49. For Solomon had the Law: but at length with his heart he committed whoredom with the heathenish women's idols: And so does Babel, who calls herself a pure child, pretending the name of Christ, and strives zealously and vehemently about it in opinions; and all the opinions about which she contends are Solomon's heathenish women and idols, and no polemic or contentious opinion is any whit better.
50. For Christ sticks in no contentious opinion, but in the line of his grace he is entered into the midst amongst us; and if we receive him, then he takes us also in it to himself. And there needs no strife or opinion about it, but this one thing he requires of us: that we continue in him, and then he will continue in us; and that we love ourselves in him, as he loves us in himself; that all of us may be cleansed from the wrath of God in his love, and that his grace and love may wash all of us that come to him from our sins and idolatrous abominations, and make of Judah, Tamar, David, Solomon, and all the children of the Jews, heathen, and Christians, a pure virgin, prepared for himself by his love in his blood, which he has bestowed upon us in his grace, that we may acknowledge and put on him in that love, and be one spirit and body with him: and then Adam is helped and restored again.
51. The spirit of Moses in the text says further, thus: After three months it was told Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter in law has played the harlot; moreover, behold she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her hither, that she may be burned. And when they brought her forth she sent to her father in law, and said, From the man, whose these are, I am with child, and said, do you know whose this ring, these bracelets and this staff is?
Judah acknowledged it, and said, She is more righteous than I; for I
gave her not my son Shelah. Yet he lay with her no more (Gen. xxxviii.
24-26).
This is a powerful figure, showing that whoredom is an abomination in God's sight, and how God sets man's sins before his eyes; and here it signifies this to us: that the Adamical whoredom and abomination are manifest before this Covenant of grace, and that Man in such abominations is guilty of hell fire, as Judah judged his daughter in law Tamar to be condemned to the fire, and knew not that he himself was the whoremonger, who stood in the like condemnation.
52. And here in this figure the spirit presents men's false judgment, that they even do the same thing which they condemn; as here
Judah condemned the whoredom of Tamar to the fire, and saw not his fall, that he himself was guilty; to signify that Christ also had set himself in the judgement of the world in this line of the Covenant, as a righteous judge, who would separate right from wrong, and condemn the whoredom and idolatry of the world. But on the other side, we see in this figure how Tamar presented the pledge, viz. the ring, bracelet and staff before the judgement, and before the severe sentence of Judah, and therewith did overthrow Judah's determinate sentence, and still his wrath, that he must take compassion on her and justify her.
53. Thus also stood this figure before God in the inward ground in Judah and Tamar, with Adam and Eve. For Adam had brought himself into fleshly earthly lust, and committed whoredom with his feminine property through his imagination in a bestial manner, and had forsaken the heavenly magic way of the divine wedlock: therefore also the heavenly woman died as to him, and in the stead thereof the earthly bestial one awaked, with whom he now uses the bestial manner in whoredom. This God presents in him, viz. in Adam himself; in his judgement, and would condemn Adam to death, as indeed God's righteousness then condemned him.
49. For Solomon had the Law: but at length with his heart he committed whoredom with the heathenish women's idols: And so does Babel, who calls herself a pure child, pretending the name of Christ, and strives zealously and vehemently about it in opinions; and all the opinions about which she contends are Solomon's heathenish women and idols, and no polemic or contentious opinion is any whit better.
50. For Christ sticks in no contentious opinion, but in the line of his grace he is entered into the midst amongst us; and if we receive him, then he takes us also in it to himself. And there needs no strife or opinion about it, but this one thing he requires of us: that we continue in him, and then he will continue in us; and that we love ourselves in him, as he loves us in himself; that all of us may be cleansed from the wrath of God in his love, and that his grace and love may wash all of us that come to him from our sins and idolatrous abominations, and make of Judah, Tamar, David, Solomon, and all the children of the Jews, heathen, and Christians, a pure virgin, prepared for himself by his love in his blood, which he has bestowed upon us in his grace, that we may acknowledge and put on him in that love, and be one spirit and body with him: and then Adam is helped and restored again.
51. The spirit of Moses in the text says further, thus: After three months it was told Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter in law has played the harlot; moreover, behold she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her hither, that she may be burned. And when they brought her forth she sent to her father in law, and said, From the man, whose these are, I am with child, and said, do you know whose this ring, these bracelets and this staff is?
Judah acknowledged it, and said, She is more righteous than I; for I
gave her not my son Shelah. Yet he lay with her no more (Gen. xxxviii.
24-26).
This is a powerful figure, showing that whoredom is an abomination in God's sight, and how God sets man's sins before his eyes; and here it signifies this to us: that the Adamical whoredom and abomination are manifest before this Covenant of grace, and that Man in such abominations is guilty of hell fire, as Judah judged his daughter in law Tamar to be condemned to the fire, and knew not that he himself was the whoremonger, who stood in the like condemnation.
52. And here in this figure the spirit presents men's false judgment, that they even do the same thing which they condemn; as here
Judah condemned the whoredom of Tamar to the fire, and saw not his fall, that he himself was guilty; to signify that Christ also had set himself in the judgement of the world in this line of the Covenant, as a righteous judge, who would separate right from wrong, and condemn the whoredom and idolatry of the world. But on the other side, we see in this figure how Tamar presented the pledge, viz. the ring, bracelet and staff before the judgement, and before the severe sentence of Judah, and therewith did overthrow Judah's determinate sentence, and still his wrath, that he must take compassion on her and justify her.
53. Thus also stood this figure before God in the inward ground in Judah and Tamar, with Adam and Eve. For Adam had brought himself into fleshly earthly lust, and committed whoredom with his feminine property through his imagination in a bestial manner, and had forsaken the heavenly magic way of the divine wedlock: therefore also the heavenly woman died as to him, and in the stead thereof the earthly bestial one awaked, with whom he now uses the bestial manner in whoredom. This God presents in him, viz. in Adam himself; in his judgement, and would condemn Adam to death, as indeed God's righteousness then condemned him.
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