This Parallisme [sic] shewes | |
| That the Regeneration of Man and the Purification of Mettall haue like degrees of Preparation and Operation to their highest perfection | |
The first material beginninges of the conversion of a sinner are the smallest measure of renewing grace, which have the Promises of this life, and of the life to come. The beginninges of Conversion must be distinguished: Some are beginninges of Preparation: some are beginninges of Composition: Beginninges of Preparation are such as bring vnder, tame and subdue, the stubbornes of Mans nature, without making any chainge at all: Of this sorte are the Accusation of the Conscience by the Ministry of the lawe, feares and terrors arising thence,-compunction of heart, which is the apprehension of Gods anger against sinn; now these and the like I exclude in the conclusion, for though they goe before to prepare a sinner to his conversion following, yet are they noe graces of God, but fruites of the Lawe, being the Ministry of Death as also of an accusing Conscience. Beginninges of Composition, I tearme all those inward motions and inclinations of Gods spirit, that followe after the worke of the Lawe vpon the Conscience, and rise vpon the Meditation of the Gosple, that promiseth Righteousnes and life everlasting by Christ, out of which motions, the convertion of a sinner ariseth, and of which it consisteth: What these are it shall afterwardes appeare: Againe Grace must be distinguished, It is 2. fold: Restrayning grace, and Renewing Grace. Restrayning grace I tearme certain common guiftes of God, serving onely to frame ye outward conversation [sic] of Men, to ye lawe of God, one serving to bereave Men of excuse in the Day of Judgement: By this kind of grace, Healhen men haue bin liberall, Just, sober, valiant, and mercifull, by it, Men living in ye church of God, haue bin enlightened, and haueing tasted of ye good word of God, haue reioyced therein, and for a tyme, outwardly conformed themselves thereto. Renewing Grace is not common to all men, but proper to ye Elect, & it is a guift of Gods spirit, whereby the corruption of a sinner, is not onely restrayned, but allso mortefied, and the decayed image of God, restored in righteousness and true holines. Nowe the conclusion must onely be vnderstood of the second, and not of the first, for though a man haue never soe much of the Restrayning Grace, yet vnles hee hath the spirit of Christ, to create faith in the heart, and to sanctify him, hee is far from salvation as any other. This order doeth plainely manifest vnto vs, sinn is an accessary quality, and noe substantiall propertie, although since the fall it become naturall, and in naturall thinges God worketh by his creatures; But in Spirituall by himselfe; soe the Elect shall shine like the Sunn in glory. | The first Materiall beginninges of transmutation are the smalest measure of pure sulphur, which God hath made the Geliad of Medicen with honor and riches. In naturall generation, the forme prepares the Matter, yet their are precedent preparations: The beginninges of Transmutation must be distinguished: some are beginning of preparation, and some are beginninges of composition: Beginninges of Preparation (in a well of teares) Doth qualify the coldnes and Dulnes of the crude Disposition, and expell the vaporous humidity, and changeth the qualitie of the Eternall liquor, adding heate vnto the minerall sulphur of the homogeniall Body, for water by water can onely be extracted, and the naturall coldnes onely by chainge of water, and tract of tyme recovered, for though it be a necessary preparation to the alteration following, and speciall cause of corruption, yet it is but a servile passive, although it hath the first activity and must be preserved vnhurt in waight and puritie. Beginninges of Composition, are those chainges and operations which followes after ye scalding Deluge and ioyned with fixed Sulphur; the Paradise water doeth Dissolue his strongest Composition, by Contrition, Assation, and Fire, soe the internall sulphur is excited to operation; and a Linary [-Lunary?] increase, purifieth the substance, vnto a pale whitenes, more hurtful than profitable for the body of Man, yet tending to the vniversalitie of operation is more excellent: What these are shall afterwardes appeare: Againe Sulphur must be distinguished, for it is twofold: White sulphur and living, or reviving sulphur. White sulphur is of like operation with the other, and is perfected by restrayning and healeth almost all Diseases: Also Tingeth to White ad infinitum, and by priseles knowledge hereof, even meere naturall men haue beleeved the Resurrection, become Sober, Chaste, Temperate, and Patient: knowing the most precious Red to be included in ye compleate White; which hath caused Man iustly to contemne all vulgar Cementations, Calcinations, and Citrinations, the mynd being enlightened, with the glorious obiect, of the most Christalline cleere water of putrefaction, and the pure Tincture conteyned theirin: Reviving sulphur is the secreat of secreats, and the glory of the whole World, but onely proper to such, whom the Creator hath apted [OED: "made fit"] by way of naturall Dispositions, for it doeth not onely mortefy, but purifies the pure body, making it more then perfect, that it may give perfection to other thinges, and is become a Spirituall nature, because their is no corruption to resist the spirit, but the Corporall nature is wholly subiect, and with ye spirit eternally fixed in a transparent Body shining as the Sunn in glorie. Therefore the conclusion must be vnderstood, of the second not of the first, for though a Man haue never soe much White Sulphur, if he extract not the reviving sulfur, from pure Earth by a twofold Putrefaction and Fixation, in Humiditie and in Siccitie, hee is as far from this pretious spirit, or spirituall Body, which hath power over inferior bodies, as any other, for onely that which is of the nature of the sunn, shall shine like the sunn in glorie. |
| Chainge of Qualitie is the sure and safest course to obtayne the perfection of Man and Metall; that is, equall and true temper in both. | |
[On the reverse of the leaf:] It is possible to make a Body of the nature of a spirit, which then hath power, ouer all inferior bodies.
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