54. But the re-incorporated Eve in the Covenant of grace, which has incorporated itself in Eve, viz. in the faded seed of the woman from the heavenly world's substance, presented itself before the severe judgement of God, and said to God's righteousness, Behold, I am with child from the man whose these are. That is, Behold, I have taken Adam's soul, spirit and body, for a pledge, when I joined myself with him, and am betrothed to him, and have received the Father's nature in the awakened anger into my love, and am now with child of the human nature, and shall bring forth a God-Man.
55. And when the Father's property in the soul's nature in the anger knew that the Father had sown himselfagain into the grace, viz. into the new Eve in the Covenant, then said the anger of the Father in the soul (when this grace went to meet it), to this new Eve, you are more righteous than I, for I have caused Adam's impurity, that he is become earthly, and has committed whoredom before me. And I have not given Shelah for a husband to the new Eve; that is, I have not given the Word of the new regeneration by and in the Law. Therefore has Tamar, that is, the new Eve, under the time of the Law, lain and copulated with Judah and his children for and about the soulish or animal and human nature; and left Shelah, viz. the Law, standing in the figure; and the grace of the new Eve in the Covenant has always [joined and] mixed itself with God's children, as is to be seen in the saints, especially in the prophets, who outwardly lived under the Law and exercised themselves therein, and yet always [joined and] mixed themselves with the new Eve in the grace, and yet lived not to the Law, but to grace.
56. And this is the powerful figure in this place, showing how the
Covenant of Promise in Judah, and the awakening of the Covenant in the woman's seed, stand always set one opposite to the other, and lie and copulate one with the other in the love, pointing at the future manifestation in the flesh in Christ.
57. For this figure of Judah and Tamar, in the inward ground, is nothing else but this: that outwardly the adulterous evil Adam, with his fleshly Eve, is represented in the figure, viz. outwardly the man of sin with a sinful figure, and inwardly the betrothing of the new Eve in regeneration.
58. And the spirit speaks further in Moses, and says: And when Tamar was about to bring forth, behold, twins were found in her womb. And as she was upon the birth one of them put forth a hand: then the midwife took a red thread and tied about it, and said, This is the first that comes forth. But when he pulled back his hand his brother came forth, and she said, Wherefore have you for your will made this breach? and his name was called Pharez. Afterwards his brother came forth, who had the red thread about his hand, and his name was called Zarah (Gen. xxxviii. 27-30).
59. O you wonderful great God, who is so high and deep: how simply, and to the capacity of a child, do you modelise your wisdom to us! What is all art and wit of human greatness before you, who do so very much condescend, bow down, and humble yourself; and present your deepest wisdom and highest profundity in a childish simplicity, which may justly shame all human state and self- wit, when they see so great Mysteries of God stand in such childishness!
54. But the re-incorporated Eve in the Covenant of grace, which has incorporated itself in Eve, viz. in the faded seed of the woman from the heavenly world's substance, presented itself before the severe judgement of God, and said to God's righteousness, Behold, I am with child from the man whose these are. That is, Behold, I have taken Adam's soul, spirit and body, for a pledge, when I joined myself with him, and am betrothed to him, and have received the Father's nature in the awakened anger into my love, and am now with child of the human nature, and shall bring forth a God-Man.
55. And when the Father's property in the soul's nature in the anger knew that the Father had sown himselfagain into the grace, viz. into the new Eve in the Covenant, then said the anger of the Father in the soul (when this grace went to meet it), to this new Eve, you are more righteous than I, for I have caused Adam's impurity, that he is become earthly, and has committed whoredom before me. And I have not given Shelah for a husband to the new Eve; that is, I have not given the Word of the new regeneration by and in the Law. Therefore has Tamar, that is, the new Eve, under the time of the Law, lain and copulated with Judah and his children for and about the soulish or animal and human nature; and left Shelah, viz. the Law, standing in the figure; and the grace of the new Eve in the Covenant has always [joined and] mixed itself with God's children, as is to be seen in the saints, especially in the prophets, who outwardly lived under the Law and exercised themselves therein, and yet always [joined and] mixed themselves with the new Eve in the grace, and yet lived not to the Law, but to grace.
56. And this is the powerful figure in this place, showing how the
Covenant of Promise in Judah, and the awakening of the Covenant in the woman's seed, stand always set one opposite to the other, and lie and copulate one with the other in the love, pointing at the future manifestation in the flesh in Christ.
57. For this figure of Judah and Tamar, in the inward ground, is nothing else but this: that outwardly the adulterous evil Adam, with his fleshly Eve, is represented in the figure, viz. outwardly the man of sin with a sinful figure, and inwardly the betrothing of the new Eve in regeneration.
58. And the spirit speaks further in Moses, and says: And when Tamar was about to bring forth, behold, twins were found in her womb. And as she was upon the birth one of them put forth a hand: then the midwife took a red thread and tied about it, and said, This is the first that comes forth. But when he pulled back his hand his brother came forth, and she said, Wherefore have you for your will made this breach? and his name was called Pharez. Afterwards his brother came forth, who had the red thread about his hand, and his name was called Zarah (Gen. xxxviii. 27-30).
59. O you wonderful great God, who is so high and deep: how simply, and to the capacity of a child, do you modelise your wisdom to us! What is all are and wit of human greatness before you, who do so very much condescend, bow down, and humble yourself; and present your deepest wisdom and highest profundity in a childish simplicity, which may justly shame all human state and self- wit, when they see so great Mysteries of God stand in such childishness!
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