Christ in the heavenly bondage. For all whatsoever the earthly man does with pain and torment, that does Christ in his kingdom with his children, in joy, love, humility, and power.
1 Or possessions. 2 Or, bond-slavery.
3 Images or models itself.
39. The earthly man takes away his brother's labour, also his will [and desires], his sweat and trade, profession and sustenance. Christ also takes away his children's evil will [and desires], also their labour, working in God, when with great pain and anguish they press thereinto. These labours Christ takes all from them, and gathers them into his chest of treasure. He searches through and through his children's body and soul, to see whether there be yet a little sparkle that can and will administer to him and work for him; that, he drives and necessitates into the divine ministration of God's court, viz. into the vineyard of Christ.
40. He often also withdraws the food of grace, and lets them afterwards hunger and lament for it; and lets them sit in misery, and afflicts them, so that they must work in great anguish, in lamentation, fear and trembling, before him in divine labour; for the old Adam's ass is unwilling and untoward to labour in that which is divine.
41. And therefore it is often compelled, so that the punishment and threatening is always behind it, where Christ's spirit in the conscience threatens it with hell and the anger of God; as also the earthly lords upon earth do with their subjects: which stand indeed in the figure of Christ, but the office is altogether unlike.
42. Christ gathers in, for his Father, by the works of his children, much heavenly fruit, which man will obtain again, and enjoy the same for ever; but a worldly lord gathers in by the labour and sweat of the poor, only money and goods into his chests, to his own honour, which labour the poor man can no more enjoy in this world: but Christ is his wages, in that he must serve the figure of God's anger here in misery.
43. But in the end, when the earthly offices shall be also gathered into their barns, into the treasure chests of their hearts for whom they have served and ministered, then there will be unlike and different reservatories. Many will have very much gathered into the kingdom of God's anger, and from that will his food be given to him again in eternity, viz. the curse of the oppressed, also the affliction, fear, pain and molestation of the poor, which they have here with their agitation wrought by the inferiors: that will be given them for food also after this time to eternity: for what any sows here (Gal. vi. 7), that they will find in barns in the eternal life.
44. All offices of this world are God's, and all officers, from the emperor to the least and meanest, are God's officers. But they serve him much unlike and differently: one serves him in love, as a minister of Christ, and the other serves him in his anger, as a minister of hell.
45. All that seek their own in these offices, and do not regard God and his ordinance, and so serve man therein, they serve the anger of God, and gather up, into hell.
46. For all the treasure of princes and potentates should be gathered in for the common profit of brethren, and for the supporting of good orders and offices, also of the miserable and impotent; even as an innkeeper 1 labours and works with those that are under him, and draws the profit to himself and yet therewith he provides for, feeds and nourishes all his servants, ministers and assistants; and the overplus he uses for common necessaries of himself his wife and children, and what he might else stand in need of; or lays it by for poor people: such is the officer's gathering together: it should all be gathered together for common benefit, else it is a treasure of the anger of God, and must expect God's judgement.
Christ in the heavenly bondage. For all whatsoever the earthly man does with pain and torment, that does Christ in his kingdom with his children, in joy, love, humility, and power.
1 Or possessions. 2 Or, bond-slavery.
3 Images or models itself.
39. The earthly man takes away his brother's labour, also his will [and desires], his sweat and trade, profession and sustenance. Christ also takes away his children's evil will [and desires], also their labour, working in God, when with great pain and anguish they press thereinto. These labours Christ takes all from them, and gathers them into his chest of treasure. He searches through and through his children's body and soul, to see whether there be yet a little sparkle that can and will administer to him and work for him; that, he drives and necessitates into the divine ministration of God's court, viz. into the vineyard of Christ.
40. He often also withdraws the food of grace, and lets them afterwards hunger and lament for it; and lets them sit in misery, and afflicts them, so that they must work in great anguish, in lamentation, fear and trembling, before him in divine labour; for the old Adam's ass is unwilling and untoward to labour in that which is divine.
41. And therefore it is often compelled, so that the punishment and threatening is always behind it, where Christ's spirit in the conscience threatens it with hell and the anger of God; as also the earthly lords upon earth do with their subjects: which stand indeed in the figure of Christ, but the office is altogether unlike.
42. Christ gathers in, for his Father, by the works of his children, much heavenly fruit, which man will obtain again, and enjoy the same for ever; but a worldly lord gathers in by the labour and sweat of the poor, only money and goods into his chests, to his own honour, which labour the poor man can no more enjoy in this world: but Christ is his wages, in that he must serve the figure of God's anger here in misery.
43. But in the end, when the earthly offices shall be also gathered into their barns, into the treasure chests of their hearts for whom they have served and ministered, then there will be unlike and different reservatories. Many will have very much gathered into the kingdom of God's anger, and from that will his food be given to him again in eternity, viz. the curse of the oppressed, also the affliction, fear, pain and molestation of the poor, which they have here with their agitation wrought by the inferiors: that will be given them for food also after this time to eternity: for what any sows here (Gal. vi. 7), that they will find in barns in the eternal life.
44. All offices of this world are God's, and all officers, from the emperor to the least and meanest, are God's officers. But they serve him much unlike and differently: one serves him in love, as a minister of Christ, and the other serves him in his anger, as a minister of hell.
45. All that seek their own in these offices, and do not regard God and his ordinance, and so serve man therein, they serve the anger of God, and gather up, into hell.
46. For all the treasure of princes and potentates should be gathered in for the common profit of brethren, and for the supporting of good orders and offices, also of the miserable and impotent; even as an innkeeper 1 labours and works with those that are under him, and draws the profit to himself and yet therewith he provides for, feeds and nourishes all his servants, ministers and assistants; and the overplus he uses for common necessaries of himself his wife and children, and what he might else stand in need of; or lays it by for poor people: such is the officer's gathering together: it should all be gathered together for common benefit, else it is a treasure of the anger of God, and must expect God's judgement.
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