Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

66. Thus it is with those angels that continued in the kingdom of heaven in the true paradise, they stand in the first Principle in the indissoluble band, and their food is the divine power, in their imagination (or imagining) [in their thoughts and mind] is the will of the Holy Trinity in the Deity ; the confirmation [or establishing] of their life, will, and doings, is the power of the Holy Ghost ; whatsoever that does in the generating of paradise, the angels rejoice at, and they sing the x joyful songs of paradise, concerning the pleasant saving fruit, and eternal birth. All they do is an increasing of the heavenly joy, and a delight and pleasure to the Heart of God, a holy sport in paradise, a [satisfying of the desire or] will of the eternal Father ; to this end their God created them, that he might be manifested, and rejoice in his creatures, and the creatures in him, so that there might be an eternal sport of love, in the centre of the multiplying (or eternal Nature) in the indissoluble eternal band.

60 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 4

67. This [sport of love] was spoiled by Lucifer himself (who is so called, because of the extinguishment of his light, and of being cast out of his throne), who was a prince and king over many legions, but is become a devil, and has lost his beautiful [fair, bright] and glorious image. For he, as well as other angels, was created out of the eternal nature, out of the eternal indissoluble band, and [has also] stood in paradise, also felt

1 Or working, and seen the l birth of the holy Deity, the birth of the second Principle, of the Heart of God, and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost ; his food should have been of the Word of the Lord, and therein he should have continued an angel.

68. But he saw that he was a prince, standing in the first Principle, and so despised the birth of the Heart of God, and the soft and very lovely

2 working, or 2 qualification thereof, and meant to be a very influence. -iii-i. i^. T-» • • i i potent and terrible lord in the first Principle, and would qualify [or work] in the strength of the fire ; he despised the meekness of the Heart of God. He would not set his imagination therein [or his thoughts upon it], and therefore he could not be fed from the Word of the Lord, and so his light went out ; whereupon presently he became a loathsomeness in paradise, and was spewed out of his princely throne, with all his legions that stuck to him [or depended on him].

69. And now when the Heart of God departed from him, the second Principle was shut up to

Ch. 4] OP THE TRUE ETERNAL NATURE 61 him, and so he lost God, the kingdom of heaven, and all paradisical knowledge, pleasure and joy ; he also presently lost the image of God, and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, because he despised the second Principle, wherein he was an angel and image of God. Thus all things departed from him, and he remained in the l dark valley, and could no l Or vaiiay of

• • • • /-. darkness.

more raise ins imagination up into God ; but he continued in the four anguishes of the originalness.

70. And when he raised up his imagination, then he kindled to himself the source or root of the fire, and then when the root of the fire sought for the water (viz. the true mother of the eternal nature), it found the stern [or tart astringent] harshness, and the mother in the aching death ; and the bitter sting [or prickle] formed the birth to be a fierce raging serpent, very terrible in itself, rising up in the indissoluble band, an eternal enmity, a will striving against itself, an eternal despair of all good ; [the bitter sting also formed] the mind to be [as] a breaking striking wheel, having its will continually aspiring to the strength of the fire, and to destroy the Heart of God, and yet could never at all be able to reach it.