A New Light of Alchemy

9The separation of all things, especially living things, is natural death. A human being must therefore die naturally. Being composed of four elements, the human being is subject to separation, since every compound is naturally separated. Yet this separation of the human composition should have happened only on the day of judgment, for in paradise the human being was immortal, as all theologians and sacred Scripture itself testify. No philosopher, however, has yet shown a sufficient reason for that immortality. The seeker of this sacred science should know it, so as to see how all these things happen naturally and can be understood very easily. It is true, utterly true, that every compound of this world is subject to corruption and can be separated. In the animal kingdom this separation is called death. Since the human being too was composed and created from four elements, how could he have been immortal? It is hard to believe this could occur naturally; indeed, it has hitherto been considered supernatural. Yet many ages ago God inspired good philosophers to understand that it was natural. Receive this account from me.