Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/241

 Chap. xiiii. Of the Number eleven, and the number twelve; with a double Scale of the Number twelve Cabalisticall, and Orphicall. The number eleven as it exceeds the number ten, which is the number of the commandements, so it fals short of the number twelve, which is of grace and perfection, therefore it is called the number of sins, and the penitent. Hence in the tabernacle there were commanded to be made eleven Coats of hair which is the habit of those that are penitent, and lament for their sins, whence this number hath no Communion with Divine or Celestiall things, nor any attraction, or scale tending to things above: neither hath it any reward; but yet sometimes it receives a gratuitous favor from God, as he which was called the eleventh hour to the vineyard of the Lord, received the sanne reward as those who had born the burden, and heat of the day. Now the number twelve is divine, and that whereby the Celestials are measured; it is also the number of the Signs in the Zodiack over which there are twelve angeis as chief, supported by the irrigation of the great name of God. In twelve yeers also Jupiter perfects his course, and the Moon daily runs through twelve degrees. There are also twelve chief joynts in the body of man, viz. in hands, elbones, shoulders, thighs, knees, and vertebrae of the feet. There is also a great power of the number twelve in divine mysteries. God chose twelve families of Israel, and set over them twelve Princes; so many stones were placed in the midst of Jordan, and God commanded that so many should be set on the breast of the Priest; twelve Lyons did bear the brazen Sea that was made by Solomon: there were so many fountains in Helim, and so many spies sent to the land of promise, and so many Apostles of Christ set over the twelve tribes, and twelve thousand people were set apart and chosen; the queen of Heaven crowned with twelve Stars, and in the Gospel twelve baskets