48. For the children of Christ in this lifetime, as to the outward man, live in the kingdom of the depraved human nature, viz. in the kingdom of the Esauites, and are, as to the spirit, only strangers and pilgrims therein. As Christ said, My kingdom is not of this world; and therefore the children of this world are enemies to them, and persecute them, as Esau his brother Jacob.
49. For where the kingdom of Christ begins to flourish, there presently the kingdom of the devil begins to storm and rage; and therefore, because the kingdom of Christ shall and will take away and ruin his might and princely throne; hence is the strife in this world between the children of Jacob, and Esau.
50. For as soon as Jacob had obtained the blessing, Esau purposed in his mind to kill Jacob (v. 41). Which is a figure of Christ, showing how that God's anger would kill him in this blessing, in our assumed humanity, as to the kingdom of nature; and that the children of God also should be killed in God's anger, as to the kingdom of nature, and shed their blood into this murdering spirit; that thereby God's anger might be blotted out and changed into love.
The Fifty-Sixth Chapter
How Isaac and Rebecca sent away Jacob because of Esau into another Country; and how the Lord appeared to him in a Vision upon the Ladder, which reached even into heaven; and how Esau carried himself afterwards towards his Parents: What we are to understand by this figure
1. WHEN Jacob had received the blessing, 1 then he must depart from his native home, from father and mother, and flee from the wrath of Esau. This is now a figure of Christ, showing how that he, after that he had assumed and anointed our humanity, should flee with our humanity out of its father's Adamical house again into the first Paradisical house.
1 Gen. xxviii.
2. And it further denotes that the children of Christ (after they have received the unction and blessing, and the new birth begins to spring forth in them, in the blessing), shall and must forthwith flee with their thoughts and mind from their father Adam's house of the depraved nature; and it shows that the devil and the world do soon hate them, and they must forthwith give themselves to the pilgrim's path of Christ, and live under the world's slavish yoke, in misery and oppression; in disfavour and disrespect. For God brings them forth with their thoughts and mind out of their father's house, viz. out of the desire in flesh and blood; so that they do nothing at all regard the pleasure of the world, and flee from it, as Jacob from his father's house.
3. And then we see how wonderfully God guides his children, and defends them from their enemies, that the devil in God's anger cannot kill them, unless it be God's will. As he defended Jacob from the fury of Esau, and led him away from him. And we have here an excellent example in Jacob; in that he forsook his native home, also father and mother, for this blessing's sake, and loved God more than all temporal goods, and willingly left all to Esau; that so he might but be the blessed of God.
4. And we see that when he had left the riches of the world in his father's house, the Lord appeared to him with the eternal goods, and showed him a ladder, whereupon he could ascend into God's eternal kingdom: which ladder was no other than Christ, whom he had put on in the line of the Covenant. And here now the type was represented to him, showing him what person Christ should be.
5. For this ladder (as to his apprehension) was upon the earth, and the top of it reached into heaven; and thereon the angels of God did ascend and descend (Gen. xxviii. 12). Which signifies that God's eternal Word, with the power of heaven, viz. with the angelical divine world's essence, should descend or immerse itself into our essence, [which was] departed from God, and blind as to God; and assume our humanity; and so unite the heaven with the world in man; that the humanity, through this entrance of the Deity into the humanity, might have a ladder unto God.
48. For the children of Christ in this lifetime, as to the outward man, live in the kingdom of the depraved human nature, viz. in the kingdom of the Esauites, and are, as to the spirit, only strangers and pilgrims therein. As Christ said, My kingdom is not of this world; and therefore the children of this world are enemies to them, and persecute them, as Esau his brother Jacob.
49. For where the kingdom of Christ begins to flourish, there presently the kingdom of the devil begins to storm and rage; and therefore, because the kingdom of Christ shall and will take away and ruin his might and princely throne; hence is the strife in this world between the children of Jacob, and Esau.
50. For as soon as Jacob had obtained the blessing, Esau purposed in his mind to kill Jacob (v. 41). Which is a figure of Christ, showing how that God's anger would kill him in this blessing, in our assumed humanity, as to the kingdom of nature; and that the children of God also should be killed in God's anger, as to the kingdom of nature, and shed their blood into this murdering spirit; that thereby God's anger might be blotted out and changed into love.
The Fifty-Sixth Chapter
How Isaac and Rebecca sent away Jacob because of Esau into another Country; and how the Lord appeared to him in a Vision upon the Ladder, which reached even into heaven; and how Esau carried himself afterwards towards his Parents: What we are to understand by this figure
1. WHEN Jacob had received the blessing, 1 then he must depart from his native home, from father and mother, and flee from the wrath of Esau. This is now a figure of Christ, showing how that he, after that he had assumed and anointed our humanity, should flee with our humanity out of its father's Adamical house again into the first Paradisical house.
1 Gen. xxviii.
2. And it further denotes that the children of Christ (after they have received the unction and blessing, and the new birth begins to spring forth in them, in the blessing), shall and must forthwith flee with their thoughts and mind from their father Adam's house of the depraved nature; and it shows that the devil and the world do soon hate them, and they must forthwith give themselves to the pilgrim's path of Christ, and live under the world's slavish yoke, in misery and oppression; in disfavour and disrespect. For God brings them forth with their thoughts and mind out of their father's house, viz. out of the desire in flesh and blood; so that they do nothing at all regard the pleasure of the world, and flee from it, as Jacob from his father's house.
3. And then we see how wonderfully God guides his children, and defends them from their enemies, that the devil in God's anger cannot kill them, unless it be God's will. As he defended Jacob from the fury of Esau, and led him away from him. And we have here an excellent example in Jacob; in that he forsook his native home, also father and mother, for this blessing's sake, and loved God more than all temporal goods, and willingly left all to Esau; that so he might but be the blessed of God.
4. And we see that when he had left the riches of the world in his father's house, the Lord appeared to him with the eternal goods, and showed him a ladder, whereupon he could ascend into God's eternal kingdom: which ladder was no other than Christ, whom he had put on in the line of the Covenant. And here now the type was represented to him, showing him what person Christ should be.
5. For this ladder (as to his apprehension) was upon the earth, and the top of it reached into heaven; and thereon the angels of God did ascend and descend (Gen. xxviii. 12). Which signifies that God's eternal Word, with the power of heaven, viz. with the angelical divine world's essence, should descend or immerse itself into our essence, [which was] departed from God, and blind as to God; and assume our humanity; and so unite the heaven with the world in man; that the humanity, through this entrance of the Deity into the humanity, might have a ladder unto God.
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