Sec. 73.  He also perceiv’d that he resembled the Beasts in his viler part, which belong’d to this Generable and Corruptible World, viz. this dark, gross Body, which sollicited him with the Desire of Variety of sensible Objects, and excited him to eating, drinking, and Copulation; and he knew that his Body was not created and join’d to him in vain, but that he was oblig’d to preserve it and take care of it, which he saw could not be done without some of those Actions which are common to the rest of the Animals.  Thus it was plain to him, that there were three sorts of Actions which he was obliged to, viz. 1.  Either those by which he resembled the Irrational Animals.  Or, 2.  Those by which he resembled the Heavenly Bodies.  Or, 3.  Those by which he resembled the necessarily self-existent Being:  And that he was oblig’d to the first, as having a gross Body, consisting of several Parts, and different Faculties, and variety of Motions.  To the second, as having an Animal Spirit, which had its Seat in the Heart, and was the first beginning of the Body and all its Faculties.  To the third, as he was what he was, viz. as he was that Being, by which he knew the necessarily self-existent Being.  And he was very well assur’d before, that his Happiness and Freedom from Misery, consisted in the perpetual Vision of that necessarily self-existent Being, without being averted from it so much as the twinkling of an Eye.

Sec. 74.  Then he weigh’d with himself, by what means a Continuation of this Vision might be attain’d, and the Result of his Contemplation was this, viz.  That he was obliged to keep himself constantly exercis’d in these three kinds of Resemblance.  Not that the first of them did any way contribute to the helping him to the Vision(but was rather an Impediment and Hindrance, because it was concern’d only in sensible Objects, which are all of them a sort of Veil or Curtain interpos’d between us and it;) but because it was necessary for the Preservation of the Animal Spirit, whereby the second Resemblance, which he had with the Heavenly Bodies was acquir’d, and was for this reason necessary, though incumbred with Hindrances and Inconveniences.  But as to the second Conformity, he saw indeed that a great share of that continu’d Vision was attain’d by it, but that it was not without Mixture; because, whatsoever contemplates the Vision after this manner continually, does, together with it, have regard to, and call a Look upon his own Essence, as shall be shewn hereafter.  But that the third Conformity was that by which he obtain’d the pure and entire Vision, so as to be wholly taken up with it, without being diverted from it one way or other, by any means whatsoever, but being still intent upon that necessarily self-existent Being; which whosoever enjoys, has no regard to any thing else, and his own Essence is altogether neglected, and vanish’d out of fight, and become as nothing; and so are all other Essences both great and small, except only the Essence of that One, True, Necessarily Self-existent, High and Powerful Being.