2. And he lived under the king Abimelech, and sojourned as a stranger at Gerar. In these two names, viz. Abimelech, and Gerar, the figure stands plain in the generation or formation of the Word, without any interpretation or exposition; wherefore the spirit in Moses wrote down this history; and from whence he looks as through an exact perspective. For Abimelech denotes the man of ingenious and discreet reason, viz. the true man, but without Christ, only in the creature, as he is created. Gerar betokenes the strong austere life of nature, wherein the understanding must dwell, which nature is corrupted, and from that corruption casts or darts temptations and oppositions continually into the life's understanding, or reason-light;
so that the life stands in a constant contrariety, and is incessantly sifted, winnowed and proved, which is the cross of the children of God; that they see, that while they live in themselves in self-reason, they can do nothing else but go astray, slip and err. As may be seen here in Abraham, when God led him away from the borders of the Sodomites he went towards the south, unto king Abimelech.
The inward figure of this stands thus:
3. When God had manifested himself to Abraham, and set forth the figure of Christ and his kingdom, and also the power of judgement upon the whole earth, then God hid himself again from Abraham; and then Abraham went towards the south country; that is, into his reason, viz. into man's own understanding; and dwelt at Gerar, that is, in the corrupt nature; which manifests itself plainly, in his carriage towards Abimelech, where he, in the fear of nature, in the temptation, did deny his wife, and said that she was not his wife; that so he might but preserve himself by the subtlety of reason. And we see here also, how that that very thing, by which he thought in reason to keep himself from mischief; must reprove and teach him; as we see how Abimelech reproved him in that he had denied his wife, with whom he had almost sinned, if the Lord had not warned him; and the exposition is this:
4. If we see a man whom the Spirit of God drives, and by whom he oftentimes speaks, we must not so take it up, and think that he is something more than other men: as Abraham was no more than others in his own reason. The self-reason in them is as wavering, dubious and imperfect as in other men, and that what they know and teach of God, is not their own propriety. As we see here in Abraham, how he out of fear did not spare his Sarah [but denied her out of a timorous conjecture]; though Abimelech had taken her away from him to be his concubine, that so he [Abraham] might but live, and it might be well with him for her sake.
5. Thus God proves his children, that they might see that they, in their own ability, are no more than all other sinful men; and that men should not so set by them and hold them for a god. Thus oftentimes God permits them to go astray and err, and yet then he rebukes them also by those whom they ought to teach, as we see here in Abimelech; how he must reprove Abraham, and make him ashamed, that he would not spare his wife for a small fear's sake, but would deny her.
6. And although it does fall out, that sometimes we see such a man whom God drives to err, yet we ought not therefore presently wholly to reject him and set him at nought, and think that he is wholly without God, as the world does; but think that God does thus set his children under the cross to prove them; that they should
2. And he lived under the king Abimelech, and sojourned as a stranger at Gerar. In these two names, viz. Abimelech, and Gerar, the figure stands plain in the generation or formation of the Word, without any interpretation or exposition; wherefore the spirit in Moses wrote down this history; and from whence he looks as through an exact perspective. For Abimelech denotes the man of ingenious and discreet reason, viz. the true man, but without Christ, only in the creature, as he is created. Gerar betokenes the strong austere life of nature, wherein the understanding must dwell, which nature is corrupted, and from that corruption casts or darts temptations and oppositions continually into the life's understanding, or reason-light;
so that the life stands in a constant contrariety, and is incessantly sifted, winnowed and proved, which is the cross of the children of God; that they see, that while they live in themselves in self-reason, they can do nothing else but go astray, slip and err. As may be seen here in Abraham, when God led him away from the borders of the Sodomites he went towards the south, unto king Abimelech.
The inward figure of this stands thus:
3. When God had manifested himself to Abraham, and set forth the figure of Christ and his kingdom, and also the power of judgement upon the whole earth, then God hid himself again from Abraham; and then Abraham went towards the south country; that is, into his reason, viz. into man's own understanding; and dwelt at Gerar, that is, in the corrupt nature; which manifests itself plainly, in his carriage towards Abimelech, where he, in the fear of nature, in the temptation, did deny his wife, and said that she was not his wife; that so he might but preserve himself by the subtlety of reason. And we see here also, how that that very thing, by which he thought in reason to keep himself from mischief; must reprove and teach him; as we see how Abimelech reproved him in that he had denied his wife, with whom he had almost sinned, if the Lord had not warned him; and the exposition is this:
4. If we see a man whom the Spirit of God drives, and by whom he oftentimes speaks, we must not so take it up, and think that he is something more than other men: as Abraham was no more than others in his own reason. The self-reason in them is as wavering, dubious and imperfect as in other men, and that what they know and teach of God, is not their own propriety. As we see here in Abraham, how he out of fear did not spare his Sarah [but denied her out of a timorous conjecture]; though Abimelech had taken her away from him to be his concubine, that so he [Abraham] might but live, and it might be well with him for her sake.
5. Thus God proves his children, that they might see that they, in their own ability, are no more than all other sinful men; and that men should not so set by them and hold them for a god. Thus oftentimes God permits them to go astray and err, and yet then he rebukes them also by those whom they ought to teach, as we see here in Abimelech; how he must reprove Abraham, and make him ashamed, that he would not spare his wife for a small fear's sake, but would deny her.
6. And although it does fall out, that sometimes we see such a man whom God drives to err, yet we ought not therefore presently wholly to reject him and set him at nought, and think that he is wholly without God, as the world does; but think that God does thus set his children under the cross to prove them; that they should
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