23. This Benjamin is born after Jacob is first gone out of Mesopotamia, as the spirit has prefigured the type of Christ's passion and victory by Esau and Jacob in their meeting. And it was a figure of the Apostle Matthias, who was elected to be an Apostle in the stead of Judas, after Christ had first consummated his passion and ascension into heaven.
24. And it is a figure showing how man must first enter into Christ's passion and death, and that the altar of Christ must first be erected in him, before the human nature from Christ can be born, for Judas must first, in his falsehood and treachery in the old Adam, with sorrow for his committed sin, hang himself(Matt. xxvii. 5), and, as to his own ability, despair and die. And then will Benjamin, viz. the new creature in Christ, first be born, and Matthias, viz. the first created Adam, be elected an Apostle (Acts i. 26).
25. For Matthias was indeed born before the passion of Christ, and was with Christ; but he was then first an Apostle when Christ in him was dead from sin, and Judas had hanged himself. Thus also the Adamical man, which shall be an Apostle or Christian, is indeed born aforehand, before Christ suffers in him; but Christ must first arise from the dead in him, and Judas, viz. the Serpent's will, must hang himself and die to his own evil will in the death of Christ: and then first is the Adamical man a Christian. 1 It is not the historical man by an imputed grace, wherein Judas still lives under the purple mantle of Christ, that is a Christian, as Babel plays finely under the veil concerning the virginity of her daughter Dinah, that the fair dainty damsel may play the whore, and finely sleep with her pandour Judas, and lie with her lovers in the bed of fornication.
1 Adam's man a Christ.
26. Great things are prefigured in this text, for the text says:
When she was in sore labour in the birth of Benjamin, the midwife said to her, Fear not, for you shall have this son also. But her soul being ready to depart that she must die, she called him Benoni (Gen. xxxv. 17, 18). That is, she looked upon the inward ground, upon the new birth, what he would be in Christ, and regarded not the name of the outward creature.
27. For Benoni is altogether a spiritual name after an angelical kind and manner; for she said, in spirit (when the midwife comforted her concerning it, that she should have this son also), I have him no more in the world, the outward passes away; and it points at the angelical new name. But his father called him Benjamin (Gen. xxxv. 18), as with the name of this world, that he should represent how a Christian must be born under the cross of Christ in smart pain, at which also his mother looked, as if she should say, Through smart pain and sorrow we come to life, as this son of my smart and sorrow.
28. Then says the spirit, Thus Rachel died, and was buried in the way towards Ephrath, which is now called Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: and that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day (Gen. xxxv. 19, 20). This is a secret mystical figure, that Rachel died and is buried at the city Bethlehem; and it signifies that she shall there rise again through the birth of Christ, for Christ should there be born.
29. And it is signified that when we shall flee to Bethlehem to the birth of Christ, then shall Benjamin, viz. the new spiritual man be born of Rachel, viz. of the mother of the old Adamical man, in the spirit of Christ. And then presently will the mother yield up her birthright to the spirit of Christ, and die to her right of nature; and then will the spiritual eternal birth begin, and Eve pass away; for there
23. This Benjamin is born after Jacob is first gone out of Mesopotamia, as the spirit has prefigured the type of Christ's passion and victory by Esau and Jacob in their meeting. And it was a figure of the Apostle Matthias, who was elected to be an Apostle in the stead of Judas, after Christ had first consummated his passion and ascension into heaven.
24. And it is a figure showing how man must first enter into Christ's passion and death, and that the altar of Christ must first be erected in him, before the human nature from Christ can be born, for Judas must first, in his falsehood and treachery in the old Adam, with sorrow for his committed sin, hang himself(Matt. xxvii. 5), and, as to his own ability, despair and die. And then will Benjamin, viz. the new creature in Christ, first be born, and Matthias, viz. the first created Adam, be elected an Apostle (Acts i. 26).
25. For Matthias was indeed born before the passion of Christ, and was with Christ; but he was then first an Apostle when Christ in him was dead from sin, and Judas had hanged himself. Thus also the Adamical man, which shall be an Apostle or Christian, is indeed born aforehand, before Christ suffers in him; but Christ must first arise from the dead in him, and Judas, viz. the Serpent's will, must hang himself and die to his own evil will in the death of Christ: and then first is the Adamical man a Christian. 1 It is not the historical man by an imputed grace, wherein Judas still lives under the purple mantle of Christ, that is a Christian, as Babel plays finely under the veil concerning the virginity of her daughter Dinah, that the fair dainty damsel may play the whore, and finely sleep with her pandour Judas, and lie with her lovers in the bed of fornication.
1 Adam's man a Christ.
26. Great things are prefigured in this text, for the text says:
When she was in sore labour in the birth of Benjamin, the midwife said to her, Fear not, for you shall have this son also. But her soul being ready to depart that she must die, she called him Benoni (Gen. xxxv. 17, 18). That is, she looked upon the inward ground, upon the new birth, what he would be in Christ, and regarded not the name of the outward creature.
27. For Benoni is altogether a spiritual name after an angelical kind and manner; for she said, in spirit (when the midwife comforted her concerning it, that she should have this son also), I have him no more in the world, the outward passes away; and it points at the angelical new name. But his father called him Benjamin (Gen. xxxv. 18), as with the name of this world, that he should represent how a Christian must be born under the cross of Christ in smart pain, at which also his mother looked, as if she should say, Through smart pain and sorrow we come to life, as this son of my smart and sorrow.
28. Then says the spirit, Thus Rachel died, and was buried in the way towards Ephrath, which is now called Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: and that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day (Gen. xxxv. 19, 20). This is a secret mystical figure, that Rachel died and is buried at the city Bethlehem; and it signifies that she shall there rise again through the birth of Christ, for Christ should there be born.
29. And it is signified that when we shall flee to Bethlehem to the birth of Christ, then shall Benjamin, viz. the new spiritual man be born of Rachel, viz. of the mother of the old Adamical man, in the spirit of Christ. And then presently will the mother yield up her birthright to the spirit of Christ, and die to her right of nature; and then will the spiritual eternal birth begin, and Eve pass away; for there
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