30. And yet we do not see that Esau was subject to Jacob; but it is the spiritual figure, showing how the kingdom of nature in man should be broken by the children of God, and made subject to the kingdom of grace, viz. to the divine humility, and wholly dive itself into the divine humility, and be born anew of the humility. Thus the spirit of God showed this by the answer to Rebecca, saying that it should be a striving or fighting kingdom, where indeed the first corrupt man, being the greater or elder in nature, should strive gainst the lesser, viz. the spirit of Christ in his lowliness and humility, and persecute him. But the Adamical man must at last be obedient and subject unto the humility of Christ, if he will be Abraham's child and heir; but if not, then he must be so long cast out from Abraham's and Christ's goods, till he does humble himself and freely yield under Christ's humility, and forsake the ownhood of the greater and elder self and enmity, assumed in Adam.
31. By Rebecca's trouble, discontent, impatience and regret, in that she runs to enquire of the Lord, wherefore the strife was in her, that the children did so struggle together, is signified thus much unto us: That when Christ does manifest himself in the Adamical nature, then begins and arises the strife of both these kingdoms, viz. the devil's kingdom in God's anger in the Serpent's ens, and also Christ's kingdom. When Christ bruises the Serpent's head, then arises great disquietness in the mind, for the Serpent stings Christ, viz. the new birth, on the heel, and then arises this kicking and spurning, viz. a lamentable and woeful distress. And then says reason in the mind, with Rebecca, If it should be thus with me, wherefore am I entered into the divine impregnation, into repentance? Am not I thereby come only into disquietness, and thereby become a fool to the world, and to my reason also? And then arises the combat, and Satan's bruising in the mind, with anguish and grief; and then the mind knows not whither to betake itself but runs into penitency, and asks the Lord wherefore it goes so with it.
32. And then the Lord shows him in his language that Christ now is in him in hell, and assaults the devil's strong rampant fort of prey. Whereupon there is such contest and disquietness in him; and shows him how his reason, and the Adamical nature, viz. the greater part of his life, must be broken, and dive itself wholly into resignation, into the deepest humility, into the process of Christ under his cross, and become a stranger to itself, yes, its own enemy, and go with the reason, and the greater Adamical will, into its Nothing.
33. And when this is done, then Esau, viz. the Adamical nature, is indeed born, and comes forth always first. But Jacob, viz. the spirit of Christ, comes soon after, and deprives Esau of the kingdom and power, and makes nature a servant; and then Esau, viz. nature, must serve Jacob, viz. the spirit of Christ. Then it is even here as the Son said unto the Father: Father, the men were yours, and you have given them me (John xvii. 6), and I give unto them eternal life (John x. 28).
30. And yet we do not see that Esau was subject to Jacob; but it is the spiritual figure, showing how the kingdom of nature in man should be broken by the children of God, and made subject to the kingdom of grace, viz. to the divine humility, and wholly dive itself into the divine humility, and be born anew of the humility. Thus the spirit of God showed this by the answer to Rebecca, saying that it should be a striving or fighting kingdom, where indeed the first corrupt man, being the greater or elder in nature, should strive gainst the lesser, viz. the spirit of Christ in his lowliness and humility, and persecute him. But the Adamical man must at last be obedient and subject unto the humility of Christ, if he will be Abraham's child and heir; but if not, then he must be so long cast out from Abraham's and Christ's goods, till he does humble himself and freely yield under Christ's humility, and forsake the ownhood of the greater and elder self and enmity, assumed in Adam.
31. By Rebecca's trouble, discontent, impatience and regret, in that she runs to enquire of the Lord, wherefore the strife was in her, that the children did so struggle together, is signified thus much unto us: That when Christ does manifest himself in the Adamical nature, then begins and arises the strife of both these kingdoms, viz. the devil's kingdom in God's anger in the Serpent's ens, and also Christ's kingdom. When Christ bruises the Serpent's head, then arises great disquietness in the mind, for the Serpent stings Christ, viz. the new birth, on the heel, and then arises this kicking and spurning, viz. a lamentable and woeful distress. And then says reason in the mind, with Rebecca, If it should be thus with me, wherefore am I entered into the divine impregnation, into repentance? Am not I thereby come only into disquietness, and thereby become a fool to the world, and to my reason also? And then arises the combat, and Satan's bruising in the mind, with anguish and grief; and then the mind knows not whither to betake itself but runs into penitency, and asks the Lord wherefore it goes so with it.
32. And then the Lord shows him in his language that Christ now is in him in hell, and assaults the devil's strong rampant fort of prey. Whereupon there is such contest and disquietness in him; and shows him how his reason, and the Adamical nature, viz. the greater part of his life, must be broken, and dive itself wholly into resignation, into the deepest humility, into the process of Christ under his cross, and become a stranger to itself, yes, its own enemy, and go with the reason, and the greater Adamical will, into its Nothing.
33. And when this is done, then Esau, viz. the Adamical nature, is indeed born, and comes forth always first. But Jacob, viz. the spirit of Christ, comes soon after, and deprives Esau of the kingdom and power, and makes nature a servant; and then Esau, viz. nature, must serve Jacob, viz. the spirit of Christ. Then it is even here as the Son said unto the Father: Father, the men were yours, and you have given them me (John xvii. 6), and I give unto them eternal life (John x. 28).
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