Six Theosophic Points, and Other Writings
of covetousness, a perpetual liar and slanderer. It pierces into its neighbour's heart, and wounds it. It devours itself for very poisonful hunger, and yet never has enough. It causes restlessness without limit or measure. It is the greatest poison and the eye of hell, whereby the devil sees in the soul and body of man. Nothing is like unto it. It is no fire, but the sting of fire. It brings about all ill, and yet finds no rest; the more it pushes on, the more frantic it is. It is a famished poison. It needs no being, and yet rages in being. It makes man more than mad, so that he desires to storm and rave against God. It is the essence of hell and of wrath, and makes of love the greatest enmity. It grudges any one anything, and yet is itself a starved nothing.
17. Envy is the devil's will-spirit; and the man who takes it as a lodging, receives the devil and God's wrath; for it brings heUish torture and pain. It is the eternal hostile torment and unrest, and destroys the noble image of God; for it is the enemy of God and of all creatures.
18. The fourth virtue, in the four elements in the kingdom of falsehood of the devil, is anger, rage. This is the right hell-fire; for anger is generated between covetousness and envy. It is the fire and life of envy. What envy cannot do, that anger accomplishes. Anger takes body and soul together, and runs hke a raging devil. It would destroy and shatter everything; it runs against walls and strongholds. And though it burst itself, still it is furious, like a mad dog thatp. 120 bites and kills all; and is so venomous in its wrath, that, what it cannot overpower, it nevertheless poisons. This is the true podagra of the world. When pride in its hypocritical coat cannot get the mastery by guile and falsehood, it must then give effect to the fourth virtue, which strikes with the fist and brings about war. Oh, how merry is the devil when his four elements rule thus! He still thinks he is lord on earth. For though he is a prisoner, yet the animal-men perform his office well; and accordingly he holds men in derision, that they are and do worse than he himself can do.
19. These are, then, the four elements of the dark world, in which the devil opines to be a God; and therewith he rules on earth by his faithful son Falsehood. This latter is the smug kitling, who before gives good words, and yet always has the mouse in view. Can it but catch it: Oh, how brisk and jocund it is when it can bring the roast meat to the devil! With these four elements man is surrounded, and lodges in the country of the false king. They shoot him at all hours to the heart, and would destroy his noble image. He must always be at war against them, for they lodge with him and in him; they make thrusts continually at him, and would destroy his choicest jewel.
20. If but one of these four elements obtain in man power to qualify, this one enkindles all the others; and they straightaway rob him of his noble image, and make of him a mask of the devil. And no man who allows to these four elements power to qualify can with truth say of himself, that hep. 121 is a man ; for he qualifies into the devil's property, and is an enemy of God. And though the devil clothe him with the hypocritical coat, so that he is able to give good words and knows how to be elegant in his manners, that men think he is a child of God, yet he is not a man as long as these four elements have the upper-hand in him; but he is a diabolized man, half devil and half man, till he make his measure full: then he is an entire devil in human shape.
of covetousness, a perpetual liar and slanderer. It pierces into its neighbour's heart, and wounds it. It devours itself for very poisonful hunger, and yet never has enough. It causes restlessness without limit or measure. It is the greatest poison and the eye of hell, whereby the devil sees in the soul and body of man. Nothing is like unto it. It is no fire, but the sting of fire. It brings about all ill, and yet finds no rest; the more it pushes on, the more frantic it is. It is a famished poison. It needs no being, and yet rages in being. It makes man more than mad, so that he desires to storm and rave against God. It is the essence of hell and of wrath, and makes of love the greatest enmity. It grudges any one anything, and yet is itself a starved nothing.
17. Envy is the devil's will-spirit; and the man who takes it as a lodging, receives the devil and God's wrath; for it brings heUish torture and pain. It is the eternal hostile torment and unrest, and destroys the noble image of God; for it is the enemy of God and of all creatures.
18. The fourth virtue, in the four elements in the kingdom of falsehood of the devil, is anger, rage. This is the right hell-fire; for anger is generated between covetousness and envy. It is the fire and life of envy. What envy cannot do, that anger accomplishes. Anger takes body and soul together, and runs hke a raging devil. It would destroy and shatter everything; it runs against walls and strongholds. And though it burst itself, still it is furious, like a mad dog thatp. 120 bites and kills all; and is so venomous in its wrath, that, what it cannot overpower, it nevertheless poisons. This is the true podagra of the world. When pride in its hypocritical coat cannot get the mastery by guile and falsehood, it must then give effect to the fourth virtue, which strikes with the fist and brings about war. Oh, how merry is the devil when his four elements rule thus! He still thinks he is lord on earth. For though he is a prisoner, yet the animal-men perform his office well; and accordingly he holds men in derision, that they are and do worse than he himself can do.
19. These are, then, the four elements of the dark world, in which the devil opines to be a God; and therewith he rules on earth by his faithful son Falsehood. This latter is the smug kitling, who before gives good words, and yet always has the mouse in view. Can it but catch it: Oh, how brisk and jocund it is when it can bring the roast meat to the devil! With these four elements man is surrounded, and lodges in the country of the false king. They shoot him at all hours to the heart, and would destroy his noble image. He must always be at war against them, for they lodge with him and in him; they make thrusts continually at him, and would destroy his choicest jewel.
20. If but one of these four elements obtain in man power to qualify, this one enkindles all the others; and they straightaway rob him of his noble image, and make of him a mask of the devil. And no man who allows to these four elements power to qualify can with truth say of himself, that hep. 121 is a man ; for he qualifies into the devil's property, and is an enemy of God. And though the devil clothe him with the hypocritical coat, so that he is able to give good words and knows how to be elegant in his manners, that men think he is a child of God, yet he is not a man as long as these four elements have the upper-hand in him; but he is a diabolized man, half devil and half man, till he make his measure full: then he is an entire devil in human shape.
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