Libertine spiritualizing; Photinians, Weigelians, Rosicrucians, Paracelsian chemists recook Valentinus
If it be asked how they understand that, they say namely that a human may know that his soul is an immortal spirit perpetually living in the heavens; and that Christ by his death abolished the false opinion, and by that reason restored to us the life which is in him, so that we may know that we by no means die. But also the Photinians, Weigelians, and Rosicrucians of our time and like fanatics recook this error of Valentinus, and above the rest the more superstitious chemists, going on foot into Theophrastus Paracelsus's opinions and certain trifles, deceived by a certain analogy of their art, dare to evoke from three as it were worlds — namely elemental, angelic, and divine — threefold bodies, nay even souls and spirits: against whom the catholic faith is to be opposed courteously from the perfume-boxes of the sacred letters, as the midday sun by which the dusky and dark dawn of their wisdom is scattered with temples and open doors of hearts.
Latin
Si quaeratur, quomodo id intelligant, nempe inquiunt, ut homo sciat animam suam spiritum immortalem esse perpetuo viventem in caelis: ac Christum morte sua opinationem abolivisse, eaque ratione nobis restituisse vitam, quae in eo est, ut nos minime mori cognoscamus. Sed & nostri temporis Photiniani, Weigelianii & Rosaecrucii similesque fanatici hunc Valentini errorem recoquunt, & prae caeteris Chymici superstitiosiores, pedibus euntes in Theophrasti Paracelsi opiniones & teretismata quaedam, delusi analogismo quodam artis suae, e tribus veluti mundis, elementari videlicet angelico & divino, triplicia corpora, imo & animas & spiritus evocare audent, quibus catholica fides, tanquam sol meridianus, quo crepera & tenebrosa illorum sapientiae aurora cum templis & portis apertis cordium dissipatur, e myrotheciis sacrarum literarum cordate opponenda est.