find　expression　for　his　thought。　It　is；　however；　at　once　clear　to　us　how　the　form　of　manifestation
  must　necessarily　appear　forced；　since　thought　alone　is　capable　of　unity。　It　thus　appears　strange　to
  read　of　the　bitterness　of　God；　of　the　Flagrat；　and　of　lightning；　we　first　require　to　have　the　Idea；
  and　then　we　certainly　discern　its　presence　here。　But　the　other　side　is　that　Boehme　utilizes　the
  Christian　form　which　lies　nearest　to　him；　and　more　especially　that　of　the　Trinity；　as　the　form　of　the
  Idea：　he　intermingles　the　sensuous　mode　and　the　mode　of　popularly　conceived　religion；　sensuous
  images　and　conceptions。　However　rude　and　barbarous　this　may　on　the　one　hand　be；　and　however
  impossible　it　is　to　read　Boehme　continuously；　or　to　take　a　firm　grasp　of　his　thoughts　（for　all　these
  qualities；　spirits　and　angels　make　one's　head　swim）；　we　must　on　the　other　hand　recognize　that　he
  speaks　of　everything　as　it　is　in　its　actuality；　and　that　he　does　this　from　his　heart。　This　solid；　deep；
  German　mind　which　has　intercourse　with　what　is　most　inward；　thus　really　exercises　an　immense
  power　and　force　in　order　to　make　use　of　actuality　as　Notion；　and　to　have　what　takes　place　in
  heaven　around　and　within　it。　Just　as　Hans　Sachs　represented　God；　Christ　and　the　Holy　Ghost；　as
  well　as　patriarchs　and　angels；　in　his　own　particular　manner　and　as　ordinary　people　like　himself；　not
  looking　upon　them　as　past　and　historic；　so　was　it　with　Boehme。
  To　faith　spirit　has　truth；　but　in　this　truth　the　moment　of　certainty　of　self　is　lacking。　We　have　seen
  that　the　object　of　Christianity　is　the　truth；　the　Spirit；　it　is　given　to　faith　as　immediate　truth。　Faith
  possesses　the　truth；　but　unconsciously；　without　knowledge；　without　knowing　it　as　its
  self…consciousness；　and　seeing　that　thought；　the　Notion；　is　necessarily　in　self…consciousness　—　the
  unity　of　opposites　with　Bruno　—　this　unity　is　what　is　pre…eminently　lacking　to　faith。　Its　moments　as
  particular　forms　fall　apart；　more　especially　the　highest　moments　—　good　and　evil；　or　God　and　the
  Devil。　God　is；　and　the　Devil　likewise；　both　exist　for　themselves。　But　if　God　is　absolute　existence；
  the　question　may　be　asked；　What　absolute　existence　is　this　which　has　not　all　actuality；　and　more
  particularly　evil　within　it？　Boehme　is　hence　on　one　side　intent　on　leading　the　soul　of　man　to　the
  divine　life；　on　inducing　the　soul　to　pay　attention　to　the　strife　within　itself；　and　make　this　the　object
  of　all　its　work　and　efforts；　and　then　in　respect　of　this　content　he　strives　to　make　out　how　evil　is
  present　in　good　—　a　question　of　the　present　day。　But　because　Boehme　does　not　possess　the
  Notion　and　is　so　far　back　in　intellectual　culture；　there　ensues　a　most　frightful　and　painful　struggle
  between　his　mind　and　consciousness　and　his　powers　of　expression；　and　the　import　of　this　struggle
  is　the　profoundest　Idea　of　God　which　seeks　to　bring　the　most　absolute　opposites　into　unity；　and　to
  bind　them　together　—　but　not　for　thinking　reason。　Thus　if　we　would　comprehend　the　matter；
  Boehme's　great　struggle　has　been　—　since　to　him　God　is　everything　—　to　grasp　the　negative；　evil；
  the　devil；　in　and　from　God；　to　grasp　God　as　absolute；　and　this　struggle　characterizes　all　his　writings
  and　brings　about　the　torture　of　his　mind。　It　requires　a　great　and　severe　mental　effort　to　bring
  together　in　one　what　in　shape　and　form　lie　so　far　asunder；　with　all　the　strength　that　he　possesses
  Boehme　brings　the　two　together；　and　therein　shatters　all　the　immediate　significance　of　actuality
  possessed　by　both。　But　when　thus　he　grasps　this　movement；　this　essence　of　spirit　in　himself；　in　his
  inward　nature；　the　determination　of　the　moments　simply　approaches　more　nearly　to　the　form　of
  self…consciousness；　to　the　formless；　or　to　the　Notion。　In　the　background；　indeed；　there　stands　the
  purest　speculative　thought；　but　it　does　not　attain　to　an　adequate　representation。　Homely；　popular
  modes　of　conception　likewise　appear；　a　free　outspokenness　which　to　us　seems　too　familiar。　With
  the　devil；　particularly；　he　has　great　dealings；　and　him　he　frequently　addresses。　“Come　here；”　he
  says；　“thou　black　wretch；　what　dost　thou　want？　I　will　give　thee　a　potion。”（5）　As　Prospero　in
  Shakespeare's　“Tempest”（6）　threatens　Ariel　that　he　will　“rend　an　oak　and　peg　him　in　his　knotty
  entrails　。　。　。　twelve　winters；”　Boehme's　great　mind　is　confined　in　the　hard　knotty　oak　of　the　senses
  —　in　the　gnarled　concretion　of　the　ordinary　conception　—　and　is　not　able　to　arrive　at　a　free
  presentation　of　the　Idea。
  I　shall　shortly　give　Boehme's　main　conceptions；　and　then　several　particular　forms　which　he　in　turn
  adopts；　for　he　does　not　remain　at　one　form；　because　neither　the　sensuous　nor　the　religious　can
  suffice。　Now　even　though　this　brings　about　the　result　that　he　frequently　repeats　himself；　the　forms
  of　his　main　conceptions　are　still　in　every　respect　very　different；　and　he　who　would　try　to　give　a
  consistent　explanation　of　Boehme's　ideas；　particularly　when　they　pass　into　further　developments；
  would　only　delude　himself　in　making　the　attempt。　Hence　we　must　neither　expect　to　find　in　Boehme
  a　systematic　presentation　nor　a　true　method　of　passing　over　into　the　individual。　Of　his　thoughts　we
  cannot　say　much　without　adopting　his　manner　of　expression；　and　quoting　the　particular　passages
  themselves；　for　they　cannot　otherwise　be　expressed。　The　fundamental　idea　in　Jacob　Boehme　is　the
  effort　to　comprise　everything　in　an　absolute　unity；　for　he　desires　to　demonstrate　the　absolute　divine
  unity　and　the　union　of　all　opposites　in　God。　Boehme's　chief；　and　one　may　even　say；　his　only
  thought　—　the　thought　that　permeates　all　his　works　—　is　that　of　perceiving　the　holy　Trinity　in
  everything；　and　recognizing　everything　as　its　revelation　and　manifestation；　so　that　it　is　the　universal
  principle　in　which　and　through　which　everything　exists；　in　such　a　way；　moreover；　that　all　things
  have　this　divine　Trinity　in　themselves；　not　as　a　Trinity　pertaining　to　the　ordinary　conception；　but　as
  the　real　Trinity　of　the　absolute　Idea。　Everything　that　exists　is；　according　to　Boehme；　this　three…fold
  alone；　and　this　three…fold　is　everything。（7）　To　him　the　universe　is　thus　one　divine　life　and　revelation
  of　God　in　all　things；　so　that　when　examined　more　closely；　from　the　one　reality　of　God；　the　sum　and
  substance　of　all　powers　and　qualities；　the　Son　who　shines　forth　from　these　powers　is　eternally
  born；　the　inward　unity　of　this　light　with　the　substance　of　the　powers　is　Spirit。　Sometimes　the
  presentation　is　vague；　and　then　again　it　is　clearer。　What　comes　next　is　the　explanation　of　this
  Trinity；　and　here　the　different　forms　which　he　uses　to　indicate　the　difference　becoming　evident　in
  the　same；　more　especially　appear。
  In　the　Aurora；　the　“Root　or　Mother　of　Philosophy；　Astrology　and　Theology；”　he　gives　a　method
  of　division　in　which　he　places　these　sciences　in　proximity；　and　yet　appears　merely　to　pass　from　one
  to　the　other　without　any　clear　definition　or　determination。”　（1）　In　Philosophy　divine　power　is
  treated　of；　what　God　is；　and　how　in　the　Being　of　God；　nature；　stars；　and　Elementa　are
  constituted；　whence　all　things　have　their　origin；　what　is　the　nature　of　heaven　and　earth；　as　also　of
  angels；　men　and　devils；　heaven　and　hell　and　all　that　is　creaturely；　likewise　what　the　two　qualities　in
  nature　are；　and　this　is　dealt　with　out　of　a　right　ground　in　the　knowledge　of　spirit；　by　the　impulse　and
  motion　of　God。　（2）　In　astrology　the　powers　of　nature；　of　the　stars　and　elements；　are　treated　of；
  and　how　all　creatures　proceed　from　them；　how　evil　and　good　are　through　them　effected　in　men
  and　animals。　（3）　In　theology　the　kingdom　of　Christ　is　dealt　with；　as　also　its　nature；　and　how　it　is　set
  in　opposition　to　hell；　and　how　in　nature　it　wars　with　the　kingdom　of　darkness。”（8）
  1。　What　comes　first　is　God　the　Father；　this　first　is　at　once　divided　in　itself　and　the　unity　of　both　its
  parts。　“God　is　all；”　he　says；　“He　is　the　Darkness　and　the　Light；　Love　and　Anger；　Fire　and　Light；
  but　He　calls　Himself　God　only　as　to　the　light　of　His　love。　There　is　an　eternal　Contrarium　between
  darkness　and　light；　neither　comprehends　the　other　and　neither　is　the　other；　and　yet　there　is　but　one
  essence　or　substance；　though　separated　by　pain；　it　is　likewise　so　with　the　will；　and　yet　there　is　no
  separable　essence。　One　single　principle　is　divided　in　this　way；　that　one　is　in　the　other　as　a　nothing
  which　yet　exists；　but　it　is　not　manifest　in　the　property　of　that　thing　in　which　it　is。”（9）　By　anguish　is
  expressed　that　which　we　know　as　the　absolute　negativity　—　that　is　the　self…conscious；
  self…experienced；　the　self…relating　negativity　which　is　therefore　absolute　affirmation。　All　Boehme's
  efforts　were　directed　towards　this　point；　the　principle　of　the　Notion　is　living　in　him；　only　he　cannot
  express　it　in　the　form　of　thought。　That　is　to　say；　all　depends　on　thinking　of　the　negative　as　simple；
  since　it　is　at　the　same　time　an　opposite；　thus　anguish　＇Qual＇　is　the　inward　tearing　asunder　and　yet
  likewise　the　simple。　From　this　Boehme　derives　sources　or　springs　＇Quellen＇；　a　good　play　on　the
  words。　For　pain　＇die　Qual＇；　this　negativity；　passes　into　life；　activity；　and　thus　lie　likewise　connects　it
  with　quality；　＇Qualit？t＇；　which　he　makes　into　Qual