The church is spoken of under this beautiful imagery, because the church is a means and an instrument by which our Divine Father nourishes and trains us for heaven.
Now, in the historical as well as in the prophetical parts of the Divine Word, women and wives represent the church, while men and husbands represent the Lord. Thus, Abraham represented the Lord, and so did Isaac and Jacob; and Sarah and Rebecca and Jacob's wives represented the church. Jacob, you remember, had two wives, and they were sisters. These two wives represented two different churches. Leah, the eldest and least beautiful sister, was first married and first had children. Rachel, the youngest and most beautiful, and the best-beloved, was married later, and had no children till after Leah had born all her sons and her daughter. Now, Leah represented the Israelitish or Jewish church, and Rachel represented the Christian church. And you will perceive a reason for the difference between these two wives of Jacob when you reflect, that the Christian church was not only younger, but was more
