present works not so powerfully in our words; we have now the knowledge of the kingdom of Christ: that need not be; we should only believe the word which Christ's Apostles have left behind them, and that is enough.
37. Else if we should teach so powerfully, we must then be also of so simple and poor a life as Christ's Apostles led, and forsake the world: That needs not be, Christ's kingdom must now be stately, in pomp and glory.
38.0 how will poor Christ, who on earth had not whereon to lay his head, reprove this to you, before your face: that you have taken his Covenant into a false and wicked mouth. Earnestness was never more necessary than at this present, when all the chariots are overthrown, and in great confusion.
The Seventy-Third Chapter
How Jacob and all his Children, and all that were belonging to him, and all their Cattle, went into Egypt [Gen. xlvi. ]
1. MOSES says, Israel went with all that he had, and when he came to Beer-sheha he offered sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac. And God said to him that night in a vision, Jacob, Jacob. And he answered, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of your father Isaac: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make you a great people: I will go down with you into Egypt; and bring you up hither again: and Joseph shall lay his hand upon your eyes (Gen. xlvi. 1-4).
The inward figure stands thus:
2. Jacob must go into Egypt in the great famine and strait hunger, with all the company he had; and he went up when he heard of Joseph, when Joseph caused him to be fetched by his sons, when he saw the present and the chariots of Joseph, then his spirit was revived, and he went up. Thus it is also in the figure of the new birth: when the Adamical man hears the voice of the heavenly Joseph sounding in him, and sees the chariots of the Holy Ghost in him, then he goes up with all his powers, and goes into the Egypt of repentance.
3. And when he comes to Beer-sheba, that is, into the sounding noise of his heart and soul, then he sacrifices his body and soul, with all that he has, to the God of his father; that is, he gives himself up with his life, and all whatsoever he is, into the Word, which created it, in Adam, and made it, out of itself; which is the God of his father: then that divine Word speaks [or inspires] into him, that is, it speaks actually, operatively and powerfully in him. That night in a vision: which is as much as to say here, in the secret hiddenness of man, where God hides himself from reason and the creature, and out of his principle speaks or inspires comfort and power or virtue into the life; and calls him by his name, as he did Jacob. That is, he comprises his name in the word of his speaking, which is the Book of Life, wherein the names of the children of God are comprised or written (Rev. xx. 12-15).
4. And when man perceives him in the power, then he speaks again into the Word, and says, Here am I, Lord, make me what you will, I stand before you. And that same inward Word of God says in power, I am God, the God of your father; that is, it gives to man, in this speaking power, divine knowledge, so that man learns to understand that God works in him, and what God is.
5. But seeing the body is a dark valley, and moreover an unrighteous inclination, therefore the Word speaks into the poor soul thus: Be not afraid when you enter into Egypt, viz. into repentance, and go forth out of the land of Canaan, viz. from the pleasure and voluptuousness of the world, falsehood, wickedness and unrighteousness; although likely they become your enemies, and persecute you, yet fear not, I will go along with you into Egypt, that is, into your conversion and divine obedience, I will help you to work repentance, and bless you in your Egypt, viz. in your working of repentance, and make the new birth grow to a great tree, which shall bring forth much good fruit in the kingdom of God: as he said to Jacob, I will make you a great people in Egypt, and will bring you out from thence again; that is, you shall not remain as one dead or departed from this world; although indeed you go into repentance, and in your mind forsake the world, yet I will bring you out of anxiety and trouble again, and leave you in your state and condition, if it be right and honest; which is done thus:
present works not so powerfully in our words; we have now the knowledge of the kingdom of Christ: that need not be; we should only believe the word which Christ's Apostles have left behind them, and that is enough.
37. Else if we should teach so powerfully, we must then be also of so simple and poor a life as Christ's Apostles led, and forsake the world: That needs not be, Christ's kingdom must now be stately, in pomp and glory.
38.0 how will poor Christ, who on earth had not whereon to lay his head, reprove this to you, before your face: that you have taken his Covenant into a false and wicked mouth. Earnestness was never more necessary than at this present, when all the chariots are overthrown, and in great confusion.
The Seventy-Third Chapter
How Jacob and all his Children, and all that were belonging to him, and all their Cattle, went into Egypt [Gen. xlvi. ]
1. MOSES says, Israel went with all that he had, and when he came to Beer-sheha he offered sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac. And God said to him that night in a vision, Jacob, Jacob. And he answered, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of your father Isaac: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make you a great people: I will go down with you into Egypt; and bring you up hither again: and Joseph shall lay his hand upon your eyes (Gen. xlvi. 1-4).
The inward figure stands thus:
2. Jacob must go into Egypt in the great famine and strait hunger, with all the company he had; and he went up when he heard of Joseph, when Joseph caused him to be fetched by his sons, when he saw the present and the chariots of Joseph, then his spirit was revived, and he went up. Thus it is also in the figure of the new birth: when the Adamical man hears the voice of the heavenly Joseph sounding in him, and sees the chariots of the Holy Ghost in him, then he goes up with all his powers, and goes into the Egypt of repentance.
3. And when he comes to Beer-sheba, that is, into the sounding noise of his heart and soul, then he sacrifices his body and soul, with all that he has, to the God of his father; that is, he gives himself up with his life, and all whatsoever he is, into the Word, which created it, in Adam, and made it, out of itself; which is the God of his father: then that divine Word speaks [or inspires] into him, that is, it speaks actually, operatively and powerfully in him. That night in a vision: which is as much as to say here, in the secret hiddenness of man, where God hides himself from reason and the creature, and out of his principle speaks or inspires comfort and power or virtue into the life; and calls him by his name, as he did Jacob. That is, he comprises his name in the word of his speaking, which is the Book of Life, wherein the names of the children of God are comprised or written (Rev. xx. 12-15).
4. And when man perceives him in the power, then he speaks again into the Word, and says, Here am I, Lord, make me what you will, I stand before you. And that same inward Word of God says in power, I am God, the God of your father; that is, it gives to man, in this speaking power, divine knowledge, so that man learns to understand that God works in him, and what God is.
5. But seeing the body is a dark valley, and moreover an unrighteous inclination, therefore the Word speaks into the poor soul thus: Be not afraid when you enter into Egypt, viz. into repentance, and go forth out of the land of Canaan, viz. from the pleasure and voluptuousness of the world, falsehood, wickedness and unrighteousness; although likely they become your enemies, and persecute you, yet fear not, I will go along with you into Egypt, that is, into your conversion and divine obedience, I will help you to work repentance, and bless you in your Egypt, viz. in your working of repentance, and make the new birth grow to a great tree, which shall bring forth much good fruit in the kingdom of God: as he said to Jacob, I will make you a great people in Egypt, and will bring you out from thence again; that is, you shall not remain as one dead or departed from this world; although indeed you go into repentance, and in your mind forsake the world, yet I will bring you out of anxiety and trouble again, and leave you in your state and condition, if it be right and honest; which is done thus:
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