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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	word_n	write_n	write_v	2,038	4	5.8211	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28523	The fifth book of the authour, in three parts the first, Of the becoming man or incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Sonne of God, that is, concerning the Virgin Mary ... and how the Eternal word is become man : the second part is of Christ's suffering, dying, death, and resurrection ... : the third part is of The tree of Christian faith ... / written through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, by Jacob Behme, the Teutonick philosopher ...; Von der Menschwerdung Jesu Christi. English	Böhme, Jakob, 1575-1624.; Sparrow, John, 1615-1665?	1659 (1659)	Wing B3405; ESTC R21119	198,807	274

The Fifth Book of the Authour In Three Parts The First Of the Becoming Man or INCARNATION of Jesus Christ The Sonne of God That is Concerning The Virgin Mary What she Was from her Original and what kinde of Mother she came to be in the Conception of her Sonne Jesus Christ And how the Eternal Word is become Man The Second Part is of Christ's Suffering Dying Death and Resurrection and how we may enter thereinto The Third Part is of the Tree of Christian Faith shewing what True Faith is Written Through the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost By Jacob Behme THE Teutonick Philosopher Dwelling at Gerlitz in Lusatia in Germany 1620. LONDON Printed by J. M. for Lodowick Lloyd at the Castle in Cornhil 1659. The PREFACE to the Reader of Jacob Behmes Book of Christs Incarnation Reader IT is an Eminent Text. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal life and they are they which testifie of ME And Ye will not come unto ME that ye might have Life Joh. 5. 39. 40. which are the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the Jewes at Jerusalem in the days of this Conversation upon Earth in Mortal Flesh They thought to have Eternal life in the Scriptures and were present with Christ outwardly yet would not come unto Him though the Scriptures are they that testifie of Him by which it may appear that the Coming to Christ must needs be inwardly in Coming to be like him in their Hearts in becoming Meek and lowly of Heart such onely and no other do come unto him in any Age or Place of this world or in Eternity nor can any other possibly have life Though the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are indeed the written word of God Penned by the Holy Prophets and Apostles who speak as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost whose words are some of them recorded in the Holy writings the Bible Yet if we consider it seriously can we think that the Eternal Ever-living word CHRIST JESUS by which all things were Created and which is God himself who hath spoken by his Word in all his Holy Ones that have spoken forth the Things mentioned in the Scriptures and there recorded by the Command of the same word I say this being weighed can it enter into our Hearts to think that this powerful word which is God would onely have the Scriptures to be called the word of God and the living power to be slightly passed by as not observed or those Texts that speak of it to be interpreted of the Holy Scriptures onely as if there were no such Thing besides whereas for the sake of that they were written the holy Men spake and God hath wrought all things and that by and for it to his own Glory Also that the writing should be preferred before the Thing that is written of therein and which caused the writing and dictated it as it is by those that think the word is not that which filleth all Things calling in the Hearts of All though not regarded Further that this Holy Scripture doth say the word is in the Heart and yet is not by some conceived to be there before the word was known to be written by any Man or spoken by humane voyce neither of which could be or act unless first directed by the same Eternal Word And then that the Word is in the Hearts of those onely that have heard or read the Scriptures or the Word vocally pronounced by Man And at length to think the Word is onely the Scriptures of the Bible in their Hearts by and after the hearing or reading it and remembring what it mentions in Words according to their own Notions or apprehensions of the Things in their Minds though perhaps not understood by those Persons nor indeed can be but by the Spirit of understanding awakened and revived in Man by the power of the Living Word in the Heart filling the soul with understanding and believing in those who are obedient to the Movings and dictates thereof in the Mind though they never read or learned it from any outward word or writing at all of which there are many Examples in the Holy Scriptures And so now That the Scriptures which mention the word of Life should be taken to be that very word of Life it self and that thereby the Thing which is so called in the Scriptures should be thought to be the Scriptures only and no further search or inquiry made what that Thing is or where it is and how to find the very Thing it selfe as if that were impossible or not the Maine Matter to be looked after whereas God himself saith Am not I he that filleth all things and in him are all Things Can not HE then be found and whosoever findeth him can he miss of finding ALL THINGS This seemeth strange that it should enter into the Heart of any Man and that we should be so tyed up to former apprehensions and Conclusions fixed in our Minds that further consideration of it cannot easily take place and sink into us it may make us stand a while and examine what may be the cause thereof And then we may observe that commonly our disposition is such that we love not to hear opposion or a different apprehension of others least we should thereby be led to think Believe that which is contrary to our former once framed Ground of Opinion abstracted from outward sense onely and this because all Conclusions raised upon it when that is once removed do fall to the ground and so we loose that Great Labour and must be put to work a fresh upon that new Foundation and then a fear if that should again be shaken there must be another labour with the like hazard of unprofitable Success which is so huge a discourgement to any Mind that it bringeth it at length to be languishing and as it were dead epecially if an assured infallible immoveable internal Ground be not presented to it that it may go on cheerfully to build with hope to enjoy fruit in beholding the beauty of its Superstructure and when it is thus dead in it self it is most capable to be taught by the quickening Spirit of Truth that lyeth hidden in it under its former but supposed Truths Yet to deny that the Holy Scriptures are the written word of God or the Word of God Expressed in writing is besides the opposing of apparent Truth to undervalue that precious help to the knowing and understanding what that Word was by which it was written which is the very End for which it was committed to writing and continued to us and is one of the most Excellent fruits of the wisdom remaining in Letters which that Eternal Word hath produced in this outward visible transitory World But the Esteeming that fruit and looking after it more then the Roor and setting it up instead of and above the hidden Word in all things is that which hath been attempted

things but if they love themselves more then God in them then their Perdition is of themselves Hath not God shed abroad his Love in our Hearts Can any rightly say Lord Lord but by the Holy Spirit And are not the Father the Word and Spirit which bear record in Heaven One And do not the Spirit the Water and the Bloud which bear record on the Earth agree in One Also is not the Kingdom of Heaven within us And doth it not consist in Peace Righteousness and Joy in the Holy Ghost and then must not all needs be in us And we may thereby apprehend and understand it rightly though yet we know it not nor ever read it or though it had not been related in the Holy Scriptures How many Thousand Endless Mysteries are Treasured up in the hidden wisdom of God in Christ and in him in us when we find him and partake of him in him we have them all and from his fulness receive Grace for Grace how narrowly therefore should we search and observe the exact words of the Scripture which so surely as an Index point us to these invaluable things and use that powerful word in our Hearts by which hearing Comes and direction and power of understanding those things not onely which are expressed inwardly or outwardly but even whatsoever is hidden in Christ in whom all fulness dwels and then can any thing be impossible to be apprehended or known by a Soul that hath the very Thing in it self where nothing can be hid from its inward Eyes And since God worketh in us both to wil and to do why refuse we to will and to do by hearkening and yeelding to the Lusts of our own Hearts being Servants in Obedience to the Evil and not of God who is likewise in us with his Grace fulness we thinking nevertheless that we can neither will nor do endeavouring to bring Scripture to prove it to the quenching of the Spirit the manifestation whereof is given to every one to profit withal and this is effected in those that understand not how to satsfie themselves in the meaning of those Scripture Arguments that are alledged for proofs not considering that God worketh in us to be able through him in us so that there is himself his power and ability in our Selves though not Self-ability as of our selves for the Most Holy Man born of the fleshly Seed of Father and Mother of himself as of himself is not able to think a Good Thought but there is none so wicked except he be altogether uncapable to desire Conversion and so is a Devil but doth at some time or other in this life think a Good Thought which testifies the good work of God in his-heart and soul and is the stirring of the Divine Word therein in which is Light but Men love darkness rather then Light though it Ever Eternally shone in the Darkness and is the very light of their life in them and that because their Deeds are Evil and they will not follow to will and do according to it which is the Obedience to the divine Light in them though God hath given even his whole self unto them to Convert them wherein they are able to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth them and yet will not but neglect so great Salvation And these Comfortable words expressed in the holy Scriptures are faithful and the Things certain and undeniably true though the Scriptures had never made mention of them and are all of them to be discerned known and throughly understood in the Things themselves by and in every Soul but our want is that we seek not The Consideration whereof should move us earnestly to labour to understand more and more where and how that word is to be found felt seen and known as this Book doth exceedingly help us that we may infallibly Experimentally and understandingly Testifie unto the Truth of the Holy Scriptures by the through Examination of the Things it speaketh of seeing the Scripture directs to that which is to be understood no way but in the Things themselves as all that is written of is to be known Experimentally whether it be Natural or Divine solely by comparing the writing by and with the Things else all is but a Notional and Imaginary Supposition or Opinion without understanding but by the knowing of Things we should by degrees cease from Contention and rightly certainly and infallibly know God and the Wonders he hath wrought and can and will work in all things especially in the Souls of Holy Men some of whom out of the good hidden treasure of the living word in the Heart have committed to writing those few things conteined in the Scriptures being few in respect of the Infinite Depths of the Deity and so proceeding forward from Grace to Grace from Knowledge to knowledg we may attain to the measure of the fulness of the stature of a Man in Christ and not be alwaies children in understanding but even strong Men in Christ The Apostle Johns words If we say we have no sin we deceive our Selves May they be taken as meant speaking of others and not himself included what then shall we think was become of his Earthly Old Adam of his outward Flesh and Bloud wherein he was Mortal had he not that when he said so that he might justly exclude himself from having any sinne as having laid of this life and body he might have done having the new heavenly Body and not the old Earthly one about him at all in which Mortal flesh and Bloud onely which Christ himself took of the Seed of the Virgin Mary he became Sinne for us and could die else it had not been possible as is largely cleared in this Treatise Though if there be no Consent of the Soul it may truly be said by any one with the Apostle Paul It is no more I that do the Evil which I would not but Sinne that dwelleth in me Yet of this Mortal Corruptible Flesh which dyeth and remains in Corruption in the Grave and will not be changed till the General Resurrection of all the Dead at the last day of that it may be always said as he likewise saies of himself after he was rapt into the Third Heaven and not of others onely I know that in me that is in my Flesh dwelleth no Good thing And that is it in which Evil was present vvith him vvhen he vvould do Good for vvith his Flesh he served the Lavv of Sinne Can any serve God with his Flesh but vvith the Mind he can and doth vvhen he vvilleth the Good Yet vvhy are the Mysteries of the Bible so little understood but because we apprehend not that God and Christ and the Holy Spirit and all Graces as also Sinne are invvardly in Every soul the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh in every one and so the love and vvrath of God is in all things either hidden or manifested and that all

in the Hearts of Men by the suggestion of the Arch-Enemy of all Man-kind who knoweth well enough that if the inward Word be once Choaked and killed at the Root so that it groweth not to be felt known and obeyed he will soon cause in Evil Minds that Most precious literal Word to be used onely as a pretence thereby to cover all Sin in Hypocrisie causing the Word in the Heart not to be so much as thought on or observed whereas on the Contrary he that highly esteemeth of the Word the Commandment Christ in the Heart that word of Faith by which the heart it self cometh originally to have its very being cannot in the least fail of Esteeming the powerfull working thereof in the inexpressible various wisdom dwelling in the Heart and appearing from the Mouth or Pen of any Man whatsoever Therefore peruse this Book which will inform us how the Eternal Word became Man and how the Man JESUS CHRIST who was born of the Virgin Mary and lived upon Earth for the space of Three and Thirty years and upwards then was Crucified dyed was buried arose again and ascended into Heaven within the little part of the World that Space of the Country of Aegypt the Wildernss the Land of Canaan Judea and City of Jerusalem in the fulness of Time about sixteen hundred and fifty Eight years ago How HE was also this Eternal Word which was is and Ever shall be God and Christ the Eternal Alpha and Omega the beginning and the End the word of Faith that very Word which is in our Hearts the word of Life the inserted or ingrafted Word the word of Grace the Spirit of Life the Bread which came down from Heaven which alwaies is in Heaven not the outward though in the outward Bread for we live not by bread alone but by every word which proceedeth out of the Mouth of God this is the Bread of Life Our Dayly Bread and so how he is both God and Man Also how we that are Men may here in this Life be rightly partakers of Him according to the sayings of the Scriptures also of his Sufferings Death and Resurrection and how or in what manner it is that he is like unto us in all things Sinne onely excepted and yet he took our Sinnes upon him he that knew no Sinne became Sinne for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him All this will be clearly discerned in this Treatise of the Incarnation of JESUS CHRIST or his Becoming Man and therefore also that so precious knowledg may not remain any longer shut up it is here published in the English Tongue Though by perusing it and Meditating therein the Holy Bible will appear assuredly to be as much the Word of God as a writing by Mans hand can be and the words there once spoken by the Prophets Christ the Apostles other Holy Men as much the word of God as words and voyces of Men can be The true sence and meaning thereof in the understanding as much the word of God as the Meaning in the Mind and understanding of any Man can be Yet the writing the Words and sense or meanings proceeding from Creaturely Instruments are creaturely whereas the Thing properly called the word of God which inwardly frames those Meanings and formeth all things whatsoever both visible and invisible is not a Creature for it is the Creator the Creating Word which is God himself who formeth all things in himself and so ALL is HE not one IOT a Creature But he createth the Creature and dwelleth therein yet the Creature is not nor ever can be He and so that word of his which is produced effected brought forth and Manifested Externally by the Creature is Gods Word but is not God the Word But the inward Word in the Heart that vvord of Faith even Christ the Word that Word is God Let me enquire a little Were not all Eternal Things whatsoever in Being in their own uncreated World before therewas so much as the least Glimps of any Created thing either Angel or Man either Created Light or Darkness either Created Heaven or Hell or this World And were not the Divine holy Spiritual and all other Natural things in Being without the Created inward and outward world as well as in them And had it not been so though the Angels world and ours had never been created And were not all the Things without them and within them in Being though they had not been spoken of in the Scriptures were not the Word God though John the Apostle had not said so were not the Pure in Heart Blessed should we not through Patience possess our Souls Is not God himself Light And if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light doth not the Bloud of Jesus Christ clense us from All Sinnes otherwise not though it be in us And is not his Flesh meat indeed and his Bloud drink indeed Why do we not eat and drink thereof If we deny our selves and take up the Cross of Christ that is tribulation anguish afflictions adversities and Crosses and follow him in Meekness and wel-doing loving those that hurt us returning Good for Evil to every one and blessing for Cursing and this unfeignedly from a sincere Heart are we not his true Disciples will not Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that desire it though certain Disciples that believed and had been baptized in the Time of the Apostles had not so much as heard whether there was any holy Ghost yet being baptized in the Name of the Lord JESUS and having the hands of Paul laid on them they received the holy Ghost and Spake with Tongues and prophesied Do not they receive the Seed into Good Ground that heare the Inward Word and receive consent to or obey it and so understand it also bring forth fruit Doth not Faith come by inward Hearing and that Hearing by the same word of God And can those that have not Ears to hear that is Spiritual Ears hear though his voyce his Spiritual Tongue and voyce is gone into all the Earth that Word ingrafted in every thing by which all doth subsist Can the Natural Man perceive the Things of God seeing they are spiritually to be discerned or can any teach them rightly that is Spiritually but by the Spirit And if the word of Promise the Seed of the woman had not been quickned in Adam and Eve by Gods putting Enmity between the Womans and the Serpents Seed they both of them and all their posterity had been meerly Natural and Children of wrath onely and had been uncapable of ever becoming the Children of Grace and Mercy but in the Word of promise Christ in them all Mankind have in them the Spiritual Man the hidden Man of the Heart in whom even Cain was able to do well and so doing should have been accepted and in whom they are not only able to discern but to do all

the things vvhich vve perceive in this corruptible vvorld to be transitory are in the spiritual invvard uncreated world Eternal in Substance and cannot but endure for evermore which if it were considered we should find what all things are for they are to be found within our Souls and with our Inward Eyes and may be plainly seen discerned and known and so the holy Scriptures as we come to a greater measure of the knowledge of the Things not only that they are but what and how they are as this Author teacheth would come to be understood as to all those Mysteries of the Gospel of Christs Eternal Redemption and Salvation which he hath purchased for all Man-kind then which there is not any thing comparably desirably to be known by any of the Sons of Men which are here fundamentally and particularly explained more then in any other Book of the Authors wherein thou wilt find such Mysteries discovered as formerly thou couldst not have believed though one had told thee of them and which thou hast not so clearly understood though thou hast often read of them in the Scriptures And if all Jews Turks Heathens and others not yet true Christians should perceive the Things therein written they would instantly with willing and ready Hearts believe in God aright worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth and know the Only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent and then be filled with Joy in the Holy Ghost and love Embrace and highly esteem the understanding of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament which nnot many yet care to be assured they understand them aright by the true knowledg of the Things written of therein Though also the Ground of all Mysteries are in this Book laid open which being apprehended may bring us at length to the full understanding of all that the Scriptures do contein except in what the spirit of God wil conceal as what the seven Thunders in the Revelations sounded forth which yet wil be made known to that soul what those things are that the Spirit wil not yet reveal but that the Father will reserve in his own power till the thing be neer to be accomplished though it may be understood by one or other holy soul in the Nature of the Thing with a Command not to make it known to others yet though we understand things never so perfectly in our Spirits souls heavenly Bodys in our Inward Man we enjoy them inwardly onely in assured hope but not as we shall do neither do we see them as we shall do when we so enjoy them as we do now this world with this outward Body both which wil be changed together at the End and though this body is sown in weakness at the resurrection thereof it is raised in power a spiritual incorruptible immortal Eternal body made conformable to Christs Glorious Body to such as have been partakers of him in this life this will be in that World where all Evil shall be done away first from sticking and adhereing to us as now in and by our Outward Man in this life and them also all corruption being done away as at the change of this world and resurrection of the Body that will be also released from those Clogs of imperfection which now hang on us Outwardly and on this whole now visible world and will do till all Things are separated by the Fire at the last day and every thing shall go to its own Place the wicked into everlasting Torment the Righteous to Eternal Bliss then Corruption shall put on Incorruption and God shall be all in all yet all things will remain to be what they then are though God will be all in Every one of them In the mean time we may attain Perfection in our souls spirits and new heavenly Bodys being therein truly members of Christ in us yet we should bring dovvn our Body dayly and Mortifie our Members that are on the Earth and learn to know how every one of us may justly account our selves even the Chief of sinners finding sin to be out of measure sinful and thereby strive through Godly sorrow to bring forth Indignation in us against it and how sinne dwels though we should not let it reign in our Mortal Bodys to obey it in the Lusts thereof and if by the spirit we thus mortifie the deeds of the Body we shall live for then we bring forth the fruits of the Spirit wherein we are perfect even in this life And because this Treatise will so exceedingly further us in these several divine Considerations let me desire the Reader for his own Benefit to peruse it seriously and he will find as I have done more then now before he read it he can conceive though I viewing my self in the Looking-Glass of my sins may finde just cause to acknowledg myself one of the unworthiest of the Children of Men. 1658. 25. December London John Sparrow The First Chapter Why the Becoming man or Incarnation of Iesus Christ hath not hitherto been rightly understood Also Of the two Eternal Principles and of the Temporary Principle 1. WHen Christ asked his Disciples Whom do the people say that the Sonne of man is They answered Some say thou art Elijah some that thou art John the Baptist or one of the Prophets 2. He asked them and said Whom say ye then that I am 3. Them answered him Peter Thou art Christ the Son of the living God 4. And he answered them and said Of a truth Flesh and Blood hath not revealed that unto thee but my Father in Heaven And upon this he made known unto them his Suffering Dying and Resurrection 5. To signifie that self Reason in the wit and wisdome of this world could not in its own Reason know nor apprehend this Person who was both God and Man 6. But he would for the most part be rightly known only those that would wholly yeild up themselves to him and for his name sake suffer the Cross Tribulation and Persecution who would earnestly cleave to him 7. As indeed it so came to pass then also That even while he conversed visibly amongst us in this world he was least known by the Wise in Reason 8. And though he went up and down in divine VVonders doing Miracles yet outward Reason was so blind and void of understanding that those great wonders were by the wisest in the Arts and Sciences of Reason ascribed to the Devil 9. And as at the time when he walked visibly in this world he remained unknown by the wse in their own Reason so he still remaineth unknown to outward Reason 10. From hence is so much contention disputation and strife arisen about his Person in that outward Reason supposeth it can reach fathome and search out what God and Man is and how God and Man can be one Person 11. Which strife hath filled the circuit and face of the Earth self Reason continually supposing