38. Judah had begotten three sons of the Canaanitish woman. But the line of the Covenant which lay in him would not pass on in the Canaanitish woman and her children, but opened itself in this whoredom of Judah with Tamar, in Pharez; whom Tamar conceived of Judah by this coition or lying together. With which figure God represents the misery of man, and presents his Covenant of grace with the opening of this precious line of the Covenant, which pressed on to the limit, Christ; in this whoredom of Judah and Tamar, viz. in the earthly Adam, and in the earthly Eve; but, in the inward ground of its essence. To signify that even the children of God, in their corrupt nature, do but commit whoredom in the presence of God, and that their state of wedlock is but whoredom and a defiled bestial thing in the presence of God; and has nothing at all therein chaste or pure in the sight of God. Therefore the line of the Covenant manifested itself in this whoredom of Judah and Tamar, to signify that Christ should come out of this line of the Covenant, and enter into the middle of this whoredom [as a Mediator], and break the head of the false whorish desire and earthly Serpent, and purify our fleshly impure bestial conception with its heavenly virgin seed, and in himself change it into the Paradisical image again.
39. Also God does therefore manifest the line of his Covenant in this whoredom of Judah and Tamar, that his wrath in our human impurity might not burn up and devour body and soul, but that the Covenant of grace might withstand the anger in our impurity, lest God should devour Israel in their abominations and impurity in his wrath.
40. Now seeing the line of the Covenant as to its manifestation and propagation lay in Judah, and that Israel also was impure according to the Adamical nature, therefore God did represent his Covenant of grace at the first propagation from the stock of Israel in such a figure; that the faith of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, in the first branch from them, viz. in Judah and his children, might withstand his wrath, and that continually the faith of Abraham, viz. the spirit of Christ in Abraham's faith, might be a mediator between God and the impurity of man.
41. We see also such a figure in the royal prophet David with Bathsheba, upon whom also the line of the Covenant pressed on in Solomon, and though clearly David caused her husband Uriah to be slain, and used deceit that he might get Bathsheba to wife, which in the human nature was an abomination and great sin before the face of God; yet the spirit has its figure in David thus, seeing God had renewed his Covenant of grace with him concerning Christ. Therefore God set the line of his Covenant in David's unrighteousness in the woman that he had gotten to himself with unrighteousness in whoredom by murdering her husband. To signify that all human matters and doings are vain and evil in the sight of God, and that he will come himself with his grace to help our sins and impurity, and introduce his grace into our sin and slay it with the grace. Therefore God represents this image and type in David, for an atonement, pointing at the coming of Christ, who, when he rendered himself into this figure, took on him the sins of all men, and cleansed again the whoredom of Judah and Tamar, as also of David and Bathsheba, and of Adam and Eve; and laid himself in the marriage bed with them, as he did with Judah and Tamar, and with David and Bathsheba, in whom the line of the Covenant was manifested in their evil purposes and doings.
38. Judah had begotten three sons of the Canaanitish woman. But the line of the Covenant which lay in him would not pass on in the Canaanitish woman and her children, but opened itself in this whoredom of Judah with Tamar, in Pharez; whom Tamar conceived of Judah by this coition or lying together. With which figure God represents the misery of man, and presents his Covenant of grace with the opening of this precious line of the Covenant, which pressed on to the limit, Christ; in this whoredom of Judah and Tamar, viz. in the earthly Adam, and in the earthly Eve; but, in the inward ground of its essence. To signify that even the children of God, in their corrupt nature, do but commit whoredom in the presence of God, and that their state of wedlock is but whoredom and a defiled bestial thing in the presence of God; and has nothing at all therein chaste or pure in the sight of God. Therefore the line of the Covenant manifested itself in this whoredom of Judah and Tamar, to signify that Christ should come out of this line of the Covenant, and enter into the middle of this whoredom [as a Mediator], and break the head of the false whorish desire and earthly Serpent, and purify our fleshly impure bestial conception with its heavenly virgin seed, and in himself change it into the Paradisical image again.
39. Also God does therefore manifest the line of his Covenant in this whoredom of Judah and Tamar, that his wrath in our human impurity might not burn up and devour body and soul, but that the Covenant of grace might withstand the anger in our impurity, lest God should devour Israel in their abominations and impurity in his wrath.
40. Now seeing the line of the Covenant as to its manifestation and propagation lay in Judah, and that Israel also was impure according to the Adamical nature, therefore God did represent his Covenant of grace at the first propagation from the stock of Israel in such a figure; that the faith of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, in the first branch from them, viz. in Judah and his children, might withstand his wrath, and that continually the faith of Abraham, viz. the spirit of Christ in Abraham's faith, might be a mediator between God and the impurity of man.
41. We see also such a figure in the royal prophet David with Bathsheba, upon whom also the line of the Covenant pressed on in Solomon, and though clearly David caused her husband Uriah to be slain, and used deceit that he might get Bathsheba to wife, which in the human nature was an abomination and great sin before the face of God; yet the spirit has its figure in David thus, seeing God had renewed his Covenant of grace with him concerning Christ. Therefore God set the line of his Covenant in David's unrighteousness in the woman that he had gotten to himself with unrighteousness in whoredom by murdering her husband. To signify that all human matters and doings are vain and evil in the sight of God, and that he will come himself with his grace to help our sins and impurity, and introduce his grace into our sin and slay it with the grace. Therefore God represents this image and type in David, for an atonement, pointing at the coming of Christ, who, when he rendered himself into this figure, took on him the sins of all men, and cleansed again the whoredom of Judah and Tamar, as also of David and Bathsheba, and of Adam and Eve; and laid himself in the marriage bed with them, as he did with Judah and Tamar, and with David and Bathsheba, in whom the line of the Covenant was manifested in their evil purposes and doings.
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