spiritual Body of which sort are the Bodies of Angels and just ●en made perfect thirdly they are made or fabricated in the World of Fabrication and all this is expresly confirmed by Testimony of the Scripture it self Isai. 43.7 Every one that is called in my Name have I created formed and made and consequently according to these words of Scripture the Hebrews call the World of Creation Briah the World of Formation Iezirah and the World of Fabrication Asiah which three Hebrew words are expresly to be met with in the place of Scripture above cited 43. Moreover besides this World Briah higher than which our Original doth not reach if we have respect to the parts composing humane Nature there is understood another World more noble and in the Order of Nature more antient than the rest immediately ●lowing from the Author God himself called in Hebrew Aziluth which signifies the nearest to the most high and supreme God himself and this cannot agree to any other than Christ the Saviour and Mediator b●tween God and Men. 44. Therefore those Hebrew Doctors do rightly and truly teach and that altogether according to Scripture Testimony that those four Worlds above-mentioned do exist to wit the Aziluthick which is of Christ the Briatick which is of Souls the Ieziratick which is of Angels not yet consummated and the Asiatick which is of Men cloathed with an external Body But as the A●ziluthick as it is the noblest of all so it is the greatest and but only one altho' the Hebrews distinguish it into ten Emanations the distinction of which Emanation nevertheless is only modal and not essential But the Briatick Ieziriatick and Asiatick Worlds ●s to their number and multitude in respect of us are infinite and innumerable because as I have said before God is continually a Creator for the Attribute of a Creator is essential to him and therefore he doth ●nd will continually create new Worlds to all Eternity And lastly from these new created Worlds other new Ieziratick and Asiatick Worlds arise and therefore 't was truly said of Solomon we cannot search out the beginning nor the end of God's works as true also was that saying in another passage The mighty Works of God are past finding out 45. Now the Ieziratick World from whence as from its root the Asiatick World proceeded penetrates and pervades the whole Asiatick World in every part with its vital and essential Rays also the Briatick World by the difusion of its vital and essential Rays penetrates the whole Ieziratick and Asiatick World and lastly the Azilutick World not only penetrates and pervades the three inferiour Worlds by the transfusion of its essential and vital Rays but also most intrinsecally comprehends and embraces it in its Bosom as a Mother doth her O●f-spring and so indeed all these four Worlds are intrinsically present one with another yet so that the ●hird is more subtile and Spiritual than the ●ourth the second than the third and the ●irst than the second and consequently more penetrative and per●usive 46. From what has been said it evidently appears that humane Souls did pre-exist before they came into these gross and Earthly Bodies for nothing which is properly created is of this visible Wo●ld but the Soul is properly created● therefore the Soul had not its original or first exis●ence in this visible World but it first existed in the World of Creation then descended from the World of Creation into the World of Formation and lastly from the World of Formation into this World of Fabrication 47. But as for this Asiatick World this hath its rise and Original from the Ieziratick World by reason of some great falls of the Souls contained therein for transgressing the Law of God And if these Souls had nev●r fell this Asiatick VVorld which is the VVorld of Fabrication had never existed 48. Nevertheless the Souls of the Ieziratick VVorld are not changed into the parts of the Asiatick VVorld that is to say into the Dust of the Earth Stones Plants and Trees for such a change of Souls is plainly impossible but the Bodies of those Souls distinct ●rom the Souls themselves and by the Sins of those Souls separated from them as by a certain kind of Death were subjected to such a change or conversion into the parts of the Asiatick VVorld 49. There●ore this Asiatick VVorld is truly call'd Golgotha or the place of Sculls and ●●p●lchres to wit because it is nothing else in a manner but a certain mass and heap of Carcasses and dead Bodies which those Souls have put off by reason of their Sins in the

time of Christ's Incarnation and many more be●ween the Murther of Abel and that time therefore those very Iews had divers times lived in the World before that time yea Cain who killed Abel lived at that time Now That the Fathers of those Iews did kill the Prophets is true for all the Prophets which were killed were either killed by the Fathers of those Iews but in the space of four Generations or by those very Iews themselves 24. Fourthly 'T is proved in that Christ affirms that those very Iews to whom he spoke whilst in the Flesh had killed the Prophets O! Ierusalem Ierusalem said he that killest the Prophets and stonest them that were sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thee but thou would'st not 25. Fifthly it is proved in that St. Paul 1 Thess. 2.15 affirms that the same Iews killed Christ and the Prophets 26. Sixthly In that Christ in his Parable af●irms those Husband-men to have ill treat●d the Servants of the Lord and at last killed the Son himself 27. Seventhly from Christ's Parable of La●ourers hired and sent into the Field some in the Morning others at the third Hour others at the sixth Hour others at the ninth Hour others were called at the eleventh Hour but they who were called at the eleventh Ho●r stood all the Hours of the day idle in the Marke● By those Labourers who were called in the eleventh Hour the Gentiles are to be understood who were called into the Church of Christ by the Minstery of the Apostles after Christ's Resurrection By those who were called in the Morning and at other Hours of the day the Iews are understood the Morning is the beginning of the Wo●ld ●nd therefore certain Iews who lived in the Apostles days liv'd from the beginning of the World and laboured twelve Hou●s in the Field some laboured nine others six three c. And when the Evening came th●y all received a Peny the Gentiles were made equal with the Iews the Iews mu●mur●d but without reason for the Gen●i●es ●h●t believed in Christ and laboured in the Field had done as much and some of them more in the last hour than the Iews had done in the whole day for they had done but little before Christ's Incarnation and Passion and many of them did not labour without grudging therefore Christ said of them Many are call●d but few are chos●n 28. ●ighthly 'T is proved from the Words of P●ter 1. Epist. Chap. 3. v. 18.19 For the same Souls or the same Men who lived before and perished in the Flood liv'd also in Bodies of Flesh upon the Earth when Ch●ist ●u●fer'd Death in the Flesh who being mortified in the Flesh was quicken'd in the Spirit and poured out upon Men a more abundant Life of Grace after he arose from the Dead and then indeed by the ministery of his Life and Grace he preached to those Souls who from the beginning of the World were detain'd in Prison and in Chains of Darkness under the Power of Satan which Souls notwithstanding wer● restor'd to Life in a Body of Flesh to hear the Gospel Pr●ached For the Gospel is not preach'd to Souls that live out of the Flesh but to such as live on Earth in Bodies of Flesh Iohn 1.9 Iohn 3.11.17.59 Luke 2.14 29. 9 ly 'T is proved from the Words of Peter where he affirms in his 1 Epistle Chap. 4. vers 6. that the Gospel was preached to the Dead That they might be judged as Men in the Flesh and therefore they who in time past were dead lived again in the Flesh that they might live to God in the Spirit 30. 10 ly 'T is prov'd in that Christ preached that the Hour should come and was already come in which the Dead should hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Whereby the Dead he means not only the Spiritually Dead but such as are naturally Dead also who were to live again in the days of Christ that they might hear the Gospel and in hearing might believe and in believing might have eternal Life 31. Proof 11. St. Paul in his Epistle to Romans ● 25 affirms that Redemption is made in Christ Jesus to the remission of Sins past in the patience and long suffering of God Now the aforement●oned Sins are all the Sins committed by all Men from the beginning of the World 32. Proof 12. Christ is said to have reconciled us to God by his Death even when we were enemies to him and to have born our Sins in his Body on the Cross which he could not have done if we had not lived some time before the Death of Christ. 33. Prof 13. Christ dyed for all Men as well for those that had been dead from the beginning of the World as for those who were then alive and therefore the Efficacy of his Sacrifice extends unto all that have ever lived from the beginning of the World that they might repent and obtain forgiveness of their Sins If they would but believe in Christ and obey his Commandments for the time to come And how absurd is that opinion that Christ should suffer Death for all that dyed since the beginning of the World and yet that the greatest part of them should be wholly ignorant of so great Grace and Favour neither should ever taste of the Fruits of the said Grace after the Death of Christ 34. Proof 14. Christ hath affirmed that all Sins should be forgiven exc●pt the Sin against the Holy Ghost but there were no Sins committed against the Holy Ghost before the Death of Christ. 35. Proof 15. Paul said God winked at Men in the times of ignorance but then he called all to Repentance Therefore he called those also to repent whom he hath formerly winked at ever since the beginning of the World 36. Because otherwise the Patience and long Suffering of God cou'd not be explained for God forbore with much long Suffering the vessels of Wrath c. And the great long Suffering of God allowed much time for Repentance because in the sight of the Lord a thousand years are but as one day 37. Proof 17. Peter in his second Epistle Chap. 3 said God did not come on purpose to execute his tremenduous judgments in the conflagration of the World because he is long suffering and wills all to come to Repentance and therefore the long Suffering of God bears with Men almost two thousand years after the death of Christ before the beginning of the Millenium an● three thousand years before the last Judgment and Conflagration of the Wo●ld which three thousand years are with the Lord but as three days Now to what purpose did God grant Men so long a time But that such as had not lived a thou●and years from the beginning of the World might have the same time to live in a Body of Flesh before the end of the World that they might at last repent and in case they did not repent should be justly punished

this City as the Roundness and Orbicular Form of the Earth d●notes its voluble and unconstant State and Condition together with Mortals that dwell therein Quest. 115. Will not certain other Holy Souls descend into Bodies in the Millennium who Lived not before on Earth in the preceding Ages of the World Quest. 116. Wi●l not the Rate or Proportion of the Holy City compared to the whole Earth be as 52 is to 12 assigning to each De●ree of the Terrestrial Globe above 60 Miles and under 61 which is the Proportion that one Week bears to a whol● Year Moreover doth not the whol● Age of this World from the Beginning to the End seem like a Week And doth it not seem worth a Sober and Modest Inquiry what Mystery may be couched u●der the Similitude of these two Proportions Quest. 117. Shall those who Inhabit this City need the use of Meats and Drinks Or what shall be their Food Shall it not be such Food as Adam Eat in the Earthly Paradise before the Fall Quest. 118. Are not those words of Revel 21.23 And the City shall not stand in need of the Light of the Sun nor of the Moon to be understood according to the Letter For although the Sun Moon and Stars shall then Shine and Impart their Vertues and Influences to other Animals or living Creatures yet the Saints of the first Resurrection shall not seem to stand in need of their Light or Vertue FINIS AN APPENDIX CONTAINING Some Emendations and Explanations of divers Passages in the two foregoi●g Treatises out of the Autho●'s Original Manuscripts and Papers Friendly Reader IT was thought fit to let thee know that the following Emendations Corrections and Explanations are according to the mind of the Author as appeareth out of another Copy of his Manuscript and his other Papers that have been faithfully preserved it is therefore probable that the Author himself upon his second Thoughts which are commonly the more solid hath himself corrected divers things in these Treatises which ought not to be charged upon him as any blame but rather in so doing to deserve praise But it is most certain that divers considerable Mistakes have crept into the printed Copies bo●h Latin and English by the unskilfulness and in advertency of the Transcribers through whose Hands the Original Copy hath come The which Original Cop● I can assu●e thee Reader I have seen in a Latin Manuscript many years ago but who the Author is is not easie to judge For divers reasons best known to himself he thought it not convenient to make his Name known to the World as many worthy Authors of B●oks have concea●ed their Names The Reader is ●urther to be advertised that some words in this printed English Copy here corrected are the Errors of the Press incident to all Books It must needs be confessed that many things in these Treatises especially in the former will seem strange and surprizing to many because of their cressing the common Notions and Sentiments generally received both in Philosophy and Divinit● so called But what-ever Truth or Untruth may be in these things that may seem to many most incredible it is the Readers wisdom not to be hasty to judge so as to conclude ●or or against without mature Judgment and a good Understanding as Plato called by some the Divine Philosopher well said Non est sapientis de obscuris de●erminare i. e. It is not a wise Man's part to determine of things obscure or unclear to his Understanding The Authors Modesty and Discretion is to be commended ●ho for the most part profes●eth but to handle these things Historically or Hypothetically not Dogma●ically nor Positively his design being as it manifestly appeareth to give some hints of the Mystick Learning of the Iew● and of other Christian Mystick Writers to ordinary and vulgar Scholars that had not heard of such things so much perhaps as by Fame and also to such sincere Christians as have a real Divine Hunger and Thirst begot in them after a greater degree of the Living Knowledge of God and of Christ and the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God so far as they are traceable in the Holy Scriptures as God shall be pleas'd to work by his Holy Spirit to give the Understanding of them For tho' the Iews in great part are blinded especially as concerning the true Messiah yet in many things it is acknowledged by Pious Christian Writers that their ancient Mystick Learning containeth many things not only very agreeable to Christian Doctrine but very conducing to help us to understand many places of Scripture in the New Testament as well as in the Old And if sincere Christian Professors did but well understand the great Advantage and Help that the Iewish M●stick Learning with which this Author seemeth to have been in good measure acquainted doth afford to convince the Iews of the Truth of Christianity so as to enable and furnish them to right them with their own W●apons they wou'd be more willing to read with an Impartial Mind such Books as would help them in such ●ort of Learning few of which sort as yet if any are extant in the English Language The second Treatise added unto the first was done by the same Author It is hoped that it will be favourably received and entertain'd by the Reader the rather that it is proposed only by way of Qu●ry● yet so far explanatory as in many things at lest it may by the blessing of God be made serviceable to the better understanding many things in the Book of the Re●elations further than what they have formerly known by the help of other Commentaries The Emendations and Explicati●ns in the first Treatise follow PAge 10. ad fin the Explication The Author is not so to be understood as if because he hath an Allegorical Sence of Christ's Flesh and Blood Allegorically and Figuratively so understood as the Scripture aboundeth with such allegories and figurative Speeches as Water Wine Milk Honey Oyl Marrow and Fatness that therefore he did not sincerely believe that Christ's outward Flesh was real Flesh and his Blood real Blood which he gave for the Life of the World the which Body and Blood of Christ tho' it is not to be received by the Mouth as Papists say yet spiritually by Faith it is fed upon by all sincere Christians And in this sence to eat Christ's Flesh and to drink his Blood is sincerely to believe that Christ gave His Body of Flesh to be broken for u● and His Blood to be shed for us for the Remission of Sin by which sincere Faith whereof Christ is the Work●r we partake o● the Life and Spirit of ●hrist that is the Soul 's immediate Nourishm●nt Page 16. ad med Expl. Let none misconstrue the Author because he only expresly nameth G●d and Ch●ist to be the Author and Original of the Creation as if he did not understand the Holy Ghost who is one and the same God with the Father and the Son