9. And if Joseph does thus wrestle, and suffers not flesh and blood nor the base world to hinder or over-master him; then it will become his utter enemy, and betray him to death, because he will not commit lewdness and whoredom with her. And then Joseph, viz. the wrestling man,l is cast into prison, viz. into reproach and contempt for the sake of his chastity and fear of God; and he must hide himself under Christ's cross, under his yoke, in his suffering and death, and live as a prisoner in misery; the world rejecting him as one not at all worthy to tread upon the earth; accounting him as a prisoner, that is imprisoned and despised for whoredom's sake; desiring to have no converse nor intercourse with him, seeing that the chief masters and great ones (viz. Potiphar's wife) do revile him, and accuse him of unchastity.
10. Which wife does also signify the false [Babylonish] hypocritical whore, with all her dissemblers and flatterers in the fine adorned house of Christendom; who, when they cannot catch and hold Joseph with their whoredom, but that he does strongly get away from them, then they exclaim out against him falsely, and keep his garment for a sign, accusing him of unchastity, viz. of idolatry [and heresy] ,2 and call him a dreamer, a phantastical fellow,3 and a schismatic: as happened to Joseph.
11. And when the master hears it, then he believes this Potiphar's wife, viz. the painted, and fine, accomplished hypocrite, in the house of hypocrisy. And so Joseph comes to be suspected of the master, and is rejected of him, and cast into the prison of affliction, and there he must live in misery and scorn, as a guilty person: and yet not guilty.
12. But this contempt, banishment and affliction is good for him; for thereby he is drawn from the pride and whoredom of the world and all its falsehoods, which might assault his flesh and blood, and hinder the new birth. And thus the precious pearl-plant grows under Christ's cross, in the disrespect and tribulation of the world, and becomes great and strong.
1 The real, earnest, conflicting Christian.
2 One, of dangerous principles or opinions.
3 A whimsical fellow.
13. But in the meantime God does send honest people to such a
Joseph, who take pity and care of him, and maintain him, and acknowledge his innocency, and show themselves friendly and kind towards him, and consider his chastity and fear of God, and do also respect him, and provide for him, till the inward prince in God's power be fit for the government. And then God brings him out of prison, and gives him the sceptre of government, to be a prince in his wonders, and to rule and govern in divine knowledge over God's wonderful works: as Joseph over the land of Egypt. In which type and figure 1 this pen is likewise born, and indeed no otherwise; which yet is hidden unto reason.
14. This is now the sum of the exposition of the history of Joseph : But seeing it is so very rich and full, we will make a fundamental explanation upon the text, for a direction and manuduction to the loving Reader, who also intends to become a Joseph. If he shall be in earnest, and learn to observe and know himself in this figure, he will see what spirit's child has made these writings; for he will find this pen [engraving or writing] 2 in his heart.
9. And if Joseph does thus wrestle, and suffers not flesh and blood nor the base world to hinder or over-master him; then it will become his utter enemy, and betray him to death, because he will not commit lewdness and whoredom with her. And then Joseph, viz. the wrestling man,l is cast into prison, viz. into reproach and contempt for the sake of his chastity and fear of God; and he must hide himself under Christ's cross, under his yoke, in his suffering and death, and live as a prisoner in misery; the world rejecting him as one not at all worthy to tread upon the earth; accounting him as a prisoner, that is imprisoned and despised for whoredom's sake; desiring to have no converse nor intercourse with him, seeing that the chief masters and great ones (viz. Potiphar's wife) do revile him, and accuse him of unchastity.
10. Which wife does also signify the false [Babylonish] hypocritical whore, with all her dissemblers and flatterers in the fine adorned house of Christendom; who, when they cannot catch and hold Joseph with their whoredom, but that he does strongly get away from them, then they exclaim out against him falsely, and keep his garment for a sign, accusing him of unchastity, viz. of idolatry [and heresy] ,2 and call him a dreamer, a phantastical fellow,3 and a schismatic: as happened to Joseph.
11. And when the master hears it, then he believes this Potiphar's wife, viz. the painted, and fine, accomplished hypocrite, in the house of hypocrisy. And so Joseph comes to be suspected of the master, and is rejected of him, and cast into the prison of affliction, and there he must live in misery and scorn, as a guilty person: and yet not guilty.
12. But this contempt, banishment and affliction is good for him; for thereby he is drawn from the pride and whoredom of the world and all its falsehoods, which might assault his flesh and blood, and hinder the new birth. And thus the precious pearl-plant grows under Christ's cross, in the disrespect and tribulation of the world, and becomes great and strong.
1 The real, earnest, conflicting Christian.
2 One, of dangerous principles or opinions.
3 A whimsical fellow.
13. But in the meantime God does send honest people to such a
Joseph, who take pity and care of him, and maintain him, and acknowledge his innocency, and show themselves friendly and kind towards him, and consider his chastity and fear of God, and do also respect him, and provide for him, till the inward prince in God's power be fit for the government. And then God brings him out of prison, and gives him the sceptre of government, to be a prince in his wonders, and to rule and govern in divine knowledge over God's wonderful works: as Joseph over the land of Egypt. In which type and figure 1 this pen is likewise born, and indeed no otherwise; which yet is hidden unto reason.
14. This is now the sum of the exposition of the history of Joseph : But seeing it is so very rich and full, we will make a fundamental explanation upon the text, for a direction and manuduction to the loving Reader, who also intends to become a Joseph. If he shall be in earnest, and learn to observe and know himself in this figure, he will see what spirit's child has made these writings; for he will find this pen [engraving or writing] 2 in his heart.
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