70. The sign of this image, and its destruction, is the covetousness and envy; its sign stood before in silver and gold; that was the banner and standard of Antichrist. But now the banner has changed itself into copper, seeing Mars is the soul in copper, viz. the man or husband; so that this Mars [or sword] is given to Babel for a banner and ensign, which shall rule till Babel has an end; and no wicked man shall know this, and though he carry the sign in his hands, yet he calls it only [his] loving companion.
71. But upon the kingdom that is, and is not, and yet is, shall the glorious ornament of gold be put, for the prince of the powers of the earth has given it to them. Amen.
The forty-Second Chapter
Of the Three Men which Appeared to Abraham
in the Plain of Mamre, who went towards
Sodom, and set the Cities of the Children of
Ham on fire from the Lord
THE MEANING OF THIS FIGURE
1. At first, while Abraham was called only Abram, 1 God appeared unto him in the vision as One; and when he had sealed the Covenant with the circumcision, he called him Abraham, viz. a company or multitude of nations. A forth-breathed manifest people of God, in whom God had forth-breathed or manifested himself; and he appeared to him also afterwards in the manifestation of the holy Trinity, viz. in three men, which were only one, wherein the manifestation of the holy Trinity in the Deity was set forth and represented in man's image, how the whole Trinity of the Deity would now manifest itself in this Covenant in the humanity, that the Trinity of the Deity should be seen in the flesh.
1 Gen. xviii.
2. And hereby is declared the great humility in the Deity, viz. in Christ, how Christ would visit mankind, and take care of man, and [also] condescend to be entertained by man; as he came, in these three men, to Abraham, and suffered his feet to be washed, and did eat and drink. Which betokens, that men must cherish or lovingly entertain the poor Christ, who is poor in this world, in his members and children, who also would be poor, contemned and despised people. And what men do unto them, that they have done unto these three men, viz. to Christ, the holy Deity in the humanity.
3. The words of this figure run thus, And the Lord appeared unto him in the plain of Mamre: as he sat in the door of his tent in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lot three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself towards the ground, and said, My Lord, if I have found grace in your Sight, pass not away, I pray you, from your servant. Let a little water be fetched, I pray to wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts; after that you shall go on:
for therefore are you come to your servant. They said, Do as you have said.
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it to a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
4. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto you again, as I live; 1 and, lot Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it as she stood behind at the tent door. Now Abraham and Sarah were both old, and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
70. The sign of this image, and its destruction, is the covetousness and envy; its sign stood before in silver and gold; that was the banner and standard of Antichrist. But now the banner has changed itself into copper, seeing Mars is the soul in copper, viz. the man or husband; so that this Mars [or sword] is given to Babel for a banner and ensign, which shall rule till Babel has an end; and no wicked man shall know this, and though he carry the sign in his hands, yet he calls it only [his] loving companion.
71. But upon the kingdom that is, and is not, and yet is, shall the glorious ornament of gold be put, for the prince of the powers of the earth has given it to them. Amen.
The forty-Second Chapter
Of the Three Men which Appeared to Abraham
in the Plain of Mamre, who went towards
Sodom, and set the Cities of the Children of
Ham on fire from the Lord
THE MEANING OF THIS FIGURE
1. At first, while Abraham was called only Abram, 1 God appeared unto him in the vision as One; and when he had sealed the Covenant with the circumcision, he called him Abraham, viz. a company or multitude of nations. A forth-breathed manifest people of God, in whom God had forth-breathed or manifested himself; and he appeared to him also afterwards in the manifestation of the holy Trinity, viz. in three men, which were only one, wherein the manifestation of the holy Trinity in the Deity was set forth and represented in man's image, how the whole Trinity of the Deity would now manifest itself in this Covenant in the humanity, that the Trinity of the Deity should be seen in the flesh.
1 Gen. xviii.
2. And hereby is declared the great humility in the Deity, viz. in Christ, how Christ would visit mankind, and take care of man, and [also] condescend to be entertained by man; as he came, in these three men, to Abraham, and suffered his feet to be washed, and did eat and drink. Which betokens, that men must cherish or lovingly entertain the poor Christ, who is poor in this world, in his members and children, who also would be poor, contemned and despised people. And what men do unto them, that they have done unto these three men, viz. to Christ, the holy Deity in the humanity.
3. The words of this figure run thus, And the Lord appeared unto him in the plain of Mamre: as he sat in the door of his tent in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lot three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself towards the ground, and said, My Lord, if I have found grace in your Sight, pass not away, I pray you, from your servant. Let a little water be fetched, I pray to wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts; after that you shall go on:
for therefore are you come to your servant. They said, Do as you have said.
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it to a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
4. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto you again, as I live; 1 and, lot Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it as she stood behind at the tent door. Now Abraham and Sarah were both old, and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
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