135. Ye philosophers and jurists or lawyers, that make God to be as a devil, in saying that he willeth evil, bring in your plea, and answer once more here, and try whether you can maintain your cause to be just; if not, then the sour, sharp, tart spirit in Lucifer shall be also condemned, as a destroyer and as the enemy of God, and of all his heavenly hosts and armies. THE FIFTEENTH CHAPTER Of the Third Species, Kind or Form and Manner of Sin's Beginning in Lucifer. 1. THE third spirit in God is the bitter spirit, which existeth in the flash of life: for the flash of life riseth up in the sweet water through the rubbing or fretting of the astringent and hot quality; but the body of the flash abideth in the sweet water, subsisting very meekly as a light or heart, and the flash is very trembling, and by the terror, and fire, and water, and astringent spirit, it becometh bitter through the original of the water, in which it riseth up. 2. And that flash, or raging terror, or bitter spirit, is caught or laid hold on by the astringent quality, and in the clear bright light in the astringent spirit is glorified, and exceeding highly joyful; which now is the mobility, or the root of life, which in the astringent quality imageth, frameth and formeth the word, or maketh it distinct or separable, so that in the body a thought or will doth exist.
3. Now this highly triumphing and joyous spirit is very fitly and excellently, in the divine Salitter, used to the imaging or framing; because it chiefly moveth in the tone or tune, and in the love, and is nearest to the heart of God in the birth, and bound or united therewith in joy, which indeed is itself also the spring and source of joy, or the rising up in the heart of God. 4. And there is no difference here, but only such as is between the body and soul in man; and so the body signifieth or resembleth the seven qualifying spirits of the Father; and the soul signifieth or resembleth the only begotten Son of God the Father. [" The spirit of the soul signifieth or repre " senteth the heart of God; and the soul the eye " of God in the first Principle; as is declared in " our third book, Concerning the Threefold Life " of Man."] 5. Now as the body generateth the soul,* so the seven spirits of God generate the Son; and as the soul is a peculiar distinct thing when it is generated, and yet is united with the body, and cannot subsist without the body, so also is the Son of God, when he is generated, a peculiar, several, distinct thing also, and yet cannot subsist without the Father. * "as the body generateth the soul." Note, by St M.: " In order to avoid misunderstanding of these expressions, let the reader refer to the Preface, and to other passages, which will clearly shew how far the author was from materialistic doctrines." Now observe, 6. Just in such a kind and manner also was the bitter quality in Lucifer, and [it] had no cause to elevate itself, neither had it any impulse to it from anything, but followed the proud loftiness of the astringent quality, as its father, and supposed also that it would reign in its kind and manner over the whole Deity, and so kindled itself in its elevation. 7. Now when it had halfgenerated the animated or soulish spirit in the body, that spirit became in this kind and manner a fierce, stinging, raging, kindled and tearing spirit, bitter as gall; and is rightly the quality of hell fire, a very fierce and enemicitious hostile being. 8. Now when this spirit in the animated or soulish spirit, out of or from the heart of Lucifer and his legions, roved (or speculated) into the Deity; [" that is, brought its will thereinto, as " into the genitrix;"] then it was no other than a tearing, breaking, stinging, murdering and poisonous burning: Concerning which Christ said,[John viii. 44] The devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning; and hath not continued in the truth. 9. But Lucifer intended by that means to be above God; none could domineer and rule so terribly as he himself, all must stoop to him; he would with his spirit in the whole Deity rule as a powerful king over all; seeing he was the fairest and most beautiful he would needs also be the most potent. 10. But he saw and knew very well the divine meekness, and humble being in God his Father; moreover he knew also very well, that it stood in such meekness from eternity, and that he also should generate in such meekness, as a loving and obedient son. 11. But now seeing he was so beauteously and gloriously imaged or formed as a king in nature, his beauteous form and feature tickled * him, and so he thought with himself, I am now God,
135. You philosophers and jurists or lawyers, that make God to be as a devil, in saying that he wills evil, bring in your plea, and answer once more here, and try whether you can maintain your cause to be just; if not, then the sour, sharp, tart spirit in Lucifer shall be also condemned, as a destroyer and as the enemy of God, and of all his heavenly hosts and armies. THE FIFTEENTH CHAPTER Of the Third Species, Kind or Form and Manner of Sin's Beginning in Lucifer. 1. THE third spirit in God is the bitter spirit, which exists in the flash of life: for the flash of life rises up in the sweet water through the rubbing or fretting of the astringent and hot quality; but the body of the flash abides in the sweet water, subsisting very meekly as a light or heart, and the flash is very trembling, and by the terror, and fire, and water, and astringent spirit, it becomes bitter through the original of the water, in which it rises up. 2. And that flash, or raging terror, or bitter spirit, is caught or laid hold on by the astringent quality, and in the clear bright light in the astringent spirit is glorified, and exceeding highly joyful; which now is the mobility, or the root of life, which in the astringent quality imags, frams and forms the word, or makes it distinct or separable, so that in the body a thought or will does exist.
3. Now this highly triumphing and joyous spirit is very fitly and excellently, in the divine Salitter, used to the imaging or framing; because it chiefly moves in the tone or tune, and in the love, and is nearest to the heart of God in the birth, and bound or united therewith in joy, which indeed is itself also the spring and source of joy, or the rising up in the heart of God. 4. And there is no difference here, but only such as is between the body and soul in man; and so the body signifies or resembls the seven qualifying spirits of the Father; and the soul signifies or resembls the only begotten Son of God the Father. [" The spirit of the soul signifies or repre " sents the heart of God; and the soul the eye " of God in the first Principle; as is declared in " our third book, Concerning the Threefold Life " of Man."] 5. Now as the body generats the soul,* so the seven spirits of God generate the Son; and as the soul is a peculiar distinct thing when it is generated, and yet is united with the body, and cannot subsist without the body, so also is the Son of God, when he is generated, a peculiar, several, distinct thing also, and yet cannot subsist without the Father. * "as the body generats the soul." Note, by St M.: " In order to avoid misunderstanding of these expressions, let the reader refer to the Preface, and to other passages, which will clearly show how far the author was from materialistic doctrines." Now observe, 6. Just in such a kind and manner also was the bitter quality in Lucifer, and [it] had no cause to elevate itself, neither had it any impulse to it from anything, but followed the proud loftiness of the astringent quality, as its father, and supposed also that it would reign in its kind and manner over the whole Deity, and so kindled itself in its elevation. 7. Now when it had halfgenerated the animated or soulish spirit in the body, that spirit became in this kind and manner a fierce, stinging, raging, kindled and tearing spirit, bitter as gall; and is rightly the quality of hell fire, a very fierce and enemicitious hostile being. 8. Now when this spirit in the animated or soulish spirit, out of or from the heart of Lucifer and his legions, roved (or speculated) into the Deity; [" that is, brought its will thereinto, as " into the genitrix;"] then it was no other than a tearing, breaking, stinging, murdering and poisonous burning: Concerning which Christ said,[John viii. 44] The devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning; and has not continued in the truth. 9. But Lucifer intended by that means to be above God; none could domineer and rule so terribly as he himself, all must stoop to him; he would with his spirit in the whole Deity rule as a powerful king over all; seeing he was the fairest and most beautiful he would needs also be the most potent. 10. But he saw and knew very well the divine meekness, and humble being in God his Father; moreover he knew also very well, that it stood in such meekness from eternity, and that he also should generate in such meekness, as a loving and obedient son. 11. But now seeing he was so beauteously and gloriously imaged or formed as a king in nature, his beauteous form and feature tickled * him, and so he thought with himself, I am now God,
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