8. And the spirit of Moses says, And Joseph took them from his father's bosom, and bowed himself to the earth before his face. That is, when the Word became man, then Christ took the soul from the Father's bosom, viz. from the Father's nature, into himself and in a creaturely manner presented himself with the assumed humanity before God the Father; and bowed, that is, humbled himself with the assumed soul, viz. God and man in one person, to the earth, that is, even into death, and entered before the face of God with our assumed soul, that is, he brought the soul's will through the introduced power of the Deity back again into the resigned humility before the eyes of God.
9. And Moses says further, Then Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel's right hand, and brought them to him (Gen. xlviii. 13). This now is the precious figure of the great earnestness of God, showing how man is blessed again. For Ephraim was not the first-born, but Manasseh:
and Jacob laid his right hand upon the head of the youngest. But Joseph took Ephraim in his right hand, and Manasseh, in his left hand, that he might stand with the first-born before Jacob's right hand, and with the other before Jacob's left hand: but Jacob inverted the will of Joseph.
The figure stands thus:
10. The Word became man (John i. 14), understand, the not-natural, uncreaturely Word of God manifested itself in God's creaturely word of man's soul, and took on him the faded light's image, and quickened or made it living in itself and put it into God's left hand, viz. into the Father's anger: which is here expressed by setting the youngest son, viz. Ephraim, before Jacob's, viz. God's, left hand, but took it in his right hand.
11. For Christ took the incorporated Covenant of grace in the faded heavenly image (which incorporated Covenant of grace in man was the youngest, viz. the new man) in his right hand, viz. into the highest love in the name Jesus, and entered with this new man from the Covenant of grace before God's left hand, viz. before God's strict righteousness in the anger, that he might atone the soul, viz. the first birth; and the soul, viz. the first born, Christ took in his left hand, that is, he took the first Principle (which beforehand had the superior jurisdiction, authority and power) and put it under, that its power, viz. the self-will, should go back and enter into humility before God's right hand.
12. For these two sons of Joseph here rightly signify the inward spiritual man, viz. the fiery soul, which is the eldest son; also the spirit of the soul, viz. the light's power, which signifies the other or second son, viz. the two Principles. These did Joseph, that is, Christ, set before God, and took the spirit, viz. the second Principle, in his right hand, viz. in his love, and set it with his love before God's left hand, viz. before his anger, for he should break the Serpent's head; and the soul he sets before God's right hand, that it should receive the blessing from God, that is, that God's love- should manifest itself out of the soul: but that might not be. For Moses says, But Israel stretched forth his right hand, and laid it upon the head of Ephraim the youngest, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head; and did so with his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the first-born (Gen. xlviii. 14).
13. That is thus much in the figure: God would no more give the dominion or government to the first birth, viz. to the fiery soul, seeing it had turned away its will from God, but laid his hand of power and omnipotency upon the second, viz. upon the image of the light, which in Christ in his love became living again. To this he gave now the power of the divine virtue, that the soul might be under Christ; for in the light's image is Christ understood, and upon it God laid the hand of his omnipotence and grace; and upon the soul, he laid his left hand, that it should be a servant and a minister of grace.
8. And the spirit of Moses says, And Joseph took them from his father's bosom, and bowed himself to the earth before his face. That is, when the Word became man, then Christ took the soul from the Father's bosom, viz. from the Father's nature, into himself and in a creaturely manner presented himself with the assumed humanity before God the Father; and bowed, that is, humbled himself with the assumed soul, viz. God and man in one person, to the earth, that is, even into death, and entered before the face of God with our assumed soul, that is, he brought the soul's will through the introduced power of the Deity back again into the resigned humility before the eyes of God.
9. And Moses says further, Then Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel's right hand, and brought them to him (Gen. xlviii. 13). This now is the precious figure of the great earnestness of God, showing how man is blessed again. For Ephraim was not the first-born, but Manasseh:
and Jacob laid his right hand upon the head of the youngest. But Joseph took Ephraim in his right hand, and Manasseh, in his left hand, that he might stand with the first-born before Jacob's right hand, and with the other before Jacob's left hand: but Jacob inverted the will of Joseph.
The figure stands thus:
10. The Word became man (John i. 14), understand, the not-natural, uncreaturely Word of God manifested itself in God's creaturely word of man's soul, and took on him the faded light's image, and quickened or made it living in itself and put it into God's left hand, viz. into the Father's anger: which is here expressed by setting the youngest son, viz. Ephraim, before Jacob's, viz. God's, left hand, but took it in his right hand.
11. For Christ took the incorporated Covenant of grace in the faded heavenly image (which incorporated Covenant of grace in man was the youngest, viz. the new man) in his right hand, viz. into the highest love in the name Jesus, and entered with this new man from the Covenant of grace before God's left hand, viz. before God's strict righteousness in the anger, that he might atone the soul, viz. the first birth; and the soul, viz. the first born, Christ took in his left hand, that is, he took the first Principle (which beforehand had the superior jurisdiction, authority and power) and put it under, that its power, viz. the self-will, should go back and enter into humility before God's right hand.
12. For these two sons of Joseph here rightly signify the inward spiritual man, viz. the fiery soul, which is the eldest son; also the spirit of the soul, viz. the light's power, which signifies the other or second son, viz. the two Principles. These did Joseph, that is, Christ, set before God, and took the spirit, viz. the second Principle, in his right hand, viz. in his love, and set it with his love before God's left hand, viz. before his anger, for he should break the Serpent's head; and the soul he sets before God's right hand, that it should receive the blessing from God, that is, that God's love- should manifest itself out of the soul: but that might not be. For Moses says, But Israel stretched forth his right hand, and laid it upon the head of Ephraim the youngest, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head; and did so with his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the first-born (Gen. xlviii. 14).
13. That is thus much in the figure: God would no more give the dominion or government to the first birth, viz. to the fiery soul, seeing it had turned away its will from God, but laid his hand of power and omnipotency upon the second, viz. upon the image of the light, which in Christ in his love became living again. To this he gave now the power of the divine virtue, that the soul might be under Christ; for in the light's image is Christ understood, and upon it God laid the hand of his omnipotence and grace; and upon the soul, he laid his left hand, that it should be a servant and a minister of grace.
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