15. The text says, Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, namely, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he had begotten him in his old age:
and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak friendly to him (Gen. xxxvii. 1-4).
The inward figure is this:
16. Jacob had cast his fleshly natural love upon Rachel, seeing she was fair; and seeing that the line of Christ in the Covenant did lie in Jacob, Rachel was shut up. So that his seed was not manifested in her in the natural manner of the flesh, until Jacob and Rachel were grown old, and neither of them loved each other so any more according to fleshly love, but only desired a fruit of their seed; wherefore also Jacob and Rachel prayed unto God, that he would open her, and make her fruitful. And when this was brought to pass, out of this seed of Jacob sprang forth a line, which did set forth and represent a figure of the pure natural and right Adamical humanity. Which birth, in the figure, typifies how Christ would again beget the Adamical humanity in 3 its primitive chastity, purity, and fear of God.
1 In such a condition.
2 That pen of iron or point of a diamond it is that engraves in the heart
(Jer. xvii. I).
3 Unto.
17. For in Leah, viz. in the simplicity and lowliness, the line of Christ arose and sprang forth, and in Rachel the line of the first Adamical man in his innocency, viz. a figure of the same; which figure did represent how a Christian should stand at once both in Christ's image and in Adam's image; and what a Christian in this world should be inwardly and outwardly, and how he must become a Christian. Therefore says the text, Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children. The cause was this: Joseph was sprung forth out of Jacob's own natural line, of his peculiar natural love to Rachel, wherein the line in Christ's love in the Covenant had also imprinted and manifested itself; and it was a punctual representation in the figure of a new regeneration, how a true Christian should stand, after that Christ should be revealed in the flesh of the human nature.
15. The text says, Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, namely, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he had begotten him in his old age:
and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak friendly to him (Gen. xxxvii. 1-4).
The inward figure is this:
16. Jacob had cast his fleshly natural love upon Rachel, seeing she was fair; and seeing that the line of Christ in the Covenant did lie in Jacob, Rachel was shut up. So that his seed was not manifested in her in the natural manner of the flesh, until Jacob and Rachel were grown old, and neither of them loved each other so any more according to fleshly love, but only desired a fruit of their seed; wherefore also Jacob and Rachel prayed unto God, that he would open her, and make her fruitful. And when this was brought to pass, out of this seed of Jacob sprang forth a line, which did set forth and represent a figure of the pure natural and right Adamical humanity. Which birth, in the figure, typifies how Christ would again beget the Adamical humanity in 3 its primitive chastity, purity, and fear of God.
1 In such a condition.
2 That pen of iron or point of a diamond it is that engraves in the heart
(Jer. xvii. I).
3 Unto.
17. For in Leah, viz. in the simplicity and lowliness, the line of Christ arose and sprang forth, and in Rachel the line of the first Adamical man in his innocency, viz. a figure of the same; which figure did represent how a Christian should stand at once both in Christ's image and in Adam's image; and what a Christian in this world should be inwardly and outwardly, and how he must become a Christian. Therefore says the text, Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children. The cause was this: Joseph was sprung forth out of Jacob's own natural line, of his peculiar natural love to Rachel, wherein the line in Christ's love in the Covenant had also imprinted and manifested itself; and it was a punctual representation in the figure of a new regeneration, how a true Christian should stand, after that Christ should be revealed in the flesh of the human nature.
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