Mysterium magnum, or An exposition of the first book of Moses called Genesis. Concerning the manifestation or revelation of the divine word through the three principles of the divine essence; also of the originall of the world and the creation. Wherein the kingdome of nature, & the kingdome of grace are expounded. For the better understanding of the Old and New Testament, and what Adam and Christ are. Also, how man should consider and may know himselfe in the light of nature, where he is, and where his temporall and eternall life, consist; also, where his eternall blessednesse, and damnation, consist. And is an exposition of the essence of all essences for the further consideration of the lovers, in the divine gift. Comprised in three parts: written anno 1623. By Jacob Behm. To which is added, The life of the author. And his Foure tables of divine revelation.

The inward spirituall figure is this.

10. When God had created Adam, he came into the Famin; viz. into

the Temptation, wherein the soul ought not to eat of the outward kingdome, but of the inward, but being it turned it selfe with its will into the outward kingdome, it did live in the famine, viz. in the hunger after the outward worlds substance; and therefore it turned it selfe un∣to Abimilech King of the Philistins at Gerar, that is, to the corrupt king∣dome in Gods Anger; viz. to the heathenish King, and was subject to it.

11. And then the Lord appeared unto it, as here he did to Isaac and said; Go not into Egypt; that is; thou poor depraved soul go not into the beastiall lust, but remain in the Land which I shall tell thee of, & be thou a stranger in this Land, that is, remain in my Covenant, and be with the soul a stranger in this house of flesh, wherein the Soul is not at home, And ••o I will be with thee, and bless thee, for unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these Countries, and I will perform the Oath which I sware unto Abra∣ham thy father; that is:

12. Remain but stedfast in my will, and then I will give thee after this [life-time] the kingdome of nature according to its inward good ground, for possession and propriety, and I will perform and ratifie my Oath (viz. Jesus Christ whom I promised thee in thy fall, and whom I introduced into Abrahams faith) unto thee for ever; and I will, in the kingdome of nature, wherein thou must in this Time stand, work, la∣bour, toil, and be in need and distress; even multiply thy seed as the Stars in heaven; and give thy seed all the wrought powers and workes to an eternall propriety, and through thy seed all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed: that is.

13. Through thy Ens of faith, which in Christ, viz. in the Aym and limitt of the Covenant, shall be manifested in the kingdome of thy na∣ture, and creaturall property, and become man in thee; all nations, viz. the whole Adamicall tree shall be blessed; and therefore because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, commandments, wayes, and lawes; that is, Abraham hath received my working word into his Soules desire, and obeyed my voice in its operation; which divine ope∣ration is the Command, law, and form: out of which operation also God shewed Abraham, by the Circumcision, the figure of the kingdome of Christ, that the same should cut off the Sin, and vanity; which fi∣gure God called his charge, law in the Covenant, and his Statute.

14. The spirit of Moses doth now proceed further in the relation of this figure, and signifyeth under the outward history of King Abimilech; how that Abimilechs servants, and Isaacs servants contended about the wells of water, and that Abrahams and Isaacs servants digged the wells of water, which wells were continually stopped up by the envy and enmity of the Phili∣stims; by which figure the spirit secretly signifieth, how the children of the Saints, viz. the Patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, have alwayes dig∣ged in their Ens of faith, for the wellspring of life in the Covenant, and have also obtained the knowledge of the Messiah.

15. But these wells were continually covered, and obscured by the Devill in Gods Anger, and by their earthly Reason, untill they appre∣hended, and laid h••ld of the promise of the Messiah in faith; and then th••y said we have digged a well, and have found of the water of life: the same Isaac called Sheba, and therein hinteth at the Sabbath, Christ, as he also

forthwith saith, that thereupon, the place was called Beer-sheba, viz. a con∣trition, and breaking of the Anger and envy of the Devill in Mans pro∣perty; to signifie, that the SABBATH, Christ, viz. the spirituall well∣spring is truly called BEER-SHEBA, viz. a contrition of death, where the Sabbath introduceth it selfe into death, and brings forth the fountain of life through death.

16. At which fountain, the children of Gods Covenant did pitch their tent, and waited upon the promise, untill the same fountain was opened in the humanity, and flowed forth out of Christs bloud and death, of which the poor Soul drank, and thereby was brought into the Eter∣nall Sabbath, where it was redeemed and freed from the strife of the Phi∣listims, viz. from the contention of the Anger of God and of the Devill, as the History in this Text doth clearly signifie thus much in the High Tongue; which the spirit of Moses hath thus represented in the figure; and doth play with the description of this figure.

17. As indeed the whole Old Testament is a figure of the New, and the New a figure of the future Eternall world, wherein the figure shall stand in divine Power, and the Spirit of God shall in Eternity play with his deeds of wonder, to which end also he hath created Man; and inspi∣red the power of his voyce, viz. the living word, into him, that so he might be an Image of the Eternall word, with which Image, the Eternall Spirit will play, and work wonders, that so there may be a joy and knowledge in the Eternall wisdome.

18. Now when as the spirit of Moses had pointed out the figure of Adam and Christ under an history, he proceeds, and further Relates, how it must go with the children of God in this time, shewing in what desire the poor soul in flesh and bloud lieth captive, and is continually vexed, and tormented, as here Isaac and Rebecca; for the Text saith; When Esau was forty yeares old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, which were a grief of minde to Isaac and to Rebecca; and in this place he speakes no further of these wives, or their children, to signifie, that it is a figure, whereby he alludes at something else; which Reason looks upon as very strange, and won∣ders, that God should yet permit two evill women, to be with holy Isaac, through his Son Esau; with whom he and his fair, blessed Rebecca must live in trouble, vexation, and opposition: so very secretly doth the spirit of Moses set forth his figure, that Reason must even be blind in it.

Notes

• Gen 26.2.
• Gen. 26.3.
• Gen. 26.4.
• Gen. 26.5.
• Gen· 26.18, 19, 20, 21.
• Gen. 26.32, 33.
• Or, Saba.
• Or, inspoken.
• Gen. 26.34, 35.