48. Therefore has a Christian, who walks under the banner of Christ's cross, no excuse, when God by his steward, viz. by the children of this world, causes him to be laid hold on in the righteousness of his anger, and charges him for a thief and an unrighteous person, also for a stranger, innovator or novelist,l enthusiast, fool, and the like; when men load him with all his faults, and the infirmities of natural sinful flesh, and without ceasing blame him as wicked and unrighteous, and condemn him to the damnation of the temporal and eternal death; and though he is not, in the sight of the world, nor as to the world, guilty, yet he is liable to bear the scorn, suffering and death of Christ after him, as a Christian, and is liable to take upon him the whole process in the footsteps of Christ, and to follow Christ therein, and to suffer all, in Christ, and wholly to put on Christ in his derision, contempt, suffering and death, and to bear his cross and scorn after him; that he may enter into Christ's kingdom, as a member of the body of Christ that has suffered with him, and has daily died to the anger of God in the death of Christ, from his actual sins.
49. For all sins, blasphemies and untruths, which are imputed to him wrongfully from the world, which he is not outwardly guilty of in the fact, that, he suffers in the process of Christ, as a Christian; and therein drinks out of the cup of Christ's cross, who has innocently suffered for his sins.
50. For if he be not guilty of them in his life, yet he is guilty of them in the inherited sin, and has inherited them also in the seed out of which he is proceeded: they lie in his ground;2 he cannot excuse himself before God in the process of Christ, he is guilty of all Adamical sins.
1 Novice. 2 Ground of his nature and heart.
51. But this is his comfort: that God manifests them by the children of his anger in this world, and so, as a curse, by the children of anger, fastens them to the cross of Christ; and in this manifestation drowns them in him in the blood and death of Christ, in that he still cleaves to God, as Christ to his Father, and suffered himself to be accused of sins which he had not committed, but had only inherited them; and so they were taken from him, and given to the anger of God in his judgment that he might condemn them.
52. For thus also Joseph, in this figure, appeased his just anger towards his brethren: they were all guilty towards him, but he charged them not with their guilt, but charged them only with his cup, for he had clearly forgiven them all their trespasses. But concerning the cup alone he would not hold them guiltless, and yet of right they were not guilty of it: but he had laid it in, as his bounty, and made them guilty of it.
53. Thus also has God given us his grace of mere love, after that we were clearly guilty of eternal judgment, and has laid Christ and grace in the sack of our life, with his suffering and death, with his cup of the cross: concerning which he does not hold us guiltless: we are all guilty thereof, and have not this cup by a natural right, but it is laid into us without our knowledge. Therefore we cannot release ourselves of it, except we cast Christ wholly from us, and give ourselves again to the anger of God; and then death, hell, and the anger of God make us guilty, and hold us captive in them: but at present man may lay hold on which he will.
54. But that Joseph caused the cup to be thrust into his brother Benjamin's sack, it has this figure: that Christ dwells in the inward man, viz. in his Paradisical brother, and has this cup of the cross in his hand, out of which the guilty soul and the body must drink. He thrusts it into his brother's sack, for that inward ground is his brother: but the other brethren must drink of it, this brother of Christ holds it in him, for he is Christ's member and habitation.
55. Therefore says Joseph's steward, By whomsoever the cup is found, he shall be my servant, but you shall be quit; viz. the inward ground, the true Joseph's, viz. Christ's, brother, he is Christ's servant, who serves his Lord and brother, and must hold the cup in his
48. Therefore has a Christian, who walks under the banner of Christ's cross, no excuse, when God by his steward, viz. by the children of this world, causes him to be laid hold on in the righteousness of his anger, and charges him for a thief and an unrighteous person, also for a stranger, innovator or novelist,l enthusiast, fool, and the like; when men load him with all his faults, and the infirmities of natural sinful flesh, and without ceasing blame him as wicked and unrighteous, and condemn him to the damnation of the temporal and eternal death; and though he is not, in the sight of the world, nor as to the world, guilty, yet he is liable to bear the scorn, suffering and death of Christ after him, as a Christian, and is liable to take upon him the whole process in the footsteps of Christ, and to follow Christ therein, and to suffer all, in Christ, and wholly to put on Christ in his derision, contempt, suffering and death, and to bear his cross and scorn after him; that he may enter into Christ's kingdom, as a member of the body of Christ that has suffered with him, and has daily died to the anger of God in the death of Christ, from his actual sins.
49. For all sins, blasphemies and untruths, which are imputed to him wrongfully from the world, which he is not outwardly guilty of in the fact, that, he suffers in the process of Christ, as a Christian; and therein drinks out of the cup of Christ's cross, who has innocently suffered for his sins.
50. For if he be not guilty of them in his life, yet he is guilty of them in the inherited sin, and has inherited them also in the seed out of which he is proceeded: they lie in his ground;2 he cannot excuse himself before God in the process of Christ, he is guilty of all Adamical sins.
1 Novice. 2 Ground of his nature and heart.
51. But this is his comfort: that God manifests them by the children of his anger in this world, and so, as a curse, by the children of anger, fastens them to the cross of Christ; and in this manifestation drowns them in him in the blood and death of Christ, in that he still cleaves to God, as Christ to his Father, and suffered himself to be accused of sins which he had not committed, but had only inherited them; and so they were taken from him, and given to the anger of God in his judgment that he might condemn them.
52. For thus also Joseph, in this figure, appeased his just anger towards his brethren: they were all guilty towards him, but he charged them not with their guilt, but charged them only with his cup, for he had clearly forgiven them all their trespasses. But concerning the cup alone he would not hold them guiltless, and yet of right they were not guilty of it: but he had laid it in, as his bounty, and made them guilty of it.
53. Thus also has God given us his grace of mere love, after that we were clearly guilty of eternal judgment, and has laid Christ and grace in the sack of our life, with his suffering and death, with his cup of the cross: concerning which he does not hold us guiltless: we are all guilty thereof, and have not this cup by a natural right, but it is laid into us without our knowledge. Therefore we cannot release ourselves of it, except we cast Christ wholly from us, and give ourselves again to the anger of God; and then death, hell, and the anger of God make us guilty, and hold us captive in them: but at present man may lay hold on which he will.
54. But that Joseph caused the cup to be thrust into his brother Benjamin's sack, it has this figure: that Christ dwells in the inward man, viz. in his Paradisical brother, and has this cup of the cross in his hand, out of which the guilty soul and the body must drink. He thrusts it into his brother's sack, for that inward ground is his brother: but the other brethren must drink of it, this brother of Christ holds it in him, for he is Christ's member and habitation.
55. Therefore says Joseph's steward, By whomsoever the cup is found, he shall be my servant, but you shall be quit; viz. the inward ground, the true Joseph's, viz. Christ's, brother, he is Christ's servant, who serves his Lord and brother, and must hold the cup in his
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