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

26 Confiderations on the Scope

God; and though the firft principle in nature be [by the fall of Lucifer become] the earneft fountain of the wrathfulnefs, according to which God calleth himéfelf an angry, wrathful and zealous God: and is the original caufe of life and of all mobility, yet if that be irradiated with the light of God, it is no more wrath or tartnefs, but is changed into great joy and love.

Now when God created the World and all things therein, he had no other matter or materials to make it of, but what proceeded immediately from his own being, effence, or fubftance, out of himfelf. But now God is a fpirit that is incomprehenfible, which has neither beginning nor end, and his greatnefs and depth is all. Yeta fpirit does nothing but afcend, flow, move, and continually generate itfelf in a threefold form, namely, bitternefs, harfhnefs and heat, and thefe three manner of forms are neither of them the firft, fecond, nor third; for all thefe three are but one, and each of them begets, bears, and brings forth the other two; for a fpirit is like a will, or thought, which rifing up, beholds, perfects, and generates itfelf,

Now