Of The Characters And Seals Of Spirits

p. 64

CHAP. XV.

OF THE CHARACTERS AND SEALS OF SPIRITS.

WE must now speak of the characters and seals of spirits. Characters are nothing else than certain unknown letters and writings, preserving the secrets of spirits and their names from the use and reading of prophane men, which the ancient called hieroglyphical, or sacred letters, because devoted to the secrets of God only. They accounted it unlawful to write the mysteries of God with those characters which prophane and vulgar things were wrote. Whence Porphyry says, "that the ancients were willing to conceal God and divine virtues, by sensible figures and by those things which are visible, yet signifying invisible things;" as being willing to deliver great mysteries in sacred letters, and explain them in certain symbolical figures; as when they dedicated all round things to the world, the sun and the moon, hope and fortune; a circle to the heavens, and parts of a circle to the moon; pyramids and obelisks to the fire, a cylinder to the sun and earth.--See the plate.