7 For thus saith the prophet
against Israel: "Woe be to their
soul because they have taken
wicked counsel against themselves,
saying; let us lay snares for the
righteous, because he is
unprofitable to us."
8 Moses also in like manner
speaketh to them; Behold thus
saith the Lord God; Enter ye
into the good land of which the
Lord hath sworn to Abraham, and
Isaac, and Jacob, that he would
give it you, and possess it; a land
flowing with milk and honey.
9 Now what the spiritual meaning
of this is, learn; It is as if it
had been said, Put your trust in
Jesus, who shall be manifested to
you in the flesh. For man is the
earth which suffers: forasmuch
as out of the substance of the
earth Adam was formed.
10 What therefore does he mean
when he says, Into a good land
flowing with milk and honey?
Blessed be our Lord, who has
given us wisdom, and a heart to
understand his secrets. For so
says the prophet, "Who shall
understand the hard sayings of the
Lord? But he that is wise, and
intelligent, and that loves his
Lord."
11 Seeing therefore he has
renewed us by the remission of our
sins, he has put us into another
frame, that we should have souls
like those of children, forming
us again himself by the spirit.
12 For thus the Scripture saith
concerning us, where it introduceth
the Father speaking to the Son;
Let us make man after our likeness
and similitude; and let them have
dominion over the beasts of the
earth, and over the fowls of the
air, and the fish of the sea.
13 And when the Lord saw the
man which he had formed, that
behold he was very good; he said,
Increase and multiply, and
replenish the earth. And this
he spake to his son.
14 I will now show you, how he
made us a new creature, in the
latter days.
15 The Lord saith; Behold I
will make the last as the first.
Wherefore the prophet thus spake,
Enter into the land flowing with
milk and honey, and have dominion
over it.
16 Wherefore ye see how we
are again formed anew; as also
he speaks by another prophet;
Behold saith the Lord, I will take
from them; that is, from those
whom the spirit I of the Lord
foresaw, their hearts of stone,
and I will put into them hearts
of flesh.