A Discovrse of Fire and Salt. Blaise de Vigenère
24. 49. Eph. 4. 22, 24. And in this case the body envelopeth and reclotheth the spirit, the spirit the soule, the soul the intellect, the intellect the Temple, the Temple the Throne, the Throne the Sechinah, or the glory and presence of God, which shineth in the Tabernacle. In descending, this glory is shut out from the Throne, and from the Arke of the Covenant, which is within the Tabernacle, or Intellect, the Tabernacle within the Temple, which is our Soule; Yee are the Temple of God, the Temple is in Jerusalem, our vital spirit, Jerusalem in Palestine, our body, and Palestine in the midst of the earth whence our body is composed.
God then being a pure Spirit, stript of al corporeity and matter, (for our soule being such, for more reason must hee be so, that made it to his image and resemblance) hee cannot bee in this simple and absolute nakednesse comprehended, nor apprehended by his Creatures, but by certaine attributes which they give him, which are as many vestments, which the Caballists do particularize to ten Zephirots, or numerations; 3 in the intelligible world; and 7 in the celestiall; which come to terminate in the Moone, or Malcut, the last in descending, and the first in mounting from the Elementary world upwards, for it is a passage from here below to heaven. So that the Pythagoreans call the Moone the Celestial earth; and the heaven or terrestrial Star, all the nature here below in the elementary world, being in regard of the celestiall, and the celestiall of the intelligible; this Zohar called feminine & passible, as from the Moone towards the Sunne, from whom so much as she absents her selfe till she comes to its opposition, by so much she increaseth in light for our regard here below; where on the contrarry in her conjunction, that shee remaines all darkened, the party upward is all illightned, to shew us, that the more that our understanding doth abate to things sensible, so much the more doth he disjoine or sever them from the intelligible; and contrariwise, this was the cause that Adam was lodged in an earthly Paradise, to have more leisure to contemplate on divine things; when he thought to turne after sensible and temporall things, willing to taste of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evill, whereby hee departed from that of life, to assubject himselfe to death, he was banished from thence and put out. To this very purpose Zohar doth yet adde, that two vestments come from heaven to this temporall life; The one formall, white, and resplendent; masculine, fatherly, and agent; for whatsoever is active takes place from forme, of the male and from the father, and this very thing comes to us from fire, and from the clearnesse of the stars to illustrate our understanding. The other is red, maternall, fæminine; for the soule, coming from the substance of heaven, which is more rare then that of heavenly bodies. That of the understanding is lodged in the braine, and the other of the soule, in the heart. The intellect or understanding, is that part of the reasonable soule made and formed after the image and semblance of its Creator, and the soule in it, the animal faculty called Nephesch, the life, namely, that which resideth in the bloud: and as the heaven containes the stars, this contains the intellect, which to us is for the rest common with brute beasts. But the intellect, or reasonable soule is proper and particular to men, that which can merit or demerit; therefore it needs repurgation and cleansing from the spots that it hath drawne and conceived from the flesh wherein it was plunged, according to that in the 8. of Genesis 21. The thought and imagination of mans heart, were inclined to evill from his youth. And sith it is a question, about cleansing the vestment which is of a fiery nature, it must likewise be, that it be done by meanes of fire; for wee see by experience, that one fire chaseth away another, as it hath been said heretofore, so that if a man bee burnt, there is no readier remedy, then to burne it againe in the same place; enduring the heat of the fire as much as you can: which drawes the inflammation to its selfe, out of the party, or else tempering it with Aqua vitæ wherein Vitriol hath beene calcined, from whence Chirurgeons have not found a more soveraigne remedy to take away the fire of a musket shot, to heale inflammations and gangrenes; and yet there are two fires joined together. But that which during this life must repurge our soules, is that whereof Saint Augustine in the 29. Sermon speakes thus out of the Apostles words, for there is another afterwards: Kindle in your selves a sparkle of good and charitable dilection, blow it, and kindle it, for when it shall grow to a great flame, that will consume the hay, wood, and chaffe of all your carnall concupiscences, but the matter wherewith this fire must bee continued, are prayers, and good workes, which must alwayes burne on your altar, for it is it whereof our Saviour said, I am come to put fire in the earth, and what will I if it bee already kindled? Luke 12. 49. There are further two fires: one on the bad part, to wit, of carnall concupisence; the other of the good, which is charity, which consumes all the bad, leaving nothing but good, which exalts it selfe in a fume of a sweet odour; for the heart of every one, is as an altar, either of God or of the adversary: and therefore hee that is illuminated with the torch of charity, which must more and more bee increased by good works, that it may nourish in it selfe the ardour that our Saviour will vouchsafe to kindle, whereby that is accomplished, which the Apostle saith in the 5 to the Ephes. That Jesus Christ hath appropriated to himselfe a Church, not having spot or wrinckle, holy, and pure, without blemish. For that which the Church is in generall, and common towards God, the conscience of every one of us, is in particular the same, when it is sincerely prepared, as it is requisite; and that upon the foundation thereof, men build Gold, Silver, pretious stones; that is to say, a firme faith, and beleefe, accompanied with good works, without which faith is dead and buried; all upon the model and pattern of the heavenly Jerusalem designed in the 21 of the Apoc. which is the type of the Church; as is also the reasonable soule, where it must burne alwaies with fire upon the Altar, and after the imitation of the wise and prudent virgins, we may have our lamps ready, well lighted, and garnished with what is needfull to maintaine light, attending the Bridegrome: as our Saviour commanded it in Saint Luke 12.
Zohar furthermore makes this repurgation of the soule to bee double, which is not farre disagreeing from our beleefe. One is whilest the soule is yet in the body, hee cals that according to the mysticall manner of speaking, the conjunction of the Moon with the Sunne, then, when in regard of us here below it is not illuminated; for as long as the soule is annexed within the body, it enjoyes very little of its owne light, being all darkened thereby, as if it were imprisoned in some darke obscure prison. And this repurgation doth consist in repentance of its misdoings, satisfaction for them, and conversion to a better life; in fastings, almes, prayers, and other such penitences, which may be exercised in this world. The other is, after the separation of soul and body, which is made in the purgative fire; which neither Jewes, Mahometans, or Ethnicks, ever called in doubt.
But when with supreame light life leaves us, yet all evill from miserable men, nor yet all corporeall plagues do passe away, and the punishment of old evils do weigh us, some are exposed to vaine windes; to others under a vast gulfe their infected wickednesse is washed off, or burnt with fire.
Where there are set forth three repurgative Elements, Aire, Water, and Fire; But wee must not understand (saith Saint Augustine, on his third Sermon upon such as are diseased) that by this transitory fire grievous and mortall offences, and capitall sins are purged, if they have not beene repented of in this temporall life; or to blot out the expiation on the other side, where the rest is perfected in the fire, as man-slayers, adulterers, false witnesses, concussions, violences, rapines, injustices, infidelitie, erroneous obstinations, and the like; which are directly opposite to Gods Divine precepts and commandements: but the smaller faults onely, which they call veniall sinnes, as eating and drinking to excesse, vaine words, foolish desires, and depraved concupiscences, not brought to effect: not to exercise the works of mercy, whither common charity, and commiseration cals us, and such other frailties: of which if we repent not, in this world, fire shall repurge us in another, and more sharply. To this purpose the Hebrewes make a triple distinction of sins, Chataoth are those that wee mistake against our selves, without hurting any other, but our selves, gourmandizings, inconstancies, lazines, idlenesse, anger, spite. The Avonoth, are addressed to our neighbour, which do not blot out and pardon, but by meanes of reparation: and the Peschaim the transgressions, prævarications, and impieties, directly addressed against God: They draw this first out of the 34 of Exodus 7. pardoning iniquitie, rebellion, and offences; more in the 106 Psal. 6. We have sinned, wee have committed iniquity, wee have done foolishly; and in the 9 of Dan. Chatanu, Veavinu, Vehirsannu; there are sinnes saith Zohar, imprinted above, others below, and others both in the