6. And as Jacob set the handmaids with their children foremost, so was the earthly image in the human nature set foremost in the suffering of Christ, which should pass through the sharpness of death; next after would follow Leah, that is, the body out of the limus of the earth, wherein the Destroyer of the Serpent lay, in the suffering of Christ; and after that, Rachel, viz. the heavenly limus with the prince Joseph, that is, with the true Adamical image of the divine world's substance; and the name Jesus passed before into the suffering of Christ; as Jacob before his wives and children.
7. And as the name and power Jesu, viz. God's sweetness and love, saw and felt the wrath of God in the human flesh and soul, then the name Jesus bowed itself through all the seven forms of nature's life, wherein the anger of God was become manifest; that is, he then pressed essentially through the centre of nature, through all the seven forms of nature, quite through the wrathful fire-source.
8. As Jacob bowed himself seven times to the earth before the anger of Esau, and appeased Esau in this humility, so also here the love in the name Jesu appeases the anger of the Father's property in the fire, in soul and body. For the natural life from the spirit of the world, viz. the soul from time, which was breathed into Adam's nostrils, must yield up its natural right and die. As Jacob yielded up his riches and also his outward life to his brother, to do what he would with him, thus also Christ yielded up our life to the anger of God, and left it willingly. But the name Jesus went before, and brought our natural life quite through death, and took it to himself again, and triumphed with our natural life over and through death.
9. And as Esau his brother, in this humility and submission, ran to meet him, and fell about his neck and kissed him, and in great compassion wept upon his neck: so also in like manner, when the essence of the anger of God [kissed and] tasted the sweet love in the name Jesu in the blood of Christ, then it was transmuted and converted into such great compassion towards mankind. As Jeremiah in the spirit declares, where he speaks in this figure, Ephraim my dear child, my heart is troubled, I must have compassion on him (Jer. xxxi. 20). Where he speaks concerning this compassion.
10. And when Esau wept upon Jacob's neck, He lifted up his eyes, and beheld the women with the children; and said, Whose are these with you? Jacob answered, They are the children which God has bestowed upon your servant. And the handmaids drew near with their children, and bowed themselves before him. Leah also drew near with her children, and bowed themselves before him: afterwards Joseph and Rachel drew near and bowed themselves before him (Gen. xxxiii. 5-7).
The inward figure stands thus:
When the anger of God held man captive in the darkness, then was he not, in the anger, known to God's holy image. But when the love in the suffering of Christ in the humanity brake through the anger, so that the anger was changed, then the only God looked on it again in his image, and spoke to the name Jesu, saying, Who are these that are with you? And Jesus answered God and said, They are the children which God has vouchsafed and bestowed upon his servant.
11. For here Christ presents himself as a servant of God, with his children that are born in him in the faith, viz. with us poor children of Eve. And there passed through the death of Christ, and were presented before the countenance of God: first, the handmaids with their children; that is, man that had been sinful he sets him first in God's countenance; which Jacob's handmaids do signify.
6. And as Jacob set the handmaids with their children foremost, so was the earthly image in the human nature set foremost in the suffering of Christ, which should pass through the sharpness of death; next after would follow Leah, that is, the body out of the limus of the earth, wherein the Destroyer of the Serpent lay, in the suffering of Christ; and after that, Rachel, viz. the heavenly limus with the prince Joseph, that is, with the true Adamical image of the divine world's substance; and the name Jesus passed before into the suffering of Christ; as Jacob before his wives and children.
7. And as the name and power Jesu, viz. God's sweetness and love, saw and felt the wrath of God in the human flesh and soul, then the name Jesus bowed itself through all the seven forms of nature's life, wherein the anger of God was become manifest; that is, he then pressed essentially through the centre of nature, through all the seven forms of nature, quite through the wrathful fire-source.
8. As Jacob bowed himself seven times to the earth before the anger of Esau, and appeased Esau in this humility, so also here the love in the name Jesu appeases the anger of the Father's property in the fire, in soul and body. For the natural life from the spirit of the world, viz. the soul from time, which was breathed into Adam's nostrils, must yield up its natural right and die. As Jacob yielded up his riches and also his outward life to his brother, to do what he would with him, thus also Christ yielded up our life to the anger of God, and left it willingly. But the name Jesus went before, and brought our natural life quite through death, and took it to himself again, and triumphed with our natural life over and through death.
9. And as Esau his brother, in this humility and submission, ran to meet him, and fell about his neck and kissed him, and in great compassion wept upon his neck: so also in like manner, when the essence of the anger of God [kissed and] tasted the sweet love in the name Jesu in the blood of Christ, then it was transmuted and converted into such great compassion towards mankind. As Jeremiah in the spirit declares, where he speaks in this figure, Ephraim my dear child, my heart is troubled, I must have compassion on him (Jer. xxxi. 20). Where he speaks concerning this compassion.
10. And when Esau wept upon Jacob's neck, He lifted up his eyes, and beheld the women with the children; and said, Whose are these with you? Jacob answered, They are the children which God has bestowed upon your servant. And the handmaids drew near with their children, and bowed themselves before him. Leah also drew near with her children, and bowed themselves before him: afterwards Joseph and Rachel drew near and bowed themselves before him (Gen. xxxiii. 5-7).
The inward figure stands thus:
When the anger of God held man captive in the darkness, then was he not, in the anger, known to God's holy image. But when the love in the suffering of Christ in the humanity brake through the anger, so that the anger was changed, then the only God looked on it again in his image, and spoke to the name Jesu, saying, Who are these that are with you? And Jesus answered God and said, They are the children which God has vouchsafed and bestowed upon his servant.
11. For here Christ presents himself as a servant of God, with his children that are born in him in the faith, viz. with us poor children of Eve. And there passed through the death of Christ, and were presented before the countenance of God: first, the handmaids with their children; that is, man that had been sinful he sets him first in God's countenance; which Jacob's handmaids do signify.
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