whereas they would freely have given him the field, and bowed themselves before him. But the spirit of Moses has its figure here; for he has represented man to him in a very perfect model; for which cause also he plays in the process in the figure; showing that the children which belong unto Christ must bow themselves before God the Father, from whom all beings do originally come; that he would sell unto them the twofold pit, 2 viz. the kingdom of nature, and the kingdom of grace, in Christ's blood, for the same, with the four centres of humility and the love-birth, the Father takes for payment.
1 Or, good will and pleasure.
2 The Cave of Machpelah, the double valley.
11. And that the children of lies and Ephron would freely give it to Abraham, and yet at last, upon the desire of Abraham, took money for the same, intimates unto us, that God the Father has indeed freely given us the kingdom of grace; for he gave it freely to Christ his Son, in our humanity; but Christ would have it for a natural due right; therefore he offers his humility to his Father, that he would be pleased to take his payment for it, viz. his human property, of him; as here Abraham did in Christ's figure. Although he could have taken the field, yet he would not; for the cave 1 of Machpelah should not be taken, but dearly purchased with the most precious substance. God took the earnest or ransom of Christ for his cave 1 of Machpelah, for payment. Therefore Abraham must stand in Christ's figure; for the body must be buried in the cave 1 of Machpelah, viz. in the eternal and temporal nature, viz. in the formed compacted Word, if so be it shall arise again in the motion in the voice of this same Word, and subsist in its image which it first had.
- 12. For Moses says, Hebron is situate in the land of Canaan (Gen.
- xxiii. 2), which God promised to give unto Abraham. And understand by Canaan the holy crystalline world or earth, viz. the city of God; which shall hereafter be manifest; wherein Hebron lies, viz. the head city of the land; whereby externally the outward world with its figure is set forth; and internally the holy eternal land of Canaan.
13. And we see very clearly what the spirit of Moses means in its figure; for first it represents by Isaac Christ's figure with his offering and death; and presently thereupon it sets forth also man's own death, and where man must die, namely, in his city, Hebron, the city of human self; and whereinto he must be buried and put, namely, into the twofold pit, viz. into the kingdom of God, and [into the kingdom of ] this world. And it is therefore called a twofold cave, because there are two mansions, viz. a twofold continent of life in two Principles, whence man did originally arise. But if he be buried in the will of his selfhood in the Serpent's desire, then he does not reach this twofold cave; and though he should be therein, yet he lives only in the apostate essence in the ownhood of the devil, viz. in the introduced Serpent's ens in the dark world's property, which is manifest and predominant in the Serpent's ens.
1 Twofold pit.
whereas they would freely have given him the field, and bowed themselves before him. But the spirit of Moses has its figure here; for he has represented man to him in a very perfect model; for which cause also he plays in the process in the figure; showing that the children which belong unto Christ must bow themselves before God the Father, from whom all beings do originally come; that he would sell unto them the twofold pit, 2 viz. the kingdom of nature, and the kingdom of grace, in Christ's blood, for the same, with the four centres of humility and the love-birth, the Father takes for payment.
1 Or, good will and pleasure.
2 The Cave of Machpelah, the double valley.
11. And that the children of lies and Ephron would freely give it to Abraham, and yet at last, upon the desire of Abraham, took money for the same, intimates unto us, that God the Father has indeed freely given us the kingdom of grace; for he gave it freely to Christ his Son, in our humanity; but Christ would have it for a natural due right; therefore he offers his humility to his Father, that he would be pleased to take his payment for it, viz. his human property, of him; as here Abraham did in Christ's figure. Although he could have taken the field, yet he would not; for the cave 1 of Machpelah should not be taken, but dearly purchased with the most precious substance. God took the earnest or ransom of Christ for his cave 1 of Machpelah, for payment. Therefore Abraham must stand in Christ's figure; for the body must be buried in the cave 1 of Machpelah, viz. in the eternal and temporal nature, viz. in the formed compacted Word, if so be it shall arise again in the motion in the voice of this same Word, and subsist in its image which it first had.
- 12. For Moses says, Hebron is situate in the land of Canaan (Gen.
- xxiii. 2), which God promised to give unto Abraham. And understand by Canaan the holy crystalline world or earth, viz. the city of God; which shall hereafter be manifest; wherein Hebron lies, viz. the head city of the land; whereby externally the outward world with its figure is set forth; and internally the holy eternal land of Canaan.
13. And we see very clearly what the spirit of Moses means in its figure; for first it represents by Isaac Christ's figure with his offering and death; and presently thereupon it sets forth also man's own death, and where man must die, namely, in his city, Hebron, the city of human self; and whereinto he must be buried and put, namely, into the twofold pit, viz. into the kingdom of God, and [into the kingdom of ] this world. And it is therefore called a twofold cave, because there are two mansions, viz. a twofold continent of life in two Principles, whence man did originally arise. But if he be buried in the will of his selfhood in the Serpent's desire, then he does not reach this twofold cave; and though he should be therein, yet he lives only in the apostate essence in the ownhood of the devil, viz. in the introduced Serpent's ens in the dark world's property, which is manifest and predominant in the Serpent's ens.
1 Twofold pit.
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