learn to know themselves. And then the sun arises again upon them, as here it did upon Abraham, when God had suffered him to go unto Gerar; that is, into his natural rational life, wherein he committed a great offence before Abimelech. A twofold sun did afterwards arise and shine on him, viz. one was, that Abimelech did acknowledge him, and learned to fear the Lord; and gave the land for a possession unto Abraham. He gave him also gifts for rebuke; as the reproof of the saints is, that men should fear at God's reproof: Thus the sun of king Abimelech's favour arose upon him. And then the other sun which shone on him was, that Sarah conceived; and a branch sprang forth unto him out of the line of the Covenant, from the divine sun's power, and Isaac was born unto him.
7. And that we may understand the very truth: we see how always the cross stands by the children of God; and Adam and Christ are continually set by each other; as here Abimelech and Abraham; and Ishmael and Isaac; and also the man of right reason, and the corrupt nature against reason; which incessantly sifts and tries reason. As we may see it here in Hagar and Sarah, which also were set one against another, that one did exercise the other; as Hagar in the property of corrupt nature, viz. in Adam's life; and Sarah, in Christ's person; so that Hagar did exercise and prove the natural Sarah; that she pressed forth out of the reason [or (natural) carnal wisdom of the flesh] into God.
8. And we have here (in Sarah and her maid Hagar, with her son Ishmael, and with Isaac, Sarah's son; how Sarah cast out the bondwoman, with her son; which seemed grievous to Abraham, and yet was right in the sight of God), such an excellent mirror, as we find not the like again in the Bible; showing how Christ and the natural man dwell by one another; and how the natural man, with Ishmael and his mother, must be wholly cast out from the right of inheritance, and self-will; [from this we see] that the natural ownwill is no heir of God.
9. And when the resigned will has wholly cast him out,* then the poor nature of man sits in its rejected will in fear and trembling, and utterly despairs of life. As here, Hagar with her son Ishmael; when she was cast out from Abraham, she wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, that is, in the brokenness of her heart; and looked upon herself as one wholly forsaken [and as one quite spent and faint] and despaired of her own and her son's life. For she had lost the inheritance, and the favour of her mistress also, and all her goods; and there was neither water nor bread for to preserve life, and they were as given up to death. For she went and sat a stone's cast from the child, because she would not see him die; and when she had even wholly given up herself to die, then the angel came again unto her, and called her, and comforted her, and showed her also a fountain; and told her that she should not be so afraid of death, her son must yet become a great nation.
* Understand, the self-assuming will of nature, which seeks to be master in man.
The inward figure of this is thus:
10. When Isaac, that is, Christ, is born in the convert, then the spiritual new-born will rejects its own evil nature; it contemns it, and condemns it to death; casts it out also from itself; with its son, the mocker, viz. the false interpreter [and perverter of the truth]; as if it would even burst the same in the mind; so very a hateful enemy the new-born spiritual will becomes to the natural will in its evil qualities, viz. to Ishmael, the son of the natural will, who is only a mocker, scoffer, pharisaical censurer, liar, backbiter and unrighteous.
11. And when the new-born will has thus cast out the evil nature with its wicked children from itself, then the poor forsaken nature stands in great distress, trembling and desertion. For the internal holy soul does forsake it; and then it even gives up itself wholly to death; and wanders in itself in the wilderness; and looks upon itself as a foolish and simple one, who is everyone's byword and laughing stock.
learn to know themselves. And then the sun arises again upon them, as here it did upon Abraham, when God had suffered him to go unto Gerar; that is, into his natural rational life, wherein he committed a great offence before Abimelech. A twofold sun did afterwards arise and shine on him, viz. one was, that Abimelech did acknowledge him, and learned to fear the Lord; and gave the land for a possession unto Abraham. He gave him also gifts for rebuke; as the reproof of the saints is, that men should fear at God's reproof: Thus the sun of king Abimelech's favour arose upon him. And then the other sun which shone on him was, that Sarah conceived; and a branch sprang forth unto him out of the line of the Covenant, from the divine sun's power, and Isaac was born unto him.
7. And that we may understand the very truth: we see how always the cross stands by the children of God; and Adam and Christ are continually set by each other; as here Abimelech and Abraham; and Ishmael and Isaac; and also the man of right reason, and the corrupt nature against reason; which incessantly sifts and tries reason. As we may see it here in Hagar and Sarah, which also were set one against another, that one did exercise the other; as Hagar in the property of corrupt nature, viz. in Adam's life; and Sarah, in Christ's person; so that Hagar did exercise and prove the natural Sarah; that she pressed forth out of the reason [or (natural) carnal wisdom of the flesh] into God.
8. And we have here (in Sarah and her maid Hagar, with her son Ishmael, and with Isaac, Sarah's son; how Sarah cast out the bondwoman, with her son; which seemed grievous to Abraham, and yet was right in the sight of God), such an excellent mirror, as we find not the like again in the Bible; showing how Christ and the natural man dwell by one another; and how the natural man, with Ishmael and his mother, must be wholly cast out from the right of inheritance, and self-will; [from this we see] that the natural ownwill is no heir of God.
9. And when the resigned will has wholly cast him out,* then the poor nature of man sits in its rejected will in fear and trembling, and utterly despairs of life. As here, Hagar with her son Ishmael; when she was cast out from Abraham, she wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, that is, in the brokenness of her heart; and looked upon herself as one wholly forsaken [and as one quite spent and faint] and despaired of her own and her son's life. For she had lost the inheritance, and the favour of her mistress also, and all her goods; and there was neither water nor bread for to preserve life, and they were as given up to death. For she went and sat a stone's cast from the child, because she would not see him die; and when she had even wholly given up herself to die, then the angel came again unto her, and called her, and comforted her, and showed her also a fountain; and told her that she should not be so afraid of death, her son must yet become a great nation.
* Understand, the self-assuming will of nature, which seeks to be master in man.
The inward figure of this is thus:
10. When Isaac, that is, Christ, is born in the convert, then the spiritual new-born will rejects its own evil nature; it contemns it, and condemns it to death; casts it out also from itself; with its son, the mocker, viz. the false interpreter [and perverter of the truth]; as if it would even burst the same in the mind; so very a hateful enemy the new-born spiritual will becomes to the natural will in its evil qualities, viz. to Ishmael, the son of the natural will, who is only a mocker, scoffer, pharisaical censurer, liar, backbiter and unrighteous.
11. And when the new-born will has thus cast out the evil nature with its wicked children from itself, then the poor forsaken nature stands in great distress, trembling and desertion. For the internal holy soul does forsake it; and then it even gives up itself wholly to death; and wanders in itself in the wilderness; and looks upon itself as a foolish and simple one, who is everyone's byword and laughing stock.
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