27. Now when Judah saw her he supposed she was a whore, for she had covered her countenance; that is, when the children in the law heard the prophetical spirit speak of Christ, they supposed it was in their law, and of the law: but it had veiled its countenance, like Tamar. And Judah went towards her on the way, and said, Prithee let me lie with you: for he knew not that she was his daughter in law. That is, Adam's nature in the law said, to the prophetical spirit of grace, Pray let me come in unto you; lie with me, I will give you seed of my nature. And it knew not that God was in this spirit, and desired to mix with him after a creaturely manner; neither knew it that this prophetical spirit was the incorporated spirit in the Covenant, in man himself: so very blind was the Adamical nature concerning the Covenant.
28. The Adamical nature thought it was a whore, that sets itself forth so in the prophetical spirit before it: therefore have the Jews so often slain the prophets; for they supposed they heard a false whore's spirit speak. But here the figure of Judah shows that the first Adamical nature should mix with the Covenant of grace, that the heavenly ens would receive the Adamical human ens again into itself; and man himself would not understand what God would do with him.
29. The Adamical nature would indeed in its lust long after the heavenly ens, but would not know it. Although it should see the same, yet it would think, That is like unto me, I will commit whoredom therewith: so strange a thing is paradise become to Adam.
30. And when Tamar, with her face covered, presented herself before Judah in the way, and that he said to her, Lie with me; then said Tamar to Judah, What will you give me to lie with me ? He said, I will send you a kid from the flock. She answered, and said, Then give me a pledge till you send it. And he said, What will you have me give you for a pledge? She answered, and said, your ring, and your bracelet, and your staff which you have in your hand.
And he gave them to her, and lay with her, and she was with child by him. And she arose and went away, and laid off her mantle, and put her widow's apparel on again (Gen. xxxviii. 14-19).
31. Here the spirit alludes very finely in the figure, how Adam's nature lies with the presented new Eve in the Covenant, and yet knows her not; also how the Covenant lies with Adam's first right nature, and how they meet together in strange apparel, when Adam's nature says, Lie with me, and would have this Eve in the Covenant only for a little pleasure's sake, as the Adamical nature does in its selfhood, that it might only, in its false seeming holiness, lie with the new Eve. And its heart is far from the true wedlock marriage, and only draws near her in a hypocritical whoredom, as is done in the office of the Pharisees: Then says this Eve to the Adamical nature, What wilt you give me? Then this Adamical nature promised her a kid, that is, a bestial [desire and] will, full of the burning lust of flattery and hypocrisy.
32. But this Eve, viz. Tamar, says, Give me for a pledge thereof your ring,l staff and bracelet. The ring is the soul, which came from the Word of God: the bracelet is the spiritus mundi [the spirit of the world], viz. the outward spirit; and the staff is the body. These will the new Eve, viz. the line of Christ in the Covenant, have for a pledge: these ornaments 2 must Adam give for a pledge to the Covenant of grace, viz. of the woman's inward seed in the incorporated grace of the heavenly world's substance.
1 Seal, ring, or signet. 2 Habiliments, or precious jewels.
27. Now when Judah saw her he supposed she was a whore, for she had covered her countenance; that is, when the children in the law heard the prophetical spirit speak of Christ, they supposed it was in their law, and of the law: but it had veiled its countenance, like Tamar. And Judah went towards her on the way, and said, Prithee let me lie with you: for he knew not that she was his daughter in law. That is, Adam's nature in the law said, to the prophetical spirit of grace, Pray let me come in unto you; lie with me, I will give you seed of my nature. And it knew not that God was in this spirit, and desired to mix with him after a creaturely manner; neither knew it that this prophetical spirit was the incorporated spirit in the Covenant, in man himself: so very blind was the Adamical nature concerning the Covenant.
28. The Adamical nature thought it was a whore, that sets itself forth so in the prophetical spirit before it: therefore have the Jews so often slain the prophets; for they supposed they heard a false whore's spirit speak. But here the figure of Judah shows that the first Adamical nature should mix with the Covenant of grace, that the heavenly ens would receive the Adamical human ens again into itself; and man himself would not understand what God would do with him.
29. The Adamical nature would indeed in its lust long after the heavenly ens, but would not know it. Although it should see the same, yet it would think, That is like unto me, I will commit whoredom therewith: so strange a thing is paradise become to Adam.
30. And when Tamar, with her face covered, presented herself before Judah in the way, and that he said to her, Lie with me; then said Tamar to Judah, What will you give me to lie with me ? He said, I will send you a kid from the flock. She answered, and said, Then give me a pledge till you send it. And he said, What will you have me give you for a pledge? She answered, and said, your ring, and your bracelet, and your staff which you have in your hand.
And he gave them to her, and lay with her, and she was with child by him. And she arose and went away, and laid off her mantle, and put her widow's apparel on again (Gen. xxxviii. 14-19).
31. Here the spirit alludes very finely in the figure, how Adam's nature lies with the presented new Eve in the Covenant, and yet knows her not; also how the Covenant lies with Adam's first right nature, and how they meet together in strange apparel, when Adam's nature says, Lie with me, and would have this Eve in the Covenant only for a little pleasure's sake, as the Adamical nature does in its selfhood, that it might only, in its false seeming holiness, lie with the new Eve. And its heart is far from the true wedlock marriage, and only draws near her in a hypocritical whoredom, as is done in the office of the Pharisees: Then says this Eve to the Adamical nature, What will you give me? Then this Adamical nature promised her a kid, that is, a bestial [desire and] will, full of the burning lust of flattery and hypocrisy.
32. But this Eve, viz. Tamar, says, Give me for a pledge thereof your ring,l staff and bracelet. The ring is the soul, which came from the Word of God: the bracelet is the spiritus mundi [the spirit of the world], viz. the outward spirit; and the staff is the body. These will the new Eve, viz. the line of Christ in the Covenant, have for a pledge: these ornaments 2 must Adam give for a pledge to the Covenant of grace, viz. of the woman's inward seed in the incorporated grace of the heavenly world's substance.
1 Seal, ring, or signet. 2 Habiliments, or precious jewels.
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