13. For Christ is a stranger in our earthly humanity, and our earthly humanity does oftentimes make our children or grandchildren strangers to God: There the Father of nature in the soul's property said unto Christ, he was a stranger in our land; as Christ also said, that his kingdom was not of this world, that is, of the earthly man. But Christ should show kindness in this strange land, (understand the strange humanity), and not reject the children which should be born therein, as the Father had done to his image of the heavenly humanity, which disappeared in Adam. This, Christ should swear unto God; as he also swears in the prophet Ezekiel, As true as I live, I will not (or have no delight in) the death of the wicked or sinner, but rather that he should turn and live (Ezek. xxxiii. 11): for Abraham in Christ, viz. in the figure, said, I will swear, that is, I will do it.
14. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had taken away by force. That is, Christ reproved the soul, that the soul's servants, viz. the essence of nature, had taken away the well-spring of the essence from the heavenly corporality, viz. Christ's body in Adam, whereupon the heavenly image died or disappeared. For Christ's holy fountain of water sprang up in the soul's fiery essence, but the soul's essence had taken this fountain of divine sweetness into its own self-full power, and changed the same in itselfto another property.
15. And Abimelech, that is, the soul, answered, I was not who has done this. That is, I did not know that the devil had deceived me, that the false lust was arisen in the very essence of my nature; and who has done this hurt. Also, you did not tell it unto me; that is, you did not declare unto me that your image was in me; that this holy divine fountain was yours, which my servants, viz. my essences, have taken it to selfhood. [Turned it to a selfish ownhood]. Moreover, I heard not of it, but to-day;
that is, you have not revealed to me that this fountain is your seat, save to-day only; that is, to-day, where you do again manifest yourself in me in Adam with a Covenant of Grace, where now I heard your voice in me.
16. And Abraham took sheep, and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech, and they both made a covenant with each other. That is, then Christ took his sheep, that is, children; and his oxen are the Gentiles: the sheep are the children in whom the Covenant was manifested, viz. the Jews, and gave them to the Father; and made between Christ's spirit and humanity, and between the Jews and the Gentiles, an eternal Covenant, that it should be one humanity and not two.
17. And Abraham set seven lambs apart by themselves. These seven lambs are the seven properties of the natural humanity of Christ, which he did manifest in our humanity. And in that the spirit says, by themselves, signifies that Christ, in his humanity of the seven properties, is a distinct person; so that we men (viz. Jews and Gentiles, who come to his grace) ought not to say, we are Christ, but we are his house in which he dwells: the power of the holy fountain of water is his; we are only branches on his tree: he is with the seven lambs of the divine property apart in us [Or, by himself]; they belong not to man's selfhood.
18. Only in the right resignation Christ and man is wholly one; when man's will wills nothing any more without Christ, but gives up itself wholly in Christ: then it is dead to self and Christ alone lives in it; also it does signify that his creatural person, with the seven properties of the humanity, shall dwell among us as a distinct person, as eternal high priest.
19. And Abimelech said, What mean these seven lambs which you have set
13. For Christ is a stranger in our earthly humanity, and our earthly humanity does oftentimes make our children or grandchildren strangers to God: There the Father of nature in the soul's property said unto Christ, he was a stranger in our land; as Christ also said, that his kingdom was not of this world, that is, of the earthly man. But Christ should show kindness in this strange land, (understand the strange humanity), and not reject the children which should be born therein, as the Father had done to his image of the heavenly humanity, which disappeared in Adam. This, Christ should swear unto God; as he also swears in the prophet Ezekiel, As true as I live, I will not (or have no delight in) the death of the wicked or sinner, but rather that he should turn and live (Ezek. xxxiii. 11): for Abraham in Christ, viz. in the figure, said, I will swear, that is, I will do it.
14. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had taken away by force. That is, Christ reproved the soul, that the soul's servants, viz. the essence of nature, had taken away the well-spring of the essence from the heavenly corporality, viz. Christ's body in Adam, whereupon the heavenly image died or disappeared. For Christ's holy fountain of water sprang up in the soul's fiery essence, but the soul's essence had taken this fountain of divine sweetness into its own self-full power, and changed the same in itselfto another property.
15. And Abimelech, that is, the soul, answered, I was not who has done this. That is, I did not know that the devil had deceived me, that the false lust was arisen in the very essence of my nature; and who has done this hurt. Also, you did not tell it unto me; that is, you did not declare unto me that your image was in me; that this holy divine fountain was yours, which my servants, viz. my essences, have taken it to selfhood. [Turned it to a selfish ownhood]. Moreover, I heard not of it, but to-day;
that is, you have not revealed to me that this fountain is your seat, save to-day only; that is, to-day, where you do again manifest yourself in me in Adam with a Covenant of Grace, where now I heard your voice in me.
16. And Abraham took sheep, and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech, and they both made a covenant with each other. That is, then Christ took his sheep, that is, children; and his oxen are the Gentiles: the sheep are the children in whom the Covenant was manifested, viz. the Jews, and gave them to the Father; and made between Christ's spirit and humanity, and between the Jews and the Gentiles, an eternal Covenant, that it should be one humanity and not two.
17. And Abraham set seven lambs apart by themselves. These seven lambs are the seven properties of the natural humanity of Christ, which he did manifest in our humanity. And in that the spirit says, by themselves, signifies that Christ, in his humanity of the seven properties, is a distinct person; so that we men (viz. Jews and Gentiles, who come to his grace) ought not to say, we are Christ, but we are his house in which he dwells: the power of the holy fountain of water is his; we are only branches on his tree: he is with the seven lambs of the divine property apart in us [Or, by himself]; they belong not to man's selfhood.
18. Only in the right resignation Christ and man is wholly one; when man's will wills nothing any more without Christ, but gives up itself wholly in Christ: then it is dead to self and Christ alone lives in it; also it does signify that his creatural person, with the seven properties of the humanity, shall dwell among us as a distinct person, as eternal high priest.
19. And Abimelech said, What mean these seven lambs which you have set
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.