Of The Power And Virtue Of The Divine Names

p. 39

CHAP. V.

OF THE POWER AND VIRTUE OF THE DIVINE NAMES.

GOD himself, though he be one only essence, yet hath divers names, which expound not his divers essences or deities; but certain properties flowing from him; by which names he pours down upon us, and all his creatures, many benefits; ten of those names we have above described. The Cabalists, from a certa in text of Exodus, derive seventy-two names, both of the angels and of God, which they call the name of seventy-two letters and Schemhamphores, that is, the expository. From these therefore, besides those which we have reckoned up before, is the name of the divine essence, Eheia, אהיה which Plato translates ὤν, from hence they call God τοὄν, others ὁων, that is, the Being. Hu, הוא, is another name revealed to Esay, signifying the abyss of the godhead, which the Greeks translate ταυτὸν, the Latins, himself the same. Esch, אש, is another name received from Moses, which soundeth fire, and is the name of God; Na, נא, is to be invocated in perturbations and troubles. There is also the name Ja, יה, and the name Elion, עליונ, and the name Macom, מוקם, the name Caphu, כפכ the name Innon, יונן and the name Emeth, which is interpreted truth, and is the seal of God; and there are two other names, Zur, זור and Aben, אבנ, both of these signify a solid work, and one of them expresseth the Father with the Son; and many names we have placed in the scale of numbers; and many names of God and the angels, are extracted out of the Holy Scriptures by our Cabala, and the Notarian and Gimetrian arts, where many words retracted by certain of their letters, make up one name; or one name dispersed by each of its letters, signifies or renders more. Sometimes they are gathered from the heads of words, as the name Agla, אגלא, from this verse of the Holy Scripture, viz.אתהגיכר לעולמארכי, that is, the Mighty God for ever. In like manner the name Iaia, יאיא, from this verse, viz. הוהאלהינן יהוהאהר that is, God our God is one God; in like manner the name Java, יאוא, from

p. 40

this verse, יהי אור זיהיאזר, that is, let there be light and there was light: in like manner the name Ararita, אראריתא from this verse, אהר ראש אהרזתז ראש ייהורו תמורהזואהר, that is, one principal of his unity, one beginning of his individuality, his vicissitude is one thing; and this name Hacaba, הקבא is extracted from this verse, יהקרואכברהוא the holy and blessed One; in like manner this name, Jesu, ישו is found in the heads of these two verses, viz., יביאשלוהולו, that is until the Messiah shall come; and the other verse,ינון שמוזית, that is, his name abides till the end. Thus also is the name Amen, אמנ, extracted from this verse, ארנימלר נאטן, that is, the Lord is the faithful King. Sometimes these names are extracted from the ends of words, as the same Amen from this verse, לאב והרשעים , that is, the wicked not so; but the letters are transposed: so, by the final letters of this verse, לימה אמזמח that is, to me what? or what is his name? is found the name Tetragrammaton: in all these a letter is put for a word, and a letter extracted from a word, either from the beginning, end, or where you please; and sometimes these names are extracted from all the letters, one by one, even as those seven-two names of God are extracted from those three verses of Exodus, beginning from these three words, יזסעו ידאו יט, the first and the last verses being written from the right to the left; but the middle contrariwise, from the left to the right, as we shall shew hereafter; and so sometimes a word is extracted from a word, or a name from a name, by the transposition of letters, as Messia, משיה, from Ismah, ישמה, and Michael from Malachi, מלאכי but sometimes by changing the alphabet, which the Cabalists call Ziruph, צירוף so from the name Tetragrammaton,יהוה, are drawn forth מצפצ, Maz-Paz, כוזו, Kuzu. Sometimes, by reason of the equality of the numbers, names are changed, as Merattron, מטטרון, pro Sadai שדי, for both of them make three hundred and fourteen; so Jiai, ייאי and El, אל, are equal in number, for both make thirty-one; and these are the hidden secrets, concerning which it is most difficult to judge, or to deliver a perfect science; neither can they be understood or taught in any other language but the Hebrew. Therefore, these sacred words have not their power in magical operations from themselves, as they are words, but from the occult divine powers working by them in the mind of those who by faith adhere to them.

p. 41

Click to view

We will here deliver unto thee a sacred seal, efficacious against any disease of man, or any griefs whatsoever, in whose fore-side are the four-squared names of God, so subordinate to one another in a square, that, from the highest to the lowest, those most holy names or seals of the godhead do arise, whose intention is inscribed in the circumference; but on the backside is inscribed the seven-lettered name Araritha, and his interpretation is written about, viz. the verse from which it is extracted, even as you may see in the annexed plate, where A represents the former part, B the hinder; but all this must be done in most pure gold, or virgin parchment, pure, clean, and unspotted; also with ink made of the smoke of consecrated wax-lights, or incense and holy water. The operator must be purified and cleansed, and have an infallible hope, a constant faith, and have his mind lifted up to the Most High God, if he would surely obtain this divine power.

Now, against the depredations of evil spirits and men, and what dangers soever, either of journies, waters, enemies, arms, &c. in the same manner as is above said, these characters on the one side כיייי, and these on the other צפכה, which are the beginnings and ends of the five first verses of Genesis, and representation of the creation of the world; and, by this ligature, they say that a man shall be free from all mischiefs, if that he firmly believes in God, the Creator of all things.

Now these being done on a small plate of gold, as before described, (will be found to have the effect above mentioned); the figure of which you may likewise see in the annexed plate, fig. C and D, where C shows the former part, and B the hinder.

Now let no one distrust or wonder, that sacred words and divine names applied outwardly, can effect wonderful things, seeing, by them, the Almighty created the heavens and the earth; for there is no name of God amongst us (according to Moses the Egyptian) which is not taken from his works, besides the name Tetragrammaton, which is holy, signifying the substance of the Creator in a pure signification.