wise man alludeth in the 25. of the _Proverbs_, _As Golden apples with silver nets, so is he that speaks words in a fit season_. Hitherto _Origen_. But will we hear what _Zohar_ sets down, from whence _Origen_ hath fished out the greatest part of his rare and profound meditations and allegories, and to the purpose of those apples of gold, enchased within the nets of silver. The gold from above is the gold _sagur_, inclosed or folded up; that from below is more exposed to our senses, (nothing should better agree to the _Messihe_ which is the true pure gold of _Evihah_, mentioned _Gen. 2._ hee which is reinclosed within silver,) namely his divinity, and reshut up with the humanity. _Zohar_ pursues it; In the Tabernacle there were mingled gold, and silver, to assemble the divine mystery above in one subject, where soveraigne perfection was found. But the Cherubims were all of gold, shewing their Angelicall nature which doth not participate of any corporeity, without any silver or copper mingled therewith. Gold within silver expresseth mercy, by which the whole universe was built, (the world was built in mercy,) upon which Gods Throne is established, _His Royall seat shall be prepared in mercy_. But the rigour of judgement is designed by copper, which approacheth to the colour of bloud, without the effusion whereof, also there is no remission. And therefore it was ordained, that _Moses_ should erect a Serpent in the Wildernesse to heale those who were bitten by the vermine and cast their eyes upon it. Then gold, silver, and copper, are the three metals that go together, the _Chasma’l_, or the _electrum_ of _Ezechiel_. And there is a faire meditation upon the 3 colours, which are these, white, of silver, that represents water, is mercy, manifested by the particle _Jah_, assigned to the Father, which the Apostle cals the _father of mercies, 1 Cor. 1. 3_. Copper that in rednesse imitates fire, is the rigour and the severity of justice, which the Ægyptians call _Din_, attributed to the Holy Spirit, against which if any blaspheme, hee shall neither be pardoned in this world here, nor in the other. The third, in the middle of two, is the citrinity of the gold, composed of white and red, as we may see in saffron, bloud, vermillion, and other the like, tempered with water, which is white, for from thence is procreated a golden yellow; for Citrinity, saith _Geber_, is nothing else, but a determinate proportion of white and red. And this guilded citrinity is attributed to the Sonne, who participates of Mercy and Justice: in pursuance of that spoken in the 16. of _Eccl._ 11. because _mercy and wrath are with him_. But latten or copper, which in its exteriour hath some resemblance with gold, but within all impure and corrupt, denoting hypocrisie, which under a masque of pious zeale, and religion hatcheth its wicked desires, and detestable ambitions, impieties, erroneous opinions, lusts, animosities, revenges, and other unjust and perverse intentions.