1 Or, as a follower of Christ. 2 Or, undertakes.
56. But for all this Joseph is not yet passed through the judgement, for even in this government he first meets with the greatest danger of his life: for there the steward's wife burns in lust towards him (Gen. xxxix. 7). That is, the false sects, who would fain woo and wed themselves into his spirit, and therewith adorn their doctrine and doings, for temporal honour, art and science. And if this Joseph's spirit will not mix itself with their human fiction and fables, then they exclaim against him, and say all manner of evil of him, and accuse him of unchastity, viz. of false doctrine; and appeal him before the steward, that is, the magistrate.
57. And then Joseph must he cast into prison, and lie there captive (Gen. xxxix. 20), and be tried to purpose, till God shall bring him out again from thence, and set him before Pharaoh. And then his wisdom and fear of God is revealed, that it is plainly discerned and known that his understanding is given him of God; and so his understanding is made ruler over the land of Egypt, so that he rules not only strange nations, but his own brethren must at length also come unto him in their famine, when the right understanding of the divine manifestation [and mystery] is scarce and rare with them; and he nourishes them also by his wisdom. Thus God has sent him aforehand to be their father, that they afterwards must be fain to come and seek and enjoy their brother Joseph's wisdom among other 1 nations.
58. For so also did Israel persecute the prophets (Matt. v. 12), till they [Israel] were brought into darkness and idolatry in the lust of their flesh; and all those things came upon them of which the prophets told them; and then, when they sat in hunger and misery, and their land was full of abomination, they sought out the writings of the prophets; and even then they acknowledged that what they [the prophets] had spoken was true, and that they had done them [the prophets] wrong, and adorned their graves, and said, Had we lived in our forefathers' time, we would not have killed them (Matt, xxiii. 29, 30). But the Most High does so order his judgement that it begins at the house of Israel; and he extinguishes his anger and indignation in the children of grace: for the blood of the saints, in the power of Christ, has at all times resisted the anger, so that Israel has not been consumed (Mai. iii. 6).
1 Or, strange.
59. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver (Gen. xxxvii. 28), and Christ for thirty (Matt. xxvi. 15); to signify that the humanity of Christ is higher and more perfect than the humanity of others which are his children, seeing he was not conceived of the seed of man, but sprang
1 Or, as a follower of Christ. 2 Or, undertakes.
56. But for all this Joseph is not yet passed through the judgement, for even in this government he first meets with the greatest danger of his life: for there the steward's wife burns in lust towards him (Gen. xxxix. 7). That is, the false sects, who would fain woo and wed themselves into his spirit, and therewith adorn their doctrine and doings, for temporal honour, are and science. And if this Joseph's spirit will not mix itself with their human fiction and fables, then they exclaim against him, and say all manner of evil of him, and accuse him of unchastity, viz. of false doctrine; and appeal him before the steward, that is, the magistrate.
57. And then Joseph must he cast into prison, and lie there captive (Gen. xxxix. 20), and be tried to purpose, till God shall bring him out again from thence, and set him before Pharaoh. And then his wisdom and fear of God is revealed, that it is plainly discerned and known that his understanding is given him of God; and so his understanding is made ruler over the land of Egypt, so that he rules not only strange nations, but his own brethren must at length also come unto him in their famine, when the right understanding of the divine manifestation [and mystery] is scarce and rare with them; and he nourishes them also by his wisdom. Thus God has sent him aforehand to be their father, that they afterwards must be fain to come and seek and enjoy their brother Joseph's wisdom among other 1 nations.
58. For so also did Israel persecute the prophets (Matt. v. 12), till they [Israel] were brought into darkness and idolatry in the lust of their flesh; and all those things came upon them of which the prophets told them; and then, when they sat in hunger and misery, and their land was full of abomination, they sought out the writings of the prophets; and even then they acknowledged that what they [the prophets] had spoken was true, and that they had done them [the prophets] wrong, and adorned their graves, and said, Had we lived in our forefathers' time, we would not have killed them (Matt, xxiii. 29, 30). But the Most High does so order his judgement that it begins at the house of Israel; and he extinguishes his anger and indignation in the children of grace: for the blood of the saints, in the power of Christ, has at all times resisted the anger, so that Israel has not been consumed (Mai. iii. 6).
1 Or, strange.
59. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver (Gen. xxxvii. 28), and Christ for thirty (Matt. xxvi. 15); to signify that the humanity of Christ is higher and more perfect than the humanity of others which are his children, seeing he was not conceived of the seed of man, but sprang
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