登陆注册
5214200000302

第302章

Christ, I say, who is ours is blessed, that is, truly spoken of out of the mouths of the Jews, when, although erring, they yet sing the law and the prophets, and think they are blessing another for whom they erringly hope.So, when the elder son claims the promised blessing, Isaac is greatly afraid, and wonders when he knows that he has blessed one instead of the other, and demands who he is; yet he does not complain that he has been deceived, yea, when the great mystery is revealed to him, in his secret heart he at once eschews anger, and confirms the blessing."Who then," he says, "hath hunted me venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him, and he shall be blessed?" (3) Who would not rather have expected the curse of an angry man here, if these things had been done in an earthly manner, and not by inspiration from above? O things done, yet done prophetically; on the earth, yet celestially; by men, yet divinely!

If everything that is fertile of so great mysteries should be examined carefully, many volumes would be filled; but the moderate compass fixed for this work compels us to hasten to other things.

CHAP.38.--OF JACOB'S MISSION TO MESOPOTAMIA TO GET A WIFE, AND OF THEVISION WHICH

HE SAW IN A DREAM BY THE WAY, AND OF HIS GETTING FOUR WOMEN WHEN HESOUGHT ONE

WIFE.

Jacob was sent by his parents to Mesopotamia that he might take a wife there.These were his father's words on sending him:

"Thou shall not take a wife of the daughters of the Canaanites.Arise, fly to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.And my God bless thee, and increase thee, and multiply thee; and thou shall be an assembly of peoples;and give to thee the blessing of Abraham thy father, and to thy seed after thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou dwellest, which God gave unto Abraham." (4) Now we understand here that the seed of Jacob is separated from Isaac's other seed which came through Esau.For when it is said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," (5) by this seed is meant solely the city of God; so that from it is separated Abraham's other seed, which was in the son of the bond woman, and which was to be in the sons of Keturah.But until now it had been uncertain regarding Isaac's twin-sons whether that blessing belonged to both or only to one of them; and if to one, which of them it was.This is now declared when Jacob is prophetically blessed by his father, and it is said to him, "And thou shalt be an assembly of peoples, and God give to thee the blessing of Abraham thy father."When Jacob was going to Mesopotamia, he received in a dream an oracle, of which it is thus written: "And Jacob went out from the well of the oath, (1) and went to Haran.And he came to a place, and slept there, for the sun was set; and he took of the stones of the place, and put them at his head, and slept in that place, and dreamed.And behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and the angels of God ascended and descended by it.And the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac fear not: the land whereon thou sleepest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth;and it shall be spread abroad to the sea, and to Africa, and to the north, and to the east: and all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in thee and in thy seed.And, behold, I am with thee, to keep thee in all thy way wherever thou goest, and I will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have, done all which I have spoken to thee of.And Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.And Jacob arose, and took the stone that he had put under his head there, and set it up for a memorial, and poured oil upon the top of it.And Jacob called the name of that place the house of God." (2) This is prophetic.For Jacob did not pour oil on the stone in an idolatrous way, as if making it a god; neither did he adore that stone, or sacrifice to it.But since the name of Christ comes from the chrism or anointing, something pertaining to the great mystery was certainly represented in this.And the Saviour Himself is understood to bring this latter to remembrance in the gospel, when He says of Nathanael, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" (3) because Israel who saw this vision is no other than Jacob.And in the same place He says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."Jacob went on to Mesopotamia to take a wife from thence.And the divine Scripture points out how, without unlawfully desiring any of them, he came to have four women, of whom he begat twelve sons and one daughter; for he had come to take only one.But when one was falsely given him in place of the other, he did not send her away after unwittingly using her in the night, lest he should seem to have put her to shame; but as at that time, in order to multiply posterity, no law forbade a plurality of wives, he took her also to whom alone he had promised marriage.

As she was barren, she gave her handmaid to her husband that she might have children by her; and her elder sister did the same thing in imitation of her, although she had borne, because she desired to multiply progeny.We do not read that Jacob sought any but one, or that he used many, except for the purpose of begetting offspring, saving conjugal rights; and he would not have done this, had not his wives, who had legitimate power over their own husband's body, urged him to do it.So he begat twelve sons and one daughter by four women.Then he entered into Egypt by his son Joseph, who was sold by his brethren for envy, and carried there, and who was there exalted.

CHAP.39.--THE REASON WHY JACOB WAS ALSO

CALLED ISRAEL.

同类推荐
  • 无量门破魔陀罗尼经

    无量门破魔陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 咸淳玉峰续志

    咸淳玉峰续志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 筠廊偶笔

    筠廊偶笔

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛般泥洹经

    佛般泥洹经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 壬午功臣爵赏录

    壬午功臣爵赏录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 曲江歌女

    曲江歌女

    本书原著名为《绣襦记》。关于它的原著者,历来众说纷纭,没有定论。今以上海文艺出版社1989年出版的《中国十大悲喜剧集》编者认定的明代无名氏。我在改写时,将其改名为《曲江歌女》。这是因为原名费解,不通俗不响亮,又因为有人曾改用过此名。我认为《曲江歌女》突出了女主人公身份,并有地名界定,通俗而又响亮。李亚仙是唐代人,是京城长安曲池风景区的著名歌妓。她与书生郑元和真诚相爱。就是郑元和穷得沦为了打莲花落的街头乞丐,甚至被他当太守的父亲郑儋打死后弃之而去的情况下,李亚仙仍然不变心地将他救活并爱之如初;最后,还劝说与激励他发愤攻读,高中了头名状元。
  • 极品逆天修仙系统

    极品逆天修仙系统

    当秦风重生到修真时代,还自带极品逆天修仙系统的时候,这个修真界就开始不一般了。从此,修真界流传着秦风的传说!!!……PS;这是一本搞笑、带着人间正能量的系统修仙小说。PS;官方①群成立;【693904998】
  • 趣味真相预测(侦探趣味推理故事)

    趣味真相预测(侦探趣味推理故事)

    探案故事的模式由4部分构成:一是神秘的环境。二是严密的情节,包括介绍侦探、列出犯罪事实及犯罪线索、调查、宣布案件侦破、解释破案和结局。三是人物和人物间关系。主要有4类人物:①受害者;②罪犯;③侦探;④侦探的朋友,牵涉进罪案的好人。四是特定的故事背景。
  • 活法机要

    活法机要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 浅婚衍衍

    浅婚衍衍

    言喻第一次见到陆衍,他躺在床上,奄奄一息,而她是即将为他捐献骨髓的人。第二次见面,她说:“我同意捐献,但你娶我,好不好?”媒体说她恶毒,乘人之危,拆散了陆三少和青梅竹马的恋人。有人说她不知天高地厚,穷胖子还想嫁入豪门。陆衍淡漠:“言喻,我可以给你陆夫人的位置,但我不会爱你。”可是,没有人知道,她不是胖,只是怀了孕。也没人有知道,她为了救陆衍,付出了多少代价。更没有人知道,夜深难眠的时候,她看着陆衍的侧脸,心里想着,程辞,你知道吗,世界上还有个人和你这样相像。陆衍后悔和言喻结婚。更后悔和言喻离婚。最后悔的,莫过于听到自己的女儿叫别人爸爸。情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 齐俗训

    齐俗训

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 咳嗽门

    咳嗽门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 为人处世方与圆

    为人处世方与圆

    随着社会的发展,社交越来越多样化了。朋友来往、同事相处、夫妻关系等等,每一个社交圈子都有其独特性,对于不善于处理这些关系的人来说,每一个圈子就是一道解不开的难题。只要懂得以方圆策略指导个人的社交行为,社交就会成为一件驾轻就熟的事情。为人处世知方圆,尽是人间四月天。
  • 礼器

    礼器

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 格林童话(语文新课标课外读物)

    格林童话(语文新课标课外读物)

    现代中、小学生不能只局限于校园和课本,应该广开视野,广长见识,广泛了解博大的世界和社会,不断增加丰富的现代社会知识和世界信息,才有所精神准备,才能迅速地长大,将来才能够自由地翱翔于世界蓝天。否则,我们将永远是妈妈怀抱中的乖宝宝,将永远是温室里面的豆芽菜,那么,我们将怎样走向社会、走向世界呢?