49. Not that Esau did receive the ens of Christ in the Covenant as Jacob [did], but [he received] his father's love-desire, in which the hidden Covenant stood unmoveable. Now there was thus a conjunction with his father's natural love (for every property loves its own likeness, especially if the likeness be proceeded forth from the essence or thing loving), as Esau was conceived in Rebecca of his father through his love-desire.
50. And it even denotes that the divine ens in God's love in Isaac loved the miserable human nature, to redeem it. Therefore God manifested his love in Abraham's faith, and introduced the same into an ens; so that this same love, which God gave to redeem mankind, should love the human nature in its shut-up abandoned condition. As, in very truth, the true real Adamical nature ordained by God was shut up in Esau, and, on the contrary, the kingdom of the wrath had the outward dominion. Now to redeem this, the spirit in the Covenant, through Isaac's nature, loved his son Esau, viz. the filial nature, and not only because that he was a hunter of the creatures.
51. Yet here also by this hunter we are even to understand the same as is set down before concerning Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter before the Lord. For this whole description of the first book of Moses is God's spirit's figure, type or representation, where he plays 1 with the kingdom of nature, and then also with Christ's kingdom; and he has so portrayed, delineated and typified the acts of the holy Patriarchs under his figure, that we may clearly see in all the histories the glance or allusion of God's spirit, how he has delineated and set forth to the life the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of nature, and also the devil's kingdom in the wrath of the eternal nature. And neither the Jews nor the Christians hitherto have had a right understanding of the same, which among the patriarchs was rightly understood in its true meaning.
52. But afterwards, when their children and posterity gave no heed unto the same, but disregarded the true understanding, and loved their evil nature more than the spirit in the Covenant, then the understanding was put out2 among them; until they at last also lost the Book of the Law,3 with the holy histories, and Esdras wrote for them again the figure and history, in the spirit of God; and that, very short, brief and exactly, according to the spiritual figure; in which they were more blind than seeing; as to this day their eyes are blinded; and that, because they abused the knowledge of the true God, and served the nature of this world, and honoured their evil will, above God. Therefore also God has withdrawn himself from them, with his Mysteries; and has suffered them to run up and down with the figure, as children full of ignorance; until the Gentiles' time, in the manifestation of grace (in which they also have only abused the time of grace, and the open seal, in their evil nature) does also come to its end and limit: And then the figure shall be fully manifest in the essence for a witness to all nations:4 and after that, the Judgement (Matt. xxiv. 14).
1 Or, sets forth, as in a map. 2 Or, quenched.
3 Esdras wrote the Book of the Law and Histories again after they were lost.
4 Substantially declaring the very thing itself; unclothiag it of its figures and parables.
49. Not that Esau did receive the ens of Christ in the Covenant as Jacob [did], but [he received] his father's love-desire, in which the hidden Covenant stood unmoveable. Now there was thus a conjunction with his father's natural love (for every property loves its own likeness, especially if the likeness be proceeded forth from the essence or thing loving), as Esau was conceived in Rebecca of his father through his love-desire.
50. And it even denotes that the divine ens in God's love in Isaac loved the miserable human nature, to redeem it. Therefore God manifested his love in Abraham's faith, and introduced the same into an ens; so that this same love, which God gave to redeem mankind, should love the human nature in its shut-up abandoned condition. As, in very truth, the true real Adamical nature ordained by God was shut up in Esau, and, on the contrary, the kingdom of the wrath had the outward dominion. Now to redeem this, the spirit in the Covenant, through Isaac's nature, loved his son Esau, viz. the filial nature, and not only because that he was a hunter of the creatures.
51. Yet here also by this hunter we are even to understand the same as is set down before concerning Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter before the Lord. For this whole description of the first book of Moses is God's spirit's figure, type or representation, where he plays 1 with the kingdom of nature, and then also with Christ's kingdom; and he has so portrayed, delineated and typified the acts of the holy Patriarchs under his figure, that we may clearly see in all the histories the glance or allusion of God's spirit, how he has delineated and set forth to the life the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of nature, and also the devil's kingdom in the wrath of the eternal nature. And neither the Jews nor the Christians hitherto have had a right understanding of the same, which among the patriarchs was rightly understood in its true meaning.
52. But afterwards, when their children and posterity gave no heed unto the same, but disregarded the true understanding, and loved their evil nature more than the spirit in the Covenant, then the understanding was put out2 among them; until they at last also lost the Book of the Law,3 with the holy histories, and Esdras wrote for them again the figure and history, in the spirit of God; and that, very short, brief and exactly, according to the spiritual figure; in which they were more blind than seeing; as to this day their eyes are blinded; and that, because they abused the knowledge of the true God, and served the nature of this world, and honoured their evil will, above God. Therefore also God has withdrawn himself from them, with his Mysteries; and has suffered them to run up and down with the figure, as children full of ignorance; until the Gentiles' time, in the manifestation of grace (in which they also have only abused the time of grace, and the open seal, in their evil nature) does also come to its end and limit: And then the figure shall be fully manifest in the essence for a witness to all nations:4 and after that, the Judgement (Matt. xxiv. 14).
1 Or, sets forth, as in a map. 2 Or, quenched.
3 Esdras wrote the Book of the Law and Histories again after they were lost.
4 Substantially declaring the very thing itself; unclothiag it of its figures and parables.
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