§ 82. Then he began to seek after this _third_ Assimulation, and took pains in the attaining it. And first he consider'd the Attributes of the _necessarily self-existent Being_. Now it had appear'd to him, during the time of his Theoretical Speculation, before he enter'd upon the Practical Part; that there were two Sorts of them, _viz_. Affirmative, as Knowledge, Power and Wisdom &c. and Negative, as Immateriality; not only such as consisted in the not being _Body_; but in being altogether remov'd from any thing that had the least Relation to _Body_, though at never so great a Distance. And that this was a Condition, not only requir'd in the Negative Attributes, but in the Affirmative too, _viz_. that they should be free from all Properties of Body, of which, _Multiplicity_ is one. Now the Divine Essence is not multiplied by these Affirmative Attributes, but all of 'em together are one and the same thing, _viz._ his real Essence. Then he began to consider how he might imitate him in both these Kinds; and as for the Affirmative Attributes, when he consider'd that they were nothing else but his real Essence, and that by no means it could be said of them that they are _many_(because Multiplicity is a Property of Body) and that the Knowledge of his own Essence was not a Notion superadded to his Essence, but that his Essence was the Knowledge of his Essence; and so _vice versa_, it appear'd to him, that if he would know his Being, this Knowledge, by which he knew his Being would not be a Notion superadded to his Being, but be the very Being itself. And he perceived that his way to make himself like to him, as to what concern'd his Affirmative Attributes, would be to know him alone, abstracted wholly from all Properties of Body.
§ 83. This he apply'd himself to; and as for the Negative Attributes, they all consisted in Separation from Bodily Things. He began therefore to strip himself of all Bodily Properties, which he had made some Progress in before, during the time of the former Exercise, when he was employ'd in the Imitation of the Heavenly Bodies; but there still remained a great many Relicks, as his Circular Motion (Motion being one of the more proper Attributes of Body), and his care of Animals and Plants, Compassion upon them, and Industry in removing whatever inconvenienc'd them. Now all these things belong to Corporeal Attributes, for he could not see these things at first, but by Corporeal Faculties; and he was oblig'd to make use of the same Faculties in preserving them. Therefore he began to reject and remove all those things from himself, as being in no wise consistent with that State which he was now in search of. So he continu'd, confining himself to rest in the Bottom of his Cave, with his Head bow'd down, and his Eyes shut, and turning himself altogether from all sensible Things and the Corporeal Faculties, and bending all his Thoughts and Meditations upon the _necessarily self-existent Being_, without admitting any thing else besides him; and if any other Object presented itself to his Imagination, he rejected it with his utmost Force; and exercis'd himself in this, and persisted in it to that Degree, that sometimes he did neither eat nor stir for a great many Days together. And whilst he was thus earnestly taken up in Contemplation, sometimes all manner of Beings whatsoever would be quite out of his Mind and Thoughts, except his own Being only.