94. But that the spirit says, They drank, and were all filled with drinking, signifies that in the kingdom of Christ there is a universal common participation and joy; and in that there is no difference, because in such difference they shall all rejoice in one God. For their drinking fully signifies here the eternal joy, where, in this joy, we shall be as it were drunk. And then will the inward man drink and eat of the sweet grace which is manifested in Christ's five wounds; and hereby give it into the fiery soul, which in its fiery essence will, in this sweetness, awaken the triumph of divine joyfulness, and herewith will the noble bride 1 refresh its bridegroom, viz. the soul.
1 Sophia: the Divine Wisdom.
The Seventy-First Chapter
How Joseph caused his Brethren's Sacks to be filled, and the Money to be laid uppermost in their Sacks, as also his Cup in Benjamin's Sack, and Caused them to be pursued and charged with Theft: What is thereby to be understood [Gen. xliv]
1. MOSES says, And Joseph commanded his steward, and said, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and lay everyone his money uppermost in his sack. And lay my silver cup uppermost in the sack of the youngest, with the money for the corn. And the steward did as Joseph had said unto him. On the morrow, when it was light, he let the men go, with their asses. And when they were not come far out from the city, Joseph said to his steward, Up, and pursue after the men;
and when you have overtaken them, say thus unto them, why have you requited evil for good? Is it not that out of which my lord drinks, and wherewith he prophesies;2 you have done ill. And when he overtook them, he spoke such words to them (Gen. xliv. 1-6).
2. Now a Christian stands in this figure, signifying that when he is come to this in right earnestness into the image in the trial on the path of Christ's pilgrimage in this world, how God exercises and purges him, for this is the way and process on the path of Christ's pilgrimage, and how God carries himself; and the world also, towards the creaturely reason of man. For we see in this image how God, when the repentant man is in the true earnestness, fills his sack, viz. the mind and conscience in the life's properties, with his grace, and lays the cup of salvation (Psal. cxvi. 13), viz. the true and right silver cup, viz. the cup of Christ (John xviii. 11), out of which he drank in his suffering, uppermost in the sack of the filled grace, out of which a Christian must drink also, and follow Christ in his contempt.
2 Or, divines.
3. For Joseph's cup, out of which he drank, with which he prophesies or divines, is in this figure no other but the cup of the disciples, and whereby he divined or prophesied concerning his eternal kingdom, and that whosoever would drink of this cup should with him divine and prophesy to 1 the eternal life.
4. But this figure shows the great earnestness, signifying how this cup should be bestowed upon God's children, and what that Wine is which they must drink of out of it; for first Joseph sends his steward after them, and bids him tell them they had stolen his cup, and was churlish towards them, when as yet they were not guilty: so also when a Christian has his sack filled with this food, then will Christ's cup be laid in for him. These now the wrath of God sifts in the human nature, as to their souls and as to the mortal body, and says to the conscience, you have not rightly gotten his cup by the right of nature; you have stolen it out of God's house from his grace and power. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence (Matt. xi. 12) herein, and you have done violence, and gotten this cup to you into your sack; you have not grace by the right of nature, thou will needs walk back with this cup in peace on these paths.
5. But no, it will not avail you; if you will take Christ's grace along in you, then you must take on you also his suffering, dying, scorn, persecution and misery, and suffer yourself to be continually reproached in the world for a false wicked man, and to suffer yourself to be accounted a wicked person 2 by the Pharisaical hypocrisy, as one that has stolen their cup and taken it away by violence; in that he will no more kneel down before the great Babylonish whore, who has presented a cup full of hypocrisy and blasphemy, and quaff of
94. But that the spirit says, They drank, and were all filled with drinking, signifies that in the kingdom of Christ there is a universal common participation and joy; and in that there is no difference, because in such difference they shall all rejoice in one God. For their drinking fully signifies here the eternal joy, where, in this joy, we shall be as it were drunk. And then will the inward man drink and eat of the sweet grace which is manifested in Christ's five wounds; and hereby give it into the fiery soul, which in its fiery essence will, in this sweetness, awaken the triumph of divine joyfulness, and herewith will the noble bride 1 refresh its bridegroom, viz. the soul.
1 Sophia: the Divine Wisdom.
The Seventy-First Chapter
How Joseph caused his Brethren's Sacks to be filled, and the Money to be laid uppermost in their Sacks, as also his Cup in Benjamin's Sack, and Caused them to be pursued and charged with Theft: What is thereby to be understood [Gen. xliv]
1. MOSES says, And Joseph commanded his steward, and said, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and lay everyone his money uppermost in his sack. And lay my silver cup uppermost in the sack of the youngest, with the money for the corn. And the steward did as Joseph had said unto him. On the morrow, when it was light, he let the men go, with their asses. And when they were not come far out from the city, Joseph said to his steward, Up, and pursue after the men;
and when you have overtaken them, say thus unto them, why have you requited evil for good? Is it not that out of which my lord drinks, and wherewith he prophesies;2 you have done ill. And when he overtook them, he spoke such words to them (Gen. xliv. 1-6).
2. Now a Christian stands in this figure, signifying that when he is come to this in right earnestness into the image in the trial on the path of Christ's pilgrimage in this world, how God exercises and purges him, for this is the way and process on the path of Christ's pilgrimage, and how God carries himself; and the world also, towards the creaturely reason of man. For we see in this image how God, when the repentant man is in the true earnestness, fills his sack, viz. the mind and conscience in the life's properties, with his grace, and lays the cup of salvation (Psal. cxvi. 13), viz. the true and right silver cup, viz. the cup of Christ (John xviii. 11), out of which he drank in his suffering, uppermost in the sack of the filled grace, out of which a Christian must drink also, and follow Christ in his contempt.
2 Or, divines.
3. For Joseph's cup, out of which he drank, with which he prophesies or divines, is in this figure no other but the cup of the disciples, and whereby he divined or prophesied concerning his eternal kingdom, and that whosoever would drink of this cup should with him divine and prophesy to 1 the eternal life.
4. But this figure shows the great earnestness, signifying how this cup should be bestowed upon God's children, and what that Wine is which they must drink of out of it; for first Joseph sends his steward after them, and bids him tell them they had stolen his cup, and was churlish towards them, when as yet they were not guilty: so also when a Christian has his sack filled with this food, then will Christ's cup be laid in for him. These now the wrath of God sifts in the human nature, as to their souls and as to the mortal body, and says to the conscience, you have not rightly gotten his cup by the right of nature; you have stolen it out of God's house from his grace and power. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence (Matt. xi. 12) herein, and you have done violence, and gotten this cup to you into your sack; you have not grace by the right of nature, you will needs walk back with this cup in peace on these paths.
5. But no, it will not avail you; if you will take Christ's grace along in you, then you must take on you also his suffering, dying, scorn, persecution and misery, and suffer yourself to be continually reproached in the world for a false wicked man, and to suffer yourself to be accounted a wicked person 2 by the Pharisaical hypocrisy, as one that has stolen their cup and taken it away by violence; in that he will no more kneel down before the great Babylonish whore, who has presented a cup full of hypocrisy and blasphemy, and quaff of
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