the spirit ariseth which formeth it a creature out of the Ens and the spirit signeth it selfe in the Body what it is and so stands its figure CHAP. XXV How God drove Adam out of Paradise and laid the Cherub before the Garden WHen God had cursed the Serpent and the Earth then the Beast-Man was no longer profitable in Paradise for he could not any more enjoy the fruits of Paradise therefore he laid upon him the labour and toil of the world and drove him out of the Garden of Eden and placed the Cherub with the fire sword of judgement before it that if the new born virgin-child of the seed of the woman would again returne and enter into Paradise this Angel with the fire-sword should cut away the Serpents-beast from it and not any more suffer l l l Understand the beast it to come into Paradise 2. The Angel with the fire-sword is the right destroying Angel who carrieth death and life in his Sword he hath therein Gods Love and Anger and when man Dyeth in this world then he cometh before the Gates of Paradise before this Angel and even there the poor Soul must passe through this Garden judgement 3. Now if it be captivated in the Anger of God then it cannot passe through this judgement but if it be a virgin child born of the Seed of the woman then it may passe quite through this Sword and then the Angel cutteth off the Beast begotten of the Serpents Ens and even then the Soul is an Angell of God and serveth him in his Temple in Paradise and expecteth the Day of judgement viz. the Resurrection of the outward body when this Angell with the fiery Sword shall Sever the Earth from the Curse then the right humane body returnes again for it must also passe through this Sword and the Sword will cut off its Beast that he may be onely a Man and no more a Beast 4. The Speech of Moses concerning this Mystery is wholly hidden to the Earthly Man for Moses speaketh of an Angel and Sword and albeit the Outward figure was even just so for so was Adam driven out yet it hath far another A. B. C. internally the naturall man without Gods light understands nothing thereof 5. This Sword is in man when man converteth and entreth into sorrow for his committed Sins and casteth away the vanity and steppeth into the Infants Shirt then the morning Star ariseth in the spirit of Christ in the virgin-like m m m Or shut up Ens. occluse Ens in the true womans seed 6. And in this Anxious Sorrowfull Gate of true Repentance the Angel standeth with the fire-flaming sword and the virgin-Bud forceth quite through this fire-sword into Paradise viz. into the light into the life of Christ and groweth forth through this sword 7. And now the virgin-child standeth with its faire Rose in the New Plant in Paradise and the poore Soul which begetteth this child standeth the whole time of this life under the reach and Swinge of this fire-sword and is fast bound with a band to the grosse beast in the outward world where the virgin-child is sufficiently thrust at and wounded with this fire-sword for the fire-soul which in the fire-Sword of Gods Anger is bound to the Serpents Monster doth daily amuse it selfe upon the Serpent-Monster and Sinneth and even then this fire-sword doth cut away the Sins and devoures them into Gods Anger where they are examined and judged 8. Therefore the poore virgin-virgin-child which is borne out of the Soul must stand under Christs crosse in Christs death and the pierceing Sword of Tribulation and grief passeth quite through it it must suffer it selfe to be drawn quite through this flaming Sword and the fire burneth away the Abomination which the soul continually brings into it selfe from the Serpents n n n Or false Image Monster and even then it is in a Sore strait when that is cut off from the fire-soul which it faine would have from its Monster 9. Then must the virgin-child Supplicate the fire-soule and tender it the Love that it should onely forsake the Monster of the Serpent heere then ariseth strife and opposition for the part of the fire-soul hath introduced the Serpents Monster into it and desireth also to have its joy therein and loveth the Evill Beast 10. Then Sophia viz. the Second Principle viz. the Part of the light world doth speak against it and hence cometh up the Strife betwixt the Seed of the woman and the Seed of the Serpent and then man goeth up and down in Sorrow and Sadnesse trouble and perplexty sometimes the virgin-child prevailes and sometimes the Serpent-childe 11. And then the Devill stirs up and incenseth all Monsters against the virgin-child to strike it to mock it scorne it revile and laugh it to shame and make it ridiculous that it may by no meanes be known least the Devills Kingdome should become manifest 12. Thus the virgin-childe must be exercised by this in the Spirit of Christ and suffer it selfe to be whipped persecuted and injuriously reproved and often called one possessed by the Devill be cursed and continually accounted an off-scouring of the world untill the outward Beast hath finished its Course in its Constellation and then the Cherub cutteth off the grosse beast and lets it fall even unto the judgment of God and then the part of the fire-soule must forthwith force through the judgement of this Sword 13. Now if the fire-soul hath o o o Impressed taken in much vanity into it self viz. much of the Serpents craft and lust then the part of the fire-soule must stand p p p Or in under this Sword untill the fire of Gods Anger consumes this introduced vanity which to many a one is q q q Refining fire Purgatory enough which this present too too wise world will not beleeve and will be onely an Adopted child from without and so have an externall washing away of Sins in Grace but it hath another A. B. C. here God will not let the Serpens Ens neither in body nor Soule come into Paradise 14. The fire-soule must subsist in the fire of God and be so pure as the clear refined Gold for it is the husband of the Noble virgin Sophia which is from the womans Seed it is the fires Tincture and Sophia the lights Tincture if the Tincture of the fire be wholly and throughly pure then it s Sophia will be given to it and so Adam receiveth again into his armes his most pretious and endeared Bride which was taken from him in his sleep and is not any r r r Or from thence forward longer man or woman but a branch on Christs Pearl-tree which standeth in the Paradise of God 15. To the description whereof we need an Angels Tongue and yet we are understood well enough by our School-fellowes we have not written this for Swine for none but those onely who have been by and
not two we understand not herein the grosse beastiall man full of the Serpents Ens which shall not inherit the Kingdome of God John 6. but the true man which God created in his Image 10. Let Master Sophister or wiseling of Babel looke us right in the face and see what spirits child we are we understand not the Beast but the man Christ which dyed in Adam which was againe Regenerated out of Abrahams Seed and deprived death of its might and destroyed Hell in man and slew the Death in us and arose againe from death and liveth for ever the same we meane by a Right Christian and not Calves and Oxen Dogs Adders Serpents Toads and the like who would with their Beasts of vanity be outwardly Adopted and Regenerate children of God no such Beast cometh into heaven onely and alone and none else but a Christ viz. a childe of Christ which is born of Christs flesh and bloud * * * Rev. 22 1â— without are Dogs 11. Therefore Let it be told thee O Babel thou ridest upon the Dragon of thy own contrived halfe devillish and halfe beastiall tongue in thy own words and will and hast not Abrahams faith viz. in the received and formed word which became man but thou howlest with the Dogs and wilt with thy snarling jeering contentious dogs-will in a strange childe be Abrahams heir 12. But God said to Abraham thy servants childe shall not be thy heir but he that is begotten out of thy loynes who is borne of the Faith of Righteousnesse he shall be Gods heir and not the Son of the bond-Woman viz. the Strange introduced grosse beastiall Serpents Ens. 13. And God said to Abraham I am the Lord that hath brought thee out of VR of the Chaldees to give thee this Land to inherit it Genesis XV. v. 7 8. c. to the 17. but Abraham said Lord God whereby shall I know that I shall possesse the same and he said unto him take me an Heifer of three years old and a Shee-Goat of three years old and a Ram of three yeares old and a Turtle-Dove and a young Pigeon and he tooke all these and divided them in the midst and laid each Piece one against another but the Birds he divided not and when the fowls fell upon the Carkases Abraham drove them away and when the Sun was gon down a deep sleep fell upon Abraham and lo an horror of great darknesse fell upon him and he said to Abraham by this thou shalt surely know that thy Seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs and they shall be compelled to serve and be afflicted 400. yeares but I will judge the Nation whom they must serâ—â—â— and afterwards I will bring them out with great Substance and thou shalt goe to thy fathers in Peace and be buried in a good old Age but they shall come hither againe after foure Generations for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full now when the Sun was gone down and it was darke lo a Smoaking furnace and a fire-flame passed between the pieces Here the right figure of Christs Offering for the humanity is represented and also his suffering and death his persecution and also his victory is deciphered herein and likewise the Man of Sin and vanity intimating how he must fill up his measure and whereunto each is appointed 14. God gave Abraham the Signe how it should goe with his Seed in that Abraham said Lord God! whereby shall I know that I shall possesse the same then God set the figure of the Seed before him for he had comprehended it in his Faith which was made his righteousnesse and shewed it him in a figure for the Offring signifies the Offring of Christ the three sorts of Beasts viz. the Heifer Shee-Goat and Ram each three yeares old betoken the part of the outward humanity of the time viz. out of the limus of the Earth 15. But that they must be three yeares old betokens the whole outward threefold man of the Sulphur Mercury and Salt viz. the three properties of the three Principles which lye in the Earth in one Essence or Substance 16. And that Abraham divided these three beasts and laid one right over against the other Signifieth the twofold limus of the Earth viz. the Grosse property out of the darke worlds property and then Secondly the limus out of the heavenly worlds property which lieth in one Compaction in the Earth whence man was created as to the body 17. But that Abraham divided them signifies that the grossenesse which Adams desire introduced must by death be Separated from the purenesse of the humanity and one must lye right opposite to the other and be divided from one another each into its property as light and darknesse are divided and yet are neer one another 18. The Turtle-Dove betokens the poore Soule captivated in this beastiall property and the young Pigeon signifies the inward disappeared humanity of the poore Soule which shall become young againe in the offring viz. a new birth 19. But that the two Doves were not divided but offered whole Signifieth that nothing shall be taken from the Soule and from the inward man of the heavenly limus they shall remaine whole and entire in their Substance and be offered whole to the Angry fire of God in Christ and be brought quite through the fire of Anger through death viz. through the great darknesse and horrour of death and hell as this was the figure thereof 20. When Abraham had set forth his Offring he fell into a deep sleep and horror and great Darknesse did encompasse him the sleep Signifieth the death of Christ and the horrour the wrath of God viz. the Abysse of Hell and the darknesse the Darke world into this the word which had given in it selfe into Abrahams faith to be a Seed of the children of God should enter with the Offring in the whole humanity both with soule and body and â—esigne it selfe up wholly to the Anger of the father to be devoured 21. And the Enkindling of the fire which passed between the Pieces was now the holy fire of God which came forth out of the holy burning viz. out of the Love-flaming word which gave in it selfe to Abrahams faith in the humanity of Christ in Soul and body when he stood in the fathers Anger in the death and darknesse in Hell and cast the humanity in Soule and body unto the Anger and changed the Anger into Love-fire for the wrath of the father according to the Eternall nature of the darke world which was enkindled in the humanity must in the humanity receive such an holy Ens wherein the Anger might in its fire be changed into a light or Love-fire 22. This holy Ens in the word of faith must enter into the great horrour of Gods Anger for the Soule stood therein essentially in its property it is out of the fathers fire-property out of his Strength and omnipotence viz.
the Temptation did deny his wife and said that she was not his wife that so he might but preserve himselfe by the suttlety of Reason and we see here also how that that very thing by which he thought in Reason to keep himselfe from mischiefe must reprove and teach him as we see how Abimilech reproved him in that he had denied his wife with whom he had almost sinned if the Lord had not warned him and the exposition is this 4. If we see a man whom the Spirit of God driveth and by whom he oftentimes speaketh we must not so take it up and thinke that he is something more then other men as Abraham was no more then others in his own Reason the selfe-reason in them is as wavering dubious and imperfect as in other men and That what they know and teach of God is not their own propriety as we see here in Abraham how he out of fear did not spare his Sarah but denied her out of a timerous conjecture though Abimilech had taken her away from him to be his Concubine that so he might but live and it might be well with him for her sake 5. Thus God proveth his children that they might see that they in their own ability are no more then all other sinfull men and that men should not so set by them and hold them for a God thus oftentimes God permits them to go astray and erre and yet then he rebukes them also by those whom they ought to teach as we see here in Abimilech how he must reprove Abraham and make him ashamed that he would not spare his wife for a small fears sake but would deny her 6. And although it doth fall out that sometimes we see such a man whom God driveth to erre yet we ought not therefore presently wholly to reject him and set him at nought and think that he is wholly without God as the world doth but think that God doth thus set his children under the Cross to prove them that they should learn to know themselves and then the Sun ariseth again upon them as here it did upon Abraham when God had suffered him to go unto Gerar that is into his naturall rationall life wherein he committed a great offence before Abimilech A twofold Sun did afterwards arise and shine on him viz. one was that Abimilech did acknowledge him and learned to fear the Lord and gave the Land for a possession unto Abraham he gave him also Gifts for rebuke as the Reproof of the Saints is that men should fear at Gods reproof Thus the Sun of King Abimilechs favour arose upon him And then the other Sun which shoan on him was that Sarah conceived and a branch sprang forth unto him out of the line of the Covenant from the divine Suns Power and Isaac was born unto him 7. And that we may understand the very truth we see how allwaies the Crosse stands by the children of God and Adam and Christ are continually sett by each other as here Abimilech and Abraham and Ismael and Isaac and also the man of right reason and the corrupt nature against reason which uncessantly sifts and trys reason as we may see it here in Hagar and Sarah which also were set one against another that one did exercise the other as Hagar in the property of corrupt nature viz in Adams life and Sarah in Christs Person so that Hagar did exercise and prove the naturall Sarah that shee pressed forth out of the Reason or carnall * * * Or naturall carnall wisdome wisdome of the flesh into God 8. And we have here in Sarah and her Maid Hagar with her Son Ismael and with Isaac Sarahs Son how Sarah cast out the Bond-woman with her Son which seemed grievous to Abraham and yet was right in the sight of God such an excellent mirrour as we finde not the like again in the Bible shewing how Christ and the naturall man dwell * * * Sojourn together by one another and how the naturall man with Ismael and his mother must be wholly cast out from the right of Inheritance and selfe-will that the naturall own will is no heir of God 9. And when the resigned will hath wholly cast * * * Vnderstand the selfe-assuming will of nature which seekes to be master in man him out then the poor nature of man sitteth in its rejected will in fear and trembling and utterly despairs of life as here Hagar with her Son Ismael when shee was cast out from Abraham she wandered in the wildernesse of Beer-sheba that is in the brokenness of her heart and looked upon her selfe as one wholly forsaken and as one quite spent and faint despaired of her own and her Sons life for shee had lost the Inheritance and the favour of her Mistress also and all her goods and there was neither water nor bread for to preserve life and they were as given up to death for shee went and sat a stones cast from the child because she would not see him dye and when she had even wholly given on her selfe to dye then the Angel came again unto her and called her and comforted her and shewed her also a fountaine and told her that she should not be so afraid of death her Son must yet become a great Nation The inward figure of this is thus 10. When Isaac that is Christ is born in the Convert then the spirituall new-born will rejecteth its own evill nature it contemneth it and condemneth it to death casteth it out also from it selfe with its Son the mocker viz the false interpreter and perverter of the truth as if it would even burst the same in the Minde so very an hatefull enemy the new-born spirituall will becomes to the naturall will in its Evill qualities viz. to Ismael the Son of the naturall will who is onely a mocker scoffer pharisaicall censurer lyar backbiter and unrighteous 11. And when the new-born will hath thus cast out the evill nature with its wicked children from it selfe then the poor forsaken nature stands in great distress trembling and desertion for the internall holy Soul doth forsake it and then it even gives up it selfe wholly to death and wandreth in it selfe in the wilderness and looketh upon it selfe as a foolish and simple one who is every ones by-word and laughing stocke 12. And then when the nature doth willingly give it selfe thereunto that it also will now dye wholly to its selfeness and dispaires wholly on it selfe as a poor forsaken woman that is deprived of all the worldly glory riches beauty and the pleasure of the outward life also being wholly cast out from its former desire and almost quite forlorn so that the own desire begins to faint and quail within it selfe then comes the Angel of God to the nature and comforts it and bids it not to despair and gives it also water to drink that is some faithfull upright man or some inward ray and beam of
the will to the Selfehood or ownhood of this world and although the flesh be disquieted being it must forsake what it fain would have yet the true nature and the Soul must not give heed to it Also it must not take care for the sake of the flesh where that should have its maintenance but commit it to God and go on in his calling as a day-labourer in the Service of his Lord and Master and let God take care for the Ram and give it what he please 33. And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time and said by my selfe have I sworn saith the Lord Gen. 22. v. 15. to the 19. because thou hast don this thing and hast not spared thy onely Son that I will bless and multiply thy Seed as 〈◊〉 â—tars of the Heaven and as the Sand that is upon the Sea-shore and thy Seed shall possesse the Gate of his enemies and through thy Seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voyce and so Abraham returned to his young men and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba and dwelt there This is now the Seal of Faith when man hath wholly given himselfe up to God then God sweareth unto the humanity by him selfe that he will blesse man that his life's essence shall thence forward spread forth it selfe in his Power and grow unto a great Tree of divine Essence in the wisdome whose fruit and knowledge shall be infinite and innumerable as he sware unto Abraham that out of his body or life's essence many Nations should arise also how his life's essence should possess the Gates of the enemies viz. of the Devill and Death as heere he gives a full and pregnant hint concerning Christ and his Christendome how they should destroy the Devills Kingdome and break down his Gate in man This the faith in Gods children is able to do 34. For so soon as the iudgement of the earthly man hath been held in the penitent man so that the Soul rejecteth the will of the evill flesh viz. the will of the Animal Soul and brings it into judgement to the condemnation of death and resignes it selfe up wholly unto God then God sweareth in Christ Jesus this Oath unto the Soul and setts it to be a Prince over the enemies viz. over the proud and haughty Devills even to judge them and obtains full power over them and drives them out 35. After these things Moses mentioneth how the blessing of Abraham did spread forth it selfe and he maketh a relation of his brother Nahor how Milcah bare unto him eight Sons from whom great Nations did arise viz. the Assyrians who indeed did not spring forth out of the Ens of faith viz. in the line of Christ as Abraham but out of the naturall Adam upon whom also the blessing of Abraham did * * * Passed or went light for the history is so exactly deciphered that a man may see that God hath not onely chosen the naturall line of Christ proceeding from Abraham and Isaac but also the lines of nature in the Adamicall Tree which he would also bring together and manifest himselfe to them and they who would beleeve in God should be engrafted into the line of Christ that is those who should be capable of the divine Ens in the voice of the Lord whose will should direct it selfe to God 36. As wee may see again in this figure how God hath not rejected the Kingdome of nature in man but that he in Christ will deliver it out of the Anguish and Enmity and that a man should and must continue in the Kingdome of nature as Abraham when he had finished this offering he went with his Son and two young men to Beer-sheba and dwelt there by which the Spirit of Moses signifieth that when Abraham had performed this Calling in the figure of Christ before the Lord he returned again unto his naturall affaires viz. unto the doing of this worlds business he went to Beer-sheba that is into the toil and labour whereinto Adam hath brought us where a child of God in the cloven and broken nature viz. in Beer-sheba must work in God with teaching and praying and also in nature with the labour of the hand to maintain the outward man and follow the wonders of the outward world in the formed word and help to form manifest and bring them forth in â—â—â—ure to the Contemplation of the wisdome of God 37. Also hereby is hinted very clearly that a child of God in this worlds being doth not stand daily and hourely in the Operation of the spirituall figure that his Spirit can see and know that onely but also in the naturall where the Spirit of God goes also along working in the work of nature and manifests it selfe in another property in him as it may be seen here in Abraham and all the Saints that God did sometimes manifest himselfe to them in the figure of Christ and sometimes again in the Cross and labour in the Temptation and contrariety of the nature of the corrupt Adam so that they have lived in weakness and infirmities as all Adams children have don and do 38. And we ought not to look upon and consider this figure concerning Abraham in all that the Spirit of Moses and * * * Text. Ezra Note concerning Esdras Esdras hath written down but as a Type of Christ and Adam viz. of the Kingdome of Christ and the Kingdome of nature that hereby God hath represented the figure of Christ and his Christendome how he would again Redeem and deliver them from the Great Toil and Labour 39. Wherewith also the Kingdome of darkness in the Pain and Torment is continually represented and how the same doth pant and reach after man and how man doth stand here in this life as in a field and growes on Whom sometimes the Sun of divine Love doth eglimpse and shine and sometimes again Gods wrath and Anger and how man must be purged tryed and purified and the chiefest and most especiall point herein is this that a man must give up and resigne himselfe to God in faith and full assurance and hold still unto him and let him work in him as he please and how also he must learn to bend and bow his own nature and lead it towards God that it in all things may desire to be Gods instrument and Servant and desire and will to work nothing but what belongs to the divine manifestation in the wonders of nature for the Contemplation of Gods wisdome and on the contrary reject the Own will of the Devill and all desire to Selfehood 40. And we should not look upon the written History of Moses concerning the Patriarchs so blindly as the Jewes and Babel do as if they were onely a meer History no the same is not onely full of the types of Christ and Adam viz. of the old and new man but there are also secret
viz. the first Adamicall depraved man for the first Adam had lost his first birth given him out of the divine Word in the creation and could not any more be blessed out of his Centre 11. For the Soules will was broken off from the Eternall word of divine holiness and had given it selfe into the Centre of the first Principle viz. into the wrath of the Eternall nature into the SeVeration of the speaking word viz. into the opposition and contentious Contrariety whence also Isaac blessed Esau with the word of Strife when he said unto him in the blessing Thou shalt live by thy sword and break thy brothers yoke from off thy neck signifying that now the depraved nature in him was become a Servant of Gods Anger and should now beare and manage the Combate which Adam had raised up in the life's properties and be a Servant of the same 12. But that Isaac did not understand this thing and would have blessed Esau with the blessing of the Covenant and given him the Scepter in Zion doth shew unto us that Isaac and all the holy children of God although they be born again of the New-birth in the line of the Covenant do not apprehend and understand the internall ground of their Essence wherein the kingdome of God worketh and is in power so as to be able to do any thing thereby in Selfe-will but God turneth this internall ground of the place of God as he pleaseth and the Soul must see to what he doth as here Isaac must see to what the Lord had blessed by him Gen. 27.4 13. For Isaac said to Esau That he should make him ready Savory meat such as he loved to eat and then his Soul would bless him but now this blessing stood in the Line of the Covenant in which Christ should spring forth not in the Soules might but in Gods might for the soul of Isaac and of all the children of Adam were as yet with the Soules root on the band of Gods Anger which Anger this internall incorporated Line of Grace should destroy in Christs death and wholly incorporate and unite it into the Line of the Covenant 14. Therefore the Soules will in Isaac should not propagate the blessing of this Covenants line and give it to the kingdome of the * * * Or soules Soul-like nature viz. to the first-born Esau and first Adam for the soul was a cause of the destruction the fires-tincture received not the might and strength of the new vertue for its might should be broken viz. it s proud Lucifer who likewise is the very same but the lights tincture which disappeared in Adam when the fires might introduced dark earthliness thereinto which Tincture sprang forth again afresh in this Covenants line in the power of the in-spoken and promised incorporated word of Grace the same had the might and power of the Blessing 15. The seed of the woman viz. the lights tincture and vertue should bruise the head of the fiery Serpent and change the soules fiery might into a meek Love fire the fiery Soules will shall and must be wholly transmuted and turned into meekness 16. As this disappeared lights tincture was brought from Adam into the woman viz. in to Eve which when it was in Adam was his fair Paradisicall Rose garden of peculiar Love wherein God was manifest and being now the figure of the new birth was represented in Isaacs Blessing therefore also his wife viz. the blessed Rebecca must come as one who also stood in the Line of the Covenant and set forth the right figure of Christ viz. Jacob in the place of the blessing to signifie that Christ should be manifested in this Covenants Line in the Seed of the woman viz. in the lights and fires-Tincture and assume the soules nature from the power of the light that so he might rule over the fiery nature of the soul and change the same into the power of the light 17. Now Rebecca Isaacs wife was here in this place a figure of the virgin Mary who brought forth Christ viz. the blessed of God who should bless Esau and all the Adamicall children and it was so ordered by the Lord that Rebecca should so carry it for she understood that the blessing viz. the scepter of Israel did rest in Jacob. 18. For being the scepter in Zion lay in the seed of the woman viz. in the virginity the same scepter was here also stirred in the seed of the woman so that a woman must bring forth the Covenants line to the place of God the Fathers blessing which was in Isaac and the mans will viz. the Souls naturall fire-will must come behinde and be a servant of Gods wonders and see what God hath don with him 19. But that it appeareth to be as a deceit or cunning Suttlety in that Rebecca did so instruct and put on Jacob to take away the blessing from Esau as if shee Loved Jacob far above Esau therein Reason hath blind eyes for through the Devills cunning the curse came into the world and through the divine cunning in the Love the destruction of death and hell came again into the Soul the divine cunning killed the Devills cunning 20. Understand it aright all cunning ariseth from the lubet or desire the Devills cunning arose from the false lubet or lust so likewise Gods lubet came again into the womans seed into which heavenly matrix the Devill had insinuated his lust and destroyed the devills lust 21. It was of God that Jacob obtained the blessing wholly contrary to the minde and will of Reason for he stood in the figure of Christ and Esau stood in the figure of the depraved Adam 22. Therefore Esau was an hairy or rugged man signifying the monstrous beastiall property which had awaked in the Fall through lust Now when Adams lust had brought it selfe to substance then the flesh became gross and beastiall Thus the beastiall part swallowed up the heavenly in it selfe and death was manifested in the flesh and we see here in this figure very clearly typified how it should be 23. Isaac would bless the beastiall man in Esau this God would not the divine blessing belonged to Christ but the depraved Adam could not be capable of receiving the blessing of God unless Christ take this rugged beastiall skin or form which Adam had put on as here Jacob could not be blessed unlesse he had on him the hairy Beast-like skin 24. God the Father set before him our misery in his Covenant in Christ in our humanity which he assumed for Christ must enter into our humanity Note and walk in our hairy form and destroy our death of the beastiall property as it is written * * * Isa. 53.4 Matth. 8.17 1 Pet. 2.24 He took on him our sickness and laid on himselfe our Grief 25. For as Isaac took hold of his son Jacob in his hairy skin and felt whether he was his first-born Son to whom the
displaced that is be changed 26. This signifieth especially how the Repentant Man must enter upon this Combate of Jacob and so wrestle with God and Man in the Spirit of Christ in Gods righteousnesse in the Anger And when he overcometh then will the Ham of his fleshly selfe-will be broken that he must goe up and downe in this world as one halfe Lame that cannot well walke in the way of the world but goeth halting as if his limbs were halfe broken with which the wantonnesse and vanity of this world is driven on for the Spirit in the victory of Christ toucheth his Thigh that he is halfe lame in the Pride and Malice of this world and never regardeth it more but goeth up and downe as a despised lame Man who in the Pride of the world in their haile or frolick Jollity little regard but hold him for a lame halting Man who cannot follow the Garb of the Antick tricks conceited jests and lasciviousnesse of this world but he hath wrestled with God and Man and is with this victory touched and Marked 27. This the Pride and wantonnesse of this world understandeth not for it goes up and downe still in Gods severe righteousnesse in the kingdome of Nature in the might of the Fire in selfe-will and thinks it selfe very well till the Judgement possesseth its place then must the poore soule stand in the Eternall Judgement and live in paine and Torment 28. And as Jacob stood in the wrestling and had his Thigh touched that he halted then the Man sayd to him Let mee goe for the Day-breake dawneth but he answered I will not let thee goe except thou blesse mee 29. This is first the figure of Christ when he yeelded himselfe up in the righteousnesse of God in the Fathers Anger so that the Anger according to our humanity slew him then sayd the righteousnesse Now let mee goe for at present the Eternall Morning breaketh forth in mee But Christ had taken hold of the righteousnesse and sayd I will not let thee goe except thou blesse the humanity againe that the Judgement may cease except thou bring the Morning of thy inward power forth through the humanity that the Curse may cease and that Man may wholly stand in the divine working againe in the Blessing 30. Secondly It is the faire Type or Image shewing how it goeth with the Repentant Man when he giveth himselfe up through earnest Repentance into this Combate of Christ in Christs suffering and Death in his victory and in the Spirit of Christ wrestleth with Gods severe righteousnesse which continually assayleth him in his Conscience 31. For Gods righteousnesse in the Conscience sayth let mee goe thou art dead in sinne and hast no part in the divine Grace thou hast purposely and wilfully sinned and set the Grace behinde thy back now thou art mine praying will not availe thee I will not let thee in thy conscience attaine the Grace thou wilt obtaine no comfort more from God the morning will no more rise to thee in thy conscience for thou art a childe of Death Now leave off and let me alone that I may shutt thee up below in the dungeon or chamber of death 32. When this comes to passe then the poore soule wholly immerseth it selfe into the death of Christ and giveth it selfe up to the severe righteousnesse of God into the judgement for the judgement layeth hold on it But the soule catcheth hold of the incorporated Grace in the death of Christ and diveth therewith into the most inward ground of the judgement of God in which ground God's Love is broken forth through the righteousnesse and through the judgement viz. through the eternall night and hath made that same night in man to be day 33. Into this day viz. into the Abysse without all humane possibility or ability it diveth as a childe that neither can nor will doe any more that is too unworthy of all Grace and must indeed give it self up to the judgement but with this diving the soule yeedeth all its utmost will and ability and is in it selfe as it were void of nature and creature and falls againe into the Word wherein it stood in the eternall speaking before it s creaturely nature 34. For Gods righteousnesse and judgement hath no deeper ground then meerly the creaturely life but when the will of the soule yeeldeth it selfe up in going forth from the creature and sinketh into the Abysse then is it again as a new childe for the Abysse in the eternall speaking word out of which the highest Love and Grace of God hath manifested it selfe layeth hold on it and penetrateth into it as the Sun doth into the Ens of an hearb whence the hearb becometh half Solar or of the nature of the Sun Thus in this diving the soule in its will is half divine and then it wrestleth with God's severe righteousnesse in flesh and bloud and will over-power the Anger of God 35. Then saith God's righteousnesse in the conscience let me alone that is leave off and slay me not for thou seest very well that the Divine morning ariseth in mee cease from striving against the judgement of God But in the right combat the soule saith to God's righteousness I will not leave thee except thou blesse mee that is except thou givest mee the promised Grace out of the Death of Christ in his conquest that I may put on my Saviour Christ that he may be mine and I his And then thus saith God's righteousnesse as to Jacob What is thy name And then the poore soule nameth it selfe according to its owne creaturely name As Jacob did heere when he called himselfe Jacob But as the Lord said to Jacob Thou shalt no more be called Jacob but Israel that is a Tree of life Thus also saith God to the soule Thou shalt no more have self-names in mee but thou shalt be called a Christian in Christ viz. A branch in the Tree of Israel * * * Joh. 15.5 A sprout on the vine Christ For thou hast fought with God and man and hast prevailed Thou hast overcome Gods righteousnesse in the wrath of the Anger in thy Combat in the Spirit of Christ and art now an essentiall Christian and no more a titulary and verbal or Mouth-Christian from whom Grace is yet farr off 36. And Moses saith further †††Gen. 32.29 30. And Jacob asked him and said Tell me I pray thee what is thy name But he said wherefore askest thou what is my name And he blessed him there And Jacob called the place Pennel For I have seene God face to face and my soule is * * * Healed preserved The inward holy Figure standeth thus 37. When Jacob with the desire of faith in his wrestling apprehended the morning or Day-breake of God in the Spirit of Christ and †††Joh. 8.56 saw Christ a farr off without the creaturely humanity Then he said What is thy name But Christ said
then Christ divided his Deity and his humanity viz. the heavenly worlds substance which he brought from God in Our humanity and the kingdome of the Naturall humanity from Adam into two severall Principles for the Deity as to the Omnipotency stood yet still therefore sayth the Humanity on the Crosse * * * Mat. 27.46 Mark 15.34 Psal. 22.1 My God why hast thou forsaken mee 5. The two wives of Jacob with their children signifie heere in Christs state and condition the twofold soule viz. that from Time and that from Eternity and the two handmaydes with their children signifi◠heere in this state and condition of his the Heavenly and the Earthly corporeity viz. Lea in her bleereydness signifieth the * * * The spirit of the world in the Dust of the Earth· Spiritus Mundi in Limo terrae wherein the Corruption in Adam was effected wherein God promised the destroyer of the Serpent and wherein Christ should be manifested and therefore in Lea the Line of Christ viz. the destroyer of the Serpent in the type and prefiguration was borne viz. Judah and Rachel signifieth the Extinguished Ens of the heavenly worlds Substance wherein the true soule dwelleth which faded in Adams Fall and became unfruitfull as Rachel till God in the Spirit of Christ made her fruitfull as was done to Rachel 6. And as Jacob set the handmayds with their children formost so was the Earthly Image in the humane Nature set formost in the suffering of Christ which should passe through the sharpnes of Death next after would Lea that is the Body out of the Limus of the Earth wherein the Destroyer of the Serpent lay in the suffering of Christ follow and after that Rachel viz. the heavenly Limus with the Prince Joseph that is with the true Adamicall Image of the Divine worlds Substance and the Name JESUS passed into the suffering of Christ before as Jacob before his wives and childrens 7. And as the Name and power JESU viz. Gods Sweetnesse and Love saw and felt the wrath of God in the humane flesh and soule then the Name JESUS bowed it selfe through all the Seaven Formes of Natures Life wherein the Anger of God was become manifest that is he then pressed Essentially through the Centre of Nature through all the Seaven Formes of Nature quite through the wrathfull fire-source 8. As Jacob bowed himselfe seaven times to the Earth before the Anger of Esaw and appeased Esaw in this humility so also heere the Love in the Name JESU appeaseth the anger of the Fathers property in the fire in soule and body for the Naturall Life from the Spirit of the world viz. the soule from time which was breathed into Adams Nostrills must yeeld up its naturall Right and dye as Jacob yeelded up his riches and also his outward Life to his brother to do what he would with him thus also Christ yeelded up our Life to the anger of God and left it willingly but the Name JESUS went before and brought our Naturall Life quite through death and tooke it to himselfe againe and triumphed with our Naturall Life over and through Death 9. And as Esau his brother in this humility and submission ran to meete him and fell about his neck and kissed him and in great compassion wept upon his neck So also in like manner when the essence of the anger of God kissed and tasted the sweet love in the Name JESU in the bloud of Christ then it was transmuted and converted into such great compassion towards mankinde as Jeremiah in the Spirit declareth where he speaketh in this figure * * * Jer. 31.20 Ephraim my deare childe my heart is troubled I must have compassion on him Where he speaks concerning this compassion 10. And when Esaw wept upon Jacobs neck †††Gen. 33.5 6 7. He lift up his eyes and behold the women with the children and said Whose are these with thee Jacob answered They are the children which God hath bestowed upon thy servant And the handmayds drew neare with their children and bowed themselves before him Lea also drew near with her children and bowed themselves before him afterwards Joseph and Rachel drew neare and bowed themselves before him The inward Figure stands thus When the anger of God held man captive in the darknesse then was he not in the anger known to God's holy Image but when the love in the suffering of Christ in the humanity brake through the anger so that the anger was changed then the onely God looked on it againe in his Image and spake to the Name JESU saying Who are these that are with thee And JESUS answered God and sayd They are the children which God hath vouchsafed and bestowed upon his servant 11. For heere Christ presents himselfe as a Servant of God with his children that are borne in him in the Faith viz with us poore children of Eve and there passed through the death of Christ and were presented before the countenance of God first the handmaids with their children that is man that had been sinfull he sets him first in Gods countenance which Jacobs handmaids doe signifie 12. Afterwards there pressed forward the line of the Covenant with the spiritual Lea viz the first created Image out of the Limus of the earth wherein the * * * The 5 wounds of Christ. five Prints of the Nailes the wounds of Christ stood they should be shewne to the onely God that therein he should receive the handmaids children who all bowed themselves before God 13. Then afterwards came Joseph with his Mother viz. the Image of the heavenly world's substance and bowed before the onely God which had been angry with him 14. Men should not understand this in divided figures types or Images but as the properties of the humanity are manifested before God through the suffering of Christ in one onely Image viz. in Christ's humanity in the kingdome of the Restauration or Redemption viz. in the kingdome of heaven The reader should understand our sence properly for we write heere in the vision of all the Three Principles how it went and still to this day goeth with the new birth Our exposition will not beare any dividing of the figure or Creature wee understand it in one creature 15. Our earnest and hearty consideration is this that we may see and understand how we poore children of Eve were brought through Christ's suffring and death and set before Gods countenance and how first the soule with the body of sin must passe through death and in the Resurrection come againe with the body before God where the body from the Limus of the earth is esteemed strange in the presence of God Therefore it is prefigured in the type in the condition of a handmaid and then presently in that body the Prints of the Nailes the suffering of Christ is sett before God Out of which death of Christ the faire Image created in Adam appeareth
Kingdome so also God sets him in his Kingdome and ruleth by him and giveth him his Sealeâ—Ring viz. the humanity and Deity in the Love of Jesus Christ to his soule and causeth him to ride in the second Chariott after him that is where Gods Spirit goeth there alwayes goeth such a Man after it and the Devill Death and Hell dare not touch him any more for thus he getteth power over the Devill Death and Hell and also over his mortall flesh and Bloud as Joseph over the Land of Aegypt 51. And as Joseph quickly withdrew and built the King Granaryes to lay up provisions so also such a Man who according to his inward Ground sitteth in the Kingdome of God buildeth for God his Lord many such Humane Houses viz. Mens soules in which he layes up in store the Divine overplus which God giveth him in Christ Jesus viz. the Divine knowledge and wisdome with good Instruction Doctrine and Life so that his Doctrine spreadeth abroad and multiplieth as sands in the Sea so innumerable spreading branches his Pearle-Plant putteth forth that many hundred thousand soules Eate thereof as of Josephs provision in the Famine 52. And then Potiphars Daughter that is the Daughter of the Priest of ON viz the true Christianity is given him for a Spouse which he is to cherish and Love and * * * Gen. 41.50 begetteth of her these Two Sonnes as alwayes travailing in this way and then they walke with washed hearts as Joseph before the time of the Famine in Aegypt begate of his wife Manasseh and Ephraim and so it was represented to him with these Names how God had in the house of his misâ—ry caused him to grow great and gave him much 53. And then also a childe of God sets open his Chists of Treasure when the famine cometh that the Anger of God sifteth the world as Joseph did his Granaryes and imparted to his fellow Twiggs therewith out of his Chists of Treasure that they perish not in that Famine CHAP. LXIX How this Famine went through all Lands and how Jacob sent his sonnes into the Land of Aegypt for Corne and how they came before Joseph and how he shewed himselfe to them What is thereby to be understood Vpon the 42 of Genesis Gen. XLII THis fowrty second Chapter of Genesis concerning Joseph and his brethren is a figure shewing how such a Converted Christian which hath already entered with Christ into his processe and hath now overcome in the end also forgiveth and rewardeth his Enemies with bounty who have brought him into Christs processe with their persecution and wicked devices and Councell and how also their sinnes are set before them and how they are brought into Anxiety and Necessity and how in the End of Meere Grace they are released from paine and punishment and how God is so gracious to them upon their conversion that he not onely releaseth the punishment but blesseth them with his Gifts and Benefitts as heere Joseph did to his Brethren 2. But then next is also represented in this figure how Earnestly and severely God sheweth himselfe against sinne as heere Joseph against his brethren and yet God is not earnest to punish the repenting sinner according to the sharpest severity but he setts himselfe strictly against the soule in its Conscience that sinne may awake and be acknowledged and that Repentance may be the greater that Man in such terrour may be humbled for sinne and quite depart from sinne and be angry with it and utterly hate it when he knoweth that sinne hath so terrible a Judgement in it The Historie sayth thus 3. * * * Gen. 42.1 2 3 4. But when Jacob saw that there was plenty of Corne in Aegypt he sayd to his sonnes Why doe you looke so long about you behold I heare there is plenty of Corne in Aegypt goe downe thither and buy us Corne that wee may live and not dye Then the †††10 Brethren Ten Brethren of Joseph went downe that they might buy Corne in Aegypt But Jacob would not suffer Josephs brother Benjamin to goe for he sayd some mishap may befall him 4. Now this is a figure first shewing that when Man findeth himselfe in the Divine Anger in this Famine that as to Righteousnesse he is in want as Jacob and his children in the Famine then the Father sayth in the Conscience to the Soule why lingâ—rest thou so long looking about thee Goe downe into Repentance where there is plenty of Righteousnesse in the Death of Christ where Christ giveth righteousnes for and instead of thy sinnes if thou heartily turnest to him And thus the Father bestoweth his will and introduceth it in to the Sinners Repentance and Conversation 5. But Benjamin Josephs Brother that is the humanity of Christ he giveth not to it presently therewith Hee first bestoweth upon it its sinfull Brethren that is He giveth it first his terrours into its Conscience and hideth his Comfort in his Grace viz. the true Benjamin Josephs brother from the * * * Sinfull affections properties of sinnes and sendeth the properties of sinnes viz. those wherein sinnes have been wrought and Committed after Grace to buy this Corne of Joseph viz. of Christ. 6. The sinner must himselfe enter upon it and with Earnestnesse enter into the Suffering and Death of Christ and dye from his sinnes in the presence of Grace in the Prison of Gods Anger and cast himselfe upon Josephs viz. Christs Mercy and Grace and not stay without and say with Christ there is plenty of Grace and so tickle and comfort himselfe with Grace No that quickneth not the poore soule thou must goe downe into Aegypt to thy injured brother whom thou hast cast into the Pit by thy sinnes within thee and must in great humility come into his presence though thou wilt not suddenly know it till he in his Mercy shall give thee to know it and then thou must in Christs Power Might and Glory which he gat in his resurrection buy Corne for the poore soule that it may live and not dye as Jacob sayd to his Children 7. And Moses sayth further * * * Gen. 42.5 6 7 8. Thus the Children of Israell and others with them came to buy Corne for the Famine was also in Canaan but Joseph was the Ruler of the Land and sold Corne to all the people in the Land Now when his Brethren came to him they fell downe with their faces to the Earth before him and he saw them and knew them and carried himselfe strangely towards them and spake roughly with them and sayd to them Whence come yee They sayd out of the Land of Canaan to buy foode but though he knew them they knew not him yet 8. This now is the first state and Condition of the poore soule when it turneth to Christ to fetch foode from him then he looketh upon the soule in its will totally in its Essence to see whether the free-will had sett
will come who carrieth it in his mouth and it is also a messenger declaring that Babell shall soon come to its End by this Sword and be given to this Sword to be devoured 27. Now saith reason wherefore did not God examine this Ens afore out of which he created the Earth and man out of the same Earth before he created the Earth and man forsooth deare Reason heere thou hast hit the matter right Gods Omnipotence and omniscience must serve thy turne whereby thou art able to bring all things into Gods will as rationall phancy dictates hearken o Reason dost thou know whence the Earth is generated thou saist through the Word viz. in the Verbum Fiat I say so too now what was this word Here looke upon the Earth and the whole Creation and thou wilt see what the desire of the word hath brought into Essence out of the spirituall Ens thou wilt every where see good and Evill and finde out Gods love and anger 28. The Word was a full Spiration from the spirituall fire-and light-world according to which God calleth himselfe a Strong jealous angry God as to the fire and a mercifull Loving God as to the light 29. Now if God should have a a a Nulled abolished or taken away quelled the first Principle viz. the fire-Source in the Ens of the Earth out of which it was created whence should the light have its might doth not the Father viz. the fire-world beget the Son viz. the light-world but now being the word in the fire-world was vehemently enkindled by Gods motion to the Creation as we may see by the Coagulation of the Stones if we were not blocks and had onely calvish understandings wherewith then should this Fire but especially the enkindled Ens in the Coagulation be reduced and brought againe into the light into the Equall Temperature and harmony Gods Love must then onely doe it 30. Now how will or can a creature viz. a fire-soule or Angel come into a creaturall being or formation if the fire-Source were not moved and stirred in an especiall manner Like would onely then remaine in Like and if it be onely a meere Likenesse then it hath its Sport with and in it selfe as it was from and in Eternity and therefore the unchangeable God hath moved himselfe according to the fire and light and stirred up the fires property that he may make him a play and melody viz. a formed Word out of himselfe that there might be a play before and in the un-formable Word 31. Now we doe here understand this that if God should have againe introduced the enkindled Ens out of which the Earth and man were created into the un-formable Word viz. wholly and fully into the likenesse into the Love then no creature might have been produced or brought forth for every Soules-Spirit yea the Angels and vvhatsoever liveth must be a stirring or working fire 32. Now no fire-Soure can be generated out of the perfect likenesse unlesse the likenesse doth move it selfe yet the Eternall likenesse viz. God had before moved himselfe in his Mystery with the creation of the Angelicall Thrones now if he should have changed this motion which was Enkindled and also poysoned by the Hierarck Lucifer with false distemper into Love before he had created the Earth and man then he must yet once more have moved himselfe according to the fires property if he would have created another Hierarck and Angelicall Prince 33. But being that might not be he created the Earth and out of the Earth Man out of the first motion and breathed into man the Light-and fire-soule out of that breath of his manifested and moved word viz out of the first motion for out of the first motion of the word another Prince should come into the princely created Throne of Lucifer and take in and possesse the first motion 34. And God appointed the Judgement to the first motion and tooke away Lucifers Domineering Fire-Sword and gave it unto Adam and afterward introduced the deepest Love of God in Christ into Adam and brought the Moved Word againe into the likenesse viz. into an Eternall Confirmation and gave Adam in Christ the Fire-Sword over the fallen Prince Lucifer 35. For Adam viz. the corrupted limus of the Earth should in Christ its first enjoyed Prince judge with this flaming Sword as Christ hath told us that the Saints shall judge the world understand the Enkindled Ens of man and of the Earth should judge the false Prince of Lies who had perversely changed the Truth in the holy Ens into Lies and corrupted it with such false desire 36. But beeing the Ens of man was corrupted and could not God out of his deepest Hiddennesse introduced the most holy Ens into the Corrupt Ens of man viz. into the heavenly part and brought the outward part also through the Sword of the fire and death into the inward into an Eternall likenesse or temperature And thus there is heere a Looking-glasse for Reason if it be illuminated of God It will then understand us heere but if it be not then there is not any possibility to understand this 37. And we faithfully and seriously warne the caviller and carper not to say it is a blasphemy let him first put away his Calvish and Beastiall Eyes and looke us heere in the face before he takes upon him to censure and cavill at us it hath far another A. B. C. then Reason hath It must have its Birth a degree deeper 38. Thus we are able very well to understand the casting out of Adam wherefore he was tempted and driven out of Paradise being his Ens was somewhat enkindled by the Devills poyson he could not possesse Paradise and therefore God drove him out from thence with the Sword of judgement into death and corruption and yet gave the promised word of his deepest Love to be with and in him in the Ens of the heavenly worlds-being for a sure and certaine Covenant wherein Adam and his children should Trust and beleeve that at the end and accomplishment of this time he would in this Incorporated Word bring them againe with the introduction of the holy Ens out of death through the fire-sword and clean cut off the false infection and lust with the Sword of judgement and set them as Angels of God in the place of fallen Lucifer and this is the mystery of the Angel and Sword of Paradise 39. The Angel did beare the Name of the Covenant out of which God would manifest Jesus viz. the High and Almighty Prince and it was even this Angel which afterward wrought many wonders upon the Earth who was with Abel Sem Enoch Noah Abraham and Moses who appeared to Moses in the fire-sword of flame in the bush and brought Israel out of Egypt and went before them in a fiery Pillar by night and in a cloudy Pillar by day who gave them the Law in the fire and at last brought them by Joshua being
might give it selfe and Imaginate it selfe and so in the property of the holy fire it might be able to enter with its will into the Ayme of the Covenant which stood before God in the figure untill the promise of the womans Seed was fulfilled and accomplished 26. In which Seed the dear and pretious Name of Jesus did open it selfe out of Jehovah and did again awaken the heavenly life in the disappeared Ens in the humanity and offered up this whole Image in the Person of Christ to the Anger fire of the Father and with the holy Love fire Regenerated and enkindled in the humane life did bring it quite through the Anger viz. through the fire of the Eternall nature of the Fathers Manifestation and changed the anger-fire into a love-fire and this was just thus prefigured in the Offring for the Love-fire enkindled the offring and in the offring was yet the Curse of the Earth aswell as in the humane free will and when the offring was offered it was a Sin-offering whereby the free-will of mans Soule was t t t Reconciled with God propitiated before God 27. Now if Sin shall be reconciled and appeased then it must be brought into the Anger viz. into the judgement of God into the sword of the Cherub that it may cut off the same which Cherub is the Sword of Gods anger and if then the humane will be wholly Sinfull and altogether capable of the fire of Anger then God Enkindleth the Sin-offering in which the Anger-fire lay hidden in the Curse with the holy fire that the humane will which was apprehended in the Anger-fire might be atonened in the Love-fire 28. For the Love-fire of God tinctureth the soules desire in the Offring as a tincture tingeth brasse and Iron and changeth them into Gold even thus the humane Soules free-will vvhich was inspired wholly pure and spotlesse into man was tinctured and again purified before God that so it might enter into Gods mercy for the mercy was hidden in the Love-fire viz. in the Aym of the Covenant in the Name of Jesus in God in which Covenant and Name the Anger of God was Reconciled and Atonened in the offring and laid down its Anger-burning flames and suffered the soules free-will to passe quite through it 29. But as touching the offring in it selfe with the Wood Fire Light and Smoak understand it thus Abel offered of his flock without doubt sheep or oxen as Moses did the like namely the fat of them now the offring viz. the wood and Smoak on the outward part as to the mater was earthly and so was Man as to the outward Body earthly and in the earthlinesse lay the Curse both in Man and in the Offring 30. But vvhen the Offring was Enkindled it was Spirituall for from the wood proceeded the fire which tooke the Offring and consumed it and out of the consumptivenesse vvent forth first from the fire the smoak and afterward the light this was the Figure whereinto Mans and also Gods Imagination entered as a Compaction or Conjunction 31. In the Enkindled Consuming fire vvas the desire of the Angry Father viz. a Conjunction of the eternall natures-fire with the Temporall fire the Eternall is Magicall and the temporall is the Substance and matter of the magicall viz. its u u u Or Amassement Reception and in the enkindled Light was the holy love-fire which is also magicall as subtile as a will which did also immasse it selfe in the enkindled light and in the forth-proceeding smoak which is an Elementall Sulphur and Mercury viz. a life of the quality the smell or taste went forth also which signifieth the humane power of the Body and the outward spirit of nature 32. In this power which proceeded forth from the offring out of the fire and light the Spirit of God which proceedeth forth from the Father and Son did Amass it selfe in the Amassement of the humane Faiths desire and so tooke the humane Faiths desire into it selfe and did Amasse it selfe into a Substance of the fire light and power proceeding forth from the Offring and brought it through the Gates of Gods Anger upon the holy Altar in the Aym of the Covenant upon which the Lamb of God should be offered for the sins of the whole world 33. For this Lamb of God viz. Christ should compleat perfect and make this introduced offring fully acceptable upon the Great Altar of the Angelicall world that it might be to God an Eternall Sweet Savour of his deepest Love which he represented in Man in his introduced offring in the Lamb of God Christ and Mankinde in this Representative offring 34. The humane offring was the Sojourner of the true Lamb and offering of God in Christ and now where the offring is there is also the spirit of man for mans spirit is gone forth and departed from God into Time and in the Time it hath defiled it selfe therefore it must forsake the Pollution and enter in again through this Offring to God 35. But if it will enter then it must doe it in manner and forme as it went out for it brought it selfe into false desire and lust even so likewise it must introduce it selfe againe by a Returning into a Sorrow and conversion and in the Sorrow or Repentance again into a divine desire which is called Faith 36. But that it might apprehend or lay hold on the divine desire Note it did bring the faith or the beleeving desire into an offring and so amassed or formed the beleeving desire in the offring into a Substance or Essence that the Faith also might become essentiall and this essentiallity of faith received the holy fire of God which would in the fulnesse of time open it selfe in the essentiality of faith and bring the humane Substance thereinto and also bring it forth in it selfe through Gods Anger and change it in it selfe into a Love-fire for all the words of prayer in the offring were also received into the Substance of Faith 37. For as all things were formed Amassed and introduced by the vvord of God into a Substance so likewise the words of the prayer of Abel and Israel in the offring were formed and amassed to substance viz. unto an Incorruptible Essence in which Essence Christ Gods Son in the fulnesse of time brake forth out of the Covenant and tooke upon him this same Essence together vvith the humane Essence and as a potent Champion and mighty Conquerour destroyed the Kingdome of death and the Devill 38. And to this faiths Essence in the Spirit of Christ in all his children and members was given the Judgement over the world yea over the Kingdome of the Devill and of death thereby to destroy and bring to nought their works and Possess the Royall Throne 39. This was the reall offring of Abel for the Spirit of the holy love-fire in the Aym of the Covenant had opened it selfe in him so that he understood it and therefore he offered
of these Serpentine wolvish Pharisees and also of the verball Titular Christendome 16. As the false Serpents-child is a monster and fool before the Angelicall world so likewise the children of darknesse doe account and esteeme the children of the light for fooles for there must be a contrary that the one might be manifest in the other if the Anger had not taken hold of the humanity and devoured it into it selfe then the deepest Love of God would not have been manifest in Man 17. But thus the Love taketh Cause by the Anger to overpower and prevaile over the same with its motion and manifestation as the same may be known in Christ the true Son of God gave himselfe into our Image which was awaked in the Anger that so he might be made manifest with his Love in the Anger and change the same into joy 18. Christ gave our humane Image to the Anger of his father to be devoured in death and brought his life into death and yet manifested his Love in the life which death had devoured and brought forth the life in Love through the death as a Grain of corn which is sown into the earth the same must dye in the earth but out of that mortifyed grain growes a fair new body even so the corrupt body of Adam shall and must be offered to death and the Anger and out of the Death and Anger the body of the divine Love shall be manifest 19. It was exactly Typified and prefigured in Cain and Abel how it would be in the Succeeding and future generations being Abel outwardly did beare the Earthly Image and yet in the Spirit he was an Image of heaven his outward body in the Corruption was onely a e e e Text Larva or strange disguâ—sed person visard before the outward world for there was another Spirit hidden therein which was not of the outward worlds Essence and property therefore because he was not wholly a right childe of the earthly world it would not suffer him being as a strange childe in it for the Devill was Prince in the wrathfull Essence in this world who would not that a childe of the light should spring forth through the wrathfull Essence and be in his Garden 20. Thus the Image or person of Cain and Abel is a true figure of the false and then also of the holy and true children of God of the outward Sinfull corrupt and mortall Man and of the inward now regenerate holy man when Christ with his Love-Kingdome ariseth from death out of the disappeared Ens then Adams earthly Image must dye in Christs death and if it now be that the outward body must yet live it is onely a scorne and foole before the Heavens Image and so also before the naturall f f f All naturall men life of this world 21. For so soon as Christ is borne the Sinfull life is condemned to death and standeth in scorne and open shame before all the false children in the Anger of God as an whore in g g g At the house of correction or whipt through the streets Bridewell whom other whores likewise help to deride and scoffe at and yet they doe but onely judge and condemn themselves thereby for if Christ be born then the judgement passeth upon the false beastiall life and that man must stand in the judgement of God as a malefactour and be termed a foole a Heretick and be jeered scoffed and reviled yea even utterly defyed and slaine that the Monster may be judged before Gods Anger but those that doe it are the children of the lusty pampered and well-fatned Anger of God whom the wrath of God useth for its Instrument for God is a Spirit therefore he accomplisheth his judgement by a materiall h h h By some outward substantiall meanes or Persons Image 22. For so soon as Abell did in his Offring put on or attract the Love of God in the Covenant anew into his humane desire and comprehended or amassed the same into his Essence then forthwith the judgement passed upon the externall mortall Man and Gods Sword of Anger tooke him which Cain executed and slew the outward body of Abel and at this time also the judgement passed upon the false Image of the Anger in Cain for he stood there and cryed My Sins are greater then can be forgiven me 23. This doth now hint and point at the figure of Christ how the Anger of the Father must i i i Or swallow up devoure the life of Christ in death and when as the Anger had devoured the life in death then the holy life of the deepest Love of God moved it selfe in the death and the Anger and devoured the death and anger into it selfe whereat the Earth trembled and the Rocks clove asunder and the Graves of the Saints opened 24. And so likewise the Love-fire k k k Good and evill now mixed and in contest one with the other and the Anger-fire in the place of this world which wrathfull fire was enkindled in the Creation when the Apostate Lucifer fell shall at the Last Day be again changed into the Divine joyfulnesse and be Avalled or swallowed up in the Love understand it shall be thus in the third Principle where Love and anger doe strive this Time one with anorher but l l l Lucifer HE remaineth in the darknesse in the first Principle 25. The true Cause wherefore Cain murthered Abel was by reason of their Offrings and worship of God viz. Religion as this Contention continueth still to this day the Cainicall Church is not yet one with the Abelicall 26. Now saith reason I see it well enough that all contention and strife ariseth from Religion but what is the ground and most undoubted cause and reason thereof behold this is the Cause set before thee the false Serpents childe which is Evill and good and then set before thee the virgins-childe borne of Christ and then thou hast the fundamentall Cause exactly drawn to the life before thine eyes 27. The Cainicall Church drives a suttle Trade with externall Ceremonies and will appease God with some externall thing or other it will be outwardly an accepted and adopted child it must down right be called honest godly holy and heavenly it adorneth and trimmeth up it selfe very finely and standeth mightly upon its Calling which it hath it selfe Ordained and Instituted it makes a very specious and Renowned shew in the white sheepes cloathing and therein lodgeth the High Priest of selfehood without Christs Spirit and rules and masters the worke of the outward letters and whosoever learneth to transpose and compose the same boldly and bravely according to their forme of forged opinions he is an high Priest in their Office and Order he putteth Christs garment of innocency on him for his Cloake and Covert 28. The other party of the confused cainicall Church cryeth out and holdeth forth the Goodly glistering childe to m m m
introduced earthly will may dye in it 40. For the fire-soule viz. the first Principle hangeth upon the Band of the outward world and continually and eagerly introduceth Something of vanity into it whereby the virgin-childe of the Angelicall worlds Essence viz. of Christs essentiality is defiled obscured and darkned therefore it must be so refined purified and purged again and many a cold piercing rautish wind of tribulation Anguish and great perplexity bloweth upon this child it must be continually as an off-scouring of the world for its Kingdome is not of this world as Christ said my Kingdome is not of this world 41. But the effect is this when the fair morning Star doth dawn and arise in the virgin-child then the outward life is even illuminated Or while it â—ives here in this time and it giveth it selfe up unto the obedience of the Internall life as an instrument and Servant of the internall 42. And then the holy Spirit of God shineth forth through the virgin-child and preacheth Christ crucified and reproveth the world for its Sins and wicked malicious doings and shewes them their false hypocriticall erroneous way that they will needs be the children of God in the outward Kingdome in their selfe-contrived and devised wayes and will seeke an externall forgivenesse of Sin in their owne conceited and received wayes and yet will still remaine in the vanity and in the pleasure of their flesh and desire onely to make devout shewes before God and give good words in a soothing glozing glosse of fine hypocrisie as if they served God in their contrived Conjectures and Opinions but still they will continue in selfehood in the outward shew and Ostentation 43. These the holy Ghost doth rebuke and reprove by the Virgins child in Christs Spirit and calls them hypocrites and wolves in sheeps cloathing and crafty Foxes borne of the Serpents Ens in whom there is the very property of Toads Dogs and wilde Beasts and shewes them that they draw neer to God with their lips but their Heart is full of murther gall and Serpent-desire and hath no true upright Love-desire in it also it shewes them that they are but meer flatterers and dissemblers in their Office who onely seeke pleasure and Temporall Honour and Respect thereby that so they might be able to domineer and Lord it over mens bodies and Soules Goods and Estates and thus they serve God onely from without with hypocriticall mouthes but their heart hangeth to the whoredome of Babylon full of devillish murther and poyson against him that doth but touch their Conscience 44. Such children in the Serpents craft who are best able as cunning Crafts masters in Sophistry to turne this Suttlety most takingly and artificially the children of the world doe set up unto themselves for Teachers and will learne the way of God from them 45. These Teachers doe assume unto themselves and presume upon the writings of the Saints and proclaime with open mouth that they teach Gods word the holy Spirit is poured forth by their teaching and preaching and though their conscience doth even convince them that they are not capable of the Office of the Ministry and that they are in no wise the Temples of the holy Spirit who should teach in and by them yet they care not for that it brings them money and Honour Christ is gone up to heaven and hath placed and Ordained them to be Stewards and Vicars in his office they must compose and contrive their Doctrine out of the writings of the Saints and out of their Reason upon the Letter of the Scripture their heaping together and composing of the words in the forme of their Suttle Reason must be the voice of the holy Spirit they say the holy Spirit is thereby poured forth into the Hearts of men 46. And though they themselves be onely Cain and in their q q q Or composing of the texts or bare letter of Scripture litterall and Bookish rapsody in their Sermons doe cast forth a great deal of light lewd Cainicall scorne and brother-slaughter and oftentimes mix lies and truth together yet the holy Spirit must have taught and the Congregation must thanke God for such holy sound orthodox Evangelicall Doctrine as they call it and after their killing of their brother there they must also help with boldnesse courage and zeale to murther and slay Abel and the little childe Jesus in his members with words and deeds 47. Such Teachers the world sets up to learn the Kingdome of God from and whosoever can but lustily cavill censure and condemne others in their Gifts and propose it with fine Distinctions and suttle Arguments and cloath them with the mantle of Reason and hide the Wolfe which thereby murthereth and devoureth Christs flock under the purple mantle of Christ to him they give diligent attention for the fleshly Serpents Heart doth therewith sooth up and flatter it selfe in its evill property It hath even such an Artificiall nature and Constitution 48. Such Seed these Teachers chosen of men doe sow who onely desire the Calling for temporall Honour and pleasure but are not called of God and are also without divine knowledge and understand not what true divinity is they enter not by the doore of Christ but they come into place by the Election and favour of men through the means of their own willing walking and running these can no way be acknowledged for the shepheards of Christ for they are not borne of Christ and chosen to this Function and divine calling 49. They are onely the great Master-builders of Babylon where the Languages are confounded and men thereby set at ods and variance and they set up war and contention upon the Earth for they wrangle and jangle about the meer Husk viz. about the written word and Letter and they have not the living word of God dwelling in them from which they ought to teach the Spirit of Christ it selfe must be the teacher in the word with the living voice or Expression the Spirit r r r The humane Spirit of man must know and feelingly finde Christ in it otherwise none teacheth the words of Christ onely dumb sencelesse words without power and Spirit 50. Now the Spirit of Christ in his children doth reprove these and shewes them the true way viz. how we must dye wholly in Christs death to the selfehood and the false selfe-full desire of temporall pleasure and honour and be borne again of Christs Spirit with another new will and desire out of Christs s s s Or body Love in peculiar Reall knowledge and preach and teach Christ from our own peculiar and singular knowledge of him in our selves 51. This Babel in Cain cannot endure that one should teach that Christ himselfe must be the teacher in the humane Spirit they plead their Cause from the forewritten Apostolicall word and say if they teach the same then the Spirit of God is poured forth yes forsooth very right I say so
line their Age which the Spirit setteth down denoteth the * * * Note Times how long each Dominion and government both the worldly and Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall Kingdome should stand in its forme and Structure that is to say how long each * * * Beginning growing arising prevailing Monarchy of the Secular and wordly power and domination should continue and so likewise of the Spirituall Monarchy 33. And these * * * Or Monarchs Monarchies of the wonders are forthwith represented out of the first Twiggs springing from the beginning of the humane tree that is they are set forth in each line in Seven numbers from Adam through Cain even unto Lamech and in the other line from Adam unto Jared by which Numbers and Names the Spirit pointeth in each line especially at Seven of the forth-proceeding properties of the Tree and powers of the wonders intimating how the powers of the wonders should afterwards bring themselves into Goverments and how one figure should arise out of the other and how one should destroy and break down the other and set forth out of the destruction another forme as it hath been brought to passe in the * * * Ecclesiasticall and Temporall Spirituall and worldly Goverments for alwayes the worldly Government is to be understood with the Spirituall for the outward formed Word in the dominion and Regiment of nature doth evermore set forth its forme by with and in the Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall forme or manner of Discipline therefore observe and marke here with precise Exactnesse 34. There are Seaven Times appointed to proceed from the Tree of life in the word of power the first proceedeth from the pure life of Adam for before the creature the life was in the word whence it was brought pure into the Image this continued untill the fall from this pure life there springs forth a twigg in the inward Kingdome this same was Abel but being the fall hung on him externally this same pure life was carried through Death into the holy world this signifieth and pointeth at the Kingdome of Christ who should bring us through Death into the pure Life 35. The Second time begins with Seth for Moses saith that Adam was an hundred and thirty yeares old and begat a Son in his own likenesse and called him Seth understand he was such an Image as Adam wâ—s after the fall and was set in the Spirituall Line of the Wonders and Cain also with him in a worldly naturall line of the wonders for both * * * Secular and Ecclesiasticall Kingdomes goe together Seths time continueth till the Deluge and beareth the Supremacy even to the Deluge or Noahs floud 36. The Third time begins with Enos under Seths time and carrieth forth it selfe all along as a Spirituall Ministry or Knowledge of God under Seths time as an hidden Kingdome and continued till Abraham to whom the Covenant of Christ was established in the flesh 37. The Fourth time begins with Cainan which is the Spirituall forme in prayers and Spirituall offrings wherein the word formed it selfe in the wisdome and carried it selfe forth all along under Seths and Enos his time and manifested it selfe with Moses like as Enos his time was first truely manifested with Abraham with the promise in the Covenant this time of Cainan continued in its manifestation and dominion under Moses till Christ in the flesh 38. The fift time begins with Mahalaleel and t is the Reception or formation of the Angelicall forme viz. of the new Regeneration out of the Covenant and goeth Secretly all along under the Ministry of Enos under Seth and Cainan in the word of the promise through all the Three times and did manifest it selfe with the fulfilling of the Covenant in the humanity of Christ where the true Mahalaleel and Angelicall Image which did disappeare in Adam was again manifest in the humanity of Christ. 39. The Sixt time begins with Jared which is the spirituall Priesthood under the externall where outwardly Seth Enos Cainan Mahalaleel were in their Times in their Orders or outward formes as the ministry and preaching of Enos concerning God and his beeing and will so likewise the preaching of Abraham concerning the Covenant and Circumcision Also Moses with the Book of the Law under all these the inward Priest Jared went along hiddenly Inwardly this Spirituall Priesthood is Christ in the new man and outwardly in the selfe-elected Priests it is Babel 40. This Sixt time began in the Kingdome of Christ after the Death of the Apostles when as men chose themselves Teachers out of favour and outward respects that is it did even then first open it selfe out of the * * * Or vaile hiddennesse of the shaddow and put it selfe forth in the Churches of Stone where the Church stood in stead of the holy Temple of Christ then indeed the holy Jared viz. Christs voice ruled in Christs children internally but externally the Cherub with the Sword did onely bear rule for the outward authority which these selfe-elected Priests doe manage is the Sword of the Cherub which is signified in the Name Jared * * * That is in the word JARED the Language of Nature doth emphatically expresse that the Sword of the Cherub should Domineere the whole Time of the Sixt Seale among the Priests who should have taught the Love of Jesus but by this Sword they fall AMEN which powerfully forceth it selfe forth all along in the word in the language of Nature 41. This sixt time is hidden and manifest it is known and also not known for Christ said my Kingdome is not of this world So that this time hath been faine to passe away as it were in a Mystery under Antichrist where inwardly in the children of God Christs Kingdome hath been manifest but in the Rest who have also lived under this time and have been called Christians Babel and the Antichrist hath onely been manifest both in the Priests and their Hearers for they which have been borne of God have heard the true Jared viz. Christs voice in them but the other have heard onely the Outward voice in Babel viz. disputation and Contention about Christs Kingdome 42. For all warre which the Christians manage is onely the Sword of the Cherub proceeding from Babel true Christians wage no war for they have broken the Sword of the Cherub in the death of Christ and are dead with Christ and risen againe in him and they live no longer to the externall Might and Dominion for their Kingdome is manifest in Christ and is not of this world 43. This Sixt * * * Or sixt Seal Kingdome beginneth after the death of the Apostles and continueth with its outward Government even to Mount Zion till translated Enoch doth again appear in Spirit and power for Enoch is the propheticall Root and holdeth in his * * * Or Regiment Dominion Noah Moses and the Sword of Elias at the End of this
light from the new-birth of Christ in the heart which comforts it in its forsaken condition and helps to nourish and cherish it and tells it that it shall not dye but become a great Nation but not in its innate and inbred heritage viz. in the evill Selfe-will but in Beer-sheba that is in the true Contrition in the wilderness viz. in the valley of teares in the desertion that is the poor nature must work in this forsakenness and in its present banishment and exile from the sensible and full enjoyment of Paradise bring forth much fruit which fruit the Angel brings again into Abrahams Tent to be a sojourner of Christ. 13. That is we must understand when Christ is born in man he rejecteth the vanity of nature with the will which worketh and desireth vanity and maketh the naturall will to be Servant whereas before it was Lord and Master but Nature standeth in the wilderness in the vanity of death encompassed with Sin and now it must work and bring forth fruit and yet it looketh upon it selfe as wholly impotent and as one wholly cast out from the inward spirituall will of Christ and in it selfe it seems as one foolish and contemned of the world and every way beaten off from its own will and then it begins even to sinck and quail in it selfe and to leave off from its own will and all things are of small esteem with it That which before did rejoyce it that now is against it and it stands allwaies as if it should dye it hopeth and doubteth that is it hopeth amendment that it might yet once be delivered from the scornfull contempt and be set again into the honour of its selfehood but it dryeth up also it s well of water and Gods anger appears in its sight that is all its friends depart from it with whom before in its Temporall goods and prosperity it had pleasure respect and honour so that it looks upon it selfe as continually a dying 14. And when this comes to passe then it is right in the way to Beer-sheba and wandreth in the wilderness for it knowes not what it shall do it is every ones scorn whatsoever it lookes upon rebukes it for a fool in that its power is taken from it that it must now forgo the beauty riches and honour of the world and all whatsoever might advance and preferre it in Temporalls and yet it would fain have them but yet it is drawn from them by the inward man in Christs spirit and * * * Blamed or upbraided reproved in these Temporalls for unrighteous and abominable 15. And then indeed it enters right into Beer-sheba viz. into the Contrition of the heart and setts reason by the empty water-pott of Hagar and goeth a stones cast from its Son Ismael viz. from the own desire of nature and stands and compells also the thoughts of nature and will not give any thing any longer to its own children viz. to the Sences and cogitations of the minde but casteth them away as children that now must dye a stones cast that is a while from it selfe that it might not see the death of its children so wholly doth Hagar viz. the nature with its Son give up it selfe to the minde for the mortification of the selfehood of the own will sits also and mournes in it selfe in Beer-sheba viz. in the broken and contrite heart and wholly despairs of its Reason would fain dye that it might be but freed from the miserable forlorn condition 16. And then when it is thus prepared that it quite despairs of its Selfe gives up it selfe wholly into the death of selfehood then cometh the Angel of God to Hagar that is to the poor forsaken and dying nature and saith What aileth thee Hagar God hath heard the voice of the Lad where he lyeth arise take up the Lad and hold him in thy hand for I will make him a great Nation and then God openeth the eyes of Hagar viz. of nature and shee sees a well of water and then filleth her bottle with water and gives the Lad drink who growes in the desart and is a good Archer and dwels even in the wilderness of Paran and must take an Egyptian wife The inward exceeding pretious and worthy figure of this stands thus 17. When man hath put on Christ in Faith and is entered into right true Repentance and hath in his minde forsaken the whole world even all its honour goods and things temporall then the poor nature of man doth thus stand in the mortification of selfe as is above-mentioned concerning Hagar and her Son for it desireth also to dye even to the Senses and cogitations of the minde and to enter wholly into Resignation 18. And when it stands thus in the thoughts of death having given up its will and cogitations into mortification then the inward Voice of Gods Word manifests it selfe in the Minde and * * * Thoughts meditations Senses and even there the divine word heareth the voyce of the childs crying viz. the troubled disconsolate Minde in its * * * Cogitations meditations thoughts for it soundeth therein in the divine voice and saith in the divine voice to nature viz. to Hagar What aileth thee thou troubled and perplexed nature fear not God hath heard the voice of the Lad viz. of thy thoughts which thou hast offered up in the desire to God Arise that is lift up thy selfe to God in this resignation and stand up in the voice which hath gratiously heard thee and looked upon thee and take thy cogitations viz. thy Son by the hand of faith and guide and govern the powers of the Minde they shall not dye but live and go for I will make them a great Nation that is to a great divine understanding and capacity in divine Mysteries and God openeth unto nature the fountain of living water so that it receiveth into the Bottle of its essence in it selfe of Gods well-spring and therewith it gives the Lad viz. the Sences or powers of the minde drink 19. And then God is with this Lad of the Thoughts and he groweth great in the wilderness that is in the corrupt nature the right discreet and intellectuall child groweth great in the Spirit of the Lord and becomes an Archer that is an Archer of the Lord and his brethren who shootes the Birdes of prey and the wild Beasts understand he shooteth down out of his Spirit the evill beasts and birds in his brethren with the holy Spirit he teacheth them and reproveth them with divine Arrowes 20. But he must dwell in the wilderness of Paran viz. in the corrupt flesh and in the wilderness amongst ungodly People and there he must be an Archer of God and his Mother viz. nature gives him an Egyptian woman that is nature layeth a fleshly woman by the noble Minde born in Christs Spirit with which the noble new-born Minde must sit in wedlock and be plagued with this Idolatrous fleshly
of the outward life these must go with Isaac that is with Christ in the old Abraham that is Adam to the offering of God and Abraham that is the man Adam in his children must himselfe cleave the wood upon which the offering must be burnt that is when he confesseth Christ then he cleaves the hearts of the wicked who run with him to the death and the Offering of God for Adam in his humanity clave Gods Love and Anger and now also Abraham must cleave the wood for the offering for Christ should also cleave death and life asunder and offer up himselfe upon the cloven wood of death and life unto Gods Anger 10. And on the third day Abraham lift up his eyes Gen. 22.4 and saw the place a far off Heere the Spirit pointeth at the sleep of Adam wherein he slept to the Angelicall world and on the third day after his falling asleep when as now the woman was made out of him and the fall effected he saw Christ viz. the place of God in the Covenant a far off also herein is included the Resurrection of Christ on the third day where he saw his place where he would and should offer and give up man to God his Father viz. the last Judgement and the finall offering a far off also it signifieth that Abraham in the Spirit saw the offering of Christ a far off viz. above 2000 yeares then to come And that the Spirit saith Abraham lifted up his eyes on the third day and saw the place is nothing else but that Christ did again lift up on the third day our humane eyes out of the Grave from the dead unto God and also that it was yet a far off in the dayes of Abraham thus the Spirit doth allude with the outward figure at that which was and is to come Gen. 22.5 11. And Abraham said unto the two young men which he took with him Abide you here with the Asse and I and the Lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you The figure of it internally stands thus The two young men must tarry there with the Ass and not go at this time unto the offering onely Abraham and Isaac must perform that that is we poor children of Eve must abide with the first and third Principle of our life this our time with the Ass viz. with the outward Body here in this world but Christ in Isaac and Abraham in Adam must go forth to the offering that is Christ stood in Abrahams viz. Adams Person and also in his heavenly humanity who should onely go and offer up the offering of his Body to the Anger-fire of his Father and worship for us unto God his Father therefore he said he would go yonder that is when he should offer up his life he would go yonder that is to God and worship for us unto God 12. This points at his Ascention according to the humanity when he had finished the Sacrifice he went * * * Yonder or to that place thither and worshipped in our assumed humanity unto God his Father that is our assumed Soul in divine power and property doth pray and intercede for our weaknesses and ignorances unto and before God Therefore saith Abraham we will go yonder and worship that is we God and Man and when we have worshipped we will come again to you that is we poor children of Eve must in the mean while tarry with the Asâ— untill the time of its offring and Prayer be out and then he comes again unto us when we have finished the course of the outward Asinine life 13. Also it intimates very pregnantly that he when the Time of the Offering in Prayer is out will certainly come again unto us from the place whither he is gon and dwell visibly with the creaturall humanity among us as the two Angels said unto the men of Israel * * * Note Jesuses comming again Act. 1.11 Yee shal see this Jesus come again in like manner as he is ascended which time is now neer and his voice to prepare the bride hath already sounded and therefore hold not this for an uncertain fiction the Morning Star and Messenger of the Annunciation is Appeared Gen. 22.6 14. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it upon Isaac his Son and he took the fire in his hand and the knife and they went both of them together The inward figure stands thus Adam had divided and rent asunder Gods Love and Anger in himselfe and brought himselfe with the creaturall life into the Anger which had amassed the earthly vanity to it selfe now the Spirit of Moses doth here point at this figure how Christ should take our introduced Sin upon himselfe and carry it to the burnt-offering 15. And Abraham took the knife and fire Abraham denoteth Adam who took the fire of Gods Anger into himselfe and the knife signifieth Death that Christ should be killed and offered up in Abrahams that is in Adams Anger-fire to the Father and it clearly denotes that Abraham that is Adam should do it to Christ for Christ should be offered up of man being the man Adam had taken on himselfe the fuell viz. the Sin for the offering therefore also man viz. the Jewes must offer it up to the Anger of God that so man might be Atoned by man understand by the humanity of Christ. 16. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said My Father Gen. 22.7 8. and Abraham answered here am I my Son and he said lo here is the fire and the wood but where is the Lamb for the burnt-offring And Abraham said my Son God will provide himselfe a Lamb for the burnt-offring and so they went both of them together The pretious figure is thus The Spirit here playeth in Christs person who was come in great humility into Adams humanity and presents himselfe to his father in Adams essence with his heavenly humanity and saith behold my father here I have taken on me the Sin and death in the humanity here is now the fire of thy Anger viz. the divided life's formes of mans property Selfehood and own will in this now I have the fuell wherein thy fire of Anger burneth here now I have the wood viz. the Sins of all men and also thy fire to the offering where is now the * * * Sheep Lamb viz. the Patient Lamb which shall be offered up in this fire and Abraham answered from his strong faiths Ens God will provide himselfe a Lamb for the burnt-offering and they went both of them together 17. Here Christ doth in Isaac's figure present himselfe in our assumed humanity to his Father and saith where is now the Lamb for the true Peace offering but the faith of Abraham had apprehended the patient Lamb which lay in Isaac viz. the heavenly humanity which God would open in the Ens of faith in our disappeared and also heavenly humanity and said
viz. the free gift of the Father doth dwell in the inward true man which God created in Adam yet the gross Beast viz. the earthliness and vanity shall and trust in every respect be cast away from Christ yea Every man who desireth to be a Christian must cast out the earthly will which longeth and breatheth after vanity and Selfe â—â—st 21. As Abraham in this figure did not spare his owne children but cast them out so likewise a Christian must not spare or forbeare his children viz. his own lust and vaine desire and all whatsoever doth hang or depend thereon but dayly and hourely cast them out by the understanding out of the true Temple of Christ viz. out of Gods free gift and crucifie the old Adam else if it be not thus effected the old selfe-willed Adam crucifyeth Christ in him and so Christ indeed must hang on the Cross and be putt to death 22. And this figure also Concerning Abraham's casting out his naturall children doth signifie that when Christ viz. the true Isaac came into the flesh viz. into the humanity Abrahams naturall children viz. the Jewes should under the kingdome of Christ be cast out from the naturall goods viz. from all Dominion from Countrey and Kingdome and their Rule and Dominion should cease for the Dominion belongs onely unto Christ viz. to Christendom for Christ brought an Eternall Kingdome with him the goods were all his as Abrahams goods belonged to Isaac 23. And although it hath not dominion over all as Isaac had possession and rule of that onely which his father left him for the naturall children of Abraham born of Kethura became afterwards heathen and ruled over the outward goods as children of the outward nature yet Abrahams children who were in the Covenant under Circumcision must when Christ did manifest himselfe be cast out to signifie that the earthly man also viz. Selfe in the Serpents Ens which is on the children of the Covenant must be cast away from God 24. Thus in Abraham and his Son Isaac the figure of the Kingdome of Christ was represented but when Christ came into the flesh God putt away the figure and took from the externall children of Isaac the outward goods of the Land Canaan to intimate that now the holy Land of Canaan is become manifest where Isaac's children shall take possession of the true promised inheritance in Christ and no longer have the figure onely but the Essence of the figure viz. the perfect substance and now forsake the outward goods with the figure and putt on Christ in the flesh 25. But that the Jewes viz. Isaac's and Abrahams children viz. the children in Christs figure did not all turn unto Christ when he did manifest himselfe in the flesh hath this meaning God gave them the law of nature where in the law the Government of nature was understood externally and internally Christ viz. the Covenant and the promised free gift of God in Paradise so that the law of nature was to be Christs Sojourner and the true man also was to live under the law of nature in a * * * Note Right rationality and yet bring his own nature into Christs house and thus the figure of the law must continue among some of Abrahams children viz. amongst some of the Jewes to signifie that the law is Christs Sojourner 26. Understand that the nature of man shall remain for it is not so rejected of God as if clean another new man should arise out of the old but the new man shall arise out of Adam's nature and property and out of Gods in Christs nature and property so that man is become an Adam-Christ and Christ a Christ-Adam a Man-God and a God-Man and therefore the figure continued still among the Jewes and for this cause they were not all converted to Christ that so nature might keep its figure and due right for it shall deliver up its children under the Law viz. the figure of Christ to God the Father in Christ but its figure shall be proved in the fire of God so that it shall be known who hath been the true child of the naturall Law in the figure of Christ that hath been born in the spirit in the law out of the figure of Christ and who hath not 27. It is not hee that hath the words and Title of the law that is a Jew born in the figure and in the law but he who is born of the promise in Abrahams faith he that liveth in the figure of Christ viz. in the law in profession and practice with mouth and heart the same the law of God in Christs figure hath comprehended and will bring him into the fullfilling of the figure 28. For it doth not onely depend on mans knowing that Christ hath given himselfe into the law and is become the fullfilling in the law as the Titular Christian boasteth but it depends on Gods * * * Ordinance Order on the mercy of God whosoever hath been a true Jew and hath put on Abrahams faith in the law he hath putt on the Ens of Christ which Abraham conceived or apprehended which Ens of faith the humanity of Christ hath fullfilled and it is hidden to him what it is for he worketh in the office of nature in the law of God which Christ hath taken into himselfe and fullfilled so that he serveth God in the office of nature and the Office of nature serveth Christ for it is become Christs own propriety 29. For unto him all power is given both in heaven and on earth Matth. 28. under which power the office of nature also is in the law for God in the spirit of Christ is Even the selfe same who gave the law and the office of nature to do Righteousness together with the figure of the kingdome of Christ with the Ens of faith to Abraham and Moses and he is also the very same who fullfilled the Faith and the law 30. Thus the Jew worketh in his faith in Christs office viz. in the Law wherewith Christ governeth in nature and hath putt on Christ in the Covenant and in the Ens of faith in Christs figure which Christ hath fullfied 31. For the Christian who confesseth Christ in the flesh worketh in his Faith in the flesh of Christ and hath the Law of nature viz. Gods officer to do uprightly in his faith for Christ ruleth in the Law of God which he hath fullfilled and made a Servant in his children and killeth the law of Sin through the fullfilling of his Love in his bloud and death both in them who live in the dominion of his Law and also in them who live in the dominion of his Conquest as the Christians do 32. For the faith which presseth or cometh in unto God in the law in the figure in the Covenant the same cometh unto God in the Ens of Abrahams faith out of which Christ was born and he that cometh in unto God in the fullfilling of the
same doth come or press in to God in the humanity of Christ viz. in the whole process of his suffering death and resurrection 33. A Christian is Christ in the inward humanity and a Jew is Christ in the figure and in the office of his law viz. according to nature but now Adam in his nature and Christ in the divine nature are but one person one onely Tree * * * Rom. 8.34 Who now is here that judgeth 34. Saint Paul saith ‖ ‖ ‖ Rom. 2.11 12 13 14 15. There is no respect of persons before God for as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law and they who have sinned in the law shall be judged by the Law for not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers of the law shall be justified for when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law these having not the law are a law unto themselves which shew that the work of the law is written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness to them and their thoughts within themselves either accusing or excusing each other That is or signifieth thus much 35. When the Gentiles do apprehend Christ then they do apprehend the Law of nature to do uprightly for Christ is the beginning and the fullfilling of the law but the Jewes have the law now whosoever transgresseth and sinneth either the Jew in the law of nature or the Gentile who acknowledgeth Christ in the law of the fullfilling each shall be punished or judged in his law viz. the Jew in the law of God the Father in Christ and the Christian in the law of the Gospel viz. in the law of the Accomplishment 36. For here is no respect of name in that one saith I am a Jew the other I am a Christian the name maketh no difference in the Adoption of God but the spirit in the heart to do uprightly to obey God they all come in the Grace under the obedience of Christ unto God both the Jew and Christian. 37. For without Christ there is neither law nor Gospel Christ is the Righteousness which availeth before God in the law so that man without Christ hath no God now let him run either in the Law or Gospel if he runneth in the desire to obey God then he runneth in the law of the Accomplishment for Christ is the onely obedience which availeth before God both in the law and Gospel all men who give up themselves in obedience unto God they are received in Christs obedience viz. in the fullfilling of the obedience the Jew and the Christian and so likewise the heathen who hath neither the law nor Gospel 38. For if the Gentile desire to obey the onely God and yet knoweth him not according to the essence of his manifestation but presseth in to the obedience of God then he is a law unto himselfe and declareth indeed that God hath written his law in him which he hath fullfilled in his Son as Paul saith for he who knoweth the law and Gospell knoweth the same onely as a Gift of the Giver who hath given him the knowledge but he that doth not know it and yet desireth the power of the law and Gospel in him God in Christ knowes what he pleaseth 39. For Grace doth not onely lye in knowing that one knoweth the Grace in Christ but it lyeth in the pressing into that Grace and in the mercy of God One presseth in to mercy in the law the other in the Gospel and the third without the law and without the knowledge of the Gospel he that hath neither but hangs on the Grace of God the same is freely given without his knowledge of it 40. Even as the branch on the tree doth not know whence the Stock doth introduce the sapp and power into it it onely longeth and gaspeth after the power and vertue of the root and draweth with its desire the sap into its selfe even so likewise many an ignorant man doth long after his eternall mother out of whom he is arisen with Adam and cometh in his ignorance or un-knowing condition again unto the free gift of Grace which God freely bestowed on Adam in his fall for the Covenant and Grace passed from Adam upon all originally or by way of inheritance even as Sin passed from one upon all whosoever desireth the Grace of the onely God he obtaineth it in Christ who is the Grace it selfe 41. The Jewes will not beleeve the outward humanity of Christ and do deny the same but the Christians do beleeve it and yet defile the same with ungodly conversation and the one is as the other before God except the children of Faith among the Jewes and Christians whose defiled garment is washed in the bloud of Christ. 42. We do not hereby confirm or speak for the unbeleef of the Jewes and Gentiles that they should or might remain in blindness for the time of their visitation is * * * Text. born at hand that they shall see but we hereby disclose and lay open the wicked Antichrist among the Jewes and Christians in that every one boasteth of his Name and condemneth another the Jew in the Law and the Christian in the Gospel and the Heathen in his Superstition 43. Each of them will be Gods child in his knowledge and yet the disobedience and unbeleef is as great among one people as another and they are in the knowledge onely as a figure before God and none is saved by his knowledge onely for that I do beleeve and hold for a truth that Christ was born dyed and arose again from death for mee doth not make me a child of God the Devill knoweth it also but it doth not avail him I must putt on Christ in the desire of faith and enter into his obedience into his incarnation suffering and death and arise again in him and putt on the obedience of Christ and then I am a Christian and not before 44. The judging censuring and condemning others without Gods Command is onely the Antichrist among the Jewes and among the Christians without Gods mercy none cometh to the Son-ship we must all enter in through the free Mercy of God the Jew and Christian the knower and he that knoweth not our knowledge must be filled and abound with the love of Christ effectually so that we love one another else knowledge is not at all available if I bring not my knowledge with the desire into the Love of God wherewith he hath loved us in Christ and love my neighbour in the love of God in Christ with that love wherewith God generally loveth us and loved us when we were his Enemies then I have not as yet the love of God dwelling in mee 45. But how will he Love his brother who contemneth him for his knowledge sake did not God Love us when we knew nothing of his Love if a man hath not this Love of
and V for the S is the character of the holy fire and the V is the character of the efflux issuing forth or Emanation out of the fire 43. Thus the Name Jacob was in the fullness of time in the Ens of Mary changed into the Name Jesus which understanding hath been as dumb and dead both to the Jewes and Christians being no Nation doth any more understand its own language and contend onely about the Compaction of the formed nature of the outward name and understanding the Mentall Tongue none will learn to understand how the same hath formed imprinted and * * * Modelized Ideafied it selfe in the words and Names in the sensuall tongue and yet the whole understanding lyeth therein without opinions if we were not so very blind and shut up in ignorance suffering selfe in pride to rule and govern us we should soon attain to the deepest understanding but the Antichrist beareth the supremacy therefore Esau onely ruleth in the understanding Gen. 25.27 28. 44. And Moses saith further And when the children were grown up Esau was a cunning Hunter and a man of the field and Jacob was a * * * Honest. plain man and dwelt in Tents and Isaac loved Esau and loved to eat of his venison but Rebecca loved Jacob. O thou wonderfull God how very simply and plainly are the greatest Mysteries typifyed and deciphered who can be able to understand without thy Spirit from whence it was that the pretious man Isaac in the Type of Christ loved the naturall man in Adams corrupt Image Esau more then Jacob in the Type of Christ in his figure if thou hadst not in thy knowledge vouchsafed mee to understand the same I must be here even stark blind but it is thy Counsell O Lord that we know thee and thy time is born that thou revealest the Secrets 45. Moses saith that Esau was an hunter and a man of the field and the Father loved to eat of his venison and loved him above Jacob here stands an externall figure as if Isaac loved Esau for his Activeness cunning skill or worldly exercise and loved him more then Jacob so wholly hath the Lord the heart of the wise and of his children in his hand that his children must not in their will doe what they please and oftentimes well understand but what God wills 46. Also we herein see how oftentimes God withdrawes the Mysteries from the most holy that they must be even children in them and although they beare the divine play in their Hands and t is their work and exercise yet they must have a child-like Heart in the understanding thereof as it may be seen here in Isaac 47. He loved Esau more then Jacob why so the Ens of Christ lay in him which ruled him for Christ should love his Enemies viz. the corrupt Esau and his naturall children him he loved more then his divine nature for he brought his divine nature into the death of the corrupt Adam and loved * * * Not his sin in the nature but his poor undon nature by sin which he by death freed from sin and death Adams corrupted nature more then his holy Ens which he for mans corrupt natures sake gave into the fire of Gods Anger that so he might redeem it in his Love of this Isaac was here a figure in the Image of Christ who loved his Hunter in his Evill nature more then Jacob he did not love his iniquity but his child-like nature to which he would do much good as Christ loved us in our Adamicall nature and did us good he did not Love us according to the will of Sin in us as Isaac also did not therein Love his Son Esau but according to the Fathers nature and property according to the child-like filial nature The inward figure stands thus 48. When Isaac intreated the Lord that his Rebecca might conceive his naturall desire with the * * * Earnest longing lubet of the divine Ens of faith entered into Rebecca whereby Rebecca was opened and so the naturall Love of Isaac which was environed with faith was propagated in his seed and opened it selfe in Esau Isaac's love did not open it selfe in Esau as to his corrupt nature I say not according to the kingdome of the nature of this world but according to the Covenant according to the Second Principle viz. according to Gods kingdome which the externall nature in him had not as yet apprehended as the divine Ens in Abraham did open and manifest it selfe according to the Second Principle and not in the mortall corrupt Adamicall nature of the outward world the like also is here to be understood in the figure in Esau. 49. Not that Esau did receive the Ens of Christ in the Covenant as Jacob but his Fathers Love-desire in which the hidden Covenant stood unmoveable now there was thus a Conjunction with his Fathers naturall Love for Every property loveth its own likeness especially if the likeness be proceeded forth from the Essence or thing Loving as Esau was conceived in Rebecca of his Father through his Love-desire 50. And it even denotes that the divine Ens in Gods Love in Isaac loved the miserable humane nature to redeem it therefore God manifested his Love in Abrahams faith and introduced the same into an Ens so that this same Love which God gave to redeem mankinde should Love the humane nature in its shut up abandoned condition as in very truth the true reall Adamicall nature ordained by God was shut up in Esau and on the contrary the kingdome of the wrath had the outward dominion Now to redeem this the spirit in the Covenant through Isaac's nature Loved his Son Esau viz. the filial nature and not onely because that he was an Hunter of the creatures 51. Yet here also by this Hunter we are even to understand the same as is set down before concerning * * * Gen. 10.9 Nimrod who was a mighty Hunter before the Lord for this whole description of the first book of Moses is Gods Spirits figure type or representation where he * * * Or Sets forth as in a Map playeth with the kingdome of nature and then also with Christs kingdome and he hath so pourtrayed delineated and typifyed the Acts of the holy Patriarchs under his figure that we may clearly see in all the histories the glance or allusion of Gods Spirit how he hath delineated and set forth to the life the kingdome of Christ and the kingdome of nature and also the Devills kingdome in the wrath of the Eternall nature and neither the Jewes or Christians hitherto have had a right understanding of the same which among the Patriarchs was rightly understood in its true meaning 52. But afterwards when their children and posterity gave no heed unto the same but disregarded the true understanding and loved their Evill nature more then the spirit in the Covenant then the understanding was
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 Abraham 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 labour toil and be in need and distress even * * * Gen. 26.4 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 nature and creaturall property and become man in thee all nations viz. the whole Adamicall tree shall be blessed and therefore * * * Gen. 26.5 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 operation 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 figure 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 Gen· 26.18 19 20 21. 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 Philistims by which figure the spirit secretly signifieth how the children of the Saints viz. the Patriarchs Abraham and Isaac have alwayes digged 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 apprehended and laid hâ—ld of the promise of the Messiah in faith and then thâ—y said we have digged a well Gen. 26.32 33. and have found of the water of life the same Isaac called * * * Or Saba Sheba and therein hinteth at the Sabbath Christ as he also forthwith saith that thereupon the place was called Beer-sheba viz. a contrition and breaking of the Anger and envy of the Devill in Mans property 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 Eternall Sabbath where it was redeemed and freed from the strife of the Philistims 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 * * * Or inspoken inspired 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 * * * Gen. 26.34 35. 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 wonders 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 The spirituall figure is thus 19. The * * * 40 yeares of Esau. forty years of the Age of Esau or of Isaac after he begatt Esau signifieth that Adam with his Eve when as he was man and woman and yet neither of them did stand in Paradise ‖ ‖ ‖ Adam 40 Dayes in Temptation forty dayes in the Temptation or Proba and had joy with his fair Eve viz. with his * * * Or feminine female property in himselfe 20. But Abimilech viz. the King of this world had introduced his lust into this fair * * * Or feminine female Rose-Garden viz. into the Tincture of Venus understand into the holy life of Love in Adam and stirred the Centre of the Souls nature whereupon Adam became lusting and longing to take to him in his property yet two wives viz. the beastiall wife according to the beast-like property out of the four Elements and the Astrall Sydereall or Starrie wife from the Constellation or Astrum of this world which wicked woman did awaken in Adams female property which he took up to wife for his lust as Esau did the wives of scorn and mockery with whom he caused meer grief of minde and lamentable perplexity to himselfe and his Right female property and we indeed do still suffer and endure the same and must consume our time with them in misery and lamentation 21. Further this figure denoteth the * * * Israel 40 yeares in the Wildernesse Forty years of Israel in the wilderness when they did eate Manna and
Devills vanity 47. For in this New childe there standeth the faire Carbuncle-Stone of the highest Love of God in the Name JESUS which suffers it selfe to be sullyed no more for it once passed through Death Hell in Man it will be pure and possesse the Throne of God whereupon the Scripture speaketh strongly that * * * Heb. 6.4 5. Whosoever hath once tasted the sweetnesse of the world to come and departeth from it againe that this soule hath no forgivenesse more for Ever that is no other then where the Noble Virgin childe is borne a new againe out of the soule in its substance that faded in Adam and the soule departeth quite from it againe and severeth it selfe from it with its will so that it fadeth againe once more there is no remedy for it more Eternally For in the Birth of this virgin childe the foretast of the Eternall Joy is given to the soule and that is done in the Wedding of the Lamb knowne to * * * Those of our society our School-fellowes 48. Therefore this Noble Virgin with her faire †††Or Starre Stone hideth it selfe frequently from the soule but shee breaketh not off from the Marriage except the soule breaketh it selfe off from her and there is great weeping and lamentation towards the soule if it defile it selfe againe as in the little booke of Repentance is set forth and cannot easily befall Joseph for the soule is hugged Embraced and kept in Christs Armes as it is John 10. * * * Joh. 10.28 My sheepe are in my hand 49. This wee understand in this figure how very chast modest and pure hearts are given to the children of God in their inward Ground and how they must be strongly proved and tryed before the Government of Divine Vision will be given them to be able to see the Mysterium Magnum the Great Mysterie 50. And Moses sayth further †††Gen. 39.16 17. And Potiphars wife layd up his Garment by her untill his Master came home and told him those very words Wee see in this figure the perfidious treacherous dealings of the world how wickedly they recompence and reward their Christian faithfull Servants and Ministers Joseph carried himselfe faithfully in the sight of their whole house and all succeeded happily that went through his hand but when he would not lye with this whore to pollute himselfe with her then shee persecuteth him in his Body and Life and studyeth how to steale away his honour from him by falshood and wickednesse when shee cannot take it away with subtilty and devillish plotts 51. This now is a figure shewing how grievous Enemies a true Christian hath and that he is every where encompassed with Enemies and though perhaps he standeth in temporall felicity and have the favour and good will of many Men yet he ought not to be secure for the Devill continually hunteth after him to finde how to make him fall for what the Devill cannot doe by himselfe to Gods children in flesh and bloud that he attempts by his instruments falsly to betray the children of God and that even for their feare of God their honesty and vertue 52. For if the New heavenly Eve be borne in Gods Children then the Devill in the Earthly Eve will not endure it for a whore and a modest Virgin will very ill stand together 53. And thus the children of God have no greater danger then when they are exalted to worldly honour for the Devill is a Spirit of Pride and sets himselfe with his Lust in worldly highnesse and magnificence in * * * Or High Places Eph. 6.12 High Offices for he will alwayes still be a †††Joh. 14.30 Prince of this world as Christ also calleth him and he is so indeed according to the property of vanity falshood and wickednesse and alwayes sets his Throne and stoole readily there where Great Offices and Honour are where Might Power and Authority is administred and put in Execution there he ‖ ‖ ‖ Insinuates or wraps up himselfe involves himselfe so that he might be sure to sit for one in the Government of the world 54. Therefore he will not readily endure that a Joseph should sit neere him but those that are Rich Noble lofty and stately honouring themselves which hunt onely after worldly honour pleasure and voluptuousnesse who fill their Bellyes dayly and are bold stout furious and full with plenty and hunt onely after suttlety and Policy seeking how they may wrest from the miserable his sweate and convert it into pride who trimme and set themselves forward in every place taking pleasure in themselves in such Dresses and Ornaments giving one another great Complements and Courtship and ascribe great titles of honour to them where the house is stuck full of such trimmed dressed whores under a modest and chast shew appearance there is the Devill a frolick Guest for it goeth according to his * * * Property and condition owne hearts desire and will 55. But if God send a Joseph thither who would faine live and doe according to the will of God then it happeneth to him as to Joseph and to Daniell whom they wickedly and with falshood brought to the Lyons Den and Joseph they brought into Prison but in the End the Devills Kingdome is put to shame as in Joseph and Daniell 56. Therefore if any will be a Joseph and also sit in worldly Offices and honour he must doe it with great earnest sincerity and humility of his heart and resist the Devill that he may not be able with his stoole of Pride to dwell with him if not let him stay without it or else he will fall to the ground in such Offices If Joseph be not armed with Christ who hath overcome the Devill let him let the high Offices alone for the Devill will not endure him in it while he is against him He must either be a right Joseph and Daniell or must have the Minde of the world if he will governe the world 57. For this world hath a Twofold Office viz. Gods and Sathans Office the one in Gods Love the other in Gods Wrath viz. according to the property of Light and of Darknesse which in the Nature of this world rule neere and in one another and are two Kingdomes as the one is Christs Kingdome the other is Sathans 58. Therefore if thou art not armed and wholly resigned to God that thou canst upon occasion with Joseph leave thy Garment also thy honour and wellfare for the sake of God and for righteousnesse and overcome the Devill with Divine power and strength if not presse into no Office except thou beest rightly duely and orderly called thereunto and then also thou standeth either in the Throne of Joseph or of the world 59. Thou must in an Office either serve God or the Devill for thou canst not serve two Masters alike for selfe and Resignation are two distinct he
that serves God is Resigned up into him and in all things hath respect to Truth and Righteousnesse and will promote that But he that serves Selfe hath respect to favour and the Highness and Magnificence of the World that he may have it all at his disposing This Officer is in the Ministry and Service of the Evill Adam in whom the Devill hath his Throne helpeth him to pronounce the Sentence of Justice 60. O thou worldly Judge relie not thou upon the Tower of Babell upon worldly Determinations Ordinances and Conclusions upon humane Institutions Statutes Lawes and Decrees the Top thereof reacheth not into heaven that is onely the height of the Confusion of Strife and a * * * Or Mistake◠miss-understanding God seeth thee in thy very heart he proveth and tryeth thy will and desire the Law pleads not for thee before God though thou orderest thy selfe according to that when thy heart knoweth it ought to be quite otherwise and then think no otherwise with thy selfe but that thou pronouncest the sentence of Justice for the Devill and servest him under an hypecriticall Mantle or Cloake The Justice and right is Gods and it is God himselfe 1. ◠but †††Or unrighteousnesse wrong is the Devills and it is the Devill himselfe that Master which thou servest is he that will reward thee and pay thee thy wages he himselfe will be thy wages and this thou art to expect in thy Office 61. And Moses sayth further ‖ ‖ ‖ Gen. 39.20 21 22 23. Then his Master tooke him and put him into Prison where the Kings Prisoners lay and he lay there in Prison but the Lord was with him and vouchsafed protection towards him and caused him to finde favour in the Eyes of the Officer of the Prison that he committed all the Prisoners in the Prison under his hand that whatsoever was done there must be done by him for the Officer of the Prison tooke not any thing upon him for the Lord was with Joseph and what he did the Lord made it successfull In this figure wee see the finall and last proofe and Triall of Gods Children how they must leave their honour and wellfare and also put their life in hazzard and resigne themselves wholly to God to doe whatsoever he will with them for they must forsake all for Gods sake and leave the World and be as a Prisoner who expecteth Death and relyeth no more upon any Man and knoweth not how to get any Comfort from any Creature but relyeth barely and meerely upon God and his Grace and then is a Man passed through all proofes and Trialls and now stands waiting the Commands of his Lord what he will have him to be 62. For he sayth very inwardly to God Lord wilt thou have mee in Prison and in misery that I shall sit in Darknesse then I will willingly dwell there if thou bringest mee into Hell I will goe along for thou art my heaven If I have but thee I enquire not after heaven and earth and if body and soule should * * * Or be famished faile yet thou art my Comfort let mee be where I will yet I am in thee and thou in mee I have fully enough when I have thee use mee for what thou wilt 63. In this last proofe and Triall Man becomes the Image of God againe for all things become one and the same and are alike to him Hee is all one with prosperity and adversity with poverty and Riches with Joy and sorrow with Light and darknes with Life and Death Hee is as nothing to himselfe for in his will he is dead to all things and he standeth in a figure representing how God is in and through all and yet is as a Nothing to all things for they comprehend not him and yet all is Manifested by him and he himselfe is all and yet hath Nothing for any thing is to him in the apprehension of it even as nothing for it comprehends him not Hee is as it were dead to all things and yet himselfe is the Life of all things He is ONE and yet NOTHING and ALL thus also a Man becomes according to his resigned will when he yeelds himselfe wholly to God and then his will falls againe into the unsearchable will of God out of which he came in the beginning and then standeth in the forme as an Image of the unsearchable will of God wherein God dwelleth and willeth 64. For if the Creature willeth no more then what God willeth through it then it is dead to it selfe and standeth againe in the first Image viz. in that wherein God formed it in a Life for what is the life of the Creature nothing else but a spark of the will of God which Creature now standeth still to the will of God whose Life and will is Gods who driveth and governeth it 65. But that which * * * Rom. 9.16 willeth and runneth of it selfe that rendeth it selfe from the intire will of God and bringeth it selfe into selfehood wherein yet there is no rest for it must live and run on in selfe will and is a meere unquietness for unquietness is the life of selfe-will for when the will willeth it selfe no more then nothing can torment it more its willing is its owne Life and whatsoever †††Willeth or desireth that w ch God willeth or desireth willeth in and with God that is one Life with God 66. It is better to know nothing then to will according to selfe for that which knoweth nothing the will of that passeth away with the Creaturely Life and its Strife hath an End and hath no more source or torment as wee may understand in * * * Or Sensitive irrationall Creatures 67. For it is the Source and Torment of all the Damned that they †††Creatures Have a longing desire and yet cannot attaine the least satisfaction are wishing and woulding viz. they would that which is selfe and in their woulding they generate ‖ ‖ ‖ Representations in their thoughts Idea's Species and Formations viz. Contrary wills and desires the will being at strife so that one thing is Manifested in Multiplicity wherein it is at Enmity with it selfe but when it is one with the Eternall One then can no Enmity be therein and there is also no possibility of Enmity therein 68. Therefore it is Mans Last proofe or tryall when he standeth still to God in all things then in him light proceeds out of Darknesse life out of Death and Joy out of Sorrow for God is in and with him in all things and blesseth him as was done to Joseph in the Prison his Prison became Joy to him for he became also a Governour over the Prison in the Prison he was as a Prisoner and yet as a Master of the Prisoners he governed the Prison and the Prisoners and was a Patron Fosterer and Guardian to the distressed his
Imagination 7. Yet the right visions are when Mans will resteth in God and then is Gods will manifest in Mans will and then the soule seeth with Gods Eyes from its most inward Ground where it stands in the word of God and then the Speaking Word goeth with the Soules into the Magick Image of the Constellation and then the Astrall Spirit cannot Image or fashion it selfe in the Phansie but must stand in the Image in the figure as the Constellation is and then the soule seeth what the Most High hath prefigured and what shall come to passe and then the Word of God viz. the ground of the soule expresseth the figure in the soule so that the soule understandeth it as heere Joseph and also Daniell Expressed and Expounded As soone now as the figure of the vision was told before Joseph the Spirit of God was together in the voyce of the relatour and in Joseph Expounded the vision for so also are the Magick visions of all the Prophets 8. For after God hath once appeared to a Prophet in an audible voyce and called them to be Prophets as to * * * 1 Sam. 3.4 6.8.10 Samuell then afterwards he appeared to them in Magick visions and answered them upon their Questions 9. The right Prophetick Ground of the Magicall seeing and understanding is thus Every Prophet is a limitt wherein a Time is included or an Age Comprehended and he is the Mouth of that Kingdome or Dominion that is when that Kingdome hath awakened and generated the Turba in it then is he the Mouth of the Inward Ground which declareth and expresseth the vanity in the Turba and also the Grace of God which hath taken compassion on the humane misery and opposed the wrath of the Turba and reproveth that Kingdome for their vanity and Idolatrie and comforteth them with the introverted Grace againe 10. For his Spirit standeth in the figure in the Eternall Speaking Word of God from which the Life was expressed or Spoken forth and became a Creature introverted againe as an Instrument of the Spirit of God whereby the Spirit of God speaketh and intimateth for the Prophetick Spirit could not in its owne might and power declare future hidden things if the Spirit of God did not see through it and that the Word of God did also goe together through his Word into the Magick figure which the Prophet seeth 11. For the Brophet knoweth not any thing beforehand in his owne power and authority which he declareth but when the Word moddelleth it selfe together in the figure then the Prophetick Spirit seeth through Gods seeing how the Word of God goeth also together upon the figure and then the Word expresseth declareth and Expoundeth the figure through the Prophetick Spirit as heere was done by Joseph when the Kings Officers told their Dreames then the Word set the figure in Josephs understanding how it should come to passe so that Joseph knew what their visions meant 12. But he knew it not beforehand but in the telling of the Dreame the word of understanding modelled it selfe in Josephs understanding that he knew it for Josephs Spirit stood in a Magick figure * * * Re-introverted the the word introverted againe into the Word after the manner as the New Birth in the Spirit of Christ standeth introverted againe so also the other Prophets through whose Mouth Gods Word Expounded and expressed from the Inward Ground through their Mouth the Wonders of God in Nature viz. in the formed Creaturely Word 13. By this figure of Joseph in that he obteined Divine knowledge and skill and could expound hidden things we see how the introverted Spirit of Man resigned up into God when he forsaketh all that is his owne doth attaine the Divine Eye to see and understand so that he gets much more againe then he forsooke and that he is much richer then when he enjoyed his owne for in his owne will he had and possessed onely a Particular but in the Resignation he gets into the Totall viz. into the universall into All for ALL is from the Word of God 14. Therefore if he cometh into that he cometh into the Ground wherein all lyeth in the Eternity and from being poore becomes rich as Josephs figure declareth that a poore Prisoner became a Prince and that onely by the Divine Word that had manifested it selfe in him when the Word in his submissive dereliction and forsaking all Expressed or spake forth it selfe againe and so spake or pronounced Joseph into a Regall Government and Dominion through whom the Word of God would rule in Aegypt and give the understanding for such a Kingly Government 15. Wee see further in this figure of Joseph * * * Rom. 8.28 How at the length all must serve for the best to Gods Children all the wrong they must suffer that will turne to meere Joy in the Issue for in trouble and affliction they learne to know what they are how very weake and miserable they are in their owne selves and how neere Death and Misery attend them and how all the Trust confidence and expectation they have of Men in that they will relie upon Man and trust to the favour of Man is a very fickle uncertain thing also how Man should turne his Hope towards God when he expecteth to be delivered out of trouble by the favour of Man yet so at length the favour and Councell of Man * * * Must. must stand him in stead 16. But if a Man will expect the favour and Councell of Man he must set his hope upon God and looke whether God will give him comfort by humane meanes and release him from misery and not set his hope upon the favour of Man but looke upon God to see what he will worke by meanes and though it seeme as if God had forgotten as heere with Joseph who must remaine Two yeares in Prison then he must consider with himselfe that God will have him heere but if he will through meanes have him in another Place then he will afford meanes for it and send it in due time as is to be seene heere 17. The mishap of the Kings Officers in that they were put into Prison to Joseph was a meanes whereby God would bring Joseph before the King but it was not done suddenly because Joseph hoped the Kings Butler would speake a Good word for him to the King and tell his Innocency but the Butler forgat him left Joseph lying in the Dungeon that Joseph might wholly despaire of humane meanes and flie to God and when he doth that and despaires of all humane meanes and barely relyeth on God then must even that meanes in which Joseph had hoped and yet also had long despaired of any helpe from it break forth againe and stand him in stead 18. By this a childe of God should learne that all which he prayeth to God for that it should stand him in stead by Man that he should not set his hope upon Man
with you this is called setting all the Twelve sonnes of Jacob before Joseph that is before Jesus and fall at his feete with body and soule inwardly and outwardly with all your faculties and powers and yeeld them up into his Grace 18. For it is not sayd that they can take the Grace but that they should sink downe into Grace that Grace may give it selfe to them for Mans ability to take it is lost selfe-will it rent off from God it must wholly sinck downe into God and leave off willing that God may receive it againe into his Grace 19. O Babell how home doth this hitt thee Thou art by or before the Life of God with thy hypocrisie but a spie of the Grace of God thou dost but seeke for the Gate of Grace and how thou mightest with thy owne will without thy inward Benjamin enter into the Kingdome of Christ yes thou wilt be outwardly an adopted childe of Grace whose sinnes are forgiven through the Merits of Christ and yet continuest to be Babell and a Fable and wilt not be a Christian in Christ thou wilt needes passe into Heaven but that will not avayle thee Joseph that is Christ holdeth thee imprisoned in the Anger of God both in Body and Soule unlesse thou givest him Benjamin viz. thy inward Ground and then Heaven goeth into thee and Christ standeth up in thee out of the Grave so that thy selfe art risen from Death and then thy spying and prying hath an End 20. O yee high Schooles and Universities and all yee that will be accounted the Ministers of God and to teach the way of God and contend and dispute about it what are yee look upon your selves in this Figure you appeare to be no other then Spies you alwayes search and yet you lye still in Prison God will have it so no more for hee himselfe tryeth the Thoughts of Man and is himselfe present in all things his is the understanding his is the knowledge of the Kingdome of God without him yee know nothing 21. Your spying and knowing helps you not into the Kingdome of God you cannot enter therein except that goe forth in your Life that is except it be manifested in your Life that yee are Gods children in Christ in his Sufferings Death and Resurrection in himselfe not through an acquired Historicall seeming Faith but Essentially as a Branch on the Vine yee must be a Twig on the Tree you must have Christs Life flesh Bloud operatively and substantially in the Inward Ground in you and you must become Christ else yee are all one and other but spies searchers and historicall Christians and no better then Jewes Turks and Heathens 22. O ye simple Men let it be made knowne to you goe but forth from the Towre of the Confounded Languages then may you soone come to the right seeke * * * Mat. 26.64 Act. 7·55 56. Col. 3.1 Christ at the right hand of God within you he sitteth there unlock your wills that is give them up to him and he will unlock them well enough your repentance must be earnest or else ye are all one and other but Spies 23. Gaze about no more it is high Time †††Rev. 1.3.22 â—0 the time is truly borne or at hand ‖ ‖ ‖ Luk. 21.28 your Redemption draweth neere * * * Rev. 21. â— The Bridegroom calleth his Bride you must indeed into the Prison of Joseph in this Famine if you will not bring your inward ground of your hearts into Repentance with you Amen be it so Gen. 42.18 19 20. 24. And Moses sayth further But on the Third Day he sayd to them if you will live then doe thus for I feare God if you be honest and true Men let one of your brethren lie captive in your Prison but as for you goe your wayes and carry home what ye have bought for your hunger and bring your youngest brother to mee and so I shall beleeve your words that ye may not die and they did so The Figure standeth thus 25. When the soule draweth neere to God and will work repentance and that its inward Ground is yet wholly shut up in vanity so that the Minde is still hanging to selfe yet if it will not give over Repentance and for all that cannot be free from the Earthly desires but continueth in Prayer then indeed God the Father letteth the Soules Essences out of the Prison of his Anger that the Minde is well eased againe like one that is released out of Prison then sayth the Minde thus I am very well eased in my Prayer in this Repentance 26. For Gods Anger hath released Nature out of its Prison that it should with greater labour and industry presse in to God for in its Prison it cannot doe so for it is in anguish and beholdeth only its committed sinnes which continually drive it back that it is affraid †††Abashed ashamed daunted in the presence of God but when the Anger lets it loose then it gets power and vertue of Prayer and the work of Repentance 27. But the Anger of God holdeth it continually with one Band as Joseph held one Brother in Prison till they brought the last brother also and thus must the poore soule remaine tied with one band of the Prison of Death till it shed forth the last brother viz. the inward ground and come before God and say Lord I will forsake all for Christs and my salvations sake and give up my will wholly to thee cast mee into Death or into Life into derision or scorne into poverty or misery as thou wilt I will cleave to thee I will not play the hypocrite before thee and give thee but halfe my will any more as I have done 28. And then if the Earnestnes proceed to practice that God perceiveth that it is in Earnest then will also the last brother be let loose that is then will also the last Band of the Anger of God be loosed but in the meane time ere it thus come to passe the soule must lye captive in one Band. 29. But neverthelesse God sayth to the other released * * * Or faculties formes of Life Now goe your way with that which you have at present in this Repentance bought or gotten of mee and carry it home that is defile it not againe live of it and partake of this present Grace bestowed and carry it in to the Honour of God that it may come before God with the Operation of it 30. Moses sayth further But they sayd one among another Gen 42 21 22 23 24. wee trespassed against our Brother that wee saw the anguish of his Soule when he wept to us and wee would not heare him therefore now this Trouble cometh upon us Reuben answered them and sayd did I not tell you as much when I sayd Sinne not against the Lad and yee would not heare and now is his bloud required but they knew
with his Guilt of Eternall Death into his innocent Death and is dead from the sinnes and wickednesse in himselfe and in this dying of Christ Gods righteousnesse in the Anger requireth a Christian Man to be 47. But if he walke out of this path and not in it then sayth righteousnesse thou art a Theefe and hast wrongfully got this Cup of Christ in thy Sack I will sett thee before my Judgement and Sentence as Joseph did to his brethren when he caused them to be fetched back to the sentence of his Judgement 48. Therefore hath a Christian who walketh under the Banner of Christs Crosse no Excuse when God by his Steward viz. by the Children of this world causeth him to be layd hold on in the righteousnesse of his Anger and chargeth him for a Theefe and an unrighteous person also for a Stranger Innovator * * * Novice Novellist Enthusiast Foole and the like when Men loade him with all his faults and the infirmities of naturall sinfull flesh and without ceasing blame him as wicked and unrighteous and condemne him to the damnation of the temporall and Eternall Death and though he is not in the sight of the world nor as to the world Guilty yet he is lyable to beare the scorne suffering and death of Christ after him as a Christian is lyable to take upon him the whole processe in the footsteps of Christ and to follow Christ therein and to suffer all in Christ and wholly to put on Christ in his derision contempt suffering and death and to beare his Crosse and scorne after him that he may enter into Christs Kingdome as a Member of the body of Christ that hath suffered with him and hath dayly dyed to the Anger of God in the Death of Christ from his actuall sinnes 49. For All Sinnes Blasphemies and untruths which are imputed to him wrongfully from the world which he is not outwardly Guilty of in the fact that he suffereth in the processe of Christ as a Christian and therein drinketh out of the Cup of Christs Crosse who hath innocently suffered for his sinnes 50. For if he be not guilty of them in his Life yet he is guilty of them in the inherited sinne and hath inherited them also in the seede out of which he is proceeded they lye in his * * * Ground of his Nature and Heart Ground he cannot excuse himselfe before God in the processe of Christ he is guilty of all Adamicall sinnes 51. But this is his Comfort that God manifesteth them by the children of his Anger in this world and so as a Curse by the Children of Anger fastneth them to the Crosse of Christ and in this Manifestation drowneth them in him in the Bloud and Death of Christ in that he still cleaveth to God as Christ to his Father and suffered himselfe to be accused of sinnes which he had not committed but had onely inherited them and so they were taken from him and given to the Anger of God in his Judgement that he might condemne them 52. For thus also Joseph in this figure appeased his just Anger towards his Brethren they were all Guilty towards him but he charged them not with their Guilt but charged them onely with his Cup for he had cleerly forgiven them all their Trespasses but onely concerning the Cup he would not hold them Guiltlesse and yet of right they were not Guilty of it but he had layd it in as his bounty and made them guilty of it 53. Thus also hath God given us his Grace of meere Love after that wee were cleerly guilty of Eternall Judgement and hath layd Christ and Grace in the Sack of our Life with his Suffering Death with his Cup of the Crosse concerning which he doth not hold us Guiltlesse wee are all Guilty thereof and have not this by a Naturall right but it is layd into us without our knowledge therefore wee cannot release our selves of it except wee cast Christ wholly from us and give our selves againe to the Anger of God and then Death Hell and the Anger of God make us Guilty and hold us captive in them but at present Man may lay hold on which he will 54. But that Joseph caused the Cup to be thrust into his Brother Benjamins Sack it hath this figure that Christ dwelleth in the inward Man viz. in his Paradisicall brother and hath this Cup of the Crosse in his Hand out of which the guilty soule and the Body must drink he thrusteth it into his brothers sack for that inward ground is his Brother but the other brethren must drink of it this brother of Christ holdeth it in him for he is Christs Member and habitation 55. Therefore sayth Josephs Steward by whomsoever the Cup is found he shall be my servant but ye shall be quitt viz. the inward ground the true Josephs viz. Christs brother hee is Christs servant who serveth his Lord and brother and must hold the Cup in his Sack the other * * * Conditions or qualities formes of Life of Nature are free and cannot hold the Cup for Christ. 56. For they are not the right Sack to put it in but the Ground of the Heavenly Worlds Substance is the Sack to which the Holy Cup of Christ doth belong which powreth the Ground of Nature out of it therefore must Josephs Brother be made guilty of the Cup because he stood in the figure of the inward Man wherein Christ would manifest himselfe with his Cup of the Crosse and so the other brethren viz. the poore soule together with the body be quitt and released from the Guilt 57. Therefore sayth Josephs Steward he is my servant who hath the Cup he shall serve mee but ye shall be quitt that is Christ is in this inward Benjamin Josephs Brother and serveth God with overcoming of Death and the Anger of God in Man and so all the other brethren viz. the Naturall Life shall be quitt from Guilt and Paine and it standeth excellently in the Figure 58. Moses sayth further * * * Gen. 44.11 12 13. And they hastened and layd every one his sack off on to the Earth and every one tooke his Sack off and searched and began at the Eldest and so to the youngest and there they found the Cup in Benjamins Sack and then they rent their Cloaths and loaded every one his Asse and went againe into the Citie 59. When Adam was fallen into sinne then the Law and Command fetched him back againe charged him with the sinne and Theft that he had eaten of the wrong fruit with a wicked mouth therefore must he returne againe into the Citie viz. into the Earth out of which the body was proceeded and there lay downe his Sack into the Earth and there Gods righteousnes searcheth into all the naturall Properties viz. Truth and righteousnes which availeth before God viz. the Image of Heaven and began from the first forme of Nature and so on
and Man 42. And he sayth further for thy hand will be upon the Neck of thy enemies by this he understandeth and meaneth not onely the Jewes outward Enemies but that the hand viz. the power of Christs Grace would essentially actually and effectually be upon the Neck of Sathan and the Serpents Poyson and will in flesh and Bloud and evermore trample upon that Serpents head in his children of Faith 43. Also thy Fathers children will bow before thee that is before this Christ of the Stock or Tribe of Judah will all the Children of God stoope bow and pray to as a God-Man and Man-God 44. Also Judah is a young Lyon that is Roaring against the Devill and a destroyer of Death and Hell as a fresh young nimble Lyon mighty in strength and power 45. Also thou art come aloft my sonne and exalted by a Great victory that is after he had the victory over Gods Anger over Death Sinne the Devill and Hell he was placed at the right hand of Gods power as a Man-God and ruleth over all his Enemies 46. Also Hee stooped and couched downe as a Lyon and as a Lyonesse who will set upon him to rouse him up that is he hath so deeply humbled himselfe with his highest Love and rendred himselfe in our assumed humanity into the scorne and contempt of the fallen Man and stooped into Gods anger and suffered the Naturall Life to breake in peices and very patiently given his Strong Lyons might thereinto 47. But that the Text sayth as a Lyon and as a Lyonesse it signifieth the young Lyon of the Divine Word in the soule and the Lyonesse signifieth the Name JESUS in the most inward Ground of the heavenly worlds substance viz. the Noble Lyonesse of Sophia that is the right seede of the Woman from the Adamicall Lights Tincture which faded in Adam and in this Lyon was made living againe in divine power and associated it selfe againe to the Lyon viz. to the Soule 48. Also who will set upon him to rouse him up that is who can set himselfe aganst this Lyon and heavenly holy Lyonesse to rouse them up which are God over all and through all who will take away his power who is the beginner of all power strength and might Where is the Champion that can strive when there is no higher power to be had 49. Also The Scepter shall not be removed from Judah nor a Master from under his feete till the Champion or Saviour come and to him will the people cleave the understanding or meaning of this is twofold viz. outwardly concerning the Kingdome of Judah that the Jewish Scepter of its Kingdome should continue and they be a Kingdome till this Champion or Saviour viz. the Lyon with the Lyonesse viz. Christ that is this Covenant should become Man which is so come to passe that they held their Kingdome though it seemed often as it were quite overthrowne till Christ and then it quite ceased and there was another Master or Governour that ruled it for since that time they must be servile people for the Champion or Saviour hath taken to himselfe their Kingdome and is therewith entred in among the Heathen and hath called them also to himselfe 50. But the inward Ground is this that the Kingdome of Christ and his Dominion over Sinne Death the Devill and Hell will not cease nor any other Ruler or Master come from between his feet that is from the Covenant of God till this Saviour Christ should come againe to Judgement and sever his Enemies then shall he deliver up the Kingdome againe to his Father and then God shall be all in all therefore doe the Jewes in vaine hope for another Master or Ruler although indeed he will come to them also in the Time of his Revelation Manifestation or appearing which time is neere wherein the Kingdome of Christ will be manifested to all people 51. Also to him will the people cleave this is done already according to his humanity and will much more be done in his last manifestation that all people will cleave to him and acknowledge him when Babell taketh its End then will this be first perfectly fullfilled which dependance and cleaving to him at present the Images Imaginations or fictions of Opinions and Sects in Babell doe keepe back in that the strange and forreine People and Nations stumble and are scandalized at the Contentions and Disputations of Confounded * * * Or words of Jarring Contention Speeches and withhold from it 52. But when the Tower of Babell falleth on every side then shall all people cleave to him honour and serve him which dependance and cleaving to him supposed Christendom hath hindered by the Antichrist which hath a long time sate in the seate of Christ as an Earthly God when this ceaseth then will the Kingdome of Christ be wholly manifest which Men at present behold only in †††Or Opinions without certain knowledge Images this is understood by those of our society 53. Also hee will binde his Fole to the Vine and his shee-asses colt to the Noble Branch O thou poore sick old miserable Adam if thou didst understand this rightly then thou wouldest be delivered from all strife What is the fole and the shee-Asses colt The fole is the humane soule for the Young Lyon signifieth the power of the divine Word in the soule but the fole is the naturall soule which Christ should binde to the vine of the sweete tasted divine Love viz. the Eternall Speaking Word would binde this Fole the Creaturely Soules Word of the Soules Essence and Substance to it selfe and be marryed to it and the shee-Asse is the inward Paradisicall Man viz. the Divine Man from the Ens of the inward Ground from the heavenly Worlds Lights Substance viz. the Virgin Sophia 54. This shee-Asse which must beare the outward burthen of the beastiall Man upon it should Christ that is the Word binde to the Name JESUS viz. to Gods owne selfe-subsisting Substance viz. to the most Noble Branch which beareth the sweete wine of the Love of God 55. And this shee-Asse is the Temple of God wherein the Kingdome of God is againe Manifested in us it is †††Coloss. 3.11 1.27 Christ in us which is a shee-Asse in Man himselfe taketh upon him the burthen and sinne of Man and slayeth it through the Young Lyon 56. This Inward new spirituall holy Man is rightly the shee-Asses colt for it must be manifested through the soule as Light is manifested through fire thus a Man is to understand that the light is the fires Colt and is manifested through the fire from the dying of the Candle thus also it is to be understood in the Ground of the soule which is also a fire-Spirit 57. O thou poore Christendome if thou diddest understand this rightly and diddest presse into it so that thou also with this shee-Asse which faded in Adam stoodest bound to the foles Noble Branch what
againe the unfolded Nature in the Strife of Time into himselfe and draw it together into the Temperature and then would this Time have an End and Strife cease This wee desired a little to delineate for the Lover of Truth let him search further in the Spirit of God which searcheth all things even the deepe things of the Deity and then he will see our Ground in the Truth CHAP. LXXVIII Of the Holy Patriarch Jacobs Buriall in the Land of Canaan What is thereby to be understood Vpon the 50 Chapter of Genesis 1. THe Buriall of Jacob Genesis L. that Joseph should carry him againe into the Land of Candan after his Death and bury him with his Fathers and that Joseph went thither with a Great Company with all the children of Israell and many Egyptians it prefigureth to us Christs powerfull exit out of this world when the Adamicall Man after its death should againe be carried from this Egypt and house of torment into its fathers first Country into Paradise into which Christ will bring it 2. But that also many Egyptians went along with Joseph thither and accompanied him signifieth that Christ when he shall bring home his Bride into Paradise will have many strangers with him who in the time of this Life knew him not as to his person or Office and yet are sprung up in him in his Love which will all goe with Christ into Paradise and dwell and co-habite with him 3. Their weeping and Mourning signifieth the Eternall Joy which they should receive in Paradise as the Magi alwayes by weeping and Mourning prefigure Joy This funerall solemnity and what is to be understood thereby is declared * * * Gen 23. and the 50 Chap. of Mysterium Magnum before concerning Abraham 4. Moses sayth further in this Chapter †††Gen 50.15 16 17 18 19 20 21. Josephs brethren feared after their father was dead and sayd Joseph surely is wrath with us and will requite all the Evill which wee have done unto him therefore they caused it to be told him thy father Commanded before his Death and sayd thus shall yee say to Joseph forgive I pray thee now the Misdeeds of thy Brethren and their sinne that they have done so evill to thee therefore forgive the Misdeeds of us the servants of the God of thy Father but Joseph wept when it was told him and his brethren went in and fell downe before him and sayd behold wee are thy servants but Joseph sayd to them feare not for I am under the presence of God you thought to doe evill by mee but God turned it unto Good so that he hath done as it is at this Day to prâ—sâ—rve much people therefore be not afraid I will provide for you and your children so hee comforted them and spake friendly to them 5. This figure is a Mighty Comfort to the brethren of Joseph but seeing Joseph standeth in the Image and Type of Christ and his brethren in the figure of a poore Converted sinner therefore wee must expound this figure thus that is when poore sinfull Man who hath committed great sinnes and hath turned to Repentance and attained Grace and committed some fauâ—t againe then he is alwayes in feare and trembling before the Grace of God and thinketh God will impute his first committed sinnes to him againe and take an occasion against him by this fault and in that regard standeth in great anguish and beginneth to confesse his first committed sinnes againe and falleth a new at the Lords feeâ—e and entereth againe into earnest siâ—cere Repentance and bewayleth his first misdeeds as David did when he sayd †††Psal. 25.7 Lord impute not to mee the sinnes of my youth 6. But by this New Repentance and earnest Lamentation when the poore Man appeareth so very earnestly and humbly before God againe the heavenly Joseph is brought into such Great pitty and Compassion as heere Joseph was that he comforteth the poore soule in its Conscience saying it should not be afrayd all its committed sinnes should not only not be imputed but they shall also turne to the Best as Joseph sayd ye thought to doe mee evill but God entended good thereby thus God in Christ not only forgiveth the by past sinnes to the humble converted Man but he also addeth to him provision for him and his children with Temporall blessing and maintenance and turneth all to the Best as Joseph did to his brethren 7. In the End ‖ ‖ ‖ Gen. 50.24 Joseph desireth an Oath that when he shall dye that they will carry his bones along with them out of Egypt to his fathers which signifieth to us the Oath of God in Paradise that Christ God and Man would come againe to his brethren and stay for Ever with them and be their High Priest and King and nourish them with his power of Love and dwell by and in them as Joseph by his brethren and provide for them as his branches and Members Eternally with his power and sapp Amen 8. This is a briefe summary Exposition of the * * * Genesis first Booke of Moses from a right true Ground and divine Gift which wee have very faithfully imparted in a Co-operating Member-like Love and Care to our Deare fellow Brethren that shall reade and understand this 9. And wee admonish the Reader of this that when he findeth somewhat in any place of our deepe sence to be obscure that he doe not contemne it according to the manner of the Evill world but diligently reade and pray to God who will surely open the doore of his heart so that he will apprehend and be able to make use of it to the profit and salvation of his soule which wee wish to the Reader and hearer in the Love of Christ from the Gift of this Talent in the Ground of the soule and commit him into the Working Meeke Love of JESUS CHRIST Dated 11 September 1623. and then finished Praise the LORD in Sion and praise him all people for his might and power goeth through and is over Heaven and Earth Ha le lu-jah A Brief Abstract of the Sublime Consideration and deep understanding of the Mysterium Magnum Shewing how the visible World is a Streame and Reflexion of the Divine Knowledge and Will and how the Life of Every Creature hath taken its Originall and how the Divine Introitus going in and Exitus Out as to the Creature is EVery sensible and perceptible Life and Beeing or Essence Substance is come ex Mysterio Magno from the Great Mystery as from the streame and reflexion of Divine knowledge in which two things are to be understood viz. the Free will of the Abysse and the Substantiall One in the Will and how these two are a reflexion of the Abysse viz. a ground of the Divine Manifestation also how they are two and yet but one out of which Time and the visible World and all Creatures did flow forth and are become
eternall blessing that is to say not the gross earthly beastiall Man which is conceived and born in the lust of the flesh out of the Beastiall lust of Man and Woman which did involve or insinuate it selfe into Adam according to the Brutish and beastiall property of the divided life's Essence upon this the Covenant and blessing doth not passe but upon the Ens of the Word formed out of the heavenly worlds property out of the Limus of the Earth not upon the introduced Serpents Ens out of the dark worlds Ens and property but upon the Soule and its right Body which was created to it in Adam 2. And we here see by the Circumcision the Types that the beastiall copulation of man and woman is an abomination before the holinesse of God which yet is boarne withall by divine patience and permission seing now it cannot be otherwise with Man he having lost the magicall birth of Paradise for here God set forth the figure in the Circumcision that every Male must be circumcised on this member of the propagation of the masculine seed in that man soweth his own will out of the property of nature in his seed therefore God set forth the figure with the Circumcision both of the earthly Seed and also of the member and will for the spirit in the Covenant must out off through Christs death this figure in the inward spirituall man together with this beastiall will and desire 3. For the beastiall gross earthly Seed of the man or woman shall not put on the Covenant and blessing as Christ also said but He * * * Joh. 1.13 who is not born of the will of man nor of the flesh but of God the beastiall birth with its members must be cut off through the Temporall death and dye in the spirituall birth through Christs death and be buried in the eternall death viz. in the nothing 4. But being the Covenant of God had incorporated it selfe in Abrahams seed to a propagation God did here set before him by the Circumcision the person of Christ in whose death this Beast and Monster should dye and out of his death a new Angelicall form should come forth for the Circumcision was not the Atonement but the apprehended or conceived Ens of faith was the Atonement out of which Ens of faith Christ should be born but the Circumcision was the Signe that the Ens of faith in the word of God should cuâ— off the earthly Seed 5. For the living word of God looked into the Covenant and in the Covenant the humane Seed of the heavenly part lay disappeared and in the disappeared Ens stood the Aym or Limit of the new Regeneration in Christs motion where the word of the divine Tincture and power would again move it selfe in the true humanity created in Adam and also it did move it selfe in the Spirit of the children of faith so that they were received and accepted of God in the Spirit upon the Promise of the motion or manifestation of the shut-up Ens as dear innate children Note 6. Not that they had put on Christ in the flesh before his manifestation but indeed the same Ens in their faith and this same received or in-taken Ens of Faith was the Circumcision which circumcised the heart and minde and rent in twain the sinfull vaile and pointed at the cutting off of the earthly introduced Serpents Ens in Adam viz. of the earthly Seed and the earthly members to the Beastiall propagation it shewed that Christ when the incorporated Ens of faith should manifest it selfe in the humanity should and would cut off this Beast and destroy the life of death and hell therein 7. We must not look upon the Circumcision onely and barely as a signe or figure for it is the Seal of the Covenant which stood as a Seal imprinted on the Ens of faith for the Spirit of the promised word to the new-birth was in the Seale as among the Christians it is in the Seale of Baptisme 8. And therefore God said that soule that shall contemn this Covenant shall be rooted out from among his people and commanded the Natives and strangers to be Circumcised although they were not of the Seed of Abraham to signifie that the Covenant passed upon all people who would but receive the Ens of faith even there the Circumcision should be don 9. For that was not the right Circumcision which was don outwardly on the flesh but it was the Signe onely of the Circumcision the true Circumcision was effected in the Ens of faith in the Covenant in the power of the word and Holy Spirit where the word in the spirit of Christ doth cut off the Serpents Ens from the right humane Ens of the heavenly Part viz. it cuts off the Ens of the dark world introduced and insinuated through Adams evill desire and the Devils in-flying poysonfull desire 10. The Baptisme of the Christians and the Circumcision of the Jewes hold wholly one and the same Right among the Jewes the Circumcision was effected or performed in the word of power the Holy Spirit baptized them with the holy fires Baptisme understand it baptized their true man corrupt and withered in Adam the same was Tinctured with this Baptisme viz. in the Ens of faith for the Ens of faith was the Baptisme of the Jewes where the Holy Spirit did inwardly baptise them unto Christs humanity 11. But now being this same word of faith viz. the Ens of faith hath put on the humanity and quickned it in it selfe to life this same Spirit doth now Baptize with water pointing at the humanity of Christ Note for the water of eternall life viz. the heavenly worlds substance was disappeared in Adam and made alive again in Christs heavenly Ens being also the water of the heavenly Powers introduced into our in him assumed humanity therefore the humanity of Christ was the first-born from the dead 12. And with this same heavenly water which Gods word and power introduced into the humanity of Christ from heaven understand from the holy spirituall world viz. from the Second Principle the Holy Spirit of Christ doth baptize the Christians in their Baptisme of water which externally is also but a Signe of the internall Seale in which Seale the Holy Ghost baptizeth 13. And therefore Christ hath appointed the Seale of the Circumcision into a baptisme of water being the fire-baptisme in the Covenant is become manifest in the water of life in the humanity so that this fire-baptisme viz. the flaming-Love-word is made flesh therefore Christ said John 3. We must now be born anew through the water and spirit else we shall not see God 14. For in the water wherein the flaming Love-word in the Ens of the Covenant hath manifested it selfe in our heavenly disappeared water which is become incarnate all the children of Christ must be new-born and take this water in their faith's desire in which water the eternall flaming
Love-word of God hath incorporated it selfe this same water baptizeth the inward man which disappeared in Adam to the new regeneration Note how wee are Baptized into Death and the earthly beastiall half-Serpentine-and-Devillish man to mortification and Death it circumciseth the poor captive soul and putteth the Covenant and humanity of Christ upon it in the inward spirituall man now disappeared or withered as to the kingdome of heaven 15. Understand it aright yee Jewes and Christians you have but one onely baptisme the Jew is baptized inwardly on the soul in the Ens of the Covenant and circumcised on the disappeared Ens of the Right heavenly humanity viz. the Serpents Ens is cut off from the heavenly Ens in the Power of the word's humanity and the flaming Love-spirit in the Ens of the word Tinctureth the true humanity and baptizeth it with the in-taken or conceived Ens of Faith the Faith in the Spirit of God baptizeth it with its heavenly water 16. And the Christian is baptized even with the same very word and water in the faith it is wholly One and the same onely this is the externall difference that God hath appointed and established the Covenant of Circumcision in the baptisme of water being that this fire-baptisme hath manifested it selfe in Christs humanity in the water of life 17. And that you may yet see that they are both One Christ was circumcised as a Jew and was baptized as a Christian thereby to declare that he in his Love revealed in the humanity had manifested the fire-baptisme in the water viz. in great meekness and long-sufferance and changed them into One. 18. The Ens of faith was not yet become incarnate among the Jewes therefore God gave them the Signe of the inward Circumcision by the cutting off of the outward fore-skin that so they might have a Signe that the Holy Spirit in the Ens of faith in the Covenant would cut off their Sinfull birth whereby they were the children of Grace in the Ens of faith 19. But this same Ens of faith was first made flesh among the Christians in Christs humanity and is also now incarnate in the children of faith in their true man the Christians do now in their faith's desire put on Christ viz. this Ens of faith which the Jewes did also put on in the flesh in the heavenly flesh viz. in the heavenly living water in the divine manifestation 20. This water is the heaven wherein the onely holy Element is the motion and essence it is Christs viz. Gods holy corporeity viz. the formed wisdome of the forth-breathed or formed word of the divine powers Gods living eternall speaking word which is a spirit and the divine understanding which again attracteth to it selfe its own forth-breathed essence viz. the forming of its wisdome 21. The fathers will draweth the Soul which is a fire-breath out of its fire-spirit unto it selfe and the Sons will draweth the noble Image created out of the wisdome viz. out of the heavenly essence to it selfe and the Holy Spirit draweth the whole moving humane understanding to it selfe so that it is a God-Man and a Man-God God made manifest in an Image and this is the Image of God and thus also the Circumcision and the Baptisme is to be understood which in both is the ground and chiefe corner stone to the new-birth among the Jewes and Christians 22. Now in that the Males were to be circumcised and not the Females Note Why Miles onely Circumcised Why Males and Females both Baptised and yet all are to be baptized among the Christians is thus to be understood as followeth mark it aright ye Jewes and Christians and all other Nations we tell and declare it unto you all for ye are hereby called the Time is come about that the Antichrist must dye 23. Adam was the Image of God he was man and woman and yet neither of them before his Eve but a masculine virgine in peculiar Love full of chastity and purity The Tinctures viz. the Power of the fire and light according to the property of the Father and Son were both in each other as One in an uncessant Conjunction of desire wherein stood the peculiar fiery Love-desire 24. But being the Devill assailed the property of the fires-Tincture and brought his false desire thereinto so that the fires-Tincture was divided in the properties of the eternall nature each property on the centre gave it selfe forth into its Selfehood whence the selfly revolted will and the false lust did arise which lust desired to prove the dark worlds essence viz. the earthly essence out of the dark worlds desire and to tast in it selfe how the same would relish if evill and good each manifest in it selfe were together viz. in the dis-Temperature without the divine One hereupon the false fiery desire shut up the property of the lights Tincture with the introduced vanity of the Devills desire and with the earthly hunger after the vanity proceeding from the dark worlds essence in the earth and in the Elements so that the heavenly female or right virgin-ike life was extinct in the Ens of the light 25. For the Holy Spirit departed from the introduced vanity and so the holy matrix viz. the heavenly Generatress disappeared and the mother of the outward nature viz. the outward naturall woman understand the property of the woman got the upper dominion in the birth so that Adam must now be divided and figured into a man and woman 26. But being the fiery property of the Tincture which now hath the dominion in the man and is called man by reason of the fathers property was the cause of the poysonfull infection so that the Tincture of venus viz. of the woman or the light was mortified and being he introduced in himselfe the abomination of lust into the womans property whereby afterward the woman viz. his Eve did so eagerly lust after evill and good and began the earthly Eating Thereupon we are here to consider that this same fires-soul viz. the mans Tincture must be baptized again with the divine Love-fire that so it might not introduce the Ens of the Devill and Serpent insinuated into the masculine Seed so poysonfull into the womans matrix it must be tinctured and baptized again with the divine Love-tincture viz. with the holy Love Ens which came to pass in the Ens of faith in the promised incorporated Word of the power of God 27. But the Woman viz. Adams virginity was now transformed or formed out of Adams nature and essence into a woman or manness and in her the holy virginity disappeared as to God viz. the Tincture of the Love and light did still remain but as it were dead or disappeared for the outward mother viz. the elementary mother lived now in its stead in her and was the Generatress of nature which must receive Adams viz. the mans Seed into it selfe 28. Into this disappeared heavenly Tincture of the light viz. into the true