Of Creation.

B iiij

...and how many should be lost. He also
knew what every human should do, and
the thoughts of their hearts in speech and
in deeds, and by what death each one
should die. And God also knew well
the total number of His created
creatures; for God has eternally
known and seen all things in His Divinity,
and He was powerful over all things,
to give and to create through
the eternity of His Divinity. This is then
natural to believe: for every skilled craftsman skilled craftsman: "kunstlicher werckmann," referring to a master artisan or architect who possesses both technical skill and creative vision
who wishes to begin making a work
must first imagine imagine: "Imaginieren," here meaning to form a complete mental blueprint or internal visualization in his mind that very
work which he intends to make—
how such a work should be
in its shape, form, width, size, height,
and depth; and from what substance substance: "Substanz," the physical matter or essential material required for a task he
should make it—whether of wood and stone, or of
other materials—from which he can also
well perceive how long it may last,
according to whether it shall stand in a place
that is dry or moist; accordingly, or even
following that, he chooses the substance.