And in Seth the Word was brought into a formal life, viz. into a spiritual contemplation, wherein the Word of God did behold itself with the wisdom in a spiritual image [form or figure] ; and in Cain's line it beheld itself in a natural formed word; and both serve to set forth the wonderful deeds of God.
3. Not as Babel judges, that God, out of his purpose and determinate counsel, has thus predestinated and chosen one part of men in his anger to condemnation, and the other part to life: they that so judge are yet under the number seventy-and- seven in the multiplication of the word;
for the Promise was given to Adam before Cain was conceived. The Covenant touching grace rested in Adam and Eve; but the spirit of sanctification and regeneration by Christ, passed only upon the seed of the woman, viz. upon the seed of the kingdom of heaven which was shut up; that is, upon the light's tincture, upon the matrix of Venus, wherein Adam, when he was man and woman, should have propagated himself in peculiar desire and love; which, seeing it could not be [by reason of Adam's strong earthly imagination], was taken from Adam and made into a woman.
4. But when the woman became earthly, the heavenly part of this matrix [which was to the producement] of the heavenly birth was shut up in death. Into which matrix the Word of God did again incorporate itself with the Covenant, to open and manifest himself in this matrix with a living and heavenly seed, and to destroy the power of death.
5. For the Word would not open itself in the formed word of nature, viz. in Cain's generation, but in the disappeared heavenly ens; and by the same revived and requickened heavenly ens, that is, by the woman's seed of the heavenly part bruise the Serpent's head, viz. the devil's introduced desire in the wrath of nature; that is, overcome the wrath [and curse of God] in the generation of Cain and Seth.
6. The Word in the Covenant did open itself in Seth and Abel, [it being] as a voice of the teacher, and Cain's generation should in its life receive this voice, and impress it into its life, so that it might produce the new regeneration. But that many of them have continued in death, and contemned this voice, is (see ch. 29, 52) long of the free will, which suffered itself to be held by the devil in the anger of God, and still to this day does suffer itselfto be held, in that the Cainical will does love nature and self too much.
7. For if the free will of the soul will apprehend the word in the Covenant, then it must die to its natural selfhood and self-full will, and be wholly resigned to the own will in the Covenant, that it may, with its desire, follow the word and spirit in the Covenant, as the same doth lead, guide and move it.
8. And this Cain is very loath and unwilling to do; he will be a selfish lord, and with the desire doth figure and shape a monster and an evil beast in his free will, which does not resemble the first image of the formed life in the word of God. Now against this beast the words of Christ are directed, when he says, Unless ye be converted, and become as children (that is, unless you do depart from and utterly disclaim the will of the self-generated beast, and enter again into the form of the first life) ye cannot else see the kingdom of God. Also, ye must be born again of the water of the heavenly world's essence, and of the same holy spirit proceeding from the Covenant, otherwise ye cannot see and behold God.
And in Seth the Word was brought into a formal life, viz. into a spiritual contemplation, wherein the Word of God did behold itself with the wisdom in a spiritual image [form or figure] ; and in Cain's line it beheld itself in a natural formed word; and both serve to set forth the wonderful deeds of God.
3. Not as Babel judges, that God, out of his purpose and determinate counsel, has thus predestinated and chosen one part of men in his anger to condemnation, and the other part to life: they that so judge are yet under the number seventy-and- seven in the multiplication of the word;
for the Promise was given to Adam before Cain was conceived. The Covenant touching grace rested in Adam and Eve; but the spirit of sanctification and regeneration by Christ, passed only upon the seed of the woman, viz. upon the seed of the kingdom of heaven which was shut up; that is, upon the light's tincture, upon the matrix of Venus, wherein Adam, when he was man and woman, should have propagated himself in peculiar desire and love; which, seeing it could not be [by reason of Adam's strong earthly imagination], was taken from Adam and made into a woman.
4. But when the woman became earthly, the heavenly part of this matrix [which was to the producement] of the heavenly birth was shut up in death. Into which matrix the Word of God did again incorporate itself with the Covenant, to open and manifest himself in this matrix with a living and heavenly seed, and to destroy the power of death.
5. For the Word would not open itself in the formed word of nature, viz. in Cain's generation, but in the disappeared heavenly ens; and by the same revived and requickened heavenly ens, that is, by the woman's seed of the heavenly part bruise the Serpent's head, viz. the devil's introduced desire in the wrath of nature; that is, overcome the wrath [and curse of God] in the generation of Cain and Seth.
6. The Word in the Covenant did open itself in Seth and Abel, [it being] as a voice of the teacher, and Cain's generation should in its life receive this voice, and impress it into its life, so that it might produce the new regeneration. But that many of them have continued in death, and contemned this voice, is (see ch. 29, 52) long of the free will, which suffered itself to be held by the devil in the anger of God, and still to this day does suffer itselfto be held, in that the Cainical will does love nature and self too much.
7. For if the free will of the soul will apprehend the word in the Covenant, then it must die to its natural selfhood and self-full will, and be wholly resigned to the own will in the Covenant, that it may, with its desire, follow the word and spirit in the Covenant, as the same does lead, guide and move it.
8. And this Cain is very loath and unwilling to do; he will be a selfish lord, and with the desire does figure and shape a monster and an evil beast in his free will, which does not resemble the first image of the formed life in the word of God. Now against this beast the words of Christ are directed, when he says, Unless you be converted, and become as children (that is, unless you do depart from and utterly disclaim the will of the self-generated beast, and enter again into the form of the first life) you cannot else see the kingdom of God. Also, you must be born again of the water of the heavenly world's essence, and of the same holy spirit proceeding from the Covenant, otherwise you cannot see and behold God.
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