32. O Israel, if you would know these present times wherein you live in blindness, you would repent in sackcloth and ashes. You look for the signal-star,l and it has appeared: it shines, whosoever has eyes may see it; it is indeed as big as the world is, and yet men will be blind. Enough, to those that are ours.
33. And as Jacob's children spoke much with their father concerning Benjamin, and promised to bring him again, he said at last: If it must be so, let it be so; and take of the best fruit of the country in your sacks, and carry down a present to the man, a little balsam and honey, and spices and myrrh, dates, and almonds. Take also other money with you; and the money that was put above in your sacks again carry with you: it may be it was done by mistake: Moreover, take your brother, arise, go again to the man. And the Almighty God give you mercy before the man, that he may let your other brother and Benjamin go. But I must be as one quite bereft of his children (Gen. xliii. 11-14).
34. This now is the figure that is above explained. And we see a very excellent clear type and image therein, showing that Jacob commanded his sons to take with them of the most precious rich and costly fruit of the land, and carry it with them to Joseph. In which the spirit portrays in the figure how the Christian Church, when it sees itself in such trouble and spiritual famine, hunger and want, and now is on the way of repentance, should carry these good fruits with it before God, viz. hope, faith, and divine affiance, and not wild fruit, as covetousness, self-willed lust, and hypocrisy, but a purpose and resolution towards truth, righteousness, chastity, love and meekness.
35. Thus must the old man take a resolution, to go in such a purpose to Joseph, that is, to Christ; and then he yields up all his sons for the journey of this pilgrimage, and says, Now I am bereaved of all my sons, I have nothing more in the desire of fleshly voluptuousness, I have yielded them altogether into the will of God.
36. Also, we see in this figure how Jacob commanded them to take with them again the unrighteous money that they had brought back in their sacks, and restore it again: thus also must a man who will be or is a Christian put away from him all unrighteous things; all that he has gotten to himself by subtlety, craft, and wrong, that, he should repay again, or else indeed give it to the poor.
1 Such a star as leads the wise men to Christ.
37. For that which he gives to the needy and miserable that suffer want, he gives to the hungry brethren of Joseph, and the heavenly Joseph receives it in his hungry brethren and fellow members, and returns it to him again manifold: as Joseph's steward gave them again the money, which they carried home in their sacks the first time and brought it again, and said, Peace be to you, your father's God has bestowed treasure on you.
38. A man must put away all unrighteousness from him, if he will enter into the wedding of Jesus Christ. Hypocrisy and flattery in comforting oneself avails nothing; it must be earnestness: and this is that which keeps men back from the ways of God, even their walking upon the ways of hypocrisy, and flattering themselves. Whereas they should leave off and forsake unrighteousness and extortion, and restore that which is gotten by falsehood. Thus they have cast the purple mantle of Christ over the crafty wretch, and covered him with the satisfaction and merits, only that the thief may live under that cloak.
39. O you poor Christendom, how has Antichrist deluded you with this cloak and covering! O flee away from him, it is time! The covering will not avail any wicked and unrighreous person: so long as any is such a one he is the devil's servant.
32. O Israel, if you would know these present times wherein you live in blindness, you would repent in sackcloth and ashes. You look for the signal-star,l and it has appeared: it shines, whosoever has eyes may see it; it is indeed as big as the world is, and yet men will be blind. Enough, to those that are ours.
33. And as Jacob's children spoke much with their father concerning Benjamin, and promised to bring him again, he said at last: If it must be so, let it be so; and take of the best fruit of the country in your sacks, and carry down a present to the man, a little balsam and honey, and spices and myrrh, dates, and almonds. Take also other money with you; and the money that was put above in your sacks again carry with you: it may be it was done by mistake: Moreover, take your brother, arise, go again to the man. And the Almighty God give you mercy before the man, that he may let your other brother and Benjamin go. But I must be as one quite bereft of his children (Gen. xliii. 11-14).
34. This now is the figure that is above explained. And we see a very excellent clear type and image therein, showing that Jacob commanded his sons to take with them of the most precious rich and costly fruit of the land, and carry it with them to Joseph. In which the spirit portrays in the figure how the Christian Church, when it sees itself in such trouble and spiritual famine, hunger and want, and now is on the way of repentance, should carry these good fruits with it before God, viz. hope, faith, and divine affiance, and not wild fruit, as covetousness, self-willed lust, and hypocrisy, but a purpose and resolution towards truth, righteousness, chastity, love and meekness.
35. Thus must the old man take a resolution, to go in such a purpose to Joseph, that is, to Christ; and then he yields up all his sons for the journey of this pilgrimage, and says, Now I am bereaved of all my sons, I have nothing more in the desire of fleshly voluptuousness, I have yielded them altogether into the will of God.
36. Also, we see in this figure how Jacob commanded them to take with them again the unrighteous money that they had brought back in their sacks, and restore it again: thus also must a man who will be or is a Christian put away from him all unrighteous things; all that he has gotten to himself by subtlety, craft, and wrong, that, he should repay again, or else indeed give it to the poor.
1 Such a star as leads the wise men to Christ.
37. For that which he gives to the needy and miserable that suffer want, he gives to the hungry brethren of Joseph, and the heavenly Joseph receives it in his hungry brethren and fellow members, and returns it to him again manifold: as Joseph's steward gave them again the money, which they carried home in their sacks the first time and brought it again, and said, Peace be to you, your father's God has bestowed treasure on you.
38. A man must put away all unrighteousness from him, if he will enter into the wedding of Jesus Christ. Hypocrisy and flattery in comforting oneself avails nothing; it must be earnestness: and this is that which keeps men back from the ways of God, even their walking upon the ways of hypocrisy, and flattering themselves. Whereas they should leave off and forsake unrighteousness and extortion, and restore that which is gotten by falsehood. Thus they have cast the purple mantle of Christ over the crafty wretch, and covered him with the satisfaction and merits, only that the thief may live under that cloak.
39. O you poor Christendom, how has Antichrist deluded you with this cloak and covering! O flee away from him, it is time! The covering will not avail any wicked and unrighreous person: so long as any is such a one he is the devil's servant.
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