4. For this received or intaken Word justified the creatural word, viz. the expressed, created word. Understand, that word which had formed itself in the human property, and brought itself into a creature, and put itself forth out of the three Principles into an image, in which image the self-will had, through desire and lust, elevated itself with the dark world's property, viz. in the fire of God's anger, and introduced itself into an earthly grossness; into which gross image the devil also had introduced, by the Serpent, his ens, will and desire.
5. Now the living eternal- speaking holy Word came forth out of the light's and divine love's property to help this ens, this compacted word and created image, and became its reward. This same, Abraham's natural word and power received into itself; and this same Word of God, intaken and fixed in the desire, justified Abraham's corrupted word. It was his righteousness: the same destroyed the anger, and ruinated the devil's desire and will; understand, in man's ens, viz. in the formed word, this was effected.
6. For there is no faith without God's Word and power; therefore Abraham did now take God's power and promise into his ens in him, and formed or conceived the same into a substance of his spirit: this was the faith of justification; that God's Word, and the human will and desire, came into one spiritual substance. Thus God accounted the received or inspoken apprehended Word unto Abraham for righteousness, viz. for propriety. And this is the ground and root of faith; that he took in or imprinted God's promise into his desire, as his very own; and let not the same pass from him in doubt. As Jacob [also] did, who took the Word of promise into him, and said, / will not let you go until you do bless me, and wrestled the whole night with the Word of power, until he obtained victory; so that the promised Word gave in itself to him, for propriety, viz. to a blessing, or a great reward, as here in Abraham.
7. Thus understand us very accurately: The incorporated Word of the Covenant in Paradise, which God promised to Adam concerning the Bruiser of the Serpent's head, did here at present wrestle, through Jacob's formed word of the human property, with the new promised word, viz. with the living Word [which did at present move itself in him], and would that the corrupt human ens might be blessed with God's love, that the wound might be healed. And it did long and pant after the fulfilling of the Covenant, that God would be pleased forthwith to introduce the holy ens of his heavenly essentiality into man's essence, that Christ might be born out of God's and man's essence. Therefore let Christendom know, that faith is not only a history or knowledge [but a real substance].
8. Faith is nothing else but the uniting of one's will to God, and the receiving of God's Word and power into the will, that so both these, viz. God's will and man's will, become both one substance and essence; that the human will be even God's will. And even then Christ, in his suffering, death, and resurrection, is accounted unto his own humanity for righteousness; so that man becomes Christus 1 [or the Anointed] : understand, according to the spiritual man. And thus we put on Christ in Abraham's faith, and are twigs, shoots and branches in his vine, and the temple of God. He that teaches and believes otherwise is yet in the compacted, uncontrite or uncloven tongue of unbelief; in the whoredom of Babel.
1 Viz. Christ.
4. For this received or intaken Word justified the creatural word, viz. the expressed, created word. Understand, that word which had formed itself in the human property, and brought itself into a creature, and put itself forth out of the three Principles into an image, in which image the self-will had, through desire and lust, elevated itself with the dark world's property, viz. in the fire of God's anger, and introduced itself into an earthly grossness; into which gross image the devil also had introduced, by the Serpent, his ens, will and desire.
5. Now the living eternal- speaking holy Word came forth out of the light's and divine love's property to help this ens, this compacted word and created image, and became its reward. This same, Abraham's natural word and power received into itself; and this same Word of God, intaken and fixed in the desire, justified Abraham's corrupted word. It was his righteousness: the same destroyed the anger, and ruinated the devil's desire and will; understand, in man's ens, viz. in the formed word, this was effected.
6. For there is no faith without God's Word and power; therefore Abraham did now take God's power and promise into his ens in him, and formed or conceived the same into a substance of his spirit: this was the faith of justification; that God's Word, and the human will and desire, came into one spiritual substance. Thus God accounted the received or inspoken apprehended Word unto Abraham for righteousness, viz. for propriety. And this is the ground and root of faith; that he took in or imprinted God's promise into his desire, as his very own; and let not the same pass from him in doubt. As Jacob [also] did, who took the Word of promise into him, and said, / will not let you go until you do bless me, and wrestled the whole night with the Word of power, until he obtained victory; so that the promised Word gave in itself to him, for propriety, viz. to a blessing, or a great reward, as here in Abraham.
7. Thus understand us very accurately: The incorporated Word of the Covenant in Paradise, which God promised to Adam concerning the Bruiser of the Serpent's head, did here at present wrestle, through Jacob's formed word of the human property, with the new promised word, viz. with the living Word [which did at present move itself in him], and would that the corrupt human ens might be blessed with God's love, that the wound might be healed. And it did long and pant after the fulfilling of the Covenant, that God would be pleased forthwith to introduce the holy ens of his heavenly essentiality into man's essence, that Christ might be born out of God's and man's essence. Therefore let Christendom know, that faith is not only a history or knowledge [but a real substance].
8. Faith is nothing else but the uniting of one's will to God, and the receiving of God's Word and power into the will, that so both these, viz. God's will and man's will, become both one substance and essence; that the human will be even God's will. And even then Christ, in his suffering, death, and resurrection, is accounted unto his own humanity for righteousness; so that man becomes Christus 1 [or the Anointed] : understand, according to the spiritual man. And thus we put on Christ in Abraham's faith, and are twigs, shoots and branches in his vine, and the temple of God. He that teaches and believes otherwise is yet in the compacted, uncontrite or uncloven tongue of unbelief; in the whoredom of Babel.
1 Viz. Christ.
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