Mysterium Magnum, Part Two

The Seventy-Sixth Chapter

How Jacob called all his Sons before his End, and signified and prophesied to them how their Generations would rise up, and what each of their State and Condition would be, whereby he expressed the Root of Abraham's Tree, together with its Branches and Fruit; what the State and office of each of them would be, and how they would behave themselves, and how Christ would be born of the

Stock of Judah: also how long their Kingdom would continue under the Law *

* Gen. xlix.

1. MOSES says, And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may make known unto you what will happen to you in the future times. Come together, and hearken, you children of Jacob, and hear your father Israel (Gen. xlix. I, 2).

In this chapter lies the whole understanding and knowledge, how it would go with the children of Israel in the future time under the Law, as also afterwards with Christendom. For in this chapter the spirit has expressed and figuratively represented the tree of Israel, with its branches, twigs and fruit, both according to the kingdom of nature, and according to the kingdom of grace; and under that signifies concerning all states, conditions, orders and officers, among both Jews and Christians;

especially the Antichristian kingdom among Jews and Christians is powerfully prefigured under it, whence it arises, and how it must fall to the ground again, and yet would continue a long time, even till the manifestation or revelation of Jesus Christ.

2. For Israel here under this exposition declares concerning the whole Adamical tree, how it was good in the beginning, and how it perished; also how it would be helped again; and how the kingdom of nature would outwardly govern in God's wrath, and yet the kingdom of grace co-operate through the wrath; whereby the natural evil man would outwardly seem as if he would serve God and minister to him, but would only be a false flattery and show of hypocrisy, so long till Christ would break forth out of God's Covenant, and destroy Satan's hypocritical kingdom.

3. And he begins at Reuben, viz. from the first power of the human life, and reaches to Benjamin, the last, under whom Christendom is powerfully prefigured, and what its properties would be; so also are the times and ages of the world powerfully portrayed under it. If the Reader will observe it, and gather the sense thereof; then he will find our exposition in the true and right ground.

I

THE TESTAMENT of REUBEN

4. He began at Reuben, and said, Reuben, my first son, you are my power and virtue, and my first might and strength, the chief est in the sacrifice, and the chiefest in the kingdom and government: He was vain and fickle therein as water: you shall not be the chiefest, you did climb up into your father's couch, and there has defiled my bed with your climbing up (Gen. xlix. 3, 4).

In the figure it stands thus:

5. The spirit in the Covenant speaks forth the human nature of Adam, viz. the first power of the first seed to a re-propagation, as indeed Reuben also was the first power of Jacob; and signifies that the natural first Adamical man should be the chiefest in God's sacrifice; that is, he should bring forth right fruit to him, which might be to the praise of God, and in the virtue thereof increase the heavenly joy. He should generate virtue to him, and a re-expression through the implanted Word of God. And that is called sacrificing to God, when the creaturely human word, which God formed into a creature, viz. the human understanding life, re-expresses God's word out of itself and forms itself in holy images [thoughts or imaginations].