JACOB BEHME'S Table, Of the Divine Manifestation. Or An EXPOSITION Of The Threefold World. Showing What God is in Himself, without Nature and Creature: and how he is to be considered in Nature according to the Three Principles. Also What Heaven, Hell, the World, Time and Eternity; as also all Creatures both Visible and Invisible, are; and out of what all things are proceeded and sprung forth. This Table is here Expounded in brief according to the Numbers; but in the Treatise of Predestination the Matters are handled more at Large, especially in the first Five Chapters. And Is as it were the Sum of all the Authors Writings; and as an A. B. C. to Beginners. London, Printed in the Year, 1655. What God is, considered as without and beyond Nature and Creature; and what the Great Mystery, Mysterium Magnum, is; showing, how GOD hath, by his Breathing forth or Speaking, introduced himself into Nature and Creature. What GOD is, viz. without or beyond NATURE and CREATURE. 1 Abyss Nothing and Allthings. FATHER. 2 Will of the Abyss. I. E. SON. 3 Longing delight, or the impression of the will. H.O. SPIRIT. 4 Science, Root, or Mobility. V.A. 5 GOD in Trinity. Thus is God considered without Nature and Creature. 6 WORD in GOD. 7 Wisdom. Here beginneth the Great Mystery, Mysterium Magnum; viz. the Distinction in the Speaking of the WORD: wherein the WORD, through the Wisdom becometh distinct, also Natural, Sensible, Perceptible, and Palpable or Inventible, whereby, the two Eternal Principles, of God's Love and Anger, in Light and Darkness, are understood. The Beginning of the Mysterium Magnum, or Eternal NATURE. GOD in LOVE. GOD in WRATH 8. The Second Principle. 9 The First Prin- ciple. Spiri- 10. Tincture; or the Trinities Speaking. Moving Sense - tual. Dark feeling Mind NATURE. V. Love fire. I. Desire. II. Sting. Science III Anguish iv Fire. 11. Angel. Light. VI Sound or Distinction. Harsh. cause of Enmity. fiery hot-Root Angelical World. Root of the 4. Elements. VII. Substance or the Substantial Wîsdom. Hard. Hellish life. Hell Sub- 12. Pure Element. Sharp cold fire. Root Devil - stan- The Growing or Springing in the Spiritual World. 13. Paradise. Sal. Mercurius. Sulphur - tial. Here beginneth the Outward visible World, viz. the Outspoken visible WORD. Wherein, 1. Is understood the Good Life of the Creature which stands in the Quintessence. 2. The Poison and Grossness of the Earth and Earthly Life. 14. The Beginning of the Outward World. The Third Principle. 15. Heaven. Stars. 16. Quinta Essentia. Good powers. The 17. The 4. Elements. the Devil's poison introduced. Outspoken WORD. 18. Earthly Creatures. Now, If the Reader understandeth these things; all Doubts and Questions cease in him; and Bâbel is left in Ignominy and Scorn. A Short Exposition of the foregoing Table concerning God Revealed or Manifested; showing how he perpetually generateth and breatheth forth Himself from Himself: and how this Table is to be understood. ABYSS. 1. NOTHING & ALL THINGS. AT Number 1. standeth the Abyss, the Nothing and All things; and there we must begin, to Consider, what God is, in himself, without and beyond Nature and Creature; and that Consideration of the hidden God goeth on to Number 7. Wisdom; whereby is understood, how God dwelleth through and through all things, and how all existeth from him, and yet himself is incomprehensible and as a Nothing to All things; and yet makes himself visible perceptible palpable and inventible by and through All things. 2. Will of the Abyss. At Number 2. standeth the Will of the Abyss; and right before it, standeth FATHER, and on the other side standeth I.E. this signifieth that the Will of the Abyss is the Father of Every being, or of all Substances; and the I.E. signifieth the Eternal One, viz. the Name JESUS proceeding from the Eternal One. 3. Longing Delight or Impression. At Number 3. the Longing Delight, or the Impression or Contraction of the Will standeth; right before which words standeth SON; and after them standeth H. O. which signifieth, how the Own will impresseth or frameth itself into a place for its possession: that place is the Generating forth from itself, wherein God Generateth God, viz. a longing delight or Well pleasingness to himself: The H. O. is the breathing of the Will whereby the Longing goeth forth. 4. Science, Root, or Mobility. At Number 4. standeth Science, Root, or Mobility: and right before it standeth SPIRIT. and after it standeth V.A. The Science or Root, is the Wills drawing in to be a place for God; wherein the Will impresseth the outgone Longing or Delight, to be the Son, or Breathing; by the breathing forth of which, is understood the Spirit of God. And here the Great Name JEHOVA, viz. the Tri-Une Substance is understood; viz. how the Father generateth his Son out of himself, and how the Holy Spirit goeth forth from them both, and yet they are but One only Substance which hath nothing before it. For the Science, in the Impression is understood as a Root of the Eternal Skill Knowledge or Mobility. 5. God in Trinity. At Number 5. standeth God in Trinity; signifying, the Tri-une Substance, whereof a Similitude may be given in the Will, Mind, and Senses or Thoughts; wherein the Eternal Understanding lieth: for that is the Trinity of the One Eternal Understanding, and Cause of Every Being. 6. WORD. At Number 6, standeth WORD, signifying the Distinction or Separability in the Understanding, viz. the Speaking or Expressing the perceptibility of itself: which Word continueth Eternally in God; and God, viz. the Power or Virtue of the Perceptibility, is the Eternal † Goodness. Good. 7. Wisdom. At Number 7. standeth Wisdom, signifying the outspoken Word, viz. the Power of the Divine Vision, wherein God himself is understandingly and perceptibly Revealed and Manifested. And thus far, God is Invisible and Incomprehensible to the Creature, and not Natural, also not Creatural. The Beginning of the Mysterium Magnum, or Eternal NATURE. Under the line standeth these words; The beginning of the Great Mystery, Mysterium Magnum, or Eternal Nature; viz. the distinction or Separability, percepribility and inventibility of properties; whereby is understood, the Divine Explication or Revelation; showing, how God introduceth himself into Love and Anger, in the Eternal Nature, and not in himself; for he is himself the Eternal One only Good, which yet without distinction or separability could not be perceptible or Manifested. But here we are to note, that the Seven chief Forms of Nature are marked with Number I. II. III. IU. V VI VII. to difference them from the other Numbers, used in this Table. 8. The Second Principle. 9 The First Principle. On the first side at Number 8. The Second Principle standeth; and on the other side at Number 9 The First Principle standeth: The words at Number 9 signify the Father's property, through the Speaking of the Word in Wrath; and those at Number 8. signify the Son's property in the Love, wherein God's Love is Manifested through the out-speaking or expressing of the Word: viz. that in the Love, Number 8, signifieth, the Angelical powers World; and that in the Wrath, Number 9 signifieth the Dark powers World, of Pain Woe and Torment, wherein God is an Angry God. 10. Tincture. At Number 10. standeth Tincture, which signifieth the Temperature or Harmony of all Substances or things, showing, how they therein, through the Word go forth into distinction and forms, viz. into seven chief Forms: as into, I. Desire. II. Science or Root. III. Anguish, iv Fire, V Lovefire, VI Sound, and VII. Substances: and further, there standeth by every chief form, what properties go forth and are generated out of them: for if Speaking must be, then must the power first draw together, that it may breathe forth itself, and then that drawing together, or Magnetic Impression, generateth the somewhat which is the beginning, wherein is understood the Fiat, which hath attracted the powers. I. Desire. And it is the First chief Form of the Spiritual Nature, standing at Number I. viz. Desire; which Desire sharpeneth itself so, that out of it Harsh, Hard, and the Cause of Cold existeth; and is a Ground of all Saltish properties, in the Spiritual World, Spiritual, and in the outward World Substantial. And thus the Desire of the Impression, is accuse of the Overshadowing of itself, or of the Darkness in the Abyss, as we see all these forms belong to Number I. viz. to the Desire of Impression. II. Sting or Science. Close by standeth the Second chief form Number II. which is the Sting or Science, viz. the root, which signifieth the indrawing of the desire, whence the first Enmity or Contrary will existeth; for hardness and moving, are unlike things, in this form now existeth the moving and feeling, as a root of painfulness; wherein is understood the Mercurial poisonous Life, both spiritually and in substance; and in the Darkness, the Torment, or the painfulness of the Evil Life; neither would the Good Life be manifested without this root of Evil; and it is the root of God's wrath, according to the Eternal Nature of the perceptibility. III. Anguish. The Third chief form Number III. is Anguish, which existeth out of the Desire of the Impression, and out of the Enmity of the S●ing, whence the Will standeth in the source or pain, and is a Cause of the * Or perception in the Mind and Thoughts. feeling, and of the five Senses, therein, and because in the Anguish all forms are pained, that makes them that they find one another; and herein the WORD becometh distinct, and is a root of Sulphur, both spiritual and Substantial, wherein is rightly understood in the Darkness in the painful Life, the Hellish fire, as is noted in the Table downwards. iv Fire. The Fourth chief Form Number iv is called Fire; wherein is understood the Kindling of the fire, from the painful Sulphurey root; for the Will goeth from the Anguish into the Liberty again, and the liberty goeth into the Anguish to its manifestation, In this Conjunction the Crack or Lightning Flash is effected, wherein the Abyss, viz. the Eternal Good becomes manifested, and is, in the Forms of NATURE, the Understanding and Life; in the Darkness painful woe and Torment; and in the Liberty it is the Root of Joy, or the awakening of the powers, and is the fires Kindling; in which Kindling, the Abyss becometh a shining Light, viz. Material. V Lovefire. The Fifth Form Number V is called the Lovefire, wherein is understood, how the Eternal Good, through the Kindling of the painful fire, introduceth itself into an exulting burning Lovefire, which fire is indeed in God before, but thus now it unfoldeth itself forth, so that it is perceptible and movable, wherein the good powers become working. 11. Angel. VI Sound. At Number VI standeth Sound, or Distinction, viz. the Sixth chief Form, signifying, the Natural clear life, wherein the Eternal Divine Word, hath through the forms of Nature, unfolded itself forth, wherein all the powers of the Wisdom stand in the Sound; and in this now consisteth the understanding Life, in the Light it is Angelical and Divine, and in the darkness it is Diabolical; as right before it Number 11. Angel standeth. VII. Substance. At Number VII standeth Substance, or the Substantial Wisdom of the outbreathed Word, wherein all other forms are manifested; and it is even the Substance of All forms, viz. † Read the 6o. Epistle printed, of the true and false Light. in the Light Good, in the Darkness Evil and Painful: And especially the Great Mystery Mysterium Magnum is understood therein; also the Angelical World is understood therein, as also the Inward * In Adam we lost Our Angelical heavenly Body, but through the regeneration and Faith in Christ, we attain it again, and that is kept by Christ with his heavenly flesh and blood in us, unto Eternal life, and nor the outward beastial Man. Spiritual Body of Man, which faded or disappeared in Adam; when the Soul's will went forth from God's Will; but the same is made alive again in Christ, who giveth to it this powerful world's substance, for food, which is that heavenly flesh, John 6.51. and is the dry Rod of Aaron, which in Christ's Spirit buddeth and springeth fresh up in Man, again. 12. Pure Element. At Number 12. standeth Pure Element, signifying, the Motion in the Angelical world into Substance, and it is the One only Holy pure Element, wherein the four Elements lie in the Temperature or Harmony, and is a root of the four Elements. 13. Paradise. At Number 13. standeth Paradise, signifying the Eternal springing up or budding, or the spiritual growing or vegetation in the Spiritual World, out of which, the Outward visible World out of Good and Evil, viz. out of both the Eternal Principles, hath been breathed forth; In which Source Quality and Regiment, Adam in his Innocency stood: viz. the four Elements in him stood yet all in the Temperature, viz. in the Holy Pure Element. 14. The Beginning of the Outward World. At Number 14. standeth The Beginning of the Outward World: signifying, how God through his Word, hath breathed forth the Spiritual Mysterium Magnum, Great Mystery, viz. the Eternal Nature of all Spiritual Properties, into a Visible outward form substance, and through the Fiat, viz. the Spiritual Desire, form it into Creatures; near which standeth, The Third Principle; wherein is to be understood 3. Worlds one in another, viz. the Dark world in God's Wrath, and the Eternal Light World of Divine Love; and this beginning, fading or transitory world. 15. Heaven. At Number 15. standeth Heaven, signifying the limit of distinction or separation between the Inward and Outward World, viz. between the visible and invisible Substance; which Heaven, consisteth in the Substance of the Spiritual fires Water. 16. Quinta Essentia. At Number 16. standeth Quinta Essentia; the Quintessence: signifying the Spiritual Powers, viz. the Paradisical Ground in the 4 Elements, as also the Stars or Constellations which were breathed forth out of the inward powers when Time began; and it is the Good in the four Elements, wherein the Light of Nature shineth, as an outbreathed Lightning or Lustre from the Eternal Light, 17. Four Elements. At Number 17. standeth Four Elements; that is, 1 Fire, 2 Air, 3 Water, and 4 Earth; viz. the Created World, out of the Dark-and Light-World: which is the Outspoken form WORD, out of the Eternal Nature's powerful Substance, into which the Devil had shed his poison, which after Man's Fall, was Cursed of God. 18. Earthly Creatures. At Number 18. standeth Earthly Creatures; signifying, that out of the Quinta Essentia, or Quintessence, and out of the 4. Elements, all Creatures of this visible World have been created, and have their Life only from thence. But the Soulish or Psuchicall * Man having 2. Eternal worlds in him, is capable of being Saved, or Damned. Man, hath also both the Inward Spiritual Worlds in him as to the Inward Soulish Man. Therefore may both God's Love and Anger be Manifested in him; for, into which of them the will frames fashions comprehendeth or kindleth itself, of the substance thereof it cometh to be, and to manifest the self same therein, as is to be seen in Lucifer. This is a brief Explication of the Table, which is the Sum of all the Authors Writings, set forth for his Loving Friends sakes, and from a good Christian intent very faithfully, and for an A.B.C. to Beginners, 1623. FINIS. The Reader is desired to mend these faults with his Pen before he read the Book. FIrst Preface, Page 3. (a) Margin, for צ. read ע. Page 1. (b) l. 8. blot out by. Behm's Preface, page 2. line 1. read highest Good) The Book, Page 3 line 12 for sound. read found. p. 4 l. 35 for on. r. an. p. 8 l. 16 for Image. r. Imaged. p. 10 l. 36 for End. r. Ens. p. 12 l. 46 for salt. r. fat. p. 16 l. 22 read Tongue. p. 17 l. 13 read Love-fire. p. 19 l. 3 for of. r. or. p. 21 l. 1 & 2 r. lights Love-fire. p. 22 l. 3 r. and Metals, the. for were. r. was. p. 26 l. 2 for incorrupting. r. incorporating qualifying Life of. p. 28 l. 11 for first. r. fift. p. 35 l. 29 for transmitted. r. transmuted. p. 36 l. 5 read forms of dispositions. p. 42 l. 8 r. the men's or Mind. p. 47. l. 18 r. of Nature. l. 20 r. 72. For, in. p. 49 l. 9 for into. r. in. for Ens, or Being. r. Essence. p. 53 l. 17 for its. ●. into. p. 56 Margin. l. 11 r. of The. p. 78 l. 20 r. Life that. p. 79 l. 3 for was. r. were. p. 111 l 45 r. Glauben. p. 117 l. 5 r. property; l. 37 for with. r. without. p. 120 l. 4 r. which was. p. 136 l. 10 r. the Grace and. p. 148 l. 32 r. so very great. p. 164 l. 19 for whole. r. good. p. 187 l. 38 r. who without. p. 188 l. 22 r. no other. p. 196 l. 41 r. and sharp. Table. Page 4. line 32. read Sting. p. 8. l. 4. r. Substance. FINIS.