Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
38. You are to know, that as Mary did bear the heavenly image, viz. a new man born out of the mercy of God in the old earthly [man], viz. in the kingdom of this world, which kingdom she had in her as her own, which yet did not comprehend the new man ; so also the Word of God entered into the body of the virgin Mary, intothe heavenly matrix, into the eternal virgin of God, and that [Word] in that [eternal virgin of God] became a heavenly man, out of the paradisical holy pure element, in the person of the new regenerated man of the Virgin Mary, and (with his eternal Deity) was together generated in the beginning own soul of Mary, and with his entrance of his Deity hath brought the soul of Mary again into the holy Father; so that the souls of men (which were gone out from the Deity) were newborn again in the soul of Christ, and begotten to the Heart of God.
39. For Christ brought no strange soul out of heaven with him, into the highly blessed heavenly pure virgin ; but as all souls are generated, so Christ also received his soul in his body, thoughp. 604 in his undefiled body of holiness, which was become Marys own. For we must say, that the
\ Barmhertz- pure element in the l mercy of God, became fulness. Marys own, wherein her new body (2in her
^Or belonging origjnal g()ulj consisteth.
The most precious Gate.
8 new or 40. For no 8 other soul is generated in any man,
strange. .. 11-1 i • -i * • -\ i t Or by but a new body, but the soul is renewed * with the pure Deity ; and Christ with his entrance into death (where he severed .his holy man from the
6 the soul. kingdom of this world) severed 6 it also from the
6 Or working fierceness of the eternal anger, and from the 6 source property. . .
ot the originality.
41. And as the pure element (which is in the presence of God, and wherein God dwelleth) is truly everywhere in the whole space of this world, and hath attracted to it the kingdom of this world,
7 the pure viz. 7 its own out-birth, as a body, and yet this very one element's own oat- body doth not comprehend the element, no more than the body [comprehendeth] the soul ; so Christ also hath truly, in the body of the Virgin Mary, attracted to him [or put on] our human essences, and is become our brother; yet these human essences cannot comprehend his eternal Deity, only the new man, born in God, comprehendeth the Deity, after the same manner as the body doth the soul, and no otherwise.
42. Therefore the body of Christ is inferior to the Deity ; and in these our human essences he
Ch. 22] THE NEW REGENERATION IN CHRIST 605
suffered death, and his Deity of the holy man in the pure element entered together also into death, and bereaved jieath of its power, and did separate the natural soul (which Christ commended to his Father, when he died on the Cross) from the kingdom of this world, also from death, from the devil, and from hell, in the strong divine might [or power], and opened a gate for us all, who come to him, and incline ourselves (with mind and thoughts) to him ; then the Father draweth our soul (which is in him) into the pure love of Christ ; where then it putteth its imagination again through Christ l forward into the Holy Trinity, and is fed ' Or in true
. . r . ^TT , - resignation.
again from the Verbum Dorrnm [the Word of the Lord]; where then it is an angel again, quite separated from the kingdom of the devil, and of this world, in the death of Christ.
43. And for this cause God became man, that he might in himself new generate the soul of man again, and might redeem it from the chains of the fierceness o of anger, and not at all for the bestial body's sake, which must melt again into the four elements, and come to nothing; of which nothing will remain, but the shadow in the figure of all 2 its works and a his, or man's works.
3 matters, which he hath wrought at any time. 3 qr substance,
38. You are to know, that as Mary did bear the heavenly image, viz. a new man born out of the mercy of God in the old earthly [man], viz. in the kingdom of this world, which kingdom she had in her as her own, which yet did not comprehend the new man ; so also the Word of God entered into the body of the virgin Mary, intothe heavenly matrix, into the eternal virgin of God, and that [Word] in that [eternal virgin of God] became a heavenly man, out of the paradisical holy pure element, in the person of the new regenerated man of the Virgin Mary, and (with his eternal Deity) was together generated in the beginning own soul of Mary, and with his entrance of his Deity has brought the soul of Mary again into the holy Father; so that the souls of men (which were gone out from the Deity) were newborn again in the soul of Christ, and begotten to the Heart of God.
39. For Christ brought no strange soul out of heaven with him, into the highly blessed heavenly pure virgin ; but as all souls are generated, so Christ also received his soul in his body, though
604 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 22 in his undefiled body of holiness, which was become Marys own. For we must say, that the
\ Barmhertz- pure element in the l mercy of God, became fulness. Marys own, wherein her new body (2in her
^Or belonging origjnal g()ulj consists.
The most precious Gate.
8 new or 40. For no 8 other soul is generated in any man,
strange. .. 11-1 i • -i * • -\ i t Or by but a new body, but the soul is renewed * with the pure Deity ; and Christ with his entrance into death (where he severed .his holy man from the
6 the soul. kingdom of this world) severed 6 it also from the
6 Or working fierceness of the eternal anger, and from the 6 source property. . .
ot the originality.
41. And as the pure element (which is in the presence of God, and wherein God dwells) is truly everywhere in the whole space of this world, and has attracted to it the kingdom of this world,
7 the pure viz. 7 its own out-birth, as a body, and yet this very one element's own oat- body does not comprehend the element, no more than the body [comprehends] the soul ; so Christ also has truly, in the body of the Virgin Mary, attracted to him [or put on] our human essences, and is become our brother; yet these human essences cannot comprehend his eternal Deity, only the new man, born in God, comprehends the Deity, after the same manner as the body does the soul, and no otherwise.
42. Therefore the body of Christ is inferior to the Deity ; and in these our human essences he
Ch. 22] THE NEW REGENERATION IN CHRIST 605 suffered death, and his Deity of the holy man in the pure element entered together also into death, and bereaved jieath of its power, and did separate the natural soul (which Christ commended to his Father, when he died on the Cross) from the kingdom of this world, also from death, from the devil, and from hell, in the strong divine might [or power], and opened a gate for us all, who come to him, and incline ourselves (with mind and thoughts) to him ; then the Father draws our soul (which is in him) into the pure love of Christ ; where then it putts its imagination again through Christ l forward into the Holy Trinity, and is fed ' Or in true
. . r . ^TT , - resignation.
again from the Verbum Dorrnm [the Word of the Lord]; where then it is an angel again, quite separated from the kingdom of the devil, and of this world, in the death of Christ.
43. And for this cause God became man, that he might in himself new generate the soul of man again, and might redeem it from the chains of the fierceness o of anger, and not at all for the bestial body's sake, which must melt again into the four elements, and come to nothing; of which nothing will remain, but the shadow in the figure of all 2 its works and a his, or man's works.
3 matters, which he has wrought at any time. 3 qr substance,