44. For Tubal-cain is the brother of Naamah, they lie in one womb; but Tubal-cain is of this world, and Naamah is a virgin hidden under her brother; and herein the twofold earth is understood, viz. in a two-fold property; one heavenly and the other gross earthly, viz. an essence out of the dark world's property and an essence out of the light world's property. And thus also it is to be understood in man; for by the property of God's anger, viz. by the dying of the earthly man Naamah becomes manifest.
45. Wherefore doth Moses add the name Naamah, and yet speaks nothing either of any that she brought forth, or that she married? Answer: because that in the regeneration the natural generation ceases. The new virginity in the spirit of Christ doth not produce any creature more, but they must all proceed out of the first centre and stock, so that they may be all one tree; and by the fire the metal, viz. the virgin, which is Tubal-cain's sister, is made manifest.
46. The name Tubal-cain has an excellent understanding in it, for it shows how the sulphurous mercurial wheel does open itself in the birth and generation of metals, and also in the original of life, for God subjected all things to man, and gave him all things for his delight and play; therefore Tubal-cain must open and discover himselfin the human tree, that so they might understand it. Hereby we have signified enough to those that are our schoolfellows.
47. And Lantech said to his wives Adah and Zillah: Hear my voice, ye wives of Lantech, and mark what I say: I have slain a man to my wound, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall he avenged, sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy -and- sevenfold (Gen. iv. 23, 24). This is a wonderful, strange and marvellous saying. Who would understand what the spirit signifies here, without its own peculiar exposition? I do seriously admonish the mocker to leave our work here uncensured, for he understands not our spirit and sense.
48. Lamech says that he slew a man to his wound, and a young man to his hurt. This man is Abel, according to the outward humanity of the kingdom of this world; and the young man is the image of Christ, proceeding from the virginlike line out of the seed of the woman in him: the man he slew to his rebuke, viz. to an incurable wound, and the precious young man in the man to a hurt, which would gall and trouble him as an evil hurt, bruise or boil in the conscience of sin.
For the wrath of God wrought in this boil, and the wound being a great and woeful hurt might not be healed; for the curse of the Lord went forth out of this boil into the wound, in which the earth was cursed, so that the human dominion became a valley of misery.
49. For Lamech saw the sore wound, and returned; and thereupon took two wives, that is, a twofold will into his mind for his government, whereby he would rule upon the earth, viz. one went forth from Adah into the grazing and keeping of cattle, and the hard labour of the hands for a temporal livelihood, wherein he found the curse and wound. And the other went forth out of the branch of Zillah into the earth after the metals, to make useful tools and instruments for the tillage and husbandry of the ground, and for other necessaries; and so he found in the metals the rusty boil and sore in their metalline nature; for the precious tincture or the fair blossom of the earth was hidden in the curse, viz. environed and beset with an evil boil and sore.
50. Now Lamech knew the woeful hurt, and said, Hearken, ye wives of Lamech, and mark what I say. He would fain express the hurt and damage; he saw back again into the tree of man, and considered the revenge of God, which had laid hold of man's life, and said, Cain shall he avenged sevenfold, and Lamech seven-andseventyfold. For God said also to Cain, when he stood and cried, you drivest me out this day from the face of the earth [from the land and country]; and it will come to pass that whosoever finds me will slay me.
[But the Lord said to him], Whosoever slays Cain, vengeance shall he taken on him sevenfold. And be set a mark on Cain, that none should kill him (Gen. iv. 14, 15).
44. For Tubal-cain is the brother of Naamah, they lie in one womb; but Tubal-cain is of this world, and Naamah is a virgin hidden under her brother; and herein the twofold earth is understood, viz. in a two-fold property; one heavenly and the other gross earthly, viz. an essence out of the dark world's property and an essence out of the light world's property. And thus also it is to be understood in man; for by the property of God's anger, viz. by the dying of the earthly man Naamah becomes manifest.
45. Wherefore does Moses add the name Naamah, and yet speaks nothing either of any that she brought forth, or that she married? Answer: because that in the regeneration the natural generation ceases. The new virginity in the spirit of Christ does not produce any creature more, but they must all proceed out of the first centre and stock, so that they may be all one tree; and by the fire the metal, viz. the virgin, which is Tubal-cain's sister, is made manifest.
46. The name Tubal-cain has an excellent understanding in it, for it shows how the sulphurous mercurial wheel does open itself in the birth and generation of metals, and also in the original of life, for God subjected all things to man, and gave him all things for his delight and play; therefore Tubal-cain must open and discover himselfin the human tree, that so they might understand it. Hereby we have signified enough to those that are our schoolfellows.
47. And Lantech said to his wives Adah and Zillah: Hear my voice, you wives of Lantech, and mark what I say: I have slain a man to my wound, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall he avenged, sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy -and- sevenfold (Gen. iv. 23, 24). This is a wonderful, strange and marvellous saying. Who would understand what the spirit signifies here, without its own peculiar exposition? I do seriously admonish the mocker to leave our work here uncensured, for he understands not our spirit and sense.
48. Lamech says that he slew a man to his wound, and a young man to his hurt. This man is Abel, according to the outward humanity of the kingdom of this world; and the young man is the image of Christ, proceeding from the virginlike line out of the seed of the woman in him: the man he slew to his rebuke, viz. to an incurable wound, and the precious young man in the man to a hurt, which would gall and trouble him as an evil hurt, bruise or boil in the conscience of sin.
For the wrath of God wrought in this boil, and the wound being a great and woeful hurt might not be healed; for the curse of the Lord went forth out of this boil into the wound, in which the earth was cursed, so that the human dominion became a valley of misery.
49. For Lamech saw the sore wound, and returned; and thereupon took two wives, that is, a twofold will into his mind for his government, whereby he would rule upon the earth, viz. one went forth from Adah into the grazing and keeping of cattle, and the hard labour of the hands for a temporal livelihood, wherein he found the curse and wound. And the other went forth out of the branch of Zillah into the earth after the metals, to make useful tools and instruments for the tillage and husbandry of the ground, and for other necessaries; and so he found in the metals the rusty boil and sore in their metalline nature; for the precious tincture or the fair blossom of the earth was hidden in the curse, viz. environed and beset with an evil boil and sore.
50. Now Lamech knew the woeful hurt, and said, Hearken, you wives of Lamech, and mark what I say. He would fain express the hurt and damage; he saw back again into the tree of man, and considered the revenge of God, which had laid hold of man's life, and said, Cain shall he avenged sevenfold, and Lamech seven-andseventyfold. For God said also to Cain, when he stood and cried, you drivest me out this day from the face of the earth [from the land and country]; and it will come to pass that whosoever finds me will slay me.
[But the Lord said to him], Whosoever slays Cain, vengeance shall he taken on him sevenfold. And be set a mark on Cain, that none should kill him (Gen. iv. 14, 15).
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