49. But they take him (as Joseph's brethren did Joseph) and strip him of his coat of many colours, and cast him into the pit in the wilderness, and take his coat of many colours and dip it in goat's blood, and send it so to his father (Gen. xxxvii. 23,24, 31,32). That is to say, they deprive and bereave him of his honour and good name by their slanderings, and take his words and doctrine, and make false constructions and conclusions thereof and bedaub them in goat's blood, that is, with false understanding and sense; and send forth such reproaching pamphlets and libels among the people, and before his father, viz. before the whole Church and Commonwealth, and cry out, Lo! this defiled coat is this man's. And thus they murder the spirit of his father, in the coat; that is, in his name they scandalise, slander and reproach him falsely, and say of him that he does vilify the blood of Christ with his coat of many colours. And thus they deceive his father, viz. the whole congregation, with the false goat's blood, wherein they have dipped his coat; so that the people think, A wild beast has torn Joseph in pieces (Gen. xxxvii. 33); that is, they think the devil has possessed this man, and that he is a false [wicked]
man.
50. Thus the father, viz. the people and the magistrates are, by this defiled coat, deceived by [the sleight of ] Joseph's brethren; that is, by those who themselves are to teach the way of God, so that they think that the devil has devoured this man, and has possessed his heart. And thus the poor Joseph is thrown down into the desolate pit in the wilderness, and lies in misery, as in a pit wherein there is no water (Zech. ix. 11), and wherein he can neither be drowned, nor receive any refreshment; but sits as wholly forsaken of all the world; and waits now what God will do with him, since he thus rejects him by men.
51. Here now he has no help or succour from any man; his best friends also account him mad and foolish; his name is as an owl among the birds; for thus he must pass through the judgement of God, and be even the scorn of all men. If he shall attain to the contemplation of the Divine Mysteries, then he must first be judged, and come under the censure and judgement of the world; that they may judge his inbred sins, and sacrifice them before God, that he, in the figure of Christ, 1 may force through the judgement of God, and come to the divine vision within himself.
52. Thus a right true Christian [before he attains the science of the Divine Mysteries] must be wholly severed from the pleasure and honour of the world, and become altogether foolish, and a child to his own reason in himself; and also outwardly be accounted a fool, as the world likewise esteems him a foolish silly fellow, when he forsakes temporal honour and goods for the hope of the eternal good which he sees not.
53. And when it goes thus with poor Joseph, that he must lie in the miserable pit, his brethren are not yet content that they have cast him into the pit, but they draw him out from thence, and sell him to the Midianites, that he may be carried from them into a strange and foreign country (Gen. xxxvii. 28). That is, they take his name and doctrine, and send them into foreign countries, whereby Joseph's coat of many colours does by divine appointment and providence come to be known.
54. But they intend treacherously and falsely towards him, and so sell Joseph to reproach, derision and servitude, to serve the world, and to be their footstool and scorn; as happened to Joseph from his brethren, and has also happened to this pen.
- 55. Thus Joseph is brought into Egypt, and sold for a slave (Gen.
- xxxvii. 36). But God is with him, and gives him understanding and wisdom, that he is made his master's steward, so that his master does 2 nothing without him, but entrusts him with all things (Gen. xxxix. 1-4). So also when the spirit of Joseph (though in a spiteful manner) is sold into strange countries, where his person is not known; yet the wise do take especial notice of the spirit [of his sense and meaning] and know him, and see that God has given him his wisdom and spirit, and receive his writings and doctrine, and order their whole life according to it. And
thus Joseph comes to sit in the chief office of Pharaoh's steward, and governs his whole house.
49. But they take him (as Joseph's brethren did Joseph) and strip him of his coat of many colours, and cast him into the pit in the wilderness, and take his coat of many colours and dip it in goat's blood, and send it so to his father (Gen. xxxvii. 23,24, 31,32). That is to say, they deprive and bereave him of his honour and good name by their slanderings, and take his words and doctrine, and make false constructions and conclusions thereof and bedaub them in goat's blood, that is, with false understanding and sense; and send forth such reproaching pamphlets and libels among the people, and before his father, viz. before the whole Church and Commonwealth, and cry out, Lo! this defiled coat is this man's. And thus they murder the spirit of his father, in the coat; that is, in his name they scandalise, slander and reproach him falsely, and say of him that he does vilify the blood of Christ with his coat of many colours. And thus they deceive his father, viz. the whole congregation, with the false goat's blood, wherein they have dipped his coat; so that the people think, A wild beast has torn Joseph in pieces (Gen. xxxvii. 33); that is, they think the devil has possessed this man, and that he is a false [wicked]
man.
50. Thus the father, viz. the people and the magistrates are, by this defiled coat, deceived by [the sleight of ] Joseph's brethren; that is, by those who themselves are to teach the way of God, so that they think that the devil has devoured this man, and has possessed his heart. And thus the poor Joseph is thrown down into the desolate pit in the wilderness, and lies in misery, as in a pit wherein there is no water (Zech. ix. 11), and wherein he can neither be drowned, nor receive any refreshment; but sits as wholly forsaken of all the world; and waits now what God will do with him, since he thus rejects him by men.
51. Here now he has no help or succour from any man; his best friends also account him mad and foolish; his name is as an owl among the birds; for thus he must pass through the judgement of God, and be even the scorn of all men. If he shall attain to the contemplation of the Divine Mysteries, then he must first be judged, and come under the censure and judgement of the world; that they may judge his inbred sins, and sacrifice them before God, that he, in the figure of Christ, 1 may force through the judgement of God, and come to the divine vision within himself.
52. Thus a right true Christian [before he attains the science of the Divine Mysteries] must be wholly severed from the pleasure and honour of the world, and become altogether foolish, and a child to his own reason in himself; and also outwardly be accounted a fool, as the world likewise esteems him a foolish silly fellow, when he forsakes temporal honour and goods for the hope of the eternal good which he sees not.
53. And when it goes thus with poor Joseph, that he must lie in the miserable pit, his brethren are not yet content that they have cast him into the pit, but they draw him out from thence, and sell him to the Midianites, that he may be carried from them into a strange and foreign country (Gen. xxxvii. 28). That is, they take his name and doctrine, and send them into foreign countries, whereby Joseph's coat of many colours does by divine appointment and providence come to be known.
54. But they intend treacherously and falsely towards him, and so sell Joseph to reproach, derision and servitude, to serve the world, and to be their footstool and scorn; as happened to Joseph from his brethren, and has also happened to this pen.
- 55. Thus Joseph is brought into Egypt, and sold for a slave (Gen.
- xxxvii. 36). But God is with him, and gives him understanding and wisdom, that he is made his master's steward, so that his master does 2 nothing without him, but entrusts him with all things (Gen. xxxix. 1-4). So also when the spirit of Joseph (though in a spiteful manner) is sold into strange countries, where his person is not known; yet the wise do take especial notice of the spirit [of his sense and meaning] and know him, and see that God has given him his wisdom and spirit, and receive his writings and doctrine, and order their whole life according to it. And
thus Joseph comes to sit in the chief office of Pharaoh's steward, and governs his whole house.
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