Discourse

miserable condition might be comforted /
to conclude reasonably.
Should he now find his
powers not in such capacity at this time / to
fully fathom the secret / yet there would remain
an idea original: Idea; here meaning a mental archetype or spark of understanding in the understanding sen-
ses / which would incite him / to fervently
implore the Spirit of the eternal Light for
the knowledge of the natural mystery original: Mysterii.
If Divine Grace then came to his aid / he
would further contemplate the most noble nature
of the natural light The "Light of Nature" (Lumen Naturae) is a central concept in Renaissance philosophy and alchemy, suggesting that God’s truths are written into the physical world and can be "read" through reason and observation. / which gave guidance even
to the rational heathens / to recognize the
Triune Creator of all things / so he would
praise Divine Love / which, for the sake of
man’s well-being, has not wished to hide
itself in any of its works. Should it further
come to his sight / what Lombard Peter Lombard (c. 1100–1160), a foundational scholastic theologian, Augustine St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430), whose theology often integrated Platonic thought
and others perhaps reported of Plato /
he would marvel all the more / that the same
had made just such a confession of the eternal
Word several hundred years prior / as did
John the Evangelist in his first chapter /
and he would thus judge / that this natural
light must not be distant from the eternal Spirit
of Omnipotence. Let him thus assure himself
of the truth of his ge-