Condition of those, who
have attained to the _third_ Resemblance.

Sec. 82. Then he began to seek after this _third_ Assimulation, and took
pains in the attaining it. And first he consider'd the Attributes of the
_necessarily self-existent Being_. Now it had appear'd to him, during
the time of his Theoretical Speculation, before he enter'd upon the
Practical Part; that there were two Sorts of them, _viz_. Affirmative,
as Knowledge, Power and Wisdom &c. and Negative, as Immateriality; not
only such as consisted in the not being _Body_; but in being altogether
remov'd from any thing that had the least Relation to _Body_, though at
never so great a Distance. And that this was a Condition, not only
requir'd in the Negative Attributes, but in the Affirmative too, _viz_.
that they should be free from all Properties of Body, of which,
_Multiplicity_ is one. Now the Divine Essence is not multiplied by these
Affirmative Attributes, but all of 'em together are one and the same
thing, _viz._ his real Essence. Then he began to consider how he might
imitate him in both these Kinds; and as for the Affirmative Attributes,
when he consider'd that they were nothing else but his real Essence, and
that by no means it could be said of them that they are _many_(because
Multiplicity is a Property of Body) and that the Knowledge of his own
Essence was not a Notion superadded to his Essence, but that his Essence
was the Knowledge of his Essence; and so _vice versa_, it appear'd to
him, that if he would know his Being, this Knowledge, by which he knew
his Being would not be a Notion superadded to his Being, but be the very
Being itself. And he perceived that his way to make himself like to him,
as to what concern'd his Affirmative Attributes, would be to know him
alone, abstracted wholly from all Properties of Body.

Sec. 83. This he apply'd himself to; and as for the Negative Attributes,
they all consisted in Separation from Bodily Things. He began therefore
to strip himself of all Bodily Properties, which he had made some
Progress in before, during the time of the former Exercise, when he was
employ'd in the Imitation of the Heavenly Bodies; but there still
remained a great many Relicks, as his Circular Motion (Motion being one
of the more proper Attributes of Body), and his care of Animals and
Plants, Compassion upon them, and Industry in removing whatever
inconvenienc'd them. Now all these things belong to Corporeal
Attributes, for he coul