Earnest Praying if we would obtain any thing from God a right true Repentance and in-turned Humility For right Praying is a receiving of that which the Soul desireth concerning which Christ saith From henceforth the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force to themselves Math. 11.12 43. For which cause I will set down a brief Form of a Confession or Preparation how a Man should prepare himselfe when he will bring his short Prayer and Requests before God 44. For he may as well be heard in a short Prayer as with many words if his heart stand right in the presence of God It needeth not long Prayers or many words but only a Beleiving or faithfull repentant Soul which with totall Earnestnesse giveth it self up into the Mercy of God into Gods Compassion For one onely sigh worketh with God if the Will standeth nakedly or purely before God and hath cast away from it the Earthly Garment viz the false or wicked Lust This for an Intimation to the Reader and for a quickening stirring to him 45. For there needeth not to be used just such a Form of Confession but the Holy Spirit will well enough make a Form for him in the heart when the Will in true earnest Sincerity turneth it self to God 46. Only for an Introduction to every one who doth not yet know how a true Prayer should be fitted I will set down this Confession to direct his Soul therewith and I will commit the work of Confession together with the Praying to the Holy Spirit in every Soul which is truly and rightly Earnest He will well enough make for him a Confession and Prayer if any doe but earnestly sincerely and rightly come to the Gate where GOD the LORD in Man Speaketh operatively Then he will find it so A Confession and Right Acting or Working of Repentance before Gods Countenance 47. O Deepest of all Greatest Unsearchable Holy God! Thou who out of meer Grace and Mercy after the terrible apostacy of our first Parents with thy great Love and Mercy in thy Sonne JESUS CHRIST hast manifested thy self in our Humanity and in him hast made an open Gate of Grace again for us poor Men to thy Countenance and abolished Sinne and Death in his Bloud and callest us now to such Grace as a Mercifull God we poor Sinners now should only Convert again and come to thee and thou wilt quicken or refresh us Math. 11.28 48. I poor unworthy sinfull Man come upon the invitation of thy Word and acknowledge to thee that I am not worthy of such Grace which thou offerest us For I Stick in the Slime of Vanity and am Laden with vain Lusts of the Flesh and own-self Will my Sinnes have captivated and obscured me so that I neither tast nor see thy Grace in me also I have no Right Trust or Confidence nor Faith towards thee and have totally given my self up into the vanity of the World and of the Flesh and am compassed about therewith 49. I have defiled my fair bright Garment which thou hast put on to me in the Baptisme with the Lust of the Flesh and lye in the Devils Net captive in thy fierce Wrath. Hell setteth its Jaws wide open against me and my Conscience gnaweth me thy Judgement standeth alwayes before me and the Bands of Death wait upon me 50. I lye in the slime and mire of Sinnes and Vanity so that also I neither know my Sinnes nor can bewail them For they have hidden me from thy Countenance and I have only yet a little sparkle of the living breath in me through thy drawing which desireth thy Grace 51. And I come now before thee with the Lost Sonne and the Publican in the Temple and fly to thy Mercy and pray thee in my weak power through the Bitter Suffering and Dying of my Redeemer JESUS CHRIST whom thou hast Set before thee for a Grace-Throne and offerest us thy Grace through his Satisfaction that thou wouldst receive me yet again for thy Child and Heir in thy Sonne and wouldst awaken for me a right Earnest Repentance also Sorrow and Grief for my former committed Sinnes in my Heart that I may goe out from the wicked way or Conversation and turn my heart totally and altogether to THEE 52. O Great God strengthen I beseech thee my weak Faith in Me rouse my heart I pray thee that it may acknowledge and bewaile my manifold Sinnes Touch thou my poor Soul with thy Power that it may acknowledge it self that it standeth deviated and turned away from thee 53. O thou Breath of the Mercifulnesse of God doe thou draw me to thee through my Redeemer Jesus Christs Death and Resurrection and abolish my Sinnes in his Bloud and Death and make my poor Soul living in his Bloud and wash it clean from its Sinnes that its desire may presse into thee O thou Holy God! and fetch Power out of thy Spring or Fountain of Grace 54. Awake thou I pray thee in me a right hunger and thirst after true Repentance and Sorrow for my former committed Sinnes that I may hate or be at Enmity and angry against them and turn my self to Thee 55. O thou great deep of Mercy I am afar off from thee and cannot reach thee in my weak Power turn thee to me I beseech thee and comprehend my desire into thee and kindle it O Lord that I may tast thy Grace 56. Forgive I pray thee my Trespasses and Sinnes and heal my weaknesse bruise I pray thee my Heart and Soul that I may acknowledge and humble my self before thee Be thou I pray thee my beginning to Conversion and lead me upon the right path that I may walk with thee 57. Give me I pray thee thy holy Spirit in my Soul and Spirit and Sanctifie me in thy Grace As thy beloved Sonne Jesus Christ hath engaged to me saying My Father will give the holy Spirit to them that pray unto him for it Luke 11.13 Also Knock and so it will be opened unto you Math. 7.7 Luke 11.9 58. Now come I poor Sinner upon the Invitation of thy Word and take to me thy Saying in my Soul and Heart and will not leave off from thee unless thou blesse me with JACOB 59. And though indeed my Sinnes are many yet thou art God and the Eternall Truth which cannot Lye where thou hast Spoken in the Prophet Isaiah If we Convert and Repent then we shall be snow-white as wool Isai 1.18 60. Upon thy Saying I trust and give my self totally and altogether up to thee and pray thee receive me into Grace and bring me to thy Children who walk in the way of the Living and let me walk with them and enter into thy Commandement give me a true humble and obedient Heart that may alwayes fear before thy Anger and Sinne no more 61. O thou Well-Spring or Fountain of all Grace what shall I say before thee Or why should I flatter my self and comfort my evill Will
and Desire I desire no Comfort from thee in my earthly evill Will but pray thee out of all my power which yet is in me mortifiâ— my Earthly Evill Will and let it no more live before thee For it desireth only hypocrisie dissembling or flattery and own self Love and is never sincerely upright before thee It giveth thee good words and pretendeth Truth and yet is a Constant Lyar before thee 62. Give me only thy Will that I may will nothing without thee Doe thou with thy Will tread down my self evill Will to the ground and let me in thy Power co-will and act with thee 63. O LORD what shall I in my vanity pray for from thee I pray for Nothing from thee but for the dying of my Saviour JESUS CHRIST That thou wouldst put me to Death in his Death and make me living again in his Resurrection in him that I may no more walk or converse according to my Spirits Will in me but in him That I may be his Temple and Dwelling-house that he may lead and conduct me so that without him I may be able to will or doe nothing 64. Unite thou and bind me with him so that I may be a fruitfull Branch on his Vine and bear good Fruit in his Power into thy Promise I sink my self down totally and altogether Be it done unto me according to thy Word and Will Amen A Thanksgiving and Prayer When a Man after such Acting Repentance findeth the divine Power in himself 65. O GOD thou Well-Spring or Fountain of Love and Mercy I glorifie and praise thee in thy Truth and Thank thee in my Heart that thou presentest to me thy Countenance again and lookest upon me unworthy and Miserable Wretch with the Eyes of thy Mercy and givest me a Ray or Beam of Comfort so that my Soul CAN hope on Thee 66. O thou Infinite Love of JESUS CHRIST thou who hast Broken Death in our Humanity and changed Gods Anger into Love to thee I give up my self totally and altogether My Soul Laudeth and honoureth thee It rejoyceth it self in thy Power and Love that thou art so Good and Gracious My Spirit sporteth in thy Power and joyeth it self in thy Truth All thy doing is right and Truth Thou rulest over Sinne and breakest the Power of Death Thou holdest the Might and Power of Hell captive and shewest us the Way of Life 67. None is like thee O LORD Who releasest the Captives out of the Pits and Graves of Death and refreshest the Miserable Thou givest them drink in their Thirst and givest them Water of Eternall Life Thou directest their Feet in right Paths and guidest them with thy Staffe The dry parched Places of the Heart and of the Soul thoâ— fattenest and bedewest with thy Rainy Showers and givest them Water of Mercy 68. Thou makest them living in the Midst of Death and settest them up before thee so that they live before thee Thou thinkest on the Mercy and Covenant which thou hast made with us through thy Bloud and Death and forgivest us our Sinnes 69. Thou pourest into us of thy Power so that we acknowledge thee and givest us Food of the Eternall Life whereby we become quickened and continually hunger and thirst after thee This now my Soul acknowledgeth therefore it praiseth thee and exalteth thee in thy great Might and Glory 70. O thou Well-Spring or Fountain of Divine Sweetnesse comprehend or receive my Soul into thee and fill my Spirit with thy Love and bind me to thy Band that I never more depart from thee Strengthen I pray thee my weak Faith and give me an assured Hope and Confidence 71. Cleanse I pray thee my Heart and Soul and give me Chastity Modesty and Purity in my Conscience that I may be ashamed of Sinne before thy Countenance and depart from it Mortifie I pray thee all Evill Lusts in me that I may cleave unto thee with clean and pure desire and walk in thy Will 72. Keep and Maintain me I pray thee in thy Power and acknowledgement and give me an humble Heart towards thee and my Neighbour so that I may alwayes acknowledge and love thee Help also that I may Love my Neighbour as my self through JESUS CHRIST Our Lord. AMEN A Prayer to the Great Fire-burning Love of God shewing how rightly to Pray for it O Thou Holy GOD thou that dwellest in a Light that None can câ—â—â— unto but only the Love of thy Sonne Jesus Christ which thou hast out of meer Grace poured into our Humanity in JESUS Christ Wherewith thou hast loved us poor Men before the foundation of the World And hast through this Love redeemed us from thy fierce Wrath and from the power of Death and of Hell and offerest us now this Love through thy Sonne Jesus Christ in thy Fire-flaming Spirit that we should pray unto thee for it and thou wilt give it unto us 74. I poor unworthy Man acknowledge my self in◠〈…〉 worthy of it But seeing thou hast manifested or revealed 〈…〉 in our assumed Humanity and callest therewith the poor * Luke 19.10 1 Joh. 4.2 3. 2 John 7. lost Sinners And art* Come in the Flesh so that thou wilt seek them in their Sinnes and Miseries and thereby deliver them from Sinne and save them as thy Word teacheth us this Therefore come I upon the invitation of thy Word and receive thy Word and truth in my Heart and Soul and Comprehend it in me as thy Free-Gift and pray thee O thou Fire-flaming Love of God in the Covenant of JESUS CHRIST freely given to us poor thirsty Soules kindle also my poor Soul with this Love that it may attain a New Life and Will and become delivered out of its Prison and Captivity of thy Anger and out of the Jawes of Death 75. O thou fiery Love of God thou who hast in our Humanity broken Death and destroyed Hell and brought forth our Souls victory in Christ through Death Thou who hast at †Acts 2. the holy Pentecost moved in the Apostles Mouths and Hearts in fiery flames and kindled all thy Saints and done thy Miracles or Works of Wonder by them Thou that lovest and preservest the whole World and all thy Creatures To THEE I come and give my self wholly into thee 76. O thou great Fountain of God Open thy self also in the Spirit of my Inwardnesse and kindle also in me the Fire of thy Love so that my Spirit may burn in thy Love and acknowledge and praise thee therein 77. O thou great Holinesse through the Merits of my Saviour JESUS CHRIST through his Bloud and Death I presse in me to thee and give my self up into thy Flame Through his Resurrection and Ascention or going to Heaven I bring my Will into thee and give it up to thee totally and altogether Doe thou with it how thou wilt Doe but deliver it from false or wicked Lust and break its power that it may only look upon thee 78. O thou holy Power
enjoy my self in the Works of thy Creation 115. And I beseech thee O Eternall God to give me Understanding and Wisdome that I may not abuse or misuse this thy Creation or Creature but only and solely use it for my necessity for the Good of my Neighbour my self and mine 116. Give me I pray thee to be thankfull in all thy Gifts and Benefits that my Reason may not say This is Mine I have purchased it I will possesse it alone I am thereby Noble Glorious and Brave and because of this Honour and Repute accrues unto me all which proceedeth from the Devill and the Heavy Fall of Adam 117. O Dear Lord CHRIST help I pray thee that I may alwayes consider thy Humility Lowlinesse and temporall Poverty and not permit my Mind to lift up it self above the simple poor and needy that my Soul may not break off it self from them that they in their misery may not sigh over me or against me and hinder me in my way to thee 118. But help me that I may Lay my Heart with the simple in the Dust and alwayes acknowledge that I am nothing more then they and that my State and all that belongs to me are thine and that I am a Minister or Servant concerning or as to them 119. O Great HOLY GOD I pray thee set open my inwardnesse to me that I may rightly know what I am Unshut I pray thee in me what became inclosed and shut up in Adam Let me I pray thee see in the Inwardnesse of the Mind and find thy bright Morning-Starre in the Holy Name JESUS which presenteth and offereth it self to us poor Men out of Grace and will dwell in us and powerfully work in us 120. Break thou O LORD the hard door Posts of my receptibility of my own willing that his will may shine forth through me and my Mind may find the Beames of his Love-Fire 121. Kindle thou I pray thee my fiery Life of the Soulish Ground with the Beames of thy Light so that I may endure before thee and stand in thy Sight and so I pray thee poure in thy Love and Meeknesse into my Fire-life that thy Fire-Glance doe not Consume and destroy me in regard of my yet remaining impurity 122. O thou Great Holy God to thee I draw neer now with my Mind viz with thy poured forth Power and Vertue which thou hast formed into an Image of thy Likeness according to thy Working and I give my self to thee again to be thy own 123. Work thou in my Mind as in thy Reflexion or Representation thy â—race how thou wilt and keep my Mind with thy Power as thy Instrument so that IT may neither will nor act without thee Lead thou my Inclination with thy Might and Strength so that I may in and with thee rule over Sinne Death the Devill Hell and the World 124. Seeing thou in the Beginning in my Father Adam hast made me a Ruler over all Creatures and after the terrible Fall hast in JESUS CHRIST brought me thereinto again So that I in JESUS CHRIST should with and in him and He with and through me rule over all his Enemies till they all be laid for a foot-stool under his and my feet therefore I give up to thee my LORD JESUS my whole Mind and Soul and all whatsoever I am Rule thou in me over all my Enemies which are within me and without me 125. Lay thou them for a foot-stool under thy feet and lead my Mind being the Expresse Image of God in Gods Power so that IT may as an Instrument of the Holy Spirit co-will and perform with God the Good Work that thy High Name * Germanice GOTT GOD may become again manifested therein and that my Mind may again come to the Communion of thy Holy Angels whereto thou hast ordained it in the beginning 126. O Great GOD my Mind is indeed a Beame of thy Omnipotency Glory and Skilfulnesse a †Or Play-fellow Companion of the Divine Wisdome and Glory a Hand-maid or Ministresse of the Majesty of the Unity of God a Knoweresse of thy Manifestation or Revelation and a Figure of the Great Name of GOD who hath made the World and all things 127. In its Essence e're it became a Creature stood the formings of thy Willing which Formings thou O Great God hast brought into a Creaturely Creation and set the Noble Mind for a Ruleresse or Governess over it where thou with thy Holy Name in thy Power wouldest thy Self rule through the Mind 128. O GOD the Mind hath in Adam turned it self away from thee and is entered into own receptibility of its own Will and hath made it self Dark Drie Stinging Enimicitious or Hatefull Hungry and Envious and is become a hellish Source Quality or Torment and Abomination before thee like all evill Spirits 129. Which thou O Groat God with thy holiest Name of All JESUS hast turned to thee and new generated to thee again Therefore I give it up to thee willingly into thy sweet presented or offered Grace And therewith forsake my own Will and Nature-Right and give it to thee for thy own LORD JESUS that I may no more Be IT self but that thou mayest be IT according to thy and thy Eternall Fathers good Will and Pleasure that God may be All in All One True Reall Tri-une Substance Father Sonne and Holy Spirit in the Heaven and upon Earth Working and Ruling All in All. AMEN A Prayer on Munday at Noon or Midday to Consider the Quality and Property of the Day and to swing or cast ones self into the right-Noon or Midday of the Inward Moone 's heavenly Substance Concerning the climbing up or Ascending of the Mind 130. O GOD thou Infinite or Endlesse Every where Glancing or Super-Illustrious Eternall every where spread abroad Shining Bright LIGHT thou hast given the Light to the Outward World from the breathing of thy Might through the Beames of thy Light and rulest with the Sun and Moon in all thy Works in this Worlds Substance 131. Thou generatest all and every temporary Life through these Lights All whatsoever hath Breath worketh and Liveth in these Lights and praiseth thee in thy Power ALL Starres take Light and shining from thy shed-forth Light Thou adornest the Earth with fair Hearbs and Blossomes or Flowers through these Lights And Cheerest therein all whatsoever liveth or Groweth 132. And therein shewest to US Men thy Glory So that we know thy Power which is inwardly hidden and see thereby how thou hast made thy Eternall Word and working visible that we should thereby consider thy inward Spirituall Kingdome wherein thou dwellest in secret hiddenly and fillest all thy Creation and thy self workest and doest ALL in ALL. 133. The Heaven together with the Earth recount thy Honour Power and Great Might The Elements are a Reflexion Representation or Object of thy Wisdome where thy Spirit with a Representation or Object Sporteth or Acteth a Scene before thee and all things
SEVERAL Treatises OF Jacob Behme Not printed in English before according to the CATALOGUE here following viz. I. A Book of the Great Six Points As also A Small Book of other Six Points II. The 177 Theosophick Questions The First Thirteen Answered III. Of the Earthly and of the Heavenly Mystery IV. The Holy-Week or a Prayer-Book V. Of Divine Vision To which are annexed the EXPOSITION Of the TABLE of the Three Principles Also an EPISTLE Of the Knowledge of God and of All Things And of the True and False Light With a Table of the Revelation of the Divine secret Mystery Englished by JOHN SPARROW LONDON Printed for L. Lloyd at the Castle in Corn-hill 1661. THE PREFACE To the ENGLISH READER SEveral of the Writings of this Author Jacob Behme have been published in his native Tongue the German and were so loved and desired at the first notice of them about the year 1612. by some noble vertuous and learned Persons who procured Transcripts out of the Library at Gerlity where the Primate Gregory Rickter had commanded it to be kept that it should no more come to the Authors hands again that beyond his expectation they wrote to him to know whether he were the Author of them and upon his Answer in return they ceased not to solicite him to further writing according to his high knowledge in the deepest Mysteries which he performed from the year 1619. to 1624. in which year he departed this mortal life For it appears by the History of his life and in the Catalogue printed at the end of his Book in Answer to the forty Questions of the Soul that he wrote to the number of Thirty One several Treaties whereof some have been studyed by persons of Learning some Ministers as well as others in Muscovia Sweden Poland Denmark the Netherlands Germany France Spain Italy even in the City of Rome and â—â—ry many in England with good satisfactioâ— to their thirsty Souls concerning true Religion and the way to salvation and Twenty One of them have been formerly printed in the English tongue To some yet there remaineth still the complaint that they are hard to be understood though those that have diligently perused his Books have attained very satisfactory resoâ—â—tions to their destres in most deep and difficult Divine and Natural Mysteries and they that account them most obscure are such as cast their eyes only superficially here and there upon some part of them but those that have gotten a Tast and relish of his illuminated spirit of Understanding appearing in his writings are very eager after any thing of his that remains yet unpublished for whose satisfaction therefore here in this present Volum are Five more peeces of his besides Three other that were printed formerly but not from so exact Copies as now and besides a Table belonging to the Epistle concerning the true and false Light not printed before They are all of very high worth The This is the Siâ—th Book â—n the Catalogue of his writings FIRST is called An Exposition of the Great Six Points containing the knowledge of the Greatest Mysteries in Eternity and how they may be apprehended in the things of this outward visible world more deeply and yet more particularly then in his other writings Especially how Darkness in the eternal Original doth co-work to the Manifestation of the Eternal Light and Glory in Heaven and yet in Hell is the eternal Torment and consuming Fire of the wrath of God where the Devil and his Angels Rev. 20.10 together with the Beast and false Prophet and all the wicked shall be tormented for ever and ever Also how we may in this life while we live in flesh and blood depâ—rt from the Tree of Darkness into the Tree of Light but after this life how there is no possibility to change our capacity we leave this outward world in And this so convincingly that any that is desirous may know how to enter infallibly into the exercise and participation of the Tree of Eternal Life in which consideration we may see how this whole world is a Looking-Glass of the Two eternal beginningless worlds both the Light and the Dark world in one another as One The Four Elements being Fire Air Water and Earth In Heaven these are substantially Love Humility Patience and Meekness and in Hell they are also substantially Wrath Pride Envy and Covetousness and so all things else that are contained in the Four Elements and dwell or grow therein are also according to the manner of Eternity in the Two Eternal Worlds The other is a Small Book of Six Points also wherein are matters of highest depth and of the greatest Concernment to mankind to be known fundamentally as he hath written of them For First As the outward man is constituted of Blood and Water by which his outward life is fed and preserved so the Soul hath in the outward Blood and Water an Eternal which belongeth to the eternal life and therefore was the Blood and Water which flowed out of the Side of our blessed Lord and Saviour when he was pierced with a Spear as he hung upon the Cross so effectual to the healing of the Breach made in Adams Side in his stâ—ep when it was become not good for Man to be alone and all the frailty of Mortal Man afterwards which will also bring forth his Resurrection at the Last Day Secondly It Treats succinctly and summarily concerning Election and Predestination of Good and of Evil wherein is shewn how by the eternal power of God that is through Christ in us we may in this life come out from evil with our Souls into the eternal Election of Grace and Predestination to life which is the Love and Mercy of God or else by rejecting and forsaking the Drawing of that Power within us cast our selves into the Eternal Predestination of Condemnation and Perdition into the darkness and Death which is the wrath and Anger of God Thirdly It intimates how Sin is Sin by shewing how it is the life in the manifestation of the Power of the dark world contrary to the constitution and creation of the Creature which was created in and for the Light by the exorbitant rising up of Self-Nature the Fire to be predominant over divine Nature the Light in the Self of the Creature Fourthly How Christ will at the Last Day deliver up the Kâ—â—â—dom to the Father when he hath put all dominion under the Foot stool of Christ then shall Christ deliver up his kingdoâ—â— who is now Lord of All to the Father and God shall be All in All outwardly and visibly as he is now but inwardly hiddenly and invisibly to us in this Coâ—ruptible world Fiftly What the eternal Magia or Desire is which maketh frameth and imageth both in the dark world and in the light world according to the Quality of Each for as the Thoughts are framed in the Mind so is every thing figured in its own substance in its own world Therefore our
who hath generated us again out of the Dying through the fire of God for out of the dying the fire-life becometh generated that which can go out from the Dying that is released from Death and the fierce wrathfull source 97. That is now its Kingdome of joy when no fierce wrathful source more is in it it is gone from it and is remained in the in dying in the dark world 98. And thus the Life out of Death attaineth the Eternal Liberty Wherein there is no fear or terrour more for in the Life the terrour or Skreek is broken 99. The right Life is a power of Joy A Continuall well-doing for there is no source quality or pain in it but only a desire which hath all properties of the source quality or pain 100. And yet the source quality or pain cannot list it self up therein so that it might kindle its properties therein for the Light and the Liberty hindereth that Note The soules fire uniteth or is one in it self with the Eternal Nature viz With the Principle for it is from its originall one and the same with it or co-united with it The right Spirit or Souls-Spirit is the Image and is one Spirit with God The Images Corporeity is with the heavenly Substantiality totally one It is the Body of the Word wherein the Believers or faithful live and shall live Eternally Further of the First Point The Second Chapter Concerning the property of the Principle What the Principle is or what they all Three are 1. THat is a Principle when a Life and Mobility findeth it self where none is the fire is a Principle with its Property and the Light is also a Principle with its Property For it becometh generated out of the fire and yet is not of the fires property 2. It hath also its own Life in it self but the Fire is Cause thereof and the fierce wrathfull anguish is a cause of Both viz of the Light and Fire-world 3. But * Note the will to the Anguish which causeth the Anguish-Nature which is called Father that a Man cannot search out or fathom we search and fathom only this how it introduceth it self into the highest Perfection into the Substance of the Holy Trinity and how it manifesteth it self in Three Principles and how the Essence and the source or quality originally existeth what Essence is from which the Life with the Senses or Thoughts originally Exist and the Wonder of all Beings or Substances 4. Thus we apprehend the Third Principle viz the source or quality of this world with the Starres and Elements to be a creature framed out of the Wonders of the Eternall †Or Wisdome Substantiality The Third Principle manifesteth Both the first 5. * Note Though indeed each of them is manifest in it self Yet nevertheless the Eternal Substance in its wonders which have become discovered in the Wisdome would manifest it self in such a property viz according to the ground of Eternity according to the fierce wrathful and the Love-source or quality and hath created all into a Creaturely and figured Substance according to the Eternall Originall evill and Good 6. As it is before our Eyes that in this world there is Evill and Good of which yet the Devils are a great cause who in the Creation in their Fall have more vehemently moved the fierce wrathfull Matrix in the fierce wrath 7. In which God according to the property of the fierce wrath hath moved yet more exceedingly to thrust them forth out of the Light into the Death of the fierce wrathfulness Whence also the Heavenly Substantiality became together * Or kindled by the Pride of the Devill Moved so that very much is become shut up together in the Earthly Substantiality that hath stood free in the Liberty 8. As we apprehend by the Gold and its Tincture which is free from the Earthly Substance for it subsisteth in the Fire and in all sources qualities or conditions no source or quality can overpower it but only Gods Will and somewhat must often be done for the sake of the worlds unworthiness 9. And when we rightly consider the Creating of this World and the Spirit of the Third Principle viz take before us the Spirit of the Great World with the Starres and Elements then we find the Eternall Worlds property and as it were mixed as a great Wonder whereby God the highest Good would manifest the Eternall Wonders which stand in secret and bring them into substance 10. We find Evill and Good and we find in all things the Center of Nature viz the Anguish Chamber especially we find the Spirit of the Great World in two Sources or Qualities in Heat and Cold By the Cold we apprehend the Center of the harsh sharp fierce wrath by the Heat the Principle in the fire yet they have but One originall out of another 11. The Fire cometh out of the fierce wrath of the Cold The Cold out of the Center of Nature out of the harsh astringent sharp anguish where the harsh astringency draweth so very strongly in it self and maketh Substantiality 12. As is to be apprehended That in the Moving of the Father in the Creation it hath made Earth and Stones whereas there was no Substance or Matter for it but only its own Substance which in both the Principles viz in the Light World and in the Deaths World in both the Desires was become Generated 13. That which in the Moving attained the fierce wrath that was together Created for the Globe of the Earth and therefore Men find therein Many sorts of Evill and of Good 14. And it cometh often to passe that Man can out of the Worst of all make that which is Best while the Center of Nature is therein if a Man bring it into the fire the pure child of the Eternal Substantiality may be brought out of it when it becometh free from death as is to be seen in Gold 15. Though indeed in this World we cannot reach to attain the Eternall fire and therefore also we can bring forth nothing out of this Principle out of defect wanting the Eternall fire which we cannot attain but only in the Imagination through which a Man hath might and power to bring the Life out of Death and to bring it into divine Substantiality which can be done only in Man that which is without or beyond Man belongeth to God and remaineth to the Renovation in the End of this Time Now You are to understand the Substance and the Propertie of the Principles Thus. 16. THe first Principle standeth in the fire of the willing and is the Cause of both the other also of the life and understanding and a preservation of Nature as also of all Properties of the Father 17. The Second Principle standeth in the Light viz in the Fire of the desire this desire maketh Substance out of the Property of the first Principle 18. The First and Second Principle is Father and Sonne in the
yet it is to the Life and to the Manifestation of the Life the most profitable of all 66. For No Life could be without these properties and this Principle groundeth or foundeth it self in the inward and outward World in the inward as it were imperceptibly in the outward perceptible with or by its fierce wrath 67. The Second Principle hath also its sprout or vegetation out of it self for the fire Springeth up in the Light with its own property in a desire of Love and Kingdome of Ioy and therefore also is the fires-Essence and property in the Light totally changed so that out of Anguish and Woe a Love desire cometh to be out of the stinging and raving a friendly sensible convincing understanding 68. * Note For the Light kindleth the Essences with the Love source or quality so that they give forth a sprout or vegetation out of themselves in the property of the Spirit viz a friendly willing curtesie vertue honesty and Piety Patience in suffering hope to be released or redeemed from Evill Continually in desire and Longing delight speaking and discoâ—rsing of Gods Deeds of wonder ringing forth singing and rejoycing in the Works and Wonders of God always freely would fain be well-doing stopping and hindering evill malice and wickedness would alwayes fain draw its neighbour with Love into the Light-world fleeing from Evill alwayes damping and kissing the Evill affections with patience in hope to be released from them and rejoycing in the Hope thereof though the Eyes see it not and outward Reason know it not alwayes pressing forth out of Evill and introducing the desire into the divine Substance and alwayes would fain Eat of Gods Bread 69. These properties the New Man who is born or generated again from the Light world bringeth forth these are his fruits which the Light world in him †Note so altogether hiddenly to the Old Adam continually generateth and continually killeth or mortifyeth the Old Adam of this world continually lyeth in strife with Him which must thus follow after the new Man 70. Yet as a Lazy Asse which must bear the Sack his Master alwayes lashing and goading him forward Thus doth the New Man to the Old it compelleth him that he must doe that which he would fain not doe that which concerneth the Pleasure and Jollity and Joy of this world would be more acceptable to the Old Asse but he must thus be Servant 71. The Second Principle hath its sprout or vegetation and giveth its Fruit in the Third Principle in Generall universally viz in the Spirit of the Great World so that the outward and inward Turba becometh hindered or prevented 72. It presseth or penetrateth through and giveth fruitfulness It preventeth and hindereth the fierce wrath of the Starres and breaketh the Constellation of the Spirits and also of the Firmamentall Heaven it withstandeth the fierce wrath of the Devils and the designes and assaults of evill and Malitious wicked men yet so farre only as some are found to be Holy or Saints who are worthy and capable of it 73. And the Third Principle hath also its sprout or vegetation Therein out of the inward were generated and Created the Starres and Elements which in this Place together with the Sun are called the Third Principle 74. For the Inward two Worlds viz the Fire and Light World have manifested themselves with or by the Third Principle and all is Mixed one with another Good and Evill Love and Enmity Life and Death 75. There is in all and every Life the Death and the Fire Also on the contrary a desire of Love all according to the Inward Worlds property and there grow two sorts of Fruits out of them Evill and Good also every Fruit hath both properties 76. Also they shew themselves in all and every Life in this World so that alwayes the Anger and Evill source Striveth with the Love there every property seeketh and bringeth forth fruit 77. What the Good maketh that the Evill destroyeth and what the Evill maketh that the Good destroyeth there is a constant warre and Contention for both the Inward Principles properties are stirring in the outward each bringeth and worketh fruit in the inward Kingdome each will be Lord. 78. The Cold viz the Exit out of the inward Center out of the fierce wrath of the Death will be Lord and continually shut up in Death it alwayes awakeneth the Sting of Death 79. And the Heat viz the Exit out of the right Fire will also be Lord it will Suppress and Consume all and will be alwayes rough without a Body It is a Spirit and desireth only the Spirits Life it giveth the Sting to the Cold for it killeth or mortifyeth it often so that it must loose or forsake its right and give up it self to the Heat 80. The Sun viz the Light will also have right and be Lord it overcometh the Heat and Cold for it maketh in its Light meekness water and introduceth in the Glance of Light a meek Spirit viz the Air although the Fire giveth the strength of the Wind and the Sun the Meek and Gentle Spirit which is justly called Air It is indeed one but hath two properties One according to the Fire viz a Terrible lifting up and the other according to the Light viz a Meek Life 81. Thus the outward Principle is only a Continuall Warring and Contention a building and a breaking what the Sun viz the Light buildeth that the Cold destroyeth and the fire consumeth it altogether 82. In this strife riseth up its sprouting or vegetation in meer strife and discord the One draweth out of the Earth its fruitfulness the other breaketh and devoureth it again It maketh in all living Creatures Evill Malignity Curstness and strife 83. For every Beast and every Life in this World except Man is only a fruâ—â— of the Third Principle and hath only the Life of the Third Principle both its spirit and body are only the same and all whatâ—â—â—ver stirreth and moveth it self in this World 84. And Man with his visible Body and Spirit in Flesh and Bloud is also only the fruit of that same Substance and Nothing Else at all 85. Therefore seeing also he hath the two inward Worlds in himself which giveth the true Understanding Thoughts Senses and Mind which also in this time of the Earthly and Elementary Body lye together one with another in strife therefore he should do well to look to it which World he maketh to be Lord in him for the same will Eternally be Lord in him 86. This Time he can break and Not further When the outward Breaketh then all standeth in the Aether 87. The Mind is Free and is the Angle and hath the Vnderstanding it may goe in whither it will and may incline to either of the Principles which it will into which Aether soever it Entereth there it is Eternally 88. And thus we understand the Ground of the Three Principles Like the Tongue of the *
Scales or Ballance Beam of a Balance I. The First Principle What God and the Eternity is and can doe II. And what kind of Sprout or Vegetation each of them giveth out of it self out of its property III. And how a Man shall search out the Ground of Nature And thus the First Head or Part or Point is finished The Second Point The Third Chapter Concerning the Mixed Tree of Evill and Good or concerning the Life of the Three Principles one in another how that uniteth it self and accordeth 1. * Note IN Gods Kingdome viz in the Light World there is no More but one Principle rightly known For the light hath the Dominion and the other sources or qualities and properties are all secret as a Mysterie for they must all serve the Light and give their willing up into the Light and therefore the fierce wrathfull Essence in the Light becometh changed into a Desire of Light and of Love in Meeknesse 2. Though indeed the properties viz harsh bitter Anguish and the bitter woe in the Fire continue Eternally even in the Light World yet none of them is manifest in its property but they are all of them together only thus a Cause of the Life of the Mobility and Joy 3. That which in the Dark World is a woe that is in the Light World a well-doing Munificence and that which in the Dark is a stinging and hating enmity that is in the Light a rising leaping Joy And that which in the Dark is a Fear Terrour and Trembling that is in the Light an Exulting and Triumphing of Joy a ringing forth and singing And that could not be if in the Originall there were not such an Earnest Eager severe source or quality 4. Therefore is the Dark World the Light Worlds ground and originall and the anxious Evill must be an Originall of the Good and is all Gods yet the * Note Light World is only called God 5. And the Principle between the Light World and the Dark World is called Gods anger and fierce wrath And if that be awakened as by the Devill and all evill or wicked men it is they then become forsaken of the Light and fall into the Dark World 6. The Dark World is called Death Hell the Abysse and a Sting of Death Despair Self-enmity and Lamentation a life of Malice Wickedness and Falshood in which the Truth and the Light is denied and not apprehended or discerned wherein the Devils dwell and the Damned Souls also the hellish Wormes which the Deaths Fiat in the moving of the All-substantial Lord hath figured 7. For Hell hath in the Darknesse the Greatest Constellation of the Most Severe eager Power in that all is Loud sounding as a Great Noise that which ringeth in the Light that knocketh rumbleth or Thumpeth in the dark as is to be apprehended in those things that Men use to strike upon that they give a ringing sound for the ringing is not the Substance as a Bell which men ring-out that is it self no Sound but only a hardness and a cause of the ringing sound 8. The Bell conceiveth or receiveth the stroke viz the knocking and from the hard knocking the ringing sound goeth forth the cause is this that there is in the Matter of the Bell a Substance that together in the Creation in the Moving of the All-being or All-substantiall God became shut up in the hardness as is to be perceived by us in the Metalline Tincture if men would not be so mad and blind 9. Thus we apprehend that in Hell in the Abysse there are many and sundry sorts of Spirits not Devils only but many Hellish Wormes according to their Constellation and property not * Or having with understanding As in this World there are unreasonable Beasts Toads and Serpents c. 10. For all would be Creaturely and is gone into a Substance so that thus the Anger-Looking-Glass also sheweth its Wonders and manifesteth it self 11. Indeed there is no perception of woe in the Hellish Wormes for they are of the same Essence and property it is their Life and is a Substance which standeth hidden to the outward World only the Spirit of God which in all the Three Principles is it self the source or quality according to the property of each of them he knoweth it and manisesteth it to whom he will 12. Now then if we will say how the Principles unite in one another then we must set the fire viz the highest strength in the Middle that giveth to each Principle a well-pleasing Life and a Spirit which it desireth 13. Therefore there is no strife in the Principles for the fire is the Life of all Principles that is the cause of the Life not the Life it Self 14. To the Abysse it giveth its woe viz the sting so that Death findeth it self in a Life else the Abyss were a still vacuum It giveth its fierce wrath to it so that out of the Abysses Life mobility ariseth else it were a still void Eternity and a Nothing 15. And to the Light World the Fire giveth also its Essence else there would be no perception or Light therein and all were but ONE yet without the fire a Nothing viz an * A Vge Eye of Wonders which apprehended n◠it self wherein there were no understanding but an Eternall Arcanum or hiddenness where no seeking or production could be 16. To the Third Principle viz to the Kingdome of this World the fire giveth also its Essence and source or quality whence all and every Life and Substance becometh stirring all perception or sensibility or Cogitability and whatsoever shall come to be Somewhat must have Fire there springeth nothing out of the Earth without the fires Essence It is a cause of all the Three Principles and all whatsoever can be named 17. Thus the fire maketh an union of all the Three Principles and is in Each of them the cause of the Substance no Principle striveth against the other but the Essence of each desireth only its own and is alwayes in strife if that were not all would be a still void Nothing Each Principle giveth to the other its power and form or condition and there is a Continuall League or Peace between them 18. The Dark World hath the Great pain and Anguish which the fire causeth so that the Will panteth or longeth after the Liberty and the Liberty panteth after the †Note Manifestation viz after the Essences and giveth it self into the fierce wrath that it might manifest it self and so bringeth it self into Fire so that out of the fierce wrath and the Liberty a fire ariseth and so giveth it self to the fierce wrath to be devoured viz into Death but goeth out of the Death with the assumed Essences forth into its own viz into a World and source or quality of its own and dwelleth in it self unapprehended by Death and the Dark World and is a Light in it self 19. Thus is Death and the fierce wrath
in it self a great Evill or Malignity and is its own Enmity 19. And therefore is this World acknowledged for a Principle Of its own in that it hath a Nature-God of its own So to resemble it viz the Sun and yet really the Light of the Deity shineth through all through and through 20. The Light of the Sun taketh Essence from Gods Fire and Gods Fire from Gods Light And thus the Light of the Sun giveth the same power to the Elements and they give it to the Creatures also to the Vegetables of the Earth 21. And all whatsoever is of a Good property doth thus conceive or receive Gods Power for an Aspect or Influence through the Looking-Glasse of Wisdome from whence it hath its vegetation and life 22. For God standeth present with all things or Substances but all things oâ—â—ubstances do not conceive or receive him into its Essence But as in a Looking-Glasse of the Aspect in the Sun's power and vertue 23. For the Sun proceedeth forth out of the Eighth Number VIII Number Read of the â—0 Forms of Fire in the 40. Questions the 1. Chapter Its root out of which it receiveth its shining is the Eternall Fire but its Corpus or Body standeth in this World it s desiring is totally inclined and bent into this World and therefore it shineth in the World But its first Root standeth in the first World in the Fire of God 24. This World giveth Substance to its desiring and it giveth its power to the Substance and thus filleth all Things or Substances of this World as Gods Light doth the divine Light-world 25. And if Gods Fire should burn no More then the Sun would be extinguished and also the divine Light-world for Gods Fire giveth them both Essence and is a Principle of them Both and if the Dark-world were not both these would not be for the Dark-world giveth or affordeth the cause to Gods Fire 26. Thus also must the Three Worlds be one in another for Nothing can subsist without a Ground The Dark World is the Ground of Nature and the Eternall Abyssall Will which is called Father is the Ground of the Dark-world as is before Mentioned And the Light-world is hidden in the Dark-world also the Dark-world in the Light-world 27. And it is to be understood thus This World is in the Anger of God as it were shut up in Death for the Anger Springeth up in this Worlds Substance If that were not so then might this Worlds Substance well be capable of Gods Light 28. The Sun is not Gods Light for it shineth not totally in the divine Essence but in the Elementary Essence but it hath Gods Fire to its Root and yet becometh filled with this Worlds Substance 29. For it is desirous viz a Magicall Seeking and conceiveth or receiveth in its Imagination and Seeking the power of the Starres and Elements and out of that it shineth And though Gods Fire is the Root yet it belongeth not to Gods Kingdome 30. Herein a Man may understand also How the Devill is the poorest Creature for he cannot stirre the least leaf or spile of Grasse unlesse the Anger be therein For the Light and the Power and Vertue of this World is against him he goeth with his willing not into the Lights property also he cannot 31. He standeth Backwards in respect of the Light of the Sun in his Figure and Property therefore the Suns Light is not profitable to him And all whatsoever sprouteth or groweth in the Suns power which uniteth it self with the Sun that he hateth and is at Enmity with His Will goeth not readily thereinto Further of the Fourth Point The Sixt Chapter How the Inward is Manifested in the Outward Of the Three Worlds In what Manner God dwelleth in all Things or Substances How the whole World might be a Meer Sun What Man is And wherein God beholdeth Himself 1. If we would Consider all this and goe out of the Inward Worlds into the Outward into this visible World Then we should find that the Substance of the outward World is proceeded out of the Inward viz out of the Imagination or desiring of the Inward Worlds and that in the outward World are found the properties of both the Inward Worlds 2. Also we find that the Will of both the Properties are stirring and manifest in the outward World And then how the Good viz the Substance which is proceeded out of the Light-world is totally shut up together in the Anger and Death And how the Divine Power maketh all stirring so that all groweth forth out of and through the fierce wrath of Death 3. For the Earthly Tincture hath no Communion with the heavenly in the Light-world yet we find another Tincture in the Earth which hath Communion with the Heavenly viz in the Pretious Costly Metals And yet is together shut up 4. And understand the Moving and the Fiat of both the Eternall Worlds thus The Dark and Light-world have each of them Longed after Substance and where God once moveth Himself the one World without the other could not be moved 5. For the Dark-world holdeth or hath in it the first Center of Nature and the Light-world the second Center viz the Heart of God or the Word of the Power of the Deity and the one World is not severed from the other 6. Whereby it is to be apprehended in what danger we stand And ought to be considered whither we will cast or incline our willing for if we cast our selves into the Earthly Seeking then it captivateth us And then the Source or Quality of the Abysse is our Lord and the Sun our temporall God 7. But if we cast or incline our selves with our willing into the World without or beyond this World then the Light World catcheth hold of our willing and God becometh our Lord and we leave the Earthly Life to this World and take along with us what is come into us viz into Adam Out of the Light-world that together with the willing which becometh * Or one and the same one Spirit with God is brought forth out of this World 8. Reason saith Where are then the Three Worlds It would needs streight have a separation of them asunder as if one were without or distant from the Other or stood above the other which yet cannot possibly be Else the Eternall Abyssall Substance must never it self asunder 9. But how can that sever it self asunder which is in Nothing which hath no place which it self is All Most certainly that cannot come into particular or partition which hath no Ground that suffereth not it self to be conceived which dwelleth in it self and possesseth it self Yet it goeth out from it self and Manifesteth it self out of it self 10. It maketh a thing out of it self which in it self is but a Will in it self it is a Spirit but it maketh out of it self a Form of a Spirit and the Form Maketh a Substance according to the property of the Spirit
and Beasts what a biting Enmity striking proud stately Will the own self-will is where every Will would dominere over the other and worry and devour the other and only lift up it self also tread under all with cunning subtilty fierce wrathfull Malice Malignity and Falshood and make it self Lord thus also hath the Dark-world such a property 31. What all evill wicked malicious Men in this World doe in their malice wickedness and falshood that also the Devils doe in the Dark-world and what the poysonous evill Wormes and Beasts in their Malignity doe that doe also the other Creatures in the Dark-world 32. Though indeed they are without such Bodies yet they have such a Property in their Spirituall Body and though indeed they have Bodies yet it is after a spirituall manner as the Devils have 33. The Dark-worlds Birth or Geniture Substance Essence and Dominion standeth principally only in the first four Formes of Nature viz in the anxious Source or Quality in a very exceeding strong and mighty potent Dominion where all in the Essence is loud-sounding 34. For the Meekness is the Enmity of the fierce wrathfull Might or Power and indeed the one is against the other Else if they should be ONE there would also be but one only Source or Quality 35. If also there were but one Will there could not the Eternall Wonders become Manifest but the Manifold various Source or Quality maketh the Eternall Wonders revealed or Manifest 36. For the Eternity could not otherwise be manifested nor come to substance but with the kindling viz in the harsh hard strong or stern Attraction wherein the Dark world standeth and wherein the Fire-world ariseth originally and the Light-world 37. It is all but One only Substance but it parteth it self into three Properties of Sources or Qualities there is no Property rent asunder from the other but every one giveth or affordeth the other as is to be seen in Fire and Light as also in the Matter out of which the Fire burneth 38. And it is not necessary for Man to search further for he is himself the Substance of all Substances only thus farre it is necessary for him to search therefore because he hath in his Creation turned himself away out of his in-standing Order or stated Ordinance and introduced and awakened another source or quality in himself to find how he may again enter into his Eternal Order or Ordinance and source or quality and Regenerate himself again 39. And then how he may again quench the fierce wrathfull Source or Quality which is Stirring in him seeing ALL is stirring in him and that Evill and Good draweth him therefore he should learn how he may withstand the fierce Wrath and may walk and converse in Meekness in the Source or Quality of the Light and of the Love 40. Else Man had had no Law if he had not kindled himself in the Dark-worlds Property and walked or conversed according to the Property thereof Else all is free to him * NOTE Whatsoever he doth in the Meeknesse and Love that is FREE to him and is his owne Substance 41. It lyeth in No mans Name or Opinion all whatsoever is sprouted or grown out of one only Root that is and belongeth to one only Tree it is one only Fruit unlesse it destroyeth it self so that it changeth the very Essence it self 42. So long as a thing continueth in the Essence out of which it is existed so long it hath no Law but when it departeth out from thence into another Source or Quality then the first Source or Quality cleaveth to it and lyeth with the other in strife and now the Law pursueth it that it should enter again into that which it was in the originall and be one not two for one onely thing should drive on one only Dominion not two 43. Man was created in the Dominion of the Love and Meeknesse viz in Gods Substance therein he was to continue But seeing he hath awakened to himself yet another Dominion viz the fierce Wrath now he is in strife and hath Law upon him that he mortifie and forsake the fierce Wrath and be in One dominion again 44. If then both Dominions are become mighty in him and that the fierce wrathfull Dominion hath overpowered or vanquished the Love then he must totally dissolve in the Substance and become new born or generated again out of the first Root and therefore he hath in this Twofold Substance Law upon him how he shall behave himself and generate or bring forth a Will-Spirit to the Eternall Dominion 45. All this now standeth in his Might and Power he may generate or bring forth the fierce wrathfull Spirit or the Love-Spirit and according to that he becometh separated thither into which World he belongeth for he separateth himself but the Law over him continueth so long as he stand in this Field or Soyle 46. And then when the †Or Hearb Weed separateth from this Field of the Body Then it is in one Dominion again And there it shall continue Eternally for hereafter there is nothing more that can give it Law for it is totally One only in its willing either to doe Evill or Good 47. But in this outward Life Man standeth in Strife and there Two Dominions sway in him of a twofold Source or Quality and Law The one the divine to Love and Righteousness Secondly the other the fierce wrathfull one in the rising up of Pride and State in the Fires Might in the stern harsh hellish Covetousness Envy Anger and Malice or Wickednesse 48. To which then the Spirit inclineth uniteth or appropriateth it self of that Dominion it is The other cleaveth to it and reproacheth it to its Face as a perjured Apostate yet draweth it and would have it thus the Life sticketh between both in the Presse and is ever at odds with it self 49. But when it departeth away and totally giveth it self home to the fierce Wrath then the fierce Wrath destroyeth the first Image according to God but if it cannot totally because the divine Power hindereth it yet will the fierce wrath thrust the whole Man headlong and will cast Many headlong into Despaire in that anguish so that he kills himself or putteth himself to Death 50. And thus the Soul falleth with the Image home to the fierce wrathfull Dark-world and the Image is brought into a hellish Figure into a Form or Condition of its Property which it had here 51. For thus it is also come to passe with the Devils who have lost their first Image Every Devill hath now his Image according to his Property according to the fierce Wraths Figure according to its Source or Quality like as there are horrible Wormes or Evill Beasts and such a thing the lost Soul also hath to expect 52. Outward Reason supposeth that Hell is farre off from us but it is near us every one carrieth it in himselfe unlesse he kill the hellish Poyson * Note how
teach before the people concerning the Kingdome of Heaven in Similitudes or * Mark 4.13 33.34 Mysterium Magnum ch 46. ver 31. Parables 115. Question Why hath not Christ himself described his Gospel with Letters in writing But only Taught and left it afterwards to his Apostles to write it down 116. Question Why must it be the very * Mark 10.33 Math. 27.1 41. High Priests and Scribes or Scripture learned who taught the People that must speak against or contradict Christ and would readily mock him and condemn him continually to death Why must not the worldly Magistracy doe it or the Common people What doth that signifie 117. Question Why must there be such a way and processe observed toward Christ †Mat. 26.67 ch 27.26 to the 34. with Mockings reproaching derision or scorn and scourging before his Passion Why did God suffer that to be so done 118. Question Why must the very Teachers of the Law bring Christ to the judgement and yet must be put to Death by the * Math. 27.2 Heathenish Magistracy What doth that signifie 119. Question Why must Christ suffer and †Mat. 27.50 dye Was God to doe it for such a Revenge sake that he might attone and reconcile or appease himself could he not otherwise forgive Sinnes 120. Question What is the Figure of the Two Murtherers Luke 23.33 which were hanged on a Crosse on Each side of Christ And why must Christ dye on a wooden Crosse and Not otherwise 121. Question How †Heb. 2.14 Phil. 2.8 did Christ slay Death on the Crosse with his dying How came that to passe 122. Question Why must Christ * Ioh. 19.31 34 and 20.25 Col. 2.14 be nailed to the Crosse And why Must his Side be opened with a Spear out of which Bloud and Water ran How doe these signifie in the Figure 123. Question Why must Christ †Math. 27. from 39. to the 50. be reproached on the Crosse 124. Question Whether also was the divine Power * Ioh. 19.34 in the Bloud which Christ shed or poured unto the Earth 125. Question Why did †Math. 27.51 Three Principles ch 25. ver 44 45. the Earth Tremble when Christ hung on the Crosse 126. Question What did †Luke 23.46 See the 37. Question of the forty Questions of the Soul the Darknesse signifie which at that time came over all Nature 127. Question Wherefore did Christ in his Death * Luke 23.44 Mysterium Magnum ch 23. ver 3. commend his Soul into his Fathers Hand What is that Hand of God 128. Question Why did some * Luke 23.48 Convert and turn again when they saw what was done at the dying of Christ and the High Priests not Why must they be blind and hardened to this work 129. Question What was †Acts 2.27 31 Heb. 2.14 Christs going to Hell where he overcame Death and the Devil 130. Question How did 〈◊〉 * 1 Pet. 3.19.20 preach to the Spirits which in the Tiâ—â—â—oah believed not 131. Question 〈…〉 â—hrists Rest in the †Math. 27.63 64. ch 28.1 Luke 24.1.7 Grave signifie 〈…〉 lye forty houres in the Grave 132. Question 〈◊〉 must * Mâ—th 27.64 65 66. Christs Grave be guarded with W â—â—â—rs What doth that signifie that the Hiâ—h Priests would resist or oppose Gods Power and Might and would keep Christ in the Grave 133. Question Why did the Evangelist say that * Math. 28.2 to the 9. the Angell removed the Great Stone from the door or Mouth of the Grave Could not Christ have risen else out of the Grave 134. Question What is the Power of Christs Resurrection through the Death How * Col. 2.14 15. did he make a triumphant shew of Death on his Body What was it then that he did with it 135. Question What manner of †Rev. 3 8. Door hath Christ through Death in our humanity opened in the Anger and Righteousness of God whereby we may enter into God How is that done 136. Question What doth the Pilgrimage * Luke 24. from the 13. to the 31. vers Journey of the two Disciples from Jerusalem to Emaus signifie where they complained in anxiety for their Master and yet Christ walked among them and enquired of them and taught them And yet they knew him not 137. Question Why did Christ after his Resurrection first appear to †Mark 16.9 10 11. John 20.14 to the 19. a Woman and not to the Disciples 138. Question Why did Christ * Luke 24.42 Joh. 20.19 26. after his Resurrection eat of the †broyled Fish with his Disciples And Entered into them through a shut door and taught them 139. Question Why did not Christ after his Resurrection shew himself to Every one But to some only 140. Question Why did Christ * Act. 1.2 3. Three Principles ch 25. from the 75. ver to the 98. after his Resurrection Converse forty dayes upon Earth before he went or was taken up to Heaven What doth that signifie 141. Question What is †Math. 24.51 Mark 16.19 Act. 1.9 Three Principles ch 25. from 98. verse to the end Christs going or Ascention to Heaven That he did visibly ascend Whither is he arrived and where is he now at present 142. Question What signifie * Acts 1.11 the Two Men in shining Garments who said ye Men of Galilee why look ye up after him this JESUS who is taken from you to Heaven will come again as ye have seen him Ascend or goe to Heaven Acts 1.11 143. Question †Three Principles ch 26. verse 1 2. thence to the 13. Why must * Acts 2.1 His Ascention was forty Dayes after his Resurrection or the Passeover or Easter And ten Dayes after his Ascention to the Day of Pentecost which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quinquagessuna dies the fiftieth day or seven weeks day or the Morrow after the seventh Sabbath which was called the Feast of Weeks or First-fruits Math. 26.2 Mark 14.1 2. â—uke 22.1 John 13.1 the Passover was the fourteenth day of the first Month. Exod. 12 1â— Levit. 23.5 Numb 28.16 in the Month Abib Exod. 13.4.23.15 and 34.18 the Feast of the first Fruits of thy Labours thou hast sown in the field Exod. 23.16 the feast of weeks Exod. 34.22 And from the Morrow after the Sabbath of the Passover you shall count Seven Sabbaths that is seven times seven which is forty nine and the Morrow after maketh fifty dayes Levit. 23.15 16. Numb 28.26 The Feast of Weeks Deut. 16.9 the Disciples of Christ yet wait ten Dayes from his Ascention for the sending of the Holy Ghost Why was not that done Instantly 144. Question What is this that the Disciples must †Luk. 24.49 Ioh. 15.26 Acts 1.4 wait and Continue together till the Holy Ghost came 145. Question What is the Feast of Acts 2.1 to the 4. Pentecost How was the shedding or pouring forth
viz as to one part to the Commandement with their Will directed into Gods Will as the first Patriarchs and all the honest good People of Israell 96. The other acted with their Hands the Works of the Law and clave with their Will to their poysonous Magia viz to Covetousness and sought nothing Else but the Numbers of the Multiplicity 97. Their Mouth was a Jew and the Heart a Babylonish Whore an Hypocrite and Antichrist with good words and a false covetous Heart 98. And thus in Christendome and with all People and Nations is the Babylonish Whore together with Antichrist sitting and there in one only People two Kingdomes dwell at once and they let themselves not mix in the inward Spirit so that they become one * Dan. 2.43 as Lime and Iron mingle not 99. They doe indeed mingle themselves according to the outward Body But their Spirits are of two sorts of Tribes or Generations as the Prophet Daniel saith Daniel 2. from 40. to the 45. verse 100. Therefore whosoever will know the Antichrist let them seek him only thus they will find him in every House but the worst of all is the Crowned Whore and her God-mothers who elevate her out of the Baptisme of Whoredome that they also may live in Number of the Multiplicity viz the Cryers who lead from the one Will of God into Many Wills that they alone may inherit the Number of the Multiplicity and may stuffe of fatten Earthly Bellies 101. And the other part belonging to the Free-Will of God goeth forth with the Magick Will hereof out of it self into the Liberty viz into the one only incomprehensible Will of God and it standeth * In the Philosophick Globe in the 40. Questions of the Soul turned Backward in the Magick Figure 102. The Life thereof seeketh Bread and goeth forward and its Will is not in the Bread but goeth out of it self out of the seeking into God into one only Number these are the right Children of the Eternall Mâ—gia 103. For Gods Spirit dwelleth in their Will and openeth to them the Eternall Wonders of God and their Lifes Spirit openeth the Wonders of this World and they are free from Babell and the Antichrist though indeed they should sit in the Bosome thereof for the right true Image of God standeth in the Spirit of the willing which becometh generated out of the Spirit of the Soul The Ninth Text. 104. WHereas then there are thus two Magia's in one another so there are also two Magi which manage and drive them viz two Spirits the one is Gods Spirit and the other the Spirit of Reason into which the Devill insinuates himself and in the Spirit of God the Love of the Unity stirreth it self 105. †Note And Man cannot better try and prove himself then by taking serious Consideration To what his Desire and Lust or Longing driveth him The same he hath for a Conductor and its Child he is 106. Neverthelesse he hath Now Might and Strength that he can break and alter that Will for he is Magicall and hath the Might or Ability Yet it must be Sincere or Earnest for he must Tame or subdue the Starry Spirit which ruleth in him Note Note 107. To this belongeth a Temperate sober and quiet Life with continuall giving up into the Will of God for the taming or subduing of the Source or Quality of the Starres there is no Wisdome nor Art needfull but Sobriety or Temperance of Life with continuall going out from the Influxes or * Instigations of Evill in Lusts and Passions Instigations the Elements continually dart into him the seeking of the Starres into the Will 108. Therefore it is not so easie a thing to become a Child of God to that belongeth great Labour and Toyle 109. And yet the Antichrist dares call himself a Child of God but Christ saith * Math. 7.21 22 23. They shall not all come into the Kingdome of Heaven that say LORD LORD and have not we Cast out Devils in thy Name and done great works but he faith to them away from me ye stinking Goats I know you not you have done this out of the false or wicked Magia and are not become known in my Spirit and Will 110. Ye are in your Spirituall Figure Goats Tyrants Covetous Proud Stately Voluptuous ye have brought my Name on to your Tongue but have sacrificed your Heart to the Pleasures and Voluptuousnesse of the Flesh and are generated in the Turba ye must be tryed through the Fire and so Each Kingdome getteth home its Fruit. 111. Therefore ye brave World behold your self in these Writings which have set before you the Eternall Ground and Consider further and deeper concerning it else you will become captivated in your Turba and there you shall with your Substance goe through the Fire of God and whatsoever is †1 Cor. 3.13 14 15. a work without the Will of God that shall remain in the Fire but whatsoever is generated in the Will of God that shall stand to Gods Glory and deeds of Wonder and to the Eternall Joy of the Image of Man 112. Now Consider what thou doest For Babell standeth already in the Flames and beginneth to Burn there is no Quenching or Extinguishing More nor no Remedy or Medicine she is become known to be Evill her Kingdome goeth to the End Hal-le-lu-jah The 8 of May. 1620. The Translation into the Nether-dutch was the second time made 1642. in July out of Three written High-dutch Copies Out of which Nether-dutch this was translated into English Saturday 6. of February 1657 8. Old Stile And compared with a High-dutch Copie The Holy Week Or A PRAYER-BOOK In which is mentioned the true Ground of Right Praying Set forth upon the entreaties and desires of his loving and good Friends for the daily Exercise of True Christianity in their Hearts and Little Church of their Families In the Year 1624. left unfinished By Jacob Behme Teutonicus Philosophus Englished by JOHN SPARROW London Printed by M. S. for Lodowick Lloyd and are to be sold at the Castle in Cornhill 1661. The brief Contents of this Prayer-Book for Every Day in the Week HOw Man should continually consider and call to mind his Employment Office or Duty his State Condition and Conversation wherein God hath set and ordained him and how he should Commit and Commend his Beginning Middle and End of all his Doings to God and Continually work all his Works with and IN God just as the Stock of the Tree generateth its Branches with and IN the power of the Root and bringeth forth its Fruit upon them And how in all his Beginnings he should draw Power and Vertue to his Works out of Gods Fountain or Well-spring and thank his Creatour for all Benefits Together with a hearty Consideration of the Suffering Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ shewing how Man should continually bring his Soules hunger and desire through Christs Death in his Resurrection into
God and presse or penetrate to the New Birth that he may Pray in Spirit and in the Truth and that the Spirit of Christ may pray in and with him and plead for him before God Christ saith John 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that pray unto him or worship him must pray unto him or worship him in Spirit and in Truth The Preface of the Prayer-Book To the Reader that Loveth God Concerning the true Ground of the right * Or Art Skill of Prayer What Prayer is and wherefore God commandeth us to Pray Dear Christian Reader 1. RIght Praying is not a meer Custome that a Man needs only Speak or Say the Words of Prayer no such speaking of words without hearty Consideration Attention or Devotion and divine Desire is but an Outward thing an outward forming or framing of words 2. The Mouth Imageth or contriveth its words of the Prayer with the outward Power of the Constellations or Starres and Elements and maketh only a form or figure of the willing wherein there is no working Power For Nothing pleaseth God unlesse what himself worketh and doth with a thing 2. For God in the Prophet complaineth of such outward Mouth-prayer or Lip-prayer without Power where he saith With their lips they draw near to Me but their Heart is farre from Me. Isai 29.13 4. Also saith Christ Not all that say LORD LORD shall come into the Kingdome of Heaven but they that doe the Will of my Father in Heaven Math. 7.21 And saith further in another Place Without ME ye can doe nothing John 15.5 He alone is the living Fountain and the Throne of Grace with and through which we with Prayer can enter or press before and into God 5. If we would pray aright then we should I. First view and well consider our selves whither our Heart have Imaged or framed it self into another Creature and whether also such desire which we desire to obtain of God be right Or also whether such desire which we would bring to God in our Prayer be against the profit or benefit and Love of our Neighbour Or whether we therein seek temporall Matters to abridge our Neighbour therein and to draw that which is his to our selves Or whether we thereby desire a Generall Common Love and Unity or Concord Or whether with such Praying we seek only our own Profit and Gain to our selves 6. II. And Secondly We should well Consider our selves whether we also in our Prayer desire and Love any thing More or above the Mercy of God Or whether whatsoever we desire of Temporall things we desire them only and alone from the divine hand and Co-working Or whether we would through our Skill Art Subtilty Cunning and Wit draw it to our selves and so only pray to God for his * Or permission leave to have it or whether we relye upon our selves or whether we would obtain it through the divine co-working that we may afterwards say with a chearful heart This God hath bestowed or vouchsafed ME through his Fatherly Care and Providence I have only been the Hand and the Instrument Or whether we will say this I have brought to passe through my own Skill and Understanding 7. III. Thirdly we should consider what we would doe with that which we pray for and desire from God Whether we thereby only desire to have the Honour and Highness of the World for temporall Pleasure and Voluptuousness or whether we would lay out that which God casteth upon us with his Blessing through our Prayer to his Honour and the Love of our Neighbour and give it to him again and whether we would also account our selves therein only to be Labourers and Servants or Ministers in his Vineyard as from whom God will require an account of his Gifts how faithfull we have been therein 8. IV. Fourthly we should Consider that in this World we have nothing for our own and that we our selves are not our own but only for a little while in this World are Labourers and besides strange Guests or Pilgrims only Officers of our God over his Creation Workmanship and Creatures and that whatsoever we work in and doe we doe it not for our selves only but for God and our Neighbour 9. And that we all are together but One in Christ our Saviour who himself is IN us ALL and in that respect that we should have a Generall Common Love one towards another and desire †1 John 4.10 11. heartily to Love one another as God in Christ our Saviour hath loved us and that we will heartily and readily impart the Gifts which God hath given us through our Prayer whether they be Earthly or Heavenly to our fellow-Members and hold together as the Tree in its Branches or as the Earth with its Fruit or Productions doth which willingly and readily giveth up it self into all its Fruits and loveth and beareth them all 10. V. Fiftly we must Consider that we of and from our own power cannot rightly pray before God as Christ saith Without Me ye can doe nothing Also Saint Paul saith We know not what we should pray as we ought before God But the Holy Spirit it self pleadeth for us mightily with unspeakable Sighs before God as it pleaseth him Rom. 8.26 11. Therefore when we will pray to God our Heavenly Father then we must call upon him in the Name of his dear Sonne Jesus Christ for the Illumination of his holy Spirit that he would forgive our Sinnes for his bitter Suffering and dying sake and give us that which is good and * Blissfull happy for us we should commit all whatsoever is Earthly to his Skill Cognizance and Will and not only with Empty breath and words enter before God when we would pray aright and be heard But with true right earnest sincere Repentance and Conversion from our false or wicked Conversation We must goe forth from all Falshood Pride or State Covetousness Envy Anger and Contrariety or Opposition and totally give up our Heart and Soul to God the Holy Spirit that he may be our Working of Repentance and Power in the Prayer That he may include or comprehend our willing and desiring in himself and bring it into GOD that we may dye away in the Death of Christ from our false or wicked vanity and desire which is befallen us by inheritance and in the Spirit of Christ in us rise again and be born with a New Will Mind and Obedience towards God and forth on walk in such Power in Righteousness and Purity with our Will and New Birth before God as his Children whom he hath dearly bought through the Bloud and Death of his well-beloved Sonne and hath new regenerated them in his Spirit 12. VI. Sixtly Christian Loving Reader thou oughtest well to consider What Prayer is and why God Bids us to Pray It is NOT such a thing as when a Man cometh before a Worldly King or Lord when he hath misdemeaned himself towards him and Prayeth
Jerusalem viz the City or Habitation of God Wherein thy Sabbath becometh sanctified I give up my self wholly altogether into thy Sabbath only deliver me I pray thee from Evill AMEN The * The 4. according to Luthers Catechisme otherwise the 5. Commande Fourth Commandement Thou shalt Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thou mayst live Long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 224. O Eternall God! by our Bodily Parents thou settest before us an Image of our Eternall Father and of our Eternall Mother 225. For THOU art our FATHER from whom we have received our Life and thy WORD is our MOTHER who hath generated us out of thy Creation and formed us according to the expresse Image of thy Manifestation or Revelation 226. Our Soul and Mind O God and Father is thy Expresse Reflex Image And our Body is an Expresse reflex Image of thy out-flown Word Which Word is our Eternall Mother In whose Body we are given Suck and are nourished Whom we should honour and humble our selves before HER and be obedient to her 227. As we should honour our outward Corporeall Parents so also our Eternall out of whose Mouth we are sprung forth 228. O Eternall Father we are become disobedient unto thee and have given our selves up to a strange Mother into her Tuition we have taken the World to be Our Mother and are become unfaithfull to the inward Mother of thy Power in thy Word 229. And now we must suck into us the Poyson and Death from the strange Mothers Breasts yea she beareth us now in her Body or Womb of Contrariety and Generateth and Consumeth us again in thy fierce Wrath and nourisheth us the time of this whole outward Life in meer Cumbersome Care Misery tedious Weariness and Necessity in Suffering and Calamity and holdeth us captive so that we cannot see our first Eternall Mother 230. Our Soul lamenteth after her but thy Anger holdeth us captive in it self so that we must serve and minister to the strange Mother 231. O God! How long wilt thou forget us in our Misery Take us again I pray thee to be thy Children and generate us again in our Eternall Mother anew and give us an Obedient Will that we Eternally never more depart from thee Give us also an Obedient Heart towards our Bodily Parents that we may love and honour them as THY Ordinance seeing through them thou Generatest and daily bringest us up to this World Therefore help us we pray thee that we may be obedient to thy Commandement O Dear God! Thou hast of thy Grace given us a New Mother viz thy Most holy Word in thy Love and sent it into our Humanity to generate us again in thy Eternall Power to be thy Children and Heires and pourest into us again the * Divine Meekness MILK of thy holy Substance thy Love Draw us I pray thee to it and open in us the right Mouth of Faith that we may continually hunger and thirst after it and be renewed in its Power For the Old Body from the Earthly Mother availeth not before THEE it cannot possess thy Kingdome for that which is born of flesh and Bloud or of the Will of Man cannot attain the filiation but that only which is generated of or out of GOD. Therefore I pray thee O Eternall Father generate ME a New I pray thee through the New Mother of thy Grace and Mercy in JESUS CHRIST and let me grow and increase in HIM to a living and holy fruit in thy Kingdome that I together with thy Holy Angel may be Eternally obedient to THEE and Eternally rejoyce my self in THEE AMEN At the End of the High-dutch Copie is noted these Books following of the Authour that were not finished FIrst This Prayer-Book Secondly The Aurora Thirdly The Treatise of divine Manifestation or Revelation what God Nature and Creature also Heaven Hell and the World together with all Creatures are Deduced through the whole Process and Course of the World to the End and in the Eternity and set down in 177. Questions Fourthly The Most highly pretious Gates of Divine Vision What the Mysterium Magnum is And how all is from through and in God How he is so neer to all things and filleth all in all These the Authour of pious Memory finished not but in the 24. Sunday after Trinity 1624. daparted from this vain World Speaking these his last words Nun fahre Ich hin in s Paradis Now goe I hence into Paradise Lyeth buried at Gerlitz in the Church-yard and upon the Grave was set a wooden Crosse with a Mystical Threefold Figure of an Eagle a Lyon and a Lamb The Superscription upon the Monument was this V. H. I. L. I. C. I. U. Vnsor Heil Im. Leben Jesu Christi In. Vns Our Salvation is In. the Life of Jesus Christ In. Vs. Born of GOD. Dead in JHSUH Sealed with the HOLY-SPIRIT Resteth here Jacob Behme of Old Scidenburg A ✚ O. 1624. 18. November About the 6th hour in the Morning Sunday in the 50. year of his Age blessedly departed The Translatour into the Nether-dutch hath this Postscript ANno 1641. 1. Julij that Translation was finished out of two written and different Copies Vnder one of the Copies is noted by Herre Abraham van Francken-bergh as followeth The Authour Jacob Behme of Gerlitz could not bring this little Prayer-book to an End But dyed Anno 1624. buried Gerlitz c. as before Vnder the other Copie is noted by Herre Heynricus Prunius as followeth This I have written off from the Authours own blessed Manuscript who is now in Blisse He proceeded no further he would have gone through the Six Dayes of the Week and made the beginning on Munday as here is to be seen and would have concluded it on the Seventh that is on the Sunday in the true Paradisical Sabbath The Prayers from the Holy Ten Commandements are the beginning of Tuesday he would have Expounded the whole Decalogue Apostles Creed And Our Father in such a Manner by way of Confession and Prayer But he was continually hindered as also of writing other Excellent Treatises Being by the Earnest-entreaty of several Friends that Loved God put upon the writing sometime of one sometime of another Work He also Entended with the permission of the divine Help to make an Exposition upon All the Epistles and Gospels through the whole Year but hath begun nothing of it because his time was Interrupted and Cut off A Brief Table of the Contents 1. THe true Ground of the right Skill of Prayer Very Edifyingly teaching to understand what Praying is and how Men should pray verse 1. to 32. 2. An Introduction to right Praying verse 33. to 46. 3. A Prayer and right acting Repentance before Gods Face verse 47. to 64. 4. A Thanksgiving and Prayer when a Man feeleth the divine Power and Vertue in himself verse 65. to 72. 5. A Prayer to the Fire-burning Love of God Shewing how rightly to pray for it
verse 73. to 79 Prayers for the Dayes of the Week I. for Munday verse 80. 6. A short Prayer when we awake Early before we rise verse 81. to 82. 7. A Prayer and Thanksgiving when we rise verse 83. to 89. 8. A Prayer when we dresse and wash verse 90. to 99. 9. A Prayer when one would goe to work and the Employment or Calling in which God hath set every One. verse 100. to 112. 10. A Prayer at Noon to consider ones State and Condition verse 113. to 129. 11. At Noon to Consider the Quality of the Day of the ascending of the Mind verse 130. to 142. 12. At Evening to consider our wearinesse Of the descending of the Mind verse 143. to 158. 13. When one leaveth off Labour and would goe to sleep verse 159. to 162. 14. When one undresseth and lyeth down to rest verse 163. to 166. 15. A Prayer of thanks for the bitter Passion and Dying of Jesus Christ verse 167. to 170. II. For Tuesday 16. A Meditation or Confession on the 1. Commandement an Earnest Looking-Glasse to be well Considered verse 171. to 190. 17. Vpon the 2. else 3. Commandement Of Gods Holy Name 191. to 205. 18. On the 3. else 4. Commandement Of the right Sabbath day verse 206. to 224. 19. On the 4. else 5. Commandement How we should honour our temporall and Eternall Father and Mother verse 225. to 232. END The Highly pretious Gate of the Divine * Visibility of Contemplâ—â—ility Vision Or Contemplation Shewing what the Mysterium Magnum is And how ALL is from through and in God Also How God is so neer all things and filleth ALL. Begun to be written in High-dutch Anno 1624. but lest unfinished By Jacob Behme Teutonicus Philosophus Englished by JOHN SPARROW London Printed by M.S. for Lodowick Lloyd and 〈◊〉 be sold at the Castle in Cornhill 1662. The First Chapter Of the Divine Visibility Vision or Contemplation What God is and how Men shall know * The Divine Substance his Substance by his Revelation or Manifestation Reason Saith 1. I Hear much spoken of God that there is a God who hath Created all things also preserveth and supporteth all things but I have not yet seen any nor heard from any who hath seen God or that could tell where God is or dwelleth or how he is 2. For if it looketh upon and Considereth the Substance and Matters or Things of this World how it goeth with the Vertuous and Honest as with the Evill and Wicked and bow all Things are Mortall and Corruptible also that the Vertuous and Honest seeth no Deliverer who releaseth him from the Anguish and Contrariety or Opposition of the Evill and Wicked and so must goe with Anguish in Misery to the Grave Then it thinketh all things are thus done by †Or mishap or hap-hazard chance there is no God who taketh pitty on the Sufferers seeing he letteth them that hope in him stick in Misery and therein goe to the Grave and that Men have heard of none who is come again out from Corruption and hath said that he hath been with God Answer 3. Reason is a Naturall Life whose ground standeth in a Temporall Beginning and End and cannot come into the super-naturall ground wherein GOD is understood 4. For though perhaps Reason looketh thus upon it self in this World and in its * Or Contemplation Visibility findeth no other ground yet it perceiveth in it Self a desire after a higher Ground wherein it might rest 5. For it understandeth that it is proceeded out of a Super-naturall Ground and that there must be a GOD who hath brought it into a Life and Willing and is †Or troubled or terrified astonished in it Self at its own willing and judgeth it self in the willing of Evill for unrighteous 6. Though indeed it doth that unrighteousnesse yet it complains against it self and is afraid of a Judgement which it seeth not Which signifieth that the hidden God who hath brought himself into Nature dwelleth in it and reproveth it for its Evill wayes and that the same hidden God * Or Cannot must not be the Nature of perceptibility seeing Nature seeth him not nor apprehendeth him 7. On the other side the forsaken Reason which in its apprehension is here vexed with wrong or unrighteousness in Misery findeth a desire in it self yet more to forsake it self and giveth it self willingly up to suffering 8. But passeth in its unrighteous Suffering into a Hope that that which hath created it will take it from suffering into it self and desireth to rest in that which is not †Passive passible and seeketh Rest in that which it is not in it self 9. It desireth the Dying of its self-hood or * Or Ihood or Somethingness somewhat and yet desireth not to be a Nothing but desireth only to die away from the source or torment that it might rest in it self 10. And therefore it giveth it self up to the suffering that the power of the painfulness should kill its suffering and that it in its Life might through the Death of the dying of it self in that it is a painfull Life enter into the unpainfull and impassible 11. In this a Man understandeth rightly the hidden God how he manifesteth or revealeth himself in the Mind of Man and reproveth the unrighteousness in the Conscience and draweth the unrighteous suffering by suffering to himself 12. And how the Reason-Life viz the Naturall Life must in the Suffering have a desire come upon it to turn it self again into that out of which it is gone forth and how it must desire to hate it self and to die away from the Naturall willing that it might attain the Super-Naturall Reason Saith 13. Wherefore hath God created a painfull suffering Life Might it not be in a better state without Suffering and Torment seeing he is the Ground and Beginning of all Things why doth he permit the Contrary opposite willing Why doth he not break and destroy the Evill that only the Good may be in all things Answer 14. No-Thing without Contrariety or Opposition CAN become Manifest to it self for if it hath Nothing that is Contrary or Opposite to it then it goeth continually forward OUT and goeth not IN again into it Self But if it goeth not IN again into it self viz into that OUT of which it is originally gone forth then it knoweth Nothing of its Originall 15. If the Naturall Life had no Contrariety or Opposition and were without a limit then it would never ask or enquire after its Ground out of which it is proceeded and so the hidden God would continue unknown or unapprehended by the Naturall Life 16. Also if there were no Contrariety or Opposition in the Naturall Life then there would also be no perceptibiâ—ity nor willing or working also neither Vnderstanding nor Knowledge or Skill therein 17. For a thing that hath but one Will that hath no Divisibility or Separability For if it
become Gods Child 5. For the Naturall own self-will cannot inherite the Filiation but that only which with the Unity Co-in-generateth that is like or equall to all things in which GOD himself worketh and willeth 6. Wherein we clearly understand how the INward Ground hath turned it self OUT and made it self visible and is an own self propriety of GOD viz an OUT-flowing or Efflux of divine Power and Willing Thus far the Authour wrote and no further A Brief Contents of this Book The First Chapter Of the Divine Vision or Aspect what God is and how a Man may know his Substance in his Manifestation or Revelation Reasons Argument HOw it seems as if there were no God Verse 1 and 2. Answer What Reason is Of its ability and understanding and how it seeketh its Rest From verse the 3. to the 12. Argument How God ought not to permit the striving Will that the Good or Temperature might be in all things Verse 13. Answer How without Strife nothing can become Manifested or Revealed and how the strife about the Forms is concerning the Image From verse 14. to the 21. Argument Wherefore the Evill must be with the Good Verse 22. Answer How the Evill procureth or causeth the Good God willeth nothing but what is gone out from him Out of what Faith and Hope exist Where Evill and Good Love and Sorrow begin Of the Ground of the Angels Souls and visible World How all Creatures Groan or long to be freed from this vanity The Wisdom becometh manifested through Folly From verse 23 to the 70. The Second Chapter Of the Mind of the Will and of the Thoughts of the humane Life how it hath its Original from the Will of God And how it is an Object or reflex Image of God in which God willeth worketh and dwelleth Argument HOw the Mind with the Senses or Thoughts being an inceptive Naturall Life stand in a Time or Fragility Corruptibility or Transitorinesse may in this Time be brought to the Super sensuall Super-cogitative Life Or how is the divine inhabiting in the Life Verse 1. Answer From whence the Life is come into a Created Image From whence the Life is become venomed or poysoned How the Captivated Life is helped again How the Captive Will of the Life can come into the rest Verse 2. to the 18. Argument Reason cannot apprehend why Men cannot prevent it but that the Life the Desire must Enter into the Earthly Properties Verse 19. Answer How the Humane Life in the beginning was a Rest How the same without Christ can doe nothing How God in the Will of the Life Speaketh or Worketh The Senses or Thoughts are an Image of the Mind and the Mind an Image of Gods Mind How Men may know whether a Man be the Child of Heaven or no. Who it is that gathereth not with Christ but scattereth The kind or manner of the right Life or of the dear or beloved Will of the Life From verse 20 to the 45. The Third Chapter Of the Ground of Nature how All is from through and in God How God is neer all things and filleth all WHat hath been the beginning of all Substances A resembling the Mind with the Eternall One What is understood by the Words Word and God How by the Mind of Man the Eternall Mind is to be understood How the Life becometh willing and working Out of what the World and all its hosts is sprung forth The Abysse of Nature and Creature is God and neer From verse 1. to the 24. Of the twofold Life in the reflex Image of the divine willing verse 25. Of Three sorts of Spirits in the powers of vegetable things Verse 33. 1. The outward Spirit the Grosse Brimstone Salt and Mercury Verse 34. 2. The Fift Essence that lyeth in the Oyl of the Brimstone Verse 37. 3. The Tincture a reflex Image of the divine Mysterium Magnum Great Mysterie Here begins a clear description of the Tincture to the â—â—nd of the Chapter for the Learned Medici the Physicians 39. The Fourth Chapter Of the IN and OUT How the Eternall Will of God bringeth it self OUT and into the perceptibility IN and again into the ONE This Chapter goeth only to the 6. verse An Explanation or Exposition of The TABLE of the Three Principles of the Divine Revelation Shewing How God is to be Considered how he is without Nature in himself and then in Nature according to the Three Principles Also What Heaven and Hell the World Time and Eternity are together with all Creatures Out of what all is Existed What the Visible and the Invisible are By Jacob Behme Teutonicus Philosophus Written in February 1624. Englished by JOHN SPARROW London Printed by M. S. for Lodowick Lloyd and are to be sold at the Castle in Cornhill 1661. An Explanation of the Scheme or Figure and of the Three Tables of the Divine Revelation 1. IN these Three Tables is explained and demonstrated How the hidden God hath revealed or Manifested himself forth out of himself by or through his out-breathing or out speaking of his Power 2. What Heaven Hell the World Angels Devils and all Creatures together with all and every Substance and moving thing is 3. Fron whence Evill and Good Light and Darknesse Life and Death Friend and Foe hard and soft originally Exist And how the Change and alteration of all and every Thing or Substance is effected how the Good changeth it self into an Evill and the Evill into a Good 4. Also therein is set forth or represented how all things in the Ground out of which they are originally Sprung forth are good and profitable and how all Mobilities stand in an inevitability 5. And herewith especially are the Three Principles of the divine Revelation or Manifestation demonstrated and how they originally exist out of ONE Only Ground both as to Time and Eternity The First Principle 6. That is to say The First Principle together with the Eternall Darknesse viz a receptibility of Properties whence perceptibility moving and living originally Exist which with its Ground reacheth even to the Fire The Second Principle 7. The Second Principle in the Light together with the Angelicall World or Power-World wherein the Efflux of the divine Power and Willing Manifesteth or Revealeth it self by the Magick Fire in the Light with the Fire-flaming Love by this a Man understandeth the Kingdome of God The Third Principle 8. The Third Principle is the visible Elementary World with its hoasts Which is an Efflux out of the First and Second Principle through the Moving and out-breathing or out-speaking of the divine Power and Willing wherein the Spirituall World according to Light and Darknesse is represented pourtrayed or Imaged from and come into a Creaturall Kind or Manner 9. In the Scheme or Figure is demonstrated what God is considered as distinct from or without Nature and Creature in himself The First Table 10. In the first Table is demonstrated the out-breathing or out-speaking of the Divine Word