as Rachel murmured, against Jacob, because it went not with her as she would, and was implacable with pressing Jacob, that he would give her children, or else she would die, at which Jacob was wrath.
20. So now the spirit represents the figure by Bilhah, Rachel's maid- servant, whom she gave to Jacob for a wife, who bare this Dan, who should be a judge and determiner of the anger and strife between Jacob and Rachel, when the self-will of Rachel would have children by force.
21. And it prefigures this to us, that the worldly office of a judge has its original from God's maid-servant, that is, from the kingdom and dominion of nature, and that God created man under no office of a judge; but the murmuring, stubborn and opposite self-will of man, which will not be obedient to God, nor endure to be judged and led by his spirit, that has caused, that Dan, viz. the power and authority to judge, is born in the lap of Rachel, viz. in the liberty of nature.
22. Therefore the spirit in the Covenant by Jacob pronounces so sharp and severe a sentence upon it, and says, this Dan, that is, this office of a judge, would be a serpent and adder in the way of righteousness, and would bite the just right, viz. the heels of his horse, that his rider, viz. justice and righteousness, might fall to the ground; and then nature shall wait for the salvation of God, viz. for the justice and right of Christ, by and through love: and then Dan's office shall cease.
23. Which ought well to be considered by you, Babel, seeing you boast of Christ, whether your salvation be in you or no; that you might judge yourself; and not need to have judges who must judge your unrighteousness, wherein you are no Christian, seeing you continually murmur with Rachel, and seek your will, therefore also the adder and serpent of Dan may well sting you; for your evil malice and wickedness causes that, viz. your own wilfulness. Therefore also has God given you up under Dan's fallen rider, so that you must go along as a slave and ridden horse, whom the serpent stings with his venomous sting, viz. with the power and authority of usurping self.
24. But that Dan's rider must fall backward, signifies that this
Dan with his office shall fall backward in the conscience of a Christian, when he turns to Christ and works repentance; for in repentance Dan's government ceases, the rider, God's anger, falls backward. Therefore also every Christian is bound to forgive everyone from his heart, when repentance and confession and acknowledgement of sins comes, and so cast the office of a judge behind his back, for the office of a judge is the office concerning sin, that separates right from wrong, and always falls heavy upon that which is false and wicked; but the serpent often bites the horse in the heels, viz. favour, greatness, reward, gifts and bribes: these make Dan an adder and serpent.
25. And we see clearly that Dan, viz. the office of a judge in Israel, has its original from the murmuring, stubborn and opposite will, and that Dan is only a determiner of strife, and not, as he supposes to be his own lord in his office, but a divider, as Rachel says: God has judged my cause, viz. by this Dan, her maid- servant's son, and not her own son; to signify that a child of God needs no judge: he judges himself; and suffers with patience.
VIII
THE TESTAMENT of GAD
26. Gad stands prepared, he will lead a host, and retreat back again (Gen. xlix. 19). This figure does not prefigure that the children of Gad shall be captains of troops, as also Dan's children shall not be mere judges, but it represents the spiritual figure, which is to be seen by Leah, who gave her maid-servant also to Jacob, when she ceased to bear, and would make haste to prevent Rachel, for Gad was born of Zilpah, and should prevent Dan, for she said, readily, Turn you before him, and turn about to me again (Gen. xxx. 9-11). And it denotes human forecasting and carefulness, subtlety, policy and wicked craft and cunningness, that do with all subtlety prevent the right and justice, and would elevate themselves above all right and truth.
27. For Gad and Dan are both from the maid- servants, and are in the figure as a strife, for Rachel and Leah would one prevent the other, and therefore their ways were merely opposite: so this figure stands
as Rachel murmured, against Jacob, because it went not with her as she would, and was implacable with pressing Jacob, that he would give her children, or else she would die, at which Jacob was wrath.
20. So now the spirit represents the figure by Bilhah, Rachel's maid- servant, whom she gave to Jacob for a wife, who bare this Dan, who should be a judge and determiner of the anger and strife between Jacob and Rachel, when the self-will of Rachel would have children by force.
21. And it prefigures this to us, that the worldly office of a judge has its original from God's maid-servant, that is, from the kingdom and dominion of nature, and that God created man under no office of a judge; but the murmuring, stubborn and opposite self-will of man, which will not be obedient to God, nor endure to be judged and led by his spirit, that has caused, that Dan, viz. the power and authority to judge, is born in the lap of Rachel, viz. in the liberty of nature.
22. Therefore the spirit in the Covenant by Jacob pronounces so sharp and severe a sentence upon it, and says, this Dan, that is, this office of a judge, would be a serpent and adder in the way of righteousness, and would bite the just right, viz. the heels of his horse, that his rider, viz. justice and righteousness, might fall to the ground; and then nature shall wait for the salvation of God, viz. for the justice and right of Christ, by and through love: and then Dan's office shall cease.
23. Which ought well to be considered by you, Babel, seeing you boast of Christ, whether your salvation be in you or no; that you might judge yourself; and not need to have judges who must judge your unrighteousness, wherein you are no Christian, seeing you continually murmur with Rachel, and seek your will, therefore also the adder and serpent of Dan may well sting you; for your evil malice and wickedness causes that, viz. your own wilfulness. Therefore also has God given you up under Dan's fallen rider, so that you must go along as a slave and ridden horse, whom the serpent stings with his venomous sting, viz. with the power and authority of usurping self.
24. But that Dan's rider must fall backward, signifies that this
Dan with his office shall fall backward in the conscience of a Christian, when he turns to Christ and works repentance; for in repentance Dan's government ceases, the rider, God's anger, falls backward. Therefore also every Christian is bound to forgive everyone from his heart, when repentance and confession and acknowledgement of sins comes, and so cast the office of a judge behind his back, for the office of a judge is the office concerning sin, that separates right from wrong, and always falls heavy upon that which is false and wicked; but the serpent often bites the horse in the heels, viz. favour, greatness, reward, gifts and bribes: these make Dan an adder and serpent.
25. And we see clearly that Dan, viz. the office of a judge in Israel, has its original from the murmuring, stubborn and opposite will, and that Dan is only a determiner of strife, and not, as he supposes to be his own lord in his office, but a divider, as Rachel says: God has judged my cause, viz. by this Dan, her maid- servant's son, and not her own son; to signify that a child of God needs no judge: he judges himself; and suffers with patience.
VIII
THE TESTAMENT of GAD
26. Gad stands prepared, he will lead a host, and retreat back again (Gen. xlix. 19). This figure does not prefigure that the children of Gad shall be captains of troops, as also Dan's children shall not be mere judges, but it represents the spiritual figure, which is to be seen by Leah, who gave her maid-servant also to Jacob, when she ceased to bear, and would make haste to prevent Rachel, for Gad was born of Zilpah, and should prevent Dan, for she said, readily, Turn you before him, and turn about to me again (Gen. xxx. 9-11). And it denotes human forecasting and carefulness, subtlety, policy and wicked craft and cunningness, that do with all subtlety prevent the right and justice, and would elevate themselves above all right and truth.
27. For Gad and Dan are both from the maid- servants, and are in the figure as a strife, for Rachel and Leah would one prevent the other, and therefore their ways were merely opposite: so this figure stands
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