36. And Moses says further, And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray you, what is your name? But he said, Wherefore ask you what is my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my soul is preserved 1 (Gen. xxxii. 29, 30).
The inward holy figure stands thus:
37. When Jacob with the desire of faith in his wrestling apprehended the morning or daybreak of God in the spirit of Christ, and saw Christ afar off without the creaturely humanity, then he said, What is your name? But Christ said, Wherefore ask you what is my name? That is, I am no stranger, but am even the Israel in yourself, I have no other name, but your name and my name shall be one.
38. For God, without nature and creature, has no name, but is called only the eternal GOOD, viz. the eternal ONE, the abyss and profundity of all beings. There is no place found for him, therefore can no creature rightly name him; for all names stand in the formed Word of power. But God is himself the root of all power, without beginning and names. Therefore says he to Jacob, Wherefore ask you what is my name? And blessed him.
39. As the creatures and also all vegetables of the earth cannot know how the sun's power is named, but they stand still for the sun, and the sun gives them power and warmth and blesses them, that they grow and bear fruit: so also here is to be understood concerning Jacob and all men. When Jacob saw and felt the morning or daybreak of God in his soul, then the Divine Sun, in the name JESUS, blessed him through an essential working.
1 Healed.
40. And this must thereby signify, as it went with Jacob and all the children of God, and yet still goes with them in this sunshine. When the sun of grace, with its working power, arises in the soul, then the soul rejoices, and would always fain behold the countenance of God after a creaturely manner; as also Moses desired; and always thinks God is of some form. They look not yet rightly upon God, but will know God in imagery: thus hard lies the creaturely imagery upon us, in the departed apostate self-will in the mind, that we cannot at all understand what God is, viz. that he himself is the abyss of all nature and creature, viz. the eternal ONE, that dwells in nothing, but only in himself and has no form, nor any thing.
41. And it were very well and good that we were not so led by the masters of the letter in an imaginary form, when they teach and speak of the only God, as has been done hitherto, where men have led us on in vain images of 1 the essential will, as if the only God did will this or that; whereas [he] himself is the sole will to the [being of ] nature and creature, and the whole creation lies only and alone in the formation of his expressed Word and will, and the severation of the only will in the expression; and is understood in the impression to 2 nature.
42. If the pride of Lucifer might be torn out of the hearts and eyes of these masters, then men would soon see the countenance of God. But the Babylonish tower, upon which men will climb, and in opinions climb up to God into a severed heaven, where God sits cooped up, this withholds the true knowledge and understanding; and makes us always ask, What is the name of God? Where is God? What is the will of God? Also, they say God wills good and evil, from which they make a multitude of decrees 3 in the divine purpose; as a prince in his land makes laws; and they have as much understanding of God and his will as the pot understands of the potter.
36. And Moses says further, And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray you, what is your name? But he said, Wherefore ask you what is my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my soul is preserved 1 (Gen. xxxii. 29, 30).
The inward holy figure stands thus:
37. When Jacob with the desire of faith in his wrestling apprehended the morning or daybreak of God in the spirit of Christ, and saw Christ afar off without the creaturely humanity, then he said, What is your name? But Christ said, Wherefore ask you what is my name? That is, I am no stranger, but am even the Israel in yourself, I have no other name, but your name and my name shall be one.
38. For God, without nature and creature, has no name, but is called only the eternal GOOD, viz. the eternal ONE, the abyss and profundity of all beings. There is no place found for him, therefore can no creature rightly name him; for all names stand in the formed Word of power. But God is himself the root of all power, without beginning and names. Therefore says he to Jacob, Wherefore ask you what is my name? And blessed him.
39. As the creatures and also all vegetables of the earth cannot know how the sun's power is named, but they stand still for the sun, and the sun gives them power and warmth and blesses them, that they grow and bear fruit: so also here is to be understood concerning Jacob and all men. When Jacob saw and felt the morning or daybreak of God in his soul, then the Divine Sun, in the name JESUS, blessed him through an essential working.
1 Healed.
40. And this must thereby signify, as it went with Jacob and all the children of God, and yet still goes with them in this sunshine. When the sun of grace, with its working power, arises in the soul, then the soul rejoices, and would always fain behold the countenance of God after a creaturely manner; as also Moses desired; and always thinks God is of some form. They look not yet rightly upon God, but will know God in imagery: thus hard lies the creaturely imagery upon us, in the departed apostate self-will in the mind, that we cannot at all understand what God is, viz. that he himself is the abyss of all nature and creature, viz. the eternal ONE, that dwells in nothing, but only in himself and has no form, nor any thing.
41. And it were very well and good that we were not so led by the masters of the letter in an imaginary form, when they teach and speak of the only God, as has been done hitherto, where men have led us on in vain images of 1 the essential will, as if the only God did will this or that; whereas [he] himself is the sole will to the [being of ] nature and creature, and the whole creation lies only and alone in the formation of his expressed Word and will, and the severation of the only will in the expression; and is understood in the impression to 2 nature.
42. If the pride of Lucifer might be torn out of the hearts and eyes of these masters, then men would soon see the countenance of God. But the Babylonish tower, upon which men will climb, and in opinions climb up to God into a severed heaven, where God sits cooped up, this withholds the true knowledge and understanding; and makes us always ask, What is the name of God? Where is God? What is the will of God? Also, they say God wills good and evil, from which they make a multitude of decrees 3 in the divine purpose; as a prince in his land makes laws; and they have as much understanding of God and his will as the pot understands of the potter.
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