11. Now understand us here aright, according to the very acute depth; Christ must be the king and hierarch, viz. the human prince in the eternal kingdom; and the kingdom was his own peculiar. Now his subjects, viz. his servants, must be other persons than he, all which must introduce their will into him, as into one stock. He must be the tree, which should give to his branches, viz. to the rest of mankind, sap, power, and will, that so they might bring him forth fruit. But seeing the branches on his tree, which was himself; were become evil, he gave himself into their evil essence, and put forth his power and virtue in them, that so they might become good again, and flourish in him.
12. And that this might be effected, the tree, and the branches of the tree, must be distinguished or severised, that so the wonders of the formed wisdom of nature in this tree might not cease and come to naught; for which [wonder's] sake God had moved himself to the creation, and severed the will of nature, viz. his formed word, into a contrary.
13. Isaac was conceived in the ens of Christ, viz. in the apprehended or formed word of faith, of Abraham's ens in the faith, and stood in the figure of Christ; he was not wholly and only out of the heavenly ens, but out of both together; out of Abraham's Adamical ens, and out of the conceived or apprehended word of faith; and Ishmael was out of Adam's ens, of Abraham's own nature, according to the corrupt property; he was wholly out of the essence of Abraham's soul and spirit, but not out of the apprehended word of faith which passed upon Isaac.
14. Now Ishmael was even as his father Abraham, before the conceived word of faith; and should also take or receive that same word of faith in the desire out of Isaac's heavenly divine innate or inbred Word, and bring it to a substance of faith in him. For God anointed the humanity of Christ, and the humanity of Christ anointed his boughs and branches, viz. those who also bring their desire into him; and so they also come even to the same unction, wherewith God anointed Abraham's seed in his faith's desire.
15. Thus the figure of Christ was represented in Isaac, and Adam's figure in Ishmael; and in Abram God and Adam did stand as 'twere opposite. God received Adam again in Abram into his Covenant, word, and will, and out of this same Covenant, word, and will, which Abraham received of God, in which Abram was justified, Christ was born; who received Ishmael, and all the poor corrupt children of Adam (who do but introduce their desire into him) into his word and heavenly ens, and delivered them to his Father, viz. to the bosom of Abraham, into which his Father had imbosomed or immersed the eternal holy Word of divine love, wherein stands the compassion over us the children of poor Eve.
16. Thus understand us now aright in this, concerning Abraham's bondwoman, and concerning the free, what that does mean which was said to Abraham, The son of the bondwoman shall not inherit with the free (Gen. xxi. 10; Gal. iv. 30). It was not spoken concerning the outward inheritance only, but concerning the eternal inheritance of the adoption or filiation of God.
17. The rebellious self-will of nature was in Ishmael, which he inherited from his mother Hagar, and from Abraham's natural Adamical will, which was a mocker of the new birth.
11. Now understand us here aright, according to the very acute depth; Christ must be the king and hierarch, viz. the human prince in the eternal kingdom; and the kingdom was his own peculiar. Now his subjects, viz. his servants, must be other persons than he, all which must introduce their will into him, as into one stock. He must be the tree, which should give to his branches, viz. to the rest of mankind, sap, power, and will, that so they might bring him forth fruit. But seeing the branches on his tree, which was himself; were become evil, he gave himself into their evil essence, and put forth his power and virtue in them, that so they might become good again, and flourish in him.
12. And that this might be effected, the tree, and the branches of the tree, must be distinguished or severised, that so the wonders of the formed wisdom of nature in this tree might not cease and come to naught; for which [wonder's] sake God had moved himself to the creation, and severed the will of nature, viz. his formed word, into a contrary.
13. Isaac was conceived in the ens of Christ, viz. in the apprehended or formed word of faith, of Abraham's ens in the faith, and stood in the figure of Christ; he was not wholly and only out of the heavenly ens, but out of both together; out of Abraham's Adamical ens, and out of the conceived or apprehended word of faith; and Ishmael was out of Adam's ens, of Abraham's own nature, according to the corrupt property; he was wholly out of the essence of Abraham's soul and spirit, but not out of the apprehended word of faith which passed upon Isaac.
14. Now Ishmael was even as his father Abraham, before the conceived word of faith; and should also take or receive that same word of faith in the desire out of Isaac's heavenly divine innate or inbred Word, and bring it to a substance of faith in him. For God anointed the humanity of Christ, and the humanity of Christ anointed his boughs and branches, viz. those who also bring their desire into him; and so they also come even to the same unction, wherewith God anointed Abraham's seed in his faith's desire.
15. Thus the figure of Christ was represented in Isaac, and Adam's figure in Ishmael; and in Abram God and Adam did stand as 'twere opposite. God received Adam again in Abram into his Covenant, word, and will, and out of this same Covenant, word, and will, which Abraham received of God, in which Abram was justified, Christ was born; who received Ishmael, and all the poor corrupt children of Adam (who do but introduce their desire into him) into his word and heavenly ens, and delivered them to his Father, viz. to the bosom of Abraham, into which his Father had imbosomed or immersed the eternal holy Word of divine love, wherein stands the compassion over us the children of poor Eve.
16. Thus understand us now aright in this, concerning Abraham's bondwoman, and concerning the free, what that does mean which was said to Abraham, The son of the bondwoman shall not inherit with the free (Gen. xxi. 10; Gal. iv. 30). It was not spoken concerning the outward inheritance only, but concerning the eternal inheritance of the adoption or filiation of God.
17. The rebellious self-will of nature was in Ishmael, which he inherited from his mother Hagar, and from Abraham's natural Adamical will, which was a mocker of the new birth.
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