47. In Rachel we see now the self-love of the kingdom of nature, where both tinctures, the masculine and the feminine, according to the kingdom of nature in self-love, bind themselves in conjunction; as Jacob loved Rachel according to the kingdom of nature, according to the tincture of self-love, and on the other side so did Rachel love Jacob. Therefore must these tinctures of natural self-love be so long shut up and bring forth no life, till the Lord remembered Rachel, and heard her (Gen. xxx. 22), as the text in Moses says. That is, till the Lord stirred up the tinctures of the kingdom of nature with his blessing, then she bare a prince in the kingdom of nature, viz. Joseph, in whom we see, by his great chastity and fear of God, that the blessing of God stirred up the tinctures of the kingdom of nature, which lay shut up in the seeds, and manifested the Covenant of grace therein.
1 Or, trifled.
48. For Christ should deliver from wrath the kingdom of nature in man; therefore also the spirit in this figure presents an image or type in Joseph, which it sets down also in the figure of Christ's humanity, how it would go in the future with Christ's humanity, which he took from us men.
49. In Leah Christ was represented according to his heavenly hidden humanity, showing how the heavenly world's substance would be hidden in our humanity under the yoke of God's anger, and how Christ must appear in a servile and contemptible form.
50. In Rachel with Joseph now the figure is represented, which shows how he would overcome, and in our human nature should be a Lord and Prince over all his enemies, who have held us poor men in flesh and blood captive; and how he would bring us forth out of the misery and famine of Adam, into a good land, and not remember how we in this world have cast him into the pit, as Joseph's brethren cast Joseph.
51. The spirit of God presents this figure in the twelve patriarchs, as a glass, to see by whom God was atoned in his anger, pointing at the future fulfilling, for the text in Moses speaks very hiddenly in
this figure, and says, Now when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to
Laban, Let me depart and travel to my own place, and into my country.
Give me
my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may go (Gen.
xxx. 25, 26).
The inward spiritual figure is thus:
- 52. When the blessing of Jacob, viz. Christ, in the kingdom of the human nature was manifest, so that man stood in Christ's image, then he desires to return from the servitude of this house wherein he must serve, and go again to his Father's first house, and desires to take with him his fruits, viz. his children, brethren and sisters, and all the children of this birth; he has a great longing after that, as Jacob had after his father's house. But the Lord says to him, Stay and serve here a while, and feed my sheep, appoint the wages that I shall give you (Gen. xxx. 28); that is, ask of me, so will I give it you, as Christ says, Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (John
- xvi. 23).
53. Thus then this Jacob demerses himself in humility, and keeps the sheep of Christ, in hope of the eternal wages, which follow after him; for in Joseph, that is, in Christ, the wages will be first given him; as Joseph was the wages of Jacob in the outward kingdom, and preserved and nourished him and his house in the famine. Which signifies Christ, who will eternally nourish us in himself; and bring us home with him into his Father's house, as Joseph brought his father and children into his lord's country.
The Fifty-Ninth Chapter
How Jacob departed from Laban:
What this Figure signifies,
and what is to be understood thereby [Gen. xxxi.]
47. In Rachel we see now the self-love of the kingdom of nature, where both tinctures, the masculine and the feminine, according to the kingdom of nature in self-love, bind themselves in conjunction; as Jacob loved Rachel according to the kingdom of nature, according to the tincture of self-love, and on the other side so did Rachel love Jacob. Therefore must these tinctures of natural self-love be so long shut up and bring forth no life, till the Lord remembered Rachel, and heard her (Gen. xxx. 22), as the text in Moses says. That is, till the Lord stirred up the tinctures of the kingdom of nature with his blessing, then she bare a prince in the kingdom of nature, viz. Joseph, in whom we see, by his great chastity and fear of God, that the blessing of God stirred up the tinctures of the kingdom of nature, which lay shut up in the seeds, and manifested the Covenant of grace therein.
1 Or, trifled.
48. For Christ should deliver from wrath the kingdom of nature in man; therefore also the spirit in this figure presents an image or type in Joseph, which it sets down also in the figure of Christ's humanity, how it would go in the future with Christ's humanity, which he took from us men.
49. In Leah Christ was represented according to his heavenly hidden humanity, showing how the heavenly world's substance would be hidden in our humanity under the yoke of God's anger, and how Christ must appear in a servile and contemptible form.
50. In Rachel with Joseph now the figure is represented, which shows how he would overcome, and in our human nature should be a Lord and Prince over all his enemies, who have held us poor men in flesh and blood captive; and how he would bring us forth out of the misery and famine of Adam, into a good land, and not remember how we in this world have cast him into the pit, as Joseph's brethren cast Joseph.
51. The spirit of God presents this figure in the twelve patriarchs, as a glass, to see by whom God was atoned in his anger, pointing at the future fulfilling, for the text in Moses speaks very hiddenly in
this figure, and says, Now when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to
Laban, Let me depart and travel to my own place, and into my country.
Give me
my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may go (Gen.
xxx. 25, 26).
The inward spiritual figure is thus:
- 52. When the blessing of Jacob, viz. Christ, in the kingdom of the human nature was manifest, so that man stood in Christ's image, then he desires to return from the servitude of this house wherein he must serve, and go again to his Father's first house, and desires to take with him his fruits, viz. his children, brethren and sisters, and all the children of this birth; he has a great longing after that, as Jacob had after his father's house. But the Lord says to him, Stay and serve here a while, and feed my sheep, appoint the wages that I shall give you (Gen. xxx. 28); that is, ask of me, so will I give it you, as Christ says, Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (John
- xvi. 23).
53. Thus then this Jacob demerses himself in humility, and keeps the sheep of Christ, in hope of the eternal wages, which follow after him; for in Joseph, that is, in Christ, the wages will be first given him; as Joseph was the wages of Jacob in the outward kingdom, and preserved and nourished him and his house in the famine. Which signifies Christ, who will eternally nourish us in himself; and bring us home with him into his Father's house, as Joseph brought his father and children into his lord's country.
The Fifty-Ninth Chapter
How Jacob departed from Laban:
What this Figure signifies,
and what is to be understood thereby [Gen. xxxi.]
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