26. But the Lord speaks in the spirit of the humility of Christ: Let it not seem grievous in your sight, that people do find fault with your words, and reject your labour. Hearken to Sarah, viz. to the divine voice; and do you yourself cast out from you whatsoever you have at any time spoken or meant evilly, wrongfully or partially. For in Isaac, that is, in your deepest humility, your seed shall be called; where, in your words and works, the spirit of God works in love; and not in your natural selfness and peculiar ownhood of reason, wherein the son of the bond- woman speaks and works.
27. And the children of God ought well to consider this figure, and think, that whatsoever is spoken and done from favour, affection, and partial siding, be it either towards honest or dishonest men, the same proceeds from the son of the bond- woman, which must go into judgment to be tried; and must be judged of men, viz. of the evil and of the good. It must be cast forth among a company of evil and good tongues; where everyone passes his sentence and judgement thereupon: God judges upon the earth externally by men, both by the evil and by the good.
28. This now must seem so very grievous and heinous to Abraham, viz. to man, when his words and works are judged and proved, and [he must] think, that his divine seed must be brought forth only in the love and humility, and that whatsoever he speaks, judges, or does from partiality or favour, does belong again unto judgement, where it must be proved and purged: as Hagar with her son Ishmael was. And then, when it is judged, that is, cast out by the people, then comes the angel of God, and speaks to the natural man, that he should not despair in this judgement, but take it in good part, and be content that his words and works are judged.
29. Therefore we say, as the Lord has given us to know it, that whosoever will read and understand aright the history of the Old Testament, he must set before him two types, viz. externally Adam, viz. the earthly man, and internally Christ, and change both these into One; and so he may understand all whatsoever Moses and the prophets have spoken in the spirit.
30. He must not be so blind as to look upon it as the Jews and Babel do, who make only of this history, conclusions of reason in respect of the Election of God; as if God had thus chosen to himself only one sundry and peculiar nation or sort of people to be his children. The Election of God passes upon the figure only, showing what [kind of ] people should bear the figure of the inward kingdom of Christ in the outward, in which people God would set forth and manifest the kingdom of Christ externally. The Jews have had only a mirror and type hereof externally, and so likewise the Christians, who looked upon Christ in the flesh as a mere pure man.
31. These figures have remained very speechless to the world, even to this last time; and that, from the purpose of God, seeing man is such a piece of mere vanity and flesh; and so soon weary of the pearls, and afterwards comes to trample them under foot. Therefore God has dealt with man in types and parables; as Christ also did when he came upon the earth: He spoke all these mysteries in parables, for man's unworthiness' sake.
26. But the Lord speaks in the spirit of the humility of Christ: Let it not seem grievous in your sight, that people do find fault with your words, and reject your labour. Hearken to Sarah, viz. to the divine voice; and do you yourself cast out from you whatsoever you have at any time spoken or meant evilly, wrongfully or partially. For in Isaac, that is, in your deepest humility, your seed shall be called; where, in your words and works, the spirit of God works in love; and not in your natural selfness and peculiar ownhood of reason, wherein the son of the bond- woman speaks and works.
27. And the children of God ought well to consider this figure, and think, that whatsoever is spoken and done from favour, affection, and partial siding, be it either towards honest or dishonest men, the same proceeds from the son of the bond- woman, which must go into judgment to be tried; and must be judged of men, viz. of the evil and of the good. It must be cast forth among a company of evil and good tongues; where everyone passes his sentence and judgement thereupon: God judges upon the earth externally by men, both by the evil and by the good.
28. This now must seem so very grievous and heinous to Abraham, viz. to man, when his words and works are judged and proved, and [he must] think, that his divine seed must be brought forth only in the love and humility, and that whatsoever he speaks, judges, or does from partiality or favour, does belong again unto judgement, where it must be proved and purged: as Hagar with her son Ishmael was. And then, when it is judged, that is, cast out by the people, then comes the angel of God, and speaks to the natural man, that he should not despair in this judgement, but take it in good part, and be content that his words and works are judged.
29. Therefore we say, as the Lord has given us to know it, that whosoever will read and understand aright the history of the Old Testament, he must set before him two types, viz. externally Adam, viz. the earthly man, and internally Christ, and change both these into One; and so he may understand all whatsoever Moses and the prophets have spoken in the spirit.
30. He must not be so blind as to look upon it as the Jews and Babel do, who make only of this history, conclusions of reason in respect of the Election of God; as if God had thus chosen to himself only one sundry and peculiar nation or sort of people to be his children. The Election of God passes upon the figure only, showing what [kind of ] people should bear the figure of the inward kingdom of Christ in the outward, in which people God would set forth and manifest the kingdom of Christ externally. The Jews have had only a mirror and type hereof externally, and so likewise the Christians, who looked upon Christ in the flesh as a mere pure man.
31. These figures have remained very speechless to the world, even to this last time; and that, from the purpose of God, seeing man is such a piece of mere vanity and flesh; and so soon weary of the pearls, and afterwards comes to trample them under foot. Therefore God has dealt with man in types and parables; as Christ also did when he came upon the earth: He spoke all these mysteries in parables, for man's unworthiness' sake.
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