Of Natural and Supernatural Things - Basilius Valentinus (popular ebook readers .txt) 📗

was added; so then the Natural and Supernatural were knit and united. The great World is perishable, yet there will be a New Earth or World; the Little World is Eternal, the Great, Created, Dissoluble world will again be brought to nothing, but the little world will be clarified by the Spirit of God, because he possesses it, making a Celestial clarified water out of the aforesaid Earthly water; then it will follow, that the first matter will be turned into the last, and the last matter will become the first. Now the reason why the great world is perishable, is this, that the Spirit of God hath not his dwelling or habitation in the great world, but in the little world; for Man is the Temple of the Holy Ghost, if he do not wilfully defile himself, adhering to the Hellish Fire, which makes a breach and difference. For he remaines in the little world, which he formed after his own similitude, and made him a consecrated Temple; otherwise there is every thing in the little world which is to be found in the great, as Heaven and Earth with the Elements, and what depends thereon, or appertains thereunto.

We find also that in the first Creation, which was performed of nothing, three things arose; to wit, a Soulish, Spiritual, Invisible Essence, which represented a Mercurial Water, a Sulphurous Vapour, and a Terrene Salt; these three gave a compleat and perfect, a tangible and formal Body to all things wherein especially all the four Elements are contained, as I have already mentioned in my Writing where I treat of the Microcosme.

But that I may yet give a little more information of Natural and Supernatural things, as well spiritual as corporal: We find that the Canaanitish Woman was cured of her Flux of Blood which held her twelve years, only by a bare touch, when she touched the Garment of the Son of God, her Disease being natural, but the Medicine or Cure was Supernatural, because by her Faith she gained help from the Lord Christ.

Likewise we have an excellent, high and supernatural Miracle in the three Children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were cast into the fiery Furnace, by the Command of King Nebuchadnezzar, yet by God wonderfully delivered, and not consumed, Dan. 3.

So also the Confusion of Tongues, and Infusion of divers Speeches at the foolish structure of the Tower of Babel, which should have reached up to Heaven, is esteemed for a Supernatural Miracle. And so was that a Supernatural Sign, when the Children of Israel did lap water as Dogs do, when a small Number at Gods Command, fought against the Midianites, Judg. 7. 6. So the sending of the Dove by Noah out of the Ark, when she brought an Olive Branch in her Bill, a Sign of Mercy, and a Divine Supernatural Message.

When the Holy man of God Moses struck the Rock with his Rod, that the hard Rock yielded Water, is beyond humane Reason; so was the turning of the salt water into sweet and drinkable, supernatural. As also the dry passage of the Children of Israel through the Red Sea; and the Budding of Aarons Rod, are all supernatural. In brief, the Resurrection of Christ the Eternal Son of God out of the grave, for all the Tomb-stone, his appearing to the two men going to Emas, his revealing himself to his Disciples when the Door was lock'd, are all Divine and Supernatural. Divers Examples more might be recited out of Divine Writ, which for Brevities sake I omit.

Among Supernatural things are accounted all Mineral Signs, as the Appearance of Spirits, Representations, Pigmies appearing diversly and numerously, giving notice of good or bad Luck, Ruine or Riches; so also those Figures, Shapes, or other works found in the Ores of Metals, as of Men, Fishes, and other Creatures, so formed and represented by the imagination of the three first Principles, then ripened and fully digested by the Earth, and other Elements. Hereunto appertain the Monsters of the Earth, and such things as are found within the Earth at certain times of a wonderful form and shape, but not at all to be found when that time is past, yet appear again and are to be found at some other time.

Hereunto also belong all Visions and Appearances performed by Water, Glasses, Cristal, or other means, as also those done by Sigils and Characters, which yet are so various, some being only Natural, yet affording Supernatural appearances or sights; but the others which are performed by Conjurations, are neither Natural nor Supernatural, but Diabolical, belonging unto Sorcery, and are prohibited all good Christians; so likewise all those Means which oppose Holy Writ, Gods Word and Commandments, are to be rejected and refuted by true Natural Cabalists; I say this, because a certain distinction and sure order ought to be found of the Natural, Supernatural, Unnatural things.

In like manner there appertains unto Supernatural things, all the Water-Spirits, as the Syrens, Succubi, & other Water-Nymphs, with their Relations, as likewise the Terrestrial Spirits, and those which inhabit the Air, who sometimes are heard, seen, or perceived, sometimes foretelling Death or other Disasters, sometimes they discover by their Apparition Riches and good Fortune in certain places, and the Fiery Spirits appertain here also, which appear in a fiery shape, or like a burning Light; all these are Spirits having untangible Bodies, yet are they not such Spirits as the right Hellish Spirits, who hunt after mens Souls as an Eternal Jewel, even as the Infernal Lucifer, the Devil and his Dependents do, who were ejected with him; but these are such Spirits which are above Nature, set before Men for admiration, and are only maintained by the Elements, whereby they are nourished and fed; but when this Earthly world shall cease, they also shall decay and vanish with it, because they have no Souls to be saved. I will say no more hereof at present, but refer the opening of such Circumstances more at large to another opportunity, where I shall particularly treat of Visions and Spiritual Appearances, which are esteemed Unnatural by most part of the World, yet truly are Natural, but they are found to be Supernatural in their Operations and wonderful Qualities.

That I may further confirm my Assertion, I say likewise, that there are many things to be found in Physick, which yield and manifest their workings supernaturally in a Magnetical way, operating only by an attractive spiritual power which is attracted to it by the Air; for the Air is the Medium between the Physick and the Hurt or Distemper, even as the Magnet ever doth direct and turn it self towards its Polestar, though the star be many thousand Miles distant from it, yet the spiritual operation and sympathy between them is so prevalent, that it is attracted together at so vast a distance by the Medium or middle Band of the Air; but because this attractive power is only known unto people in general, or as a thing common, it is therefore become customary, and is so esteemed, there being no notice taken of any further Secret whence this operative Faculty hath its Source or Original: In like manner Hurts and Distempers may be healed and cured, though the Patient and Physitian be very far distant one from the other; not by Charmes, Exorcismes, or other unlawful prohibited means, which are opposite to God and Nature, but by such means wherein the attractive Magnetick Virtue lies to accomplish it. As when a wounded person goes a Journey, leaving the Weapon wherewith he was wounded, or else of his Bloud which issued out of the wound with his Physician, wherewith he proceeds rightly and by orderly means, as is usual in dressing a wound, without all doubt he shall be absolutely cured, this is no Witchcraft, but the cure is performed only by the attractive power of the Medicine, which is carried to the Sore by the means of the Air, wherewith it is mundified, that it may perform the Spiritual Operation.

Some will think these hard sayings, and impossible in Nature, and many will say it is contrary to Nature, whereby many will be excited to dispute it, and raise Arguments one opposite to the other, whether it be Natural or no, whether it be possible or no, or whether it be Sorcery: I will thus resolve them, that this Cure is natural, but as it operates it is supernatural & spiritual, because it is performed meerly by an attractive incomprehensible means, and that this manner of Cure is no Sorcery: I affirm it hereby, that it is not mixt or accompanied with any Sorcery, nor with any other unnatural Means, contrary to God the Creator, or his holy and saving Word. But it is only Natural, out of its supernatural, invisible, incomprehensible, spiritual, and attractive power, which received its Original from the Sydereal, and performs its Operation by the Elements.

Lastly, I likewise approve this Cure to be no Sorcery, because the Devil rather delights in all Mischief to Mankind, than to assist any manner of way for their benefit, which yet is impossible for him to do without Gods permission. Much more might be written of this Magnetick Form, but I chuse rather to be silent; referring it till I come to treat of the Natural Miracles of the World.

The grosser sort of foolish Wits, who imagine themselves to be wise Philosophers, and all others who are not in their perfect senses, know no difference in this case, but the wise and truly discreet well know how to distinguish betwixt that which is natural and that which is supernatural.

For do but observe this comparison, to be proved by a gross Example, how many Creatures are there which dye absolutely in the water, so that no life is left therein, but so soon as the pleasant Summer appears, the natural heat gives a new life, & the Body quite restored in the same substance as it was before in its living Motion; even as an Herb, which dies in the Winter, but in the Spring it manifests it self anew. The death of these things is to be esteemed natural, but the return of a new life in its knowledge is supernatural; but because we are accustomed to all these things, the least part of us consider what is worthy of further Meditation in this case, letting both natural and supernatural go away together.

Most people overpass, that natural custom which yet is supernatural, as also monstrous Births, and those that bring signs and marks with them into the world; which may all be natural, but manifest themselves supernaturally, by the imagination which caused them: These supernatural forms and customs, the Mother of the Child caused by intervening thoughts, which unexpectedly happened to her, as it were by accident: Even as we often see and find, that many Men naturally are born with some gestures, which he can never leave, though he endevour with all his might to do it. The natural gestures of these Men are natural, but the conception in the Womb which caused the imagination of these things is supernatural, and subject to what the Heaven imprints.

To conclude: I say, that none can defend the supernatural not to be true by good grounds and reasons, except he have learn'd to know the natural, which hath its original, and gained its shape from the supernatural; after he hath learned this, he may evidence it by sure proofs, that he will be conquerour over those, who will not believe